Calistril 1, 4712
It's a beautiful winter day in Fort Inevitable. Snow fell last night, and the entire town is covered by about six inches. Children are outside playing, and Hellknights patrol the streets with a smile on their faces.
For the last few days, Gerald has been feeling sick. He finally decides to talk to Doctor Mordel about the scar on the chest. Mordel examines him and advises him that whomever did this to him was very skilled, and either took something out of him or put something in. Unfortunately, the good doctor has no way of telling which of the two happened. Gerald asks him if using a gem of true seeing would reveal what had happened to him. Mordel looks pleased at the idea. He tells Gerald that this is brilliant and may lead to a novel way of treating patients. The doctor does not have such a gem on hand. Mordel tells Gerald that if he brings in this gem, he will gladly examine the sorcerer, and he will then write a paper about it for the Daggermark's Medical Treatises.
Gerald thinks that the Hellknights may have such a gem, so he heads to the citadel to talk with Léonche de Moustiers, Chamberlain of the Citadel. de Moustiers informs Gerald that the Hellknights have such a gem, but Gerald would need to leave behind enough valuable collateral. The sorcerer tells him that he has such an item, and he presents one of the funeral masks he discovered on the 7th level of the Emerald Spire. de Moustiers appraises the mask, and tells Gerald that it would be more than adequate. However, he flips through a large ledger book and advises Gerald that this item had not been declared at the last tax payment. Gerald is thus assessed 130 crowns for the underpayment of taxes, as well as 140 crowns more in penalties for non-payment of taxes. Furthermore, he says, this is a first offense and thus he is being fined. On a second offense, the penalties will be doubled, and on a third offense the penalty is death. Gerald states that if he finds the masks he will surrender them to the Hellknights in case they are dangerous. de Moustiers thanks Gerald and will take him up on that offer. Gerald makes an appointment to get the gem on Calistril 9.
Meanwhile, Darelle decides she will investigate the vial of dark blue crystal powder she collected on the 7th level of the Emerald Spire. She asks Mordel if he knows what it is, and he replies that he doesn't, but that there are a few people in town who might: Abernard Royst, and Falandra Nolm, Gerald's employer. Darelle knows that Abernard is out of town, so she decides to talk to Falandra Nolm. Falandra agrees to look at the material, but her fee is a quarter of the item, in kind preferably, but she will take the value in gold if she must. Darelle agrees, and she takes out the vial. Falandra is stumped, but after some research she discovers a tome with information on this type of powder. She tells Darelle that when mixed with horse manure, it will create a small ball. When the ball is flattened and then thrown on the ground, it will transform into a crystal pegasus in various shades of blue. Darelle has enough to make six pegasus.
At the same time, Daryle drops off some of her skins to Karlyle the Butcher, then walks in the Juliver Arms to get the scuttlebutt on the Millers family. Word on the street is that they are preparing to head out to the Emerald Spire. Unlike the Coopers, they claim they should be able to clear the tower in no time.
Finally, in the late afternoon, the three siblings meet again in the street on their way to Darelle's house for dinner. Suddenly Gerald gets hit in the head by a large snowball, and he falls face first in the snow covering the ground. Laughter can be heard from behind the Coopers. Daryle turns around quickly, and sees a bunch of kids a few houses back. One the children moves forward and taunts Gerald. The Coopers recognize Nissa, Abernard's niece, whom they encountered a few months ago. When Gerald refuses to get up, she casts a spell and a giant snowbank falls on him, burying him under a gigantic pile of snow. The children laugh louder. Gerald grumbles from his snow pile that he is a Hellknight officer and he could arrest Nissa for violating the anti-spellcasting provisions, but Nissa only throws another snow ball at the pile of snow. When Daryle and Darelle begin to chase them, they all scatter, and Nissa runs to her uncle's house and closes the door.
The sisters wait for Gerald to pull himself out of the snow pile, and when he catches up with them Daryle knocks on the door to Abernard's residence. After a few seconds the door opens and a tall and beautiful woman appears. Daryle explains why they are here, and the woman invites them inside. She tells them her name is Cassandra, and she is Nissa's mother and Abernard's niece. She calls Nissa down to apologize to Gerald, but the child instead taunts him again before running upstairs. Cassandra tells them that Nissa's innate magical abilities have been hard to control, and that she's getting herself in quite a bit of trouble.
As they discuss the situation in town and recent events, it becomes clear to Daryle and Darelle that Cassandra has more than a passing interest in Gerald. The house has resumed its actual proportions, and a loud crash can be heard from upstairs. Daryle decides to investigates, and she ascends to the third floor, where she finds the door to the library closed. Nissa is on the other side and she seems to be searching something. The child has wizard locked the doors and Daryle can't get in. She runs downstairs and tells Cassandra. She runs up the stairs and returns with a chastised Nissa, who does give Gerald a heartfelt apology before going to her room.
Gerald then tells Cassandra that he is feeling sick. Cassandra examines his scar and tells him that she concurs with Dr. Mordel's opinion. She herself dabbles in healing and has some experience in the matter. Gerald invites her to participate in Dr. Mordel's examination on the 9th. She agrees.
After a few more moments, the Coopers leave Abernard's house and return to Darelle's house. Cassandra invites Gerald over any time. The sorcerer politely declines. The Coopers have dinner, then they retire by the fireplace and spend the evening in quiet contemplation.
A few hours after midnight, they are awakened by the sound of wolf howls in the distance. There are no wolves in the area, having been hunted down decades ago. As the rangers listen, they can hear at leas three wolves, maybe four. Daryle wonders if it is due to a green storm. They dress quickly, then head out of Darelle's house and to the wall. Daryle tells the others she suspects that the wolves may be none other than the Millers, which would explain a few things.
The Coopers find Walter and Rainulf on guard duty on that particular section of the wall.They report that they haven't seen the wolves, but they definitely heard them in the northeast fields. That's in the direction of the Emerald Spire. The Coopers resolve to go hunting the next day.
Calistril 2, 4712
As soon as the gates open the Coopers race out of Fort Inevitable and head towards the Emerald Spire. Darelle is worried about her dry blue crystals, while Daryle and Gerald are eager to catch up to the wolves. They quickly locate tracks, which indicate that there are three wolves. But the tracks are huge, half as big as the biggest wolves. Darelle spots some loose fur, so Daryle collects a few samples to bring back to Dr. Mordel.
Eventually the tracks indicate that the wolves took off very quickly. The Coopers pick up the pace, and come upon a bloody scene. The wolf tracks merge with the tracks of a human, and a bloody scene shows that human came to a brutal end. Gerald examines the boot tracks and discovers that they are Hellknight booths. The body seems to have been pulled away by the wolves.
A few clearings away, they discover a badly chewed up body, with the head missing. The body is still garbed in a Hellknight uniform. Daryle collects personnel effects from the pockets, and they bury the body under a cairn.
Following the wolf tracks, they then discover that the wolves themselves fell into a goblin trap. Two were captured in nets, while one fought but was eventually subdued. All three wolves were dragged back to the Emerald Spire.
The Coopers enter the Emerald Spire through the secret tunnel and then descend to the 7th level, where they collect the barrel of dark blue crystal. They then head home again. Returning to Fort Inevitable, Daryle hands the pouch back to Maralictor Wirt. She tells them that these effects belonged to Armand, a Hellknight who was posted in Dimsdale. The closest farm was that of the Redwoods. What was Armand doing out there?
As they head home, the Coopers come upon a commotion outside of the Juliver Arms. The crowd is cheering loudly. Taking a closer look, they see that the Millers are showing off their sled and their equipment, claiming that they will storm the Spire tomorrow and will do a better job than the Coopers. If the Millers are here, who are the wolves?
Friday, February 19, 2016
Saturday, February 6, 2016
Hunting Morlocks
Abadius 19, 4712, part 2
Following the morlock assault, the Coopers take a short breather. Thorne announces he will take care of the unconscious Gerald while the rest of them continue on their trek. Roscoe orders the Hellknights to stay behind as well. He then decides to head first in the tunnel. He crawls a short distance, and reaches a dead end. Looking around, he discovers a trap door above him. He pushes the trap door, and notices that it is very heavy. He heaves again, and this time the trap door opens. On top were the bodies of two now dead morlocks. They show evidence of having suffered a fire attack.
Roscoe crawls out of the hole, and helps his sisters out. They trudge down the hall, but as soon as Roscoe takes a step around the corner, he triggers a trap. A large blade comes rushing out of the wall at a horizontal angle, nearly slicing his head off. Unlike the paladin, the sisters successfully dodge this attack. Having been almost decapitated, Roscoe requires healing. Darelle provides him with a few scrolls and uses her gem of healing as well. Roscoe feels better, if not completely healed.
The Coopers find two doors on the right side of a short corridor. Daryle takes a peek through the door, and sees six adult morlocks and four children in what appears to be a common room. A large number of mangy pelts are laid about, and four large rats are slowly roasting over open flames. Taking position by both doors, Daryle and Darelle fire their bows, while Roscoe charges the room. The combat is quickly over. With the children still screaming and throwing feces, Daryle slaughters them all to put them out of their misery.
They search the room. Darelle discovers a human skull with an aquamarine fake eye worth about 500 crowns half buried under hot coals. After disposing of the bodies, the Coopers go through the doors across the common room and find themselves standing in a small alcove. A large statue of a bird-headed humanoid with snakes for legs stands in the corner, with large tubes lining the wall behind it. The statue has been heavily vandalized, and any riches it may have held have long since disappeared. Upon closer inspection, Daryle recognizes the statue as being that of Abraxas, a demon lord from the Abyss. Roscoe casts detect evil on it, but finds nothing. It is only a statue.
Continuing their exploration, Roscoe discovers another secret tunnel that connects two rooms. In the second room he finds a sleeping morlock that should have been standing guard instead, and he kills it. This room is a complete mess, with smashed furniture and tiles, which have been piled against a wall. Intrigued, Roscoe looks at the pile, and discover yet another secret tunnel. He returns to get his sisters, and together they proceed down this longer tunnel.
Roscoe opens up the hatch at the end of the tunnel, but despite his best efforts it makes enough noise to warn the occupants. Three morlocks have hidden behind a pile of rubble. Roscoe climbs out of the tunnel, and walks towards the morlocks. However, one of them is very much taller and bigger than the others, and wields a great club. He leaps down from the rubble pile and charges the paladin. Together they become entangled in a fight to the death. They exchange mighty blows, but the morlock begins to gain the upper hand on Roscoe. His sisters climb out of the hole, and also focus their attacks on this raging morlock. Though the monster successfully disables Roscoe, Darelle and Daryle are able to land enough blows to kill him. Soon, the other morlocks are dispatched as well. Now the party is thoroughly bloodied and bruised, and running low on healing spells. What other horrible surprises does the 9th level of the Emerald Spire have in store for them?
Following the morlock assault, the Coopers take a short breather. Thorne announces he will take care of the unconscious Gerald while the rest of them continue on their trek. Roscoe orders the Hellknights to stay behind as well. He then decides to head first in the tunnel. He crawls a short distance, and reaches a dead end. Looking around, he discovers a trap door above him. He pushes the trap door, and notices that it is very heavy. He heaves again, and this time the trap door opens. On top were the bodies of two now dead morlocks. They show evidence of having suffered a fire attack.
Roscoe crawls out of the hole, and helps his sisters out. They trudge down the hall, but as soon as Roscoe takes a step around the corner, he triggers a trap. A large blade comes rushing out of the wall at a horizontal angle, nearly slicing his head off. Unlike the paladin, the sisters successfully dodge this attack. Having been almost decapitated, Roscoe requires healing. Darelle provides him with a few scrolls and uses her gem of healing as well. Roscoe feels better, if not completely healed.
The Coopers find two doors on the right side of a short corridor. Daryle takes a peek through the door, and sees six adult morlocks and four children in what appears to be a common room. A large number of mangy pelts are laid about, and four large rats are slowly roasting over open flames. Taking position by both doors, Daryle and Darelle fire their bows, while Roscoe charges the room. The combat is quickly over. With the children still screaming and throwing feces, Daryle slaughters them all to put them out of their misery.
They search the room. Darelle discovers a human skull with an aquamarine fake eye worth about 500 crowns half buried under hot coals. After disposing of the bodies, the Coopers go through the doors across the common room and find themselves standing in a small alcove. A large statue of a bird-headed humanoid with snakes for legs stands in the corner, with large tubes lining the wall behind it. The statue has been heavily vandalized, and any riches it may have held have long since disappeared. Upon closer inspection, Daryle recognizes the statue as being that of Abraxas, a demon lord from the Abyss. Roscoe casts detect evil on it, but finds nothing. It is only a statue.
Continuing their exploration, Roscoe discovers another secret tunnel that connects two rooms. In the second room he finds a sleeping morlock that should have been standing guard instead, and he kills it. This room is a complete mess, with smashed furniture and tiles, which have been piled against a wall. Intrigued, Roscoe looks at the pile, and discover yet another secret tunnel. He returns to get his sisters, and together they proceed down this longer tunnel.
Roscoe opens up the hatch at the end of the tunnel, but despite his best efforts it makes enough noise to warn the occupants. Three morlocks have hidden behind a pile of rubble. Roscoe climbs out of the tunnel, and walks towards the morlocks. However, one of them is very much taller and bigger than the others, and wields a great club. He leaps down from the rubble pile and charges the paladin. Together they become entangled in a fight to the death. They exchange mighty blows, but the morlock begins to gain the upper hand on Roscoe. His sisters climb out of the hole, and also focus their attacks on this raging morlock. Though the monster successfully disables Roscoe, Darelle and Daryle are able to land enough blows to kill him. Soon, the other morlocks are dispatched as well. Now the party is thoroughly bloodied and bruised, and running low on healing spells. What other horrible surprises does the 9th level of the Emerald Spire have in store for them?
Friday, February 5, 2016
Morlock Muck
Abadius 14, 4712
Gerald presents himself to Roscoe and requests a uniform. Roscoe inquires as to why his brother would like a Hellknight uniform. Gerald presents his commission, and Roscoe can only shake his head. After some back and forth, he agrees to provide Gerald with a Signifier uniform. The sorceror looks fabulous wearing the Hellknight colors.
Abadius 17, 4712
Captain Rémi arrives in town and meets the Coopers to collect their 50 crowns per person for their safe passage a year ago. He introduces the Millers, a new family coming from Razmiran that has just arrived on his ship. First there is Rexhall, about 25 years old and rippling with muscles. Second is Card, about 19, a spellcaster of some kind. Then there are the female twins, Ace and Spades, both fighter types. Finally, the youngest member of the Miller family is Rose, a girl quick on her feet. The Coopers have an uneasy feeling at the arrival of these strange Millers.
Abadius 18, 4712
Now that matters are back in order, the Coopers are edging to a fight and are ready to head back to the Emerald Spire. As commander, Roscoe leaves Maralictor Wirt in charge of Fort Inevitable, and he and the four siblings, along with five Hellknight soldiers, depart the town in the Spire's direction. The trek takes most of the morning and enter the underground through the third level tunnel. Nothing much has changed since the last time the Coopers were here.
Using a spire transport, they move from the third to the 7th level, then descend the stairs to the 8th level where Darelle acquires the runes that will allow them to directly transport to this level. They then descend the stairs for about 250 feet before reaching the landing for the 9th level. It is pitch black, so the Coopers light up torches and lanterns.
In the first room, they encounter collapsed walls. One direction looks like it has been there for a long time. The second, however, looks like it was recently built. A small hole in the rubble provides access to the room beyond. Thorne throws a torch in the small hole, sees nothing but another set of decayed walls.
Roscoe examines both walls, and makes a decision. The Hellknight soldiers will dig the western tunnel. The soldiers obey immediately. Gerald, meanwhile, begins digging the southern wall. During the digging, Thorne removes the lock from the door to the 8th level and studies it to figure out how he failed. The sisters just stand around, telling each other stories and exchanging beauty tips. After five hours the soldiers manage to make a hole big enough to crawl through the three and a half feet of dirt and loose stones to the continuing hallway behind, while Gerald has successfully move seven stones and has progressed a hand's width.
Thorne crawls through the tunnel, and throws another torch beyond the rubble. Taking a quick peek, he notices four morlocks clinging to the wall, ready to pounce on the first person through the tunnel. Deciding that the situation would be too difficult to fight in, he returns and discusses the dilemma with the rest of the group. It is quickly agreed that Gerald should deal with this situation. The sorcerer kneels by the tunnel's entrance, and casts a fireball, killing the morlocks but collapsing the tunnel. The Coopers won't be heading that way.
The soldiers begin digging again, this time in the southern wall. After two hours they are through. Thorne steps through, but sees nothing. Darelle steps into the room, then turns a corner. She is attacked by four morlocks, but Roscoe manages to kill them off. Unfortunately, one of them has escaped, no doubt to warn the others.
Thorne sets up a trip wire in the hallway leading south and rejoins the group. After a short discussion the party begins moving south. Thorne remains behind and convinces a soldier to push Gerald in the tripwire. Meanwhile, he will search this room and see if there are any secret passages or doors.
The hallway in which the Coopers find themselves has several branches, and stinks to high heaven. Clearly, they have stumbled into the morlocks' latrine. Roscoe is in the lead, and he triggers a trap that inflicts significant damage on the party. Three soldiers die. There is no time to mourn them, however, as Gerald steps near the tripwire, and is immediately pushed by one of the soldiers. He falls face first into the four inch muck.
Thorne discovers a secret door. He opens it, and finds a room that, unlike the rest of the dungeon so far, shows no sign of having been looted or defaced. The walls still feature ancient Azlan pictures. And in the middle of the room is a pile of treasure, including coins, gems, and items. Thorne greedily walks towards the treasure, but falls in a pit trap along with the treasure, hurting himself. He takes some of the jewelry and the sword. He attempts to climb the ten feet distance back tot he floor, but is unable to do so. He yells for help, and the only person who hears him is Gerald. Reluctantly, the sorcerer backtracks and helps Thorne climb out of the pit.
Abadius 19, 4712
Proceeding down the tunnel, the Coopers and their two remaining soldiers enter another room. A large berm of rubble separates the room into two different parts, and a wooden door is set against the south wall. Roscoe cautiously steps over the berm, then heads for the door. Several pieces of wood wedge the door from this side. Roscoe removes the wedges and steps through the door into the passageway beyond. Everyone else follows. The passageway twists and turns but terminates in a dead end. Roscoe and the rest of the party search for secret doors, but find none.
Gerald, being the last one in, notices that the door closed behind them. He opens it and steps back into the room, only to be attacked by more morlocks armed with repeating crossbows. Gerald is cribbed with bolts. He steps back in the passageway, then emerges again to unleash a fireball, killing all of them. Unfortunately, three of them were hiding in the rubble and escape the terrible fate suffered by the others, and they step out once the fire dies down. Gerald is surprised and finds himself clubbed. Hearing the sounds of battle, Daryle tells the soldier in front of her to open the door. He does so, and she readies an arrow. However, she can't tell which of the four darkened figures is Gerald, so she yells at him. Gerald responds, but gets attacked again, and he is once again wounded, this time falling unconscious.
Daryle lets an arrow fly, and one of the three morlocks dies. A second one jumps back into the rubble and escapes, while the third strikes Gerald again. He is brought down by Daryle, but not before the sorcerer is brought to the very edge of death. With a wounded party and three soldiers dead, what will the Coopers do? The story continues in Hunting Morlocks.
Gerald presents himself to Roscoe and requests a uniform. Roscoe inquires as to why his brother would like a Hellknight uniform. Gerald presents his commission, and Roscoe can only shake his head. After some back and forth, he agrees to provide Gerald with a Signifier uniform. The sorceror looks fabulous wearing the Hellknight colors.
Abadius 17, 4712
Captain Rémi arrives in town and meets the Coopers to collect their 50 crowns per person for their safe passage a year ago. He introduces the Millers, a new family coming from Razmiran that has just arrived on his ship. First there is Rexhall, about 25 years old and rippling with muscles. Second is Card, about 19, a spellcaster of some kind. Then there are the female twins, Ace and Spades, both fighter types. Finally, the youngest member of the Miller family is Rose, a girl quick on her feet. The Coopers have an uneasy feeling at the arrival of these strange Millers.
Abadius 18, 4712
Now that matters are back in order, the Coopers are edging to a fight and are ready to head back to the Emerald Spire. As commander, Roscoe leaves Maralictor Wirt in charge of Fort Inevitable, and he and the four siblings, along with five Hellknight soldiers, depart the town in the Spire's direction. The trek takes most of the morning and enter the underground through the third level tunnel. Nothing much has changed since the last time the Coopers were here.
Using a spire transport, they move from the third to the 7th level, then descend the stairs to the 8th level where Darelle acquires the runes that will allow them to directly transport to this level. They then descend the stairs for about 250 feet before reaching the landing for the 9th level. It is pitch black, so the Coopers light up torches and lanterns.
In the first room, they encounter collapsed walls. One direction looks like it has been there for a long time. The second, however, looks like it was recently built. A small hole in the rubble provides access to the room beyond. Thorne throws a torch in the small hole, sees nothing but another set of decayed walls.
Roscoe examines both walls, and makes a decision. The Hellknight soldiers will dig the western tunnel. The soldiers obey immediately. Gerald, meanwhile, begins digging the southern wall. During the digging, Thorne removes the lock from the door to the 8th level and studies it to figure out how he failed. The sisters just stand around, telling each other stories and exchanging beauty tips. After five hours the soldiers manage to make a hole big enough to crawl through the three and a half feet of dirt and loose stones to the continuing hallway behind, while Gerald has successfully move seven stones and has progressed a hand's width.
Thorne crawls through the tunnel, and throws another torch beyond the rubble. Taking a quick peek, he notices four morlocks clinging to the wall, ready to pounce on the first person through the tunnel. Deciding that the situation would be too difficult to fight in, he returns and discusses the dilemma with the rest of the group. It is quickly agreed that Gerald should deal with this situation. The sorcerer kneels by the tunnel's entrance, and casts a fireball, killing the morlocks but collapsing the tunnel. The Coopers won't be heading that way.
The soldiers begin digging again, this time in the southern wall. After two hours they are through. Thorne steps through, but sees nothing. Darelle steps into the room, then turns a corner. She is attacked by four morlocks, but Roscoe manages to kill them off. Unfortunately, one of them has escaped, no doubt to warn the others.
Thorne sets up a trip wire in the hallway leading south and rejoins the group. After a short discussion the party begins moving south. Thorne remains behind and convinces a soldier to push Gerald in the tripwire. Meanwhile, he will search this room and see if there are any secret passages or doors.
The hallway in which the Coopers find themselves has several branches, and stinks to high heaven. Clearly, they have stumbled into the morlocks' latrine. Roscoe is in the lead, and he triggers a trap that inflicts significant damage on the party. Three soldiers die. There is no time to mourn them, however, as Gerald steps near the tripwire, and is immediately pushed by one of the soldiers. He falls face first into the four inch muck.
Thorne discovers a secret door. He opens it, and finds a room that, unlike the rest of the dungeon so far, shows no sign of having been looted or defaced. The walls still feature ancient Azlan pictures. And in the middle of the room is a pile of treasure, including coins, gems, and items. Thorne greedily walks towards the treasure, but falls in a pit trap along with the treasure, hurting himself. He takes some of the jewelry and the sword. He attempts to climb the ten feet distance back tot he floor, but is unable to do so. He yells for help, and the only person who hears him is Gerald. Reluctantly, the sorcerer backtracks and helps Thorne climb out of the pit.
Abadius 19, 4712
Proceeding down the tunnel, the Coopers and their two remaining soldiers enter another room. A large berm of rubble separates the room into two different parts, and a wooden door is set against the south wall. Roscoe cautiously steps over the berm, then heads for the door. Several pieces of wood wedge the door from this side. Roscoe removes the wedges and steps through the door into the passageway beyond. Everyone else follows. The passageway twists and turns but terminates in a dead end. Roscoe and the rest of the party search for secret doors, but find none.
Gerald, being the last one in, notices that the door closed behind them. He opens it and steps back into the room, only to be attacked by more morlocks armed with repeating crossbows. Gerald is cribbed with bolts. He steps back in the passageway, then emerges again to unleash a fireball, killing all of them. Unfortunately, three of them were hiding in the rubble and escape the terrible fate suffered by the others, and they step out once the fire dies down. Gerald is surprised and finds himself clubbed. Hearing the sounds of battle, Daryle tells the soldier in front of her to open the door. He does so, and she readies an arrow. However, she can't tell which of the four darkened figures is Gerald, so she yells at him. Gerald responds, but gets attacked again, and he is once again wounded, this time falling unconscious.
Daryle lets an arrow fly, and one of the three morlocks dies. A second one jumps back into the rubble and escapes, while the third strikes Gerald again. He is brought down by Daryle, but not before the sorcerer is brought to the very edge of death. With a wounded party and three soldiers dead, what will the Coopers do? The story continues in Hunting Morlocks.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)