Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Seattle Campaign 2.0: The Stone of Thanuran
2/14/10
--the adventuring party decides to strike directly west from the Valley of Thanuran and head to the small town of Loxian on the Masked River; the plan will be to seek out a river barge to the coast and then a ship northward to take them as swiftly as possible either back to Gilal or to Grand Takare
--the party is deeply concerned about who and what might be after the Stone of Thanuran
--the obsidian sphere is currently be carried by Riseif, packed alongside the sunstone, which seems to keep the sphere's power quieted
--while traveling through darkling lands, they come upon a group of darkling scouts who have recovered one of the party's horses; Wren's horse Rafferty is returned
--on the third night, less than a day from Loxian, the party beds down for the night; order of watches is set
-- Telisa is first, Galen is second, Riseif is third, and Lanthorn is last; by third watch, Galen lays down to go to bed; just as he is about to fall asleep, there is a strange strangled groan/cry and the camp is suddenly flooded by light from the sunstone; everyone wakes to find Riseif unconscious, fallen down next his pack; the pack is pulled open to reveal the Stone of Thanuran and the sunstone
--Telisa's healingcraft cannot wake Riseif; he seems to be feverish and having bad dreams
--Tirdim casts the minor level spell thought reading and yields only choas in Riseif's mind; the spell determines fragments of two battling voices: "No, no, I cannot..." and "...must take you..."; Riseif is in some sort of psychic battle with the Stone
--the next morning, the party binds Riseif and sets him on the horse; they hurry to Loxian
--those with Legend Lore and Magic Lore recall that Loxian played a significant role in the War of the Nightsage (some 300 years ago when the whole Lake Dannion area was under siege by the Powers of Night); Loxian is home to a powerful family of mages, the Loxias family; rumors and legends of the Loxias family include that one of their line had given up his soul to Occus (the God of the Undead) to become a lich (a powerful, immortal, undead mage)
--Loxian is a prosperous woodland town; though remote, the town has been fashioned to look like a larger, more metropolitan city; the town has a low wall of stone and timber; the town strides the Masked River; the buildings here are a mixture of wood, brick, stone; there are a number of towers that rise from the town; because of its magical history, Loxian is favored by a number of scholars, reclusive mages, traders that specialize in the needs of magic users
--experience is awarded
--the party is met at the western gate by a small contingent; four town guard bearing the livery of Loxian:
--with the welcome party is a young Elar woman, dark haired braided in the back, dark eyes, slim athletic build; she wears the embroidered silk and medal of station marking her as an Elar Seneschal; to those in the know, a seneschal for any keep or noble is one who oversees the day-to-day activities, logistics, and needs of the keep; however an Elar Seneschal is specific to powerful (usually Elar) families and mages; Elar Seneschals are decidedly non-mages and often possess (through ancestry) immunities and resistances to many different kinds of magic, particularly magical influence
--the Seneschal introduces herself as Ti'anti, Seneschal of Lord Mayor Tammacar Loxias, who has sent her to welcome and escort the party (and their mission) into the town
--they are taken to the Adventurine Inn, met by the innkeep Ranparlin, a tall, sinewy Takaran man going slightly gray
--they are asked to clean up, provided with rooms and baths, in fact the entirety of the inn has been emptied for their use (and for their safekeeping)
--eventually, a carriage is sent for the party to take them to Lord Mayor Loxias's manor house, just outside of the town
--the meeting with Loxias is a tense one; Loxias seems to know about the Stone of Thanuran; he asks the party their intentions with such a rare and powerful artifact; he says that he has many contacts with the Academy and the Sovereign Temples in Grand Takare; he says that he will help Riseif as well
--in exchange, he wishes the opportunity to study the sphere; for three days, he asks; he will help Riseif and at the end of the three days, if the party wishes, he will send them magically to Grand Takare
--Tirdim asks to be a part of the research on the Stone; Loxias agrees to allow Tirdim to "apprentice" but binds Tirdim under the oath of the Book and the Star, meaning he is bound by the Academy's code of mysteries
--the investigation into the Stone reveals that the Stone has been corrupted, most likely by the wraith in the Valley; the Stone will need to be purified before the power can be safely used
--the party discusses (at length) what to do about the Stone, whether to trust Loxias or not, whether to take the Stone elsewhere
--they attempt to contact Rathkin the Druid and Cobren of Anurl
--the party is visted by a mysterious woman named Rissa, dressed in a traveling cloak and clothes, wearing leather armor, armed like a rogue; she comes to them in the Adventurine Inn posing as a "friend;" she offers the party a deal -- to trade the Stone for various kinds of help or reward -- she seems to know about certain party member's histories; Rissa will not reveal her sources but she tries to cast doubt on Loxias's motivations; she leaves a bag of Sovereign coins as a measure of good faith
--the party also recieves a communication from Rune, a priest of Rune named Lentin from Cavalon, sends a message asking them to keep an eye on Loxias; there seems to be some dissention between the Sovereign Temples on the First Continent and the Sovereign Templs on the Second Continent
--the party feels squeezed by politic-ing
--while Riseif recovers, they discover that someone has "entered" his room but nothing seems amiss
--the adventurers return to Loxias; Loxias tells them that he believes the power of the Stone needs to be used so that it is safer than keeping the Stone or transporting the Stone; he says that the Stone must be purified first; he also recommends that the power be split and given to the party members; in return, they will serve Loxias (and by extension the will of the Temples) for a year and day
--the party deliberates
12/21/10
--and deliberates and deliberates...
--Riseif makes a full enough recovery that he is up and about and able to travel
--the party asks Riseif what he remembers; all he remembers is the last moments in camp when he was just about to start his watch and the suddenly feeling like the Stone was in some sort of danger; he went to check on the Stone and then his memory is blank till he woke up in the Adventurine Inn in Loxian; he has vague memories of troubled dreams; his uncanny sense for when he is in danger seems to be "haywire"
--the party decides that they will take the Lord Mayor Loxias's general offer
--a messenger bearing the livery of Loxian comes to the Inn and delivers a message that the Lord Mayor wishes to see them at the manor
--Ranparlin, the innkeep, notes that he has never seen that messenger boy before; the messenger could be new; the innkeep lends the party some horses to take them to the manor
--arriving at Lord Mayor Loxias's manor, they are met by a concerned Ti'anti; she says that she has not sent for them nor has the Lord Mayor (who is in study); she checks with the house staff and says that no one sent for the party
--before the conversation deepens, Loxias himself teleports from his inner chambers to the front drive of the manor; he commands that the house be secured and that the party enter the house for their safety
--the house is set upon by a group of adversaries, who also appear magically: a tall (7' tall) figure dressed in black flowing robes holding an inky black gnarled staff, flanked by two bestial feline animen, the rogue Rissa (who reveals that she is a Priestess of Ittar, the Goddess of Assassins), a giant darkling wielding a greatsword, and five zombies, one of which is the animated corpse of the necromancer the party killed on the road some weeks ago
--Loxias and the figure in black exchange words, posturing, and accusations; Loxias reveals that the cloaked figure is a demon; Rissa argues that the party should know that they are working for a lich (former?); the demon is only interested in the Stone and will allow the adventuring party to leave safely; Rissa teases the group saying that they should have taken her offer
--Loxias and the demon engage in magical combat; Loxias pulls the demon to him and erects a dome of force around the two of them; the demon scoffs and attempts to leave the dome by teleportation and Loxias holds him binding him to a summoner's circle; magical explosions -- flame, light, stone, fire -- darken the inside of the dome
--meanwhile, the party engages the remaining combatants
--Rissa charms Riseif with love; Rissa and Ti'anti square off; Ti'anti holds her own against Ittar and the two animen; she seems to fight defensively only occasionally stabbing and slashing with her daggers
--Riseif is too busy with the giant darkling and undead to notice that Rissa is in trouble; Lanthorn turns two of the zombies; Wren and Telisa help with the zombies; Tirdim faces off against the necromancer's zombie (who seems to retain his spellcasting abilities), including phasing into the necromancer's sphere to attack him directly
--the giant darkling's attacks are devestating, knocking both Riseif and Lanthorn unconscious; fortunately the healing of Telisa and Wren keep them in them both in the combat
--the zombies are dispatched, mainly by Galen
--the giant darkling is brought down by a group effort
--meanwhile, Ti'anti has successfully poisoned the two animen (who fall unconscious); Rissa realizes that she herself is poisoned and seeing most of her companions fallen, saves herself and magically transports away; in leaving she reveals the name of the demon (though not true name) as Abraxal
--the combat ends with Loxias bellowing from inside the magical dome that the battle must be finished; the dome collapses and both Loxias and the demon Abraxal vanish (ostensibly taking the fight to some other place or plane); a black glassy circle is left burned into the manor's front drive; glass so hard and residually enchanted that it is impossible to break
--Ti'anti rushes into the house to check on things; the party runs in after her but accidentally trigger the trapped floor in the front foyer; Ti'anti deactivates the traps
--Ti'anti asks the adventurers to remain at the house; it is safer
--the party waits for three days and Loxias has not returned; Ti'anti says that she must wait three days before the enchantments that bind Loxias's chambers allow her entrance; she says that Loxias has not returned but he remains "in existence"
--the party deliberates once again about what to do; Ti'anti says that she will help the party travel to Grand Takare (taking the Stone if they wish); she hesistantly provides for them two scrolls of teleportation
--meanwhile, the adventurers receive a letter from Hyuster Moll, the innkeep of the Inn of the Wild Cap in Gilal, Takare and friend of Burnbeard:
--Ti'anti asks to speak privately with Lanthorn: she asks him as a Priest of Valadarin that he watch the party, that he try to keep the best interests of Loxias, of Loxian, and of the Stone in mind; she gives Lanthorn a magical amulet (a large silver medal set with a broad oval hemisphere of moonstone) telling him that the amulet will allow the party to ask for the wisdom of augury; she secures his word that the amulet will be returned to her (before they travel), that they will use the amulet only to help them in their quest, that they will not use the amulet to inquire about Loxias or against Loxias
--Tirdim identifies the amulet: it invokes median augury, it is not dedicated to any single god though it is an item of the oath and the deed (a curiously rare pantheistic item), and has 9 charges before it is depleted completely
--the party discusses what questions would be appropriate and helpful to ask; Riseif asks for a charge for a personal question; Wren asks for a charge to beseech Possos
--Question #1: What should we do with the Stone of Thanuran? (asked by Galen of Anurl)
2/28/10
--Riseif uses a charge of the Medallion of Augury to ask about the Arasan mage that killed his wife; he receives a vision of a bright light, like sunlight, and a name: "Arasha."
--the party investigates what the auguries mean and talk about what they should do with the Stone in case Loxias does not return
--while investigating Loxias's chair (in his audience hall), the Lord Mayor suddenly appears, teleporting to his chair; Loxias is severely burned, wounded, with clothes tattered; he is surrounded by a palpable taint and poison, which overcomes some of the party
--Ti'anti sends the party away to tend to her master
--a few days later, the party is sent for by Loxias, who meets with them in his private chambers; he seems still weak, tired, though his appearance seems "fine"
--Loxias's form seems to be covered by an illusion that makes him look whole and hale; the illusion is not perfect, faltering perhaps Loxias himself is weak; whether the illusion has always affected Loxias is not certain
--Loxias tells the party that times are desperate and that he believes the power of the Stone needs to be split and used before the powers that are moving to take it (e.g. the Demon Lord Abraxal) try again
--he proposes an emergency ritual to split the power; he will do his best to protect the party from the Stone's corruption
--the ritual will take a few days to prepare
--Ti'anti speaks to the party in private; she asks that the party implore the Lord Mayor to take a portion of the Stone's power; the power of Thanuran will help restore and help Loxias; she argues that in order to help protect the party and the Stone's power, Loxias must be at his best and the stone's power will help insure that
--the party decides that they will share a portion of the Stone's power with Loxias
--while Loxias prepares for the Ritual of Cleansing and Dividing, the adventurers decide that they will use the power of the scrolls of teleportation (that Ti'anti gave them) to return to Gilal, Takare to investigate the death of Cobren Anurl
--the party teleports to Gilal, just outside of town; they head to the town's graveyard
--they also investigate Cobren's house; they discover the signs of an attack (lots of blood stains, the attack looks like it was a surprise); they also find the Temple coin to Anurl, which has been enchanted to send the party a message (after all of them touch and speak to it)
--Cobren's message tells them that he feared for his life, that he augured his own death
--they party also discovers in the ledgers of the cemetery all of their names entered; investigating each of their "plots" they discover that Cobren left them things to help their investigation
--the party runs into Hyuster Moll (who has taken to help patrolling the graveyard)
--they investigate Burnbeard's tomb finding signs that it had been broken into and looted; they use a scroll of speak with dead left by Cobren to contact Burnbeard's spirit; they ask him what happened to him; Burnbeard's spirit reveals that a necromancer forced him to reveal what he knew about the Stone of Thanuran
--the also use a scroll to speak with Cobren's spirit (after digging him up); they discover that he was killed by Rissa
--the party goes into town and stays at the Inn of the Wild Cap; while at the inn, they spot a young man who has been watching them; they corner the man and get him to reveal that he was hired by Rissa to watch out for the party; he was given a medal of message to use to tell Rissa when he spots them
--the adventurers investigate about Gilal discovering very little
--they return to Loxian
--the adventuring party decides to strike directly west from the Valley of Thanuran and head to the small town of Loxian on the Masked River; the plan will be to seek out a river barge to the coast and then a ship northward to take them as swiftly as possible either back to Gilal or to Grand Takare
--the party is deeply concerned about who and what might be after the Stone of Thanuran
--the obsidian sphere is currently be carried by Riseif, packed alongside the sunstone, which seems to keep the sphere's power quieted
--while traveling through darkling lands, they come upon a group of darkling scouts who have recovered one of the party's horses; Wren's horse Rafferty is returned
--on the third night, less than a day from Loxian, the party beds down for the night; order of watches is set
-- Telisa is first, Galen is second, Riseif is third, and Lanthorn is last; by third watch, Galen lays down to go to bed; just as he is about to fall asleep, there is a strange strangled groan/cry and the camp is suddenly flooded by light from the sunstone; everyone wakes to find Riseif unconscious, fallen down next his pack; the pack is pulled open to reveal the Stone of Thanuran and the sunstone
--Telisa's healingcraft cannot wake Riseif; he seems to be feverish and having bad dreams
--Tirdim casts the minor level spell thought reading and yields only choas in Riseif's mind; the spell determines fragments of two battling voices: "No, no, I cannot..." and "...must take you..."; Riseif is in some sort of psychic battle with the Stone
--the next morning, the party binds Riseif and sets him on the horse; they hurry to Loxian
--those with Legend Lore and Magic Lore recall that Loxian played a significant role in the War of the Nightsage (some 300 years ago when the whole Lake Dannion area was under siege by the Powers of Night); Loxian is home to a powerful family of mages, the Loxias family; rumors and legends of the Loxias family include that one of their line had given up his soul to Occus (the God of the Undead) to become a lich (a powerful, immortal, undead mage)
--Loxian is a prosperous woodland town; though remote, the town has been fashioned to look like a larger, more metropolitan city; the town has a low wall of stone and timber; the town strides the Masked River; the buildings here are a mixture of wood, brick, stone; there are a number of towers that rise from the town; because of its magical history, Loxian is favored by a number of scholars, reclusive mages, traders that specialize in the needs of magic users
--experience is awarded
--the party is met at the western gate by a small contingent; four town guard bearing the livery of Loxian:
--with the welcome party is a young Elar woman, dark haired braided in the back, dark eyes, slim athletic build; she wears the embroidered silk and medal of station marking her as an Elar Seneschal; to those in the know, a seneschal for any keep or noble is one who oversees the day-to-day activities, logistics, and needs of the keep; however an Elar Seneschal is specific to powerful (usually Elar) families and mages; Elar Seneschals are decidedly non-mages and often possess (through ancestry) immunities and resistances to many different kinds of magic, particularly magical influence
--the Seneschal introduces herself as Ti'anti, Seneschal of Lord Mayor Tammacar Loxias, who has sent her to welcome and escort the party (and their mission) into the town
--they are taken to the Adventurine Inn, met by the innkeep Ranparlin, a tall, sinewy Takaran man going slightly gray
--they are asked to clean up, provided with rooms and baths, in fact the entirety of the inn has been emptied for their use (and for their safekeeping)
--eventually, a carriage is sent for the party to take them to Lord Mayor Loxias's manor house, just outside of the town
--the meeting with Loxias is a tense one; Loxias seems to know about the Stone of Thanuran; he asks the party their intentions with such a rare and powerful artifact; he says that he has many contacts with the Academy and the Sovereign Temples in Grand Takare; he says that he will help Riseif as well
--in exchange, he wishes the opportunity to study the sphere; for three days, he asks; he will help Riseif and at the end of the three days, if the party wishes, he will send them magically to Grand Takare
--Tirdim asks to be a part of the research on the Stone; Loxias agrees to allow Tirdim to "apprentice" but binds Tirdim under the oath of the Book and the Star, meaning he is bound by the Academy's code of mysteries
--the investigation into the Stone reveals that the Stone has been corrupted, most likely by the wraith in the Valley; the Stone will need to be purified before the power can be safely used
--the party discusses (at length) what to do about the Stone, whether to trust Loxias or not, whether to take the Stone elsewhere
--they attempt to contact Rathkin the Druid and Cobren of Anurl
--the party is visted by a mysterious woman named Rissa, dressed in a traveling cloak and clothes, wearing leather armor, armed like a rogue; she comes to them in the Adventurine Inn posing as a "friend;" she offers the party a deal -- to trade the Stone for various kinds of help or reward -- she seems to know about certain party member's histories; Rissa will not reveal her sources but she tries to cast doubt on Loxias's motivations; she leaves a bag of Sovereign coins as a measure of good faith
--the party also recieves a communication from Rune, a priest of Rune named Lentin from Cavalon, sends a message asking them to keep an eye on Loxias; there seems to be some dissention between the Sovereign Temples on the First Continent and the Sovereign Templs on the Second Continent
--the party feels squeezed by politic-ing
--while Riseif recovers, they discover that someone has "entered" his room but nothing seems amiss
--the adventurers return to Loxias; Loxias tells them that he believes the power of the Stone needs to be used so that it is safer than keeping the Stone or transporting the Stone; he says that the Stone must be purified first; he also recommends that the power be split and given to the party members; in return, they will serve Loxias (and by extension the will of the Temples) for a year and day
--the party deliberates
12/21/10
--and deliberates and deliberates...
--Riseif makes a full enough recovery that he is up and about and able to travel
--the party asks Riseif what he remembers; all he remembers is the last moments in camp when he was just about to start his watch and the suddenly feeling like the Stone was in some sort of danger; he went to check on the Stone and then his memory is blank till he woke up in the Adventurine Inn in Loxian; he has vague memories of troubled dreams; his uncanny sense for when he is in danger seems to be "haywire"
--the party decides that they will take the Lord Mayor Loxias's general offer
--a messenger bearing the livery of Loxian comes to the Inn and delivers a message that the Lord Mayor wishes to see them at the manor
--Ranparlin, the innkeep, notes that he has never seen that messenger boy before; the messenger could be new; the innkeep lends the party some horses to take them to the manor
--arriving at Lord Mayor Loxias's manor, they are met by a concerned Ti'anti; she says that she has not sent for them nor has the Lord Mayor (who is in study); she checks with the house staff and says that no one sent for the party
--before the conversation deepens, Loxias himself teleports from his inner chambers to the front drive of the manor; he commands that the house be secured and that the party enter the house for their safety
--the house is set upon by a group of adversaries, who also appear magically: a tall (7' tall) figure dressed in black flowing robes holding an inky black gnarled staff, flanked by two bestial feline animen, the rogue Rissa (who reveals that she is a Priestess of Ittar, the Goddess of Assassins), a giant darkling wielding a greatsword, and five zombies, one of which is the animated corpse of the necromancer the party killed on the road some weeks ago
--Loxias and the figure in black exchange words, posturing, and accusations; Loxias reveals that the cloaked figure is a demon; Rissa argues that the party should know that they are working for a lich (former?); the demon is only interested in the Stone and will allow the adventuring party to leave safely; Rissa teases the group saying that they should have taken her offer
--Loxias and the demon engage in magical combat; Loxias pulls the demon to him and erects a dome of force around the two of them; the demon scoffs and attempts to leave the dome by teleportation and Loxias holds him binding him to a summoner's circle; magical explosions -- flame, light, stone, fire -- darken the inside of the dome
--meanwhile, the party engages the remaining combatants
--Rissa charms Riseif with love; Rissa and Ti'anti square off; Ti'anti holds her own against Ittar and the two animen; she seems to fight defensively only occasionally stabbing and slashing with her daggers
--Riseif is too busy with the giant darkling and undead to notice that Rissa is in trouble; Lanthorn turns two of the zombies; Wren and Telisa help with the zombies; Tirdim faces off against the necromancer's zombie (who seems to retain his spellcasting abilities), including phasing into the necromancer's sphere to attack him directly
--the giant darkling's attacks are devestating, knocking both Riseif and Lanthorn unconscious; fortunately the healing of Telisa and Wren keep them in them both in the combat
--the zombies are dispatched, mainly by Galen
--the giant darkling is brought down by a group effort
--meanwhile, Ti'anti has successfully poisoned the two animen (who fall unconscious); Rissa realizes that she herself is poisoned and seeing most of her companions fallen, saves herself and magically transports away; in leaving she reveals the name of the demon (though not true name) as Abraxal
--the combat ends with Loxias bellowing from inside the magical dome that the battle must be finished; the dome collapses and both Loxias and the demon Abraxal vanish (ostensibly taking the fight to some other place or plane); a black glassy circle is left burned into the manor's front drive; glass so hard and residually enchanted that it is impossible to break
--Ti'anti rushes into the house to check on things; the party runs in after her but accidentally trigger the trapped floor in the front foyer; Ti'anti deactivates the traps
--Ti'anti asks the adventurers to remain at the house; it is safer
--the party waits for three days and Loxias has not returned; Ti'anti says that she must wait three days before the enchantments that bind Loxias's chambers allow her entrance; she says that Loxias has not returned but he remains "in existence"
--the party deliberates once again about what to do; Ti'anti says that she will help the party travel to Grand Takare (taking the Stone if they wish); she hesistantly provides for them two scrolls of teleportation
--meanwhile, the adventurers receive a letter from Hyuster Moll, the innkeep of the Inn of the Wild Cap in Gilal, Takare and friend of Burnbeard:
Burnbeard's Heroes,--the party ponders going to Gilal to find out what happened; they feel responsible for Cobren's death, in some way, and believe that whomever killed the Priest of Anurl is connected to the attack at Loxias's manor
Allow me that conceit, for you are the kind souls and strong arms that Burnbeard valued during his days. May he rest well with his gods. This message will be brief, and I know enough that anything sent even under seal is not always safe: Cobren Anurl is dead. Murdered, I believe, though many blame darklings. Darklings that desecrated Burnbeard's tomb, it seems. I do not believe it so. Whatever quest you are on, I hope all is well. I willd o my best to determine what has happened here, though I have not heard the call of adventure in many years. If you can, I know Burnbeard would want you to help and to know.
Regards in honor,
Hyuster Moll
--Ti'anti asks to speak privately with Lanthorn: she asks him as a Priest of Valadarin that he watch the party, that he try to keep the best interests of Loxias, of Loxian, and of the Stone in mind; she gives Lanthorn a magical amulet (a large silver medal set with a broad oval hemisphere of moonstone) telling him that the amulet will allow the party to ask for the wisdom of augury; she secures his word that the amulet will be returned to her (before they travel), that they will use the amulet only to help them in their quest, that they will not use the amulet to inquire about Loxias or against Loxias
--Tirdim identifies the amulet: it invokes median augury, it is not dedicated to any single god though it is an item of the oath and the deed (a curiously rare pantheistic item), and has 9 charges before it is depleted completely
--the party discusses what questions would be appropriate and helpful to ask; Riseif asks for a charge for a personal question; Wren asks for a charge to beseech Possos
--Question #1: What should we do with the Stone of Thanuran? (asked by Galen of Anurl)
Response: Galen receives a startling vision, though brief, of the Stone, atop its original pedastal in the cave, the Stone falls and breaks into seven pieces... then, the Stone, whole, and a crown broken into pieces--Question #2: What is the easiest way to purify the stone? (asked by Galen of Vessa Lune)
Response: Galen receives a vision of a woman's hand, holding the Stone, then breaking the Stone into seven pieces--Question #3: What will happen if we take on the power of the Stone of Thanuran (asked by Galen of Rune)
Response: Galen hears these words: "Six will serve the light / Seven will gain the power / One will seek the whole / and attempt to fell the tower"--Question #4: What should we do with the Stone to best serve you and the Realm? (asked by Wren of Possos)
Response: Wren recieves a vision of open sea, tossed by storm, in the sea are seven large sharks circling something, all take a bloody bite of something they are circling, and then an eighth shark comes and chases after the seven--Question #5: Where do we go to Purify the Stone of Thanuran? (asked by Telisa of Mannan Aia)
Response: Telisa recieves a vision of the Stone falling to the ground, becoming buried like a seed, and grow into a seven branched tree--Question #6: Where should we travel next to purify the stone? (asked by Galen of Rune)
Response: Galen recieves three visions: A vision of a tower in the mountains. A vision of a mirror, you (plural) in front of it. A vision of Loxias's chair.--the party continues to discuss what the final questions will be; Tirdim wishes to preserve at least one charge of the item so that it (as a magical item) is not lost forever
2/28/10
--Riseif uses a charge of the Medallion of Augury to ask about the Arasan mage that killed his wife; he receives a vision of a bright light, like sunlight, and a name: "Arasha."
--the party investigates what the auguries mean and talk about what they should do with the Stone in case Loxias does not return
--while investigating Loxias's chair (in his audience hall), the Lord Mayor suddenly appears, teleporting to his chair; Loxias is severely burned, wounded, with clothes tattered; he is surrounded by a palpable taint and poison, which overcomes some of the party
--Ti'anti sends the party away to tend to her master
--a few days later, the party is sent for by Loxias, who meets with them in his private chambers; he seems still weak, tired, though his appearance seems "fine"
--Loxias's form seems to be covered by an illusion that makes him look whole and hale; the illusion is not perfect, faltering perhaps Loxias himself is weak; whether the illusion has always affected Loxias is not certain
--Loxias tells the party that times are desperate and that he believes the power of the Stone needs to be split and used before the powers that are moving to take it (e.g. the Demon Lord Abraxal) try again
--he proposes an emergency ritual to split the power; he will do his best to protect the party from the Stone's corruption
--the ritual will take a few days to prepare
--Ti'anti speaks to the party in private; she asks that the party implore the Lord Mayor to take a portion of the Stone's power; the power of Thanuran will help restore and help Loxias; she argues that in order to help protect the party and the Stone's power, Loxias must be at his best and the stone's power will help insure that
--the party decides that they will share a portion of the Stone's power with Loxias
--while Loxias prepares for the Ritual of Cleansing and Dividing, the adventurers decide that they will use the power of the scrolls of teleportation (that Ti'anti gave them) to return to Gilal, Takare to investigate the death of Cobren Anurl
--the party teleports to Gilal, just outside of town; they head to the town's graveyard
--they also investigate Cobren's house; they discover the signs of an attack (lots of blood stains, the attack looks like it was a surprise); they also find the Temple coin to Anurl, which has been enchanted to send the party a message (after all of them touch and speak to it)
--Cobren's message tells them that he feared for his life, that he augured his own death
--they party also discovers in the ledgers of the cemetery all of their names entered; investigating each of their "plots" they discover that Cobren left them things to help their investigation
--the party runs into Hyuster Moll (who has taken to help patrolling the graveyard)
--they investigate Burnbeard's tomb finding signs that it had been broken into and looted; they use a scroll of speak with dead left by Cobren to contact Burnbeard's spirit; they ask him what happened to him; Burnbeard's spirit reveals that a necromancer forced him to reveal what he knew about the Stone of Thanuran
--the also use a scroll to speak with Cobren's spirit (after digging him up); they discover that he was killed by Rissa
--the party goes into town and stays at the Inn of the Wild Cap; while at the inn, they spot a young man who has been watching them; they corner the man and get him to reveal that he was hired by Rissa to watch out for the party; he was given a medal of message to use to tell Rissa when he spots them
--the adventurers investigate about Gilal discovering very little
--they return to Loxian
Monday, February 15, 2010
Seattle Campaign 1.3: The Valley of Thanuran
1/24/10
--the adventurers prepare for their trek into the Javelin Mountains, to seek out the strange, forgotten valley in an area of the mountains called Jeweltooth's Arm
--Arata, the newly raised wise one of the Morning Fire Fire darklings, prepares protections for the party in the form of "worry dolls"
--the darklings set up a "base camp" of about a dozen; the base camp is headed by an aristocratic darkling named Erbin; the remainder of the Morning Fire Fires leave to return to their home lands
--in the night, a small party of young darkling scouts defied Arata's orders and disappeared into the mountains, most likely to seek out the valley for themselves; Arata asks the party to send them home if they come across them
--the adventurers head into the mountains; on the first day, they stop at a small clearing surrounded by large boulders to have lunch; the party finds one of the stones oddly turned aside; Riseif discovers something has been left beneath the stone
--the party finds a simple scroll case; inside the case, they find another piece of blank parchment and a piece of amber, a failing sunstone
--using his own blood, Riseif reveals hidden writing (Burnbeard's writing), but the paper has been damaged and only fragments of the writing are legible:
--as the adventurers continue, Riseif (and eventually others) begin to hear a strange whisper from the stone; the stone itself seems to be "alive" though its magical light is fading; the whisper says "Use me" and "Call him"; saying Burnbeard's name while holding the stone seems to make it brighten for a moment
--the party speculates that the stone might be needed in the valley; Tirdim identifies the stone (with an extended ritual) and reveals that the stone holds some sort of power, power that can be released, but he does not know how to release it or what the power is for
--while trekking through the mountains, the party depends on their memories (gleaned from Obreth and Togro) to keep them on track; Lanthorn and Riseif's tracking abilities fail them and cause the party to be lost for a couple of hours
--the party makes camp before making it to the valley
--while camped, the party hears two darkling screams echo through the mountains; Riseif climbs a tree and sees something fly over the treetops in the distance behind them as well as the light of a small camp perhaps
--the party waits till morning to investigate; they backtrack to find the remains of a darkling camp, evidence of a struggle, and evidence of necromantic magic; no sign of the darklings remains
--the party sends word via magical message to Erbin at the base camp
--the party continues on and eventually finds the entrance to the valley; the valley is eerily quiet and devoid of life; it is long and sheltered on all sides by mountains; the party decides to wait till morning before entering
--while camped at night, the group discovers that the valley is completely different at night; the valley takes on a ghostly light, there is ghostly water that flows down the once dry streambeds to a large lake in the valley floor; there are ghostly villages populated by glowing humans in ancient, simple, peasant dress; at the far end of the valley, where a cave is, they see ghostly villagers seemingly on guard
--on the next day, the party enters the valley under the protection of the working sunstone
--they witness a bird fly into the valley and suddenly disintegrate into dust and bones; the valley is littered with bones of all different types
--they enter the first, nearest village; they discover the remains of a previous adventuring party it seems in one of the buildings; they find two badly tarnishing holy symbols (one to Senne and one to Turus); and they find a rod of milky crystal (dedicated to Rune, casts light)
--the continue through the valley; in the second village, they find a magical ring (Ring of Spoken Translation)
--eventually, they make their way to the cave
--inside, they find a pedestal of stone; atop the pedestal sits a sphere of black obsidian or glass (about two and a half hands in diameter); as they approach, they see some sort of black, wispy, wraith-like presence covering the sphere; using the light of the sunstone, they push the wraith off of the stone and it retreats into the shadows of the cave
--there is the sense that some great presence or power comes from the stone
--suddenly, the wraith invokes magics to animate the bones of the dead; a dozen skeletons are summoned at the mouth of the cave
--as if in response, a handful of skeletons are animated within the cave (it seems by the sphere itself) to do battle against the first group of undead
--the party prepares for a fight
1/31/10
--the party battles the wraith and the undead
--the wraith, named Ulashe, invokes necromatic magics against the party (ghostly hands that enervate and cause wounds) while skeletons also harry them
--the battle with the skeletons goes well; however the wraith proves to be difficult to pin down and very dangerous; Tirdim is enervated to the point of collapse
--Wren uses the fading sunstone, breaking it to release its power; she is suddenly filled with divine magnanimity and a rush of faith; she calls upon Rune to banish the undead and to set the Valley right again (Wren has a crises of faith afterward since she did not call Possos)
--Rune answers with a sunray that destroys the skeletons and reveals the wraith; the sunlight weakens the wraith; in its last moments, the wraith lashes out and nearly incapacitates the entire party
--the strange undeathly hold on the valley is broken and the party survives
--the stone sphere is identified: it holds a fragment of the God Anurl's power, power that might be used to imbue and ordain someone as the Visage of Anurl, named Thanuran
--the party rests in the light of the sunstone for the evening
--at night, the valley's ghostly denizens reappear and seem to take notice of the party
--using the Stone of Thanuran, they can communicate with the ghosts, which seem to be on a different plane of existence or are some sort of haunting; they say they are guardians of the stone; their existence is tied to the stone itself
--in the morning, the adventurers leave the valley; there is a sudden peal of thunder and release of power from the sphere; the boulders that flank the entrance of the valley collapse and seal the valley away; the area around the stone seems to wither and die; it is as if the stone were announcing its presence in the Realm, no longer protected or hidden by the Valley
--the party has some conversation about what to do with the sphere, whether to let the Temples know, whether to contact the Priest of Anurl in Gilal (that they befriended), whether or not the power of the sphere should be used
--Riseif half-jokingly says he would be willing to take on the power of Thanuran
--the adventurers prepare for their trek into the Javelin Mountains, to seek out the strange, forgotten valley in an area of the mountains called Jeweltooth's Arm
--Arata, the newly raised wise one of the Morning Fire Fire darklings, prepares protections for the party in the form of "worry dolls"
--the darklings set up a "base camp" of about a dozen; the base camp is headed by an aristocratic darkling named Erbin; the remainder of the Morning Fire Fires leave to return to their home lands
--in the night, a small party of young darkling scouts defied Arata's orders and disappeared into the mountains, most likely to seek out the valley for themselves; Arata asks the party to send them home if they come across them
--the adventurers head into the mountains; on the first day, they stop at a small clearing surrounded by large boulders to have lunch; the party finds one of the stones oddly turned aside; Riseif discovers something has been left beneath the stone
--the party finds a simple scroll case; inside the case, they find another piece of blank parchment and a piece of amber, a failing sunstone
--using his own blood, Riseif reveals hidden writing (Burnbeard's writing), but the paper has been damaged and only fragments of the writing are legible:
{Below are hurried fragments in Burnbeard’s hand. It seems that haste and a failure in the magic protecting the pages have left a portion of the text readable.}
For myself and for my readers, I set these words to paper in desperation. I fear that the remembrances of just nigh hours past area already slipping, and try as I must, I cannot preserve them in my mind. I hope that the words here will make them indelible and my magics will keep them safe…
…the Valley is geised in some way, the magic is almost deafening…
…withering life and limb… already half our number have died it seems to old… Togro is weary and Obreth is frightened… our very presence seems an affront to the powers that hold the Valley safe, but I do not know whether it is magic to keep outsiders out or to keep some ancient thing in…
Something at the far end of the Valley, I would guess less than three or four kims away… there are channels that might once have been streams fed by melting snows from the mountain surround… signs of life… villages perhaps but they are not of darkling make…
…curiosity has only made matters worse…
Togro demands that we leave and forbid entrance into the Valley… I cannot remember… the bones of animals, humanoids, humans… I have protected us as best as we can through a combination of magics… I fear that only divine intervention can help…
I have pressed on as far as I can go before my party abandons me…
{The fragments grow more erratic and the writing is large and almost manically scratched into the paper.}
Obreth nearly fell… the blood is strange here… too many bones…
There is something dark in the cave…
I must set as much of this down as possible… the Valley takes more than just the breath but the very thoughts as they are born in the mind… this cannot be left to the institutions that be… something tells me that this must be handled with care and secrecy… perhaps it is the Valley… I do not know…
…not without… light… there is darkness that… must… pierces by the right hand…
…bring wood for fires…
Evil beyond imagining…
…too many bones… frightened the darklings… I must help them…
…undeath is different than undead…
I will make certain that this task is left only to…
…Time has…
…broken…
--as the adventurers continue, Riseif (and eventually others) begin to hear a strange whisper from the stone; the stone itself seems to be "alive" though its magical light is fading; the whisper says "Use me" and "Call him"; saying Burnbeard's name while holding the stone seems to make it brighten for a moment
--the party speculates that the stone might be needed in the valley; Tirdim identifies the stone (with an extended ritual) and reveals that the stone holds some sort of power, power that can be released, but he does not know how to release it or what the power is for
--while trekking through the mountains, the party depends on their memories (gleaned from Obreth and Togro) to keep them on track; Lanthorn and Riseif's tracking abilities fail them and cause the party to be lost for a couple of hours
--the party makes camp before making it to the valley
--while camped, the party hears two darkling screams echo through the mountains; Riseif climbs a tree and sees something fly over the treetops in the distance behind them as well as the light of a small camp perhaps
--the party waits till morning to investigate; they backtrack to find the remains of a darkling camp, evidence of a struggle, and evidence of necromantic magic; no sign of the darklings remains
--the party sends word via magical message to Erbin at the base camp
--the party continues on and eventually finds the entrance to the valley; the valley is eerily quiet and devoid of life; it is long and sheltered on all sides by mountains; the party decides to wait till morning before entering
--while camped at night, the group discovers that the valley is completely different at night; the valley takes on a ghostly light, there is ghostly water that flows down the once dry streambeds to a large lake in the valley floor; there are ghostly villages populated by glowing humans in ancient, simple, peasant dress; at the far end of the valley, where a cave is, they see ghostly villagers seemingly on guard
--on the next day, the party enters the valley under the protection of the working sunstone
--they witness a bird fly into the valley and suddenly disintegrate into dust and bones; the valley is littered with bones of all different types
--they enter the first, nearest village; they discover the remains of a previous adventuring party it seems in one of the buildings; they find two badly tarnishing holy symbols (one to Senne and one to Turus); and they find a rod of milky crystal (dedicated to Rune, casts light)
--the continue through the valley; in the second village, they find a magical ring (Ring of Spoken Translation)
--eventually, they make their way to the cave
--inside, they find a pedestal of stone; atop the pedestal sits a sphere of black obsidian or glass (about two and a half hands in diameter); as they approach, they see some sort of black, wispy, wraith-like presence covering the sphere; using the light of the sunstone, they push the wraith off of the stone and it retreats into the shadows of the cave
--there is the sense that some great presence or power comes from the stone
--suddenly, the wraith invokes magics to animate the bones of the dead; a dozen skeletons are summoned at the mouth of the cave
--as if in response, a handful of skeletons are animated within the cave (it seems by the sphere itself) to do battle against the first group of undead
--the party prepares for a fight
1/31/10
--the party battles the wraith and the undead
--the wraith, named Ulashe, invokes necromatic magics against the party (ghostly hands that enervate and cause wounds) while skeletons also harry them
--the battle with the skeletons goes well; however the wraith proves to be difficult to pin down and very dangerous; Tirdim is enervated to the point of collapse
--Wren uses the fading sunstone, breaking it to release its power; she is suddenly filled with divine magnanimity and a rush of faith; she calls upon Rune to banish the undead and to set the Valley right again (Wren has a crises of faith afterward since she did not call Possos)
--Rune answers with a sunray that destroys the skeletons and reveals the wraith; the sunlight weakens the wraith; in its last moments, the wraith lashes out and nearly incapacitates the entire party
--the strange undeathly hold on the valley is broken and the party survives
--the stone sphere is identified: it holds a fragment of the God Anurl's power, power that might be used to imbue and ordain someone as the Visage of Anurl, named Thanuran
--the party rests in the light of the sunstone for the evening
--at night, the valley's ghostly denizens reappear and seem to take notice of the party
--using the Stone of Thanuran, they can communicate with the ghosts, which seem to be on a different plane of existence or are some sort of haunting; they say they are guardians of the stone; their existence is tied to the stone itself
--in the morning, the adventurers leave the valley; there is a sudden peal of thunder and release of power from the sphere; the boulders that flank the entrance of the valley collapse and seal the valley away; the area around the stone seems to wither and die; it is as if the stone were announcing its presence in the Realm, no longer protected or hidden by the Valley
--the party has some conversation about what to do with the sphere, whether to let the Temples know, whether to contact the Priest of Anurl in Gilal (that they befriended), whether or not the power of the sphere should be used
--Riseif half-jokingly says he would be willing to take on the power of Thanuran
Friday, January 29, 2010
Revision: Chapter Two: Character Creation
Chapter Two: Character Creation
Chapter Two covers how to make a Tellings character from Attribute generation through an Example of Character Creation. For the most part, the chapter can stand except for a revision to the Example of Character Creation and thinking about a few of the Attributes. Here are the chapter headings and the revision possibilities are (*) asterisked:
Generating ATTR Scores
Attribute Descriptions & Information
Agility
Charisma
Constitution
Dexterity
Essence
Knowledge
Perception *
Strength *
An Example of Character Creation *
Chapter Two covers how to make a Tellings character from Attribute generation through an Example of Character Creation. For the most part, the chapter can stand except for a revision to the Example of Character Creation and thinking about a few of the Attributes. Here are the chapter headings and the revision possibilities are (*) asterisked:
Generating ATTR Scores
Attribute Descriptions & Information
Agility
Charisma
Constitution
Dexterity
Essence
Knowledge
Perception *
Strength *
Given the fact that I have not played Tellings consistently in a while, now that I am running a table regularly, I am finding combat to be a little slower than I remember it. Actions happen less often than I recall. This might be because a) I am not used to it and b) starting characters are a little on the slow side (without any increased ATTRs or EASE skill levels).Experience and ATTR-Gained *
I am considering modifying either the PER INIT bases (probably not) or Weapon Ease scores.
Moreover, starting characters seem to have difficulty with penetrating armor. Again, I doubt this will be solved by changing STR DAMAGE bases, but rather it might mean bumping Weapon Damage up a point.
I am going to look at the whole ATTR-gained system. I still like the idea of power levels and caps being based on ATTR-gained, but it needs some smoothing out. This will be handled moreso in Chapter Nine.Generating Body Points (BODYpts) and Endurance Points (ENDpts)
An Example of Character Creation *
This section is useful but needs an overhaul (especially if rules change). Mainly, the character needs updating, the character sheet scans need cleaning up, and I have to make sure everything adds up correctly.
Revision: Chapter One: The Beginning
Chapter One: The Beginning
This chapter covers the basics about what is a role-playing game and Tellings. For the most part, the chapter needs little revision and tweaking (unless someone has concerns to raise), except for the couple of issues below (*):
The Fundamentals
The RPG
The Role of Player and Character
The Role of Master
To Play
The Game Premise
The System Premise
The Roll of the Dice
Roll-or-Base
Automatic Success and Automatic Failure
The Character Sheets
Metrics and Measures
A Note About Pronouns
Glossary
This chapter covers the basics about what is a role-playing game and Tellings. For the most part, the chapter needs little revision and tweaking (unless someone has concerns to raise), except for the couple of issues below (*):
The Fundamentals
The RPG
The Role of Player and Character
The Role of Master
*Given the purposefulness of trying to be gender neutral in the game, particularly the pronoun conventions, I am going to change the name of Master of the game (though will still use game master in the lower case sense) to the Wright of the Telling, which befits the ethos of the game more.The Game
To Play
The Game Premise
The System Premise
The Roll of the Dice
Roll-or-Base
*One of the most difficult concepts (for some reason) to grasp about the game is the Roll-or-Base roll. This section needs to be revised, perhaps expanded, to better explicate how this mechanic works.Roll-versus-Roll
Automatic Success and Automatic Failure
The Character Sheets
Metrics and Measures
A Note About Pronouns
Glossary
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Seattle Campaign 1.2: "The Ring of Fi'an" (Burnbeard)
1/2/10
--experience is awarded
--the adventuring party leaves Gilal (after securing horses for everyone), crossing west across Takare, and head to Grand Takare, the Sovereign Capital of the Second Continent
--about a week or so later, they arrive in Grand Takare
--they seek out a reasonably nice inn settling on the Inn of the Star and Laurel; the innkeep Aretina (Takaran, sturdy though not fat, friendly in a stern sort of way, dark brown hair) welcomes them
--the party seeks out the help of the Temple District and the Academy Hall
--the Academy reveals a little bit more about the Ring on Tirdim's hand; it is a ring of Magic Talent, dedicated to Lor, and is of Elar make; it is an antique; it also has had other magics imprinted upon it, magics that prevent accurate identification; the "curse" that binds the ring does not seem to be a true or evil curse
--Wren sets about translating a journal of Burnbeard's they found in one of the magic boxes; the journal is about the ring
--eventually, the party heads to the Guild of the Eleventhed Star (particularly after Galen is snubbed by the Academy mage, who called him Tirdim's "manservant")
--at the Guild, they make a contact with a median mage named Magda(Takaran, short, sturdy, long light brown hair, friendly)
--Magda reveals that Burnbeard has left a message and a package for anyone that produces the Ring
--the package has a slip of paper that says, "Seek these hands."
--the package also has two items: a sealed glass phial containing a twig with small delicate leaves and tiny silvery-green berries suspended in clear liquid, and a piece of pottery that is an intricate bit of clay ropework, glazing, and firing
--"Seek these hands." means to find those who made these items
--they seek out an herbalist named Laryth Greenwealth, who knew Burnbeard; Laryth gives them a magical rootball; something small is magical inside the rootball
--they seek out a potter named Tomias Handworth, who also knew Burnbeard; Tomias gives them a sealed clay jar filled with some liquid; something small clunks around inside
--Telisa uses the magic of shape earth to open the ball revealing a second ring
--the clay jar has been enchanted to be nearly unbreakable; the party decide to throw it out of the highest inn window possible; the jar shatters and a gelatinous, slippery, extremely bouncy sphere of greasing is released; inside the ball is a third ring
--once the rings are gotten, they are identified; like the first ring, they have beneficial powers but also seem to be "cursed"
--Riseif wears the ring that grants strength
--a small disagreement breaks out in the party about the third ring, which hastens the wearer's reactions, but eventually the ring is worn by Galen
--Wren's translation of the journal reveals that the ring was given to Burnbeard by an Elar mage named Fi'an, who had visited Burnbeard many years ago; the mage and Burnbeard were fond of each other; the Elar mage passed away and bequeathed the ring to Burnbeard (an unusual act for an Elar mage and for a ring of such value); Burnbeard wanted the ring to be a source of curiosity and inspiration for adventure
--speaking the name "Fi'an" to the ring releases it from Tirdim's hand
--another illusory message is triggered saying, "To seek knowledge is the greatest of all curses. To know wisdom is the greatest of all cures."
--at the release of the ring's curse, a tiny shimmer of light seems to escape the ring and fly away through the walls and out of sight; the party surmises it might have been a message of some sort (but do not know to whom or what it said)
1/10/10
--the next morning, after the discovery of the ring's purpose and name, Aretina awakens the party very early saying a messenger was at the inn for them
--the messenger turns out to be brown-black owl, who turns into a druid named Brela (short, Takaran, weathered tanned skin, beakish, ill-mannered)
--Brela tells the party that she has a message to deliver (which was prearranged by Burnbeard just shortly before his death); she gives them a scroll case and leaves
--the scroll case contains another letter, a final letter from Burnbeard:
--along with the letter is a blank piece of thick paper, which the party guesses has the map secreted upon in; they try to reveal the map with normal means (heating the paper) to no avail; they decide to leave it till they get to Gilal
--also along with the letter is a Sovereign coin stamped with the symbol of Anurl, the God of Death; the coin is a ceremonial coin often used as a tithe or a proof or a message
--the adventurers decide they must head back to Gilal and discover what Burnbeard's big secret is
--on the road to Gilal, while camping in the wildernss, they are attacked in the middle of the night by would-be seekers of Burnbeard's secrets
--the attacking party had a greater darkling with them, two mages (one of them a necromancer)
--the adventurers (with difficulty and some comedy) defeat the attacking party; all are killed save for the necromancer who escapes
--Riseif is badly injured during the fight
--the party must tarry until Riseif is able to be magically healed and travel
--they return to Gilal, surprising Hyuster Moll
--they seek out the Priest of Anurl, who is the caretaker of Gilal's main cemetery; his name is Cobren (thin, sallow-skinned, quiet, dark-haired)
--Cobren Anurl tells them, after being presented with the coin, that Burnbeard made provisions for his death and burial; Burnbeard also left instructions to give anyone who produced the coin three scrolls of speak with dead and access to his mausoleum
--the party contemplates what questions could be asked of Burnbeard's spirit
1/17/10
--Galen has stupid disease
--the adventurers mull over what questions they might ask the spirit of Burnbeard; they must wait till nightfall before they can return to the graveyard and seek out the Priest of Anurl; the party discusses different possible questions
--meanwhile, they also try to tackle the problem of the map (or currently the empty piece of paper); Tirdim says the paper might be affected by illusion magics, which require the proper trigger to reveal
--Tirdim attempts a more detailed identification spell; he fails the first time; he gets it the second time and reveals that the paper has been affected by illusion magic (most likely some sort of invisibility) and strangely body magic
--the party decides that perhaps blood is needed either as ink or some sort of catalyst; Tirdim pricks his finger and tries a drop of blood, which reveals momentarily a little area of the map; eventually, Riseif volunteers to cut his hand and smear the paper with more blood
--the map is revealed showing an area of Takare, southern Takare, the Javelin Mountains; notes are marked where an arm of the mountain extends into the Takaran forest (called Jeweltooth's Arm); locations of two tribes of darklings also marked (the Morning Fire Fire clan and the Winter Ash clan); the names of "wise ones" for each clan are named include Togro (Winter Ash) and Obreth (Morning Fire Fire); some sort of valley is marked on the map; notes about seeking out the clans and finding a Stone
--the adventurers seek out Cobren Anurl, who opens the mausoleum of Burnbeard
--they use the three scrolls of speak with dead
--meanwhile, Wren, who is fearful of undead and superstitious about messing with the dead, stays at the gate of the graveyard and thinks someone might be lurking about, spying on the group
--first question: What did you want to tell us before you died?
--Burnbeard's spirit responds in fragments: something about a Valley, to the south, great power, forgetting what to say, very important, darklings can help, go find the Valley
--second question: What can you tell us about the stone?
--Burnbeard's spirit responds: the Stone is needed, the Stone will protect you, the Stone has been left for the party, it will keep back the darkness, it will offer some comfort, hopefully
--third question: ???
--the party discovers Burnbeard has a necklace on, a egg-shaped locket, which contains within it a sunstone
--the party packs for a long trip to the south, to find the darkling clans, to find the Valley; before they make it out of Gilal, Cobren tells them of an augury he has about their quest; he says that they will meet "Death and Undeath"
--the party makes it to Deshelen, Takare on the Jeweling River; they hear of some rumors of another party of adventurers who came and left the town just before them
--while in town, Telisa contacts the local druid, named Rathkin; she tells Rathkin Mannan Aia some of what they look for (e.g. the valley, undead, Burnbeard); Rathkin asks her to report to him as soon as she discovers anything
--on the road toward the mountains, during lunch, they catch someone magically spying upon them; they ride to catch the spy and discover it is the necromancer from the earlier brigand attack; the party attacks and the mage puts up a good fight; the mage tries to bargain his way out of the situation but the party refuses; sleep spells abound; in the end, the mage with his dying breath attempts spontaneous magic, which is interrupted by Riseif
--Riseif and Telisa and the dead mage are trapped in a magical sphere of force; Tirdim phases into the sphere but also gets trapped; Tirdim must depend on spontaneous magic to teleport each of them from the sphere
--the leave the magical "disaster" and hope it resolves itself
--they head to the mountains and are approached by a group of darklings from the Morning Fire Fire clan; they arrange to meet with Obreth, the wise one; Obreth looks older than she is; in a ritual, she shows the party what she knows about the Valley; something about the magic of the Valley causes forgetfulness and remembering the Valley causes rapid age; Obreth dies in order to show them where she thinks the Valley is
--they meet a young wise one named Arata, who takes Obreth's place; Arata takes them to meet the Winter Ash clan
--Togro, the Winter Ash wise one, also shows the party in a similar fashion what he knows of the Valley; he dies in passing on the information
--Arata will take the party to where she thinks the path into the mountains is; the party will have to go the rest of the way on their own
--experience is awarded
--the adventuring party leaves Gilal (after securing horses for everyone), crossing west across Takare, and head to Grand Takare, the Sovereign Capital of the Second Continent
--about a week or so later, they arrive in Grand Takare
--they seek out a reasonably nice inn settling on the Inn of the Star and Laurel; the innkeep Aretina (Takaran, sturdy though not fat, friendly in a stern sort of way, dark brown hair) welcomes them
--the party seeks out the help of the Temple District and the Academy Hall
--the Academy reveals a little bit more about the Ring on Tirdim's hand; it is a ring of Magic Talent, dedicated to Lor, and is of Elar make; it is an antique; it also has had other magics imprinted upon it, magics that prevent accurate identification; the "curse" that binds the ring does not seem to be a true or evil curse
--Wren sets about translating a journal of Burnbeard's they found in one of the magic boxes; the journal is about the ring
--eventually, the party heads to the Guild of the Eleventhed Star (particularly after Galen is snubbed by the Academy mage, who called him Tirdim's "manservant")
--at the Guild, they make a contact with a median mage named Magda(Takaran, short, sturdy, long light brown hair, friendly)
--Magda reveals that Burnbeard has left a message and a package for anyone that produces the Ring
--the package has a slip of paper that says, "Seek these hands."
--the package also has two items: a sealed glass phial containing a twig with small delicate leaves and tiny silvery-green berries suspended in clear liquid, and a piece of pottery that is an intricate bit of clay ropework, glazing, and firing
--"Seek these hands." means to find those who made these items
--they seek out an herbalist named Laryth Greenwealth, who knew Burnbeard; Laryth gives them a magical rootball; something small is magical inside the rootball
--they seek out a potter named Tomias Handworth, who also knew Burnbeard; Tomias gives them a sealed clay jar filled with some liquid; something small clunks around inside
--Telisa uses the magic of shape earth to open the ball revealing a second ring
--the clay jar has been enchanted to be nearly unbreakable; the party decide to throw it out of the highest inn window possible; the jar shatters and a gelatinous, slippery, extremely bouncy sphere of greasing is released; inside the ball is a third ring
--once the rings are gotten, they are identified; like the first ring, they have beneficial powers but also seem to be "cursed"
--Riseif wears the ring that grants strength
--a small disagreement breaks out in the party about the third ring, which hastens the wearer's reactions, but eventually the ring is worn by Galen
--Wren's translation of the journal reveals that the ring was given to Burnbeard by an Elar mage named Fi'an, who had visited Burnbeard many years ago; the mage and Burnbeard were fond of each other; the Elar mage passed away and bequeathed the ring to Burnbeard (an unusual act for an Elar mage and for a ring of such value); Burnbeard wanted the ring to be a source of curiosity and inspiration for adventure
--speaking the name "Fi'an" to the ring releases it from Tirdim's hand
--another illusory message is triggered saying, "To seek knowledge is the greatest of all curses. To know wisdom is the greatest of all cures."
--at the release of the ring's curse, a tiny shimmer of light seems to escape the ring and fly away through the walls and out of sight; the party surmises it might have been a message of some sort (but do not know to whom or what it said)
1/10/10
--the next morning, after the discovery of the ring's purpose and name, Aretina awakens the party very early saying a messenger was at the inn for them
--the messenger turns out to be brown-black owl, who turns into a druid named Brela (short, Takaran, weathered tanned skin, beakish, ill-mannered)
--Brela tells the party that she has a message to deliver (which was prearranged by Burnbeard just shortly before his death); she gives them a scroll case and leaves
--the scroll case contains another letter, a final letter from Burnbeard:
To my esteemed friends,
Many apologies — it seems that I have been needing to say that as of late — for resorting to such an impersonal medium to express my thanks, my amazement, and my respect for you all. (And apologies for asking so much of you, for asking you to humor the wooly and nettling wishes of an old, old man.) If I have learned anything in all of my years in this world it is that all life is a game and that some games are very serious. Praise be to Luck! However, I shall not wax philosophical. My time is short. And my plans, as they are wont to be, long in the making.
You have accomplished so much. And whether you are an old friend or a new acquaintance, something of you has charmed this old fool’s heart, and I see in you the very germs of myself at your age. I hope to grow those sometimes fickle, sometimes brilliant, sometimes adventurous bits of myself in you. And if you have come by this final letter then you have my utmost commendation and my utmost pride. There is one last thing I must beg of you.
Help me. Help this old man. Help this fool on an important errand. You have recovered the Ring of Fi’an. You have gained two other things, which I had hoped would be further adventures to the lands to the north and south. But as with all plans and some lives, they sometimes must be curtailed. So, you have the two rings: the Ring of Ogrummum and the Ring of Fleeting. The keys to their would-be curses are now yours as well. It was arrogant of me to think that I could trick you, I could teach you, and most of all, I could instill in you some great truth about the world. I relinquish that arrogance now. But I cling to the hope that you will continue reading and continue seeking.
But I get ahead of myself, as usual. My hope that the adventures I had laid out would provide for you the fortitude, the experience, and the resources to take you to even greater adventures and challenges. My hope was that you would be ready given time and wisdom gained. I hope you are ready now. I know you must be. I do trust in you, my friends.
What I have to reveal to you I cannot do so here. It would be too much, and it would be unsafe. There are many eyes and hands that would go to extraordinary lengths to discover my secrets, no matter how silly. But what I would tell you is that I ask you for one final favor. Two things. Enclosed is a coin. It is a clue. Another test, I am afraid. I sometimes laugh at my own presumptuousness. I beg your leave in this. The coin can only be used in Gilal. Also, please do not sigh, enclosed is a map. Yes, I test you again. But I cannot chance that those undeserving gain any of this. There is a place, there is a power that even now works to undo this letter, this knowledge. I cling to the memories as best as I can. But time works against me. This life is also being undone. Oh, my friends. But the map. Yes, the map will take you to the next part of this summons.
I have left you what I can and what I have been able to prepare. But there are not enough days. Not enough hours. But you are strong, young, resourceful, and more than capable. I have never had an apprentice — for too long anyway — who would study with a cantankerous hermit that prefers the company of plants and wilderness to the company of civilized people? — but I hope that you would find a small place in your heart for me. You are my adopted family, truly. And I hope I have been a good, albeit long-winded and at times boorish, uncle.
The light grows dim. And I wish I could explain more. But to the south is my last wish. I cannot forget it. It cannot be forgotten. The gods have blessed me and cursed me.
I thank you.
Lorhest Burnbeard
--along with the letter is a blank piece of thick paper, which the party guesses has the map secreted upon in; they try to reveal the map with normal means (heating the paper) to no avail; they decide to leave it till they get to Gilal
--also along with the letter is a Sovereign coin stamped with the symbol of Anurl, the God of Death; the coin is a ceremonial coin often used as a tithe or a proof or a message
--the adventurers decide they must head back to Gilal and discover what Burnbeard's big secret is
--on the road to Gilal, while camping in the wildernss, they are attacked in the middle of the night by would-be seekers of Burnbeard's secrets
--the attacking party had a greater darkling with them, two mages (one of them a necromancer)
--the adventurers (with difficulty and some comedy) defeat the attacking party; all are killed save for the necromancer who escapes
--Riseif is badly injured during the fight
--the party must tarry until Riseif is able to be magically healed and travel
--they return to Gilal, surprising Hyuster Moll
--they seek out the Priest of Anurl, who is the caretaker of Gilal's main cemetery; his name is Cobren (thin, sallow-skinned, quiet, dark-haired)
--Cobren Anurl tells them, after being presented with the coin, that Burnbeard made provisions for his death and burial; Burnbeard also left instructions to give anyone who produced the coin three scrolls of speak with dead and access to his mausoleum
--the party contemplates what questions could be asked of Burnbeard's spirit
1/17/10
--Galen has stupid disease
--the adventurers mull over what questions they might ask the spirit of Burnbeard; they must wait till nightfall before they can return to the graveyard and seek out the Priest of Anurl; the party discusses different possible questions
--meanwhile, they also try to tackle the problem of the map (or currently the empty piece of paper); Tirdim says the paper might be affected by illusion magics, which require the proper trigger to reveal
--Tirdim attempts a more detailed identification spell; he fails the first time; he gets it the second time and reveals that the paper has been affected by illusion magic (most likely some sort of invisibility) and strangely body magic
--the party decides that perhaps blood is needed either as ink or some sort of catalyst; Tirdim pricks his finger and tries a drop of blood, which reveals momentarily a little area of the map; eventually, Riseif volunteers to cut his hand and smear the paper with more blood
--the map is revealed showing an area of Takare, southern Takare, the Javelin Mountains; notes are marked where an arm of the mountain extends into the Takaran forest (called Jeweltooth's Arm); locations of two tribes of darklings also marked (the Morning Fire Fire clan and the Winter Ash clan); the names of "wise ones" for each clan are named include Togro (Winter Ash) and Obreth (Morning Fire Fire); some sort of valley is marked on the map; notes about seeking out the clans and finding a Stone
--the adventurers seek out Cobren Anurl, who opens the mausoleum of Burnbeard
--they use the three scrolls of speak with dead
--meanwhile, Wren, who is fearful of undead and superstitious about messing with the dead, stays at the gate of the graveyard and thinks someone might be lurking about, spying on the group
--first question: What did you want to tell us before you died?
--Burnbeard's spirit responds in fragments: something about a Valley, to the south, great power, forgetting what to say, very important, darklings can help, go find the Valley
--second question: What can you tell us about the stone?
--Burnbeard's spirit responds: the Stone is needed, the Stone will protect you, the Stone has been left for the party, it will keep back the darkness, it will offer some comfort, hopefully
--third question: ???
--the party discovers Burnbeard has a necklace on, a egg-shaped locket, which contains within it a sunstone
--the party packs for a long trip to the south, to find the darkling clans, to find the Valley; before they make it out of Gilal, Cobren tells them of an augury he has about their quest; he says that they will meet "Death and Undeath"
--the party makes it to Deshelen, Takare on the Jeweling River; they hear of some rumors of another party of adventurers who came and left the town just before them
--while in town, Telisa contacts the local druid, named Rathkin; she tells Rathkin Mannan Aia some of what they look for (e.g. the valley, undead, Burnbeard); Rathkin asks her to report to him as soon as she discovers anything
--on the road toward the mountains, during lunch, they catch someone magically spying upon them; they ride to catch the spy and discover it is the necromancer from the earlier brigand attack; the party attacks and the mage puts up a good fight; the mage tries to bargain his way out of the situation but the party refuses; sleep spells abound; in the end, the mage with his dying breath attempts spontaneous magic, which is interrupted by Riseif
--Riseif and Telisa and the dead mage are trapped in a magical sphere of force; Tirdim phases into the sphere but also gets trapped; Tirdim must depend on spontaneous magic to teleport each of them from the sphere
--the leave the magical "disaster" and hope it resolves itself
--they head to the mountains and are approached by a group of darklings from the Morning Fire Fire clan; they arrange to meet with Obreth, the wise one; Obreth looks older than she is; in a ritual, she shows the party what she knows about the Valley; something about the magic of the Valley causes forgetfulness and remembering the Valley causes rapid age; Obreth dies in order to show them where she thinks the Valley is
--they meet a young wise one named Arata, who takes Obreth's place; Arata takes them to meet the Winter Ash clan
--Togro, the Winter Ash wise one, also shows the party in a similar fashion what he knows of the Valley; he dies in passing on the information
--Arata will take the party to where she thinks the path into the mountains is; the party will have to go the rest of the way on their own
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Seattle Campaign 1.1: "A Friendly Letter from Afar" (Burnbeard)
{I'll be using the Tellings blog to archive adventure notes from the current Seattle campaign.}
12/6/09
--sitters at the table:
--adventure opens, all player-characters are given backstory that connects them to an NPC named Lorhest Burnbeard
--Lorhest "Burnbeard" Windlin (5'8", broad shouldered, chubby, dark brown hair, blue eyes, always smiling), a middling mage and merchant of Gilal, Takare; very well liked and favored by Gilal; a member of the Guild of the Eleventhed Star; came to magic late in life (earned his nickname "Burnbeard" by setting a man's beard aflame during a heated argument); noted for his skill in accounting, woodlore, potionmaking, and storytelling; a bit of a trickster, curious
--the adventurers receive a letter informing them of Burnbeard's death:
--the adventurers arrive in Gilal, Takare and take up rooms in the Inn of the Wild Cap; they meet Hyuster Moll (tall, stout Locharan, has the look of a former mercenary, greying hair, stern) the innkeep; Moll informs of Burnbeard's last wishes
--the party meet one another; they learn that Burnbeard died in Moll's inn (he favored the Inn of the Wild Cap)
--the party is told that they are to embark on an "adventure" orchestrated by Burnbeard; they are to seek out his home in the forest outside of Gilal and discover what Burnbeard has left them
--the party investigates Burnbeard's room at the inn; nothing seems out of place and Burnbeard died of natural causes; Riseif discovers a brass key (which he keeps secret)
--Burnbeard called his home "The Garden"
--traveling south into the hills deep in the Takaran forest, the party (some on foot, some riding) eventually make their way to Burnbeard's house
--they discover the house has been sealed, magically protected by various means; Galen tries to climb down one of the chimneys and nearly gets caught by a fire that magically lights beneath him
--the party discovers signs of darklings about the house; Galen's pack is stolen (loses his grappling hook)
12/13/09
--investigation of the house continues; the party discovers there is a magical clay tablet hung on the front door; writing words on the tablet yields different responses; eventually, they discover that the tablet is somehow the key to opening the front door; after a number of attempts, they finally get the tablet to yield the right key to the door
--within the house, they discover a number of things include a set of finely crafted, magically sealed boxes, a table full of unmarked bottles and potions, books on woodlore, and several annoying and inconveniencing traps (including a magically sticky floor that traps Riseif's boots)
--while investigating one of the boxes, Galen attempts to pick the lock and sets off a needle trap; the needle is poisoned with a potent sleeping draught, which knocks Galen unconscious for hours
--meanwhile, the house is approached by would-be mercenaries and highwaymen, who want to a chance at Burnbeard's stuff
--the party (sans sleeping Galen) fights the mercenaries, killing their leader, capturing a mage and two rogues; one of the mercenaries escapes
--the party discovers a secret passage into the hill against which the house is built
--they discover the secret cache of Burnbeard
--the encounter a stone door shut by an immense iron bar; the word "Strength" is carved above the door; they are not strong enough to lift the bar
12/20/09
--Galen recovers
--Tirdim begins to identify the potions left on the table
--Telisa and Wren use the books to try to identify the plant designs set into the top of the three mysterious boxes; they discover that the first box bears the design of bloodquill (thistle-like, red flower, large spines, very poisonous), the second box bears the design of balm of evening (small flat leaves, white clusters of small flowers with violet interiors, violet berries, causes deep sleep),a nd the third box bears the design of the Sarian fire plant (blade-like leaves, serated edges, reddish-greenish in color, causes agony)
--eventually, the adventurers discover that one of the potions on the table is a Strength potion; it is a bottle of wine; however, the potion has the troubling side effect of being magically intoxicating; the more you drink, the stronger you are but the drunker you get
--Wren, being a practiced drinker, is chosen to use the potion to move the iron bar; unfortunately, she drinks with abandon, becomes hilariously drunk and useless, eventually passes out
--Lanthorn and Riseif then share the remainder of the potion and manage to move the bar
--beyond the first door is a second door; the second door is wood and iron; above the door is carved the word "Wit"
--there is a lock on the door; Galen attempts to pick it to no avail; it is completely beyond his skill
--the identification of potions continues with the discovery of a potion of immense luck; Galen uses the potion to miraculously pick the lock (to the sound of a mysterious horse's neighing)
--beyond the door is a cave-like room; three chests full of coin and magical gear are found; a crevice in the cave wall leads somewhere deep into the earth; the party discovers that there is a magical ring just out of reach within the narrow cave
--Riseif uses the remaining luck potion to "fish" the ring out
--Tirdim identifies the ring; it is a Ring of Magic Talent but it also has unidentifable properies
--Tirdim puts the ring on; it is cursed to stay on his hand; an illusory message reveals (in Burnbeard's hand): "An ancient curse binds all who have touched this ring. Seek out its owner, its history, to undo that which it has wrung."
--the party returns to Gilal and decides to head to Grand Takare to seek out information about the ring
12/6/09
--sitters at the table:
Rebecca: Telisa, an Ebani priestess of Mannan Aia, likes horses and alpacas
Curtis: Galen, a Gaurien "rogue" and man of mystery
Mike: Riseif, an Ebani warrior
Andrea: Wren, an Atalisiran privateer and priestess of Possos
Josh: Tirdim, an Elar Academy mage
Greg: Lanthorn, a Gaurien knight of Valadarin
--adventure opens, all player-characters are given backstory that connects them to an NPC named Lorhest Burnbeard
--Lorhest "Burnbeard" Windlin (5'8", broad shouldered, chubby, dark brown hair, blue eyes, always smiling), a middling mage and merchant of Gilal, Takare; very well liked and favored by Gilal; a member of the Guild of the Eleventhed Star; came to magic late in life (earned his nickname "Burnbeard" by setting a man's beard aflame during a heated argument); noted for his skill in accounting, woodlore, potionmaking, and storytelling; a bit of a trickster, curious
--the adventurers receive a letter informing them of Burnbeard's death:
Friend,
I have always been a man of very few words. I have prided myself on my actions, rather than anything that I have boasted or written. And I have prided myself on the choices I have made. I believe I am a good judge of a person’s character. Therefore, I have chosen to write you and to offer you a gesture of friendship, respect, and adventure.
You see, my friend, I am dead. And I have left a portion of my fortune, my knowledge, and my demesnes to your care for I believe that you shall take up my offer, my challenge and do me proud. I have named the good man Hyuster Moll of the Inn of the Wild Cap in Gilal, my home town as you know, as the executor of my posthumous wishes. Seek him out, if you would, and he will reveal to you my final wishes.
In the past, I have been accused of many things. Recluse. Foolish wanderer. Scamp. Simpleton. Magician. However, one name that I shall always hold dear and hold true is friend. You have impressed me and touched my old heart. And I shall like to repay the favor. Of course, as a foolish, wandering, reclusive, simple, scamp of a magician, I shall not make it too easy. As I said, I am a good judge of character. And I believe that you are more than able and are more than willing to honor this old man’s wishes.
Regards,
Lorhest “Burnbeard” Windlin
The Garden
Gilal
--the adventurers arrive in Gilal, Takare and take up rooms in the Inn of the Wild Cap; they meet Hyuster Moll (tall, stout Locharan, has the look of a former mercenary, greying hair, stern) the innkeep; Moll informs of Burnbeard's last wishes
--the party meet one another; they learn that Burnbeard died in Moll's inn (he favored the Inn of the Wild Cap)
--the party is told that they are to embark on an "adventure" orchestrated by Burnbeard; they are to seek out his home in the forest outside of Gilal and discover what Burnbeard has left them
--the party investigates Burnbeard's room at the inn; nothing seems out of place and Burnbeard died of natural causes; Riseif discovers a brass key (which he keeps secret)
--Burnbeard called his home "The Garden"
--traveling south into the hills deep in the Takaran forest, the party (some on foot, some riding) eventually make their way to Burnbeard's house
--they discover the house has been sealed, magically protected by various means; Galen tries to climb down one of the chimneys and nearly gets caught by a fire that magically lights beneath him
--the party discovers signs of darklings about the house; Galen's pack is stolen (loses his grappling hook)
12/13/09
--investigation of the house continues; the party discovers there is a magical clay tablet hung on the front door; writing words on the tablet yields different responses; eventually, they discover that the tablet is somehow the key to opening the front door; after a number of attempts, they finally get the tablet to yield the right key to the door
--within the house, they discover a number of things include a set of finely crafted, magically sealed boxes, a table full of unmarked bottles and potions, books on woodlore, and several annoying and inconveniencing traps (including a magically sticky floor that traps Riseif's boots)
--while investigating one of the boxes, Galen attempts to pick the lock and sets off a needle trap; the needle is poisoned with a potent sleeping draught, which knocks Galen unconscious for hours
--meanwhile, the house is approached by would-be mercenaries and highwaymen, who want to a chance at Burnbeard's stuff
--the party (sans sleeping Galen) fights the mercenaries, killing their leader, capturing a mage and two rogues; one of the mercenaries escapes
--the party discovers a secret passage into the hill against which the house is built
--they discover the secret cache of Burnbeard
--the encounter a stone door shut by an immense iron bar; the word "Strength" is carved above the door; they are not strong enough to lift the bar
12/20/09
--Galen recovers
--Tirdim begins to identify the potions left on the table
--Telisa and Wren use the books to try to identify the plant designs set into the top of the three mysterious boxes; they discover that the first box bears the design of bloodquill (thistle-like, red flower, large spines, very poisonous), the second box bears the design of balm of evening (small flat leaves, white clusters of small flowers with violet interiors, violet berries, causes deep sleep),a nd the third box bears the design of the Sarian fire plant (blade-like leaves, serated edges, reddish-greenish in color, causes agony)
--eventually, the adventurers discover that one of the potions on the table is a Strength potion; it is a bottle of wine; however, the potion has the troubling side effect of being magically intoxicating; the more you drink, the stronger you are but the drunker you get
--Wren, being a practiced drinker, is chosen to use the potion to move the iron bar; unfortunately, she drinks with abandon, becomes hilariously drunk and useless, eventually passes out
--Lanthorn and Riseif then share the remainder of the potion and manage to move the bar
--beyond the first door is a second door; the second door is wood and iron; above the door is carved the word "Wit"
--there is a lock on the door; Galen attempts to pick it to no avail; it is completely beyond his skill
--the identification of potions continues with the discovery of a potion of immense luck; Galen uses the potion to miraculously pick the lock (to the sound of a mysterious horse's neighing)
--beyond the door is a cave-like room; three chests full of coin and magical gear are found; a crevice in the cave wall leads somewhere deep into the earth; the party discovers that there is a magical ring just out of reach within the narrow cave
--Riseif uses the remaining luck potion to "fish" the ring out
--Tirdim identifies the ring; it is a Ring of Magic Talent but it also has unidentifable properies
--Tirdim puts the ring on; it is cursed to stay on his hand; an illusory message reveals (in Burnbeard's hand): "An ancient curse binds all who have touched this ring. Seek out its owner, its history, to undo that which it has wrung."
--the party returns to Gilal and decides to head to Grand Takare to seek out information about the ring
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