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Forrester's Against the Elves Campaign
- Thread starter Morrow
- Start date
AtE Session 9
The party is understandably nervous about turning their blood over to a relative stranger a second time. However, Auntie Annie does seem to have compelling reasons to help them. At Thar’s request, Foleful casts a divination to determine if they will have cause to regret giving Auntie Annie their blood. The response is a resounding no, so the party agrees to risk it.
After some discussion the party agrees that their next step will require research at the extensive Gulg library. They have questions about sympathetic magic, mind control, and lycanthropy which they cannot answer without the library’s resources.
Thar inquires what Auntie Annie wants in return for her help. Annie reveals that she is no longer allowed to enter the Gulg library and says if the party will share notes taken at the library about sympathetic magic with her she will pay 1,000 gp toward a library membership and prepare something to neutralize the effects of sympathetic magic based mind control.
Talks with Auntie Annie to provide some insight into her personality. When asked if her studies make her family proud she says, “All evidence points to the contrary, but we’ll see.”
She also mentions, “I love what I do and I think I’m pretty good at it… I’ve been slaving way at this for a while.”
Atarax detects a feeling that she is being held back and asks her if there is some higher station she would like to reach. Auntie Annie reveals that she belongs to an order, and the Order has ranks. She feels that she is being held back, not given the respect she deserves.
Auntie Annie reveals that the library is run by a small private organization headed by Azrael the Bugbear. Something of a board of trustees, they oversee admissions to the library and the acquisition of new works. She instructs the party to return soon with what they’ve discovered.
Next the party approaches the one remaining magic item broker in town, Zane. First they must pass a series of tests administered by Zane’s assistant, Fred. They must touch a glowing blue sphere which apparently reveals whether they are telling the truth when asked questions about their intentions. Fred seems satisfied that they do not intend to cheat them or sell cursed items, so the party is allowed to see Zane.
Zane proves to be a half drow. He clearly has considerable experience with magic items, as one would expect. After some wrangling he agrees to trade Atarax’s cloak of charisma (which he will soon be replacing with the more potent cloak being resized by Auntie Annie) and Rhuun’s rapier for a shortsword of comparable enchantment and wand of cure light wounds.
The party, tries to get a better deal, but Zane is the only game in town and they desperately need to get Rhuun a more appropriate weapon.
Zane also brings up the subject of a commission which Atarax had accepted from Zane’s competitor, the now dead bugbear trader named Smedley. Atarax reveals that most of his companions were killed attempting to fulfill the commission to bring back the poison sacs of gargantuan spiders in the Hellmouth. Zane reveals that he has taken over some of Smedley’s clients and he now needs the poison sacs to fill an order. He presses the party to take the job, offering considerable reward, but the party has other concerns. They promise to consider the matter and let him know when they return for the sword in a couple days.
Next they find an orcish smith who agrees, for a small fee, to size down a magical chain shirt that Rhuun took from the bugbear she beheaded a few weeks before.
Finally, the party reaches the library. They have agreed that the prohibitive cost of membership means that they can only afford for a single party member to enter. Foleful is elected, much to Moroku’s regret.
Foleful negotiates with the doorman and it quickly becomes clear that the highest level of membership, Archmage status, is considerably more expensive than Auntie Annie had lead them to believe. Usually one must posses a lower level of membership for some time before advancing to Archmage status, and the fees for bypassing the normal procedure are considerable. Auntie Annie had suggested that the costs would be around 2,000 gp. The party ends up paying almost 3,500 gp before Foleful is admitted.
The rest of the party goes away, their purses nearly empty. They desperately hope that Foleful’s research proves worthwhile.
Inside, Foleful goes through an extensive and sometimes painful process of examination before his membership is accepted. Eventually he is cleared and admitted to the library with full Archmage privileges. He spends the rest of the day pursuing personal research in the comparative theology section. He finds the information on comparative creation stories to be quite extensive, and never gets around to researching any of the party’s questions.
The party is understandably nervous about turning their blood over to a relative stranger a second time. However, Auntie Annie does seem to have compelling reasons to help them. At Thar’s request, Foleful casts a divination to determine if they will have cause to regret giving Auntie Annie their blood. The response is a resounding no, so the party agrees to risk it.
After some discussion the party agrees that their next step will require research at the extensive Gulg library. They have questions about sympathetic magic, mind control, and lycanthropy which they cannot answer without the library’s resources.
Thar inquires what Auntie Annie wants in return for her help. Annie reveals that she is no longer allowed to enter the Gulg library and says if the party will share notes taken at the library about sympathetic magic with her she will pay 1,000 gp toward a library membership and prepare something to neutralize the effects of sympathetic magic based mind control.
Talks with Auntie Annie to provide some insight into her personality. When asked if her studies make her family proud she says, “All evidence points to the contrary, but we’ll see.”
She also mentions, “I love what I do and I think I’m pretty good at it… I’ve been slaving way at this for a while.”
Atarax detects a feeling that she is being held back and asks her if there is some higher station she would like to reach. Auntie Annie reveals that she belongs to an order, and the Order has ranks. She feels that she is being held back, not given the respect she deserves.
Auntie Annie reveals that the library is run by a small private organization headed by Azrael the Bugbear. Something of a board of trustees, they oversee admissions to the library and the acquisition of new works. She instructs the party to return soon with what they’ve discovered.
Next the party approaches the one remaining magic item broker in town, Zane. First they must pass a series of tests administered by Zane’s assistant, Fred. They must touch a glowing blue sphere which apparently reveals whether they are telling the truth when asked questions about their intentions. Fred seems satisfied that they do not intend to cheat them or sell cursed items, so the party is allowed to see Zane.
Zane proves to be a half drow. He clearly has considerable experience with magic items, as one would expect. After some wrangling he agrees to trade Atarax’s cloak of charisma (which he will soon be replacing with the more potent cloak being resized by Auntie Annie) and Rhuun’s rapier for a shortsword of comparable enchantment and wand of cure light wounds.
The party, tries to get a better deal, but Zane is the only game in town and they desperately need to get Rhuun a more appropriate weapon.
Zane also brings up the subject of a commission which Atarax had accepted from Zane’s competitor, the now dead bugbear trader named Smedley. Atarax reveals that most of his companions were killed attempting to fulfill the commission to bring back the poison sacs of gargantuan spiders in the Hellmouth. Zane reveals that he has taken over some of Smedley’s clients and he now needs the poison sacs to fill an order. He presses the party to take the job, offering considerable reward, but the party has other concerns. They promise to consider the matter and let him know when they return for the sword in a couple days.
Next they find an orcish smith who agrees, for a small fee, to size down a magical chain shirt that Rhuun took from the bugbear she beheaded a few weeks before.
Finally, the party reaches the library. They have agreed that the prohibitive cost of membership means that they can only afford for a single party member to enter. Foleful is elected, much to Moroku’s regret.
Foleful negotiates with the doorman and it quickly becomes clear that the highest level of membership, Archmage status, is considerably more expensive than Auntie Annie had lead them to believe. Usually one must posses a lower level of membership for some time before advancing to Archmage status, and the fees for bypassing the normal procedure are considerable. Auntie Annie had suggested that the costs would be around 2,000 gp. The party ends up paying almost 3,500 gp before Foleful is admitted.
The rest of the party goes away, their purses nearly empty. They desperately hope that Foleful’s research proves worthwhile.
Inside, Foleful goes through an extensive and sometimes painful process of examination before his membership is accepted. Eventually he is cleared and admitted to the library with full Archmage privileges. He spends the rest of the day pursuing personal research in the comparative theology section. He finds the information on comparative creation stories to be quite extensive, and never gets around to researching any of the party’s questions.
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The rest of the party quickly parts ways. Most of them head toward goblintown while Atarax heads off to work his magic in orctown. He manages to find an orc who remembers knowing Zorn about a year ago in Freetown. At that time Zorn had worked as a guard for Bump, the head of the orctown section of Freetown. His training as a monk made him somewhat unusual, but Zorn had not been a particularly impressive fighter or particularly well respected by his fellow orcs.
Shortly before Atarax’s informant had left Freetown for Gulg, Zorn had been promoted, perhaps because of his friendship with Hargok, an orcish warrior who had shown up out of nowhere and quickly become popular among the orcs of Freetown. Hargok had been good with an axe and had told good stories, but Atarax’s informant could not remember any particular reason why he had been so popular.
While Atarax gathered information Thar made contact with the goblin clerics of Gulg. It quickly became apparent that Thar was more powerful than any of the clerics of Maglibuyet in Gulg. Moreover, none of them had received any visions from their god. Thar makes overtures to Kooluk, the highest ranking cleric of Kaldeki in Gulg, and by all accounts the most powerful cleric of any god in goblintown. However, he receives a curt message that Kooluk is very busy and doesn’t have time to meet with him.
Thar does manage to find a cleric of Maglibuyet who left Freetown about a year ago. The cleric remembers when Bloody Pulp had showed up in town shortly before he left. The cleric reports that Bloody Pulp had, “Always known the right thing to say,” and had proved very popular, even with Dicey, the leader of the goblins in Freetown.
14th of Charder
The party stays in goblintown over night at a place that Atarax and Foleful had stayed during their last trip to the city. Thar’s contacts are able to put Foleful in touch with Smudgy, a young goblin wizard who has just learned his first spells. Foleful immediately declares that Smudgy is his new apprentice and returns with him to the library.
Due to his Archmage status Foleful is allowed to bring a single apprentice with him into the library, and he immediately sets the young goblin to work taking notes he dictates from the library’s sympathetic and ritual magic collection.
Foleful learns that the blood of a creature drained during its dying breath is particularly potent and can be used to great effect by those with a command of sympathetic magic and necromancy. He soon finds the story of a drow warrior of legendary power who wielded a great black spiked chain. The drow had apparently defeated a solar in single combat. However, after the battle, at the height of his power, the drow had been stabbed in the back by his companion, an assassin. The assassin had caught the drow warriors blood in a vessel. Just as the warrior was passing the threshold between life and death, the assassin gathered that particularly potent blood in a separate container.
From those last few drops of blood taken at the moment of death a sympathetic mage working for the assassin had managed to craft five Potions of Paragon Perfection, a concoction said to grant the Strength of the tarrasque, the wisdom of a dragon, and the speed of a quickling.
Foleful finds many formulas and additional information about sympathetic magic which Smudgy takes down for Auntie Annie. However, his efforts to find a way to charm large numbers of people over a long period of time through sympathetic magic proves fruitless.
Atarax spends the day in Bugbeartown. After much searching he discovers several bugbears who had been in Freetown the previous year. Careful questioning reveals that about a year ago a new bugbear named Skylock had joined the bugbear community in Freetown. He was very well liked, but for some reason he was unpopular with the higher ranking bugbears. Gariarch in particular didn’t like him, although Skylock tried very hard to ingratiate himself with the bugbear leadership.
Much to his amusement Atarax also discovers that the reason that Gariarch hated clerics is that he, like Foleful, was a secular humanoidist. Under other circumstances it seems possible that Gariarch and the party might have been natural, if uneasy, allies.
15th of Charder
The party starts the day by visiting Auntie Annie. Foleful tells her what he discovered about necromancy and sympathetic magic and relates the story of the drow warrior. He also turns over copies of his notes, much to Auntie Annie’s delight.
Auntie Annie gives Atarax his newly fitted cloak and gives each party member two potions. The first is to be taken before returning to Freetown. The second should be taken when the party feels an assault on their minds. It will help prevent any form of mind control, but will prove particularly effective against mind control derived from sympathetic magic. The potion will retain its efficiency for a month, and should be used before then.
Auntie Annie also gives Krikara a small pouch of dust and instructs her to throw it in Auntie Em’s face. She explains that the powder is made from a lock of Auntie Em’s hair and should break any charm.
Foleful then returns to the library and begins research in the enchantment room, particularly the mind control subsection. He reads up on the Mass Charm enchantment and the magic item known as a Rod of Rulership. His research reveals that the Rod of Rulership is often crafted using components from creatures who can themselves charm.
Foleful turns his attention to creatures with the ability to charm: Nymphs, many creatures from the lower planes including Devils (particularly Erinyes) and Demons (particularly Succubi), Barghests, Vapor Boars…
The last two catch his attention. Barghests are shapeshifting creatures that often disguise themselves as goblins. Greater Barghests can take on a form almost eight feet tall and three hundred pounds. Not unlike the strange bugbear form that Egor took on in Foleful’s thought capture.
Vapor Boars are multi-legged, tentacled, blue dog-like creatures that exist in the deep Hellmouth. Their potent mind control abilities allow them to charm whole villages. In fact, Foleful remembers the cat-demons mentioning seeing creatures that matched the vapor boars description in the Hellmouth.
Reminded of the Rakshasas, Foleful looks them up. He discovers that, as the party had discovered, they are highly resistant to weapons and effectively immune to magic. He discovers that a cleric of purest good can bless a crossbow bolt to do serious damage to Rakshasas, not much help in the middle of the Underdark.
The party meets up that evening and Foleful makes his report. Atarax makes the suggestion that the Barghests, with their soul sucking Eeevil, would be natural allies for followers of Nerull.
The party returns to Auntie Annie’s shop. Krikara asks what to do if, after being released from magical compulsion, Auntie Em demands that they prove that Auntie Annie sent them. Auntie Annie advises that Krikara tell Auntie Em about the time the sisters killed ten bugbears and played tug-of-war with their large intestines.
The party describes Foleful’s research and begin discussing theories. They suggest that Vapor Boar and Attach blood could provide the basis for the mind control and strength effects that they have observed. Auntie Annie agrees that it is theoretically possible, but that still does not explain how the magics remain effective over an extended period of time. A single dying creature could only provide a small amount of blood necessary to create the effects the party describes. The Evil Genius would require nearly limitless supplies of blood in order to effect the sheer number of humanoids involved.
The party begins throwing around theories. This is clearly beyond the realm of regular extension magic. A time stop effect might keep the dying creature at the moment of death, but there would be no way to harvest the blood.
Then Krikara has a breakthrough.
Shortly before Atarax’s informant had left Freetown for Gulg, Zorn had been promoted, perhaps because of his friendship with Hargok, an orcish warrior who had shown up out of nowhere and quickly become popular among the orcs of Freetown. Hargok had been good with an axe and had told good stories, but Atarax’s informant could not remember any particular reason why he had been so popular.
While Atarax gathered information Thar made contact with the goblin clerics of Gulg. It quickly became apparent that Thar was more powerful than any of the clerics of Maglibuyet in Gulg. Moreover, none of them had received any visions from their god. Thar makes overtures to Kooluk, the highest ranking cleric of Kaldeki in Gulg, and by all accounts the most powerful cleric of any god in goblintown. However, he receives a curt message that Kooluk is very busy and doesn’t have time to meet with him.
Thar does manage to find a cleric of Maglibuyet who left Freetown about a year ago. The cleric remembers when Bloody Pulp had showed up in town shortly before he left. The cleric reports that Bloody Pulp had, “Always known the right thing to say,” and had proved very popular, even with Dicey, the leader of the goblins in Freetown.
14th of Charder
The party stays in goblintown over night at a place that Atarax and Foleful had stayed during their last trip to the city. Thar’s contacts are able to put Foleful in touch with Smudgy, a young goblin wizard who has just learned his first spells. Foleful immediately declares that Smudgy is his new apprentice and returns with him to the library.
Due to his Archmage status Foleful is allowed to bring a single apprentice with him into the library, and he immediately sets the young goblin to work taking notes he dictates from the library’s sympathetic and ritual magic collection.
Foleful learns that the blood of a creature drained during its dying breath is particularly potent and can be used to great effect by those with a command of sympathetic magic and necromancy. He soon finds the story of a drow warrior of legendary power who wielded a great black spiked chain. The drow had apparently defeated a solar in single combat. However, after the battle, at the height of his power, the drow had been stabbed in the back by his companion, an assassin. The assassin had caught the drow warriors blood in a vessel. Just as the warrior was passing the threshold between life and death, the assassin gathered that particularly potent blood in a separate container.
From those last few drops of blood taken at the moment of death a sympathetic mage working for the assassin had managed to craft five Potions of Paragon Perfection, a concoction said to grant the Strength of the tarrasque, the wisdom of a dragon, and the speed of a quickling.
Foleful finds many formulas and additional information about sympathetic magic which Smudgy takes down for Auntie Annie. However, his efforts to find a way to charm large numbers of people over a long period of time through sympathetic magic proves fruitless.
Atarax spends the day in Bugbeartown. After much searching he discovers several bugbears who had been in Freetown the previous year. Careful questioning reveals that about a year ago a new bugbear named Skylock had joined the bugbear community in Freetown. He was very well liked, but for some reason he was unpopular with the higher ranking bugbears. Gariarch in particular didn’t like him, although Skylock tried very hard to ingratiate himself with the bugbear leadership.
Much to his amusement Atarax also discovers that the reason that Gariarch hated clerics is that he, like Foleful, was a secular humanoidist. Under other circumstances it seems possible that Gariarch and the party might have been natural, if uneasy, allies.
15th of Charder
The party starts the day by visiting Auntie Annie. Foleful tells her what he discovered about necromancy and sympathetic magic and relates the story of the drow warrior. He also turns over copies of his notes, much to Auntie Annie’s delight.
Auntie Annie gives Atarax his newly fitted cloak and gives each party member two potions. The first is to be taken before returning to Freetown. The second should be taken when the party feels an assault on their minds. It will help prevent any form of mind control, but will prove particularly effective against mind control derived from sympathetic magic. The potion will retain its efficiency for a month, and should be used before then.
Auntie Annie also gives Krikara a small pouch of dust and instructs her to throw it in Auntie Em’s face. She explains that the powder is made from a lock of Auntie Em’s hair and should break any charm.
Foleful then returns to the library and begins research in the enchantment room, particularly the mind control subsection. He reads up on the Mass Charm enchantment and the magic item known as a Rod of Rulership. His research reveals that the Rod of Rulership is often crafted using components from creatures who can themselves charm.
Foleful turns his attention to creatures with the ability to charm: Nymphs, many creatures from the lower planes including Devils (particularly Erinyes) and Demons (particularly Succubi), Barghests, Vapor Boars…
The last two catch his attention. Barghests are shapeshifting creatures that often disguise themselves as goblins. Greater Barghests can take on a form almost eight feet tall and three hundred pounds. Not unlike the strange bugbear form that Egor took on in Foleful’s thought capture.
Vapor Boars are multi-legged, tentacled, blue dog-like creatures that exist in the deep Hellmouth. Their potent mind control abilities allow them to charm whole villages. In fact, Foleful remembers the cat-demons mentioning seeing creatures that matched the vapor boars description in the Hellmouth.
Reminded of the Rakshasas, Foleful looks them up. He discovers that, as the party had discovered, they are highly resistant to weapons and effectively immune to magic. He discovers that a cleric of purest good can bless a crossbow bolt to do serious damage to Rakshasas, not much help in the middle of the Underdark.
The party meets up that evening and Foleful makes his report. Atarax makes the suggestion that the Barghests, with their soul sucking Eeevil, would be natural allies for followers of Nerull.
The party returns to Auntie Annie’s shop. Krikara asks what to do if, after being released from magical compulsion, Auntie Em demands that they prove that Auntie Annie sent them. Auntie Annie advises that Krikara tell Auntie Em about the time the sisters killed ten bugbears and played tug-of-war with their large intestines.
The party describes Foleful’s research and begin discussing theories. They suggest that Vapor Boar and Attach blood could provide the basis for the mind control and strength effects that they have observed. Auntie Annie agrees that it is theoretically possible, but that still does not explain how the magics remain effective over an extended period of time. A single dying creature could only provide a small amount of blood necessary to create the effects the party describes. The Evil Genius would require nearly limitless supplies of blood in order to effect the sheer number of humanoids involved.
The party begins throwing around theories. This is clearly beyond the realm of regular extension magic. A time stop effect might keep the dying creature at the moment of death, but there would be no way to harvest the blood.
Then Krikara has a breakthrough.
Krikara directs the party’s attention to one of the books they retrieved from Gariarch’s lair.
Ilvana would be capable of keeping a creature at the verge of death almost indefinitely. The missing step to providing the appropriate components may not be a magical effect, but the unprecedented skill of the depraved Erinyes inquisitor. The party thinks over the possibility and admits that it could be the answer. Ilvana seems unlikely to be the Evil Genius herself, but would be just the kind of help that the Evil Genius would recruit. Moreover, Atarax remembers hearing that Ilvana has a particular talent with poisons. What if she is Zane’s mysterious client?
Auntie Annie is clearly troubled. Under pressure from the party she reveals that she does know two people who would be capable of using the process that the party has worked out- a pair of green hags, powerful members of the order to which Aunie Annie and Auntie Em belong. One of the hags specializes in charms and transmutation and the other is obsessed with secrecy and protection.
“Well,” observes Foleful, “Take charms and transmutation and add secrecy and protection and you get the Evil Genius.”
Auntie Annie leaves the party to retrieve something from the back of her shop. She returns with an envelope. “Give this to Auntie Em. It contains a lock of hair from each of the hags.”
The party presses Auntie Annie for their names. “Auntie Ola and Auntie Entity,” she replies.
“This isn’t going to turn out to be a family thing, after all?” Asks Thar. Auntie Annie stares him down and changes the subject.
The party leaves the shop discussing their next move. Zane mentioned that he would be meeting with agents of the client soon, and would set a time when they could expect the venom sacks. What is to stop the party from waylaying the agents of the Evil Genius when they leave Zane’s shop?
Forrester said:From the back of “Pressure Points: Life Energy Management through Mechanical Manipulations”, by Ilvana
The long-term maintenance of clients, especially with minimal magical interference, has long been a challenge to both hobbyists and trained professionals. The prolonged torture of the naturally weak and vulnerable is especially difficult. In this book Ilvana (Author of “Evisceration Without Death” and “Taking Their Time”) takes the reader on an exciting journey through the torture of a pregnant female giant, an elderly male drow elf, and a goblin girl. You’ll learn:
· Nine easy steps to prepare your client for disembowelment
· Seven ways to control your subject’s blood loss with exact precision
· The ten most common mistakes Inquisitors make when their client starts to slip away
“I never believed that story about how Ilvana kept Garcius alive for seventeen months without so much as a healing cantrip. I do now.” – Sygark Vardonblade
“Helpful tips for inquisitors of all skill levels. My client loss level has dropped to below 20% after studying Ilvana’s case histories.” – Lorelei Draeziil of the House Despana
“Not bad.” – Archduke Baalzebulb, Servant of Perfect Evil, Lord of the Flies, Absolute Ruler of the seventh plane of Hell
(Notes: Atarax's bardic knowledge revealed that Ilvana is a freelance Erinyes Inquisitor of no small fame, and that Garcius was a Great Silver Wyrm captured by a group of particularly nasty pit fiends).
Ilvana would be capable of keeping a creature at the verge of death almost indefinitely. The missing step to providing the appropriate components may not be a magical effect, but the unprecedented skill of the depraved Erinyes inquisitor. The party thinks over the possibility and admits that it could be the answer. Ilvana seems unlikely to be the Evil Genius herself, but would be just the kind of help that the Evil Genius would recruit. Moreover, Atarax remembers hearing that Ilvana has a particular talent with poisons. What if she is Zane’s mysterious client?
Auntie Annie is clearly troubled. Under pressure from the party she reveals that she does know two people who would be capable of using the process that the party has worked out- a pair of green hags, powerful members of the order to which Aunie Annie and Auntie Em belong. One of the hags specializes in charms and transmutation and the other is obsessed with secrecy and protection.
“Well,” observes Foleful, “Take charms and transmutation and add secrecy and protection and you get the Evil Genius.”
Auntie Annie leaves the party to retrieve something from the back of her shop. She returns with an envelope. “Give this to Auntie Em. It contains a lock of hair from each of the hags.”
The party presses Auntie Annie for their names. “Auntie Ola and Auntie Entity,” she replies.
“This isn’t going to turn out to be a family thing, after all?” Asks Thar. Auntie Annie stares him down and changes the subject.
The party leaves the shop discussing their next move. Zane mentioned that he would be meeting with agents of the client soon, and would set a time when they could expect the venom sacks. What is to stop the party from waylaying the agents of the Evil Genius when they leave Zane’s shop?
16th of Charder
Krikara spends the day watching Zane’s shop, but never sees anyone suspicious.
Foleful spends the day researching the party’s possible opponents in the library. He reads up on Green Hags, Athachs, Vapor Boars, and Erinyes. He is even able to find a little on Ilvana herself. She is reported to be a professional, very dedicated to her work, and always looking for new challenges exploring the line between life and death.
Foleful also researches powerful anti-divination magics. He discovers that magics able to bypass such wards are still beyond his reach.
Foleful researches lycanthropy, and consults with a library member who is an expert on such things named Azimov. He discovers the existence of rare demonic strains of lyanthropy. There are rumors that the original lycanthropes were demons themselves. Foleful explains to Azimov about Pankwigs bar, there is contagion there but the regulars don’t seem to contract the disease. Azimov expliains that many different things can trigger latent lycanthropy. On the surface, the full moon is a common trigger. Extreme rage is always a trigger. Sometimes proximity to the originator of the strain will trigger the transformation. If the originator of the contagion never went near the bar, he would be able to hide the source of the contagion.
Foleful discovers that cure disease will usually cure lycanthropy, at least before the first change. Fiendish strains of lycanthropy typically have unusual effects. Some are uncurable. Some grant the lycanthropes fiendish abilities. This would explain the enhanced speed and unexplained claws.
While Foleful continues his research Atarax is able to turn up rumors that there are shapeshifters operating in Gulg, perhaps even connect to Borga, the bugbear ruler of Gulg.
17th of Charder
Thar receives word that Kooluk, the Cleric of Kaldeki is ready to see him. Thar sends back word that he would really like to meet with Kooluk, but he is currently very busy. Perhaps next time?
Foleful spends some time researching elven artifacts, particularly bucklers. He discovers that all powerful artifacts block divination about their location, but he cannot find any references to an effect broad enough to explain the failure of all divination about Sanctuary.
Foleful discovers a listing for a buckler that matches Krikara’s description. There is a legend about it which predates the split between the surface elves and the drow. At that time the cods Lolth, Lumilor, and Corellon Larethian were on good terms. Lumilor wore a full suit of armor, including a buckler which matches Krikara’s description. The legend mentions a tryst and jealousy between the trio. Lumilor was slain, although it is unclear whether Lolth or Corellon was responsible. His armor and weapons were scattered and lost forever.
Foleful can find nothing about destroying the buckler.
While Foleful continues his research the party meets with Zane. He has Rhuun’s sword and gives it to her. Thar accepts the commission to retrieve the spider poison sacs. Zane gives Thar a small, temporary bag of holding with which to transport the sacks. He needs at least two sacks, more if he can get them. Zane also tells him about a lair of large wyverns in another part of the Hellmouth from which he also hopes to secure venom. Zane mentions in passing that he expects to meet with his client the next day, and will set up a date for delivery in a month.
Thar also buys an enchanted pen that will allow Smudgy, Foleful’s new apprentice to take notes more quickly and clearly.
18th of Charder
Foleful returns to the library. Krikara stakes out Zanes shop while the rest of the party waits out of sight. Zane’s first customer of the day is a bugbear who buys an enchanted greatsword. Zane’s second customer is an orc who wears two shortswords and wears light armor. He does not seem to carry anything into or out of the shop. Krikara follows him down the street, where he meets two more orcs, also carrying shortswords and wearing familiar equipment. The trio heads in the direction of the secret exit from Gulg through which the party entered.
Krikara goes to warn the party. They prepare to follow, Krikara leading and the others staying well back. Thar casts sending. “Mikek is here. He’s heading for the secret exit. Join us now.”
“Now we’ve got him.”
Krikara spends the day watching Zane’s shop, but never sees anyone suspicious.
Foleful spends the day researching the party’s possible opponents in the library. He reads up on Green Hags, Athachs, Vapor Boars, and Erinyes. He is even able to find a little on Ilvana herself. She is reported to be a professional, very dedicated to her work, and always looking for new challenges exploring the line between life and death.
Foleful also researches powerful anti-divination magics. He discovers that magics able to bypass such wards are still beyond his reach.
Foleful researches lycanthropy, and consults with a library member who is an expert on such things named Azimov. He discovers the existence of rare demonic strains of lyanthropy. There are rumors that the original lycanthropes were demons themselves. Foleful explains to Azimov about Pankwigs bar, there is contagion there but the regulars don’t seem to contract the disease. Azimov expliains that many different things can trigger latent lycanthropy. On the surface, the full moon is a common trigger. Extreme rage is always a trigger. Sometimes proximity to the originator of the strain will trigger the transformation. If the originator of the contagion never went near the bar, he would be able to hide the source of the contagion.
Foleful discovers that cure disease will usually cure lycanthropy, at least before the first change. Fiendish strains of lycanthropy typically have unusual effects. Some are uncurable. Some grant the lycanthropes fiendish abilities. This would explain the enhanced speed and unexplained claws.
While Foleful continues his research Atarax is able to turn up rumors that there are shapeshifters operating in Gulg, perhaps even connect to Borga, the bugbear ruler of Gulg.
17th of Charder
Thar receives word that Kooluk, the Cleric of Kaldeki is ready to see him. Thar sends back word that he would really like to meet with Kooluk, but he is currently very busy. Perhaps next time?
Foleful spends some time researching elven artifacts, particularly bucklers. He discovers that all powerful artifacts block divination about their location, but he cannot find any references to an effect broad enough to explain the failure of all divination about Sanctuary.
Foleful discovers a listing for a buckler that matches Krikara’s description. There is a legend about it which predates the split between the surface elves and the drow. At that time the cods Lolth, Lumilor, and Corellon Larethian were on good terms. Lumilor wore a full suit of armor, including a buckler which matches Krikara’s description. The legend mentions a tryst and jealousy between the trio. Lumilor was slain, although it is unclear whether Lolth or Corellon was responsible. His armor and weapons were scattered and lost forever.
Foleful can find nothing about destroying the buckler.
While Foleful continues his research the party meets with Zane. He has Rhuun’s sword and gives it to her. Thar accepts the commission to retrieve the spider poison sacs. Zane gives Thar a small, temporary bag of holding with which to transport the sacks. He needs at least two sacks, more if he can get them. Zane also tells him about a lair of large wyverns in another part of the Hellmouth from which he also hopes to secure venom. Zane mentions in passing that he expects to meet with his client the next day, and will set up a date for delivery in a month.
Thar also buys an enchanted pen that will allow Smudgy, Foleful’s new apprentice to take notes more quickly and clearly.
18th of Charder
Foleful returns to the library. Krikara stakes out Zanes shop while the rest of the party waits out of sight. Zane’s first customer of the day is a bugbear who buys an enchanted greatsword. Zane’s second customer is an orc who wears two shortswords and wears light armor. He does not seem to carry anything into or out of the shop. Krikara follows him down the street, where he meets two more orcs, also carrying shortswords and wearing familiar equipment. The trio heads in the direction of the secret exit from Gulg through which the party entered.
Krikara goes to warn the party. They prepare to follow, Krikara leading and the others staying well back. Thar casts sending. “Mikek is here. He’s heading for the secret exit. Join us now.”
“Now we’ve got him.”
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jeffwik said:I must point out, though, that Azimov is an expert on everything.
Not everything. Wasn't there a question you asked him that he didn't know the answer to? I recall him saying that you needed to talk to that wizard who spends his spare time Flying around the Hellmouth all invisible-like.
Issac does have a 17 Wis, though. Yowza.
Forrester said:
Not everything. Wasn't there a question you asked him that he didn't know the answer to? I recall him saying that you needed to talk to that wizard who spends his spare time Flying around the Hellmouth all invisible-like.
Issac does have a 17 Wis, though. Yowza.
Yes, it was an honor to meet him.
So is he a goblin or what? And is he paraplegic, or not?
jeffwik said:
Yes, it was an honor to meet him.
So is he a goblin or what? And is he paraplegic, or not?
Kobold. Not paraplegic.
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