Re: Adventure #6 - The Lion of Vilderoy

[Glitz]

"What is special about this drink? It's for the Prince; I want to be able to tell him why it is so fantastic!"

[Malazek]

"What is special about this drink? It's for the Prince; I want to be able to tell him why it is so fantastic!"

"Zis will edase all his bain, bos physical and emotional."

[Alpha Omega]

What say you?

"Well, that still seems over priced and I do not have that much on me at the moment. But, I do have this ring that I think would be a fair trade for you. It improves the wearers ability to move up vertical surfaces."

[Malazek]

"Well, that still seems over priced and I do not have that much on me at the moment. But, I do have this ring that I think would be a fair trade for you. It improves the wearers ability to move up vertical surfaces."

The old woman studies Jeremiah for a moment, and then carefully inspects the ring, before responding. Finally, she says "For you? Okay. An even trade."

[Alpha Omega]

"Sounds good."

Jeremiah will hand the merchant his ring.

[Malazek]

Sometime later, the Band of Four rendezvous back at the bottom of the hill. Jeremiah arrives first, carrying a large (and rather odd) contraption, consisting of several discolored globes, rotating rings, and hand dials. Elodie shows up next hauling a cage with a tiny dragon inside (and a vial in her pocket). When Gumphrey gets there, he is holding a mummified monkey paw; a gold and ruby ring rests on the third finger of the hand. Miphelgara is the last to arrive, seemingly a little lost, and carrying only a misshapen piece of glass ("I didn't have any money," he explains.)

[Glitz]

"Oh, Miphelgara! I'm so sorry. We should've asked. Here, you take this vial. It's supposed to cure emotional and physical pain. I'll just explain that I got distracted from the mission and bought myself a new companion."

Elodie will raise the cage and look at Phaastia. "If I let you out, will you behave? I'm trusting you to make good decisions." She attempts to look stern, like her mother back in Kelbany.

[Malazek]

"Oh, Miphelgara! I'm so sorry. We should've asked. Here, you take this vial. It's supposed to cure emotional and physical pain. I'll just explain that I got distracted from the mission and bought myself a new companion."

Miphelgara replies, "Oh, thank you, but  that wouldn't be fair. You give him the vial ... I'll give him this glass; it was formed when dragon breath struck the sand. It'll be fine. But, thank you, Elodie, for the offer. It's very kind."

Gumphrey laughs. "Wait, so, the little dragon in the cage is NOT for the Prince?"

Elodie will raise the cage and look at Phaastia. "If I let you out, will you behave? I'm trusting you to make good decisions." She attempts to look stern, like her mother back in Kelbany.

Phaastia considers the question for moment, and then responds. I won't cause any trouble and I won't fly away.

[Glitz]

As she is opening the cage, she explains to Gumphrey, "No, the little dragon isn't for the Prince...this is Phaastia, and she had been cooped up for far too long without a good meal and room to stretch her wings. Such a clever creature deserves more freedom than that, don't you think?"

She holds the cage open and waits for Phaastia to exit.

[Malazek]

As she is opening the cage, she explains to Gumphrey, "No, the little dragon isn't for the Prince...this is Phaastia, and she had been cooped up for far too long without a good meal and room to stretch her wings. Such a clever creature deserves more freedom than that, don't you think?" She holds the cage open and waits for Phaastia to exit.

"Yeah," Gumphrey says, as he turns toward Miphelgara-Talmut. "So, what kind of Dragon is this? Does she talk?"

Miphelgara-Talmut answers. "It's a pseudodragon, distant kin of the larger types of dragon people are familiar with. Though capable of speech, most prefer to use telepathy and only speak in the ancient dragon tongue." Miphelgara says something to Phaastia that none of you comprehend. "Ce mai faci, vere? At facut un prieten adevarat, astazi."

Phaasita looks surprised and says nothing, but Miphelgara smiles as if she did. Maybe she responded telepathically?

[Alpha Omega]

"Well, shall we head back to the prince?"

[Glitz]

"Well, maybe Phaastia will help me learn this language. Or you, Miphelgara?"

"Well, shall we head back to the prince?"

"Yes, let's go. We can see what the Prince thinks of our finds!"

[Malazek]

And so ...

The Band of Four takes their finds and heads back up the hill to meet the prince. When they first arrive, Leon the Gray is still in meeting with his advisers. After waiting just a short whole, however, the Prince and his retinue emerge from the military chambers.

The prince comes immediately to the Band of Four. "Welcome back. I am eager to see what the Band of Four finds interesting." He eyes the little dragon, clearing assuming she is part of the wager.

[Alpha Omega]

Jeremiah will present the device he purchased to the prince.

"This is a planar navigational device, it allows you to navigate your path through all the planes of existence."

he will then go on to describe...


"Just twist these dials here to the appropriate settings ... the first to find your location, and the rest to the current date and time ... and then ... you see ... it shows you the relative positions of all the planes of existence! The Great Wheel, laid out before you!"

... bowing ...


"I thought perhaps this device could aid you and your military advisers in winning this war."

[Alpha Omega]

Merry Christmas everyone!

[Glitz]

After Jeremiah has explained his purchase, Elodie will step forward and display the tiny vial. "This is a small potion that is supposed to take all of your pains away, from the private stock of an exotic dealer," she says, handing it over.

[Malazek]

Jeremiah will present the device he purchased to the prince. "This is a planar navigational device, it allows you to navigate your path through all the planes of existence." He will then go on to describe... "Just twist these dials here to the appropriate settings ... the first to find your location, and the rest to the current date and time ... and then ... you see ... it shows you the relative positions of all the planes of existence! The Great Wheel, laid out before you!" ... bowing ...  "I thought perhaps this device could aid you and your military advisers in winning this war."

After Jeremiah has explained his purchase, Elodie will step forward and display the tiny vial. "This is a small potion that is supposed to take all of your pains away, from the private stock of an exotic dealer," she says, handing it over.

After Elodie and Jeremiah presents their finds, Gumphrey presents the mummified monkey-hand with the gold and ruby ring. He explains that it was once attached to a powerful god-king who ruled a race of intelligent monkeys. Supposedly, it contains powerful magicks. Finally, Miphelgara-Talmut steps up and presents the glass that formed when a dragon breathed lightning into the sand.

The Prince's advisers immediately rush over to inspect the items, as Leon the Gray stands back and rubs his bearded chin. After brief moment of consideration, he states "These are all very interesting finds. Thank you, I appreciate everyone of them. My steward will put all of these items into the vault ... after you've had a chance to pick your prize! It's a tough choice, to be sure, but in the end ... I think Captain Jeremiah's contraption wins the wager!"

Again, advisers object, "Lord-Prince, please reconsider" "Not every item in the vault should be offered as a mere trophy."

... but the Prince waves them off. "Bah! My word is final. Any one item in the vault, that was the wager." Looking to you, he says "Follow me, please."

Then, the prince storms off, down another hallway to a staircase ... but he doesn't take the stairs. He moves to a nearby statue and touches something behind it. When he does so, a nearby panel in the wall slides away, revealing a secret passage. "This way," he says, leading you through the secret door. The hidden passage leads to a different set of stairs, that spiral down into the ground. At the bottom, you find a half dozen well-seasoned guards waiting to "bust" intruders (bust their heads, maybe). The Prince nods and moves passed the guards to a heavy iron door.

He inserts a key.

One of the advisers inserts another key.

The leader of the guard inserts a third key.

And the heavy iron door swings open, revealing a wide room that is teaming with treasure! Gold and silver are piled high, around all manner of precious artwork (paintings, statues, jewelry, and more). A handful of carpets and tapestries are rolled up and piled on top of everything else. Chests are everywhere. You even spot three or four sets or armor and an entire weapon rack full of weapons! And more! You see boots and capes and books and decanters and gems and horns! You see a mirror and a lamp and a rope and a harp and a chime!

You even begin to suspect that some of these items might even be magical!

"Jeremiah, the choice is yours! Any one item, as we agreed."

[Alpha Omega]

"Prince, would it be possible to get a brief description of some of these items from you or your adviser? I would like to make sure I pick something good to help aid our party in the raid tonight. Or, to make sure I pick something that can aid the Band of Four in future endeavors."

[Malazek]

OOC: Sorry for the delay; I've been out of town.

"Prince, would it be possible to get a brief description of some of these items from you or your adviser? I would like to make sure I pick something good to help aid our party in the raid tonight. Or, to make sure I pick something that can aid the Band of Four in future endeavors."

The Prince considers the question for a moment, and then says "No, I don't think that would be in the spirit in of the bet; nor do I think my advisers would be steer you in the right direction. You may, however, enlist the help of your companions ... who I'm sure have all sorts of tricks up their sleeves. I hear that lord Talmut is quite the expert in these areas."

Miphelgara tugs on his beard, to keep up the facade.

Gumphrey turns to Elodie and whispers, "When you detect magic, you can tell how strong the magic is, too, right?"

[Alpha Omega]

Jeremiah will wave the other three into the vault for some assistance...

[Glitz]

Elodie steps into the vault with Gumphrey and Miphel-Talmut. "Let's see here..." She stands in the middle of the vault and begins to examine the items in the vault, searching for strong and powerful magical auras.

Cast Detect Magic.

[Malazek]

So, the Band of Four steps through the door as Elodie calls upon the spirits of nature to help her analyze the contents of the vault. Among the many treasures, she locates a magical rug, a magical crossbow, a magical scimitar, a magical halberd, a suit of magical plate armor, a magical shield, a pair of magical sandals, a magical cloak, a magical gem, a magical decanter, a magical horn, a magical mirror, a magical ring, a magical amulet, a magical rope, a magical lamp, a magical harp, and a magical gong. (All in addition to the countless mundane treasures, many of which seem to be priceless or near so). The enchantments range from faint to strong and belong to every school of magic. 

The weapons and armor carry the weakest enchantments (presumably the Prince and his closest followers have found more powerful items to carry onto the battlefield). The rug can fly. The sandals quicken the wearer. The cloak helps the wearer remain hidden. The gem has the power to summon elementals. The decanter pours forth unlimited quantities of water.  The horn conjures mystical warriors to do battle. The mirror is enchanted with necromancy, but Elodie could not fully analyze its powers. The ring helps the wearer escape confines and other hindrances. The rope can move on its own accord. The harp charms listeners. And the gong opens locks and doors.

Among all of these items, however, the most powerful seems to be the brass lamp. Etched with strange sigils, it is imbued with powerful conjuration magicks that seem to house an planar entity of immense power. Elodie feels certain that the entity is not a true elemental, in the strictest sense, but is somehow related to the plane of fire. In her years of studying the elemental forces (and fire, in particular), Elodie has heard of such beings. Some are said to serve mortals for a period of time, in order to prove their honor and humility; some possess the fabled power of granting wishes ... but such beings, known as the Efreet, are both malevolent and cruel.

[Glitz]

"Well, Jeremiah...although the gem or the horn may be useful on the battlefield, I feel that the greatest treasure in this room is the lamp. There's no way to be sure what kind of being lives in the lamp, but it is probably a very powerful entity. All of the other items could be very helpful in the right hands, but I don't think would greatly benefit our already-skilled party."

[Alpha Omega]

"Well lets take a party vote on which item we think would benefit us the greatest. If Elodie says the lamp is our best choice, then that's what I will choose. How about the rest of you?"

[Malazek]

Gumphrey agrees. Miphelgara isn't sure that he should get a vote; but says that "if" he had a vote, then he would agree, as well.

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