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My Dark Sun 4e Game Experience Updated 01/22/2013
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<blockquote data-quote="Raunalyn" data-source="post: 5618034" data-attributes="member: 72670"><p><strong>Session 8</strong></p><p></p><p>The group journeys back to Kiris Dahn, hoping to meet up with Treona so that they can receive the reward for liberating the town several months ago. As they arrive at the pass, they are shocked to discover a large amount of tracks. What's so shocking are that the tracks are in a military style formation. Alarmed, the companions rush into the pass to discover what's going on.</p><p></p><p> They run into a small band of Gith raiders, 13 strong, who immediately turn and attack the party. The Gith Drone (a psionic creature) steps forward and drops a psychic attack in the middle of Gundrek, Kratas and Tor Val. Gundrek teleports next to him after he attacks, and takes damage from using an encounter power while under the effects of the Gith's psychic attack. The Gith warriors then move forward, surrounding Gundrek. Kratas moves up to assist, while the Gith commander and Hobbler move into position. The Gith commander leaps next to Katrie, but misses with his attack. Dryder moves up to assist Gundrek and Kratas, and Tor Val charges the commander, nailing him with a hefty blow. Katrie summons Hypnotoad, who proceeds to munch happily on one of the Gith Warriors. It isn't too much longer before only one Gith warrior is left. Desperately, it attacks Hypnotoad, and the party backs away, knowing that the universe will descend on the loan gith and punish it for attacking their mascot. Sure enough, Hypnotoad crits the creature and eats him.</p><p></p><p> The group is shocked to find that all of these gith have metal weapons. Not only that, but they appear to be well trained. The group gathers the spears and continues on to Kiris Dahn.</p><p></p><p> There, they discover that the residents of the hommlet have been busy. Fortifications surround the town, and many of the damaged buildings have been rebuilt and fortified. The guards at the gates see the companions and yell greetings, telling others to rush and get Tenpug (the leader of the city residents).</p><p></p><p> Soon, Tenpug arrives with Treona. The party notices that there is something different about her, but are unable to pinpoint it. Tenpug explains that Gith have been raiding the town for around a month, and they are well equipped and well trained. He fears that a more organized attack is eminent, and takes the group to a gathering of the town leaders taking place in the rebuilt mansion. While they wait for the leaders to arrive, Allkirk (the Veiled Alliance member they met in Nibenay) pulls Dryder aside and talks to him. He explains that he realizes that Dryder doesn't like him, but he has a favor to ask. He wants Dryder and his party to do whatever they can to protect Treona. He realizes that Dryder and the rest of the group senses her change, and that he thinks that she has a greater destiny that has not been revealed just yet. Dryder whole-heartedly agrees.</p><p></p><p> Several of the leaders are reluctant to stay, afraid that they will all be killed in the attack. Several believe that they should remain and defend the town, for where else can a group of escaped slaves go? Tenpug thinks that the group would be an enormous help if they could help train the 150 some-odd former slaves and help build the town's fortifications. They agree to help.</p><p></p><p> Here, the party gets involved in an extended skill challenge. Katrie and Dryder decide to scout the enemy encampment (Katrie rolls good on her Perception, but really poorly on her stealth. Fortunately, Dryder was able to take up the slack). They discover 2 camps teaming with Gith, at least 300 strong, with a third camp being built nearby. Realizing that the Gith are gathering for a full scale assault, they return to the town and reveal the bad news. Kratas and Gundrek decide to assist with the training (rolling very well on each of their rolls), and Tor Val assists with building barricades and fortifications. 5 days pass while the town prepares.</p><p></p><p> On the 5th day, while the party and Tenpug discuss a rallying point in case they get overwhelmed, Treona approaches the group and brings them to a secret door within the mansion. Below, the group finds a forgotten temple that the town had apparently been built over. Winding their way to the crypts, they discover an exit that opens up into the Bath House to the east and realize that the crypts would be a great place to hide in the case that the Gith succeed in overrunning the town. Deciding to investigate further, the group discovers a large, heavy wooden door that has multiple runes inscribed on it. Kratas attempts an arcana check and reads a message:</p><p></p><p> "Beware all who would break this seal,</p><p>Make not the wound you can not heal,</p><p>Fear the heart of dead man's power.</p><p>the crimson curse of the dying hour."</p><p></p><p> A debate ensues. Katrie is reluctant to continue, fearing that the spirits of this place would be offended by them moving forward. The rest of the party, though, wants to push forward in the hopes that something within would assist them in the upcoming battle. Kratas breaks the locking rune, and the door swings open into a large, nearly cavernous room that is littered with bones. As the party moves into the room, the bones rise up, forming into a large group of skeletons, all former defilers.</p><p></p><p> This was a fun fight. Most of the skeletons were minions, so the party has a blast just wading through the enemies, feeling heroic as they crush one skeleton after another. 2 skeletons are different, and burn with black flames. From behind the horde of skeleton minions, they hurl balls of black flames at the party. The fight only lasts a few rounds, and the group is flush with their victory and move further into the abandoned temple.</p><p> The next room has a huge mirror on the opposite side. As the party moves closer to it, they each receive a vision of death and fear.</p><p></p><p> (I sent a private message to each of the party members describing their visions).</p><p></p><p> Dryder:</p><p></p><p> "The streets of the city are silent as you make your way toward your target. The moons light your path as you get closer.</p><p></p><p> Something is wrong, though. You can’t quite figure it out, but there is an odd feeling in the air. When you see her, you realize your error. Her beautiful face smiles cruelly as she points her finger at you, and you feel your life swiftly draining away. The last thing you see are her gleaming red eyes, and a wide, vicious fanged mouth…"</p><p></p><p> Gundrek:</p><p></p><p> "You can hear them behind you as you run through the desert. At least 30 of them, all riding Erdlus. As you crest a sand dune, you feel an arrow pierce your thigh. Tumbling down the dune, you finally come to a rest at the base. Looking up at the red sun, you breathlessly try to get up, to keep going, try to keep away from your pursuers.</p><p></p><p> Before you can get up, a shadow falls over you. Looking up, you see Kratas looming, a spear in his hands. He snarls at you, right before plunging the spear through your throat, “This is for my father.” "</p><p></p><p> Tor Val:</p><p></p><p> "Your fury wanes as you crush the last of her army. The rush of victory courses through your veins as you howl your rage to the sky.</p><p> And then you feel it…something is draining your life force. You fall to your knees among the bodies of your enemies. A few hundred feet away, you see her, chanting as the life-force of all those that you killed, and from you, rushes into her body.</p><p></p><p> Her lovely face smiles as she throws back her head and screams, and it is the most horrible sound you’ve ever heard. Her body grows, her hands extending into claws. Massive leathery wings sprout from her back as her head and snout elongate. The last thing you see as the darkness descends are her glowing eyes, right before her jaws close over your body."</p><p></p><p> Kratas:</p><p></p><p> "All of your lands; your home, your holdings, your money, all gone. You learned that some anonymous buyer had purchased everything your father had built before he died.</p><p></p><p> Now, you wander through the streets, homeless. The nobles who used to be your peers look at you with scorn and pity. The former slaves that your father owned will not help you. Soon, starvation and illness strike you. And as you lie in a narrow alley, wasting away from your illness, your old companion Gundrek finds you.</p><p></p><p> He looks down at you sadly, and as you croak at him to help you, he slowly nods his head and raises his Trikal. As it descends upon your head, you hear him brokenly say, “This is a far kinder death than what I gave your father.” "</p><p></p><p> Katrie:</p><p></p><p> "You look upon your home, the grove that you have so carefully grown and nurtured. Black and gray ash blankets the ground. All of your lovely trees and flowers are drained of all life, defiled to powder.</p><p></p><p> The sadness and rage almost consume you, but then you see her. Her pretty face smiles cruelly, and you feel yourself change as you spring at her, your claws extending to rip the life from her defiling body.</p><p></p><p> With a casual backhand, she knocks you from the air, breaking your ribs. And as you lay there, gasping for breath, she stands over you. Her hand extends, and you feel the life being pulled from you.</p><p></p><p> “Yes, this is the lifeforce I need. The primal power that surges through your veins will complete my transformation.”</p><p></p><p> As the darkness of death descends, you can hear the cries of a massive beast, and it sounds like a dragon."</p><p></p><p>(The woman that they saw was Treona's sister, Dreus)</p><p></p><p> The mirror then attacks each of the party members, attacking their will. Only Dryder is unaffected as fear washes over the group, forcing them to leave the room. Kratas pulls out his halberd and points it at Gundrek, thinking that the vision he saw in the mirror was true. What results is some FANTASTIC role-playing as Dryder tries to talk Gundrek and Kratas down from an almost certain fight. Once they back down, Tor Val discusses his vision, and Dryder reveals that his vision was quite similar.</p><p></p><p> Eventually, Dryder returns to the room and finds a door well hidden within the enchanted mirror. Once he opens the door, the spell breaks, and the group is able to enter the room again.</p><p></p><p> On the other side of the door is a blackness so deep that no light can penetrate. Realizing that the darkness isn't really dangerous, they tie a rope around Gundrek and let him enter the doorway.</p><p></p><p> Gundrek is suddenly thrust into total blackness and silence. He moves forward a few feet. Outside the room, the rest of the party is suddenly shocked to find that the rope goes completely slack. Pulling the rope out, they see that it is completely cut, and that such a cut could not be made with a weapon (Kratas did an Arcana check and saw that the cut was too perfect, so it had to be some sort of magic). Tor Val then rushes into the room to rescue his friend and vanishes. The rest of the party soon follows.</p><p></p><p> This was a fun trap. No one was hurt, but as soon as they entered the room and moved 20 feet forward, they were each teleported to a separate area of the room. Maptools has a nice Fog of War feature that allowed me to move the party around in the black maze, but none of the characters could see where they were going. One at a time, I asked them to tell me which way they wanted to walk (Left, Right, Up, Down), and moved them until they would run into a wall. None of them could hear anything, so they couldn't yell out to their companions (Marco....Polo!). Kratas and Katrie, though, both had psionic wild talents that let them communicate if they were close enough to each other. Dryder is the first to find his way out, and soon the rest of the group escapes.</p><p></p><p> They now stand before a door that says, "Only the worthy may enter."</p><p></p><p> The door opens easily for them, and in the center is a crystaline pedestal. Floating above it is another Slaying Stone (Katrie, at this point, starts yelling, "Destroy it!"). Carefully, Tor Val grabs the stone, and the party leaves the room.</p><p></p><p> As soon as they leave the room, Tor Val bursts into flames. They soon discover that this stone is possibly the original Slaying Stone, and that the one they destroyed was a lesser copy. Tor Val soon learns that the stone is cursed (he can't drop it). The flames don't burn him, however, though it will harm his friends if they get to close. Not only that, but Tor Val senses that the Stone will allow him to drain healing surges from his companions, and then allow him to use that energy to hurl deadly fireballs at his enemies (yes, I know this is different than the one mentioned in the adventure of the same name...creative license, my friends). Tor Val breathes a sigh of relief as he returns to the room and the flames die out. The group has an intense argument about the stone. Some wish to use the stone to save the townspeople, and others think it is too dangerous and that it should be destroyed. It is at this point that the session ends.</p><p> </p><p>This was a great session, easily my favorite. Some fantastic role-playing, and some very enjoyable traps. I have a great team here...</p><p> </p><p> The day is now the 26th day of Hoard in the Season of Sun Ascending, in the Year of Enemy's Vengeance, 190th King's Age.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Raunalyn, post: 5618034, member: 72670"] [b]Session 8[/b] The group journeys back to Kiris Dahn, hoping to meet up with Treona so that they can receive the reward for liberating the town several months ago. As they arrive at the pass, they are shocked to discover a large amount of tracks. What's so shocking are that the tracks are in a military style formation. Alarmed, the companions rush into the pass to discover what's going on. They run into a small band of Gith raiders, 13 strong, who immediately turn and attack the party. The Gith Drone (a psionic creature) steps forward and drops a psychic attack in the middle of Gundrek, Kratas and Tor Val. Gundrek teleports next to him after he attacks, and takes damage from using an encounter power while under the effects of the Gith's psychic attack. The Gith warriors then move forward, surrounding Gundrek. Kratas moves up to assist, while the Gith commander and Hobbler move into position. The Gith commander leaps next to Katrie, but misses with his attack. Dryder moves up to assist Gundrek and Kratas, and Tor Val charges the commander, nailing him with a hefty blow. Katrie summons Hypnotoad, who proceeds to munch happily on one of the Gith Warriors. It isn't too much longer before only one Gith warrior is left. Desperately, it attacks Hypnotoad, and the party backs away, knowing that the universe will descend on the loan gith and punish it for attacking their mascot. Sure enough, Hypnotoad crits the creature and eats him. The group is shocked to find that all of these gith have metal weapons. Not only that, but they appear to be well trained. The group gathers the spears and continues on to Kiris Dahn. There, they discover that the residents of the hommlet have been busy. Fortifications surround the town, and many of the damaged buildings have been rebuilt and fortified. The guards at the gates see the companions and yell greetings, telling others to rush and get Tenpug (the leader of the city residents). Soon, Tenpug arrives with Treona. The party notices that there is something different about her, but are unable to pinpoint it. Tenpug explains that Gith have been raiding the town for around a month, and they are well equipped and well trained. He fears that a more organized attack is eminent, and takes the group to a gathering of the town leaders taking place in the rebuilt mansion. While they wait for the leaders to arrive, Allkirk (the Veiled Alliance member they met in Nibenay) pulls Dryder aside and talks to him. He explains that he realizes that Dryder doesn't like him, but he has a favor to ask. He wants Dryder and his party to do whatever they can to protect Treona. He realizes that Dryder and the rest of the group senses her change, and that he thinks that she has a greater destiny that has not been revealed just yet. Dryder whole-heartedly agrees. Several of the leaders are reluctant to stay, afraid that they will all be killed in the attack. Several believe that they should remain and defend the town, for where else can a group of escaped slaves go? Tenpug thinks that the group would be an enormous help if they could help train the 150 some-odd former slaves and help build the town's fortifications. They agree to help. Here, the party gets involved in an extended skill challenge. Katrie and Dryder decide to scout the enemy encampment (Katrie rolls good on her Perception, but really poorly on her stealth. Fortunately, Dryder was able to take up the slack). They discover 2 camps teaming with Gith, at least 300 strong, with a third camp being built nearby. Realizing that the Gith are gathering for a full scale assault, they return to the town and reveal the bad news. Kratas and Gundrek decide to assist with the training (rolling very well on each of their rolls), and Tor Val assists with building barricades and fortifications. 5 days pass while the town prepares. On the 5th day, while the party and Tenpug discuss a rallying point in case they get overwhelmed, Treona approaches the group and brings them to a secret door within the mansion. Below, the group finds a forgotten temple that the town had apparently been built over. Winding their way to the crypts, they discover an exit that opens up into the Bath House to the east and realize that the crypts would be a great place to hide in the case that the Gith succeed in overrunning the town. Deciding to investigate further, the group discovers a large, heavy wooden door that has multiple runes inscribed on it. Kratas attempts an arcana check and reads a message: "Beware all who would break this seal, Make not the wound you can not heal, Fear the heart of dead man's power. the crimson curse of the dying hour." A debate ensues. Katrie is reluctant to continue, fearing that the spirits of this place would be offended by them moving forward. The rest of the party, though, wants to push forward in the hopes that something within would assist them in the upcoming battle. Kratas breaks the locking rune, and the door swings open into a large, nearly cavernous room that is littered with bones. As the party moves into the room, the bones rise up, forming into a large group of skeletons, all former defilers. This was a fun fight. Most of the skeletons were minions, so the party has a blast just wading through the enemies, feeling heroic as they crush one skeleton after another. 2 skeletons are different, and burn with black flames. From behind the horde of skeleton minions, they hurl balls of black flames at the party. The fight only lasts a few rounds, and the group is flush with their victory and move further into the abandoned temple. The next room has a huge mirror on the opposite side. As the party moves closer to it, they each receive a vision of death and fear. (I sent a private message to each of the party members describing their visions). Dryder: "The streets of the city are silent as you make your way toward your target. The moons light your path as you get closer. Something is wrong, though. You can’t quite figure it out, but there is an odd feeling in the air. When you see her, you realize your error. Her beautiful face smiles cruelly as she points her finger at you, and you feel your life swiftly draining away. The last thing you see are her gleaming red eyes, and a wide, vicious fanged mouth…" Gundrek: "You can hear them behind you as you run through the desert. At least 30 of them, all riding Erdlus. As you crest a sand dune, you feel an arrow pierce your thigh. Tumbling down the dune, you finally come to a rest at the base. Looking up at the red sun, you breathlessly try to get up, to keep going, try to keep away from your pursuers. Before you can get up, a shadow falls over you. Looking up, you see Kratas looming, a spear in his hands. He snarls at you, right before plunging the spear through your throat, “This is for my father.” " Tor Val: "Your fury wanes as you crush the last of her army. The rush of victory courses through your veins as you howl your rage to the sky. And then you feel it…something is draining your life force. You fall to your knees among the bodies of your enemies. A few hundred feet away, you see her, chanting as the life-force of all those that you killed, and from you, rushes into her body. Her lovely face smiles as she throws back her head and screams, and it is the most horrible sound you’ve ever heard. Her body grows, her hands extending into claws. Massive leathery wings sprout from her back as her head and snout elongate. The last thing you see as the darkness descends are her glowing eyes, right before her jaws close over your body." Kratas: "All of your lands; your home, your holdings, your money, all gone. You learned that some anonymous buyer had purchased everything your father had built before he died. Now, you wander through the streets, homeless. The nobles who used to be your peers look at you with scorn and pity. The former slaves that your father owned will not help you. Soon, starvation and illness strike you. And as you lie in a narrow alley, wasting away from your illness, your old companion Gundrek finds you. He looks down at you sadly, and as you croak at him to help you, he slowly nods his head and raises his Trikal. As it descends upon your head, you hear him brokenly say, “This is a far kinder death than what I gave your father.” " Katrie: "You look upon your home, the grove that you have so carefully grown and nurtured. Black and gray ash blankets the ground. All of your lovely trees and flowers are drained of all life, defiled to powder. The sadness and rage almost consume you, but then you see her. Her pretty face smiles cruelly, and you feel yourself change as you spring at her, your claws extending to rip the life from her defiling body. With a casual backhand, she knocks you from the air, breaking your ribs. And as you lay there, gasping for breath, she stands over you. Her hand extends, and you feel the life being pulled from you. “Yes, this is the lifeforce I need. The primal power that surges through your veins will complete my transformation.” As the darkness of death descends, you can hear the cries of a massive beast, and it sounds like a dragon." (The woman that they saw was Treona's sister, Dreus) The mirror then attacks each of the party members, attacking their will. Only Dryder is unaffected as fear washes over the group, forcing them to leave the room. Kratas pulls out his halberd and points it at Gundrek, thinking that the vision he saw in the mirror was true. What results is some FANTASTIC role-playing as Dryder tries to talk Gundrek and Kratas down from an almost certain fight. Once they back down, Tor Val discusses his vision, and Dryder reveals that his vision was quite similar. Eventually, Dryder returns to the room and finds a door well hidden within the enchanted mirror. Once he opens the door, the spell breaks, and the group is able to enter the room again. On the other side of the door is a blackness so deep that no light can penetrate. Realizing that the darkness isn't really dangerous, they tie a rope around Gundrek and let him enter the doorway. Gundrek is suddenly thrust into total blackness and silence. He moves forward a few feet. Outside the room, the rest of the party is suddenly shocked to find that the rope goes completely slack. Pulling the rope out, they see that it is completely cut, and that such a cut could not be made with a weapon (Kratas did an Arcana check and saw that the cut was too perfect, so it had to be some sort of magic). Tor Val then rushes into the room to rescue his friend and vanishes. The rest of the party soon follows. This was a fun trap. No one was hurt, but as soon as they entered the room and moved 20 feet forward, they were each teleported to a separate area of the room. Maptools has a nice Fog of War feature that allowed me to move the party around in the black maze, but none of the characters could see where they were going. One at a time, I asked them to tell me which way they wanted to walk (Left, Right, Up, Down), and moved them until they would run into a wall. None of them could hear anything, so they couldn't yell out to their companions (Marco....Polo!). Kratas and Katrie, though, both had psionic wild talents that let them communicate if they were close enough to each other. Dryder is the first to find his way out, and soon the rest of the group escapes. They now stand before a door that says, "Only the worthy may enter." The door opens easily for them, and in the center is a crystaline pedestal. Floating above it is another Slaying Stone (Katrie, at this point, starts yelling, "Destroy it!"). Carefully, Tor Val grabs the stone, and the party leaves the room. As soon as they leave the room, Tor Val bursts into flames. They soon discover that this stone is possibly the original Slaying Stone, and that the one they destroyed was a lesser copy. Tor Val soon learns that the stone is cursed (he can't drop it). The flames don't burn him, however, though it will harm his friends if they get to close. Not only that, but Tor Val senses that the Stone will allow him to drain healing surges from his companions, and then allow him to use that energy to hurl deadly fireballs at his enemies (yes, I know this is different than the one mentioned in the adventure of the same name...creative license, my friends). Tor Val breathes a sigh of relief as he returns to the room and the flames die out. The group has an intense argument about the stone. Some wish to use the stone to save the townspeople, and others think it is too dangerous and that it should be destroyed. It is at this point that the session ends. This was a great session, easily my favorite. Some fantastic role-playing, and some very enjoyable traps. I have a great team here... The day is now the 26th day of Hoard in the Season of Sun Ascending, in the Year of Enemy's Vengeance, 190th King's Age. [/QUOTE]
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