Session Start: Sat Oct 20 17:31:36 2007 Session Ident: #castlevania [The intrepid party stands outside the great library of Boccob. How shall they reach Stovograd?] * Roland is ready for a lovely ride across the countryside. Worst, are you coming with us? It might be good experience for you. * Charlotte stretches and jogs in place and does other exercises. I hope so. I've grown attached to the little guy Does anyone know how to get to Stovograd from here? * Nyyx reaches into her bag, takes out a map, and hands it to Skip. "It's there, on the map." We have horses. Quite good ones. The solution seems obvious. There's forest and a mountain range between us and the town, so there might be some difficult travel. No faster ways there, huh... Oh, and before I forget-- * Nyyx reaches into her pocket and extracts the carved wooden figures of the fiendish dire penguin and dire aurumvorax. "Worst, these are for you. We got them at the zoo here in town and thought you might like them as a souvenir." ... oh, that reminds me. They had some kind of Demon Lord there, didn't they? Who had what? The merchant insisted it was some kind of swamp beast. At the zoo. * Nyyx hands the figures to Liverwurst with a smile. Do you think he was lying? I have no idea. I guess there's some creature that, by some huge coincidence, happens to look just like a Demon Lord. But what would a Demon Lord be doing in a zoo? There's nothing to do there but sit around and eat free food. I'm not sure, but we didn't see creatures of that sort while we were at the zoo, did we? Liverwurst: "Thank you, Natalie." * Nyyx smiles. "You're welcome." If we did, we didn't notice... (( It's Natalia. ;) )) * Skip examines the map closely, "The fastest route would be to go through the city of Lifebreak. Roland, do you know anything about that place?" I suggest that I learn this spell. We can simply teleport there in a few days. Lifebreak is Nerull's chosen city. That sounds like a creepy name ... oh yeah, defintiely creepy. Undead are allowed in most places within the city. If you enjoy consorting with undead, you will undoubtedly find the city to your liking. I believe we were recommended to steer clear of the place, Charlotte. * Skip swallows hard, then resumes looking at the map. "Teleporting would be nice. Is there any danger to using it?" There is never any danger with my magic. * Charlotte nods. * Roland touches the eye of Boccob. "Lord, save us from overconfident mages." What happens if there IS danger? That depends on how unlucky we are. It is less unsafe than going on horseback How unlucky have we been lately? We're alive. I consider that fairly fortunate consider our recent encounters. What do you mean by unlucky, Roland? I mean that there is -always- a chance of something going wrong. * Nyyx nods. So if something goes wrong, what happens exactly? Best case? We end up a few hundred miles away from where we want to be. We might end up a little off course. It is unlikely. But so is having your throat cut in the inn while you sleep on the road * Theodore buys the spell and returns to the inn to study it. Before leaving, he hands his horse to Nyyx to sell for him. * Roland sighs. I rather liked Hotbun. Perhaps we can repurchase our horses when we return. How much would it cost to find someone to take care of Hotbun for a while? No matter, Charlotte. There will be other horses. * Nyyx takes the horses to be sold, as asked. * Nyyx , after further discussion, arranges for stabling for her own horse, Roland's Hotbun, Skip's dog, and Theodore's horse. [Over the course of two days, Theodore studies and prepares to cast the dreaded spell, Teleport. After much work and a scrying session to find a landing site, Theodore is ready to try his luck.] [In three rapid maneuvers, Theodore pulls himself and three others through the immaterium to an empty plaza in the center of Justice, bounces back, and pulls the other three adventurers with him. It is the middle of the night in Justice and only the moonlight marks the way down the broad streets.] [Theodore repeats the series and the party disappears from the plaza as quickly as they appeared. After a brief trip through the void of non-being, the party finds itself on the outskirts of a large caravan. The same moon shines down on them, accompanied by torches set in the ground throughout the camp and campfires.] Aaaaaah, grace of Boccob. [Guards, surprised out of their slumber, draw weapons and advance.] "Who goes there?" Woah. That was disorienting... "Who goes there! Last warning!" * Nyyx steps forward. "Natalia Ruthven. We are here on church business." * Skip tries to walk, then falls over. "I feel inside out." He lies still for awhile. We're new arrivals, just in from Misted Vale, via Justice. Charlotte Dorin. Guard: "Which church?" We have been sent by the Contacts of both Pelor and Boccob. Boccob and Pelor, chiefly. Guard: "And the others?" * Skip puts his hands over his eyes and mutters, "Murdock the Mudskipper, of the Panther Halfling Tribe." Roland of Boccob, Seer. Liverwurst: "Master Wurst, Wizard at large." Theodore Montalin. His Master. Guard: "What is your business here apart from being sent by the Contacts?" We're here to investigate the plague and hopefully help with the situation. We should speak with the leader here, if he is awake. * Nyyx nods. Guard: "I see. Well, I'll send for someone to take you to the commanders." [He turns and shouts into the camp.] "Perin! Visitors to be processed! Get out here!" * Theodore whispers "Processed?" [The man who is apparently Perin arrives and leads the party into the camp.] Perin: "This way please." Perin: "Yes, processed. We will check your intentions and gear. Can't be too careful." Please do be careful with our gear. Some of it is quite delicate as you can imagine. We did just teleport in from Misted Vale, you know. * Nyyx nods as she follows Perin. "Understandable." Sure thing. Perin: "Of course." [The party is led into a large, well-lit tent where camp mages inspect the party's equipment, and the party is run through several Circles to tease out issues of alignment and nature.] [Nyyx is set aside for a few minutes until her living status is confirmed. Lastly, the party is put through a Zone of Truth and asked very pointedly about their intentions at the camp.] [After the questioning, the party's gear is returned and they are escorted to a large tent in the middle of the camp.] [The tent is well-lit and has a large model of the city of Stovograd and the surrounding area on a table in the center. A few individuals are standing at the entrances and around the table.] [One of the figures from around the table looks up and waves you over.] * Nyyx approaches the figure. * Charlotte walks over. [It is a man in black robes with pale, gaunt skin. He extends a skeletal hand.] "Well met. I a Gorrish of Nerull." * Nyyx shakes his hand delicately. "Natalia Ruthven. Pleased to meet you." Ah... hello. [Gorrish's hand is made of smooth ensorcelled bone. It makes Nyyx's skin crawl.] * Charlotte puts some distance between her and Gorrish * Nyyx tries not to let that affect her, but she shivers almost imperceptibly. Gorrish: "And who brings you to our fair camp?" * Roland lowers his hood to allow the eye of Boccob to show. We're here to investigate the plague, Gorrish. * Nyyx subtly wipes her hand off on her cloak. "Please tell us about the situation here." Gorrish: "Well, you can see the length and breadth of it from the model, Natalia." Gorrish: "Our timeline is scant." * Nyyx turns her attention to the model of the town. * Charlotte looks over the model. Gorrish: "Perhaps six to eight weeks ago, a strange disease struck the city. People began to fall into comas seemingly randomly. By the time the city was quarantined, forty percent of the town was stricken." Gorrish: "By the time the task force formed, the city had been sealed off from the inside." Gorrish: "We have sent several teams into the city and scried extensively. We are attacked whenever we enter and progress has been slow." Who is attacking you? Attacked by what? Gorrish: "That is a prime question. The entry teams claim gargoyles and greater monstrosities. We do not know where they lair. Also, there seem to still be survivors hidden in some of the buildings." You are not able to scry for survivors? * Nyyx nods. "And the victims in comas - do they still live?" Gorrish: "We cannot see inside all of the buildings. We are screened. The victims still live. That is the odd part. They do not starve, they do not rot. They just sleep." ... strange. Screened by what? Gorrish: "We do not know. A shadow falls over our sight." Hmm. This inability to scry sounds familiar, doesn't it? Are you the chief diviner? Gorrish: "Really?" Have you heard of an Alexandre du Pre? Gorrish: "No, most certainly not." [He chuckles.] "I have other specialties." Gorrish: "du Pre? No." I thought you might... but I didn't want appearances to deceive your true talents. * Skip gets up on his toes to examine the model. [The model is a scale version of Stovograd and the area made of wood, stone and clay. Every street and building is depicted. Several areas are marked with figures where attacks took place. The figures show gargoyles and other creatures.] Ah, well, no matter about du Pre, then. There have been other instances of people who cannot be scryed that we're also looking into, so it's possible that the plague and this scrying problem may converge. Gorrish: "I see." * Nyyx studies the model in detail and makes notes in her journal. Some of these figures are earth elementals. Strange. Any pattern? The attacks seem to be based on where the task form teams enter the city. Gorrish: "We have theorized that some force within the city is organizing these attacks as a defense mechanism, as though we were seiging the city." Interesting. Any idea where that force might be located? Gorrish: "No idea. We haven't seen anything that stands out. Well...." * Nyyx lifts an eyebrow questioningly. Gorrish: "There was one thing. Our scriers did spot a lone figure in the city one night fighting the other creatures. Don't know what to make of that..." Anything could be a clue. What did this lone figure look like? Gorrish: "I am not a scrier, Natalia. You should ask them." * Nyyx nods. "They didn't discribe it to you? All right then, I'll ask them later." Gorrish: "That is sensible." And these creatures - is there anything unusual about them? Gorrish: "To my knowledge, they are simply gargoyles in great numbers." Why would they gather here in huge numbers? And have you had any luck in curing any of the plague victims? Gorrish: "No idea and no." I suppose we'll just have to investigate, then. May we speak to one of your scryers? * Skip looks to Gorrish, "And the members of the task forces?" Gorrish: "Of course. They will likely be awake in the morning." Gorrish: "They are largely drawn from the Champions of Kord as they like leading from the front. We rotate shifts unless an entry is planned. The other leaders are all either asleep or preparing for the day." Have any members of the task forces been infected? * Roland steps up just behind Natalia and whispers something quietly into her ear. Gorrish: "Yes. We have them in a medical tent. They are all in comas. Ten of them. Mostly of Kord and Hieroneous." Did anything happen to them before they fell? * Nyyx nods to Roland. "I'll be back shortly." She follows Roland. * Roland heads outside for a moment. * Nyyx steps outside, likewise. * Charlotte glances back at them. Gorrish: "They were attacked by the gargoyles and put low. The went into comas instead of dying. We have healed the bodies, but they do not wake." * Skip raises an eyebrow at his leaving comrades, then looks back to Gorrish. "What is your overall plan at this point?" Gorrish: "My plan? Investigate and try to reclaim control over the city." Gorrish: "And who might you be?" * Skip flinches, then regains his posture, "I am Murdock the Mudskipper, Nightstalker of the Panther Halfling Tribe." * Skip bows in greeting. * Skip looks around for a stool or box to stand on. Gorrish: "Well met. What brings you to our territory?" * Skip drags over a small box and stands on it, getting a better view of the model. "I had been traveling these lands alone, trying to discover the villains that brought unnatural death and disease to my village. My journey brought me to the town of Kronnenburg and the halls of a vampire by the name of Gregor. There, I met my comrades and we have been fighting the forces of destruction ever since." * Charlotte watches Skip talk * Nyyx re-enters the tent without Roland. Gorrish: "You are the Kronnenburg group? Impressive." [Gorrish motions toward a corner. A robed figure with a large, leather book lurches forward and kneels before Gorrish, proping the book on its face and hands.] [Gorrish thumbs through the book slowly, stopping near the end of the tome.] "Yes, I have the notes right here. Most impressive." There's stuff written about us? * Skip nods as he studies the buildings of Stovograd, then glances up at the book and raises an eyebrow. Gorrish: "You? No, not you. The encounter at Kronnenburg. Bards sing about it already in this region." ... aah. * Charlotte looks disappointed. Gorrish: "Impressive given it has only been about a month." * Nyyx glances curiously at the book. "What does it say?" * Skip is stunned for a moment, then returns to his thoughts of the city. "Have you had any success sneaking anyone into the city to investigate from the shadows?" Gorrish: "No. We are always detected. Strange really. Our foe must have abnormal sensory abilities." [The book is a written in a dead language.] In my jungle, we would build observation posts that looked out over the canopy of trees. Have you erected any such building to look over the walls of the city? Gorrish: "Something like that. You will see in the morning." [After saying their goodbyes, the party is shown to a campfire near the edge of camp where they can bed down for the night.] [Morning is cold and foggy this close to sea.] * Nyyx rises early and takes a quick walk around the camp. She doesn't seem bothered by the cold in the least. [The party returns to the main tent and finds a new set of people around the table. These figures are dressed in white except for one figure standing at a distance in lose-fitting brown robes.] * Charlotte wakes up early and says her morning prayers. After finding that she still doesn't have any spells, she goes to the camp. Figure in white: "New arrivals? Well met. I am Arrus of Heironeous." Ah, greetings. I am Charlotte Dorin, priestess of Pelor. Pleased to make your acquaintance. Natalia Ruthven. Arrus: "I understand you came in last night. What did you think of Gorrish?" Slightly unsettling, but polite and informative. Arrus: "Very diplomatic. I take it he gave you the rundown on the situation?" I don't trust him so much, but he puts on a civil act. * Skip nods, "As much as he could, but we have a lot more to learn." Arrus: "What do you need?" Gorrish mentioned a "lone figure" that the scryers spotted fighting the creatures. We'd like to know more about that. I'm kinda curious if you recovred any gargoyle corpses, too. It sounds like their claws might be spreading the disease. Arrus: "Those are excellent questions. The scrier over there [he points] was the one to spot the figure. Strangely, any gargoyles that we remove from the city collapse into dust." ... strange. Thanks for the heads up Arrus: "Of course." Gorrish also mentioned an observation post for spying over the city wall. I would like to see what you have set up. Arrus: "Did he now? Well, that scrier can help you the best." [He smiles.] Thank you, Arrus. May we speak to him? (( or her, if the scryer is a female )) Arrus: "That is up to her. Good day to you." [He walks back over to the group and points you out to the figure in brown. She approaches. Besides the brown robes, you notice that she appears windblown even in this tent.] Ah... hi. I was wondering if you could tell us about the lone figure you saw fighting the creatures. Brown robe: "Of course. I'm Sirrus by the way. Pleased to meet you. I saw it for the first time about a week back. Wears black. Only comes out at night and is absolutely fearless." Pleasure to meet you, Sirrus. I'm Natalia, and these are my friends Skip and Charlotte. Is there anything else you can tell us about the figure? Sirrus: "This person is extremely powerful. Took on a group of the gargoyles like it was nothing. Just strolls down the street and checks out the buildings one at a time." Wow. Formidable. Has it ever approached any of the task forces? Sirrus: "Not to my knowledge. It is best that they do not. When it gets really worked up, it can dance between the rooftops and even the backs of the 'goyles, crushing them with that horrid whip." ... attacking gargoyles with nothing but a whip? A whip? An unusual choice of weapon. Is it humanoid? * Nyyx exchanges glances with Skip. Sirrus: "Yes. Surely." Strange. He never leaves the city walls? Sirrus: "No. Never." Besides the whip, are there any distinguishing features to this character? Sirrus: "He, I think it's a him, is very thin. Wears nothing but black and the whip drips with dark, shadowy energy when he uses it." Sounds eerie. * Nyyx nods thoughtfully. "Is it likely we'll meet him inside the city gates when we go in to investigate?" Sirrus: "Yes, certainly. If you manage to last in there very long, you should see him." Hmm... okay, that's a good short-term goal. Speak with the whip-weilder. Have you tried entering the city by going over or under the wall? Sirrus: "I have never entered the city, but I am sure you could go over the wall. The teams just break the main gate down." That's good to know. We'll watch out for him. Thank you for the information, Sirrus. Can you show us the observation tower overlooking the town? Sirrus: "Observation tower? Someone is making fun." Oh? Sirrus: "Yes. I am the observation tower." [She steps back and begins to float off of the ground.] "You see?" * Nyyx blinks a few times. "Ah. I see." ... aah! Neat! [She returns to earth.] "Why scry when you can just watch?" * Skip blushes in embarrassment. "Hm. Has anyone tried to sneak into the city?" Sirrus: "Yes, the Jasians have tried a few times, but they are spotted very quickly." Jasians? Who are they? Sirrus: "The followers of Wee Jas." I would like to speak with them about their techniques. Where could we find them? Sirrus: "They are camping on the west side of camp with the Nerull scum. You should also talk to Harnish. He normally hangs out on the north end so he can watch the city's southern wall." Harnish? Sirrus: "He is another druid." Ah, I see. Thank you. We'll seek him out. Anything else we should know? Sirrus: "Nothing you are not better off discovering on your own. Good luck to you." Thanks! [The intrepid party heads out of the tent to see the camp.] END OF SESSION. Session Close: Sat Oct 20 23:12:05 2007