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A Journey to the Sea (Greyhawk) UPDATED 7 February 2008
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<blockquote data-quote="sniffles" data-source="post: 3341646" data-attributes="member: 30035"><p><strong>Letter #38</strong></p><p></p><p>We spent another night safely resting in our camp outside the maze. Ninad had found an amulet among the detritus inside. He discovered it would be useful to someone like Thor or myself who can transform into animal shapes. It was given to me, since I've only lately learned to take animal form and haven't had much opportunity to practice.</p><p></p><p>We returned to the maze the next morning to find that the entrance hadn't been re-blocked. We searched an area we hadn't looked at before. I found a longspear to replace the one the minotaur broke, and a shield that we put in Erasyne's magic bag, since I can't use a shield with a longspear.</p><p></p><p>After a time we came upon a very large pit. It was too broad for most of us to get across on our own so we floated across it on the flying carpet, which Ninad had been keeping rolled up inside one of his magic sacks. </p><p></p><p>On the other side we found what seemed to be a shrine to the minotaur's god. There lay a minotaur skeleton on a stone slab, and the two minotaurs we'd slain two days earlier had been neatly arranged on the floor. At the far end of the room stood an archway containing a darkness that couldn't be pierced by any light source.</p><p></p><p>Then we heard the familiar sound of Mormog's entrance again. As the six-armed monster emerged into the room he bellowed, "Your bones will not defile this room!"</p><p></p><p>As Mormog loomed over Varian, Thor produced a tanglefoot bag and hurled it from Beaker's perch on the ceiling. Covered in the sticky substance the minotaur couldn't move as quickly. But that didn't prevent him from swinging an axe at Erasyne and then knocking both Varian and Xolo off their feet.</p><p></p><p>I called a spell to mind and repositioned myself for better aim. Then I blew a cloud of frosty breath at the beast, covering him in hoary rime. I hoped the spell would stun him for a moment but he was too hardy. Erasyne began to dance around him in a cloud of whirling blades. The minotaur hurled one of his axes at me, then bent to gore Xolo with his horns.</p><p></p><p>Xolo suddenly vanished from sight. Varian shouted a challenge to the beast, turning its attention to him despite the wounds he'd just suffered. He slashed at the monster and then moved away, trying to draw the minotaur after him. </p><p></p><p>I tried another spell, surrounding the minotaur in a wind that was meant to bind him in place, but it failed to affect him. Shishir slipped up behind our foe and set him on fire with an evocation of his own. His twin attempted to shatter the minotaur's largest axe without success. Thor commanded Beaker to snatch the throwing axe out of the air, but that also failed.</p><p></p><p>A moment later Xolo reappeared and stabbed at the minotaur from behind. Varian continued to attack the beast as well, despite having been knocked down yet again. Finding my spells ineffective, I nocked my bow and fired arrows at Mormog. I had decided to keep my distance so that I could give healing to my companions.</p><p></p><p>Ninad hurled a burst of fire at the minotaur, while Thor added more fuel to the flames with his own magic. The flames burning in Mormog's fur provided a dramatic backdrop to Erasyne's flashing blades. Evidently Mormog began to feel threatened, as he abruptly withdrew through the portal at the end of the room, ignoring Shishir and Varian as they attacked him.</p><p></p><p>Shishir immediately leaped through the dark opening after the minotaur, followed in swift succession by his twin, Thor, and Erasyne. Xolo and Varian paused for a moment so that Xolo could offer Varian a healing potion before they also stepped through the portal. I ran across the chamber with Rahon at my heels, drawing a potion of my own from my purse. I hesitated for a moment to swallow my potion, then felt myself grow lighter and flew through the opening.</p><p></p><p>As I hovered near the ceiling I found myself in a circular chamber with many evenly-spaced openings admitting to it, all of them as dark as the portal I had just passed through. Below me I saw a small pool in the center of the chamber. Xolo lay in the water, obviously badly injured. Mormog loomed over Shishir and Erasyne, his coat still flickering with flames. Ignoring the burning he struck my companions each a mighty blow that toppled them.</p><p></p><p>The minotaur's returning axe came hurtling at me again, giving Thor and my two friends on the floor an opening to strike. Xolo crawled out of the pool looking somewhat improved and stabbed into the minotaur's leg with his dagger. I fired two arrows into the hairy hide. My first arrow missed its mark, but as the second arrow struck, Mormog slowly crumpled to the ground.</p><p></p><p>Ninad quickly made certain the minotaur was dead. Recognizing that the pool had healing properties, Erasyne began to bathe in the water. There was little water left by the time she had finished. I settled to the floor and expended a spell to help Shishir with his wounds. </p><p></p><p>While Erasyne bathed in the pool she noticed that the bottom was studded with numerous gems, and in the center sat a large cylindrical green stone. One of the twins confirmed that something in the pool was magical. Erasyne tried to remove the green stone but she was too weak after her exertions during the fighting. She contented herself with prying out the gems. These proved to be only weakly imbued with magic, and worse they had all lost their luster somehow. But Erasyne gathered them all up in any case.</p><p></p><p>Varian managed to pry the green stone out of the pool. Thor determined that it radiated healing and water magic. He became quite fascinated with it. After looking at it more closely I realized I'd heard a tale of such a stone, but I couldn't recall any more details.</p><p></p><p>Once we'd thoroughly searched Mormog's corpse and removed all the stones from the pool, Thor walked through one of the dark doorways - and reappeared at a different one! We all attempted this at once with the same result. I examined the entrances to see if Mormog had been using one more than any other, but there was little sign he'd come to this chamber often. </p><p></p><p>Thor began concentrating intently on the green stone, feeling it might hold the answer to our dilemma. I've seldom seen him so focused. Eventually he managed to activate a magical property of the stone and a passageway formed in the wall of the chamber. When we exited we found ourselves back in the maze near the chapel we'd visited previously. </p><p></p><p>We searched the maze thoroughly for any rooms or tunnels we'd missed, gathering up various weapons and items of value as we went. After we'd collected a number of items and looked them over, Ninad noticed that several of the things we'd found bore the same maker's mark as some other objects we'd come across in our previous travels. There was a mage by the name of Castanamir who appeared to be a prolific maker of magical tools and weapons. </p><p></p><p>It occurred to me to look at a dagger I'd picked up the day before. When I drew it from my purse and looked at it closely I noticed an indentation in the hilt that looked like it would accept a ring. I tried my ring of levitation in the spot and found that it fit perfectly, though my ring didn't bear Castanamir's sigil. This provoked a period of experimentation as we tried various rings in the space on the dagger and then brought out other weapons made by Castanamir to see if they, too, had spaces for insertion of rings. </p><p></p><p>We came to the conclusion that most of Castanamir's product was made to accept rings or other items. The rings didn't have to be made by Castanamir; they only had to be enchanted. Once an enchanted ring was set into the weapon it was possible to use the magic of the ring as if one were wearing it. I've always heard that one can only wear one magic ring on each hand else the magic of each ring will start to interfere with the others. Being able to attach the rings to the weapons bypasses this problem. </p><p></p><p>We even discovered that my broken spear will form a lance when fit together with an odd buckler Thor had acquired, and that once combined their individual magics become something entirely different, though we don't yet know what the lance can do. Varian is quite covetous of the lance. I suppose I'll give it to him once the spear is repaired.</p><p></p><p>Thor had also discovered that the green stone contains earth magic that will allow him to manipulate earth and stone. He's quite enamored of the stone, proclaiming that gnomes are very attuned to the earth. Which seems odd considering his fascination with creatures of the skies.</p><p></p><p>Having had enough of the minotaur's maze, we set off for Zeir-i-Zeif with the minotaur's severed head as proof of our success. On the way we paused at the nearest town to ask if a priest could cast a spell on Mormog's head to preserve it during the journey. This drew a great deal of attention from the townsfolk, who were all aware of their proximity to the minotaur's lair. </p><p></p><p>By the time we reached the city we were drawing substantial crowds of gawkers. This may have been because Shishir and Thor insisted on attaching the head to one end of our flying carpet to parade it through the streets in the most dramatic manner possible.</p><p></p><p>On our arrival in Zeif we were met with great fanfare and escorted to a central plaza to meet the Sultan himself. He made a great ceremony of giving us our reward for slaying the minotaur, presenting us with ceremonial scimitars and red sashes and declaring us heroes of the nation. At the same time it seemed to me that he was taking most of the credit for himself. </p><p></p><p>Ninad consulted one of his lorebooks and discovered that the green stone is an artifact known as the Rock of Mages. His information showed no connection to the temple of the elements that Varian seeks, but we still suspect that the stone is the one from Varian's prophecy. </p><p></p><p>We've been invited to dine with the Sultan this evening, so I must close now and go to prepare for our formal dinner. Erasyne made the clever suggestion that perhaps we can return the gold we were given and ask the Sultan to set the two-headed couatl free as our reward. We're going to present this request during dinner. </p><p></p><p>I'll write you again soon to tell you how we fare.</p><p></p><p>Your sister, Lothiriel</p><p>________________________________________________</p><p><strong><em>This documents the most recent session of this campaign. At the present time no further sessions are scheduled, but we expect to return to the campaign at some point to continue the quest for the temple of elemental good.</em></strong></p><p><strong><em>sniffles</em></strong></p><p>________________________________________________</p><p></p><p><strong>Quips & Quotes:</strong></p><p></p><p><em>There were so many cow-related jokes I couldn't write them all down and still be able to play.</em> <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" /> </p><p></p><p><strong>DH</strong>: "I prefer [the spell] <em>avasculate</em>."</p><p><strong>Zora</strong>: "You've already been <em>avasculated</em>."</p><p><strong>Devo</strong>: "That's "emasculated"."</p><p></p><p><strong>Zora</strong>: "I still think we should strap the minotaur's head to the front end of the flying carpet. Everybody mooooove! Set carpet for bull rush."</p><p></p><p><strong>Hedrin</strong>: "He finally got that boomerang thing to work."</p><p><strong>Devo</strong>: "That won't come back to haunt us."</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="sniffles, post: 3341646, member: 30035"] [b]Letter #38[/b] We spent another night safely resting in our camp outside the maze. Ninad had found an amulet among the detritus inside. He discovered it would be useful to someone like Thor or myself who can transform into animal shapes. It was given to me, since I've only lately learned to take animal form and haven't had much opportunity to practice. We returned to the maze the next morning to find that the entrance hadn't been re-blocked. We searched an area we hadn't looked at before. I found a longspear to replace the one the minotaur broke, and a shield that we put in Erasyne's magic bag, since I can't use a shield with a longspear. After a time we came upon a very large pit. It was too broad for most of us to get across on our own so we floated across it on the flying carpet, which Ninad had been keeping rolled up inside one of his magic sacks. On the other side we found what seemed to be a shrine to the minotaur's god. There lay a minotaur skeleton on a stone slab, and the two minotaurs we'd slain two days earlier had been neatly arranged on the floor. At the far end of the room stood an archway containing a darkness that couldn't be pierced by any light source. Then we heard the familiar sound of Mormog's entrance again. As the six-armed monster emerged into the room he bellowed, "Your bones will not defile this room!" As Mormog loomed over Varian, Thor produced a tanglefoot bag and hurled it from Beaker's perch on the ceiling. Covered in the sticky substance the minotaur couldn't move as quickly. But that didn't prevent him from swinging an axe at Erasyne and then knocking both Varian and Xolo off their feet. I called a spell to mind and repositioned myself for better aim. Then I blew a cloud of frosty breath at the beast, covering him in hoary rime. I hoped the spell would stun him for a moment but he was too hardy. Erasyne began to dance around him in a cloud of whirling blades. The minotaur hurled one of his axes at me, then bent to gore Xolo with his horns. Xolo suddenly vanished from sight. Varian shouted a challenge to the beast, turning its attention to him despite the wounds he'd just suffered. He slashed at the monster and then moved away, trying to draw the minotaur after him. I tried another spell, surrounding the minotaur in a wind that was meant to bind him in place, but it failed to affect him. Shishir slipped up behind our foe and set him on fire with an evocation of his own. His twin attempted to shatter the minotaur's largest axe without success. Thor commanded Beaker to snatch the throwing axe out of the air, but that also failed. A moment later Xolo reappeared and stabbed at the minotaur from behind. Varian continued to attack the beast as well, despite having been knocked down yet again. Finding my spells ineffective, I nocked my bow and fired arrows at Mormog. I had decided to keep my distance so that I could give healing to my companions. Ninad hurled a burst of fire at the minotaur, while Thor added more fuel to the flames with his own magic. The flames burning in Mormog's fur provided a dramatic backdrop to Erasyne's flashing blades. Evidently Mormog began to feel threatened, as he abruptly withdrew through the portal at the end of the room, ignoring Shishir and Varian as they attacked him. Shishir immediately leaped through the dark opening after the minotaur, followed in swift succession by his twin, Thor, and Erasyne. Xolo and Varian paused for a moment so that Xolo could offer Varian a healing potion before they also stepped through the portal. I ran across the chamber with Rahon at my heels, drawing a potion of my own from my purse. I hesitated for a moment to swallow my potion, then felt myself grow lighter and flew through the opening. As I hovered near the ceiling I found myself in a circular chamber with many evenly-spaced openings admitting to it, all of them as dark as the portal I had just passed through. Below me I saw a small pool in the center of the chamber. Xolo lay in the water, obviously badly injured. Mormog loomed over Shishir and Erasyne, his coat still flickering with flames. Ignoring the burning he struck my companions each a mighty blow that toppled them. The minotaur's returning axe came hurtling at me again, giving Thor and my two friends on the floor an opening to strike. Xolo crawled out of the pool looking somewhat improved and stabbed into the minotaur's leg with his dagger. I fired two arrows into the hairy hide. My first arrow missed its mark, but as the second arrow struck, Mormog slowly crumpled to the ground. Ninad quickly made certain the minotaur was dead. Recognizing that the pool had healing properties, Erasyne began to bathe in the water. There was little water left by the time she had finished. I settled to the floor and expended a spell to help Shishir with his wounds. While Erasyne bathed in the pool she noticed that the bottom was studded with numerous gems, and in the center sat a large cylindrical green stone. One of the twins confirmed that something in the pool was magical. Erasyne tried to remove the green stone but she was too weak after her exertions during the fighting. She contented herself with prying out the gems. These proved to be only weakly imbued with magic, and worse they had all lost their luster somehow. But Erasyne gathered them all up in any case. Varian managed to pry the green stone out of the pool. Thor determined that it radiated healing and water magic. He became quite fascinated with it. After looking at it more closely I realized I'd heard a tale of such a stone, but I couldn't recall any more details. Once we'd thoroughly searched Mormog's corpse and removed all the stones from the pool, Thor walked through one of the dark doorways - and reappeared at a different one! We all attempted this at once with the same result. I examined the entrances to see if Mormog had been using one more than any other, but there was little sign he'd come to this chamber often. Thor began concentrating intently on the green stone, feeling it might hold the answer to our dilemma. I've seldom seen him so focused. Eventually he managed to activate a magical property of the stone and a passageway formed in the wall of the chamber. When we exited we found ourselves back in the maze near the chapel we'd visited previously. We searched the maze thoroughly for any rooms or tunnels we'd missed, gathering up various weapons and items of value as we went. After we'd collected a number of items and looked them over, Ninad noticed that several of the things we'd found bore the same maker's mark as some other objects we'd come across in our previous travels. There was a mage by the name of Castanamir who appeared to be a prolific maker of magical tools and weapons. It occurred to me to look at a dagger I'd picked up the day before. When I drew it from my purse and looked at it closely I noticed an indentation in the hilt that looked like it would accept a ring. I tried my ring of levitation in the spot and found that it fit perfectly, though my ring didn't bear Castanamir's sigil. This provoked a period of experimentation as we tried various rings in the space on the dagger and then brought out other weapons made by Castanamir to see if they, too, had spaces for insertion of rings. We came to the conclusion that most of Castanamir's product was made to accept rings or other items. The rings didn't have to be made by Castanamir; they only had to be enchanted. Once an enchanted ring was set into the weapon it was possible to use the magic of the ring as if one were wearing it. I've always heard that one can only wear one magic ring on each hand else the magic of each ring will start to interfere with the others. Being able to attach the rings to the weapons bypasses this problem. We even discovered that my broken spear will form a lance when fit together with an odd buckler Thor had acquired, and that once combined their individual magics become something entirely different, though we don't yet know what the lance can do. Varian is quite covetous of the lance. I suppose I'll give it to him once the spear is repaired. Thor had also discovered that the green stone contains earth magic that will allow him to manipulate earth and stone. He's quite enamored of the stone, proclaiming that gnomes are very attuned to the earth. Which seems odd considering his fascination with creatures of the skies. Having had enough of the minotaur's maze, we set off for Zeir-i-Zeif with the minotaur's severed head as proof of our success. On the way we paused at the nearest town to ask if a priest could cast a spell on Mormog's head to preserve it during the journey. This drew a great deal of attention from the townsfolk, who were all aware of their proximity to the minotaur's lair. By the time we reached the city we were drawing substantial crowds of gawkers. This may have been because Shishir and Thor insisted on attaching the head to one end of our flying carpet to parade it through the streets in the most dramatic manner possible. On our arrival in Zeif we were met with great fanfare and escorted to a central plaza to meet the Sultan himself. He made a great ceremony of giving us our reward for slaying the minotaur, presenting us with ceremonial scimitars and red sashes and declaring us heroes of the nation. At the same time it seemed to me that he was taking most of the credit for himself. Ninad consulted one of his lorebooks and discovered that the green stone is an artifact known as the Rock of Mages. His information showed no connection to the temple of the elements that Varian seeks, but we still suspect that the stone is the one from Varian's prophecy. We've been invited to dine with the Sultan this evening, so I must close now and go to prepare for our formal dinner. Erasyne made the clever suggestion that perhaps we can return the gold we were given and ask the Sultan to set the two-headed couatl free as our reward. We're going to present this request during dinner. I'll write you again soon to tell you how we fare. Your sister, Lothiriel ________________________________________________ [B][I]This documents the most recent session of this campaign. At the present time no further sessions are scheduled, but we expect to return to the campaign at some point to continue the quest for the temple of elemental good. sniffles[/I][/B] ________________________________________________ [B]Quips & Quotes:[/B] [I]There were so many cow-related jokes I couldn't write them all down and still be able to play.[/I] ;) [B]DH[/B]: "I prefer [the spell] [I]avasculate[/I]." [B]Zora[/B]: "You've already been [I]avasculated[/I]." [B]Devo[/B]: "That's "emasculated"." [B]Zora[/B]: "I still think we should strap the minotaur's head to the front end of the flying carpet. Everybody mooooove! Set carpet for bull rush." [B]Hedrin[/B]: "He finally got that boomerang thing to work." [B]Devo[/B]: "That won't come back to haunt us." [/QUOTE]
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