Post by David on Jun 19, 2008 16:19:39 GMT -5
So, to save time, I'm going to put some of the back-story here.
When we left the party, they (Torr, Kyron, Ichi, Redwolf, Maedhros plus Black Eagle, Alana, Ziyi, and Ulanbataar) had battled a number of ghasts, shadows, and other undead, headed off the bluff into town, reached the "iron railway", battled (and defeated!) the Angel of Death, met the Flan-wereraven Montreau, and were licking their wounds. From Montreau, the party learned:
A full description of the area includes:
* Nearly perennially dark world -- stars only visible on the horizon and light varies from midnight to post-sunset
* Faint greenish mist visible in the fields at "night"
* Farmers fields with harvest in progress, small rural towns in the distance
* Vaguely "Wild West" technology with railway system and simple roads plus brick fences with wrought-metal gates
* Large bonfires burning with coal "hearts" to keep them blazing (one of the few things that the undead avoid)
* Graveyards in the distance, congregations of undead, usually underground
* A few orchards of apple-trees with poisonous fruit
* Small stonehenge circle on a hill outside of town -- this is where the party arrived
* Some motion in the distance, vague shapes, undead lurking about (ghasts of the former inhabitants of Pommeville)
* Most ghasts hide underground waiting to ambush, gain strength, and rest
* Many rotting corpses lie about with large maggots crawling out of them
* Small flocks of noisy ravens move among the trees and overhead
* In the sky, clouds of darkness (with air balloons in the core)
I'm going to assume that all the party members who don't make tonight have elected to return through the gate in order to have the "slugs" removed from their bodies (everyone left, though, is "clean"). Black Eagle was able to cast MANY more spells that normal and heal everyone else to full (the frightened, confused spirits are happy to help the party if it means leaving the twilight existence they're trapped in -- since shaman draw on spirits for their spells, on a world like this shaman get LOTS of extra spells...).
With the Angel of Death slain, according to Montreau, the only truly dangerous threat left is the scarecrow and other ghasts, shadows, zombies, and skeletons (the later two having been created by witches before the war -- they were common "minor laborers" on Charn à la "el Dia de los Muertos" in Mexico) plus maybe carrion worms or crows. Montreau also says that if the group can destroy the rune stone in the center of town, the spirits will no longer be bound to the earth and the undead will no longer be able to draw on their strength. He also says that if the rune stone in the balloon can be destroyed, the darkness will abate, sunlight will return, the natural cycle with resume, and the dead (at least in this area) will be able to move on and rest in peace. The "air ships" are guarded by other creatures the queen summoned as well as undead.
I have notes that the party found a few magical items too. A couple of potions and some enchanted stones as well as a whip and some green coins with a medusa's face. I would like to divide these FIRST THING.
Assuming the party roster remains static and based on the responses I've gotten, the heroes will be:
Torr -- 6th lvl paladin, AC -5, tank, front-line
Kyron -- 6th lvl ranger, AC 3, but MR from pseudo-dragon, Dart
Ichi -- 6th lvl monk, limited usefulness against undead
Redwolf -- 5th lvl ranger IN A WOLF's body, ditto, friend of Kyron
Maedhros -- 4th/4th mage/cleric of Corellon
Idky -- 4th lvl cleric of Fharlanghn -- called by his god to help (let's talk!)
Honestly, looking at the line-up, Ray, I'm worried for you. The good thing about Ichi and Redwolf is their speed and sensory abilities, but since both TOUCH their opponents and their abilities largely overlap, I think they're too similar AND are likely to die. I'd be happy to say ONE of your PCs is "too wounded" or needs "slug removal". Any Indian (Flan) PC up to 9th lvl would be fair game as a replacement (c'mon, Black Robe is setting this up!) as would anyone from Dragondale (or really any of Amberwood). Otherwise, I'd like to make 8th lvl the cap. A tougher mage would also be handy.
Thoughts?
David
When we left the party, they (Torr, Kyron, Ichi, Redwolf, Maedhros plus Black Eagle, Alana, Ziyi, and Ulanbataar) had battled a number of ghasts, shadows, and other undead, headed off the bluff into town, reached the "iron railway", battled (and defeated!) the Angel of Death, met the Flan-wereraven Montreau, and were licking their wounds. From Montreau, the party learned:
- The party is on the planet Charn -- a world of witchcraft, necromancy, and strange devices.
- The planet had few human inhabitants and until recently was in a civil war.
- King Stephen's daughter, Princess Aurora, was seen as the rightful ruler, but her aunt, Queen Sidra wanted power. As a result, for ten years, the single civilization had been split, mostly living peacefully as open-warfare was not culturally appropriate (tight-knit society).
- Queen Sidra, a powerful witch, ended the diplomacy/stalemate/conflict by plunging the planet into darkness and performing some particularly vile Dark Ritual. With the aid of a series of Rune Stones on the ground and in floating balloons, the Queen wreathed the surface of Charn in perpetual darkness.
- As a result of the planetary darkness, souls can not escape to the afterlife and are instead bound to the earth itself, with all the negative-material energies concentrating in the ground at the rune stones. The spirits are aware and angry, but confused and can take no direct action, being trapped between life and death. Since Charn's society has few priests and simplistic theology, most of the ghosts are frightened.
- Prior to the darkness, the Queen used her extensive knowledge of necromancy to summon ghouls and shadows to Charn (which had never known such creatures before). These creatures were difficult enough for a society with only a handful (of wimpy) cleric to deal with. Once the planetary darkness fell, the negative energies empowered the undead such that ghouls and shadows became immensely powerful and annihilated almost all life (except crows, rats, worms, and other such critters). Clerics seem to be the first target of the undead.
- Because of all the supernatural situation, Black Eagle had no problem casting MANY more spells than she was normally allowed, while Maedhros was limited to 1st and 2nds
- The gate to Oerth can ONLY be permanently sealed by creating a bloodstone -- formed from a single drop of life/heart blood of an individual NATIVE to this world. The only two that Montreau knows are himself and (probably) the Queen and/or others in her capital, far away along the "iron rail".
- The "six-shooters" leave festering, poisonous chunks in the bodies of those wounded. These MUST be removed or the victim may die later.
A full description of the area includes:
* Nearly perennially dark world -- stars only visible on the horizon and light varies from midnight to post-sunset
* Faint greenish mist visible in the fields at "night"
* Farmers fields with harvest in progress, small rural towns in the distance
* Vaguely "Wild West" technology with railway system and simple roads plus brick fences with wrought-metal gates
* Large bonfires burning with coal "hearts" to keep them blazing (one of the few things that the undead avoid)
* Graveyards in the distance, congregations of undead, usually underground
* A few orchards of apple-trees with poisonous fruit
* Small stonehenge circle on a hill outside of town -- this is where the party arrived
* Some motion in the distance, vague shapes, undead lurking about (ghasts of the former inhabitants of Pommeville)
* Most ghasts hide underground waiting to ambush, gain strength, and rest
* Many rotting corpses lie about with large maggots crawling out of them
* Small flocks of noisy ravens move among the trees and overhead
* In the sky, clouds of darkness (with air balloons in the core)
I'm going to assume that all the party members who don't make tonight have elected to return through the gate in order to have the "slugs" removed from their bodies (everyone left, though, is "clean"). Black Eagle was able to cast MANY more spells that normal and heal everyone else to full (the frightened, confused spirits are happy to help the party if it means leaving the twilight existence they're trapped in -- since shaman draw on spirits for their spells, on a world like this shaman get LOTS of extra spells...).
With the Angel of Death slain, according to Montreau, the only truly dangerous threat left is the scarecrow and other ghasts, shadows, zombies, and skeletons (the later two having been created by witches before the war -- they were common "minor laborers" on Charn à la "el Dia de los Muertos" in Mexico) plus maybe carrion worms or crows. Montreau also says that if the group can destroy the rune stone in the center of town, the spirits will no longer be bound to the earth and the undead will no longer be able to draw on their strength. He also says that if the rune stone in the balloon can be destroyed, the darkness will abate, sunlight will return, the natural cycle with resume, and the dead (at least in this area) will be able to move on and rest in peace. The "air ships" are guarded by other creatures the queen summoned as well as undead.
I have notes that the party found a few magical items too. A couple of potions and some enchanted stones as well as a whip and some green coins with a medusa's face. I would like to divide these FIRST THING.
Assuming the party roster remains static and based on the responses I've gotten, the heroes will be:
Torr -- 6th lvl paladin, AC -5, tank, front-line
Kyron -- 6th lvl ranger, AC 3, but MR from pseudo-dragon, Dart
Ichi -- 6th lvl monk, limited usefulness against undead
Redwolf -- 5th lvl ranger IN A WOLF's body, ditto, friend of Kyron
Maedhros -- 4th/4th mage/cleric of Corellon
Idky -- 4th lvl cleric of Fharlanghn -- called by his god to help (let's talk!)
Honestly, looking at the line-up, Ray, I'm worried for you. The good thing about Ichi and Redwolf is their speed and sensory abilities, but since both TOUCH their opponents and their abilities largely overlap, I think they're too similar AND are likely to die. I'd be happy to say ONE of your PCs is "too wounded" or needs "slug removal". Any Indian (Flan) PC up to 9th lvl would be fair game as a replacement (c'mon, Black Robe is setting this up!) as would anyone from Dragondale (or really any of Amberwood). Otherwise, I'd like to make 8th lvl the cap. A tougher mage would also be handy.
Thoughts?
David