Like Father, Like Son: Kid Charlemagne's Story Hour , PT III
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Kid Charlemagne
I am the Very Model of a Modern Moderator
Cape Varna, Princedom of Krone, June 13th, AE 420
The following day, the party tries to do some more research. Jovah pores through more obscure religious texts. He is aided in his tasks by Brennen, who struggles carrying vast stacks of books for the gnome-priest to peruse.
“Hey, Brennen, you see that little red book all the way up on that top shelf? Can you grab that one?”
Brennen groans. Research, he whines to himself. Ugh.
Jovah is finding the reading tough going, especially since he hasn’t made a breakthrough of any import since his first initial studies over a week ago.
“These texts are really tough to read,” he says, holding a parchment up to a candle in order to read it more clearly, nearly setting it aflame.
Jovah rolled a 1 on his Knowledge: Relgion check, and immediately called for his Luck Domain reroll. We joked that he almost set the university library on fire.
“Watch it there, Jovah,” Brennen says, “I can just see it now, ‘gnome burns down elvish university library.’”
“Great,” Gavin groans from a far table where he is reading a book on horses. “Just what we need, start a war between elves and gnomes over a library burning down.”
Jovah scoffs. “The elves and gnomes would never go to war.”
“Yeah,” Jalea quips. “It would be a very short battle…”
Jovah glares at the elvish rogue.
“Any more short jokes and I start poking eyes!”
“More like kneecaps,” Gavin mutters under his breath, but Jovah doesn’t hear him. Luckily.
Corwin is having more success. He is taking advantage of his ring of sustenance to help him study longer into the night, and finds some information on the strange summoned creatures that Quinn has been calling on them. They are pseudonatural creatures, drawn from strange, unknown planes, and although they look mostly like ordinary creatures, they are in fact completely unnnatural.
Aris identifies the dweomer on the red spellbook from Johann’s room, and discovers that it allows one to summon a spectral panther like the one they faced there. Presumably, someone must have set it up to be summoned automatically if anyone entered the room. He and Corwin begin looking through the spellbook, hoping to pick out a few spells that they can add to their repertoire.
The next day, Corwin scries on Kentfield again. This time, the demon-worshipper notices the scrying attempt, and slams shut the door he was about to walk through, but not before Corwin gets a glimpse of a permanently inlaid summoning circle in the hold of his ship. The party then dimension folds to outside of Ulfang, and begins the ride to Tor, where they plan on checking out the address found amongst Johann’s papers.
Jovah moans about having to ride in order to get somewhere, but Gavin is loving it. Finally, he is getting a chance to let his warhorse, Dreadnaught, some exercise. The journey will take a few days, and the horseman is practically begging for a fight, so he can do battle on horseback.
However, the road to Tor is well-travelled and patrolled, and no such opportunity presents itself. The next evening is the night of the new moon. Corwin decides to scry Lord Kentfield at midnight, the most common hour for a ceremony dedicated to Pazuzu. He sees him, and jumps back in shock almost immediately.
“I saw him right as he was sacrificing someone!” the wizard manages to whisper hoarsely.
Kentfield is on his ship. They are anchored in a cove somewhere; since it is the new moon, little can be seen off the ship. The deck is lit by torches, and Kentfield is wearing his elaborate bird-mask again. Quinn is standing just to his side, wearing a less elaborate mask, just as in the ceremony they disrupted in Ulfang. The Sahuagin priestess is present, and so is the four armed Suahuagin warrior. The captain and crew of the ship appear to be in attendance. A summoned Nabassu demon watches over the proceedings.
“We should just fold in there and wipe them out!” Brennen says.
“It would be a dangerous fold,” Jovah says. “I’d be going off a relatively poor memory of what the boat looks like.”
“Wait a minute,” Aris says. “Remember Mahanaim? When we took out those catapults?”
“Uh, yeah?” Jovah replies.
“Open a fold on the ship, and we’ll blast them through the open portal. Corwin can haste me, and himself. We’ll toss in a few fireballs, maybe a lightning bolt or two, and then let the portal close!”
“If we wipe out his crew, he’ll be stuck out there in the middle of nowhere!” Brennen says, liking the idea.
“I could cast a flamestrike…” Jovah adds, warming to the thought himself
Jalea looks at Reana, and shakes his head.
“I think this is where I put my fingers in my ears, and pretend not to be hearing any of this,” he says.
Brennen is getting stoked. “Tell me the cons!”
No on says anything.
“Okay, then! Let’s do it!”
The party preps their spells, and Jovah casts his extended dimensional folding spell, located at the prow of the vessel, looking back towards the aft section.
The portal is blocked a greenish force field, just as it was in the temple beneath Kentfield’s old manor house.
“Dammit,” Brennen says. “I guess that means we keep going to Tor.”
“More research,” he groans, disgustedly slamming his swords back in their sheaths.
The following day, the party tries to do some more research. Jovah pores through more obscure religious texts. He is aided in his tasks by Brennen, who struggles carrying vast stacks of books for the gnome-priest to peruse.
“Hey, Brennen, you see that little red book all the way up on that top shelf? Can you grab that one?”
Brennen groans. Research, he whines to himself. Ugh.
Jovah is finding the reading tough going, especially since he hasn’t made a breakthrough of any import since his first initial studies over a week ago.
“These texts are really tough to read,” he says, holding a parchment up to a candle in order to read it more clearly, nearly setting it aflame.
Jovah rolled a 1 on his Knowledge: Relgion check, and immediately called for his Luck Domain reroll. We joked that he almost set the university library on fire.
“Watch it there, Jovah,” Brennen says, “I can just see it now, ‘gnome burns down elvish university library.’”
“Great,” Gavin groans from a far table where he is reading a book on horses. “Just what we need, start a war between elves and gnomes over a library burning down.”
Jovah scoffs. “The elves and gnomes would never go to war.”
“Yeah,” Jalea quips. “It would be a very short battle…”
Jovah glares at the elvish rogue.
“Any more short jokes and I start poking eyes!”
“More like kneecaps,” Gavin mutters under his breath, but Jovah doesn’t hear him. Luckily.
Corwin is having more success. He is taking advantage of his ring of sustenance to help him study longer into the night, and finds some information on the strange summoned creatures that Quinn has been calling on them. They are pseudonatural creatures, drawn from strange, unknown planes, and although they look mostly like ordinary creatures, they are in fact completely unnnatural.
Aris identifies the dweomer on the red spellbook from Johann’s room, and discovers that it allows one to summon a spectral panther like the one they faced there. Presumably, someone must have set it up to be summoned automatically if anyone entered the room. He and Corwin begin looking through the spellbook, hoping to pick out a few spells that they can add to their repertoire.
The next day, Corwin scries on Kentfield again. This time, the demon-worshipper notices the scrying attempt, and slams shut the door he was about to walk through, but not before Corwin gets a glimpse of a permanently inlaid summoning circle in the hold of his ship. The party then dimension folds to outside of Ulfang, and begins the ride to Tor, where they plan on checking out the address found amongst Johann’s papers.
Jovah moans about having to ride in order to get somewhere, but Gavin is loving it. Finally, he is getting a chance to let his warhorse, Dreadnaught, some exercise. The journey will take a few days, and the horseman is practically begging for a fight, so he can do battle on horseback.
However, the road to Tor is well-travelled and patrolled, and no such opportunity presents itself. The next evening is the night of the new moon. Corwin decides to scry Lord Kentfield at midnight, the most common hour for a ceremony dedicated to Pazuzu. He sees him, and jumps back in shock almost immediately.
“I saw him right as he was sacrificing someone!” the wizard manages to whisper hoarsely.
Kentfield is on his ship. They are anchored in a cove somewhere; since it is the new moon, little can be seen off the ship. The deck is lit by torches, and Kentfield is wearing his elaborate bird-mask again. Quinn is standing just to his side, wearing a less elaborate mask, just as in the ceremony they disrupted in Ulfang. The Sahuagin priestess is present, and so is the four armed Suahuagin warrior. The captain and crew of the ship appear to be in attendance. A summoned Nabassu demon watches over the proceedings.
“We should just fold in there and wipe them out!” Brennen says.
“It would be a dangerous fold,” Jovah says. “I’d be going off a relatively poor memory of what the boat looks like.”
“Wait a minute,” Aris says. “Remember Mahanaim? When we took out those catapults?”
“Uh, yeah?” Jovah replies.
“Open a fold on the ship, and we’ll blast them through the open portal. Corwin can haste me, and himself. We’ll toss in a few fireballs, maybe a lightning bolt or two, and then let the portal close!”
“If we wipe out his crew, he’ll be stuck out there in the middle of nowhere!” Brennen says, liking the idea.
“I could cast a flamestrike…” Jovah adds, warming to the thought himself
Jalea looks at Reana, and shakes his head.
“I think this is where I put my fingers in my ears, and pretend not to be hearing any of this,” he says.
Brennen is getting stoked. “Tell me the cons!”
No on says anything.
“Okay, then! Let’s do it!”
The party preps their spells, and Jovah casts his extended dimensional folding spell, located at the prow of the vessel, looking back towards the aft section.
The portal is blocked a greenish force field, just as it was in the temple beneath Kentfield’s old manor house.
“Dammit,” Brennen says. “I guess that means we keep going to Tor.”
“More research,” he groans, disgustedly slamming his swords back in their sheaths.
Gavin
First Post
Never underestimate....
I need to make an apology to KidCharlemagne. Here I was thinking that this whole Kentfield thing was just some "side adventure" to get the party into 3E and wrap up some of Jalea's loose ends (there's a joke there somewhere). I was just going around killing demons, doing my job, pretty much in character for Gavin. I figured we would kill Kentfield and move on to more complicated plots.
It would seem that I am wrong. First, the other players tell me that some of the events/people link back to things 5 years ago Real Time! "Just a coincidence?" I ask KidC, and he gets an evil glint in his eye. Then realizations that Kentfield & Co. are a lot more powerful than we thought. And last session...
Let's just say that I have no idea what is going on (once again, pretty much in character for Gavin.) I admit now that it no longer seems like a side adventure. Something freeky-deeky and important is going down.
I humbly apologize.
Also, I'd like to congratulate you on how skillfully you've turned all of our high level strengths against us. Blocking the Dimensional Fold, using Scrying to really screw with us, and letting Gavin experience the recieving end of Power Attack. I'm also pretty sure you did something to Jovah's dice to show him how much "fun" all his special luck powers can be.
Bastard
I need to make an apology to KidCharlemagne. Here I was thinking that this whole Kentfield thing was just some "side adventure" to get the party into 3E and wrap up some of Jalea's loose ends (there's a joke there somewhere). I was just going around killing demons, doing my job, pretty much in character for Gavin. I figured we would kill Kentfield and move on to more complicated plots.
It would seem that I am wrong. First, the other players tell me that some of the events/people link back to things 5 years ago Real Time! "Just a coincidence?" I ask KidC, and he gets an evil glint in his eye. Then realizations that Kentfield & Co. are a lot more powerful than we thought. And last session...
Let's just say that I have no idea what is going on (once again, pretty much in character for Gavin.) I admit now that it no longer seems like a side adventure. Something freeky-deeky and important is going down.
I humbly apologize.
Also, I'd like to congratulate you on how skillfully you've turned all of our high level strengths against us. Blocking the Dimensional Fold, using Scrying to really screw with us, and letting Gavin experience the recieving end of Power Attack. I'm also pretty sure you did something to Jovah's dice to show him how much "fun" all his special luck powers can be.
Bastard
Last edited:
Kid Charlemagne
I am the Very Model of a Modern Moderator
Re: Never underestimate....
Hey, it's not my fault Jovah seems to roll worse on all his rerolls than on his initial rolls...
DM's Note: Jovah can reroll two rolls per day of his own, and allow another person to reroll once per day. Very handy, that gnome.
Hey, that's Mister Bastard to you! Official member of the Rat Bastard's Club, BTW. Hmm, I hope I'm not supposed to keep that a secret...
Gavin said:
Hey, it's not my fault Jovah seems to roll worse on all his rerolls than on his initial rolls...
DM's Note: Jovah can reroll two rolls per day of his own, and allow another person to reroll once per day. Very handy, that gnome.
Gavin said:
Hey, that's Mister Bastard to you! Official member of the Rat Bastard's Club, BTW. Hmm, I hope I'm not supposed to keep that a secret...
Kid Charlemagne
I am the Very Model of a Modern Moderator
Tor, June 18th, AE 420
The city of Tor sits on the very edge of the southern reaches of the Endicott Mountains, the immense range that divides the known world in half. Founded 700 years ago on the ruins of a fortress built by the Empire of Ar-Ainador a millenia before that, Tor is an independent city-state of about 35,000 citizens, of which nearly 45% are dwarves. The city itself is divided into two sections, the High City, where the government and wealthy live and operate, and the Low City, where the rest of the population dwells. The city is well-run and pleasantly kept-up, and the party enters late in the afternoon, hoping to find an Inn to rest at, having just had to do their first actual physical journeying since their delving into the caverns beneath Shadow Springs.
They take a few hours to get the lay of the land and locate the address found in Johann’s room: 42 Shaded Lane. Jovah and Gavin spend some time in the dwarven neighborhoods, speaking with metalworkers and weaponsmiths. Jovah is enjoying being around people more his size for the first time in ages, and Gavin is trying to promote emigration to Shadow Springs.
“You know, the rumors of Drow in the area are highly exaggerated,” he says to one group of dwarven smiths.
This leaves Jalea, Reana, Brennen, Soldago, and Corwin to locate the address. Jalea offers to find it on his own, but Reana won’t let him out of her sight. The elf pouts, and tries to sneak off, unsuccessfully. Twice.
They find the street they’re looking for pretty easily. It turns out Shaded Lane is the street in the Low City nearest to the cliff wall. It is therefore literally in the shadow of the High City for a good part of the day, hence it’s name. It also is a narrow, middle-class area, with most buildings having shops on the first floor and residences above. 42 Shaded Lane is a small two-story home, very neat and proper. They return to the Inn and rejoin Jovah and Gavin, and begin to make plans.
“I say we send Jovah up there to get him to open the door and let us in,” Gavin suggests. “Jovah can use his ring if he needs to.”
“I could take Brennen or Gavin up there to be my ‘bodyguard’,” Jovah adds. “Everyone else can be laying low in the area.”
“Sounds good to me,” Brennen says.
“What do I ask him?” the gnome asks.
“Hi, I’m looking for Dahloss?” Brennen offers.
“And then brain him?” the gnome queries.
“Uh, sure.”
They decide to wing it, and approach the house just as it is beginning to get dark and a light rain begins to fall. Jovah and Brennen go up to the door, and Jovah knocks. A viewing window in the door opens, and a pair of eyes peer out and down at the gnomish Luck-Priest.
“Can I help you?”
Jovah draws himself up as high as he can.
“Hello there! My name is Jovah, and I have some important business to discuss with you! I’m from the Uptown, uh… the high town, I mean the High City, and I need to speak with you…” He activates the charm ability of his ring of human control.
“Uh, yeah, hang on there just a sec,” the man behind the door says, and closes the window.
“Hmm, that didn’t go very well,” Jovah whispers to Brennen.
Brennen hears footsteps heading away from the door, and then the sounds of spellcasting. He grabs Jovah and takes cover to the side of the door, fearing a lightning bolt or other magic coming through the door.
Nothing happens.
“Damn!” Brennen curses under his breath. He steps back up the door and tries the door handle. Locked. He puts his shoulder into the door and tries to bust it open, with no luck.
Soldago rushes down the alleyway to the right side of the house, and Reana rushes down the the left. The back yard of the house is surrounded by an eight foot stone wall, with a wooden gate on each side. Soldago tries to climb the wall, but finds it tough to get a good grip.
Soldago comes from the great prairies of Nali, and has only a 10 strength to boot. He has no points in climb, and thus is helpless when presented with walls, and trees, and such things. After all, there isn’t much on the prairie to practice your climbing skills on, is there?
Gavin rushes down to back up Soldago, and Corwin runs to help Reana. Aris stays back at the front watching, with Jalea. Jalea shakes his head ruefully.
“Amateurs,” he says, condescendingly.
“You gonna help out with that door?” Aris asks.
“Oh no,” Jalea replies. “They seem to have the situation well in hand.”
Brennen tries to knock down the door again, with Jovah’s help. They fail again.
Corwin tries to look into the windows along the side of the house as he runs to the back. He sees a door open all by itself, and then close again. He looks to Reana, who is partway over the stone wall.
“He’s invisible!” he whispers.
On the other side of the house, Gavin tries to boost Soldago over the wall. Out in front, Jalea and Aris hear a crashing clatter of armor and weapons as Soldago falls on Gavin. Jalea winces.
Soldago rolled a natural one to try and climb the wall, and Gavin rolled a natural one on his strength check to boost him. Not their finest hours, by a long shot.
Aris looks at Jalea and raises an eyebrow.
“Alright, alright,” Jalea says. “Anything but the eyebrow.”
He saunters up to Jovah and Brennen at the front door. “Need a hand?”
He picks the lock with ludicrous ease, and opens the door for them.
“After you,” he says
In back, Reana sees the back door to the house; it is open. She looks for signs of Dahloss, and sees footprints on the wet flagstones, running towards the rear gate of the yard. She flops over the wall and rushes up to where they are headed, swinging wildly with her shortsword. She connects on something. At about this time Gavin has opened the side gate on the right side, and enters the yard just in time to see Dahloss become visible, casting a spell directed at Reana. There is no immediate apparent effect, however.
Brennen bursts through the rear door with Jovah hot on his heels. Aris climbs over the left wall easily, and approaches Dahloss, who after failing in another spell attempt on Gavin, doesn’t much like his chances.
“Okay! I give up! What the hell is this all about, anyway?”
The party accepts his surrender, and begins to bind his hands. Reana, meanwhile, is staring blankly off into space.
“Uh, you might want to disarm her,” Dahloss adds a little sheepishly, pointing at Reana.
The city of Tor sits on the very edge of the southern reaches of the Endicott Mountains, the immense range that divides the known world in half. Founded 700 years ago on the ruins of a fortress built by the Empire of Ar-Ainador a millenia before that, Tor is an independent city-state of about 35,000 citizens, of which nearly 45% are dwarves. The city itself is divided into two sections, the High City, where the government and wealthy live and operate, and the Low City, where the rest of the population dwells. The city is well-run and pleasantly kept-up, and the party enters late in the afternoon, hoping to find an Inn to rest at, having just had to do their first actual physical journeying since their delving into the caverns beneath Shadow Springs.
They take a few hours to get the lay of the land and locate the address found in Johann’s room: 42 Shaded Lane. Jovah and Gavin spend some time in the dwarven neighborhoods, speaking with metalworkers and weaponsmiths. Jovah is enjoying being around people more his size for the first time in ages, and Gavin is trying to promote emigration to Shadow Springs.
“You know, the rumors of Drow in the area are highly exaggerated,” he says to one group of dwarven smiths.
This leaves Jalea, Reana, Brennen, Soldago, and Corwin to locate the address. Jalea offers to find it on his own, but Reana won’t let him out of her sight. The elf pouts, and tries to sneak off, unsuccessfully. Twice.
They find the street they’re looking for pretty easily. It turns out Shaded Lane is the street in the Low City nearest to the cliff wall. It is therefore literally in the shadow of the High City for a good part of the day, hence it’s name. It also is a narrow, middle-class area, with most buildings having shops on the first floor and residences above. 42 Shaded Lane is a small two-story home, very neat and proper. They return to the Inn and rejoin Jovah and Gavin, and begin to make plans.
“I say we send Jovah up there to get him to open the door and let us in,” Gavin suggests. “Jovah can use his ring if he needs to.”
“I could take Brennen or Gavin up there to be my ‘bodyguard’,” Jovah adds. “Everyone else can be laying low in the area.”
“Sounds good to me,” Brennen says.
“What do I ask him?” the gnome asks.
“Hi, I’m looking for Dahloss?” Brennen offers.
“And then brain him?” the gnome queries.
“Uh, sure.”
They decide to wing it, and approach the house just as it is beginning to get dark and a light rain begins to fall. Jovah and Brennen go up to the door, and Jovah knocks. A viewing window in the door opens, and a pair of eyes peer out and down at the gnomish Luck-Priest.
“Can I help you?”
Jovah draws himself up as high as he can.
“Hello there! My name is Jovah, and I have some important business to discuss with you! I’m from the Uptown, uh… the high town, I mean the High City, and I need to speak with you…” He activates the charm ability of his ring of human control.
“Uh, yeah, hang on there just a sec,” the man behind the door says, and closes the window.
“Hmm, that didn’t go very well,” Jovah whispers to Brennen.
Brennen hears footsteps heading away from the door, and then the sounds of spellcasting. He grabs Jovah and takes cover to the side of the door, fearing a lightning bolt or other magic coming through the door.
Nothing happens.
“Damn!” Brennen curses under his breath. He steps back up the door and tries the door handle. Locked. He puts his shoulder into the door and tries to bust it open, with no luck.
Soldago rushes down the alleyway to the right side of the house, and Reana rushes down the the left. The back yard of the house is surrounded by an eight foot stone wall, with a wooden gate on each side. Soldago tries to climb the wall, but finds it tough to get a good grip.
Soldago comes from the great prairies of Nali, and has only a 10 strength to boot. He has no points in climb, and thus is helpless when presented with walls, and trees, and such things. After all, there isn’t much on the prairie to practice your climbing skills on, is there?
Gavin rushes down to back up Soldago, and Corwin runs to help Reana. Aris stays back at the front watching, with Jalea. Jalea shakes his head ruefully.
“Amateurs,” he says, condescendingly.
“You gonna help out with that door?” Aris asks.
“Oh no,” Jalea replies. “They seem to have the situation well in hand.”
Brennen tries to knock down the door again, with Jovah’s help. They fail again.
Corwin tries to look into the windows along the side of the house as he runs to the back. He sees a door open all by itself, and then close again. He looks to Reana, who is partway over the stone wall.
“He’s invisible!” he whispers.
On the other side of the house, Gavin tries to boost Soldago over the wall. Out in front, Jalea and Aris hear a crashing clatter of armor and weapons as Soldago falls on Gavin. Jalea winces.
Soldago rolled a natural one to try and climb the wall, and Gavin rolled a natural one on his strength check to boost him. Not their finest hours, by a long shot.
Aris looks at Jalea and raises an eyebrow.
“Alright, alright,” Jalea says. “Anything but the eyebrow.”
He saunters up to Jovah and Brennen at the front door. “Need a hand?”
He picks the lock with ludicrous ease, and opens the door for them.
“After you,” he says
In back, Reana sees the back door to the house; it is open. She looks for signs of Dahloss, and sees footprints on the wet flagstones, running towards the rear gate of the yard. She flops over the wall and rushes up to where they are headed, swinging wildly with her shortsword. She connects on something. At about this time Gavin has opened the side gate on the right side, and enters the yard just in time to see Dahloss become visible, casting a spell directed at Reana. There is no immediate apparent effect, however.
Brennen bursts through the rear door with Jovah hot on his heels. Aris climbs over the left wall easily, and approaches Dahloss, who after failing in another spell attempt on Gavin, doesn’t much like his chances.
“Okay! I give up! What the hell is this all about, anyway?”
The party accepts his surrender, and begins to bind his hands. Reana, meanwhile, is staring blankly off into space.
“Uh, you might want to disarm her,” Dahloss adds a little sheepishly, pointing at Reana.
Lazybones
Adventurer
Hmmm... I don't know why it is, exactly, but somehow the posts where the group can't do anything right are more entertaining than the ones where they kick ass and take names. Old One's story has a lot of episodes like that as well--somehow his players just barely manage to cheat death in every session.
Sorry, guys. Hope your luck changes
LB
Sorry, guys. Hope your luck changes
LB
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