Myrkar, the door is just absorbing the magical energy, not taking on any of the properties of the magic it's absorbing. You also are able to copy the runes on the door so the others can read them.
Anyone who can read Draconic, the runes describe a draconic parable that makes no sense to your puny mortal minds.
Dahak, make a DC 25 Will Save.
If you suceed:
Nothing happens
If you fail:
You compianions fade from view and are replaced by two dragons. One is rather large, nearly filling the cave. The other, much smaller dragon you recognize as a very young Zeranthex. They do not seem to hear or see you.
The bigger dragon seems to be instructing Zeranthex in the arcane arts. It has just finnished the parable that Myrkar scratched in the dirt. It then walks over to the door. Your vision fills with glowing lights and auras and you can now see the door and the runes etched on it.
The larger dragon casts a spell and the arcane magic flows from it to the door. The door slides open, revealing a huge cave beyond, filled with piles of coins and golden treasures.
The dragons fade from view and your compianions return to your sight. The glowing aruas and the door are gone. Every one seems to be staring at you.
I crouch down and examine the runes that have been scratched in the dirt. I recognize the harsh, sharp lines as draconic speech almost immediately, but for some reason the words themselves make little sense.
"I don't get it," I say yet again to nobody in particular. "It's like... some sort of dragon's morality play. And since I have no idea what passes for morals in a dragon, it hardly makes any sense..."
As soon as I say it, a thought strikes me, and I read the entire passage aloud, firmly and clearly so that everyone else can hear. I then look at Dahak expectantly.
"What about you, Headthumper? You've obviously spent a lot of time with a dragon-- did Zeranthex teach you any important lessons about life that this passage might apply to? You know, 'never share your gold; always eat your peas; breath weapon first, ask questions later,' that sort of thing?"
..."The moral of the story is, 'never trust anything you can eat'..."
"...Cast a spell, one of you..."
Laucian is able to decipher the runes, but much like Revan, none of it makes sense.
"I am in a cave, there is a dead hydra near by, there is neither a door nor ajar here."
Where are all my players? Hello... Is any body here?
"Cast a spell, eh?" I ponder what Dahak has said for a moment, weighing the pros and cons in my head. When I get to the part about fabulous wealth and untold riches, I decide that the risk will hopefully be worthwhile. With an "eh, what the hell," shrug, I mutter the words to one of the remaining incantations I have on hand.
Anyone with Detect Magic active sees the aura from Revans spell being drawn into the door. It starts to glow slightly.
My face curls in a look of disappointment, as nothing seems to actually happen.
"Hrm. Well, I guess that didn't work?" I ask, mostly of myself. I turn to the others, hoping to find some other clue. "Any other ideas?"
"... Cast spell at door, not near door ..."
My eyes would seem glazed if i had the capacity
"Oh. ...Right then!" I say as if I'd known that was the answer all along.
The wall slides away to reveal a chamber. Inside the chamber are piles of dust and junk.
DC 28 Search check:
- a short sword
- a ring
- a pair of bracers
- a large metal hand
- a pair gloves
- an amulet
If any one has Detect Magic active:
- the sword emits a necromantic aura
- the ring emits a transmutation aura
- the bracers emit a transmutation aura
- the metal hand emits a nercomantic aura
- the gloves emit an evocation aura
- the amulet emits an evocation aura
The wall slides away to reveal a chamber. Inside the chamber are piles of dust and junk.
DC 28 Search check:
** spoiler omitted **If any one has Detect Magic active:
** spoiler omitted **
My eyes light up as I plunge into the room and... find several large piles of dusty junk.
"...what the?" I mumble. "Where's the gold?! The treasure! The jewels!!"
My voice cracks, and one might swear I'm almost whining...
"There's nothing here but mouldy crap! This is an injustice!!"
"Stop whining. Some of these items have a powerful magical aura about them. This ring for example..." I say as I pick the ring up and dust it off, examining it for any clues as to its origin and function. I scan the room for anything of further interest but am too focused on the ring to notice anything.
Chuckling from behind his face mask, Laucian scans the room. These might just be more valuable then gold and jewels. Come and look. I say to the room at large.
The six bags, the furs and the items are the only things in the cave.
What you can do with the furs:
1)Sell them. They are worth 3000gp total.
2)Give them to the smugglers.
3)Give them to the City Watch.
What ever you decide to do with the furs, you've got very little time to do it in. We'll skip that RP encounter, just let me know what you guys want to do with them.
When you get to the docks:
Gerard is standing near the docks with his Sheild Guardian. When he sees you approaching, he says, "It's about time. I was beginning to think that you had decided to skip out on me. Come along, come along, the captain is in a hurry to be off."
He leads you to a large, sturdy looking zeplin at the far end of the docks and introduces you to a large man dressed in leather armor and a gnome dressed in fine silks with a dozen wands sticking out of every pocket. "This is Captian Narth Belovure and Renauld Oroven, the ships artificer."
Renauld steps forward and says, "Plesure to meet you all." Then turns and leaps aboard the ship, dissapearing beneath the deck. Captian Belovure introduces himself and welcomes you on board.
Gerard hands you an envelope and says, "You are not to open this until you reach Cloud Reaver Citadel. It explains your mission and provides some guidance in how to complete it. I've paid for your passage, so you won't be expected to work. Good luck and good by."
As you step onto the ship, you glance down and see the cliff face fall away from the city, plunging into the deadly mist 500 feet below. The deck hands cast off the lines and push off of the docks, out and away into the open sky. Black smoke pours out of the stack at the rear of the ship and the propellers begin to turn, pushing the ship southeast.
A hand shows you to your quarters. Each of you gets a small stateroom with a bunk and a table and chair.
If Renauld sees anyone studying the items from the cave he offers to identify them for you, free of charge. Other wise you've got about a month before the first scheduled stop at Cloud Reaver Citidel. You'll be able to do some trading there.
Any one who wants can get in on the crew's gambling game. Make up to 10 DC 25 Bluff checks. For each success, you win 10sp. If you fail by more than 10, you lose 10sp.
Everyone should also level up. I'm not keeping track of XP so I'll just have you guys level up when the story allows it. Don't worry about XP penalties for multi-classing.
Renauld has a workshop and a modest library on board for anyone who wants to do some crafting or research.
Sorry for the rail road. I just wanted to get the story headed back in the right direction.
I insist on turning the furs over to the authorities, as both the appropriate thing to do, and as recompense for our previous misunderstanding. (By our I mean my)
Otherwise, I will spend the trip in near silent contemplation, always standing in very odd, but out of the way, places. Such as on the rail, or on the roof of any deck building, etc.
When I do speak, it is almost exclusively to ask the crew of Zeranthex, or to probe the arcane mysteries from those around me.
I also use the time to increase the carvings on myself.
Leveling up:
+11 hp (8+3)
1 rank: Knowledge Arcane
and i pick up DR 1/- to complement my 2/adamantine
During the trip I shut myself in my cabin most of the time, emerging only to talk with the gnome, asking him to identify what we've found and also asking him to tell me of anything that might interest a student of the Arts in the wider world. Occassionally the smell of strange incense and the sound of chanting can be found to emanate from my cabin.
I spend most of the following days sitting on the deck, cross legged staring out at the sky and the billowing mist below. When not on the deck, you can hear muffled grunts and my voice saying Heah! Ya! Cha! as I practice various ninja moves in my cabin.
Is everybody ok with turning the furs over to the City Watch? I'll post what the items are tomorrow and you guys can divide them up then.
Seeing as they are, in my opinion, just a pile of smelly furs, I do not protest at all when it is suggested we return them to the authorities.
Arriving on the ship, I'll spend most of my time searching the passengers and crew, hoping to find any fair maidens to flirt with, and most likely being unsuccessful. Other than that I will attempt to wrangle a trick or two out of the gnome, and practice my skulking about as I observe my new "friends" hoping to learn more about them.
The items are:
- +2 silver short sword of hunger: The sword takes the alignment of the first creature it damages for 1d4 hours, becoming anarchic, axomatic, holy, unholy, or a combination. The effect fades after that time and the sword can "feed" again
- ring of the druid: +2 to CL when casting druid spells, -1 to druid level when determining wild shape abbilities
- bracers of the marksman: +2 to ranged attacks and +1 to ranged attack damage, -2 to melee attacks and -1 to melee attack rolls
- +2 vicious adamantine battle fist
- +1 flaming gloves: adds +1 to unarmed attack and damage rolls plus 1d6 fire damage
- amulet of eldritch power: +2 to eldritch blast damage
Once the gnome's told us what the items are I pick up the amulet and examine it, saying "If no one minds I'd be interested in this amulet. I doubt any of ou can use it anyway, as it only empowers the kind of magic that I use."
I will take the Flaming gloves, they will benefit me very much. As for the furs, I have no use for furs of any kind as they are crude and barbaric. Do what you want with the furs. Frankly, I don't give a damn. I say while trying on the gloves.
[b][/b]
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After nearly three weeks of travel, you finaly reach Cloud Reaver Citadel. This huge chunk of floatstone supports a huge castle, topped with crenalated battlments and bristling with cannons and rocket tripods. The zepplin lowers into the docking bay and ties off the mooring lines.
The Letter
Greetings,
As a term of your service to the realm, you are instructed to travel by zepplin to Fort Low and then overland to the town of Wheatfield. Contact with Wheatfield has been cut off for nearly a month. You are to determine the reason for the loss of contact and remedy the situation. There is a crate in the hold of the ship with provisions and equipment for the journey.
Good Luck,
Gerard Verlamy
Lord Counciler of Southshire
Within the walls of the Citadel is a town packed with soldiers and traders.
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Sorry to hear your leaving us Mr. Shiny, but I understand. I just recently had to drop some of my PbPs. Thanks for playing, and check out my d20 Halo PbP if your interested.
Not a problem! The more the merrier, after all!
Dahak find mor people ask if they see Zeranthex
Dahak smash people not answer fast enough
No worries Vissigoth. I have many thing that I want to get but just don't have near the funds to get! Looking forward to your wifes character.