Post by David on Apr 5, 2016 21:03:58 GMT -5
The heroes (Taarna, Brock, Esmerelda with Drusilla, Cymoril with Tar'jar, Tolus, and Mikhail with Hannok) bed down in the forest West of where Klarr will one day stand. As they drift off to sleep, the party is awoken by the howling of dire wolves. Mikhail listens and tells the party that a large pack is hunting the group and working with humans. Mikhail reaches out telepathically and calms the pack, learning that they're working with a number of Baklunish rangers, druids, and woodsmen. Soon, a group of Celts arrive and the heroes surrender, explaining that they have been working with the druids to defeat the Imperium. Within a few minutes, Mother Maggie, Xavier, and Alistair the Chronomancer arrive and discuss the situation with the party.
Mother Maggie has taken the surviving druids on a raid of the various Suloise cities, seeking vengeance for destroying her civilization. The city of Jewel was actually the victim of a large number of walls of fire and rock to mud spells, explaining why and how the mysterious Morganti-turn-Suloise city sunk so deeply within the limestone bedrock. Unfortunately, the battle for Jewel has exhausted Mother Maggie's numbers and spells. There really aren't enough druids and rangers left, particularly to take the last target, the captured Baklunish city of Leum. Located in the heart of the fertile Tosari plain, the Suel have taken control of the unique gate there which bridges all of the Five Worlds -- a magical tower that gives access to Terrax, Cidri, Maneä, and Eon. Mikhail and Taarna know exactly what Maggie is talking about -- the Tower of Illusion in what will become the Bright Desert.
The heroes discuss the situation. It would appear that this mission is part of Lendor's plan for the party, but they tell Mother Maggie that they cannot agree until Esmerelda learns the consequence of getting involved. Unfortunately, her platinum tokens were destroyed in Suendrako, so Alistair, clued in by Taarna of the party's true nature, transports the witch to where she can obtain replacements and even pays for them himself.
In the morning, the party reunites and the Green Witch explains that not only is this mission part of Lendor's plan, it is the will of the Fates. So, Taarna agrees to dismantle the tower for Mother Maggie and the Grand Druidess charms the Last Scion of House Taarak to ensure she will follow through. Mother Maggie and her druidic followers then heal up the heroes and cure them of the SYMPTOMS from the Rain of Colorless Fire, though she also explains that nothing can permanently cure those that took part in the ceremony -- they are doomed to die slowly as their life force are now tied to the magics maintaining the destruction of the Suel Imperium. But the symptoms can be erased for a time...
Brock agrees to Sister Elsbeth's demand to charm him in order to prove the party is doing the will of Lendor. The cleric of Kord then communes with his god and reveals the truth to the bard, who immediately agrees to offer any and all information she can to help them and overthrow the lying Scarlet Brotherhood.
Mikhail then teleports the group a mile outside of what will be ruins in the future. In this time, however, the plains of Tosari surrounding the Suloise town of Pas Toneh are fertile and crisscrossed by a network of irrigation canals. The group approaches the city, Tolus and Mikhail disguised as Suloise commoners and the rest of the party easily passing. Taarna demands to enter, invoking her writ and showing her bracer of the hunter. The group makes a bee-line to the center of town where they find the raised dais on which the tower manifests. All around is a strange marketplace with wares from a variety of foreign locales and populated by quite a dizzying array of foreigners. Taarna learns of one of the mages who owns a control gem and bribes him to open the tower to Maneä. As the heroes enter, they realize that this will not give them access to the "inside" of the tower that they seek. So they attempt to ambush the mage.
The heroes battle patrols from the city as well as a flesh golem, several steel statues, a pair of aurumvoraxes, trolls, neo-men, and even hill giants. In the confusion, the mage escapes but Mikhail goes after him and captures him, recovering his gem with Cymoril mentally-attunes to herself. The heroes then return to the central plaza and under cover of invisibility enter the tower. Inside are six gargoyles guardians which the heroes battle. Once everyone is inside, Cymoril resets the tower to its own inner pocket dimension. Time to find Mikahil's tower gem, the gem setting the tower in time...
Status:
Tolus: 69 of 86
Brock: 31 of 66, 10psi, CON, cast CLW / / / CSW / commune
Taarna: 73 of 96, 2psi, cast CLW and read magic
Esmerelda: 51 (full), cast CLW / hypnotism, read, sleep / phant x2 / prob / consequence / legend lore
___Drusilla: 21 (full), DEX, PER
Cymoril: 41 of 88, 20psi, lay, CHR
___Tar'jar: 47 of 104, 20psi, STR, DEX, CON
Mikhail: 75 of 82, 5psi, 8 PSPs of 132, CHR
Mother Maggie has taken the surviving druids on a raid of the various Suloise cities, seeking vengeance for destroying her civilization. The city of Jewel was actually the victim of a large number of walls of fire and rock to mud spells, explaining why and how the mysterious Morganti-turn-Suloise city sunk so deeply within the limestone bedrock. Unfortunately, the battle for Jewel has exhausted Mother Maggie's numbers and spells. There really aren't enough druids and rangers left, particularly to take the last target, the captured Baklunish city of Leum. Located in the heart of the fertile Tosari plain, the Suel have taken control of the unique gate there which bridges all of the Five Worlds -- a magical tower that gives access to Terrax, Cidri, Maneä, and Eon. Mikhail and Taarna know exactly what Maggie is talking about -- the Tower of Illusion in what will become the Bright Desert.
The heroes discuss the situation. It would appear that this mission is part of Lendor's plan for the party, but they tell Mother Maggie that they cannot agree until Esmerelda learns the consequence of getting involved. Unfortunately, her platinum tokens were destroyed in Suendrako, so Alistair, clued in by Taarna of the party's true nature, transports the witch to where she can obtain replacements and even pays for them himself.
In the morning, the party reunites and the Green Witch explains that not only is this mission part of Lendor's plan, it is the will of the Fates. So, Taarna agrees to dismantle the tower for Mother Maggie and the Grand Druidess charms the Last Scion of House Taarak to ensure she will follow through. Mother Maggie and her druidic followers then heal up the heroes and cure them of the SYMPTOMS from the Rain of Colorless Fire, though she also explains that nothing can permanently cure those that took part in the ceremony -- they are doomed to die slowly as their life force are now tied to the magics maintaining the destruction of the Suel Imperium. But the symptoms can be erased for a time...
Brock agrees to Sister Elsbeth's demand to charm him in order to prove the party is doing the will of Lendor. The cleric of Kord then communes with his god and reveals the truth to the bard, who immediately agrees to offer any and all information she can to help them and overthrow the lying Scarlet Brotherhood.
Mikhail then teleports the group a mile outside of what will be ruins in the future. In this time, however, the plains of Tosari surrounding the Suloise town of Pas Toneh are fertile and crisscrossed by a network of irrigation canals. The group approaches the city, Tolus and Mikhail disguised as Suloise commoners and the rest of the party easily passing. Taarna demands to enter, invoking her writ and showing her bracer of the hunter. The group makes a bee-line to the center of town where they find the raised dais on which the tower manifests. All around is a strange marketplace with wares from a variety of foreign locales and populated by quite a dizzying array of foreigners. Taarna learns of one of the mages who owns a control gem and bribes him to open the tower to Maneä. As the heroes enter, they realize that this will not give them access to the "inside" of the tower that they seek. So they attempt to ambush the mage.
The heroes battle patrols from the city as well as a flesh golem, several steel statues, a pair of aurumvoraxes, trolls, neo-men, and even hill giants. In the confusion, the mage escapes but Mikhail goes after him and captures him, recovering his gem with Cymoril mentally-attunes to herself. The heroes then return to the central plaza and under cover of invisibility enter the tower. Inside are six gargoyles guardians which the heroes battle. Once everyone is inside, Cymoril resets the tower to its own inner pocket dimension. Time to find Mikahil's tower gem, the gem setting the tower in time...
Status:
Tolus: 69 of 86
Brock: 31 of 66, 10psi, CON, cast CLW / / / CSW / commune
Taarna: 73 of 96, 2psi, cast CLW and read magic
Esmerelda: 51 (full), cast CLW / hypnotism, read, sleep / phant x2 / prob / consequence / legend lore
___Drusilla: 21 (full), DEX, PER
Cymoril: 41 of 88, 20psi, lay, CHR
___Tar'jar: 47 of 104, 20psi, STR, DEX, CON
Mikhail: 75 of 82, 5psi, 8 PSPs of 132, CHR