Post Journals / Story / Notes / adventure talk here (April 2017)

Reborn, a shattered mind! A sudden intake of air into new lungs, that rush of energy as the heart beats for the first time, cells within the body infusing with arcane and necromantic energy to be reformed and born again. Torhild’s dwarven form was momentarily enveloped in a state of flux, her muscles and skin undulating and changing as the spell took effect. As her physical form changed so did her mind and alignment. Torhild felt different, freer. What had been her normal moral code had been removed and in its place was something else. The effects of her alignment change had already affected her soul. Something nagged at the back of her mind a stray memory of being smaller, a child perhaps? Her mind struggled to understand was happening, this other memory gained strength and became larger a flood of experiences assaulted her unconscious mind. Her mind did the only thing it could do defend her sanity, it fractured into smaller parts. Each part had a distinct personality, parts of Torhild the dwarf’s experience shared and changed among the splits. One split asserted itself over the others taking control, it opened its eyes and looked up into the sky. It concentrated and tried to remember its name. “My name….” She whispered and began to cast a spell, it seemed so natural for her to be able to use this spell. As though it was part of her very essence, her body morphed again shifting size and shape. She sat up in the swamp and flexed her arms and legs, curling and uncurling her fingers like a butterfly testing its wings for the first time. “My name” she said standing up and glancing around, why was she in a swamp. Her eyes rested on the freshly slain black dragons and the small pixi harvesting them. “What the heck is going on, where am I?” She took a step towards the dragon corpses and stopped, she could feel the fetid air brushing against her skin, the soles of her feet stand a little, as though the water she stood in was poisoned. Glancing down at herself she slipped into a crouch and covered herself with her hands. “Where the hell are my clothes? Was I drunk again?” She said noticing a pile of chain armour and a cloak, it looked familiar to her but the armour was too small or her to wear. She took up the cloak and wrapped it around her to hide her modesty, something was not right. She could not remember being here at all, the last thing she recalled was being on a ship. “Too much rum I suppose” she said, the pixi looked over at her and shrugged to engrossed in his harvesting. Conversations that Torhild had with a half elf rushed in a started to fill the gaps in this split’s memory, creating rational explanations for things. The memories twisted and changed. She had helped to fight the Black dragons, she remembered singing a song that inspired her companions. When did she learn to sing? The half elf held her head in her hands and staggered as her mind created lies to protect itself, she remembered learning how to sing from an Oni in the opera house in Party Town. Her time in the volcano and their escape, her mind still felt fuzzy as though she was hung over. “hey…..Puck” She callout out, “got any clothes? I have lost mine….” She asked. “Nope” Puck said with a chuckle. “Well I am going to head back to……town, I can’t walk around like this all day” She said and started to make off towards the town of Laffette. “Oh!” she called back to the necromancer “Don’t forget my cut of the loot!” She winked at him and made off towards the town, she could remember the way, her delusion escalating and taking hold of her conscious mind. Whenever she used her polymorph ability to become half elf this personality would be awakened. She started to sing softly as she walked, a dwarven song of travelling, as the sun began to set she entered the town and attemped to hide in shadows. She needed to acquire some more clothing. As she slipped into the shadows she spoke a word in a language she did not understand, it was more a reflex than anything else. A spell took hold and she went invisible, stealing a set of clothing was extremely easy and she felt good about herself. Letting the spell drop she walked on the planks of this town’s walkways towards the gambling arena, she knew that there would be people there ripe for the picking. As she closed on the establishment the door man there asked for her name. “My name?” she said with a crooked smile and a wink. “My name is Nelliranduwyn ” Deep in her unconsious mind other personalities slept, waiting to be awakened. (Torhild on being reborn suffers from multiple personality disorder, as her true form is that of an Ogre Mage she can used the ploymorph spell. when used the form she takes will determine the personality she has. In this case Torhild's memories of Nell and her adventures have manfest themselves. To represent this her Class is Bard but she will act as a thief, should she take another form she would act inline with that personality. for example if she polymophed into a Grey elf she would act as a wizard etc. to incorperate this I will take spells to try and cover a few classes from the wizard list. ) (Torhild manfesting the memory of Nell) (Torhild's true form)

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Journal Notes 3/4 After preparing as best we could we ventured back in to the swamps. We made our way back to the froghemouth breeding grounds and continued south towards where we believed the dragon or... dragons resided. Once close I could sense its presence and its power... we would need help in this task. I asked the others to be patient and wait... something they seemed timid to do. I would attempt a new magic that I had studied but not practiced due to its potentially dangerous outcome. I drew the circle of protection encompassing myself and the others. I then began drawing the runes and speaking the words creating the trap as well as a rift between the planes. I called upon the aid of another powerful creature, an emerald dragon from the plane of gems. We offered him some of our wealth as well as its freedom in exchange for its aid in ridding the swamp of any black dragons. It tried to resist at first, but once realizing that it had been ensnared / unable to escape it accepted our cause. Now with a new powerful ally... at least for now we continued the hunt. An old powerful black dragon and his mate or child attacked us along with some other giant plant creatures that seemed to be under their control. Our new ally the emerald dragon was able to bring it down from the sky while Torvald, Baradin, and Fuku called upon the power of my tattoos to fly to the dragon and slay it. Myself and the others were more occupied dealing with the plant creatures and the smaller of the dragons. We had just finished disabling the plant creatures when the others had swiftly defeated the larger black dragon. Our ally, the emerald dragon, then came to our aid and took out the smaller dragon nearly with one bellowing screech and a flurry of attacks. The black dragons were not the only thing that it destroyed in that instant however... the heads of Torhild as well as my love... what I thought was my love... Lianshee... seemed to burst in an instant from the reverberations. When she died you would think that it would sadden me, but I felt nothing. Have I grown so cold over the past few years? No, I get it now. I sense the magic of her charm dissipating from me. That Bitch. During the combat I received a very familiar arrow in my back. Sebastian, the one who seems to favor the shadows was the only one wielding a bow this day. Previous battles with him also resulted in our party being shot from his arrows when we were already wounded and preoccupied with more powerful foes. I have had enough. In an instant I turned the mud and muck upon his body and in his surrounding in to stone locking him in place. I questioned his intentions and threatened him with a slow death if he were to harm any of my allies once more. Something tells me I should have ended him then and there, but I am not a murderer... at least not without just cause. I will be keeping a close eye on this one if he is to continue aiding in our missions. .

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WickedWayz .

Airen Leading us into Danger.....Again.......Coast is clear guys!

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Gold

Forum Champion

Party Lore About Slaadi It's somewhat rare to reach high level enough to encounter Slaadi. CONGRATS!! This is a good time to learn about these vicious opponents and their invention in old-school AD&D.  Try to puzzle-out how I've woven slaadi into the plot and texture of the Homebrew World campaign.   Who is The Duchess and why did Yi Bang's agent the Axe-Man Arch Fiend assign Sebastian to assassinate her?  What's up with The Blood War? Who are the LE Devils and CE Demons and how are the party and Grand General Yi Bang involved?  Are these the rumored "frogs trying to take over the multiverse" that the Cult Of The Imperial Bullywug monk foretold? Slaad are originally from White Dwarf magazine, later published in AD&D 1st Edition weird monster book Fiend Folio 1983 from TSR UK. Blue Slaad are the big bruisers with the wolvereine claws.   Gray Slaad are the mastermind spellcasters with magic weapons.   Death Slaad are the worst and most cruel and most heavily armed.   They can all Gate in reinforcements. The slaadi are bipedal frog-like beings who originated from the Outer Plane of Limbo. They scavenge battlefields of the Blood War (CE Tanar'ri Demons vs LE Baatezu Devils). Slaadi travel the multiverse feeding on the dead and using the wounded as instruments in their reproductive cycle. It's gross! 5 powerful varieties of slaad pursue their own agendas, using less powerful types as their thugs and agents. Slaad heads are huge and their claws extremely sharp. A symbol of power is embedded in the forehead. Nonmagical tattoos on a slaad’s forehead signify past achievements (kills, conquests, duels) and current status. The more powerful slaadi have polymorph self abilities and can appear as humans or demihumans. Watch out for that, because you never know who might actually be a Slaad in polymorphed disguise. Slaadi speak their own language. Limited telepathy allows them to understand and converse with all things. Although the slaadi inhabit the Outer Planes and travel the Lower Planes, they do not ususally fight in the Blood War between baatezu devils and tanar’ri demons. (Some gray slaadi have traded intelligence to both sides in return for powerful magical items.) However, slaadi scavenge the battlefields of the fallen, feeding on carrion and removing wounded victims to their nightmarish temporary prison camps. Red slaadi are vicious combatants that quickly attack other creatures. Ruthless in numbers, they surround, torment, and slaughter smaller groups.  Red slaadi have a gland under each claw that, when it hits an opponent, may (25% chance) imperceptibly inject an egg-pellet into the opponent’s body. The slaad can also inject the pellet at will into an unconscious opponent. The egg-pellet slowly moves through the unwitting victim’s body until it reaches the chest cavity.The victim falls extremely ill 24 hours before a baby blue slaad eats its way out. Blue slaadi are ruthless warriors that specialize in mass combat. Two long, sharp bone rakes protrude from the back of each hand. The blue slaad fighting style allows them two attacks with each of the razor-sharp bone rakes on each hand. Thus they have four rake attacks per round, as well as a bite with chance of infecting you with a rotting disease. They can attempt to gate in 1-2 more blue slaadi or 1 gray slaad. Blue slaadi can infect wounded and unconscious opponents with a disease similar to lycanthropy. This infection transforms a humanoid victim, over three months’ time, into a red slaad. The disease is undetectable in the first month except by detect evil or other magic, but its effects become obvious thereafter. Cure disease and other powerful healing magic cures and reverses the infection. To prevent this, slaadi maintain victims as prisoners in temporary camps, along with those infected by red slaadi egg-pellets. Green slaadi are defensive about weaknesses and self-aggrandizing in triumph. Tremendous braggarts, they sometimes pause even during combat to gloat over opponents. A green slaad can polymorph at will into a duplicate of the human or demihuman host that spawned it. A Gray Slaad is changed from a green slaad that lives to advanced age (a century or so) and withdraws into wilderness isolation. Most are never seen again, but after a year or more some slaadi return to their fellows as gray slaadi. Uninterested in lesser slaadi, grays become fascinated by power and magic. They can shapechange into the form of the original host, in which they often wield a magical weapon (DM’s choice). Gray slaadi can attempt to gate in 1-4 more grays or blues. They can enchant magic items of their own. Death Slaadi are most powerful. They have achieved near-immortal longevity through evil ceremonies. A death slaad can shapechange into a duplicate of its original host, usually a powerful human. Once per turn a death slaad can gate in 1-8 of any type of slaad except other death slaadi. This gate always succeeds. They can enchant an item if given time and equipment. Slaad Lords are the de facto rulers of the Slaadi race. True to their chaotic nature, they often do not appear anything like other Slaadi. Known slaad lords include Ygorl, Lord of Entropy;  Ssendam, Lord of Madness;  Chourst, Lord of Randomness;  Rennbuu, Lord of Colors;  and Wartle.

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Gold

Forum Champion

Slaad Song dedicated to the Party 3 blue and gray slaad at the door 3 blue and gray slaad Take one down They gate in 2 more Now there's 4 blue and gray slaad at the door 4 blue and gray slaad at the door 4 blue and gray slaad Take one down They gate in 2 more Now there's 5 blue and gray slaad at the door 5 blue and gray slaad at the door 5 blue and gray slaad Take one down They gate in 2 more Now there's 6 blue and gray slaad at the door 6 blue and gray slaad at the door 6 blue and gray slaad Take one down They gate in 2 more Now there's 7 blue and gray slaad at the door 7  blue and gray slaad at the door 7 blue and gray slaad Take one down They gate in 2 more Now there's 8 blue and gray slaad at the door 8  blue and gray slaad at the door 8 blue and gray slaad Take one down They gate in 2 more Now there's 9 blue and gray slaad at the door 9  blue and gray slaad at the door 9 blue and gray slaad Take one down They gate in 2 more Now there's 10 blue and gray slaad at the door 10  blue and gray slaad at the door 10 blue and gray slaad Take one down They gate in 2 more Now there's 11 blue and gray slaad at the door

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Paul W.

Rajhad Journal 4/11/2017 Company of the Broken Spear.... Challengers of Destiny.... who would ever have thought i would associate myself with such heroic figures? I was overwhelmed by the sight of them besting a troll, terrified by my own foolish bravery; so much so that i HAD to stay in Portlandio, afraid of my own actions and of theirs. Then, because of my association with them, i was approached by the "Governor" and blackmailed into his service. A better rogue and con man i have not yet met. Fortune smiled upon me as the eerie whispered message from afar came to my ear from one of their newest members. I ran as fast as my little legs could carry me, away from the politics of the chaos in Portlandio.... i hope he cant find me now.... These demonic frogs are nothing compared to him, and i will gladly stay under the protection of these heroes, and hopefully guide their blades to seek his heart and end this chain about my neck.....

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Hold spell, time to reflect. The Slaad's spell held Fuku fast, she was unable to move at all. Her blade cried out for the death of her enemies yet it was held fast in her hands. At least she thought, she would not suffocate. Just her limbs and outer body could not move, her mind however raced. She tried to steady herself and slipped into a meditative trance. "You are with child? How, how could this have happend?" The Lord barked from behind his desk. "I think you know, you were there..." Fuku said tears forming in her young eyes. "Don't be flippent with me girl, it is the woman's responsibility. I cannot have illegitamate children in this world. I would loose face." The man said sturnly fixing her with his eyes, those deeply dark and somtimes cruel eyes that had helped to seduce her. "I don't understand, she will be born in four month. It is done" Fuku said her hands resting on the front of her kimono, one that would normally be too large for her. "You will visit a surgeon in the docks district, there he will correct this problem" The Lord stated, leaning on his desk. "What?" Fuku took a step back, shaking her head as tears started to draw neat lines through the white makeup on her cheeks. "I won't do that, I saw our daughter in a dream. She has your eyes and my dark hair. She will weave spells and command the arcane" Fuku said. "non sense!" the Lord Barked "This is a fantasy and one in bad taste, do you really think that Portlandio will accept the bastard child of yours?" "Ours" Fuku said quietly "Do you believe that my wife will not take offence at this?" The Lord stepled his long fingers on the desk infront of him. "She will have your head and I will not protect you, honour must be observed." Fuku hesistated and then approched the desk she felt as though she was in a dream, this was not how things where supposed to play out. "You said you felt nothing for her!" She said placing both palms on the desk "You said there is no love there and that I am to be your wife!" The young girl afixed him with a stare her the eyeliner starting to run from her tears to mix with her white cheeks, she looked like the spirit of a forlorn panda. The Lord spoke quietly, his voice even and devoid of emotion. "I said things to further our fantasy, our play. It was all games my dear you know that" "Games!?" Fuku shouted "I was playing no games, the things you whispered to me. The nights together with only the stars and moon to witness us, those there NOT games!" Fuku's voice was loud now barely quieter than a shreek. "Enough, quiet down" The lord said glancing at his office door, surly his guard heard that. They would gossip but it was his wife he feared. "I will not, I shared everything with you!" Fuku had lost her composure and threw the words at him like knives. "I come here with a gift for you, the gift your wife could never give you and you say these things!" "Enough." The lord stated. "No! I am young and strong, I come baring your daughter and still you will not leave that hag, that noxius horrible banshee for me?!" Fuku banged on the table with both palms, the Lords quill bounced out of its pot tipping it over so a pool of ink formed on the wood. "I said enough of this" The lord said again, his voice quiet. "I am ten times the woman your wife is, let her know I am with child, let her see how complete her failure as a wife and a woman is. Let her see that she has lost you!" The blow came from across the desk and caught fuku high on her cheeckbone, her head snapped to the side and lights exploded infront of her eyes. she staggered backwards and fell onto her knees. She felt the child she carry move. "You will go to the surgeon now, my guard will escort you. for your own safty" the lord stated. Fuku tried to stand and staggered to her knees she felt the arms of two guard grab her and drag her out of the room. "you can't do this, please please don't do this!" she screamed as she was dragged from the room. Fuku felt her heart slamming in her chest and the world seemed to become a haze, then went dark. Fuku shook her head and looked around, she smelt the sea and could hear the sounds of the docks. "No, not that..." She muttered as she tried to open her eyes. "No surgen for you, little whore" a womans voice filled with hate and spite."I am sick of my husband bringing stray pets into the house" Fuku blinked and her vision became clear, she could see the silloette of a woman, the Lord's wife standind in the allyway. Fuku felt she was being held by two figures. She struggled but was held fast. A blade glinted as it caught the moonlight, the Lady stepped up to Fuku still shrouded in the shadows. "Please don't, I am with child" Fuku pleaded her eyes on the blade. "It is for that reason, that I do this" the Lady said. "Wait, please no" Fuku's words died in her mouth as the blade sank into her side, her body twitched and she felt herself going into shock. "None will care what has happened here" The Lady said wiping the blade on the arm of one of her men. "My Lord will...." Fuku said as she felt herself going cold, the edges of her vission becomeing black. The lady laughed, a horrible arrogent laugh. "He ordered this! He wanted you dead and your little bastard with you!" Fuku slumped forward onto the ground, started to cry bitterly. The strength ebbed from her limbs and she was unable to lift her head. She thought of the child that would not be born, of the love she would never be able to share with her. Her sobs started to turn from bitter dispare to somthing else and she whispered as loud as she could. The lady bent over her, exahlting in her victory and the chance to inact suffering on another person, she was a twisted and hateful creature. "What? I can't hear you little whore" She said bending close to Fuku. Fuku spoke again. "I will retern and avenge my daughter upon you and your house, I give my soul to this end to any creature good or evil." Fuku whispered as the darkness took her vission compleatly. The Lady smiled and ran her fingers through fuku's hair. "Stupid girl." Fuku felt anger rise in her and with the last of her life's energy she grabbed the Lady's head with both hands, her now darkness blind eyes seeking her out. "I will kill you, by the planes I swear it" Fuku spat as the last of her life left her and she went limp. The lady started and let the dead girls arms drop, she turned to one of her men. "toss it into the dock and let's leave, we are done here" The lady turned and started to walk away. The two men picked up the corpse and thew it into Portlandios docks. Two scyles of the moon past without note, the people or Portlandio went about thier lives. The Lord took another young girl for his lover, his wife would soon sate her need for blood on the new mistress. In the docks a body washed up agianst some fishing netting, it bobbed there for a moment and then moved. A strangled cry came from its mouth, full of rage and dispair. Two small horns eruppted from it's forehead and it gripped the fishing netting shivering like a newborn. Fuku opened her eyes and saw the world slightly differently, the water was cold and she started to climb the netting. As she made it onto the pier she coughed up water and blinked, her hands resting on her body. She felt within her the start of a pulse, a tiny heart reborn. Fuku seethed with anger and the destruction of her innocence she was no longer human. No longer a girl of sixteen, weak and alone. She had been reborn as an Oni, granted the change to avange herself on that Lord and his wife. She wondered about the child she carried, now an Oni child. Fuku whispered into the night "I will kill you" She got up and started into the city, her kimono soaked and caked in seaweed. People in the streets passed in her wake thier eyes wide, she headed to the millitary districted. She needed to learn how to use a blade.  (sorry about the paragraphs. I wrote this on the train into work on my phone. My phone hates paragraphs!)

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Journal Notes 3/11 After we had a chance to catch our breaths in town I felt that it was urgent that we investigated these random rifts I previously discovered within Airentown. Sure enough shortly after entering the rift we were greeted by some rather curious, powerful, and very unfriendly creatures. They seemed to be able to either duplicate themselves or perhaps summon their allies out of thin air. They kept referring to how their mistress would destroy us, but the most disturbing thing to note is how much they seemed to know about us. Why would they take such an interest?

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Journal Notes 4/18 It seems that this place is home to numerous portals to various planes. We need to seal the entrance to our town... if we survive this place.

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Rukia studied hard, she knew it was her duty. She spent long hours reading books of magic and scrolls of power. Her mother had said the warrior's life was not somthing she wanted for her, that she was too smart. Magic did feel natural to the young girl and even now she could summon minor creatures to do her bidding. Rukia waited for her mother to retern, sitting in Yi Bang's library. She practised the words of magic and wrote the symbols of ritual, somthing inside her drew her to the darker tomes. Her mother had told her she was different to other children and somtimes she felt that difference. Rukia was a serious child and only smiled in her mother's presence. (apologies for the tiny post, work as taken up all my time. ill write a better one tomorrow!)

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They tried to kill me, but how do you kill when life is a meal? consuming the pretty morsals of men. I'll tell that Queen of hearts and add to thier woe, they ruined the tea party and would not play along, But I think I love them. Let's make them stay! Together we shall bray, A roll in the old hay, We are all cats who stray. So smile my dears for soon I will come, A little bite here! Oh yum yum. How many lives do these creatures have? I think i've lost count, The rabbit is better at that. For am I not, Mearly a cat?

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