The Frontier #25
Deciding to concentrate of what appears to be a one-way concealed door, the Seekers get to work.
Dantar, Finius and Finrod check the opening for possible traps. None can be found.
Steph returns after a few moments with digging tools. After Cereld casts Strength on Steph, Validar and Finrod, work begins.
The door crashes down quickly. It was designed for concealment, not for withstanding attack.
Shining a torch into the open reveals a large room, 40 feet square. There is a ten-foot wide, circular pit in the middle of the room. There is a door against the far wall.
Several objects in the room catch your attention. Nearby is a weapons rack holding 4 swords, a spear and a battle-axe. Another rack holds 2 shields, a suit of plate mail, a suit of chain mail and a suit of studded leather.
On the other side of the room are several chests. Five small chests and 2 large chests. All have locks attached to them.
As the party starts to go into the room, something odd happens. Several of them cry out in pain and rush out of the room. They totally refuse to re-enter the room.
While this is going on, a scratching sound can be heard from the pit. Looking into the pit, the torchlight reveals a squad of skeletons climbing towards the party!
GM Notes
Party Status:
| Stephanie | 27 of 32 |
| Cereld | 23 of 28 |
| Dantar | 4 of 9 |
| Arafel | 11 of 16 |
| Raeden | 19 of 24 |
These characters will not enter the room under any circumstances!
Those of you who can go into the room, have an uneasy feeling about this room.
You have 1 round to act before the skeletons will be in HTH range. You cannot tell how many there are.
Spectrum's Comments: There was a Forbiddance spell active in the chamber, which was why some folks could not enter.
SUBJ: VALIDAR (R) FROM: Panther13 02/02/90 S#: 477652
Validar is obviously not pleased with the way things have been going of late! He has had a scowl on his face for some time now.
"We are wasting precious time that could be better put to other pursuits. This treasure trove may be a welcome gain, but under the circumstances, we should be elsewhere."
Upon seeing the skeletons, he will snap to battle readiness and rush them!
"Damn these interruptions to the hell that spawned them! I am sick of this and will have no more of it!"
Validar will have sword poised and ready, but will use his shield as a blunt instrument, ramming it into as many of these horrors as possible, trying to send them all crashing back upon themselves and possibly back down the pit. Validar will then resort to his blade and melee with the monsters.
After the battle is ended, Validar will inform Cereld that while he went along with it this time, he is not well disposed to being subjected to direct magic. In the future, I will thank you to refrain from the use of spellcasting on my person unless dire circumstances occur.
Spectrum's Comments: I had forgotten that hates to have spells cast upon him bit too.
SUBJ: Dar Thaltus.... FROM: Kazaroth 02/02/90 S#: 507876
will, upon seeing these horrid undead, attempt to TURN them by asking Ehlonna's favor and banishing these foul undead from our sight. Without hesitation Dar will then use the haft of his spear as a staff and smash at the remaining forces until they too are vanquished.
SUBJ: Arathron FROM: RAD DWEEBE 02/03/90 S#: 504526
I will ready my weapons, and wait for these wretched creatures to get into range.
"These things don't deserve to be undead!!!"
SUBJ: Stephanie
Wounded and suffering from an unnatural fear Steph rushes out of this cursed room.
'What wizardry is this?!'
She looks to the other spellcasters as if asking them to explain what has occurred. Confusion is on her face.
'What power could do this? Truly this temple is a pit of evil magic!'
Seeing the skeletons crawling out of the pit, Steph will instinctively reach for Lightning. However, she cannot bring herself to go back in... Even as her comrades go into battle.
A feeling of helplessness comes over her, like none that she has felt before...
SUBJ: Undead! Ugh! (R) FROM: FINROD 02/03/90 S#: 462516
Running quickly through his spell options, and weapon choices, Finrod soon decides that he is not well equipped for this type of foe. He rushes over to the chests on the far side and begins to drag over the biggest chest he can have at the edge of the pit before the skeletons get to it. He will then heave it over the edge (hopefully someone else will get the idea and help). This should take a few of them down with it, to be crushed when they hit bottom.
He will then wield a torch two-handed as a club, to try and crush and dismantle the foul creatures. Once all of the undead have been accounted for, Finrod will climb down to make sure of the fates of those dislodged by the falling chest (and to check out the contents of said chest, as well :D ).
In the absence of Cereld, from the vile sorcery that keeps him at bay without, we cannot let ourselves completely disintegrate into an armed mob here... Finius; please watch that far entrance, and give warning should any enemy reinforcements arrive through it.
Validar; you are our best warrior present in the absence of Steph, so once the hand-to-hand stuff starts, why don't you take charge of the tactical situation, and we will all take our orders from you.
Sound good to everyone?
SUBJ: Araduin FROM: Deslock 02/03/90 S#: 509088
"Validar, this mission would only be a waste of time if we were here in search of wealth. I can not speak for the others, but I am here in order to locate Ti-Cat."
As events unfold in the room, I shall draw forth my quarterstaff and prepare to do battle with the skeletons. I shall make a stand near to the edge of the pit, hoping to limit the area the skeletons can work in, and therefore the number that can engage us.
SUBJ: Validar FROM: Panther13 02/04/90 S#: 515056
"But we are not searching for Ti-Cat, are we? There are 12 of us and this stupid treasure room. And now these foul skeletons."
"Also, Finrod, might I remind you who vanquished the leader of this vile temple as well as their best fighter..."
"As far as battle tactics are concerned, these creatures are mindless and there are no controlling mages about. Therefore, these undead are simply a last ditch attempt to stop any non-Hextorites. We must meet them with the same savageness that they exhibit!"
SUBJ: Dantar (R) FROM: Falcon9 02/06/90 S#: 842956
Daring not to enter the room again, Dantar slips off to do a little exploring of his own!
SUBJ: FINROD (R) FROM: FINROD 02/06/90 S#: 518521
"Thank you, Validar, for that brilliant tactical plan! I'll be sure to follow your lead any time we are missing Cereld and Stephanie! Sheesh!"
::Muttering, while still trying to drag a chest over to drop on the climbing skeletons::
"If his Brain were half the size of his ego, he might realize why I turn to Cereld and Steph before him... of course, if his brain were half the size of his ego, there wouldn't be a problem! .... Sigh"
SUBJ: Validar FROM: Panther13 02/06/90 S#: 446775
"Now, look here, varlet! If this were a situation that required any tactics, I can assure you that I would've offered such! However, it isn't. If you don't like my actions, then just the hell out of my way..."
Validar will continue his combat and tirade at the same time.
Under his breath: "What else is to be expected from a common sellsword who seems to care nothing other than how full his purse is..."
Spectrum's Comments: Looks like the boys are at it again...
The Frontier #26
As the Skeletons come forth from the pit, the Seekers act.
Dar and Cereld pray to their deities in hopes of turning the Skeletons. Both of their prayers are answered, and some of the skeletons retreat down the pit. However, more than a few still come forth.
Finrod drags one of the large chests across the room. He shoves into the pit, solidly connecting with several of the undead. They all land with a resounding crash at the bottom of the pit.
Finally, the skeletons begin to pour out of the pit. As they emerge they are each met with resistance. The Seekers attack with their various weapons, meeting with a great deal of success.
Most skeletons are hurtled back into the pit. Many of them hit other members of their brethren, also sending them to the bottom.
The entire battle lasts about five minutes. The party emerges virtually unscathed. Best estimate would place the number of skeletons at thirty.
With no more threats emerging from the pit, the group takes a better look around.
Finrod descends to the bottom of the pit, a forty-foot climb. At the bottom of the pit, apart from a large pile of bones, are the remains of the chest he tossed into the pit and an opening.
The opening enters a large room that the skeletons apparently came from. There are no exits and there is nothing of interest here.
No much remains of the contents of the chest. Several broken vials have spilled their contents on the floor. A rod lies snapped in two. Only two items in protective sacks are undamaged. One holds a large book with arcane symbols on it, the other a necklace of emeralds.
The other door opens easily from this side. Beyond is a corridor. Carefully proceeding down this passage, several traps are discovered, including pits. The passage turns right twice and leads directly to the barred passage in the main corridor. There are no other ways to go down here.
Each of the chests are locked, and guarded by a minor trap. These are all circumvented, revealing the contents of the chests.
The small chests each are filled with copper coins. The large chest holds 3 large sacks. One sack holds gold, the others silver.
GM Notes:
It appears that the search for Ti-Cat has come to a disappointing end. He is not in this temple...
When cast for, most of the other items will radiate as magical. The items are as follows:
A Spear
2 Longswords, one has an odd green tint to its blade.
A Shortsword
A Battleaxe bearing the symbol of Heironeous.
A Mace
2 Shields
A suit of Plate Mail
A suit of Chain Mail
Elf-Sized Studded Leather
The Book
Emerald Necklace
The Coins come to a total of:
10,000 cp
3,000 sp
1,500 gp
Party Wounds:
| Arafel | 11 of 16 |
| Arathron | 5 of 7 |
| Cereld | 23 of 28 |
| Dantar | 4 of 9 |
| Dar Thaltus | 7 of 13 |
| Raeden | 19 of 24 |
| Stephanie | 27 of 32 |
Party Status: Update XP List
| Class/Level | AC/HP's | |
|---|---|---|
| Araduin | M/2 | *2/8 |
| Arathron | R/1 | 3/7 |
| Cereld | C/4 | 4/28 |
| Dantar | T/2 | 4/9 |
| Dar Thaltus | R-C/2-2 | 5/17 |
| Finrod | F-M-T/3-2-3 | *3/18 |
| Stephanie | F/4 | 0/43 |
| Validar | F/4 | -2/32 |
| NPC's | ||
| Arafel | R/2 | 4/16 |
| Dalliance | F-M/3-2 | 1/17 |
| Finius | T/1 | 5/7 |
| Raeden | D/3 | 7/24 |
*Armor Spell in affect
Spectrum's Comments: As I mentioned a few files back, I left Ticat's fate a mystery in case he did return. Since he did not, they never did find the body.
SUBJ: Cereld FROM: Lanceson 02/11/90 S#: 519478
"Well it seems that our friend is not down here either. I am at a loss as to where to look next for him. Perhaps the only real thing we can do now is to go on and if Heironeous so deems it, we will one day learn of his fate.
Validar, Ti-Cat is the ONLY reason we came down in this dungeon with so many other important things to do. Treasure is one of the last things on my mind, as is proved by what I am about to say.
I say that we let the villagers have all the money we found down here, along with any of the magic weapons that none of us can wield. They must be able to protect themselves from letting things like the goblin hoard from returning and this would be a fitting start.
But before we do this, Validar, you and Raeden may take anything that you wish from this pile. If I may request, however, might I exchange the flail that I have for the Battleaxe which bears the symbol of my deity on it."
After Validar and Raeden have made their choices, and if Cereld is allowed to take the battle-axe, he will give thanks to Heironeous for allowing him to find such a marvelous weapon. Then the others may take any of the magic that they wish.
"Maybe the necklace and the book should be placed in the chest until such a time as they can be properly identified before we try to use them. As of right now, since we are all relatively unhurt, I say we proceed on to the tower now and finish solving the mystery of the one who lead us to this village. But first maybe Heironeous can help us once again. With your permission Stephanie and Raeden."
Cereld will walk over to Steph and Raeden and cast a CLW spell on each of them.
"Onward to the tower."
(* Note to Validar (and anyone else interested)! Cereld would never cast any spell, with the possible exception of a cure spell, on any member of this party without first getting their permission. The only reason things came out like that was due to the lateness of my last post. If I offended Validar, or anyone else for that matter, I am sorry.)
SUBJ: Stephanie
'Your plan sounds reasonable to me, Cereld. Let us be on our way!'
Steph will not object to the healing offered her.
When it comes time to choose items, I will ask for one of the shields, if they remain. Mine was destroyed by the mage in the battle and I wish to replace it.
SUBJ: Dar Thaltus..... (R) FROM: Kazaroth 02/12/90 S#: 507970
...will once more use his two CLW's for the party's benefits casting them upon himself only after all the rest of the consenting members have been cured. Also, for those who wish not the assistance of magicks Dar will offer to anyone the use of his healing/herbalism skills to bandage and cleanse their wounds and form healing salves for them. Dar will take great effort in impressing upon all the fact that this aid is NON magical in nature and he offers this freely to everyone. Finally, satisfied that everyone has been helped Dar will turn his attention to his own 'small' wounds and deal with them in all manners available to him.
When finding the hoard of treasure Dar notes both the green tinted longsword and the elven shaped studded leather would suit him nicely **no pun intended ;D** If for some reason that is not an available choice then Dar would happily settle for the spear and/or a shield for his use. Naturally should it come down to the second alternative Dar will relinquish the better of the two shields to Stephanie.
Looking to Cereld Dar does something rather unusual for him and speaks up. "Cereld, as leader of our group you have once again shown great wisdom in your decisions. I too believe that the majority of the money.....in fact ALL of it should remain with the Villagers so that they may indeed fortify themselves and become better able to defend themselves. I'm certain some of this hoard at least once belonged to them anyway. As with the coins so too do I agree on the magical items for there is no need for greed among us as Ehlonna is obviously showing her favor upon us."
Dar then turns to face the group as a whole." As you are all well aware I offer any and all of my skills to further our cause...should at any time you do not wish these to be given to you....such as magical aid....I would never even think of forcing this upon you. I would not cause any feelings of discomfort to anyone through any means purposely...so please let me know of any objections you may have with me."
With that Dar falls back into his customary quietness awaiting the decision of treasure splitting and destination(s).
SUBJ: Araduin FROM: Deslock 02/12/90 S#: 470164
"As I stated before, Validar, I am here for one reason alone. A member of our group was taken captive, and I will not abandon anyone to such a fate without exhausting all leads. I am no mercenary, what I do I do for reasons of my own. Why do you insist on questioning the honor of those who have treated you honorably?"
"Cereld, you speak wisely, although I would make one suggestion, if I may. If we were to announce to the town at large that there is a treasure here for the taking, I fear there would be great bloodshed, human nature being what it is. There is a barmaid at the Inn, who treated us with friendship when all others were suspicious. Unless my judgment in such matters has completely left me, I think that we could tell her in secret of what has transpired here, and leave it to her to gather those of a trustworthy nature to collect and distribute this wealth."
SUBJ: Aftermath FROM: FINROD 02/12/90 S#: 469423
Validar, you seem to think that anyone who does not forsake all wealth, friends, and goals in the pursuit of Good is "mercenary". I, for one, am quite willing to get rich in the service of the Good Cause, and, while Mercenary is a quite honorable and forthright trade, by my association with this group, I am NOT one of those fine folk! You Noble Jackasses are far too full of yourselves to realize the value of these "common sell-swords" that secure your comfortable positions with their blood! How many of your castles would last a week without the Mercenaries who form the bulk of your forces?
Nobles! Faugh!
::After a short period of meditation to regain his composure, Finrod will ask for one of the Longswords::
"My own was destroyed in the lightning- blast. If others desire the one with the Green sheen, I am not greedy, but I have so far received no Item to raise my value to the party. A longsword would go a long way toward helping me help us all."
"As to letting the villagers have all the Money-(a pointed glance at Validar)- I think this is a great Idea, but Identifying the necklace and book will take me several castings of Identify, and Identify uses a 100 gold-piece gem each casting. We should save back 4 or 5 hundred pieces to cover that expense, as all my own gems have already been expended. The rest of the money should go to the barmaid and her pals, since they were so nice to those of you who spent that one night there."
"When we get through here, we most definitely need to track down both Ti-Cat's body, and the Wench Wendy, so relaying the info we have will have to wait until after we check out this tower."
SUBJ: Araduin (R) FROM: Deslock 02/13/90 S#: 835628
"As I recall, Finrod, the trip to the tower will take us through the town, so no time will be lost in relaying our information. I've no problem with anyone replacing their lost arms, nor covering their costs, but whatever is to be done, let it be done quickly that we might get on with our tasks."
SUBJ: VALIDAR FROM: Panther13 02/13/90 S#: 19252
"First of all, Cereld let me say that I was not speaking from an offended state. I simply was making a statement about my feelings. I had not intended to make you or anyone defensive or uncomfortable over my remark. It is simply a personal request I had."
"I have no problem with you taking the battleaxe. It does belong to your group anyway."
"Araduin, the remark you question was not directed at you." Validar looks toward Finrod, without saying anything, then back. "I understand the desire to search for TigerCat. He is a noble warrior. My objection was that we were not looking for him, but messing with this fool treasure chamber."
"It is my opinion that, if he survived the conflict and managed to get away, then he is still alive. With the massive goblinoid troop movement that has commenced, I find it a slim hope that he would be left alive. That is a sad but true fact."
"I agree with Araduin that the treasure gleamed here must have an adequate dispersal system to avert any unforeseen tragedies."
"Since this treasure has been won, I will exercise my right as granted by Cereld to choose weapon." Validar will take the longsword without the green hue to it. He will then examine this new blade, testing its balance, etc.
"Finrod, you seem to take every advantage possible to provoke me. Is it jealousy I sense in your tone, or something worse? In any case, I have no desire nor need to prove myself to you or anyone. It is also quite apparent that your definition of honor is a much stranger one than mine. I have no problem with the acquiring of spoils, however, there is much more to our reason for being here than mere wanton greed. And anyone whose sword arm is used for that purpose does not truly understand Honor."
"Again, let me say to everyone that our next stop, the Tower of the Wizard Akbar has all the trappings of a place of magicks most foul. We must be on our guards, but we must also hurry, for time is fleeting indeed."
SUBJ: Stephanie
'Cereld, perhaps we should wait until after dealing with Wendy and the beast who stalks this valley before concerning ourselves with handing over the monies to the villagers. There might be more gold awaiting us in the hills.'
'Also it seems that no one has interest in the plate armor. I assume that it's size limits it's use to either Validar, Cereld, Arafel or myself. There's also the chain armor to consider too. It seems to me that I recall the Validar wishes to have his own armor made, so that drops him out of the running. It seems to me that, Cereld, as our leader should benefit by the suit's superior protection. I could understand Arafel not wanting the suit due to her archery skills. The plate would be too confining.'
'In a nutshell, it appears to only Cereld or myself can use the armor. Only if Cereld does not want the plate, will I take that instead of a shield. That would leave my own magic chain armor to give out. Again, if Cereld will not except my old armor, I will let Arafel take it.'
'What shall it be, Cereld?'
SUBJ: Item Distribution FROM: FINROD 02/14/90 S#: 516163
Ok, by my count, Validar choosing the Blade with the green tint makes three of us with desire for the two longswords. I therefore opt to change my choice to either the spear, or the elf-sized studded leather.
Or are there multiple contenders for those items as well?
"Cereld, I hope you will take Steph up on the suggestion that you take the Plate. Her arguments are sound... after all, look at what happens when you are not around to command--" a glance at Validar-- "sheer chaos! We have proven we cannot do without you."
The Frontier #27
The Seekers quickly select the items from the Temple Treasury. More or less, the distribution of items ended up being thrown into my corner. So here goes, based on what those who posted requested:
Raeden selects the spear. It is the only item present that he could use.
Validar takes the longsword without the green hue.
Cereld takes the battleaxe bearing the symbol of his god.
Dar gets the longsword with the green hue.
Finrod gets the studded leather armor.
Dantar takes the short sword.
Arathron takes one of the shields.
The remainder depends on Cereld's actions.
If he takes the plate mail, Steph takes the other shield and Arafel takes the chain mail.
If he does not take it, then Steph gets the plate. That then leaves two suits of chain, with Arafel and Cereld getting first dibs. Dalliance would then select the remaining shield.
That leaves the mace as unselected. Only Cereld is proficient in its use.
This leaves Araduin, Finius and possibly Dalliance out in the cold.
Is this okay with everyone?
The Seekers depart the Temple en route to the wizard's tower. The trip goes fast and only after a few minutes they reach the farm that Validar, Stephanie and Araduin visited.
The road continues on and the tracks of the Mountain Monster can be plainly seen. The trail leads into the mountains.
After an hour of riding, a desolate tower comes into view. At one time it was three stories high, but the top floor has collapsed. The outer walls have many large holes in them. The whole structure doesn't appear to be overly safe.
Tracks of the Mountain Monster are all around the tower. Some even lead into the tower.
The tracks also lead further into the mountains. There doesn't appear to be anyone around the tower.
GM Notes:
Now what intrepid explorers?
Thanks the various healing spells cast, everyone is at full HP's.
Mail From: FINROD Date: Wednesday 14-Feb-90 23:57 EST
Finrod looks to Stephanie for help in keeping his temper when faced with the unreasonableness of the Noble Fool, who thinks so much of himself that he automatically assumes we all are jealous and want to be JUST LIKE HIM. :)
Wouldn't want to lose my temper... I might damage a party asset. :)
Spectrum's Comments: ::Laughs:: This was one conversation that Steph was NOT going to get involved in.
SUBJ: VALIDAR FROM: Panther13 02/16/90 S#: 450058
"Finrod, I fail to see your analogy of this recent combat with chaos. It was a simple matter of disposing of some pitiful undead. There are times when a detailed plan is simply not necessary when superior battle strength can remove an obstacle with out such. If you were so afraid of entering into battle with some measly skeletons, I said that you were welcome to hide behind that chest and allow me to deal with the monsters myself. And then you would have had access to even more of these treasures you covet so much."
Validar will shake his head in wonder at his team member and gather up his equipment to prepare for the upcoming battle.
Once at the tower:
"I find it difficult to imagine that whatever this Wendelaine was after has gone unclaimed by her. This place does not seem capable of keeping anyone out, excepting for its unsoundness structurally or the monster itself. She may in fact be long gone with her prize."
"In any case, I think we should send an advance team to the entrance of the tower and find out whether there are any surprises in store. Also, if those tracks into the mountains could be followed, that might lead us to the beast's lair, if this is not it. Is it possible to tell which of the tracks are most recent?"
Validar will snap down his visor and ready his weapon for the upcoming events. He hopes that he will have a chance to show the wench the meaning of honor.
SUBJ: Arathron FROM: RAD DWEEBE 02/17/90 S#: 405458
Arathron, happily accepting the shield, will go along with the party's decision on what to do and give his 2 bits when he thinks necessary.
SUBJ: Cereld FROM: Lanceson 02/18/90 S#: 460533
"Although anything is possible, Validar from the looks of this place, if it is as defenseless as it seems, and if Wendy did come here for something, then I doubt that she found it here. Surely the priests of that accursed temple would have sent a party up here and taken anything that they saw as valuable, and especially as magical for that ceremony of theirs. But let us not be too hasty here. Can any of you mages sense anything about the tower? If not then I suggest that we search it quickly and if we find nothing track down that beast. It doesn't look to safe though, and that beast may return at any minute. Validar, why don't you, Raeden, Arathron and Dar stay out here while the rest of us give this place a quick look over. If we see anything that looks like we will need to really investigate this place, we will call for you to come to us."
SUBJ: Araduin FROM: Deslock 02/18/90 S#: 2681
"I agree, we should look this place over and then continue. Also, despite its looks, I'd be leery of traps in this place. As to following the beast into the hills, this shouldn't present a problem. As we have seen, subtlety is not one of its features."
SUBJ: Stephanie
'As you command, Cereld.'
Steph will dismount and cautiously follow the others into the tower. She will let those who have more skill in this kind of things pass before her. If some danger does present itself, she will protect the others as best she can.
GM Notes:
Party rangers can determine the freshest set of tracks of the creature. They led further into the mountains and are a few days old.
To refresh your memories, the tracks are similar to a bugbear's, but this creature must be over 10' tall based on the width of its stride.
One final note, Cereld did take the Plate Mail.
SUBJ: Validar FROM: Panther13 02/19/90 S#: 828633
"Very well. Just be on your guard. As we shall be out here."
Validar will remain mounted with his lance readied to thrust into any upcoming combat.
SUBJ: Dantar (R) FROM: Falcon9 02/19/90 S#: 802714
After his run-in with the magic room at the temple, Dantar is reluctant to enter the tower, "'Cause old majks don't die young!"
But he will enter (of course!)
SUBJ: Dar Thaltus.... FROM: Kazaroth 02/19/90 S#: 797272
listens intently to Cereld's plan and silently nods his head in agreement. Watching the others depart Dar whispers a prayer to Ehlonna asking her to watch over them as they search about.
During the time they are gone Dar will scrutinize his new acquisition and attempt to find any clue as to the abilities of this fine weapon occasionally gazing into its greenish tint and admiring it.