Putting aside rope related misgivings, Tuggle sidles up to Marduke and asks him how he met Tal. "you seem less non-plussed by the whole portal situation than I would expect from an average explorer...Do you have some experience with this sort of thing?" Assuming his answer isn't along the lines of, "yes, I'm an evil portal master trying to take over Sembia." I'll plan to fill him in on the bones of our adventurs in Selgaunt.
The Selgaunt Campaign
- Thread starter haiiro
- Start date
thedangerranger
Registered User
"Quite right Artemis. I think we should see about handing over the keys to this tower to the Harpers. It is a very convienient way to get into and out of Sembia with a minimum of fuss."
haiiro
First Post
OOC: My Spidey-sense tells me that the conversatin' is done. If I'm mistaken, keep right on rolling. 
If not, the night passes uneventfully (I assume you set watches), everyone receives a shot from Nurse Expee, and you all awaken in the tomb-like silence of the muster room.
Where to?
If not, the night passes uneventfully (I assume you set watches), everyone receives a shot from Nurse Expee, and you all awaken in the tomb-like silence of the muster room.
Where to?
thedangerranger
Registered User
"Well, that was a pleasant sleep. Tal can you retrieve that object now? Then maybe we should head back to Selgaunt to send a message to our friends. What do you all think?", sayeth Cupric.
Xen
First Post
Tal
"Well, let me see what I can do - it is not within my abilities to channel enough power from Torm to summon an elemental. Perhaps a fiendish squid will do the trick? Or a Celestial Eagle? How big is that hole anyway?" Tal walks over to the fissure.
OOC: Before praying for spells, Tal checks out the hole, trying to estimate the best "monster" for the job. He also tries to estimate the weight of the object in the fissure.
"Well, let me see what I can do - it is not within my abilities to channel enough power from Torm to summon an elemental. Perhaps a fiendish squid will do the trick? Or a Celestial Eagle? How big is that hole anyway?" Tal walks over to the fissure.
OOC: Before praying for spells, Tal checks out the hole, trying to estimate the best "monster" for the job. He also tries to estimate the weight of the object in the fissure.
Artemis Blade
First Post
"How about a badger or something else that can dig around the object like a dire celestial mole?" Artemis suggests. Artemis wanders around the hole and tests the material to see if it is hard like a rock or if it is crumbly at all. He tries to get a good vantage point and keeps the area well lit with a torch.
Xen
First Post
Tal
After inspecting the hole and speaking with the others, Tal finds solitude in prayers to Torm. A little while later, he stands up. "Okay - I'll give it a try, but we won't have much time. The creature will remain only for 30 heartbeats or so. I'll summon it as near to the object as possible (sorry Tuggle, I don't think there will be time enough to tie a rope around it), with the hope that it will have time enough to retrieve the object for us. If someone is able to use the hand of the mage, now might be a good time - perhaps working in tandem we will have a better chance at retrieving this thing."
Tal walks over to the hole - waits to see if anyone will cast mage hand - and then concentrates, summoning a celestial badger.
OOC: He'll try to let the creature know that it is to retrieve the object - if this fails, he'll let Tuggle know right away, so Tuggle can try mammal speak on the badger. Tal has a couple of other summoning spells, so let me know if it looks like the badger is going to pop out of existence just before it gets the object out of the chasm. If this is going to happen, Tal will summon something else to take a hand-off.
After inspecting the hole and speaking with the others, Tal finds solitude in prayers to Torm. A little while later, he stands up. "Okay - I'll give it a try, but we won't have much time. The creature will remain only for 30 heartbeats or so. I'll summon it as near to the object as possible (sorry Tuggle, I don't think there will be time enough to tie a rope around it), with the hope that it will have time enough to retrieve the object for us. If someone is able to use the hand of the mage, now might be a good time - perhaps working in tandem we will have a better chance at retrieving this thing."
Tal walks over to the hole - waits to see if anyone will cast mage hand - and then concentrates, summoning a celestial badger.
OOC: He'll try to let the creature know that it is to retrieve the object - if this fails, he'll let Tuggle know right away, so Tuggle can try mammal speak on the badger. Tal has a couple of other summoning spells, so let me know if it looks like the badger is going to pop out of existence just before it gets the object out of the chasm. If this is going to happen, Tal will summon something else to take a hand-off.
haiiro
First Post
Picking up, and some guidance
Examining the chasm by the light of the party's two everburning torches, you can just make out the gleam of metal. At floor level, the chasm varies between one and two feet wide -- but forty feet down, where the object is lodged, it's only a few inches across. You can't tell if the object is just wedged in between the walls, or is melded with the rock itself -- it's just too far down to be sure.
While Cupric and Artemis hold the two torches and Marduke crouches nearby, Tal summons a celestial badger -- and at the same time, Tuggle casts mage hand. Tal shouts out a simple command in Celestial -- Dig like crazy and see if you can get that metal thing out of there! -- while Tuggle quickly maneuvers the hand down through the twists and turns of the chasm towards the object.
Narrowing its already beady little eyes, the glowing badger dives into the chasm and starts scrabbling away at the rock. Meanwhile, Tuggle can still just barely make out the hand, and has wrapped its spectral fingers around part of the object. When the gnome tries to draw the hand up, he feels the object give a little: it's much too heavy to move with mage hand, but it also isn't melded with the stone.
A bit less than a minute later, the badger has wormed its way down as far as it can and is tearing furiously at the stone below it. Just before the spell expires, it stops and glances back up at the Follies. Through the great crack in the floor, it growls something in Celestial: Bring more of us and we'll get --. Then it disappears in a puff of white light.
Peering into the chasm, you can see that the badger made it perhaps twenty feet down, leaving the hardest twenty feet to go. But once the stone narrowed, its hard claws made good progress: it chipped away the last few feet of loose rock pretty efficiently. With more badgers, you just might be able to reach the object.
OOC: I assumed Tuggle wouldn't mind using a mage hand, given the circumstances.
And per your requests, a bit of guidance. After giving it some thought, I decided to just lay out some of the plots and possible directions you guys have uncovered. This doesn't mean there aren't more than these available -- in one way or another, these are the obvious ones. I think this approach makes sense, given the slow pace of late (sorry about that!) and the breaks we've taken (including Xen's and glin's respective absences).
Your Continuing Mission... - As Harpers, you signed on to pursue the code in Selgaunt: To work against villainy and wickedness, to keep folk free of fear and tyranny, to support law and order to gain peace wherever laws are just and fairly enforced, and to prevent extremes of power and influence and imbalances of wealth and opportunity. Your other mandate from Agrafion was to gather information about the city -- but apart from that, do as you see fit for the cause of good.
And you've given Agrafion some very good intel, passed on by way of Sefilia Blackbright -- but in some areas, like the High City and the princes themselves, you've only scratched the surface.
The Iron Spines - You know that Gurrom Lek, one of the High Princes of Selgaunt, is mixed up with this peculiar band. Apart from waylaying travelers along Rauthauvyr's Road (where you fought the war-ogre and dogsbloods at the start of the campaign), they were also responsible for the war-ogres that wreaked havoc on Selgaunt's docks. Mention has been made of their leader, Lassiter, and her ability to read or control minds -- and it's very likely that the hatchery (where you met Olo and fought a wide range of odd beasties) was or is one of their operations. Based on that, it seems like the Iron Spines are mixed up in breeding half-illithids, and it's clear that they are spread across Sembia -- and pose a tangible threat to Selgaunt. (You've also fought one half illithid, or bel-illeth -- Liddis Malzevent -- although he didn't have an obvious connection to the Iron Spines.)
You've caused the Iron Spines some major headaches, but how large is their operation -- and what are its real aims?
Immir Lockmyre - When Immir found out that his brother, Malkas, had somehow traveled through a painting (The Promise of Darkness), he first threatend and then tried to kill Algaer of Dracon Row to get ahold of it. He started out by blowing up Algaer's shop, and although you didn't find proof it's very likely that he was behind the attack on Dracon Row that was led by Landiser Culver, a Silver Raven captain. Malkas was clearly insane, and it seems his still-living brother isn't in possession of all of his marbles either.
The drakesmiths have a plan to tackle this one on their own, but will it work?
Mephiskaran - The Follies seem to have reached an uneasy understanding with Mephiskaran, and you're out of his debt and no longer need him to open the painting-portal (as Cupric has proven). All the same, he is an unsavory fellow with aims of his own -- including his "side project" in the snowy wastes, and his connection to the barbarian tribe.
Whether or not you're concerned about his domination of the homun (through Falmin) or his machinations within the Temple of Azuth, what else is he up to?
The Invisible Tower - A powerful place chock full of strange magic and even stranger creatures, you've plumbed some of the tower's secrets but know that there are many, many more waiting in the wings. Given its proximity to Selgaunt, there's no way you can overlook its importance -- and as you've pointed out, with a bit more exploration it could make a great way to move Harpers into and out of Sembia. With the exception of Malkas Lockmyre (who you killed) and the few people you have told, it's quite possible that you are the only ones who know about the tower's existence -- apart from the shimmering man, of course.
This is probably the most potent and enigma-rich plot/direction that you've come across -- why is it there, who exactly built it (as the Netherese were not know to have come this far South or East), how does the shimmering man fit into everything, what else is in the tower, can you put it to use, should you see if you can bring in other Harpers to help you? Lots of options!
The Silver Ravens - You've clashed with Ravens on several occasions, and come across evidence of their efforts to destroy the Harpers.
So far, they've been on the sidelines of the threads you've been following, but how long will that be the case? Are there prominent Ravens whose deaths would weaken the organization as a whole? How do the Ravens tie in with Lockmyre?
The Silent Ring - Mentioned only once in a letter from Agrafion, this Harper faction is supposedly assassinating other Harpers who have been "turned," whatever that means.
Is this just a rumor, as Agrafion seems to believe, or do they really exist? And if they do, do they pose a threat to you?
Elmelendia - Given into your care by Sefilia Blackbright, this sword is a treasure to the Harpers and a magnet for trouble. Sefilia's whole party was killed over it, and the Silver Ravens (and their hirelings) are almost certainly looking for it.
Does anyone know where Elemelendia is? She was made to be used -- can you add to her legacy in Selgaunt?
---
I think that's a pretty good roundup, and as I said waaaaay back when at the outset of the campaign (nearly 18 months ago!): this is your story, and there are lots of places to go. There's no overarching plot that I expect you to follow, and you've uncovered all sorts of areas of interest.
Whatever you opt not to follow up on will continue to progress on its own, and many things have already been affected by your actions. Some of these are obvious, some you haven't uncovered yet, or don't have enough of a bigger picture to see.
If you have questions about any of this, ask away -- and if this wasn't the kind of guidance you were looking for, let me know!
Examining the chasm by the light of the party's two everburning torches, you can just make out the gleam of metal. At floor level, the chasm varies between one and two feet wide -- but forty feet down, where the object is lodged, it's only a few inches across. You can't tell if the object is just wedged in between the walls, or is melded with the rock itself -- it's just too far down to be sure.
While Cupric and Artemis hold the two torches and Marduke crouches nearby, Tal summons a celestial badger -- and at the same time, Tuggle casts mage hand. Tal shouts out a simple command in Celestial -- Dig like crazy and see if you can get that metal thing out of there! -- while Tuggle quickly maneuvers the hand down through the twists and turns of the chasm towards the object.
Narrowing its already beady little eyes, the glowing badger dives into the chasm and starts scrabbling away at the rock. Meanwhile, Tuggle can still just barely make out the hand, and has wrapped its spectral fingers around part of the object. When the gnome tries to draw the hand up, he feels the object give a little: it's much too heavy to move with mage hand, but it also isn't melded with the stone.
A bit less than a minute later, the badger has wormed its way down as far as it can and is tearing furiously at the stone below it. Just before the spell expires, it stops and glances back up at the Follies. Through the great crack in the floor, it growls something in Celestial: Bring more of us and we'll get --. Then it disappears in a puff of white light.
Peering into the chasm, you can see that the badger made it perhaps twenty feet down, leaving the hardest twenty feet to go. But once the stone narrowed, its hard claws made good progress: it chipped away the last few feet of loose rock pretty efficiently. With more badgers, you just might be able to reach the object.
OOC: I assumed Tuggle wouldn't mind using a mage hand, given the circumstances.
And per your requests, a bit of guidance. After giving it some thought, I decided to just lay out some of the plots and possible directions you guys have uncovered. This doesn't mean there aren't more than these available -- in one way or another, these are the obvious ones. I think this approach makes sense, given the slow pace of late (sorry about that!) and the breaks we've taken (including Xen's and glin's respective absences).
Your Continuing Mission... - As Harpers, you signed on to pursue the code in Selgaunt: To work against villainy and wickedness, to keep folk free of fear and tyranny, to support law and order to gain peace wherever laws are just and fairly enforced, and to prevent extremes of power and influence and imbalances of wealth and opportunity. Your other mandate from Agrafion was to gather information about the city -- but apart from that, do as you see fit for the cause of good.
And you've given Agrafion some very good intel, passed on by way of Sefilia Blackbright -- but in some areas, like the High City and the princes themselves, you've only scratched the surface.
The Iron Spines - You know that Gurrom Lek, one of the High Princes of Selgaunt, is mixed up with this peculiar band. Apart from waylaying travelers along Rauthauvyr's Road (where you fought the war-ogre and dogsbloods at the start of the campaign), they were also responsible for the war-ogres that wreaked havoc on Selgaunt's docks. Mention has been made of their leader, Lassiter, and her ability to read or control minds -- and it's very likely that the hatchery (where you met Olo and fought a wide range of odd beasties) was or is one of their operations. Based on that, it seems like the Iron Spines are mixed up in breeding half-illithids, and it's clear that they are spread across Sembia -- and pose a tangible threat to Selgaunt. (You've also fought one half illithid, or bel-illeth -- Liddis Malzevent -- although he didn't have an obvious connection to the Iron Spines.)
You've caused the Iron Spines some major headaches, but how large is their operation -- and what are its real aims?
Immir Lockmyre - When Immir found out that his brother, Malkas, had somehow traveled through a painting (The Promise of Darkness), he first threatend and then tried to kill Algaer of Dracon Row to get ahold of it. He started out by blowing up Algaer's shop, and although you didn't find proof it's very likely that he was behind the attack on Dracon Row that was led by Landiser Culver, a Silver Raven captain. Malkas was clearly insane, and it seems his still-living brother isn't in possession of all of his marbles either.
The drakesmiths have a plan to tackle this one on their own, but will it work?
Mephiskaran - The Follies seem to have reached an uneasy understanding with Mephiskaran, and you're out of his debt and no longer need him to open the painting-portal (as Cupric has proven). All the same, he is an unsavory fellow with aims of his own -- including his "side project" in the snowy wastes, and his connection to the barbarian tribe.
Whether or not you're concerned about his domination of the homun (through Falmin) or his machinations within the Temple of Azuth, what else is he up to?
The Invisible Tower - A powerful place chock full of strange magic and even stranger creatures, you've plumbed some of the tower's secrets but know that there are many, many more waiting in the wings. Given its proximity to Selgaunt, there's no way you can overlook its importance -- and as you've pointed out, with a bit more exploration it could make a great way to move Harpers into and out of Sembia. With the exception of Malkas Lockmyre (who you killed) and the few people you have told, it's quite possible that you are the only ones who know about the tower's existence -- apart from the shimmering man, of course.
This is probably the most potent and enigma-rich plot/direction that you've come across -- why is it there, who exactly built it (as the Netherese were not know to have come this far South or East), how does the shimmering man fit into everything, what else is in the tower, can you put it to use, should you see if you can bring in other Harpers to help you? Lots of options!
The Silver Ravens - You've clashed with Ravens on several occasions, and come across evidence of their efforts to destroy the Harpers.
So far, they've been on the sidelines of the threads you've been following, but how long will that be the case? Are there prominent Ravens whose deaths would weaken the organization as a whole? How do the Ravens tie in with Lockmyre?
The Silent Ring - Mentioned only once in a letter from Agrafion, this Harper faction is supposedly assassinating other Harpers who have been "turned," whatever that means.
Is this just a rumor, as Agrafion seems to believe, or do they really exist? And if they do, do they pose a threat to you?
Elmelendia - Given into your care by Sefilia Blackbright, this sword is a treasure to the Harpers and a magnet for trouble. Sefilia's whole party was killed over it, and the Silver Ravens (and their hirelings) are almost certainly looking for it.
Does anyone know where Elemelendia is? She was made to be used -- can you add to her legacy in Selgaunt?
---
I think that's a pretty good roundup, and as I said waaaaay back when at the outset of the campaign (nearly 18 months ago!
): this is your story, and there are lots of places to go. There's no overarching plot that I expect you to follow, and you've uncovered all sorts of areas of interest.Whatever you opt not to follow up on will continue to progress on its own, and many things have already been affected by your actions. Some of these are obvious, some you haven't uncovered yet, or don't have enough of a bigger picture to see.
If you have questions about any of this, ask away -- and if this wasn't the kind of guidance you were looking for, let me know!
Xen
First Post
Tal
"Great Badger of Torm! I think we are getting closer, says Tal exuberantly. The badger says just a few more..." Tal spends the next 15 minutes in prayer, and then walks back to the edge of the chasm. He casts...
OOC: Tal has a total of 2 first level summoning spells left, plus one empty first level slot. He also has one second level summoning spell (and has filled up all other spell slots). He'll cast away until the object is free, even if it means taking a break to fill up the empty first level slot with another summoning spell.
"Great Badger of Torm! I think we are getting closer, says Tal exuberantly. The badger says just a few more..." Tal spends the next 15 minutes in prayer, and then walks back to the edge of the chasm. He casts...
OOC: Tal has a total of 2 first level summoning spells left, plus one empty first level slot. He also has one second level summoning spell (and has filled up all other spell slots). He'll cast away until the object is free, even if it means taking a break to fill up the empty first level slot with another summoning spell.
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