Re: Adventure #3 - Lord Winter

[151prooftattoos]

Swank takes a knee by the fire.

"Actually, your friends here shared their stew with me... least I could do was stab a giant. And as for riding into town... would you be so kind as to hide me inside a rucksack upon entering? There are folks looking for me, I am certain of it."

[Malazek]

OOC: I just notice that some people still have potions of water-breathing listed on their character sheets. Please, remember to remove them.

[Alpha Omega]

"I think, instead, we should travel back to Umberfall and seek a removal of the curses that have afflicted us.  Then, after a good nights rest, we return on the morrow."

"I agree, lets head back to town."

"Actually, your friends here shared their stew with me... least I could do was stab a giant. And as for riding into town... would you be so kind as to hide me inside a rucksack upon entering? There are folks looking for me, I am certain of it."

"Well met Swank. I believe we may just have something that can help you, that is if Elodie doesn't mind sharing her crown with you."

"Now that I've had my nap," he says, "I'm ready to go. We can ride back to town or we can track down that giant ... I'm ready for either!"

"I like the gumption, but we need to head back to town and rest. We can always come back and look for this giant that gave you all this trouble."


After conversing with the party, Jeremiah will gather himself and mount his horse.

"I'm ready when you guys are..."

[Glitz]

Still a bit worried by how frail some of her fellow adventurers are, Elodie hands her last potion to Lindy. She digs around in her pockets until she finds the small, magical pearl she has been carrying with her. She wraps her fingers around it, summoning a little more power from the little pearl. She then turns to Halvar and touches his arm. "Hold still," she says, and uses the last bit of power she has to attempt to heal him a bit more.

Potion for Lindy cures 11 (8 + 3) HP.
Cast Cure Light Wounds on Halvar, heals 12 (7 + 5) HP.

"Well met Swank. I believe we may just have something that can help you, that is if Elodie doesn't mind sharing her crown with you."

Elodie turns to Swank, pulling the glittering barrette out of her hair. As it comes free, it appears to transform into a jeweled crown. She hands it to Swank. "Here. With this, you can look like someone other than yourself, and walk through the gates with us." She combs her hair out with her fingers, and then mounts her horse. "If we're heading back to town, the sooner, the better. Maybe the more injured party members should stay towards the middle?"

[Swifthand]

Talmuts eyes momentarily narrow at Swank's revelation of being a wanted man.

"We are all deputies of Umberfall, Swank, and have sworn an oath to uphold it's laws and leader.  If you are obliged, over dinner, we can listen to your story.  Perhaps there has been some mistake that we can rectify, if you will allow us to investigate your case.  If not, then let our ways part amicably tomorrow, you with your freedom, and us left with another tale of the Black Blades.  An epilogue, if you will."



"Here, Gum.  Take this."

The Conjuror hands Gumphrey a potion (of Cure Moderate Wounds - does he need that much?) and then goes about re-donning his gear.  Finally complete once more, Talmut mounts Nakkamtu.


"Let us be off. The sooner, the better.  Injured in the middle."

[Malazek]

Talmut, Elodie, Jeremiah, Gumphrey, Flint, Lindy, Halvar, and Swank all mount their horses and prepare to ride back to town.

"You can ride with me, Mr. Swank," Glory offers. She reaches out her hand to help Swank climb onto the back of her steed.

And with that, the party departs the Scopulus Arx for the second time.

---

OOC: Chance of Encounter was 20%. I rolled a 60. 

---

The ride back is relatively uneventful.

The hills remain rocky and uneven, the trees continue to loom over the sides of the road ... and eventually quaint familiar farm houses come into view.

It's still day light. The sun rests about half way between the midday and the mountains, confirming that it is indeed late afternoon.

After a few more of hours, the party reaches the Jolly Toad and the West Gate of Umbrafall.

[Glitz]

As the group approaches The Jolly Toad, Elodie says, "Why don't we see about selling the gems at the general store near the Adventurer's Guild, and try to find a church to get rid of everyone's curses? Then we can split what's left, and have a meal at the inn."

While they are at the general store, Elodie also wants to buy some parchment, a quill, and some ink. She will take the first opportunity she has to sketch the lizard-like statue from the dungeon.

[Alpha Omega]

"Why don't we see about selling the gems at the general store near the Adventurer's Guild, and try to find a church to get rid of everyone's curses? Then we can split what's left, and have a meal at the inn."

"Sounds good.. Although we may want to sell directly to the Adventurers Guild, they may give us a better deal. Talmut do you think any of this loot is of historical significance, if so should we present it to the court?"

OOC: Is the cat still with us?

[151prooftattoos]

On the ride back...
 
"Pardon my pardons; but, I couldn't help but overhear you speak... cursed? Whatever happened down there? I share your emotion."
 
OOC: Changed my color - didn't know Alpha was green already    Cool? Or too Dark?
And I presume Swank is on the back of Glory's horse, forgot to say.
 
Several times along the way, Swank visualizes in his mind: standing on the back of the horse and flipping over to ride with the next nearest rider.
 
Overwhelmed by compulsion, he does it, over and over again - pausing around thirty seconds between jumps.
 
Acrobatics Rolls: 20+9: 29 (First actual roll with new dice bro sent me! lol)

"I on the very same hand... am also cursed..."
                        20+9: 29 (WTF! 0.o crazy)
                        
"Spend twenty years of my prime in the depths of Daxon prison..." 

                        17+9: 26

"Even though I was able to escape, I shall evermore peer over my shoulder..."
                        16+9: 25
                        
"I am thankful for your willingness to hide me, even though you do not even know me."

                        17+9: 26

"'A Black Blade never forgets a gesture, whether evil or righteous. And will, seek forever, to: continually grow this relationship's power exponentially - in its respect thereof.'
                                                                                                                                                                  ~Apt the Mad. Respective 12."

~Sick Dice!

[Malazek]

OOC: Is the cat still with us?

Nope.

As the party reaches the outskirts of Umbrafall, Jeremiah realizes that Mittens is no longer with you.

Cool? Or too Dark?

OOC: Looks fine to me.

the general store near the Adventurer's Guild

we may want to sell directly to the Adventurers Guild

OOC: Sorry for any confusion. The general store is part of the Adventurers' Guild. The Guild Hall and the General Store are on the same lot, surrounded by the same wooden wall. There is also another stable on that lot, too. The rooms the Guild rents are inside the Guild Hall, as was the other tavern you visited (and the bulletin board is in the AG tavern).

[Alpha Omega]

Upon realizing the cat is missing...

"Well if the jewels have no historical significance, go ahead and sell them. I'm going into town to take care of a few things, I'll meet you at the Inn later."

Jeremiah will head over to see the wizards and give them the bad news about their cat.

[Swifthand]

"I will record the items in my report of our findings, however, I see no reason not to sell them.  Can I include your illustration in the report, Elodie?"


Upon hearing about the cat..


"Flint, what happened to Mittens?"

Talmut will join Jeremiah at the wizards to help break the news after having his cursed removed.


Should we take a few days to reflect and level up?

[Glitz]

Elodie will accompany Talmut & Gumphrey to sell the gems and have their curses removed, and then will get a cup of coffee at the inn while she works on the sketch (which she agrees to give to Talmut when she is finished).

[Malazek]

"Flint, what happened to Mittens?"

"That cat?! I forgot about the cat! Well ... I guess, he wandered off. I don't know if that was before or after the giant attacked us, but ... I guess, we just forgot about him? Should we go back to look for it?"

Jeremiah will head over to see the wizards and give them the bad news about their cat.

Talmut will join Jeremiah at the wizards to help break the news after having his cursed removed.

Assuming Jeremiah doesn't try to run away or hide from Talmut ...
... they reach the wizards' lab together. Unless they are stopped, Halvar and Flint follow along, as well.

When Jeremiah and Talmut arrive, they find that the door is locked. (Talmut, however, still has a key).

Elodie will accompany ... Gumphrey to sell the gems 

At the General Store of the Adventurers' Guild, Elodie finds that Talmut's guess was extremely close. The old man tells her that the six necklaces, the six rings, the twelve bracelets, the earring, the emerald, and the 65 pearls are worth a grand total of 42,500 gold. "We don't keep that much on hand, I'm afraid. I can only offer you 25000, at the moment. There are, however, a few other things we can do. If you like, you could consign the remainder to us, until such a time that a buyer can be found. In other words, we give you 25000 now and then, later, after we've sold the rest, we would pay you the remaining 17500. Alternately, the 17500 could be offered as credit. That is, we could give you 25000 now and then you could choose 17500 gold worth of goods from us. As a third option, which I don't recommend, you could simply retain possession of the entire lot while we search for a suitable buyer. Once one is found, we could put you in touch with the interested party. Honestly, however, I don't recommend the latter option, as it doesn't put any wealth into your hands, right now. Either of the former options allows you to leave with 25000 gold, immediately."

If Elodie decides to consign the loot ...
"Very well. Would you like to store some of it in the party's vault? Or would you prefer to take it with you?"

If Elodie decides on a store credit ...
"Very well. Have a look around and let me know when you're ready. If you don't find enough to use up the entire 17500, you can always come back and spend your credit at a later time. In the meantime, would you like to place some of the gold in the party's vault? Or would you prefer to take it all with you?"

If Elodie decides to wait for a buyer ...
"Very well. We will be in touch as soon as we find a potential buyer."

Elodie will accompany ... Gumphrey to ... have their curses removed

When they are done at the Adventurers' Guild, Gumphrey suggests heading over to the Temple. "We may have to make a sizable donation for the gods' favor, but the clerics are usually willing to treat curses and other afflictions, if you do."

Unless she is stopped, Lindy will follow along.

The Temple is surprisingly close to the West Gate, situated on a large partially-walled lot, with plenty of trees. A stone pathway connects the cobblestone street to the Temple's main entrance. The Temple itself, is a grand four stories high, with a shiny massive dome on top. Elodie has never been here before, but Gumphrey seems very familiar with the place. He marches right up the path before turning back to see what Elodie is gawking at. "You coming?"

---

---

Swank watches as half the group marches off in one direction and the other half marches off in another. Only Glory remains behind. "So, what'll it be, Mr. Swank? You want to follow Talmut and Jeremiah? Or Gumphrey and Elodie? Or, perhaps you'd rather just step into the Jolly Toad with me and get a drink?"

Elodie turns to Swank, pulling the glittering barrette out of her hair. As it comes free, it appears to transform into a jeweled crown. She hands it to Swank. "Here. With this, you can look like someone other than yourself, and walk through the gates with us."

OOC: Did Swank put on the Crown? If so, what does he look like when he reaches town?

Crown of the Chameleon Lord
Aura faint illusion; CL 1st
Slot head; Price 1,800 gp; Weight —
Description: This ornate and bejeweled crown allows its wearer to alter her appearance as with a "disguise self" spell (page 271). As part of the disguise, the crown can be changed to appear as a comb, ribbon, headband, cap, coif, hood, helmet, and so on.

[Alpha Omega]

"Talmut, before you use that key let us knock and see if anyone is home."

Knock...Knock..Knock..

[Malazek]

"Talmut, before you use that key let us knock and see if anyone is home."
Knock...Knock..Knock..

Nobody answers.

[Glitz]

Elodie agrees to consign the rest of the loot and take the 25,000 gold currently being offered. When asked about leaving gold in the vault, Elodie says, "I'll take 150 coins with me, and leave the rest in the vault."

When Gumphrey mentions the donation, she pats her pocket. "Don't worry--I've got it here with me." 

When they reach the Temple, Elodie is stunned by the grandeur of the building. She follows Gumphrey, excited to see what the interior looks like.

[Swifthand]

The news that Mittens is missing takes quite awhile to sink into the Conjurer's cursed mind.

"You forgot!  Of course.  Under the circumstances, a perfectly reasonable response to failing at the only thing I specifically asked you to do."  Talmut says, earnestly.  "Yes, we must go find Mittens.  No need for rest or to alert the others.  Let's be off!"

At that, the Wizard turns and strides toward Nakkamtu, determined.

[Alpha Omega]

Seeing Talmuts reaction...

"Wooaah friend.. I agree with you, we need to rescue the cat. But first lets go get these curses removed, once the curses are removed we'll gather the party and find mittens. Maybe it is a good thing these wizards weren't home, we may not have survived their wrath..."

Jeremiah will then lead everyone to the church to see about removing some curses. While on the way he says to Flint and Halvar...

"You know, I applause your courage and prowess for fighting that Ogre, BUT, you lost one of the things you were there to protect. Lets hope that we find this cat, the wizards he belong to are incredibly powerful. I am not sure how they will react to such a terrible loss..."

[151prooftattoos]

Swank will appear as a typical fisherman and try to remain inconspicuous.

He remains silent a he listens, as the others decide what to do.

[Malazek]

Swank ... remains silent a he listens, as the others decide what to do.

Since Swank rebuked her offer, Glory disappeared into the Jolly Toad as Swank followed along beside Talmut and Jeremiah.

When they reach the Temple, Elodie is stunned by the grandeur of the building. She follows Gumphrey, excited to see what the interior looks like.

The entrance consists of two massive ornate oak doors. The symbol of Odin, the Valknut, is carved into each door at the top and center. Underneath it, the symbols of the other gods are also carved, albeit much smaller. Each door also sports a wrought iron knocker: one bearing the likeness of a raven's head with an iron ring held in its beak; the other bears the likeness of a wolf's head with another iron ring held in its mouth.

Gumphrey swings the doors open and marches in. Elodie follows. 

Inside, Elodie is struck by the sheer size of the building. The main nave runs from the front door all the way to the far end of the building, making this hall the longest "room" Elodie has ever seen ... but it's also one of the tallest, at nearly three stories high! The arched ceiling is painted with a scene of Odin's ordeal at Mimir's well. A narrow balcony runs across both sides, roughly twenty feet above the floor.

At this point, she notices that even the floor is ornate: every tile is etched with masterful runes and polished to an illustrious shine.

Several transepts cross the main Nave (some large and some small), each ending at a shrine to one of the other gods: Manannan Mac Lir, Grannus, Balder, etc. As she gets close to the end, she finds that the largest shrines are dedicated to Thor and Frigga ... both are dwarfed, however, by the main chapel in the temple's apse. The last dedication sits under a massive four-story dome which houses the altar and icons of the temple's patron deity: Odin, the All-father.

The main apse is so wide, that it's almost a building in and of itself. A colossal statue of Odin dominates the room. Behind the statue, sits a raised dais and an old stone altar that seems mysteriously out of place. A thousand candles placed around the room keep the place well-lit ... including the tragic battle displayed in paint on the inside of the temple's main dome.

As Elodie marvels at the temple's decor, one of the clerics approaches Gumphrey. After a brief discussion of curse-removal, the cleric agrees to remove the enchantment if Elodie will donate 150 gold to the temple's coffers.

"a perfectly reasonable response to failing at the only thing I specifically asked you to do."

"you lost one of the things you were there to protect. Lets hope that we find this cat"

"I'm sorry," Flint says. "Halvar and Lindy were hurt. I guess we were all a bit frazzled after the giant attacked us. It won't happen again."
Halvar objects, "It's not my fault! I got knocked-out trying to protect that cat from the giant!" 

Jeremiah will then lead everyone to the church to see about removing some curses.

Assuming Talmut goes along with Jeremiah's suggestion ...

Talmut, Jeremiah, Flint, Halvar, and Swank arrive at the front of the temple, only to find Lindy loitering around, out in the front.

The entrance to the temple is guarded by two massive ornate oak doors. The symbol of Odin, the Valknut, is carved into each door at the top and center. Underneath it, the symbols of the other gods are also carved, albeit much smaller. Each door also sports a wrought iron knocker: one bearing the likeness of a raven's head with an iron ring held in its beak; the other bears the likeness of a wolf's head with another iron ring held in its mouth.

Inside, everyone is struck by the sheer size of the building (except Talmut, who has seen far more impressive buildings, in his homeland). The main nave runs from the front door all the way to the far end of the building, making this hall the longest "room" some of you have ever seen ... but it's also one of the tallest, at nearly three stories high! The arched ceiling is painted with a scene of Odin's ordeal at Mimir's well. A narrow balcony runs across both sides, roughly twenty feet above the floor.

At this point, you notice that even the floor is ornate: every tile is etched with masterful runes and polished to an illustrious shine.

Several transepts cross the main Nave (some large and some small), each ending at a shrine to one of the other gods: Manannan Mac Lir, Grannus, Balder, etc. As you all get closer to the end, you find the largest shrines dedicated to Thor and Frigga ... both are dwarfed, however, by the main chapel at the very end, in the temple's domed apse. This last dedication sits under a massive four-story dome which houses the altar and icons of the temple's patron deity: Odin, the All-father.

The main apse is so wide, that it's almost a building in and of itself. A colossal statue of Odin dominates the room. Behind the statue, sits a raised dais and an old stone altar that seems mysteriously out of place. A thousand candles placed around the room keep the place well-lit ... including the tragic battle displayed in paint on the inside of the temple's main dome.

Several people are milling about. At this point, Talmut and Jeremiah realize that Elodie and Gumphrey are already here, speaking to one of the temple's resident clerics. If they speak to him, the cleric will offer them the same deal: 150 gold for each attempt to remove the curses.

Swank will appear as a typical fisherman and try to remain inconspicuous.

Nobody seems to suspect that the grisly old fisherman is anything other than what he appears to be.

[Swifthand]

Talmut will gladly pay the 150.

Let me know how many tries it takes and I will amend my gold.

[Malazek]

Let me know how many tries it takes and I will amend my gold.

OOC: The Cleric's caster level check = 14 (Success) ... 150 will be plenty.

[Glitz]

Elodie gapes at the ceiling, mouth open, for several seconds. She trips over her feet as she takes a few steps forward, following Gumphrey into the palatial building. She then turns back to the door and sticks her head out, yelling at Lindy. "LINDY! HAVE YOU SEEN THIS PLACE? IT'S AMAZING!" From the street, Lindy can see Elodie disappear for a seconds, and she can hear a few loud whoops through the heavy door that Elodie is still holding slightly ajar. "AND MY VOICE ECHOES!" Elodie finishes triumphantly, and then lets the door close as she scurries to catch up to Gumphrey.

After a brief discussion of curse-removal, the cleric agrees to remove the enchantment if Elodie will donate 150 gold to the temple's coffers.

Elodie begins pulling coins out of her pockets one at a time, handing them to the cleric after she has counted out the appropriate amount.

OOC: Sweet description!

[Alpha Omega]

Jeremiah will also shell out the 150 gold.

OOC: If for some reason he is unable to get the curses removed with the first pass, let me know.

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