I have absolutely no idea how much money you have. Just like I don't know how much hp you have at any given time. My sense is you have tens of thousands of gold or equivalent in items. It's kind of a boon that you're in a city with a strong seller's market, meaning you get an extra 25% on items sold, but do pay an extra 25% on items bought. Unless you just go someplace else to buy them. Uniquely, fine armor is the main export of Mulmaster, so realistically if you're going to buy +2 or better armor, this is the place to do it. Adding 25% seems crazy, but the odds of actually finding it in any given place aren't great. (I question the economics of this, but remember it's just a game, so I just let it ride. Also, there's probably a lot of sham +x armor in this city, but on the level, I wouldn't do that to you. I did try it once, but as an open-to-the-player dice roll to discern quality. I did not think it added to the fun for anyone. @Legion4 might recall it.
Shield prices are reported accurately by the digital tool: https://a********/magic-items?field_mi_category_target_id[0]=301&field_mi_cost_value[min]=&field_mi_cost_value[max]=&combine=. 1,000gp, 7,000gp and 49,000gp for +1,+2,+3 respectively. If these numbers seem off to you, I recommend Pack Tactics' recent YouTube video on magic armor and AC. The short of it is that the higher it gets, the more extreme the effect of a bonus is. It is a trap for all DMs baked into the 5e system, but my take is just to let everyone get really high AC. I will find monsters that can hit it because I'm looking for cool monsters and running a high level campaign. So, high ACs at this level aren't really the problem they might be for DMs at tier 2 who want to run games out of the box from WotC. I almost just said "well, the tool says 65gp, so I guess it's 65gp" but then I realized I could just look it up for real. I also recognize I'm using a 3rd party 'unofficial source, but I really recommend it. Level Up is pretty good. Ditto for Numenera, which is where I got the art for the lesser form of the monster you just fought. Also a major.part kf the maguc item house rules in play as.of.now.
Very well, Angus will purchase Mithral Plate +1 and a shield +2. He would be interested in questing for an advanced weapon of some sort, or the materials to craft such. He is ready to proceed with the next phase of the adventure. We should be at level 13 now?
I have been mostly IRL busy, but also prep time for this never off game is an illusory thing. So, now that I'm prepped, I'm letting folks know that some of the PCs will continue to run in this channel, while others will run in PMs, and Tetrevess actually runs in both, playing out memories lost from the trip to the Astral in PM and still present in the events of the main thread as they please, noting that they are still obliged, in theory, to serve the Cloaks in Mulmaster until such time as they leave either by quitting or getting permission to do other things abroad. In either case, there's nothing keeping Tetrevess from joining in the main thread (this thread) as this segment continues. I'll update later today to kick off.
With the Thayan Ambassador dead and the artifact and research lost, the evidence of the Red Wizard's schemes lies in the hands of those dwelling in Ussa's house. But, with the passing of night, the research has disappeared. Akame's notes of the research conducted by the Red Wizards is theirs to share or conceal, but in the absence of hard evidence presented to the Lady of Crime, the political will needed to oust the Thayans completely from the city is lacking.
Your contacts in the thieves' guild honor the agreement to furnish the now useless information about the late Knight Commoander, and inform you of the unfolding situation within the embassy, where the Necromancer you faced as you departed has been named the new Ambassador and additional knights and have been dispatched from Thay along with a battalion of undead, currently en route to the city. The Blades are preparing for the occupied city to become a police state and fear the impact of such on the economy in the near term, yet know that the alternative to appeasement would be to invite the cataclysmic wrath of Szazz Tam's destructive power. The red menace behind the curtain is no secret, but the threat is real and in the end, the decision to go to war with Thay is too heavy to carry the day.
Meanwhile, the information Morwena provides about the revelation of an Abeirian city in the North where Remi and Zehira await spurs the adventurers to act. After equipping themselves adequately, availing themselves of the fine arms and warm clothes for which Mulmaster is known, Angus, along with Samogri, depart at Morwena's behest. <She is the one that recruited Angus into this mission previously, for those who missed it.> For her nephew, Chadderlay, however, Morwena has a different instruction. She informs him of something she heard about that interests her greatly, and asks him to accompany her to investigate. She tells him of Tyreus and of the Stone of Creation. She tells of how it is guarded know by the Sapphire Dragon of Highstar Lake in the High Moors. She tells him of the power the item had, to make real illusions and goes on to say that there is ancient knowledge, lost even to the protectors of the stone, who were cursed upon their failure, but not lost to those who took the it, those for which it held a great potential, those whose presence on Toril left indelible traces, but which now linger as scant remnants of what once stood upon this world.
Tetrevess is obliged to stay in Mulmaster, by membership in the Cloaks, but can ask to leave if desired, though it would warrant an extraordinary explanation.
Chadderlay agrees to accompany his aunt Morwena having only recently reunited with her. The news she shares about the Stone of Creation and the ancient knowledge surrounding the artifact intrigues him greatly.
"Perhaps our paths will cross again but for now I will journey with my aunt Morwena. We must investigate a matter of great importance"
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"A rightful place awaits you in the Realms Above, in the Land of the Great Light. Come in peace, and live beneath the sun again, where trees and flowers grow."
— The message of Eilistraee to all decent drow.
"Run thy sword across my chains, Silver Lady, that I may join your dance.”
Morwena reveals to Chadderlay a smoky gray quartz orb the size of a grapefruit. "With this, we will find what we seek. Here: at the eastern edge of Icewind Dale, an ancient secret lays buried beneath the ice, and now I have found the key."
Morwena puts the orb safety away and produces a map of Icewind Dale with a remote location at the edge of the glacier marked on it.
Angus packs his gear and prepares to depart with Sam. Before leaving, he takes Chadderlay aside and warns him to be careful of his aunt's motives, as they might not completely align with his own.
Angus and Sam step through a portal on the basement wall in a dilapidated house in Mulmaster Ussa has pointed them to. On the otner side of the portal the pIr find themselves in a chamber 40 feet in diameter and 30 feet tall, with stairs down one side. At the bottom of the stairs, the tunnel has been sealed with rubble and planks. Two doors stand in the wall opposite the stairs. To the north, a 10-foot-long hallway leads to a small set of stairs leading 5 feet up to another room. The portal platform is the room’s only furnishing.
A few oil lanterns have been attached to the walls to provide bright light. The runes on the portal also provide a flickering green glow every few seconds.
The metal contraption is an ancient wonder bearing several rough, twisted metal plates that encircle an empty space. On the top, a hexagonal plate of silver bears runes unlike any used today. The runes glow, but flicker like a candle in a breeze. Attached to the plates is a clockwork wonder containing exquisite gears, rare metals, and enchanted minerals that are exposed while it undergoes modifications. A new Far Realm battery was recently installed to boost the portal’s power.
Remallia and Zehira have summoned the characters to the portal room. Jaan’vald and several Harper agents are also present.
Remallia and Zehira lead you into the portal chamber beneath the Harper safe house. You see the githzerai Jaan’vald Llanou sitting on a wooden chair fitted with large wheels tinkering with the ancient metal contraption installed in the middle of the room. He stops what he’s doing to take a good look at you and says, “Are you sure you want to go to the Supreme Forge? Once I send you out, there’s a strong likelihood less than half of you will come back alive.”
He’s been modifying the ancient portal so you can teleport to an access tower near the Supreme Forge.
Jaan’vald arrived in Xorvintroth as a prisoner of the neogi. Neogi are evil, off-worlder creatures that resemble human-sized spiders with eel necks and heads. The neogi’s ship, the deathspider class Er’lir Fezrrega’l, crash-landed in Icewind Dale while chasing another ship, an illithid nautiloid called the Id Ascendant.
Near the crash site, the neogi discovered a cave that led to the ruins of Xorvintroth. Jaan’vald, previously forced into servitude, assisted the neogi in finding tools to help repair their ship. Jaan’vald, other captives, and the neogi found the Supreme Forge, an underground facility that houses many artifacts not from this world. The neogi were only able to seize a few of these artifacts due to the disharmony the Far Realm causes in the area.
Afraid of the Far Realm’s influence, they hurriedly left with whatever they could carry, leaving Jaan’vald and the other captives behind.
Surviving on their own as they tried to find a way out, the captives were found and enslaved by the Thayans shortly after the mountains above Xorvintroth collapsed and destroyed part of the city. They recently liberated themselves.
Since Angus doesnt have that kind of money he will need to quest for items
Maybe I'll stick with a breastplate and get a +2 for 2,000gp. What about a magic shield?
How much money do we have?
I have absolutely no idea how much money you have. Just like I don't know how much hp you have at any given time. My sense is you have tens of thousands of gold or equivalent in items. It's kind of a boon that you're in a city with a strong seller's market, meaning you get an extra 25% on items sold, but do pay an extra 25% on items bought. Unless you just go someplace else to buy them. Uniquely, fine armor is the main export of Mulmaster, so realistically if you're going to buy +2 or better armor, this is the place to do it. Adding 25% seems crazy, but the odds of actually finding it in any given place aren't great. (I question the economics of this, but remember it's just a game, so I just let it ride. Also, there's probably a lot of sham +x armor in this city, but on the level, I wouldn't do that to you. I did try it once, but as an open-to-the-player dice roll to discern quality. I did not think it added to the fun for anyone. @Legion4 might recall it.
Shield prices are reported accurately by the digital tool: https://a********/magic-items?field_mi_category_target_id[0]=301&field_mi_cost_value[min]=&field_mi_cost_value[max]=&combine=. 1,000gp, 7,000gp and 49,000gp for +1,+2,+3 respectively. If these numbers seem off to you, I recommend Pack Tactics' recent YouTube video on magic armor and AC. The short of it is that the higher it gets, the more extreme the effect of a bonus is. It is a trap for all DMs baked into the 5e system, but my take is just to let everyone get really high AC. I will find monsters that can hit it because I'm looking for cool monsters and running a high level campaign. So, high ACs at this level aren't really the problem they might be for DMs at tier 2 who want to run games out of the box from WotC. I almost just said "well, the tool says 65gp, so I guess it's 65gp" but then I realized I could just look it up for real. I also recognize I'm using a 3rd party 'unofficial source, but I really recommend it. Level Up is pretty good. Ditto for Numenera, which is where I got the art for the lesser form of the monster you just fought. Also a major.part kf the maguc item house rules in play as.of.now.
Very well, Angus will purchase Mithral Plate +1 and a shield +2. He would be interested in questing for an advanced weapon of some sort, or the materials to craft such. He is ready to proceed with the next phase of the adventure. We should be at level 13 now?
(Everybody OK out there?)
I think the DM is busy with our side quests.
I’m here!
I have been mostly IRL busy, but also prep time for this never off game is an illusory thing. So, now that I'm prepped, I'm letting folks know that some of the PCs will continue to run in this channel, while others will run in PMs, and Tetrevess actually runs in both, playing out memories lost from the trip to the Astral in PM and still present in the events of the main thread as they please, noting that they are still obliged, in theory, to serve the Cloaks in Mulmaster until such time as they leave either by quitting or getting permission to do other things abroad. In either case, there's nothing keeping Tetrevess from joining in the main thread (this thread) as this segment continues. I'll update later today to kick off.
With the Thayan Ambassador dead and the artifact and research lost, the evidence of the Red Wizard's schemes lies in the hands of those dwelling in Ussa's house. But, with the passing of night, the research has disappeared. Akame's notes of the research conducted by the Red Wizards is theirs to share or conceal, but in the absence of hard evidence presented to the Lady of Crime, the political will needed to oust the Thayans completely from the city is lacking.
Your contacts in the thieves' guild honor the agreement to furnish the now useless information about the late Knight Commoander, and inform you of the unfolding situation within the embassy, where the Necromancer you faced as you departed has been named the new Ambassador and additional knights and have been dispatched from Thay along with a battalion of undead, currently en route to the city. The Blades are preparing for the occupied city to become a police state and fear the impact of such on the economy in the near term, yet know that the alternative to appeasement would be to invite the cataclysmic wrath of Szazz Tam's destructive power. The red menace behind the curtain is no secret, but the threat is real and in the end, the decision to go to war with Thay is too heavy to carry the day.
Meanwhile, the information Morwena provides about the revelation of an Abeirian city in the North where Remi and Zehira await spurs the adventurers to act. After equipping themselves adequately, availing themselves of the fine arms and warm clothes for which Mulmaster is known, Angus, along with Samogri, depart at Morwena's behest. <She is the one that recruited Angus into this mission previously, for those who missed it.> For her nephew, Chadderlay, however, Morwena has a different instruction. She informs him of something she heard about that interests her greatly, and asks him to accompany her to investigate. She tells him of Tyreus and of the Stone of Creation. She tells of how it is guarded know by the Sapphire Dragon of Highstar Lake in the High Moors. She tells him of the power the item had, to make real illusions and goes on to say that there is ancient knowledge, lost even to the protectors of the stone, who were cursed upon their failure, but not lost to those who took the it, those for which it held a great potential, those whose presence on Toril left indelible traces, but which now linger as scant remnants of what once stood upon this world.
Tetrevess is obliged to stay in Mulmaster, by membership in the Cloaks, but can ask to leave if desired, though it would warrant an extraordinary explanation.
Akame has a thing. I'll handle that in PMs.
Chadderlay agrees to accompany his aunt Morwena having only recently reunited with her. The news she shares about the Stone of Creation and the ancient knowledge surrounding the artifact intrigues him greatly.
"Perhaps our paths will cross again but for now I will journey with my aunt Morwena. We must investigate a matter of great importance"
Morwena reveals to Chadderlay a smoky gray quartz orb the size of a grapefruit. "With this, we will find what we seek. Here: at the eastern edge of Icewind Dale, an ancient secret lays buried beneath the ice, and now I have found the key."
Morwena puts the orb safety away and produces a map of Icewind Dale with a remote location at the edge of the glacier marked on it.
Angus packs his gear and prepares to depart with Sam. Before leaving, he takes Chadderlay aside and warns him to be careful of his aunt's motives, as they might not completely align with his own.
<redacted>
If there's a wagon or some such headed our way, I'll hitch.
Portal Room, Harper Safe House
Angus and Sam step through a portal on the basement wall in a dilapidated house in Mulmaster Ussa has pointed them to. On the otner side of the portal the pIr find themselves in a chamber 40 feet in diameter and 30 feet tall, with stairs down one side. At the bottom of the stairs, the tunnel has been sealed with rubble and planks. Two doors stand in the wall opposite the stairs. To the north, a 10-foot-long hallway leads to a small set of stairs leading 5 feet up to another room. The portal platform is the room’s only furnishing.
A few oil lanterns have been attached to the walls to provide bright light. The runes on the portal also provide a flickering green glow every few seconds.
The metal contraption is an ancient wonder bearing several rough, twisted metal plates that encircle an empty space. On the top, a hexagonal plate of silver bears runes unlike any used today. The runes glow, but flicker like a candle in a breeze. Attached to the plates is a clockwork wonder containing exquisite gears, rare metals, and enchanted minerals that are exposed while it undergoes modifications. A new Far Realm battery was recently installed to boost the portal’s power.
Remallia and Zehira have summoned the characters to the portal room. Jaan’vald and several Harper agents are also present.
Remallia and Zehira lead you into the portal chamber beneath the Harper safe house. You see the githzerai Jaan’vald Llanou sitting on a wooden chair fitted with large wheels tinkering with the ancient metal contraption installed in the middle of the room. He stops what he’s doing to take a good look at you and says, “Are you sure you want to go to the Supreme Forge? Once I send you out, there’s a strong likelihood less than half of you will come back alive.”
He’s been modifying the ancient portal so you can teleport to an access tower near the Supreme Forge.
While finishes up, he explains:
Jaan’vald arrived in Xorvintroth as a prisoner of the neogi. Neogi are evil, off-worlder creatures that resemble human-sized spiders with eel necks and heads. The neogi’s ship, the deathspider class Er’lir Fezrrega’l, crash-landed in Icewind Dale while chasing another ship, an illithid nautiloid called the Id Ascendant.
Near the crash site, the neogi discovered a cave that led to the ruins of Xorvintroth. Jaan’vald, previously forced into servitude, assisted the neogi in finding tools to help repair their ship. Jaan’vald, other captives, and the neogi found the Supreme Forge, an underground facility that houses many artifacts not from this world. The neogi were only able to seize a few of these artifacts due to the disharmony the Far Realm causes in the area.
Afraid of the Far Realm’s influence, they hurriedly left with whatever they could carry, leaving Jaan’vald and the other captives behind.
Surviving on their own as they tried to find a way out, the captives were found and enslaved by the Thayans shortly after the mountains above Xorvintroth collapsed and destroyed part of the city. They recently liberated themselves.
<@Angus and @Samogri: I am looking ro roleplay this interaction and swt you off on the adventure>