In the Shadow of the Black tower
Summary
Continuing on from The Disappearance of Yasmin's Hammer
Adventure In the Shadow of the Black tower
GM Jono
Season Winter 822 WK
Night Playing Monday night starting in June 2023 in Glendene (Jono's place) at 6:30 / 7:00pm.
Area Alusia
Level Low
Party
| Character name | College / Skills | Race | Player |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ruby | Fire | Human | Kelsie |
| Sonny Holliday | Celestial | Hobbit | Michael M |
| Johann | Wicca | Human | Michael H |
| Thornie | Earth | Dwarf | Michael P |
| Dae | Mind | Elf | Gus |
- Employer
- Mistress of Shadow - one of the Celestial Guild leaders from Gugnir's Hope is working for the Court of Duke Leto of Cazrala.
- Mission
- A party to scout raiding goblins in the west of Carzala that have been disappearing only to reappear elsewhere.
- Get more clay from the Minotaur caves for 'clay pigeons'.
- Secure a safe location for scouts with 'clay pigeons' to watch for raiders in the Fastness.
- Scout the Black tower in the Fastness.
- Pay
- 50,000sp in advance
Scribe notes
Night 1 (01/07/823-19/04/823)
At the Guild
So we went to the Guild Meeting. I got an award for being bravest. I tried to get Dae to nominate me for stupidest but he wouldn't.
I was supposed to try and sell the 5 extra goblin blankets and a shrunken hand amulet but I forgot.
Mistress of Shadows of a spot in the party for on more but no takers so far.
We are getting paid to look for goblins, 50000sp in advance, which they gave to us in coppers, then changed to ingots, then eventually to 2 1/2 ingots of truesilver each worth 20160 and the remaining 5968 each in SP. I repay 1000 to Jo and 500 to Marcus's guild account.
We are to scout raiding goblins, get clay from the Minotaur, secure a safe location for scouts to watch for raiders and to scout the Black tower in the Fastness.
We are told about the black tower: another land far off, another land closer and hot, a cult of fire/metal/heat elementalists.
We are told that the wicca want Catherine the witch about a blood ritual to see into the spirit realm to track goblin spirits, using us because we're expendable.
We stay at the guild for 15 days training and also get some of our blankets made into cloaks (the tailors and sewers were busy, but I sent out Sonny to find a hobbit one and flirt with her and bribe her with a spare blanket ;) and that worked a treat). But I think they "saw us noobs coming" because they charged a lot for fancy add ons. Mine is reversible with an ermine collar and is blue with silver embroidery. Cost 2250. Dae's cost 5000 and gives 5% defence, Sonny's cost 2000 and gives 1 protection at night. If we bring fresh oak saplings from the fastnes they can be modified to regenerate.
There have been shadows of ogre magi around town murdering.
Amber
After that we fly straight to Amber in the Fastness with Mistress of Shadows (I'm going to call her Lulu form now on). She waits outside of town until we are ready to go.
They are digging a wide well. It seems that they are "fashionable". The mayor who's a bear made them do it. It's called Clementine. She's a hobbit. The well is in case of "water problems"
The town has a clay hut for adventurers to stay in. It's clearly been a while.
We ask for news
- Bad necros - caused the raiding by attacking the goblins. They used to live in a fortress through the tunnel. Mordrin took it over from other bad guys, the goblins took it back about 12 years ago, the necros took it back a year ago. Ask Jedburgh or Hobbit detectives.
- The thing the minotaurs are digging for is a basilisk. Clementine killed it twice but it comes back.
- Where to set up scout watchers? There is a slowly rotating castle in a cloud (we saw this) It doesn't belong to anyone. But it's impossible to get too. It is protected by sorrow. Otherwise up with the hobbits.
- Collect blue White and red poppies near the statues, normally spring and summer to increase the ferocity of magic.
- The witch is a ghost and has been for about 3 years, it may be the leeches who are keeping her.
- All of the creature in the minse are werecreatures. If you stay there 48 hours you will turn into one.
- The goblins are gathering resources - Hands, tine nuts and silver willow.
- At the common room we meet townsfolk and 6 females in saffron robes. They are not monks but "carvers". They are richly dressed and are a dancing troupe here to bless the well.
We sleep in the little house.
We go into a nearby field and collect some oak saplings which we leave near the hut.
We get some bones that dryads like and set off for the swamp.
THornie says that the swamp is artificial. It has been dammed. We spot a black tree. A spirit comes out and threatens us, but she is also speaking to us in silent tongue. [there is a bad spirit, a shade, in the forest controlling everything. It is very dangerous]. We ask about the witch and are told that she ahs moved on, but gives us a scroll with a forwarding address. [the spirit sucked the life out of the witch about 4 years ago. others came about 18mths ago and died now there two? shades. they left treasure behind. the evil spirits will attack the beavers next]
We leave the swamp because we want to deal with this in a full day of daylight. Back to Amber. Lulu thinks we should go straight back to Gugnirs Hope for buffs.
The "address "note is not cursed. It says "Be careful. Help us, greater undead controlling everyone in the swamp. Send 4 adventurers."
For some reason at this point one of us asks about clay... pigeon clay comes from the minotaur's areas. There is a bog south of the black tower that lures in undead and sticks them.
We fly back to Gugnirs Hope. Sonny, me and Dae crash in a big pile. I've been doing so well up to now
Random note from mum - two blacksmiths can open a portal to a forging realm by ringing hammers
We meet with Joh's wicca mentor Lithwaite.
Lulu organises the posse - us, 4 rangers, Alice, 3 earth mages.2 ruffians (1 is a water mage). 6 witches, 4 guards.
In the morning we fly to Amber, stay the day there and next morning into the swamp.
Buffs:
- Waterproofing
- lesser
- Sos 11 EN
- Rk 20 shadow form
- rk 20 strength of darkness 7pt
- prot from normal fire
Night 2 (20/07/823-)
I wasn't there. Mission to swamp Leprechaun
Night 3
Head towards hobbit cliff to arrange scouting base. Meet tree person alchemist Get to hobbits
Night 4
Head for green goblins to get purest water
Night 5
We are in the underwater temple and an undead ogre rises from the hole. Some hitting happens by us and to us, and I finish it off with a bolt of fire. Wierd that I can do that underwater, but the priestess told me it would work and it did, but also spread a bit and hit Jo and Sonny who were near the ogre. Meanwhile the pristess is having a big argument with the octogod.
We get reluctant permission to go down the hole and the priestess gives us an iron key for the chest. The key is visibly corroding before our eyes so we need to hurry.
Mind magic tells us that there is an octopus below waiting for us with its mouth open. We sink down into an area of not normal darkness (magic or ink or both we don't know). Sonny casts a lot of light spells below us for us to fall into (yay for high mana) and that works and really upsets the monster when they get down to it. It scuttles of into the unilluminated area to the side.
Jo goes for the chest which needs to be pulled out of the mud, Sonny makes more light, and we keep watch for the grumpy predator, while yelling at it because the green crystals we have mean we can talk to it. It also does not like it's dinner to be so noisy.
Jo pulls out the chest and the octopus attacks with a tentacle from under the silt, but another bolt sees that off. Ahah!. But a shade is holding onto the chest and pops out of the mud with it, so we threaten it and it sees the wisdom in retreat.
In the chest are loots including the keys the goblins want. See below for loots.
