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
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
Erkonin (Campaign #2) [Session 45: Rajalmin's Agent]
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="prabe" data-source="post: 8258545" data-attributes="member: 7016699"><p>Session 40: ERROR</p><p></p><p>Dramatis Personae:</p><p>Aldalómiel - Wood Elf Ranger (Hunter Conclave)/Druid (Circle of Stars)</p><p>Elama “Lamie” Galanodel- Wood Elf Cleric (Tempest)</p><p>Vinya Anar - Wood Elf Monk (Way of the Sun Soul)</p><p>Elderon - High Elf Wizard (Loremaster)</p><p>Marxine - Mountain Dwarf Fighter (Champion)/Paladin</p><p></p><p>GM - Everyone Else</p><p></p><p>(Note: This session was held on Discord.)</p><p></p><p></p><p>12 Bluzzimin 749 (Campaign day 163)(immediately after)</p><p></p><p>We ended when the last of the spawn of Kyuss in the library of the Herald of Galactus Undeath (formerly known as the gnome Intororum) dropped. Elama had a situation -- because she had 2 of the worms of Kyuss in her and about 40 remaining hit points.</p><p></p><p>Aldalomiel shifted into her starry chalice form because that increases her healing potential. Elama cast cure wounds on herself to buy some time. Vinya ran ahead out of the house to get to Tulwark and ask for directions to a temple.</p><p></p><p>Vinya blasted out of the front door and almost into Tulwark, who was right outside the door of the house, a goliath surrounded by 20 or so gnomes, each of whom wanted to know what was going on inside. Vinya, seeing the situation, gestured for him to lean over so she could talk to him quietly.</p><p></p><p>Vinya, whispering in Tulwark’s ear: We think the house is clear, but we need a temple. One of my friends has been harmed by undead.</p><p>Little Invisible Voice: What kind of undead?</p><p>Vinya, out loud: Spawn of Kyuss. Also suffragans. She got some worms. The house needs to stay secure but we need to get her to a temple.</p><p></p><p>A gnome appeared where the invisible voice had come from, wearing the robes of a cleric of the Random & Certain.</p><p></p><p>Gnome: Well, I sure followed the crowd to the right place.</p><p></p><p>Vinya led that gnome into the house, leaving Tulwark to deal with the rest of the crowd.</p><p></p><p>Gnome: Wow. He let this place go.</p><p>Vinya: He had other stuff going on.</p><p></p><p>Vinya, loudly: Elama! Help is here!</p><p>Elama, coming up the stairs: Whew!</p><p></p><p>The gnome then proceeded to cast the appropriate spell on Elama, killing the disgusting worms inside her.</p><p></p><p>Elama: How did you get here?</p><p>Gnome: By following someone who looked like they knew where they were going, I wound up where I needed to be.</p><p>Vinya: What’s up with that crowd?</p><p>Gnome: People around here know Tulwark and saw him outside the house and other people going in. We gnomes are a curious folk.</p><p>Vinya, flashing badge: We’re guard as well. We need to talk to Tulwark now. Thank you.</p><p>Elama: Thank you muchly!</p><p></p><p>We went back to the entrance, where Tulwark was still surrounded by gnomes, though they seemed to be asking fewer questions.</p><p></p><p>Gnome: Tulwark, your colleague isn’t dying now.</p><p>Tulwark: Thank you, Alnoroto.</p><p></p><p>We then started to talk to Tulwark about going back into the house with him to look at the circle there and make sure the place was clear. The gnomes were part of this conversation, though Alnoroto seemed to emerge as their spokesperson. We told Tulwark (and the gnomes) that we thought it was clear of major dangers, but there might still be some worms of Kyuss lurking around. The gnomes wanted to come in with us to make sure that Intororum hadn’t stolen anything from anyone else in the community. Or maybe that he didn’t have undead stealing from the community. Or because they wanted to see what was up.</p><p></p><p>The gnomes finally settled on two of their number to come with us, Alnoroto and one named Ixloxit, a former adventurer, as being the most psychologically and physically equipped to deal with the remains in the library and whatever else we might find in the house.</p><p></p><p>Speaker for the Gnomes: You guys are with Dhur’s guard. Tulwark will represent Kalam’s. And we’ll have some of our eyes in there as well.</p><p></p><p>Tulwark sighed and acquiesced with this plan.</p><p></p><p>The rest of the gnomes stayed outside blocking the doorway.</p><p></p><p>Vinya, to Alnoroto and Ixloxit: Do y’all routinely steal from one another?</p><p>Alnoroto: Well, I don’t see how Spawn of Kyuss could be here without him being involved with bad things somehow. If he’s gone that kind of bad, maybe he’s also stealing from us.</p><p>Marxine: Honestly, I’d prefer to live next to a guy raising zombies to steal from people than what we actually found.</p><p></p><p>When we got to the library, Alnoroto, Ixloxit and Tulwark seemed bothered but not ill or overwhelmed by what we found there.</p><p></p><p>The circle was another summoning (or contacting) circle to Orcus. Elderron figured out that the more undead there were around, the more powerful the signal or contact would be. Which explained all the spawn of Kyuss -- and possibly the worms, because those are also technically undead. The circle was made with unwholesome smears on the ground and powered by undead -- which it sucked the unlife out of. It looked similar to the circle in the warehouse -- but looked like it was made with more knowledge and less rote following of instructions.</p><p></p><p>In the papers in the library, we found some about how to summon Orcus. And a journal in which he talked about having gotten pissed off because the Kul-Izir hadn’t chosen him as her heir. Because of that anger and disaffection, he used the knowledge that he already had.</p><p></p><p>The gnomes recognized the Herald as Intororum.</p><p></p><p>Vinya: I don’t see how the timing works -- he hasn’t been seen for six weeks but it’s more like 10 weeks since the captain of the Ocean’s Blessing had a sense that weird things were afoot here and that he didn’t want to stay.</p><p>Marxine, looking over the journals: It looks like he was doing some things as far as undead mayhem and Orcus cabals before he started to actually become the Herald.</p><p></p><p>We speculated for a bit about how Intororum as the Herald intended to get out of the basement of this house, then found a trap door in the door in the floor in the middle of the circle that was definitely big enough for the Herald to squeeze through. Vinya followed the tunnel and found an exit into Kalam out beyond the gnomish neighborhood.</p><p></p><p>While she was doing that, Marxine was looking through Intororum’s notes to see if she could find any accomplices. Alnoroto, Ixloxit and Tulwark were looking around the library and the rest of the house. They found some stuff that they didn’t know where it came from.</p><p></p><p>Vinya: Did anyone else live here with him? Family or anything?</p><p>Ixloxit: His parents are gone and his sister moved out a few years ago.</p><p></p><p>We collected the papers and books on how to summon Orcus to take those to the Well of Screams.</p><p></p><p>In addition to those we found a nice lot of treasure:</p><p></p><p>10,773 gp (2154 gp each, with 3 left for the party kitty)</p><p>1575 pp (315 pp each)</p><p>7 x 750gp value art items</p><p>1 silver and gold brooch</p><p>2 painted gold war masks from a culture on the far side of Za’akesh (Vinya took one of these)</p><p>3 decorative silver-plated longswords with jets in the hilts</p><p>1 ceremonial electrum dagger with a black pearl pommel -- Elderron recognized this as something used in high ritual magic.</p><p>Set of +1 breastplate (Elama)</p><p>Scimitar of Speed (this was left by the Herald of Undeath and was identified by the gnomes as having been in his family) (Elama)</p><p>2 potions of flying (in the handy haversack as a party item)</p><p>Spell Scroll -- Scatter (Elderron)</p><p>Mirror of Life Trapping (umm, eww)</p><p>A rod (this was held by the Herald as well)</p><p></p><p>Tulwark made an inventory of what we found while Elderron was casting identify on the Rod.</p><p></p><p>Tulwark: I need to report this. I don’t understand all of the magic that’s here. Or where it came from.</p><p></p><p>About that time, Elderron’s spell went off and he started telling us about the rod.</p><p></p><p>Rod of Litrices:</p><p></p><p>While carrying this rod, you are immune to spells and magic effects that would alter your form. In addition, when a creature misses you with a melee attack while you are carrying this rod, that creature must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be magically slowed. Until the end of its next turn it suffers the following drawbacks:</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">It can't use reactions.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Its speed is halved.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">It can't make more than one attack on its turn.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">It can take either an action or a bonus action on its turn, not both.</li> </ul><p>Also, when you make a saving throw against a spell that targets only you while carrying this item, you can choose to make the saving throw with advantage. If the saving throw succeeds and the spell is 7th level or lower, the spell has no effect on you and instead targets the caster, using the slot level, spell save DC, attack bonus, and spellcasting ability of the caster. If the spell requires concentration, it lasts until the end of the caster's next turn, even if they choose not to maintain their concentration on it. Once used, this property can't be used again until the next noon.</p><p></p><p>Anoroto: Holy crap!</p><p></p><p>Anoroto’s take on the Rod of Litrices was shared by pretty much everyone in the room.</p><p></p><p>Vinya, to Tulwark: Add to your inventory the books and papers about how to summon Orcus. Those need to be taken somewhere safer.</p><p></p><p>While Tulwark was struggling to write with writing implements not sized for his goliath hands, the party looked through the rest of the library. Many of the books were normal, fine books -- histories of Dhaqi and Za’akesh, etc.</p><p></p><p>Vinya: Maybe Intororum’s sister would like those.</p><p>Tulwark: There may be other interested people as well.</p><p></p><p>Before we left the house, we looked around for worms like the ones we’d found in the kitchen. We zapped a few more worms with radiant damage before deciding that the house was clear of any active Bad Stuff.</p><p></p><p>When we got out of the house, Tulwark told us that he was going to take the inventory to his Lieutenant. His lieutenant would talk to Lt. Linnolim and they’d work out what needed to come back and be restored to someone. Until then, we could keep it.</p><p></p><p>Aldalomiel, looking at the 5’ tall mirror of life trapping: It seems like it would be awkward to use.</p><p>Vinya: Yeah.</p><p>Tulwark: I’ll get a cart over here to help you shift this stuff.</p><p></p><p>While we were waiting for the cart, the assembled gnomes apparently realized that all the interesting activity was done and drifted away, wishing us good luck and good day. When Alnoroto wished us good luck, it sounded a bit more like a blessing. Once we had the cart, we talked as we walked to Dhur and the guard house.</p><p></p><p>Elama: That went too well. I don’t think this is over.</p><p>Vinya: I’m not sure Intororum was the start of this. How did he just happen to stumble over information about how to summon Orcus?</p><p></p><p>When we got to the guard house, Lt. Linnolim was there. He seemed surprised to see us coming in with all that stuff.</p><p></p><p>Vinya: We may have found the origin point of the undead in the city. But maybe not.</p><p>Linnolim: You seem unsure.</p><p>Vinya: I’m not sure I’m convinced about the timeline.</p><p>Marxine: The timeline is fine. The guy thought he was a genius. He thought he was due to be next in line to be Kul-Izir. He probably thought he could get away with dealing with Orcus. He may have even thought he’d come out on top of the deals.</p><p>Vinya: Well, that’s all true. There may still be more undead -- he was seeding little Orcus cabals around and they might do something even with him gone. We can keep our ear to the ground about that sort of thing. Anyway, we found this stuff and Tulwark took an inventory. Said you’d work with his lieutenant to figure out what needs to go back.</p><p>Linnolim, looking at the cart: Interesting. A mirror of life trapping?</p><p>Vinya: I guess it’s maybe something y’all could use here…</p><p>Marxine: I’m not okay with its use as a prison. But it might be something that could hang at the Well of Screams.</p><p>Linnolim: My sister would like it, I’m sure. I’ll talk with the lieutenant in Kalam. I can definitely take the mirror off your hands and find a way to make you whole from the loss of that.</p><p>Vinya: We got this spiffy rod and we have this other stuff.</p><p>Linnolim: I’ll let you know in the next few days if any of it needs to go back. And if I hear of any further undead problems, I’ll let you know.</p><p></p><p>We left the mirror in Linnolim’s office and took ourselves and the rest of the stuff to Bultir’s for a rest. We figured that if nothing bad happened all day, the short rest would turn into a long rest and we’d have an afternoon to relax. Bultir’s has baths and we availed ourselves of those as well as having lunch and just relaxing. Elderron took Elama’s ring of warmth, because she needed to take that off to attune to the scimitar. We decided that Marxine was the best person to carry the rod, because she gets missed a lot in combat.</p><p></p><p>Vinya pulled out her painting set and painted in Lamie’s book, letting her drawings disappear as she flipped the pages.</p><p></p><p>Marxine: Monk naughty word.</p><p></p><p>The rest of the day and the night passed in relaxation, soaking, dining and rest.</p><p></p><p></p><p>16 Bluzzimin 749 (Campaign day 164)(immediately after)</p><p></p><p>At breakfast, Vinya asked Bultir if there was a place in Dhaqi where you could find out about current events elsewhere on Erkonin. Like what’s going on today in Kiranamakir or something.</p><p></p><p>Bultir: In Feloz, there’s a place called Lugux’s Wall. Information about elsewhere can be found there.</p><p>Vinya: Thank you.</p><p>Elama: I can also send to people.</p><p></p><p>Before heading to Feloz, we went to talk to Lieutenant Linnolim. We needed to check in at the guard station to keep our badges active and Marxine wanted to talk to him about how to get an audience with Imada Palmroot, the Izir of Dhur.</p><p></p><p>The lieutenant was happy to see us and told us that we could come back every day or two to check in. We just needed to remember to return our badges before we leave the city for good. We told Linnolim a little about Rajalmin -- because with the Herald of Undeath stopped, we were back on that scent. Or back trying to FIND that scent.</p><p></p><p>Marxine: He might have been egging Intororum on -- leaving him to find his own methods of doing bad things, but egging him on. Maybe Imada would know if there were new people in Intororum’s life. She might have some details of that nature that didn’t seem important to her to mention. We just need a few minutes of her time.</p><p>Linnolim: I will see what I can arrange.</p><p></p><p>We went then to Lugux’s Wall. It looked a little like a library study room -- with carrels and tables and chairs around and people reading broadsides. There were no stacks, just a booth that looked a bit like a box office with a young thin dragonborn woman sitting in the box office.</p><p></p><p>Woman: How can I help you?</p><p>Vinya: We’re looking for information about current events around Erkonin, but I don’t really know a specific city to ask for.</p><p>Woman: We can look for a person, a place, or a type of event.</p><p>Vinya, after consulting with the party: How about New Arvai?</p><p>Woman: Is there anything specific you’re looking for?</p><p>Vinya: An uptick in cabal activity and anything to do with the descendants of the wizard Danrom Orth.</p><p>Woman, taking notes: Okay. That will be 100gp.</p><p></p><p>Vinya paid the 100gp.</p><p></p><p>The woman gave us a wooden flag with a number on it and gestured us into the room to wait for our report.</p><p></p><p>We waited around a table for about 15 or 20 minutes then a runner came out with our report printed on a broadsheet.</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Romza Orth--Danrom Orth's granddaughter--is working as an instructor of applied optics and illusions in The School of the Mind. She's been behaving in a slightly paranoid fashion, something that is not her normal way. She's been asking for increasing levels of security in her home, office, and classrooms, as though she's expecting to be assaulted from off-plane at any moment.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">New Arvai itself is not experiencing more cabal activity than normal. In the past month-and-change, there was an aboleth that thought it was going to take over the city, but the guard settled that (with some help from some adventurers).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A Kotimanov ship rammed the docks in The Deeps, after a dispute over fees and tariffs. The damage slowed cargo transit for a couple weeks. The dispute was settled amicably over drinks.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">There was a fire in Coinscale. No merchant shops were damaged, but the city's Office of Weights and Trade was leveled. No trade bars were reported missing.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Some warehouses in Woodyard have been robbed. Many planks of very rare woods were stolen. The buildings were heavily secured, and locks were broken by main force. There were larger-than-human footprints on the floor.</li> </ul><p>Marxine suggested, and we all agreed, that that all sounded pretty normal. Except that we’ve left Romna Orth with budding mental health issues.</p><p></p><p>Vinya went back and asked for a report on the Enthroned and their new teachings. Elama’s divination on this had said that the priestesses were sincere in their beliefs.</p><p></p><p>Vinya, when she got back to the party: They’re sincere, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t bad actors behind their sincere beliefs.</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The priestesses have settled and taught for a time in several places. They have had better success in places where there were actual nobles. Where they have had success, the behavior of the nobles has changed--mostly for the better.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The Enthroned on Urnod--the Order, its hierarchy--seem mostly interested in the fact that the improved behavior comes with more-common attendance at services, and greater donations to the church's treasury.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">There is some thought the nobles whose behavior is changing are replacing one set of compulsive behaviors--gambling, drunkenness, and other vices--with another.</li> </ul><p>Vinya read that but it didn’t ease her suspicions about the Enthroned and the new teachings. Particularly that last line about replacing one set of compulsive behaviors with another.</p><p></p><p>(GM: Will you leave the straight-edge nobles alone?)</p><p></p><p>We got one final report, on Torm Brinnom, to see if there was any further activity there now that the Oni plot had been thwarted.</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Torm Brinnom is thriving. There was some tension among the clans a couple of months ago, but that seems to have settled down. The deaths of a number of oni seem likely to be connected both to the tension and to its recent relaxation.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">There have been some fumbling steps toward relaxing the pressures on the young dwarves in the direction of arranged marriages. Permissions among the clans will probably still be required, but in many instances are likely to be pro forma.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The miners have reported several rich strikes. The smiths and craftsmen are waiting anxiously to see what comes out of the mines.</li> </ul><p>Vinya: Well, that’s happy news to end on.</p><p></p><p>We left Lugux’s Wall and went to the Well of Screams to ask Jorcha about Sarik Whitesand, the halfling cleric from Dhaqi who had been part of the party that took down Rajalmin two hundred years ago.</p><p></p><p>Vinya, while we walked: I could really see getting into that place. It’s so cool just to see what’s going on in different places.</p><p>Elama: Or you could go to those places and see them for yourself. That’s a lot more fun.</p><p>Vinya: I’m just thinking, like sitting in there over coffee reading up on the world.</p><p></p><p>Jorcha was happy, but a little surprised, to see us. Once we told her what we wanted and why, she did have information for us.</p><p></p><p>Jorcha: She was a Hearthkeeper. Not a surprising choice for a halfling. She was really dedicated to getting fiends off of Erkonin. It became her primary concern when they stumbled over Rajalmin’s plans. She and Adlawan, the monk from Kiranamakir, were the strongest voices keeping the party on his trail.</p><p>Vinya: Does she have family in town?</p><p>Jorcha: She wasn’t from Dhaqi. She was of Dhaqi. She adopted the Queen of Cities as her home, as so many do. She was actually from a village some way down the Ewiv Canal, called Brush Bend.</p><p>Vinya: That’s the stream between the Feet of Marduk?</p><p>Jorcha: Exactly. The village is on the far side of the flats around where the canal takes a bend.</p><p>Vinya: Since you’ve done some research on this party, what do you know about Adlawan from Kiranamakir?</p><p>Jorcha: Adlawan was … kinda strange. From what I can tell, she seemed to know at least that Rajalmin was working on something before anyone else really had any idea. I don’t know what that was or how she knew anything so early. The records I’ve found indicate she had some sort of divinatory abilities as a monk, but those don’t seem to have been how she knew about Rajalmin.</p><p>Vinya: How long would it take to go down the canal to that village--Brush Bend?</p><p>Jorcha: No more than half a month.</p><p>Elama: Maybe we can save some time and ask at Zugzug’s Wall?</p><p>Vinya: Weren’t you just extolling the virtues of going and seeing?</p><p>Elama: We’re on the clock.</p><p>Vinya: Sort of. But in Torm Brinnom the plot took 30 years. (To Jorcha) Did your brother talk to you about a mirror?</p><p>Jorcha: Yes. We’d love it here of course, but I think it’s going to the Izir or the Kul-Izir.</p><p></p><p>We thanked her for the information and went back to Luxug’s Wall to get a report on Brush Bend.</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The halflings of Brush Bend are taking advantage of their position on the Ewiv Canal, slowly building a trade hub. The Tallpalms and the Whitesands are celebrating a pair of marriages they hope will make for a long and profitable alliance</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">ERROR</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">ERROR</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">FIRE AND SMOKE AND SULPHUR AND WHAT IS THAT</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">ERROR</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">END</li> </ul><p>Vinya: Hoo boy! There we go! Who do we go to for a teleport?</p><p>Elderron: Maybe Bultir or Linnolim can recommend someone.</p><p></p><p>Bultir’s was closer, so we went there as fast as we could, bursting in at mid-day as he was setting up lunch. Vinya, as the fastest and most concerned, was the first one into the room.</p><p></p><p>Bultir: What has gone wrong?</p><p>Vinya: Where would we go to get teleported somewhere?</p><p>Bultir: Where do you need to go?</p><p>Vinya: Brush Bend</p><p>Bultir: I know of it. Why?</p><p></p><p>Vinya showed him the broadsheet from Luxug’s Wall.</p><p></p><p>Bultir: To get somewhere fast, go to the Shining Silver Tetrahedron in Kalam. (He gave some directions.)</p><p>Vinya: Thank you.</p><p>Bultir: Good luck.</p><p></p><p>We proceeded quickly to Kalam and followed Bultir’s directions to the Shining Silver Tetrahedron. What we found is that it is basically none of those things -- it’s a non-descript building that looks somewhat like a warehouse. There was a small sign in front that was, in fact, a shining silver tetrahedron.</p><p></p><p>Inside we found a male dwarf, older than Marxine.</p><p></p><p>Dwarf, in Dwarvish: How can I help you?</p><p>Marxine, in Dwarvish: We have somewhere to be. Fast.</p><p>Dwarf: That is a large part of what we do here. Where?</p><p>Marxine: Brush Bend.</p><p>Elderron: You can get us there fast?</p><p>Dwarf: We can put you in a circle no more than a day’s travel overland. You’ll be at Elthir, the next village upstream from Brush Bend. 2000 gold each.</p><p>Us, almost in unison: Done.</p><p></p><p>We paid him then he took us into a back room. We waited for a minute while he cast teleportation circle then stepped through the circle. We stepped out into a circle under and awning in a semi-public square in a small village. The village looked pretty peaceful but there was a hint of sulfur and smoke in the air.</p><p></p><p>We asked after horses and whether there were any to rent or buy. The livery owner looked at us, recognized us as adventurers, and offered to sell us horses, tack, saddlebags and some food. For 100 gold apiece, we each got a horse and the necessary equipment.</p><p></p><p>Elama, to her horse: I’m going to call you Nibbles.</p><p>Vinya, to her horse, in Elvish: I’m going to call you Horse.</p><p></p><p>Once we were horsed up, the villagers pointed us to the road toward Brush Bend. We could see some smoke lingering in the air in that direction.</p><p></p><p>And there we ended -- in the golden afternoon.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="prabe, post: 8258545, member: 7016699"] Session 40: ERROR Dramatis Personae: Aldalómiel - Wood Elf Ranger (Hunter Conclave)/Druid (Circle of Stars) Elama “Lamie” Galanodel- Wood Elf Cleric (Tempest) Vinya Anar - Wood Elf Monk (Way of the Sun Soul) Elderon - High Elf Wizard (Loremaster) Marxine - Mountain Dwarf Fighter (Champion)/Paladin GM - Everyone Else (Note: This session was held on Discord.) 12 Bluzzimin 749 (Campaign day 163)(immediately after) We ended when the last of the spawn of Kyuss in the library of the Herald of Galactus Undeath (formerly known as the gnome Intororum) dropped. Elama had a situation -- because she had 2 of the worms of Kyuss in her and about 40 remaining hit points. Aldalomiel shifted into her starry chalice form because that increases her healing potential. Elama cast cure wounds on herself to buy some time. Vinya ran ahead out of the house to get to Tulwark and ask for directions to a temple. Vinya blasted out of the front door and almost into Tulwark, who was right outside the door of the house, a goliath surrounded by 20 or so gnomes, each of whom wanted to know what was going on inside. Vinya, seeing the situation, gestured for him to lean over so she could talk to him quietly. Vinya, whispering in Tulwark’s ear: We think the house is clear, but we need a temple. One of my friends has been harmed by undead. Little Invisible Voice: What kind of undead? Vinya, out loud: Spawn of Kyuss. Also suffragans. She got some worms. The house needs to stay secure but we need to get her to a temple. A gnome appeared where the invisible voice had come from, wearing the robes of a cleric of the Random & Certain. Gnome: Well, I sure followed the crowd to the right place. Vinya led that gnome into the house, leaving Tulwark to deal with the rest of the crowd. Gnome: Wow. He let this place go. Vinya: He had other stuff going on. Vinya, loudly: Elama! Help is here! Elama, coming up the stairs: Whew! The gnome then proceeded to cast the appropriate spell on Elama, killing the disgusting worms inside her. Elama: How did you get here? Gnome: By following someone who looked like they knew where they were going, I wound up where I needed to be. Vinya: What’s up with that crowd? Gnome: People around here know Tulwark and saw him outside the house and other people going in. We gnomes are a curious folk. Vinya, flashing badge: We’re guard as well. We need to talk to Tulwark now. Thank you. Elama: Thank you muchly! We went back to the entrance, where Tulwark was still surrounded by gnomes, though they seemed to be asking fewer questions. Gnome: Tulwark, your colleague isn’t dying now. Tulwark: Thank you, Alnoroto. We then started to talk to Tulwark about going back into the house with him to look at the circle there and make sure the place was clear. The gnomes were part of this conversation, though Alnoroto seemed to emerge as their spokesperson. We told Tulwark (and the gnomes) that we thought it was clear of major dangers, but there might still be some worms of Kyuss lurking around. The gnomes wanted to come in with us to make sure that Intororum hadn’t stolen anything from anyone else in the community. Or maybe that he didn’t have undead stealing from the community. Or because they wanted to see what was up. The gnomes finally settled on two of their number to come with us, Alnoroto and one named Ixloxit, a former adventurer, as being the most psychologically and physically equipped to deal with the remains in the library and whatever else we might find in the house. Speaker for the Gnomes: You guys are with Dhur’s guard. Tulwark will represent Kalam’s. And we’ll have some of our eyes in there as well. Tulwark sighed and acquiesced with this plan. The rest of the gnomes stayed outside blocking the doorway. Vinya, to Alnoroto and Ixloxit: Do y’all routinely steal from one another? Alnoroto: Well, I don’t see how Spawn of Kyuss could be here without him being involved with bad things somehow. If he’s gone that kind of bad, maybe he’s also stealing from us. Marxine: Honestly, I’d prefer to live next to a guy raising zombies to steal from people than what we actually found. When we got to the library, Alnoroto, Ixloxit and Tulwark seemed bothered but not ill or overwhelmed by what we found there. The circle was another summoning (or contacting) circle to Orcus. Elderron figured out that the more undead there were around, the more powerful the signal or contact would be. Which explained all the spawn of Kyuss -- and possibly the worms, because those are also technically undead. The circle was made with unwholesome smears on the ground and powered by undead -- which it sucked the unlife out of. It looked similar to the circle in the warehouse -- but looked like it was made with more knowledge and less rote following of instructions. In the papers in the library, we found some about how to summon Orcus. And a journal in which he talked about having gotten pissed off because the Kul-Izir hadn’t chosen him as her heir. Because of that anger and disaffection, he used the knowledge that he already had. The gnomes recognized the Herald as Intororum. Vinya: I don’t see how the timing works -- he hasn’t been seen for six weeks but it’s more like 10 weeks since the captain of the Ocean’s Blessing had a sense that weird things were afoot here and that he didn’t want to stay. Marxine, looking over the journals: It looks like he was doing some things as far as undead mayhem and Orcus cabals before he started to actually become the Herald. We speculated for a bit about how Intororum as the Herald intended to get out of the basement of this house, then found a trap door in the door in the floor in the middle of the circle that was definitely big enough for the Herald to squeeze through. Vinya followed the tunnel and found an exit into Kalam out beyond the gnomish neighborhood. While she was doing that, Marxine was looking through Intororum’s notes to see if she could find any accomplices. Alnoroto, Ixloxit and Tulwark were looking around the library and the rest of the house. They found some stuff that they didn’t know where it came from. Vinya: Did anyone else live here with him? Family or anything? Ixloxit: His parents are gone and his sister moved out a few years ago. We collected the papers and books on how to summon Orcus to take those to the Well of Screams. In addition to those we found a nice lot of treasure: 10,773 gp (2154 gp each, with 3 left for the party kitty) 1575 pp (315 pp each) 7 x 750gp value art items 1 silver and gold brooch 2 painted gold war masks from a culture on the far side of Za’akesh (Vinya took one of these) 3 decorative silver-plated longswords with jets in the hilts 1 ceremonial electrum dagger with a black pearl pommel -- Elderron recognized this as something used in high ritual magic. Set of +1 breastplate (Elama) Scimitar of Speed (this was left by the Herald of Undeath and was identified by the gnomes as having been in his family) (Elama) 2 potions of flying (in the handy haversack as a party item) Spell Scroll -- Scatter (Elderron) Mirror of Life Trapping (umm, eww) A rod (this was held by the Herald as well) Tulwark made an inventory of what we found while Elderron was casting identify on the Rod. Tulwark: I need to report this. I don’t understand all of the magic that’s here. Or where it came from. About that time, Elderron’s spell went off and he started telling us about the rod. Rod of Litrices: While carrying this rod, you are immune to spells and magic effects that would alter your form. In addition, when a creature misses you with a melee attack while you are carrying this rod, that creature must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be magically slowed. Until the end of its next turn it suffers the following drawbacks: [LIST] [*]It can't use reactions. [*]Its speed is halved. [*]It can't make more than one attack on its turn. [*]It can take either an action or a bonus action on its turn, not both. [/LIST] Also, when you make a saving throw against a spell that targets only you while carrying this item, you can choose to make the saving throw with advantage. If the saving throw succeeds and the spell is 7th level or lower, the spell has no effect on you and instead targets the caster, using the slot level, spell save DC, attack bonus, and spellcasting ability of the caster. If the spell requires concentration, it lasts until the end of the caster's next turn, even if they choose not to maintain their concentration on it. Once used, this property can't be used again until the next noon. Anoroto: Holy crap! Anoroto’s take on the Rod of Litrices was shared by pretty much everyone in the room. Vinya, to Tulwark: Add to your inventory the books and papers about how to summon Orcus. Those need to be taken somewhere safer. While Tulwark was struggling to write with writing implements not sized for his goliath hands, the party looked through the rest of the library. Many of the books were normal, fine books -- histories of Dhaqi and Za’akesh, etc. Vinya: Maybe Intororum’s sister would like those. Tulwark: There may be other interested people as well. Before we left the house, we looked around for worms like the ones we’d found in the kitchen. We zapped a few more worms with radiant damage before deciding that the house was clear of any active Bad Stuff. When we got out of the house, Tulwark told us that he was going to take the inventory to his Lieutenant. His lieutenant would talk to Lt. Linnolim and they’d work out what needed to come back and be restored to someone. Until then, we could keep it. Aldalomiel, looking at the 5’ tall mirror of life trapping: It seems like it would be awkward to use. Vinya: Yeah. Tulwark: I’ll get a cart over here to help you shift this stuff. While we were waiting for the cart, the assembled gnomes apparently realized that all the interesting activity was done and drifted away, wishing us good luck and good day. When Alnoroto wished us good luck, it sounded a bit more like a blessing. Once we had the cart, we talked as we walked to Dhur and the guard house. Elama: That went too well. I don’t think this is over. Vinya: I’m not sure Intororum was the start of this. How did he just happen to stumble over information about how to summon Orcus? When we got to the guard house, Lt. Linnolim was there. He seemed surprised to see us coming in with all that stuff. Vinya: We may have found the origin point of the undead in the city. But maybe not. Linnolim: You seem unsure. Vinya: I’m not sure I’m convinced about the timeline. Marxine: The timeline is fine. The guy thought he was a genius. He thought he was due to be next in line to be Kul-Izir. He probably thought he could get away with dealing with Orcus. He may have even thought he’d come out on top of the deals. Vinya: Well, that’s all true. There may still be more undead -- he was seeding little Orcus cabals around and they might do something even with him gone. We can keep our ear to the ground about that sort of thing. Anyway, we found this stuff and Tulwark took an inventory. Said you’d work with his lieutenant to figure out what needs to go back. Linnolim, looking at the cart: Interesting. A mirror of life trapping? Vinya: I guess it’s maybe something y’all could use here… Marxine: I’m not okay with its use as a prison. But it might be something that could hang at the Well of Screams. Linnolim: My sister would like it, I’m sure. I’ll talk with the lieutenant in Kalam. I can definitely take the mirror off your hands and find a way to make you whole from the loss of that. Vinya: We got this spiffy rod and we have this other stuff. Linnolim: I’ll let you know in the next few days if any of it needs to go back. And if I hear of any further undead problems, I’ll let you know. We left the mirror in Linnolim’s office and took ourselves and the rest of the stuff to Bultir’s for a rest. We figured that if nothing bad happened all day, the short rest would turn into a long rest and we’d have an afternoon to relax. Bultir’s has baths and we availed ourselves of those as well as having lunch and just relaxing. Elderron took Elama’s ring of warmth, because she needed to take that off to attune to the scimitar. We decided that Marxine was the best person to carry the rod, because she gets missed a lot in combat. Vinya pulled out her painting set and painted in Lamie’s book, letting her drawings disappear as she flipped the pages. Marxine: Monk naughty word. The rest of the day and the night passed in relaxation, soaking, dining and rest. 16 Bluzzimin 749 (Campaign day 164)(immediately after) At breakfast, Vinya asked Bultir if there was a place in Dhaqi where you could find out about current events elsewhere on Erkonin. Like what’s going on today in Kiranamakir or something. Bultir: In Feloz, there’s a place called Lugux’s Wall. Information about elsewhere can be found there. Vinya: Thank you. Elama: I can also send to people. Before heading to Feloz, we went to talk to Lieutenant Linnolim. We needed to check in at the guard station to keep our badges active and Marxine wanted to talk to him about how to get an audience with Imada Palmroot, the Izir of Dhur. The lieutenant was happy to see us and told us that we could come back every day or two to check in. We just needed to remember to return our badges before we leave the city for good. We told Linnolim a little about Rajalmin -- because with the Herald of Undeath stopped, we were back on that scent. Or back trying to FIND that scent. Marxine: He might have been egging Intororum on -- leaving him to find his own methods of doing bad things, but egging him on. Maybe Imada would know if there were new people in Intororum’s life. She might have some details of that nature that didn’t seem important to her to mention. We just need a few minutes of her time. Linnolim: I will see what I can arrange. We went then to Lugux’s Wall. It looked a little like a library study room -- with carrels and tables and chairs around and people reading broadsides. There were no stacks, just a booth that looked a bit like a box office with a young thin dragonborn woman sitting in the box office. Woman: How can I help you? Vinya: We’re looking for information about current events around Erkonin, but I don’t really know a specific city to ask for. Woman: We can look for a person, a place, or a type of event. Vinya, after consulting with the party: How about New Arvai? Woman: Is there anything specific you’re looking for? Vinya: An uptick in cabal activity and anything to do with the descendants of the wizard Danrom Orth. Woman, taking notes: Okay. That will be 100gp. Vinya paid the 100gp. The woman gave us a wooden flag with a number on it and gestured us into the room to wait for our report. We waited around a table for about 15 or 20 minutes then a runner came out with our report printed on a broadsheet. [LIST] [*]Romza Orth--Danrom Orth's granddaughter--is working as an instructor of applied optics and illusions in The School of the Mind. She's been behaving in a slightly paranoid fashion, something that is not her normal way. She's been asking for increasing levels of security in her home, office, and classrooms, as though she's expecting to be assaulted from off-plane at any moment. [*]New Arvai itself is not experiencing more cabal activity than normal. In the past month-and-change, there was an aboleth that thought it was going to take over the city, but the guard settled that (with some help from some adventurers). [*]A Kotimanov ship rammed the docks in The Deeps, after a dispute over fees and tariffs. The damage slowed cargo transit for a couple weeks. The dispute was settled amicably over drinks. [*]There was a fire in Coinscale. No merchant shops were damaged, but the city's Office of Weights and Trade was leveled. No trade bars were reported missing. [*]Some warehouses in Woodyard have been robbed. Many planks of very rare woods were stolen. The buildings were heavily secured, and locks were broken by main force. There were larger-than-human footprints on the floor. [/LIST] Marxine suggested, and we all agreed, that that all sounded pretty normal. Except that we’ve left Romna Orth with budding mental health issues. Vinya went back and asked for a report on the Enthroned and their new teachings. Elama’s divination on this had said that the priestesses were sincere in their beliefs. Vinya, when she got back to the party: They’re sincere, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t bad actors behind their sincere beliefs. [LIST] [*]The priestesses have settled and taught for a time in several places. They have had better success in places where there were actual nobles. Where they have had success, the behavior of the nobles has changed--mostly for the better. [*]The Enthroned on Urnod--the Order, its hierarchy--seem mostly interested in the fact that the improved behavior comes with more-common attendance at services, and greater donations to the church's treasury. [*]There is some thought the nobles whose behavior is changing are replacing one set of compulsive behaviors--gambling, drunkenness, and other vices--with another. [/LIST] Vinya read that but it didn’t ease her suspicions about the Enthroned and the new teachings. Particularly that last line about replacing one set of compulsive behaviors with another. (GM: Will you leave the straight-edge nobles alone?) We got one final report, on Torm Brinnom, to see if there was any further activity there now that the Oni plot had been thwarted. [LIST] [*]Torm Brinnom is thriving. There was some tension among the clans a couple of months ago, but that seems to have settled down. The deaths of a number of oni seem likely to be connected both to the tension and to its recent relaxation. [*]There have been some fumbling steps toward relaxing the pressures on the young dwarves in the direction of arranged marriages. Permissions among the clans will probably still be required, but in many instances are likely to be pro forma. [*]The miners have reported several rich strikes. The smiths and craftsmen are waiting anxiously to see what comes out of the mines. [/LIST] Vinya: Well, that’s happy news to end on. We left Lugux’s Wall and went to the Well of Screams to ask Jorcha about Sarik Whitesand, the halfling cleric from Dhaqi who had been part of the party that took down Rajalmin two hundred years ago. Vinya, while we walked: I could really see getting into that place. It’s so cool just to see what’s going on in different places. Elama: Or you could go to those places and see them for yourself. That’s a lot more fun. Vinya: I’m just thinking, like sitting in there over coffee reading up on the world. Jorcha was happy, but a little surprised, to see us. Once we told her what we wanted and why, she did have information for us. Jorcha: She was a Hearthkeeper. Not a surprising choice for a halfling. She was really dedicated to getting fiends off of Erkonin. It became her primary concern when they stumbled over Rajalmin’s plans. She and Adlawan, the monk from Kiranamakir, were the strongest voices keeping the party on his trail. Vinya: Does she have family in town? Jorcha: She wasn’t from Dhaqi. She was of Dhaqi. She adopted the Queen of Cities as her home, as so many do. She was actually from a village some way down the Ewiv Canal, called Brush Bend. Vinya: That’s the stream between the Feet of Marduk? Jorcha: Exactly. The village is on the far side of the flats around where the canal takes a bend. Vinya: Since you’ve done some research on this party, what do you know about Adlawan from Kiranamakir? Jorcha: Adlawan was … kinda strange. From what I can tell, she seemed to know at least that Rajalmin was working on something before anyone else really had any idea. I don’t know what that was or how she knew anything so early. The records I’ve found indicate she had some sort of divinatory abilities as a monk, but those don’t seem to have been how she knew about Rajalmin. Vinya: How long would it take to go down the canal to that village--Brush Bend? Jorcha: No more than half a month. Elama: Maybe we can save some time and ask at Zugzug’s Wall? Vinya: Weren’t you just extolling the virtues of going and seeing? Elama: We’re on the clock. Vinya: Sort of. But in Torm Brinnom the plot took 30 years. (To Jorcha) Did your brother talk to you about a mirror? Jorcha: Yes. We’d love it here of course, but I think it’s going to the Izir or the Kul-Izir. We thanked her for the information and went back to Luxug’s Wall to get a report on Brush Bend. [LIST] [*]The halflings of Brush Bend are taking advantage of their position on the Ewiv Canal, slowly building a trade hub. The Tallpalms and the Whitesands are celebrating a pair of marriages they hope will make for a long and profitable alliance [*]ERROR [*]ERROR [*]FIRE AND SMOKE AND SULPHUR AND WHAT IS THAT [*]ERROR [*]END [/LIST] Vinya: Hoo boy! There we go! Who do we go to for a teleport? Elderron: Maybe Bultir or Linnolim can recommend someone. Bultir’s was closer, so we went there as fast as we could, bursting in at mid-day as he was setting up lunch. Vinya, as the fastest and most concerned, was the first one into the room. Bultir: What has gone wrong? Vinya: Where would we go to get teleported somewhere? Bultir: Where do you need to go? Vinya: Brush Bend Bultir: I know of it. Why? Vinya showed him the broadsheet from Luxug’s Wall. Bultir: To get somewhere fast, go to the Shining Silver Tetrahedron in Kalam. (He gave some directions.) Vinya: Thank you. Bultir: Good luck. We proceeded quickly to Kalam and followed Bultir’s directions to the Shining Silver Tetrahedron. What we found is that it is basically none of those things -- it’s a non-descript building that looks somewhat like a warehouse. There was a small sign in front that was, in fact, a shining silver tetrahedron. Inside we found a male dwarf, older than Marxine. Dwarf, in Dwarvish: How can I help you? Marxine, in Dwarvish: We have somewhere to be. Fast. Dwarf: That is a large part of what we do here. Where? Marxine: Brush Bend. Elderron: You can get us there fast? Dwarf: We can put you in a circle no more than a day’s travel overland. You’ll be at Elthir, the next village upstream from Brush Bend. 2000 gold each. Us, almost in unison: Done. We paid him then he took us into a back room. We waited for a minute while he cast teleportation circle then stepped through the circle. We stepped out into a circle under and awning in a semi-public square in a small village. The village looked pretty peaceful but there was a hint of sulfur and smoke in the air. We asked after horses and whether there were any to rent or buy. The livery owner looked at us, recognized us as adventurers, and offered to sell us horses, tack, saddlebags and some food. For 100 gold apiece, we each got a horse and the necessary equipment. Elama, to her horse: I’m going to call you Nibbles. Vinya, to her horse, in Elvish: I’m going to call you Horse. Once we were horsed up, the villagers pointed us to the road toward Brush Bend. We could see some smoke lingering in the air in that direction. And there we ended -- in the golden afternoon. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
Erkonin (Campaign #2) [Session 45: Rajalmin's Agent]
Top