Difference between revisions of "Team Mefight Tenth Session"

Revision as of 18:26, 21 December 2009

There was little time to lose. As the party conversed, the enemy was preparing for an assault on Kred. Thoven interjected that his contacts may have useful information, and the rest quickly agreed--he set out immediately to gather whatever he could. Kib left the Inn shortly after, to procure a disguise for Thed, and some other incidental supplies. The rest sat in wait for information, spending the time as they were wont: Thed idly musing, Gil destroying property, and Zeal getting shamefully drunk on Dwarven ale.

Thoven went post-haste into the usual haunts, pressing coin into hand and asking pointed questions. He located his one-time informant, One-Eye, and quickly made way to his hovel. Arriving, he set about to knocking on the door, trying to rouse the dilapidated shack's occupant. There was no answer but a hasty shuffling from within, so Thoven rapped hard once more. Still achieving no response, he shouted to the inside, "Open up! I bring dire tidings that threaten this city, and the shipping routes it enables!", but to no avail. Apprehensively, Thoven opened the door and entered, peering into the grim darkness.

Suddenly, he was beset from all sides! A rude cudgel connecting with his arm, Thoven reacted immediately to jump back, another two makeshift weapons whizzing through the space he once occupied. Reacting without thought, Thoven unleashed a flaming torrent from his hands, the red, flickering light showing three surprised Kobold faces! None of the trio managed to escape the onslaught, and as quickly as it had begun, the battle was over. Thoven's troubles, however, continued, as the blaze had managed to catch the dirty rat-trap aflame, racing currents of fire catching the rickety, wooden walls like torchwood. Thoven shouted hoarsely for help, and managed to extinguish the flames, but could not save the hovel, nor any trace of what information it may have contained. The three Kobolds were more than enough indication to Thoven, though, so he returned to share his new insights with the group.

Meanwhile, Captain Kleptinax returned to report to the Kitten Bone Inn. Facing a rude reception from the two visible party members (the third, Thed, immediately hiding himself from view upon hearing Kleptinax's knock), he sat in wait for Kib, his main contact. A full hour passed in this manner, and Kleptinax stood impatiently to leave, when the front door burst open and Kib returned, laden with the procured goods. Greeting Kleptinax cordially, he set aside the bundle to hear what he had to say.

"The false Halflings entered the city some while ago, as you said, and we have been tailing them, since," Kleptinax stated, flatly. "They have yet to join with the main force, wherever it may be, and we wish not to tip our hand until the bulk of the infiltration party can be found."

"That is wise," replied Kib, "and Thoven is pressing his investigation into their location, but we are hindered with a lack of knowledge of the city's layout."

"You are not alone in that, my friend," said Kleptinax, "for this is an old city, and full of passages far more ancient than the oldest among us can remember. A Dwarf could explore for his entire life, and not reveal them all."

"Hear, hear!", interjected Zealeus, in a haze. Kib and Kleptinax glanced puzzledly in his direction, while Gib worried a corner of the central table with his axe. In the silence, a light snore erupted from Thed's bed.

"Ah, that's where you are!", exclaimed Kib, who strode across the low-ceilinged room to poke the slumbering Gnome, who awoke with a start. "Here, take these, and put on th--", Kib continued, but was then interrupted by the door slamming open. All eyes turned that way as Thoven rushed in, panting, his face flushed.

TODO

Post-Game

- From Forums

What started as a well planned, well coordinated attack ended a bloody slog in the mud, but the party carries the day! Dan finally collapses, and you take stock of the scene. Your twelve crossbowmen are all chard husks, victim of a flaming ball of fire from the one who called himself The Professor. One of your axedwarves dead, the other alive - only just - thanks to the last of Zealeus art, stabilized by feeble orisons of healing. But, despite the toll, you cannot help but rejoice. None of your friends fallen, and you hobble together as a group to take stock. You are battered, bloodied, covered in muck and gore, but all alive, and all conscious.

Experience: The Apprentices' Camp CR 12 Encounter. [Party's Effective ECL was 6 with their backup] XP : 4,000 XP

Now, you realize there is nothing to do but wait from word from Kleptinax. What has he found down in the Aqueduct? Anxious and nervous as the adrenaline runs its course, you search and pile the kobold's bodies, allowing the cart-turned-pyre of the crossbowmen to burn. Zealeus performs last rights over the fallen, while the rest of the party scavenges the scene. The scene is disturbing for another reason, as well: Goblins and Kobolds, fallen together. Swingin' Dan, the goblin chain fighter, even spoke Kobold as he fought to the last. Cooperation of Goblins and Kobolds is all but unheard of, especially in Gildenhome, where the two races are separated by task and good sense. This strange new abolition movement has just gotten stranger: not only does it seem to be orchestrated by members of the Goodly Races, it now seems that it involves not just kobolds and goblins alike, but in concert. It seems impossible, and yet here is the proof. Goblins working to free kobolds?

The gnomes ability to detect magic makes quick work of the looting, and you find yourself unsurprised at the outfitting and sophistication of the group. The goblins all armed with masterwork equipment [MW leather and longsword], of Fresian make, while the apprentices are without arms or armor. The leaders of this group, however, you find to be laden with equipment. On The Professor, you find a magical monocle, a wand, and a magical ring. He has many empty parchments, once scribed with powerful illusions that kept his apprentices masked as Halflings. Swingin' Dan has his signature Spiked Chain, along with masterwork studded leather, also of Fresian make. Among the bodies you find a small collection of coins: 4 platinum, 198 gold, 2,430 silver, and 1,111 copper.

After what seems like hours, your communication stone activates. Kleptinax has been successful! His force, consisting of the bulk of the Kred guard, encountered a large force of kobolds, close to 75. The battle was a difficult one, but they were able to use close corridors to their advantage and suffered only moderate casualties, and few deaths. The force was lead by a large kobold with a wicked magical greataxe, which Kleptinax has claimed as a prize. He receives word of your own party's forces with sadness, but tells you that the fight is won for the day. You should rest and recuperate, and see him in the fortress on the morrow.

You fall asleep quickly, and sleep a dreamless sleep of exhaustion. In the morning, tense and sore, you eat a small breakfast (light on cat) and visit Kleptinax in his office. His own injuries, if they were sustained at all, have been healed up. The battleaxe he now carries is truly a fine thing: clearly of dwarven make, and adamantium by appearances.

He tells you not to worry about the losses: if only he'd sent more than two axemen, or a dozen marksdwarves. His own losses were mild by comparison, and he easily could have spared the numbers, and so takes the blame for your heavy casualties on his own soul. He understands that you will probably be moving on soon, as - with the masked gnome captured and the infiltration thwarted - information should lead to the colapse of any remaining cells. However, the the city guard will have things sorted out and the last of the cell busted up in the next few days and asks you, on behalf of the Thane, to stay on a couple of days. They would like to take the time to counter their grief with a time of feting on your behalf, and would see you properly rewarded before you go. You, of course, accept.

In that time, they heal your wounds and you are kept on at the Kitten Bone Crossbow, on the Thane's tab. A service that will always be extended, within reason, while in Kred. Additionally, the Banks are ordered to exchange your Wydmoor electrum for coins of your choosing without taking a percentage, despite nominal conventions to the contrary. In addition, they identify your remaining magic items for you.

Bric-A-Brak You Have But Not Identified: - Masked Gnome's Armor : +2 Leather Armor, +5 Enhancement Bonus on Hide Checks - Thoven's Mystery Wand : Wand of Light (46 Charges) (From the Masked Gnome's Lair) - Thovens 2 Mystery Potions : Potions of Invisiblity to Undead (From the Masked Gnome's Lair)

From The Professor: - Ring of Elemental Transmogrification (aka The Professor's Ring)* - The Professor's Monocle (When Worn : -10 Spot, +5 Decipher Script, +5 Disable Device. If used for more than 10 rounds in a single day, causes massive headaches, aka 1 points of INT damage.) - Wand of Haste (32 Charges) (Does what it says on the tin.)

You spend a few days in town (feel free to discuss something to spend money on/whatever downtime bullshit in this thread before we restart for chapter 2 in 2010 in this thread), and are called into a feast with the Thane before leaving for Draglet. [Unless you guys want to not go there, I assumed that would be where you go after Kred is wrapped up, which is it... for now, anyway. We could always visit the forthouse again, I guess, and put off the stuff below until after the next game.]

On your way out of town, you have dinner with the luminaries of Kred. The Thane, the Hadriarch, Kleptinax, and several others attend and celebrate your success. Song, drink, and talk flow endlessly, and by sundown you realize you're clearly not leaving town until at least the day after tomorrow. There are some self-congratulatory speeches near the end of the night, and a red-cheeked Kleptinax stands up. He indicates that, not only was the plot foiled, at least in this part of GIldenhome, but a secondary good came, as well. The entrances used by the kobold advance force were unknown to the city guard, and were a major corridor for smuggling. Thanks to Thoven's tip, the corridor has been shut off for good, and several smugglers put out of business. [Bridges with smuggling past pretty well burnt, pun very much intended. You're firmly one of the good guys now, mate. ;) ] The assault team had with them a great deal of masterwork Fresian weapons and arms, some of medium size (for the goblins, perhaps?), which are being used to resupply and rebuild the Kred city guard. (small size ones being sold to the gnomes) He opines that whatever larger danger is afoot, it is arrested in Kred for now, and he has faith in your group to get things done.

Kib he singles out for praise. As the nominal leader of the group, he has led what appears to him to be a mouth breathing band of troglodytes a very diverse and unpredictable band to great success against challenges far beyond their seeming measure. Since his arrival in Kred he has been a tireless supporter of the Dwarven race, and has risked and sacrificed countless times on their behalf, all without seeking individual reward or magical loot. Kleptinax says that is his great honor to present Kib with this token of esteem, and proof throughout Gildenhome that he is friend to dwarves. It is his hope that it might aid Kib on his own quest, which he no doubt spilled a little bit of in a loose moment of drink around this table, if not before.

Lesser Belt of Dwarvenkind When worn, grants the following effects: - Toughness Feat - Darkvision, 40 Feet - Stonecutting (+1 Bonus) - Stability (+2 bonus) - +1 Save vs. Poison - +1 Save vs. Spell and Spell Like Effect - +2 CHR Checks and skills with Dwarf, +1 CHR checks and skills with Gnome - -1 CHR checks and skills with Human, Elf

Thoven, is thanked for his part in breaking the smugglers of Kred, particularly for information about the secret lair, aqueduct smuggling path, and so forth. He receives from Kleptinax, taken from the loot of the other encounter the party opted not to take : Bag of Holding (Type I)

Thed and Gil are celebrated for their part in the affair, and take the items won with the Thane's blessing. Zealeus is complimented by the Hadriarch for his part in the affair and given leave to follow this group "for the duration of its necessity."

Whole Party - Acquire Bonus Feat: Solid Kred-entials +2 to all diplomacy rolls made in Kred.

End, Chapter One : The Kobolds of Kred Up Next for 2010:

Choices: [1] Intermission : The Stonehouse Mines [Dungeon, unknown depth or duration.] [2] Chapter Two : What a Drag(let) [Follow the Dwarf Brothers' letters] [3] Sandbox : Press Triangle to open World Map and Move Freely.

Votes and scheduling info in advance?

Individual Awards:

Kib: Master Tactician [50 XP] "That spell that stops magic missiles cold? And maybe some fire resistance?"

Thoven: Thoven the Bold! [20 XP] Thoven Koboldsbane [25 XP]

PS -- Kred Fortress is left poorer for the experience, despite the defeat of the [SEIGE]. Kred City Guard. [CHAIN] changes to [LEATHER] [MARKSDWARF] changes to [SWORDSDWARF]

They'll be carving coffins for a week.

• Remember those Melf's Acid Arrows that weren't?

The Professor's Ring Current Charges : 1 [Max Charges : 5] Refill charges by expending spell slots on a 1:1 exchange . (3 cantrips or 1st level : 1 charge, 2nd level : 2 charge, etc.) When casting a spell, as a free action, you may expend a number of charges equal to the spell level of the spell to substitute one elemental type for another (ie: 1 charge will turn a Burning Hands into a Freezing Hands, or 2 charges will turn a Flaming Sphere into an Electric Sphere, or 3 charges would turn Fireball into Acidball**, etc. Sorry, only level 3 and below spells.)

• • Remember I said it was lucky you guys had fire resist? Not cos of the piddly 2d4 burning hands. that 6d6 fireball could have easily come out something else, but he didn't know! He ended up using 4 of the charges on the 2 acid arrows (the first was electric, the second was cold)

PPS: CC'ed to our stand ins because they bought a share, and get a small bonus % for subbing. PPPS: From the CC, not that you care, but -

Also: HELEN gets the Tapped Out achievement. (I think it is) (Achievements track PLAYERS, not CHARACTERS. For exhausting all of Zealeus' spells - the last of the orisons went to save the last axedwarf) Congrats on a very rare achievement!

Also also: Thed gets Brinksmanship, managing to be the second of Team MeFight to achieve that distinction. They seem to like living on the edge.