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Story Hour
Erkonin (Campaign #1) [Session 46: Making Deals with Devils is Stupid as well as Bad]
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<blockquote data-quote="prabe" data-source="post: 8185456" data-attributes="member: 7016699"><p>Session 29: Planning and Shopping</p><p></p><p>Players:</p><p>Orryk - Forest Gnome Monk (Way of the Four Elements, variant)</p><p>Fiona - Half-Elf Wizard (Evoker)/Cleric (Knowledge)</p><p>Taman - Human (variant) Rogue (Inquisitive)/Ranger</p><p>Joybell - Forest Gnome Paladin (Oath of the Ancients)</p><p>Thneed - Wood Elf Ranger (Hunter Conclave)</p><p></p><p>GM - Everyone Else</p><p></p><p>(Note: Mo's player could not be present.)</p><p></p><p></p><p>3 Rippenin 748 (Campaign day 64) (the next morning)</p><p></p><p>Note: Joybell’s armor will be ready on day 69.</p><p></p><p>First thing in the morning, before Joybell and Orryk had gone over for breakfast, Thalith showed up at the Pewter Oar. He came with a special, personal request from the Administrator for Mo's services. A diplomatic contingent was visiting from Tash, where Mo is from, and Alighieri requested that Mo keep them entertained and out of trouble for a few days.</p><p></p><p>When Orryk and Joybell arrived this was explained to them.</p><p></p><p>Orryk: Keep them OUT of trouble?</p><p>Joybell: Well, they’ll definitely be entertained.</p><p></p><p>After breakfast, we went to the guard to see what we could do with some of our magic items we don’t really need. We pulled the Candle of the Deep, the Gloves of Swimming and the Gauntlets of Ogre Power out of the bag of holding and put them on the table in front of Chief Ullar Truehammer.</p><p></p><p>He was impressed and surprised that no one could use the gauntlets, but we reassured him that really no one could.</p><p></p><p>Truehammer: Let me go see what I can find in exchange. Come back later.</p><p></p><p>We agreed to that and left the guard house.</p><p></p><p>Joybell: I want to go talk to Thalith. Anyone want to come?</p><p></p><p>Thneed agreed to go queue up with her at the Administrator’s office.</p><p></p><p>Fiona planned to stay in the Pewter Oar copying spells all day.</p><p></p><p>Orryk and Taman went to Trannell’s shop -- that’s the shop that carries some magic items, along with other goods. Orryk paid him to keep an eye out for elemental items when we were last in Embernook.</p><p></p><p>Before they got to discussing the elemental items, they looked at the magic items Trannell had on hand. Some of which were very interesting: a +1 shield (cost: 450 gp), a Broom of Flying (500 gp), a Cloak of Elvenkind (200 gp), and some +1 arrows (at 150 gp each). Also a Potion of Invisibility (5000 gp) and a Potion of Speed (5500 gp).</p><p></p><p>Orryk: Have you heard about any elemental artifacts? Either here or on the way?</p><p>Trannell: I haven’t heard about anything. Even the folks from Auriqua haven’t brought anything.</p><p>Taman: Trade caravan?</p><p>Trannell: They come down for the winter about this time every year. Not the same people or even the same families -- but there are always people who come. They often have cold based stuff to sell, because it doesn’t sell for as much up there.</p><p>Taman: When the families come down, who do they work for? Or do they just winter here? Just getting out of the cold?</p><p>Trannell: That’s what they say...</p><p></p><p>Taman bought the Cloak of Elvenkind, despite having the Cape of the Mountebank.</p><p></p><p>Orryk, giving Trannell 20 gp: If you hear about anything elemental, send a message to Queena’s lodgings.</p><p></p><p>Fiona had some letters waiting for her at the Pewter Oar -- including one from a friend who tangled with some ghouls in Erlin.</p><p></p><p>At the Administrator’s office, Joybell and Thneed got called in a little early, ahead of some of the other people in line. Joybell introduced Thneed to Thalith, then she talked about the Masks and what they’d done and if they had any presence in Embernook. Thalith hadn’t heard about any in the city, or about any of the surrounding villages (under Embernook’s “protection”). The only one of those that had had any problems recently was Kalmarn, destroyed by the whispering crazy that Harl became.</p><p></p><p>That reminded Joybell about the Cracked Shield and she talked about them to Thalith -- perfectly lovely orc mercenaries, who helped in a fight against the Masks and who were displaced by them. Very cool people. And she’d thought of suggesting that Kalmarn was there as basically a town ready for occupants and maybe they could go there, but maybe the Administrator and the citizens of Embernook wouldn’t be happy to have a bunch of Orcs moving in, no matter how awesome they are.</p><p></p><p>Thalith seemed a bit confused at the concept of awesome and nice orcs. And he seemed grateful for Joybell not suggesting to them that they move to Kalmarn.</p><p></p><p>Finally, Joybell asked if she could swap the letter opener she’d gotten from his office when we left Embernook for something else, so we can teleport back if we need to. He seemed a bit bemused at the request, and far less charitable about it than he had when she asked the first time, but he did swap out the letter opener he’d given her before for an empty inkwell.</p><p></p><p>After Joybell walked out of the room, Thneed hung behind to talk to Thalith.</p><p></p><p>Thneed: Did you call us early to make the rest of the day go smoothly? Or to get the chattering out of the way? Or because you like us?</p><p>Thalith: I reject your false trichotomy.</p><p>Thneed: Okay.</p><p></p><p>After their shopping trip to Trannell’s, Orryk and Taman went to Tulmor and Barnett’s. They found Barnett doing research in a room with no spell components or arcane foci.</p><p></p><p>Tulmor: This is the compromise position. If he hadn’t agreed to this, I was going to stand next to him and counter every spell he cast. And if I came in and found him gone, I’d use a teleportation circle spell to go to the Forge.</p><p></p><p>She then led them out of the room where Barnett was doing research and told them that Barnett’s wife and brother were killed in some horrible fight while they were adventuring together. She doesn’t know exactly what happened in the fight, but when he later raised the money to have them resurrected, true resurrection because he was not able to recover their bodies, their spirits were not free to return. Tulmor was Barnett’s mother’s best friend and she took him in when he was broken and shattered by this.</p><p></p><p>Taman and Orryk absorbed that and then did some research in the library. Taman was looking for general information about the planes. Orryk was looking for information about how to get a connection to the elemental planes.</p><p></p><p>Orryk found information about how to perform a high ritual that would allow him to befriend the elemental essences. Once he performs the high ritual (which has a high cost in coinage and gems and other items, and would require him to be able to cast find familiar) he’ll be able to summon an elemental companion that would take the form of a mephit, but not be evil.</p><p></p><p>Orryk: Tulmor, have you been to the School of the World?</p><p>Tulmor: I’ve been there, but I don’t know anyone well enough to write you a letter of introduction.</p><p></p><p>She was able to tell him that the School of the World was about as big as the larger libraries in Pelsoreen. New Arvai has the three big magical schools, all of which have libraries: the School of the World, the School of the Mind and the School of the Body. It doesn’t have anything like the smaller satellite libraries that Pelsorren has -- like Black Irnod’s and Carveen’s and The Quiet Room. There are some personal collections, perhaps, but those need personal invites from the owners.</p><p></p><p>Orryk: The School of the World has some interesting artifacts…</p><p>Tulmor: They all do. The School of the Mind creeped me out, because they have Illithid stuff. The School of the World is most likely to be of use to you with your elemental interests.</p><p></p><p>She then talked some about New Arvai -- it’s not run by mob corporations like Pelsoreen. There is an apparently legitimate government, but underneath that there’s a dark criminal side that has more influence than it should.</p><p></p><p>Orryk: Are there any cities besides Embernook that aren’t awful?</p><p>Tulmor: That depends on what you mean by awful…</p><p>Orryk: Are there any cities Joybell would like living in?</p><p>Tulmor: Everyday people in Pelsoreen and New Arvai are sometimes okay.</p><p>Orryk: Have you ever heard of the Umbral Circle?</p><p>Tulmor: A small group of druids? I haven’t heard of them, no.</p><p></p><p>(Note: GM explained that typically within circles of Planar Druids, each individual druid specializes in a particular plane, but the circle itself contains all sorts.)</p><p></p><p>While Orryk and Taman were researching and talking to Tulmor, Joybell and Thneed went back to Ernin Brightforge’s forge, where Joybell’s armor was being made.</p><p></p><p>Brightforge: I’m glad to see you! I looked into this bulette armor you brought. I’m going to work with a master tanner in town, because that stuff is closer to hide than metal, and make shields. I think we’ll get four +1 shields out of it. You can use it to deflect a critical hit and keep it from being so bad.</p><p></p><p>(Note: She’ll be able to use her reaction to turn a critical hit into a regular hit.)</p><p></p><p>He offered to sell Joybell one of those shields for 250 gp, because she provided the bulette armor. The other three he planned to sell for 500 gp.</p><p></p><p>Joybell: Sold!</p><p></p><p>Joybell paid for the shield -- it will be ready a week after the armor is ready (note: day 70).</p><p></p><p>Thneed asked after silvered weapons -- maybe a silvered scimitar, though she wasn’t really comfortable with the idea of getting that close into combat. She mentioned that we might be fighting fey or undead soon.</p><p></p><p>Brightforge: Well I have some things, but silvering won’t help against fey. They will against some undead, though.</p><p></p><p>Thneed bought 10 silvered arrows.</p><p></p><p>Joybell and Thneed then went to the herbalist to get Joybell the materials to make five healing potions over the course of the next week while waiting for her armor to be finished.</p><p></p><p>As they walked through the city, Joybell and Thneed noticed that there was a buzz in the city -- the excitement about the fall festival (coming at the end of the month of Rippenin, a few weeks away) was already building and people were starting to make some preparations.</p><p></p><p>Joybell went back to Queena’s to get her materials set up for brewing healing potions. Orryk stayed at Tulmor and Barnett’s until dinner time. Taman left early to get a jump on drinking at the Pewter Oar. (Note: It's not clear what Thneed was doing between shopping and meeting up for dinner at the Oar.)</p><p></p><p>After dinner at the Pewter Oar, we went to the guard to see what they had for us. For the Gloves of Swimming and Climbing we were given a Silver Raven Figurine of Wondrous Power -- at a command it can be a raven for 12 hours. At the end of that time it reverts to being a figurine. During that period it can be used as an animal messenger (per the Animal Messenger spell), though if the message isn’t delivered by the end of 12 hours the raven becomes a figurine wherever it is.</p><p></p><p>For the Gauntlets of Ogre Power we were given a Javelin of Lightning, which went to Joybell.</p><p></p><p>The Candle of the Deep was replaced with a Mystery Key -- it will open one lock one time. (There’s a five percent chance that it will open any lock it’s tried in and once it opens a lock the magic fades away.)</p><p></p><p>Back at the Pewter Oar, Taman gave Thneed the magical bow he got before we left Embernook before and the Cloak of Elvenkind he’d bought from Trannell.</p><p></p><p>Joybell explained to the others about the shield she was getting, and that she hadn’t really heard what Brightforge had said it would do, because she was so excited.</p><p></p><p>Joybell: This is the best day!</p><p>Orryk: Hold onto those good feelings. We need to talk.</p><p></p><p>We started to talk about how we were going to find out what was on the other side of that teleportation circle at the Forge. Orryk suggested sending Scooby through -- then after 15 or 20 seconds in which Scooby could scout around, Joybell could dismiss him and then re-summon him and find out what he saw.</p><p></p><p>Joybell said she was only up for that if Scooby agreed to it -- so she talked to him and he was a bit uncertain about it, but agreed on the promise of lots of scritches and cuddles and treats.</p><p></p><p>Orryk, scratching Scooby behind the year, in Gnomish: Thank you.</p><p></p><p>We then retired, Orryk and Joybell to Queena’s lodging house and the rest of the party at the Pewter Oar.</p><p></p><p></p><p>4 Rippenin 748 (Campaign day 65)</p><p></p><p>At 2 am, Fiona was woken up by the sound of Barnett’s voice in her head.</p><p></p><p>Barnett: Eureka! Eureka! Eureka! Eureka! Eureka!</p><p></p><p>(Repeated until there were 25 “eurekas”.)</p><p></p><p>Fiona, still waking up and to herself: It’s dark. It’s still dark. I'm tired. Who do I contact?</p><p></p><p>She stumbled down the hall to Taman’s room and knocked on his door. Taman fumbled and fell out of bed, then opened the door with his rapier in hand.</p><p></p><p>Fiona: I got woken by Barnett. Apparently he has something.</p><p>Taman: It’s too early for this. <<slams door>></p><p></p><p>Fiona went back to bed, sending to Barnett: I’ll be there in the morning.</p><p></p><p>The next morning, we all met up for breakfast at the Pewter Oar. Mo was still swanning around the Tash diplomats. Fiona told us about Barnett’s sending in the middle of the night, so we all went over there after breakfast.</p><p></p><p>Orryk: Let’s see if he’s still there.</p><p></p><p>Tulmor opened the door, looking like she’d gotten Barnett’s excited message just a few moments before Fiona did, but had not gotten a chance to go back to sleep. Down the hall behind her, Barnett was rocking with excitement holding something in his hands.</p><p></p><p>(Thneed's player: Like a kid on Christmas waiting for his siblings to wake up.)</p><p></p><p>Tulmor: I miss the coffee in New Arvai.</p><p></p><p>Barnett then showed us a map he’d drawn, explaining that he figured out that he could use arcane eye, see invisibility, and teleport to get a look into the Forge.</p><p></p><p>(The teleportation circle is surrounded by <em>symbols</em> on the floor. A number of side bunkrooms have beds each for 10 Masks. The middle of the complex is a cage. Further description below.)</p><p></p><p>There were two groups of Masks -- one group of six Masks in one of the side dormitory/bunkroom hallways, sleeping in the bunks with their masks hanging on pegs on the wall over their heads. The other group of ten was all together in another bunkroom. Each bunkroom hall has beds for ten Masks. Most of them were unoccupied, any effects gone. The two that were occupied were kept tidy -- like a military barracks -- with the beds made and stuff stored in lockers. One of the bunkrooms had beds that were unmade, like the Masks had left in a hurry and never returned. We suspected that these were the ones we’d fought in the cave.</p><p></p><p>In the middle of the room was an open cage with doors at either end. There was child-sized furniture, some toys and some games in the cage -- none of that was new. It all looked slightly worn.</p><p></p><p>The cage was totally empty -- there were no kids inside.</p><p></p><p>The teleportation circle points into a room that had the floor totally covered and trapped with Symbol of [Badness] spells of various sorts.</p><p></p><p>At the top of the map was a door (going off to left on the map) that had a priest hole in it. Barnett was never able to get the Arcane Eye beyond that door and the priest hole never opened.</p><p></p><p>The room at the top of the map had a big crystal in one corner. All kinds of weird copper and gold tubes and cords connected that crystal to a stone table or bed with manacles. Another corner had a stone bin (made with a stone shape or wall of stone spell) that had a disintegrate spell in it that activated automatically once a day. Clearly that was some sort of disposal unit. That room, and specifically the crystal and tubes contraption, was apparently the actual Forge of Masks. That’s our target.</p><p></p><p>We spent the rest of the day talking with Barnett about what he’d found and what our options were. We asked if he could study the room with the crystal Forge in it, so we could teleport directly there. He said it was theoretically possible, but that there were limitations on the spell. (Note: Look at the teleportation spell for the consequences of failure. They’re bad -- and there’s no way to get better than a 75% chance of success.)</p><p></p><p>Getting through the Symbols of [Badness] is going to be a real problem. (Once again, feel free to look at the spell in the PHB.) When the spell is cast, the caster gets to decide what triggers the symbol and what doesn’t. So it’s possible that wearing a Mask mask is enough to allow safe passage. It’s also possible that the Masks know a code word that allows safe passage. (Though there are problems with this -- because they would trip immediately and not give anyone time to speak the keyword. We think.)</p><p></p><p>While everyone was talking about the map, Joybell took Tulmor aside to tell her what we’d done with the Crazy Book. Tulmor seemed a little conflicted about it.</p><p></p><p>Tulmor: She’ll definitely keep it safe.</p><p>Joybell: Have you met her?</p><p>Tulmor: No.</p><p>Joybell: We don’t trust fey nobles as far as we can throw them, but giving her the book for safe keeping was in line with her interests.</p><p></p><p>Tulmor smirked a little when Joybell said that we don’t trust fey nobles, but Joybell let it go.</p><p></p><p>She agreed that it was probably an adequately limited sort of deal with no ongoing obligations on either side.</p><p></p><p>We left after that, asking Barnett to spend as much time looking around with his arcane eye as possible.</p><p></p><p></p><p>4 - 8 Rippenin 748 (Campaign days 65 - 68)</p><p></p><p>These days passed as a montage of potion brewing, spell copying, and getting updates from Barnett.</p><p></p><p>During the course of the week Fiona sent to Sorla to ask her about whether there was anything going on in the cave and if things looked okay in Callallah. Sorla took a day to get back to the village but then reported that the village looked normal and the circle was exactly as broken up as it had been when we left. The dirt piles outside the entrance that Orryk made (and that we used so effectively to fight the Masks in the cave) were still there, apparently untouched.</p><p></p><p>Orryk and Joybell and the rest of the party talked about the possibility of sending Scooby, wearing one of the masks, through the gate to see if the mask would protect him from the symbols going off. Unfortunately the symbols are of insanity and pain and fear and that would be a horrible thing to put Scooby through. So Joybell is reluctant to sign on to Operation Masked Scooby, unless we have literally no other way.</p><p></p><p>We ended still talking about options and possibilities.</p><p></p><p>Next time, we can extend the montage as needed to cover what Mo was up to when he wasn’t wining, dining, and entertaining the Tash diplomatic mission on the Administrator’s dime.</p><p></p><p>Treasure:</p><p></p><p>Javelin of Lightning (Joybell)</p><p>Silver Raven, Figurine of Wondrous Power (Bag of Holding)</p><p>Mystery Key (Bag of Holding)</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="prabe, post: 8185456, member: 7016699"] Session 29: Planning and Shopping Players: Orryk - Forest Gnome Monk (Way of the Four Elements, variant) Fiona - Half-Elf Wizard (Evoker)/Cleric (Knowledge) Taman - Human (variant) Rogue (Inquisitive)/Ranger Joybell - Forest Gnome Paladin (Oath of the Ancients) Thneed - Wood Elf Ranger (Hunter Conclave) GM - Everyone Else (Note: Mo's player could not be present.) 3 Rippenin 748 (Campaign day 64) (the next morning) Note: Joybell’s armor will be ready on day 69. First thing in the morning, before Joybell and Orryk had gone over for breakfast, Thalith showed up at the Pewter Oar. He came with a special, personal request from the Administrator for Mo's services. A diplomatic contingent was visiting from Tash, where Mo is from, and Alighieri requested that Mo keep them entertained and out of trouble for a few days. When Orryk and Joybell arrived this was explained to them. Orryk: Keep them OUT of trouble? Joybell: Well, they’ll definitely be entertained. After breakfast, we went to the guard to see what we could do with some of our magic items we don’t really need. We pulled the Candle of the Deep, the Gloves of Swimming and the Gauntlets of Ogre Power out of the bag of holding and put them on the table in front of Chief Ullar Truehammer. He was impressed and surprised that no one could use the gauntlets, but we reassured him that really no one could. Truehammer: Let me go see what I can find in exchange. Come back later. We agreed to that and left the guard house. Joybell: I want to go talk to Thalith. Anyone want to come? Thneed agreed to go queue up with her at the Administrator’s office. Fiona planned to stay in the Pewter Oar copying spells all day. Orryk and Taman went to Trannell’s shop -- that’s the shop that carries some magic items, along with other goods. Orryk paid him to keep an eye out for elemental items when we were last in Embernook. Before they got to discussing the elemental items, they looked at the magic items Trannell had on hand. Some of which were very interesting: a +1 shield (cost: 450 gp), a Broom of Flying (500 gp), a Cloak of Elvenkind (200 gp), and some +1 arrows (at 150 gp each). Also a Potion of Invisibility (5000 gp) and a Potion of Speed (5500 gp). Orryk: Have you heard about any elemental artifacts? Either here or on the way? Trannell: I haven’t heard about anything. Even the folks from Auriqua haven’t brought anything. Taman: Trade caravan? Trannell: They come down for the winter about this time every year. Not the same people or even the same families -- but there are always people who come. They often have cold based stuff to sell, because it doesn’t sell for as much up there. Taman: When the families come down, who do they work for? Or do they just winter here? Just getting out of the cold? Trannell: That’s what they say... Taman bought the Cloak of Elvenkind, despite having the Cape of the Mountebank. Orryk, giving Trannell 20 gp: If you hear about anything elemental, send a message to Queena’s lodgings. Fiona had some letters waiting for her at the Pewter Oar -- including one from a friend who tangled with some ghouls in Erlin. At the Administrator’s office, Joybell and Thneed got called in a little early, ahead of some of the other people in line. Joybell introduced Thneed to Thalith, then she talked about the Masks and what they’d done and if they had any presence in Embernook. Thalith hadn’t heard about any in the city, or about any of the surrounding villages (under Embernook’s “protection”). The only one of those that had had any problems recently was Kalmarn, destroyed by the whispering crazy that Harl became. That reminded Joybell about the Cracked Shield and she talked about them to Thalith -- perfectly lovely orc mercenaries, who helped in a fight against the Masks and who were displaced by them. Very cool people. And she’d thought of suggesting that Kalmarn was there as basically a town ready for occupants and maybe they could go there, but maybe the Administrator and the citizens of Embernook wouldn’t be happy to have a bunch of Orcs moving in, no matter how awesome they are. Thalith seemed a bit confused at the concept of awesome and nice orcs. And he seemed grateful for Joybell not suggesting to them that they move to Kalmarn. Finally, Joybell asked if she could swap the letter opener she’d gotten from his office when we left Embernook for something else, so we can teleport back if we need to. He seemed a bit bemused at the request, and far less charitable about it than he had when she asked the first time, but he did swap out the letter opener he’d given her before for an empty inkwell. After Joybell walked out of the room, Thneed hung behind to talk to Thalith. Thneed: Did you call us early to make the rest of the day go smoothly? Or to get the chattering out of the way? Or because you like us? Thalith: I reject your false trichotomy. Thneed: Okay. After their shopping trip to Trannell’s, Orryk and Taman went to Tulmor and Barnett’s. They found Barnett doing research in a room with no spell components or arcane foci. Tulmor: This is the compromise position. If he hadn’t agreed to this, I was going to stand next to him and counter every spell he cast. And if I came in and found him gone, I’d use a teleportation circle spell to go to the Forge. She then led them out of the room where Barnett was doing research and told them that Barnett’s wife and brother were killed in some horrible fight while they were adventuring together. She doesn’t know exactly what happened in the fight, but when he later raised the money to have them resurrected, true resurrection because he was not able to recover their bodies, their spirits were not free to return. Tulmor was Barnett’s mother’s best friend and she took him in when he was broken and shattered by this. Taman and Orryk absorbed that and then did some research in the library. Taman was looking for general information about the planes. Orryk was looking for information about how to get a connection to the elemental planes. Orryk found information about how to perform a high ritual that would allow him to befriend the elemental essences. Once he performs the high ritual (which has a high cost in coinage and gems and other items, and would require him to be able to cast find familiar) he’ll be able to summon an elemental companion that would take the form of a mephit, but not be evil. Orryk: Tulmor, have you been to the School of the World? Tulmor: I’ve been there, but I don’t know anyone well enough to write you a letter of introduction. She was able to tell him that the School of the World was about as big as the larger libraries in Pelsoreen. New Arvai has the three big magical schools, all of which have libraries: the School of the World, the School of the Mind and the School of the Body. It doesn’t have anything like the smaller satellite libraries that Pelsorren has -- like Black Irnod’s and Carveen’s and The Quiet Room. There are some personal collections, perhaps, but those need personal invites from the owners. Orryk: The School of the World has some interesting artifacts… Tulmor: They all do. The School of the Mind creeped me out, because they have Illithid stuff. The School of the World is most likely to be of use to you with your elemental interests. She then talked some about New Arvai -- it’s not run by mob corporations like Pelsoreen. There is an apparently legitimate government, but underneath that there’s a dark criminal side that has more influence than it should. Orryk: Are there any cities besides Embernook that aren’t awful? Tulmor: That depends on what you mean by awful… Orryk: Are there any cities Joybell would like living in? Tulmor: Everyday people in Pelsoreen and New Arvai are sometimes okay. Orryk: Have you ever heard of the Umbral Circle? Tulmor: A small group of druids? I haven’t heard of them, no. (Note: GM explained that typically within circles of Planar Druids, each individual druid specializes in a particular plane, but the circle itself contains all sorts.) While Orryk and Taman were researching and talking to Tulmor, Joybell and Thneed went back to Ernin Brightforge’s forge, where Joybell’s armor was being made. Brightforge: I’m glad to see you! I looked into this bulette armor you brought. I’m going to work with a master tanner in town, because that stuff is closer to hide than metal, and make shields. I think we’ll get four +1 shields out of it. You can use it to deflect a critical hit and keep it from being so bad. (Note: She’ll be able to use her reaction to turn a critical hit into a regular hit.) He offered to sell Joybell one of those shields for 250 gp, because she provided the bulette armor. The other three he planned to sell for 500 gp. Joybell: Sold! Joybell paid for the shield -- it will be ready a week after the armor is ready (note: day 70). Thneed asked after silvered weapons -- maybe a silvered scimitar, though she wasn’t really comfortable with the idea of getting that close into combat. She mentioned that we might be fighting fey or undead soon. Brightforge: Well I have some things, but silvering won’t help against fey. They will against some undead, though. Thneed bought 10 silvered arrows. Joybell and Thneed then went to the herbalist to get Joybell the materials to make five healing potions over the course of the next week while waiting for her armor to be finished. As they walked through the city, Joybell and Thneed noticed that there was a buzz in the city -- the excitement about the fall festival (coming at the end of the month of Rippenin, a few weeks away) was already building and people were starting to make some preparations. Joybell went back to Queena’s to get her materials set up for brewing healing potions. Orryk stayed at Tulmor and Barnett’s until dinner time. Taman left early to get a jump on drinking at the Pewter Oar. (Note: It's not clear what Thneed was doing between shopping and meeting up for dinner at the Oar.) After dinner at the Pewter Oar, we went to the guard to see what they had for us. For the Gloves of Swimming and Climbing we were given a Silver Raven Figurine of Wondrous Power -- at a command it can be a raven for 12 hours. At the end of that time it reverts to being a figurine. During that period it can be used as an animal messenger (per the Animal Messenger spell), though if the message isn’t delivered by the end of 12 hours the raven becomes a figurine wherever it is. For the Gauntlets of Ogre Power we were given a Javelin of Lightning, which went to Joybell. The Candle of the Deep was replaced with a Mystery Key -- it will open one lock one time. (There’s a five percent chance that it will open any lock it’s tried in and once it opens a lock the magic fades away.) Back at the Pewter Oar, Taman gave Thneed the magical bow he got before we left Embernook before and the Cloak of Elvenkind he’d bought from Trannell. Joybell explained to the others about the shield she was getting, and that she hadn’t really heard what Brightforge had said it would do, because she was so excited. Joybell: This is the best day! Orryk: Hold onto those good feelings. We need to talk. We started to talk about how we were going to find out what was on the other side of that teleportation circle at the Forge. Orryk suggested sending Scooby through -- then after 15 or 20 seconds in which Scooby could scout around, Joybell could dismiss him and then re-summon him and find out what he saw. Joybell said she was only up for that if Scooby agreed to it -- so she talked to him and he was a bit uncertain about it, but agreed on the promise of lots of scritches and cuddles and treats. Orryk, scratching Scooby behind the year, in Gnomish: Thank you. We then retired, Orryk and Joybell to Queena’s lodging house and the rest of the party at the Pewter Oar. 4 Rippenin 748 (Campaign day 65) At 2 am, Fiona was woken up by the sound of Barnett’s voice in her head. Barnett: Eureka! Eureka! Eureka! Eureka! Eureka! (Repeated until there were 25 “eurekas”.) Fiona, still waking up and to herself: It’s dark. It’s still dark. I'm tired. Who do I contact? She stumbled down the hall to Taman’s room and knocked on his door. Taman fumbled and fell out of bed, then opened the door with his rapier in hand. Fiona: I got woken by Barnett. Apparently he has something. Taman: It’s too early for this. <<slams door>> Fiona went back to bed, sending to Barnett: I’ll be there in the morning. The next morning, we all met up for breakfast at the Pewter Oar. Mo was still swanning around the Tash diplomats. Fiona told us about Barnett’s sending in the middle of the night, so we all went over there after breakfast. Orryk: Let’s see if he’s still there. Tulmor opened the door, looking like she’d gotten Barnett’s excited message just a few moments before Fiona did, but had not gotten a chance to go back to sleep. Down the hall behind her, Barnett was rocking with excitement holding something in his hands. (Thneed's player: Like a kid on Christmas waiting for his siblings to wake up.) Tulmor: I miss the coffee in New Arvai. Barnett then showed us a map he’d drawn, explaining that he figured out that he could use arcane eye, see invisibility, and teleport to get a look into the Forge. (The teleportation circle is surrounded by [I]symbols[/I] on the floor. A number of side bunkrooms have beds each for 10 Masks. The middle of the complex is a cage. Further description below.) There were two groups of Masks -- one group of six Masks in one of the side dormitory/bunkroom hallways, sleeping in the bunks with their masks hanging on pegs on the wall over their heads. The other group of ten was all together in another bunkroom. Each bunkroom hall has beds for ten Masks. Most of them were unoccupied, any effects gone. The two that were occupied were kept tidy -- like a military barracks -- with the beds made and stuff stored in lockers. One of the bunkrooms had beds that were unmade, like the Masks had left in a hurry and never returned. We suspected that these were the ones we’d fought in the cave. In the middle of the room was an open cage with doors at either end. There was child-sized furniture, some toys and some games in the cage -- none of that was new. It all looked slightly worn. The cage was totally empty -- there were no kids inside. The teleportation circle points into a room that had the floor totally covered and trapped with Symbol of [Badness] spells of various sorts. At the top of the map was a door (going off to left on the map) that had a priest hole in it. Barnett was never able to get the Arcane Eye beyond that door and the priest hole never opened. The room at the top of the map had a big crystal in one corner. All kinds of weird copper and gold tubes and cords connected that crystal to a stone table or bed with manacles. Another corner had a stone bin (made with a stone shape or wall of stone spell) that had a disintegrate spell in it that activated automatically once a day. Clearly that was some sort of disposal unit. That room, and specifically the crystal and tubes contraption, was apparently the actual Forge of Masks. That’s our target. We spent the rest of the day talking with Barnett about what he’d found and what our options were. We asked if he could study the room with the crystal Forge in it, so we could teleport directly there. He said it was theoretically possible, but that there were limitations on the spell. (Note: Look at the teleportation spell for the consequences of failure. They’re bad -- and there’s no way to get better than a 75% chance of success.) Getting through the Symbols of [Badness] is going to be a real problem. (Once again, feel free to look at the spell in the PHB.) When the spell is cast, the caster gets to decide what triggers the symbol and what doesn’t. So it’s possible that wearing a Mask mask is enough to allow safe passage. It’s also possible that the Masks know a code word that allows safe passage. (Though there are problems with this -- because they would trip immediately and not give anyone time to speak the keyword. We think.) While everyone was talking about the map, Joybell took Tulmor aside to tell her what we’d done with the Crazy Book. Tulmor seemed a little conflicted about it. Tulmor: She’ll definitely keep it safe. Joybell: Have you met her? Tulmor: No. Joybell: We don’t trust fey nobles as far as we can throw them, but giving her the book for safe keeping was in line with her interests. Tulmor smirked a little when Joybell said that we don’t trust fey nobles, but Joybell let it go. She agreed that it was probably an adequately limited sort of deal with no ongoing obligations on either side. We left after that, asking Barnett to spend as much time looking around with his arcane eye as possible. 4 - 8 Rippenin 748 (Campaign days 65 - 68) These days passed as a montage of potion brewing, spell copying, and getting updates from Barnett. During the course of the week Fiona sent to Sorla to ask her about whether there was anything going on in the cave and if things looked okay in Callallah. Sorla took a day to get back to the village but then reported that the village looked normal and the circle was exactly as broken up as it had been when we left. The dirt piles outside the entrance that Orryk made (and that we used so effectively to fight the Masks in the cave) were still there, apparently untouched. Orryk and Joybell and the rest of the party talked about the possibility of sending Scooby, wearing one of the masks, through the gate to see if the mask would protect him from the symbols going off. Unfortunately the symbols are of insanity and pain and fear and that would be a horrible thing to put Scooby through. So Joybell is reluctant to sign on to Operation Masked Scooby, unless we have literally no other way. We ended still talking about options and possibilities. Next time, we can extend the montage as needed to cover what Mo was up to when he wasn’t wining, dining, and entertaining the Tash diplomatic mission on the Administrator’s dime. Treasure: Javelin of Lightning (Joybell) Silver Raven, Figurine of Wondrous Power (Bag of Holding) Mystery Key (Bag of Holding) [/QUOTE]
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Erkonin (Campaign #1) [Session 46: Making Deals with Devils is Stupid as well as Bad]
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