Roccar nods, "You mean what you discovered during the heist...the 'Lonely Tower', as Fumbles called it. He had surmised someone was working against us, one step ahead of us. It seemed like every time we tracked down a Staff of the Magi, it was gone by the time we got there. He tracked the culprit to the Lonely Tower and planned to raid it, under the guise of a heist. In the meantime, I had become the Watchblade of Sundabar in Rowan's stead, and I used my new standing with Ser Mary to support the endeavor. Knowing he could count on them, Fumbles hired Aradurk and Karst for this, but the others could not be found in time, and the extra crew that he hired faltered in the mission. Ivar Eagle-Eye, a famed half-elf archer, and a hobgoblin wizard named Uldrem deserted the mission before they reached the tower. An elf cleric, Y'lovisa, stuck with them until they infiltrated the tower, but when the trapped entryway proved more than a small team could manage, they retreated and Y'lovisa opted not to return.
"However, though the first try was a failure, the residents of the tower were not aware of the attempt. Fumbles was more careful with his selection the second time around: Rycider, Tanakir, Wes, and a barbarian named Zikahl joined the team. As far as you were aware, the mission was simple - get in, unlock the vault, loot, and leave - but while you were executing the plan, Fumbles was searching for information. Who was it that was keeping us away from the staffs, and were they aware of this Elder Evil? Karst...your regrets are unfounded. You say you lacked faith in Fumbles, yet surely you knew he had a reason for the raid on the Lonely Tower greater than theft. He appreciated the trust you gave him on this mission. I promise you that.
"Fumbles found what he was looking for, and more. A halfling, a paladin that had broken his oath: Doramor Grimshackle. He, Ser Mary, and Denorian have a complicated history, to say the least. We believe he was corrupted by the influence of this evil. Somehow, he has gained control of a slaad army, and used them to gather Staffs of the Magi and ground them into powder in the tower, to rid us of the ability to defeat the coming threat. Wes, Fumbles believed that your attacker in the tower was Doramor himself, and that he was the one who alerted the orc army to your presence. Those that were there know the rest of the story...inside of the tower vault was a scarred and crippled beholder who confirmed the coming arrival of disaster - something it cryptically called 'Love'. Using a potion of haste, Tanakir held off the leader of the orc army until I arrived in an airship. Zikahl never made it out of the tower.
"Wes and I then built a portal beneath Sundabar, the other end of the one in this very room. My old friend Ritska Snow could provide shelter here in Luskan and keep the Staffs of the Magi we had collected secure. Meanwhile, Fumbles formed a secret society in Sundabar, dedicated to discovering a way to reveal a shapeshifted slaad. They succeeded at finding a temporary solution: Monocles that worked for a few hours before their magic faded.
"But knowing that we were aware of his plan set Doramor fully into motion. He used his slaad army to infiltrate Sundabar. Before we could process how many there were among us, he used my image to command the Stone Shields, the veteran guard of the city, and hunted Fumbles down. He succeeded...they discovered Fumbles' workshop and set fire to the slums of the city.
"Somehow, Gruun and Killian found themselves in the midst of all this. They had discovered the workshop on their own, moments before the attack, along with Hox, the very same kobold from the beginning of this tale, a tabaxi named Zane that had been frozen in time beneath Ascore, and a ranger named Marc. Fumbles brought them to the portal, knowing they were his only hope, but the slaadi were there, too. He sacrificed himself to get Gruun, Killian, Hox and Zane to the portal, collapsing the tunnels upon himself and a number of death slaadi. If they had arrived a moment later, all would have been lost - I had fallen for a slaad in the shape of Fumbles, and was convinced the others were slaadi themselves. It took Hox nearly dying to convince me I had been tricked.
"Needless to say, Fumbles never discovered a permanent solution to revealing a slaad."
"So many times they have thwarted us, so many times we have nearly reached them, and yet they elude us still. Roccar please, tell us there is a way we can end this war with resounding victory for us!" Karst asks, almost imploring the Watchblade for answers.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Vhon - Level 2 Warlock - What shall become of the Drunken Sailor?
Killian remains quiet, even through the telling of her own involvement. At one point, she glances at her sword hand, flexing the fingers. Then she waits for Roccar to go on.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
ey/em/eirs, or they/them works, too (just not he). Role-playing since that keep on those borderlands. Here's my D&D stuff. I love it so.
Tanakir nods his head as Roccar mentions the fight with the orc leader, "That was a big one," and shakes his head sadly at mention of Fumbles, "And let his sacrifice not be in vain. We can still fight the slaadi and their deception with the tools we have at hand, though they are not perfect."
"There is, Karst. Tanakir, you are correct," Roccar confirms.
"After Fumbles' death, Denorian stepped in and created these,"Roccar pulls out a collection of seven diamond-like gems, varying in size from a walnut to a fist. They look similar in shape to the gem that Wes pried from the slaad's skull, though glowing with a purplish hue. One by one, he hands them to the party. "It seems our resident wizard has followed a similar path of logic," he adds.
Roccar explains, "Denorian calls these 'Gems of Revealing'. They are apparently based on something Fumbles discovered beneath Ascore, and they are specifically designed to expose slaadi with a on contact. Unfortunately, as some of you may have noticed, Denorian is not in a great mental state. He kidnapped Ser Mary, thinking she was a slaad, and also kidnapped a slaad version of myself, and...it was quite a mishap. Just before that I had been involved with some intrigue here in Luskan that I'd rather not discuss. I don't believe Gruun and Killian were particularly fond of it, either. Certainly Zane wasn't, the poor lad grew quite toxic from it, and I haven't seen Hox in some time.
"Nevertheless, this is it. With the gems, we've the slaadi on the run. I'd like you to help me and Glendale hunt down Doramor. Cut off the head, so to speak. If history proves true, he is in Luskan as we speak, trying to steal or destroy the remaining Staffs of the Magi that Fumbles and I collected, before we are able to deliver them to Denorian. I expect Ser Mary to arrive today," he concludes.
Gem of Revealing has been added to each character's inventory. Slaad brain gem has been added to Wes's inventory.
At this point, you may wish to discuss the new information and any additional knowledge you have about the storyline. How does each character respond to the situation?
“The Beast I got this from”. As Wes holds up the gem “said that these won’t effect every Slaad, now that’s impossible to know if he was bluffing or not. But we should remain on our guard. These stories reminded me that I have these still. I think they will better suited for you lot rather than my bag.” As he says this, Wes begins diggin through his bag eventually pulling out two bottles one at a time. Handing them off to Petunia she delivers them without needing commands.
"I don't think we can trust the word of a monster, but at the same time we should not put too much faith in the gems. As for their creator, perhaps we should try to cure whatever ails him before we give him all the Staffs."
"Of course, we will need to have the Staffs in order to consider the next part. Does Doramor have any weaknesses? Does he bring a retinue with him, or does he travel alone? Does he know that we'll be hunting him?"
All good questions. There was one ah would like ta pose.says Rycider, not looking up from her embroidery.
Has anyone seen, or know of, how they detect each other? Ah mean ta say, do these Salad Creatures have a secret hand shake? Do thay know by smell? There shifting of shapes is flawless so there must be a way. Otherwise thay may find themselves gatharin' secrets on each other.
"Thank you Wes, this could come in handy I suspect." Karst nods and smiles to the gnome. "As for your question, Rycider" he replies to the bard, "I am no better suited to provide answers than you I fear."
He looks down in worry for a moment at the mention of Hox."When we met Fumbles, he provided us rings to protect out minds against the Slaadi. Could they know each other by not knowing each other?
OOC: Added a potion of speed to Aradurk's inventory and potion of invulnerability to Karst's inventory, and removed them from Wes's inventory.
Gruun, Karst, Killian, Rycider, Tanakir and Wes have received 100 XP.
"These are all great questions. I'm afraid I'm no great researcher. I've no idea how a slaad communicates with another when shapeshifted. As for Doramor..." Roccar answers, "I can think of two weaknesses. First, Fumbles believed that he was controlling the slaadi through a single point; that if we could find and break that point, they would fall to a more chaotic nature, and lose their cohesion. Second, Doramor is obsessed with destroying Ser Mary Glendale. His hatred blinds him."
Suddenly there is a loud, distant, and thunderous boom. It is followed by a few seconds of silence, then the walls of the hideout rattle and shake for a few more, enough to tip over some of the weapons in the room. "What was that!?" Roccar rushes out of the door, climbing up to the street.
Killian, belying her previous display of lassitude, is up and out the door behind Roccar, snagging her shield, and small pack (to which her bow and quiver are attached) on the way out, but leaving the bulkier items (bedroll, rope) behind.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
ey/em/eirs, or they/them works, too (just not he). Role-playing since that keep on those borderlands. Here's my D&D stuff. I love it so.
Tanakir picks up his shield and club, casting shillelagh on the weapon in preparation for a fight, before heading outside. If he gets the chance, he'll empty his entire pool of lay on hands to heal himself.
Wes’s ears perk up when Roccar states that Doramor is blinded by his hatred for Ser Mary, his eyes glance over to Rycider.
Petunia disappears at the tremble of the floor, appearing in the coat pocket of Wes. His wand already at the ready as his steely calm reserved nature masks his face. Petunia a flutter as she begins her normal scurrying around his shoulders and waist. Ge follows suit making sure to be somewhere in the middle.
Karst's white eyes flash as he surges to his feet, axe in hand as he keeps pace with Roccar. "Let it be more foes to end, I'm in the mood for a fight."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Vhon - Level 2 Warlock - What shall become of the Drunken Sailor?
Roccar nods, "You mean what you discovered during the heist...the 'Lonely Tower', as Fumbles called it. He had surmised someone was working against us, one step ahead of us. It seemed like every time we tracked down a Staff of the Magi, it was gone by the time we got there. He tracked the culprit to the Lonely Tower and planned to raid it, under the guise of a heist. In the meantime, I had become the Watchblade of Sundabar in Rowan's stead, and I used my new standing with Ser Mary to support the endeavor. Knowing he could count on them, Fumbles hired Aradurk and Karst for this, but the others could not be found in time, and the extra crew that he hired faltered in the mission. Ivar Eagle-Eye, a famed half-elf archer, and a hobgoblin wizard named Uldrem deserted the mission before they reached the tower. An elf cleric, Y'lovisa, stuck with them until they infiltrated the tower, but when the trapped entryway proved more than a small team could manage, they retreated and Y'lovisa opted not to return.
"However, though the first try was a failure, the residents of the tower were not aware of the attempt. Fumbles was more careful with his selection the second time around: Rycider, Tanakir, Wes, and a barbarian named Zikahl joined the team. As far as you were aware, the mission was simple - get in, unlock the vault, loot, and leave - but while you were executing the plan, Fumbles was searching for information. Who was it that was keeping us away from the staffs, and were they aware of this Elder Evil? Karst...your regrets are unfounded. You say you lacked faith in Fumbles, yet surely you knew he had a reason for the raid on the Lonely Tower greater than theft. He appreciated the trust you gave him on this mission. I promise you that.
"Fumbles found what he was looking for, and more. A halfling, a paladin that had broken his oath: Doramor Grimshackle. He, Ser Mary, and Denorian have a complicated history, to say the least. We believe he was corrupted by the influence of this evil. Somehow, he has gained control of a slaad army, and used them to gather Staffs of the Magi and ground them into powder in the tower, to rid us of the ability to defeat the coming threat. Wes, Fumbles believed that your attacker in the tower was Doramor himself, and that he was the one who alerted the orc army to your presence. Those that were there know the rest of the story...inside of the tower vault was a scarred and crippled beholder who confirmed the coming arrival of disaster - something it cryptically called 'Love'. Using a potion of haste, Tanakir held off the leader of the orc army until I arrived in an airship. Zikahl never made it out of the tower.
"Wes and I then built a portal beneath Sundabar, the other end of the one in this very room. My old friend Ritska Snow could provide shelter here in Luskan and keep the Staffs of the Magi we had collected secure. Meanwhile, Fumbles formed a secret society in Sundabar, dedicated to discovering a way to reveal a shapeshifted slaad. They succeeded at finding a temporary solution: Monocles that worked for a few hours before their magic faded.
"But knowing that we were aware of his plan set Doramor fully into motion. He used his slaad army to infiltrate Sundabar. Before we could process how many there were among us, he used my image to command the Stone Shields, the veteran guard of the city, and hunted Fumbles down. He succeeded...they discovered Fumbles' workshop and set fire to the slums of the city.
"Somehow, Gruun and Killian found themselves in the midst of all this. They had discovered the workshop on their own, moments before the attack, along with Hox, the very same kobold from the beginning of this tale, a tabaxi named Zane that had been frozen in time beneath Ascore, and a ranger named Marc. Fumbles brought them to the portal, knowing they were his only hope, but the slaadi were there, too. He sacrificed himself to get Gruun, Killian, Hox and Zane to the portal, collapsing the tunnels upon himself and a number of death slaadi. If they had arrived a moment later, all would have been lost - I had fallen for a slaad in the shape of Fumbles, and was convinced the others were slaadi themselves. It took Hox nearly dying to convince me I had been tricked.
"Needless to say, Fumbles never discovered a permanent solution to revealing a slaad."
Roccar grimaces at the memory, pausing once more.
OOC: This post mentions the events of The Lonely Tower (attempt 1 and attempt 2) and They Know.
See my profile for all my PbP threads!
"So many times they have thwarted us, so many times we have nearly reached them, and yet they elude us still. Roccar please, tell us there is a way we can end this war with resounding victory for us!" Karst asks, almost imploring the Watchblade for answers.
Vhon - Level 2 Warlock - What shall become of the Drunken Sailor?
Lyreis - Level 6 Elf Fighter - Eberron: Omega
DM - Dzenda: The Cracks - DM - Dzenda: Whispered Tales
Killian remains quiet, even through the telling of her own involvement. At one point, she glances at her sword hand, flexing the fingers. Then she waits for Roccar to go on.
ey/em/eirs, or they/them works, too (just not he).
Role-playing since that keep on those borderlands. Here's my D&D stuff. I love it so.
Campaign links for Game Log access because DDB has abandoned the forum dice roller, apparently.
Radiant Citadel by cbaer8 ~•~ Stormwreck Isle by Rforrest14 ~•~ Wildspace by Rhanloi ~•~ Rise of Tiamat by SteveThaiBinh ~•~ The Long Road currently by me
Aradurk again looks down, his face adrift in thought. "Fumbles...", he says, grinding his thumb into his hand as if to rub a hole through it.
Halsen - Human Monk - Winter Splendor
Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Barty's Blade Bizarre
Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Betrayal at Devilsfall
Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Barty's "The Hidden War" (Doom Portals Part 4A)
Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Barty's "The Whispered Word (Doom Portals Part 5)
Garu - Tabaxi Paladin - Barty's "Beyond Twilight" (Rikirta Part 3)
Rycider attends to her embroidery hoop as she listens. Occasionally she will look at her companions to gauge reactions. Her affect is unreadable.
Tanakir nods his head as Roccar mentions the fight with the orc leader, "That was a big one," and shakes his head sadly at mention of Fumbles, "And let his sacrifice not be in vain. We can still fight the slaadi and their deception with the tools we have at hand, though they are not perfect."
"There is, Karst. Tanakir, you are correct," Roccar confirms.
"After Fumbles' death, Denorian stepped in and created these," Roccar pulls out a collection of seven diamond-like gems, varying in size from a walnut to a fist. They look similar in shape to the gem that Wes pried from the slaad's skull, though glowing with a purplish hue. One by one, he hands them to the party. "It seems our resident wizard has followed a similar path of logic," he adds.
Roccar explains, "Denorian calls these 'Gems of Revealing'. They are apparently based on something Fumbles discovered beneath Ascore, and they are specifically designed to expose slaadi with a on contact. Unfortunately, as some of you may have noticed, Denorian is not in a great mental state. He kidnapped Ser Mary, thinking she was a slaad, and also kidnapped a slaad version of myself, and...it was quite a mishap. Just before that I had been involved with some intrigue here in Luskan that I'd rather not discuss. I don't believe Gruun and Killian were particularly fond of it, either. Certainly Zane wasn't, the poor lad grew quite toxic from it, and I haven't seen Hox in some time.
"Nevertheless, this is it. With the gems, we've the slaadi on the run. I'd like you to help me and Glendale hunt down Doramor. Cut off the head, so to speak. If history proves true, he is in Luskan as we speak, trying to steal or destroy the remaining Staffs of the Magi that Fumbles and I collected, before we are able to deliver them to Denorian. I expect Ser Mary to arrive today," he concludes.
OOC: This post mentions the events of The Hidden War and To Catch a Thief.
Gem of Revealing has been added to each character's inventory. Slaad brain gem has been added to Wes's inventory.
At this point, you may wish to discuss the new information and any additional knowledge you have about the storyline. How does each character respond to the situation?
See my profile for all my PbP threads!
“The Beast I got this from”. As Wes holds up the gem “said that these won’t effect every Slaad, now that’s impossible to know if he was bluffing or not. But we should remain on our guard. These stories reminded me that I have these still. I think they will better suited for you lot rather than my bag.” As he says this, Wes begins diggin through his bag eventually pulling out two bottles one at a time. Handing them off to Petunia she delivers them without needing commands.
Wes gives the potion of speed to Aradurk
And the potion of invulnerability to Karst.
"I don't think we can trust the word of a monster, but at the same time we should not put too much faith in the gems. As for their creator, perhaps we should try to cure whatever ails him before we give him all the Staffs."
"Of course, we will need to have the Staffs in order to consider the next part. Does Doramor have any weaknesses? Does he bring a retinue with him, or does he travel alone? Does he know that we'll be hunting him?"
All good questions. There was one ah would like ta pose. says Rycider, not looking up from her embroidery.
Has anyone seen, or know of, how they detect each other? Ah mean ta say, do these Salad Creatures have a secret hand shake? Do thay know by smell? There shifting of shapes is flawless so there must be a way. Otherwise thay may find themselves gatharin' secrets on each other.
Killian looks up at Rycider's question. "I've only met them in combat... that I know of. Have any of you seen them shifted?"
ey/em/eirs, or they/them works, too (just not he).
Role-playing since that keep on those borderlands. Here's my D&D stuff. I love it so.
Campaign links for Game Log access because DDB has abandoned the forum dice roller, apparently.
Radiant Citadel by cbaer8 ~•~ Stormwreck Isle by Rforrest14 ~•~ Wildspace by Rhanloi ~•~ Rise of Tiamat by SteveThaiBinh ~•~ The Long Road currently by me
"Thank you Wes, this could come in handy I suspect." Karst nods and smiles to the gnome. "As for your question, Rycider" he replies to the bard, "I am no better suited to provide answers than you I fear."
Vhon - Level 2 Warlock - What shall become of the Drunken Sailor?
Lyreis - Level 6 Elf Fighter - Eberron: Omega
DM - Dzenda: The Cracks - DM - Dzenda: Whispered Tales
He looks down in worry for a moment at the mention of Hox. "When we met Fumbles, he provided us rings to protect out minds against the Slaadi. Could they know each other by not knowing each other?
OOC: Added a potion of speed to Aradurk's inventory and potion of invulnerability to Karst's inventory, and removed them from Wes's inventory.
Gruun, Karst, Killian, Rycider, Tanakir and Wes have received 100 XP.
"These are all great questions. I'm afraid I'm no great researcher. I've no idea how a slaad communicates with another when shapeshifted. As for Doramor..." Roccar answers, "I can think of two weaknesses. First, Fumbles believed that he was controlling the slaadi through a single point; that if we could find and break that point, they would fall to a more chaotic nature, and lose their cohesion. Second, Doramor is obsessed with destroying Ser Mary Glendale. His hatred blinds him."
Suddenly there is a loud, distant, and thunderous boom. It is followed by a few seconds of silence, then the walls of the hideout rattle and shake for a few more, enough to tip over some of the weapons in the room. "What was that!?" Roccar rushes out of the door, climbing up to the street.
See my profile for all my PbP threads!
Killian, belying her previous display of lassitude, is up and out the door behind Roccar, snagging her shield, and small pack (to which her bow and quiver are attached) on the way out, but leaving the bulkier items (bedroll, rope) behind.
ey/em/eirs, or they/them works, too (just not he).
Role-playing since that keep on those borderlands. Here's my D&D stuff. I love it so.
Campaign links for Game Log access because DDB has abandoned the forum dice roller, apparently.
Radiant Citadel by cbaer8 ~•~ Stormwreck Isle by Rforrest14 ~•~ Wildspace by Rhanloi ~•~ Rise of Tiamat by SteveThaiBinh ~•~ The Long Road currently by me
Rycider calmly packs away her embroidery hoop.
No rest for tha wicked.
She makes her way to the exit.
Tanakir picks up his shield and club, casting shillelagh on the weapon in preparation for a fight, before heading outside. If he gets the chance, he'll empty his entire pool of lay on hands to heal himself.
Wes’s ears perk up when Roccar states that Doramor is blinded by his hatred for Ser Mary, his eyes glance over to Rycider.
Petunia disappears at the tremble of the floor, appearing in the coat pocket of Wes. His wand already at the ready as his steely calm reserved nature masks his face. Petunia a flutter as she begins her normal scurrying around his shoulders and waist. Ge follows suit making sure to be somewhere in the middle.
"What now?", Aradurk mutters as he follows Roccar out the door.
Halsen - Human Monk - Winter Splendor
Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Barty's Blade Bizarre
Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Betrayal at Devilsfall
Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Barty's "The Hidden War" (Doom Portals Part 4A)
Aradurk - Half-Orc Fighter - Barty's "The Whispered Word (Doom Portals Part 5)
Garu - Tabaxi Paladin - Barty's "Beyond Twilight" (Rikirta Part 3)
Karst's white eyes flash as he surges to his feet, axe in hand as he keeps pace with Roccar. "Let it be more foes to end, I'm in the mood for a fight."
Vhon - Level 2 Warlock - What shall become of the Drunken Sailor?
Lyreis - Level 6 Elf Fighter - Eberron: Omega
DM - Dzenda: The Cracks - DM - Dzenda: Whispered Tales