[@GaryD20. I made it up. I’m going to be putting in a lot of homebrew loot. It only sings after you fire it. It does normal damage but keeps on with a high pitched whine even after it’s struck its target.]
Play by post anyone?
Smittumi
#345
During Hykon’s watch all is deathly quiet. Then, almost imperceptibly, he hears distant singing.
It’s coming from the lower forest down the cliff.
Crawling to the edge and looking down Hykon can see the distant lights of Moon-sprites dancing in the branches of the nearest trees.
Too distant to affect Hykon they dance and sing gently, but don’t fly up or even seem to acknowledge the Tornton Priest.
Hykon, what (if anything) do you do?
(If this becomes an encounter we’ll rewind a bit so Hykon has the option to wake the others.)
GaryD20
#346
Can Hykon tell if these Moon Sprites are aware of his presence and are just choosing not to acknowledge him or if they aren’t acknowledging him because they haven’t noticed him yet?
Regardless, Hykon eases back from the edge until he is far enough away to stand and moves back closer to his sleeping companions. He drops to his knees and digs into the ground until he gets to the more clumpy and firm dirt beneath. He adds just enough water from his ration to make the dirt into a clay like consistency. Pinching off a couple of pieces he molds them into make shift ear plugs and pops them into his ear holes. With that he creeps back to the edge of the cliff and peeks over. He doesn’t look directly at the Moon Sprites. Just takes quick little glances at them with his peripheral vision to see if he can get a sense of whether or not they know he and his companions are camped above them and what, if anything, they may be planning to do about it.
[Hykons thinking is that if his companions stay sleepin that they can’t be influenced by the Moon Sprites magical lights and song. Let’s hope he’s right.]
Smittumi
#347
Eventually, the Moon-sprites disappear into the treeline they emerged from and all is silent again.
[Very clever, Hykon]
The next morning the group awaken.
[Anyone who needs to can count that night’s sleep as a Recovery Action and roll CON to see if they regain HP]
Furlan hitches Piper to the wagon and off they all head, coast-ward. Down the road towards the stout dwarven keep of Durhadda and her tall, proud lighthouse.
[Next scene very soon]
Condorthegreat
#348
Quildrum is just wondering so he asks Mehrfin “May I ask, where are we headed my good friend?”
Nivek
#349
Rubbing his eye sockets. “I’m happy to focus on getting the supplies to Durhadda Keep. With a full day of light ahead of us we should be able to get there by nightfall, even with just the one horse. After that, assuming they don’t have a fantastic library that I could get stuck in, I’d personally like to figure out where those orcs came from.”
He hesitates a moment. “I imagine your plans weren’t tracking down orcs however when you came out to greet the group yesterday. We really haven’t had a chance to chat. How’ve you been?”
Condorthegreat
#351
“I’ve been ok. Just was headed to where I’m from. It’s been awhile.” " the first time you seen me I was erratic."
Smittumi
#352
Durhadda. The Keep by the Water. Wavebreaker. Sunmaker.
Durhadda is a stout, strong looking keep with tight, thick walls cut deep into the cliffside, overlooking the Eastern Sea.
At the centre of the keep is a tall four-walled tower, reaching up many, many feet into the Duradin sky like the spear of a dwarven titan.
The keep is populated by dwarves for the most part, but more recently human refugees from Grey and other raves from further afield pass through from time to time.
Down on the stoney beach is a gentle fishing village where dwarves and humans live side by side catching Po-crabs, red-jellies and seabass.
And dotted around the keep, some further away than others, are other villages specialing in farming or mining.
Villagers use the Keep for trading between them. An arrangement that suits everyone.
Durhadda is ruled by Mulo Duran, Castellan of the Keep. A proud but not unkind Dwarf who undertakes his duties with a quick mind and a half smoked cigar to hand.
As the heroes arrive just past midday they are welcomed inside by the guards who recognise the Castellan’s nephew and also the driver. Who, by the way, thanks the heroes and leads the wagon to the stable where the cargo will be unloaded. As he leaves to promises Furlan he’ll bring Piper back to him, by way of thanks for saving his life.
[Each gain +9 Reputation as the driver, Rilliot, will tell everyone about how you saved the supplies. Reputation can be spent on ‘Town projects’ persuading the good folk to build buildings, form institutions, establish businesses or whatever else you’d like. Use this to change Durhadda into the place you think it should be. Just tell me what project you persuade the people to work on and how much Rep you’re spending. I’ll tell you how many hearts it’ll need to be completed. You don’t need to spend any get if you don’t want to. Just save it until you have a cool idea.]
Muel knows this Keep well, it’s always been his home, so any common knowledge about Durhadda can be known to all the PCs.
Here are the places you can visit:
The Castellan’s offices. Well appointed but not garish. Busy with family heads and more important villagers gently arguing over local politics. It always stinks of cigar smoke here.
The Nag’s Head Inn. Always busy, sometimes loud. Fishermen love to come here after being out for a few days. Big Mary keeps the place respectable and friendly.
The Lighthouse Top. The Lightwatch keep their office here in a couple of rooms just under the main light; working to protect not only the great and alien lens, whose powerful beam can be seen for many miles, but to protect the people of Durhadda.
The home of “Amash the VIII”. A quite balmy human wizard who has lived in the Keep for a long as even very old Dwarves can remember. A scholar of local magic and lore.
The Smithy, home to Leewalf. An opinionated but trustworthy Dwarf of some serious skill. He’ll give you a fair price.
The Temple. A sturdy stone building dedicated to the good (and neutral) gods of Alfheim. On feastdays this place is packed with peoples of many different faiths, all jostling to make dedications and so on. It’s quiet today, and Isa Verrin the Priest is sweeping up.
The Market. As luck would have it its market day for the next few days and a number of mundane local goods are for sale.
The Target is 9
The Timer is at 4! Four days until something happens in town.
Tell me where you go and how you spend your day.
Lordfurlan
#353
I’m heading off to see the wizard at The home of “Amash the VIII”, to see what I can bargain for, for the spider egg.
CHA 12+1
Condorthegreat
#354
Ima travel to the smithy. Talk to him about a new sword and wat i can get for this one I have on me.
Cha: 15+2=17
GaryD20
#356
So, on the REP Points that is 12 total with the 3 we got for defeating the Orcs in the opening scene?
Also, Hykon will visit the Temple to pray and pay respect and make dedications to his God for the parties (relatively) safe and successful journey thus far.
GaryD20
#357
[Also, just curious… You said that the Singing Arrow Head does normal damage? That’s when attaching it to a arrow shaft? What about when attached to a Cross Bow Bolt? The Bolt already does normal damage without the Arrow Head. Any bonus damage for the two together (Bolt and Arrow Head)?]
[Hey, can’t blame a Torton for asking…]
]
Nivek
#360
“Not at all. You seemed pretty composed to me … and you kept your cool with the spider. I think you did very well. Regardless, thank you for sticking with us and helping us out. It was very appreciated.”
Nivek
#361
I’m also going to head over to The home of “Amash the VIII”. I don’t really have anything to offer at this point except perhaps my labor, but maybe he’ll be willing to trade for knowledge of how to build some new magical objects.
AbbenWisson
#362
Muel accompanies Hykon to the Temple, as he is curious now about faith in the Gods. He’s taken it for granted his whole life and now that he’s seen the power granted to the faithful he’s a bit awed.
Once there, though, he realizes that it’s a very private affair and much more important and involved than he could have imagined, so he quietly takes his leave and heads to pay respects to his uncle Mulo in his offices.
As he leaves he does a quick obeisance in the general direction of where he thinks he should, and wishes Isa Verrin a heartfelt “good day” and then hustles off to pick up a cigar to chew on (he doesn’t smoke but he “should”)
Smittumi
#363
Timer drops to 3.
Walking across the courtyard, past the market, Furlan and Mehrfin go to visit the home of Amash, the mage. There they are surprised to find several members of the Lightwatch with very concerned looks on their faces. Amash, it seems, is dead. His body desiccated and drained of all life and magical energy. Sergeant Kozan, stroking his thick moustache, tells Furlan and Mehrfin he isn’t sure whether Amash was murdered, or just died in some esoteric arcane accident. The sergeant asks whether Mehrfin will be able to look at the body tomorrow and give his opinion.
Later on, over ale, Kozan reveals he’s the brother of the driver Rilliot and offers both heroes a boon by way of thanks for saving his life. [Both pick up a class or pathway milestone]
Quildrum goes to the smithy and gets talking to Leewalf. After letting the smith talk for some time about his opinions on pitfighting(!) Quildrum manages to negotiate a … [Condor, pick a class or pathway milestone]. That Leewalf does like to go on though.
Hykon visits the temple to pray for the group. Isa Verrin quietly moves around him, and when he’s done they speaks together on spiritual matters. Later, over some steaming hot black tea served from a deep green pot, Isa tells Hykon a most worrying tale.
Seven days ago an island appeared off the coast, maybe two miles out and covered in strange rock formations. Row boats have been spotted coming to and from the island, and at night strange drumming and chanting can be heard across the water. “I have seen these signs before, Hykon”. She draws out a scroll from her shelf unrolls it and points to a drawing of an unnerving and profane statue of some alien god. “If they’re servants of the old ones, I dread to think what evil they might be planning” she says.
[Hykon, pick a class or pathway milestone]
Muel visits the lighthouse. He finds Mulo in some meeting and they clasp their right arms in kinship. “Good to see you my lad”. Muel stays a while, sits through some meetings, lends his opinion where its needed and coughs his way through about ten minutes of a cigar.
The day is nearly don and he’s just about to leave when a scout arrives; a human, dirty from travel and out of breath. As soon as he sees the scout Mulo says “Stay, Muel. This’ll be important.” The scout rolls out a map onto the wide oak table and tells Mulo how Durhadda will likely be destroyed.
There’s a small army, the scout tells Mulo, a strike force of snow orcs and mercenaries camped at the Ruins of Kiln several miles to the north west. They’ve razed the villages closest to them and are gathering rock and timber from the ruins, getting ready for transport. The scout pulls out a coin, a silver coin bearing the mark of House Furlan. “Duke Furlan himself is here in Duradin. I took this coin from a mercenary, before he died he told me the Duke plans to beseige and take this Keep, then use the lighthouse to guide an Elven invasion fleet to the coast.”
Mulo sends the scout out to continue the recon mission, then turns solemnly to Muel.
“There’s something else.”
He takes Muel up the flight of stairs to the great lens at the top of the lighthouse. Housed in an iron frame the lens is a disc of orange crystal, as tall as a troll. Mulo directs his nephew to look closely at the edges of the lens. Cracks! Tiny, but growing. Calamity! This object is the prize and honour of Duran!
The lens is ancient and is origins lost to time, but the Duran Dwarves brought it here and constructed the lighthouse and the keep around it. In doing so they secured safe passage for the ships of good folk sailing the eastern sea. Mulo suspects the secret to repairing or restoring the lens might be in the Keep’s old library. And he asks Muel to help search for it tomorrow.
They talk long into the night.
[Muel, pick a class or pathway milestone]
[OK, sorry for the lore dump. Hopefully won’t be too many more of those!]
The target is still 9
Turns are currently in days
After resting at the Inn, it’s the next morning.
What do you do?