Eberron Adventure Journal: Knight of the Silver Flame

Sypheros 2 - Sypheros 8, YK 998

With Lucan defeated, the Wolves faced the difficulty of how to transport him. In the short term, they had to figure out a way to get him outside without having him evaporate in the sun. In the long term, they needed transportation to the next town.

They decided to wait until night to emerge from the ziggurat, and grabbed some of the moldy tapestries from the Otyugh's room to wrap up Lucan's body. After a night of rest, they headed back up to the entry room to check on Grilsha and Arenydee. Arenydee would not reveal her employer, but did say she had worked with and against Lucan in the past, and that she had been engaged to locate and capture the Soul Blade. She also said that she realized she was outmatched, and she was grateful for being saved from a vampire's domination, and she would not try to take the blade or Lucan from the Wolves if they would take her with them to the next city and part ways.

Grilsha revealed that she had not been dominated, and expressed that loyalty to her brother, even as a vampire, had been what drove her to stay with him. She didn't know what he was planning, but he had told her he needed to get to Karrnath, and she had agreed to help him. She was not pleased that her brother was being turned back over to the King's Dark Lanterns, but she was glad he hadn't been destroyed, and agreed not to make any more trouble. This would be easy for her, as the Wolves decided to keep her bound and gagged to prevent any spellcasting.

When they emerged from the ziggurat into the night, the Wolves found a House Orien landcart waiting for them. The driver admitted that he wasn't sure they would ever see them emerge, but that he had been ordered to wait for them for a reasonable amount of time.

The 13 hour trip to Aruldusk passed uneventfully, and the Wolves, along with Grilsha, Arenydee and the body of Lucan, were taken to an office of House Orien there. Arinya, the head of household for the area, offered them food and drink and expressed his regrets about the trouble they suffered on the lightning rail. He offered them one way lightning rail passage to anywhere in Khorvaire, and to put them up at an inn in town for a few days if they'd like. The Wolves accepted both.

Arenydee took her passage as a trip back to Sharn, and told Lysander to get in touch with her sometime by checking for messages at the Barmin Tower Sivis message station. The Wolves, along with Grilsha and Lucan, went to The Silver Chain Inn, a House Ghallanda establishment. Kanatash, Tock and Whitehearth waited in the room to guard Lucan and Grilsha while Pel, Brand and Lysander went out into Aruldusk to explore and shop.

Pel did some research in their libraries on vampires and found rumors of a place in Xen'drik that could be used to restore even the undead to life. The information was extremely sketchy, but he believed it could point the way to more information at the Morgrave Library in Sharn. Lysander, meanwhile, sought out a magic shop so that the Wolves could re-equip.

Brand went to the Chapel of the Silver Flame in the area to get the life force that Lucan had drained from him restored. He met Draci Sarhain, the priestess of Aruldusk, and she told him that she couldn't help him, but that the Bishop, Ossul Hetrion, was in town and he could. She had a young acolyte show Brand around the church while the bishop finished visiting with some parishioners.

Bishop Hetrion met with Brand and told him that ordinarily, he wouldn't use the powers of the Silver Flame to heal someone not of the faith, but he believed that the Silver Flame had directed Brand and his friends here. They had successfully battled a vampire, exactly the kind of creature of evil that the church preached against, and perhaps they could help with a matter that was plaguing the local chapel. Brand agreed, and Hetrion called upon the powers of his faith to restore Brand's life force.

With Brand healed, Bishop Hetrion told him what he would like the Wolves to do. A band of marauding shifters had been harassing the chapel and its parishioners, and a paladin from the church named Verodin Atrelioth had traveled up to the Burnt Wood to deal with them. That had been several days ago, and no one had seen him since. The Bishop asked if he could send a young man named Drego, the same one who had taken Verodin up to the Burnt Wood, with the party and maybe they could find a trail, track and recover the paladin.

Brand agreed, and after the adventurers bought some magic items and scrolls, they were ready to go. They bought a coffin to store Lucan in and secured him in a House Orien locker, and they left Grilsha in the care of Orien security as well. The House arranged for them to have some magebred horses to take them to the Burnt Wood, and Drego lead them to the place he had last seen Verodin.

Brand was unable to pick up a trail for Verodin, but he did find tracks indicating about a half-dozen shifters. He lead the Wolves down the trail until they found a clearing. Unfortunately, the clearing was not full of shifters. It was a trap, a set of tracks skillfully mislaid to lead the adventurers to a pack of three owlbears.

Whitehearth rushed in and attacked, nipping at the heels of an owlbear that viciously slashed him and left him dying as a result. Kanatash lifted himself in the air as Tock cast Cat's Grace on Brand's armor, who moved in past the charging owlbears, stabbing one with his rapier as he tried to get to the fallen Whitehearth. Pel cast Bless and Lysander began singing.

Kanatash unleashed a fiery energy missile on the two lead owlbears, as Tock swung his armblade at the other owlbear, who dodged the attack while trying to claw Tock in return. One of the owlbears bit Brand, who followed through with a strike of his shortsword and rapier in response, which Lysander followed up with a longsword slash. Pel moved through the woods quickly and quietly to reach Whitehearth's side and prepare to cast healing magic on him.

Pel noticed that Whitehearth's bleeding had stopped on its own, and so he moved in and landed a vicious scimitar blow against one of the owlbears. Kanatash blasted another fire missile that killed one of the owlbears and wounded the others, causing them to attempt to flee. Brand killed one with a stab of his rapier, and Lysander quickly whipped out his bow and killed the other with an arrow through its head.

As the combat ended, the Wolves had the sensation that they were not alone. They looked around and saw what looked like thirty different pairs of eyes. A loud, booming voice told them to put down their weapons and they wouldn't be harmed. Reluctant to actually disarm but seeing the numbers up against them, the Wolves sheathed their weapons.

From out of one of the trees, a tall, muscular shifter stepped forward and introduced himself as Luggoth. He said that the paladin had come into the woods and had been taken, and that the shifters had only been attacking the chapel because they had been blackmailed into it by a Cult of the Dragon Below.

One of the shifters in the woods stepped too far out and revealed himself, and the Wolves could see that it was just a child. The others stepped out at Luggoth's call, and the Wolves could see that they were all children. Luggoth was the only adult. He explained that he had been passing through the woods and had found the children and taken them under his protection. Their parents had been taken by the Cult, and they had sent the children to harass the villagers to draw the paladin into the woods. Luggoth had seen a Dolgaunt attack and capture the paladin, and knew where he had been taken.

Luggoth agreed to help them recover the paladin, in large part because it would help smooth relations between the shifters and Silver Flame but also because it would mean he could help rescue the shifter adults. However, he needed someone to stay with the children and protect them. The Wolves were reluctant to leave one of their own, but Tock agreed to stay. He handed the Heward's Handy Haversack over to Pel.

Luggoth lead them to a clearing, the last place he had seen the Dolgaunt. Brand tracked the Dolgaunt to a series of bushes, and beneath that he found a divine rune. Kanatash attemped to dispel it, but the magic was too powerful to be suppressed. Pel called upon the Traveler for help, and, bolstered by Lysander's songs, succeeded in bypassing the rune trap, revealing a 10-foot wide passage descending sharply down.

The passage was completely dark, with no light of any kind, so Luggoth kept a sunrod out to illuminate the area. As they walked, the Wolves could hear a distant screaming sound. The passage soon levelled out and widened, and the Wolves found themselves face to face with a fiendish girallon. Luggoth immediately fired an arrow that missed the charging Girallon, who followed up with a punch to Luggoth's chest. Brand, guarded by Pel's Protection from Evil spell, tumbled past a clumsy attack by the girallon and sunk his rapier deep into the creature's side. Lysander moved in and cut one of the creature's four arms with his longsword, and Kanatash fired a ray of cold from his dorje that went wide of the mark.

Luggoth pulled out his greatsword and landed a solid blow on the girallon, slashing it from shoulder to waist and spilling forth gouts of black blood. The enraged girallon swung wildly, hitting Pel and biting Luggoth, but in flailing, it opened itself to a vicious scimitar strike from Pel and a rapier stab in the throat from Brand. It gurgled and bled, but didn't die, swinging another fist and connecting with Lysander and resisting Kanatash's mind thrust attack. Luggoth finished off the dying beast by chopping across its midsection with his greatsword.

After using the wand and some potions to heal up, the Wolves moved forward into another area, one full of chambes that had cloth and wood, clearly meant as living quarters. The screams were getting louder now, a cacophny of unearthly voices echoing from every wall and making hearing difficult. Brand spotted something moving in the shadows, and they were attacked by a pack of chokers.

The chokers swung their elongated arms, whipping at Kanatash but failing to grab him. Kanatash stepped back and fired an energy missile of fire that killed one choker and severely wounded another. The chokers responded by grabbing Lysander and Pel, and dodging further attacks from the rest of the Wolves.

Kanatash launched another energy missile, this time a burst of cold, killing all but one of the chokers, which fled back into the darkened hallways. Lysander healed himself and Pel and then the Wolves headed down the corridor to pursue the chokers. They found them there, chittering in a language they didn't understand but clearly asking for mercy. Kanatash pointed at them and indicated for them to lay on the ground, and they did, and the Wolves searched all the rooms except the one the chokers were actually in, finding nothing but cloth and wood.

Delving further into the cavern, they found a room that was clearly used for body disposal. Bones and corpses filled the room, and the stench of death hung heavy in the air. An open bag, showing a glint of platinum, sat atop one of the more recent corpses. Fearing a trap, Lysander used his mage hand to bring the platinum over. Nothing stirred in the room, but the Wolves did not press their luck, leaving the room behind to see what was in the room next door.

This room, also carved out of stone, was a prison with metal gates. Inside, the Wolves saw the shifters they had been seeking, seven men and three women, all beaten near to death, hanging limply from chains affixing their arms to stone pillars. Pel searched for traps on the door, but the Wolves then decided not to open it yet, leaving the captives in their relatively safe surroundings until they had dealt with whatever was causing the screaming.

The Wolves soon found the source of the screaming. A dozen or so dolgrims were carving out the rock wall with picks as the dolgaunt watched from atop a 5-foot tall, 100 foot wide altar carved of stone. In the center of the stone, barely visible in the light of the sunrod, was the paladin, stripped to the waist with an obsidian unholy symbol jammed deep into his shoulder. Shadows spun all around him, clearly causing the torment and pain that was causing him to scream.

Pel immediately fired his crossbow, and the dolgaunt deflected it, revealing his monk training. Luggoth revealed his own abilities, shifting into his animal form and leaping to the top of the altar and swinging his greatsword into the dolgaunt's hollowed chest, causing it to stagger backward, bleeding heavily.

The dolgrims responded, picking up crossbows and firing at their adversaries. The shower of bolts mostly missed, but one hit Luggoth and another the dolgaunt. Lysander put one of the dolgrims to sleep with his spell, then cast mirror image on himself and began singing to inspire his comrades.

Kanatash summoned a force screen to protect himself as the dolgaunt attacked Luggoth with his tentacles, cutting into his flesh but failing to drain his vitality. Pel, moving up to the altar himself, activated a sunrod from the Haversack and revealed another adversary, a cleric of the Dragon Below who had been moving in from the back of the altar. As Luggoth swung another punishing sword blow into the dolgaunt, the cleric cast a darkness spell that enveloped all three of them.

Brand and Whitehearth engaged the dolgrims in battle as Pel moved up to the paladin to see if he could help. Luggoth swung blindly at the dolgaunt, but his bestial agility protected him even in the darkness against the dolgaunt's attacks. Before the cleric could do anything more, Kanatash warped time around him, sending him about 30 seconds into the future.

Pel pulled the everbright lantern from the Haversack, canceling the darkness. The Dolgrims responded by firing crossbows at him, landing a couple of hits. The cleric shook off the effect of Kanatash's time hop and tried to curse Pel, who resisted the attack as Kanatash launched an energy missile of cold at all of the adversaries, killing the dolgaunt and severely wounding the cleric.

Lysander used his dragonmark to create an image of a wall of fire, holding off dolgrim reinforcements, as Pel moved toward the cleric and slashed him with his scimitar. Brand used his dragonmark to teleport next to the cleric as Lysander moved in, and the two of them finished him off.

Kanatash then used his telekinetic powers to pull the unholy symbol free of the paladin's shoulder, ending the spell. The paladin was grateful, and the Wolves made sure he knew that the shifters were partially responsible for rescuing him. The Wolves escorted Verodin back to Aruldusk. After a brief rest, they decided to take their lightning rail trip back to Sharn. Luggoth, nomadic by nature and intrigued by the "wolf" theme of the adventurers that seemed so ideally suited to his own gifts, asked to join them.

The lightning rail trip back to Sharn was uneventful, taking about 5 days and landing the Wolves back in Sharn on 8 Sypheros. They immediately went to see Viorr, who was pleased with their efforts and who took Grilsha, Lucan and the Soul Blade into custody. He gave the Wolves their reward, 2,500 gp each minus the cost of the lightning rail travel they had purchased, and expressed his sympathies on the loss of William d'Deneith. He offered to pick up the cost of the House Tharask inquisitives searching for William's body as an additional thanks for a job well done.

XP: 3850

Upcoming Schedule - August

Here's the schedule as I see it for the rest of July and August. Folks chime in if you need to schedule a weekend off, either by editing the post or commenting in the comments section. As always, I'm estimating on how long it'll take to complete modules, it could wind up being a week earlier or later, but either way, it'll be the Eberron game.

By the way, Matt (Dave's brother) has raised the possibility of a "10 years later" sequel of sorts to our Cthulhu game in October. Would y'all be interested in doing that? Seems like if we're still in Eberron at that point, it'd be as good a time as any to take a break, and I wouldn't mind playing Cthulhu again. Paul and Jason would need new characters, but otherwise it'd be a return to our Cthulhu characters, unless one of us wanted to change out.

July 28th - Eberron: Grasp of the Emerald Claw (Paul possibly out)
August 4th - Eberron: Grasp of the Emerald Claw (Everyone in?)
August 11th - Gaming off (Paul out, Nate out)
August 18th - Texas Hold'Em Game (regular gaming off)
August 25th - Gaming off (Dragon's Lair 20th anniversary, Randy working)

Eberron Character: Luggoth

Name: Luggoth
Razorclaw Shifter, Barbarian
Feral Might: Rageblood Vigor
Background: Shifter - Persecution (+2 to Stealth)

FINAL ABILITY SCORES
Str 16, Con 19, Dex 16, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 10.

STARTING ABILITY SCORES
Str 15, Con 17, Dex 13, Int 10, Wis 8, Cha 10.

Init +11
Speed 6
Passive Insight 15
Passive Perception 15
Languages Common, Giant

AC: 24 Fort: 23 Reflex: 21 Will: 17
HP: 88 Surges: 12 Surge Value: 22

TRAINED SKILLS
Athletics +13, Nature +10, Intimidate +10

UNTRAINED SKILLS
Acrobatics +9, Arcana +5, Bluff +5, Diplomacy +5, Dungeoneering +5, Endurance +8, Heal +5, History +5, Insight +5, Perception +5, Religion +5, Stealth +11, Streetwise +5, Thievery +7

FEATS
Blurring Claws, Wild Senses, Fast Runner, Sturdy Shifter, Powerful Charge, Improved Rageblood Vigor

POWERS
At-Will: Recuperating Strike, Howling Strike

Encounter: Great Cleave, Blade Sweep, Tide of Blood

Daily: Macetail's Rage, Frost Wolf Rage, Stone Bear Rage

Utility: Combat Sprint, Combat Surge, Wellspring of Renewal

ITEMS
Adventurer's Kit, Hunter's Kit, Identification Papers, with Portrait, Climber's Kit, Bestial Hide Armor +2, Vengeful Greataxe +2, Greatbow, Dagger, Handaxe (2), Periapt of Cascading Health +2, Bracers of Mighty Striking (heroic tier), Potion of Healing (heroic tier) (6), Potion of Vigor (heroic tier) (2), Hunter's Flint (heroic tier), Gauntlets of Ogre Power (heroic tier)

History: The man who calls himself Luggoth has seen hardship and pain in spades throughout the course of his short life. Born in the western lands of the Eldeen Reaches, Luggoth’s tribe of longstriders was a nomadic band, living off of the land and taking care of its own. Their contact with other races was scarce, but of a friendly sort. His early days were spent trapping and playing, roaming the land like a near-wild creature.

And then The Inquisition came.

The Church of the Silver Flame struck when Luggoth’s tribe had temporarily settled along the Reaches’ outskirts. Luggoth’s own father his him in the woods (he was just a boy at the time) and went back to defend the tribe. When Luggoth came out of hiding days later, fueled by fear and hunger, he found his tribe dead, slaughtered by the Paladins of the Silver Flame.

He wondered for months, trying to find signs of any remaining members of his tribe. While his search would prove fruitless, a traveler from the shifter settlement The Wolf’s Paw, discovered a nearly starved Luggoth and brought him back to the village. There, Luggoth was accepted into the community and raised until his adult years. While he grew some bonds to the settlement and its community, he never forgot the slaughter of his tribe. As soon as he was able, he set out to help those others who might be persecuted by The Silver Flame.

Now, Luggoth roams the land on a quest for something that isn’t quite justice and isn’t quite vengeance. He protects the Shifters he comes across if the need help, but he has slowly become more trustful of men. The Silver Flame, however, is still a subject of hatred for him. Were he to encounter a Silver Flame paladin, and know there would be no consequences, he would kill the man without a shred of remorse. Somewhere in the back of his mind, however, he knows his actions might incur the Church’s wrath.

Luggoth has heard of the young woman who now leads the Church of the Silver Flame. He dreams of viewing her with his own eyes. Whether he will demand reparation or blood when that moment arrives, however, he does not know.

3.5 Stats:
Race: Shifter (Longstrider)
Class: Barbarian 5/Ranger 1/Weretouched Master 5
Experience: 55,676 (Next Level 66,000)
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Religion: The Traveler
Homeland: Eldeen Reaches
Age: 23 Height: 5'9" Weight: 195 lbs.

Statistics: STR 19, DEX 16, CON 16, INT 10, WIS 11, CHA 12, BAB +9, Fort +10 (+15), Ref +7 (+12), Will +2 (+4), Init +3 (+5), AC 26 (+8 armor, +3 Dex, +1 deflection, +2 natural armor, +2 ring of force shield), HP 113

Skills: Balance +2 (+5), Climb +4 (+9), Handle Animal +6 (+7), Heal +1 (+1), Hide +4 (+7), Intimidate +2 (+3), Jump +3 (+8), Knowledge (nature) +5 (+5), Listen +2 (+3), Move Silently +6 (+9), Ride +4 (+7), Survival +11 (+11), Swim +4 (+7)

Class Abilities: Favored Enemy: Human (+2), Fast Movement, Improved Uncanny Dodge (retain Dex when flat-footed, cannot be flanked), Trapsense +1, Rage 2/day (+4 Str/Con, +2 Will, -2 AC), Weretouched +1 (+2 Dex, 1d6+1 fangs), Weretouched 2 (trip attack), Frightful Shifting, Hybrid Form (+2 Str, +4 Dex, +8 Con)
Racial Abilities: Low-light vision, Longstrider (+2 Dex/+20 ft Speed, 2/day, lasts 8 rounds), Beasthide (+2 AC when shifting)
Weapons/Attacks: +15 (1d12 +7, greataxe +2), + 15 (2d4 +5, masterwork scythe), +11 (1d4+3, (2) punching daggers), +11 (1d6+4, fangs), +12 (1d6+3, (2) throwing axes), +12 (1d8, Longbow w/20 arrows, 16 +1 arrows)

Equipment:

+3 Glamered Breastplate, Ring of Protection +1, amulet of natural armor +2, cloak of resistance +2, potion of cure serious wounds, feather fall talisman, backpack, waterskin, (10) days rations, healer's kit, 50' hemp rope, sunrod, 51 pp, letter of credit for 5100 gp

Feats: Extra Shifter Trait, Power Attack, Healing Factor, Longstride Elite
Proficiencies: Simple and martial weapons, light and medium armor, all shields (except tower)
Languages: Common

Power Selection

Hey Randy!

Looking through the books again. While Project Quori Spirit is powerful, what it does (summon a lawful evil nightmare spirit to fight for you) is not really something Kanatash would do. So I'd like to drop that and take Sense Danger (also from Magic of Eberron) instead.

Cheers!
Ben

Adding Contacts

In discussing Lysander's role as an operative of House Phiarlan, he suggested I take a look at the contacts rules from Unearthed Arcana. I've looked, and I think I might go ahead and add them to the campaign. Here they are in a nutshell:

This system codifies a phenomenon commonplace in most long-term campaigns: the friendly bartender, gruff weaponsmith or absent-minded sage who points the PCs in the right direction, passes along important clues or offers unusual knowledge. With this variant, the PCs have one or more unnamed contacts marked on their character sheets for later use. A player can define a contact for his character at any point during the game, giving the PC access to a friendly NPC.

A contact won't risk life or livelihood on the PC's say-so, but a contact makes some sacrifices for a friend. For example, a contact will burn the midnight oil translating an ancient text or sneak the key to the pantry out of the castle (as long as it's back by morning). There's an inverse relationship between the contact's importance in the ongoing campaign and the amount of help he can provide. In other words, if you choose the mayor as your contact, he's going to be too busy to serve you at a moment's notice, but he's very helpful when you get an audience. Beppo the cobbler, on the other hand, practically lives in his shop, making him available day and night, but the ways in which he can help you are more limited.

There are three types of contacts. Information Contacts are useful for what they know. They're the ones who hear all the rumors - and they can discern which ones are true. Influence Contacts are useful because of who they know or who they're associated with. While a player can't define the queen as his character's contact, he can define one of her chambermaids as a contact. Skill Contacts are useful for what they can do. Some skills - especially categories of Craft, Profession and Knowledge - are rarely possessed by PCs. A special category of the skill contact is the linguist.

Bards get contacts every 2 levels. Clerics, Paladins and Rogues get them every 3 levels. Fighters, Sorcerers and Artificers get them every 4 levels. And Barbarians, Druids, Monks, Rangers and Wizards get them every 5 levels.

There are a few more details on pages 179-180 of Unearthed Arcana, but that's the basics. Any thoughts?

Schedule Update: Game Delayed

Just so everybody knows, schedule conflicts (Chris was sick, Ben was tired, Paul was out) caused us to call the game this week. So those of you who bowed out, you didn't miss anything, and with any luck, we'll have a complete group next week to play the adventure I have written, called "Knight of the Silver Flame."

Eberron Adventure Journal: Whisper of the Vampire's Blade (5)

Sypheros 1 - Sypheros 2, YK 998

Part Six - Lucan's Last Stand

While the Wolves were healing and planning on how to take down Lucan, one of the House Orien crew came up to them and asked what had happened. Brand, not a fan of House Orien, brusquely told the man that they had tried to capture a vampire that had been on board, and that he had fled into the ziggurat in the distance, and they were headed to capture him. The crewman explained that he had to try and convince the elemental to take the train to Aruldusk, and wasn't easily swayed from this decision.

The Wolves gathered their things, which now included a bound and gagged Grilsha and a bound Arenydee, and headed over toward the ziggurat. They saw that there was a stagnant lake, about a quarter mile across, between them and the stairs leading up to the only door. They wanted to rest and recover their spellcasting and psionic capabilities, but it was the middle of the night, and they worried that Lucan might attack or, worse, escape.

After much discussion about building a raft, swimming across or trying to figure something else out, Tock walked out into the lake. He found that it was about 10 feet deep at its deepest point, and didn't have any creatures or threats in it. The Wolves cut down branches from nearby trees to use as flotation devices and formed a train of sorts, with Tock walking across the bottom and the others swimming along and simultaneously being pulled along behind him. When they arrived at the bottom of the stairs, they set Arenydee and Grilsha down and headed up the stairs.

The light from Tock's sunrod illuminated the interior room, a chamber made of polished gray marble with eight pillars that looked like octopus tentacles. It also illuminated the creature trying to hide at the back of the room, a cloaker, which immediately began an unnerving moan.

Whitehearth charged right in and snapped at the Cloaker, landing a solid blow, as Kanatash manifested psionic crossbow bolts. Tock charged as well, but missed and was engulfed and bitten by the Cloaker. This stopped the moaning, and Brand and Lysander moved in. The Cloaker avoided their attacks, but Lysander began an inspiring song, and Pel fired a magic missile that struck the Cloaker, but didn't cause it to loose Tock.

Whitehearth struck again, and the Cloaker released Tock and let loose a moan of fear that shook Whitehearth and sent Brand running outside into the water. Lysander quickly changed songs to counteract Whitehearth's fear, and the wolf, now angry, turned and bit the Cloaker again.

Kanatash, seeing the tide turning, tried to psionically attack the Cloaker, but it resisted his attack and changed to another moan, which caused Whitehearth and Pel to double over from stomach pain. Lysander charged the beast and swung his longsword into it, and Kanatash launched a bolt of electrical psionic energy, setting the Cloaker up for a killing stroke from Tock's armblade.

After this dangerous and draining battle, the Wolves decided to take a chance on resting inside this antechamber. Pel scouted the outside to look for other exits and didn't see any, and Lysander and Brand brought in Grilsha and Arenydee and tied them to one of the pillars, and then they all rested, with Brand and Whitehearth keeping watch. 8 hours later, they could see out the door that the sun had risen. They were refreshed, and unless Lucan had found a secret exit, he was now trapped inside the ziggurat.

Leaving the only sunlight in the ziggurat behind, the Wolves advanced up the stairs to a room Pel had scouted the night before. An altar hung in the center, suspended by heavy chains, and faded frescoes of demons adorned the walls. Pel searched the room for traps and found a lever on the back of the altar that would open a secret drawer. Before he pulled it, however, he noticed another mechanism, a trap that would activate a pit beneath the altar if the drawer was opened. Taking note of this room for possible strategic use later, the Wolves went upstairs to the next room.

The next room was formerly an animal sacrifice chamber, as evidenced by the large, stained stone table in the center of the room. Carved animal heads with emeralds for eyes adorned the walls, and next to the stone table stood one of the creatures that had performed the sacrifices eons ago, a Minotaur zombie that lifted its greataxe and charged.

Pel tried to turn the creature, but his spiritual powers were not enough. Fortunately, his roguish skills were intact, and he ducked under a mighty swing of the creature's greataxe. Lysander again launched into an inspiring song, but the Wolves were unable to enter the room, as the minotaur had now blocked easy access to everyone except Pel, who was already inside, and Tock, who stood at the door. Tock sliced a chunk out of the minotaur with his armblade, and Whitehearth and Brand decided to try and slip by. Whitehearth succeeded, but Brand was struck by the axe with a solid blow that sliced a gash down his back. However, he and Whitehearth both retaliated, doing only slight damage to the creature but tripping it and knocking it to the floor.

The beast resisted Kanatash's psionic attacks and shrugged off a glancing blow from Pel's scimitar as it pulled itself to its feet. This maneuver made it vulnerable, and Tock, Brand and Whitehearth managed to sneak in solid blows on the creature. Kanatash psionically convinced the creature it was still on the ground, causing it to try and stand up once more, and Pel, Brand and Whitehearth struck again, with the minotaur tripping and falling as a result.

The minotaur was now showing even more bone through its rotting flesh, but didn't show any signs of slowing down. It stood once more, and was struck again by Pel, Brand and Whitehearth. Lysander tumbled into the room as the minotaur swung its greataxe and slashed open Pel's chest. Rising from his tumble, Lysander swung his longsword into the beast and slashed away a great chunk of flesh from its midsection, revealing its spinal cord. The minotaur rose its greataxe to finish Pel off, and Pel swung his scimitar through the spinal cord, causing the zombie to drop, in two flopping halves, onto the floor, where it finally stopped moving.

In the wake of this battle with an undead creature, and with the battle with a vampire approaching, Tock infused his arm blade and Brand's shortsword with undead bane, while Lysander used the cure light wounds wand almost completely up healing the damage Pel and Brand had suffered during the combat.

Faced with stairways going up or down, the Wolves decided to descend. They emerged into a hall filled with statues of goblins and bugbears, and immediately feared they were facing a medusa, but were instead attacked by a pair of Gricks. The creatures shrugged off Pel's non-magical crossbow bolt and one of them bit Lysander deep in the shoulder as Tock slashed at the other one with his armblade. Kanatash ended the fight quickly with a bolt of electricity that destroyed both gricks utterly.

Continuing downward, the Wolves found themselves in a prayer chamber festooned with moldy tapestries and submerged in a foot of murky water. On the other side of the room was a large stone door with a crescent moon, and near the Wolves were a pair of kettle drums beating out a ceremonial rythym by means of a magically animted double mallet. Pel spotted a tentacle peeking out from one of the tapestries, and was able to warn the others as an Otyugh shuffled out into the water and charged.

Tock struck the creature, but was rewarded by a tentacle wrapping around him and squeezing. He broke free as the others moved in and dealt another vicious slash to the Otyugh. Pel blasted away with magic missiles as Brand slashed the thing with its shortsword and Lysander moved into position with his longsword. Whitehearth attacked, tripping the creature in a dirty, smelly splash of water, and Lysander moved in and finished it with a powerful stroke of his longsword.

Brand and Tock attempted to push open the crescent moon door, but found that it was heavy and quite stuck. While they tried to figure out what to do next, Pel searched and discovered a secret door leading to a vertical shaft heading upward. Lysander sang a song of inspiration as Brand ascended the shaft carrying a rope. At the top, about 100 feet up, he found a small ledge that he could stand on, and began pulling others up. He managed to pull Lysander up, and the two of them pulled Pel, and then they realized that there wasn't any more room.

Lysander pushed open the secret door next to the ledge and discovered a massive chamber, clearly located at the top of the ziggurat. The room was half-filled with sarcophagi beneath its 30-foot high vaulted ceiling. The other half of the room was filled by a 25-foot high bat-winged, ram-headed demon statue with a throne at its base. Lucan sat brooding on that throne, and he leaped to his feet as he sensed the door opening.

Lysander quickly turned invisible as Lucan ranted that he hadn't asked for any of this. "I didn't ask to become a vampire, I didn't ask to be enslaved by that thrice-damned blade... but I will die on my feet, or else be the death of all of you!"

Pel cast Protection from Evil on Brand as Lysander began moving invisibly toward the vampire. Brand drank a potion of cat's grace, and Lysander a potion of mage armor, as down below, Kanatash began levitating himself and Whitehearth up the shaft. As Lucan struck Brand with his fists, draining some of his life energy, Pel used his animate rope to tie the rope around the statue's legs, allowing Tock to begin his own climb up the shaft.

Brand swung his weapons and missed the agile vampire, but the invisible Lysander managed to blast him with a wand of cure light wounds. Lucan spun and backhanded Lysander's in response, draining some of his life energy as well. Lysander moved back and used his mage hand to draw the Soulblade from its sheath and bring it to his hand, where it immediately began to tempt him with promises of power. Brand took advantage of Lucan's surprise and anger at this maneuver to strike with both his rapier and his bane-infused shortsword, and the vampire's flesh sizzled and bled in response. Lysander, resisting the mental domination of the soulblade, drove it into the ground and left it there.

Pel drank his elixir of fire breath after failing to hide from undead with a scroll, and moved in towards Lucan as he ran 20' up the wall, away from further attack. Brand used his dragonmark to teleport next to Lucan and strike again with his weapons, landing on the floor. Lucan ran down the wall and struck Brand again angrily, but then Kanatash appeared at the secret door and launched a psionic fire missile which struck the wounded vampire and forced him into his gaseous form.

The gaseous cloud made its way toward the vertical shaft that Tock was still climbing, but Lysander used his dragonmark to create an image of a holy symbol in front of it, forcing Lucan to instead choose one of the sarcophagi in the room. He solidified, and the Wolves all closed in with their stakes, putting one into Lucan's heart to keep him immobilized. Their long journey was over. The soulblade was contained, and Lucan was captured.

XP: 2320

You die.

Randy equips +5 Wall of Text.
Randy attacks you.
Randy hits!
You die.

Eberron Adventure Journal: Whisper of the Vampire's Blade (4)

Rhaan 28 - Sypheros 1, YK 998

Part Five - Travel By Lightning Rail

The Wolves spent an hour or so investigating the fallen airships. They discovered no bodies that they believed to be Grilsha or Captain Rarwog, although in fairness plenty of the bodies were completely unrecognizable thanks to the spectacular crash. As they finished ransacking the wreckage, a patrol of soldiers, headed up by a Captain Vox, rode up to them out of Sterngate. They were shocked to learn that there had been any survivors, and the captain expressed an interest in hearing the Wolves' story of the attack and crash, but didn't seem suspicious of them. Lysander spun the tale, presenting them as humble travelers who had been onboard the Cloud's Destiny when it was attacked by the Emerald Claw. They had gotten aboard a skiff and escaped before the crash hit. He did not mention Lucan or the true identities of the Wolves.

When the Wolves got into Sterngate, they noticed that there was a lightning rail station, and that a train was currently docked there. Vox indicated that the train was heading north into Thrane in the morning, and given that there were no airship docks in town, the Wolves quickly deduced that this was the fastest way for Lucan to get north towards Karrnath. "Lucan will be aboard that train in the morning," Pel said with certainty.

With an overnight stay ahead of them and no easy way to find Lucan or Grilsha, the Wolves settled in to an inn and had meals and rest. Lysander performed for a small but appreciative crowd in the tavern part of the inn, and everyone took turns venturing into town to see if they could learn anything that might point to Lucan or his sister. They got only vague information, but it was enough to confirm their suspicions that Grilsha was alive, and that she and Lucan had made their way to town. They booked passage on the lightning rail to its next stop in Starilaskur, including a cargo cart passage for Whitehearth, who was put onboard overnight.

The next morning, when the Wolves went to board the train, they found that Lucan had left another surprise for them. Two dominated House Orien guards and a swarm of bats engaged the Wolves as the train began to power up to depart. The Wolves fought only briefly, quickly realizing it was to their advantage to avoid the fight and get onboard the train, which they did, with minor damage.

Once onboard, the Wolves went to work investigating. They were in a passenger coach with a family traveling to Thrane (evidenced by their Silver Flame medallions), a pair of gnomish businessman and an attractive elf woman. Brand and Kanatash headed back to the cargo coach to check on Whitehearth while Tock, Pel and Lysander moved forward to go to the lounge. The elven woman got up and said to the Orien steward that she wanted to go to the lounge as well. The steward unlocked the door allowing them access to the next coach, which also had a steward and a lock guarding it.

In the lounge car, the men found out that the woman's name was Yara, and that she was in "security" and a frequent traveler. The lounge was empty except for the Wolves and their new companion, save a bartender who offered them berry juice given the early hour. Lysander inquired about performing and put on an impressive performance, leading the bartender to hire him to perform at lunch and dinner in exchange for free food and drink. Lysander also played the rough draft of his chronicle in the making about the Wolves to an appreciate Yara. Yara insisted that Pel and Tock stay to hear the song as well, which seemed suspicious, but none of the men believed her to have an agenda, as she seemed just to be seeking attention and company.

Pel did test the security by moving into the next coach, but found himself blocked by a steward. He succeeded in getting into the next passenger coach by bluffing that he needed to use the nearest privy, but there was no one suspicious in the next cabin, and he was unable to easily investigate the private cabins or move much further into the train without arousing suspicion. Brand also informed them that the private coaches of House Orien contained a thin sheet of lead that would prevent Detect Undead and similar mystical means of locating Lucan. It seemed that they would have to bide their time and find the moment to unmask the vampire.

With direct investigation ruled out, Pel spent some time going through the papers he had discovered in Grilsha's room aboard the Cloud's Destiny. He found a half-finished scroll of dimension door as well as notes for her journal. The journal indicated that she knew that her brother had become a vampire, and had watched him murder and feed, but that he had told her he was seeking a cure for his condition in Karrnath. She was staying with him out of loyalty, and because she believed she could help her brother cure himself of his vampirism using the many necromantic secrets possessed by those in Karrnath.

When they arrived in Starilaskur, Kanatash mind-linked the Wolves, and they all went off, most of them following potential suspects who might be Lucan or Grilsha. None of these leads turned out to be anything, and the most successful three-hour layover was probably that of Lysander, who spent some time in a museum with the lovely Yara. She seemed to have a knowledge of sculpture and an appreciation of art, and had a bit of a kindred spirit with Lysander in many ways.

Three hours later, in the middle of the night as 28 Rhaan turned into 1 Sypheros, the train departed Starilaskur and began its long journey up into Vathirond, its last stop inside the borders of Breland. The Wolves mostly rested and slept on this leg of the journey, with Kanatash creating some psionic powerstones and Lysander spending his time getting to know Yara and entertaining passengers in the lounge car.

The stopover in Vathirond, taking place mid-morning on 1 Sypheros, saw most of the passengers disembark once more. No doubt the worshippers of the Silver Flame aboard went to find a local church celebrating the religious holiday of The Ascension, and others probably sought out a heartier breakfast than they could find aboard the train. Three hours later, the train headed out towards the city of Aruldusk, just inside the borders of Thrane.

As it turned out, the lightning rail was not going to make this destination. After about eight hours on the journey, well into the evening and well inside the borders of Thrane, there was an attack. Lysander was entertaining in the lounge, and Yara was there as she had been over the past two days. Brand was riding with Whitehearth in the cargo cart near the back, and the rest of the Wolves were relaxing and talking in their passenger cart.

Brand was the first to realize something was wrong, when the door to the cargo cart swung open and he saw a female identified warforged and four male warforged coming in. Tock had a clue as well, as he looked out the windows and saw a halfling fly by, mounted on a glidewing. Brand quickly retreated with Whitehearth back to the passenger cart, warning the others that the warforged were coming, and the battle was joined.

The warforged rushed into the cabin, one of them falling to the attacks of Brand, Whitehearth and Tock as he tried to bully his way through. The female, wielding a scimitar, called out "Weak flesh! Surrender the schema!" and then led her warforged in an attack. Kanatash's energy missile was loud enough to signal those in the lounge that something was going on, which is when Yara did something interesting. She moved forward, convinced the steward that they should all move away from the attack, and slipped into the next passenger cabin. Lysander, curious about her intentions, turned invisible and followed her.

As the warforged fell in battle to the Wolves, mostly doing little to no damage, Lysander watched Yara move up to the door of a private cabin and begin to pick the lock. She didn't get far, as the door opened and standing there was Lucan. "Arenydee," he said, surprised and clearly recognizing "Yara."

"Lucan, it's over," she replied. "Surrender." She drew her rapier and stepped back, bumping into Lysander. He whispered quietly who he was and that he was there to back her up. Seconds later, Grilsha, standing behind Lucan in the cabin, unleashed magic missiles that struck Arenydee.

The warforged were dispatched, save the leader, when Kanatash unleashed a powerful mind bolt that ripped through the female warforged. "Weak flesh, we will meet again" she growled, as she leaped over Whitehearth and off the train. The Wolves then began to wonder why Lysander hadn't come back to join them in the fight. They also wondered why the lightning rail had suddenly increased its speed.

Lysander had problems of his own, as he decided to throw his vial of holy water using the element of surprise, splashing Lucan and doing damage but also revealing his presence. Lucan responded by dominating Arenydee and setting her on Lysander.

The Wolves ran, one by one, through the lounge cart and into the passenger cart where the fight was taking place. While they were making the transition, the coach lurched to a sudden stop, throwing most of them to the ground or into the bulkheads.

Grilsha responded to these new attacks as she always had, by protecting her brother, firing off a Fly spell so that he could fly out of the cabin. Kanatash yelled after him that he believed Lucan was seeking a cure, and that they wanted to help him. "I know what your cure would be," he sneered and flew out of the train and into the wilderness. Before he fled, the Soul Blade launched a confusion effect that caught Lysander and Whitehearth.

Kanatash went outside onto the balcony and saw the halfling mercenaries flying away. He levitated over the train and saw Lucan, transformed into a dire wolf, running towards an ancient ziggurat in the distance. Then he went inside to help the others subdue Grilsha and Arenydee. Pel used his rope trick to entangle Grilsha, and though she tried to fool them by turning invisible, it didn't work, and Tock, Whitehearth (attacking in confusion), Brand and Kanatash managed to subdue both women, though not without some wounds to Brand and Whitehearth.

Curious as to what happened to stop the train, the Wolves moved forward and found the dead conductor along with the four Warforged who killed him. The Warforged moved to flee and the Wolves, realizing that they had a larger battle ahead, let them go.

Wounded and a little bit tired, the Wolves knew that their job wasn't done. They had to get to the ziggurat in the Thrane wilderness and track down Lucan once and for all.

XP: 1440

Eberron News

The following are "news items" from the world of Eberron, courtesy of the Wizards website. If I'm linking to them, you can assume that they have happened in our gameworld.

Currently, it is 2 Sypheros (an autumn month, equivalent to October) in our campaign.

*The Expeditionary Dispatch is two days away, by your characters' reckoning. This Dispatch and events surrounding the Expedition will be covered heavily in the Korranberg Chronicle. The Wayfinder Foundation sponsors two big expeditions each year, one in the fall and one in the spring, and they're always big deals.

*Nymm is a summer month, equivalent to July, and thus took place some months ago.

Expeditionary Dispatch 1: Zol, 4 Sypheros, 998 YK

Rivals Join Forces for Attainder Bill: Nymm 8, 998 YK

Upcoming Schedule - June/July

Here's the schedule as I see it for the rest of June and then July. Folks chime in if you need to schedule a weekend off, either by editing the post or commenting in the comments section. I'm estimating on how long it'll take to complete modules, it could wind up being a week earlier or later, but either way, it'll be the Eberron game.

June 16th - Eberron: Whisper of the Vampire's Blade (Everyone in)
June 23rd - Eberron: Whisper of the Vampire's Blade (Nate out)
June 30th - Game Off
July 7th - Eberron: Knight of the Silver Flame (Everyone in)
July 14th - Texas Hold'Em Game (regular gaming off)
July 21st - Randy at San Diego Con (gaming off)
July 28th - Eberron: Grasp of the Emerald Claw (Everyone in?)

More Kalashtar

Here's a good writeup on Kalashtar and their enemies. (I think it's just an excerpt from the book, but since I don't have that at work...)

Anyway, it got me thinking. Good ol' Ultaash might be more complex than I originally conceived.

The kalashtar are a compound race: incorporeal entities from the alien plane of Dal Quor, the Region of Dreams, merged with human bodies and spirits to form a distinct species.

Hmm. So I wonder, is it possible for the human spirit and the quori spirit to be in conflict? Is a Kalashtar ever "of two minds" about an issue... literally? I don't really want to play a pure lawful good character in this party, but there might be a lot of fun involved in having a lawful good quori spirit occupying a neutral evil (say) human host. On the other hand "schizophrenia" gets old quick. If we prefer a single-minded (hah!) character maybe I can switch to neutral good and not worry about it.

I didn't know during the last adventure that

Every kalashtar enters adulthood with a fundamental choice: try to live a normal life as a persecuted exile in Adar, or take up a more active role in combating the Inspired in the world.

which definitely puts a new spin on things.

Oh, and the name "Ultaa" came from an apparently legendary Kalashtari hero quoted in the book. Ultaash is fine. Though after reading this I kind of like Kanatash.

Also, I am prettier than you! :)

Ben

Eberron Adventure Journal: Whisper of the Vampire's Blade (3)

Rhaan 27, YK 998

Part Four - Sky Raiders of Eberron

With no time to lose, the Wandering Wolves rushed to Docking Berth 3, atop an 80-foot docking tower where the Cloud's Destiny, a Lyrandar airship, was about to take off. When they reached the berth, they found their way blocked by gnomish warriors, clearly dominated by Lucan into slowing their progress. The airship was in the process of casting off, and the crew showed no interest in the Wolves' shouted pleas to hold the ship.

Pel managed to sprint past the gnomes, leaping aboard the ship to begin arguing with the ship's hostile captain that he should hold the departure. In the meantime, the rest of the Wolves did battle with the gnomes. The gnomes were skilled warriors who had been given orders to delay, and they managed to hold the Wolves at bay long enough for the Cloud's Destiny to begin casting off.

Finally, William rushed past the gnomes that had not been killed, and was nearing the 5-foot jump between the docking berth and the airship. The last remaining gnome, in a desperation move, charged at William and, catching him at an off-guard moment, managed to hit him in the legs and push him off the platform. William reached his arms out and tried to catch the two other berths beneath, but his heavy armor and no doubt surprise at being caught so off-guard made him miss, and he instead impacted heavily and fatally on the ground below.

The gnome that killed William enjoyed his victory for less than a second, as Lysander put an arrow through his neck, killing him instantly. The rest of the gnomes were also dealt with fairly quickly, but not quick enough to stop the Cloud's Destiny, which was now at least a hundred feet away from the berth. The rest of the Wolves watched, their hearts sinking, as Lucan got away again, this time with Pel stranded on the same airship.

Mere moments later, another airship appeared at the berth. It was beaten up, with gouges along the hull and a broken shaft at the tip of the prow, and its faded paint identified it as the Jade Fury. It's captain, a roguish looking half-elf named Captain Rarwog, bid the characters to leap aboard. They did so, and were informed that the ambassador had experienced a change of heart and engaged Rarwog's services to help them if they were unable to catch the Cloud's Destiny.

Though the Jade Fury had moved in quickly, the Cloud's Destiny was faster and had gotten a head start. It took a little over a day for the Wolves to catch up with their comrade aboard the Cloud's Destiny.

During that time, Pel shapechanged and changed clothes and did some investigation aboard the Cloud's Destiny, looking for Lucan or his sister. He disguised himself as a cook during the breakfast and tried to lure passengers out of their cabins to identify Grilsha or Lucan if he could. He also checked the storage lockers, discovering that one was an extradimensional space similar to a bag of holding, but despite casting a Detect Undead spell, was unable to locate Lucan or Grilsha. During an evening meal, he did encounter a Kalashtar named Kanatash. The two men bonded quickly, and Pel decided to engage the psion's help in his quest for Lucan.

Meanwhile, aboard the Jade Fury, the Wolves mostly kept to their cabins. They did have a visit from Rarwog, who exchanged stories and tales about Xen'drik and recognized the Wolves (or so he said) from their story in the Korranberg Chronicle. Brand offered up some vague stories, but he still managed to let a few details slip to the curious Rarwog. As it would turn out later, Rarwog's curiosity was anything but academic.

It was late at night when the Jade Fury came upon the Cloud's Destiny. A human crewman that the Wolves hadn't seen before knocked on their door and bade them to follow. He took them to an air skiff, which he and another crewman piloted, floating down towards the unsuspecting Cloud's Destiny below.

About this time is when all hell broke loose. One of the Wolves chanced to look up and saw hatches open in the hull of the Jade Fury, disgorging four skiffs filled with Emerald Claw soldiers. Brand noticed that the two crewman were piloting their skiff away from the Cloud's Destiny, not toward it. He rushed up and landed two serious blows on the crewman, and Lysander finished one of them off while Tock menaced the other with his arm blade. "Take us to the Cloud's Destiny," he ordered. The fanatical Emerald Claw soldier offered up a "Take yourself" before leaping off the skiff to his death.

Aboard the Cloud's Destiny, one of the crew members spotted the incoming skiffs and sounded the alarm. The captain declared battle stations, and told passengers to get below decks. Pel and Kanatash ignored these orders and headed up instead. Meanwhile, Brand managed to figure out how to pilot the skiff, and headed it back toward the Cloud's Destiny.

The battle was joined, with archers on one skiff firing onto the deck as the other three skiffs landed and provided a staging platform for about twenty Emerald Claw soldiers. The half-elf captain and his crew fought bravely, but they were no match for the soldiers, and most of them perished during the fight.

Fortunately, the Wandering Wolves were well-equipped and prepared to handle the Emerald Claw. Kanatash unleashed psychic missiles of electricity that blasted through groups of them, Tock tested his new arm blade in battle and Brand took up the slack in the warrior role recently vacated by William. Pel and Lysander, meanwhile, used potions of invisibility to move around and follow the Emerald Claw as they rushed below decks and began bashing open lockers, looking for something... or someone.

Pel was back on the deck, with Lysander still below, when Lucan emerged from his hiding place in the extradimensional locker and misted up onto the deck. He took one look at what was going on and, enduring a psychic attack from Kanatash, transformed into mist once again and floated away from the ship.

As it turned out, Lucan's departure was none too soon. None of the Wolves had looked up and noticed until it was too late, but the captain of the Jade Fury had seen that his forces were losing and launched a desperation gambit. The Jade Fury crashed into Cloud's Destiny, wood buckling and metal screaming as the ships collided and became one. The air and fire elementals powering the ship loosed themselves and began warring amidst the falling wreckage.

With no time to lose, Brand and the rest of the Wolves on deck jumped into a skiff and took off. They waited as long as they could for Lysander, but they were unable to hold out and had to take off without him. They floated off away from the spectacular crash, and then went back to land, expecting to find the corpse of another friend.

Instead, Lysander emerged, having taken refuge in the extradimensional locker during the crash. The Wolves being mercenaries at heart, they took the time to search the locker for a few bits of treasure and then looked off at the distance to the Brelish fortress town of Sterngate. Clearly, this was their next destination.

XP: 800

Eberron Character: Kanatash

Name: Kanatash
Race: Kalashtar
Class: Psion 7
Experience: 21097
Alignment: Lawful Good
Religion: Path of Light
Homeland: Adar
Age: 34 Height: 6'0" Weight: 165 lbs.

Statistics: STR 13, DEX 14, CON 16, INT 17, WIS 14, CHA 14, BAB +3, Fort +2 (+6), Ref +2 (+5), Will +5 (+8), Init +2 (+2), AC 14 (+2 Dex, +1 armor, +1 deflection), HP 44

Skills: Autohypnosis +10 (+14), Concentration +10 (+13), Knowledge (Psionics) +6 (+11), Knowledge (Geography) +5 (+8), Knowledge (History) +5 (+8), Knowledge (The Planes) +2 (+5), Psicraft +10 (+15)

Psionic Power Points: 63

Psionic Powers (Psychokinesis): 1 - Bolt, Control Object, Deja Vu, Force Screen, Mind Thrust; 2 - Concussion Blast, Energy Missile, Levitate (Psionic), Recall Agony; 3 - Danger Sense, Dispel Psionics, Energy Wall, Time Hop

Racial Abilities: +2 on saving throws vs. mind-affecting spells & abilities and possession, +2 on Bluff, Diplomacy and Intimidate, +2 on Disguise checks to impersonate a human, immune to dream/nightmare spells, naturally psionic, mindlink 1/day
Weapons/Attacks: +5 (1d6+1, Masterwork Quarterstaff), +6 (1d8, Masterwork Light Crossbow w/50 bolts)

Equipment:

(1) Potion of Cure Light Wounds, Dorje of Vigor (48 charges), Dorje of Energy Ray (47 charges), +1 bracers of armor, +1 ring of protection, backpack, 2 weeks trail rations, waterskin, dagger, 50' silk rope, 1450 gp, pouch of gems worth 2500 gp

Feats: Overchannel, Psionic Meditation, Speed of Thought, Imprint Stone, Psychic Rush
Proficiencies: Club, dagger, heavy crossbow, light crossbow, quarterstaff, shortspear
Languages: Common, Draconic, Gnomish, Quor, Riedran

History: Very little is yet known of the Kalashtar known as Kanatash. He met Pel aboard the Cloud's Destiny, and decided to join the Wandering Wolves in their pursuit of Lucan and the Soul Blade.

Not Appearing in This Picture

Well, June 2 is my 17th anniversary so.....

Needless to say, I will be with my lovely wife. Next time, I hope.

Game Off This Week - Sorry!

My brother-in-law and sister are going to be in town this weekend, and I never get to see them. So we're going to eat at Chuy's with the family and then go out to see X3 on Friday night. Anyone who would like to join us for X3 is welcome, drop me an email and I'll give you the time, we'll probably see it at Gateway.

Sorry for the late notice, but I was in Arkansas this weekend for my grandfather's funeral and just got back (and had a free moment) this morning.

Hey, cool.

Sounds like I had an eventful night! Wish I remembered it!

Is just Paul going to be out this weekend? I may need to be out of town again.



Paul here. Actually, I'll be in this Friday. The new schedule should work for me with the exception of June 9 as I will be heading up to Dallas for A-Kon.

Eberron Adventure Journal: "Whisper of the Vampire's Blade" (2)

Rhaan 23 - Rhaan 27, YK 998

Part Three - Trolanport Masquerade

The Wandering Wolves slowed and stopped, letting Lucan's carriage ride ahead so they could plan. After some debate, they decided that their best course of action would be for Pel to disguise himself as an orc and ride ahead, and they would pursue, getting ahead of the carriage so they could cut it off.

With that decided, they were back on the road. Pel rode ahead, spurring his magebred horse to run, and as he passed, he saw that the driver was a human woman with harsh features and long red hair. She glanced at him with disgust as he passed. Then she turned and saw the other riders, and began spurring the horses to drive the coach faster. Brand and William rode up ahead, both trying to force the horses and carriages off the road. Brand was unable to get into position, but he helped provide cover so that William could, and the carriage came to a stop in the King's Forest alongside the road.

The driver cast a mage armor spell on herself and then loosed a fireball, hitting all of the Wolves and their horses, save for Tock. The Wolves responded with arrows and crossbow bolts, infused with magic by Tock, and Lysander managed to wound the woman. Then, from the woods, the Wolves heard the howling of a pack of wolves, and Brand surmised that there were about a dozen, close, and that they were on the hunt. The Wolves quickly guessed that the vampire had summoned them.

As William advanced on the driver and tried to climb up, hindered somewhat by his heavy plate armor, she used a wand to cast darkness over the area. Tock countered it with the Everbright Lantern from Heward's Handy Haversack, and William climbed up, but the woman cast a spell and vanished. William swung his sword, but didn't hit anything where she had been. The wolves emerged from the forest, and Brand and Lysander used entangle and sleep spells to keep a number of them at bay, while William, Tock and Pel defended themselves from the wolves that broke through. After about six of the wolves had been killed or incapacitated, the others fled into the woods.

After Pel used a flask of alchemical fire to set the driver's position and the coach on fire, Lysander used his mage hand to open the coach door, revealing an open (and empty) coffin within. Pel jumped in and did a cursory search, finding nothing of note, and Brand did another search after Pel had finished, confirming that there was nothing in the burning carriage. The Wolves took the horses from the carriage with them and rested that night off the road, healing from the damage they had suffered from battling the sorceress and the wolves.

Four days later, on 27 Rhaan, the Wolves rode into Trolanport, the coastal capital city of Zilargo. While most of them went and secured lodging at a House Ghallanda inn called the Traveler's Rest, Pel went to the shrine of the Traveler in town and met with a gnomish cleric there. He told them of the vestments he had found, and was informed that Brother Markos from Sharn had been on his way to Trolanport, and they figured out that the vestments, scroll and other items had probably come from him. The cleric expressed to Pel that it had been the Traveler's will that he find the ogres and avenge Markos, and then spent some time instructing him in holy rites of the Traveler. Pel gave a tithe of 30 gold.

Pel changed identities again so that he could sell the draft horses from Lucan's carriage and the jewelry they had found in the ogres' cave. He gave some of the gold to William and asked if he could buy a magical scimitar, the weapon of his god, and gave the rest to Tock to put into the Haversack and buy himself an Arm Blade.

While William and Tock shopped, Pel, Brand and Lysander went out seeking information. Brand bought some fine maps from the expert cartographers in Trolanport and ran afoul of a pair of Sahuagin rogues, which with the help of Whitehearth he managed to drive off back into the watery canals. The Trolanport watch asked if he was ok, and wound up giving him a card if he wanted to check in with the local watch and help deal with the Sahuagin problem.

As he was buying clothes for disguises, Pel saw that many of the gnomish tailors were crafting masquerade costumes. He asked about it, and was told that there was a Masquerade Ball at the Aundarian embassy that night, and that many of the nobles in town were attending. The tailor told him that probably every tailor on the row was full of costumes for the masquerade, which was a big social event.

Lysander, independently asking around, managed to get even further information on the Masquerade, talking to an elven bard who was playing in the band that night. He found out that it was invitation only, and that there was an Aundarian diplomat named Neya ir'Krell at the party, and that was probably the "krell" that Lucan had mentioned in his notes. Lysander inquired about playing at the party, and the bard told him that he couldn't get him in, but if he got in on his own, the band leader might be open to letting Lysander sit in on a set or two.

With all of this information at hand, the Wolves met back up at Traveler's Rest and began to formulate plans. Pel scouted the area and discovered that no one was wearing armor or carrying weapons. Brand and Lysander used a charm spell to take the costume and invitation from one noble, discovering that the invitations were anonymous rather than specific. Pel then used the Karrnathi paper and ink from the Haversack to forge four more invitations, while Lysander and Brand went out and purchased costumes from gnomish tailors for everyone. They then stuffed all of their weapons into the Haversack.

Properly attired and carrying forged invitations, the Wolves approached the gnomish guards. They scrutinized the invitations, dropped them in the box at their feet, and let the Wolves into the party. One guard noticed Pel's wand of magic missiles, which he had tried to conceal on his person, but Pel managed to convince him it was "medicinal" and got in anyway.

The party was lavish and enormous, with about four dozen guests, food and drink, music and costumes everywhere. Lysander went over to join the band, while the rest of the Wolves circulated, looking for either Neya or Lucan. Lysander managed to charm his way into the band, but unfortunately he was out of practice with his instrument and gave a dreadful performance, quietly slinking back into the crowds afterwards. Brand eavesdropped, but heard nothing of note in the crowds. Pel, however, talked to one of the nobles and got a description of Neya's costume, which he used to locate Neya. He saw her speaking with another woman, who then went over to ask a man to dance.

The man, whom Tock had spotted moments before, was Lucan, wearing a costume and another disguise underneath it. The woman went to dance with him, and Tock went to the other Wolves to warn them that he had spotted their vampire. Meanwhile, Pel sidled up to Neya and engaged her in small talk, each of them trying to ferret out what the other knew about the situation. After a few minutes of small talk and maneuvering, the woman dancing with Lucan tried to cast a spell and then recoiled. Lucan, enraged, summoned the Soul Blade from his Glove of Storing and attacked!

Pandemonium erupted in the crowded ballroom as forty-some guests tried to flood out the doors, overwhelming the gnomish guards. On the dance floor, a melee erupted, as two monks in costumes rushed to the aid of the woman battling Lucan, Lucan's female sorcerer emerged from the crowd and the Wolves made their way toward Lucan as well.

The Soul Blade cast a confusion effect over the area around Lucan, affecting Brand. Brand was defenseless as the sorceress used a scroll to fire a lightning bolt into him, his previous dance partner and William. In his confused state, he charged the sorceress with his dagger, wounding her, while William pulled his greatsword from the Haversack to engage Lucan. The monks, meanwhile, found their attacks ineffective on Lucan and grabbed him, but another confusion effect from the sword forced them to release and attack their boss, knocking her out cold.

William engaged in battle with Lucan, and Lucan struck a couple of deadly blows with the Soul Blade, avoiding William's counter-attacks. Lysander rushed to aid Brand, Tock closed in to help against Lucan, and Pel used his animate rope to entangle Lucan. Lucan and his ally decided to flee. The woman used a dimension door scroll to teleport away, and Lucan turned into a gaseous cloud to escape. Lysander used his dragonmark to make the ceiling appear covered with a holy symbol of the Sovereign Host, and Lucan diverted out the cracks of the walls and into the night.

With the battle ended, Neya dismissed the guards and told the Wolves to come with her. Neya informed them that the woman aiding Lucan was his sister, Grilsha, and that Neya had dealt with Lucan many times in the past, always as a friend. The Wolves confirmed what she had suspected when she sent Meena, the sorceress, to investigate, that Lucan was now a vampire. Neya confessed that she had given Lucan, a longtime friend, traveling papers, a letter of credit and a password to get onboard an airship headed to Karrnath that evening. She encouraged the Wolves to hurry, giving them the password and a hastily scribbled letter, marked with her signet ring, to give to the captain of the ship.

XP: 1240

Upcoming Schedule (June)

Here's the schedule for June. Folks chime in if you need to schedule a weekend off, either by editing the post or commenting in the comments section. I'm estimating on how long it'll take to complete modules, it could wind up being a week or two earlier or later, but either way, it'll be the Eberron game.

June 2nd - Eberron: Whisper of the Vampire's Blade (Jason out)
June 9th - Nate, Paul out - Game off (Texas Hold'Em at Randy's at 8 PM)
June 16th - Eberron: Whisper of the Vampire's Blade (Everyone in)
June 23rd - Eberron: Whisper of the Vampire's Blade (Nate out)
June 30th - Eberron: Whisper of the Vampire's Blade (Paul out)

Out tonight

Tired, cranky. Out tonight. Kill a vampire (sorry, Vampyr!) for me.

Love,
Ben

Vampiric Lore by Deanas Harwain

This is a relevant passage from the book that Pel procured from the Morgrave University Library:

On Battling Vampyr:
Those of a vampiric nature are a deadly foe, capable of much worse than simply killing you. Make even the slightest misstep and you'll find yourself their unwilling servant, perhaps even beyond your own death and into an eternity of undead servitude.

Best to avoid, then, direct conflict with vampyr. If one is threatened or cornered, however, the following information and tactics may save your life.

Do not ever get in close to a vampyr, if you can avoid it. They can dominate your will with a gaze, drain your life energy with a touch or suck your blood and vitality with a bite. They are immune to weapons that would kill most men, vulnerable only to sorcery and silver, and quick to heal even wounds caused by blade and bow created from such.

The vampyr have a special relationship with the beasts, able to call upon rats, wolves or bats or even to transform themselves into said beasts. Also will they take the form of mist, slipping unseen into unprotected rooms. They cannot go where they are not invited, although most vampyr are subtle and skilled at gaining invitation. Also they cannot cross running water without help, nor can they abide the sight of a mirror or a symbol of faith. The touch of sun to their skin is also anathema, and will destroy them quickly and finally.

Beyond sunlight, the only way to destroy a vampire is to plunge a wooden stake into its heart. However, if the stake is ever removed, the vampire will awaken as if nothing had happened.

Eberron Travel Journal: Zilargo

The newest port of call for the Wandering Wolves is Trolanport, the capital city of the gnomish province of Zilargo. Zilargo is 60% gnomes, 16% humans, 11% dwarves, 7% kobolds and 6% other races. It's major exports are alchemical goods, education, entertainment, maps, precious stones and ships. The gnomes of Khorvaire have lived there for thousands of years. Zilargo is just to the southeast of Breland, between the Howling Peaks and the Seawall Mountains. During the Last War, Zilargo spent part of the conflict as a neutral observer before aligning with Breland in 962 YK. From that point on, the gnomes provided intelligence and elemental-bound weapons to Breland while avoiding more combat. As a result, Zilargo emerged from the Last War stronger than ever, and Breland owes the gnomes a debt for the services they rendered.

House Sivis was born in Zilargo, and the city of Korranberg is still the seat of its power. Sivis acts as a clearinghouse for gnome translators, mediators and purveyors of similar services. Other notable locales in Zilargo include The Library of Korranberg, the greatest repository of general knowledge in Khorvaire, and the home of The Korranberg Chronicle, the most widely distributed and read periodical in the Five Nations. Zilargo is a peaceful nation with a pleasant climate, mild wildlife and very few bandits or other threats to travelers. The gnomish population is generally friendly, helpful and very outgoing, often seeming genuinely interested in talking with strangers. The Triumvirate rules Zilargo fairly but firmly, and deals with threats to the community more with subterfuge than force.

Trolanport is the capital city, with a population of 27,500. This coastal capital has crisscrossing canals and flooded streets and serves as the center of the gnome shipbuilding industry and the nexus for trade of all sorts. The gnomes of Trolanport are among the greatest shipwrights and cartographers of Khorvaire, and even Lhazaar Princes travel there to commission gnome-made vessels. House Kundarak, House Sivis and House Cannith have major outposts here, and all of the dragonmarked houses are represented.

Eberron Adventure Journal: "Whisper of the Vampire's Blade"

Rhaan 21 - Rhaan 22, YK 998

Part One - Job Offer:
During their downtime, the Wandering Wolves had been busy, both with personal business and with the growing duties and privileges of their adventuring band. Pel had adopted the identity of Gareth and hired a clerk to run a shop in the North Market called Gareth's Gear, mostly devoted to selling off the spoils of their adventures. They purchased or upgraded some of their own personal gear, and Tock toiled away in his workshop to create some potions and an amulet of natural armor for the group. They had even been interviewed for a feature in the Korranberg Chronicle. In addition, they had decided to join the Clifftop Adventuring Guild.

It was while relaxing in the guild hall in Upper Dura that they were approached by their latest employer. Early in the day on 11 Rhaan, a courier dressed in the blue and silver livery of House Orien delivered a package addressed to the Wandering Wolves. Inside the package were 5 platinum coins and a note that read "These coins have many friends that would like to meet you. Come to the northeast stairs of Myriad Tower, upper city, at noon. Bring travel gear and those you trust. Also bring your sense of urgency and knack for discretion. Give this parchment to the guard near the stairs, and he will let you ascend." The note was signed with a "V" and the black silhouette of a stylized lantern, which Pel recognized as the symbol of the King's Dark Lanterns.

After finishing their breakfast and gathering their gear, the Wandering Wolves made their way through the rainy streets of Sharn to Myriad Tower. The stairs were blocked by a heavy iron gate, but there was no guard in sight. There was, however, a beggar with a clay bowl. Pel moved in closer and dropped a silver coin in his bowl, only to be greeted by a gruff, very un-beggar-like "Wrong key." Pel quickly worked out what was going on and dropped in the letter from "V." He also hastily snatched his silver piece back, and the "beggar" grinned as he nodded and said "Go up." With that, the iron gate swung open of its own accord, allowing the Wolves access to the stairway within.

As they ascended, the Wolves noticed that it was growing warmer. When they reached the top, they found the reason, as the top of Myriad Tower was an immense greenhouse with a glass ceiling and jungle foliage throughout. Sitting at a bench in front of the man-made jungle was an old man, arranging orchids at a wooden table. "I am Viorr Maelak," he said in a whispery voice. "Welcome to my little piece of the wild."

"I have a job for you," Maelak continued. "One that will make you quite rich." He began placing potion vials on the table as he spoke. "But if you'll indulge me, there's a bit of an audition first. There's a wild ape in my greenhouse. I'd like you to defeat it without killing it. Unconscious is fine, bleeding is fine, magically subdued is fine. Just don't kill it. These are healing potions. Use them however you like. Oh, and do be careful. The ape is carnivorous and quite hungry."

The Wolves, especially William, were not happy about this proposition, and thought Viorr was obviously mad, but they decided to play along. Brand and Lysander decided that the best way to handle the ape would be to use a combination of song and wild empathy, and they made their way carefully into the greenhouse. They spotted the ape lurking in a tree, waiting for an opportunity to pounce, and Lysander began his song. The ape became fascinated, staring in wonder at the bard. Brand then moved in to try and calm the beast, and almost succeeded, but unfortunately, it instead reacted to his presence with anger and fear, breaking Lysander's spell and attacking.

The ape mauled several of the Wolves during the fight, but eventually a combination of attacks brought it down, bloody but alive. Viorr was pleased with their efforts, and he made his way back to his table, and to a leather satchel placed on a chair near it. As he rummaged through, he explained himself to the Wolves, starting with his reply to their angry questions about why they had to fight an ape.

Viorr explained that he worked for the King's Dark Lanterns, and that a rogue agent named Lucan Stellos had disappeared two days ago, taking with him a powerful magic sword called the Soul Blade from a secure vault. He had been spotted leaving Sharn by the east road, and Viorr wanted Lucan back alive, and was willing to pay 2,000 gp each if the Wolves could accomplish that, plus 500 gp each if they also returned the evil blade. He offered a reduced reward if they were forced to return Lucan's body. He also revealed that Lucan had acquired some sort of abilities that he hadn't previously possessed.

After the Wolves deciphered the clues and realized that Lucan had most likely become a vampire, Viorr laid out the rest of their mission for them. He gave them a portrait of Lucan and of the coach that he had been spotted traveling in. He laid out Lucan's abilities as a trained warrior and spy, plus his supernatural abilities of persuasion, wall-walking and limited invulnerability. He gave them ID papers that identified them as working for the King of Breland, and arranged for them to have magebred horses from House Vadalis at the east gate of the city. Finally, he provided them with a letter of credit from House Kundarak that they could use to draw advances from their salary, although he cautioned them from using it frivolously.

"We don't know what Lucan's intentions are, but we do have a clue based on a search of his living quarters. Based on some notes he made - notes he thought he destroyed - we know he's going to Trolanport, in Zilargo. The only other word we were able to salvage from the notes was 'krell.' We have no idea who or what a krell is."

The Wolves wanted to prepare for their battle against a vampire, but didn't have a lot of time, since Lucan had a head start of several hours on them. Viorr agreed to send them information on vampires from his agents via the Sivis message station in Trolanport, and Pel grabbed an old book on vampires from the library at Morgrave before the Wolves mounted their horses and headed out.

Part Two - The Road to Trolanport

Once on the road, the Wolves rode fast and straight toward their destination, hoping to pick up Lucan's trail when they got a little closer. About three hours outside of Sharn, they were riding down the road, which bordered the King's Forest, they heard a rustling from the trees, and were confronted by three centaur bandits, wielding longbows and demanding their gold. Predictably, William charged instead.

The fight was joined almost instantly by another centaur, the leader of the band, who leaped out into the melee. It was a very near battle, as the centaurs managed to grievously wound Pel, Tock and Brand. In fact, Pel was very near death, and had an encounter with the god he worshipped, the Traveler, who told him to go back, that he had a purpose and that he should listen for the words of the Traveler in all things.

Things became even more dire when William killed the leader, prompting an angry "They killed Ruarch!" from the remaining two centaurs. The centaurs closed on the dragonmarked warrior, and he managed to swing a deadly blow that felled the uninjured one in one shot. This gave the last centaur pause, and he fled into the woods. Lysander used his wand of cure light wounds and bardic spells to rouse Brand, Pel and Tock. Tock used his own abilities to repair the rest of his damage.

Brand lead the Wolves to the lair of the centaurs, where they found the loot they had been storing from previous raids. This loot included money, some art objects and a dented suit of full plate that William claimed immediately.

Battered and weary, the Wolves rode for few more hours until dusk, when they reached a roadside tavern bearing the seal of approval of House Ghallanda, a place called The Rusty Horseshoe. They paid five silver for a stay and basic food, and took time to rest and get up to full health. During the night, Brand's wolf, who he had named Whitehearth, emerged from the forest and snuck into their room, affirming his bond with his new master. In the morning, the Wolves once again mounted up and headed back out onto the road.

After traveling most of the day, they encountered three ogres crossing the road ahead. Anticipating a charge from William, Tock dismounted and fired his crossbow into the shoulder of one of the ogres, drawing a surprised and angry cry. The Wolves engaged the ogres in battle, making short work of two of them and forcing the last, deeply wounded from about four arrows and crossbow bolts, to flee into the forest. He got about sixty feet away when Brand retrieved his bow from the ground and managed to kill it with one final arrow.

Once again, Brand led the Wolves to the lair of the beasts, and Pel discovered that perhaps there had been a reason for this encounter. In addition to a massive amount of silver, they found the possessions of someone who had obviously been a cleric of the Traveler. He had fine jewelry, a couple of potions, a divine scroll and fine vestments of the Traveler. Pel picked up the vestments as part of his new role, and realized that perhaps the Traveler had already guided him, leading him to avenge the death of one of his followers.

The rest of the journey was fairly uneventful, until the evening of the twelfth day, when the Wolves crested a low rise to spot Lucan's black coach on the road ahead.

XP: 880

Game Notes

A few notes regarding last session:

1. Nate, Tock has levelled up... so we'll need to do his levelling up before we start next session. Maybe you could come early, around 6:30 or so, instead of 7?

2. Paul... I looked at the Animal Lord prestige class in Complete Adventurer, and it looks passable. My inclination was (and still largely is) to keep all of the prestige classes from the Complete series out, but if you do decide you want to pursue the Animal Lord class, I will allow it. The wolflord seems like something that would fit the character and the group.

3. I've updated William, Pel and Lysander with the info from the latest adventure. Paul, you'll need to update Brand (make sure and note his signet ring and magebred horse amongst his possessions).

Party Treasure

Last updated: December 7, 2007

Unless otherwise noted, party treasure is considered to be in the Heward's Handy Haversack, which is currently in the possession of Pel.

GOLD - 135

MAGICAL ITEMS
Cloak of Arachnida
Scroll of Energy Immunity-Fire
Scroll of Create Undead (11th)
Scroll of Teleportation Circle (17th)

ALCHEMICAL ITEMS
(6) Sunrods (6 lbs.)

OTHER ITEMS (IN HAVERSACK)
Daern's Instant Tent
Everbright lantern (3 lbs.)
(8 charges) Healer's Kit (1 lb.)
Hunter's Kit (5 lbs.)
200' Silk Rope (20 lbs.)
(5) torches (5 lbs.)
(1) grappling hook (4 lbs.)
Map Case (contains detailed map of Trolanport, detailed map of Zilargo, map of Darguun, map of the Demon Wastes and maps of Xen'drik) (1/2 lb.)
Quills & (20) vials of ink
(110) sheets of paper
Flint & Steel
Sealing Wax

OTHER ITEMS (STORED IN BAG OF HOLDING)
(5) bedrolls (25 lbs.)
(5) waterskins (20 lbs.)
(12) pitons (6 lbs.)
(1) hammer (2 lbs.)
(2) tents (40 lbs.)
(5) Masquerade costumes (100 gp quality) (20 lbs.)
(5) Emerald Claw disguises (with ID papers)
(60) Arrows

GROUP OWNERSHIP
Membership in Clifftop Adventuring Guild (998 YK)

Whilst perusing online imagery I came across this ring:



I believe our characters should acquire some similar ones.

Roughly Three Weeks Have Passed...

Barrakas 14 - Rhaan 10, YK 998

Since the end of your journey into Whitehearth. The journey back to Sharn aboard the elemental galleon Windrider took four days. During this time, you served as escorts and bodyguards to Lady Elaydren. William stepped up his flirtation with Elaydren, but learned that she is promised to someone within Cannith South, a political marriage to strengthen ties within the branches of the house, and could only politely refuse his advances. However, she did invite everyone to House Cannith's Boldrei's Feast celebration on 9 Rhaan, after you returned to Sharn. The journey was uneventful, and you arrived safe and sound in Sharn on 18 Barrakas. (Barrakas is equivalent to late summer, August, and Rhaan the beginnings of autumn, or September).

Brand and William spent a couple of days selling Talaen Kara, aggravating the Valenar delegation in Sharn with their haggling. Tock set immediately to work on more items, since he had 18 days to work before the Boldrei's Feast celebration. (Nate, this means you have 20 days worth of work time before the next adventure, because you'll have a couple of days after the celebration as well. You can have 21 if you skip the feast and celebration, although I can't see your character missing the chance to rub elbows with House Cannith).

Group Decisions - Shortly after your return, William was approached by Dastok, a gnome who writes for the Korranberg Chronicle. He asked to do a profile on the Wandering Wolves and their adventures in Rose Quarry and the Mournland, especially insofar as your run-ins with the Emerald Claw. There's no money for doing such a profile, but the piece would grant you an increased profile. Of course, it also might get read by William's mother, unless he uses a pseudonym.

I don't remember exactly how much gold you have, and I need to see the party treasure list to be exactly sure. But I know you made a lot of gold selling off equipment, and you were given 3000 gp by Lady Elaydren for your services. You'll probably want to spend a lot of that on magical items, I know. If you were serious about Ben's suggestion to open a shop in order to sell your adventuring spoils, however, you might consider investing in that. An average shop, which is the minimum you'd need to sell the kind of equipment you're trying to, would cost 4000 gp to set up. If you do decide to set up a shop, I'll make a d20 roll at the beginning and end of each adventurer to see how the shop is doing. On a 1, you guys lost money, and need to chip in 50 gp to keep the store up and running. On a 2-9, you broke even. On a 10-19, you made (after costs of labor, inventory, etc.) 50 gp. On a 20, you had a fantastic month, and made 250 gp. Perhaps most importantly, I'll give you 3/4 of the value of all items you sell instead of 1/2. Not full value, because I want to represent unsold inventory, etc., but 3/4. I might occasionally give you full value on particularly unique or cool items, I'll reserve judgement on that.

Whether you get a shop or not, you guys should consider where your characters spend their downtime, and if they want some kind of base of operations. This could be a tavern, but you might also consider joining one of the two adventuring guilds in Sharn. It's 13 gp annually to join Clifftop, and 12 gp to join Deathsgate (total for the group, not per character). This provides some benefits, including a +2 on Knowledge (Dungeoneering) checks concerning Xen'drik at the guildhouse, cheap and safe lodgings, storage in the voluminous vaults at the guildhall (free for a week, 5 gp/week beyond that), references for trustworthy hirelings and a general sharing of information to help find jobs or expeditions. It would also help your reputation to be affiliated with one of the guilds. Deathsgate is closer to your usual tavern, university and Sivis message station haunts, being in Middle Tavick's Landing, but Clifftop is the more reputable guild. Clifftop tends to attract more good-aligned adventurers, while Deathsgate is the home of those with a more neutral or evil bent. You all tend more toward the neutral, but affiliating yourself with Deathsgate could lend your band a bit of a sinister reputation is you're not careful. However, you might find many of the guild members of Clifftop insufferable in their more good-aligned personalities. Up to you.

William - After his service to Lady Elaydren, he was recommended for personal security to a number of people within the House and its allies. If William would like, he can hire out as a bodyguard to various members of House Cannith and other wealthy members of society in the ensuing weeks. He has to ensure that these duties don't conflict with his job at Morgrave, which means he can only work about five of the 18 days available... but if he takes on the bodyguarding assignments, he makes 8 gp per day, after paying his dues back to House Deneith.

Brand - Brand took a trip out to the Eldeen Reaches to see his mother, find out if Rorsa and her pack had settled in and get his birthday gift. The trip would take about two and a half days each way on horseback (Light Magebred Horse), which I presume is how Brand would want to travel to avoid attention from House Orien. This means you'll need to lay out 150 gp for a magebred horse. Alternatively, you can manage 7 days each way if you ride on an Orien caravan, and that'll cost only 11 gp each way.

When Brand arrived, he found Rorsa and her pack waiting for him. It had taken them 5 days to get to the Eldeen Reaches, and they had struggled some in the Mournland, battling some of the magical abominations in that cursed land as well as getting lost in the dead-gray mist that surrounds it. They had lost three members of the pack on the way out, bringing her pack down to five wolves. However, they were very grateful to Brand for his help, and very much liked the Eldeen Reaches as their new home.

The gift for Brand was something that had been delivered by an adventuring shifter druid/ranger named Url Cornaway, ostensibly from Brand's father. There was a handwritten note that said "I heard you liked maps. This is a present for your next birthday." The note was attached to a hand-drawn map of a ruined giant town and temple, clearly from somewhere in Xen'drik. There wasn't enough context to figure out where in Xen'drik, but it's still a map of great value for potential explorers or collectors. If Brand was to sell it (and I can't imagine he would, given the sentimental value, but it's your call), he could get 200 gp for it from his bosses at Morgrave.

Tock - Once again, Tock has been spending most of his downtime in Goath's artificer workshop. Goath is pleased to see the warforged coming along with his studies, although he's starting to hint that with your increasing skill, it might be time to start thinking about your own workshop and maybe to begin teaching others or even taking on an apprentice.

Lysander - Lysander's mentor Chiarlan finished his run at the Khavish Theatre in the first week of Rhaan, and departed from Sharn. However, his visit paid off big-time for Lysander. On 25 Barrakas, the actor playing Devost in Kinlen's Folly decided to join a traveling troupe on a tour throughout Khorvaire, and Lysander went from understudy to regular supporting cast in the play at Gailan's. His performances have been earning good reviews in the pages of the Sharn Inquisitive, and while the money isn't great by adventuring standards, it is putting a few extra silver into his pocket every week.

Pel - Pel made his monthly visit to The Cracked Mirror to check in with Xain. If you guys wanted to sell the creation pattern or the extra schema, Xain would be the person to hand it off to. You can get 1000 gp for the schema and 3000 gp for the creation pattern... however, if you do sell it through Xain, it's more than likely to wind up in the hands of either the Lord of Blades or the Emerald Claw. At any rate, Pel can pass on the information about Whitehearth and the map to the other Cannith facilities to the Tyrants.

The war with Moloch continues, and several lower-level members of the Tyrants have been sent to the House Jorasco healing houses by the Daask turf war. Cord is getting some heat from the higher-ups in the Tyrants over this war, and Pel's father is making cautious, covert overtures to Moloch to settle the turf war, possibly getting Cord displaced or at least shamed.

In addition, Pel gets a warning that an agent of the King's Dark Lanterns (think of them like the FBI for the King of Breland) named Lucan Stellos has been looking into spy networks in Sharn. He's thus far clear of the Tyrants, but Pel should keep his eyes open.

Eberron Adventure Journal: "Shadows of the Last War" (3)

Barrakas 10-14, YK 998

Part Five: Whitehearth

The adventurers approached the entrance to Whitehearth, allowing Pel to make a cursory check and determine if there were any traps. After deciding it was safe, they entered the cave, which was an entirely darkened abandoned mineshaft. Using the light from their everburning torch, the adventurers moved in and found a series of 4-foot wide adamantium hatches at different points in the floor, each with a "key slot" that seemed to fit the blue keycharm they had been given by Lady Elaydren. Pel checked one for traps, gave it the all clear, and stood back to allow William to open it.

William got an unpleasant jolt of electricity from the trapped (and fake) hatch. Pel was nominated to open any doors he had checked for traps from then on.

After discovering a couple more trapped fakes, Pel found the entrance into Whitehearth. The hatch opened into a circular metal shaft with a ladder running down, and a few feet down, it was obscured by a wall of darkness. Dropping a sunrod down confirmed that it was a magical darkness. William descended the ladder, passing into the darkness, and the rest of the adventurers followed. They discovered that the ladder descended about 30 feet, depositing them in a very unusual room.

The room they were in was lit by a flickering everbright lantern, and was a perfect metal sphere 20 feet across. There were no visible doors, just a pedestal in the center of the room which held a metal plate. On the metal plate were a variety of keycharm slots of varying colors: blue, brown and green. It took only a few minutes for the adventurers to realize that by inserting the blue keycharm into one of the slots, the entire room would rotate so that it's only opening would point to a new corridor.

From this point on, the adventurers used the keycharms to rotate the room and explore the sunken, abandoned facility of Whitehearth. They found a magical laboratory that had been destroyed when the wave of energy that caused the Mournland hit. Everything from a magical laundry to magically-regenerating pools for baths pointed to a perfect use of magecraft. However, they also found more than a few dangers lurking in the abandoned facility.

The magical energy released on the Day of Mourning had created living spells in two parts of the facility. The adventurers battled a Living Flaming Sphere and a Living Color Spray at two different points. The most interesting encounter on the first level, however, took place with some wolves.

As they walked into what had once been the support barracks, a large dire wolf emerged into the corridor. Before the adventurers reacted, she spoke. "Hail, adventurers! I am Rorsa. I would like to speak to you." The adventurers learned that Rorsa and her pack, made up of two normal wolves, had been living in Whitehearth since the facility was destroyed four years ago. It became clear that Rorsa had been awakened by the events of the Day of Mourning. Since then, she and her wolves had survived on the ever-clean pools of water and the magically regenerating corpses in this barracks. She longed for word of the outside world, and indeed wanted to explore it, but she didn't want to leave the rest of her pack.

Rorsa explained that the majority of her pack was held captive in the kennels, guarded by some kind of stone wolf that she had been unable to defeat. If the adventurers would defeat the wolf and rescue her pack, she offered to give them her green keycharm and pearl of power. The adventurers agreed, and followed Rorsa to another rotator room and on into the kennel.

After Pel scouted the area out and saw the stone wolf, a bizarre golem-like construct, the adventurers attacked. William, as ever, was in the lead, and the first to be affected by the stone wolf's slow ability. The ability didn't help much, however, as the adventurers made short work of the golem. It's obsidian teeth tore into some of them, particularly Pel and Brand, but with the help of construct bane enchantments from Tock and their usual brand of teamwork, the adventurers managed to bring down the stone wolf without any casualties. They freed the seven remaining wolves, who went with Rorsa back to the barracks.

From there, the adventurers found their way into a third rotator room, and on into the machine chamber, which held the schema they were looking for. They previewed the room via a magical scrying chamber elsewhere in the complex, so they knew that it was hot and contained some sort of hydra-headed molten glass machine, as well as a crystalline chest that held the schema they were looking for. They didn't know that the fire elementals once bound to the machine were loose in the room, and a battle was joined. With their various enchanted weapons and special abilities, the adventurers had little trouble defeating the fire elementals, and soon they had the rewards found in the chest. These included not only the diamond-shaped schema they were seeking, but an exact replica, a creation pattern that had room for two other schema beyond the ones they had recovered, and potions and scrolls.

The adventurers made their way to the surface, accompanied by Rorsa and her newly-reunited pack. When they reached the exit, however, they were in for a surprise. A wall of Emerald Claw soldiers and skeletons stood waiting for them, and the misty form of their vampiric leader barked out demands.

"Well done, adventurers. It is futile to fight us. Give me the third schema, and I will let you live. Oppose us, and I will take it from your corpses, and then raise your bodies to serve me."

There was very little debate before the adventurers decided to charge into battle. Through a combination of William's tactics, Tock's human-bane crossbow, Lysander's encouraging songs, Rorsa's pack and the battle prowess of Pel and Brand, the adventurers made short work of the Emerald Claw forces, and the vampire once again fled in a cloud of mist.

Rorsa and most of her pack asked Brand for directions to the Eldeen Reaches, and they headed out in that direction. Brand gave Rorsa the name of his mother, and told Rorsa to seek out her help in the Reaches. Rorsa decided to leave one of her pack with Brand as a companion, and then she and the rest of her pack headed out into the Mournland. The adventurers found Failin, got into his cart and rode back to Rhukaan Draal, where they found Lady Elaydren waiting for them.

Elaydren was pleased to recieve the schema (although the adventurers didn't tell her about the copy, or the creation pattern), and gave the party a 2000 gold reward. She offered them another 1000 gold if they would accompany her on her journey back to Sharn as her escort and bodyguards, and the adventurers accepted.

On the way back, Pel suggested that the adventurers adopt the name "The Wandering Wolves" to a general agreement.

XP: 1900