GM: Wakasee|Carlsberg⁷/Clothilde⁵/Y³(Below is a written account of Nephr's fourth adventure. Recollections may vary.)
Finally, after completing a final round of deep meditation, I am able to commune with the spirits around me once more. I could offer more help to my adventuring friends now.
Time to go see what other quests are up.
It seems that someone needed help with collecting ingredients for cooking. Well, getting acquainted with favorite local flora will be useful knowledge.
Arriving at the Adventurer's Guild, I met other adventurers that signed up for this quest:
Asher Branford the warrior, he seemed outgoing and a friendly soul. Fizzik Flamecrest is a curious one indeed, a dragonborn wizard bedecked in little charms and trinkets instead of jewelry. Then there is elf ranger Hak'tan, quiet and reserved. And lastly, the nimble halfling monk Neebus Binstok. Quite a well-rounded group.
Ms Witch, the person who needed the help, soon appeared, and after confirming we were the adventurers who had signed up, proceeded to let us know the specifics of the items that required gathering. Apparently she required the ripened berries of the Piper nigrum plant, and also mushroom.
Hearing this, I took the opportunity to don my mushroom hat!
Done with her briefing, she then told us to gather around her and teleported us to a forest clearing where the plant and the mushroom grew. Our team began to search and harvest the ingredients.
We had a great start, collecting quite a bit. But then the ground beneath us began to tremble. It didn't feel natural. Looking towards the northern edge, we noticed the trees move. Might be something big, something dangerous!
Everyone began to hide behind some large rocks. My curiosity got the better of me, and I did not realize my position was a little precarious. The source of the thundering sound revealed itself; a stampede of buffaloes!
The creatures almost trampled me, but luckily Asher was able to pull me to safety behind the rocks. The stampede passed us, but we didn't feel safe. Something, must have frightened the large buffaloes and caused them to run. We decided to remain in our hiding spots for a little more.
The creature soon appeared, not long after the buffaloes. It was a large lizard, an allosaurus! By Isis' blessings, the creature ran past us. We were safe. Thus we resumed with our search.
But the appearance of the allosaurus spooked us, so Neebus began finding a perch up a tree to act as lookout. Apparently, the herd did return, with the lizard still pursuing. During that round of hiding, my beloved mushroom hat was too "outstanding". It was caught in one of the buffaloes' horns. Farewell mushroom hat!
Ms Witch told us we needed to gather just a little more of the peppers, and had sufficient mushrooms. So we quickly settled it should the herd started to run this way again.
Our task done, we regrouped around Ms Witch as she began casting the teleporting spell. At that point, the stampede returned! I tried to frightened the herd by calling forth a thunderous echo before the stampede, but the sound was not enough to frightened the buffaloes.
We braced ourselves as the herd were upon us, but instead of hooves and horns, we only felt the rush of air, and the animals melted over us as if they were illusion. We then found ourselves back in the hall of the Adventurer's Guild!
Ms Witch was able to pull us out in the nick of time, and we were once again safe with our bounty. She thanked us for our help, and after collecting the gathered ingredients, proceeded to hand us our rewards.
I suppose, a mere hat would be a fine price to pay for the experience, and to meet more new adventuring friends.
Here's to mushrooms, and peppers!
GM: BimoGotten the hang of signing up for new jobs.
Together with the bard Valkorian and the paladin H01211X, we decided on the one about a lost bell. Another adventurer named Bonnibelle, was also interested in the job. The contact person soon showed up, and he took us by carriage to the village of Goldengrove.
At the village, it seems like a festival was about to happen, with decorations decked out and the wonderful scent of freshly baked goods filled the air. However, Valkorian and Bonni noticed a heavy tenseness in the air. Nearby, a woman was in disagreement with the village watch about the guards not taking action.
We approached them to find out more, and learnt it was related to the incident. Alden, the person in charge, came up to us and briefed us on the situation. With the local militia occupied, the roads were not as guarded, and the attack was an unfortunate result. Alden then called for Maekor, the farmer that was attacked by the goblins, to tell us more about the incident.
According to Maekor, the goblins attacked while he was traveling to the village with the season’s harvest and the Bell. Maekor added that the goblins were nervous, and kept looking over their shoulders; displaying none of the usual greed and
wantonness. From his following explanation, perhaps more frightening creatures were present in the woods. The farmer did inform us that he noticed webs amidst the trees, signs of arachnid infestation, perhaps…?
Well, goblins and spiders aside, I for one find it curious that an item of such importance would be placed under better security.
Nevertheless, we decided to head into the wilderness to find the goblin raiding party and retrieve the Bell at least, if not most of the stolen goods.
Not long into the wilderness, we came upon the remains of the farmer’s wagon. Broken crates and traces of a fight was seen, and goblin tracks all around. It was too quiet, and we once again prepared for an ambush. The goblins did not disappoint.
Working together, we made quick work of the goblins. Bonnie shape-shifted into a large bear and held the front line. H01211X however, was behaving a little strangely, cutting up the goblin leader but shouting out greetings. This, along with Valkorian’s haunting charm from his magical flute, broke the goblin’s morale and caused them to flounder.
I know I would too if I see a powerful enemy attacking while offering words of greetings.
We decided to keep one goblin alive to interrogate, and from him. From Gerry, the goblin that we subdued, we learnt that they have an encampment in the woods to the west, near an abandoned watchtower, and where their leader, Barabask, can be found. Gerry then led us there.
Arriving at the encampment, we met with Barabask. We managed to have a civil conversation, and the goblin leader told us that they had not been able to hunt in the woods since the vicious monsters took up residence in the basement of the tower. Hungry and desperate, they attacked the farmers. The increased sightings of web-covered trees we saw along the way may have some connection after all.
After more discussion, we found that the goblins were not vicious, only driven by desperation. They were wiling to return the goods they had taken back to the village.
Barabask mentioned of having seen the Bell, and that the monsters have indeed taken it. As a show of sincerity and apology, he offered to go with us to face the monsters and retrieve the brass Bell. After resting for a while at the goblin’s camp, we headed to the watchtower.
We decided to head towards the basement straight away. As we were about to go down into the darkness, we heard a voice stating that we’d make wonderful prey if we go down. We didn’t take it seriously and continued down the stairs.
Underneath, the tunnels were choked with cobwebs, and we no longer heard the voice. In the basement, part of the walls have collapsed, and thick webs have shrouded and blocked the way forward. Cutting through the webs, we discovered natural caverns, and more webbings. And some distance away, the light from our torch and lantern reflected on something metallic. The Bell!
At that precise moment, three large, bulbous creatures with spindly legs descended from the gloom above. Giant spiders! And they were talking! Deciding which amongst us would be eaten first. Bonni, as a druid, finds this to be most strange; spiders, regardless of size, were not supposed to talk.
They tried to trap us with their webs, but we managed to not get caught, except for Bonni. H01211X and Barabask charged forward and attacked the spiders with their blade. One of the spiders gave HO1211X a vicious bite that almost fell the paladin, but thankfully, Bonni and I managed to heal him with words of healing. With our druid trapped, and attacks seemed to be glancing off the spiders, things started to look bleak.
Fortunately, Valkorian was able to break the webbing that trapped Bonni. Following that, he used his fey glamer and inspired the frontliners. Bonni after being released, summoned a radiant moonbeam over the spiders. The tide turned, and the spiders began burning with radiant light one after another. H01211X and Barabask, no longer having to worry about being wounded, continued striking the spiders with blades and holy wrath.
The spiders’ threat soon ended, and as we gathered ourselves, another mysterious voice, echoed in the dark. It said that even after giving them intelligence and ability to speak, they were not able to stay alive. The voice laughed, before going silent.
Perhaps there is a witch about on the loose…
Bonni went about the chamber to destroy any eggs she can find, intent on ending the abomination. We retrieved the Bell, and made our way back to the surface.
We returned to Goldengrove; goods, goblins and all. The villagers were happy, and so were the goblins, given that they now have a proper chance at making a new living. We were rewarded for our effort by Alden.
Well, now I must go and join my friends with the festivities. The bread has tempted me long enough.
GM: .DotIt is a strange feeling indeed to be back amongst the living. Though I am sure that would be the simplest way of describing it. In my current state, it seems like I do not have to worry much about the demands of keeping my physical coil nourished and rested. But everything comes at a cost I fear. I must admit I do miss having the sensation of tasting the myriad flavors of food, and of course, liquor… even the feeling of closing one’s eyes as sleep embrace the consciousness. I will have to dig deep in my memories to relive such feelings when I do feed and rest this body.
Dawnport is as lively as it can be for settlement on the frontier. It was the closest place I could reach once leaving the tomb. I no longer remembered the surrounding. By my estimate, maybe a hundred years have passed. But, can a century brought so much change? A nagging thought that perhaps, the entire tomb was somehow… transported… might have some truth. But that is a question to answer at a different time.
*****
(Below is the written account of Nephr's first adventure, written in a story format. Recollections may vary.)
Adventuring seems to be the main draw here. One of the first souls I started talking to, this elf named Valkorian, was quite generous with his knowledge. He even asked me to wait with him for opportunities to earn gold and friendship at the Barnacle Inn, a local tavern. And today proved to be the day.
A group of curious looking figures were hunched over a table not far away. Their gear reminded me much of the reclusive gnomes in the employment of the Pharaoh back then. Valkorian called them Artificers, and he figured they were waiting for opportunities as well. The way they talk and argue about numbers, the workings behind things, mathematics… it was an entire new language. Almost… magical.
And then a living statue walked in! By Thoth! I have only read about constructs independently moving, talking and thinking like a living being, and here one just sauntered in. I was about to ask Valkorian about the magic, or perhaps a divine blessing that might power such a thing, when the three artificers swarmed the construct; admiring and fawning over its function.
It was at this time when a man came bursting into the tavern and started asking if the construct was the one that signed up for the job. He led the construct to the bar to discuss details, and of course, the artificers naturally followed suit. Valkorian said we better join in, and that man was Hudson McBay, the opportunity we were waiting for. Soon, all of us crowded around both the man and the construct.
Between the gasp of wonderment and curiosity, the stuttering of the construct and Valkorian asking questions, I learnt that Hudson was a traveling merchant. The artificers were Hacker, Ember Surtgard and Aux Cloud. The construct had a very strange name; H01211X, and pronounced "Horlix". It very much sounded like how the Pharaoh would tag a prized possession in his treasury catalog.
Hudson was looking at hiring some protection, bodyguards to be exact, for his travel across the wilderness to meet with a jeweler in another settlement. Hudson had procured some quantity of unpolished gems from the Greyspine Mines. Confident in his mercantile acumen, he stated that he could sell them at a high price. Thus, fearing for his safety, he would require escorts.
Hacker, one of the artificers, offered to look at and appraise the gems, but Hudson immediately scoffed at the idea, and haughtily stated that only the jeweler he had in mind was to appraise them. This created some interesting reactions amongst the artificers.
I noticed the artificers were losing interest with the merchant as Valkorian asked more question. When Horlix abruptly agreed to help Hudson, the mood immediately shifted and all three artificers now eagerly wanted to join. The payment offered was a cut, a tenth of the total, earned from the sale of the gems. With everyone agreeing to this, the party was formed, and we headed out of Dawnport on the merchant’s wagon.
The first few hours of the journey was pretty uneventful. More discussions about Horlix were going between the artificers, with Valkorian joining in now and then. Looking at Horlix, I wondered about the curious similarity we might share; two beings existing outside of time. But unlike the curious artificers, I doubt clerics and priests were to marvel at the sight of a walking dead, and instead blast me outright with holy bolts and scriptures. Time will tell.
The wagon reached a fork in the road. According to Hudson, one leads to the highroad, and was rumored to be watched by bandits. The lowroad, on the other hand, was said to be riddled with goblins. When Hacker made a nonchalant comment about the goblins, everyone finally realized that Hacker is a hobgoblin! It was not immediately recognizable under the equipment and gear he was wearing. With this, the party urged Hudson to take the lowroad, confident we could parlay with the goblins.
Passing through a valley road, we found it to be unnaturally quiet, and the place looked very suited for mounting surprise attacks. Guarded, we proceeded with caution. Then we heard a high-pitched guttural sound. Looking up on a cliff, we saw a lone goblin, snarling with a nocked bow pointed at us. Hacker approached the goblin, and started to converse, while the rest of us began to take a defensive stance.
To our horror, we realized Hacker spoke a different dialect of the goblin tongue and was not able to communicate. Suddenly, Horlix muttered something strange, and began talking like the goblin. Relieved, we finally thought we could began negotiation. But we were wrong. Either Horlix mangled the translation, or the goblins were not planning to let us go.
A shriek, answered by hoots and savage whistling, and a flight of arrows came raining down on us. Barely able to dive for cover, some of us were caught flat-footed. Hudson managed to crawl under the wagon for cover. The goblins rushed in.
I must say that the chaos and confusion of it all was a good wake up call for me. The world is still a dangerous place.
Poor Ember was struck down by a goblin wielding a rusty, wicked blade. Starry wisps of radiance and smoldering bolts of fire filled the air as we bombard the goblins with magical attacks. Some hit, but the goblins were very nimble and many. They soon got closer to the wagon. Horlix managed to revive Ember, and with soothing words of healing, I managed to heal Ember's wound more.
In angry retaliation, Ember summoned a field of slippery grease under some goblins, causing them to slip and fall. Valkorian uttered a magical lullaby that put other goblins to sleep. Horlix took the vanguard position against three of goblins, swinging his sword at the greedy creatures. Aux Cloud moved swiftly in battle, and was felling goblins left and right with his bolts of searing fire. At one point Aux Cloud even disappeared in a billowing cloud as a goblin strike, only to reappear behind the goblin and blasting it down with vengeful flames.
Two of the goblins managed to reach Hudson, and in the chaos, began dragging him away. They seem to know who holds the fattest coin purse. It seemed... calculated. Hacker, now fully recovered from his initial surprise, roared and lunged towards Hudson and grappled him, using his heavy frame to pin Hudson and prevented the goblins from pulling the merchant away. This act surprised the two goblins, and the party easily dispatched them without mercy.
Where was I in all this chaos? *cough*
Whilst initially, some of my magic did hit the goblins, I was then caught in a strange death duel with one of them. Neither of us could hit the other, and while this goblin was injured, it was still moving so nimbly, managing to evade my daggers and spells. Interestingly, the goblin was also unable to land hits on me with its cruel looking blade.
Curse it all! I wondered if I had offended Sekhmet, or if I should offer thanks to Khonsu for this strange luck.
In the end, the goblin was felled by Ember’s fiery wrath, and Aux Cloud’s menacing flames chased and blasted the last goblin in the midst of retreating. The party survived! And Hudson, though shaken, was able to recover from his shock.
We gathered the dead goblins into a pile, and took whatever valuables on them. Curiously, a weathered piece of parchment, bearing the symbol of a Jagged Tooth Mark, was found on one of the goblins. An identity of a clan, perhaps? This may warrant future investigation.
I decided to take the left ear of the goblin that I dueled with. Perhaps in the future, it could be fashioned into a fetish of luck or ill fortune, who knows? May Isis guide me on this.
We continued the journey and soon arrived at the location. Hudson led us to the place where the jeweler was, who turned out to be this gruff dwarf. Expecting to see the marvelous skills that Hudson boasted about, what we witnessed in the end was a fumbling attempt at hoodwinking a true expert at his craft.
The dwarf almost turned us away with a meager offering, but Hacker stepped in, and counter offered the dwarf an alternative; that with the skills offered by him and the other artificers, more gems can be processed easily and that the jeweler can rake in the benefits of selling higher quality products. Impressed by this pitch, the dwarf grudgingly agreed, and even raised the offering price for the gems.
Hudson looked defeated, and increased the initial promised cut, allowing us to receive a more sizable reward.
Overall, an interesting enterprise, I feel.
I am glad that this job turned out well, and along with knowing Valkorian, to have met with the artificers Hacker, Ember and Aux Cloud. The construct Horlix was also an interesting character. I now look forward to future adventures and to meet new people.
