ScottDeWar_jr
second birthdate : 15 Dec 2011
Quinn, ever the protector knight since being titled, shadows every one with bow in hand and arrow nocked, but not drawn. He is tired of this dry, dead land.
Kulan: Knightfall's Heroes of Carnell Game [IC]
Knightfall
World of Kulan DM
The Horses:
OOC: See the map on the OOC thread.
Aureus ties them up near a patch of scraggly trees just west of the temple... away from Shouzas lair. She and Caerth create a campsite near the horses for those who wish to sleep outside. When Shouzas comes back from his hunting, Caerth firmly tells the magical scorpion to stay away from the horses.
"They are not food! Understand!"
The giant scorpion seems to understand Caerth's command and it avoids the horses. However, Shouzas presence makes the horses nervous. Caerth and Angus stay with them through the night to keep them calm. Caerth refuses to sleep in The Hermit's chamber. Half the time, he spends saying prayers to The Hermit's unnamed nature goddess and checking on the graves of the Boots. He removes some toxic plants growing near the headstones but otherwise leaves them as they stand.
The Eggs:
The broken section of the floor is completely hollowed out underneath and too much weight on the floor could cause it to collapse. This means that Litrix is forced to work even slower. The others return with the horses before Litrix is finished, and Quinn and Maur help him move the last of the eggs out of the temple... very, very carefully.
Aureus carefully checks out the large hole near the nest. "That's a really deep hole! We do not want to fall in there!" She backs away slowly. "It's clogged with spider webs. But, I didn't see any more eggs down there."
Meanwhile, Caerth hunts for the best place to burn the eggs out in the hills. He finds a dry gulch filled with sand.
Phar's spell burns down the eggs to smouldering, smelly ash.
"We will need to hallow this gulch," he says.
Evening:
The Next Morning:
either later on today or tomorrow (more likely).
Featar finds that there are only three rooms remaining in the ruins. Two stand starkly empty while the third appears to be a storage room. It is filled will old barrels and crates, as well as what appears to be a medium-sized chest.
OOC: See the map on the OOC thread.
Aureus is eager to check on the horses, so she leads the way with Maur and Quinn watching her back and Featar scouting ahead from the air. The horses are where they left them and they appear quite calm. The oasis is a nice break for them from the harshness of the desert. It takes some coaxing to get them to leave, but trio of adventurers manage to return to the ruined temple with the horses before the sun comepletely sets.
Aureus ties them up near a patch of scraggly trees just west of the temple... away from Shouzas lair. She and Caerth create a campsite near the horses for those who wish to sleep outside. When Shouzas comes back from his hunting, Caerth firmly tells the magical scorpion to stay away from the horses.
"They are not food! Understand!"
The giant scorpion seems to understand Caerth's command and it avoids the horses. However, Shouzas presence makes the horses nervous. Caerth and Angus stay with them through the night to keep them calm. Caerth refuses to sleep in The Hermit's chamber. Half the time, he spends saying prayers to The Hermit's unnamed nature goddess and checking on the graves of the Boots. He removes some toxic plants growing near the headstones but otherwise leaves them as they stand.
The Eggs:
While Maur, Quinn, and Aureus are away, Litrix finds that he must take the lead with the eggs, although Phar is around to help as much as the paragon elf can. Angus is of greater help with the eggs due to his size, but Litrix soon discovers that the floor around the extraplanar spider's 'nest' is weak and he is forced to warn off the northlander centaur.
The broken section of the floor is completely hollowed out underneath and too much weight on the floor could cause it to collapse. This means that Litrix is forced to work even slower. The others return with the horses before Litrix is finished, and Quinn and Maur help him move the last of the eggs out of the temple... very, very carefully.
Aureus carefully checks out the large hole near the nest. "That's a really deep hole! We do not want to fall in there!" She backs away slowly. "It's clogged with spider webs. But, I didn't see any more eggs down there."
Meanwhile, Caerth hunts for the best place to burn the eggs out in the hills. He finds a dry gulch filled with sand.
"I would like to find someplace remote to bury him properly," Caerth replies. "A height looking out over the desert would be ideal. I will try to find a place early in the morning after I've rested."TaranTheWanderer said:
Phar's spell burns down the eggs to smouldering, smelly ash.
TaranTheWanderer said:
The fires of the burning eggs is an odd bonfire to be gathered around, but once the last of them are putrid ash, Caerth uses the sand to cover what remains.
"We will need to hallow this gulch," he says.
Evening:
Once the eggs are burned and buried, Phar retreats to the courtyard where the firepit has been readied. It works well as a campfire. It would take a lot of work to make it functional as a smithy.
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The Next Morning:
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OOC: I'm going to add another post for the next morningMetaVoid said:
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TaranTheWanderer
Legend
[[OOC: I meant to write, "The Secrets of the Wasting Shores" (which is the book with the chapter about Wicked Hill)]]
Knightfall
World of Kulan DM
The Temple Ruins:
After the discoveries and dangers faced in the temple, the night is, thankfully, uneventful. However, the night is quite warm as a dry, hot wind begins to blow in from the west. While it is not hot enough to deprive you of sleep, by dawn, the temperature is already hot and the wind increases to just over 20 mph. Dust blows in from the desert, which reduces visibility, but the wind isn't strong enough to hamper your movements. By midmorning, however, the heat becomes oppressive.
Caerth stands on a low hill, sheltered by some scraggly trees, and says his morning prays to the spirits of the land and to both Bogphin and Stratesus' Unnamed Goddess. He spends well over an hour in isolation. He has been very quite since the previous night.
Aureus goes through her gear and the old clothes in The Hermit's sanctuary. She looks for anything to cover her head and face. "Let's hope this wind doesn't get any worse or we're not going anywhere today." The heat is making her feel uncomfortable. She prays her her divine bard spells near the dais, and says a quick prayer to Bogphin as well. "We're going to need some heat protection if it gets any hotter."
When Litrix asks the others for thoughts on today's plans, Aureus replies. "I think we need to go find and confront Eike, today. We can't let him have any more time to prepare. Of course, that assumes he is waiting at this Wicked Hill place and hasn't fled to somewhere else."
After the discoveries and dangers faced in the temple, the night is, thankfully, uneventful. However, the night is quite warm as a dry, hot wind begins to blow in from the west. While it is not hot enough to deprive you of sleep, by dawn, the temperature is already hot and the wind increases to just over 20 mph. Dust blows in from the desert, which reduces visibility, but the wind isn't strong enough to hamper your movements. By midmorning, however, the heat becomes oppressive.
Caerth stands on a low hill, sheltered by some scraggly trees, and says his morning prays to the spirits of the land and to both Bogphin and Stratesus' Unnamed Goddess. He spends well over an hour in isolation. He has been very quite since the previous night.
Aureus goes through her gear and the old clothes in The Hermit's sanctuary. She looks for anything to cover her head and face. "Let's hope this wind doesn't get any worse or we're not going anywhere today." The heat is making her feel uncomfortable. She prays her her divine bard spells near the dais, and says a quick prayer to Bogphin as well. "We're going to need some heat protection if it gets any hotter."
When Litrix asks the others for thoughts on today's plans, Aureus replies. "I think we need to go find and confront Eike, today. We can't let him have any more time to prepare. Of course, that assumes he is waiting at this Wicked Hill place and hasn't fled to somewhere else."
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TaranTheWanderer
Legend
| Race: Silver-Grey Elf Paragon HP: 58/58 AC: 23; FF:19 T:16 TempAC:+4 | Spot:+12 Listen:+8 Search+15(SD:+2) |
[]Mage Hand; [x] [X] Summarize ; [] [X] [] Detect Magic [] Recent Occupant; [] [] Shade
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| Fort:+4 (+2) Will: +8 (+2) Refl: +8 (+2) | Initiative: +4 Range:+9/+4 Melee: +6/+1 Temp: +1 |
1st [7+1](DC20) ❏Familiar Pocket; [][]*Magic Missile; [] [] Protection from Evil; [] Light of Ludania []Feather fall [] Enlarge Person
2nd[6+1](D21) [] [] Glitterdust [] [] Scorching Ray [] []Luminous Swarm [] Protection From Evil 3rd[6+1](DC22) ❏*Fireball [] [] Fly; [ ] []Haste; [] Dispel Magic [] Dispel Magic |
|
STR:11
DEX: 18 + 4 (22) CON: 12 + 1 INT: 28+9 WIS: 12 +1 CHA:12 +1 | XP: 70,800/78,000 |
4th [5+1] (DC 23) []Wall of FIre [] polymorph [] []Summon Monster IV []Haste [] Cacophonic Burst
5th(4+1) (DC24) [] []Dismissal ; [] Wall of Force; []Break Enchantment; []Cacophonic Burst 6th (2+1)[DC25] [] [] Disintegrate; []Cacophonic Burst |
Just getting my spells down. WIll post soon.
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Neurotic
I plan on living forever. Or die trying.
Could he prepare few Endures to give us a head start? Maur will prepare two - he is in full plate.
Knightfall
World of Kulan DM
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TaranTheWanderer
Legend
| Race: Silver-Grey Elf Paragon HP: 58/58 AC: 23; FF:19 T:16 TempAC:+4 | Spot:+12 Listen:+8 Search+15(SD:+2) |
[]Mage Hand; [x] [X] Summarize ; [] [X] [] Detect Magic [] Recent Occupant; [] [] Shade
|
| Fort:+4 (+2) Will: +8 (+2) Refl: +8 (+2) | Initiative: +4 Range:+9/+4 Melee: +6/+1 Temp: +1 |
1st [7+1](DC20) ❏Familiar Pocket; [][]*Magic Missile; [] [] Protection from Evil; [] Light of Ludania []Feather fall [] Enlarge Person
2nd[6+1](D21) [] [] Glitterdust [] [] Scorching Ray [] []Luminous Swarm [] Protection From Evil 3rd[6+1](DC22) ❏*Fireball [] [] Fly; [ ] []Haste; [] Dispel Magic [] Dispel Magic |
|
STR:11
DEX: 18 + 4 (22) CON: 12 + 1 INT: 28+9 WIS: 12 +1 CHA:12 +1 | XP: 70,800/78,000 |
4th [5+1] (DC 23) []Wall of FIre [] polymorph [] []Summon Monster IV []Haste [] Cacophonic Burst
5th(4+1) (DC24) [] []Dismissal ; [] Wall of Force; []Break Enchantment; []Cacophonic Burst 6th (2+1)[DC25] [] [] Disintegrate; []Cacophonic Burst |
After checking with the group and going over the plan for the day, Phar studied his spells. Then, he double-checked all his equipment, food and his horse as he made himself ready for the day.
Knightfall
World of Kulan DM
Caerth Heart-of-Oak ponders his choices. He knows what he should do, but his heart tells him something else. He knows what Aeron would tell him. 'Keep to your word, Caerth, it is all we have to live by some days.' His old mentor's voice being in his head irritates the half-orc druid. There is much that Aeron never told him.
Caerth looks down from the hill towards the temple. He sees Angus preparing for the day outside of the ruins. The forest reeve spent the night resting among a small copse of scraggly trees. There are things about his mentor that the centaur has been able to tell Caerth. Old war stories from the time just after The Transformation. Battles fought against the Empire of Swords to protect the lands that would eventually become known as Ahamudia.
On one of Aureus' maps, she and Angus had shown Caerth and the others where Ahamudia was brought to the Lands of Harqual from the hutaakan's home world, Maran. Aureus had notes how much the land had changed. An entire mountain range was magically duplicated in the lands west of the Great Forest -- Phar's home. Lorien's too.
Caerth feels a touch of guilt for not knowing what has happened to Lorien... and to Aeron. He feels that they are still alive, but he doesn't really know how they are faring at Fort Symas. They may not even be there still. What Caerth does know is the young Brutus is lying in state... waiting to buried. Lady Pendour wishes to bury the half-ore boy, her nephew, with his ring. Eike took it and the boy's axe. The ring is what Elisabeth Pendour needs for the burial, but the boy's weapon should probably be buried with him too.
The half-orc druid looks towards where Shouzas is resting after a night of hunting. The magical beast is a connection to something he knows he must protect and nurture. The Temple of Bogphin probably won't ever be rebuilt as it was during Stratesus' time, but it too import to let sit in its current state. It will have to be reborn. Not resurrected, so much as reincarnated into something new for him and the others to use.
Caerth makes his decision. He will keep to his word. The ring must be returned to Carnell. After that...
Aureus helps prepare the horses for the journey to the Wicked Hill and its shrine. She keeps her head and face wrapped up to keep the worst of the dust out of her fur. Her people are mountain dwellers not desert dwellers. The heat bothers her, but she doesn't complain... too much.
Soon, everyone has gathered and is ready to proceed. Caerth is the last to appear. The half-orc druid has seemed very solemn since the previous day. It's not surprising. It's not everyday that you find a childhood hero lying in his deathbed. Quinn, too, is dealing with a lot. He has found a family connection that had been lost. Both agree to unbury Strateus from the shallow grave and seal him away back in The Hermit's secure chamber.
"He will be safer sealed in there," Caerth says once the chamber is magically sealed. he looks at Quinn. "We will find a more suitable place to bury him later." The druid mounts up onto his horse. "Now, we find and deal with Eike."
Horses mounted, you all head down into the Valley of the Cacti. The cacti growing in the valley range in height from only a foot high to well over 20 feet. An old path weaves through them towards the place that The Hermit named after his deity... the Geyer of the Goddess's Voice. While the geyser and its surrounding hot springs are less than three and a half hours away in distance, it takes a bit more time to reach the spot weaving through the cacti forest. The trail, such as it is, first heads southeast to a area of poor scrubby grassland and a copse of desert-willows.
The valley, and tallest cacti, help shelter you from the worst of the blowing wind, although dust swirls in the air. Visibility is reduced to only 75 to 100 feet. The heat isn't as bad in the cacti forest and there is more moisture in the forest than in a typical area filled with cacti and dusty trails. You find a pool of water among the copse of desert-willows, but it isn't a true oasis. The pool is only 10 feet at its widest point.
Once you reach the geyser and its surrounding hot springs, you've traveled around four miles in total. An easy walk for the horses, which takes around an hour and a half. The area opens up and the heat of the afternoon sun is blistering. Caerth insists on stopping so he can say a prayer to Stratesus' goddess. "But, we should find someplace else to rest, when needed," he says once he's finished. "It's too open here. Too hot."
He isn't wrong. Between the heat of the day and the heat rising from the hot springs, the are is very uncomfortable. Then, the geyser erupts and heated water sprays over 30 feet into the air.
Caerth has been flipping through The Hermit's journal as you've been riding. It has been helpful in finding the easiest paths through the cacti. "There is open area to the west but it will take us longer to go that way. There should be a smaller copse of willows somewhere up ahead... and some scrub beyond it. After that, the valley will rise." He looks towards the southeast. "There... the valley ends and we will enter those high hills."
The half-orc druid flips through the journal, silently. He also has the book detailing the area in his saddlebags. He takes it out and hands it to Phar. "Since I can't read this one, I'll let you use it to guide us."
"Yes, didn't that book mention some kind of crossing or campsite in those hills?" Aureus asks Phar.
Caerth looks down from the hill towards the temple. He sees Angus preparing for the day outside of the ruins. The forest reeve spent the night resting among a small copse of scraggly trees. There are things about his mentor that the centaur has been able to tell Caerth. Old war stories from the time just after The Transformation. Battles fought against the Empire of Swords to protect the lands that would eventually become known as Ahamudia.
On one of Aureus' maps, she and Angus had shown Caerth and the others where Ahamudia was brought to the Lands of Harqual from the hutaakan's home world, Maran. Aureus had notes how much the land had changed. An entire mountain range was magically duplicated in the lands west of the Great Forest -- Phar's home. Lorien's too.
Caerth feels a touch of guilt for not knowing what has happened to Lorien... and to Aeron. He feels that they are still alive, but he doesn't really know how they are faring at Fort Symas. They may not even be there still. What Caerth does know is the young Brutus is lying in state... waiting to buried. Lady Pendour wishes to bury the half-ore boy, her nephew, with his ring. Eike took it and the boy's axe. The ring is what Elisabeth Pendour needs for the burial, but the boy's weapon should probably be buried with him too.
The half-orc druid looks towards where Shouzas is resting after a night of hunting. The magical beast is a connection to something he knows he must protect and nurture. The Temple of Bogphin probably won't ever be rebuilt as it was during Stratesus' time, but it too import to let sit in its current state. It will have to be reborn. Not resurrected, so much as reincarnated into something new for him and the others to use.
Caerth makes his decision. He will keep to his word. The ring must be returned to Carnell. After that...
Phar finds that, despite the heat, everyone is determined to press on to find and confront Eike. The cultist of Malotoch cannot be allowed to keep his stolen loot. Also, the cultist must face face justice either back in Carnell or by spell and sword.
Aureus helps prepare the horses for the journey to the Wicked Hill and its shrine. She keeps her head and face wrapped up to keep the worst of the dust out of her fur. Her people are mountain dwellers not desert dwellers. The heat bothers her, but she doesn't complain... too much.
Soon, everyone has gathered and is ready to proceed. Caerth is the last to appear. The half-orc druid has seemed very solemn since the previous day. It's not surprising. It's not everyday that you find a childhood hero lying in his deathbed. Quinn, too, is dealing with a lot. He has found a family connection that had been lost. Both agree to unbury Strateus from the shallow grave and seal him away back in The Hermit's secure chamber.
"He will be safer sealed in there," Caerth says once the chamber is magically sealed. he looks at Quinn. "We will find a more suitable place to bury him later." The druid mounts up onto his horse. "Now, we find and deal with Eike."
Horses mounted, you all head down into the Valley of the Cacti. The cacti growing in the valley range in height from only a foot high to well over 20 feet. An old path weaves through them towards the place that The Hermit named after his deity... the Geyer of the Goddess's Voice. While the geyser and its surrounding hot springs are less than three and a half hours away in distance, it takes a bit more time to reach the spot weaving through the cacti forest. The trail, such as it is, first heads southeast to a area of poor scrubby grassland and a copse of desert-willows.
The valley, and tallest cacti, help shelter you from the worst of the blowing wind, although dust swirls in the air. Visibility is reduced to only 75 to 100 feet. The heat isn't as bad in the cacti forest and there is more moisture in the forest than in a typical area filled with cacti and dusty trails. You find a pool of water among the copse of desert-willows, but it isn't a true oasis. The pool is only 10 feet at its widest point.
Once you reach the geyser and its surrounding hot springs, you've traveled around four miles in total. An easy walk for the horses, which takes around an hour and a half. The area opens up and the heat of the afternoon sun is blistering. Caerth insists on stopping so he can say a prayer to Stratesus' goddess. "But, we should find someplace else to rest, when needed," he says once he's finished. "It's too open here. Too hot."
He isn't wrong. Between the heat of the day and the heat rising from the hot springs, the are is very uncomfortable. Then, the geyser erupts and heated water sprays over 30 feet into the air.
Caerth has been flipping through The Hermit's journal as you've been riding. It has been helpful in finding the easiest paths through the cacti. "There is open area to the west but it will take us longer to go that way. There should be a smaller copse of willows somewhere up ahead... and some scrub beyond it. After that, the valley will rise." He looks towards the southeast. "There... the valley ends and we will enter those high hills."
The half-orc druid flips through the journal, silently. He also has the book detailing the area in his saddlebags. He takes it out and hands it to Phar. "Since I can't read this one, I'll let you use it to guide us."
"Yes, didn't that book mention some kind of crossing or campsite in those hills?" Aureus asks Phar.
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Neurotic
I plan on living forever. Or die trying.
Maur doesn't really feel the oppressive heat due to spell protecting him. But his horse, carrying a lump of metal, combined with heat and soft ground suffers. Both trudge silently, leaving those better suited to this terrain to lead them.
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