Copperheads: Betrayal and Strange Runes and Burning Dead, oh my (short update 02/12)

[Lela]

Something someone put up a while ago to deal with such issues. Can't remember who, but I would give credit if I knew--promise.

: : :


If a die fails to provide satisfactory results after several gaming sessions, despite your best efforts and our superb array of advice (which I can send you), it MUST be punished. Please select the method most appropriate for your circumstances……and level of frustration:

1) Throw the die into a solid surface as hard as possible. Think of it as a wake-up call. If the die survives, allow a session or two for recuperation before using it in game play again.

2) Ostracize it from the other dice by keeping it separate during play. Force it to watch all the fun, but do not allow it to participate. Shunning can be a powerful motivator, just ask the Amish.

3) Pop it in the washing machine with your socks and undies. That should do the trick.

4) Drop the die into a Fry Daddy or similar torture device for a few seconds. Consider this an RPG version tough love.

5) Banish the die to a lonely place (a drawer, your glove compartment, beneath the couch, whatever) for several weeks, months, or years. This is a more severe form of ““shunning,”” as described in #2.
Sadly, these dice behavior correction techniques are not always effective. What I’’m about to suggest next may astound or offend some of you, but occasionally it may prove necessary to destroy a die as an ““example”” to the others. This is not a decision to take lightly, and you should only attempt die disposal in the most extreme cases. First, line up all of your other dice with the highest number facing the guilty die. The guilty die should then be destroyed in a wicked and horrifying manner, with all of the other dice in close proximity to observe the execution. You may use any means of ruination desirable, but we recommend a brief encounter with Mr. Sledgehammer, followed by a somewhat lengthier visit from Mr. Blowtorch. Typically, you can expect that the other dice will be scared enough to behave properly for awhile after witnessing this event. You may find it useful, though, to keep the tool(s) of destruction, and even the terminated die's remnants, on hand as a valuable reminder.

 

[arwink]

Saturday, August 26th, 508 AF, continued

Geoffrey and Thrash are hesitant as they sit beside Halgo, nervously glancing over the dwarfs head as he stares with rapt attention at the naked woman.

"Who are you, strangers, that you walk into my home," she says.

"My names Halgo," Halgo begins explaining immediately. Geoffrey gets a pained expression and kicks at the dwarfs ankle, but it does little good. "This is Geoffrey, and Thrash. We've come looking for a dragon that was supposed to live in the caves."

"You have come seeking Copperdeath?" The musical voice seems to raise in pitch, dancing back and forth between notes with a sense of mournful hope. "Then Valea is pleased. Too many years have I been kept here, far from home. Long have I waited for heroes worthy of the task to free me."

"It would be an honor to accept such a task," Halgo says. His eyes are shining with joy at being able to do something for the creature standing before him. He looks accross at Geoffrey "we are going to do it, right? We have to help her. It's our job or something."

Geoffrey sighs heavily, then tries to manage a stern look at Valea.
"Shouldn't there have been other heroes coming through here, in the past day or so?"

"Certainly," Valea says. "Not two days ago, a pair came past and offered to slay the dragon for me, to free me from it's bonds. They climbed upwards to its lair, and I have heard nothing from them since. I assume that they failed. Copperdeath is a harsh master, and has powers beyond the mortal ken. It pained me that such brave beings have died in an effort to free me from centuries of imprisonment, bound by the dragons magic, but I am sure that the three of you possess power and skill far beyond theirs."

Geoffrey can hear the subtle clues that she's lying in her voice. A slight waver here, a momentary pause there. He nods, keeping the information to himself. He's in no hurry to angry an unknown creature, particularly with Halgo bewitched as he is and not knowing exactly how well Thrash can handle himself.

"Do you have anything that could help us? Information, spells, items?"
Valea examines him carefully, and for a few moments Geoffrey is sure the woman knows he knows she's lying. In the end, it appears as though this doesn't matter. She nods quietly, then disappears underneath the water. Everyone gathers at the waters edge to watch.

"Dude, there's bodies under there," Thrash murmers quietly, subtly gesturing to shapes in the murky water. It's difficult to make out details with the rippling water, but they do look a great deal like bodies. Geoffrey nods, while Halgo starts looking for justifications for Valea's uninvolvement in the death.

When she returns, Valea carries two potions, a wet silk rope and a longbow. She lays them on the edge of the pool for the group to examine, and Geoffrey is pleased to notice the runes for Cure Light Wounds on both vials.

"I don't think this'll be much good," he mutters, nudging the waterlogged bow with his foot. Valea shrugs, a move that causes the attentive Halgo to blush furiously. "The one who gave it to me assured me that it was magical. Should you dry it, I have no doubt it will be of use."

Geoffrey picks up the bow, looks at it for several long moments. His weapons training focused primarily on the javelin and crossbow, and he's seen Halgo shooting at targets before. Wordlessly, it's handed over to Thrash who beams widely.

"So how to we find this dragon?" Halgo asks. "And what do we have to do to free you?"
"The dragon has bound me with this anklet," Valea says. "I know not the magic he has used, but one who tried to remove it from me was killed by it's magic. I have not seen his lair for several centuries, but it lies atop the waterfall. It will require great strength and skill to reach it, from what I know. Many I have seen attempt the climb, over the centuries, have failed before reaching the top."

Geoffrey walks over to the torrent of water, and can make out a dangling rope flicking back and forth. He stares up at the hole the water falls through, and can make out the edges of a ramp winding back and forth twenty feet up.
"Can we make it?" Halgo asks, eager to be off.
"We spend twenty feet climbing against the current to get to that ramp, from there is should be a little easier."
"Should?"

Geoffrey sighs and doesn't answer. With a weary expression, he starts removing his armor.

 

[Lela]

Well, this is gonna suck. Big time.

 

[arwink]

Saturday, August 26th, 508 AF, continued

Thrash is first up the rope, his lithe frame moving slowly against the pressing rush of water. Geoffrey and Halgo watch him go, turning into a dark shadow in the mist as he reaches the far side.

"There's a ledge," Thrash shouts, his voice barely legible against the roar of the waterfall. "It's damp and hard to keep your feet, but we should be able to crawl along it all the way up. Start climbing, I'll try and pull you up with the rope."

Geoffrey motions for Halgo to start, his eyes glancing back towards Valea. The naked woman is laying against the side of the pool, watching the proceeding with shining eyes and a slight smirk. When Halgo hesitates at the idea, Geoffrey silently reminds himself that the dwarf is enchanted as he forces him to start climing the rope.

Halgo's climb is torturous and difficult, he's never been strong and his frame is decidedly unsuited to the task of clambering up a rope. Thrash hauls on the rope, gradually pulling the dwarf against the water. By the time Halgo's on the other side of the climb, he's spitting water and gasping for air.

Geoffrey proves more adept at handling the rope, although he's forced to carry his armor in a sack danging from his waist. Coughing and spluttering, he finds his feet on the ledge after the first attempt. He's greeted by the strange sight of Halgo laying on his back, still spluttering and breathing deeply now he's free of the water. Thrash looks decidedly odd, his short hair slicked down by the rush of water and his speech strangely lucid after the refreshing blast of cold.

"You want to put your armor on now?" he asks, then he gestures upwards. "Or do you want to wait until we hit the end of that?"

Geoffrey looks up to see the thin ramp twisting around the central waterfall, spiraling upwards beyond the limit of his vision. The water falling changes color and emits a soft light, and the mists are tinged with a range of hues from all parts of the rainbow. The awe inspired by the sight is lessened by the presence of large, thick webbing running through the waterfall and several bundles twisting against the strands that can only be fish.

"Spiders?" Geoffrey asks. Thrash nods.
"They probably wont attack," he comments. "There's more than enough fish there, and it looks like they've got a pretty sweet plan going there. The main problem will be slipping off the ledge - there's pretty good odds we'll get stuck in those webs and it'd take a fair sized spider to spin something that'll hold up against the waterfall."

"I think I'll put on armor now," Geoffrey comments. He doesn't relish a climb over the slick stone of the ramp while armored, but he's heard tales of giant spiders and virrulent poison in his training. He's in no hurry to test his healing training against it.

Scaling the ramp takes the better part of five hours, and none of the adventurers enjoys the experience. They spend much of their time on their hands and knees, Geoffrey with a dagger in hand that he tries to catch into nooks and cranny in the stone. At one point, when his legs slip out from under him and he slides towards the edge of the ramp, the dagger is the only thing between him and a free-fall into a spider web. He curses loudly, and scrambles back onto the ramp with a less-than-elegant flurry of limbs and desperation. After the first hour, everyone is tired, wet and misserable, methodically moving upwards while trying to forget about their surroundings.

Eventually they near the top of the ramp, and by the light of the glowing water they can make out a long open window, five feet above the surface of the ramp and nearly fifteen feet long. The room behind it looks dark and empty, but there lure of stability and an escape from the drenching water almost over-ride caution. Thrash is the first to scramble through, acting before anyone else can stop him. Geoffrey and Halgo both hold their breath for the space of a few seconds, waiting for a scream of pain or surprise.

Neither comes.

Instead, Thrash pokes his head through the window.
"You've got to come through this thing," he yells, and they notice his hair has resumed a spiked appearance that does a good imitation of a birds nest, "It totally dries out everything."

 

[Lela]

Hmmm, yet another magic item that's practical but not adventure related. I'll likely yoink that at some point.

Thrash is kinda fun. Too bad he's played by someone who has a bit of trouble with the dice. Perhaps a total change would be in order there. Or the blowtorch.

 

[arwink]

-sigh-

Edited the above due to inexact notes. Halgo is going to go for a dip, but it didn't happen here. He managed the climb without falling.

 

[Khynal]

So the Thrash hairstyle is self-perpetuating? It fixes itself up, when dried?

Wouldn't that be handy? A hair gel for punk adventurers.

 

[Capellan]

So the Thrash hairstyle is self-perpetuating? It fixes itself up, when dried?

Wouldn't that be handy? A hair gel for punk adventurers.

And it's evidently not a water-based gel. Suddenly I'm interested to know just which liquids the 'drying' magic would actually affect, and which would be allowed through OK. I'm assuming that it's some kind of oil-based gel, so oils are probably OK.

It's a pity Halgo is half a world away by now

 

[Durhon]

It's a pity Halgo is half a world away by now

So I take it we won't be gaming for a while??

 

[arwink]

Saturday, August 26th, 508 AF, continued

Geoffrey and Halgo pass through the window, the sudden evaporation of the water leaving their throats dry.

"That's...odd," Geoffrey comments. Halgo is too busy checking the pages of his spellbook for damage to answer.

The top level of the caves seem mostly empty. The adventurers spend a few minutes exploring a gallery filled with four feet chess peices and a copper bell, giving wide berth to a spiderweb that fills a fifteen foot long stretch of wall. Following a hall filled with mauled statues of human soldiers and miners, they eventually reach a large cavern that spreads out beyond the limit of Geoffrey's sun-rod. As they enter into the cavern, Geoffrey and Thrash make out the sound of muffled talking in the distance.

Although much of the cavern is dark, there is a dim patch of illumination from the northeast corner. A quick exploration finds a ramp leading up to a crack on the wall, and the light creeping through the crack. The dim sound of talking gets slightly louder here.

"Check it now?" Trash whispers. Halgo shakes his head, motioning everyone back.
"Lets check the rest first," he explains after they've moved back. "I'd rather not leave anything behind us."

The exploration of the room reveals no enemies, but there are a number of curiousities. The most greusome are ten copper statues, made with such detail that they seem almost lifelike. Halgo offers the comment that they may have been transformed by magic, but points out that the damage caused to the metal forms make returning them to flesh potentially fatal.

The second discovery that takes everyone aback is a small building, over ten feat tall, set into the eastern wall. The building has no windows or doors, but the ceiling hangs over the walls and bears what appears to be a giant handle. Geoffrey boosts Halgo up for a closer look, and he confirms that the roof isn't bound to the walls by mortar.

"It's like a giant doll house," Halgo explains, quickly picking up on the reason for the handle. "You can take the roof off and peer inside."
"Why in hell would you put that into a dungeon?" Geoffrey asks. Halgo just shrugs.

Next to the dolls house is a table nearly ten feet tall, with large chunks of crystal scattered accross the top. Geoffrey boosts Thrash up, and the slow process of passing the table contents to the floor for Halgo to examine with magic begins. Although none show any signs of enhancement, Halgo suggests they may be psionic rather than conventional magic.
"Store them under the table," he says. "If we get out of here alive, we'll leave them for Blarth to check."

They return to the ramp. Little can be seen through the crack beyond the gleam of light, but Halgo recognises the muffled language being spoken as goblin. They spend several minutes examining the wall, searching for some secret door that leads to the chamber beyond, but none appears. Eventually, the three of them settle on the ramp to contemplate the problem.

"Think we missed something in the room?" Geoffrey asks. "Some hidden doorway in the hall or some such?"
Halgo shakes his head. Like all dwarves he knows his stone, and the odds of something like that escaping his scruitiny is slime.
"It's got to be up here," the wizard says. "Why build a ramp to a dead end? It's stupid. It's almost like..."
He pauses and snaps his fingers. He scrambles up the ramp and sticks his hand through the wall, wiggling it on the far side. Within seconds, the wall sloughs away and he can see the room beyond.
"Illusion," he says. Geoffrey is quick to follow, but Thrash is more difficult, stubbornly believing in the walls existence until Geoffrey grabs him and forces his head through the seemingly solid stone.
'Whoah," Thrash mutters.

Beyond the illusory wall is another large cavern, stretching out for several hundred feet. The room is well lit by flickering torches and glowing moss, and the floor seems to be made of corroded copper. The cavern is filled with Goblin equipement, and a number of the ugly creatures scurry along the floor. The group makes out an impromtu kichen and dining area, a livestock pen with several cows and horses within, and a row of work benches lines with blue crystals much like the ones they found on the giant work table. In the distance, towards the far end of the cavern, they can make out the form of a giant dragon. It appears to be dead, its body slowly decaying, but it has been the site of recent activity. It's mouth is propped open by a pair of spears, and the dragons throat.

In addition to the goblins hurrying around, there is a small human child chained to the centre of the chamber. He cries pitiously, although they are muffled by a filthy rag stuffed into his mouth. Two other children, both human, are kept in a cramped cave near the livestock.

Thrash is the first to respond to the scene.
"Thirteen," he whispers quietly. "Four leader types on top of that."
"What?" Geoffrey hisses.
"There's thirteen goblin warriors down there, plus four which show signs of being something special."
He points around the room.
"The guy down by the dragon, the one who'se flesh is going blue and whose head looks like a ripe mellon, he's probably something odd. Mage, maybe, or something like it. That one over there, standing guard over the kids, he's dressed in robes like bulgy head so they're probably the same. Apprentice, if we're lucky. Over by the ale, with the crown. Some kind of leader. The bigger goblin scowling at everyone is probably a bodyguard."

"All that in three seconds?" Geoffrey comments.
"It's a knack," Thrash shrugs. "We going to take them?"
"There's seventeen of them," Halgo comments.
"Yeah, so?" Thrash asks.
"There's three of us," Halgo says helpfully.
Thrash shrugs.
"We've got surprise, a nice ledge to shoot at them from, and there's children down there."
"He's got a point," Goeffrey says, but he sounds dubious. He has three javelins in a sling accross his back, but he's not sure that will hold off a goblin horde.
"It'll work," Thrash promises. He readies the enchanted longbow and tests its pull. "Besides, this was dried out by that window."
"Look," Halgo says. "I'm not saying we can't take them, but we've already lost Yip to this place. Let's not risk another death."
"Do you really think anyone else in Bellhold will be good for this," Geoffrey starts to argue, playing devils advocate. "Apart from Blarth, and we don't even know if he's..."

The debate is cut short.

"Congratulations," a voice hisses through the air, in badly broken common. Everyone's eyes snap back to the cavern, and they spot the swollen headed goblin looming over the trapped boy. "Today is your lucky day, boy! Soon you'll have power...or you'll be dead. Either way, human, your life will be better."

The goblin raises a hammer while the guards hold the child down, and flourishes what appears to be a shard of blue glass. As he moves in, the child thrashes against the guards and goes limp.

"Blast," Halgo swears. His crossbow is raised before the word leaves his lips.