At Flamecoil Tower

[I've transported the old thread to this location

In Flame's tower, the Company of the Wolf finds that they have a few days to recover their strength, scribe scrolls of Power, and study the Art.

From the top of the tower, you can feel the cool mist and hear the thundering crash of water from not too far away in the darkness...

...and every once in a while, a distant echoing bark or howl from the south.


Bronn Spellforger

I'll get this party started (no pun intended):
Okay, so I think that Flame could give us the ability to travel in the dark with everyone being able to see... although those 20' halos are inconspicuous in the gigantic cavern, when we move back into tunnels, we're going to alert everything to our presence. Which means ALL of our encounters start out with a surprised attack.

We should be able to convince Flame.. after all, we're going on a quest to bring back his dead friend and we need to travel inconspicuously.

Anyone have any thoughts to how we could approach him for this boon? What could we ask for?

Velm Trueforger

Hmm, I beg to differ, Cousin.
Those flaming-headbands are even more conspicuous out in the cavern. Take, for example, a campfire. Within the radius of its light you can see maybe 20, 30 feet. But viewed from out in the dark, that same campfire is visible for miles on a clear night.

Being in a cave or in the fungus forest would cut down on our stealth problems, I think.

(And as for the Should I Stay or Should I Go? question...I'll go with the majority. I don't particularly like this Flame character, but I'm willing to put up with this crypt--uh, tower--if I can find some ale or wine...)


Bronn Spellforger

Cousin ... I GAVE you a wineskin ... shhh, don't tell Daziel.


Daziel

OOC: Matt, from talking with Flame, is he telling the truth (sense motive) about wanting to help us?

Daziel leans in to discuss this with the rest of the group "I am trying to keep an open mind where Flame is concerned -- and he has, to our knowledge, done nothing to harm us -- but, he did rain death down upon this place. Hate be a sceptic, but maybe he's playing us big.

Maybe he wants us to 'free' Shield so that she can free him and they can go forth and be evil again. Maybe he is confined to this tower against his will. We just don't know the full story here, and I am guessing he will continue to give us his spin on events. Despite his apparent sincerity, I am concerned we are being far too trusting. As for getting a boon from him, well, I'm not really interested. I have no idea what ties that will create between he and I, and I only care to be beholden to Selune."

OOC: as for the stay/go decision, my perspective on this is that we are behind enemy lines, hiding in the house of someone we don't know, whose loyalties and motives we don't understand, our competators may well be in here by now -- my vote is to move on; sorry, Dave, not trying to be a ass here or prevent you from getting better, but this is really, really a bad time for you to train (also, I think Glen is right about the experience pt stuff).

Daziel: Sense Motive being the art of reading body language and facial expressions, as well as tone of voice, to determine someone's motives....it's not impossible with Flame but very difficult (since his voice is a tortured wheeze and his face a mere skull)...you can't tell. He seems sincere, but Sense Motive doesn't give you any further insight.

"I'll leave you to talk amongst yourselves," says Flame, and with a complex hand motion and a few arcane words, he vanishes.

Daziel -- You make some very valid points, but I'm confused about a few things:

1. You're right.. we definitely should not trust Flame! He slew a good dragon, helped destroy Aerunedar ... and he's an evil undead being! However, at Van's insistance, we promised that we would go on a quest for him. I tried to warn Van about offering to help a lich, but he didn't listen. I'm not sure about humans and elves, but dwarves never go back on their word. So although we may be pawns to Flame, I'm gonna try and get that body back.

2. If we are going to help him get this body back ... why would it be dangerous to spend a few days in his tower? Liches are evil, but they're not stupid. Why kill us when we're going on a quest for him? That said, this place is a hell of a lot safer than going outside again (anyone remember the grey ooze?).

3. This is rather embarrasing, but .. well, I threw everything I had against that grey ooze and barely make a scratch on it. My cousin almost got killed and I feel like I let the lot of you down. As such, training will help me get the skills I need to keep the rest of you alive for the next few weeks. To me, it's not a matter of wanting to train, but needing to train.

That said, I ask you to reconsider your decision... for the good of the party.

Van -- I'm definitely not apprenticing to this lich. I'm trading a spell with him ... much as I trading with your pal the Red Wizard for some potions. Do we ask Daziel to sense the motive of each shop owner and fruit merchant we run across? No. We trade and move along. Try to think of Flame as an incredibly powerful, undead fruit merchant... and please stop offering boons to the evil undead!

Lich thoughts

By mysterious Selune, Bronn, I was just overjoyed that Flame didn't burn us to crispy critters. Maybe I overstated the case to do him a little favor, but the guy looks on his last legs, anyway. So, we bring his lover back, he resurrects her, then he blasts us to smithereens. Hmm...maybe we'll have discovered something along the way that will prevent that. It's also interesting to know what Flame thinks is valuable.

I do think you've got a good point that staying here a bit won't matter since we've already agreed to do something for him. Given that, I'm willing to stop here for awhile. You're right that it's just as dangerous outside this little place as inside.

Saeita Nevi

It sounds like some of you are in favor of leaving and heading off to the waterfalls.

My question: What are the consequences of staying and leaving? This stuff has been here for 200 years - what is 4 days?

What is the time crunch? Are we afraid the company of the scarlet flame will swoop in and take everything? Is that really a possibility? Is there someone else who we're trying to race in here? The monsters are going to be there no matter what.

I just don't see the time race to get to the waterfall. We are all very excited to get to the waterfall, but I haven't heard a good reason to rush there when we have a safe place to let Bronn train and strengthen our group.

In other words, what am I missing - why the big rush?

Velm Trueforger

Well...(putting aside wineskin)...I think there is a real possibility that the Scarlet Flame is in here, that Banites are in here, and that a certain Zhent wizard--aka 'leather-boots'--is in here too. If they can possibly beat us to whatever they're after (the armory of Iolar?), they will do it.

That said, I don't think 4 days is going to make or break this mission. I think that doing this motherless dog Flame any favors is a fool's errand (sorry, Snowcap...I know you pity him), and doing him any favors at all will turn out badly for us. If you ask me, we should be figuring out a way to--

(looks over his shoulder)

--a way to destroy him once and for all.

I'll go with the majority on this one. I do think we'd be better off with whatever help we can get--spells, etc. My goal is to lift the curse, and since it's been in effect for about 200 years, I agree that 4 days is just a drop in the bucket.

sounds...

The waterfall's roar is so loud, you can hear it even inside Flamecoil Tower.

The lights, hovering globes in the open tower, never go out.

The presence of a being built from corpses in the wardrobe is slightly disconcerting.

Flame does not return.

You know... this place is really spooky (no offense, Sieta). I don't want to endanger the party, so a second option to consider is that the rest of you stay at Selune's consecrated site at the top of the stairs. Then meet me back here in 4 days and we'll journey to the waterfall and beyond.

I dunno ... just an option for those who are uncomfortable here.

Velm Trueforger

Sure...we'll just fight our way through the Mushroom Forest.

Twice.

I still think we should hack this lich to pieces and take his tower for our own.

(Besides...it would take four days to travel to that Shrine and back again; a day and a half in the Mithril Mines, remember?)

Velm -- I know how long it would take ... but I figure it would keep the lot of you out of my hair while I study.

You know, we could ask Flame to teleport you there...

I know, Cousin, I know.. there's not enough wine in the world to convince you to do that!

Daziel -- Did we want to call for an official party vote? Most of us have chimed in, but others seem tired from our journey and are rather quiet.

Sure, let's vote. I vote we move on and let Bronn train somewhere else, or at some other time.

Any one else care to vote?