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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Eridanis" data-source="post: 580282" data-attributes="member: 275">Resurrect Thread - a most potent spell (a.k.a. Session 31)Well, we've got things sorted out, and since Dinkeldog has lost access to the journals, I'm taking up the gauntlet to finish out our run. We have a good dozen and a half sessions in the can, so expect an update or two per week until .... well, you'll see.Anyway, back to our adventurers:From the Collected Letters of Sir Kellan EversharTo the Radiant Lady Gloriana Taskmettle, greetings -After several more days spent preparing for the journey (provisioning;boosting the enchantments on the armor of Nikolai, Jaag, and myself;preparing healing wands), we teleported to the valley. (On the evening ofthe ninth day since the divine problems began, we noticed that theconstellations in the sky were changing - one particular one had a starmissing from it, while another star was added in a different place. This hascaused some consternation with the local clergy.) Nikolai cast plane shifton the portal. A mercury curtain came into being inside the hoop of theportal, and Nikolai stepped through. He seemed to shrink, as if movingquickly off toward the horizon, then disappeared. I was next through,followed by Rodrigo and Jaag. (Jorie stayed behind to remove the crystal totest to see if the crystal needed to remain in the portal for it to remainopen; apparently it did, for Jorie did not follow.)We emerged at the top of another valley, this one as cold as the previousjungle valley was warm. A forest of pine trees began near to the widegrassland we stood in. I could hear no animals nearby, nor did I detect anyevil influences; this situation changed quickly, though, when a pair ofelven women broke through the treeline, racing past us and shouting for usto "Run!". We drew weapons just in time to confront three fire giantscrashing after the elves. Nahktibastet immediately flew towards the nearest;as she swiped with her claws, I rolled off her back, tucking for the landingand plunging my sword into the leg of the giant. [I needed to roll a 20 topull this off in heavy armor - and did it!] After a furious but brief fight,we were able to defeat the giants with the help of the elves; after somequick healing, we accompanied the women back to the ranch they had, untilrecently, lived in.As it happens, the women were druidic apprentices, sent to study with Haia,the local master by their parents (a human mother and an elven father,neither of them druids themselves). The giant clan, named the Jirrock, beganto be aggressive just recently; Haia was captured by them just a few daysbeforehand in a raid that destroyed the ranch. It seemed as if the giantswere looking for something; the women had no idea what that might have been.Accompanying the giants were gnolls, trolls, and humans - a combination offorces never before seen in this valley. There are also yuan-ti living inthe valley (as we expected), but strangely enough, the women claimed theywere freindly to the local peoples, and simply hid in the forest doing noharm. As hard as I found this to be, the yuan-ti's intent in the area willbear further investigation.The night's watch passed uneventfully, save for the fact that we stillseemed to be on Oerth, rather than on another plane - the constellations inthe sky were the same as the familiar ones at home (with the exception ofthe strange one-by-one replacement of certain stars, of course). The nextday, Nikolai returned to the site of the past day's battle, and cast speakwith dead on one of the dead bodies. All we wer able to ascertain were thename of the giant tribe - the Jirroc - and their mission: to conquer thevalley. In order to gain intelligence about the giant's stronghold, locatedmiles away in a volcano at the other end of the valley, Nikolai andNahktibastet flew invisibly toward the stronghold. That mission was cutshort by the presence of a red dragon flying patrol over the volcano;discretion being the better part of valor in this case, Nahktibastet turnedback to our camp (barely speaking to me the rest of the day as aconsequence) while Nikolai quickly finished his fly-by and returned.From the Journal of Nikolai Davros:I fear that in our desire to equip ourselves more fully, we have waited too long and will regret the delay.  We are as ready as we can be, but must take every opportunity to take this fight to our enemy.The problem is, we have no idea who the enemy is.  Divinations have proved vague, and we have been told that Communes have been unable to answer the question of what is going on to cause the priests to be unable to regain their full spells.  The phenomenon appears to be worsening, and more unknown stars are appearing in the sky.We went through the gate today.  It was bitter cold on the other side; we were unprepared for the change in weather.  Curiously, we appear to still be on Oerth; I thought the gate was supposed to Plane Shift us to a specific point on another plane.  Perhaps that is what the stars mean?  That two planes are converging?This is more than I can fathom.There were Fire Giants on the far side of the gate; things looked bad for a moment, but we dealt with three of them.  We met some elves, who claim that the local Yuan Ti are friendly.  I find this unlikely.We scouted about, and we saw a dragon.  I don't think it saw me.  I would not be able to outfly a dragon, but my vastly better maneuverability might allow me to run nevertheless.  Luckily, it did not become an issue.Now that we have a better sense of what is here, we can plan our spell usage better - I will be ready for Giants and Dragons.  Rodrigo will need to learn some manner of adapting his repertoire to combat these beings.</blockquote>

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