Those Dripping Bones

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Summary

Adventure:Those Dripping Bones
GM:Bernard
Session: Summer 814
Night: Wednesday normally
Location: TBA
Level: Medium/Chewy

Party:

• Ian Wood
• Michael Parkinson -- Hagan
• Ian Anderson -- Sau Rus
• Helen Saggers -- Rowan
• Keith Smith -- Aqualina
• Six
• Seven

House Rules: Opposed rolling will be in use.
Warriors please use new rules.
Due to party size, Mil Sci time out to be timed, and all players to have actions ready within 5 seconds of being asked in combat (Clarification questions permitted).
Bonus award for Mil Sci taking care of this themselves.

Employer:
Pasifikan Tribal Shamans.

Mission:
The Shamans from Pasifika have noticed that travel magic in the area is no longer as effective as it used to be, and this effect seems to becoming worse.
Additionally vague rumours are coming from the now far off southern islands of dark rituals occurring in the smaller villages under the local shamans.
These incidents may or may not be connected however the Shamans wish the Travel Magic issue solved.

Pay:
20,000sp each (advanced to the guild). Expenses for each individual are expected to be paid from this.
20 Arcane Points
30,000sp for discovering the cause of the travel magic failing, and fixing it if possible.
Additional Arcane points may also be awarded
Additional payments possible for solving of things above & beyond the initial brief.

Diary

CHAP-1

The Job & the pay

The Employer, Kinui Pahlunnee, is a Polynesian lord in shell armour, with 2 flunkies Malee Kalanee & Kiowa Kalanee, whose names indicates they have at least knightly status, so Aqualina tells us.

KP outlined the problem & our potential pay, that is when he wasn’t correcting what Aqualina said or reproaching on account of neglecting her heritage or forgetting the Ways of her People, f’rinstance “Stars ARE important when navigating, Aqualina”, which is a bit rough on Amiable Akkers (as she is sometimes known behind her very attractive back), cos that’s nothing compared with what she’s blurted out about the Guild or her Party on many a mission.
Aqualina: "I have learnt something in my years at the guild, contrary to popular belief".

THE PROBLEM : Seems Pasiphika is having problems travel magic (with waters, clouds, ‘n’ stuff) that started three weeks ago: bewitched boats are no faster than a good-but-unspelled vessel. It’s not the mages, it is the magic itself, cos they’re much faster when they come north but a weak mage still doesn’t go as fast as a powerful mage. Effect ceased 300 miles north of the shallow water [the plateau]

OUR REWARD : 20k for expenses; 30k more for finding out; bonuses if we actually solve the matter. Plus arcane points.

Employer will not come back initially, cos he may have to talk to the elves and is clearly not keen on it; so himself gave us Token of authority (Aquababe has it, so don’t let her forget it) and advised

• “Kahlia Nelly will be highest priest-shaman at the Temple to talk to on this matter”.
• “See Pohnoo Ooulau Hekkay if people need resurrecting”.

We got stores, Greaters, and headed off on horses to the portal in the Sea of Grass. The journey was quiet despite some brigands or possibly toll-collectors ... the subtle distinction was lost on us. Also trouble was avoided with some knights because Sau Rus thought discrete leather easier to travel in than his Bone Armour.

Stranger at the Gate

At the Lake near the Trilithic Gates to various places, including our Destination, Sau Rus sensed undead. While Hagan prepared a quick dinner with bonus herbs, a humanoid, perfectly human looking, in black approaches the party:
Rowan: “It’s strange to see a gentleman out here by himself”.
Gent-in-Black: It would be odd ... were I actually by myself.
[GTN: Deathknight. DA: currently controlling 30 “units”]

The Gentleman tried to sell us discounted truesilver armour, recently scarred & dented, but no longer required by its former wearers; unfortunately we declined and the business was too hot urgent for someone to come for it in a month or two from, for example, the Seagate Guild which is notoriously accommodating in the second-hand possessions market. He couldn't wait; and declined our offer to melt it on the spot ... to make it easier to sell as scrap.

On Pasifikan Shores

Come thru at late afternoon. Dark cloud on the East horizon -- BIG dark cloud, totally obscuring the view of the volcanic island in that vicinity. By evening, we reached the trade centre -- call it a city, growing fast. The walls have been enlarged, not by clumsy elementals but Proper Walls built by hundreds of workmen per day. We went to the inn near the land-gate. A sliver each (or 10 for the entire room) so, same-diff, we 5 moved in with our the horses. Rowan's Golem cleaned up & crushed lavender was spread about.

We got info from the mercenaries/hands -- winds for the boats have been slow; ditto currents. But the mages don’t seem to be getting as tired (for low level mages). There's not lots of watermages trading (only 20 to 30 maged boats total). Less runs, therefore cutting down on the numbers of crew.

DAY ONE (ie Next day), Aqualina, Rowen, & Sau Rus went to lower pasifika (10 mi away) expects to travel at 7 mph, only went less than 3 mph but the spell is still active; Waveriding should have been 22mph; was 7MPH ...

In general ALL Travel magic is about a third of the speed, but lasts three times as long.

Bumps (& Broken Bones) in the night

That night Sau Rus detected undead within 600’, but NO number, direction, or type. A blue-eyed Kitten turned up after loose talk from Acqualina & demands fish, speaking a little Horse (sick!). That-which-will-not-be-named (and his free-reign pennies) was suspected and WEIRD stuff happened:

1. Sau Rus disappeared for 12 minutes (we couldn’t find him). He said that Kitten Blue-eyes was trying to talk to him, but the sound was distorted, broken syllables. He'd experienced this before (perhaps) but couldn’t place it.
2. Then SR came back and the cat “squidged out” – not normal shadow walk, or teleport, or other forms of winking out.
3. Aq started a Waters of vision for info on the volcano/cloud. Hagen raised her morale slightly, but she still failed to make a 2xWP; and allegedly decided to aid what was coming through rather than hinder it.
4. At once, a Shadow Form appeared in the room: Hagan leapt in & punched it soundly from behind; magically taking FIVE grievous wounds himself: bleeding profusely, missing an ear; with disabled 1ry arm, 2ndry shoulder & 2ndry arm; and a bleeding leg.
5. It then swept the rest of the room.SR received broken Pelvis; Rowan has broken chest; ("Come back here, I've still got a leg to kick you with"). Four of the 5 horses were seriously crippled. And then the S. Form distorted out.
6. The suspiciously untouched Aqualina mentioned sensing something Dragonlike and went for help -- Given the violence & screams, the others in the Inn were aware of "goings-on".

Aqualina's [first?] Nomination for Stupidest Adventurer

Aqualina was advised by the Innkeeper to get Healers (ie, indigenous priestly sorts), but the religious Knights of Baranor to ask for help:
Aqualina: “I was doing a Waters of vision when I AIDED something coming through ..."
Short story: knights tromp in; 4 horses put down, but the Necromancer wasn't; the party were healed at the Kinghts of Baranor compound; taking up to four days for Rowen and SR in the infirmary; Hagan, after the ear was attached, helping out with Herbalist stuff. Sau Rus had a bad time of it, being restrained and preached at for four days while his pelvis was reconstructed ... all on consecrated ground: "See he is recovering, all his limbs are twitching”

Hagan, to Sau Rus: "Stop slapping Aqualina on the head ... you can't put any weight into it until your pelvis is cured"

Party takes in the various Shrines

(more to come)

Mil Sci

Buffs

Magic	Rk	Effects	Dur	S.W	H	S	R	A	x
Water Breathing	20	Allows seeing through fog	21 hours	-	-	Y	-	Y	-
Resist Cold	12	Staying warm	13 hours	-	-	-	-	-	-
Waterproofing	8	Staying dry	Objects: 45 days, Entities: 27 hours	-	-	Y	-	-	-
Necrogency	20	-6 Draining,-25 infection,+65% v fear	25 hours	-	-	Y	-	-	-
Wraith Cloak	13	+20 def, -4 Dmg,+14 Stealth	7 hours	-	-	Y	-	-	-
Spectral Weapon	13	+14 SC, +5 Dmg	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
				-	-	-	-	-	-

Map

Map of Pasifika with 25 mile hex grid overlay.
Islands other than Rangiwhero are not represented to scale, simply location.

Calendar

Summer
	Moonday		Duesday		W'ansday		Th'rsday		Frysday		Reapsday		Sunday
	Beltane
Meadow (1)
			1	Guild Meeting	2		3		4		5	White Lotus	6	Seagate Light Festival
	7		8		9		10		11		12		13
	14	New Moon	15		16		17		18		19	The Castellan Borderers Ball	20
	21		22		23		24		25		26	Seagate Crafters Ball	27
	28	Full Moon	29		30
Heat (2)
							1		2		3		4	Seagate Guildmasters Ball
	5		6		7		8		9		10	Seagate Races	11	The Duke of Carzala's Summer Ball
	12	New Moon	13		14	Midsummers  Eve  (Faerie Day)	15	Solstice	16		17	Seagate Summer Fair Day	18	Seagate Summer Fair Day
	19		20		21		22		23		24	The Castellan of Brastor's Summer Ball	25
	26	Full Moon	27		28		29		30
Breeze (3)
											1		2
	3	Day of Death	4		5		6		7		8		9
	10	New Moon	11		12		13		14		15		16
	17		18		19		20		21		22		23
	24	Full Moon	25		26		27		28		29		30