Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="WayneLigon" data-source="post: 1370377" data-attributes="member: 3649">Episode 13: Return to RunestoneThe party consists of…Vorz, male Litorian Totem Warrior (Wolf)2/Litorian3Sellik, male Verrik Mage Blade4, Verrick 1Kyran, female Verrik Iron Witch3/Mage Blade2Mont Nuyen, male Human Unbound Unfettered5Alayah, female Loresong Faen Greenbond5Na-Vilarus, male Giant Giant 3, Warmain 2 Rizz, male kobold Expert2After Arida (ah-ri-dah) the Red delivers the party back to the city of Runestone, they all meet with the Queen’s advisor, Nastri. Nastri calls a council consisting of the Steward, the Queen’s Magister, and a female giant named Ua-La, who sits in as an observer. Kyren notes the tattoos on the woman’s wrists and arms; she’s undergone the ritual to empower her unarmed attacks. Ua-La, it turns out, is an Oathsworn Runemane from the Empire that lies to the west. At the Council, the group describes the situation near Wealstone, especially their concerns about the Count. Eana and Conn have been busy in the meantime. Eana takes Mont aside and shows him a preserved thumb; that being the only thing that remains of the caravan master that brought them to Runestone in the first place (see Episode 1); his anger at Mont’s treatment of him in front of his servants prompted him to pay for attempts on Mont’s life. Now, Conn is trying to find who the merchant hired to summon up shadows…In reward for taking the citadel, the group is given an in-city villa (10 rooms plus ample courtyard) in the good part of down, near to the Gate of Swords. The Councilors take their info and digest it, conferring with the Queen and others over the next several days. The adventurers visit the lair of the Artificer, to claim the second part of their reward: access to the giant’s services in enchanting their weapons. Several orders are placed, which will take almost a month to complete.Fourthmonth 18The group moves into their new abode, and begins to hire on personnel. They finally settle on Rokus and Aria Wright, an old married couple who will cook, clean, manage the house and grounds, and in general take care of the place during the group’s extended absences. Guards are hired, two to stay on at any time in rotation. Four guard dogs are also purchased, and given to Alayah to train. Once these tasks are done, the group holds a housewarming party for the people they know, and also invite the dock people up, that they got to know during the short time they had the houseboat. Of course, the dock folk are more than eager for any party, as are the friends of friends, and the neighbors, all of which come to see what these new people are like. Ia-Ka and Tel-Morn show up, and Vorz spends much time with both over the course of the night, finding out what’s been going on in their absence. During the party, they also find that some of the men from the tentacle-expedition have delved into the old temple ruins on their own. They found a large series of subterranean tunnels, and hacked open a sealed chamber. Doing so freed a pair of creatures that killed most of them, and wounded the rest. Concerned from the man’s description, Alayah investigates the huge man’s recent wound.. and finds that he has the Rot, as if from fighting the undead. Lending her powers to cure the man so he will not rise again, the group makes preparations for the next day. They decide to wait a day, so that one of the weapons will be ready. Going to the artificers tower and doing the Ceremony of Presentation, they then go see the healer Iaska. They buy some healing potions, anti-venom, and a couple of precious disease curing potions. Thus armed, they go to the Lost Quarter the next day and there find that creatures come at night to steal people from the hovels. Sometimes those people are seen again, most of the time not. Vorz tracks the creatures to the old well that is the second main entrance to the ruined temple complex they’ve dealt with before. Descending to the lowest depths, the group wades along the shallow outlet, eventually reaching a place where the ancient drainage system crosses and recrosses into dozens of openings. There, they’re attacked by undead goblins and rats, then people, then lizard men. Finally, they face a tremendous shark-thing that stinks of undeath. Barely managing to defeat these foes, they pressed on to the opened chamber, there fighting two invisible foes. Mont sets one on fire, while the other one is splashed with dust; both become partially visible, the figure wreathed in flame much larger than the human-female-sized second figure. The large mummy almost kills two members before he’s brought to death once more, and the woman follows soon afterwards. As the spell around them fades, the smaller is seen as indeed a human woman, but the other mummy turns out to be a tremendous troll… Searching the area, the group finds a hidden cache of treasures; old, old coins… and a jade statue of the demoness Kaz-Hadath. Unsure of what to make with the demon’s connection to the mummies, they take the old coins (and a drawing of the woman’s face, since the Queen seems to be interested in the olden times of the area), and retire back to the villa to rest and recuperate. Fourthmonth 21A new day dawns… </blockquote>

Verification