Roleplay Channel

Gethrame listens to your litany of questions and begins stirring her pot of soup furiously. "Oh, Beauregard of Bard's Gate: your words are as sweet as honey, but they drip from a swarming honeycomb that is a labor for any grizzly to reach! While I will certainly help you with the amulet, and Vortigern, and even Herl, I believe that will conclude my debt to you and your companions in full. The other topics will require payment of gold, as is the way of things. I am a sage and a seer, after all, and I must make my living." "Herl is a ranger who had...feelings...for me. But he knew that I did not love him. I loved Eralion. We women tend to love the bad boys, isn't that the truth? He has kept a vigilant watch over me all these years since Shandril banished me to this cave. He doesn't think I know it, but he has used his talent with animals to ensure that I am always fed and protected. I suspect he no longer loves me, as I'm just an old woman now, but he must feel some kind of obligation for me that still drives him." "The amulet is valuable. You could probably sell it for 500 - 1,000 gold, if you found the right buyer. As you can tell, it was crafted from pure gold, gem stones, and a large ruby in its center. But the magic which it was ensorcelled with had only one purpose: to open the way into Eralion's crypt. It serves no other purpose now." "Vortigern is an evil man. He made an infernal pact with Dispater, the Archdevil who rules the plane of Dis, the Second Hell. Dispater gifted Vortigern with the service of Talon, an imp familiar. While you all destroyed Talon, I'm sure that Dispater has used this opportunity to make another deal with Vortigern to give him another servant in exchange for more power over the sorcerer's soul." "Vortigern was at odds with Tavik, the Orcusite who had taken control of Eralion's Keep before your noteworthy arrival. They both wanted to kill each other for the amulet in order to plumb the depths of Eralion's lair, but they needed to kill you all off first, and each of them thought the other was needed to do that. When you arrived and killed off the orcs and Tavik's ogre, the men parted ways and fled. Tavik went north to the Burial Halls of Thyr and Muir, where great evil has fallen, in order to report his failure to his superior, Zehn." "And Vortigern traveled to Bard's Gate in order to break into the libraries of the College of Mages. He did this successfully, from what the Eye has shown me. He is seeking another fearsome crypt said to be laden with treasures and ancient magical secrets: the Tomb of the Mud Sorcerers. Vortigern's mastery of magic has grown since you last encountered him, just as yours has. And he wishes Eisen harm. That is without question. The tiefling should be on his guard, for the scheming of Vortigern could lead to his downfall."

"So how much do you wish for the inquires?"

"It depends. Each question could require a number of hours, days, weeks, or even months for me to research and divine a suitable answer for you, so the price will vary per question. Some I might know outright. Others could take weeks."

"Ok start simple, the Lake Monster of Crimmor. How much do you want to know more about it?"

Dwarinn says to the group one night.  " Well I've been giving this some thought, and I believe it's time we travel to the Stoneheart Mountains and find the two lost Mages, Croaker and  Raven, discover the source of the Crimson Skeletons, and figure out what kind of threat they pose to Taverlan and the free city.  But not until after we've had a few more ales!  Hahahahahaha!

Gethrame looks up at the cavern wall as she moves the bloated eye of her staff in your direction. It stares at you. Then she taps the bottom of her staff on the ground. " That would be known to me, lad. I will charge you 100 gold to give you information on this matter."

Beau will pay her 100gp. These other things from my book I wish to know too. In this order:             Auris Veng, who is buried in Rappan Athuk             High Priest Zehn of the Demon Lord             T he Great Oracle of Rappan Athuk             Lord Navarre and Deserach               Aragnak the Dragon           T he Great lich of Rappan  Athuk who wields Demonbane           Akbeth the High Priestess of Shak-Zatari I know it will take time, so I will visit back when you say too.

(Spend 100 gp.) Gethrame wobbles the frog-eye of the staff at you and says, "One at a time, lad!" She leans back for a moment, muttering to herself. Then she takes a deep breath and continues. "Now, this lake business: your old friend, Tavik, actually grew up in Crimmor, though that was not his given name then. Out of anger and vengeance towards the misery he suffered while growing up in that place, he gained the help of his superiors to summon a dangerous monster from beyond this world as he was making his return to Eralion's Keep. This...creature...now dwells in the lake. Its appetite is voracious. The sheer number of fish that it can eat is more than can be produced by their natural breeding rates. If something isn't done soon, the fish will be totally gone...and with the monster hungry, it may perhaps turn on those who fish the lake. I cannot be certain, as I know very little about such creatures. But they were not meant for small lakes and rivers. Only an ocean could hope to feed such a beast!" She coughs. "As for the other items you'd like me to research, I can only accept two at a time if they are easy to discover, or one at a time if it is much more difficult. The two easiest for me are 'High Priest Zehn' and 'The Great Oracle of Rappan Athuk.' Zehn will cost you 250 gp, while the Oracle will cost you 400 gp. And I can answer those immediately. But everything else must be researched and will cost far more of your time and your precious gold. What say you, dear?"

Beau pulls out 65 platinum.  "I do ask first, what is the beast in the lake called? I need to know how to defeat it and a name would be a good start. If you can tell me that, here is the gold for the three you can tell me about now"

She studies the platinum pieces with her frog-eye, waving it over the coins to check their authenticity. "Hmmmm. You've got more money than is good for you, Bard. I do not know what the creature in the lake is called, per se, but it is like a massive sea turtle. This particular specimen, however, is a bit younger than a fully-grown one, which wouldn't be able to hide for very long in such a small body of water." "Zehn is a sinister man. He rules the Upper Temple of Orcus within the halls of Rappan Athuk. It is thought to lie on the fourth level below the main dungeon's entrance: the Old Graveyard. Zehn has killed many to reach his current position. And he has served the Demon-Lord well in it for over 20 years. No priest below him as managed to best the cunning man. His reputation precedes him. And he enjoys inflicting misery, suffering, and death upon those who cross him, as well as the cult's victims. It is also said that the symbol of his office is a precious ring which he wears upon his left hand. This ring is said to contain great power, and it was supposedly a gift from the Demon-Lord after many years of exceptional service. Tavik answers directly to Zehn." "The Oracle of Rappan Athuk is said to lair within the third level of the Dungeon of Graves below the Old Graveyard, beyond the hunting ground cavern of purple worms, which stalk the Underdark. He is sought out by many who would plumb the ancient depths of the megadungeon, as according to legend, it is said that the Oracle knows everything that there is to know about Rappan Athuk, except for one thing: his own name. Do not ask him such a question ever, for it will only lead to woe! I will only warn you once! The Oracle exchanges information for sacrifices: magical items, treasure, even a man's life force. But it's answers are always accurate and trustworthy...a rare thing, in the Dungeon of Graves." She takes the platinum in her wrinkly hand and fingers them.

Beau pays her the 250 and 400 gold totaling 650gp. "I maybe back about some more question. Do you trust me to contact you mentally and then pay you once you complete research?"

@Rob also Beau gives her the honey cakes he mentioned last visit. "Ya know, just a mention from a young pup but you should give Herl a chance. Love is about a choice, not a feeling and of the two men. He has proven himself."

She regards your words, but says nothing.

"Yes, you may contact me through the powers of the mind, if you possess them. Which topic should I research for you next?"

"Please find out more about Auris Veng, who is buried in Rappan Athuk"

"Very well. Return to me no sooner than the 3rd Day of Snowflower. I shall have your answer for you then...if there's payment enough in your purse, of course."

That night in the woods Beau calls everyone "Ok so you heard what that Knight said, Zehn enchanted him.. You know who Zehn is? He is the head of the Demon Lord's Temple in the Dungeon of Graves. The High Priest!! Why in the world is he here and why did he ensorcelled a knight to guard his path? I think there maybe a portal to the Dungeon here... I know Tavik came to this region to report to Zehn... This is getting very interesting and very dangerous. I think we need to head back to town and do some research into this magical pool. Find out if there are any druids or fay in the area to ask. Worse case I know one of the tribes in the area who may, I doubt but they may trade information with us if we offer gifts." ((out of game lets take a week downtime and research or gather information))

Good Idea, I think this pool is located somewhere underground. We need to find out if there are any caverns or caves in the area. We need to find out the local lore of the area. Somebody has to know a rumor, legend, or folk tale about this pool. I can't imagine that this is some kind of natural phenomenon.

Trevor looks surprised. "Dungeon of the Grave? Arlen mentioned that we were drinking together. Said it was a grave for adventerers foolhardy enough to try to clear it. I think it's near a place called "Rappan Athuk.""

"its one and the same. Not a place to take lightly or your soul maybe trapped there for eternity"

So what's our game plan now?  Are we going to try and kill these water monsters? If so, how are we going to take them out?

"Well we should go back and have you be our front man. The rest of use sit back and ready to attack them when they rush forward"

Beau will yell out "Great job wizard! Ok so how do we stop this fountain?"

Destroy the runes on the fountain some how! by bashing it beyond repair, cast a bless on it, or purify water on the pool, hurl holy water into the pool, or do it all.  I'd piss in a Red Dragons face if I thought it could help.

"I can make someone invisible, as long as you do nto attack, you have an hour to inspect the runes and try and figure it out."

"Ok so retreat now and then we come back! I have an idea"

So when the weasel returns Beau would fill her in. "Ok so we advanced on the inner chamber and tried to identify it but got out wires crossed and it failed. We are going to try again. The Wizard will go in invisible and then identify the font. We explored the side passage and found an automatic pit trap. Ok we want to lure the blood skeletons down to the pit trap while the wizard takes a minute to identify the font. Seams the font is active when you get close to it. We then go to the font and help the wizard escape and then regroup to see if what we learned can be used to destroy it. Any thoughts yourself?"