This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Too far out of range to provide Raq with any words of encouragement, Cosette reloads, and fires her crossbow. She’s considered jumping herself, however it isn’t quite a ‘the more the merrier’ situation, and there could be new threats lurking in the water, therefore she’d only do so out of necessity. Assuming Raq and/or Leelan were still coherent, she’d remain on the boat. Should any go unconscious, then Cos would act, diving into the water. Should everyone be conscious, and if Grugga were to abandon ship to aid the others, she’d move into position to man the light.
Raqisat, you feel multiple attacks from your companions slam into the Vrock as the two of you struggle in the water. You feel its posture shift, as though it means to means to try to pull away from you, instead of attacking.
In your mind, you hear:
I will not return to the abyss, fleshly worm!
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PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
What abyss? Raqisat wonders. This place? Death? Some hell someplace? Raqisat doesn’t know and doesn’t much care… What he does care about is he seems to be doing nothing to stop this thing while he’s just getting lost and alone.
Screw it, he figures and releases the creature suddenly and then does what he can to swim away from it, ready to dive under water if it seems to come for him again…
Hopefully those on the ship are having better luck.
[Raqisat, you are currently 15' from the pile of rocks where Leelan exited the water. I was incorrect earlier... the current is moving 15' per round and the Golden Empress is heading backwards 15' per round. So the distance between Raqisat and the Golden Empress grows by 30' each round, but the distance between him and Leelan only grows 15'.
All that is to say, even with halved movement in the water, you can get to where Leelan is this turn. Doing so would expose you potentially to an AOO. Or you could swim for the sides of the canal instead, or just continue on, floating downstream.]
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PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
((Raqisat wouldn’t be thinking about all that just yet, more just letting go of the Vrock and disengaging, hoping he was right in thinking it just wants to depart… I’d think the direction Raq disengages in would be random. 1 is north, 3 east, 5 south, 7 west and the evens in between? 1 ))
The party hears a loud splash as a dark shape rises up out of the river, wings crashing on the surface as it lifts off. The Vrock flies away, keeping low above the river's surface, flying downstream until it disappears out of sight.
Leelan, you see Raqisat surface as well, paddling away from the demon and sort of in your direction. You are able to help him out of the water and up onto the rocks.
[We are out of initiative.]
At Aubrey'sdirection, Captain Neck takes the ship out of reverse, bringing as close to the rocks as she dares, aided by Grugga'smanipulation of the lights. A gangplank is extended and Leelan and Raqisat are brought back aboard.
With the crew reunited, Captain Neck calls down to Aubreyfor further instructions. "We can't stay here. Shall I take us back out into the bay, or turn us around and make for upriver, outside the city limits?"
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PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
"Whatever you deem safest at this point captain."Aubrey quickly and firmly responds to Captain Neck, then sending Mr. Faerondaerl to get blankets and something hot to drink for those who unfortunately found themselves briefly in the cold waters of the Breitwasser, then suggesting they all move into the lounge to have a drink while the captain is taking the Empress out of the ruined city at which point everyone could safely retire to their respective cabins for a much well-deserved sleep.
Not waiting even a moment for Aubreyto change his mind, Capt. Neck turns the boat around and begins heading upriver under full power, clearly uninterested in spending another night on the open sea if it isn't necessary. As she steers the boar, Mr. Faerondaerl helps Mr. Howie brew up some coffee and the party has the rest of the evening commiserate in the mess hall and discuss the days events before retiring to bed.
Captain Neck runs the boat 3/4 of the way back upriver to Augustine/Outpost Chariot, until the lights of those settlements are just visible on the horizon, before she drops anchor and powers down the Golden Empress for the night.
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PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Once the Vrock has taken flight and left Raqisat calls out for Leelan and starts swimming the best he can in the direction of his voice. Raqisat is no trained swimmer but he is able enough to not drown. Hopefully…
When, with the help of Leelan, he manages to get back to solid land he takes some time to catch his breath and gather his wits. “Hopefully that’s the worst we face,” Raqisat says with no real belief it’ll be so. “Even through all that I don’t think it was even much harmed…”
Once aboard the ship Raqisat is eager to get to his cabin and strip out of his wet, cold, heavy clothes. That stink ain’t coming out any time soon, he thinks as he does what he can to wring them dry and then hang them to drip dry. Still, a bedsheet can be fashioned into a serviceable wrap and after that attack he wants to keep his weapons belt secured around him anyway, which will keep the sheet closed as well.
“If every thing, or even many things, are as impervious to weapons as that creature is,” Raqisat says after he’s rejoined the others and only finishes with a wary shake of his head.
Leelan attempts to help Raqisat out of the water. Completely drenched and short of breath, the gnome is more than happy to get back on board to warm himself up with a cup of coffee.
He goes to change into a dry set of clothes, even removing his beret, a rare occurrence.
"I cannot help but feel this should serve as a reminder why we cannot allow ourselves to remain in this city past nightfall.", he remarks. "At least not until we have a better understanding and handle of these ruins."
"Yes, we would have to devise tactics to deal more efficiently with creatures resistant to weapons. You were very brave going after Leelen like that Raqisat, and I think you had the right idea trying to pin it."The young noble says to the anthropologist with a gentle pat on the back and an encouraging smile, making sure he gets a cup of hot coffee. "All in all I think you all performed excellently, especially considering many of us were weakened and exhausted after dealing with the aberration and the sewer folk." He continues, looking around at the others gathered in the lounge. "And yes, we got significantly delayed when we were held up by the sewer folk, I think we will be able to leave the city before nightfall in the future." He continues in an reassuring and encouraging tone, nodding in agrement with the scholarly gnome. "As soon as I have rested I will submit my first report with the Emperor if you believe there is anything in particular worth metioning at this point."
Grugga aims the lights until his companions are safely back in the boat then recalls Zip and Zap and puts them on patrol until the boat arrives safely at its destination. Exhausted but still lively, Grugga joins the rest of the team in the lounge and, even though he didn't have the misfortune of finding himself in the dark waters of the Breitvasser, takes a hot drink for himself.
The Orc Artificer nods in agreement that the team should be more cognizant of the time from here on out. "Lesson learned there. Let's make sure we only head out early... if we finish our goal for the day early, let's just head back and wait for pickup."
Regarding the need for better weaponry, Grugga agrees and may even be able to help. "Zip, Zap, and my sword are all magical. By necessity, they share the same nodular relay crystal, which is at max capacity. I'll work on upgrading that for the future, but for now I could deactivate Zip and make someone else's weapon magical. Zip has been useful, but Furvus can do anything Zip could do and more now." He takes a swig of drink and clarifies: "What I'm saying is I only have so much magic available to me; we can keep Zip or make another weapon magical."He looks to Leelan, Raqisat, Cosette, and Rohuzar in turn, seeing if any of them show signs of needing an upgrade.
Later in the evening, as talk of tactics winds down, Grugga turns to congratulating his team for a job well done. "Great job out there everyone. That could have been a lot worse than it was. I would rather not ever see those things again, but we did well taking care of them... It's a shame they didn't leave behind a corpse for Leelan. What was with that, anyway? Leelan, do you know any creature that just turns to smoke when it dies? They kind of reminded me of those little smokey guys from the dead man's tree in Maggie's Woods."He scratches his chin as he suddenly recalls some more information from the battle. "The first creature - the one that we killed - said something to me telepathically as I stung it with my magic sword. It said, 'I'll see you in the abyss' or something to that effect. Does anyone know what that might be? Something deep in the city?"
He also adds, "I think Mr. Howie needs a raise, some armor, and a proper weapon. That man is braver than most. I also think we may need to invest more in the defense of the Empress... maybe even having one of us stay behind on outings..."
When everyone is getting ready for bed, Grugga recovers his chalky blue crystal from where he left it and looks again at the fracture that runs through it. As people clear out of the lounge, Grugga pulls out some of his usual spellcasting crystals and hopes that his humble mending cantrip will work on this incredible crystal. He catches Aubrey'seye as he works on mending the crystal. "Aubrey... you can report to the Emperor that I'll be making the finest invention in the world in his honor. I'm not sure what it is yet, but it'll be incredible."
That night, Grugga prays for guidance from Gel-Nagev what sort of technological marvel could befit such an incredible source of magic.
Cosette didn’t have much to add conversationally. While she could dwell on what could have been done more efficiently and effectively in hindsight, the reality is that they all survived and were accounted for. As for the ship, well, at least it was mostly intact.
Once the boys were settled, enjoying the warmth of their hot beverages, Cos slinks about. Locating her companions sopping wet, stinky clothing, she helps herself to them. They smelled bad enough on their own after days in the jungle drenched in sweat and fluids, never mind the layer of wretched stank that that creature ‘graced’ them with. So, nope, not tonight. Not if she could help it. Naturally, Cosette would begin to hum to herself absentmindedly as she took on a chore in the cover of shadows. She’d flick each piece with a calculated snap, whisking it of water and dirt, then she’d smooth out the wrinkles with her palms, and proceed with folding, infusing the clothes with a fresh scent, and indirectly with the hint of cinnamon that clung to her. And of course, if they left anything in their pockets, it was hers now. Leelan and Raqisat would each come to find their clothes dry and neatly folded upon their return to them.
Cos would then check in with the Captain to assist with assessing the damage to the ship and making plans on the repairs, contributing what skills she could to satisfy the needs.
Eventually Cosette would return to the mess hall, as if she were there the whole time. Though anyone paying attention may have been able to notice that her voice was absent before now, as she would be humming quietly to herself. She’d seem to look occupied, reviewing her gear, inspecting her weapons, and inventorying her ammo. Brows would occasionally furrow as she handled her crossbow bolts. She wouldn’t be able to recover them all the time and would have to consider the possibility of conserving them should running out be an inevitable concern.
At Grugga’s prompt, the redhead would look up from her supplies. “Aye’,” Cos would nod to him in respect for his offer to share his specialties with the group. “Thinkin’ it be best teh hook up our ‘brawlers’ wit effective weapons.” She agrees with his assessment, adding in her own two copper. “I technically can manage wit out weapons.” She admits a bit reluctantly, finding comfort in having versatility, but, she also found she wasn’t a fan of witnessing other’s skills fall flat due to lacking an available advantage. Was this what trusting others and working as a team felt like? Grugga’s selflessness was growing on her. “It be worth considerin’ optimizin’ our team, an’ strategies.” Cosette unsheathes her silvered rapier (that she’s yet to use herself) and lays it before her, alongside her handful of silvered bolts beside it for consideration. “Along wit Grugga’s optimization’s, I offer mah weapons teh the cause.” Her eyes flick to Raqisat for a few moments before returning to Grugga. She dips her head in respect to him.
Later, once any decisions were made and the agreed weapon solutions distributed, Cos would reach out to the artificer once more. “An’ not teh ask more of yah…” She starts a bit sheepishly, “But would yeh have the capacity teh replenish bolts should we run low?” She’d pose her question, specifically related to normal bolts. Then after a pause, she’d add. “What if we found sum silver?” Cosette would leave that question a little opened ended with the assumption that Grugga may follow her train of thought. She was thinking a bit about the long haul. With a small quantity, could he silver more bolts for her? With a larger quantity, could he silver the others weapons to free up his magic enchantments? How scarce was silver here anyway?
A stub of a candle, three silver and two copper coins, a shiny stone and a folded up note luckily written on waxed paper and thus preserved despite the recent soaking is all Cosette finds in Raqisat's pockets, assuming she doesn't go through his backpack... When Cosette returns as if never gone Raqisat cannot help but smirk to himself likely knowing what he'll find when he returns to his room, feeling slightly guilty as he suspected as much when he left his wet clothes there to begin with.
"What?" Raqisat asks when optimizing their weapon situation comes up. "I almost had mine! A couple more minutes and I'd have had it choked out but good. I only let it get away since the ship seemed to be leaving without me..." He was acutely aware that none of his weapons were effective on the beast but he wasn't the sort to admit such a thing. He did appreciate the others bringing up the topic though. "Something that could bite into the beast certainly would have sped the process along... Are we assuming everything we face we be as resistant?"
You sit at the dining table and cast mending to repair the crystal.
A moment later you are seated on the floor, coughing from the acrid smoke and putting together the pieces of the last few moments. You remember that the moment you triggered the cantrip, the larger crystals grew warm to the touch but did not repair. At the same time, however, the tiny, chalk like particles left over from where the crystals had broken reacted violently. They... erupted, the way kindling combusts when exposed to a flame, but 10 fold more explosive, as though each tiny particle amplified the reaction. Your heart froze as you imagined the reaction cascading to include the larger crystals and annihilating you and the Golden Empress in a flash... but the larger pieces seem stable, somehow, and the reaction fizzles out after doing no more harm than knocking you out of your chair, momentarily blinding you, and filling the room with white, harsh smoke.
Rising and examining the three remaining crystals (one still quite large, two smaller crystals) you feel some remnant of warmth still inside them, as though they somehow absorbed some of the magic from the spell.
This would happen after you go to sleep...
That night, you receive a vision. It is a lot to take in... an overwhelming amount of data, like trying to absorb three different lectures complete with schematics, all in an instant. In the morning, you try to sort through what you were able to retain...
You understand more about the nature of these crystals. They are capable of absorbing and even amplifying energy. Large crystals are stable and capable of holding more power. They grow weaker as they are smaller, and broken crystals or powders are radically unstable, exploding when exposed to arcane energy.
The workings of the Flumpf Cell are now clear to you. Prof. Flumpf stablized a matrix of this blue crystal powder in a gel-like liquid. It prevented the crystal powders from reacting explosively with each other and allowed Prof. Flumpf to recreate the energy output of a tiny, stable crystal.
You understand that the smallest remaining crystals you have are far more powerful than what the Flumpf Cell can do, and the larger crystal.....
You kept seeing visions of Ancient Elven airships. It took you a great while to unravel the message, but you now believe that you are to understand that these airships are powered by these crystals. While Gel-Nagev can teach mortals to do it with science, the Ancient Elves rely on arcane magics to empower and control their crystals, keeping their ships aloft, powering their protective shields and enervating their lightning weapons they use to make war.
You awaken possessed of the knowledge that these crystals are incredibly important and that the scholars in Pentwater have been looking for ones of this size for years. You must ensure they come to no further harm and return them home as soon as possible.
Cosette, the Captain informs you that all of the damage to the vessel is superficial, just some claw marks on railing and the scorchmarks in the dining hall from where that Burned Knight had spontaneously combusted. All the riggings and steerage are all in ship shape, for now.
Rohuzaruncharacteristically turns to bed early, looking a bit seasick from the journey upriver.
[Feel free to continue to discuss long term strategies and optimization. In the morning you will all reach Level 6.]
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PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Aubrey listens and nods as Grugga mentions enchanting more weapons and then as Cosette offers up her silvered arsenal. "Excellent, both of you..." The young noble says with a wide pleased smile. "...this is the kind of cooperative spirit that will carry us through this dangerous mission. While I doubt all the aberrations we will encounter will be resistant to our more mundane weapons, being prepared for those who are could very well mean the difference between victory or defeat. At the very least you could have something enchanted to fight with instead of having to enter a wrestling match." The young noble finishes with a smile and wink at the brave anthropologist.
Later, as Grugga mentions the putrid winged monsters disappearing as they were defeated, the young noble nods and turns to Leelan. "As we fought I remember I picked up a name telepathically broadcasted by one of the creatures, Deinochlorodon, presumably the master of these creatures, perhaps it is a clue to what they are?"
Later still as Aubrey is heading for his cabin and Grugga is about to mend the chalky blue crystal and mentions making the finest invention in the world in the Emperor's honour, the young noble smiles. "I am sure the Emperor will be very pleased my dear Grugga, I..."And then he is thrown back by the blast. "Ehm, while I do deeply appreciate the marvelous science you bring to the team, are you quite sure it is safe considering the sensetivity of the Frumpf Cell powering the Golden Empress?"He asks with a weak smile, getting up and using his the power of his talisman to clean himself up again. "My confidence in you is high Grugga, I'm merely asking you to be careful with that crystal until you know more about it's nature and properties." He adds, helping the orc artificer up again.
The young noble would eventually head to his cabin to submit his report to the Emperor, then sleeping soundly and waking up early, taking a slow walk on deck before having breakfast in the lounge, waiting for everyone to be gathered to plan the days incursion into the ruined city of Amnifortis.
With his clothes, Cosette would find a handkerchief, a small pocket knife and some spare change. Most of his belongings should be in his bag, the most precious of it being his manuscript.
Still wrapped warmly in a blanket, Leelan is slowly sipping on his warm drink, absentmindedly replaying the night’s events in his mind. He snaps out of his reverie when Aubrey calls out to him.
"Umm…Yes. I don’t think I’ve heard the name before. A master sounds like a fair hypothesis.", he mumbles. "My concern lies in that those creatures that assailed us tonight were not abberations. I’ve read a little about those while studied prior to our departure. Vrocks, they were called. Fiends from the abyss. Their presence has me worried. Have the abberations been working with them? Are there more parties that have set their sights on this city? Is it something worse? Perhaps we should investigate what this Deinochlorodon is. It may prove to be an obstacle to our mission."
To Grugga’s question. Leelan would happily reply. "This phenomenon is fairly uncommon to the creatures I’ve studied. I would theorize that this form of 'evaportation', is them returning to their plane of origin."
Once everyone calls it a night, Leelan would spend some time writing down all he can remember from the encounters of the day. The death kiss and the vrocks would make a great additions to the manuscript. Having spent so much time studying them, and finally encountering his first abberation in Amnifortis, Leelan begins to get a better understanding of these creatures.
Grugga nods respectfully back at Cosette. He's used to working in a team and is always happy to help. When she displays her weapons and asks about silvering, Grugga can't help but grin. "My father was the finest silversmith in Raven's Hill, which is renowned for silversmiths and jewelers! It's not my expertise, but I'm certain I could silver our weapons if I could use the forge in Augustine for a few hours." ((Grugga has expertise in smith's tools, jeweler's tools and tinker's tools. I think that'll cover whatever check it might end up being)).
To Raqisat, Grugga concurs with the Bardstown noble: "We may as well assume that everything is resistant to mundane weaponry - I think it's something we'd rather have and not need than... well, you know the saying. I'll see what I can put together for us. Plus, those bird monster could talk... they might be looking for us in particular in the future."
After Detonation (AD)
Grugga coughs and tries to wipe the smoke from his eyes. He near-blindly accepts Aubrey's hand to stand up. In a panic he rushes back to the table to see how the crystal fared. He has clearly mixed emotions as the crystal largely survived, but still broke slightly.
"Don't worry, not the first time something like this has happened." He says, coughing in between words and brushing the dust off his clothes. ((being caught in explosions is how a young artificer ends up with -1 perception, FYI)). Shaking his head, Grugga says, "Maybe don't mention this crystal to the Emperor yet. I'll do some research and see what I can do for the Empire..."
If anyone comes into the room to check the explosion and billowing white smoke, Grugga tries to reassure them that it won't happen again. "Don't worry, just science and progress. It won't happen again."
In the Morning
Grugga is waiting in the lounge bright and early, eagerly awaiting Raqisat and Leelan. In front of him are an array of purple crystals linked together with wire - they look a bit like a tangle of shiny fishing wire that got caught on some geodes. "Good news, everybody!" He announces as people begin trickling in for breakfast. "I've broadened my crystallic resono-frequency bandwidth!" He gestures to the strings of crystal and copper "I can magicize not just my weapon, but also Leelan's bow and Raqisat's sword or whip! I've even made some improvements for you two." Zip's cannibalized corpse lies spread out on the table long with them, showing the cost of the upgrade.
Grugga spends the morning setting up the weapons and explaining in-depth how they work and their functionality for his allies. ((links in the discord)) After all that he asks, "so, where to today in the ruins? I was thinking we might want to root out those cultists in the Dwarven Quarter."
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(Correction to above, Aubrey gives Rohuzar a a grateful nod of recognition over getting Mr. Howie aboard the Empress again.)
Too far out of range to provide Raq with any words of encouragement, Cosette reloads, and fires her crossbow. She’s considered jumping herself, however it isn’t quite a ‘the more the merrier’ situation, and there could be new threats lurking in the water, therefore she’d only do so out of necessity. Assuming Raq and/or Leelan were still coherent, she’d remain on the boat. Should any go unconscious, then Cos would act, diving into the water. Should everyone be conscious, and if Grugga were to abandon ship to aid the others, she’d move into position to man the light.
Attack: 26 Damage: 14
just an unstable unicorn.
[Raqisat is still up.]
Raqisat, you feel multiple attacks from your companions slam into the Vrock as the two of you struggle in the water. You feel its posture shift, as though it means to means to try to pull away from you, instead of attacking.
In your mind, you hear:
I will not return to the abyss, fleshly worm!
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
What abyss? Raqisat wonders. This place? Death? Some hell someplace? Raqisat doesn’t know and doesn’t much care… What he does care about is he seems to be doing nothing to stop this thing while he’s just getting lost and alone.
Screw it, he figures and releases the creature suddenly and then does what he can to swim away from it, ready to dive under water if it seems to come for him again…
Hopefully those on the ship are having better luck.
[Raqisat, you are currently 15' from the pile of rocks where Leelan exited the water. I was incorrect earlier... the current is moving 15' per round and the Golden Empress is heading backwards 15' per round. So the distance between Raqisat and the Golden Empress grows by 30' each round, but the distance between him and Leelan only grows 15'.
All that is to say, even with halved movement in the water, you can get to where Leelan is this turn. Doing so would expose you potentially to an AOO. Or you could swim for the sides of the canal instead, or just continue on, floating downstream.]
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
((Raqisat wouldn’t be thinking about all that just yet, more just letting go of the Vrock and disengaging, hoping he was right in thinking it just wants to depart… I’d think the direction Raq disengages in would be random. 1 is north, 3 east, 5 south, 7 west and the evens in between? 1 ))
The party hears a loud splash as a dark shape rises up out of the river, wings crashing on the surface as it lifts off. The Vrock flies away, keeping low above the river's surface, flying downstream until it disappears out of sight.
Leelan, you see Raqisat surface as well, paddling away from the demon and sort of in your direction. You are able to help him out of the water and up onto the rocks.
[We are out of initiative.]
At Aubrey's direction, Captain Neck takes the ship out of reverse, bringing as close to the rocks as she dares, aided by Grugga's manipulation of the lights. A gangplank is extended and Leelan and Raqisat are brought back aboard.
With the crew reunited, Captain Neck calls down to Aubrey for further instructions. "We can't stay here. Shall I take us back out into the bay, or turn us around and make for upriver, outside the city limits?"
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
"Whatever you deem safest at this point captain." Aubrey quickly and firmly responds to Captain Neck, then sending Mr. Faerondaerl to get blankets and something hot to drink for those who unfortunately found themselves briefly in the cold waters of the Breitwasser, then suggesting they all move into the lounge to have a drink while the captain is taking the Empress out of the ruined city at which point everyone could safely retire to their respective cabins for a much well-deserved sleep.
Not waiting even a moment for Aubrey to change his mind, Capt. Neck turns the boat around and begins heading upriver under full power, clearly uninterested in spending another night on the open sea if it isn't necessary. As she steers the boar, Mr. Faerondaerl helps Mr. Howie brew up some coffee and the party has the rest of the evening commiserate in the mess hall and discuss the days events before retiring to bed.
Captain Neck runs the boat 3/4 of the way back upriver to Augustine/Outpost Chariot, until the lights of those settlements are just visible on the horizon, before she drops anchor and powers down the Golden Empress for the night.
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Once the Vrock has taken flight and left Raqisat calls out for Leelan and starts swimming the best he can in the direction of his voice. Raqisat is no trained swimmer but he is able enough to not drown. Hopefully…
When, with the help of Leelan, he manages to get back to solid land he takes some time to catch his breath and gather his wits. “Hopefully that’s the worst we face,” Raqisat says with no real belief it’ll be so. “Even through all that I don’t think it was even much harmed…”
Once aboard the ship Raqisat is eager to get to his cabin and strip out of his wet, cold, heavy clothes. That stink ain’t coming out any time soon, he thinks as he does what he can to wring them dry and then hang them to drip dry. Still, a bedsheet can be fashioned into a serviceable wrap and after that attack he wants to keep his weapons belt secured around him anyway, which will keep the sheet closed as well.
“If every thing, or even many things, are as impervious to weapons as that creature is,” Raqisat says after he’s rejoined the others and only finishes with a wary shake of his head.
“Is there drink?”
Leelan attempts to help Raqisat out of the water. Completely drenched and short of breath, the gnome is more than happy to get back on board to warm himself up with a cup of coffee.
He goes to change into a dry set of clothes, even removing his beret, a rare occurrence.
"I cannot help but feel this should serve as a reminder why we cannot allow ourselves to remain in this city past nightfall.", he remarks. "At least not until we have a better understanding and handle of these ruins."
"Yes, we would have to devise tactics to deal more efficiently with creatures resistant to weapons. You were very brave going after Leelen like that Raqisat, and I think you had the right idea trying to pin it." The young noble says to the anthropologist with a gentle pat on the back and an encouraging smile, making sure he gets a cup of hot coffee. "All in all I think you all performed excellently, especially considering many of us were weakened and exhausted after dealing with the aberration and the sewer folk." He continues, looking around at the others gathered in the lounge. "And yes, we got significantly delayed when we were held up by the sewer folk, I think we will be able to leave the city before nightfall in the future." He continues in an reassuring and encouraging tone, nodding in agrement with the scholarly gnome. "As soon as I have rested I will submit my first report with the Emperor if you believe there is anything in particular worth metioning at this point."
Grugga aims the lights until his companions are safely back in the boat then recalls Zip and Zap and puts them on patrol until the boat arrives safely at its destination. Exhausted but still lively, Grugga joins the rest of the team in the lounge and, even though he didn't have the misfortune of finding himself in the dark waters of the Breitvasser, takes a hot drink for himself.
The Orc Artificer nods in agreement that the team should be more cognizant of the time from here on out. "Lesson learned there. Let's make sure we only head out early... if we finish our goal for the day early, let's just head back and wait for pickup."
Regarding the need for better weaponry, Grugga agrees and may even be able to help. "Zip, Zap, and my sword are all magical. By necessity, they share the same nodular relay crystal, which is at max capacity. I'll work on upgrading that for the future, but for now I could deactivate Zip and make someone else's weapon magical. Zip has been useful, but Furvus can do anything Zip could do and more now." He takes a swig of drink and clarifies: "What I'm saying is I only have so much magic available to me; we can keep Zip or make another weapon magical." He looks to Leelan, Raqisat, Cosette, and Rohuzar in turn, seeing if any of them show signs of needing an upgrade.
Later in the evening, as talk of tactics winds down, Grugga turns to congratulating his team for a job well done. "Great job out there everyone. That could have been a lot worse than it was. I would rather not ever see those things again, but we did well taking care of them... It's a shame they didn't leave behind a corpse for Leelan. What was with that, anyway? Leelan, do you know any creature that just turns to smoke when it dies? They kind of reminded me of those little smokey guys from the dead man's tree in Maggie's Woods." He scratches his chin as he suddenly recalls some more information from the battle. "The first creature - the one that we killed - said something to me telepathically as I stung it with my magic sword. It said, 'I'll see you in the abyss' or something to that effect. Does anyone know what that might be? Something deep in the city?"
He also adds, "I think Mr. Howie needs a raise, some armor, and a proper weapon. That man is braver than most. I also think we may need to invest more in the defense of the Empress... maybe even having one of us stay behind on outings..."
When everyone is getting ready for bed, Grugga recovers his chalky blue crystal from where he left it and looks again at the fracture that runs through it. As people clear out of the lounge, Grugga pulls out some of his usual spellcasting crystals and hopes that his humble mending cantrip will work on this incredible crystal. He catches Aubrey's eye as he works on mending the crystal. "Aubrey... you can report to the Emperor that I'll be making the finest invention in the world in his honor. I'm not sure what it is yet, but it'll be incredible."
That night, Grugga prays for guidance from Gel-Nagev what sort of technological marvel could befit such an incredible source of magic.
Cosette didn’t have much to add conversationally. While she could dwell on what could have been done more efficiently and effectively in hindsight, the reality is that they all survived and were accounted for. As for the ship, well, at least it was mostly intact.
Once the boys were settled, enjoying the warmth of their hot beverages, Cos slinks about. Locating her companions sopping wet, stinky clothing, she helps herself to them. They smelled bad enough on their own after days in the jungle drenched in sweat and fluids, never mind the layer of wretched stank that that creature ‘graced’ them with. So, nope, not tonight. Not if she could help it. Naturally, Cosette would begin to hum to herself absentmindedly as she took on a chore in the cover of shadows. She’d flick each piece with a calculated snap, whisking it of water and dirt, then she’d smooth out the wrinkles with her palms, and proceed with folding, infusing the clothes with a fresh scent, and indirectly with the hint of cinnamon that clung to her. And of course, if they left anything in their pockets, it was hers now. Leelan and Raqisat would each come to find their clothes dry and neatly folded upon their return to them.
Cos would then check in with the Captain to assist with assessing the damage to the ship and making plans on the repairs, contributing what skills she could to satisfy the needs.
Eventually Cosette would return to the mess hall, as if she were there the whole time. Though anyone paying attention may have been able to notice that her voice was absent before now, as she would be humming quietly to herself. She’d seem to look occupied, reviewing her gear, inspecting her weapons, and inventorying her ammo. Brows would occasionally furrow as she handled her crossbow bolts. She wouldn’t be able to recover them all the time and would have to consider the possibility of conserving them should running out be an inevitable concern.
At Grugga’s prompt, the redhead would look up from her supplies. “Aye’,” Cos would nod to him in respect for his offer to share his specialties with the group. “Thinkin’ it be best teh hook up our ‘brawlers’ wit effective weapons.” She agrees with his assessment, adding in her own two copper. “I technically can manage wit out weapons.” She admits a bit reluctantly, finding comfort in having versatility, but, she also found she wasn’t a fan of witnessing other’s skills fall flat due to lacking an available advantage. Was this what trusting others and working as a team felt like? Grugga’s selflessness was growing on her. “It be worth considerin’ optimizin’ our team, an’ strategies.” Cosette unsheathes her silvered rapier (that she’s yet to use herself) and lays it before her, alongside her handful of silvered bolts beside it for consideration. “Along wit Grugga’s optimization’s, I offer mah weapons teh the cause.” Her eyes flick to Raqisat for a few moments before returning to Grugga. She dips her head in respect to him.
Later, once any decisions were made and the agreed weapon solutions distributed, Cos would reach out to the artificer once more. “An’ not teh ask more of yah…” She starts a bit sheepishly, “But would yeh have the capacity teh replenish bolts should we run low?” She’d pose her question, specifically related to normal bolts. Then after a pause, she’d add. “What if we found sum silver?” Cosette would leave that question a little opened ended with the assumption that Grugga may follow her train of thought. She was thinking a bit about the long haul. With a small quantity, could he silver more bolts for her? With a larger quantity, could he silver the others weapons to free up his magic enchantments? How scarce was silver here anyway?
just an unstable unicorn.
A stub of a candle, three silver and two copper coins, a shiny stone and a folded up note luckily written on waxed paper and thus preserved despite the recent soaking is all Cosette finds in Raqisat's pockets, assuming she doesn't go through his backpack... When Cosette returns as if never gone Raqisat cannot help but smirk to himself likely knowing what he'll find when he returns to his room, feeling slightly guilty as he suspected as much when he left his wet clothes there to begin with.
"What?" Raqisat asks when optimizing their weapon situation comes up. "I almost had mine! A couple more minutes and I'd have had it choked out but good. I only let it get away since the ship seemed to be leaving without me..." He was acutely aware that none of his weapons were effective on the beast but he wasn't the sort to admit such a thing. He did appreciate the others bringing up the topic though. "Something that could bite into the beast certainly would have sped the process along... Are we assuming everything we face we be as resistant?"
Grugga:
You sit at the dining table and cast mending to repair the crystal.
A moment later you are seated on the floor, coughing from the acrid smoke and putting together the pieces of the last few moments. You remember that the moment you triggered the cantrip, the larger crystals grew warm to the touch but did not repair. At the same time, however, the tiny, chalk like particles left over from where the crystals had broken reacted violently. They... erupted, the way kindling combusts when exposed to a flame, but 10 fold more explosive, as though each tiny particle amplified the reaction. Your heart froze as you imagined the reaction cascading to include the larger crystals and annihilating you and the Golden Empress in a flash... but the larger pieces seem stable, somehow, and the reaction fizzles out after doing no more harm than knocking you out of your chair, momentarily blinding you, and filling the room with white, harsh smoke.
Rising and examining the three remaining crystals (one still quite large, two smaller crystals) you feel some remnant of warmth still inside them, as though they somehow absorbed some of the magic from the spell.
That night, you receive a vision. It is a lot to take in... an overwhelming amount of data, like trying to absorb three different lectures complete with schematics, all in an instant. In the morning, you try to sort through what you were able to retain...
You awaken possessed of the knowledge that these crystals are incredibly important and that the scholars in Pentwater have been looking for ones of this size for years. You must ensure they come to no further harm and return them home as soon as possible.
Cosette, the Captain informs you that all of the damage to the vessel is superficial, just some claw marks on railing and the scorchmarks in the dining hall from where that Burned Knight had spontaneously combusted. All the riggings and steerage are all in ship shape, for now.
Rohuzar uncharacteristically turns to bed early, looking a bit seasick from the journey upriver.
[Feel free to continue to discuss long term strategies and optimization. In the morning you will all reach Level 6.]
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Aubrey listens and nods as Grugga mentions enchanting more weapons and then as Cosette offers up her silvered arsenal. "Excellent, both of you..." The young noble says with a wide pleased smile. "...this is the kind of cooperative spirit that will carry us through this dangerous mission. While I doubt all the aberrations we will encounter will be resistant to our more mundane weapons, being prepared for those who are could very well mean the difference between victory or defeat. At the very least you could have something enchanted to fight with instead of having to enter a wrestling match." The young noble finishes with a smile and wink at the brave anthropologist.
Later, as Grugga mentions the putrid winged monsters disappearing as they were defeated, the young noble nods and turns to Leelan. "As we fought I remember I picked up a name telepathically broadcasted by one of the creatures, Deinochlorodon, presumably the master of these creatures, perhaps it is a clue to what they are?"
Later still as Aubrey is heading for his cabin and Grugga is about to mend the chalky blue crystal and mentions making the finest invention in the world in the Emperor's honour, the young noble smiles. "I am sure the Emperor will be very pleased my dear Grugga, I..." And then he is thrown back by the blast. "Ehm, while I do deeply appreciate the marvelous science you bring to the team, are you quite sure it is safe considering the sensetivity of the Frumpf Cell powering the Golden Empress?" He asks with a weak smile, getting up and using his the power of his talisman to clean himself up again. "My confidence in you is high Grugga, I'm merely asking you to be careful with that crystal until you know more about it's nature and properties." He adds, helping the orc artificer up again.
The young noble would eventually head to his cabin to submit his report to the Emperor, then sleeping soundly and waking up early, taking a slow walk on deck before having breakfast in the lounge, waiting for everyone to be gathered to plan the days incursion into the ruined city of Amnifortis.
((How loud is the explosion? Is this something we would all go running to??))
With his clothes, Cosette would find a handkerchief, a small pocket knife and some spare change. Most of his belongings should be in his bag, the most precious of it being his manuscript.
Still wrapped warmly in a blanket, Leelan is slowly sipping on his warm drink, absentmindedly replaying the night’s events in his mind. He snaps out of his reverie when Aubrey calls out to him.
"Umm…Yes. I don’t think I’ve heard the name before. A master sounds like a fair hypothesis.", he mumbles. "My concern lies in that those creatures that assailed us tonight were not abberations. I’ve read a little about those while studied prior to our departure. Vrocks, they were called. Fiends from the abyss. Their presence has me worried. Have the abberations been working with them? Are there more parties that have set their sights on this city? Is it something worse? Perhaps we should investigate what this Deinochlorodon is. It may prove to be an obstacle to our mission."
To Grugga’s question. Leelan would happily reply. "This phenomenon is fairly uncommon to the creatures I’ve studied. I would theorize that this form of 'evaportation', is them returning to their plane of origin."
Once everyone calls it a night, Leelan would spend some time writing down all he can remember from the encounters of the day. The death kiss and the vrocks would make a great additions to the manuscript. Having spent so much time studying them, and finally encountering his first abberation in Amnifortis, Leelan begins to get a better understanding of these creatures.
Before Crystal Explosion (BCE)
Grugga nods respectfully back at Cosette. He's used to working in a team and is always happy to help. When she displays her weapons and asks about silvering, Grugga can't help but grin. "My father was the finest silversmith in Raven's Hill, which is renowned for silversmiths and jewelers! It's not my expertise, but I'm certain I could silver our weapons if I could use the forge in Augustine for a few hours." ((Grugga has expertise in smith's tools, jeweler's tools and tinker's tools. I think that'll cover whatever check it might end up being)).
To Raqisat, Grugga concurs with the Bardstown noble: "We may as well assume that everything is resistant to mundane weaponry - I think it's something we'd rather have and not need than... well, you know the saying. I'll see what I can put together for us. Plus, those bird monster could talk... they might be looking for us in particular in the future."
After Detonation (AD)
Grugga coughs and tries to wipe the smoke from his eyes. He near-blindly accepts Aubrey's hand to stand up. In a panic he rushes back to the table to see how the crystal fared. He has clearly mixed emotions as the crystal largely survived, but still broke slightly.
"Don't worry, not the first time something like this has happened." He says, coughing in between words and brushing the dust off his clothes. ((being caught in explosions is how a young artificer ends up with -1 perception, FYI)). Shaking his head, Grugga says, "Maybe don't mention this crystal to the Emperor yet. I'll do some research and see what I can do for the Empire..."
If anyone comes into the room to check the explosion and billowing white smoke, Grugga tries to reassure them that it won't happen again. "Don't worry, just science and progress. It won't happen again."
In the Morning
Grugga is waiting in the lounge bright and early, eagerly awaiting Raqisat and Leelan. In front of him are an array of purple crystals linked together with wire - they look a bit like a tangle of shiny fishing wire that got caught on some geodes. "Good news, everybody!" He announces as people begin trickling in for breakfast. "I've broadened my crystallic resono-frequency bandwidth!" He gestures to the strings of crystal and copper "I can magicize not just my weapon, but also Leelan's bow and Raqisat's sword or whip! I've even made some improvements for you two." Zip's cannibalized corpse lies spread out on the table long with them, showing the cost of the upgrade.
Grugga spends the morning setting up the weapons and explaining in-depth how they work and their functionality for his allies. ((links in the discord)) After all that he asks, "so, where to today in the ruins? I was thinking we might want to root out those cultists in the Dwarven Quarter."