Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
The
VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX
is coming! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
The Durnhill Conscripts
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Richards" data-source="post: 7541270" data-attributes="member: 508"><p><strong>ADVENTURE 32: INTO THE LION'S DEN</strong></p><p></p><p>PC Roster: <p style="margin-left: 20px">Daleth Stormsea, elf wizard 9</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Galen Thorne, human paladin 11</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Kaspar Hardstrike, elf monk 11</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Mikito, human samurai 10</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Orion Nightsky, halfling rogue 10</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Syngaard, human fighter 11</p><p></p><p>Game Session Date: 19 December 2018</p><p></p><p> - - - </p><p></p><p>"What the Hell--?" exploded Syngaard.</p><p></p><p>The <em>ring of return</em> had never before failed to <em>teleport</em> the team right back to the place from which Skevros had <em>teleported</em> them away for whatever mission they'd been assigned. But his initial <em>teleport</em> spell had taken them halfway around the world and now, upon their return, they were not back at the <em>Enchanted Flagon</em> as expected - rather, they were in a fancy manor house. At the end of a long table stood a woman they'd never seen before, who looked over at them in unperturbable silence upon their arrival.</p><p></p><p>Instinctively, Galen examined the aura surrounding the woman and sensed no taint of evil. But at the same time, Orion recognized their surroundings. "We're in Wrencrofft Manor!" she exclaimed.</p><p></p><p>That gave Galen enough information to make a logical guess as to the woman's identity. "Are you Dow?" he asked her. The woman's shoulders sagged as if in disappointment. She reached up and pulled a ribbon from her hair; as it fell away, her body and garments flickered and became the life-sized astral golem Skevros had made for his homunculus to inhabit. "...Yes," she admitted, saddened that she hadn't been able to fool them for long.</p><p></p><p>A flurry of questions followed. "What are we doing here?" Syngaard demanded. "Where's Skevros?" asked Daleth. "Who's that?" Dow asked, pointing at Mikito, the young samurai woman the team had rescued from the bamboo forest. "What's up with <em>teleport</em> spells goin' all screwy all of a sudden?" demanded Syngaard, not even waiting for his first question to be answered before firing off another. Finally, Dow raised her hands for silence and did her best to give the group the explanations they desired.</p><p></p><p>"I don't know why you ended up somewhere else," she said. "But shortly after Daddy <em>teleported</em> you away to your mission, he received a summons from the king. He's there now with him, so the <em>ring of return</em> brought you here to me, instead."</p><p></p><p>"Ugh," grumbled Syngaard. "Can you stop callin' him 'Daddy?' That's just plain creepy."</p><p></p><p>"But he is my Daddy, since he made me," Dow argued. "In any case, he told me over our link that your current mission is now on hold. Daddy will arrive shortly to brief you all in person."</p><p></p><p>"This sucks," Syngaard grumbled to himself. "So now we gotta cool our heels here? At least the tavern's got ale on tap."</p><p></p><p>"Daddy built a back door into the extradimensional rooms he keeps at the tavern," Dow explained helpfully, pointing to the fireplace behind her. "Since Karen is a part of the permanent <em>Mordenkainen's magnificent mansion</em> spell Daddy cast, she can be summoned from here as well." Her entire attitude was one of someone desperately wanting to be liked and somewhat confused as to why she wasn't.</p><p></p><p>"Oh yeah?" Syngaard asked, perking up at once at this information. "Karen! Bring me an ale!" he called to the fireplace. A few moments later, Karen stepped through the massive fireplace (which was big enough that she barely needed to duck), holding a tankard of ale in one hand, which she set down before the bald fighter with a smile. Syngaard pulled out a chair from the long table and made himself at home. "That's more like it!" he declared. Karen took orders from the rest of the group and they settled in around the table to wait for their boss to finish up with the king. Mikito winced at the smell and taste of the unfamiliar concoction she had been given. She took an obligatory sip and quietly pushed her mug away. These new friends of hers certainly had some strange customs!</p><p></p><p>Then, at an unseen signal, Dow stepped over to the head chair and pulled it back from the table. It was instantly filled with the body of Skevros Wrencrofft, the king's adviser. "Ah, you're back," he said. "I trust--" he stopped short upon seeing Mikito sitting at the table with the rest of his team. "And who is this?" he asked.</p><p></p><p>Kaspar made the introductions and briefly explained what had happened and how they came to have a young female samurai among their group. "Well, welcome then," Skevros said, smiling at Mikito. She bowed her head to her new friends' master.</p><p></p><p>"In any case, I have both good news and bad news. Your previous assignment is on hold; I'm afraid the Seekers' hidden safehouse will have to remain on the back burner, for now at least."</p><p></p><p>"Well, that sucks," grumbled Syngaard. They were going to each be paid another nine emeralds for completing that mission, and now it looked like they weren't going to be given the chance.</p><p></p><p>"Yes, hence the 'bad news' part of my statement, Syngaard. While you were away, I was summoned by King Leornic. Messengers from Ossirna had arrived at Durnhill, as bold as you please, making a formal complaint to His Majesty that I had stolen property belonging to their kingdom and that if it was not returned properly it would be considered an act of war."</p><p></p><p>"What did they claim you had stolen?" asked Orion.</p><p></p><p>"Interestingly enough, my own astral golem," replied Skevros with a smirk. "And the messengers were none other than the individuals you encountered in my old lab attempting to steal the golem for themselves. Their claims were proven false when I arrived with the astral golem, which I had crafted in my own likeness - they were also quite taken aback that the seal of Ossirna was absent from the golem."</p><p></p><p>"So what's our new mission -- killing them three?" asked Syngaard hopefully.</p><p></p><p>"Alas, no - that would also be construed as an act of war, I fear. However, as per the treaty between Durnhill and Ossirna, if either kingdom sends agents to the other under false pretenses (as they most certainly have done in trying to 'legally' steal my astral golem), the other is allowed to send their own agents for a similar amount of time to gather information about the current state of the kingdom. As we have very little info upon the southern kingdom, this mission is now your top priority. Pay will consist of 2,000 pieces of gold each upon completion. Your party will set out tomorrow morning, accompanying the trio of Ossirnans back to their kingdom to give the king of Ossirna Leornic's official rebuttal. While you are there, you are to gather whatever information you can about the kingdom of Ossirna and report back. And Syngaard, I cannot stress this enough: any harm you inflict upon the Ossirnan messengers will also be taken as an excuse for war. They're spoiling for a war and King Leornic is adamant that we will not fall into that trap. Are we understood?"</p><p></p><p>"Yeah, yeah, play nice with the spies," grumbled Syngaard. "I got it."</p><p></p><p>"Very well. In the meantime, I will send Anuja and Dow to the boulder to see what they can learn about the teleportation irregularities. That will be all; you are dismissed until tomorrow morning."</p><p></p><p>"Wait a minute!" exclaimed Galen. "That was all the bad news, wasn't it? What was the good news?"</p><p></p><p>"Ah, yes, the good news," replied Skevros. "His Majesty is quite the collector of exotic weapons and armor. I am certain I can get you a good price on the samurai weapons and armor you obtained from Miss Mikito's former compatriots."</p><p></p><p>"Well, that's somethin', anyway," agreed Syngaard. The group, as one, walked through the unlit fireplace behind Skevros's chair and ended up in his extradimensional quarters hidden inside a back room of the <em>Enchanted Flagon</em>. Syngaard took a moment to check on Maria Quillbender and his own little daughter - who was fast asleep in an afternoon nap - before joining the others in the tap room.</p><p></p><p>"We shall meet back here tomorrow morning," Galen announced, "then escort the Ossirnans back to their own lands. In the meantime, if anyone needs any supplies, now would be the time to stock up. We stand dismissed until then."</p><p></p><p>"Already been dismissed," Syngaard mentioned on his way out the door. It was one thing working for Skevros; he was after all the personal adviser to the king. But Galen was just another of the conscripts, no better than any of the others, although he had started putting on airs of leadership ever since he'd been able to summon that dire lion of his from the Beastlands whenever he felt the need. Well, two could play at that game....</p><p></p><p> - - - </p><p></p><p>The conscripts met up back at the tavern the next morning, Orion having shared her room overnight with Mikito, who, as a stranger in this strange land, had nowhere else to stay. Skevros was there with a familiar chest sitting on the table before him.</p><p></p><p>"Oh, not these again," grumbled Syngaard.</p><p></p><p>"I fear so," admitted Skevros, opening the chest and passing around the green-and-gold tabards that identified the wearers as official ambassadors of the kingdom of Durnhill. He passed one over to Mikito as well, then pulled something else from the chest. It was an amulet on a thin, metal chain. He passed this to the young samurai, motioning for her to put it on.</p><p></p><p>"Can you understand me all right?" he asked Mikito once she had placed the amulet around her neck.</p><p></p><p>"I-- I can, thank you," Mikito answered, bowing her head at the king's adviser. The <em>amulet of tongues</em> magically translated the words spoken to Mikito into her own language and likewise translated her own words into the language of the person to whom she was speaking.</p><p></p><p>Once the conscripts and their samurai companion were all in their tabards, Skevros reiterated the point he had made yesterday afternoon. "Remember: no harm is to come to the three Ossirnans who made the official complaint," he said. "If there are no questions, then you may head outside; Anuja will take you to the Ossirnans, who have been guarded in their assigned quarters overnight."</p><p></p><p>"Wait a minute," piped up Syngaard. "Before we go, I got somethin' to show you all."</p><p></p><p>Skevros sighed in weariness; it was always something with the scarred fighter! "Very well, what is it?" he asked Syngaard.</p><p></p><p>The bald fighter fumbled around in his pants before answering. Then, standing up at the table, he pulled his hand out from beneath the bottom of his tabard and slapped it onto the table before him. "I want to show everybody my Dick!" he exclaimed proudly.</p><p></p><p>Orion shrieked and looked away; the elves both gasped in surprise - Syngaard was known to be crude, but he'd never stooped to this level before! But then Syngaard removed his hand, and there on the table was a small statuette, carved from bronze, of a winged creature with the body of a lion and the head and front talons of an eagle.</p><p></p><p>"He don't look like much," Syngaard admitted, "but when you rub him, he grows bigger!"</p><p></p><p>"That is a <em>figurine of wondrous power</em>," Daleth observed. "A <em>bronze griffon</em>."</p><p></p><p>"Yep. His name's 'Dick.' From now on, I'll be heading into battle with my Dick out and ready!" Skevros just closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead as if at the beginning stages of a headache.</p><p></p><p>"Only you would be that idiotic," remarked Orion, climbing onto the ghost of her trusty riding dog. "Can we just get on with it now?"</p><p></p><p>Galen advised, "Best to put your Dick away for now. We have a mission to perform."</p><p></p><p>"Okay," agreed Syngaard, putting the <em>bronze griffon</em> statuette back into his pocket. "But I'll be ready to whip it out when necessary!"</p><p></p><p>Anuja and her wagon were just outside the tavern, ready to take the conscripts to the "ambassadors" from Ossirna. They had been housed overnight in a small building with castle guards posted outside. These guards nodded at the conscripts as they approached, recognizing them at once. One opened the door to the building, poked his head inside, and had the three Ossirnans exit. The group recognized Sienna and Averos immediately, having met them twice already - once at the Treaty Keep and once as they attempted to retrieve Skevros's astral golem. The third figure wore a cleric's garments; they had a sneaking suspicion this was the unseen cleric who had been "piloting" the astral golem. "I am <strong>Vikan</strong>," the cleric grinned. "It is good to see you again."</p><p></p><p>"Let's go," commanded Galen, piling them into the cart. "We'll take you to the border in the wagon, but then from there we go on foot." They wanted to minimize the time spent in Durnhill and give themselves plenty of time to see Ossirna for themselves.</p><p></p><p>As Anuja guided the wagon southward, Vikan offered to school his escorts on Ossirnan law. "There are three main laws you must obey to keep yourselves out of trouble," the cleric said. "First of all, magic cannot be performed upon another person without their consent; the penalties for violation can range from a fine of 1,000 pieces of gold to public execution, depending upon the severity of the transgression. Secondly, this goes double for divination effects, to include that 'detect evil' that you paladins like to do willy-nilly."</p><p></p><p>"Double?" asked Syngaard.</p><p></p><p>"That is correct."</p><p></p><p>"How you gonna publicly execute somebody twice?"</p><p></p><p>"The fine is doubled," explained Vikan. "The execution would occur but the once...but do not dismiss our ability to execute the same person a second time. It can certainly be done."</p><p></p><p>"That seems excessively paranoid," observed Orion. "Why would you fear having evil exposed - unless you were acknowledging your own inherent evil? It seems to me such a law would only exist to protect the evil."</p><p></p><p>"On the contrary - it is to protect the innocent from the overzealousness of self-righteous fools like this specimen before me," said Vikan, indicating Galen. "There is a tale of a paladin that murdered 17 people - five of them children! - because one of them was evil and the others were considered 'acceptable losses in the fight against evil.' We will tolerate no such crimes here." Galen refused to take the bait of such a provocative statement; he continued walking, his face a mask.</p><p></p><p>"Finally, the open display of holy symbols other than those approved of by the king shall incur a 1,000-gold-piece fine. I should specify that Hieroneous is not one of the approved." Vikan smirked at Galen, who merely tucked the holy symbol of Hieroneous he wore on a chain about his neck beneath his armor, out of view.</p><p></p><p>"And may I ask which deities <em>are</em> allowed?" asked Kaspar. "You yourself are a cleric - may I inquire which god you serve?"</p><p></p><p>Vikan looked over at the elf. "You may not," he answered.</p><p></p><p>"Hey, I got a fun idea," said Syngaard suddenly. "Howzabout you all show us the backs of your necks? Kinda findin' myself curious if you got any hourglass tattoos or anything.""</p><p></p><p>"'Howzabout' you keep your curiosity to yourself?" retorted Vikan, and then the two groups were silent for the rest of the walk to the castle, each internally wishing for the other group's sudden and painful death. Before they reached the outskirts of the city, Daleth turned to each of his companions in turned and officially asked them for permission to cast a spell upon them, in keeping with Ossirnan law. Once he had received their permission, he cast a <em>Rary's telepathic bond</em> spell upon each of the conscripts (and Mikito), allowing them all to talk telepathically amongst themselves without being heard by the Ossirnans. (It actually took two such spells for the elf wizard to include everyone, as he had yet to attain the spellpower to link six people at once.)</p><p></p><p>On the way to the palace the group passed what looked to be a church devoted to the Seekers of Eternity, for it bore the sideways hourglass symbol the members all seemed to have tattooed upon the backs of their necks. Galen stared at the symbol on the building and then back at Vikan, but the cleric said nothing.</p><p></p><p>Once just outside the throne room, the three Ossirnan "ambassadors" dismissed themselves and castle pages took over. They opened the double doors and the Captain of the Guard accompanied the conscripts in to see the king. The captain was a tough-looking woman who seemed to brook no nonsense. "His Royal Majesty, <strong>King Velkis</strong>!" she announced. "These are the ambassadors from Durnhill," she said, making "Durnhill" sound as distasteful on the tongue as "Dunghill" might be.</p><p></p><p>"And where is my astral golem, which was stolen from me?" demanded King Velkis, apparently eager to get straight to the heart of the matter.</p><p></p><p>"It is with its rightful owner, the man who created it," replied Galen. "By what right does Ossirna claim it?"</p><p></p><p>"It was built by an acquaintance of mine, a man named <strong>Vesskor</strong>," the king replied.</p><p></p><p><'Vesskor' is an anagram of 'Skevros,' assuming that's a double-s in the name,> pointed out Daleth over the mental link. <It's possible Skevros used a pseudonym when he was evil.></p><p></p><p>"The man who built it is still alive, and he constructed the astral golem in his own image," countered Galen. "As he is a citizen of Durnhill, he will retain his own property in our kingdom. This is the official response of King Leornic the Third."</p><p></p><p>"Very well then," agreed King Velkis. "It appears this was all just a misunderstanding. By way of apology, I offer each of you a gift."</p><p></p><p>"That is not necessary, Your Majesty," quickly replied Kaspar.</p><p></p><p><He backed off too soon,> suggested Galen.</p><p></p><p><This is no doubt a trap of some sort,> agreed Daleth.</p><p></p><p><I have no means of detecting evil with any certainty,> piped up Mikito. <But he reminds me of the son of my former lord. It would be unwise for us to trust him.></p><p></p><p>"But I insist!" replied King Velkis. "Your refusal to accept a gesture of good faith between nations would be...detrimental to our kingdoms' relations."</p><p></p><p>Galen looked at the others, then bowed his head. "Your Majesty is very kind," he said. "We would indeed be honored to accept your gift."</p><p></p><p>"<strong>Maelina</strong>, please escort our guests to the treasure vault. Let them each take a token of their own choosing."</p><p></p><p>The Captain of the Guard bowed before her king. "By your will, Your Majesty," she acknowledged. Then, turning to the conscripts, she said, "This way" and walked briskly from the throne room. She took them down a hall to a side door, which she unlocked with a key from a ring she wore on her sword-belt. Opening the door, she ushered the conscripts into the treasure room. "One item each," she said.</p><p></p><p>But the conscripts were hesitant to enter the treasure chamber, convinced this was some sort of a trap. "Oh, for pity's sake!" exclaimed Maelina. "They certainly make lily-livered folk up north, don't they? Here - I'll go in first, if you like."</p><p></p><p><This is a trap.></p><p></p><p><Oh, quite definitely.></p><p></p><p><Are the items inside all cursed? Or maybe they'll make it easier for their wizards to <em>scry</em> upon us?></p><p></p><p><It could be as simple as accusing us of having stolen from their king. That would be sure to get us executed, and that's all the trigger they'd need to start a war between the two kingdoms.></p><p></p><p>"Hey, is that a dragon?" Syngaard spoke aloud, forgetting he could simply "talk" to the others via their shared <em>telepathic link</em>. But he was looking into the treasure vault, which had coins and gems spread all around the floor in loose piles. There was a statue of a dragon, looking to have been carved out of a massive chunk of pure amethyst, perched upon a stone plinth as if overlooking its hoard. At the base of the statue's feet sat an ornately-covered book.</p><p></p><p>"A statue, yes," agreed Maelina. "Come see for yourselves." But still the conscripts were hesitant to enter.</p><p></p><p>"I'll go in first," offered Syngaard aloud as he stepped into the room.</p><p></p><p><Use the link, you dolt!> chided Daleth. <That's what it's there for!> Syngaard looked all about him, looking for the link the elf was talking about. "Don't see no link!" he said.</p><p></p><p>Daleth seethed with irritation but entered the room behind the scarred fighter. The others followed. "See? Nice and safe," reassured Maelina.</p><p></p><p><Don't touch anything!> Galen warned the group. Orion began appraising the contents of the room. <There's about 15,000 gold here, guys!></p><p></p><p>"We get to pick anything we want? What about the dragon here?" asked Syngaard. It was about the size of a horse, perhaps larger.</p><p></p><p>Maelina snorted. "If you can pick it up and carry it out of here, it's all yours! But it probably weighs a ton!"</p><p></p><p>Kaspar, in the meantime, had noticed a closed and barred door at the back of the room. "Where does this lead?" he turned to ask Maelina. But, predictably, Maelina had sidled back to the door through which they had all entered and was pulling it shut behind her, leaving the conscripts inside the vault. Kaspar's vision turned to the dragon statue, which he could have sworn had just let out a breath. "The dragon's alive!" he called out to the others.</p><p></p><p>"You certainly took your time!" chided the amethyst dragon in the Common tongue. "Most people head straight for the treasure!"</p><p></p><p>"We are not here of our own accord," Kaspar tried reassuring the dragon. "Nor do we wish any of your treasure. We simply wish to leave unharmed."</p><p></p><p>"That may be a problem," recognized the dragon. "The only reason you're locked in here with me is so I can eat you."</p><p></p><p>"That ain't gonna happen," Syngaard promised. "We've taken on tougher'n you!"</p><p></p><p>"Really? I find that unlikely," scoffed the dragon. "And I've taken on groups of your number before."</p><p></p><p><He's not evil,> Galen reported over the telepathic link.</p><p></p><p><You divined his aura? That's illegal here!></p><p></p><p><Only against people. Vikan said they 'can't be performed on another person.'></p><p></p><p><That seems legally questionable.></p><p></p><p><Even so.></p><p></p><p>"But if you kill us here in Ossirna, it will cause a war between our two nations," replied Orion, hoping to use the fact that the dragon wasn't evil to appeal to its good nature.</p><p></p><p>"Not at all!" reassured the dragon. "Even now, there are doppelgangers reading your thoughts, the better to impersonate you once you've been slain and eaten! They'll head on back to Durnhill in your place and nobody will ever know the difference!"</p><p></p><p>Kaspar had heard enough. As much as he preferred talking his way out of a combat whenever possible, it didn't look like that approach was going to work here - plus, if there were doppelgangers ready to take their places, there was technically nothing preventing them from heading to Durnhill at any moment! Time was therefore at a premium and the elf monk took matters into his own hands - quite literally. Exploding forth into a flurry of blows, he struck at the dragon several times before the creature was even aware that combat had begun. However, the flames of his <em>tenryutsume</em> didn't seem to faze the dragon at all; apparently amethyst dragons weren't particularly bothered by fire. Kaspar passed that nugget of information to the others over their shared link.</p><p></p><p>Galen sent a mental calling across the planes to his bonded mount and Burt manifested in the treasure vault beside his master. At the same time, the paladin cast a <em>bless weapon</em> spell upon his <em>sword of Zehkar</em>. As his blade was being pulled from its scabbard, the dire lion was biting and raking its claws into the dragon, tightening his grip upon his foe as he caught him up in a leonine grapple.</p><p></p><p>Syngaard, seeing his moment, whipped out his Dick and started rubbing. The statuette grew larger, dropping from the fighter's hands and attaining its true size. Then it pounced at the dragon, but as it was writhing around trying to extract itself from Burt's grip, the griffon's talons found no purchase.</p><p></p><p>"Looks like your Dick's kind of underwhelming, Syngaard!" Orion called out to the bald fighter - it was too good of an opportunity to pass up. Then she tossed an electrified dagger at the dragon, striking it unerringly just behind its right foreleg.</p><p></p><p>Daleth lined up a <em>lightning bolt</em> spell to strike the dragon. However, he failed to take Burt's presence into account and the electrical energy fried both grappling combatants equally, causing them to roar in fury.</p><p></p><p>Mikito stepped forward, bringing her katana crashing down upon the dragon's flank, but its gemlike hide deflected the blow. Then the samurai was forced to leap back to safety as the grappling foes rolled around in her direction, the dragon trying to escape the dire lion's grip, Burt's talons scratching deep grooves between the dragon's light purple scales. And then the dragon freed his head, swinging it around to belch forth a blast of concussive force which encompassed Burt, Galen, Dick, and Orion; it would have dealt damage to Carl as well had the ghost-dog not been safe in his own incorporeality. Orion twisted in the saddle and lessened the force of the blow.</p><p></p><p>Kaspar stepped forward again and sent a flurry of kicks and punches flying at the dragon. Only one of his blows felt like it connected hard enough to deal the creature any pain. But while the monk was attacking and keeping the dragon distracted, Galen took a quick stock of his dire lion. Burt was hurt badly, not only from the dragon's breath weapon but also from Daleth's poorly-aimed <em>lightning bolt</em> spell. The paladin was himself pretty hurt and he knew he could channel enough healing energy through his hands to heal one or the other of the two, but not both. Making his decision, he healed himself while simultaneously releasing Burt back to the Beastlands to heal up. "Thank you, my friend!" he called as the dire lion gratefully faded from view, roaring defiantly at the dragon as he did so as if to let him know he still had plenty of fight left in him.</p><p></p><p>Syngaard stepped up to the dragon, his new <em>flaming brilliant energy morningstar</em> in hand. He dealt the dragon a mighty blow, but as expected the flames of the weapon's head might as well not have been present for all the damage they did. Behind him, Daleth cast a <em>ray of enfeeblement</em> over the fighter's shoulder to strike the dragon, weakening it significantly. "You about ready to give up yet?" called Syngaard. "You dragons can live an awful long time - you ready to give up all those centuries of life in a fight you can't win?" Dick leaped forward, catching the root of the dragon's right wing in his powerful beak and raking him with a set of talons. Unfortunately, the dragon's tough hide negated most of the damage the griffon tried inflicting. But although the amethyst dragon had been sorely hurt in this fight, it wasn't ready to give up just yet.</p><p></p><p>"Never!" the dragon replied contemptuously, presumably to Syngaard's first question. But then Mikito stabbed quickly forward with her <em>axiomatic katana</em>, piercing through the dragon's scales and deep into its chest. The dragon coughed up blood and quickly reevaluated its options. It was true: these piddly little people were likely to win this fight! As galling as it might be, it was better to surrender and live to see another day.</p><p></p><p>"Upon further evaluation...I surrender," the dragon replied. Mikito immediately pulled back her samurai blade, holding it at the ready to strike if this was a trick, but unwilling to further attack a creature that had honorably surrendered. Galen likewise called for the others to stand down; Syngaard put a hand on his Dick and pulled it back away from the fight.</p><p></p><p>"Now what's all this about doppelgangers?" demanded Galen. "Are they already on their way to Durnhill?"</p><p></p><p>"Not now," admitted the dragon. "They'll have been reading our minds all this time, and they'll know you know about the ploy. They won't be willing to expose themselves to the dangers of infiltrating a kingdom that already knows of their existence and is ready for them. They're pretty much a cowardly lot, doppelgangers."</p><p></p><p>"So this is what, your treasure?" Syngaard demanded. "Like, your personal stash?"</p><p></p><p>"Hoard," corrected Orion.</p><p></p><p>"Whatever."</p><p></p><p>"Yes," admitted the dragon. "It's all mine, not the kingdom of Ossirna's. It is yours by right of combat." It seemed the dragon had a particularly difficult time getting those last few words out, and had it not still been bleeding heavily there was a good chance that watching the others start scooping its treasure into their <em>bags of holding</em> would have been all that was needed to get combat started again.</p><p></p><p>"I don't imagine you will choose to remain here in Ossirna, having failed in your mission to kill us," Daleth reasoned.</p><p></p><p>"Correct," agreed the dragon. "I will depart, never to return."</p><p></p><p>"Then you hold no particular allegiance to Ossirna," the elf wizard pressed. "Or to the Seekers of Eternity?"</p><p></p><p>"They were but a means to an end - mainly, a cushy job having the occasional group of people fed to me. But no, I have no love for the Seekers; all in all, they are a weird bunch."</p><p></p><p>"What can you tell us about them?" Kaspar pressed. "We seek their destruction."</p><p></p><p>"Their roots are here in Ossirna. They revere the Mithral Mage as either a god or at least the means of attaining godhood themselves."</p><p></p><p>"The Seekers are based here? Not in the Azure Glade?" asked Kaspar.</p><p></p><p>"What? No, that was just an expansion into new lands. The Seekers began here in Ossirna."</p><p></p><p>The monk came to another decision. Scooping up a handful of coins and gems - worth easily a thousand pieces of gold, Orion calculated with some trepidation - he passed them over to the dragon, who gobbled them up and stashed them in the side of his mouth. "Please accept this much of your treasure back, in payment for the information you have provided us," Kaspar said. Behind him, Mikito nodded in agreement with the monk's actions while Orion and Syngaard shared a rare moment of full agreement between themselves as their mouths hung open in shock and disappointment.</p><p></p><p>"What are we givin' him money for?" demanded the scarred fighter. "He's our enemy!"</p><p></p><p>"He is merely a defeated opponent and perhaps only a <em>former</em> foe. He has treated us honorably; we will do no less."</p><p></p><p>"Yeah, well that sucks," countered Syngaard.</p><p></p><p>"I will take it out of my share."</p><p></p><p>"Deal!" Orion agreed. As long as the money being returned to the dragon wasn't having any effect on how much she received, it was all moot to the little halfling.</p><p></p><p>"Then farewell," said the dragon before vanishing from view in much the same way Burt had done earlier. He left the Material Plane willingly; perhaps some time spent on the Elemental Plane of Earth would allow the memories of his defeat to heal over, as its physical wounds likewise healed. But he would live - that was the important part.</p><p></p><p>"We ready?" Syngaard asked once the last of the treasure had been scooped up - not just the coins and gems, but also the ornate tome that had been placed on the dragon's plinth. A quick perusal told Daleth it was written in alternating languages, making it all but impossible to decipher at a glance.</p><p></p><p>"Just about," remarked Orion. "But aren't you forgetting something?"</p><p></p><p>"What?" asked Syngaard as Kaspar pulled the <em>ring of return</em> from beneath his robes.</p><p></p><p>"Time to put your Dick away," the halfling said as she grabbed hold of the ring with the others. With a scowl, Syngaard deactivated his griffon and returned it to his pocket. Then he joined the others in grabbing the magical ring and Kaspar activated it with a command word. The group disappeared at once, to reappear immediately in Wrencrofft Manor. Skevros was there waiting for them.</p><p></p><p>"Well?" he asked.</p><p></p><p>"War averted," Galen reported.</p><p></p><p>"Didn't even touch them Ossirnans," Syngaard said with pride. He could follow orders with the best of them! Kaspar then briefed the king's advisor on what had occurred and what they had learned about the southern kingdom. Daleth passed the tome over to Skevros for his examination.</p><p></p><p>"Interesting. These letters alternate between Celestial, Infernal, and Draconic. I'll need to decipher each letter in turn, then try to make sense of the word thus formed. Fascinating! It will take me some time to make sense of this. But first, I must warn His Majesty and the guards about the doppelganger threat. It may be as you say and they won't try that approach now that it has been discovered, but we must take no chances."</p><p></p><p>He rubbed his chin for a moment in thought, then came to a conclusion. "I will cast an <em>arcane mark</em> upon each of your foreheads," he announced. "It will only become visible when questioned by a Durnhill guard, or through a <em>detect magic</em> spell. Any doppelganger wishing to sneak into the country by impersonating you will lack such a mark, making him instantly detectable as an imposter."</p><p></p><p>"What, like a tattoo?" demanded Syngaard. "I don't want no tattoo on my forehead!"</p><p></p><p>"It will be invisible under most conditions," reassured Skevros. "And it is not permanent; it will last for about a month, after which time we will know whether the doppelgangers have attempted infiltration or not." Seeing the logic, the conscripts each submitted themselves for an application of an <em>arcane mark</em> spell.</p><p></p><p>"So what about Mikito?" asked Kaspar. "She fought well, even to the point of forcing the dragon to submit. Will she be added to our ranks and accompany us in the future?"</p><p></p><p>"I have had some thoughts on the matter," admitted Skevros. "I believe - if Mikito is willing to join us - I will add her to the group. But I also think I'll be splitting you up into two smaller groups. You five will carry on as before, while Anuja and Mikito - and perhaps one or two others I've had my eye on - will form a new team, to deal with other matters at hand."</p><p></p><p>Mikito bowed low before the king's adviser. "It will be my honor to work for Lord Skevros," she announced.</p><p></p><p>"Ah, very good. But I am merely 'Skevros' - you need not address me as a Lord."</p><p></p><p>"If you are my new Master, then I will address you as 'Lord'," Mikito insisted. "It is only proper." The others left the king's adviser to work that out with his new conscript as the others poured the dragon's treasure out upon his massive dining table to sort out their respective takes.</p><p></p><p> - - - </p><p></p><p>My granddaughter <strong>Samantha</strong> was here on vacation during this session, so we drafted her as Mikito. (The timing was impeccable, as we just happened to have a "spare" female character entering into the story line at that point in time.) I even gave her one of her Christmas presents early: a set of purple dice of her own, since she'll eventually be moving out this way on a permanent basis and likely joining our group. Logan's set up the "auxiliary conscripts" team as a way to keep the NPCs involved and at hand (although in the background) so that whenever Samantha can join us she'll have her PC at the ready (and she'll be at the same relative level as the rest of the group, since she'll have been having "auxiliary team" adventures off-screen). This is basically just an extension of the "whoever doesn't show up for a game session has his or her PC out doing a boring, solo mission" rule we came up with at the beginning of this campaign to explain any session absences. (And Joey and Vicki have been the only ever no-shows, which explains while their PCs are lagging a bit behind in the XP department.)</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Richards, post: 7541270, member: 508"] [b]ADVENTURE 32: INTO THE LION'S DEN[/b] PC Roster: [INDENT]Daleth Stormsea, elf wizard 9 Galen Thorne, human paladin 11 Kaspar Hardstrike, elf monk 11 Mikito, human samurai 10 Orion Nightsky, halfling rogue 10 Syngaard, human fighter 11[/INDENT] Game Session Date: 19 December 2018 - - - "What the Hell--?" exploded Syngaard. The [i]ring of return[/i] had never before failed to [i]teleport[/i] the team right back to the place from which Skevros had [i]teleported[/i] them away for whatever mission they'd been assigned. But his initial [i]teleport[/i] spell had taken them halfway around the world and now, upon their return, they were not back at the [i]Enchanted Flagon[/i] as expected - rather, they were in a fancy manor house. At the end of a long table stood a woman they'd never seen before, who looked over at them in unperturbable silence upon their arrival. Instinctively, Galen examined the aura surrounding the woman and sensed no taint of evil. But at the same time, Orion recognized their surroundings. "We're in Wrencrofft Manor!" she exclaimed. That gave Galen enough information to make a logical guess as to the woman's identity. "Are you Dow?" he asked her. The woman's shoulders sagged as if in disappointment. She reached up and pulled a ribbon from her hair; as it fell away, her body and garments flickered and became the life-sized astral golem Skevros had made for his homunculus to inhabit. "...Yes," she admitted, saddened that she hadn't been able to fool them for long. A flurry of questions followed. "What are we doing here?" Syngaard demanded. "Where's Skevros?" asked Daleth. "Who's that?" Dow asked, pointing at Mikito, the young samurai woman the team had rescued from the bamboo forest. "What's up with [i]teleport[/i] spells goin' all screwy all of a sudden?" demanded Syngaard, not even waiting for his first question to be answered before firing off another. Finally, Dow raised her hands for silence and did her best to give the group the explanations they desired. "I don't know why you ended up somewhere else," she said. "But shortly after Daddy [i]teleported[/i] you away to your mission, he received a summons from the king. He's there now with him, so the [i]ring of return[/i] brought you here to me, instead." "Ugh," grumbled Syngaard. "Can you stop callin' him 'Daddy?' That's just plain creepy." "But he is my Daddy, since he made me," Dow argued. "In any case, he told me over our link that your current mission is now on hold. Daddy will arrive shortly to brief you all in person." "This sucks," Syngaard grumbled to himself. "So now we gotta cool our heels here? At least the tavern's got ale on tap." "Daddy built a back door into the extradimensional rooms he keeps at the tavern," Dow explained helpfully, pointing to the fireplace behind her. "Since Karen is a part of the permanent [i]Mordenkainen's magnificent mansion[/i] spell Daddy cast, she can be summoned from here as well." Her entire attitude was one of someone desperately wanting to be liked and somewhat confused as to why she wasn't. "Oh yeah?" Syngaard asked, perking up at once at this information. "Karen! Bring me an ale!" he called to the fireplace. A few moments later, Karen stepped through the massive fireplace (which was big enough that she barely needed to duck), holding a tankard of ale in one hand, which she set down before the bald fighter with a smile. Syngaard pulled out a chair from the long table and made himself at home. "That's more like it!" he declared. Karen took orders from the rest of the group and they settled in around the table to wait for their boss to finish up with the king. Mikito winced at the smell and taste of the unfamiliar concoction she had been given. She took an obligatory sip and quietly pushed her mug away. These new friends of hers certainly had some strange customs! Then, at an unseen signal, Dow stepped over to the head chair and pulled it back from the table. It was instantly filled with the body of Skevros Wrencrofft, the king's adviser. "Ah, you're back," he said. "I trust--" he stopped short upon seeing Mikito sitting at the table with the rest of his team. "And who is this?" he asked. Kaspar made the introductions and briefly explained what had happened and how they came to have a young female samurai among their group. "Well, welcome then," Skevros said, smiling at Mikito. She bowed her head to her new friends' master. "In any case, I have both good news and bad news. Your previous assignment is on hold; I'm afraid the Seekers' hidden safehouse will have to remain on the back burner, for now at least." "Well, that sucks," grumbled Syngaard. They were going to each be paid another nine emeralds for completing that mission, and now it looked like they weren't going to be given the chance. "Yes, hence the 'bad news' part of my statement, Syngaard. While you were away, I was summoned by King Leornic. Messengers from Ossirna had arrived at Durnhill, as bold as you please, making a formal complaint to His Majesty that I had stolen property belonging to their kingdom and that if it was not returned properly it would be considered an act of war." "What did they claim you had stolen?" asked Orion. "Interestingly enough, my own astral golem," replied Skevros with a smirk. "And the messengers were none other than the individuals you encountered in my old lab attempting to steal the golem for themselves. Their claims were proven false when I arrived with the astral golem, which I had crafted in my own likeness - they were also quite taken aback that the seal of Ossirna was absent from the golem." "So what's our new mission -- killing them three?" asked Syngaard hopefully. "Alas, no - that would also be construed as an act of war, I fear. However, as per the treaty between Durnhill and Ossirna, if either kingdom sends agents to the other under false pretenses (as they most certainly have done in trying to 'legally' steal my astral golem), the other is allowed to send their own agents for a similar amount of time to gather information about the current state of the kingdom. As we have very little info upon the southern kingdom, this mission is now your top priority. Pay will consist of 2,000 pieces of gold each upon completion. Your party will set out tomorrow morning, accompanying the trio of Ossirnans back to their kingdom to give the king of Ossirna Leornic's official rebuttal. While you are there, you are to gather whatever information you can about the kingdom of Ossirna and report back. And Syngaard, I cannot stress this enough: any harm you inflict upon the Ossirnan messengers will also be taken as an excuse for war. They're spoiling for a war and King Leornic is adamant that we will not fall into that trap. Are we understood?" "Yeah, yeah, play nice with the spies," grumbled Syngaard. "I got it." "Very well. In the meantime, I will send Anuja and Dow to the boulder to see what they can learn about the teleportation irregularities. That will be all; you are dismissed until tomorrow morning." "Wait a minute!" exclaimed Galen. "That was all the bad news, wasn't it? What was the good news?" "Ah, yes, the good news," replied Skevros. "His Majesty is quite the collector of exotic weapons and armor. I am certain I can get you a good price on the samurai weapons and armor you obtained from Miss Mikito's former compatriots." "Well, that's somethin', anyway," agreed Syngaard. The group, as one, walked through the unlit fireplace behind Skevros's chair and ended up in his extradimensional quarters hidden inside a back room of the [i]Enchanted Flagon[/i]. Syngaard took a moment to check on Maria Quillbender and his own little daughter - who was fast asleep in an afternoon nap - before joining the others in the tap room. "We shall meet back here tomorrow morning," Galen announced, "then escort the Ossirnans back to their own lands. In the meantime, if anyone needs any supplies, now would be the time to stock up. We stand dismissed until then." "Already been dismissed," Syngaard mentioned on his way out the door. It was one thing working for Skevros; he was after all the personal adviser to the king. But Galen was just another of the conscripts, no better than any of the others, although he had started putting on airs of leadership ever since he'd been able to summon that dire lion of his from the Beastlands whenever he felt the need. Well, two could play at that game.... - - - The conscripts met up back at the tavern the next morning, Orion having shared her room overnight with Mikito, who, as a stranger in this strange land, had nowhere else to stay. Skevros was there with a familiar chest sitting on the table before him. "Oh, not these again," grumbled Syngaard. "I fear so," admitted Skevros, opening the chest and passing around the green-and-gold tabards that identified the wearers as official ambassadors of the kingdom of Durnhill. He passed one over to Mikito as well, then pulled something else from the chest. It was an amulet on a thin, metal chain. He passed this to the young samurai, motioning for her to put it on. "Can you understand me all right?" he asked Mikito once she had placed the amulet around her neck. "I-- I can, thank you," Mikito answered, bowing her head at the king's adviser. The [i]amulet of tongues[/i] magically translated the words spoken to Mikito into her own language and likewise translated her own words into the language of the person to whom she was speaking. Once the conscripts and their samurai companion were all in their tabards, Skevros reiterated the point he had made yesterday afternoon. "Remember: no harm is to come to the three Ossirnans who made the official complaint," he said. "If there are no questions, then you may head outside; Anuja will take you to the Ossirnans, who have been guarded in their assigned quarters overnight." "Wait a minute," piped up Syngaard. "Before we go, I got somethin' to show you all." Skevros sighed in weariness; it was always something with the scarred fighter! "Very well, what is it?" he asked Syngaard. The bald fighter fumbled around in his pants before answering. Then, standing up at the table, he pulled his hand out from beneath the bottom of his tabard and slapped it onto the table before him. "I want to show everybody my Dick!" he exclaimed proudly. Orion shrieked and looked away; the elves both gasped in surprise - Syngaard was known to be crude, but he'd never stooped to this level before! But then Syngaard removed his hand, and there on the table was a small statuette, carved from bronze, of a winged creature with the body of a lion and the head and front talons of an eagle. "He don't look like much," Syngaard admitted, "but when you rub him, he grows bigger!" "That is a [i]figurine of wondrous power[/i]," Daleth observed. "A [i]bronze griffon[/i]." "Yep. His name's 'Dick.' From now on, I'll be heading into battle with my Dick out and ready!" Skevros just closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead as if at the beginning stages of a headache. "Only you would be that idiotic," remarked Orion, climbing onto the ghost of her trusty riding dog. "Can we just get on with it now?" Galen advised, "Best to put your Dick away for now. We have a mission to perform." "Okay," agreed Syngaard, putting the [i]bronze griffon[/i] statuette back into his pocket. "But I'll be ready to whip it out when necessary!" Anuja and her wagon were just outside the tavern, ready to take the conscripts to the "ambassadors" from Ossirna. They had been housed overnight in a small building with castle guards posted outside. These guards nodded at the conscripts as they approached, recognizing them at once. One opened the door to the building, poked his head inside, and had the three Ossirnans exit. The group recognized Sienna and Averos immediately, having met them twice already - once at the Treaty Keep and once as they attempted to retrieve Skevros's astral golem. The third figure wore a cleric's garments; they had a sneaking suspicion this was the unseen cleric who had been "piloting" the astral golem. "I am [b]Vikan[/b]," the cleric grinned. "It is good to see you again." "Let's go," commanded Galen, piling them into the cart. "We'll take you to the border in the wagon, but then from there we go on foot." They wanted to minimize the time spent in Durnhill and give themselves plenty of time to see Ossirna for themselves. As Anuja guided the wagon southward, Vikan offered to school his escorts on Ossirnan law. "There are three main laws you must obey to keep yourselves out of trouble," the cleric said. "First of all, magic cannot be performed upon another person without their consent; the penalties for violation can range from a fine of 1,000 pieces of gold to public execution, depending upon the severity of the transgression. Secondly, this goes double for divination effects, to include that 'detect evil' that you paladins like to do willy-nilly." "Double?" asked Syngaard. "That is correct." "How you gonna publicly execute somebody twice?" "The fine is doubled," explained Vikan. "The execution would occur but the once...but do not dismiss our ability to execute the same person a second time. It can certainly be done." "That seems excessively paranoid," observed Orion. "Why would you fear having evil exposed - unless you were acknowledging your own inherent evil? It seems to me such a law would only exist to protect the evil." "On the contrary - it is to protect the innocent from the overzealousness of self-righteous fools like this specimen before me," said Vikan, indicating Galen. "There is a tale of a paladin that murdered 17 people - five of them children! - because one of them was evil and the others were considered 'acceptable losses in the fight against evil.' We will tolerate no such crimes here." Galen refused to take the bait of such a provocative statement; he continued walking, his face a mask. "Finally, the open display of holy symbols other than those approved of by the king shall incur a 1,000-gold-piece fine. I should specify that Hieroneous is not one of the approved." Vikan smirked at Galen, who merely tucked the holy symbol of Hieroneous he wore on a chain about his neck beneath his armor, out of view. "And may I ask which deities [i]are[/i] allowed?" asked Kaspar. "You yourself are a cleric - may I inquire which god you serve?" Vikan looked over at the elf. "You may not," he answered. "Hey, I got a fun idea," said Syngaard suddenly. "Howzabout you all show us the backs of your necks? Kinda findin' myself curious if you got any hourglass tattoos or anything."" "'Howzabout' you keep your curiosity to yourself?" retorted Vikan, and then the two groups were silent for the rest of the walk to the castle, each internally wishing for the other group's sudden and painful death. Before they reached the outskirts of the city, Daleth turned to each of his companions in turned and officially asked them for permission to cast a spell upon them, in keeping with Ossirnan law. Once he had received their permission, he cast a [i]Rary's telepathic bond[/i] spell upon each of the conscripts (and Mikito), allowing them all to talk telepathically amongst themselves without being heard by the Ossirnans. (It actually took two such spells for the elf wizard to include everyone, as he had yet to attain the spellpower to link six people at once.) On the way to the palace the group passed what looked to be a church devoted to the Seekers of Eternity, for it bore the sideways hourglass symbol the members all seemed to have tattooed upon the backs of their necks. Galen stared at the symbol on the building and then back at Vikan, but the cleric said nothing. Once just outside the throne room, the three Ossirnan "ambassadors" dismissed themselves and castle pages took over. They opened the double doors and the Captain of the Guard accompanied the conscripts in to see the king. The captain was a tough-looking woman who seemed to brook no nonsense. "His Royal Majesty, [b]King Velkis[/b]!" she announced. "These are the ambassadors from Durnhill," she said, making "Durnhill" sound as distasteful on the tongue as "Dunghill" might be. "And where is my astral golem, which was stolen from me?" demanded King Velkis, apparently eager to get straight to the heart of the matter. "It is with its rightful owner, the man who created it," replied Galen. "By what right does Ossirna claim it?" "It was built by an acquaintance of mine, a man named [b]Vesskor[/b]," the king replied. <'Vesskor' is an anagram of 'Skevros,' assuming that's a double-s in the name,> pointed out Daleth over the mental link. <It's possible Skevros used a pseudonym when he was evil.> "The man who built it is still alive, and he constructed the astral golem in his own image," countered Galen. "As he is a citizen of Durnhill, he will retain his own property in our kingdom. This is the official response of King Leornic the Third." "Very well then," agreed King Velkis. "It appears this was all just a misunderstanding. By way of apology, I offer each of you a gift." "That is not necessary, Your Majesty," quickly replied Kaspar. <He backed off too soon,> suggested Galen. <This is no doubt a trap of some sort,> agreed Daleth. <I have no means of detecting evil with any certainty,> piped up Mikito. <But he reminds me of the son of my former lord. It would be unwise for us to trust him.> "But I insist!" replied King Velkis. "Your refusal to accept a gesture of good faith between nations would be...detrimental to our kingdoms' relations." Galen looked at the others, then bowed his head. "Your Majesty is very kind," he said. "We would indeed be honored to accept your gift." "[b]Maelina[/b], please escort our guests to the treasure vault. Let them each take a token of their own choosing." The Captain of the Guard bowed before her king. "By your will, Your Majesty," she acknowledged. Then, turning to the conscripts, she said, "This way" and walked briskly from the throne room. She took them down a hall to a side door, which she unlocked with a key from a ring she wore on her sword-belt. Opening the door, she ushered the conscripts into the treasure room. "One item each," she said. But the conscripts were hesitant to enter the treasure chamber, convinced this was some sort of a trap. "Oh, for pity's sake!" exclaimed Maelina. "They certainly make lily-livered folk up north, don't they? Here - I'll go in first, if you like." <This is a trap.> <Oh, quite definitely.> <Are the items inside all cursed? Or maybe they'll make it easier for their wizards to [i]scry[/i] upon us?> <It could be as simple as accusing us of having stolen from their king. That would be sure to get us executed, and that's all the trigger they'd need to start a war between the two kingdoms.> "Hey, is that a dragon?" Syngaard spoke aloud, forgetting he could simply "talk" to the others via their shared [i]telepathic link[/i]. But he was looking into the treasure vault, which had coins and gems spread all around the floor in loose piles. There was a statue of a dragon, looking to have been carved out of a massive chunk of pure amethyst, perched upon a stone plinth as if overlooking its hoard. At the base of the statue's feet sat an ornately-covered book. "A statue, yes," agreed Maelina. "Come see for yourselves." But still the conscripts were hesitant to enter. "I'll go in first," offered Syngaard aloud as he stepped into the room. <Use the link, you dolt!> chided Daleth. <That's what it's there for!> Syngaard looked all about him, looking for the link the elf was talking about. "Don't see no link!" he said. Daleth seethed with irritation but entered the room behind the scarred fighter. The others followed. "See? Nice and safe," reassured Maelina. <Don't touch anything!> Galen warned the group. Orion began appraising the contents of the room. <There's about 15,000 gold here, guys!> "We get to pick anything we want? What about the dragon here?" asked Syngaard. It was about the size of a horse, perhaps larger. Maelina snorted. "If you can pick it up and carry it out of here, it's all yours! But it probably weighs a ton!" Kaspar, in the meantime, had noticed a closed and barred door at the back of the room. "Where does this lead?" he turned to ask Maelina. But, predictably, Maelina had sidled back to the door through which they had all entered and was pulling it shut behind her, leaving the conscripts inside the vault. Kaspar's vision turned to the dragon statue, which he could have sworn had just let out a breath. "The dragon's alive!" he called out to the others. "You certainly took your time!" chided the amethyst dragon in the Common tongue. "Most people head straight for the treasure!" "We are not here of our own accord," Kaspar tried reassuring the dragon. "Nor do we wish any of your treasure. We simply wish to leave unharmed." "That may be a problem," recognized the dragon. "The only reason you're locked in here with me is so I can eat you." "That ain't gonna happen," Syngaard promised. "We've taken on tougher'n you!" "Really? I find that unlikely," scoffed the dragon. "And I've taken on groups of your number before." <He's not evil,> Galen reported over the telepathic link. <You divined his aura? That's illegal here!> <Only against people. Vikan said they 'can't be performed on another person.'> <That seems legally questionable.> <Even so.> "But if you kill us here in Ossirna, it will cause a war between our two nations," replied Orion, hoping to use the fact that the dragon wasn't evil to appeal to its good nature. "Not at all!" reassured the dragon. "Even now, there are doppelgangers reading your thoughts, the better to impersonate you once you've been slain and eaten! They'll head on back to Durnhill in your place and nobody will ever know the difference!" Kaspar had heard enough. As much as he preferred talking his way out of a combat whenever possible, it didn't look like that approach was going to work here - plus, if there were doppelgangers ready to take their places, there was technically nothing preventing them from heading to Durnhill at any moment! Time was therefore at a premium and the elf monk took matters into his own hands - quite literally. Exploding forth into a flurry of blows, he struck at the dragon several times before the creature was even aware that combat had begun. However, the flames of his [i]tenryutsume[/i] didn't seem to faze the dragon at all; apparently amethyst dragons weren't particularly bothered by fire. Kaspar passed that nugget of information to the others over their shared link. Galen sent a mental calling across the planes to his bonded mount and Burt manifested in the treasure vault beside his master. At the same time, the paladin cast a [i]bless weapon[/i] spell upon his [i]sword of Zehkar[/i]. As his blade was being pulled from its scabbard, the dire lion was biting and raking its claws into the dragon, tightening his grip upon his foe as he caught him up in a leonine grapple. Syngaard, seeing his moment, whipped out his Dick and started rubbing. The statuette grew larger, dropping from the fighter's hands and attaining its true size. Then it pounced at the dragon, but as it was writhing around trying to extract itself from Burt's grip, the griffon's talons found no purchase. "Looks like your Dick's kind of underwhelming, Syngaard!" Orion called out to the bald fighter - it was too good of an opportunity to pass up. Then she tossed an electrified dagger at the dragon, striking it unerringly just behind its right foreleg. Daleth lined up a [i]lightning bolt[/i] spell to strike the dragon. However, he failed to take Burt's presence into account and the electrical energy fried both grappling combatants equally, causing them to roar in fury. Mikito stepped forward, bringing her katana crashing down upon the dragon's flank, but its gemlike hide deflected the blow. Then the samurai was forced to leap back to safety as the grappling foes rolled around in her direction, the dragon trying to escape the dire lion's grip, Burt's talons scratching deep grooves between the dragon's light purple scales. And then the dragon freed his head, swinging it around to belch forth a blast of concussive force which encompassed Burt, Galen, Dick, and Orion; it would have dealt damage to Carl as well had the ghost-dog not been safe in his own incorporeality. Orion twisted in the saddle and lessened the force of the blow. Kaspar stepped forward again and sent a flurry of kicks and punches flying at the dragon. Only one of his blows felt like it connected hard enough to deal the creature any pain. But while the monk was attacking and keeping the dragon distracted, Galen took a quick stock of his dire lion. Burt was hurt badly, not only from the dragon's breath weapon but also from Daleth's poorly-aimed [i]lightning bolt[/i] spell. The paladin was himself pretty hurt and he knew he could channel enough healing energy through his hands to heal one or the other of the two, but not both. Making his decision, he healed himself while simultaneously releasing Burt back to the Beastlands to heal up. "Thank you, my friend!" he called as the dire lion gratefully faded from view, roaring defiantly at the dragon as he did so as if to let him know he still had plenty of fight left in him. Syngaard stepped up to the dragon, his new [i]flaming brilliant energy morningstar[/i] in hand. He dealt the dragon a mighty blow, but as expected the flames of the weapon's head might as well not have been present for all the damage they did. Behind him, Daleth cast a [i]ray of enfeeblement[/i] over the fighter's shoulder to strike the dragon, weakening it significantly. "You about ready to give up yet?" called Syngaard. "You dragons can live an awful long time - you ready to give up all those centuries of life in a fight you can't win?" Dick leaped forward, catching the root of the dragon's right wing in his powerful beak and raking him with a set of talons. Unfortunately, the dragon's tough hide negated most of the damage the griffon tried inflicting. But although the amethyst dragon had been sorely hurt in this fight, it wasn't ready to give up just yet. "Never!" the dragon replied contemptuously, presumably to Syngaard's first question. But then Mikito stabbed quickly forward with her [i]axiomatic katana[/i], piercing through the dragon's scales and deep into its chest. The dragon coughed up blood and quickly reevaluated its options. It was true: these piddly little people were likely to win this fight! As galling as it might be, it was better to surrender and live to see another day. "Upon further evaluation...I surrender," the dragon replied. Mikito immediately pulled back her samurai blade, holding it at the ready to strike if this was a trick, but unwilling to further attack a creature that had honorably surrendered. Galen likewise called for the others to stand down; Syngaard put a hand on his Dick and pulled it back away from the fight. "Now what's all this about doppelgangers?" demanded Galen. "Are they already on their way to Durnhill?" "Not now," admitted the dragon. "They'll have been reading our minds all this time, and they'll know you know about the ploy. They won't be willing to expose themselves to the dangers of infiltrating a kingdom that already knows of their existence and is ready for them. They're pretty much a cowardly lot, doppelgangers." "So this is what, your treasure?" Syngaard demanded. "Like, your personal stash?" "Hoard," corrected Orion. "Whatever." "Yes," admitted the dragon. "It's all mine, not the kingdom of Ossirna's. It is yours by right of combat." It seemed the dragon had a particularly difficult time getting those last few words out, and had it not still been bleeding heavily there was a good chance that watching the others start scooping its treasure into their [i]bags of holding[/i] would have been all that was needed to get combat started again. "I don't imagine you will choose to remain here in Ossirna, having failed in your mission to kill us," Daleth reasoned. "Correct," agreed the dragon. "I will depart, never to return." "Then you hold no particular allegiance to Ossirna," the elf wizard pressed. "Or to the Seekers of Eternity?" "They were but a means to an end - mainly, a cushy job having the occasional group of people fed to me. But no, I have no love for the Seekers; all in all, they are a weird bunch." "What can you tell us about them?" Kaspar pressed. "We seek their destruction." "Their roots are here in Ossirna. They revere the Mithral Mage as either a god or at least the means of attaining godhood themselves." "The Seekers are based here? Not in the Azure Glade?" asked Kaspar. "What? No, that was just an expansion into new lands. The Seekers began here in Ossirna." The monk came to another decision. Scooping up a handful of coins and gems - worth easily a thousand pieces of gold, Orion calculated with some trepidation - he passed them over to the dragon, who gobbled them up and stashed them in the side of his mouth. "Please accept this much of your treasure back, in payment for the information you have provided us," Kaspar said. Behind him, Mikito nodded in agreement with the monk's actions while Orion and Syngaard shared a rare moment of full agreement between themselves as their mouths hung open in shock and disappointment. "What are we givin' him money for?" demanded the scarred fighter. "He's our enemy!" "He is merely a defeated opponent and perhaps only a [i]former[/i] foe. He has treated us honorably; we will do no less." "Yeah, well that sucks," countered Syngaard. "I will take it out of my share." "Deal!" Orion agreed. As long as the money being returned to the dragon wasn't having any effect on how much she received, it was all moot to the little halfling. "Then farewell," said the dragon before vanishing from view in much the same way Burt had done earlier. He left the Material Plane willingly; perhaps some time spent on the Elemental Plane of Earth would allow the memories of his defeat to heal over, as its physical wounds likewise healed. But he would live - that was the important part. "We ready?" Syngaard asked once the last of the treasure had been scooped up - not just the coins and gems, but also the ornate tome that had been placed on the dragon's plinth. A quick perusal told Daleth it was written in alternating languages, making it all but impossible to decipher at a glance. "Just about," remarked Orion. "But aren't you forgetting something?" "What?" asked Syngaard as Kaspar pulled the [i]ring of return[/i] from beneath his robes. "Time to put your Dick away," the halfling said as she grabbed hold of the ring with the others. With a scowl, Syngaard deactivated his griffon and returned it to his pocket. Then he joined the others in grabbing the magical ring and Kaspar activated it with a command word. The group disappeared at once, to reappear immediately in Wrencrofft Manor. Skevros was there waiting for them. "Well?" he asked. "War averted," Galen reported. "Didn't even touch them Ossirnans," Syngaard said with pride. He could follow orders with the best of them! Kaspar then briefed the king's advisor on what had occurred and what they had learned about the southern kingdom. Daleth passed the tome over to Skevros for his examination. "Interesting. These letters alternate between Celestial, Infernal, and Draconic. I'll need to decipher each letter in turn, then try to make sense of the word thus formed. Fascinating! It will take me some time to make sense of this. But first, I must warn His Majesty and the guards about the doppelganger threat. It may be as you say and they won't try that approach now that it has been discovered, but we must take no chances." He rubbed his chin for a moment in thought, then came to a conclusion. "I will cast an [i]arcane mark[/i] upon each of your foreheads," he announced. "It will only become visible when questioned by a Durnhill guard, or through a [i]detect magic[/i] spell. Any doppelganger wishing to sneak into the country by impersonating you will lack such a mark, making him instantly detectable as an imposter." "What, like a tattoo?" demanded Syngaard. "I don't want no tattoo on my forehead!" "It will be invisible under most conditions," reassured Skevros. "And it is not permanent; it will last for about a month, after which time we will know whether the doppelgangers have attempted infiltration or not." Seeing the logic, the conscripts each submitted themselves for an application of an [i]arcane mark[/i] spell. "So what about Mikito?" asked Kaspar. "She fought well, even to the point of forcing the dragon to submit. Will she be added to our ranks and accompany us in the future?" "I have had some thoughts on the matter," admitted Skevros. "I believe - if Mikito is willing to join us - I will add her to the group. But I also think I'll be splitting you up into two smaller groups. You five will carry on as before, while Anuja and Mikito - and perhaps one or two others I've had my eye on - will form a new team, to deal with other matters at hand." Mikito bowed low before the king's adviser. "It will be my honor to work for Lord Skevros," she announced. "Ah, very good. But I am merely 'Skevros' - you need not address me as a Lord." "If you are my new Master, then I will address you as 'Lord'," Mikito insisted. "It is only proper." The others left the king's adviser to work that out with his new conscript as the others poured the dragon's treasure out upon his massive dining table to sort out their respective takes. - - - My granddaughter [b]Samantha[/b] was here on vacation during this session, so we drafted her as Mikito. (The timing was impeccable, as we just happened to have a "spare" female character entering into the story line at that point in time.) I even gave her one of her Christmas presents early: a set of purple dice of her own, since she'll eventually be moving out this way on a permanent basis and likely joining our group. Logan's set up the "auxiliary conscripts" team as a way to keep the NPCs involved and at hand (although in the background) so that whenever Samantha can join us she'll have her PC at the ready (and she'll be at the same relative level as the rest of the group, since she'll have been having "auxiliary team" adventures off-screen). This is basically just an extension of the "whoever doesn't show up for a game session has his or her PC out doing a boring, solo mission" rule we came up with at the beginning of this campaign to explain any session absences. (And Joey and Vicki have been the only ever no-shows, which explains while their PCs are lagging a bit behind in the XP department.) [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
The Durnhill Conscripts
Top