Natasha and Jeremiah stood and caught their breath after the brief fight with the three soldiers.
A quick search of their bodies found 20 pieces of Empyrean gold (each), three heavy crossbows, three halberds, three longswords, and one iron key. Each suite (3) of plate mail bears a strange symbol on the breast - it looks a little like a circle with a stylised "P" inside it.

Looking around reveals two passages to the north and the south.
To the north are two doors, one in the end and one on the western wall.
To the south are five doors, one in the end, and two each in the east and west walls.
Directly to the west of where they stand, is a single door with a small barred window. Currently a sliding panel on the other side of the bars blocks the view through it.

One square = 10 feet
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:45, Sun 19 Sept 2010.

"Fun fun, I'll go check the door with the barred window - that's usually where the bossman lives eh..."

Jeremiah tosses her the iron key, and she notes that the areas of the key which were contacting Jer's hands are now slightly less rusty and the whole piece has a whiff of mint to it...

They approach the door, and Nat goes the ninja on it, looking well out for traps and other diabolical devices, before examining for signs of a lock, while Jer stands around looking like the monolith he is.

As Natasha inspects the door, a bolt whizzes past her - if she hadn't just crouched down to look closely at the floor level, she'd probably have been sprouting it in her left side.
Still unaware of the attack, she kept working.

Jeremiah on the other hand wasn't caught completely flat footed. Spinning rapidly to the left (south) he saw a small window open in the end door. A moment later and a second bolt screamed through the air at Natasha, but once more luck favoured her and the bolt missed.

Thinking on his feet Jeremiah crouches between Nat and the shooter, using his shield to cover them...

The crossbow disappears from the small window. A few seconds later another loaded crossbow replaces it, aims quickly, and fires. The bolt shoots forth and embeds itself in Jeremiahs shield, justifying his protection of the still unaware Natasha... (yes, she really was THAT surprised!)

By the time Jeremiah can recover from the impact and peer over the top of his shield, the crossbow has disappeared....

Casually inquires "How's it going with that door there sport? Open yet?"

Natasha may cease searching for traps, etc and use the key, or try something different....

In the meantime, a loaded crossbow reappears....

Wisely decides to try the key at this point - bugger the traps!
Shoves it in any vaguely key shaped orifice (make of that what you will) and rotates it

It's a tough choice for Natasha with Jeremiah squatting with his arse just inches from her face, but in the end she chooses correctly, inserting the key into the keyhole and twisting. The mechanism grinds (clearly in need of some oil) and the door is pulled open to the right (can't use it for cover to the south AND stand in the doorway).
The crossbow fires, a bolt slicing through the air and impacting in the now open door.

Through the door is another door much like the first, standing just a few feet past it. This one though stands open, revealing a square room approximately thirty feet to a side and furnished with a wooden table and three chairs. A single cot with a straw mattress is against the right wall and a weapons rack against the left containing three long swords, two halberds and a dagger.

On the table is a pair of dice, a well worn pack of playing cards, three empty (and dirty) tin plates and three tin cups. An almost empty water skin hangs from the back of one chair.

All run in, close the door behind, and start inspecting the room.
Nat picks up the cards and Jer the skin, and finally Nat inspects the table for compartments while Jer dismantles the mattress in the middle of the room

Besides the obvious, only one flask marked with a "H" is found under the mattress.

Jer grabs the H potion and does a final check of the table
Nat says "I have a plan... I'll go invisible and sneak up on the bugger all ninja like; get close as can be, then pop 'im inna face with my little friend"
She meaningfully cocks her crossbow... and ventures off

Natasha uses the ring and turns invisible, cocks and loads her crossbow and sneaks as carefully as she can down the southern passageway.
The tiny window is so small that for any chance of a successful hit, she needs to be within ten short feet. Reaching that distance she raises the bow, aims and fires!
Unfortunately even at this point blank range, the bolt misses it's target, embedding in the heavy wood just an inch from the opening.

A moment later, with Natasha visible as the day she was born (but not quite so defenceless) the crossbow on the other side retaliates! Their bolt shoots through the air, not striking her, but so close it removed some of her hair!

In the heartbeat or two it takes for Natasha to recover from the near miss, the small window has been closed with a solid wooden shutter.
Now that the immediate danger has been blocked, she has time to glance around her. Each door in the passageway is constructed the same - all appear to be gaol cells with small shutters closing off an observation window.

She goes invisible again and checks the nearest observation window, wasting no time. Meanwhile Jeremiah travels to the upper corridor and check the door on the wall facing the left hand side of the map.

Nat and Jer progress, through the door on the west face of the north corridor...

Brutus, Prudence, Jeremiah, Natasha and Jeremiah's sole suviving follower are finally reunited after what feels like several hours waiting in sumptuous surroundings. The three waiting were disarmed but retained their armour and other possessions (including wands, spell books, components, and the like).
Although the three fake slink buyters have retained most of their posessions, they didn't enter with full adventuring equipment (for obvious reasons) with much of the heavier gear left behind wiht Joan.

At this very moment the five member party is in a 30x30 room with four doors - one in the centre of each wall. A large mushroomlike fungus is in each corner. All doors are constructed like prison cell doors with small shutters on the other side blocking a barred window. The door opposite that which the party entered has three locks.

Currently the party is at the souther door which voices have been heard on the other side of. How to proceed is the current question.

zzzzzip zip zip zip ziiiiip......

Natasha also makes funny fast - forwarding noises, and moves about jerkily...

"By golly! I do believe we are in The Future!"

"You appear to be right, Jeremiah! It's a brave new world..."

The events of the past few posts incurred a suitably dramatic orchestral soundtrack, which is now punctuated  by reality, and fades to an embarrassed humming, before finally dissipating with a sound best described as 'pfft'.

Jeremiah turns to the party, who react varyingly with blatant admiration, confusion and in at least one case, borderline suspicion.

"Well, I do believe we have a bootload full of booty and a bonanza of magical trinkets to identify and potentially hock. I feel like donating large sums of money; Don't you, Natasha?"

Natasha is pulled out of a monkly reverie (or daydream, it is undisclosed).

"My thoughts exactly, cheif!"

"And also, let us make the right and proper procedures to get our kit back, by Jove! - Jeremiah; you are a wonderful charismatic individual with pearly ehite teeth; you lead. I will accompany, and I wish to take this opportunity to cordially invite Joan to round off the group on this mini-expedition, while the other bold adventurers count moneys and identify gear"

"I agree we should take whatever steps are required to recover what is ours. If the caravan wants us to be anything more than passengers, they will have to wait until we have all our belongings! Of course, we will do so as speedily as possible. Perhaps we should divide up what we have...which is?"

A very good question, and one Jeremiah or Natasha is well placed to answer, having taken responsibility for the accounting....

"W- Wit just a second, guys" stutters Natasha - "we have a register to consult"

One of the more funny voices in the sky mumbles irately and sorts through his notes... you hear the faint sound of paper rustling, as if from very far away...

Natasha and Jeremiah duck off into a corner and the rest of the party hear murmuring and observe a hurried search of pockets, chests and other orifices

At last (like 1 hour later) Jeremiah's face becomes a bold, cheerful smile, and he and Natasha stand back from what is now a very organised and valuable looking assortment of gear laid out on the floor of their room at the Inn...

"Ahem," He announces.

"We have, as spoils of the art of righteous violence;

3 x 20 GP (peon guards)
1 x Potion (ditto)

'H' potion (desk of crossbow man)

1x Potion,

pile of electrum, 2 x pearls, 1x potion 1x scroll (vegetable monster)

flametongue - good times - , plate, shield, dagger, want, dainty underwear (Elfie's kit)
halberd (elfie's lackey)

gold, platimum, random gems (lockers)
three gems (last locker)

gems x 5, gp x 80, funky dice lookin' jobbie (smallish grotty room)


not sure what was there - smudged - (chest under bed, chickie-babe's room)

3 x gems (bedroom w/ 1 bed)

cloak, dagger, gems (burning man)
leather, mace, ring (chickie-babe)

gold, potions x 3 (chest)
scroll, copper (left), potions x 2 (chest)
electrum, gems, hand axe (chest)
copper (left), lights x 5 (chest)
silver (left), cloak, scroll (chest)
gold, ring, necklace (wraith chest)"

"Then the cool voice was absent for a bit, and Brutus picked some kit up, I believe..."

Some of the treasure found was just too bulky to bring back (silver, copper, some of the electrum) but most was dragged through the wilderness to Nimborten.

Over a period of several days (and a few raise dead scrolls and a restoration for the identifying mage) everything was finally processed and paid for:

1 x Potion of Healing
1 potion of Extra Healing

1x potions of extra healing, healing, heroism and plant control

pile of 1,000 electrum, 2 x black pearls (500gp each), 1x potion fire resistance, 1x scroll (written at Level 9 ability) containing sleep, magic missile, clairvoyance and conjure earth elemental

flametongue +1, plate mail +1, shield +1, dagger +2, wand of paralyzation (few charges), halberd +1

three gems (2x 1,000gp emeralds, red ioun stone - +1 Dex)

5x 100gp gems, Cube of force

staff of curing (mid range charges)
eight scroll cases. Each contains  a scroll of one spell: protection from good, sanctuary, hold person, slow poison, animate dead, glyph of warding, curse and neutralize poison

cloak of protection +2, dagger +1, 3 500gp gems
Studded leather +1, mace +1, ring of plant control

potions of fire resistance, extra healing and poison
scroll of protection from undead, potions of longevity and love philter.
eyes of purification, hand axe +2
five continual light gems
elven cloak, clerical scroll of resist cold, resist fire and heal
5,000 gp, ring of levitation, necklace of strangulation

four silvery leaden flasks (prevent contents from being affected by dispel or detect magic). Inside each of the flasks are alien potions from the Negative Material Plane. They are used in the process of making slinks. If even tasted, they  remove one energy level (saving throw vs. death magic).

(If it's struck out, or simply not on the list, it either paid for the identification, or paid the medical bill....)
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:10, Sat 05 Feb 2011.

As regards to claims, Jeremiah initiated the discussion (aka bickering)

"I wish to claim Flametongue, I believe this will cause no controversy."
"I believe that a red ioun stone would come mighty handy on the front line, and wish to bargain with Prudence, the other obvious contender, over where it will do the most good."
"In the event of us not getting our kit back, I'll ask for the shield +1 and mace +1 to replace my other identical gear..."

"What about you guys?"

"I'd be interested to see if the cloak does any good; but otherwise I wish to use the axe... I will learn that skill when I regain my lost levelS.

"That's me..."

That +2 Dagger looks interesting. Oh, wait, I am using one, and a plus one. Are they the same ones?

It would be wise to grab the healing potions and scrolls and share them around, too.

The scroll is interesting, and Brutus looks at it to identify what level the conjure earth elemental spell is.

The ring of levitation...is that the one on Joan? If not, Brutus is interested in that and the cloak as well. But he needs to see if he can level up first, as he may have to pay for that instead of more items.

The cube of force is possibly the most powerful defensive item Joan has ever heard of, so she holds it until the fighters can reconsider, as it blocks too many spells to be so useful to a spellcaster.

The staff of curing is VERY interesting for Joan, and she wants to know how to recharge it.

The clerical scoll of healing is also useful, but Joan is particularly keen to ensure that the potions used to create undead are never used for that purpose again, but she is willing to sell them to good magical researchers under the auspices of a church.

Are those eyes of purification or petrification?

So settled then? I see no disagreements

But have the fighters and particularly the monk reconsidered the cube of force?

Jeremiah seemed to have a more certain idea now of what was useful where... defensive items for the front line!

'Hmmm... well, the cube of force would definitely come in handy here on the front line, and I think Natasha is keen on the cloak of protection, seeing as it would compliment her bracers'

'Shall we see what is available to buy in the way of oh, say, restoration scrolls for a vampire drained lady?'

Back in Nimbortan, the townsfolk demand the slink owners destroy or deactivate their slinks (they are zombies covered by a vary advanced type of illusion plus a few other enchantments) and give them decent burials. Resentful owners comply, but there is talk of a formal investigation of the town council.

Grisson Oyle (advisor of council member Riga Cornover and slink sales agent) and the Monitor Guildmaster, Blane Thurgudman have fleed town. The Monitors are placed under the leadership of the High Sheriff, Gurney Dain.

Timber Tullane at the Inn of Fourteen Virtues offers the party lodging at more reasonable (1 gp/night) rates.

At Hydell, vigilante groups from Nimbortan cleanse what the guardsmen leave behind, lynching any guards they capture.

Exercising an ancient statute, MacKurian establishes the High Council's claim to Castle Hydell and its contents and under Sheriff Dain's leadership, the Monitors set up a guard post in the bailey of Castle Hydell, thus blocking subsequent treasure hunters.

Inquiries are made with the authorities as to return of the confiscated equipment, however they are not readily available (somebody lost the paperwork showing where they were taken, etc). You are told it could be a few days before that administrative mess is sorted out and then the application for their return needs to be heard by the council.

Joan, almost recovered from the use of the Resurrection scroll which brought Jeremiah back into the land of the living is moved back into the Inn of Fourteen Virtues. Another day or two at most will see her back on her feet again.

Prudence puts her hand up for the hand axe (she is already proficient). She's also shown great interest in retaining the Halberd (even though she's not yet proficient), the red ioun stone (it would improve her aim with the bow as well as improving her AC), the potion of Longevity (what woman doesn't want to be younger, and not just look it!?) as well as any potions. The ring of plant control also shows some promise in a Rangers hands....
This message was last edited by the GM at 08:07, Sun 06 Feb 2011.

I believe Gertrude would also desire the Plate Mail+1, which is otherwise unclaimed...

Most of the first day back is spent being debriefed by your employer, sorting out recovered valuables, finding somebody to identify them, maintaining equipment and catching up on sorely needed sleep in a comfortable bed. It also has Timber Tumberlane seeking out the party and appologising profusely for kicking them out of his inn. "I don't know what came over me," he says confessing that the other party did not in fact have reservations as claimed.
"First night back on the house. 1 gold per night per person after that." A bargain price for this earthsblood rush town.

Day two sees a LOT of time wasted trying to find out what happened to the confiscated equipment and cash. Further hours are used up acquiring a restoration scroll for the identifying mage, followed soon after by finding a second mage (damn necklace of strangulation!) and a raise dead....

Day two also sees a lot of action regarding the slinks. Many owners find themselves on the receiving end of lynch mobs as they initially resist the orders to destroy and deactivate them. Cries of "compensation" are heard, and ignored, with the council demanding owners pay for proper burials from their own pockets.

As word spreads that the party are the ones behind the slink "recall", more and more of the earthsblood field workers offer rounds of drinks and slaps on the back, very happy that their jobs (those that have them) are somewhat more secure (not that slinks were being used in the fields anyway).

Day three is even harder to do business what with dodging angry ex-slink owners and accepting drinks and invitations. It does find Joan back on her feet though, just in time to cure the poison that laid low the new indentifying mage....

The heros of Nimborten, toasted and praised by the working man, disliked by the slink owners and absolutely HATED by the mages.  ;)

Go on, the mages made a lot of money of us. We di have to pay for all the scrolls after all...

Jeremiah suggests,

"And so... Shall we rest here a few days until we run off with the caravan again?
I propose that we wait a few more days for our kit, even if it means parting with the caravan... we can always pay out our contract, hire new guards and apologise if the process takes too long.

Then where to after that, ladies and gents?"

"You do remember the caravan master said they're not due to leave for about another four or five days don't you?" Gertrude, Joan's henchwoman reminds the party as a whole.
"Resting up here might be a good idea given that we've been on the road with barely a pause for months."
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:26, Sun 13 Feb 2011.

"The way I see it, we are part of the caravan. We also have a wagon, and supplies. If they just up and leave, it is them breaking contract, so that is their problem. I certainly will not feel guilty for them breaking their contract, especially when it is in their interest not to do so. Besides, we need to train Brutus, so no point in going too far without doing that. We have to get to Northending, and they are also interested in going that way as I understand. But Jeremiah is right, we also need to get our kit back. Perhaps we can leave Brutus here training, with a pleb or Gertrude, until he is finished, by which time they should have recovered what is ours."

Prudence confirms her request for the halberd, hand axe (to replace one she lost in Hydell), Ioun stone, potion of Longevity and ring of plant control.

She graciously accepts most of the proffered drinks, taking care to pace herself. One task she pays particular attention to is replacing her longbow, taken from her along with all weapons carried by herself, Brutus and Jeremiah's sole remaining retainer, Tyus, when the trio were led blindfold below to inspect slinks. Although almost every location within the complex was searched, the weapons were not recovered.

After a now familiar rummaging around in his pockets, Jeremiah turns to the group...

"My 4 odd magic items are;

Scarab of annoyance,
Cube of Force,
Gold Medallion (pro from evil), &
Ring of Spell Turning.

QED there's some stuff for the rest of the party.

Continual light gem - feel free to pocket it
Ring +2 - good for saves, useless to stack w/ any other AC items
Onyx dog - 'ol yeller (which is actually not yellow at all, but whatever)
2 x Xtra Healing potions - going to Joan, patching folks up is her job...

Anything unclaimed will be sold for training / donaion money. Maybe one day we'll buy a wish..."

Natasha similarly rummages around in her belongings to reduce unneccesary magics...

"Right, I'm keeping;

a weapon - h. Xbow +1 (when we get it back)

ad 3 random bits;

Bracers AC2 - mandy handy handy
Gauntlets of Hardcore-ness - see above
Ring of Invisibility - very fun

This means that one of the more fun goodies (cloak +2) is up for offers, as is a continual light gem.

It'll take a loooong time indeed for me to become wise enough for that cloak to be more useful than the bracers..."

As above, gear not claimed goes to training / donations. Naasha, when we have clear figures of cash from sales etc, will keep enough gold to train 2 levels lost (much, much later), 100GP for travelling random costs, and donate the rest.

Jer simply donates 10% of what he makes and dreams of building a castle from which to sally forth against evil...

"Right - sorted, finally, folks? Now, Natasha, an experiment with the good cube of forcefulness... You stand next to me, and I'll press face number 3. This is when you run away. If you succeed, we will try level 5. If you still succeed, I will simply be disappointed with my new toy."

Once the experiment is over, Jer then tries to knock over a table by walking towards it with level 2 activated, also observing the projection length and apparrent shape of the force as it bumps into random stuff

I think the onyx dog should go to Prudence,the part ranger who can speak with animals...but the medallion, doesn't that do the same as a Paladins normal Protection from evil, which Prudence does not have as far as I know...

Joan is happy to hold any potions of healing, as is Brutus.

Brutus is keen to look after the cloak +2.

Gems, bah, whatever. How much are they worth to sell? Miners should pay a premium for them...

Ring +2, $$$$$$$$$$$

The Cube of Force is trialled in a nice quiet out of the way place.

The first face is activated, which you had been informed would keep out gases...
Apparently it works - besides a slight shimmer in the air approximately 4-5 feet away from the user, the mild breeze cuts off on activation.

Then the second face is tried. It also appears to work, a stronger shimmer observed...
Natasha then attempts to move through the field from the outside but with only limited success - although her flesh passes without hinderance, her clothing and equipment simply will not go through. She would have to strip naked to pass.

The second face is deactivated, Natasha stands almost touching Jeremiah (who is using the cube) and then reactivated.
In a flash, both Natasha AND Jeremiah are flung apart!
The field expanded in almost the blink of an eye, it's power only encompassing Jeremiah and pushing all Natasha's equipment (with her in it) away faster than she could react. Jeremiah, although heavier than the Monk, is likewise forced away from Natasha as he struggles to hold the cube in hand.

Then the third face is tried - sticks, stones, swords and almost everything else non-living it easily poked from both outside and inside the field, but living flesh, plants, even bugs bounce. It seems to be fairly effective however Jeremiah's sword is barely long enough to reach the field from within, rendering combat impossible with anything less than a six or seven foot long spear or *gasp* a missile weapon.

The fourth side works quite nicely against incoming magic with the added unexpected effect of refusing passage by magical weapons and other items. It is found though that everything tried passes from inside to out...

The fifth side works as advertised, keeping out EVERYTHING while preventing nothing from leaving (at least nothing you've tried).

Brutus offers to test this with Natasha extensively! And privately...or Joan, if she prefers.

Value for sale of items? Enough for Brutus to train, and catch up later?

On day three inquiries are made to find a buyer for some of the excess magical items. Unfortunately the town of Nimbortan was a sleepy backwater just a few years ago and is definitely far from being a frontier town. Those who have money are the recently rich with little interest in "common" studded leather, a necklace that strangles it's wearer to death, or a flask of poison. If it were bejeweled plate covered in dried orc blood, or a necklace of pure black diamonds, or even potion to improve one's beauty, there'd be no end of interest.

By the end of the day when you return to the Inn of Fourteen Virtues (nightly rate drastically discounted) and enjoy the usual free rounds of drinks and good food, it's realised carrying them with you to a major city such as Northending is the best option. Just from an encumberance viewpoint it's a good idea - the amount of coin you could hope to get for them would surely have to weigh more than the items themselves.

And with 10,000 peices of gold each waiting for Jeremiah, Natasha, Prudence, Brutus and Gertrude (and Tyus should they want it), there will be no shortage of coin for training in Northending...

But Northending is sooooo far away....

Piffle!

It's less that ten days by wagon (I think).

10 DAYS?! He could have finished training in that time. I was thinking a day or two. In that case, he will sell something and start training now.

That's ten day of travel, not sitting about doing nothing time. Not possible to train while on the move.

He was not going to be moving. he is staying put, as mentioned previously, and training himself. Gathering 2 weeks of food, locking the door to a room on his own and barring the windows, Hammering boards across both and with all his research and training himself! Think that gives a clear picture?

He can catch up on a light horse, which travels MUCH faster than a cart...

Brutus considers this for a good five minutes before realising that a) he doesn't know the way to Northending except by what's on a rather dodgy looking map, and b) travelling alone in the wilderness is a recipe for suicide, especially since there's been reports of bandits, orcs, goblins, ogres and even the odd giant plaguing the roads for the past few centuries....

He even thinks about travelling invisibly, but is unsure if he could make an entire horse invisible without serious mental anguish to both caster and mount. Experimenting may yeild the necessary information, but he had heard somewhere in his travels, that some of the more powerful creatures including some ogres and giants, had the ability to detect people covered by invisibility....

The third day back winds down just like the two before. Eating in the inns dining room and sharing the same food as everyone else in the building, you accept the usual rounds of drinks before heading upstairs to your rooms. Yawning heavily, you prepare yourselves for bed, Joan drawing the short straw to act as guard for the first few hours.

Brutus remains motionless, only moving his eyes in an attempt to understand the situation without alerting anyone that he is awake, or even still alive...

Joan, well, does not head towards the light if she sees one!

In reply to Legbreaker (msg #58):


Sitting up abruptly in her flannel pajamas, Prudence brings her hand up to her nose in an attempt to block out the odor. She can't see much except a light shining under the closed door. 'Something isn't right' she muses to herself as she scans the room with the minimal glare that is in there. Nothing seems too out of the ordinary as she can make out the shapes of her packs and weapons. However, the odor and her sudden awakening has left her in a state of curiosity and alarm.

Deciding that it is best not to stay where she is, not that she was going to get back to sleep with the stench anyway, Prudence slips out of bed, scanning the floor before doing so. She makes sure to remain quiet as she is fairly certain that Gertrude was the one asleep in the bed across the room. However, being the first to fall asleep that night, she couldn't be sure. Cautiously she makes her way over to her pack, mainly by memory of where the furniture was situated. Quietly, Prue picks up her sword and heads for the door. She doesn't want to alarm the other occupant of the room if what had awoken her isn't something serious.

With her sword in hand, Prue stalks to the door and quietly slips out it and in to the hall. Still haunted by the stench, she tries breathing through her mouth instead of her nose. Looking left then right, she remembers that Joan was on watch last night and that she might know what the horrid stench is. Out of habit when facing something unknown, Prue fingers where her ring of protection resided. 'Good' she  thinks, feeling it was still there.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:18, Sat 05 Mar 2011.

The screams consuming my dreams coalesced into one scream and I instantly recognised them as belonging to someone close to me. They went on for a short while made longer by this knowledge, then began to change pitch.

I stood tall in my screaming dreamscape, muscles coming to life as I scan for the source of the screaming. There is a grey desert with a night sky void of celestial bodies, a blank space furnished only with sands and screams. I was still experiencing the acrid smell, an offense to my sense of smell which my body tried to reject even as I kept breathing for the necessity of life.

The screaming multiplied in volume and the smell worsened. The calamity to the senses became overwheling and I began to feel them form into a physical force, assaulting my airways and stretching my eardrums to intense pain.





It stopped. The sky beamed white, Flametongue appeared blazing in the sands before me and a calm whisper disturbing the new void of silence commanded "Evil has come. Confront it."

I awakened.
When I opened my eyes, Flametongue was in my right hand. The fire scorched through the acrid substance, leaving a trail of clear air. My left hand dove for the Cube's first face, and I stood as a wall of magical force pushed the substance to the edges of my reach. The smell changed to the familiar smells of my camp, leather, polish and wholesome soap.

No motion was revealed by the firelight, and so I strode to the entry, and planted a large callused foot in precisely the centre of the door, easily separating it from its weak, fancy hinges and sending it, still vertical, across the hall where it embraced the wall with a satisfying "WHUMP" "Surprise, evil..."
The door left a door-width scar clear across the floor of the hall, then fell back from the wall, which also now sported what was apparently an outline for construction of a new fire exit. It then fell flat at my feet.

I stepped out onto the door, scorching the wooden panels before me as Flametongu'e tip caressed the ground preceeding me, held in a low, menacing fighting stance. I scanned the hallway, trying to root out the evil at the root of my dreams. The screams were louder out here, and I recognised Natasha's clear voice, now distorted with pain and something worse... and then she stopped abruptly.

The wroth built up inside of me begged and screamed for release. My war with evil was afoot once again, and I intended to leave a scar on Evil's already twisted visage.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:28, Sat 05 Mar 2011.

I screamed, and felt the change in my lungs as the noxious substance invaded my body. I didn't recall awakening, or sleeping for that matter. Wracked with pain, all I could do was to hold my breath, and deny entry to the rest of the cloud of evil surrounding me.
I forced my mouth shut, and my senses focused. I could clearly taste the metallic tinge of my own blood, and sense the broiling liquid inside me that I suspected was partly lung.

Faith wished me to enter the hall, but my weakened body denied me the peace I would find in removing this evil flaw from the world, whatever its form. First I needed to wake the others.
My training made ignoring the pain that much more mundane, and I calmly viewed the room. Prudence was up and advancing on the door, while Joan remained still. I approached her prone form and applied gentle but firm pressure on a spot known to cause significant disruption to the human body. If she wasn't awake by now, she would remain asleep until further notice...

My second priority was to open the window, and climb to the lower floor. I can't hold my breath forever, and I can already feel the burn in my lungs intensifying from lack of fresh air, though I know there's none to be had here. So I pace determinedly but calmly to the window, and check the sill and glass for any more devices intended to harm us, ready to leave on my satisfaction that it is safe.
I will walk up from the stairs below, and pin the evil between myself and, well..

A din erupted outside in the hall; 'Ah, the bullfrog is awake...' I see the telltale flickers of firelight under the door and know my more flamboyant companion is awake. Ah, him and that sword - such a crude implement. Regardless, the window, before I run out of breath...

Brutus wakes and rolls out of bed. The foul taste in the air causing him to hold his breath. Nothing threatening can be seen in the unexpected gloom, but enough light filters in from the window and under the door to allow him to avoid barking his shins.
At the door he inwardly curses, realising that as it opens into the room towards him he will be forced to touch the handle with his bare hand - kicking it down barefooted unlikely to be successful.
The unlocked portal opens easily, even though he swore it was locked when he retired, and a key held by Joan. He bursts out into the hallway into the fresh air and light, narrowly avoiding both the almost invisible tripwire across the opening and the dozens of glass shards scattered in the hallway beyond...

Joan slumbers onward, her mind swimming through molasses as reality attempts to force itself upon her subconscious.

Prudence like Brutus acts quickly to get out of the room she shares with the motionless Gertrude, but unlike the mage she grabs her sword along the way, but immediately drops it again - the hilt is coated in a sticky substance, already beginning to burn her palm.
As she wipes her hand clean on her bedding, she can clearly hear the the air in the other womans lungs gurgling. Undoubtedly the woman is in serious trouble - Joan will have to deal with it she thinks, rightly understanding danger must be dealt with before medical help applied.
Slipping out the door, Prudence emerges a good 20 seconds or so after Brutus, her detour for the sword and careful movement in the room slowing her. She is however not so lucky with the tripwire, crashing down upon shards of sticky glass which cut straight through her sleepwear to grievously lacerate her flesh.

Jeremiah felt his hand close around his sword hilt, immediately noticing all was not well. Already poison was coursing through his skin and into his bloodstream, burning like hot lead in his veins.
His other hand rummaged in his belt pouch hanging over the bedpost for the magical cube. His hand brushes something sharp inside, causing him to withdraw the bare hand before impaling himself upon whatever it was.
Rising to his feet unsteadily he kicked at the door with his foot, succeeding in nothing more than inflicting a terrible bruise upon his sole and shaking the surrounding wall. The carpenter had done a fine job with  these "fancy hinges"...

Natasha writhing in agony as her lungs boiled, saw her salvation at the window. With little delay she flung it open, sucking clean air into her devastated airway. A hurried inspection of the sill and she was out, beginning her climb down the façade of the grand inn.

If Brutus had to touch anything, he did so by removing his nightshirt and using it like a glove. Contact poisons were not often used in Elrudd, but only due to the fear of repercussions for their use, which clearly did not exist here. Whatever was going on, honour was no-where to be seen, so the appropriate care would be taken.

Once in the corridor, he looks around. If he sees nothing, he may cast Detect Magic, but it depends on what he sees.

In reply to Legbreaker (msg #63):


It was times like these that left Prudence wondering why she agreed to join this group in the first place. Gently lifting herself up off of the ground whilst trying to avoid more lacerations, Prudence could be heard muttering under her breath. Finally straightened up, she was now more determined than ever to find Joan. 'Isn't she supposed to be on watch?!' she angrily thought to herself, before taking a glance to the left to find the woman in question slumped in a chair. "Ugh" she  voiced, straightening up and hobbling over to Joan. "Oi!" she exclaimed, placing her hand on Joan's shoulder and shaking it in an attempt to rise her.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:02, Tue 08 Mar 2011.

Things never go to plan, eh?
I reckoned to improvise a glove from a strip of my robe, and persist with my use of Flametongue. There was a reason the phrase was to put evil To The Sword, not to the Fist. That was just not good form, ignoble to say the least.
Forget the cube... my companion had already left the scene, so I was the only one holding my breath against the pervasive gas, and I would simply exit the room in good speed to relieve myself of this dilemma.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:25, Tue 08 Mar 2011.

I allowed myself a small contented smile to cut through the continuing suffering emnating from my chest as I flew through the cool, fresh night air to land perfectly five feet from the base of the Inn.
Regaining my posture, I hurried over the cold cobbles around to the Inn main entrance. I suspected a horse would be saddled and ready for the unknown assailant/s and if I didn't find it at the entrance, it would surely be at the stables.
I began to weigh the options - hobble the horse, or hide and wrestle the hopefully fleeing assassin... Hmmm... decisions.

Brutus is almost about to start casting when all goes silent around him. An instant later and agony shoots through his body as something sharp silently slices DEEP into his side, shredding vital organs and causing him to collapse in agony. His scream of pain goes unheard even to his own ears.

Joan slumbers on....

Prudence, with blood pouring from dozens of lacerations carefully picks herself up and gingerly moves with bare feet through the glass shards. Her blood coated hand reaches out and shakes Joan as she attempts to wake the cleric.

Jeremiah rips part of his clothing and wraps it around his burning hand before moving quickly to the still closed door.

Natasha recovers quickly from her controlled fall out the window, springing quickly towards the stables.
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:29, Thu 10 Mar 2011.

This trap on my sword was more than just annoying - but a good instrument of Heironius blanches not, nor gives in to the intents of evil. Clearly someone did not want me using this blade, and clearly they would be surprised when they saw me wielding it through the pain. The tingle was actually a little exiting, and I felt a stir of adrenaline and smiled wider.
We are all animals, in a way, eh?
Charge the highest level bad guy on the field. So he walks into the corridor to check stuff out.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:59, Thu 10 Mar 2011.

Party Initiative (unmodified): 8
Enemy Initiative (unmodified): 1

Brutus recovers quickly, but not fast enough to do much more than notice the fairly attractive, if rugged looking man dressed in dark clothing and weilding long sword and dagger. Blood drips from the smaller weapon and a look of satisfaction can be seen on his blacked face.

Joan is lost in a nightmare, the world shaking around her. Try as she might, her limp body will not respond.

Prudence maintains her efforts to wake Joan, completely unaware of Brutus' silent assailant just a few yards behind her.

Jeremiah almost strolls to the door and pulls it open. His hand continues to burn making it difficult to hold his flaming sword effectively even with the makeshift bandage between skin and hilt.
The door opens silently and he steps forward into the gloomy corridor beyond.

The dark man smiles, two tusklike fangs exposed in his mouth. A glance at Jeremiah and he steps back, pivots and dives out the window into the darkness.
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:45, Fri 11 Mar 2011.

At that moment, Jeremiah leapt out the window, closely followed by a bleeding mage. Both suffered mild bruising, and the poison on Jeremiah's sword dealt him the last of its pitiful weak damage then fizzled out with a *pfft*.

Despite this daring act of acrobatics from two men quite unsuited for it, the assailant was nowhere to be seen. Brutus would have to wait for his revenge, while Jeremiah began his plot to get this one next time... he was a proper bad guy, and due some pre meditation.

Meanwhile, Nat discovered sweet F**k all at the stables. Disappointing, but life is like that sometimes. She decided to be philosophical about it all - as monks are known to do, of course.

Prudence bled some more, Joan snored, and poor Gerty passed with a faint burble in her sleep. We were too late for her.

A few minutes later, the party had gathered, and dropped all the curative (healing, lay on hands, cure disease etc) magick they had which wasn't in potion form. Jer discovered some nasty bugs in his helmet, leading to the subsequent discovery of bucketloads more in everyone's headgear. Not fun at all.

Jer went off to "Call the Police!" and wake up the inn staff. People were amazed, there was a hullabaloo, and a wasted attempt to raise Gerty, alas she was not meant for this earth...

Shortly thereafter we discovered what we suspected - all our fancy kit was gone. Luckily we had more interesting items from our previous efforts, though Jer missed his nice plate +2. It was pretty.

In the middle of the night, some very significant draconic stuff went down, we were all introduced to 3 silver dragons, led by one Falx, Grandson of Bahamut (not to name - drop, but...) who informed us that some bad, bad men (and monsters) had some potions of silver dragon control, and that shit would quickly hit the fan in 24 hours were we not to fix this situation. So we grabbed some basic kit and buggered off to a crypt yonks away where the evil ones had set up shop. We then proceeded to righteously fuck some shit up. Picked up 2 potions, fought some beasties, (Jer spiced things up by hilariously throwing away weaponry left right and centre, but we still won so nyah!).

One potion in a fancy bottle was destroyed, the other merely tipped out, and the Dragons were so turned on by this sucess that they gave Jer some serious, serious kit, (see post below) and a restoration scroll for a mage mysteriously placed in the front line due to him glowing like a christmas tree and humming like a power line from all the magic focussed on keeping his rather meaty buttocks safe from unauthorised penetration...

So that's where we are - deep in a crypt with some wights, mummies and the remains of a horde of wererats, with more to come...

So she (Nat) went back up with that potion... and Falx said "What sort of reward would you like?" And she said, half joking, "Full Plate +3, In Jeremiah's size." Ha ha, right? WRONG!
"Wish Granted." WHAAAAT!?
"Indeed. Here you go, have fun."

And that's the story of how Jeremiah just achieved one of the Paladin's dreams. When he saw his companion hobble back under the staggering weight of that wondrous suit, he sighed and wondered if he was hallucinating. But it was real.

A single tear ran down his cheek, and his eyes lit up like a little boy's at Christmas.
With this suit, he would crush the pawns of evil in their millions, and the blood of the guilty would flow like a river, running down the intricate engravings of his suit of magical armour of awesomeness.

There was gold, silver and platinum, and an embossed figure of Heironious. It was resplendant. It felt like wearing simple chain, and he was pretty sure that the gauntlets had an inbuilt moisturising function, because his skin was silky smooth upon donning them, and his boots now vibrated soothingly to ancient shiatsu techniques. It was truly wondrous.

Sigh, and now we get back to events...

So, moving right along;

I wanted to get things in motion again, quickly, but had no real plan. I suggested to the party that, at least, we exit this room;
"Right, let's move out. We don't know when the mummies will return. Time is ticking away, lads."

Then I came to my senses:
"Wait, you know, I feel like toasting some bad guys. It's two hours in and we're 2/5ths or 40% done here. Let's finish them and do some preliminary checks for any ill gotten gains they've collected. The church always needs donations!"

I moved up to the haunt of a mummy on the wall close to the door, on the opposite side of the ones I had slain earlier. This time when he popped up, I'd pop him...

Standing 5ft clear of the door into the room, I cocked my bow silently. I had nothing more to say on the matter, and certainly no objections to ridding the world of some more aberrations as a detour.
Ready, I waited with my finger on the trigger and my sights set on the next closest to Jeremiah as the lantern acted like a spotlight. I really should have bought more of those, in retrospect...

Actually, Brutus has drifted out of the scene, and up to the Lycanthrope brreding room. Joan followed him till he dissapeared under a door about an hour ago. There was the sugesstion that during that time the party remove some mummies, but without you there to agree, we did not send Jeremiah forward. Natasha would be a lot more effective if she had some ammunition for her crossbow...

Hmm... I see... so that's how it is... depressing. Shall we go back then and mess up some mummies? Flametongue is keen...
The hilt warmed up slightly and wavered in the lantern-light in agreeance.

Joan is happy to spend the time waiting for Brutus to find himself killing undead. Never a waste of time, in her opinion...those abominations should not be walking anyway.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:43, Fri 18 Mar 2011.