Forrester's Against the Elves Campaign
- Thread starter Morrow
- Start date
AtE session 6
[Game Note: Forrester decided to do a little rewind to insert the new PC before the party returned to Gariarch’s complex. The following took place immediately after Gariarch forced us to flee. As any good player would say - blame the DM.]
5th of Charder
The party has been moving quickly for over an hour. Krikara scouts the way as they flee through the Underdark searching for a safe place to rest where their enemies won’t be able to find them. Suddenly Krikara reappears in the tunnel ahead of them. “There being an orc. Being old, aged, venerable. Being writing, scribbling,…”
“It couldn’t be Moroku,” says Atarax.
“What being a Moroku?”
“He’s an old orcish scholar, a sorcerer. He’s the only orc I know of who can write. I’m going to check it out.”
A few minutes later the rest of the party hears Atarax talking to someone. Thar and Rhuun move forward and enter the small cave where the aged orc stands, talking to Atarax. Krikara is no where to be seen.
Foleful stays where he is, summoning up a pile of sandbags to hide behind.
Moroku greets Thar and Rhuun warmly, then pauses, motions toward the ceiling and asks, “How long is she going to do that?” Atarax, Rhuun, and Thar look up to see Krikara hanging from the ceiling, aiming her bow at Moroku’s head. She looks quite put out to be discovered.
The old orc explains that his studies have lead him to leave Gulg for Freetown. He is very pleased to see Atarax again. He agrees to let the party camp with them. However the party is nervous and exhausted and bickers about trusting Moroku. Finally Thar decides that the orc is no threat and settles himself down to rest. Foleful soon enters the cavern and, ignoring Moroku, prepares himself to sleep. There is another argument when Krikara, from her perch on the ceiling, drops a biscuit on Atarax’s head while he tells Moroku about the battle with Gariarch, but exhaustion soon forces them to put aside their argument.
In the morning Atarax and Thar heal their companions and they travel back to Gariarch, encampment. They agree to allow Moroku to accompany them. Their enthusiasm for the old orc increases when they discover he specializes in abjuration and evocation spells. The prospect of having a ready supply of fireballs on their side quickly increases the friendly feeling toward their new companion.
The party casts their standard array of preparatory spells before entering Gariarch’s lair, but it turns out to be for nothing. They discover Gariarch’s body, just inside the secret door. He has been stripped, and now wears a surprised expression and two ghastly rents in his sides.
The party quickly searches the rest of the complex and discovers it abandoned. All of the goblin slaves have been killed, and every last item of value has been taken from the complex. There is no sign of Igor, Bloody Pulp, or Mikek.
[Game Note: Forrester decided to do a little rewind to insert the new PC before the party returned to Gariarch’s complex. The following took place immediately after Gariarch forced us to flee. As any good player would say - blame the DM.]
5th of Charder
The party has been moving quickly for over an hour. Krikara scouts the way as they flee through the Underdark searching for a safe place to rest where their enemies won’t be able to find them. Suddenly Krikara reappears in the tunnel ahead of them. “There being an orc. Being old, aged, venerable. Being writing, scribbling,…”
“It couldn’t be Moroku,” says Atarax.
“What being a Moroku?”
“He’s an old orcish scholar, a sorcerer. He’s the only orc I know of who can write. I’m going to check it out.”
A few minutes later the rest of the party hears Atarax talking to someone. Thar and Rhuun move forward and enter the small cave where the aged orc stands, talking to Atarax. Krikara is no where to be seen.
Foleful stays where he is, summoning up a pile of sandbags to hide behind.
Moroku greets Thar and Rhuun warmly, then pauses, motions toward the ceiling and asks, “How long is she going to do that?” Atarax, Rhuun, and Thar look up to see Krikara hanging from the ceiling, aiming her bow at Moroku’s head. She looks quite put out to be discovered.
The old orc explains that his studies have lead him to leave Gulg for Freetown. He is very pleased to see Atarax again. He agrees to let the party camp with them. However the party is nervous and exhausted and bickers about trusting Moroku. Finally Thar decides that the orc is no threat and settles himself down to rest. Foleful soon enters the cavern and, ignoring Moroku, prepares himself to sleep. There is another argument when Krikara, from her perch on the ceiling, drops a biscuit on Atarax’s head while he tells Moroku about the battle with Gariarch, but exhaustion soon forces them to put aside their argument.
In the morning Atarax and Thar heal their companions and they travel back to Gariarch, encampment. They agree to allow Moroku to accompany them. Their enthusiasm for the old orc increases when they discover he specializes in abjuration and evocation spells. The prospect of having a ready supply of fireballs on their side quickly increases the friendly feeling toward their new companion.
The party casts their standard array of preparatory spells before entering Gariarch’s lair, but it turns out to be for nothing. They discover Gariarch’s body, just inside the secret door. He has been stripped, and now wears a surprised expression and two ghastly rents in his sides.
The party quickly searches the rest of the complex and discovers it abandoned. All of the goblin slaves have been killed, and every last item of value has been taken from the complex. There is no sign of Igor, Bloody Pulp, or Mikek.
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The party begins an extensive exploration of the camp. Gariarch’s soul refuses to return in answer to Thar’s speak with the dead. Foleful’s thought capture reveals only that Gariarch did not see whoever killed him. Rhuun, after examining the body, is able to confirm that Gariarch was killed by two short stabbing weapons. No one has to be reminded that Mikek carried a pair of shortswords.
Krikara discovers the original entrance to the cave complex, which the bugbears had collapsed, thinking it was the only entrance. Thar finds that the fallen rocks are oddly shaped and hypothesizes that the entrance was blocked through the use of many applications of the soften earth and stone spell. The rock was softened and then ripped from the walls and ceiling. The party notes that they encountered no spellcasters in the fight against Gariarch’s forces, and Gariarch himself had noted a distaste for spellcasters. The situation becomes clearer when Foleful casts a thought capture in Gariarch’s private caves. The spell reveals someone searching through Gariarch’s possessions, rushed and listening to the sounds of battle in the next cave. Foleful senses a great wave of relief when a harness, a large black stone, and two gauntlets made of rock are uncovered.
Foleful describes the vision to the rest of the party, and they are less than impressed.
“You can’t make gloves out of stone!” exclaims Thar.
“How would they bend?” asks Atarax.
Krikara is able to confirm a little of Foleful’s vision. During the battle, shortly after Mikek disappeared she heard someone moving around in Gariarch’s cave. Foleful posits that the large black stone he saw is the heart of an elder earth elemental, and was being used to power the magic item which softened the stone around the entrance. While such an item has obvious potential, no one can think of any reason that Mikek would be so desperate to find it in particular.
Foleful is particularaly upset about the prospect of elementals being killed to power magic items. “Who would do something like that? Screw the dead goblins, this is upsetting.”
A search of Gariarch’s cave reveals that his books of anatomy and torture were left behind by whoever took the rest of his possessions. The party retrieves titles such as A Beginners Guide to Water Torture, Liberium Dolore Veritas, Where to Stick it volumes v-viii, Pressure Points, and The Book of Dead Smiles. They also find a small journal that Gariarch was apparently keeping, cataloging his experiments in pain performed on his goblin slaves. The journal reiterates Gariarch’s hatred for clerics and priests, but doesn’t explain its origin.
Foleful argues that they should claim Gariarch’s complex as their own. “A few unseen servants to drag out the bodies, a prestidigitation cantrip or two, we’ll clean it up good as new.”
This gives rise to another argument about what to do next. Atarax is in favor of returning to Sanctuary as if nothing had happened, but Thar and Foleful argue strenuously against it. They argue that Mikek abandoned the party, even before they sealed him and his companions in the complex with a bugbear killing machine. Not to mention they apparently killed every goblin in the complex to cover their tracks. “We were expendable, do you think they’ll welcome us back with open arms? We go back there, the best we can hope is all of those Sanctuary hopeful’s will kill us before Zorn can rip us limb from limb.”
The argument stops momentarily when Krikara finds several small patches in the cavern wall and ceiling that appear to be smoothed over using the stone shaping gauntlets.
Foleful casts an object loresight on one of the other smoothed portions of rock, learning that it had been formed about five and a half months before by a bugbear named Frankie because, “Gotta keep things out.”
After some initial experiments, the party discovers the smooth spots are only about three inches thick and block small narrow tunnels behind them. After some initial experimentation Rhuun breaks one open using one of the bugbears’ morningstars. The tunnel is to small for any of the party to pass, so Foleful sends an arcane eye do investigate. He finds a complicated series of narrow tunnels inhabited by tiny bipedal rat like creatures. Foleful identifies the little creatures as Jermlaine, thieving, cowardly creatures who only attack when they have overwhelming odds. Thar instructs Rhuun to move a large barrel over the hole they have created.
While Foleful’s unseen servants work industriously to clean out what he considers to be his new home, the party takes some time to grill Krikara about why she is with them. She explains that she had been living with a clan of darkcreepers since leaving the party. She was sent find a magical buckler and destroy it. The conversation slips quickly into an interrogation mode as Foleful rapidly fires questions at Krikara.
“Who told you to do that?” asked Foleful.
“The Dark One?”
The rest of the party groaned. “What is the Dark One?” asked Foleful.
“The All Encompassing Concealment.”
“Your god?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“When I was dead.”
The party looks at each other, they didn’t know anything about Krikara dying. Thar smiles knowingly. “You really were dead,” he murmurs.
“Who raised you? A darkcreeper cleric?” asked Foleful.
As Krikara nodded, Thar laughed, “Darkcreepers don’t have clerics. Their god is a figment of their imagination. They can’t cast spells.”
“Being imaginary never stopped a god from granting spells,” replied Foleful, “For example, Gruumsh.”
Krikara went on to explain that a mysterious woman named Lariska had told her where to find the party. At the mention of Lariska, Foleful seemed uncomfortable and changed the subject. “Why do you need to destroy the buckler?”
“Buckler being dangerous, troubling, upsetting. Being worse than normal magic items. More so. Being light bringing. Needing to being destroyed.”
Thar, intrigued by talk of a vision from an imaginary god and still a little uncomfortable about his own visions compared notes with Krikara about their respective visions. “It was peaceful, pleasant, dark, silent, vast, wonderful, pure, perfect. Then there was light, power, noise. The buckler. Bright, destructive, searing.“ She described seeing a crescent symbol on the buckler.
Foleful attempts to divine the location of the buckler, and again receives nothing. Thar is able to confirm that followers of Corellon Larethian sometimes inscribe his symbol, the crescent on their armor.
The party also discusses the possibility of returning to The Hole to follow up their investigation of the tainted beer. Again Foleful casts divination, “What kind of reception would Atarax and Thar receive at the Hole?” The response is simple, “The coin was last seen when you were all there.”
“Well there goes another chance to perform,” Thar says to Atarax.
The party, tired and confused, sets watches and settles in to get some rest. Krikara claims Gariarch’s bed, and the others scatter around the complex.
Krikara discovers the original entrance to the cave complex, which the bugbears had collapsed, thinking it was the only entrance. Thar finds that the fallen rocks are oddly shaped and hypothesizes that the entrance was blocked through the use of many applications of the soften earth and stone spell. The rock was softened and then ripped from the walls and ceiling. The party notes that they encountered no spellcasters in the fight against Gariarch’s forces, and Gariarch himself had noted a distaste for spellcasters. The situation becomes clearer when Foleful casts a thought capture in Gariarch’s private caves. The spell reveals someone searching through Gariarch’s possessions, rushed and listening to the sounds of battle in the next cave. Foleful senses a great wave of relief when a harness, a large black stone, and two gauntlets made of rock are uncovered.
Foleful describes the vision to the rest of the party, and they are less than impressed.
“You can’t make gloves out of stone!” exclaims Thar.
“How would they bend?” asks Atarax.
Krikara is able to confirm a little of Foleful’s vision. During the battle, shortly after Mikek disappeared she heard someone moving around in Gariarch’s cave. Foleful posits that the large black stone he saw is the heart of an elder earth elemental, and was being used to power the magic item which softened the stone around the entrance. While such an item has obvious potential, no one can think of any reason that Mikek would be so desperate to find it in particular.
Foleful is particularaly upset about the prospect of elementals being killed to power magic items. “Who would do something like that? Screw the dead goblins, this is upsetting.”
A search of Gariarch’s cave reveals that his books of anatomy and torture were left behind by whoever took the rest of his possessions. The party retrieves titles such as A Beginners Guide to Water Torture, Liberium Dolore Veritas, Where to Stick it volumes v-viii, Pressure Points, and The Book of Dead Smiles. They also find a small journal that Gariarch was apparently keeping, cataloging his experiments in pain performed on his goblin slaves. The journal reiterates Gariarch’s hatred for clerics and priests, but doesn’t explain its origin.
Foleful argues that they should claim Gariarch’s complex as their own. “A few unseen servants to drag out the bodies, a prestidigitation cantrip or two, we’ll clean it up good as new.”
This gives rise to another argument about what to do next. Atarax is in favor of returning to Sanctuary as if nothing had happened, but Thar and Foleful argue strenuously against it. They argue that Mikek abandoned the party, even before they sealed him and his companions in the complex with a bugbear killing machine. Not to mention they apparently killed every goblin in the complex to cover their tracks. “We were expendable, do you think they’ll welcome us back with open arms? We go back there, the best we can hope is all of those Sanctuary hopeful’s will kill us before Zorn can rip us limb from limb.”
The argument stops momentarily when Krikara finds several small patches in the cavern wall and ceiling that appear to be smoothed over using the stone shaping gauntlets.
Foleful casts an object loresight on one of the other smoothed portions of rock, learning that it had been formed about five and a half months before by a bugbear named Frankie because, “Gotta keep things out.”
After some initial experiments, the party discovers the smooth spots are only about three inches thick and block small narrow tunnels behind them. After some initial experimentation Rhuun breaks one open using one of the bugbears’ morningstars. The tunnel is to small for any of the party to pass, so Foleful sends an arcane eye do investigate. He finds a complicated series of narrow tunnels inhabited by tiny bipedal rat like creatures. Foleful identifies the little creatures as Jermlaine, thieving, cowardly creatures who only attack when they have overwhelming odds. Thar instructs Rhuun to move a large barrel over the hole they have created.
While Foleful’s unseen servants work industriously to clean out what he considers to be his new home, the party takes some time to grill Krikara about why she is with them. She explains that she had been living with a clan of darkcreepers since leaving the party. She was sent find a magical buckler and destroy it. The conversation slips quickly into an interrogation mode as Foleful rapidly fires questions at Krikara.
“Who told you to do that?” asked Foleful.
“The Dark One?”
The rest of the party groaned. “What is the Dark One?” asked Foleful.
“The All Encompassing Concealment.”
“Your god?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“When I was dead.”
The party looks at each other, they didn’t know anything about Krikara dying. Thar smiles knowingly. “You really were dead,” he murmurs.
“Who raised you? A darkcreeper cleric?” asked Foleful.
As Krikara nodded, Thar laughed, “Darkcreepers don’t have clerics. Their god is a figment of their imagination. They can’t cast spells.”
“Being imaginary never stopped a god from granting spells,” replied Foleful, “For example, Gruumsh.”
Krikara went on to explain that a mysterious woman named Lariska had told her where to find the party. At the mention of Lariska, Foleful seemed uncomfortable and changed the subject. “Why do you need to destroy the buckler?”
“Buckler being dangerous, troubling, upsetting. Being worse than normal magic items. More so. Being light bringing. Needing to being destroyed.”
Thar, intrigued by talk of a vision from an imaginary god and still a little uncomfortable about his own visions compared notes with Krikara about their respective visions. “It was peaceful, pleasant, dark, silent, vast, wonderful, pure, perfect. Then there was light, power, noise. The buckler. Bright, destructive, searing.“ She described seeing a crescent symbol on the buckler.
Foleful attempts to divine the location of the buckler, and again receives nothing. Thar is able to confirm that followers of Corellon Larethian sometimes inscribe his symbol, the crescent on their armor.
The party also discusses the possibility of returning to The Hole to follow up their investigation of the tainted beer. Again Foleful casts divination, “What kind of reception would Atarax and Thar receive at the Hole?” The response is simple, “The coin was last seen when you were all there.”
“Well there goes another chance to perform,” Thar says to Atarax.
The party, tired and confused, sets watches and settles in to get some rest. Krikara claims Gariarch’s bed, and the others scatter around the complex.
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6th of Charder
Thar awoke sometime later to Moroku shaking him awake, “I was on watch with Atarax and Rhuun when they just stood up and walked out toward the exit. They wouldn’t talk to me.” Suddenly the Alarm spell that Moroku had cast at the once-secret door began to clang.
“There they go. Wake the others,” said Thar. He runs for the exit, only stopping long enough to cast invisibility. As he reaches the smashed secret doors he slows and sneaks forward silently. Atarax and Rhuun are already out of sight and he can here the old ogre moving up behind him. Thar accelerates into a run, dashing through corridors, barely able to catch the sound of Atarax and Rhuun ahead of him.
Eventually Thar catches up and, confident that Moroku is close behind, gets near his two companions and casts invisibility purge. No invisible enemies are revealed, but Thar immediately becomes visible. Thar attempts to reason with Atarax and Rhuun, but his words have no effect on the pair as they walk determinedly toward Sanctuary. “We have to go to Zorn,” they explain.
Moroku casts one, then a second dispel magic around the pair, neither to any effect.
Thar, in a juvenile fit of frustration attempts to kick Atarax in the genitals, but the nimble bard leaps aside and continues to walk.
Suddenly an arrow flew out of the darkness and struck Atarax in the back. Krikara has arrived.
Thar ignores Atarax and turns to Rhuun. “I need you to stop. Maglibuyet wants you to stop. They'recontrolling your mind, damn it!”
Talking is having no effect, so Thar casts dispel magic on Rhuun. She immediately stops, blinks, and looks at Thar with despair. “Oh no!”
Atarax has been struck with a second arrow and has had enough. He casts expeditious retreat and begins to run away from the party. He is almost out of range when Moroku casts dispel magic on him and he stops, shakes his head in confusion, and moves back toward the party, clutching the arrow sticking out of his side. He casts a spell, and Krikara feels her will suppressed under Atarax’s charm monster enchantment.
“Let’s agree that the next time someone is charmed we don’t stop them by shooting them full of arrows,” yelled Atarax.
The rest of the party seemed largely unconcerned about his anger. Thar brushes aside Rhuun’s heartbroken apologies. “Let’s go back and find Foleful.”
“Can I get some healing?” asked Atarax.
“When we get back to camp. Let’s move.”
The party returned to camp to find that Foleful, who was completely out of spells after a day of investigation, had elected to stay where he was. Foleful quickly put the pieces together and deduced that the party had fallen victim to sympathetic magic. He explained that sympathetic magic works over long range but requires something that belonged to the target. It is particularly potent if you have a piece of your target. Blood would work very well.
This revelation sets off another argument. Thar demands that they go and kill Aunty Em immediately. Foleful reminds him that Slam her ogre bodyguard poses a major obstacle, and she wouldn’t live outside inner sanctuary if she couldn’t take care of herself. Atarax suggests that perhaps Aunty Em is passing the blood samples on to someone else, perhaps unknowingly, and recommends talking to her. Thar is adamant that Aunty Em is their only link to whoever is trying to control their minds. “We’ll kill her, then ask her if she’s responsible. If she’s not she can tell us who is.” He rolls his eyes in disgust as the rest of the party agrees that they should try talking first. “I can’t think of a scenario where the creepy old witch is our ally against the conspiracy to control our minds.”
The party returns to sleep and Krikara conspicuously offers to sleep on the stone floor so that Atarax can have Gariarch’s bed.
Thar awoke sometime later to Moroku shaking him awake, “I was on watch with Atarax and Rhuun when they just stood up and walked out toward the exit. They wouldn’t talk to me.” Suddenly the Alarm spell that Moroku had cast at the once-secret door began to clang.
“There they go. Wake the others,” said Thar. He runs for the exit, only stopping long enough to cast invisibility. As he reaches the smashed secret doors he slows and sneaks forward silently. Atarax and Rhuun are already out of sight and he can here the old ogre moving up behind him. Thar accelerates into a run, dashing through corridors, barely able to catch the sound of Atarax and Rhuun ahead of him.
Eventually Thar catches up and, confident that Moroku is close behind, gets near his two companions and casts invisibility purge. No invisible enemies are revealed, but Thar immediately becomes visible. Thar attempts to reason with Atarax and Rhuun, but his words have no effect on the pair as they walk determinedly toward Sanctuary. “We have to go to Zorn,” they explain.
Moroku casts one, then a second dispel magic around the pair, neither to any effect.
Thar, in a juvenile fit of frustration attempts to kick Atarax in the genitals, but the nimble bard leaps aside and continues to walk.
Suddenly an arrow flew out of the darkness and struck Atarax in the back. Krikara has arrived.
Thar ignores Atarax and turns to Rhuun. “I need you to stop. Maglibuyet wants you to stop. They'recontrolling your mind, damn it!”
Talking is having no effect, so Thar casts dispel magic on Rhuun. She immediately stops, blinks, and looks at Thar with despair. “Oh no!”
Atarax has been struck with a second arrow and has had enough. He casts expeditious retreat and begins to run away from the party. He is almost out of range when Moroku casts dispel magic on him and he stops, shakes his head in confusion, and moves back toward the party, clutching the arrow sticking out of his side. He casts a spell, and Krikara feels her will suppressed under Atarax’s charm monster enchantment.
“Let’s agree that the next time someone is charmed we don’t stop them by shooting them full of arrows,” yelled Atarax.
The rest of the party seemed largely unconcerned about his anger. Thar brushes aside Rhuun’s heartbroken apologies. “Let’s go back and find Foleful.”
“Can I get some healing?” asked Atarax.
“When we get back to camp. Let’s move.”
The party returned to camp to find that Foleful, who was completely out of spells after a day of investigation, had elected to stay where he was. Foleful quickly put the pieces together and deduced that the party had fallen victim to sympathetic magic. He explained that sympathetic magic works over long range but requires something that belonged to the target. It is particularly potent if you have a piece of your target. Blood would work very well.
This revelation sets off another argument. Thar demands that they go and kill Aunty Em immediately. Foleful reminds him that Slam her ogre bodyguard poses a major obstacle, and she wouldn’t live outside inner sanctuary if she couldn’t take care of herself. Atarax suggests that perhaps Aunty Em is passing the blood samples on to someone else, perhaps unknowingly, and recommends talking to her. Thar is adamant that Aunty Em is their only link to whoever is trying to control their minds. “We’ll kill her, then ask her if she’s responsible. If she’s not she can tell us who is.” He rolls his eyes in disgust as the rest of the party agrees that they should try talking first. “I can’t think of a scenario where the creepy old witch is our ally against the conspiracy to control our minds.”
The party returns to sleep and Krikara conspicuously offers to sleep on the stone floor so that Atarax can have Gariarch’s bed.
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Without further adieu, the Books of Torture . . .
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).
----
From the foreword of “The Book of Dead Smiles”, by Zocala Baska
It is through the pain that they find out who they are. It strips them of their defenses. They are made innocent again, like children. We are here to help them find that innocence. In the end they don’t feel guilt. Or regret. Or remorse. In the end, they are pure.
We set them free.
(Notes: Zocola Baska is a male drow torturer of the House Killsaek. Insane, of course, but not untalented.)
----
From the introduction of “A Beginner’s Guide to Water Torture”, by Hsssith and Csssoth Ursssliss
It has long been understood that the introduction of high-pressure water to client orifices is an excellent way to extract information. However, many novices are blind to the intricacies of the method. How much water should be used? What devices should be used to introduce it? What are the dangers of using boiling water, or using a different liquid entirely?
Excellent questions all – lucky for you, you’ve come to the right place. We’ll talk about the right way, and the wrong way, to triple-surge water into your victim. We’ll talk about temperatures – what reaction can you expect from your victim when ice-cold water turns boiling hot? And if you can’t buy your own equipment, we’ll teach you how to make it yourself.
Prepare yourself to see this little harmless little liquid in an entirely new light!
(Notes: Hsssith and Csssoth Ursssliss are, charmingly, husband and wife -- a pair of half-fiendish lizardmen. They work for one of the many Slavers groups in Sivenni (a huge drow-controlled slaver town)).
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From the foreword of “Where To Stick It,” Volume 5, by Grutious the Grim
Hey, torture fans! GTG (author of Where To Stick It, Volumes 1-4) is back with the sequel you’ve been waiting for! And you know the drill -- no dry text here. No rambling about anatomy or where this nerve connects to that tendon or how hard you need to hit an elf’s skull to break it without damaging its brain. No, we’re all about fun here at GTG’s, bay-bee! So throw some black rock into the fire, and throw the pokers in after it, because we’re going to get messy. We’re going to get bloody. We’re going to get brutal.
We’re going to get GRIM!
(Notes: Grutious is a bugbear torturer of Clan Baragg. Clan Baragg rules much of the nearby Underdark area, including most of the "tollbooths")
----
From the introduction of Librum In Dolore Veritas, by Gremian Graybody
There are many books about the inquisitor technique, but few about inquisitor psychology – many on how to learn the truth from our clients, but none on how to use our clients to discover the truth about ourselves. Yet exploration of this type is a must for any good inquisitor. Few inquisitors recognize the dangers of counter-transference, spontaneous sympathy, or pain fatigue; fewer still know how to conduct an active investigation of how their client’s reactions may be subtly affecting their psyche.
Yet an investigation of this type can blunt or even completely negate its negative effects. In this book I discuss the importance of self-monitoring, reconstruction, adherence to Quality, true and simulated subject-object dichotomization, and inverted authoritarianism and how each ties in with a unified Theory of Suffering. A metaphysics of torment is outlined and logically connected to the metaphysics of relief and hope. The subtle yet well-established differences between pain, anguish, torment, and agony are examined from seven different perspectives; specifically, that of client, inquisitor, observer, employer, . . .
(Notes: Atarax has never heard of Gremian)
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).
----
From the foreword of “The Book of Dead Smiles”, by Zocala Baska
It is through the pain that they find out who they are. It strips them of their defenses. They are made innocent again, like children. We are here to help them find that innocence. In the end they don’t feel guilt. Or regret. Or remorse. In the end, they are pure.
We set them free.
(Notes: Zocola Baska is a male drow torturer of the House Killsaek. Insane, of course, but not untalented.)
----
From the introduction of “A Beginner’s Guide to Water Torture”, by Hsssith and Csssoth Ursssliss
It has long been understood that the introduction of high-pressure water to client orifices is an excellent way to extract information. However, many novices are blind to the intricacies of the method. How much water should be used? What devices should be used to introduce it? What are the dangers of using boiling water, or using a different liquid entirely?
Excellent questions all – lucky for you, you’ve come to the right place. We’ll talk about the right way, and the wrong way, to triple-surge water into your victim. We’ll talk about temperatures – what reaction can you expect from your victim when ice-cold water turns boiling hot? And if you can’t buy your own equipment, we’ll teach you how to make it yourself.
Prepare yourself to see this little harmless little liquid in an entirely new light!
(Notes: Hsssith and Csssoth Ursssliss are, charmingly, husband and wife -- a pair of half-fiendish lizardmen. They work for one of the many Slavers groups in Sivenni (a huge drow-controlled slaver town)).
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From the foreword of “Where To Stick It,” Volume 5, by Grutious the Grim
Hey, torture fans! GTG (author of Where To Stick It, Volumes 1-4) is back with the sequel you’ve been waiting for! And you know the drill -- no dry text here. No rambling about anatomy or where this nerve connects to that tendon or how hard you need to hit an elf’s skull to break it without damaging its brain. No, we’re all about fun here at GTG’s, bay-bee! So throw some black rock into the fire, and throw the pokers in after it, because we’re going to get messy. We’re going to get bloody. We’re going to get brutal.
We’re going to get GRIM!
(Notes: Grutious is a bugbear torturer of Clan Baragg. Clan Baragg rules much of the nearby Underdark area, including most of the "tollbooths")
----
From the introduction of Librum In Dolore Veritas, by Gremian Graybody
There are many books about the inquisitor technique, but few about inquisitor psychology – many on how to learn the truth from our clients, but none on how to use our clients to discover the truth about ourselves. Yet exploration of this type is a must for any good inquisitor. Few inquisitors recognize the dangers of counter-transference, spontaneous sympathy, or pain fatigue; fewer still know how to conduct an active investigation of how their client’s reactions may be subtly affecting their psyche.
Yet an investigation of this type can blunt or even completely negate its negative effects. In this book I discuss the importance of self-monitoring, reconstruction, adherence to Quality, true and simulated subject-object dichotomization, and inverted authoritarianism and how each ties in with a unified Theory of Suffering. A metaphysics of torment is outlined and logically connected to the metaphysics of relief and hope. The subtle yet well-established differences between pain, anguish, torment, and agony are examined from seven different perspectives; specifically, that of client, inquisitor, observer, employer, . . .
(Notes: Atarax has never heard of Gremian)
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Fun With Party Conflict
From the interparty discussion emails last week:
-------------------
Foleful: Party goals and questions for discussion --
· How can we find this child, given that divination yields no more answers? Is the divination screen an indication that the child is in Inner Sanctuary?
· Why does Krikara want a shiny buckler, who told her to get it, and what is she doing here?
· What is virtue? Is one man as good as another?
· If Foleful wanted to, say, establish an Academy of learning and culture, ruled over by a benevolent philosopher-king (cough cough), what would be the best way to go about that?
· Do we need to make an excursion into the Hellmouth to seek out new life and new civilizations for Atarax to learn the languages of?
Atarax: You forgot one important party goal. Perhaps the most important --
NEVER INTERRUPT ATARAX DURING A PERFORMANCE!!!!!!
Foleful: Right, we'll be sure to avoid that in the future.
Other things to avoid include "coming out of hiding to greet monstrous demonic horrors and offer the party up to them" and "giving people samples of our blood" and "agreeing to help the people we all just agreed we don't trust go kill someone we've been warned by many people is a violence machine" and "giving people samples of our blood" and "suggesting we cheerfully go *back* to the people who betrayed us after we got beaten up and lost a party member for them and pretend nothing happened" and especially "giving people samples of our blood!"
--------------
God, I love this campaign!
From the interparty discussion emails last week:
-------------------
Foleful: Party goals and questions for discussion --
· How can we find this child, given that divination yields no more answers? Is the divination screen an indication that the child is in Inner Sanctuary?
· Why does Krikara want a shiny buckler, who told her to get it, and what is she doing here?
· What is virtue? Is one man as good as another?
· If Foleful wanted to, say, establish an Academy of learning and culture, ruled over by a benevolent philosopher-king (cough cough), what would be the best way to go about that?
· Do we need to make an excursion into the Hellmouth to seek out new life and new civilizations for Atarax to learn the languages of?
Atarax: You forgot one important party goal. Perhaps the most important --
NEVER INTERRUPT ATARAX DURING A PERFORMANCE!!!!!!
Foleful: Right, we'll be sure to avoid that in the future.
Other things to avoid include "coming out of hiding to greet monstrous demonic horrors and offer the party up to them" and "giving people samples of our blood" and "agreeing to help the people we all just agreed we don't trust go kill someone we've been warned by many people is a violence machine" and "giving people samples of our blood" and "suggesting we cheerfully go *back* to the people who betrayed us after we got beaten up and lost a party member for them and pretend nothing happened" and especially "giving people samples of our blood!"
--------------
God, I love this campaign!
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THE TOP PARTY QUOTES in this DM's humble opinion
It recently occurred to me how many good lines keep popping up. So I figured I might as well start making a list. Here they are, in chronological order:
1. "You're right. We're not refugees." -- Rhuun
2. "Can I have a foot massage?" -- Thar
3. "NEVER INTERRUPT ATARAX DURING A PERFORMANCE!!!" -- Atarax (about seventeen times a session)
4. "Bad Ale! Bad Ale!" -- Foleful
5. "Can we please have some NON-mind-altering mushrooms? -- Atarax
6. "Can I cast Charm Person on myself?" -- Atarax
Hm. The bard seems to have most of the good lines. Figures.
It recently occurred to me how many good lines keep popping up. So I figured I might as well start making a list. Here they are, in chronological order:
1. "You're right. We're not refugees." -- Rhuun
2. "Can I have a foot massage?" -- Thar
3. "NEVER INTERRUPT ATARAX DURING A PERFORMANCE!!!" -- Atarax (about seventeen times a session)
4. "Bad Ale! Bad Ale!" -- Foleful
5. "Can we please have some NON-mind-altering mushrooms? -- Atarax
6. "Can I cast Charm Person on myself?" -- Atarax
Hm. The bard seems to have most of the good lines. Figures.
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Gez
First Post
Re: Fun With Party Conflict
A whole lotta fun, sure! It has a feelin somewhat like the mis-adventures of "Kroc the Kewte", an old classic comic for French gamers (a kind goblin cursed with a non-destroyable hit point, and his cowardly friends, assaulted by the ruthlessness of munchkin adventurers and his "normally monstrous" brethren).
With more blood and less silliness than Kroc, however.
Forrester said:God, I love this campaign!
A whole lotta fun, sure! It has a feelin somewhat like the mis-adventures of "Kroc the Kewte", an old classic comic for French gamers (a kind goblin cursed with a non-destroyable hit point, and his cowardly friends, assaulted by the ruthlessness of munchkin adventurers and his "normally monstrous" brethren).
With more blood and less silliness than Kroc, however.
MavrickWeirdo
First Post
Re: AtE session 6
How do you specialize in Abjuration AND evocation?
Morrow said:
How do you specialize in Abjuration AND evocation?
Re: Re: AtE session 6
I've House Ruled sorcerers a bit. I was getting tired of the same ole sorcerer -- Magic Missile, Shield, Exp. Retreat at 1st level, Fly, Fireball, Haste (if I hadn't nerfed it out of existence) at 3rd level, etc.
SO, in my campaign, sorcerers:
1) Become Monte Cook sorcerers (4 skill points/level, d6hp, slightly different list and learned spells/level)
2) Know spells from two schools -- one that is relatively powerful (Transmutation, Enchantment, Conjuration, Evocation) and one that is less powerful (Illusion, Abjuration, Necromancy, Divination).
They get twice as many known spells, in the sense that they know the usual number of spells from each school. For instance, a Monte Cook sorcerer learns two 3rd level spells when he hits 6th level. One of my sorcerers would learn two 3rd level spells from *each* of his schools.
The catch is, of course, that they can only cast spells from two schools -- so they are uber-specialized. Foleful, for instance, can only cast Conjuration and Divination spells. He'll never cast Fly or Improved Invis or Teleport. He'll never be able to use a Wand of Fireballs.
Moroku can lay out the Fireballs and Dispel Magics like nobody's business. But no Fly. No Web. No Invisibility. No Solid Fog. And so on.
It probably makes them a little overpowered. (Of course, the lack of Haste in my campaign hurts spellcasters more than fighter types.) But damn, they're a helluva lot more interesting. There are two sorcerers in my campaign right now (Foleful and Moroku) and they're incredibly different. Not being able to cast any of the same spells does that
.
MavrickWeirdo said:
I've House Ruled sorcerers a bit. I was getting tired of the same ole sorcerer -- Magic Missile, Shield, Exp. Retreat at 1st level, Fly, Fireball, Haste (if I hadn't nerfed it out of existence) at 3rd level, etc.
SO, in my campaign, sorcerers:
1) Become Monte Cook sorcerers (4 skill points/level, d6hp, slightly different list and learned spells/level)
2) Know spells from two schools -- one that is relatively powerful (Transmutation, Enchantment, Conjuration, Evocation) and one that is less powerful (Illusion, Abjuration, Necromancy, Divination).
They get twice as many known spells, in the sense that they know the usual number of spells from each school. For instance, a Monte Cook sorcerer learns two 3rd level spells when he hits 6th level. One of my sorcerers would learn two 3rd level spells from *each* of his schools.
The catch is, of course, that they can only cast spells from two schools -- so they are uber-specialized. Foleful, for instance, can only cast Conjuration and Divination spells. He'll never cast Fly or Improved Invis or Teleport. He'll never be able to use a Wand of Fireballs.
Moroku can lay out the Fireballs and Dispel Magics like nobody's business. But no Fly. No Web. No Invisibility. No Solid Fog. And so on.
It probably makes them a little overpowered. (Of course, the lack of Haste in my campaign hurts spellcasters more than fighter types.) But damn, they're a helluva lot more interesting. There are two sorcerers in my campaign right now (Foleful and Moroku) and they're incredibly different. Not being able to cast any of the same spells does that
.
