Monday 29 September 2003

• OK, so the next D&D recap I need to make is for Pitcher's FR 3.0 campaign on Saturday the 13th of September.  He was going to run on the 6th without those of us going to CopperCon, but when four of us went he decided not to run for two. 

  
  

  Well, despite the fact that I had written down our swim order from the previous month's session, everyone decided to reargue the swim order.  This was because no one, not even the GM, believed that we had discussed it at the end of the last session.  Fourty minutes later they had decided on a swim order which matched the swim order I had written down. 

  
  

  Despite this, people will continue to not believe me throughout my life.  No matter how many times I demonstrate that I do know how to take notes, no has ever believed me.  I don't know if it's me or if it's them.  *sigh*  Why me?

  
  

  Anyway, even with the same swim order they all still continued to refuse to aknowledge my own hand written note on my character sheet from the week before.  So, Master Hu Li swam with the rope and grappling hook to the opening out of the submerged tunnel.  While he did that and returned, everyone else dressed out of their gear that they didn't want weighing them down while swimming.  (Yes, I know that they had already done that last session, too.  But I didn't argue.)  When Master Li returned, he tied the other end of the rope to a stalagmite on the shore. 

  
  

  So then we set out.  When Master Li reached the other room, he charged the three drow he saw near the wall.  They were located right where the paladin had detected.  They dropped their cards and drew out bows.  Then Karrass came through, tossed a sunrod on the floor for the others coming through the hole in the floor, and drew his bow.  When the barbarian's charge was complete, the drow switched to swords.  Serren came through and started lobbing spells so that Master Li finished off the last of the drow as Cap came through.  

  
  

  While they took the sunrod and started looting, Magnus came through the hole and Cap noticed a humanoid form behind them at the very edge of his lowlight vision.  He mentioned it to the party as Caleb emerged from the hole.  Caleb could see it too, but then it left the range of our lowlight vision.  Magnus, being a mere human, didn't see anything and decided to go loot with the others.

  
  

  Unfortunately for him, they all came back to us (with the sunrod).  It was then that Serren, Caleb, and Cap could see the form again.  This time we could tell it was a drow, and it had another bear with it.  As the drow fled down the corridor behind it, the bear charged us.  It was obviously the male of the pair of brown bears.  Cap tried to soothe the animal with magic and failed, so the party attacked it.  The bear quickly killed Caleb (despite having all of his armour and weapons with him!) with a claw, claw, bite that dropped him to -14.  The bear then killed Master Li with another tripple attack which left the already wounded half-orc at -16.  Thankfully, the party was "bear"-ly able to kill it before it could slay the rest of us. 

  
  

  They returned to looting while we prepared the bodies for the long swim back.  The drow each had a sword made from an unknown metal, each of which was superior to our own swords.  Meanwhile, the bear had a magical collar.  Fortunately, their was evidence of scavengers in the cave, so the bear's corpse was not likely to go to waste. 

  
  

  We returned to the outdoors just in time for Cap to pray for his spells.  Meanwhile, Serren left for town without the rest of us due to his need of eight hours of rest before memmorizing spells.  The others crafted a couple of stretchers, and we returned slowly back to town.  Karrass said that he was going to wake Rodolpho, despite Cap's several warnings not to do so.  So, while he was downstairs asking the innkeeper where they could hide the bodies, Cap rushed up to Felica's room.  He woke her and said that he wasn't sure if Serran had had time to wake her or not due to the time restaints needed for rest.  Cap said that he thought that he would be kind enough to check there while "on his way" to his brother's room.  Sure enough, Rodolpho appeared a few minutes later.  Cap warned him of what Karrass was planning, and he managed to save himself some embarrassment. 

  
  

  In the morning, we were woken up early for breakfast.  The inn was empty and the front door was barred.  Our mentors questioned us about what had happened.  They seemed concerned that the drow and the Zhents might now be working together against the town.  In the past, it had been the fact that neither of them had gotten along that had saved the town.  We then burried the dead in the cemetary.  We were told to take the rest of the day off, but that another mission was assigned to us tomorrow. 

  
  

  However, we didn't get the chance to do anything with our downtime.  At least Steve admitted it was because no one was likely to remember it next session anyway.  Jason then got all whiney, telling the other two that they had better make more front line characters.  His character was all based upon ranged attack, but it is also the best surviving character for the frontline possition.  Mike and Dustin both talked of making rogues.  Dustin apparently wanted to remake a character he has made before.  He claimed that because he tried playing outside his normal play style with Master Hu Li and failed (I assume that he equates heroic death with failure for some reason), that he had every right to bring in an evil rogue into the group.  I'm disliking Dustin more and more every session.  He knows that its a heroic game. 

  
  

  Then, on Friday the 19th we played Jackson's D&D campaign after a long hiatus.  All of the players were there except Bill, and those with multiple characters had to play both.  The air elementals which were playing in the storm began to create a barrier to the storm. 

  
  

  Squigbarm was praying to Eldath when she made a vision known to him.  In it, she showed fifteen pools scattered throughout the Silver Marshes.  The families which attended to the needs of these sacred pools where then targeted by agents of Malar.  One family member was turned into a lycathrope and then commanded to kill the rest of their family.  The dead were dropped into each pool, desecrating it/them.  She explained that she did not know to what purpose these attacks had been made at the time.  The various pools froze over and over, until suddenly one of the black shadows which had escaped from the tomb appeared at each of the pools.  They each dropped down to the bottom of their respected pools, and came back up with the corporeal undead they had created of Eldath's deceased worshippers.  An army of undead is being formed!  Eldath warned me that this was taking away from her power, and that the time in which she would be capable of granting spells could be nearing an end!

  
  

  Delome came to Squigbarm then, and explained that while hewas in prayer, he felt as if Sharess's attention was split between here and something of importance in Calimshan.  He was sure that he would have to go today.  When I warned him of the impending threat of the undead, he said he wasn't sure how long he could remain here. 

  
  

  About then, the electrical display around the Temple of Stronmaus began to coalesce.  An avatar of Stronmaus emerged, and we took him to see Jer.  He lamented that the time of the giants was surely at an end if a son of Moradin was on the throne.  He then explained that because the tribe who had been cursed was no more, that if Jer took the temple in the courtyard to the other side of the Spine of the World and left it there for his few remaining followers, then the curse would be lifted and he could do what he pleased with the rest of the castle.  He then explained that he had come because the storm above was being caused by a battle between the Gods of Fury.  An attempt was being made to repartition the power of all of the weather gods, and he must go to insure his survival for the sake of his few remaining followers.  As he left, he warned us that another deity was awaiting our attention. 

  
  

  Sure enough, an avatar of Ilmater was near the pool, with a shivering form at his feet.  He announced that he had brought back Zed to us.  We were sure to need him in the suffering to come, and he could not fault a man who died at the hands of Lovitar with his name on his lips.  He then explained that the storm around us was destined to last a year and a day, as Umberlee, Malar, and Auril fought to kill Talos and replace him with a newly raised demi-god.  That would place Umberlee at the top of the Gods of Fury, and the new kid on the bottom.  The new kid was to come from the sea astride a rogue dragon with the wind of Umberlee as his guide.  He confirmed that the storm was generating an anti-magic aura in order to protect the humanoid which was attempting to ascend to godhood.  Then he left us. 

  
  

  As the group discussed the events which had transpired that morning, Cyrus confessed that the Rogue Dragon was the name of the ship his father was building for him.  It was intended as a gift when Cyrus took command of the fleet and his father retired.  He was sure it should be completed by now, but unsure who would be in command of it.  He thought it too big a coincidence to not bring up.

  
  

  A silver dragon and its rider crashed in through the storm.  They looked cold and battered, which is saying alot for a silver dragon!  The rider explained that they were from Silverymoon.  Deloan's patron had had to go back to Calimshan for an emergency.  He had asked the rulers of Silverymoon to take his family to be under the care of Deloan.  They offered to care for the family themselves, but he insisted.  As the storm was strong enough that snow was even falling in Silverymoon, the rider was dispatched to find Deloan.  The rider had noticed that the effects of the storm were even less here in the castle, so he created a teleportation circle and brought the family through.  Deloan took them to his quarters, and they promised to serve him as if he was the head of household.  Zed threatened to attempt to woo one of the daughters, claiming that it was unfair that Deloan should hog the whole "harem" to himself.  Squigbarm quickly put him in line. 

  
  

  Deloan and Ethan then called down a large air elemental from the sky.  Some of the storm came through while they spoke.  It explained that they were there on the behest of Akadi to protect the castle.  When they asked it if they could risk moving the castle in the storm, several small elementals came down and shouted, "Move!"  "Yes, Move!"  "Move, move, move!"  The storm came raging through for a few second until the bigger elemental made them go back into place.  He told them, "Do as you will."  They asked again, but if we move will it be safe?  "Do as you will."  Will you be able to stay with the castle?  "Do as you will."  Will you be able to protect the castle if it moves?  "Do as you will," and with that he left to join the others, obviously agitated with all of the questions. 

  
  

  So we moved the castle.  It suffered a little damage as the air elementals quickly adjusted to protecting more surface area, but Kalimba used her Lyre of Building to fix all of that.  We aimed south towards the Nethlander Islands where the Rouge Dragon would be coming from.  During those days, Ethan and Kyswirq traded spells from their spellbooks.  Then, Kyswirq created four Speed Swim scrolls for Ethan.  Squigbarm protected Deloan's family while he teleported to Calimshan one day and returned the next.  The Dales quit being scared of Squigbarm, despite the fact that he could still feel him inside.  Then we arrived above Waterdeep. 

  
  

  Saturday the 20th we made characters for Trav's new Modern Day Exalted campaign. 

  
  

  Later I'll update you on last weekend.  I'm almost all caught up!

  • 21:26
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