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A Horde and a Mansion: Prologue.

ByteRynn

First Post
-1/14/998 YK
Faolan sat peering at the stars, reading what they had to tell him. After several hours he rose, went inside the inn in northern Breland he had been staying and told the owner, “I will be leaving tomorrow. In one hour’s time, a new traveling companion will be coming and he will tell me where I must go next.”

One hour later, a warforged, carved from dark wood and stone entered the building. He requested a stable for his weary companion, a creature he called Razor Fang, and asked the inn keeper if he could sit in the common room while his beast rested, for he was traveling to Sharn, and it was a long walk. Faolan, noting his next destination, sat next to the warforged and introduced himself.

“My name is Willow.” Replied the man of wood and stone and steel.

-3/31/998 YK
Thea walked into the Clifftop Guild knowing that her last job would need to be the last one she tried all by herself. One trip into Dorasharn and one run-in with crazed zealot warforged was quite enough, thanks. Gox had done well to recommend Clifftop, as most of the denizens of the common room looked quite capable. In one corner, a number of adventurers were huddled around a table, watching a big man tell an astounding tale. Thea walked boldly up to the man when he was finished with his story and said, “Tell me another one big guy.”

-4/2/998 YK
“I swear, this map is to a tomb full of ancient artifacts. It hasn’t been looted-no chance. You just have to get there, break in, take all of the stuff, and bring me a cup. One little chalice that looks like this.” The half-elf woman handed a map and a drawn picture to the human woman and the half-giant man sitting across from her.

“100 platinum on return of the chalice?” Duneslayer asked.

“100 platinum on return of the chalice.” replied Leslin, the half-elf.

“We’ll need some help getting there.” Thea commented to her companion after leaving the tavern. “The two of us might have trouble getting across the country to the mountain tombs in the southwest.”

Duneslayer thought for a moment. “Two new guys wandered into the guild yesterday. Nature types. Let’s see what they are up to.”

-4/15/998 YK

Deep inside the golblinoid crypts in far southwestern Breland, the three adventurers, Duneslayer, Faolan, and Willow, took the opportunity of waiting for their fourth member to return from scouting ahead to rest. The fighting on the way down here had been harsh. Twisted animated corpses of long-dead goblins and hobgoblins didn't die easily, and the guardian golems they had set hadn't fallen without some effort either. According to their map, they should be in the crypt's treasure vaults soon...as soon as Thea showed up with a scouting report, anyway.

Thea climbed out of the well. “The damned shaft stops well short of the bottom and opens up. I couldn’t see walls nor floor from where it opened up. You’ll have to help me down by rope.”

With rope tied squarely around her waist, Thea is lowered by Duneslayer and Willow, with Faolan peering down the well, watching for signs of trouble.

Thea feels the side of the shaft open up, and becomes uneasy with the idea of nothingness surrounding her. Using her torch, she looks around for anything that might give her a clue as to where she is.

Thea:[sblock]Listen and SPock Check, plus any active spells you'd have up.[/sblock]
Everyone else: [sblock]Listen check plus any active spells you'd have up.[/sblock]
 

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ByteRynn

First Post
The others

2/28/998 YK
Cardinal Allisair ir’Rolantar finished going over all of the details with Sir Jonathan Williams.

“Williams, we must not let the Blood of Vol find this chalice at all costs. We have made arrangements with house Phiarlan in Sharn. They are tracking down the journal of the ancient dark wizard Kraal-Grathozt in order to find clues where his chalice may lay hidden. Travel south to Sharn and meet with their representative, recruit a team, and get that chalice first!”

Not quite overcome with responsibility, Sir Williams left the Cardinal’s chambers, only to be accosted by the quartermaster general of Flamekeep on his way out of the hall.

“Sir Williams, we have one request. There is a warforged fellow we would like to send with you on our behalf. He has become somewhat…distracted here in Flamekeep, and asking some very uncomfortable questions of the clergy. Perhaps he will best be served to see the might of the Silver Flame in action?”

“Very well, have him meet me at the station.” Replied Jonathan.

3/14/998 YK
“My uncle told me you’d have the information I require.” Ivellious d’Phiarlan told the hobgoblin in the dirty slum tavern where they met.

“Yesh shir, that I do. There is a library kept by the mosht high lord o’Boromar Clan, Shaidan Boromar. It is deep in lower Durra, and not sho heavily guarded fo’ the likes of you to peek into fer a mere book. I have a map fer ‘ye.” Linnog the hobgoblin replied. He held out the paper and leered greedily at the three sitting across from him. The dwarf snarled in disgust, but the elf turned to the woman sitting next to him and said, “Pay the man Mallora.”

The woman with the dark hair threw a pouch at the hobgoblin and stood to leave. Gully and Ivellious followed.

3/28/998 YK
“Are you sure you got all of them?” Sir Jonathan Williams asked his warforged companion.

“As much as I could tell. If there are any other enchantments binding this journal, they are quite beyond my ability to deal with.” Replied Abe.

“Very well, Mallora, since you are the expert on these ancient writings, tell us where we can find the chalice of Kraal-Grathozt.” Jonathan urged.

Mallora pulled open the tome and began to read, carefully flipping through the pages. “This may take some time…I am afraid it is encoded information.”

Two hours later, Mallora’s cries of excitement woke Gully, Ivellious, and Jonathan. “I have found it! The map is in Shadowlock Keep!”

Gully added, “That’s not too far from here. We don’t even need to take the rail.”

Sir Jonathan turned to Ivellious, the other leader of this little party. “How much time until we can be ready to depart for this Shoadowlock Keep?”

“Four days.”

4/1/998
Loaded with supplies, the five adventurers left the gates of Sharn, heading north to find a ferry to take them over the dagger river. On their way out, they saw two travelers getting checked to come into the city, one warforged and one human. Abe wandered over to the warforged.

“You are of very unusual construct. Darkwood?” he asked.

“Yes. I have been trained in the ways of druidism, and my darkwood plating is very much in tune with nature. My name is Willow. Who are you?”

“I’m Abe, short for-“ Abe was cut off by Ivellious, “Come along Abe, we have a long way to go!”

Abe walked away, not finishing his sentence, following the rest of his party.

4/8/998
They were all very tired after braving the horrors of the crypts beneath Shadowlock Keep. Mallora and Abe were keeping watch, afraid that some of the cultists may have followed them to get their riches and map back. It occurred to Abe that Mallora, who had shown quite a gift at deciphering the arcane mysteries required to enter the crypts, could be a great source of knowledge, and that time spent on watch with her could well be time spent learning. He walked to the other side of the clearing to speak with her, but couldn’t find her at her post. He thought, perhaps she had forgotten it was her watch and fallen asleep, but she wasn’t in her bedroll, in fact, her bedroll wasn’t there at all!

Abe[sblock]Actions?[/sblock]
 

kinem

Adventurer
"She wouldn't ... Would she?" Abe searches for signs of tracks. After quickly looking about, he wakes the others, assuming he finds their bedrolls. "Good news and bad news. The good news is, cultists didn't take the map."
 

EvolutionKB

First Post
Sir Jonathan

"Wha, what?" Jonathan replies sleepily, then the news dawned on him. "What do you mean she is gone? Damn her! Hurry, help me strap on my armor we need to get moving so we can get that map back."
 

pathfinderq1

First Post
ByteRynn said:
Thea climbed out of the well. “The damned shaft stops well short of the bottom and opens up. I couldn’t see walls nor floor from where it opened up. You’ll have to help me down by rope.”

With rope tied squarely around her waist, Thea is lowered by Duneslayer and Willow, with Faolan peering down the well, watching for signs of trouble.

Thea feels the side of the shaft open up, and becomes uneasy with the idea of nothingness surrounding her. Using her torch, she looks around for anything that might give her a clue as to where she is.

Thea grumbled just the slightest bit at this- she hated being lowered on a rope into only the Host knows what. It felt just a bit too much like being bait for some big ugly fish... Still it had to be done, and her spells had been less than helpful against the mindless undead and golem-like guardians they had been facing here. She rigged her belt up high, right under her arms- it was viciously uncomfortable, but it helped secure the rope so a mistake wouldn't put her dangling upside down. A few quick words of magic, and she faded from sight, then moved over to the edge of the drop. "Lower away, lads, but be ready to haul me back if I find something nasty..."

The walls slid past in oily deep darkness, and Thea felt a moment's unease. As the shaft opened out, she softened her breathing, letting her senses take what measure they could of the unknown space. 'Note to self', she thought idly as she floated down, 'learn Feather Fall before the next bloody exploration trip...'

[sblock]Listen +7= 19 and Spot +4= 7 http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=953182 . The only spell she'll have active is Invisibility- that way it will just look like they're lowering a torch, as if to see by. She'll also have Obscuring Mist on the tip of her tongue, to provide cover long enough for the others to haul her back up if she is attacked.[/sblock]
 
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Ivellious

First Post
"I'm surpised this even happened!" Ivellious says as he dons his armor and items, and draws his bow. "And sometimes I wish I was a bloodly ranger! I haven't a way to track her!" He then stands waiting for the others to finish
 

Necro_Kinder

First Post
Willow grunts and as he lowers the rope downward, all the while listening for anything in the depths.

Razor Fang stands next to his master, curiously peering down into the dark.

[sblock] Willow's Listen 3+3= 6
Link
Razor Fang's Listen 18+10= 28
link
Willow has cast Bull's Strength on himself to help with this task, boosting his STR to 16 (+3) [/sblock]
 
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Brother Allard

First Post
Uttering a particularly vile curse in Dwarvish, Gully rolls quickly to his feet and trots off in the direction of Mallora's post. He drops to one knee and quickly searches for any sign of a struggle. Failing that, he attempts to determine in which direction she might have left.

[SBLOCK=details]Survival : 25.[/SBLOCK]
 

Blind Azathoth

Explorer
"I wonder what's down there," Faolan quietly muses, peering vainly down into the darkness and listening intently. "Something fantastically interesting and wonderfully unique, I'm sure... how lucky she is to be able to see it!" He considers the almost impenetrable darkness below. "Well...to hear it, at any rate..."

[sblock=OOC]And Faolan makes a rather good Listen check. He will not have any spells up just yet.[/sblock]
 

ByteRynn

First Post
At the Camp

As the camp breaks, Gully finds no sign of any struggle. He does, however find some traitor-shaped tracks by torchlight. Quite certain that following them by night would be next to impossible, he calls for the force to wait the hour until dawn starts to break.

At first light they head out, Gully using his fine tracking skills to hunt down the traitorous woman, Mallora.

OOC: Any marching preferences (order, spells active, etc.) and then a spot and listen check all around.
 

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