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Post by Jeffrey Pettengill on Jan 2, 2019 23:14:38 GMT -5
After six months of searching, I finally managed to catch up with my elder brother Lothis Starbow in the village of Orlane. What brought him here, I do not know. Nor do I know what brought him into the company of these greedy, incredibly selfish humans.
I have traveled all the way from Celene in order to tell him of the death of our mother and eldest sister, along with the massacre of thousands in Selaena Thalor, and the accompanying disappearance of the rest of our home’s inhabitants. It was my hope to convince my brother to join me in finding out who was responsible for the attack on Selaena Thalor and take vengeance on them for those who were slain and find those who were most likely taken.
Sadly, I arrived too late. I was informed that my brother, along with another elf, was killed by an ogre. I immediately wanted to seek out this creature and take my revenge. However, I was initially unable to get any coordinated assistance from the others in the temple. They were squabbling amongst themselves and were greedily attempting to steal several golden statues of plants and vegetables, which were clearly protected by a powerful curse.
Once the group had decided to rest, in hopes that one of the cursed would be freed of the curse, we set off through a trap door in the floor. This led to the basement under the temple and with the tainted elf leading the way, we came upon the spot where the ogre slew Lothis. It left a bloody trail which proved easy to follow. And again, while I would have preferred to follow the blood trail and exact my revenge, the cowardly tainted one, headed away from where the ogre went.
Fortunately, the ogre was attracted by the torchlight of the rest of the group which was trailing us by about thirty feet. The beast lumbered into the hall, and I managed to put one arrow into it as the others engaged it. Then, I managed to drive a second arrow into the thing’s temple.
Once it had fallen, I cut out its heart as my final act of vengeance. Now, I need to retrieve Lothis’s body in order to inter it properly. I have buried far too many kin of late. Nylen Starbow
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Post by Chris on Jan 9, 2019 12:50:59 GMT -5
Against the Cult of the Reptile God Richfest 6, Earthday, Sacred to the Old Faith and Fharlanghn Orlane Temple of Merikka Inn of the Slumbering Serpent Grove of Stately Elms Trail to the Reptile God's Lair Crossing the Plain Richfest 7, Freeday, Sacred to the Old Faith and Myhriss Through the Dim Forest night attack by goblins Reaping 1 (High Summer), Starday Through the Dim Forest Reaping 2, Sunday, Sacred to Pelor The muck of the Rushmoors night attack by stirges Reaping 3, Moonday arrive at the dike and rest Reaping 4, Godsday, Luna is waning The Dungeon Wooden Stairs Entry Room Cult Members' Room Attacked by 4 females in studded leather armor with spears ended play on Godsday, Reaping 4, 576 at 8:16am our plays on RPGGeek rpggeek.com/plays/thing/49288?userid=1168080
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Post by whunyer on Jan 10, 2019 12:23:28 GMT -5
When facing Misha and her crew on the stairs, Waruk came to a realization, while these clerics are not in the flavor of his vengeful god, they are not that different. One man’s church is another’s cult. These worshipers of a strange serpent god have not harmed him, nor his order. Doing some soul searching, he left to return to the Abby to seek guidance from the elders. quote author=" Chris" source="/post/1502/thread" timestamp="1547056259"]Against the Cult of the Reptile God Richfest 6, Earthday, Sacred to the Old Faith and Fharlanghn Orlane Temple of Merikka Inn of the Slumbering Serpent Grove of Stately Elms Trail to the Reptile God's Lair Crossing the Plain Richfest 7, Freeday, Sacred to the Old Faith and Myhriss Through the Dim Forest night attack by goblins Reaping 1 (High Summer), Starday Through the Dim Forest Reaping 2, Sunday, Sacred to Pelor The muck of the Rushmoors night attack by stirges Reaping 3, Moonday arrive at the dike and rest Reaping 4, Godsday, Luna is waning The Dungeon Wooden Stairs Entry Room Cult Members' Room Attacked by 4 females in studded leather armor with spears ended play on Godsday, Reaping 4, 576 at 8:16am our plays on RPGGeek rpggeek.com/plays/thing/49288?userid=1168080[/quote]
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Post by Aileen on Jan 10, 2019 19:59:06 GMT -5
The Cursed Fighter, A Tale of Gilded Produce and Swamp Enthusiasts
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We found the chewed up bodies of our friends not far from where the ogre fell. We brought what we could upstairs, and Nylan took his brother's belongings.
Someone was banging on the door. We tested them, asking if it was a towns person. They said yes. No, we will not let you in. Unfortunately we had to get through the door to go bury our friends. The guy outside was a wizard and told us his name is Khan. He seems nice enough, and even helped us bury the bodies while we filled him in. I try my best to shovel the hole but can barely lift the shovel, I'm still so weak.
Hans suggests we go to the other inn in town to get some food and see what's happening in town since we've been in the temple. He remembered the old lady being very friendly, and I can't help but agree with him that we should check it out. We can't remember the name of it... the Sleepy Shlizzard... Smoking Dragon... something.
The crew sets off, leaving the hell of this temple behind. I feel like I can breathe again for the first time since we entered the place. The old lady, Belba, is a sweetheart. She offers us food and drinks, and the party cant deny the sunny interior and the hospitality. Everyone orders food and drink, but I'm still wary. We ask her about them noticing anything weird in town, but she and her husband say we're the only weird thing to pass through. Fair enough.
Getting to the point, we want to know where the swamp is and how to get there. She suggests we go talk to the guy who lives over by some trees. She stops talking to me when I pull out some rations and eat. They dont believe me when I say the Golden Grain gave me food poisoning.
We go find the guy shes talking about. The cottage is creepy looking and surrounded by big old trees. Joe starts checking for traps, but we walk right by him and go straight for the door. Our halfling starts knocking, and soon a voice answers.
"Who is it?"
"We're adventurers."
"The Avengers?"
It takes five minutes before the door finally opens. An old man stands there. Theres no way in hell it could have taken him that long to get across the room to the door. I think we may be wasting our time talking to this guy, he is ancient.
We tell him we are looking for the swamp and need information on how to get there, and that Belba said he could help us. When questioned why we would want to go there, Rick tells him that we are Swamp Enthusiasts.
"Son, even I know theres no such thing as a Swamp Enthusiast."
I butt in. We are looking for my cousin and our Druid and lizard, and we have good intel that they may or may not have been taken to the swamp. The others tell him what we've found out about the cultists in town and that they have a lair in the swamp with something that hypnotizes people to join the cult.
Something moves under his cloak, and out pops a weasel. Its adorable, and we lose our minds. His name is Whiskers.
"Can I pet your weasel?!" I can't help myself.
The old man, Ramne he introduces himself as, says that Whiskers can help us find the swamp. He also says he will go with us.
"Are you sure you can walk?" I ask him.
He ignores me, and comes out with a traveling cloak on and is packed and ready to go right away.
"Sir, if you pass on, can I have your weasel?"
"That's how I want to go, actually."
This poor old man is going to kill me. We set out, leaving the village behind and coming east to some plains. After a day of traveling, we take rest, and soon realize as we get further from civilization that we made a crucial mistake. We didnt stock up on food or water. We were in such a hurry to get out that we forgot the number one part of adventuring, be prepared. Luckily I have some rations and share with the crew.
The next day we come to a dark, creepy wood. Ramne tells us it is the Dim Forest. Whiskers runs up ahead, and we follow him down the trail. I dont know why we are trusting a weasel to be our guide, but we dont really have any better options. Ramne keeps giggling about something and then doesnt tell us why. Creepy.
We camp in the woods, and Hans and I take second watch. Even though its "cool early summer" according to Joe, we are actually too warm to light a fire. We now regret that decision, especially since Hans and I couldnt see a thing on our watch. Subsequently, we heard something moving in the darkness. I wake up Joe, and Hans gets Nylan. The rest are still sleeping. Slowly they start waking up as the goblins make their attack. Khan is snoring loudly.
It's over before we can even get a light going. I really wish I were an elf sometimes, not being able to see in the dark can really put a damper on things. Delkin and Rick are badly wounded, and can no longer be of help to us. The next morning Ramne comes out of the woods with a brace of coneys that Whiskers caught, and we have a decent breakfast before moving on. At the end of the day, we reach the edge of the swamp.
We make our way through the swamp at nighttime, and thankfully one of the moons is full so everything is pretty bright. The knee deep water is disgusting, and I feel it sloshing around in my boots with every step. We hear buzzing, and 80 yards away from us we see five massive insects of some sort. Someone comes up behind us, and we are happy to see it's another elf. She claims to be another Swamp Enthusiast named Caileen. We decided staying completely still is our best bet, and hope the bugs pass us by.
No such luck. They attack. I start shooting, and miss. Joe kills one, and then they are on us. I draw my sword, almost falling over from the shear weight of it. It didn't used to be this hard to swing it. Two of the bugs attach themselves to Hans and Khan and start sucking. Joe draws his sword and whacks one off. Hans is free. Unfortunately, Khan drops. We cant do much for him, but he lives.
We travel all night, and come to a small island of dry land surrounded by a low wall. Theres a hole in the middle which Ramne identifies as a lizard folk lair. We have no option but to rest here for a bit before we even think about going in. By some luck, we are not attacked by anything, and feel a little better about going in.
Theres wooden stairs going down into the hole, and although they are muddy and slippery we make good way down the stairs. That is until Hans slips and careens into us, setting off a chain reaction. We all crash to the bottom of the stairs in a heap. Ramne pulls out some rope and ties it off on the bannister.
"Sounds slippery," he effortlessly slides down the rope. Show off.
Joe scouts ahead, doing thiefly things as he calls it. He says he will backtrack if he finds anything interesting. I just hope we find Aevlin soon. I'm not a fan of all this mud, and the sooner we find her the sooner we can get to someone who can remove my curse.
☆ Gregolas, the Cursed Fighter ☆
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Post by Jeffrey Pettengill on Jan 11, 2019 6:59:01 GMT -5
With the ogre slain, I followed the blood trail back the way the beast had come from to find what remained of Lothis, and two others. It was a truly gruesome sight, but nothing when compared to what I have upon returning to Selaena Thalor after from practicing with my bow in the woods. That level of vicious carnage will forever haunt my nights.
Fortunately I managed to keep the pain of loss from showing in front of the humans. My grief is not for them to see, not for any non-elf to see.
I must say, I was honored by the humans’ willingness to help me move Lothis and his belongings from the dark, dank dungeon so that he could receive a proper burial under the open sky. And though it was not an ideal location for a member of the Starbow family, or any elf for that matter, we managed to locate a fairly nice spot within Orlane’s cememtary. We buried him with his weapons, after adding his remaining quiver of arrows to my dwindling supply, and armor. The rest of his belongings, I added to my own, even though I would not be able to use them, like his lockpick set and his spellbook. It would not do to let such things rot in the ground when I could possibly sell them and use the coins to try and find out what happened to our father and other siblings, as well as those others who were not killed in the attack on our home. And there was item in particular among his possessions which looked as though it would fetch a nice amount of gold should I tbe able to find the right buyer. While it was painful digging my older brother’s grave, it was far less painful that the hundreds I had dug to bury the remains I had found in Selaena Thalor. At least this time, I had the help of these humans to make it go a lot faster. And the known that Lothis’s killer had been killed in return. Justice had been served.
With that sorrowful task completed, I attempted to convince the others to finish clearing out the dungeon level of the temple. I was of a mind to find those responsible for stationing that ogre within that place, for they were just as responsible for Lothis’s death as the ogre who slew him. Unfortunately none of the others wanted to return. In particular the human archer, who I gather, has garnered some sort of curse from attempting to pilfer some holy relics from this benign goddess to whom the temple is dedicated. Or at least to whom it was dedicated before these foul serpent worshipping cultists took it over.
Reluctantly, I decided to continue with the group in the hopes that I would further avenge my brother by bringing justice to the one’s behind this cult. For they too have his blood on their hands, or talons, or claws, or whatever they might have.
Returning to the town proper, we visited someplace called the Slumbering Serpent. A quaint little establish with whose owners were friendly enough, though prices seemed somewhat high for my liking. After a sparse meal of bread and cheese and a glass of modestly tasteful red wine, we sought out an old hermit in the woods across the way. A man who is clearly somewhat of a doddering old fool, who is nearly as slow of body as he is of wit. After a rather painfully slow interchange between him and the other humans, he agreed to show us to someplace in the swamp a few days travel from the village, where the true temple of this cult may exist.
On our way, we found ourselves under attack in the middle of the night by goblins. Astonishingly, the humans had no fire during the night and thus found themselves hampered in trying to defend themselves from the little beasts in the dark. We managed to over come the small band. And later found ourselves attacked by a swarm of stirges. Along the way, we lost a couple of associates and picked up a crazy swamp druid and a ranger just before finding the entrance to the underground temple. Upon entering, via an incredibly slippery stairway, the human cleric of Kord lost his footing in his descent and proceeding to knock the rest of us in the entryway at the bottom. This really does not bode well for any further dexterous activity on his part. Clearly, we cannot rely on him in such instances.
Now we begin a slow, meticulous search through this damp, mud soaked environ. We haven’t been down her that long, and already I feel like I want to take a long, hot bath to get the dampness and grunge off of me.
Nylen Starbow
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Post by dragonforgotten on Jan 15, 2019 2:45:45 GMT -5
Well we found the bodies and let Nylen bury his bother and even keep some of the stuff his bother died with. Gotta say, makes me feel a little bad for leaving my twin brother stoned and broke back back at Hawkhawk with that mess back there. Man good times, if theres one thing we are good at is throwing insane parties and starting massive tavern brawls. I wonder who's going to replace the barstool i cracked over his head and the room, who took care of the tab and the drugs, all the drugs. I think i was something called smoke grass..... God Jaris is going to kill me. He's probably going to do worst once he finally catches up.
He's going to be extra steamed when i find the Dragon blade first. Love you bro but I'm going to beat the curse and become the second thief lord and then our family can finally free great great granny Jala of her regrets.
We pittled about in this dead end cess pool of a town before we finally found a lead. This old loon in the woods is going to lead us with his mongoose leading the way. No wait, thats a ferret.. I trust the loon more then i trust anyone in that s**** of a town. Ive become papas baby sitter as we marched through fields, woods and swamp. I don't mind. Back at the Caravan we respected our elders and often helped them through the rough terrains like this. I miss grannies mystery stew. The mystery is that no one knows what you just ate. It could be lizards, it could be a coon. Anything that was found on the road or killed is far game but the one consistent catch about it was that the spice had the bit of a red dragon.
After meeting Graps Im getting the 'itch' in the back of my skull. There is something he's not telling us. Theres more too him besides being a dirty hermit. I feel it in my got. My instincts are screaming at me. He speaks to his weasel like it speaks back to him. He could be a druids like the one that went missing. People like them tend to not get along with civil folks, probably why i like the guy. Crazy attracts crazy as they say.
Damn this turned out to be farther then i thought. It's too bad we forgot the pack survival gear, this trip is going to be rough. Praise Mask that greg and Hans brought enough food. When we stoped for camp i noticed no one was trying to start a fire. this was weird for me. We always had fires back at the Caravann. It warded against ambushes from beasts, monsters and bandits. I didn't want to be that guy, everyone would think i'm afraid of the dark like a sissy. I kept dropping hint after hint. No one caught on so no fire.
We were attacked by f**** goblins. I hate the buggars. Injured a lot of people. We are going to have a long line of infirmed adventures by the end of this trip.
I made an amazing shot against one giant ugly masquito and ran into a grump swamp druids. I think he's just tagging along to make sure i don't disgrace his property.
We found the secret lair so down we go. here i am stepping as quietly as a mouse just as i make it half way down i'm pushed into a tumble with everyone else without warning. Oh my spin. Thank god i didn't break my neck. Jaris would never let me live it down if stairs is what done me in. The blame would just be placed one the curse.
Here I am, i'm a sneaking and stealthing. Doing a fantastic job. Im crouched down listening to one door when it opens with four amazons with spares standing in the doorway. C****.
-Joe
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Post by Chris on Jan 16, 2019 16:45:25 GMT -5
Against the Cult of the Reptile God Reaping 4, Godsday, Luna is waning Cult Members' Room Attacked by 4 females and 4 males in studded leather armor with spears and 8 males in no armor with spears Entry Hall Lieutenant's Quarters, 1 fighter slain before the door was barred Chamber of the Frogs a couple of wandering snakes named Kaaa and Thulsa ended play on Godsday, Reaping 4, 576 at 1:01:54 pm our plays on RPGGeek rpggeek.com/plays/thing/49288?userid=1168080
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Post by Aileen on Jan 16, 2019 17:44:41 GMT -5
Joe's thiefly activities did not go so well. He came running back followed by a bunch of women with spears. There is nothing scarier than an angry woman, three is even worse. We started fighting and men came from ahead and behind attacking. I kept shooting but only hit a few guys. It's really hard to shoot without getting eachother, and Hans really likes being on the front line. I wonder if he forgets hes a cleric and not a half orc monk?
Joe joined me, and I was happy to have my buddy shooting alongside me. That was until he shot me. Somehow I killed a guy in the back rank while screaming about an arrow going through my poor foot.
"Hanshelpmejoeshotmeeee!!!!"
"In a minute, I have other things to worry about."
I want to throttle Hans. Cant he see that I will never walk again? This will scar me for my entire life.
"I'll take my arrow back now," Joe pulled the arrow out of my foot. I dont know what is worse, the Golden Carrot Sickness or this.
Joe may or may not have one of my toe bones still stuck on the arrowhead, but fortunately Hans heals me up. Crisis averted, I can walk!
We left one guy alive, and I immediately interrogate him. He says anyone the cult takes is brought to the Explicita Defilis. I ask if hes seen Aevlin and Jose and Clappy, but he doesnt know names. I would think they would be a pretty obvious bunch. We demand he brings us to his "god". He says once we meet her we will change our minds and join them and be his friends. I don't think I'm interested, but I do want to kill the ED and find my cousin.
We are told the lair is on the lower level and theres stairs that will lead us there. We tell Hans to watch his feet this time when we go down. Culty takes us to a door and cant open it. Then he says theres a password. But when we let him say it, the rat announces that he has non believers that want to convert. It's clearly a setup, and the guy gets dead. The door opens and theres 3 people in armor standing there. We all shoot, and one guy falls dead with Nylens arrow in his head. The other two slam the door in our faces.
None of us can get the door open, so we decide to back track. We come to a cavern filled with mucky water, and our Swamp Enthusiast Ceyleen decides to touch the water and flap her hands like a fish. She really, really was hoping for alligators, but out pops two giant frogs. They also get dead. The elves cross the water and some time later start coming back with treasure. Massive, heavy chests of treasure.
While we are standing on the dry land waiting for the group to come back, a huge snake comes slithering down the passage. The thing is big enough to swallow me whole and has nasty sharp pointy teeth. I shoot it, the fighter guy that joined us slashes it, and it bites onto Hans. Mr. Big Sword slices it open just as Hans starts screaming.
Joe mentioned hearing a story of his great great great? Grandmother using a snakes carcass to drag treasure in. A snake purse of sorts. Oddly enough, it makes total sense. We harvest the meat and lo and behold it is the perfect size to squeeze our coins and jewels in.
Just as we are dragging away our new treasure snake tube purse thing, another snake attacks. Us archers in front start shooting, and Joe and I take it down. I am proud of him for not taking out my other foot. I ask Ceyleen to keep her nose smelling for staircases while we make our way to the guard rooms to store our treasure snakes. Staircases always have a distinct mildew smell, and I'm glad Ceyleen knows what I mean. To be fair though, the whole place reeks... but i trust our Swamp Druid.
I'm pretty happy that we are rich, but I'm very worried about Aevlin. Culty said anyone who gave the ED lip would be killed... I really hope she and Jose played along, or if they're in the cult i hope they can be turned back. And then we have Clappy to worry about... maybe we should start clapping through the dungeon?
☆ Gregolas ☆
#FreeAevlin #ClapOnForClappy #letJoseStandonyourFaceforleverage
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Post by Jeffrey Pettengill on Jan 20, 2019 18:11:34 GMT -5
Okay, so I am not thrilled with being underneath this swamp. It is damp and muddy. But it is where those ultimately responsible for Lothis’s death are, so this is where I need to be.
Despite or in auspicious entrance to this underground domain, thanks to the uncoordinated cleric of Kord, the group proved able to work well together as we started to explore. The barely elven thief and I took the lead to investigate a little ahead of the rest of the humans with their lit lamp.
After examining a couple of corridors leading from the entry chamber, one of which led to a door which was swollen shut and was not about to open without a great deal of effort, we found a corridor with several doors. The thief attempted to move stealthily down and listen at the first door, but she had not managed to do more than remover her skullcap and put her ear to the door before it was thrown open and we found ourselves under attack by several spear-wielding guards.
I was all set to make them walking-talking pin cushions, but the thief’s back pedaling into my line of fire as they moved into the hall prevented me from doing what I do best. Before I could unleash a deadly hail of arrows upon them, they were on me. Forced to engage in close combat, I drew my sword and used it to dispatch the one in front of me.
As we were engaging these attackers, another band of adventurers came upon us from behind, and subsequently found themselves under attack by a second band of guards which came up behind them. This new band proved very capable, particularly the elf with them who put the attackers to sleep. Among them were another human ranger and a dwarf.
As we dispatched our guards, several more poured out the doors further down the hall. I managed to pick one off before they advanced and I was forced to engage with sword once more. With a well coordinated effort on our part, despite the human archer taking an arrow in the foot curtesy of the not so thiefly thief, we were able to rid ourselves of this nuisance. Well, all but one who realized that surrendering was the better part of valor.
I tied up the prisoner and began to question him, while directing the others to check the rooms out. From our prisoner, we learned that they serve the god Explicitica Defilus, who was some sort of snake being. We convinced the guard to take us directly to this being, hoping to end this cult quickly by cutting off its head immediately. Following our prisoner, we found ourselves in front of a door. The prisoner tried to open it, but it would not move as it was barred. He apologized and informed us he forgot that he needed to give the password. He then proceeded to call out for them to open the door because he had intruders who wanted to meet Explicitica and convert. Upon which our new Elven companion proceeded to shoot an arrow into him.
While I was momentarily shocked by this behavior, I did not have any time to debate or protest his actions because he immediately moved up to the door and pushed it open. Standing on the other side were three guards, one of whom was in scale mail. I took him to be the leader of the trio and called for the impatient elf to duck and proceeded to open fire on the guard in the heavier armor before the three of them could react, assuming that the better armor meant he would be the most deadly opponent. To his credit, the elf followed directions and dropped to the floor, leaving me a clear line of sight, of which I and the other archer proceeded to take full advantage. Before any of them could react, the scale clad guard was standing there with three arrows in him. The last one striking him in the center of his forehead. Best. Shot. Ever.
Unfortunately, before any of our party could take any further action, the two other guards pulled their collapsing companion clear of the door and closed it, throwing the bar back in place. Thus ended our attempt to quickly get to the cult leader and without too much of a fight from others in this complex. Now whoever, or whatever, is beyond that door will know of our presence and will be better prepared for us when we arrive.
Unable to force the door open, we explored a side corridor which led to a cave filled with about three feet of water and mud. In the darkness I saw two sets of bulbous eyes protruding from the water. Giant frogs. Two arrows easily sent them sinking to the floor of this cavern.
After a couple of moments of thinking, the other elf had us tie one end of a coil of rope around him. He then proceeded to test the depth of the water and found that it wasn’t deep enough to be a danger. However, the mud at the bottom was thick and squishy enough to be a hindrance to movement. So, he then proceeded to swim across the room, past the pillar in the center to a ledge at the far end of the room. There he managed to locate a secret chamber with three locked chests.
I proceeded to join him, swimming through that filthy, fetid cavern water. (Damn! I cannot wait to get out of here and get properly cleaned up. Though I do not know if these clothes will ever get clean again.) The thief also join us and actually proved to be useful. He managed to unlock two of the three locks, revealing a lot of coins and nearly a hundred gemstones. The last chest, the largest, proved more of a problem to get into. It resulted in us needing to borrow the cleric’s morningstar in order to batter it open. This one two was filled with coins. Thousands upon thousands of them. Sadly, while the other box had filled with electrum and silver, which we learned once we got them into the lantern light in the corridor back where we came from, once we shed the light on these coins, we found them to be only copper pieces.
Once we rejoined the others, we found that they had managed to slay an enormous constrictor snake. And they were in the process of skinning it with the idea of using it to haul our treasure out of here in. They were also in the middle of butchering the carcass for the meat to supplement our rations. Pretty ingenious thinking on their part.
Just as we were about to head out, we found ourselves under assault by another gigantic serpant. I managed to severely weaken it with a couple of arrows. Unfortunately my two shots were not enough to kill it before it was on top of me and attempting to swallow me whole. To my surprise, as it attempted to close its jaws around me, I felt a sudden surge of energy from the ring which I had found on Lothis and the monstrous snake retreated before it could clamp its jaws shut. It was almost as if I had gained some extra level of protection. And it begs the question, if so, why was Lothis not wearing the ring? If he had, might he still be alive instead of laying in a cold grave in some inhospitable human land instead of on his way back to Celene with me?
Questions to which I most likely will never know the answers.
I am thinking it may be time to take my leave of this band and seek one who can help me to improve my skills. It is clear that I am reaching the peak with what I have learned thus far, and it is time to acquire more skills if I am to endeavor to continue my quest to find those who have been taken from Selaena Thalor.
Nylen Starbow
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Post by Aileen on Jan 23, 2019 21:01:44 GMT -5
It's Always Dark in the Swamp Dungeon Episode 3: The Gang Meets a Harpy
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We said goodbye to Nylen after getting the snake purses out of harms way. He took his share of 500 gold and headed back to town. In his stead a new half elf has joined us, named Revelor Flamewhisper or something. He seems pretty cool.
This dungeon seems eerily empty. We took a nap and had some snacks while hiding our snakes, and emerged from the guard room to more damp and quiet. Joe thiefed ahead with the other elves and killed some giant rats before I could even see them. I hung out with Ramne and Whiskers, me being too weak and blind in the dark to be of much help. I think even Ramne is stronger than I am and I could be his great grandchild.
I've come to find that making fun of our old man doesnt really get us anywhere, but when we are polite and respect our elder he does tend to lend us a hand. Granted carrying a lantern isn't much, but allows us to worry about the fighting rather than the lighting. Whiskers the Weasel clearly doesnt like the mud and isnt helping us navigate this place like he did back in the Dim Forest. Ramne wont let me pet him either. Sad.
We find a bunch of empty rooms, lots of mud, and some storage rooms. Theres plenty of random food items, but no evil carrots. I'm not sure I'll ever eat one again. I really, really want some cheese though.
We come to a big chamber that leads out to a muddy hallway that looks promising, we really just want to find the stairs and go kill the Ereptile Dysfunction, and no direction we've gone yet has smelled of staircase. A voice is singing, and I stop dead in my tracks. Hans, Ceyleen and Ruskin keep walking towards whatever it is, but I have a bad feeling about it. Joe tells me to stop Hans, but Revelor tells me to just worry about shooting. It is all I can really do these days.
A big, birdlike thing with the torso of a naked lady comes flying out, singing its blasted song. I really, really dont like country. The others knock out our hypnotized comrades, and I aim my bow at the Harpy. I let loose two arrows before its upon me, hitting both times. As it descends to take me out, I drop my bow with a scream and draw my sword. My life flashes before my eyes as its claws reach out to ensnare me, and I thrust my sword into the air. I'm still screaming as it falls dead. Did I just kill a harpy?! I, Gregolas, the fighter who can barely lift his sword?
Ruskin and I pick some feathers off the body and disperse them to the other party members as Friendship Feathers. We both wear them in our hair and look really, really cool. The other guys go off to get some of the big wooden beams from the storage room and me and the halfling try to help, but clearly just get in the way. Hans and Ceyleen dont believe that I killed the Harpy and Hans says theres no way I could have because I cant even lift a backpack. Jokes on him, I can lift a nearly empty backpack AND shoot a bow better than anyone!
We cross the plank over the mud pit and find ourselves in an identical chamber but with platforms up on the pillars. This must be the harpy's nest- and theres the distinct glint of metal up there! Joe climbs up and tosses down lots of jewelry. I pile on the chains and a blingy ruby medallion. I dont sense that this bling is evil like the golden carrot, and its not weighing me down, so why not accessorize?
The rest of the place is pretty boring. More mud, more water... we hear something big plop into a giant pool so we get the hell away from there. We find a small pool of fish, and Ruskin and I try to catch some of the little burgers while Hans, the elf, and Rivaldi kill another giant snake. Ruskin gets one of the fish, but drops it. Then we move on, finding the room we killed a guy in before being rudely locked out emptied. Theres no sign of anyone here... where did they go?
Going down another hallway of mud, we bang open a door to a big water pit full of decomposed bodies. I pray that our friends are not among those, and my heart tells me they arent. We quickly leave, and find another tunnel that is wetter and looks like it may go down. The swamp druid sniffs and says she can sense stairs, but she also says she smells them in every room we go to. This better lead us down, and Aevlin better still be hanging in there. She will never believe I made it this far just to get my paycheck from her.
Did I mention I killed a Harpy?
☆ Gregolas the Cursed Fighter ☆
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Post by Chris on Jan 24, 2019 14:09:24 GMT -5
Against the Cult of the Reptile God Cult members' eating area empty room empty room arched chamber den of the harpy pool empty pool wine storage nice quarters cave-in burial pool ended play on Waterday, Reaping 5, 576 at 6:20:03 am our plays on RPGGeek rpggeek.com/plays/thing/49288?userid=1168080
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Post by Jeffrey Pettengill on Jan 26, 2019 21:50:58 GMT -5
Okay, I’ve definitely come a very long way from Mitrik in Veluna. I’ve never seen a swamp before, and once I get out of this one, I’ll be happy if I never see one again. And I most definitely don’t want to set foot in one ever again. My desire to see more of the world blinded me to the possibility of traveling in such lands that smelled worse than the Mitrik’s lowest slums.
I left my home, and what little family acknowledged me there, with hopes of proving myself truly worthy of the family name of Flameheart. Or the family name of Whispersong. The hope that I can prove myself worthy of belonging to one, if not both, of my families.
I had been wandering long, thinking to find grand adventure, to have tales told of my daring. Or to find other adventurer to connect with and learning their tales so I could share their stories in song and poem. And it looks as though I may have stumbled upon some. By sheer luck in this gods-cursed land I ran into an elf coming out of a hole in a mound of earth in this lousy swampland. He told me that he was heading back to a place called Orlane to seek further training and that his companions were below, seeking to rescue some prisoners of some snake god.
This definitely could prove a band deserving of having their names writ in the scrolls of legend.
So, I have entered this series of tunnels under the swamp. It is dank and filled with mud. Why doesn’t anyone ever tell you how fithly adventuring is? How dirty you get doing it? Why is this never mentioned in any of the ballads or odes?
I followed the elf’s directions which led me easily to where his companions were holed up. After a quick introduction, I joined them in their search of these tunnels.
Most of this proved boring, encountering giant rats. While they were larger than normal, they weren’t necessarily of unusual size. Definitely not the size of which I have seen coming out of Mitrik’s sewers and roaming the streets on the darkest, foulest of nights. After a series of empty rooms, we came upon a room with an arched ceiling and four pillars. As we entered, a haunting song came from a corridor at the far end of the room. I sensed something unusual about the song, something about it calling to part of me. Beckoning to come to it, but I managed to steel myself against it. Unfortunately, several among the party were unable to resist.
As about half of us began walking entranced toward the corridor, a hideous creature, half woman and half bird, came flying into the room. Fortunately, the archer was not charmed by the song, and I instructed him to focus on shooting the thing while I proceeded to try and knock the cleric out to prevent any harm coming to him. Or from having thing command him to attack us.
It took two quick jabs to successfully render the priest unconscious. As I drew my sword and dagger and turned to the unholy songstress, I saw the archer dropping his bow after successfully burying two arrows in it and draw his sword. Strangely it took him two hands to lift a blade which was no larger than the one I was wielding. It took him a great deal of effort to swing it, almost most as if it weighed ten times what it should weigh. And the look of sheer shock on his face as he managed to bring the creature down with that blow. There is clearly something unusual going on with him.
From the ribbing the young man, Gregolas, took from those who were charmed, it appears as if he is under some curse that has sapped all of his strength from him. Perhaps he should be the subject of my first work of this company of adventurers. Gregolas the Cursed? Gregolas the Weakened? Hmmmm. I’ll definitely have to work on it. His feat of single-handedly defeating that creature, which they are calling a harpy, by overcoming the affects of a curse to do so, is worth a song or poem.
With the harpy slain, we search the room and then moved into the corridor on the other side of the room. The corridor was filled with incredibly deep mud which was making it impossible to walk through. After a moments thought, I took several of the party and we went back to the storage room we had found and retrieved a twenty-foot beam which we then lay across the mud in order to walk across.
The corridor led to a room, similar to the one we had just been in, with a large nest constructed among the pillars. The thief climbed up into the nest and found a bunch of jewelry which he threw down to us. In the ceiling above the nest there was an opening which led to way to the surface. We could all feel fresh are coming in through it.
We then found a waterfilled cave, which none of us really wanted to deal with, especially after hearing the sounds of creatures sliding into the water. Then there was another, smaller water-filled chamber to the side of a mud-filled hallway, which we used another beam from the storage room to provide an easier way across the mud. The room’s water had blind fish in it, which the halfling, Gregolas, and the thief proceeded to try and catch with their bare hands.
Not quite understanding their actions, the cleric and I remained in the corridor. And it is a good thing we did as a giant snake came slithering upon us. The two of us easily dispatched the creature. Then, just as we were catching our breaths, a shrill shriek rang out from the room as the halfling stood there with a fish in his hands and a insane grin on his face.
We all burst into laughter as the fish wriggled its way out of the halfling’s hands and back into the water. Not much more of interest happened as we came upon some abandoned rooms, which the party thought was a guardroom to the lower levels of this place where this reptile god is supposed to be located. There was nothing there, not even any stairs. The occupants had hurriedly vacated, taking advantage of our explorations far away from where they were.
We found another water-filled chamber filled with skeletons, which were evidently the remains of what some of the creatures here had fed upon. For them to be deposited here, some of the things doing the feeding must have some sort of intelligence. I went into the water to search a little, but did not manage to find anything other than the rotten remains.
Now we find ourselves standing at the entrance to another water-filled cavern. (I am getting tired of water- and mud-filled places.) This is quite large, and we can’t see to the opposite end. My suspicion is that this is the other end of the cavern that we found just beyond the rooms where we fought the harpy. What we are able to see is a worked stone corridor off to our right.
Revalor Flamewhisper
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Post by Stephen on Jan 29, 2019 15:05:43 GMT -5
Hans Gunther Heinrich, Adept of Kord, pummeler of bugbears, basher of goblins, snake slayer, wound healer and first of name is unsettled.
Traveling through the dismal swamp dungeon in search of missing party members and villagers is starting to wear on me. The thought of turning an emissary of an evil god to worm food is the only happy thoughts I have. Although my faith is strong, commitment to our cause unfaltering I can feel my will power being slowly drained away. it is increasingly difficult to not let it show. We lost one party member but gained another, an elf. He is well armed and moves like he has been in a fight or two. We assume our normal marching order and continue through the muddy tunnels. The elves dispatch a few giant rats with ease. No one got hurt.
Eventually we come to a large chamber. Getting our bearings and exploring a little the air is suddenly filled with the most beautiful sound I have ever heard. Soft, graceful singing. A woman's voice. It calls to me. It fills me with bright hope, relief and a longing to be held close to the naked breast of a woman. The singing stirs emotions deep inside me reminding me of what it felt like to be in love. In the blink of my eyes I find myself on the bank of a lazy stream deep in the woods near where I grew up in. I look down and to my relief I am wearing cool loose fitting clothes, not my heavy plate armor. I wiggle my toes and feel the soft earth give beneath them. Another long note of a woman's singing echoes around me drawing my attention to the stream before me. Sitting on a large flat stone in the middle of the stream is the most beautiful creature I have ever seen. Long flowing chestnut colored hair tumbled down past her waist. A long summer dress the color of ivory clung to her lean body. I couldn't make out the features of her face as she was sitting side ways looking up stream. I was drawn toward her and her voice. I slowly took a step into the stream, then another. The cool water of the stream did little to quell the burning desire inside of me to get as close to her as I could. I knew on some level that I would do anything she asked of me.
Without warning it felt as though I was hit in the face with my morning star. The perfect scene before me fractured as if someone hit a mirror causing a spider web of cracks to run along its smooth surface. Then it shattered and for a long moment I was in both places at once. The muddy dungeon and on the bank of the lazy stream. Scents from both places assaulted my nose, pleasant scent of stream and woods vs the stale stench of old mud and death. Sights from both places over lapped and the beautiful woman sitting on the rock appeared to sprout one long feathery wing from her back as the image continued to shatter. WHAM! I take another mace hit to the face, lights out Hans. I awoke a little while later and at first was disappointed I wasn't on the stream bank. They told me it was a harpy that sang a song of death and god ole Greggy killed it with a few arrows and a swing of his sword. Revalor, the new guy, was the one who laid me out breaking the harpy's hold on me. Dam elf dented my helmet but I am still alive so I will call that a fair trade.
I was shaken by that encounter. Longing, lust, happiness, anxiety, rage and utter sadness swirled around in my head and in my heart. I whisper a short prayer to Kord, asking for strength to carry on. I feel a slight burst of peace burn through the tumulus emotions churning their way through me.
They pillage the harpy's lair and we move on. before I know it Rev and I are standing watch looking down the long tunnel while the rest of the party is milling about a clear pool of water. They are talking and appear to be ok. Rev stiffens and at the last second I look up to see yet another giant snake working its way toward us. We call for aid and attach the beast. As I lined up a swing with my morning star I remember the way the harpy manipulated me. How it made me feel vulnerable yet loved and strong. It enraged me that I allowed the harpy's song to get inside my soul. What if I turned on my friends? What if they got killed by the harpy because I was weak? All of the emotion that I felt during the trance and after it lent me the strength I needed. I slammed the snake so hard I felt its back break upon the weight of my weapon. For a brief moment I hear slow clapping and before an image of Kord appears. Not happy or angry, just gruff like an old grandfather treats his grand children. His approval is all I needed. I will try harder to keep the party together and alive. Hopefully we can see this through soon for a I wish to please Kord and crack the back of another snake.
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Post by dragonforgotten on Jan 29, 2019 17:14:56 GMT -5
Its been pretty straight forward ever since my close shave back there. I killed some right but lost Betty (my short bow). Shattered right in my hands, Poor Betty. You will be dearly missed. Now thanks to the halfing man i can say hellow to Veronica (new short bow). Everyone seems to have ghosted after our rest, not a single human in sight as i creep down the halls. As i was sneaking i found a door leading to a large room and think it was fine we all went right in. this beautiful sing then started up and my hands instantly flew to my ears. It the snake b****! Quick i yell out. Grab a buddy! I see the druid go cross eye and start working but i forgot something important. I have the strength of an old man. She dragging me across the ground. I did the only thing that makes sense. I punched straight in the glass jaw and out she goes. by the time i finish huffing and wheezing I watch Greg slice a bird women in two. Wow. No ones going to believe it. but i saw. I saw everything.
everyone soon after want to check out her nest. yes in indeed lets. I immediately start to sink in the mud Oh god it the curse, is this the end! woe is me! Tell my bother i love him and he owes me money! With the group effort everyone saves me. Now im going to climb along the wall this time. I slip and fall right in again. Oh god! Is this the end of poor Joe! What cruel fate is this! Woe is me! Please save me! Please.
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I frisked the nest without any problems this time. God my self some nice bangles. No one wanted to deck out in the loot like me and greg so greg decided to wear everything! Thats alot of bling.
-Joe
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Post by Chris on Jan 30, 2019 12:42:27 GMT -5
Against the Cult of the Reptile God Crocodile Pool (2 crocodiles slain, 1 driven off) Hidden Boat Lair of the Giant Weasel (giant weasel) Troglodyte's Guardroom Level 2 Mud Cavern Second Treasure Room wandering zombies Chamber of the Dead (coffer corpse) ended play on Waterday, Reaping 5, 576 at 11:31:1 am our plays on RPGGeek rpggeek.com/plays/thing/49288?userid=1168080
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