Pregame with Annotations Asher & Thokoli are exhausted Hearing the gurgling death cries of the Girkchar warchief, the Orc assassin took one panicked look at Thokoli and Alaise and took off. Taking one longbow shot, Thokoli got the orc in it’s leg while Alaise rushed after it. The creature made it all the way down to the south, straight hallway, and was in the progress of fleeing when Thokoli managed to get another hit and Alaise caught up to it, killing it in a single blow. Meanwhile Nuggle, Gillia, and Reeta swarmed about Helios and Bardman, showering them in hugs and handshakes. Looking at them, their lives hadn’t been easy lately either. All threw wore thick, fur coats and were carrying explorer’s packs with ropes, grappling hooks, lanterns, and everything else needed for a winter dungeon crawl. Nuggle’s face was covered in cuts and scrapes, he sported a black eye from one thing or another. Ropes that had bound his hands were still around his wrists, but the cord between had been cut. Reeta’s dark face was likewise bruised and battered, with a thick scar across her cheek, and blood trickling down her face from where something had hit her in the side of the head. She was wearing her normal leather armor, but had managed to pick up a couple of shortswords on the battlefield. Gillia’s face seemed the most different. She looked, just different. In Rhoghnah they had seen very little of her, now seeing her again she seemed the happiest she’d been since playing with the children in the Inn on the road to Rhoghnah. She gave both Helios and Bardman big hugs. The three looked about and Nuggle started to say something, but Reeta put a hand on his shoulders. She said, “Who is all is with you?” The party tells them. The three of them nod. Going into the large chamber, they meet the dwarf covered in furs, with white eyes and electricity crawling around her skin. Alaise and Thokoli return not but a couple minutes later, with steam coming out of their mouths. Thokoli specifically looks rather drained. Gillia, a gorgeous dark-complected woman with long flowing hair who dresses extravagantly comes up and hugs Alaise. He [I don’t believe] hasn’t met her before although he may have heard the party speak of her. She is dressed finely underneath the furs and other winter dress adorning her, and despite the cuts and gashes on her, seems well adjusted to the situation. The party have never really seen Gillia in dress of her own choice before, she looks somewhat dressed up and has on fine cloths. She steps back from Alaise and says, “I’ve heard so much of you. Thank you for helping our friends. I know your services were as invaluable to them as they were for the people of Corrive. Those who have escaped think the world of you.” Alaise greets her back. She turns to Thokoli and gives a slight bow, “Your lordship.” While Gillia is bowing to Thokoli, Nuggle has been hugging Asher (whom he doesn’t know), and runs amidst the party towards Alaise giving him a tackling hug. Alas, he isn’t very dextrous and ends up headbutting Alaise’s nether regions which almost knocks Nuggle out with a huge THUNK. Getting up from the floor, Nuggle begins asking Alaise, “Sir Alaise. Knight Alaise… King Alaise… the people you rescued said you killed one thousand hobgoblins single handedly to get them out of Corrive. Well, actually they didn’t say that, but I imagine you did and that’s what I’ve been telling everybody.” He seems very excited, and starts asking Alaise questions without giving him time to reply and then just makes up stories on the spot about Alaise’s exploits. Thokoli is panting, having been closer to death’s door than he ever wanted to be and nods at Gillia saying something along the lines of “Uble, guvmf, ackkk….” and throws up on the floor in front of her. Thokoli was a bit taken with Gillia, and between that and pure exhausted he has become nauseous. She runs up to him, grabbing his shoulders, “Come, we should move.” she says to everyone. Meanwhile, Reeta is looking around at all of you. Having already hugged Bardman and Helios, she is now leaning against a wall. She nods at Asher and just looks at Thokoli and Alaise. The group make it into the main chamber. Healing up and entering the next room, they could see a single surviving Shuror Guide, and two surviving escaped slaves from Corrive, all of whom had apparently traveled with Reeta, Gillia, and Nuggle to come find the party. In their number, standing by the giant statue of a goddess, was a dwarf in heavy furs hands bound but held aloft, with stormclouds in the high vaulted ceilings and lightning come from her milky white eyes and also arcing around her hands. In the giant hall were scorched and dead bodies of orcs and two ogres killed by a mixture of lightning and daggers. Asher was aggressive at first, but Reeta said, “Bardman, Alaise, Helios, we suggest you tell your red friend to lower his axe.” The dwarf turned to them, and Helios approached, enamored by this elemental master, and offered to cut her hands that were still bound. She offered her bindings to him while the storm dissipated and her eyes turned normal. She proceeded to touch Helios on the cheek and heal him. After looking at him with a fascinating look, she proceeded towards Asher, also looking at him curiously. While walking past Helios, she was repeating under her breath, “Tiefling. Tiefling. Tiefling” as if trying to figure out the pronunciation. Looking at the lone Shuror survivor and the two escaped slaves, the party sees how wearied they all have been. All injured, captured by orcs, but now having fought for their freedom the two escaped slaves look upon Alaise with double admiration. On the ground are the bodies of one dead slave, and two dead Shuror scouts who were killed in their attempt to free themselves from the ogres and orcs, whose bodies now lie on the ground, dead from a combination of lightning strikes and stab wounds. Thokoli (unsuccessfully) snuck off to check out the vault, with Alaise trotting off with him to make sure everything was safe and Bardman standing in the doorway to keep an eye on his entire party at once. The dwarf continued to tend to the wounds of others and inspected the corpses of the fallen to wounds of the fallen. Asher and Helios had a brief conversation. Helios admits that they were there when Auril was summoned, Asher seemed a little accusatory that they hadn’t stopped her appearance into the prime material plane. When Asher began pissing off Helios, Gillia came to Helios side, giving Asher an intimidating look. When Helios said something that tipped off Gillia to Ugh dying and Nikon being taken over by Auril, Gillia asked him questions and then was speechless when he told her Ugh was gone and Nikon was now a puppet of Auril. Searching the temple (Nuggle, Gillia, and Reeta will assist whatever party members are involved), in the middle is a giant statue of a goddess (80+ foot tall). They recognize the statue as the Sune, Goddess of Love and Beauty. They find many keepers and their goods, most of it has been frozen solid. Longbows, cloths, food, kitchen items, and all of these things are unsalvageable. Most of them have been broken and shattered by the ground tremors and creatures about. In the southwest chambers are some bedrolls, all frozen now. Bardman found a Cloak of the Bat in a pile of frozen cloaks. In a world accustomed to a dank, warm, environment, nothing was more devastating than an underground blizzard. In the north-most room is the body of the queen of the Keepers, frozen and on the floor. Alaise searched her body and found nothing. Searching the Girkchar veteran, the Girkchar warchief, the orcs, and assassins you find: 10 orc great axes (in poor condition) 10 sets of hide armor (all are filthy) 10 nasty looking daggers on the bodies of the assassins (decent quality) 5 pairs of black leather armor (decent quality) 40+ throwing darts (okay quality) (Warchief) Adamantite Breastplate (Warchief) Great axe of fine quality (Girkchar Veteran) Bracers of Defense + 1 (Girkchar Veteran) Fine spellbook, but only Nuggle can read it 456 gold Examining the bodies, you see these are a hairy breed of orcs, different from the ones you’ve seen in other realms. They seem well-adapted to the cold. Locked in the vault is a variety of treasures: 9,000 sp 6,200 gp 2,600 platinum Uncarriable amount of copper. Each 2lbs of copper is worth 1 gold. Nuggle and the slaves load themselves just up to the point of being encumbered. Adding in the gold from the corpses, this is worth a total of 33,556 gold and weighs 356.12 lbs. Amidst the coins are Silver framed mirror (250 gp) Azurite Box set with Zircon (250 gp) Ebony Miniature of a Castle set with Quartz (250 gp) Jade Ring set with Jasper (250 gp) Leopard Fur Mask set with Zircon (250 gp) Crystal Vase (250 gp) Sable Boots (250 gp) Worth a total of 1750 gold total and weighing approximately 15 lbs. You find the following gems: 2x Amethysts (100 gp each) 3x Chrysoberyl (100 gp each) 2x Garnet (100 gp each) 3x Coral (100 gp each) 3x Jet (100 gp each) Pearl (100 gp) Spinel (100 gp) Worth 1600 gold and weighing roughly 4 lbs. You find 5 silver-coated scroll cases if you open them. The scroll cases are worth 250 gold each for a total of 1250 gp weighing a total of 10 lbs (2lbs each). After investigating the scroll cases, Alaise recognizes that one is trapped. After a rest the trap is dispelled by Bardman. The scrolls contain: Alarm Scroll Druidcraft Scroll Faerie Fire Scroll Hunter’s Mark Scroll Plane Shift Scroll Also you find a total of 8 potions all encased in crystalline potion flasks including: 2x Potion of Greater Healing 3x Potion of Healing Potion of Climbing Potion of Frost Giant Strength Potion of Flying Last, among the other items you find: (Vault) Arrow of Giant Slaying (Vault) Figurine of Wondrous Power (Silver Raven) (Vault) Scimitar of Speed (+2 weapon) The total value of the coins, scroll cases, and gems is 38,156 weighing a total of 394.14 lbs. You haven’t even begun finishing your search, and are just beginning to understand the amount of wealth before you and Thokoli looks somewhat disappointed, but he sees the scimitar and is instantly drawn to it. He is willing to completely forgo any cut of the loot for the scimitar and a proper introduction to Gillia. It seems to Thokoli this is only worth ¼ of what it is worth to everyone else. Also, he has a thing for Gillia but also seems to know something about her that the rest of the party doesn’t. After the search and realization of the amount of wealth you all found, everyone is pretty wearied at this point. You all decide to make camp. The most obvious choice is the cavernous chamber to the southwest of the main chamber where the Keepers used to sleep. Between the lot of you and the numerous cloaks, bedrolls, hide armors, and other things from the orcs you are able to make yourselves perfectly comfortable in the cold weather. Along with some magic from Helios and the dwarf, you light a fire to keep you all comfortable. As you all eat some rations, you look around. The shuror scout, Orbowisk Goflane sits next to Thokoli and the surviving escaped slaves Meleema and Joerin, go take seats by Alaise. The dwarf speaks. “I am sorry I did not introduce myself before. I am, unfamiliar with interacting with those outside of my clan. I am… or maybe I was, the guardian of my clan. My clan is small. My name is Komwaeline Goldbrew of the Goldbrew Kwai. As you are my Komchinae now, You can call me Waelin. She stops and bows from a sitting position at everyone, one by one. She even does so Reeta, Gillia, Nuggle, and the survivors, as though she’s never had a chance to really meet them before. After a moment, she continues. “We have always traveled in the under realms in the summer, when the creatures of Girkchar were overland, and traveled above in the snow when they were underground. We had been underground for just a month and half, when the snows hit the above, or so I imagine, and the orcs took back to the under realms in force. We were driven from Girkchar, traveling for the last 4 or 5 days. Just this morning my clan was attacked. Our warriors fell, and I was forced to send my clan off without me. Two of my Komchinae came with me to hold off the orc assault. They caught us. They also had these prisoners, your friends, back behind them. I fought at first, but without my clan, I was unsure of what to do.” Nuggle interrupts her, “She was AMAZING! You should have seen her. She had this stick, this tiny stick, and when she hit an ogre with it his head snapped around like he’d been hit with maul.” Nuggle realizes everyone is looking at him with dour looks and quiets up, going back to reading the Girkchar’s spellbook. Waeline giggles. And says, “You are a delight, Nuggle. The first delightful goblin I’ve ever met. Granted I’ve never met a living one before until now.” Nuggle looks up smiling and says, “Oh jeeze, thanks!” As the words sink in he says, “oh jeeze.” And his brow furrows again, going back to his book. His somber expression spreads to hers. And she looks back up, “I am used to working together, as a group. I felt that succumbing to the orcs and Girkchar nobles was the right path, as it seems it was. I knew I would be stronger as a part of a group, even if it wasn’t my own. It turns out I was right. They bound us, beat us and brought us here, where they had heard the Keepers no longer patrolled the corridors. They had heard this nest had fallen. Here, I feared for all of our lives, we were so woefully outnumbered. My Kumchinae now dead, I just tried to stay alive. When the fighting first began, I had hope with the wolves that maybe another clan had found us. But then Warchief Fangflame said you were another band of orcs. He said you would certainly kill us all. He said that if I didn’t help heal his soldiers, he would begin killing the others. So I did. I am sorry. But I did what I felt I had to do to keep everyone safe, until I realized you were winning. Then, orcs or not, I knew we had to escape. That is when I began summoning the weather to our aid. This is the first place underground where I’d had the ability to do so. We are lucky to have met each other. Very lucky.” Shortly thereafter, the party is feeling better. Nuggle begins to ask a whole bunch of questions. Reeta shews him away and says, “I’m so glad we’ve found you. We waited for days. The winter began to consume Rhoghnah and the surrounding area. After 3 days, we knew something had gone wrong with your quest. We, well I approached Salgerra several times. Finally Gaffron and Firdulin agreed to let me meet with Captain Ergath Werjynd and request resources to come find you. I tried to dissuade them, but Gillia and Nuggle insisted on coming.” Nuggle piped up, “I was hiding in her backpack!” pointing at Gillia. Gillia said, “Not hiding well, I might add.” Reeta picks back up, “Well. Some of Alaise’s refugees from Corrive insisted on coming as well. Our original group was over a dozen. We traveled, for a couple days. The closer we got, the harder it became. The cold took some, and then we found ourselves trapped and turned around. The under roads have not done well in the cold. Ancient tunnels, burdened by ice and frost, have been blocked by snow and occasional cave-ins caused by echoes of sounds. But it might be something more, we aren’t sure. Some of the guides say it could be expanding water in underground streams and rivers…” Reeta, bundled up in cloaks, furs and hide armor says, “Should we talk about Ugh and Nikon?” Suddenly, the fire begins to spark and pop, the flames move in unexpected ways and grow. Bardman thinks it was Gillia who did something to the fire. Gillia looks up and says, “We should rest.” Helios realized that Gillia was hiding something. Being better used as guards, the Orbowisk, Meleema, and Joerin offer to take turns standing guard so everyone else can have a healthy rest. Reeta insists that she herself and Gillia overlap their shifts, giving them some extra coverage and lookout. Nuggle offers to help, but after 20 minutes into the first shift he passes out with his face in his new spellbook. During the night, the party are each haunted by dreams of their own making, all around the hall and the statue of the Goddess. Not speaking just of this exact moment, but in general. What do your characters: Love the most. Hate the most. Find the most beautiful. Find the most hideous. While I’m not expecting a diatribe on each, in fact the shorter the answer the better. Reasons why can be left for roleplaying. I’m also not going to ask you what you think your alignments are, because that’s really not for you to decide but society and the metaphysical world around you. However, I would ask you all to describe your character’s ethical ideals as an object. Feel free to be as descriptive as possible, but once again avoid the reasons why and just focus on descriptions of the object. Last, explain in one sentence or less what your character desires most. This should be an attainable goal or action. After that I need each of your to log into Roll20 and roll “/r 3d4.” During the Night Alaise, Asher, and Helios sleep outside of the hut. Alaise’s dream starts off and he can see Corrive, the overlands where he fled with slaves. It is covered in snow, and bearing down on the Corrive armies is a blizzard with Nikon and the front. Behind him are the armies of Shevorth and escaped slaves, charging into battle. As Nikon’s majestic silver dragon form approaches the front lines and clashes into it, a dark shadow covers the armies. An ancient green dragon, covered in scars and adorned with all sorts of dragon-sized jewelry slams into Nikon and his troops. Alaise immediately recognizes Lady Corrive. She tears into Nikon, cleaving him in two, then leaps into the mass of Alaise and his troops, including Helios, Bardman, and Thokoli. Lady Corrive rips into them and their troops, and Alaise watches her rend apart his friends. He jolts awake, or tries too but can’t seem to wake up. He watches the dream happen over, and over, and over again. Thokoli has terrible dreams. Helios is surrounded by nothing, by everything. The world is the world, the world abroad, and back home. Helios enters a state of lucid dreaming, where he has control over everything around him. Not in a manipulative or controlling manner, but in a natural way. He sleeps, a deep happy sleep and gains an inspiration dice. Bardman dreams of himself back in the temple of the keepers. He walks up to a keeper, touching her and she wakes up, returned to life but also relieved of her curse. He then walks to another, touching him and as he is brought back to life, the first keeper smiles, and has a look of relief, happiness, and love on her face as her friend is brought back. Bardman continues to do this, and all of the keepers are alive again. He then proceeds out of the temple, into Shevorth, and everywhere he goes he sees death and suffering, and manages to heal them. Bardman also sleeps a deep, peaceful sleep and gains an inspiration dice. Asher wakes up in the middle of the night. He finds himself stumbling away from the camp and into the temple of the keepers. A trail of fire on the ground leads him forward, and he follows it with faith. He stands before the statue of this god. Not his god, but a god none the less. He looks up at the 60 foot statue, and realizes there is no ceiling, just an open, clear night sky. He hears a voice around him. “Asher.” The statue is unmoving, but he hears the voice again. Gazing up at the stars he sees a shooting star in the sky, then another, then another, then another. She says to “Asher. Why have you come to my temple.” Asher responds, “Passing through.” The voice says, “What do you see?” Asher responds, “Death and destruction.” The voice says, “What do you think of that?” Asher saids, “It could have been stopped.” The voice says, “It could have. What should I do?” Asher says, “Pay back the ones that are responsible.” [Something along the lines of the following] The voice says, “I should do that. For I am responsible. Thousands of years ago, these creatures were vein. They wanted to be as beautiful as the gods. For their hubris, they were cursed. I cursed them. Now, for over a thousand years the Keepers have worshipped me, have been my children, and I have ignored them. Only now that they are gone, I realize what a mistake I made. I realize that I killed them. Their hubris killed them, and now my own arrogance has cursed them to their fate. I have failed them.” There is a moment of silence. The voice says, “I need you to do something for me.” The voice says: “I cannot communicate with your new companions. They cannot hear me. They either see that they wish to see, or that which they do not. They do not have the resolve to hear my voice. But you do. I have a message from your patron diety, he wants me to send them one of them a message. Tell the burning half-fiend that no book can answer his question. Tell him the gift of the phoenix is both a birthright, but also given. While he was born with the gift, someone gifted it to him as well. Also tell him, the burning dwarf is dead, he was called back by the phoenix. However, he passed his gift on before he passed, and the one who possesses the gift is near. The burning half-fiend should protect his new protege, the two of them might be able to provide answers. The angry one treads a dangerous path. I cannot condone his actions, I do not understand his hatred, but I do understand his pain. I task you to deliver this object to him. Asher feels something in his hand. It is a noose, beautifully braided with 4 cords. Last, I ask you to mourn my dead children. Will you do this for me? Will you weep for them? Waking Up Bardman and Waelin wake up around the same time. Thokoli is sweating and convulsing on his bedroll in the hut. Bardman touches him and he shoots awake, terrified. Bardman realized he has been in a terrible nightmare. He used “Read Thoughts” and got sudden thoughts of death and destruction, creature over-running Shevorth, and the domination of Lady Corrive over Shevorth. Bardman took some psychic damage and severed the link. Meanwhile, outside Helios woke up and saw Asher missing, and Alaise in a similar seizure, covered in sweat. Helios woke him up and he jolted awake, terrified, and speechless. Helios wandered off looking for Asher. Entering the main hall he could see Asher before the statue of Sune. He approached, cautiously, and Asher was knelt before the statue holding a gorgeous noose of beautiful and ornate make with both hands, and appeared to have been weeping. Helios said, “Asher”. Asher woke up and attempted to relay the message from the goddess to Helios. Something about “No books needed, the burning dwarf is dead, a protege is nearby. The two returned to the party where Alaise was still there bewildered. Just now Waelin and Bardman were coming out of the hut, now doting on Alaise as well. Asher walked in the room, looking at Alasie, and gave Sune’s message. “Sune says that your way is dangerous, that she doesn’t understand your hatred [he eliminated the party about her understanding your pain]. She wants you to have this.” Bardman stepped before him, but when he realized Asher wasn’t threatening Alaise, he let him through. When Alaise took the noose, all four of the cords turned blood red and had names that only him, Helios, and Bardman could read. The names were Ceshith Haldrehk Lizzi Nethercloud Hithdra Ridz Vallah Julbask These were the four mage hunters that originally captured them and took them to Corrive. Alaise instinctively knew that he would be able to attempt to magically spy on one of them each day using this item. He relayed this information to the party, which started a debate, of sorts. During this time, Thokoli, Nuggle, Reeta, and eventually Gillia all came out of the hut and were watching. The party debated the merits of going to Corrive and fighting. Bardman expressed sincere concerns about murdering their kidnappers. After some discussion, Alaise agreed that he would only apprehend them if under the authority of a legitimate government. He planned to take them to the People’s Front of Judah… not that. The Popular People’s Front of Corrive. Not him. But seriously. He remembered that there was an established government consisting of revolting slaves and the indigenous humans of Corrive who were backed by the Yuan-Ti (lacking any other allies). Alaise agreed to protect and serve justice over his own agenda, which he acknowledged was seeing them dead. Alaise also made a roll at some point where he knew who Sune was, and what she stood for. Bardman made several rolls to know [Asher made a similar role] to know that a good deity was unlikely to bestow and artifact or relic that overtly caused Alaise’s death. Instead, the curse would be to let them lead himself to their own demise. It would be against Sune’s nature exhibit traits of hatred or violence. But, as the deity of love and beauty, she could forsake them from that world. Similarly, Bardman also realized that the conditions affecting Thokoli (now at 2x exhaustion) and Alaise (1x exhaustion) might be just residual effects of them killing her worshippers and then staying in a place where her presence was so strong. Several times during the conversation about what to do Thokoli stood up for the option of going to war with Corrive. Helios seems quite put out with gods at the moment. Asher is down for vengeance against Corrive. The party agreed to leave, going back to Rhohgnah for judgement and to prepare themselves for combat against Corrive. Whilst they have no clue what is going on topside, they can only hope and assume it means bad news, hopefully worse news, for their enemies. [END] We agreed next game would be primarily a down-game session, although lots of roleplay is encouraged.