Saturday, April 29, 2006
3 Alturiak 1373 - Through the portal
After having battled the sorrowsworn demon we decided we needed some additional items for the rest of the adventure. Bellumthain teleported me back to Suzail and we visited the magic shops, and I visited the poisoner.I was able to arrange a deal with the poisoner so I could sell him some of my poison and then he will hold it for a year a sell it to only me during that year. After that he can do with it as he chooses. Also, I set up a relationship with the magic shop owner in the rich section of Suzail so we can go to his place at night and he will sell and buy items to and from us, after we wake him.
Back in the extra-demandingly room with the portal to who-knows-where I entered the portal and checked it for traps/ambushes - nothing, though. We all gathered around Celery and held onto him, since he was holding the key & we entered the portal together. We were in a hall, and though the portal was 10'x8' on the other side it was 15'x15' on this side and was the dead end of a hallway of the same size. The walls of this hallway are the same metal.
Up the hall there is a room, and in the room there are some doors. Behind these doors are things to be seen. We went straight, and came to a cross-hallway. I looked around, casually, and proceeded to find several secret door and pit traps (some of us do not head my warning though, and fall in anyway - later). I thought the best secret to discover would be the one directly protected by a pit. I was wrong. All I got for my efforts was eight poorly placed spears, and an ensuing battle with four poorly outmatched Kuo-toas.
We did learn a few things though. Caulwen told us these guys are called whips. They are the priests of the Kuo-toa. They can join hands and hurl balls of electricity at their enemies (or even their friends I suppose). They turn colors based on their emotions (probably makes lying difficult). She's seen red when they were angry, and white when they were submissive (after loosing a fight). These fish folk have an uncanny ability, though, to see me as I move. I don't know how they do this, as I am normally able to hide from most (but this place seems filled with beasts who have no problems seeing little me). It would be interesting to see if Brent could hide.We did notice, in passing through doors that these metal walls are actually only metal wallpaper over regular dirt walls. It looks like the fishes have dug out some places, and Celery discovered the wallpaper (which is more like think wall-metal) can be torn, and even torn off. Though, according to Caulwen, once a piece of paper is fully removed it looses it's magicalness (she see it loose it). Celery removed a large piece and gave it over to Bellumthain (I think it was him) for study.
I checked out another secret door (#2), and only found a long hallway. Celery and I walked down it. Actually, I did find a poorly constructed, and even worsly hidden trap of four poisoned darts. I dismantled it and collected the darts. The hall had three massive (4' high) walls crossing it. We had to climb these mountains to get to the next. Interestingly, though, we noticed the walls here were covered in wall-metal (unlike the location of the first fight) but these walls of stone and earth are made, overtly, of stone and earth. We thing this type of construction is from the fish folk, and the wall-metal is from the unknown people.
Significantly, there are three things I have left out. The first is that the walls heal themselves if cut. Well, the wall-metal heals itself when cut, and not removed. Additionally, there is lichen and moss behind the wall-metal and on the fishy walls which is presently dead. Bad house keeping, but beside that I know nothing of moss and lichen (we need a druid on call that we can just pull out as needed and put away as not needed).
The third is that Celery in battle is like some creation of a mad gnome. Like their machines he just arrives, kills, kills, kills & kills some more. With single swipes he cuts down multiple fish-heads. He shrugs off their electrical ball attacks, and blasts them back to their fish gods. I think Celery used to be a fish monger fry cook in Vilhon. He's definitely adept at creating fast fish fillets. I wonder what the ... well, nevermind about that.
We passed over two mountain walls, and found our selves confronted by four friendly fishy whipping weaklings. The blasted (and I use that with no emphasis on the blasting part) Celery with another electric ball (fun to watch, though). I gave them their trap darts back, but they did not seem to appreciate them (I really didn't think they would but I had to anyway - Giving is really about the giver and not about the givee). Somebody did something, Caulwen threw-up acid all over the fish (somethings about her are pretty gross), and Celery chased down the only survivor and split him into two fish halves.
And that's where we left it. We are about to enter another area, where the kuo-ambusher was heading, but that'll happen soon enough. For now here's what I recall of the place.
Abelalon VoMaster Weaver
Merchant of Cloth
Proprietor of the Cloth of Myst adventuring group
Friday, April 28, 2006
24 Hammer to 3 Alturiak 1373 - Suzail & the Farsea
UNFINISHED
Time back in Suzail. Learned a lot. Lost one found three.
Duvey bought another kid from a Thayan slaver, instead of raising Ramscar. The rest of the group convinced me that Duvey really didn't like Ramscar so much a like having a fairly young boy with him. The delivery was late in the night, at the docks. Duvey is presently hiding in a basement of his home in Suzail. Thraxel went with Garrick to interview Duvey for a position in a quest to map the marsh (pretending they overheard us in a tavern) and found him to be hiding. People do not know he is (back?) in Suzail. We have no idea who he's hiding from. Got a kid watching him until we return from the ice-bog under-tower.
-----------
Demonologist is known to be smart but not evil, and his potions and such are not know to have any real power.
Xanathuria - some guy knew a guy who was a passenger on a ship who claimed to have been there. he told of the beholders selling people to the illithid who experimented on them horribly - this guy says it actually below the place it is (under the mountains).
Aragothos - some woman tells of how she came across a dragon's cave high up, unguarded - 18 years ago - found scales of blue and she had a suit made of them of scale armor - her name was anjela - she has retired and now lives in shadowdale
chaos-shadow weave = beli and desi think chaos magic would hurt shadow weave as well as weave - shodow feels like shaping clay were as regular feels like shaping lines - shadow weave sems to bend people's minds towrd madness - very good at enchantment and necromancy, illusion, but weaker than the other in the other schools - especially trans & evoc.
-----------
We rehired the watcher to watch Duvey for
Bellumthain told us of his past
Teleported to the slush bog - Vo and Caulwen rode in the bag of holding
Lowered the water in one of the other bogs and found the crack in a rock widdened and allwed accessto an extradientional space inside where a portal exists going into an area with slooth metal-like walls, like the area inside the slush bog.
Time back in Suzail. Learned a lot. Lost one found three.
- Boltaneus has left us for further service in the Purple Dragons. He's off to fight humanoids and protect the Cormyrian crown.
- Garrick turned up, just as unexpectedly as he left, after having spent the past four years near Waterdeep in deep contemplation of his drinking and taking of spirits. He seems more grown-up than before. Age works wonders for changing our minds (slavery does even a better job). He a bit of a Fist now.
- Thraxel Invictus joined us while I out getting information for our upcoming adventure and some previous doings. He's a wild elf from the forest where the tree chaotician lived (to bad he was a nice guy), who has been looking for the reason why the wierd stuff stopped happening around his home. He came with Garrick. He's a low powered sorcerer, with a nice bow, though I imagine he does more since Garrick brought him to us.
- Caulwen Silverthread (her actual last name is Threadfunnel, but she calls herself Silverthread ever since she found she has a Silver Dragon ancestor) found me in the underworld of Suzail. She's joining the hunt group. She's a bit odd. She's a Chitine (never heard of them before) - four arms, bulging-faceted eyes (which glow lightly blue), and a massive set of mandibles jutting from her mouth which move when she talks (luckilly she doesn't eat so I don't have to watch that). She's a Sorcerer, though not near as powerful as Bellumthain, part spider, part dragon, and vaguely part some small humanoid from a long time ago.
Duvey bought another kid from a Thayan slaver, instead of raising Ramscar. The rest of the group convinced me that Duvey really didn't like Ramscar so much a like having a fairly young boy with him. The delivery was late in the night, at the docks. Duvey is presently hiding in a basement of his home in Suzail. Thraxel went with Garrick to interview Duvey for a position in a quest to map the marsh (pretending they overheard us in a tavern) and found him to be hiding. People do not know he is (back?) in Suzail. We have no idea who he's hiding from. Got a kid watching him until we return from the ice-bog under-tower.
-----------
Demonologist is known to be smart but not evil, and his potions and such are not know to have any real power.
Xanathuria - some guy knew a guy who was a passenger on a ship who claimed to have been there. he told of the beholders selling people to the illithid who experimented on them horribly - this guy says it actually below the place it is (under the mountains).
Aragothos - some woman tells of how she came across a dragon's cave high up, unguarded - 18 years ago - found scales of blue and she had a suit made of them of scale armor - her name was anjela - she has retired and now lives in shadowdale
chaos-shadow weave = beli and desi think chaos magic would hurt shadow weave as well as weave - shodow feels like shaping clay were as regular feels like shaping lines - shadow weave sems to bend people's minds towrd madness - very good at enchantment and necromancy, illusion, but weaker than the other in the other schools - especially trans & evoc.
-----------
We rehired the watcher to watch Duvey for
Bellumthain told us of his past
Teleported to the slush bog - Vo and Caulwen rode in the bag of holding
Lowered the water in one of the other bogs and found the crack in a rock widdened and allwed accessto an extradientional space inside where a portal exists going into an area with slooth metal-like walls, like the area inside the slush bog.
11-23 Hammer 1373 - in the wild, in the Farsea
UNFINISHED
We were all getting sleepy and ready to sleep (except for me on watch) when the strumming of a harp strummed to indicate someone was harping. Harping though it was was not of the good kind, or even the kind gone rotten southwards.
I stepped without sound & made my way forth from the fifth and found large feet sitting in snow and strumming so-so. I watched and awaited, then found a great treasure as the once was joined by the twice, and the twice was joined by the thrice.
We were all getting sleepy and ready to sleep (except for me on watch) when the strumming of a harp strummed to indicate someone was harping. Harping though it was was not of the good kind, or even the kind gone rotten southwards.
I stepped without sound & made my way forth from the fifth and found large feet sitting in snow and strumming so-so. I watched and awaited, then found a great treasure as the once was joined by the twice, and the twice was joined by the thrice.
10 Hammer 1373 - High Horn, Eagles Peak, to the Farsea
UNFINSIHED
Highsun
? Tomorrow I will 'out run' around the group to keep us protected and try to discover these orcs and their reasons.
Bellumthain, from Mulhorand, but Durpari, wears to interlocking circles painted on his forehead.
Celery made lunch and dinner for the troops -300 of them, plus us.
Left High Horn and headed West, on the road, in the middle of the dark cold morning.
Near Dusk we came to the pass leading off to the left, in the middle of the mountain - the town who's name is Eagles Peak.
The Hamlet has about a dozen stone buildings on a large ledge
We purchased a sled and some horse feed for an outrageous 102 GPs - in Eagles Peak.
Traveled to the bend in the road and headed of it to the north toward the Farsea. Made camp and began discussion of watch when I heard music, a harp. Sneaked up on the music and found a frost giant (as Boltaneus told me) playing. This one wistled and another came out, and then I heard a third. They came together and began arguing (in frost giant) and looke like they are going to throw boulders at the party (about 140' away).
Highsun
? Tomorrow I will 'out run' around the group to keep us protected and try to discover these orcs and their reasons.
Bellumthain, from Mulhorand, but Durpari, wears to interlocking circles painted on his forehead.
Celery made lunch and dinner for the troops -300 of them, plus us.
Left High Horn and headed West, on the road, in the middle of the dark cold morning.
Near Dusk we came to the pass leading off to the left, in the middle of the mountain - the town who's name is Eagles Peak.
The Hamlet has about a dozen stone buildings on a large ledge
We purchased a sled and some horse feed for an outrageous 102 GPs - in Eagles Peak.
Traveled to the bend in the road and headed of it to the north toward the Farsea. Made camp and began discussion of watch when I heard music, a harp. Sneaked up on the music and found a frost giant (as Boltaneus told me) playing. This one wistled and another came out, and then I heard a third. They came together and began arguing (in frost giant) and looke like they are going to throw boulders at the party (about 140' away).
7-9 Hammer 1373 - Espar to High Horn
From the people in Espar we learned the name of the sorcerer we fought in woods, and saw hanged, which was Frazi. Apparently the hobgob/b.bear had a name too, which was B'argonat. For some odd reason i can not recall if they were bugbears or hobgoblins we fought. I must be getting old. Hell I am getting old. We all are getting old. And grumpy too.
In farther talks with Desicrist he told me the Netherese made a magic called 'life drain' to power their cities. This doesn't sound much like a good thing or a good way to power a city. Couldn't they just use wood or something? It was also clarified that the Marsh of Tun was the boy's city and the Farsea Marshes was the girl's city (in the story). I wonder if the city was named Tun, or why either ended up with those manes.
Anyway, we left sleepy Espar, I on a dog and the rest on horses. Much more comfortable for me. Makes my ass hurt much less. I was told by the seller the dogs name is Olovilandrigus Bark. Obviously we will be calling him mostly Bark and little else. We also left with eighteen wagons in tow. We have agreed to protect them until they reach Highhorn. Boy, am I looking forward to getting to Highhorn. We can have some hot food and warm beds prior to setting out on our last leg of this fridged journey to a frozen marsh. Some days I wish we never had. We should have just teleported over to Shadowdale and spoke with Elminster about old Dritz. The more I think of it the odder it seems. But if we did so then I may loose the company of Desicrist & Bellumthain, as they head back south to get back to their lives. I'll shurly miss them when we do part. Better not think about that to much - to much sad may well lead to our dimise.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Celery flew into the air and came across a group of orcs, 18, who were going to ambush us. We fought them, two were spell casters who cast a laughing spell on Celery. While it wasn't really funny it was interesting to see him histerical in the middle of mayhem. Bellumthain cast a spell and summoned a fiendish dire rat. They are on fire, and can give people filth fever. Another intereing thing. Why would he choose a fiendish beast to do his bidding? Is there something which needs to be researched here? Desicrist charged to the frey-front and protected Celery with his might and magic.
After the battle I discovered through talking with people in the caravan that someone is hiding in one of the wagons who is part of the Fire Knives. This group I know nothing of but I bet Boltaneus does. I spoke with the group about it but we came to no real conclusions. I'm not even sure if the Fire Knives are bad people or just against the Cormyr kings. I've seen enough human lands to know its pretty common to be against the local king, and pretty common for the king to be against the local people. They come up with some interesting ways of doing things, these humans do.
We were about to sleep when we were attacked by a fireball (with many orcs attached to the fireballl). The tent (one we borrowed from the caravan) was descimated, and the group slightly hurt. Duvay was uncontious in his tent, and Ramscar was dead. Olovilandrigus was gravely hurt but I was able to get him out, get him a potion and kill of few orcs. These orcs seem to have a common tactic of enlarging themselves to attack harder. The problem is a bigger orc is easier to hit. I don't really need any help hitting them though.
After the battle Boltaneous found tracks in the snow. They indicated there were four groups waiting before the snow started falling. We walked right up next to them and sat down, made camp, ate some food, and chatted a bit. I think I need to work on out professionalness. We need to patrol and scout areas before settling into them. It would also be a good idea not to set up camp in obvious ambushable areas.
Duvay is horribly sad and crying about the death of Ramscar. I wonder if he will want to continue the mapping expedition. He's got an odd relationship with his former porter.
We found a map of a salt mine on one of the orcs. No one knows what the words are referencing. Where are the locations on it and what's this worm thing?
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Fergus is the caravan leader, master of the cloth caravan, and the guy who is hiding the Fire Knives guy. Still not sure about the Fire Knives. I mean, if they are an evil group, like the Cult or the Zhenterim I'd be all for exposing this guy, but Boltaneus is vague, and almost ambivelant about this guy and the Fire Knives in general so I think I may just pass. I should try speaking to Duvey about the Fire Knives and see what he thinks. He needs a bit more grieving time, though.
After resting the night away Celery double-checked to see if the orcs were still in the location of converged footprints. He found an oddly shaped horn near the area. We know it's magical, but not what it does.
Fergus Espar-an told us his group is going south after High Horn with another coster to trade in some small towns south of here. So we will not be able to travel with them after High Horn - But I am think I may turn this Fire Knives guy over to some official in High Horn. Just thinking about it, though.
Duvay wants to continue. He is resolute to finish this endeavor. A little obsessed, but withou obsession where would we be? Duvey did also tell me about the kind-ness of the Obarskyr rulers of Cormyr and how the inhabitants really love thier leaders (for the most part). He says the Fire Knives are out to assassinate the royal family. One thing, amongst serel, that I can abide is an assassin (even though I am essentially an assassin, and Brent was too, and I liked him). But these flaming blades people seem to really be mean and evil. I believe I have decided to turn this one in, in some way, one we get to the town of High Horn. The word is in Marsember a count was found to have hired an assassin to kill a noble in Arabel about 2 ten day ago. Maybe this guy is the count trying to get out of Cormyr with his head intact.
9th of Hammer, Deepwinter, 1373, the Year of Rogue Dragons
Rode ahead to High Horn. It wasn't until quite recently that I was informed of the formation of High Horn. It's not a town, it's a military outpost. It is an ugly place with desolation abounding. No druids here. We turned in the Count Voun who was the assassin potential purchaser. The captain gave me a sheet of paper worth 50,000 Golden Lions for turning in Count Voun. I'm liking Cormyr more and more these days, maybe I should rethink my impression of the place. Overt, domineering rules aren't so bad, right?
I had a pleasent talk with Captain Airlorn of High Horn. He says that Shadovar is a returned Netheril city now in the Anurauch desert. I would greatly love to see a city flying. That would put any old Halruaan flying ship to shame. And why can't they make a flying wagon? A Hinstyle flying wagon would be one of the greatest ways of travelling. One would have one's own home with them to travel from city to city. Anyway, Shadovar returned in the middle of last year (1372), and shortly after Tilverton disappeared (are they related? Tilverton is now a shadowy figment of it's former self and those who go in become shadows themselves. Seems pretty obvious to me.) I wonder how much The Order is conscerned with such things. Desicrist is very conscerned with the Shadow Weave and Shar and all. I've yet to see how it's inherently a bad thing (maybe because I'm a shadowy character myself {Ha! A "shadowy character"!}) - but apperently Shar is not to happy about letting people use it as they wish, so there you have it ...
Abelalon Vo
In farther talks with Desicrist he told me the Netherese made a magic called 'life drain' to power their cities. This doesn't sound much like a good thing or a good way to power a city. Couldn't they just use wood or something? It was also clarified that the Marsh of Tun was the boy's city and the Farsea Marshes was the girl's city (in the story). I wonder if the city was named Tun, or why either ended up with those manes.
Anyway, we left sleepy Espar, I on a dog and the rest on horses. Much more comfortable for me. Makes my ass hurt much less. I was told by the seller the dogs name is Olovilandrigus Bark. Obviously we will be calling him mostly Bark and little else. We also left with eighteen wagons in tow. We have agreed to protect them until they reach Highhorn. Boy, am I looking forward to getting to Highhorn. We can have some hot food and warm beds prior to setting out on our last leg of this fridged journey to a frozen marsh. Some days I wish we never had. We should have just teleported over to Shadowdale and spoke with Elminster about old Dritz. The more I think of it the odder it seems. But if we did so then I may loose the company of Desicrist & Bellumthain, as they head back south to get back to their lives. I'll shurly miss them when we do part. Better not think about that to much - to much sad may well lead to our dimise.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Celery flew into the air and came across a group of orcs, 18, who were going to ambush us. We fought them, two were spell casters who cast a laughing spell on Celery. While it wasn't really funny it was interesting to see him histerical in the middle of mayhem. Bellumthain cast a spell and summoned a fiendish dire rat. They are on fire, and can give people filth fever. Another intereing thing. Why would he choose a fiendish beast to do his bidding? Is there something which needs to be researched here? Desicrist charged to the frey-front and protected Celery with his might and magic.
After the battle I discovered through talking with people in the caravan that someone is hiding in one of the wagons who is part of the Fire Knives. This group I know nothing of but I bet Boltaneus does. I spoke with the group about it but we came to no real conclusions. I'm not even sure if the Fire Knives are bad people or just against the Cormyr kings. I've seen enough human lands to know its pretty common to be against the local king, and pretty common for the king to be against the local people. They come up with some interesting ways of doing things, these humans do.
We were about to sleep when we were attacked by a fireball (with many orcs attached to the fireballl). The tent (one we borrowed from the caravan) was descimated, and the group slightly hurt. Duvay was uncontious in his tent, and Ramscar was dead. Olovilandrigus was gravely hurt but I was able to get him out, get him a potion and kill of few orcs. These orcs seem to have a common tactic of enlarging themselves to attack harder. The problem is a bigger orc is easier to hit. I don't really need any help hitting them though.
After the battle Boltaneous found tracks in the snow. They indicated there were four groups waiting before the snow started falling. We walked right up next to them and sat down, made camp, ate some food, and chatted a bit. I think I need to work on out professionalness. We need to patrol and scout areas before settling into them. It would also be a good idea not to set up camp in obvious ambushable areas.
Duvay is horribly sad and crying about the death of Ramscar. I wonder if he will want to continue the mapping expedition. He's got an odd relationship with his former porter.
We found a map of a salt mine on one of the orcs. No one knows what the words are referencing. Where are the locations on it and what's this worm thing?
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Fergus is the caravan leader, master of the cloth caravan, and the guy who is hiding the Fire Knives guy. Still not sure about the Fire Knives. I mean, if they are an evil group, like the Cult or the Zhenterim I'd be all for exposing this guy, but Boltaneus is vague, and almost ambivelant about this guy and the Fire Knives in general so I think I may just pass. I should try speaking to Duvey about the Fire Knives and see what he thinks. He needs a bit more grieving time, though.
After resting the night away Celery double-checked to see if the orcs were still in the location of converged footprints. He found an oddly shaped horn near the area. We know it's magical, but not what it does.
Fergus Espar-an told us his group is going south after High Horn with another coster to trade in some small towns south of here. So we will not be able to travel with them after High Horn - But I am think I may turn this Fire Knives guy over to some official in High Horn. Just thinking about it, though.
Duvay wants to continue. He is resolute to finish this endeavor. A little obsessed, but withou obsession where would we be? Duvey did also tell me about the kind-ness of the Obarskyr rulers of Cormyr and how the inhabitants really love thier leaders (for the most part). He says the Fire Knives are out to assassinate the royal family. One thing, amongst serel, that I can abide is an assassin (even though I am essentially an assassin, and Brent was too, and I liked him). But these flaming blades people seem to really be mean and evil. I believe I have decided to turn this one in, in some way, one we get to the town of High Horn. The word is in Marsember a count was found to have hired an assassin to kill a noble in Arabel about 2 ten day ago. Maybe this guy is the count trying to get out of Cormyr with his head intact.
9th of Hammer, Deepwinter, 1373, the Year of Rogue Dragons
Rode ahead to High Horn. It wasn't until quite recently that I was informed of the formation of High Horn. It's not a town, it's a military outpost. It is an ugly place with desolation abounding. No druids here. We turned in the Count Voun who was the assassin potential purchaser. The captain gave me a sheet of paper worth 50,000 Golden Lions for turning in Count Voun. I'm liking Cormyr more and more these days, maybe I should rethink my impression of the place. Overt, domineering rules aren't so bad, right?
I had a pleasent talk with Captain Airlorn of High Horn. He says that Shadovar is a returned Netheril city now in the Anurauch desert. I would greatly love to see a city flying. That would put any old Halruaan flying ship to shame. And why can't they make a flying wagon? A Hinstyle flying wagon would be one of the greatest ways of travelling. One would have one's own home with them to travel from city to city. Anyway, Shadovar returned in the middle of last year (1372), and shortly after Tilverton disappeared (are they related? Tilverton is now a shadowy figment of it's former self and those who go in become shadows themselves. Seems pretty obvious to me.) I wonder how much The Order is conscerned with such things. Desicrist is very conscerned with the Shadow Weave and Shar and all. I've yet to see how it's inherently a bad thing (maybe because I'm a shadowy character myself {Ha! A "shadowy character"!}) - but apperently Shar is not to happy about letting people use it as they wish, so there you have it ...
Abelalon Vo
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
6 Hammer 1373 - Espar
We are now in a town called Espar, which is outside of the King's Forest in Cormyr. It is an earthen walled large town, which breads good with horses and wagons from the local plains. We are still leading Duvay and Ramscar to the Farsea Marshes.
On the way to Espar, while in the Kings Forest we met a few guys and their pets. They were a human sorcerer, and two hobgoblin assistants, as well as their two dire bear pets. Normally this would have been a happy meeting with much discussion and exchange of information. Or, at least I would have had them to tell us a lot whil
e giving them very little but fantastic-sounding stories they would believe to not be true (just good clean on-the-road-campside fun), but would, ironically, actually be true (like the time we fought a 300' translucent dragon which could become insubstantial at will - see?).
These fellas were not interested in talk, though. They had more physical intents in mind. But not like that - it was just a regular ambush with an attemp to kill us and probably take our money. It was fun - the first 'real' fight I have been in in a long while. Why is it that I seem to be getting ever better at increasing my survivability and decreaseing the survivability of those who oppose me, and they either regress, or at best stay the same? Could it be the company I keep
? And why do those who may present a challenge simply leave stupid messages written in dead languages (like Thorass) like, "I know where you are"? Messages like that only make me think some people are out having a bit of fun at what they think is our expense. Well it costs me nothing and only makes them look like children playing at stalking prey in the quest to improve the paultry skills their parents teach them in order to survive.
So, we are travelling through the forest, me on a warpony, the other group members on warhorses, and the two charges on regular horses (though I would come to find Celery to be riding a regular nag as well). When the creepy feelings of being watched and a certain amount of distant sound were realised. Then the crash-smash of something big charging through and breaking down the trees head straight for the road to cut us off. We raced and lost. But second place proved to put us in a position worthy of taking first place (it's always better to be behind your opponents).
In the melee which followed Boltaneus charged and tried to overrun a dire bear on his horse. Now mandrake is a big horse, and Boltaneus is a huge human, but even with armor on both they still only amount to 3 of the 4 parts of the size of a full grown dire bear. So, he did not get very far in that activity. At the end of the fight, both bears were dead, one of the hobgoblins was too, and the other ran away, and the sorcerer teleported away.
Duvey and Ranscar had lost their horse, and having now discovered Celery was on a plodder we snapped back to town and purchased a real horse for both. Backtracked, and made our way to Espar.
Just outside of the town we met a farmer named Larond who told us the sorcerer and the bugbear who escaped were captured and are going to be executed for being raiders. Larond told us we are being called “Bolt's Lordly Band” because of the story the sorcerer and bugbear told about us attacking them (the obnoxiously loud armor gets all the glory). We got Boltaneus to tell Larond, his wife, and their two sons the tale of how we fought the dire bears and the sorcerer and the bugbears. As little said about his story telling skills as possible is better - much better.
During about this same time I spoke with Desicrist about his past. He was born in Halruua and left at 14 because of something his father did. His family went to Unther and he lived there since just prior to meeting me in Killonan. I never did learn about Jongerd's rip-torn mouth, though Maybe when I pass by the stonelands on my way to Shadowdale I'll pry that story out of him.
In Espar we have had some drinks and food at the Espar Star tavern which has a bard named Marcon who entertains. I spoke with him, and he informd us Tilverton dissapeared less than a tenday ago. Apparently there was a large flash of a globe of light and then everything was gone (people, builings, vegetation) and nothing left but a shadowy hemisphere. People who go in don't come out, and those who do end up turning into a shadowy form and dissappearing entirely. Probably not such a hot place to go this season. Does anyone beside humans ever loose a city?
Marcon sang a song about a war between two ancient cities which made each other sink into the ground, resulting in the Farsea Mashes and the Marsh of Tun. The war was instigated by a an evil old woman who tricked the cities into the war with each other, by making a person from each cities' royal house fall in love and try to be together. This caused the war to keep the two lovers apart from eachother. The war was before the death of Mystral, when the weave was broad and open, before the Netherese had caused the weave to change to what it is now, which is a tight nit. The two cities raised portals in eachother going to the evil outer planes and allowing demons and devils into them. They also cast spells on eachother to cause the cities to sink into the ground and create the Marshes. It isn't clear if these people were Neatherese or pre-Neatherese.
Marcon and I spoke of such things and he told me another story of a Neatherese city, rumored to be the last around, in the eastern Anuoch, near the Desert's Mouth montains, which fell when Karsus died and the weave reborn. Obviously this was about 2000 years ago.
Apparently the Neatherese pissed off the Phaerimm, who are extra-planar creatures, who decided to stop them and went to war to destroy the ground resources of the floating cities, and caused the birth of the Anauroch desert.
Enough bardic knowledge for now. I'm off to sleep, and tomorrow is another step in the path toward the marsh.
On the way to Espar, while in the Kings Forest we met a few guys and their pets. They were a human sorcerer, and two hobgoblin assistants, as well as their two dire bear pets. Normally this would have been a happy meeting with much discussion and exchange of information. Or, at least I would have had them to tell us a lot whil
e giving them very little but fantastic-sounding stories they would believe to not be true (just good clean on-the-road-campside fun), but would, ironically, actually be true (like the time we fought a 300' translucent dragon which could become insubstantial at will - see?).
These fellas were not interested in talk, though. They had more physical intents in mind. But not like that - it was just a regular ambush with an attemp to kill us and probably take our money. It was fun - the first 'real' fight I have been in in a long while. Why is it that I seem to be getting ever better at increasing my survivability and decreaseing the survivability of those who oppose me, and they either regress, or at best stay the same? Could it be the company I keep
? And why do those who may present a challenge simply leave stupid messages written in dead languages (like Thorass) like, "I know where you are"? Messages like that only make me think some people are out having a bit of fun at what they think is our expense. Well it costs me nothing and only makes them look like children playing at stalking prey in the quest to improve the paultry skills their parents teach them in order to survive.
So, we are travelling through the forest, me on a warpony, the other group members on warhorses, and the two charges on regular horses (though I would come to find Celery to be riding a regular nag as well). When the creepy feelings of being watched and a certain amount of distant sound were realised. Then the crash-smash of something big charging through and breaking down the trees head straight for the road to cut us off. We raced and lost. But second place proved to put us in a position worthy of taking first place (it's always better to be behind your opponents).
In the melee which followed Boltaneus charged and tried to overrun a dire bear on his horse. Now mandrake is a big horse, and Boltaneus is a huge human, but even with armor on both they still only amount to 3 of the 4 parts of the size of a full grown dire bear. So, he did not get very far in that activity. At the end of the fight, both bears were dead, one of the hobgoblins was too, and the other ran away, and the sorcerer teleported away.
Duvey and Ranscar had lost their horse, and having now discovered Celery was on a plodder we snapped back to town and purchased a real horse for both. Backtracked, and made our way to Espar.
Just outside of the town we met a farmer named Larond who told us the sorcerer and the bugbear who escaped were captured and are going to be executed for being raiders. Larond told us we are being called “Bolt's Lordly Band” because of the story the sorcerer and bugbear told about us attacking them (the obnoxiously loud armor gets all the glory). We got Boltaneus to tell Larond, his wife, and their two sons the tale of how we fought the dire bears and the sorcerer and the bugbears. As little said about his story telling skills as possible is better - much better.
During about this same time I spoke with Desicrist about his past. He was born in Halruua and left at 14 because of something his father did. His family went to Unther and he lived there since just prior to meeting me in Killonan. I never did learn about Jongerd's rip-torn mouth, though Maybe when I pass by the stonelands on my way to Shadowdale I'll pry that story out of him.
In Espar we have had some drinks and food at the Espar Star tavern which has a bard named Marcon who entertains. I spoke with him, and he informd us Tilverton dissapeared less than a tenday ago. Apparently there was a large flash of a globe of light and then everything was gone (people, builings, vegetation) and nothing left but a shadowy hemisphere. People who go in don't come out, and those who do end up turning into a shadowy form and dissappearing entirely. Probably not such a hot place to go this season. Does anyone beside humans ever loose a city?
Marcon sang a song about a war between two ancient cities which made each other sink into the ground, resulting in the Farsea Mashes and the Marsh of Tun. The war was instigated by a an evil old woman who tricked the cities into the war with each other, by making a person from each cities' royal house fall in love and try to be together. This caused the war to keep the two lovers apart from eachother. The war was before the death of Mystral, when the weave was broad and open, before the Netherese had caused the weave to change to what it is now, which is a tight nit. The two cities raised portals in eachother going to the evil outer planes and allowing demons and devils into them. They also cast spells on eachother to cause the cities to sink into the ground and create the Marshes. It isn't clear if these people were Neatherese or pre-Neatherese.
Marcon and I spoke of such things and he told me another story of a Neatherese city, rumored to be the last around, in the eastern Anuoch, near the Desert's Mouth montains, which fell when Karsus died and the weave reborn. Obviously this was about 2000 years ago.
Apparently the Neatherese pissed off the Phaerimm, who are extra-planar creatures, who decided to stop them and went to war to destroy the ground resources of the floating cities, and caused the birth of the Anauroch desert.
Enough bardic knowledge for now. I'm off to sleep, and tomorrow is another step in the path toward the marsh.
4 Hammer 1373 - Suzail
Deepwinter, Year of the Gauntlet
Present group: Vo, Celery, Boltaneus, Desicrist, Bellumthain.
We are back in Suzail, Cormyr after having spent the past four years under the Stormhorn mountains in a place called Xanathuria. We were enslaved by the beholders. I will never again submit to those eye tyrants. They will have to kill this hin to get him to do any work. And many eyes will be poked out in the process. Some of us were enslaved for as little as two and a half years, but I was in for four. Maybe I did my job to well.
We found a notice on the boards, because we were board I guess, calling for an escort team to take a guy on a trip to do some mapping. Seems interesting, gets us some money, and keeps us from doing bad things. We decided to meet with him and see what it's all about.
The guy's name is Faltzgraff Tan. He wants to send his brother, Duvey Tan, a cartographer, with us to map a swath of the Farsea Marshes. We agreed and decided to meet with Duvey the next morning.
We bought some new cothes to replace those we had owned, but not worn, for the past four years. We then had a party with lots of beautiful ladies. We had sex with a lot of them (mostly I did), didn't get their names, didn't sleep at all, and met with Duvey the next morning (5th of Deepwinter, and boy are the winters deep in these northern parts). Duvey has a porter called Ramscar who is a 16 year old boy, and a son-like figure to Duvey. The group thinks they are his lovers. Humans, do the stangest things.
So we decided to get some supplies. The priakos is the best place for that. We did so, but in the middle of the buying & selling Boltaneus blew Celery's horn to see what it does, and it blew out thick white sticky fog (see how humans do wierd things), and is now uselessly used up. They did manage to get 8 healing potions before causing the scene and having to leave.
Abelalon Vo
Strongheart Hin
Present group: Vo, Celery, Boltaneus, Desicrist, Bellumthain.
We are back in Suzail, Cormyr after having spent the past four years under the Stormhorn mountains in a place called Xanathuria. We were enslaved by the beholders. I will never again submit to those eye tyrants. They will have to kill this hin to get him to do any work. And many eyes will be poked out in the process. Some of us were enslaved for as little as two and a half years, but I was in for four. Maybe I did my job to well.
We found a notice on the boards, because we were board I guess, calling for an escort team to take a guy on a trip to do some mapping. Seems interesting, gets us some money, and keeps us from doing bad things. We decided to meet with him and see what it's all about.
The guy's name is Faltzgraff Tan. He wants to send his brother, Duvey Tan, a cartographer, with us to map a swath of the Farsea Marshes. We agreed and decided to meet with Duvey the next morning.
We bought some new cothes to replace those we had owned, but not worn, for the past four years. We then had a party with lots of beautiful ladies. We had sex with a lot of them (mostly I did), didn't get their names, didn't sleep at all, and met with Duvey the next morning (5th of Deepwinter, and boy are the winters deep in these northern parts). Duvey has a porter called Ramscar who is a 16 year old boy, and a son-like figure to Duvey. The group thinks they are his lovers. Humans, do the stangest things.
So we decided to get some supplies. The priakos is the best place for that. We did so, but in the middle of the buying & selling Boltaneus blew Celery's horn to see what it does, and it blew out thick white sticky fog (see how humans do wierd things), and is now uselessly used up. They did manage to get 8 healing potions before causing the scene and having to leave.
Abelalon Vo
Strongheart Hin
