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Cellion, thank you for picking up this game when it was floundering and had lost its second or third GM, I forget, and then running it for us for the last...five years? Feb 2019 is when you rescued us, I think.
It's sad to see a campaign wind down early, but in this case it's probably for the best. I hope everyone's health issues clear up and all your other games are great!
Happy new year, everyone! I forgot the questions have to be Yes/No, that makes things a bit tougher. 1. Is the complex below a Hellstorm Flume?
Has anyone heard from Kellek or Colvyn lately? I hope Colvyn's out of the hospital now.
1. How large is the Hellstorm Flume complex?
I'll defer to our casters on that. A quick note, I'm around as normal through Wednesday this week, but we're off to see family on Thursday and won't be back until Tuesday 12/26. My posting rate will be reduced during that time.
@Guiness for your question about loot--liquidation would probably require a trip to Magnimar to properly deal with, but I'm sure we have more than a little treasure collected to tally up. Narratively, it seems like we'll want to investigate the dungeon complex sooner than later--maybe a single night's rest to prep specific spells.
"Perhaps the Scarnettis' experience will be a catalyst for personal growth?" Ziva shrugs and turns her attention instead to the sinkhole report. "You have explored part of this complex before? Whatever's in there is very interesting to the enemies of Sandpoint, we should have a look right away instead of waiting for Master Stormscar to return."
Eyeing the lighthouse ruins skeptically, Ziva shrugs and moves to follow Guiness to the Rusty Dragon Inn. "It does not look especially hellish, to me." After checking on how their rescued charges from Jorgenfist, she sends a youth to alert the town's leaders so they can be brought up to speed.
Oh that's terrible! Get lots of rest and I hope you're on the mend asap
"Given what lurked within I can't say I fault them for their caution," Ziva shrugs at the sealed door. "First, let us escape this tower. As for our new charges--unless we wish to risk an overland trek we must rely on Master Zaderan's talents, I think."
Placing a hand on Colvyn's shoulder, Ziva gently but firmly takes the case from him. "It's clearly affecting you, and we don't know enough about it. Like you said, it's kept for many centuries--a little longer won't hurt. We can study it and try again when we're better prepared."
Having no spells to prepare, and her god being a being that values action over ritual, Ziva joins her comrade in patrolling the--tome? Vault?--they find themselves in.
"Are you feeling recovered, Master Guiness? We are fortunate to have found such a talented healer in our Astrid...though I admit, it discomfits me that this Karzoug person is so careless in the enemies he makes. What if his confidence is not misplaced? He cannot be as powerful as he seems to think he is, can he?"
Ziva is leveled up, nothing too complicated this time. Fiendish Studies went up to +2, and a extra die of Sneak Attack, and an increase to every save which is quite nice. Otherwise just some adds to her hp, BAB, and a few skill points. Oh! And increased by Wis to 14 for the Will boost
"Then we will be better prepared for ghosts next time. No more today," she answers firmly before leaning over to peer at the scroll case. "This is what it was guarding...what could be so valuable that guarding it persuades someone to embrace such an ugly existence?"
"That thing...what was that thing?" Ziva stares down at the crumbling guardian, moving her foot to avoid the scroll case. Glancing up to take stock of her companions, her expression grows concerned at Guiness' and Colvyn's sickly appearances. "No more exploring today, I think."
Wincing as Colvyn goes down hard, Ziva snaps her burning wings and arcs herself into the melee, determined to make a better accounting of herself this time.
Jolting suddenly back to consciousness, Ziva blinks rapidly as she pushes back to her feet, taking in the situation and retrieving her sword. "Thank you Lady Astrid, but I'm afraid I must put your hard work at risk," she manages a pained smile as she starts to stride towards the melee across the room.
Ziva twitches on the ground, fading in and out of consciousness.
Dazed and punch-drunk, Ziva struggles to clear her head and focus her vision.
Interesting that the swear filter no longer seems to work
"Guiness, with me! ...Guiness? S$%@." Hoping her fellow warrior shakes off the effect soon, Ziva rushes forward to deliver a vicious strike at the mummy guardian.
"I admit, I don't think I've seen a more obvious bit of bait in all my years, though I've heard of some in bard's more outlandish yarns," Ziva gives the mummy a very skeptical once-over before turning her attention to the rest of the room, looking for the metaphorical other shoe that must surely be ready to drop.
"When you're ready, then," Ziva steps on the tile, waiting for it to start to drop her into the presumed pit below before spreading her fiery wings to avoid such a fate.
Alighting back on the un-iced ground, Ziva nods towards the slab. "I think our brave dwarf is right about that spot--but given our condition after that last fight it might be best to recuperate a little longer. How are we on spells?"
"There might be alcoves or some other hidden spaces not visible from down here. I will take a closer look."
Retrieving her sword with an embarrassed grimace, Ziva gives the tower another wary once-over. "I could resume my aerial scouting, if we don't think there's anything down here that requires our attention."
Her mind finally fully her own again, Ziva takes in the battered state of the two ghosts and resolves to put at least one of them down for good. As Guiness swings away she joins in with a vengeful flurry of her own.
Poor Ziva's got some powerful John-Noble-as-Denethor energy this fight.
As her wits come back to her, Ziva shifts her stance to focus on evasion against the ghost, then folds her wings and dives for her sword.
Ziva's turn this time around is already determined so I too am just waiting to see how the situation develops.
"Hmm, well unless they are very good actors I suppose that's conclusive," Ziva shrugs a little bit sheepishly. "Unless they're golems, but we won't find out by just standing here." Flaring out her wings of flame, the knight steps into the room, waiting to see if the gargoyles animate before she beats her wings to start climbing.
With a polite sound of disbelief, Ziva narrows her eyes suspiciously at the gargoyles. "If you're going to attack us just get on with it then, we've got more important things to do."
"Traps, ancient guardians, fell secrets...the usual," Ziva shrugs as she draws her own weapon. "One way to know for certain."
"I shall interpret that silence as a "no" then, hmm? I think we've cleared the repository well enough, but the surface citadel does have that large tower. Shall we start there? Perhaps divinations or asking around will turn up clues regarding the dragon."
"Not that I have any objection to searching out the wyrm's lair--but where is it? Do we even know where to start?"
"I still think there is more of value to be uncovered here--now that the hostages are safe, if not quite home for all of them--is there any reason we shouldn't continue our sweep? Staying out of the giants' way as much as possible, in deference to Conna."
Frowning, Ziva shakes her head slightly. "Kellek, could you manage to make it back here? The repository has stood for thousands of years, surely it can last a bit longer while we get these folk to safety." She hesitates a moment, then cautiously suggests. "perhaps you might summon a guardian to keep an eye on things for you in the meantime? Something trustworthy, like an archon."
"There was a chamber north of the library as I recall, and if the fortress starts to empty out we could investigate that massive tower as well," Ziva muses as the food is distributed to their rescued charges. "We can't teleport this many people away, so a few days in safer, less spider-adjacent rooms with food and rest should prepare them well for the journey ahead."
Ziva nods. "We need to get our own people safely home as well. We will perhaps poke around a bit longer--there may be more to learn about this Karzoug--but we'll be on our way soon."
"Far from it, I'm afraid. Mokmurian is slain, but you must get your people far from here. We were...contacted...by someone or something claiming to be the ancient wizard-king Karzoug. I don't think they were lying." Ziva sketches a very quick explanation of what they've learned in the repository. "One does not gather an army for not reason; Mokmurian's death would not have altered Karzoug's purpose so for your sake and ours your people should depart as quickly as you can manage it."
"I don't feel entirely comfortable diving ourselves, but our charges have been left alone too long already."
Could we ask about the repository we're currently in? It's more for curiosity, in-game this is a slow enough process that Ziva is starting to worry about our rescued charges.
"...wait, that last part--suspended animation? If he's been in a magical cocoon for the last thousand years, that explains his taunts about our work helping him...maybe. Kellek, is it possible that he's "harvesting" the people marked with the sihedron brands? That would explain why we've all run across lamia-grown cults all over the place, with that symbol showing up so frequently; they're gathering souls or energy or something for the wizard king to break out." Ziva is pacing now, working through the problem out loud with a grim expression. "It also means we might be endangered by more than one awakening mage lord--with any luck that Wrath person drowned when the seas swallowed their kingdom. How many Runelords were there, anyway?"
"Hmm," Ziva muses as the wizard translates the gist. "Ask it about Hellstorm Flumes and this Karzoug person--the former was probably a military secret though we might get lucky, but unless this place was before Karzoug's time there should be records of rulers and great people of the nation, right?"
"Hmm, this place is called the Therassic Monastery. If we want more than that it demands we ask in "the greater tongue". I wonder how long that language has been dead in the wider world." Keeping a wary eye on the clockwork Ziva slowly makes her way to the column where the tomes are stored, examining them without touching for fear of magical defenses of some sort.
Shrugging at Guiness, Ziva sheathes her sword and addresses the strange clockwork creature in Draconic and Celestial in turn. >>"Greetings, I'm afraid I am a traveler from afar and do not speak your tongue. Could you please repeat yourself?"
"Maybe he just liked his privacy. Let's move on," Ziva moves off down the hall to the next pair of double doors. "Perhaps we'll have more luck here?"
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