[LPF] Precious Cargo

[Qik]

Welcome to Precious Cargo! This is a short (but hopefully sweet) LPF adventure for 2nd and 3rd levels. I'm especially looking forward to it, as I've gamed with many of you before, and have come to appreciate you all as RPers. Hope you all enjoy it! And, of course, that you all make it out alive...

DM: Qik
Judge: Perrinmiller

Start Date: February 1, 2012

Players:
Maui & Taniwha (jbear)

Eanos Setirav (jkason)

Fulgrim Ironforge (IronWolf)

Tamarel Leafculled & Sauvressa (Tark)


[sblock=Final Numbers]57 days
800 encounter XP each
1174.25 encounter GP each

Maui
1239 starting XP + 591 time XP [9 days @ 7 XP/day (63) + 48 days @ 11 XP/day (528)] + 800 encounter XP = 2630 final XP
1391 total XP earned
582 time GP [9 days @ 6 GP/day (54) + 48 days @ 11 GP/day (528)] + 1174.25 encounter GP = 1756.25 total GP earned

Eanos
4923 starting XP + 981 time XP [39 days @ 15 XP/day (585) + 18 days @ 22/day (396)] + 800 encounter XP = 6704 final XP
1781 XP earned
1113 time GP [39 days @ 17 GP/day (663) + 18 days @ 25 GP/day (450)] + 1174.25 encounter GP = 2287.25 total GP earned

Fulgrim
5057 starting XP + 995 time XP [37 days @ 15 XP/day (555) + 20 days @ 22/day (440)] + 800 encounter XP = 6852 final XP
1795 XP earned
1129 time GP [37 days @ 17 GP/day (629) + 20 days @ 25 GP/day (500)] + 1174.25 encounter GP = 2303.25 total GP earned

Tamarel
3434 starting XP + 855 time XP (57 days @ 15/day) + 800 encounter XP = 5089 final XP
1655 XP earned
969 time GP (57 days @ 17/day) + 1174.25 encounter GP = 2143.25 total GP earned[/sblock][sblock=Rules]*Rolling: You may use the Enworld roller or Invisible Castle. I will be rolling at home, and generally won't be including my rolls when I post the results.

*Posting Rate: Under normal circumstances, I should be able to post at least once/day, likely more. I'd prefer players to achieve something near that rate (i.e. a minimum of once every other day). Absences of more than two days will mean the game continues, with the character in question being NPC'd by me as necessary (such as during combat). Weekends are, of course, the exception to this, although I tend to be around to post should the opportunity arise.

*Initiative: I will roll initiative; I think doing so helps to speed things up come combat. I will be using group initiative, which means PCs can post in any order once their turn is up. The only possible exception to this can occur in the surprise round and first round: when an individual from the side with the lower initiative has a personal initiative which exceeds that of all the individuals on the winning side, they may act first (hopefully that makes sense).

*Stat Blocks would be appreciated during combat.[/sblock][sblock=Encounters]Encounter 1: 1600 XP; 2 small leather armors (20 gp), 2 small spears (4 gp), 2 small slings, gemstones worth 436 gp, and the two unidentified cracked stones.

Encounter 2: 800 XP, 0 GP

Encounter 3: 800 XP, GP TBD[/sblock]

 

[Qik]

"Just a second, Maui," Eanos says, touching the druid's shoulder to catch him before he leaves.

To Phedilo, he says, "Knowing the Ears want this is enough to convince me to keep in out of their grubby paws, but if we're going to be around this whatever-it-is, I think we should know what it does. Any surprises we can avoid let us spend our energy looking out for the Ears."

Phedilo's cringe from Maui's head pat turns to a sigh of resignation. "Master Eanos, you truly were meant to undertake this task: that is a far more suitable question than one might initially imagine." In contrast to his earlier nervousness, Phedilo's tone while he speaks about the object mirrors the calm, rehearsed confidence of an experienced academic.

"The item in question is a Stone of Chaos, a true artifact of the Entropic Plane. I say "of" and not "from" because the item in actuality originates at least in part from our own plane. From what I've been able to learn through my research, the Stone was created sometime during the passing from the Golden Age to the Years of Darkness, many hundreds of years ago, by a wizard on the northern isle of Illi Esse. There, the boundaries between the planes are much thinner than in most of E'n, so it was an ideal environment for creating a stone which bridged the gap between our plane and another."

Phedilo pauses a moment, as if slightly uncertain about the wisdom of continuing with the unmitigated dispensing of his knowledge. Still, he continues, perhaps slightly more uncomfortable with what he is saying.

"The stone is...capricious. To say the least. As can only be expected from a true object of Entropy. From what I've been able to discover, its creator had used his own considerable power to keep its mischievousness in check, but since his passing - whether it was due to the stone or not, I do not know - the stone has had no such guardian for its abilities."

"As for the extent of these abilities...I cannot say for sure. Again, as one would expect from an object of Entropy, the stone's actions show little rhyme or reason - I am unable to say for certain if it is in fact even a wholly intelligent item. But it has at times shown an ability to interact with its surroundings which suggest both an awareness and an intelligence, however incoherent."

"Having said all this, you should know that the stone has been dormant in recent months, which is part of why I feel so comfortable in attempting to move it. Perhaps the stability of its storage has contributed to this. Again, it is hard to say - it is truly an inscrutable object."

Phedilo finishes with a sigh, as if still pondering that inscrutability. He looks at the others to gauge their reactions.

OOC: Feel free to continue with the questions. Also, jbear, by my calculations, you should have earned enough TXP to level officially on Thursday.

 

[jbear]

Maui flops back into the chair looking completely bewildered.

"Okay ... Maui didn't understand nothing te Mr Huffling said. Now he has intelligent stones? What does this have to do with his ears?"

OOC: Okay, Mauui is already up and ready to go for level 2, so no problem! I just have to correct xp from last adventure.

 

[Qik]

Phedilo gives Maui a hard look, clearly trying to keep his cool and find a way to explain things to the foreigner. "The crux of the matter is this, Mr. Maui: a group of very evil people are trying to steal an item that connects to another world and has the power to manipulate this one. It would be a very bad thing if they were succeed in obtaining this item."

"Does that help?" The halfling's desire to make Maui understand seems sincere.

 

[Tark]

OOC: I leveled? After that last short bit I honestly didnt think I did. Huh. Will do that asap.

Temarel listens carefully to the words being spoken taking a quiet approach to things adn listening before talking. A small diplomatic trick that can go for miles. Once the halfling has done spoken he looks on somewhat bewildered.

"You say you have an object that has moods? Tempers? And is apparently to give someone considerable magical might some issues? It sounds as if even if said people got there no doubt slime covered hands upon it it'd be more trouble for them then they could handle unless they possessed such power themselves. That boads even worse for its escorts. No, I'm afraid it's far too much risk. My magical abilities are unremarkable compared to my father's people. Contending with a powerful artifacts ill temper and a black cults machinations hardly suit one of my skill. You should see if some more seasoned wizards or perhaps the elves can..."

"We must do this." Sauvressa interrupts.

Astonished at the angelic creatures sudden assertiveness on a matter that doesn't involve protecting him or somehow assaulting another he simply stops what he's saying and turns to her slackjawed.

She regards him with her serene eyes and her stony poise and ever ready posture loosens somewhat. For an all too brief moment a look of imploring sadness crosses her features.

"Please, beloved, you must do this. It will do much good."

Closing his mouth Temarel turns back to the halfling. "Well it seems my companion believes otherwise. She can be very difficult to tear away from her course of action so for the sake of my sanity, my liver, and no doubt the local property values I can bring some knowledge of planar and magical affairs to this particularly suicidal endeavour. I for one can vouch for the stoic Fulgrim. There are few problems I've seen him not simply stand firm and apply an axe to until it ceased to be a minor annoyance to him. Sauvressa here is a creature of another plane though bugger all if I knew which one and even she doesn't speak of it. I cannot speak for the others, I'm afraid."

 

[Qik]

I leveled? After that last short bit I honestly didnt think I did. Huh. Will do that asap.

OOC: As long as the XP number on your wiki sheet is correct (I couldn't tell b/c you didn't have all your XP totals listed). Tamarel is listed as having 3434 XP, and level 3 is 3300. Happy leveling.

 

[jbear]

Maui nods understanding dawning on his face.

"Ahhh, now you are talking te sense! This is the stuff of heroes! You are lucky you have found te Village Heroe's Hall full of axceptional folk. Maui will help te others keep your stone safe from these people who look for you."

Maui waits for the conversation to end before giving his fairwells to leave the inn and find a proper place to sleep beneath the open sky near something green.

 

[jkason]

Eanos Setirav, human inquisitor

Eanos listens carefully as Phedilo relates the nature of the stone. The concern building in his expression lightens a bit as Maui brings his unique perspective onto things. And when the apparently otherworldly guardian adds her endorsement, the archer's convictions seem to have returned.

"Sounds, then, like we really will need to be guarding from both sides," Eanos offers up. "Good thing we've got another student of the planes on our side, then." he says, bowing greeting and appreciation to both summoner and eidolon.

"If you don't know how to control the stone, guess we'll have to do with knowing staying on our toes. At least we know it's a factor.

"All of which sounds like I'm definitely going to need that full night's rest, yes?" he says with a wink.

OOC: I believe I equipped Eanos to my satisfaction before entering the Inn, so I'm ready to forward to morning if no one else has any questions.

[sblock=mini stats]Eanos Setirav
Initiative: +6
AC: 17
HP: 23 Current: 23
CMB: +3 CMD: 16 Fort: +4 Reflex: +5 Will: +7

Conditions: none

In Hand: None.

Arrows: 20/20
Blunt Arrows: 20/20
Cold Iron Arrows: 19/19
Silver Blunt Arrows: 16/16
CLW Wand charges: 49/50 remaining

Judgement: 1/1 Remaining Determination: 2/2 remaining
Silver Tongued Haggler: 5/6 remaining
Spells: Orisons (DC 13): Brand, Create Water, Detect Magic, Disrupt Undead, Guidance, Light
1st (4/4 remaining)(DC 14): Divine Favor, Expeditious Retreat, Protection from Evil, Shield of Faith[/sblock]

 

[Qik]

Phedilo's eyes widen when Tamarel remarks that Sauvressa hails from another plane. He bows his head at the pair in a gesture of respect and says simply, "I thank you for your willingness to help."

The halfling seems pleased that he and Maui finally seem to understand each other, even though the druid's bravado clearly catches him by surprise.

To Eanos' remarks, he says, "I'm sorry to say that I don't know how to control the stone. I'm quite certain that it can't be reasoned with - it's an object born from chaos itself - and the extent of its powers far outstrip my own. As you say, Master Eanos, the best we can do is to stay on our toes and handle any complications as they arise, no matter their source."

"And yes," the halfling smiles thinly, even though the worry behind the expression is clear enough, "I suggest you get some sleep."

Once the group has finished asking any questions they may have, Phedilo gives them directions to his shop in Arcane Row and requests their arrival shortly after sunrise the following morning; he then bids them good day, and leaves them to their preparations.

OOC: Feel free to ask anymore questions, make a stop at the Mystic Pearl, etc; I'll move things on to the next morning sometime later today or tomorrow.

 

[Tark]

OOC: It's been brought to my attention that I have entirely too much spare gold. So I'll be visiting the mystic pearl before we move on.