(OOC: Brelach has gained a level, and he is taking a Dragonmark. This would probably be a good time to manifest it, eh?)
OOC: Werks for me.
Weapon looks quizzically at the human. Do you need healing? Perhaps diseased? I knew many soldiers to get itches, though usually in places lower in their anatomy.
__________________ stonegod -- LEB judge and spawn of Khyber since 2005 (Blog)
(OOC: If we can't get our sample yet, then we'll have to move on after we find what the bodies have on them)
__________________ "That's so far over the line between genius and madness, it passed all the way through Cthulhuville and normalcy and all the way back to brilliance!"--MoogleEmpMog
Brelach keeps a sour look, the itch on his arm a bit more frustrating than he originally thought.
The walls begin to open up more, all of them covered by dragonmarks now. They glow in a lurid red-purple glow that make them seem to squirm, though they are stationary. Alys' quick inspection shows they are normal marks, not anything they can "gather."
Silvanon
Silvanon hears a noise up ahead, as if something is breathing heavily and erratically.
__________________ stonegod -- LEB judge and spawn of Khyber since 2005 (Blog)
OOC: Okay, with 1.5 characters MIA, one an NPC, and no real activity, I'm putting a fork in this one and calling it done.
Silvanon heads a bit forward, then gestures for everyone to come forward. There they find the remains of a battlefield. Twisted kobold bodies and Lower Ward gang member corpses litter the enlarged cavern here, eerily lit by purple-red marks covering the walls.
The scout leans over one body, a half-elf with boils encrusting his face. On closer inspection, it is another aberrant mark. The main is delirious an half-dead, wounds and scorch marks over his body. Seeing the group appear, he babbles some nonsense, apparently taking them for someone else.
Kadan... Make sure Kadan makes it. Up... ahead. Stopped these lizard blokes from getting... getting our kit... mark ours... Tarkanan... ho! The last is a weakened gurgle as he lapses into unconsciousness. A quick check shows the thug is stable for now.
The cavern is the front piece to a large stone structure carved like an ancient temple or fortification. Inside, everyone except Weapon is overcome with nausea even through the protective potion. Scorch marks and blood indicate there was a battle here recently, but whomever fought it has long left the scene. There is no sign of this Kadan anywhere. However, inspection of the altar does find something interesting... a bowl with droppings of an amorphous red-purple fluid. Its is practically empty, but staring at it makes one sick and it does give off magic when detected. Excitedly, Alys declares this is what they have been searching for, and carefully gathers a few samples.
The group eventually makes their way back up to the surface with little difficulty. Alys leads them to the hospital where their gnome employer is recuperating. After her long and detailed (and tagentially embellished) story is over, he looks a bit excited and subdued at the small sample size. You did what you could, I guess. As you see, I'm in no shape to repay you this second, but I will have someone deal with the paperwork in the morning.
With that, the longest and strangest few days most had spent was over. Alys has more stories, Brelach was developing a strange... something, Silvanon decided he didn't care for this sort of work, Avron faded away, and Weapon learned that he should not pretend to be something he was not. An experience to be sure.
As for the final mystery of the Mark... that was a tale for another time.
OOC: XP, etc, etc later tonight when I'm at home.
__________________ stonegod -- LEB judge and spawn of Khyber since 2005 (Blog)
Time XP: 6/22/08-9/8/08 is 3 months
- Alys gets 450XP
- Brelach, Silvanon get 300XP
Battle XP:
- Aberrant Surprise: 225XP each
Quest XP:
- Partial completion: 150XP for Alys, Brelach, Silvanon
So, XP totals:
- Brelach, Silvanon get 675 XP
- Alys gets 825 XP
- Weapon gets 225XP (battle XP only)
DM Credits:
- Assuming I get approval (RA or Patlin?), I will earn 3 DM credits
Loot
- Robilar is grudgingly pleased that you found something, though he was hoping for more. He gives all the promised 300gp each
- The Twelve is less forthcoming. Having little to show, the group has a hard time convincing them of the worth of the expedition. Though they hold that Robilar's payment was enough, some words from Alys are sufficient to net a "finder's fee" of 100gp each with the agreement that what occurred would be kept in confidence.
__________________ stonegod -- LEB judge and spawn of Khyber since 2005 (Blog)
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