To the brave and noble paladins that have destroyed parts of my keep I, Nathaniel, presently of this mangy group of privateers do send greetings.
First I wanted to express my sincere thanks to you for your defeat of the aboleth. Keeping my plans from it had turned into quite a pain, and finding ways to manipulate my controlled lieutenants without letting on what was happening was getting increasingly complex.
I hope you forgive me my mild deception earlier. If I had let on that I actually knew of the aboleth's presence it would have foiled years of effort should you have failed in your endeavor. As it now stands, it will still take me years to recover from this setback, but at least now I don't have to hide my movements from something living a few hundred feet beneath my feet.
That having all been said, let us dispense with further pleasantries and get on to business. If you found this letter it means that you are bent on destroying my organization and have come after me specifically.
Suffice it to say, I must discourage you in this as it would cause me great inconvenience if you were to cause further damage to my facilities. The loss of our portal and our means of getting another one temporarily means that if we take sufficient damage we must turn our attention to the Land of the Five Rivers to restock our supplies and build our strength. I would prefer that we could avoid that eventuality given how close we are to their shores, but if we are sufficiently crippled then I am afraid to say we won't have a choice but to take what we can get while we reattain the capacity to go farther afield. I am sure you understand.
If you persist, I should warn you that you will die. Not even, I will note, by the hands of my crew. There are still perils in this keep that you have yet to unlock. Suffice it to say: This place was built thousands of years before my time for a purpose, and ultimately some seals are better left closed.
Yet I realize you are mostly Paladins. Thoughts of death do not scare you. So I offer you this carrot as well: I am leaving the island for a sort of business trip. If, when I return, I find that you have left without attempting further devastation, I will ensure that the last piece of a certain artifact ends up in your hands.
I look forward to returning to my keep to find it in a better state than when I left it. Thank you for your considerations in this matter, and I hope we can do business again in the future.
Sincerely,
Nathaniel
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Journal of Arcadius
Aboleth Island
Having borrowed the mysterious magical underwater writing implements some of the others are using, I can at last jot down a few notes. Time is short, however.
We have successfully located and defeated the Aboleth Telepath.
We dealt with the apparent leader of the pirates, and I tried to negotiate with him in good faith, but it served no purpose, as he either was mind controlled or is in voluntary league with the Aboleth. Ragnarr, wisely, if abruptly, brought an end to the negotiations.
We explored, fought foes, and ended up trapped for some time in an underwater grotto. To our advantage, as it turned out, giving us time to rest and recover.
We faced the Aboleth and its remaining minions deep underwater. It was a fierce and very hard-fought battle, but at last we triumphed, and the thing is slain.
Now, we've decided to deal with the pirates, who are clearly a very great and evil threat in their own right. Ragnarr agrees with me, but for some reason Crunch thinks the Pirates should be helped and strengthened, in hopes they might decide to fight the Aboleth. I see no wisdom, or even logic, in this... but it matters not as the others have come round, and we are preparing to attack.
I commend my soul to Lord Pelor, may he guide me and give me strength.
*A*
Having borrowed the mysterious magical underwater writing implements some of the others are using, I can at last jot down a few notes. Time is short, however.
We have successfully located and defeated the Aboleth Telepath.
We dealt with the apparent leader of the pirates, and I tried to negotiate with him in good faith, but it served no purpose, as he either was mind controlled or is in voluntary league with the Aboleth. Ragnarr, wisely, if abruptly, brought an end to the negotiations.
We explored, fought foes, and ended up trapped for some time in an underwater grotto. To our advantage, as it turned out, giving us time to rest and recover.
We faced the Aboleth and its remaining minions deep underwater. It was a fierce and very hard-fought battle, but at last we triumphed, and the thing is slain.
Now, we've decided to deal with the pirates, who are clearly a very great and evil threat in their own right. Ragnarr agrees with me, but for some reason Crunch thinks the Pirates should be helped and strengthened, in hopes they might decide to fight the Aboleth. I see no wisdom, or even logic, in this... but it matters not as the others have come round, and we are preparing to attack.
I commend my soul to Lord Pelor, may he guide me and give me strength.
*A*
Arcadius and the Shadow Dragon
PART V - A MISSION AGAINST THE EVIL ONES
I arrived in a dark place of cold damp stone. At first it seemed pitch black, but I hesitated to call forth the light of Pelor, knowing nothing could make my presence more obvious. However, once my eyes adjusted, I saw that there was a very faint and distant light, and that I was indeed in a large natural cavern, as I had been told I would. Alas for the enemy Drow, they had but newly claimed this place, and must have failed to search it thoroughly enough to find the hidden beacon or marker that allowed teleportation to this spot.
Slowly, very slowly, I advanced. My time among the Drow had taught me some rudiments of stealth, however strange it may be for me as a Paladin of Pelor. Still - it is far, far from the greatest of my strengths, and I knew my task was to gain a sense of the enemy situation, then strike immediately. I spent what seemed like hours, taking each step with care, not only to avoid notice by the enemy Drow, wherever they might be, but to avoid falling into to some hidden pit or crevasse. At last, I could begin to make out details in the dim light.
Standing as still as I could manage, partially shielded behind a stalagmite, I saw five Drow. There was a woman who looked very high-ranking, performing a ritual on an altar inside a circle of power of some kind. Behind her were various implements on a table and a basin of blood. From time to time she dipped an implement into the blood. The area around her crackled with magic. Another woman who appeared to be of low rank was draining the last blood from a hanging something that must once have been a man of humanoid race, but it was so horribly carved up, in a most ritualistic fashion, that it was hard to say what it had been. From the look of the body, and the brown dried color of some of its blood, I guessed that the wretch had been tortured, very slowly, to death. Another high-ranking Drow, a man in fine armor and robes, stood by with a sardonic expression on his face. From time to time he scanned the area. The two remaining Drow were male guards of some lower rank, they stood by, facing outward and watched. However, all the Drow seemed tired, as if this ritual had been going on for hours.
Still, there was an edge of nervousness in the lower-ranking Drow, as if whatever ritual was being performed was so dangerous that its outcome worried them. Perhaps that danger, whatever it might be, was why this ritual was being performed in such a remote place. Fortunately, given the vileness of their deeds, that remoteness left them less defended from other threats, and exposed them to the just retribution they were about to receive. I now noticed that in front of the Drow lady - the wizard or priestess - was a complex arrangement of geometric forms and symbols on the ground. In the midst of it, something was slowly appearing... something formed, for lack of a better way to put it, of voids and spaces rather than shape and mass. My mind reeled, but then I felt the light of Pelor coursing through my spirit, giving me strength.
Whatever it was, in that place of power, it was growing.
I arrived in a dark place of cold damp stone. At first it seemed pitch black, but I hesitated to call forth the light of Pelor, knowing nothing could make my presence more obvious. However, once my eyes adjusted, I saw that there was a very faint and distant light, and that I was indeed in a large natural cavern, as I had been told I would. Alas for the enemy Drow, they had but newly claimed this place, and must have failed to search it thoroughly enough to find the hidden beacon or marker that allowed teleportation to this spot.
Slowly, very slowly, I advanced. My time among the Drow had taught me some rudiments of stealth, however strange it may be for me as a Paladin of Pelor. Still - it is far, far from the greatest of my strengths, and I knew my task was to gain a sense of the enemy situation, then strike immediately. I spent what seemed like hours, taking each step with care, not only to avoid notice by the enemy Drow, wherever they might be, but to avoid falling into to some hidden pit or crevasse. At last, I could begin to make out details in the dim light.
Standing as still as I could manage, partially shielded behind a stalagmite, I saw five Drow. There was a woman who looked very high-ranking, performing a ritual on an altar inside a circle of power of some kind. Behind her were various implements on a table and a basin of blood. From time to time she dipped an implement into the blood. The area around her crackled with magic. Another woman who appeared to be of low rank was draining the last blood from a hanging something that must once have been a man of humanoid race, but it was so horribly carved up, in a most ritualistic fashion, that it was hard to say what it had been. From the look of the body, and the brown dried color of some of its blood, I guessed that the wretch had been tortured, very slowly, to death. Another high-ranking Drow, a man in fine armor and robes, stood by with a sardonic expression on his face. From time to time he scanned the area. The two remaining Drow were male guards of some lower rank, they stood by, facing outward and watched. However, all the Drow seemed tired, as if this ritual had been going on for hours.
Still, there was an edge of nervousness in the lower-ranking Drow, as if whatever ritual was being performed was so dangerous that its outcome worried them. Perhaps that danger, whatever it might be, was why this ritual was being performed in such a remote place. Fortunately, given the vileness of their deeds, that remoteness left them less defended from other threats, and exposed them to the just retribution they were about to receive. I now noticed that in front of the Drow lady - the wizard or priestess - was a complex arrangement of geometric forms and symbols on the ground. In the midst of it, something was slowly appearing... something formed, for lack of a better way to put it, of voids and spaces rather than shape and mass. My mind reeled, but then I felt the light of Pelor coursing through my spirit, giving me strength.
Whatever it was, in that place of power, it was growing.
Crunch's Manual
If this doesn't count as three entries, then it sure as frak counts as one.
Click here to download (pdf, 250 KB)
Have never used this service to host files before, so let's see how this goes.
Click here to download (pdf, 250 KB)
Have never used this service to host files before, so let's see how this goes.
Monday, November 29, 2010
From the Journal of Hrogar
So, what is up with those guys in the crystals, anyway?
I mean, were they imprisoned in there by the Aboleth? If so, they may be powerful allies. On the other hand, we might just be unleashing another great evil on the world by releasing them. Sure, they might be enemies of the Aboleth, but when we're done with that (if we ever are) we might just have to then go after the crystal guys.
I wish that Damn Wizard would get here! He was always good at figuring out stuff like that.
Until then, I need to see if I can get Sztuczka to try her cannon on them. I wonder if she's heard anything about those crystal guys in her travels? I forget if we asked her, although I suspect we did. Still, wouldn't hurt to ask again if it comes up.
I mean, were they imprisoned in there by the Aboleth? If so, they may be powerful allies. On the other hand, we might just be unleashing another great evil on the world by releasing them. Sure, they might be enemies of the Aboleth, but when we're done with that (if we ever are) we might just have to then go after the crystal guys.
I wish that Damn Wizard would get here! He was always good at figuring out stuff like that.
Until then, I need to see if I can get Sztuczka to try her cannon on them. I wonder if she's heard anything about those crystal guys in her travels? I forget if we asked her, although I suspect we did. Still, wouldn't hurt to ask again if it comes up.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Death the next adventure, but not yet...
Death. I still do not look forward to it, but I must say I do not fear it. I look at my time, short and a painful experience it was, which I experienced death as a gift. Pelor has given me the greatest gift one can ask for. The removal of fear. For i now know that Pelor has created a paradise for his followers. That I will return home and be with my family once again. As i said though part of me looks forward to this day, I hope it to be when I have gotten older and had a family of my own. When this is done I look forward to going home having a family and kids. For I have much that i can pass on. I have learned a lot from my travels with all of theses warriors. Even Tupper has taught me several things. Things like, there are people that need to be guided to be at their best. There are some that just do not have it in them to reach new heights. Enough of that. For I just want to remember to the good times. For this and my future goal are the true driving forces in my life. It is what helps me push on when we are sleeping in mud or badly injured. This and good friends to lean on.
And this is again why I say death can wait. For life it shelf has such great experiences and helps mold us into better people. So Pelor I thank you for removing this fear of death, but I ask that you look over all of us so we can all live and grow.
And this is again why I say death can wait. For life it shelf has such great experiences and helps mold us into better people. So Pelor I thank you for removing this fear of death, but I ask that you look over all of us so we can all live and grow.
And the battle continues
It is amazing in a short time I have seen improvements with our battle tactics. For the most part we are fighting as a group instead of trying to be a hero and running off and fighting by ones self. Well I should not say we are complete free of that, but I am seeing less of it. The greatest benefit of this is Ragnar is allowed to use more spells in is arsenal then just healing spells. This is a very important thing because these abathilths are become more and more of a challenge. Soon any slip up will cost people their lives. Already we have seen spells that turn people into balls of flesh, or spells that capture a person and prevent them from doing anything for a battle.
I see difficult days ahead of us. The abalith are sure to be keeping eyes out for us. Any town controlled by them is not going to be safe. We are going to have to keep low profiles in between the battles or there will be no rest for us. Speaking of which, we are still clearing out this pirate base. I hope this does not take to long we really need to go restock and be quickly onto the next abablith. In the mean time we will just have to push as quick as we can.
I see difficult days ahead of us. The abalith are sure to be keeping eyes out for us. Any town controlled by them is not going to be safe. We are going to have to keep low profiles in between the battles or there will be no rest for us. Speaking of which, we are still clearing out this pirate base. I hope this does not take to long we really need to go restock and be quickly onto the next abablith. In the mean time we will just have to push as quick as we can.
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