Search Posts
Only, the two-headed eagle sparks a reaction. "Commander Pharamol has a pet bird like that. They're extremely rare."
Ritual Book - tongues
The rider appears pensive for a long moment before lowering her spear and removing her helm. "Peace means you're not with Yrax. Would you be willing to come to Spurhorn and speak with my commander? Your presence might be exactly what we need to finally put an end to a long war."
"Mm," the rider purses her lips. "Are you here for peace or for war?"
Mahmoud inflicts minor wounds on the giant reptile as it once again rams the barge.
Mahmoud can attack from shore, yes, but the crocodile will come after him once the daggers deal enough damage to become a threat.
Both the rider and dragon cock their heads as you cycle through languages. Based on the cadence of the rider's reply, you can tell that she's switched languages as well. "Your words are strange, and I cannot understand them. This is the only other language I know. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
The rider calls out to you as you begin to approach. Thanks to your scroll, you can understand her - although there's no guarantee she'll understand you in return. "Stay where you are! What manner of creatures are you?"
After walking for approximately a mile, a shadow briefly blots out the sun. Looking up, you see a Large red dragon circling overhead before beginning to descend. As it lands , you see an armor-clad white-furred creature mounted in a saddle on its back. It holds a strange-looking spear, and you notice the dragon is also wielding some sort of glaive.
No worries! This is the primary difference between official ABP and my version, so it's an easy thing to overlook. The point is that the character is getting stronger, not the gear, so you can use any of the cool armor/weapons that show up without unnecessarily nerfing yourself due to lack of attunement. :-)
Once your transactions are completed, Zilvazaraat offers you a small figurine. "Thank you for your business - and for freeing me, of course. If you'd like to conduct more business in the future, don't hesitate to call." With a bow, both the merchant and his chest vanish. Potential Loot
I couldn't figure out a more accurate name, but you don't actually attune to anything. At the designated levels, your character gains +X to attack, damage, AC, CMB, and CMD. It applies regardless of the armor/weapon/shield you have equipped. In other words, you have +4 AC from your MW Chain Shirt, +1 shield AC from your new Buckler (which grants an additional +2 shield AC vs chaotic outsiders), and a total of +5 AC (+2 attunement +3 deflection) from leveling.
Sounds good!
Unfortunately, the blood in the water appears to have driven the enormous reptile into a frenzy. It charges Muminofrah's barge in an attempt to capsize it!
"I'm afraid I have no idea where we are, but I'm always happy to do business." A large chest appears next to him, full of magic items. Zilvazaraat's Current Wares
The gemstone shatters when it hits the ground, and from the scattered pieces emerges a blue-skinned humanoid. Over the course of a moment or two, he grows to approximately ten feet tall before giving you an elaborate courtly bow. "Many thanks, kind traveler! I am Zilvazaraat, peddler of wondrous wares from across the Great Beyond. Are you, by any chance, interested in doing business?"
Potential Loot
Mahmoud attacks the crocodile, leaving it bloody, as Aerith dives into the water and teleports the injured slave back onto the barge. Deprived of its prey, the reptile turns its attention to the elf ... only to be intercepted by the gaping jaws of the largest crocodile you've ever seen! This reptilian behemoth is large enough to easily swallow a horse in one tremendous bite - and Aerith is only feet away....
Exiting the room, you find yourself in a wintry region of snow-covered mountains. The sun appears to be not much more than a mere pinprick of light, and stars are visible in the sky.
This room contains a large stone fireplace with a series of iron rungs climbing up its chimney. This square room appears to be a cozy wooden cabin. Shelves packed with esoteric knickknacks and strange ingredients line the walls. A stone fireplace with a large mantel takes up the room's northwest corner, while opposite the room's only door stands a simple wooden table on which rests a cracked clay bowl. A large blackened cauldron sits in the center of the room. As you finish climbing out of the chimney, three ravens take to the air. In unison, they chant, "Baba Yaga has gone on, off to see her only son. But a trail she left behind, if the breadcrumbs you can find!" before picking up several objects off the shelves and dropping them in front of you. First, they take a stuffed two-headed eagle from a shelf, then place an iron spur and a drinking horn beside it. Next, they take an elephant tusk and a small hand mirror and drop them atop a bearskin rug. The ravens then disappear, repeating their cryptic phrase a final time.
Three of your arrows strike home, and combined with Summer's talon and Horns's antlers, this is enough to destroy the aberration. Potential Loot
All four of your shots strike the moon-beast as Summer charges in. Horns's antlers don't quite penetrate the creature's surprisingly-thick hide, but you can tell that your companion came very close to wounding it.
Like the room you just exited, this room appears to be a storage room filled with mounds of moldering herbs, clay pots, and barrels of fertilizer. Of more pressing concern is the Large eyeless froglike creature with a tentacled snout hovering near the ceiling.
The extraplanar slaver quickly falls under your sudden attack. Potential Loot
Aerith's blade strikes a particularly-large crocodile but fails to pierce the creature's thick hide. It hisses and slides off the rock it was sunning itself on and begins swimming toward the royal barge.
Reaching the barge, the Huge reptile lunges out of the water and attacks one of the rowers!
"It's better for you to see for yourself, but I can assure you that it'll be worth your time." The robed figure reaches into a pouch and offers you a small ruby . "I have more."
"Ah, a fellow traveler! If you have time, my master would undoubtedly like to meet you. Would you mind?"
This room contains a large stone fireplace with a series of iron rungs climbing up its chimney. There are also several dusty piles of old furniture, bales of cloth, and trays of dried seeds. A red-robed humanoid is busily rummaging through this clutter but stops when it sees you. "Ah, hello. Are you an inhabitant of this strange garden?"
Unused to being loquacious, Mahmoud's delivery is rough, and while he attempts to apply his general experience as an entertainer, that doesn't translate to following the poem's complicated rhyme schemes and shifting rhythms. Aerith's bout of stage fright was no help, either. Fortunately, the lookout's sudden shout of "Crocodiles ahead!" offers you a chance to redeem yourselves. Hunt down a suitably-impressive specimen and your paltry performance is sure to be forgotten.
Towering tropical vegetation grows in profusion here, and the canopy of green foliage gives the impression of a leafy ceiling overhead. Thick creepers choke the trees and taller shrubs, each straining to reach the light above.
Only one of your arrows pierces the treant's thick bark, but it (combined with the attacks from your companions) is enough to topple the tree. Potential Loot
The magical flames prove to be quite effective against the enraged treant, but a creature this ancient is going to take a lot to bring down. This quickly becomes evident as it attempts to stomp on your companions - and you!
The court bards are well-acquainted with Muminofrah's idiosyncrasies, and once they can see that you aren't here to "tell them how to do their jobs," they calm down. "This isn't the first time Her Eminence has done this. She loves the flattery but gets bored of hearing it from us all the time. Unless you want to write something yourself, we can give you a poem to pass off as your own. If you perform it well, she'll be satisfied and likely make a patronizing comment aimed at us - which will be ironic considering we're the ones who wrote the damn poem in the first place."
The bards aren't happy to hear that you've come to "improve their poems," but don't seem surprised. From what you've gathered, Muminofrah is rather fickle.
"That sounds so dangerous! I'm so happy that you're okay! A distraction from all that excitement sounds like an excellent idea." Muminofrah pauses in thought for a few moments before her face lights up. "I know! All that time in the library surrounded by books has surely filled your head with fanciful words. Perhaps you can use them to educate my bards! They've been sorely lacking in talent as of late, so how about you help them compose a poem or two to present before tomorrow's crocodile hunt. I'll be the subject of the verses, of course."
As soon as you mention Baba Yaga, the treant roars in fury and charges!
Happy New Year! I've been having a lot of fun, too. Take all the time you need; the game will still be here when you get back from your trip. :-)
Deep shadows cloak the barren soil of this dense grove of coniferous trees. A twisting, disused trail winds its way into the depths of the wood. In the center of the grove, you discover a sickly, overgrown ash tree, with tangled drooping branches jutting out at peculiar angles and malignant knots disfiguring its trunk. As it animates, you realize it's a treant! "Trespassers! Why are you in my grove!"
A wide variety of plants, from mundane shrubs to aromatic herbs to colorful exotic flowers, grow in unkempt profusion in this garden. Glass greenhouses and fenced enclosures hold more greenery, and a grove of larger trees flanks the garden. A small wooden shed sits to the southwest. Potential Loot
Syvet doesn't respond to your question. It appears that, with the death of the wolf-in-sheep's-clothing, her spirit has departed to the Boneyard. A tangled mass of overflowing weeds and thorny brambles grows in profusion here. A scattering of bleached bones lies entwined in the barbed tendrils of the wiry thicket.
As expected, Muminofrah is delighted to see Mahmoud. She pays Aerith no mind - also as expected - but doesn't seem offended by her presence. "At last, you've returned! Now that your time with those dusty old books is done, we can finally be together!"
You barely manage to wriggle free of the grasping roots but Boris isn't so lucky. Fortunately, Summer and Horns are able to destroy the wolf-in-sheep's-clothing before it can cause any more damage. As this happens, you hear a whispered "Thank you" before Syvet's body collapses on top of the tree stump.
Your starknife glances off the monster's thick bark, but your companions' attacks are more effective. Despite the injuries, the wolf-in-sheep's-clothing continues to attempt to squeeze the life out of you and Boris.
All of you manage to strike the monster, but it's too powerful to be immediately dispatched. It continues to attack - this time attempting to wrap vines around everyone within reach.
Aerith identifies the lingering aura as belonging to the dimension door spell. Potential Loot
"I'm afraid I have no idea."
|
