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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Iron Chef BBQ" data-source="post: 889634" data-attributes="member: 1844">The Legend of Hooffall (run of 04-06-03 pt 1)Our intrepid band identifies all the items they found in that vile camp and divvies them up.2 potions of water walk – Kel and Borinscroll of soften earth and stone – Kalinaring of the ram – Kelring of counter spells – They have it filled with dispel magic and Lucre wears ita beautiful gold and blue candle of truth with 4 burn lines left on it – Dekean amulet of intimidation which Borin can hardly wait to pin to his polar bear armorLastly, they find 3 hollow sticks.  They look like wands, but none of the spell casters have ever seen wands quite like this.  They appear to have no magic in them.  Marja takes them to Marcus Dwarin (the little wizard from whom she buys her scrolls) for identification, but he is stumped and sends her to a colleague of his, Derrick Willow.  Derrick is very impressed by the wands.  It appears they can hold a single charge of shocking grasp that anyone (even non-spellcasters) can discharge.  Marja can see his wizard mind churning.  He must study this and learn how it is done.  That’s the difference between sorcerers and wizards.  Derrick will spend the next several months locked in a room studying this wand while Marja could care less how it works and has no desire to create one herself.  He offers to buy one from her for 600 gp.  She gets him to throw in filling the other two with the shocking grasp spell and seals the deal.  She gives the two wands to Kenyan and Lucre. Lucre is on the lookout for a magic weapon, but not just any magic weapon.  He wants a very old one, one with a legend attached to it.  Marja takes the group back to visit Marcus.  She’s sure he’ll know where to find what Lucre wants.  He has something of interest.  It’s a sword with a crystal handle.  It looks so delicate.  Marcus says it radiates magic, but he hasn’t been able to figure out exactly what it does.  Lucre picks it up and hears a voice in his head.  “Welcome.  The Citadel awaits you.”  “Not now,” whispers Lucre.  “NOW!” the voice screams in his ears.  Lucre’s eyes flash yellow.  There is that smell of sulfur in the air and the crystal grows to form a basket over his hand.  “I’ll take it!” Lucre exclaims.  Kel insists on detecting evil before he lets Lucre pay for it.  It checks out ok.  Marcus charges 2300 gp which sends Deke into hysterics.  “Hey, what are our house renovations costing?” Marja snaps, “besides, it spoke to him.  When something speaks to you, you were meant to have it.”  “How do you know?” asks Deke.  “Hey!  What’s been speaking to you?”  Marja turns and leaves the shop with Deke, his protestations forgotten, trailing after her, full of questions.Back at the warehouse Lucre fills the group in on the sword.  “When I picked it up, I was standing in another plane.  I could see a hundred faces.  I think maybe they were the faces of all the people who have wielded it before.  The faces said they would teach me how to use the sword.  The sword believes in strength and mind and balance.”It is now late September.  The warehouse construction continues under Deke’s watchful eye.  The party gets a detailed map of Vesh from Lord Beltray.  The map is a detail of Northern Vesh, the city of Mensk and the Kelder Steps.  Their destination, the Shrine of Hooffall is beyond the Steps.Kel tells the story of the shrine.  A brave and devoted knight of Corean lived a long and adventurous life in service to the god.  At his death Corean turned him into a gigantic white stallion and whisked him up to heaven.  In one mighty leap the stallion bounded into the sky leaving a large half-circle hoof print in the ground.  This hoof print filled with water to create a small lake.  Miracles began to happen as the faithful sick bathed in the waters.  An order of monks was established, the Order of the White Horse, whose holy mission is to heal the sick and defend the weak.  Deke remembered Naxos, the paladin they’d met some many months ago.  He was from Vesh.  “Was he from the Order of the White Horse?” he asks.  “No,” Marja replied, “He was a Vigil.”  Then she added with a laugh, “Just like you!”Kenyan returns from a walk around town.  He bumped into an old army buddy of his.  Lucre is amazed that Kenyan was ever in the army, but after listening to a few tales of adventure, he no longer doubts Kenyan and is all the more impressed by his bravery.  (great bluff!)  Anyway, this old buddy now acts as a guide and guard through the treacherous Steps.  On his last journey his party didn’t stop at the temple on the return trip.  “Why?” several in the party ask together.  Kenyan’s voice turns ominous, “Because everything around the temple was dead!”  No one likes that news, but they’ve delayed their departure long enough.  On a beautiful, crisp fall day they head out.  At every town they pass, people are busy and happy taking in the harvest and preparing for winter.  It’s been a good year for a change and people are rejoicing in the plenty of the land.  They happen upon one small town during their harvest festival.  Gaily colored tents are spread across the town square, and the smell of spitted pig and fried dough fills the air.  The mayor is sitting smugly on the seat of a dunking booth.  He is dry as a bone, and no wonder, the target is no bigger than an orange.  Deke gets in line.  Three balls are placed in front of him.  He tests them in his hand for balance.  Not too bad.  He hurls the first one with such force that he not only hits the target, but breaks the circle right off of the arm.  The mayor plunges into the cold water and comes up sputtering.  With great surprise he repositions himself on the seat while three men tie the target back onto the dunking arm.  Deke lightly tosses the ball this time, and with some embarrassment, he does the same again.  Again the mayor sputters.  Again three men rush in to repair the machine.  He tosses his last ball to Kel and sidles away.  Kel gives the ball a hearty toss, and while he doesn’t break anything, he once again sends the poor mayor into the chilly water.  With a sheepish grin, Kell moves away toward the fried dough line.The next day is again bright and clear.  The group moves quickly along the road to the Shrine of Hooffall.  Late in the day they come upon a strange sight.  A bizarre lizard-like creature is standing upright in the middle of the road.  It is wearing a velvet tabard, stained and ripped, that comes down to its knees.  It has on a pair of knickers that extend to its ankles and a large hat with a weary feather falling down the back.“Hault.  You can not enter land of King Meepo and Queen Threeba!  Must pay tribute to pass.”  This little figure is so comical that even Kel can’t help snicker.  They inquire to whom they are speaking.  “I am Herald Grizzle.  All bow before King Meepo and Queen Threeba!  Must pay tribute.”  Borin, enhanced by his new amulet, intimidates the poor little creature, but it boldly stands by its post.  “Everybody, but scary lady with big axe, must pay tribute,” Grizzle gulps.  “This many hundreds.”  It holds up three fingers.  Kel shakes his head and laughs out loud.  “No way, little one.  This is a free road, and you are inside the kingdom of Vesh.  You have no right to exact tribute here.”  The group follows him as he passes the little creature.Plucky as ever, Grizzle yells after them, “King Meepo will be wroth!”</blockquote>

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