Q'Barra: Into the Emerald Forest

[Harvey]

Erin

Erin responds to Xavier's comment "Well, I wouldn't discount the prophecy too fast, for I get to see a reminder of it every time I take off my top..." the words catch in Erin's mouth, then her face blushes a bit over her choice of words. Eager to continue on, she barges forward: "But I think Xavier has the right attitude. Who are we in the scheme of the world? I am sure that our grouping has not seen the first worshipper of the Silver Flame met with a hollow warforged or a weary soldier." Though, Erin thinks to herself one "created by artifice, touched by melody" certainly describes Eff Flat... and in all my time with the House I've never seen another warforged built for such a musical aptitude... but I'm not ready to fully believe this stranger. "Surely you cannot blame us for being doubtful..."

 

[Urko]

Dockside encounter, round 2 (Borden, ‘he has no name’)

As Borden speaks the last words of his incantation, the kobold crossbowman takes a couple steps back. It appears on the edge of retreat, but still manages to raise its crossbow with shaking hands and fire. The bolt grazes Borden’s neck, drawing blood, and buries itself in the tree next to him (2 HP damage). The spellcaster screams ”Kek, forget the old man. Help me finish off this warforged.” The kobold backs away again, gesturing and hissing. A pair of shimmering bolts spring from its fingers and collide unerringly with ‘he has no name’ (7 HP damage)


|_|A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T
01|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|s|s|_|t|_|_|_|_|_|t|_|
02|_|_|_|_|t|_|t|_|_|s|s|_|_|_|_|t|_|_|_|_|
03|_|_|t|_|_|_|_|_|s|s|_|t|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|
04|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|s|s|_|_|_|_|t|_|t|_|_|_|
05|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|s|s|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|
06|_|_|t|_|_|_|_|s|s|_|_|_|t|_|_|_|_|_|t|_|
07|_|_|_|_|_|_|s|s|_|_|_|_|_|_|2|_|_|_|_|_|
08|_|_|_|_|_|s|s|_|_|_|_|t|_|_|t|_|_|_|_|_|
09|_|_|_|_|_|s|s|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|t|_|
10|_|_|_|_|t|s|s|_|_|_|t|D|_|_|_|_|t|_|_|_|
11|_|_|_|_|_|_|s|s|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|
12|_|_|_|t|_|_|s|s|_|_|_|_|_|t|_|_|_|_|_|_|
13|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|s|s|_|t|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|
14|_|_|_|_|t|_|W|H|b|_|1|_|_|_|_|_|t|_|_|t|
15|_|_|_|_|_|_|s|s|_|_|_|t|_|_|t|_|_|_|_|_|
16|_|_|_|_|_|s|S|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|
17|_|_|_|s|s|s|_|_|t|_|t|_|_|_|_|_|_|t|_|_|
18|s|s|s|s|s|_|_|t|_|_|_|_|_|_|t|_|_|_|_|_|
19|s|s|s|s|_|_|t|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|t|_|_|_|
20|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|t|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|

| | = 5 feet
t = tree
s = stream
b = bridge

D = Devian
H = He Has No Name
W = wardog
1 = Kobold 1 (spellcaster)
2 = Kobold 2 (crossbow)

 

[Urko]

Aldinis’ story, continued (Eff Flat, Erin, Sanae, Xavier)

Aldinis meets Sanae’s skepticism with a nod. ”You’re right, of course. The fact that there are only five of you is a problem.” She frowns and stares at nothing, forgetting to address Sanae’s second question for the moment. She barely seems to hear the exchange between Xavier and Erin.

She shakes her head, as if to dispel her own uncertainty. “ I understand your doubts. I have them myself. But I have found that the Prophecy tends to fulfill itself in unexpected ways.” Aldinis pulls out and unfolds a larger sheet, about two feet square. ”I received this just a few days ago from an associate. It’s a rubbing of the Vermithrax Tablet. Well, part of it, anyway. I’m told the entire thing is nearly one hundred feet high, and twice as long. I haven’t had time to write out a translation, so you’ll have to bear with me.” Her lips move as she scans over the blurry characters, searching for the relevant section.

”Ah, here we are. It refers to a great battle and the loss of a key. And something about a palace of ice – I haven’t figured that part out yet, but I assume it’s some sort of colorful metaphor; Vermithrax was quite fond of them. The important point is, several geographic markers are referred to that make it certain that it's talking about the same place I found...that.” She indicates the leather tube with a slight jut of her chin before continuing. ”Then there is a warning, ‘To defeat the ancient evil, the finder of the key must not bear it to the twin, but rather...’and there it cuts off. My correspondent informed me that the tablet was too worn to make a rubbing at that point. He could just barely make out what it said, but apparently, the key must be carried by surrogates.”

Noting Sanae and Xavier’s increasing impatience, she hurries on. ”As you’ve probably guessed, I’m asking you to be my surrogates, if not necessarily divine saviours.” She flashes Xavier a weak smile. ”I imagine you probably think that the connection between these two bits of verse is weak at best. There is the key reference, of course, but I do have more to go on beyond that. Many Prophetic verses are preceded by a set of signifiers that indicate the configuration of the moons and planes when the events described will occur. The signifiers for both are the same, and both are now, give or take a couple months. These things are cyclic, of course. The last time the alignment matched was during the second wave of human colonization of Khorvaire. The next time will be in about six thousand years.”

Aldinis picks up the tube and fidgets with it. ”Look, I know you have difficulty in believing all of this. Let me make a proposition to you. If your journey brings you across the sixth individual I described, will you at least consider the possibility? I’m not asking you to abandon your current quest. All I ask is that you take this with you, and let Fate run its course. If I’m wrong, and this is not the correct place or time, no harm done. Just bring it back to me and I’ll keep looking for the true meaning.” She fixes her eyes on Sanae. ”But if I’m right, can you, in good conscience, risk not taking what you need to destroy an ‘ancient evil’ as the tablet suggests?”

 

[Harvey]

Erin

Erin looks to the rest of the group... then to Aldinis. "Well, if what you propose is true, and we are destined to be your proxies, then from what I've seen of destinies it will happen whether we agree to it or not. For my part, I have always been intrigued in the Draconic Prophecy and how it fits into our world. Think of it... if it is our destiny to be of some importance, then maybe all of this is happening for a reason... Sanae's party's death... the unique abilities of Eff Flat... Dargin and Shar not joining us... even" she stifles a shutter "the destruction of Cyre. I, for one, am willing to find out what this all means..."

 

[Pebele]

Sanae considered carefully all that was said. She flexed her hands with increasing impatience as she appeared to be having an intense discussion with herself.

She is right. No matter what I may or may not believe, if I am warned of a grave danger to the world, I must do all within my power to stop it. This prophecy, it does hit a bit close to home to be written off easily. And Erin believes this, and I trust her. I cannot ignore this. I simply cannot.

"I am still not convinced that this prophecy is accurate or that our group may be part of it. However, you are correct, I cannot ignore what you have told us. If Erin is willing to believe you, then so am I. But do know this; if you have made this up for some unknown purpose, you will have to answer for your actions. You can be assured that I keep my word."

She looked from Erin to Xavier, then back to Aldinis. "Is this all the information you have for us, or will you be providing us with anything else, should we all agree to this task?"

 

[Yeoman]

Xavier looked from Aldinis to Erin and then to Sanae before speaking.

"It appears that you've gained some trust from the others. But not from me. I won't try to change their minds, and I'll even agree to assist them, but until we see this mythical sixth member I don't believe a word of what you say. If we hook up with them, then I might start to open myself up to the idea. But until then, I'm just keeping the peace in this group. Understood?"

 

[Harvey]

Erin

Erin listens to Sanae, and Xavier, chiming in after Xavier has said his peace. "I know I, for one, would not force this on you, old friend. Though, I must admit, I feel a bit safer having you along for the ride. Now..." turning to Aldinis "since you ask something of us, might I ask something of you? Might I examine this key? Perhaps I might be able to glean some information that others cannot." Erin holds out her hand to Aldinis.

OOC: Once she receives the key, she will attempt to use her Artificer Knowledge check to find out any information (school of spell, etc) that generated the "feeling". Do you want me to make the check, or do you Urko?

 

[doghead]

'he has no name', warforged, warrior.

"Kek, forget the old man. Help me finish off this warforged."

The warforged in question growls something incomprehesible. The warforged creaks like a tree battered by a storm as the magic attacks strike him. But he does not move.

You are beginning to irritate me little kobolds. When my senses have returned to normal, you will not be here if you have any sense.

The dog barks some more. As if thats going to help.

 

[P0L]

Old Borden, Human male Clr4

[sblock]
Devian Borden
Old Borden

Human male, Cleric 4 of the Sovereign Host
Alignment: Neutral Good
Age: 67

Str 6 (-2)
Dex 9 (-1)
Con 8 (-1)
Int 14 (+2)
Wis 19 (+4)
Cha 16 (+3)

Action Points: 7

HD 4d8-4 (hp 19) Current: 12

Initiative: -1
Speed: 30 .......... [base 30, light armor]

AC 15 ... [base 10, +5 armor, -1 dex, +1 deflection]
- Touch 10 ........ [base 10, -1 dex, +1 deflection]
- Flat Footed 15 .. [base 10, -1 dex, +1 deflection]

Saves: Fort +3, Ref +0, Will +8

BAB +3, Grapple +1

Attacks:
- Quarterstarff +2 melee (1d6-2, bludgeoning 20x2)
- Crossbow +3 ranged (1d8, piercing, 19-20x2, 20 ft.)

Skills:28

+6 Concentration ......[7 ranks, -1 con]
+10 Diplomacy ..........[7 ranks, +3 cha]
+9 Knowledge(religion).[7 ranks, +2 int]
+1 Knowledge(history)..[1 rank, +2 int]
+5 Heal................[1 rank, +4 wis]
+5 Craft (woodworking).[1 rank, +4 wis]
+6 Sense motive (cc)...[2 ranks, +4 wis]

Feats:
- Scribe scroll
- Sacred Boost
- Extra turning

Turn undead:
10/day, 60ft
check: 1d20+3
damage: 2d6+7

Domains:
-Sun (greater turning 1/day)
-Healing (+1 CL healing spells)

Spells:
5/4+1/3+1

Lv0 (DC 14) 5
Cure minor wounds, Guidance, Detect magic, Light x2

Lv1 (DC 15) 4+1
Bless, Cause fear, Sanctuary, Shield of faith + Endure elements

Lv2 (DC 16) 3+1
Bears endurance, Hold person, Zone of truth + Heat metal

Posessions:--------------------->5345gp

Chain Shirt +1...................1250gp
Mwk Quarterstaff / Holy symbol....300gp
Ring of protection +1 ...........2000gp
Mwk light crossbow................335gp
Bolts x30...........................3gp
Cloack of resistance +1 .........1000gp
Wand of cure light wounds x30 ....450gp
Pocket knife........................2gp
Backpack............................5gp
-Waterskin
-Bedroll
-Rations x2
-Flint/Steel
-candles
-writing tools and parchment

Treasure:
5gp

Background:
Devian is a neutral good cleric of the Sovereign host.
When he was younger he served in the war, fighting against the Karranthi
(that's why he hates undead) but he was always in support,
healing the wounded -a thing he's always had a knack for.

For 30 years he's been content with being a small town cleric,
helping refugees and people fleeing from the fronts.
He never wanted profit and will heal anyone who needs it.

Now that the war is finally over, he intends to fullfill a
promise made to a halfling friend who died in his care, to
find out what happened to his family, a young dragonmarked
halfling of house Jorasco with a wife and infant son who
dissapeared in one of their travels 20 years ago.

For the last two years Devian has been joining bands of adventurers
and honing up his skills, he discovered that he enjoys life on the
road and adventure makes him feel younger.

Appearance:
Tall and thin, Old borden has weathered olive skin. He is completely bald, but keeps a short and thick white beard he usually strokes while thinking.
His green eyes look intelligent and happy.

He wears loose priest robes, tied by a sash on the waist from which the silver holy symbol of the Sovereign host hangs. Underneath the robes a fine chain shirt can be seen.
Borden uses a quarterstaff bound with mithril and with an embedded holy symbol as a focus for his power, walking aid and ocassional weapon. When he travels he hangs his crossbow and a small backpack on his back.

Personality:
Old borden is wise and kind. He has seen a lot of good and bad in the world, and since the days of the war he dedicated himself to selflessly help those in need. He is a positive fellow, always in a good mood. He preaches the Host's teachings but is no fanatic, he accepts that many are faithless or neglect their worship, Borden hopes that by his acts of good he will set an example and win them over.

He doesnt tolerate liers and is a very good judge of character.

You can always find with him a small pocket knife that he uses to carve wood when he has time, and candles for a nightly prayer.

He prays for spells and guidance at night before sleeping or first thing in the morning. He prefers praying at night for spells of a more agressive nature.
[/sblock]

Forget the old man! mumbles Borden irritated, you'll most certainly won´t forget me, disrespectful lizard!

By the Divine Grace, stand still and face your fate, sinner! chants the old man as he points with the staff towards the kobold.
The holy simbol on the staff crackles with divine energy as Borden unleashes the powers granted to him by the Host.

ooc: On his turn casts Hold person at the crossbow wielding kobold, save DC16 and advance to melee range to N8

 

[Urko]

A burden is passed (Eff Flat, Erin, Sanae, Xavier)

Aldinis freely passes the tube to Erin. When the artificer unwraps the strange artifact again, each of you is prepared for the emotional impact and the effect is far less distracting. Despite her training, Erin can detect no magic within it. She speculates that it might be psionic in nature; House Cannith taught it’s heirs about the existence of such phenomena but had little in-depth knowledge to pass on. About all that 's known about psionics is that it involves an interaction between sentient minds and the Planes of Dream and Madness. (OOC: I rolled the appropriate checks for her.)

As Erin examines the package, Aldinis speaks. ”I have little else to tell you. I will continue to study, and watch. The only other bit of advice I can offer is personal, not gleaned from the Prophecy. Do not trust the Riedrans. Ever. They may appear to be charming benefactors, but the face you see is a mask, hiding the vilest monster you can imagine.” It is common knownledge that much of Newthrone was built with Riedran money and assistance. They have even gone so far as to supplement the militia with their own troops, nominally placed directly under the King’s command. The massive blackscale attack three months ago would certainly have overwhelmed the city’s defenses without their help.

Aldinis reaches into her pocket and pulls out a paper-wrapped bundle, about the size of halfling’s fist. ”I have one other thing to give you.” She unwraps the paper to reveal another crystal, delicate pink with gold streaks. ”Take this. If ever you are in dire trouble, if there seems to be no hope at all, break it. It will let me know where you are and I will come, as quickly as possible, and help, if I’m able.” She looks at the floor. ”I admit, it’s not much. My powers are limited, so don’t expect miracles. But I will do what I can.” She walks towards the window and hops up onto the sill, preparing to step into the empty air.