Which Quest is Best

Session 1 - Sept 25th, 2010

Started after Troubled Fey

The group needs to figure out how to get back into The Principalities by way of The Keep, as well as figuring out what to do about the two major paths in front of them.

(Contributed by Alex, tweaked by TJ)

The group headed back towards The Keep, passing near Muka'l, and decided to check for information....

The party went to the town of Muka'l (well Conner and Blue Wood and Gol stayed outside near the Awakened Forest) and checked the mail. The town was crowded, chaotic, with a siege mentality (and lots of opportunistic pickpockets - Gweara lost a dagger). The party members going in gave their names and were "flagged" as potential recruits and given identifying bracelets to wear to keep them from being troubled while waiting for an interview with the town leader (or so they thought!). Mail for Nasar/Conner was nothing special from his distant silver dragon kin, but Lady Naomi hoped he could come home soon.
Then the leader of the town (old man) came and with a custom mass charm got Laran and Cugdish to agree to help the war effort vs. Orcs. Laran, already juiced up with diplomacy, convinced the others (except Willow). Willow "agreed" to get the rest of us outside and then explained what had happened and that the amulets did not come off. We talked about ways of removing the amulet and Willow disappeared!

So Gol created a lot of copies of a diplomatic agreement (worded by Blue Wood) along the tunes of "we don't have much time for this - we have other very pressing issues, but if you release our friends we won't waste your resources releasing them ourselves, and we will kill the orc leader and/or 5000 orcs". Nasar/Conner airbombed Muka'l with the leaflets...

Meanwhile, Laran and Cugdish were calming the crowd, and Bash'yrr and Gweara were making war-related preparations (glyphs of warding, covered oil trenches, etc.). Willow was imprisoned and PISSED!

The old man talked to Laran and was convinced that we were honourable and let them all go, meeting all the conditions (no amulets, no charms, etc.). Willow removed the charm anyhow on Laran and Cugdish (but Bash'yrr was so convinced by Laran's silver tongue that he is still a true believer).
So we made more war preparations.
Conner flew SW to see what was to be found and flew back and later realized there was a light to the south that wasn't dawn.
Probably orcs will be here in a few days.

Blue Wood helped make a moat, I believe that they've split a creek/river to go around both sides of the city?
Willow helped with wells, a secret tunnel to the Awakened Forest, and a deal with the Awakened Forest.
Dawn Brother agreed to take in the townsfolk if necessary, but at the price that 1 in 10 would not leave.

Currently we have the old man's coin which we can use to talk with him (and he apologized to the group, BTW, but he was desperate - other adventurers either wouldn't help without an exorbitant fee lied about helping and then took off). We may or may not take up the amulets again (we would have a way to remove them if necessary, and they could be used to pull us back to the town's relative safety as we would be monitored by the townsfolk). Not sure if the device would work on 4500 lb Blue Wood. Blue Wood thought that Willow should decide whether to use the amulets or not, to make up for the loss of freedom she suffered earlier.

We think that the orcs number about 10 000 and have a common brand (perhaps Laran could try a bardic knowledge check?) and likely a strong leader that may or may not be an orc. They are organized, raiding areas for food/supplies first with scouting parties, razing settlements to the ground, etc. Conner voluntarily relinquished control to his silver dragon ancestor to use his expertise in town defending and orc army killing.

Session 2 - Dec 12th, 2010

We decided to make a fake fort with illusions and earth spells and stuff about a day out of town. Blue Wood borrows Conner's hat of disguise to look like a statue of Corellon Larethian the elven god. The ground is hallowed.

Conner does a scouting mission. Orcs are in armies and have scouts riding wolves bigger than worgs. Conner tries to kidnap a scout, no luck (and we find out amulets don't take passengers anyhow).

Conner and Willow do a night mission and cause a little havoc with fire spells and ravenous jaws or something like that. Seems to cause a commotion. We find out the leader wears adamantine armour, is larger than the average orc, and possibly has a portable anti-magic zone. Wields a great sword?

The central orc army keeps the other ones in line and from fighting each other.

The plan is to cause trouble at the fake fort when they arrive, harass the orcs, kill a lot of them, maybe take out the leader. If that doesn't work, teleport back and then town evacuates to awakened forest while we take off back on track for the larger mission. We will give it the old college try, as they say.

Blue Wood can meelee with the anti-magic guy, but probably shouldn't while spell-slingers are in his carrying basket (unless they are so high off the ground they are out of the zone). I guess I could trample over and past him though. Likely the teleport amulets don't work in the anti-magic zone, so be careful! Conner could also do a flying charge with a long large pointed lance/spear/etc.

Session 3 - Feb 6th, 2011

Sorry if I missed anything. I blame the bad mayonnaise from the night before.

Ok, Conner and Willow did some recon, realized 2000 orcs were missing(!), Willow ported to town to warn them, they have a few orcs skulking around, trying to be seen without being obvious about it, but only a handful. Then Willow got close but got sniffed out by giant intelligent fire breathing wolves. One of which ran back to the main army at the FF (we think). Meanwhile Conner tried to find the tracks of the 2000 but only found the wolf tracks at least 100 and then they split up and since Conner is Silver now that is as good as the tracking got.

Back at the Fake Fort (FF) we did more fortifying and trap building and Laran sang to build up fake stone singing.

Finally everyone got back, we prepped, etc. The battle starts with trebuchet building by enlarged orcs. Conner and Willow tried some recon and trebuchet damaging. Killed some orcs but didn't kill any trebuchets. They came back. Willow fire-warded Blue Wood which came in handy as the trebuchets started with flaming barrels of smelly burny oil. No one was seriously hurt but then there were tons and tons of boulders that we had to wait out until the infantry got close. Finally they did and Gol nuked a few orcs with fireballs and the traps did a number on, well, a number of them. Then Conner and Willow flew up again to see if they could find the BBEG and think they might have a direction, at least, so Cugdish cast a Fly spell on Blue Wood and with Gweara and Bashir in her fists Laran, Cugdish and Gol in the basket, she is flying towards that point, buffed with Freedom of Movement (and others are buffed too with other stuff).

Session 4 - Aug 28th, 2011

We were flying around, Conner and Willow up ahead (faster) and noted that there were 3 BBEGs in armour, not just one, but then they got caught by a forceweb spell which almost sent Conner plummetting to the earth. Conner got a feather fall (and Willow air elementalled out of the way) and then Blue Wood caught up and held up Conner (and there was a fog cloud, then a windwall, to protect from arrows). But Conner couldn't get out and died(!) and Kiray pecked his amulet to take him back to the village. Willow went too to start a reincarnation and tell the village to evacuate. Some orcs were inside the windwall and Gweara and Blue Wood took them out.

Arrows were common, as were a few trebuchets. So after getting of some spells (like Cloudkill via Ash) Gol and Gweara blinked back to the village. Gweara went to the walls to assess the situation at the village. Laran was nearly dead but got healed and eventually Laran left. So we were down to Bashir, Cugdish and Blue Wood. Blue Wood stepped out of the wind wall but stumbled (oops). Bashir buffed up and killed an orc. Cugdish dealt a blow to an orc. Blue Wood then flew up, and Bashir and Cugdish eventually left, that left Blue Wood flying at a (not the BBEG), and between him and the trebuchets, and a dispel magic on most of the buff spells on her (including the fly spell, so Blue Wood fell to earth!), Blue Wood nearly died too, but was able to kill the BBEG and blink out, taking the corpse of the BBEG with her (but alas forgot to take the axe which fell from the BBEG's hand).

Back at the village, the evacuation went apace and Willow asked for more help from the Dawn Brother, and for another 2% (on top of the 10%) of the population not leaving, there will be aid in getting the villagers safely to the forest and retaining their identity as the people of that village (Mukal). Some fish-tailed elfish fey folk took the children and small non-humans to safety first. The mayor asked the party for a distraction while the rest of them escaped.

The bard identified the BBEG as half-hobgoblin, half-XXX (where IC the bard knows but OOC Joe didn't have his notes with him, so we will get to that later). The armour was identified as +2 adamantine armour of invulnerability.

Nasar/Conner reincarnated, but because the Silver dragon was in control, it reincarnated in a separate body (half-dragon dwarf) that flew away but said it would find us later (had things to do, went invisible, etc.). Nasar came back as a Satyr. While dead and coming back, Nasar was given a choice of trading Echo of the Ancestor levels away to the Silver (who would need them to gain an advantage over the Red dragon), and gain Sorcerer levels in return. Could be a good deal. IC this choice was made before Nasar came to life out of the earth, but OOC TJ has until next session to decide.

Also, OOC Laran the bard should be one level higher.

For now, Blue Wood is loaning Nasar the +1 mithril chainmail of invulnerability (sizing) but would like it back when Nassar can find some other armour, as it is hard for Blue Wood to find "sizing" armour. That said, if Blue Wood is allowed to "pray" the adamantine armour that no one can wear (but the party could sell) into the sword Sentinel, then Sentinel (and thus Blue Wood) would agree to just give Nasar the +1 mithril chainmail of invulnerability. Since the party will likely be on the move soon, no decision has to be made on this yet.

Nasar has also not yet decided on what he wants to be called.

So we fought to defend the village, and although we failed vs. the orcs, we did some damage and paid a heavy price (come to think of it, losing Nasar was kinda like our paying 12%). On the up side, we took out one of the three BBEGs, and about 1 000 of the 10 000 orcs, and likely will save 88% of the 4 000 - 5 000 villagers. But we soon have to get back to the main quest of repairing the broken seals.

As it stands, we are ready to provide some distraction by engaging the "scouting" orcs and fire-breathing wolves, while the villagers get the heck out of dodge. Then we have to figure out how we are moving. No one is high enough level to teleport Blue Wood, for instance, so I guess we are walking.

Experience Points were not determined.

Session 5 - Sept 05th, 2011

We fought the Orc, and the Orc won...

But we got the citizens of Mukal out and into the Awakened Forest and now need to regroup and plan from here...

Session 6 - Nov 13th, 2011

We saved the townsfolk and they can shelter in the Awakened Forest safely for as long as they need to (with the 12% rider of some being forced to stay in the Awakened Forest forever) and were discussing what to do when Willow found out the Mayor would be one of the 12%. Willow thought the town would need the Mayor and so worked out a trade with Dawn Brother and effectively gave up her uncle Bashiir instead (so in game terms, Willow will need a new cohort (but we left her in a good place to get one, as you will see below).

Gol chose to teleport away to the Waterfall temple to do some research.

Then Laran interviewed "his" dominated orc and we found out that there were 8 orc hordes dominated by 3 "hands" of a greater being that is unknown. The "hand" we killed was a half-fiend hobgoblin, but each "hand" could be different and we never saw the others. Oh, and the 10 000 orcs we encountered were not the main army! This was just to make sure the orcs weren't attacked from behind in the South before regrouping (along with another similar army doing the same thing in the North) at the Orc keep on this side of the pass, with the main army. So this is at least 30 000 orcs, and maybe 9-10 (or more!) "hands", plus whoever they are serving. Oh and the orcs killed a long time ago were a lesser part of one of the 8 armies.

The orc was ordered into the awakened forest. He is still there for now (a surprisingly good survivor, as a orc scout should be, I guess) but eventually the domination will wear off (12 days from the casting, I believe).

Blue Wood apologized to Nasar/Conner for making a rash promise about killing half the orcs or their leader or saving the town. Clearly, Willow's scheme of saving the town at a 12% cost was the only feasible one in retrospect, especially since what we thought were leaders were only "hands of the leader", whoever that is (a fiend?). The orcs were too well organized and far too numerous. If we didn't also have the "Recover the Seals and Save the Universe" quest it would be the greatest threat to the civilized lands.

Walking back through the pass thus seemed problematic (but it would be nice to warn Murts's Haven somehow). We discussed teleport and scouting for more infor, but alas Blue Wood is too darned big.

• • • Note: I think I have a way around that -- with the mw scabbard I have

(see below) maybe we could get Gol or someone else at the Waterfall Temple (see below) to enchant it so be a "sizing reversal scabbard" so that, at the owner's will when a sizing weapon is drawn, instead of the weapon changing size to fit the wielder, the wielder changes size to fit the weapon! What do you think, Joe? Would this work? Would it be not too costly (I am poor right now, alas)? ***

Anyhow, we decided to go for Cugdish Plane Shifting us to Elysium (using a tuning fork from Blue Wood's Satchel of Serendipity - she made another one to return to the Prime Material Plane), planning to do so again to the Prime Material Plane and walk from there. The fields of Elysium were nice and peaceful. Blue Wood planted 2 dryads there, people gathered wood (for bows, arrows and a scabbard, and I think Laran gathered some shavings) and (holy) water there, the hunting was easy there, everything was nice there. This is where Blue Wood will end up when she dies, if there still is a universe. Nice to get a preview of Heaven. Nasar and Blue Wood prayed for guidance, and effectively were made to feel that we would get some.

The Plane Shift back took us to the Basin, which made Blue Wood scared of possible evil druids. But we also ended up right were the Seal at the Basin was broken, and so were able to gather up all the pieces. Alas, we got noticed by some crows, which Ki Re noted were not living crows (undead crows, possibly with detect magic!).

• • • As we found out later, some evil got involved with undead took an

interest when Ehlonna guided our Plane Shift here. This had consequences later, and shows why the gods can't interfere directly too much -- other gods tend to step in.***

So then began an intense debate (a la telepathy, while we stealthily ran away) about whether to fight the crows, keep running, or Plane Shift back with the Seal to Elysium. Eventually running was no longer an option, as the crows were onto us. Nassar had worries that plane shifting with an artifact could be dangerous (even dimension dooring with it caused him a flashback to horrorifying Bad MindFlayer God stuff). Oh, we found the Seals cannot be detected by any magical means, and do not transform with a user (not even the broken pieces).

We finally Plane Shifted back. The upside, the crows didn't find us and the dark druids may not even have suspected that we were there. The downside, the evil god (not the Bad Mindflayer evil god, but the undead evil god) tried to redirect the plane shift and almost succeeded, which would have been very very bad. As it was, we went (randomly) to a different plane. Thank goodness that Cugdish had a reroll on the relevant will save due to his luck domain power!

Luck was greatly with us indeed, as we arrived at The plane of Moradin, dwarven god of the forge! We nearly got attacked as "creatures from the pit" as we had the stench of that evil god on us (unbeknownst to us) but with some smooth talking by Laran (even an almost Botch was ridiculously good!) we told them everything about the Seal and they agreed to have a look at it. Finally, one of Moradin's children, the demigod of repairing things, took a few days to repair the Seal (we volunteered some Elysian holy water to help). After this, we were kindly invited never to return. Nassar got a lump of mithral (for his cousin, a Smith). Laran got 8 mithral coins stamped with Moradin's face in exchange for entertaining the guards. Willow nearly got a heart attack - as a chaotic thief she was as scared to be there as Blue Wood was in the Basin.

We got safe passage back to the Prime (we chose the Waterfall temple, as they would know what to do next) and were told we owed Moradin a favour (in the form of a quest - he would provide guidance on it later). The Seal activated upon arrival (it only works on the Prime Material Plane), and knocked out Nassar, and scared some others, but we got the idea that the Evil Mindflayer God was angry because he was even more locked up than before. So now 4 of the 7 seals are active! 3 more to go!

Session 7 - Dec 30th, 2011

We talked a lot, blipped over to Murt's Haven via Teleport and are gathering information. We/Nasar also sent information to Alftis in Dalford and Leriwyn my steward via dreams about the big Orc army etc.

On the way Gol managed to fail on the teleport and ended up outside some other city, before correcting and heading to Murts.

Session 8 - Feb, 2012

Headed south, first by teleport then started walking... ended up at a long forgotten outpost in the mountains, where we saw a light... waited outside, were attacked, killed it then started exploring what was apprently the scene of a big battle a long long time ago...

Session 9 - April 7, 2012

Marched south, entered a illusioned forest, talked to some Gnomes. Met another keeper of knowledge of the seals. got an escort from her, rode down to the shore partly on the back of a purple worm? Found the city, saw a dracolich manage to detonate itself against some magic shell.

Session 10 - Aug 26, 2012

Game at Peters

What to do? What to do?

Session 11 - Oct 21, 2012

Game at Peters

Ok, after a lot of weasel jokes, we tried to get into the sphere.

Trona (minus Sentinel) tried to approach using an arrow of Ehlonna and got blown back for her pains, with all of her other magic items disenchanted (painful, as some of them were sizing items!). She then tried again sans magic items and disappeared. . .

Eventually, Gol (and Ash, who weaseled out of Gweara's grasp at the right moment) and Willow and Laran followed, first trying an anti-magic field (didn't work, and Willow had to struggle to stay out of it), and then just with arrows of Ehlonna (which may have been a placebo effect for all I know, but what the heck, it couldn't hurt). They disappeared . . .

...and all reappeared with Trona the instant after she got in, even though it was 30 minutes apart outside the sphere. We were in a room and there were markings in obsidian. It was some sort of Sistine Chapel to Wee Jas. Willow wanted to mark out route with chalk but circled a sigil and when told by Trona it was an invoking sigil, broke the circle by rubbing it out. Not so good. Willow tried to hide but was grabbed by a being that spoke no language we knew. Laran using Comprehend Languages talked the 8' sorta undead but not really guy down and took responsibility for the chaotic Willow, who ended up with a mark on her forehead that Gol noticed. Anyhow we got to a room (which K'shetanna the long dead mage highlighted for us, and found the dead K'shetanna holding the seal parts together (they were cracked) and we found other items in the room, and Willow picked up a cloak that had souls asking her to join them but made a will save and then Gol picked up the cloak and made a will save. To keep the seal together Willow used some tanglefoot bags - so far, so good. We took 6 major magic items from the room including the cloak and the seal and also some pages about a dragon involved in rituals a blue dragon (get it, breathes lightning, shockwave theory?) which likely is the dracolich outside. So one of the magic items is likely the phylactery. So we take them all out. This involved teleporting Trona into the room (shortest teleport ever!) and then Trona maneuvering and climbing out of the room through the open wall (and a short interlude of Willow's forehead mark burning and her "returning" the cloak and Gold taking it) and then Trona jumping through the sphere with everyone (but no battle basket) . . .

... to meet Nassar on the outside, only 30 seconds having passed for him. So this time stuff is non-linear, as if it wasn't weird enough!

Bad news, the dracolich is now reforming MUCH faster so first we scattered to find out which item it was aiming for. Bad news, it was the phylactery. So Gol (with the artifact dagger) and Willow (with the cloak, seal, and one other artifact, yet to be named (I think that is right, six total artifacts or is it six + seal for seven?) and Laran and Gweara took off, via gem jump, leaving Trona, Nassar (with the mirror artifact) and Shu Yen and their familiars to get the hell out of dodge - with some magical aid (haste on us, ray of enfeeblement and evard's black tentacles on the dragon, whose healing slowed and whose direction vector changed, which Nassar noted the new vector of). We got to the city gates and are about to leave. This took an hour, which might mean 8 years on the outside since the teleport.

So half the party has time to research how to destroy the lich's soul without destroying the seal and otherwise prepare for the dracolich (or something else, maybe having Ehlonna bind the soul like she did with the mindflayer cleric?) and to meet us at the gates of the city as we leave.

I don't know if we did the right thing or not, but I hope we did.