Wandered Roads 39.5

Wandered Roads of Varisia
Session 39.5

Campaign Timeline

Fireday 5th Neth

Camping Out

After dealing with the large blue dragon brute, the party made a quick search of the area and found it to be a relatively safe and secure area with no other ways in or out but the one they entered from. Immediately the three rowboats are pulled up onto the shore and through the large red door. The door is made to close and then the three well worn boats are piled up in front of the door, balanced to fall over and make a racket if anyone happens to trigger the door to open from the other side.

Next, the chamber is carefully searched while those that are most tired take a much needed rest. First aid is applied to all the wounded and then Kallin uses the newly acquired crystal wand of healing to take care of most of the wounds, hoping to avoid using his magical healing, so as to not stretch his divine threshold any further than it already is.

Using magic and good old elbow grease, it is determined that there are no further hidden exits from the room, though there are 6 small treasure chests stacked behind the dragon beasts giant throne. Each of the chests are filled with rotting meat and unidentifiable organic matter although a thick leather sack is found shoved into one of them. Inside the sack is a frayed cloth scrap wrapped around a good number of bright, uncut, multicolored gemstones that resemble the insides of melons.

A large platinum inscription plate is found attached to the back of the giant sized throne. It is covered in the now familiar but still unreadable Thassilonian runes.

Vexeron spends some time going over the runes and eventually thinks he has sorted out what it might say, though there are  a few words, names he believes, that he cannot figure out due to their unique nature.

Engraved Plate Translation

A gift for my mistress Sorshen from her humble servant <name 1> dedicated this celebrated day the 25th anniversary of her ascension to rulership of Eurythania. Present - Runelord Sorshen <name 1> and her daughters <name 2> and <name 3> Lord and Lady of the Burning Bright the Sisters of Charming and Delectation the Baron of Calamities along with all slaves, servants and supplicants in this, the Lady’s Light May she reign unchallenged forever

It is decided that the group will rest for a few hours before moving on and exploring further down along the underground river. A few hours of rest turns into the equivalent of a whole nights rest. Despite the group’s desire to move quickly through this dungeon, it was proving to be quite difficult and draining on the resources.

Over the course of the “evening,” if that was truly what it was, Vexeron spends some time looking at a few more of the looted magical treasures. Both the draconic creature’s sword and dragon skull shield detect as magical, but each item looks to weigh at least 30lb each and is way too large to be wielded by anyone in the group. Both items also seem to crackle with blue sparks anytime someone comes near them and no one wants to touch them and risk the chance of being shocked or worse.

Vexeron spends some time examining the large black tome that had been recovered after the battle with the dangerous, mind affecting worm beast earlier that day. He is able to translate the cover, which is in Thassalonian script. It reads From the Minds of Monsters and appears to be a reference book regarding monsters that possess mind controlling and affecting powers. It also says that the book was written by Runelord Sorshen herself. It looks to be a very interesting read, at least to Vexeron, though his limited grasp of Thassalonian is not enough to read or fully absorb the information contained within.

After this quick mundane investigation of the book, he begins a magical analysis. His first casting reveals that the book is what is a minor artifact known as a Tome of Clear Thought and that it also contains more magic. He recalls that Tomes of Clear thought are known to increase the intelligence and knowledge of one who reads it. His second casting reveals that it does in fact give a reader a bonus to their intelligence. It also reveals that there are more enchantments on the book. A third casting, while successful, does not reveal the nature of final enchantment, only that there is one. This puzzles Vexeron but he assumes it has something to do with the fact that the item is an artifact and not some normal, everyday magical item.

Next, Vexeron moves on to the magical wand that the worm thing had. He already has a good idea that it contains some sort of healing magic, as it was seen to be used as such during the encounter with the beast. The first analysis reveals the wands name, which is necessary to use it. The second casting reveals that the wand is used to cast the Major Healing spell at full power. The third and final casting reveals that the wand has only 7 uses left and then it will lose its enchantment.

The wizard had hoped to get through more of the items, but the ones he chose had too multiple enchantments on them and took longer than he expected.

Magic Items not yet Identified: a rapier - from half vampire quick guy an axe - from giant magic worm thing an amulet with a golden fist on it  - found at the Hydra’s lair a ring - found at the Hydra’s lair For Later: huge sword - from draconic brute - crackles with blue electricity huge dragon skull shield - from draconic brute - crackles with blue electricity three magic scrolls - found in the pages of a non-magical book in one of the workrooms Buried treasure back at the Hydra’s lair: magical cutlass - found in shipwreck 2400 silver pieces 1267 gold pieces 91 platinum pieces silver necklace gold ring scroll case full of water and old crumbly maps

Previously Identified Magic Items: Wand of Secrets 10 charges (one used in checking the current room) Each charge casts the See Secrets spell. M107. Takes 1 turn Concentrate. Usable by Mages only. Vexeron has possession of this. Crystal Wand of Healing 16 charges (4 used recently) Each charge heals 1d6 or removes 1 level of "Energy Drain" affliction. Takes 1 turn of Concentrate. Usable by Divine casters only. Must touch subject. Kalllin has possession of this. Cloak of Resistance Must be worn. Gives +1 to resist any type of magic, poison, disease, or other hazardous affliction. Daellin has possession of this. Enchanted Arrows +2 hit and damage They are enchanted with +1 Accuracy (Hit) and +1 Puissance (Damage) They are also Fine and Balanced, giving an additional +1 to hit and damage. (+2 total Hit and Damage) Calina has possession of these. Tome of Clear Thought Minor Artifact Gives +1 IQ (permanent) to anyone who reads it (requires Native literacy in Thassalonian and considerable time to read it) There is also another enchantment, but Vexeron cannot figure it out. As a reference book, it may also give a bonus to Knowledge checks about its subject matter, but this will also require Native level literacy) Vexeron has possession of this. Wand of Major Healing 7 charges Heals 8 HP per use. Must touch the subject. Usable by Mages only. Vexeron has possession of this. Wax of Defiance 10 uses Requires 2 seconds to apply. Gives +4 to Will rolls vs all sound based attacks and mind control/ charm magic. Also gives -2 to all hearing based Perception rolls. Lasts for 1 hour. Daellin has possession of this.

Ehlyna catches a few winks as Vexeron is busy with item study.  Sleeping now will allow me to be more alert when Vexie finally gets some rest. Kallin looks tired as well. Letting the party know she is going to rest for watch later, Ehlyna rests. Shaken awake a few hours later by Daellin, Ehlyna stretches and thanks the Elf for letting her sleep. She notices Vexeron and Kallin getting some much needed rest. Shooing Daellin off so he can acquire more sleep, Ehlyna looks over Duraz Maraz and Duraz Zilfin, hydrates from her water skin, and quietly rummages through her backpack looking for rations. Well, as quietly as Ehlyna does anything that is…

Starday 6th Neth

The tired heroes manage to get some sleep and eventually they are ready to head out again.

Session Notes

This was an attempt to get the players to stick with the story between two distant game sessions. But as it happens all to frequently, life gets in the way. Still an important part of the story, so posting it here for completeness.

Characters Present:

Kallin Hawkril, Half-Orc shaman and budding Priest of Pharasma - played by +Daniel Ernst
Calina - Varisian Human archer and scout - played by +Carol Coburn
Daellin Silvanthalas, Elven Farstrider Ranger - played by +Ben Lipe
Vexeron, Human wizard - played by +Greg Grady
Ehlyna Fuzziface - Dwarven Warrior - played by +Jodi H
Samad Aldhul, Human ex-mercenary - played by +JeCorey Holder
Vosk, Half-Orc Pathfinder who gets the job done, no matter what - played by +james schaffner 

and +Jason Woollard as the DM

Wandered Roads 34

Wandered Roads of Varisia
Session 34
August 23, 2014

Campaign Timeline

Into the Swamp

Fireday, 28th of Lamashan
After dealing with the Derro under the city as best they could, the Heroes of Sandpoint returned to the surface and made their way back to the city. They immediately tried to make contact with the Pathfinder Lodge, but Shelia was unavailable. Making the best of the situation, they quickly got down to sorting, identifying and selling the loot they had gathered. While this was going, Daellin wandered off with a good portion of his share of the loot and went on a shopping spree, buying himself a very expensive and well tailored outfit, complete with copious amounts of jewelry bordering on gaudy. He spent some time getting a manicure and having his hair styled as well.

Starday, 29th of Lamashan
The next day, the group met with Shelia at the Pathfinder Lodge. She was excited to hear that they had in fact, recovered the Shard of Greed. She raised an eyebrow at Daellin and called him out as the carrier of the Shard. He produced the shard and she explained what she had learned about the each of the Shards, presenting them with her notes on the subject.

Shelia's notes on the Shards.

She then produced an Ioun Stone, a pale blue rhomboid, and touched it to the Shard. The two items fused together, leaving a small bump on the Shard in the place where the indention had once been. Daellin immediately felt a little more like himself, though he still liked his new outfit and jewelry.

Shelia suggested activating the Shard to see where it pointed toward the next one, so Daellin grasped the metal fragment and concentrated on the location. He got a vision of a swamp, then a coastline, then a tall stone statue of a beautiful woman holding up a glowing scepter. This monument was unfamiliar to most of the companions, but it was not unfamiliar to Shelia. She named it the Lady's Light, an ancient Thassalonian monument a bit to the south and west of Magnimar. It was once controlled by Sorshen, the Runelord of Lust and it made perfect sense that the Shard of Lust resided in one of her monuments.

Shelia gave some basic info on the Lady's Light, that it was believed to be just a statue, that it sat on a point of land far into the Mushfens and that its coastline was very difficult to approach due to dangerous reefs and shoals. She also added that the swamps were dangerous and full of many nasty creatures. She offered to find passage on a ship going that way that could drop them off on the coast nearby and also told them she could send along another Pathfinder that knew his way around a swamp. The group thought this was a good idea and agreed to meet back at the manor the following day.

Sunday 30th of Lamashan
The group met back at the Pathfinder Lodge and were introduced to Vosk, a Half-Orc Pathfinder. He

Vosk, Half Orc Pathfnider

seemed friendly enough and appeared to hold himself well, though he spoke a bit roughly at times and seemed uninterested in dealing with any heavy work. Sheila informed them that she had contacted a ship that was leaving the following morning that had agreed to drop them off. They would have to walk the 4 or 5 days back after their adventure was done though. Vosk suggested going to talk to a crazy old man he knew that might know something useful about that area of the Mushfens.

Following Vosk, the group found this contact, a crazy street preacher named Jasper. He was preaching about the end of the world and how everyone he saw was the chosen one of Groetus and that the end of the world was coming. He behaved erratically and tried to flee, but eventually Vosk got some useful information out of him. He said to find Maroux, the Half Orc witch that lived in the area, and tell her that Jasper sent them.

Moonday 1st of Neth
The next morning, the group of companions left Magnimar. They had gained a new ally, Vosk, and left an old one behind. Leela had been tasked by the Pathfinders to return with another crew and create more accurate maps of the structures beneath the Crow Irespan piling. The captain dropped the group off several miles north of the Lady's Light, at the furthest south landing place available. He had his crew row them out to the shore then bid them farewell and good luck. Calina enjoyed reuniting with Paka, her Firepelt cougar companion. Paka had gotten a sense of where Calina was headed and then ran along through the swamps and along the shoreline, following the ship.

The swamps were treacherous and wet, and in no time, Daellin had soiled his new vestments. He talked with Kallin about using his magic to help keep his clothing clean while traveling through the swamp. After some time, the travelers spotted some small islands, one of which had a path and bridge leading to a small shack. It was the dwelling of Maroux. She was quite distrustful and adamant about everyone leaving her alone, then Jasper's name was mentioned and she changed her tone a bit. She demanded that the group retrieve some special seaweed from the far side of the neighboring island before she would consider talking to them. Eager to get on her good side, the group agreed, though they would have to do it the next day, as it was getting late. Maroux agreed to let the group sleep on her island as long as they didn't bother her.

Toilday 2nd of Neth
The next morning the group headed out to find the seaweed. The task seemed simple enough, she gave them buckets and told them right where to find what they were looking for. As they gathered the aquatic plant, a curious shipwreck just off the shore caught many an eye. Upon closer inspection, it was found that the waterlogged shell of a ship was full of pirate skeletons. They tried to grab Daellin when he flew out to investigate, but they did not pursue him back to the shore. The party decided they could not leave these undead abominations around so they approached the boat and dealt with the skeletons. Some small amount of loot was recovered, including a magical cutlass, a water filled map or scroll case and a small corroded copper ring that Vosk took for himself and shoved it on his little

New jewelry for Vosk.

finger.

When the party returned to Maroux's island with the seaweed, they found that some of their companions had headed back earlier with their bucket of seaweed. Maroux's general attitude had changed significantly. She was now almost pleasant and quite willing to share information on the area. Over a horrible tasting dinner, she told them what she knew of the Lady's Light (which was not much) and of the nearby warring swamp tribes (one Lizardfolk and the other the frog-like Boggards), and more importantly, she told them of some other recent visitors to the swamp. A group of plate clad, lady knights from Korsova, led by a woman by the name of Oriana, had come to the Mushfens in search of the Runelords forgotten treasures to help rebuild their order, that of the formerly deposed Queen of Korsova. The final bit of information Maroux passed on was her thoughts on how to actually ENTER the Lady's Light. She was aware of a network of tunnels beneath this part of the swamp that led to an underground entrance of the monument. She explained that Oriana had recently returned to her hut with an offer of joining her troop, the Grey Maidens. She told Maroux how she had led her knights through the tunnels and into the monument and discovered that Runelord Sorshen was still alive and well and running the place. Maroux said she kindly turned down the offer, which didn't please Oriana at all.

Armed with this information, the group decides that their best bet is to try to enter the tunnels through a nearby cave not controlled by either the Lizardfolk or the Boggards, but was potentially the home of "something big and nasty" according to Maroux.

Wealday, 3rd of Neth
At first light, the group set out to the swamp, skirting an inland lake on their way to the cavern. On their way, they came across a recent battlefield littered with the bodies (but NOT the heads) of several dozen Lizardfolk warriors. While examining the battlefield, some signs were found of modern forged weapons, supporting Maroux's claim that Oriana and the Grey Maidens had joined forces with the

Teng-Quet of the World Pond

Boggards. Kallin noticed the spirit of a Lizardfolk crouched over one of the decapitated bodies. He approached it and spoke though the spirit did not speak any language Kallin understood. Daellin used his magic to give Kallin the ability to understand the spirits language. Kallin learned from the spirit, Teng Quet of the World Pond, that the Lizardfolk had been slaughtered while on a hunting party by the Boggards with help from the weapons they had gotten from the Grey Maidens. Kallin asked Teng Quet what he knew about the nearby cave and he was happy to tell. He called it the Cavern of Many Mouths and said that the party should go there and be met by Gegganallag and that they would be assisted in their quest. Kallin thanked Teng Quet and said a prayer to Pharasma and performed a ritual that allowed the spirit to move beyond to the Boneyard.

The party then moved on, crossed a small stream and moved up into a rocky area before finding the cave. They approached the large cavern mouth slowly and stealthily with Vosk and Daellin in the lead. They reached the mouth of the cavern and spotted some scattered coins in the rocky dirt near the entrance as well as scattered bones of differing sized creatures. They also found a silver necklace stuck in the mud near a foot long crystal wand. Pocketing the treasure, the two moved up into the cave quietly. The others followed behind. The cave led in and then up and to the right, requiring the two scouts to climb up some before the cave leveled off again. At the top of the climb, they saw the resident of the Cavern of Many Mouths, a large, writhing form of scales, teeth and claws - a hydra!

Before they could decide what to do, the draconic beast leaped to its feet and roared. Daellin and Vosk turned and jumped back down the shaft, running for the cavern mouth. The hydra pursued and once down below, it let loose with a mouthful of flaming death. The two scouts dove for cover though Daellin was caught by the fire and knocked to the ground. The rest of the group moved up and into position while Vosk took to the shadows, hoping to maneuver for a good sneak attack.

Immediately, Daellin activated the haste powers of his newly acquired Shard and propelled himself into the nearby bog, putting the fire out. The rest of the group moved in to battle the 5 snake-headed dragon, led by Ehlyna. Samad and Paka moved around the outside edge of the cavern while Calina moved into position and began sending arrows toward one of the many eyes the creature posessed. Kallin fell into a support position and Vexeron began casting a large fireball. The beast breathed again, sending Kallin and Vexeron diving for cover. In the chaos, Vexeron dropped his fireball, sending up an even bigger ball of flame than the hydra had, and nearly burning himself to a crisp. The wizard then lost consciousness due to his fiery wounds.

Gegganallag of the Cavern of Many Mouths

The battle raged on for some time while Kallin tried extinguishing his companion and eventually, the hydra, cut and bruised quite severely, charged for the bog, dove in and did not resurface anywhere within sight.

Vexeron was quickly stabilized and the group determined that they would take the hydra's cave as their camp for now, assuming that badly beaten hydra would not come back and that its reputation in the swamp would keep most other nuisances from approaching.

Session Photos - The Hydra Fight!

The hydra attacks... so does Ehlyna!

Diving out of the way of the flames!

Paka leaps onto the hydra's back!

Surrounding the 5-headed hydra isn't easy!

Session Notes

We were missing quite a few regular players but had a new face at the table as well. My good friend Jim finally gave in to my incessant badgering about joining the GURPS game and let me come help him make a character the night before and then joined us for some gaming. I grew up gaming with Jim and it was great to have him back at the table. Ben, Jim and myself had rolled many countless dice together in our youth!

Please forgive the very un-hydra-ish mini being used in the above photos. Unfortunately I accidentally left my hydra mini at home and we had to use one of Dan's dragons as a stand in. Oops!

Characters Present:

Kallin Hawkril, Half-Orc shaman and budding Priest of Pharasma - played by +Daniel Ernst
Calina - Varisian Human archer and scout - played by +Carol Coburn
Daellin Silvanthalas, Elven Farstrider Ranger - played by +Ben Lipe
Vexeron, Human wizard - played by +Greg Grady
Ehlyna Fuzziface - Dwarven Warrior - played by +Jodi H
Samad Aldhul, Human ex-mercenary - played by +JeCorey Holder
Vosk, Half-Orc Pathfinder who gets the job done, no matter what - played by +james schaffner 

and +Jason Woollard as the DM