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Post by TG Barighm on Aug 27, 2007 23:32:32 GMT -5
*new purpose: ref. sheets
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Post by TG Barighm on Aug 27, 2007 23:32:57 GMT -5
Link to last post in the original thread: hollowraiders.proboards104.com/index.cgi?board=rping&action=display&thread=1173826673&page=48Link to the original set-up thread: hollowraiders.proboards104.com/index.cgi?board=rping&action=display&thread=1172850136&page=1GAME INFORMATION: www.geocities.com/tgbarighm/* * * * * THE EVENTS OF THE GAME SO FAR: The game starts out in the village of Xelander's Crossing. It is named after a famous hero who was last seen passing through the village many years ago. The village is in the middle of a festival when all of the torches go out and a strange sense of foreboding washes over the village. The party forms and begins searching the village for people stumbling around in the darkness. They instead find insane villagers who are more than willing to attack them. As the party fights for their lives, a strange knight riding a huge, silver hound appears, and many more insane villagers attack. The swordsman Armas, apparently an agent working under the emperor of the region, jumps into the fray and defends the party while the knight gathers food from the festival stalls. Armas eventually attacks the knight and orders the party to escape. The party does so, and Armas eventually catches up to them. Armas finds the style of the attack to be very odd, and believes this is important enough to warrant an immediate visit with the emperor. He takes the party with him to server as eye-witnesses. The party travels to the imperial capital of Gavalles. The city is currently closed due to the High Chancellor's visit, and Armas' unofficial status denies him entry. He is forced to take the party to a hidden entrance to the sewers. From here Armas can gain entrance to the city. Unfortunately, the path Armas planned to use is cut off, so he's forced to lead the party in a different direction. Scouting reveals the entrance to the catacombs of a nearby church, and after a few encounters with undead and grave-robbers, the party enters Gavalles. Armas takes the party to meet Emperor Osmond. When they do, they report everything that happened in Xelander's Crossing. They also overhear a conversation between the emperor and High Chancellor Faradane about some kind of research project. Upon delivering the report, emperor Osmond suggests the mysterious knight may be a soul harvester, a villain his father once fought. Osmond suggests the party relay this information to a spirit shaman to see if he can shed any more light on the situation. Armas is ordered to find the location of this spirit harvester. The audience is interrupted by the emperor's daughter, and promptly ends. Armas sends the party to an inn where they meet up with the grave robbers from the catacombs. The grave robber threatens the life of Celia's horse if the party doesn't meet her boss in the stables. When they get there, the leader of the grave robbers, referred to as the "Princess of Thieves", attacks the party for meddling in her affairs. Her thieves are defeated, but this "princess" escapes. The party sets out the next morning with Armas to find this spirit shaman. After a short trek through some back-country, they encounter the shaman at his hut. Armas leaves the party at this point, and Kay, who is confused the same man who banished him from the empire would now want his help, joins. Kay is unable to help the party, but he suggests the elders of Kara'Conakor will have more to say on the subject of the mysterious soul harvester. After a brief stop in Castle Iatsargo, and some drama between Xelander and his father, the party arrives in Kara'Conakor. Kay meets with the elders of Kara'Conakor while the rest of the party does their own thing. The elders know as much about soul harvesters as Kay does, which is to say, very little. They do suggest another elder, by the name of Greenbough, might know more. Unfortunately, he passed away a few years ago, and the only way for Kay to meet him is to journey to the Spirit Vault. This journey doubles as some kind of shaman initiation ritual. Kay initially cringes from the idea, but he eventually accepts the idea and takes the party into Stonefrost Pass. After completing the trials of Stonefrost, the party enters the Spirit Vault... New: The party successfully navigates the Spirit Vault and find the hall where all of Kara'Conakors elders rest. They raise the spirit of Elder Greenbough and ask him what he knows about soul harvesters. He tells a cryptic tale about his experiences in southern Greatwood, where he, the former emperor and the legendary knight Xelander, encountered a soul harvester. The story puts the official history of the incident under a cloud of suspicion, and the party begins to wonder what happened down in southern Greatwood. Unfortunately, elder Greenbough isn't able to offer much information on the current soul harvester, other than that they can be killed using normal means. This meeting is suddenly interrupted by the modern day soul harvester, who harvests the souls of the elders and sends the vault's soldiers after the party. They manage to escape only to find the yakfolk hunters waiting for them at the entrance to the Vault. After an exhaustive battle, the party is able to depart the Spirit Vault and report their findings in Kara'Conakor. It may not be enough to defeat the current soul harvester, so the elders officially task Kay, as a fully supported shaman of Conakor, with learning how to, and ultimately defeat, the soul harvester. And with that in mind, the party returns to Gavalles to report the events of the last weeks to the Emperor. CHARACTERS: ARMAS: A mysterious swordsman working under the emperor himself. He is not a recognized member of the imperial royal guard, and his background is shrouded in mystery. THE SOUL HARVESTER: A strange knight clad in armour and wielding weapons much larger than any normal mortal man can carry. Blamed for the massacre at Xelander's Crossing, he is suspected of being a "soul harvester", a type of necromancer that steals the spirits of others and uses them to empower him or herself. Even necromancers consider this form of magic a heresy. KNIGHT XELANDER: A legendary knight of the imperial army, he served the empire many decades ago and is considered a hero among the local people. He fought and destroyed many evils that threatened both the empire as a whole and the local people who lived in it. Last seen passing through Xelander's Crossing on his way to aid the former emperor's fight against the savages in southern Greatwood. EMPEROR OSMOND: The emperor of Gavalles. His rule has led to the rise of the church and many other religious institutions, and he is generally hailed as "the holy emperor". Raised up to a seat just below that of a god, the current emperor of Gavalles fervently pursues any research or scrap of knowledge that can help him better understand the divine. HIGH CHANCELLOR FARADANE: A figure equivalent to that of a pope, this bishop represents the church's interests when dealing with the imperial court. Many acuse him of being a puppet controlled by the emperor. THE PRINCESS OF THIEVES: A woman in control of a thieves' guild in Gavalles. This guild is frequently held accountable for most crimes in Gavalles. Her future plans are unknown, but she has clearly been very busy of late. ROLEN "KAY" KAYES: Better known as Kay, this spirit shaman lives as a hermit under the boughs of northern Greatwood. Apparently a former imperial scholar in training, he was banished from the empire when he refused to follow the emperor's orders. SKY COMMANDER HARIOS: A commander within the Imperial Sky Legion. Seems to have a personal connection with Kay. DR. HECHT: An imposing figure, this doctor is the primary source of many of the empire's technological discoveries.
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Post by TG Barighm on Aug 27, 2007 23:33:34 GMT -5
The last update:
UPDATE ************
The party figures out a way to get Kay to reach the ring protruding from the ceiling and twist it. It's not that high, so this challenge is easily overcome. The ring turns with a slight, grating noise, and the sound of something being caught is heard. There is a mechanical click, and the silver cup marked door swings shut. That allows Kay's guardian to go through the sword marked door and open it. The black torch's light is momentarily blocked, so Kay's hand passes through the ring.
An eerie cry is heard when the party steps through the sword marked door. They follow a short tunnel that leads to a room with more of the bone-slat walls. A path continues forward to an intersection, and soon the party realizes the cavern ceiling rises into a dome-like shape, roughly about 20 ft. high, but the surrounding walls don't reach to the top of the ceiling. They only rise about 8 ft.
SPIRIT VAULT, The Barracks ***********
The path continues to another intersection further on, and another one after that. Looking down the intersecting paths, the party spots more intersections giving the impression of a series of boxed rooms, each of which is marked with series of ancient symbols Kay can't interpret, and a few rusty weapons. There doesn't appear to be obvious entrances to these small rooms. At the far end of the cave, on the end of the path the party is currently navigating, is another heavy stone door.
The party spots a rope hanging from a winch of some type that is bolted to the ceiling. The rope ends in one of the small rooms directly to the party's right.
As the party takes a few steps into the barracks, the stone door suddenly swings shut.
"Figures," Kay whispers.
A pale-skinned man wearing leather armour and wielding a handaxe suddenly steps into the torchlight from one of the intersecting paths.
"Intruders!" the man yells as he draws a knife with his other hand. "Nobody disturbs the elders' rest."
Kay licks his lips, then nervously replies. "B-b-be gone, revenant of the past. The services of your f-former life are no longer required."
"Like hell they are! You will not defile this tomb with your greed!" the man yells, but instead of performing a hostile action, he merely backpeddles until he steps out of the torchlight.
The barracks is suddenly filled with murmuring from what seems like hundreds of unseen people.
"This doesn't look, or sound, good. We gotta figure out a way to get out here," Kay warns as he spins around searching for the source of the murmurs.
Actions for you or your guides?
*Map to follow
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Post by TG Barighm on Aug 27, 2007 23:36:16 GMT -5
[glow=blue,6,300]UPDATE[/glow] ***************** After putting his new skills to use ( : , Xelander is kind of surprised to find the murmurs die down a fair bit. After a moment, a voice shouts out of the darkness. "Lier! He has to prove it." Another follows. "How do we know they're not with the other one?" Kay blinks. "Other one? Wait a minute, somebody else is here?" "Prove you're not here to steal our treasures!" another voice yells.
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Post by cealia on Aug 28, 2007 13:07:44 GMT -5
"It is just the 5 (or 4, if kara is here) of us! We are only here to see Elder Greenbough. How would you like us to prove to you that that is our only reason for being here and nothing more?" Cealia says loudly to no one inparticular.
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Post by Dremmy on Aug 28, 2007 13:36:02 GMT -5
Xelander asks Kay, "Can we survive outside of the light?"
If yes, then Xelander suggest that all but one leave. The one that stays speaks to the Elder, completely unarmed. If no, then he will suggest that all lay down any weapons out of arms reach. If that is not enough, a small offer to add to the treasure that is already there from each (say 20 PP or an item of equal value. Xelander will compensate everyone afterwards for thier loss).
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Post by TG Barighm on Aug 28, 2007 15:44:28 GMT -5
[glow=blue,6,300]UPDATE[/glow] *************
There is nothing dangerous about the caverns, it's just that when you leave the torchlight, you'd have to deal with hostile ghosts while they're incorporeal.
"Hey, that might be a good idea," Kay nods to Xelander. "If we give them something, they may let us pass. No doubt others might attack us, but at least this lot will leave us alone. I don't think they'll accept money. We'd have to give up something more valuable, like a tool or weapon. And we shouldn't leave anyone alone down here. If there is someone else here, then there may be trouble."
Kay examines the party. "Um...gee, what do we give up? I don't have much."
EXP: Xelander +250 for the idea
*The party may give up anything in their possession to ward off the ghosts. Exactly how many are warded off depends on the value of the item given up.
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Post by Dremmy on Aug 29, 2007 13:55:17 GMT -5
"What did you guys pick up from the last place you looted, the Yeti cave? We can give them something from there. I dont really have anything of value on me besides my lovable charm. I'll be DAMN if I give that up!"
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Post by TG Barighm on Aug 29, 2007 14:28:10 GMT -5
"What about that magical sword Eadbald picked up?"
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Post by firemyst on Aug 29, 2007 18:32:53 GMT -5
Eadbald pulls the sword out of his collection and holds it, admiring it. "Well, I thought it'd come in handy, but I didn't think like this." He offers the sword to Kay.
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Post by TG Barighm on Aug 30, 2007 15:37:30 GMT -5
*I didn't plan for the sword to be used this way. You can blame Dremmy. ;D
[glow=blue,6,300]UPDATE[/glow] ************
"This should do it," Kay says as he takes the sword from Eadbald. Vapour rises from the sword's blade as he hefts it high above his head.
"You ask us to prove our innocence, and I do so now with this gift! No treasure hunter or grave robber would ever give up a thing so precious. Spirits, I offer you this gift...a magical sword for your armoury!"
EXP: +100 for Eadbald for summoning the will to part with the sword
The murmurs immediately stop. The cavern goes deathly quiet, and the foreboding feeling of the vault suddenly fades. Kay leans the sword against the nearest box-room, then begins to make his way over to the stone door at the end of barracks.
"I think that shut them up. We should be able to advance now," Kay says with a smile.
As if to make Kay regret those words, two warriors of the past, immediately appearing from the shadows when the party approaches the stone door, step forward with cudgels drawn and shields raised.
"None shall enter here!" they warn in unison.
Kay's jaw drops. "Wha...? But I offered you a sword!"
"What sword?"
Kay sighs. "Great. Not all spirits exist on the same level of awareness. Some of the ghosts we encounter will have no idea what we just did. Oh well, I didn't expect us to get through here without crossing blades at some point," Kay looks back at the party. "Don't feel guilty about defeating them. You can't kill spirits, so it's not like crushing these guys will banish them or anything."
The party is about 10 ft. away from the two soldier spirits guarding the door. Actions for you or your guides?
*Map not needed. Just know you have about 20 ft. of open space to work with. At the moment, they're at the very edge of Kay's black-light torch.
STATUS LINE: ============================================== Kay: >Spirit Manifestation: guardian hound Cealia: >Spirit Manifestion: As animal companion Eadbald: >Spirit Manifestion: ancient ancestor Xelander: >Spirit Manifestion: ashen cat PARTY: Shaken
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Post by Dremmy on Aug 30, 2007 15:42:13 GMT -5
"What!? How are we susposed to fight them? Will they feel it when we stab them or burn them?"
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Post by TG Barighm on Aug 30, 2007 15:44:09 GMT -5
"As long as they're within the torch's light...YES!" Kay shouts his reply.
**In other words, all weapons and spells you use while within Kay's torch's range will act like Ghost Touch weapons.
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Post by TG Barighm on Aug 30, 2007 15:57:29 GMT -5
SPIRIT VAULT MAP: Legend: Numbers: Rooms Red Squares: Doors Question Marks: Suspicious object Dollar Signs: Treasure Exclamation Marks: Questgiver Pink Raspberry: Lickme frogs Locations: 1. Mortal's Folley 2. The Craftmason Hall 3. The Barracks
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Post by Dremmy on Aug 31, 2007 14:56:53 GMT -5
Keeping his spirit guide close to him, Xelander unleashes Magic Missiles at the nearest warrior.
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Post by firemyst on Sept 1, 2007 10:29:41 GMT -5
"If we can't kill them... how do we win?"
Eadbald reluctantly draws his axe and readies his shield.
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Post by TG Barighm on Sept 1, 2007 21:46:50 GMT -5
"We can temporarily sever their connection to the material plain for a few hours," Kay replies.
*Correction: the two ghosts are well within the light radius of Kay's torch.
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Post by firemyst on Sept 2, 2007 2:50:04 GMT -5
"Good enough."
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Post by TG Barighm on Sept 2, 2007 20:16:16 GMT -5
[glow=blue,6,300]UPDATE[/glow] ************
Kay pulls out his club and prepares to support everyone's fight against the ghostly warriors, but the two spirits merely attempt to staredown Eadbald. After a few moments of this, Xelander motions his spirit guide to stay close and unleashes an orb of blue light that streaks through the air and strikes the warrior on the left. It seemingly strikes the warrior without any interference from the warrior's ghostly state. It doesn't seem to do much (-2 HP).
"Oh. One of those. Pure force can hit anything on any plain of existence," Kay chuckles.
Eadbald's spirit guide nudges the dwarf at the same moment Kay's guide darts into the shadows. Kay himself focuses on supporting his torch.
The two ghostly warriors seem to undergo a dramatic change. They seem to grow larger, and a strange, bluish mist seems to emanate from their bodies.
"None...shall...PASS!" they shout again, but this time a shiver runs through every party member's body, and their eyes become as transparent as ice. Eadbald bites down against the very unusual attack, and Kay and Celia also seem unaffected, but Xelander drops his weapon and screams like a little girl. He doesn't run, but he sure seems to be scared (Fear).
"Gah! I hate it when they do that. What is it about ghosts that make them so frightening?" Kay grumbles.
*L.Warrior -2 HP
STATUS LINE: ============================================== Kay: >Spirit Manifestation: guardian hound Cealia: >Spirit Manifestion: As animal companion Eadbald: >Spirit Manifestion: ancient ancestor Xelander: SpU-Lv.1 1/4, Fear >Spirit Manifestion: ashen cat PARTY: Shaken
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Post by TG Barighm on Sept 3, 2007 15:46:20 GMT -5
*The game summary is now posted on the first page.
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Post by Dremmy on Sept 4, 2007 15:13:58 GMT -5
Xelander summons up the courage for an acid splash.
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Post by firemyst on Sept 6, 2007 10:39:41 GMT -5
Eadbald will pick the one on the left and attack.
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Post by cealia on Sept 6, 2007 11:10:40 GMT -5
(sorry, was without internets for 5 days and then i got sick and neglected this..)
Cealia will attack the closest one to her with her scimitar.
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Post by TG Barighm on Sept 6, 2007 15:42:59 GMT -5
*Dremmy, I suggest you spread those CLW potions Xelander has around. [glow=blue,6,300]UPDATE[/glow] ************* It takes him a moment, but Xelander manages to summon up the courage necessary to splash the left spirit with a bit of magical acid. If Xelander hurt the spirit, he can't tell (-1 HP). Kay seems to be preparing to do something, but what nobody can tell what. It is certainly something neither Xelander nor Cealia has ever seen before. While the two ponder Kay's action, Eadbald rushes the spirit on the left and takes a swing at him. Eadbald nails the spirit dead on (-14 HP), but there is no satisfying crunch of bones breaking, nor the gory spillage of blood the dwarf has grown accustomed to. Instead, the spirit merely looks down at the "wound" Eadbald dealt, then growls. A strange, translucent liquid begins to ooze from the wound. The spirit pushes Eadbald away and smacks him with the ghost's shield. Ghosts be damned, the shield hits him as hard as any other piece of steel ever has (-7 HP). The spiritual dwarven ancestor suddeny charges in and hammers into the left spirit guard. The guard gasps and stumbles like he was struck by real steel (-10 HP), a reaction Eadbald didn't get. The second ghostly guard takes a swing at the dwarven ancestor's back, but he appears to strike a particularly thick part of the dwarven ancestor's haubark. Cealia decides to jump into the fray while the right guard is focusing on the dwarven ancestor. Unfortunately, while it seems like they're distracted, the right guard easily anticipates Cealia's attack and blocks it with his shield. He tries to counter Cealia with a shield bash, but the catfolk manages to spin away at the last second. Eadbald recognizes the defensive stances used by the ghostly guards. It appears to be a style of the classic Dwarven Defender's stance. *If I can get a more general set of actions from Xelander, I can breeze through this fight. *L.Warrior -27 HP STATUS LINE: ============================================== Kay: >Spirit Manifestation: guardian hound Cealia: >Spirit Manifestion: As animal companion Eadbald: -7 HP >Spirit Manifestion: ancient ancestor Xelander: SpU-Lv.0 1/5, Lv.1 1/4 >Spirit Manifestion: ashen cat PARTY: Shaken
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Post by cealia on Sept 6, 2007 22:35:58 GMT -5
(can ghostly torryn attack one of the spirit people too?)
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Post by Dremmy on Sept 7, 2007 9:06:19 GMT -5
Xelander will attack with a series of orb attacks (lightning or fire of the lesser kind) and Ray of Frost while he allows his spirit guide to do whatever damage it can without getting stepped on.
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Post by firemyst on Sept 7, 2007 9:32:44 GMT -5
(sorry to be dense, but what assistance can I get from knowing the stance?)
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Post by TG Barighm on Sept 7, 2007 14:17:47 GMT -5
(Yep. Treat him as you normally do)
(Dwarven defenders get a major AC and attack boost when they're defending a specific area. They can't move much when they're doing so. Maybe you can take advantage of that in some way)
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Post by cealia on Sept 7, 2007 14:21:50 GMT -5
Cealia will to continue to attack the one she was attacking, and Torryn will jump in to help attack the same one.
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Post by TG Barighm on Sept 7, 2007 16:28:27 GMT -5
[glow=blue,6,300]UPDATE[/glow] **************
The ashen cat gives Xelander a curious look as the halfling begins to rain orbs of various energies on a...unspecified target. He lobs them them directly in front of him, because I've got no better bearing to go on, which just so happens to feature Eadbald and the lefthand ghostly defender. He misses both.
Eadbald continues to swing wildly like the good little fighter he is. He completely misses, finds himself knocked away again, and then countered. Luckily the ghosts aren't the only ones who know how to wield a shield. The ancestor assists Eadbald by flanking the defender, but it also finds its attack blocked by the shield.
Cealia steps away from the righthand ghostly defender to allow Torryn to charge the spirit. Unfortunately, the defender just barely steps aside and avoids the attack. Cealia jumps in to try and take advantage of the defender's focus on Torryn, but she finds her scimitar blocked.
"Get out of the way, spirits!" Kay yells.
The dwarven ancestor and Torryn immediately comply, as do the cat and Kay's wolfhound companion. The spirit gets struck in the back as he tries to break away, but it's a minor wound (-4 HP).
An enormous flash of light suddenly issues forth from Kay's hand. Multiple streaks of what appear to be solid rays of pure sunlight issue forth and pound the ghostly defenders like a hurricane. After the beating by sunlight, the ghostly defenders struggle to rise to their feet; their ghostly visages now pulsing with a new, brighter glow (-19 HP or -9).
"If it weren't for the torch, you guys wouldn't have seen anything at all," Kay explains.
Eadbald shakes off his awe and strikes at his defender while it is still struggling to its feet. It's another powerful "gash" to the shoulder (-10 HP), but the ghost doesn't give up. The righthand ghost draws a knife and throws it at Cealia, but she easily dodges the attack.
Xelander tries throwing an orb again. Where it goes, nobody knows. ;D
The spirit guardians return to the fray, this time joined by Kay's wolfhound, and eventually Kay himself. The dwarven ancestor finds his warhammer blocked again, while Torryn knocks down the righthand defender and strikes him with his hooves (-10 HP total). Cealia quickly darts in with a slash of her own and lands a small cut (-3 HP).
The wolfhound aids Cealia while Kay assists Eadbald and his ancestor, whoever he is. Kay's uncertain aim proves to be overmatched against the ghostly defender. He misses horribly. The wolfhound, however, fares much better and manages to tear the righthand defender's foot off (-11 HP). Despite missing a foot, the ghost doesn't seem the least bit bothered by the loss. It doesn't even limp. The loss of the immaterial is clearly not a loss at all.
The ghostly defenders continue to hold their ground. One strikes at the dwarven ancestor, but is blocked, while the other unleashes another ghostly wail.
This time only Eadbald and Xelander resist the frightening sound. Kay and Cealia drop their weapons, and the black torch, spin around, and run as quickly as they can in the opposite direction while screaming at the top of their lungs; more specifically, back to the entrance hall (Panicked, 7 rnds).
Xelander, no longer seeing the need to waste his spells, switches to his crossbow and loads a bolt. Eadbald and the dwarven ancestor continue to double-team the lefthand defender, but only the ancestor manages to score a hit (-8 HP). Torryn and the wolfhound also attack (-10 HP).
The rest of the fight boils down to the spirit guardians overwhelming the ghostly defenders while Eadbald and Xelander sneak a few shots in. This actually goes on for another solid minute before the ghostly defenders finally dematerialize into a fine mist. Kay and Cealia actually recover from their panick just as the killing blow is scored. The defenders started getting really lucky towards the end, and Eadbald figures the eery feeling of the Vault had an effect on him at the end because he was tripping and falling like a boy swinging a sword. He took quite a few hits. The spirit guardians won the fight.
But at least the stone doors to the area beyond are now hanging open.
EXP: +500
STATUS LINE: Xelander -1 bolt ============================================== Kay: CS-1/7 >Spirit Manifestation: guardian hound, -5 HP Cealia: >Spirit Manifestion: As animal companion, -6 HP Eadbald: -18 HP >Spirit Manifestion: ancient ancestor, -20 HP Xelander: SpU-Lv.0 1/5, Lv.1 3/4 >Spirit Manifestion: ashen cat PARTY: Shaken
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