Haleek returns to his team to continue coordinating the next meeting of the High Court. Meanwhile, Tock, Martin, and Ronis accompany Dog to meet Finnegan at the Mage Academy tower. (Gash stays behind to manage some affairs of his own.) Here they receive their first introduction with cantankerous mage. He is a gnome in fine robes with a disdain for anything he perceives to be wasting his time. Finnegan teleports the team to the outskirts of Matas. They are more than 100 miles north of the Cloudspire mountains and they appear to be on a farm, albeit one with no crops or livestock.
"I bought this farm specifically to serve as a launching point for my explorations into the hills," Finnegan says, pointing southeast into the plains that surround them. "We are actually closer to Tioratve than Matas, although it is Matas that takes their cut from me for owning this land."
It turns out that Finnegan does keep an active stable here, populated with 2 horses and a pony. He hops onto the pony and, gesturing to the horses, says, "You will have to figure out how to share."
Martin is happy enough transforming into a rabbit while Ronis and Tock ride. Dog walks and flies, occasionally switching with Tock.
Eventually the party arrives at the Tior river, which is easy enough to cross. The party stops for a light, late lunch on the other side and continues heading southeast. In the distance very far to the south, the blue-tinged mountains of the Cloudspire range are visible. To the east, the plains begin to roll into hills, making the way a little slower.
The hills continue to roll as they walk until it gets dark enough and the party becomes hungry enough that they stop for the night to camp. Finnegan insists on an early departure and goes to bed immediately after supper, leaving the four emissaries to figure out the camp security.
Finnegan is ready to go at dawn and, much to his chagrin, which he loudly lets known, the party departs an hour after that. Of course, camp could have been broken more quickly if he had bothered to help.
This day proceeds much like the last, marching up and down the gentle slopes. The Cloudspire mountains have gotten noticeably closer to the south and to the east, large grassy mounds rise out of the hills.
"This one contains a fallen Warforged," Finnegan says, pointing to the first grassy mound they pass.
There is a slice of the giant mount dug out of it. It has filled in again where the mound collapsed into the hole and grass has grown into the dent created by Finnegan's excavations. If the mound buries a single warforged, it must have been massive, as large as a small cottage at least.
Lunch is next to another such mound, but Finnegan has little to say about it, except that he never bothered to dig into it. "I've come to recognize what some of the sizes and shapes of these mounds represent," he says. "That one is probably another warforged that fell during the Mage Wars."
After lunch, the party continues, walking into hillier terrain. Some of these are more mounds and some are natural hills. At times, it is difficult to tell the two apart.
At last, several hours before supper, the party arrives at the flattest part of the rolling hills they have seen.
"Right here," Finnegan says proudly. "Kalazath was a crafty one. He didn't build his laboratory into a hillside. He built it between two hillsides."
After some scrutiny, it is possible to sort of see what Finnegan means. They had climbed up a hill to this flat portion but never back down again. Large mounds and taller hills surround them in the distance but right here seems to be a plateau that is almost unnatural in the midst of the surrounding hills.
"I have magically tested the site and, yes, it is a laboratory. Furthermore, I know it Kalazath's because I have divined the twin to this amulet," Finnegan says, holding up an ornate amulet. "At this location. It is what Kalazath used as keys to his devices. He was here, I know it."
The gnome's eyes blaze with a greedy anticipation fo the knowledge buried beneath their feet. His reverie turns into a scowl as he focuses on the mountains to the south. They are, perhaps, three-day's hike to the nearest of them. "The goliath tribe that your parents hailed from, Doggear Brakespine, frequently venture into these hills. Where they see me digging, they do all they can to stop me. Every time. And on top of this plateau, I am exposed. I can only do so much to keep them at bay. This is why I need you. Help me work in peace."
Okay, I will stop narrating here and let you all have a say. The goliath tribe is expected to arrive sometime in the next 12 hours, according to Finnegan. They always seem to find him quickly.
Dog would have shifted Stitches into an owl or hawk earlier and given her free rein to patrol the skies and let him know about anything unusual. When they reach this final destination he sends her up again, swooping around in a wide orbit of their current position, with some level of focus in the direction Finnegan indicated to the south, but also mindful of a rear possibility.
”Do they usually try a frontal assault, or are they quieter? I wish Gash were here and we could camouflage the area in an arcane manner. That would take care of the problem. Ah well. We’ve come this far - shall we select a forward position to prepare to meet any threats?”He scans the area 1000 feet to the south for anything that might serve as a place for an ambush.
He also offers to make someone invisible, and depending on what the terrain to the south looks like, use mold earth to direct any incoming via some carefully placed difficult terrain.
He can also use his boots to fly up in the air and bring any attention onto himself, and away from the party and the wizard.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Martin will range around the area on Marble to see where they might be coming from, casting enhance ability on himself to increase his natural talents (wisdom)
Ronis has been looking around at all the hills and mounds and wondering what they might contain with great interest, mind wandering at what might lie beneath the earth. "You've been studying this Kalazath guy all your life or something, right? What do you think's down there?"
At Finnegan's grumbling, he'll say, "They know whenever you start? That's weird. Do you think they have some sort of relationship with this place? You ever asked?" He gives the cantankerous mage a considering look. "Maybe let me go and have a chat with them first. Goliath's are honourable, right? Maybe we can do more than just leap into a fight."
Ronis will posit finding them sometime before they get here, and talking with them, requesting Martin Enhance his charisma if we do.
Dog, uncharacteristically meekly, says that he has not actually spent much time at all with goliath tribes. "My parents left the tribe and made it their goal that I would not be raised under its influence. I tried to seek out some of my people when I was younger, and more belligerent, and more foolish, and tired of reading. I failed to get out here -- mainly met some sellswords and soldiers and bodyguards. I got frustrated with being a caravan guard, and joined the circus. So honestly? I probably know about as much as you. I'm not sure if I'm nervous about this, or excited."His slate grey eyes look to the horizon.
Finnegan really doesn't listen to Ronis as he dives into his work. Per his prediction, though, Stitches is soaring in lazy, wide circles when he spots an approaching band of 8 goliath. Dog is able to confirm this soon from the air, followed by Martin from a nearby hilltop. They are on foot and a good 10-15 minute walk away (perhaps 3/4 of a mile in hilly terrain). They are definitely armed and armored, although they are approaching in daylight and on a direct path. What will the group do in the 10-15 minutes they have before the goliath arrive?
Martin will meet Ronis to cast enhance ability on the sorcerer to give him clarity in his charisma checks. In fact, he’ll cast it at level 3 to hit Dog as well.
After that, he’s watching for anyone approaching via some hidden route or method.
"Should we go meet them partway, find a hilltop to defend, perhaps rough up the terrain to give them one or two pathways up, and hope they're okay with talking? And preparing for them not being okay with talking?"Dog says, thinking of mold earth.
"Well I can't really do anyting about the terrain. I'm going to meet them." Ronis will start walking in the goliath's direction. When he gets within sight and hearing distance, he will call out to them and hail them in a friendly manner to talk.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
"If I can get a decision on this, I'll get things set up right away," Haleek says.
Martin shakes his head. “I’m sorry, I’m not meaning to be disagreeable. Yes. The Fey.”
Paladin - warforged - orange
We will embark on the last little adventure (the goliath tribe bothering Finnegan) for this chapter shortly, assuming I haven't lost any of you!
Haleek returns to his team to continue coordinating the next meeting of the High Court. Meanwhile, Tock, Martin, and Ronis accompany Dog to meet Finnegan at the Mage Academy tower. (Gash stays behind to manage some affairs of his own.) Here they receive their first introduction with cantankerous mage. He is a gnome in fine robes with a disdain for anything he perceives to be wasting his time. Finnegan teleports the team to the outskirts of Matas. They are more than 100 miles north of the Cloudspire mountains and they appear to be on a farm, albeit one with no crops or livestock.
"I bought this farm specifically to serve as a launching point for my explorations into the hills," Finnegan says, pointing southeast into the plains that surround them. "We are actually closer to Tioratve than Matas, although it is Matas that takes their cut from me for owning this land."
It turns out that Finnegan does keep an active stable here, populated with 2 horses and a pony. He hops onto the pony and, gesturing to the horses, says, "You will have to figure out how to share."
Martin is happy enough transforming into a rabbit while Ronis and Tock ride. Dog walks and flies, occasionally switching with Tock.
DM shield:
10
Eventually the party arrives at the Tior river, which is easy enough to cross. The party stops for a light, late lunch on the other side and continues heading southeast. In the distance very far to the south, the blue-tinged mountains of the Cloudspire range are visible. To the east, the plains begin to roll into hills, making the way a little slower.
15
The hills continue to roll as they walk until it gets dark enough and the party becomes hungry enough that they stop for the night to camp. Finnegan insists on an early departure and goes to bed immediately after supper, leaving the four emissaries to figure out the camp security.
16
9
Finnegan is ready to go at dawn and, much to his chagrin, which he loudly lets known, the party departs an hour after that. Of course, camp could have been broken more quickly if he had bothered to help.
This day proceeds much like the last, marching up and down the gentle slopes. The Cloudspire mountains have gotten noticeably closer to the south and to the east, large grassy mounds rise out of the hills.
8
3
"This one contains a fallen Warforged," Finnegan says, pointing to the first grassy mound they pass.
There is a slice of the giant mount dug out of it. It has filled in again where the mound collapsed into the hole and grass has grown into the dent created by Finnegan's excavations. If the mound buries a single warforged, it must have been massive, as large as a small cottage at least.
Lunch is next to another such mound, but Finnegan has little to say about it, except that he never bothered to dig into it. "I've come to recognize what some of the sizes and shapes of these mounds represent," he says. "That one is probably another warforged that fell during the Mage Wars."
After lunch, the party continues, walking into hillier terrain. Some of these are more mounds and some are natural hills. At times, it is difficult to tell the two apart.
DM shield:
1
At last, several hours before supper, the party arrives at the flattest part of the rolling hills they have seen.
"Right here," Finnegan says proudly. "Kalazath was a crafty one. He didn't build his laboratory into a hillside. He built it between two hillsides."
After some scrutiny, it is possible to sort of see what Finnegan means. They had climbed up a hill to this flat portion but never back down again. Large mounds and taller hills surround them in the distance but right here seems to be a plateau that is almost unnatural in the midst of the surrounding hills.
"I have magically tested the site and, yes, it is a laboratory. Furthermore, I know it Kalazath's because I have divined the twin to this amulet," Finnegan says, holding up an ornate amulet. "At this location. It is what Kalazath used as keys to his devices. He was here, I know it."
The gnome's eyes blaze with a greedy anticipation fo the knowledge buried beneath their feet. His reverie turns into a scowl as he focuses on the mountains to the south. They are, perhaps, three-day's hike to the nearest of them. "The goliath tribe that your parents hailed from, Doggear Brakespine, frequently venture into these hills. Where they see me digging, they do all they can to stop me. Every time. And on top of this plateau, I am exposed. I can only do so much to keep them at bay. This is why I need you. Help me work in peace."
Okay, I will stop narrating here and let you all have a say. The goliath tribe is expected to arrive sometime in the next 12 hours, according to Finnegan. They always seem to find him quickly.
Dog would have shifted Stitches into an owl or hawk earlier and given her free rein to patrol the skies and let him know about anything unusual. When they reach this final destination he sends her up again, swooping around in a wide orbit of their current position, with some level of focus in the direction Finnegan indicated to the south, but also mindful of a rear possibility.
”Do they usually try a frontal assault, or are they quieter? I wish Gash were here and we could camouflage the area in an arcane manner. That would take care of the problem. Ah well. We’ve come this far - shall we select a forward position to prepare to meet any threats?” He scans the area 1000 feet to the south for anything that might serve as a place for an ambush.
He also offers to make someone invisible, and depending on what the terrain to the south looks like, use mold earth to direct any incoming via some carefully placed difficult terrain.
He can also use his boots to fly up in the air and bring any attention onto himself, and away from the party and the wizard.
Martin will range around the area on Marble to see where they might be coming from, casting enhance ability on himself to increase his natural talents (wisdom)
survival? Perception? 20
Paladin - warforged - orange
Ronis has been looking around at all the hills and mounds and wondering what they might contain with great interest, mind wandering at what might lie beneath the earth. "You've been studying this Kalazath guy all your life or something, right? What do you think's down there?"
At Finnegan's grumbling, he'll say, "They know whenever you start? That's weird. Do you think they have some sort of relationship with this place? You ever asked?" He gives the cantankerous mage a considering look. "Maybe let me go and have a chat with them first. Goliath's are honourable, right? Maybe we can do more than just leap into a fight."
Ronis will posit finding them sometime before they get here, and talking with them, requesting Martin Enhance his charisma if we do.
(Can do, Ronis, just waiting on an update of events)
Paladin - warforged - orange
Dog, uncharacteristically meekly, says that he has not actually spent much time at all with goliath tribes. "My parents left the tribe and made it their goal that I would not be raised under its influence. I tried to seek out some of my people when I was younger, and more belligerent, and more foolish, and tired of reading. I failed to get out here -- mainly met some sellswords and soldiers and bodyguards. I got frustrated with being a caravan guard, and joined the circus. So honestly? I probably know about as much as you. I'm not sure if I'm nervous about this, or excited." His slate grey eyes look to the horizon.
Finnegan really doesn't listen to Ronis as he dives into his work. Per his prediction, though, Stitches is soaring in lazy, wide circles when he spots an approaching band of 8 goliath. Dog is able to confirm this soon from the air, followed by Martin from a nearby hilltop. They are on foot and a good 10-15 minute walk away (perhaps 3/4 of a mile in hilly terrain). They are definitely armed and armored, although they are approaching in daylight and on a direct path. What will the group do in the 10-15 minutes they have before the goliath arrive?
Martin will meet Ronis to cast enhance ability on the sorcerer to give him clarity in his charisma checks. In fact, he’ll cast it at level 3 to hit Dog as well.
After that, he’s watching for anyone approaching via some hidden route or method.
Paladin - warforged - orange
Martin Stealth check: 25
Martin places himself behind some bushes alongside several tall, thin pine trees along the path the goliath party are likely to take.
"Should we go meet them partway, find a hilltop to defend, perhaps rough up the terrain to give them one or two pathways up, and hope they're okay with talking? And preparing for them not being okay with talking?" Dog says, thinking of mold earth.
"Well I can't really do anyting about the terrain. I'm going to meet them." Ronis will start walking in the goliath's direction. When he gets within sight and hearing distance, he will call out to them and hail them in a friendly manner to talk.