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

More schedule tidbits

It looks like Chris and I won't be moving until May 6-7. This means I won't be able to run or play anything on Friday the 5th. Our application is still pending on our new place. Wish us luck. Randy, I'll help you move if you help me!*

* Contrapositive: I won't help you move if you won't help me!

** Corollary: I might help you move if you would have helped me.

Upcoming Schedule IV: A New Hope

April 28th - Gaming Off (Randy moving... everybody else helping out? :)
May 5th - Gaming Off (Ben & Chris moving... everyone but Randy, who'll be on an ill-timed vacation, helping out? :)
May 12th - Eberron: Whisper of the Vampire's Blade (Nate out)
May 19th - Eberron: Whisper of the Vampire's Blade (Jason out)
May 26th - Eberron: Whisper of the Vampire's Blade (Memorial Day Weekend... Paul possibly out of town... everyone else in, or do we skip this week?)

If anyone's available to help move on Friday and/or Sunday... Suzanne and I could use help with moving, pretty much boxes... furniture and heavy stuff is going with movers the next week, and mostly we just need extra cars so we can make less trips. Chris & Ben may need the help more.

By the way, the new locale for gaming, at least sometimes, is 11205 Bending Bough Trail. You can get there via Mopac, IH-35, Lamar, etc. Lamar or IH-35 is easier and slightly closer. In that case, turn left. When you see Parkfield (which is, I believe, the first light after Lamar on Braker), take a left. There's a big church right there, if you need a landmark. Then take an almost immediate right onto Blossom Bell, pass Jordan and turn left onto Bending Bough. We're two (I think, maybe three) down on the left.

If you're coming from Mopac, you'll want to take a right on Parkfield, and it'll be a bit longer of a drive on Braker to get to it.

Map is HERE. This all presumes we actually get the closing done on the 27th, so everybody think good thoughts. :)

Upcoming Schedule III

In response to the idea of me (Jason) running a one or two shot during the gap. I have a couple of questions for the group: 1) What would you want to do? I can't see playing straight DnD, because we have two campaigns already running. I guess it would be easiest for me, right now, aside from DnD, to run a Pulp Hero adventure or Fantasy Hero, but character creation might be a problem. I am also, as I mentioned earlier, fairly well versed in Classic Traveller. I'll try almost anything with Hero, but have never run Champs, go figure. 2) What about Nate's OGL Horror idea? If he was ready to introduce it with a one shot that might work also. Nor do I have anything at all against going back to the prequel Realms under the great Ben. (Does that get me extra xp?) Anyway, comment with your thoughts and we can decide what everyone wants to do. Oh, and, I am really getting a kick out of Eberron, thanks Randy.

Eberron Adventure Journal: "Shadows of the Last War" (2)

Barrakas 9-10, YK 998

Part Three - Rose Quarry:
Wounded and weary from the combat, the adventurers began recovering their wits when William and Lysander spotted a dark figure at the entrance to the church below. He had a monstrous appearance, and was dressed in black robes. He stared up at them, and then transformed into a thick mist and floated away. William told the rest of the adventurers that there was a vampire, and that he had just flown away.

Unwilling to leave the quarry alone long enough for reinforcements to arrive, the adventurers decided to heal up using Lysander's wand of cure light wounds and then descend by rope into the zombie-infested village and seek out the map. They snuck up on a group of two zombies, and Pel tried to slip past them and into the House Cannith refinery. He was successful, but he got the attention of the two zombies inside the facility, and slipped back out.

A battle was joined between the adventurers and four of the glass-covered dwarf zombies. Because there were more of the vile creatures nearby, the adventurers were unable to retreat or maneuver very well, and they took some damage in subduing the creatures. William worked out that once you shattered the glass coating surrounding the zombies, they were susceptible to either slashing or magic weapons, and after taking relatively little damage, the adventurers managed to make short work of the Emerald Claw's undead guardians.

They then entered the Cannith chamber, and looked once more at the map on the floor. While Pel and Lysander searched the fireplaces for clues, Tock discovered that there was writing on the back of the statues at each fireplace. After a bit of looking around, Pel found that the Red Dragon statue read "Whitehearth, White Seal, NE 9." William figured out that the White Seal was the seal of Cannith in front of the white fireplace, and walked out 9 paces northeast onto the map. He found himself standing on a faint, barely noticeable mark of a crossed pick and shovel, which would be about 30 miles into the Mournland, in what was once the hills of southwestern Cyre.

While Brand used the statues and the map to make a detailed map of the area, including the locations of six Cannith facilities, William smashed the statues to prevent anyone else from discovering the location of Whitehearth. With this job done, the adventurers climbed out of Rose Quarry and headed back to Failin's cart.

Failin looked quite nervous, and had his dagger out and ready. When the adventurers explained where Whitehearth was, he at first refused to enter the Mournland. However, William then coerced Brand into revealing his own dragonmark and speaking the draconic word for "travel," attempting to convince Failin that they didn't need him. Unfortunately, Failin had sensed their deception and somehow locked the cart from receiving other commands. The adventurers offered him more money, and eventually negotiated 65 gp each for Failin to take them to Whitehearth. He spoke a different draconic word, under his breath, and "unlocked" the cart, allowing them to start rolling towards the gray mist that blocked off the Mournland.

XP: 160

Part Four - The Mournland:
The cart rolled towards the Mournland for about an hour, and then the adventurers stopped to make camp, rest and recover spells. 8 hours later, just as the sun began to rise, they got back into the cart and rolled toward the Mournland again. It took less than half an hour for them to reach the dead-gray mist, and they plunged in.

The elemental-powered cart kept them on track, but all of the adventurers, and Failin, were disoriented by the gray mist. A deep sense of isolation and dread grew within each of them. After a period of time that none of them could guess at, the cart rumbled through the dead-gray mist and into the corpse-strewn, magic-blasted, gray lit Mournland.

As the cart rolled on, the adventurers, and especially William, noted a large number of Karrnatthi and Cyran troops, obviously dead from the Day of Mourning. However, something about the magical effect had preserved the corpses, so that it looked they had died hours ago, not years. There was no sign of decomposition, and the wounds appeared fresh. William in particular found this quite disturbing, and announced that the place was cursed.

A short time later, the adventurers rolled past a broken siege engine, surrounded by a handful of dead Brelish soldiers. Lysander, Tock and Pel were curious about this sight, and Pailin was intrigued by the promise of treasure, so they rolled to a stop. As they did so, however, Brand looked out into the siege engine wreckage and saw shadows moving. He yelled a warning, but even as he did, the shadows revealed themselves as a half-dozen skeletal wolves and charged.

The wolves were skeletons, with human skeleton parts fused to their bodies by the weird arcane effects of the Mournland. Their jagged mouths barked silently as they approached, and they tried to leap into the covered cart from both ends. Tock yelled at Failin to start the cart and run them over, but when he revealed his dragonmarked arm, one of the wolves took a bite out of it. Another leaped into the cart and began attacking as well, and Failin used his dragonmark to dimension leap out of the cart and into hiding behind the siege engine. William, Brand and Pel disembarked from the back of the cart to fight three of the beasts while Tock and Lysander held the front. At one point, three of the wolves had leaped into the cart, while all of the adventurers had jumped out to avoid fighting in cramped quarters. The wolves did some damage, most notably to Pel, but eventually the adventurers triumped, in large measure due to William's greatsword, Tock's mace and the courage-inspiring effects of Lysander's songs.

The adventurers gathered in the cart and William urged Brand to try once more to activate it. He discovered that his dragonmark and the draconic "travel" were enough to start it rumbling, and William was gleeful at this discovery. Failin was not so gleeful, and he came running toward the cart, yelling "Don't leave me! Wait!" while brandishing a masterwork mace he had found among the Brelish solders. "Look what I found!" he yelled, desparate to get the adventurers to stop.

Not wanting to outright murder Failin by leaving him in the Mournland, the adventurers waited for him, although he wouldn't give Pel the mace until after he climbed in the cart, just in case. Brand found that he could only get the cart moving in a straight line, about half as fast as Failin, but it was clear that Failin still wasn't happy about this discovery. Tock claimed the mace, intending to check it later for any magical properties.

Failin took the helm of the cart once more, and the adventurers continued their journey into the Mournland. Another half hour passed and they came upon a scene of carnage massive and bloody even by the standards of the Mournland. A massive battle between Brelish infantry and Cyran archers provided the foundation for the carnage, but atop these four-year dead corpses were the remnants of a newer battle. A warband of Valenar elves had clearly encountered a party of Talenta halfling hunters, and it looked like they had torn each other apart. The real nature of this carnage soon became clear, however, as the mound of corpses shifted and a carcass crab emerged from the pile.

Certain that the massive crab would destroy his cart in a head-on collision, Failin ordered it to stop. William jumped out of the cart and began running toward the beast, and it responded by firing a poisoned barb at him, which he shrugged off. As the rest of the adventurers fired bows, crossbows and a wand of magic missiles, William pulled out his greatsword and charged, landing two powerful blows before the giant crab picked him up in both pincers and squeezed. William was grievously wounded and unable to move freely, but he summoned the strength to punch the weakened crab with his spiked gauntlet, killing it and forcing it to release him.

While William was ready to move on, Failin suggested that they search the bodies for treasure, even offering to give up his fee if he could keep half of the treasure found. Pel struck a deal with him that he would get an equal share of the treasure, rather than half, and could keep his fee. Failin agreed and the adventurers disembarked to search the corpses for weapons, magic and other goods that were no longer useful to the dead.

After three hours of searching, they turned up a small amount of coins, a letter of credit from the Kundarak Banking Guild, some potions, a cloak, a wand of magic missiles, a masterwork Talenta tangat and a magical Valenar double scimitar named Talaen Kara. Focused on the treasure and the labor-intensive work of gathering it, none of the adventurers noticed a single carrion bird circling high above them, watching their every move.

The final leg of the journey took about an hour, and the cart rolled up to a low hill. At the base of the hill was a dark tunnel that looked like any abandoned mineshaft, except for the House Cannith seal emblazoned on the center crossbeam. Pel disembarked to examine it for traps, and was caught off-guard as a vulture zombie dove in to attack. William emerged from the cart and quickly destroyed the bird, before it could do any more than scratch him once. With this minor threat dispatched, the adventurers turned and prepared to enter the lost Cannith facility known as Whitehearth.

XP: 480

Game Notes

1. Tock is marked as having a heavy crossbow, but he's been doing damage (and reloading) as a light crossbow. Nate, do you want to upgrade to the heavy crossbow (and take the full-action reload that comes with it) that your character sheet says you have or stick with the light crossbow you've effectively been using?

I'm going to stick with the light crossbow for now. With the infusions it makes for an awesome little weapon.

2. Party Treasure - Chris, can you either type up the list of party treasure and post it here or get me the hardcopy on Friday? I want to keep that list updated on the blog as well.

C: Just saw this post. Sure I can do that. Can we put it in a sidebar or something, so it stays in one place?

3. Characters are updated with XP and equipment from the latest session. Chris, check the charges on your wand of magic missiles, I guessed 10 but wasn't sure.

C: I will check. Don't have that with me at work, obviously.

Upcoming Schedule Part II

I've added my notes below. -Paul

Here's my proposal for "the gap": Either I run a 2-shot Realms game linking Part 1 of the Prehistory game to an upcoming Part 2 (where you'll actually start thinking about the World's Largest Boondogg-- er, Dungeon) or Jason runs a 2-shot somethingorother. In either case, Dave could play. I suppose. If he does of course I'll be sure to kill his character, the traitorous scum.

I think it'd be fun to see Jason DM!

April 7th - Eberron: Shadows of the Last War (Paul out)
April 14th - Randy & Suzanne's House-Cooling Party... no gaming
April 21st - Eberron: Shadows of the Last War (Chris NOT out)
April 28th - Ben's Realms or Jason's Something (Randy out, Paul Out)
May 5th - Ben's Realms or Jason's Something (Randy out, Paul Out)
May 12th - Eberron: Whisper of the Vampire's Blade (Nate out - Chris, are you going to want to skip this week because Live Art is next day? If so, we should go ahead and call this day off, and start Whisper of the Vampire's Blade with everybody on May 19)
May 19th - Eberron: Whisper of the Vampire's Blade (Everyone in?)
May 26th - Eberron: Whisper of the Vampire's Blade (Everyone in? Paul note: This is Memorial Day weekend. I may be out of town.)

Ben

Chris: I'll be there this week (4/21) after all. 5/5 may be tricky for Ben and I as we almost certainly will be moving that weekend. 5/12 - not sure at this point. I don't think it would be a problem for me though.

Chris: Update - looks like 4/28 weekend will be the actual move time. Let's discuss things tonight.

Eberron Adventure Journal: "Shadows of the Last War"

Barrakas 1 - Barrakas 8, YK 998

Part One - Sharn:
Two weeks had passed since the adventurers had delved into the Cogs in search of a lost Cannith forge and fought the agents of the sinister Lord of Blades. In that time, the adventurers had been making regular stops at the House Sivis message station in Barmin Tower, looking for more messages from Lady Elaydren. William had stopped by the House Cannith enclave from time to time, but each time he stopped, he was told that Lady Elaydren wasn't in.

On another rainy day in Sharn, the adventurers went to make their semi-regular stop in at the Sivis message station. When they arrived, however, they saw that something was not right. The door hung open at an odd angle, one of its hinges separated from the doorframe, and a soft moaning came from inside. William and Brand drew weapons and charged in, while the others moved more cautiously, but they all soon saw the same scene: A ransacked store, with tables overturned and a clerk unconscious, but thankfully alive.

Brand woke Ella, the gnomish clerk they had come to know, and she rushed over in a panic to check the speaking stone. Fortunately, it was intact, and new messages were arriving just fine. Unfortunately, she reported that five kobolds and a humanoid in a cloak had burst in a little while before and snatched the message intended for William, then knocked her unconscious. A little bit of snooping confirmed that there had been kobolds, and they also determined from a careless footprint that the humanoid had been a warforged. Ella was unable to (and not allowed to) remember the message, but a slip of the tongue keyed the adventurers in to the realization that she remembered something, and after a little cajoling, she revealed that she did know the message had been sent by Lady Elaydren.

The adventurers left a message for Lady Elaydren to be picked up the next time Cannith sent messengers down and resolved to meet with her at the Broken Anvil Tavern the next evening. Their meeting turned out to be unnecessary, however, when they stepped back out into the rain and a giant owl flew in and deposited a scroll at their feet. On the scroll was a message from Lady Elaydren

The adventurers rushed over to the Broken Anvil, but fearing a trap, they sent Pel in disguised as a human. He discovered that the tavern was empty, save a woman in a cloak, and he approached her, trying to ascertain that it was Lady Elaydren. He got a look at her face just as she was beginning to cast a spell, and he quickly revealed his true nature. She appeared nervous and somewhat bedraggled, as if she had been on the run for some time.

The others came into the tavern, and Elaydren's nerves didn't seem to noticeably calm. She lifted a leather backpack off the floor and put it on the table, her eyes darting back and forth from the adventurers to the door. "There's no time to explain," she said. "Instructions, gold and supplies are in this pack. Take it and go. The letter in the left-hand pocket explains everything, but you must go now! Trust me. If you can accomplish this task, the rewards will be vast."

Before the adventurers could press Elaydren any further, the door from the street burst open, and the kobolds and warforged burst in. The warforged levelled his crossbow and fired a bolt at Elaydren as Tock reacted and fired his own crossbow at the attacking warforged. Neither bolt struck home, although Elaydren was nicked by the bolt as it went by.

A brutal melee erupted in the tavern, as the kobolds proved unusually proficient with their spears. One of them ran Pel nearly all the way through, another scored several surprising hits on William. The warforged proved even more dangerous, using a magical longsword to land brutal blows on William while keeping the kobolds focused and tactically sound. William managed to disarm the warforged, reducing him to swinging his metal fists, and together the adventurers managed to defeat the kobolds and their master. Elaydren grabbed one of the spears and yelled out "More of these assassins could show up at any moment. All the information you need is in the backpack. Take it and go! Get out of the city as quickly as you can!" and then ran out and into the nearest alleyway, disappearing into the night.

The adventurers picked up the backpack and dashed to a hideout that Pel kept in the Lower Dura Plateau to examine it. They discovered that it was a Heward's Handy Haversack, containing 80 arrows, 80 bolts, 50' silk rope, 5 bedrolls, 5 waterskins, 15 days of trail rations, an everbright lantern, flint and steel, a healer's kit, 5 torches, 3 sacks, 3 vials of holy water, 3 potions of cure light wounds, a pouch with 150 pp, a casket with 500 gp and several items that hinted at their mission.

There was a letter of credit for either House Orien or House Lyrandar covering passage to Rhukaan Draal, capital city of the Hobgoblin-ruled nation of Darguun. There was a three inch rod of blue metal with a sapphire tip which they speculated might be some kind of key, and there was a letter from Lady Elaydren.

The adventurers wanted to depart quickly, but they did take a little bit of time to spend some of the money in the pack, buying new armor and weapons, alchemist's fire, antitoxin, a wand of cure light wounds and a few other odds and ends. Then they decided to take the quicker method of journeying (and the one Brand had encouraged, since it allowed him to steer clear of House Orien), boarding a Lyrandar Elemental Galleon bound for Rhukaan Draal.

XP: 330

Part Two - Darguun
The Lyrandar Galleon Windrider left from the ports at the base of the Sharn cliffs, traveling from the Hilt to the Straits of Shargon along the coast before moving into Zilargo waters and then into Kraken Bay.

The first three days of the journey were fairly uneventful, and the adventurers spent their time recovering from their fight in the tavern. Tock used the time to brew a potion of Cat's Grace for Brand, who spent most of his time sleeping not in the shared cabin but up on the deck, out in the open air. This served him well on the third night, as he heard a scraping noise on the side of the ship. Lysander heard the sound inside the cabin, albeit more faintly, and began making his way up to the deck to investigate.

As it turned out, the mystery of the noise wouldn't last long. Brand went to the side and saw skeletons climbing over, using the fog as cover to climb the side of the ship. Before he could do much more than yell a warning of "Skeletons!" to the crew and his friends below, there were ten of the undead abominations aboard the ship. The half-elf captain dispatched four of his crew to help repel the boarders, and the adventurers, most of them decked out in sleeping clothes rather than armor, rushed to defend the ship as well.

The skeletons proved resistant to the bladed weapons that most of the ship's defenders were using, so William came up with the idea of bull-rushing them off the side and into the water. This tactic worked, and the skeletons were repelled or destroyed, although not before they killed the four half-elves attacking them. The captain gratefully offered a written commendation from House Lyrandar as well as 50 gold to each member of the party as thanks for defending the ship.

A day and a half later, the Windrider pulled into the port of Rhukaan Draal at mid-morning. The goblinoid city, built around what was once a Cyran frontier town, sprawled out in a way quite different from the metropolis of Sharn, full of tents, brick and stone buildings and mud huts, and all centered on a ten story red stone tower at the center of the city. Pel asked the captain how to locate the Bloody Market, and the adventurers had little difficulty finding it, as it was a vast marketplace full of haggling goblins, bugbears, hobgoblins and even a few humans and other humanoids. They did some asking around, and Tock learned that Failin did business in a tavern called The Clenched Fist.

The Clenched Fist seemed to cater to humans and other common races, rather than the goblinoid majority of Rhukaan Draal, but it was still quite crowded. William walked up to the bar and ordered ale for the party, overpaying the bartender, and asked where he could find Failin. The friendly bartender was only too happy to point him out, sitting at a table in the back of the tavern.

Failin was a gangly man with a shock of unruly red hair and clean, well-tailored clothing, giving the immediate impression that he did not lack for gold. He watched the adventurers curiously but unconcerned as they approached. Pel began to offer a diplomatic introduction, but the brusque Brand simply said "We heard you could get us to Rose Quarry."

"Rose Quarry?" Failin said, his words running together in an odd, quick method of speaking. "Very far away. Near the border. Near the gray mist. Mining town. I can take you. Yes. But it will cost you. Sixty gold each, forty up front. You bring your own supplies."

After a half-hearted bit of bargaining, the adventurers agreed to Failin's terms and gave him 20 platinum out of the Heward's Haversack. As they stood to leave, however, a pair of bugbears pushed their way into the bar. "Failin, you cheat us!" they growled, raising their morningstars to threatening positions.

William rushed forward, but Pel took this as an opportunity to negotiate. Failin was reluctant, but agreed to 37 gold each instead of 60, and William slashed into one of the bugbears, wounding him so grievously that he immediately fled. The other, braver than he was smart, attacked William and got killed for his troubles. Failin then rushed the adventurers out of the tavern, promising the refund he owed them "later, later. To my land cart!"

The land cart he spoke of was an Orien elemental-powered land cart, a large covered wagon with room for eight passengers. It was powered by a Khyber dragonshard that bound an earth elemental to the wagon, which had the side effect of making the wagon look as though it were decoared with stones, gems and other crystalline protrusions.

Failin rolled up his right sleeve, exposing a least Dragonmark of passage, and spoke the draconic word for "travel," which activated the land cart, starting a low rumbling sound. The adventurers packed in, and the rumbling noise got louder as the cart began moving across the ground, its wheels half-in and half-out of the ground, providing a smooth ride despite the terrain.

XP: 550

Part Three - Rose Quarry
It took about three and a half days for the land cart to make the trip from Rhukaan Draal to Rose Quarry. Like Rhukaan Draal, Rose Quarry was a Cyran frontier town before the war, but now it was a ruined town so near the Mournland that inhabitants could see the dead-gray mist from the ridge that surrounded it. Failin explained that House Cannith prospectors established the village when they found a massive vein of red marble, and then brought in dwarves from the Mror Holds to mine it. "Half the red stone in Khorvaire probably came from this quarry," he said.

When the land cart closed in on Rose Quarry, the sun had set and the moon was rising. Failin stopped the cart as they crested a rise, seeing light echoing off the sides of the red canyon and smoke drifting lazily into the air. "Were you expecting company?"

The adventurers proceeded on foot to the edge of the cliff, and looked down into the town, which sat in a crater about 50 feet below them. From their vantage point, they spotted about sixteen horses, two dozen wagons, and seven humans in chainmail armor. Lysander, his eyes sharper in the twilight, determined that they were wearing the distinctive half-faceplate design of the Emerald Claw, and that two skeletons stood guard at one of their tents. All of them heard a periodic ringing sound to the north, like that of a pick striking stone or ice.

Given his ability to see more clearly in the dim lighting and his stealth abilities, Lysander was chosen to scout the area, looking for the map that Elaydren's letter had told them about. He carried one of the invisibility potions Tock had brewed with him as a last resort.

Initially, the scouting mission seemed to be going alright. Lysander stayed north of the Emerald Claw camp, instead investigating the ruins to the north. He quickly realized that the entire town was covered in glass, as if it had been poured in molten form over the village, burning it to cinders and then freezing the remains. He encountered the former inhabitants of the village just after that, dwarven zombies coated in a layer of thick glass. He rushed to a nearby alcove and, afraid that the zombies would find him, drank his potion of invisibility.

He then decided to investigate one of the two standing structures in the town. He steered clear of the ruined church of the Sovereign Host, instead heading into the Cannith Refinery, which the ringing noises were emanating from. As he moved in, a powerful looking woman and an Emerald Claw soldier emerged from the entrance, and he froze when they seemed to hear him. The woman noticed that the dwarven glass zombies had moved, and using hand signals, indicated that the soldier should move in that direction. They both went to investigate the place where Lysander had just been, and he ducked into the refinery.

Once inside, he saw another dwarven zombie stacking rubble in the outer rooms, and he went into the inner room. There, he saw a large room with four chimneys that had obviously once been used to shape and polish the red stone from the quarry. He also saw two Emerald Claw soldiers, digging in the rubble and obviously looking for something. Perhaps most importantly, he noted that the floor was a detailed, bas relief map of central Khorvaire, showing the nations of Aundair, Cyre, Karrnath, Thrane and Breland, showing cities, topographical features and even major mines, although not the location of Whitehearth or other Cannith research facilities. The room was surrounded by six statues, located in pairs of two next to fireplaces on three of the walls.

Lysander realized his potion was wearing off, so he attempted to climb one of these fireplaces up and out. Unfortunately, his hands slipped and he fell to the bottom with a loud crash, just as his invisibility wore off. The Emerald Claw Soldiers turned and looked, surely thinking he had just climbed in through the fireplace.

As one charged and the other started to run for help, Lysander cast a sleep spell. The one who had been seeking help dropped into a dreamless sleep, but the other shook it off and swung his morningstar at Lysander, who ducked out of the way. Lysander ran out the door, with the Emerald Claw soldier in hot pursuit.

He ran out and around the refinery, heading for the rope he had used to descend into the canyon. The rest of the adventurers, seeing his situation, began firing arrows at his pursuer. This discouraged pursuit, but lead to the soldier rushing over to the camp, and as Lysander reached the top of the rope and pulled it up after him, the adventurers realized that a pitched battle with the Emerald Claw was coming.

The forces emerged from two different parts of the camp. Near Lysander's point of exit, on the far end of the ridge, the military leader of the forces, a human woman named Kaela, moved in with one Emerald Claw soldier, following their unsuccessful attempt to locate Lysander when they heard him moving around invisibly. The bulk of the forces, however, emerged from the camp. Keltis Doran, a cleric of the Blood of Vol, and Mallora, a female human necromancer, led a contingent of 9 Emerald Claw Warriors and 2 Skeletons toward the ridge. Half of the Emerald Claw soldiers provided covering fire with their crossbows, and one scored a lucky and grievous hit on Pel, while the others moved quickly toward the ridge. Meanwhile, the adventurers fired down on the advancing forces, hoping to whittle their numbers before they scaled the hill. Tock infused his crossbow bolts with a shocking aura, and combined with fire from Brand, Lysander and William, managed to kill Mallora despite her Mage Armor and use of cover.

The crossbow and bow shots from above and below the ridge mostly fell against the cover, and soon the melee had begun in earnest. Tock managed to finish off Kaela with one of his shocking bolts before she could fully charge, and dispatched her soldier shortly after he closed in as well. Meanwhile, the rest of the adventurers dealt with the larger Emerald Claw force. Brand and William both found themselves surrounded, and each of them took serious damage, but the use of their new Wand of Cure Light Wounds by Lysander kept them in the fight, and Brand managed to dispatch Keltis after William successfully shrugged off his attempt at a cause fear spell. The adventurers faced a pitched battle with the remaining Emerald Claw soldiers, but they eventually emerged, tired, battered and wounded but victorious.

XP: 1120

Skill Synergies

As Paul noted last time, you guys now have enough skill levels that you will get synergy bonuses. As an example, Tock has a +2 to his Spellcraft because of 5+ ranks in Knowledge (arcana), a +2 on Spellcraft involving scrolls because of 5+ ranks in Use Magic Devices and a +2 on Use Magic Device involving scrolls because of 5+ ranks in Spellcraft. So everyone... check your synergy bonuses! You can find a guide HERE.

Upcoming Game Schedule

April 7th - Eberron: Shadows of the Last War (Paul out)
April 14th - Randy & Suzanne's House-Cooling Party... no gaming
April 21st - Eberron: Whisper of the Vampire's Blade (Chris out)
April 28th - ?? (Randy out, no Eberron)
May 5th - ?? (Randy out, no Eberron)
May 12th - Eberron: Whisper of the Vampire's Blade (Nate out)
May 19th - Eberron: Whisper of the Vampire's Blade (Everyone in?)
May 26th - Eberron: Grasp of the Emerald Claw (Everyone in?)

By the way, I've offered Dave the chance to come in and "guest play" anybody who is out for the week if his other gaming group (filthy traitor!) schedule coincides. That way, maybe the NPC character will be less likely to be used as a door opener and arrow shield, etc.

Two Weeks Have Passed...

Lharvion 14 - Lharvion 28, YK 998

Since your adventuring band made its way into the Cogs to find a lost Cannith foundry and recover an ancient schema for Lady Elaydren d'Cannith. In the meantime, your characters have been going about their usual duties for Morgrave. Hoping for more work from Lady Elaydren, you have begun making weekly (and sometimes more frequent) excursions to the House Sivis message station in Barmin Tower, usually as a group but occasionally on your own. You have also been involved in the following:

William - William was called in to speak with his Uncle Maresh d'Deneith the day after he returned from the Cogs. His Uncle told him sternly that he knew what William had been up to, and then the facade cracked and he told him how proud he was of his adventurous and skilled nephew. "What your mother doesn't know," Maresh said with a wink, "certainly won't hurt her." He cautioned William about the dangers of adventuring, however, saying that if anything happened to him Maresh would have hell to pay with William's mother. He also arranged for all of William's messages from his mother to be routed through the Sivis message station at the Barmin Tower (in the Dragon Towers district of the Middle Central Plateau) rather than picked up by a house servant, to make it easier for William to covertly check for any messages from Lady Elaydren without his mother getting wind of it.

Brand - A message has come in from his mother, Sheryn Wayfinder, via the Sivis message station in Barmin Tower. "Looking forward to your next visit. A friend in a faraway location has sent you a gift for your next birthday."

Tock - Tock has been spending most of his downtime in Goath's artificer workshop, learning and perfecting the secrets of brewing potions while he begins his lessons on wondrous items at the same time.

Lysander - His old teacher Chiarlan (has been in town, performing a variety of new stories and songs learned in Zilargo from the gnome bard Herschel Proudhome. He is performing with (and learning from) the great gnome bard Kessler at the famous Khavish Theatre in Upper Menthis (see Sharn: City of Towers p. 66). He has been teaching these songs and stories to Lysander, as well as passing along some information gleaned in his conversations with the information-hungry gnomes. He has heard that the Emerald Claw is on the move, with a line on some sort of powerful artifact from before the war. He has heard that there is a new skyship being built called The Golden Dragon as a monument to the peace of the Five Nations, and that it is supposedly the largest skyship ever built. When he said he was coming back to Sharn, Herschel told him to be careful, as he'd heard that the Inspired had infiltrated some of the most powerful organizations in the city.

Chiarlan has also been able to get Lysander a job as an understudy in the nightly performances of Kinlen's Folly, a musical comedy being performed at Gailan's in the Torchlight District, which is a big step up in Lysander's career. (see Sharn: City of Towers p. 78)

Pel - Pel has made his monthly visit to The Cracked Mirror in a separate identity from his identity at Morgrave. The Cracked Mirror is located in The Callestan district of The Lower Dura Plateau, coincidentally the same district that holds The Broken Anvil tavern, where the adventurers met Lady Elaydren for the first time. The Cracked Mirror is a front for the Tyrants, and Pel goes on a random day each month to check in with Xain, a changeling loyal to his father, to pass on any new information gained at Morgrave. This time out, he's passed on the information about Lady Elaydren, the schema they recovered, the Lord of Blades' interest in it and the lost Cannith foundry and its location in the Cogs. His father, in return, passes on the information that Cord has gotten them embroiled in a turf war with Moloch, an ogre who runs a Daask cell in Lower Dura, over the distribution of dreamlily. In short, be more cautious than ever of the Daask in the area, who are taking out the feud on any and all changelings in the area.

Character/Equipment Updates

Questions from last adventure regarding equipment:

1) Who wound up picking up the Longsword +1 to use?

Pel

2) Who traded up in weapons? I know William picked up a couple, Brand got the masterwork rapier, and I think Tock got the masterwork heavy mace... any others?

See above.

With the gold he also picked up a cloak made of Darkweave material, which give a +1 circumstance bonus on hide in dark or shadowy conditions. GM permitting, of course.

Potion & Scroll Costs

"Invisibilty would be quite lovely, yes, thanks," said Pel, raising an eyebrow, "even though I suppose one couldn't actually see it."

Brand would totally dig a Cure Light Wounds or two (though we could just plan to brew up a bunch for the party). I'd also spend 150 on a Potion of Cat's Grace. Maybe Pel or Lysander would dig Invisibility? Anyone else have any requests so that Nate can figure out what to brew with his available craft reserve?

Nate,

It'll take you 1 day to create any of these scrolls or brew any of these potions, and you'll have about 14 days between the end of the Forgotten Forge and the beginning of the next adventure, Shadows of the Last War. You can spend 20 points of your craft reserve (that's the XP cost) on scrolls only, and the remaining 40 points on either scrolls or potions. You'll need to cover the gold cost too, but you've got 300 gold and presumably if you're making party potions you can get money from the party treasure and other party members, so presume you've got in the neighborhood of 500 gold to spend.

You'll also have to make Use Magic Device skill checks in order to create these items. If you fail the check, you still spend the gold and XP and the day required to create. The good news is, as an Artificer, if you fail the check, you get to make it again as a "last ditch" effort, so essentially you get two chances to roll. We can do all of this before we start gaming next time, if we both show up around 7:00... but I'm going to provide a list of potions here so you can have a general idea what you might want to do. These are all spells, which should be in your Player's Handbook... which is probably at Ben and Chris's place, I realize.

Cure Light Wounds, Endure Elements, Hide from animals, Hide from undead, Jump, Mage Armor, Magic fang, Magic stone, Magic weapon, Pass without trace, Protection from (alignment), Remove Fear, Sanctuary, Shield of Faith +2, Shillelagh, Bless Weapon, Enlarge Person, Reduce Person - All would cost 25 GP and 2 XP, and require a Use Magic Device roll of DC 21 (12 or better, essentially).

Aid, Barkskin +2, Bear's Endurance, Blur, Bull's Strength, Cat's Grace, Cure Moderate Wounds, Darkness, Darkvision, Delay Poison, Eagle's splendor, Fox's cunning, Invisibility, Lesser restoration, Levitate, Misdirection, Owl's Wisdom, Protection from Arrows 10/Magic, Remove Paralysis, Resist Energy, Spider Climb, Undetectable Alignment - 150 gp, 12 XP and requires a Use Magic Device roll of DC 23 (14 or better)

Anything above that you're going to need one more level in Artificer to achieve, at which point you'll probably start making Wondrous items anyway. Anyway, think it over and we can take care of it when we start gaming next week.

Eberron Adventure Journal: "The Forgotten Forge"

Lharvion 12 - Lharvion 14, YK 998

Our story begins as the adventurers took a contract with Jaina Dewell, of Dewell Potions, to deliver a box of potion components to the Dewell Potions Shop in Dava Gate. For their trouble, they were paid with a potion of cure light wounds each.

The rain was pouring down in Sharn that night, and the party walked through sheets of water across the labyrinthine walkways of the City of Towers. As they reached a skybridge between Dalannan Tower and the Kelsa Spire, Pel spotted a figure in a dark cloak moving quietly through the rain. Lightning flashed, illuminating the figure and a dark shape lying on the bridge for a moment, before the cloaked figure dove over the side of the bridge.

The party moved forward to investigate, and they saw that an elderly human was lying dead on the bridge, a leather satchel clutched tightly in his hands. Before they had much chance to investigate, the cloaked figure returned, leaping from the underside of the bridge to attack! The figure was Cutter, a warforged barbarian in service to the Lord of Blades. She swung her axe wildly and inaccurately, chopping first one side of the bridge and then the other as Pel nimbly dodged her attack. Her mithral-laced form resisted many of the attacks levelled against her, but Brand was able to sink two arrows deep into her form, and William moved in to finish her off with a strong stroke of his two-handed greatsword. The adventurers watched as a final messenger lifted from Cutter's body and flew off, presumably informing the Lord of Blades of what had transpired.

With the battle over, and the Watch clearly on the way thanks to citizens shouting from other platforms, the party took a moment to inspect the body. It was Bonal Geldem, a provost of Pre-Galifar Studies at Morgrave, and the party discovered that the satchel, in addition to containing writing implements, paper and a snack, contained some kind of well-made leather journal.

They didn't have much chance to inspect it, however, as Sgt. Dolom of the Watch arrived with two other guards. He blustered and demanded to know what was happening, but Lysander quickly convinced him that they had intervened on Bonal's behalf and killed a renegade Warforged. A poor inquisitive, Dolom had his guards pick up Bonal's body for transport to Morgrave, and told the party to move along, and "perhaps leave these kinds of things to the Watch in the future."

The party then delivered their potion components, earning a small tip in response from Jaina's uncle Malin. They decided to spend this tip at an inn where they could get a better look at the journal. On their way to the inn, they were intercepted by another cloaked figure, one who held out a signet ring indicating he belonged to House Cannith. "If you would know the truth of Bonal Geldem's murder," he said, "go to the Broken Anvil tavern at dawn." With that, he disappeared into the rain and the night.

The party arrived at a tavern and inspected the journal. They found it to be of high quality, with a mithral thread woven primitive version of the House Cannith seal on the cover and entirely blank pages within. Lysander detected a strong universal magic aura from the book, but Tock was unable to identify it, as his spell wouldn't properly decode the magic, clearly of an older age.

After retiring to their apartments to rest and recover, the party met up once more and journeyed to the Broken Anvil. There, they met the Lady Elaydren d'Cannith, who told them that Bonal had been trying to recover a schema by locating a foundry from Pre-Galifar Sharn, located beneath the sewers of Dorasharn Tower. She also used her signet ring to activate the journal, revealing the pages to be full of notes, maps and other work done by Bonal. She offered the group 1,000 gold, plus 100 gold to outfit themselves, if they would journey into the sewers, find the foundry and recover the schema. With William encouraged by the promise of combat, Pel and Lysander intrigued by the potential information and Tock interested in pre-Galifar magic, they were an easy sell.

From there, the party used Bonal's map (given to them by Elaydren) to find a Rat's Market in the lowest inhabited level of Dorasharn Tower. They met with a goblin named Skakan, who informed them that he had spoken with warforged and knew that they were seeking the E-213 Valve Cluster. His attempts to extort money were whittled down considerably when Brand bargained with him and William backed up the bargaining with physical intimidation. As they bargained, Pel and Tock noticed a shifter eyeing them warily, but he vanished into the crowded market when he was noticed. Skakan lead them to a narrow staircase descending down into the darkness, pointed the way and said "The valve cluster is down there. Pleasure doing business with you!"

As they entered the staircase, the party was wary of a trap, and indeed they found one. A warforged rogue attacked them, and was quickly dispatched by William's sword. A final messenger detached itself from the rogue's body, flew up and out of the sewer. When they emerged into the sewer, with a series of 12 valves discharging sewer runoff into the shallow water, they were attacked by the warforged's minions, a pair of razorclaw shifter. The shifters moved in, attacking Tock and Lysander, but they were quickly dealt with by the party.

Moving down the waterway, the party discovered a circular metal hatch set into the tunnel wall, engraved with arcane runes and bearing a glowing symbol of mithral depicting the same icon as Bonal's journal. Pel inspected it, determined that there was an acid splash trap attached, and couldn't find any easy way to open it. Instead, he held aloft the journal, which glowed, and the door glowed in response and slid open.

Once inside, the party found a vertical shaft about five feet wide descending into the darkness. Using the climbing gear they had purchased earlier, they sent a sunrod down, learning that it bottomed out at about 90 feet. They each descended down the rope and walked down the corridor that they found at the bottom, until they emerged at the entrance to a large, open chamber.

Dropping down the six feet from their entrance to the floor of the chamber, the group was set upon by swarms of carnivorous beetles. Tock used his magic to ignite his mace, and Brand lit a torch from the mace, offering some weapons against the vile swarms. William, meanwhile, ran farther into the chamber, encountering a pair of Horrid Rats, which he smashed one by one with no damage on his own part. After the beetles swarmed over Brand and Pel, the party fled to where William was, and the beetle swarms dispersed.

The party then located the ruins of a former temple, which still had a serene aura indicating that its battered shell retained some of the calming, sanctuary effects of its former use. Rather than rest, however, they pressed on, discovering the long lost forge of House Cannith that they had been seeking. The door was trapped and featured an amazing lock, and the forge had solid walls, but William climbed the twenty foot walls and found a gaping hole in the ceiling. He threw a sunrod down to see what awaited him below. There he saw stone and rubble that had crushed a metallic dog-like creature, and across the way, he saw two more of them, their eyes glowing with arcane light. With a hearty cry of "Metal dogs! Hurrah!" William plunged down into the forge.

The rest of the party soon joined him, as William engaged in battle with two Iron Defenders. The Defenders put up a good fight, injuring and nearly killing Pel and hurting William as well, but they were eventually defeated. When they died, each Defender popped an iron rod out of its forehead. One was triangular, the other rectangular, and the party realized that the other dog probably had one as well. Working as a team and spending about twenty minutes, they managed to lift the stone and pull out the remaining rod, which was pentagonal in shape. These shapes corresponded to depressions in the wall of the forge against the far wall. In the meantime, Brand and Pel searched the shelves along the southern wall, locating a number of items, including a masterwork small chain shirt, masterwork heavy mace and a masterwork rapier.

William and Pel reasoned that the rods should be inserted in order of how many sides they were, triangle first, rectangle second and pentagon third, and this worked, unlocking the forge. Within they found gold, silver, gold ingots, potions and the schema they were seeking.

The party began to climb out of the hole, and as William climbed out, he tried to remain prone, but he was still struck by a flaming crossbow bolt. A metallic voice cried out "Weak flesh! Now you face Saber, greatest of the devoted followers of the Lord of Blades. Throw down the schema and walk away. This day does not have to end with blood on my hands."

Lysander used a Silent Image spell to throw up a cover of fog, as Brand used his dragonmark to teleport outside and find cover. Using the fog as cover, the party began climbing up onto the roof, looking to see if they could find Saber. As they did, Lysander began singing a war ballad about a brave soldier who had faced down 200 warforged all on his own.

Eventually, the party spotted Saber, staying under cover across the chamber and trying to find another shot with his crossbow. Pel moved out under cover of shadows to try and get behind him, as William disembarked to the floor of the chamber and Tock did the same. Brand kept Saber covered, waiting for an open shot, which he got when Saber moved out into the open, trying to get closer. The party jockeyed for position, and when Saber finally spent his last flaming crossbow bolt on a failed shot at Lysander, they moved in to attack. Saber put up a brief but impassioned fight, but ultimately William brought him down with a swing of his greatsword. Pel, who had been waiting, used his cloak to catch and smash the final messenger, preventing news of Saber's battle from reaching the Lord of Blades later.

With Saber's magical sword now tucked away in Pel's belt, the party went up to the surface, met up with Lady Elaydren in the Broken Anvil and gave her the schema in exchange for their gold. She expressed her gratitude, and told them to check in periodically with the House Sivis message station at the Barmin Tower for more work in the future.

XP Reward: 1020

Eberron Character: Brand Wayfinder

Name: Brand Wayfinder d'Orien
Human Ranger 10
Fighting Style: Beast Mastery
Beast Companion Type: Wolf
Background: Eldeen Reaches (+2 to Athletics)

FINAL ABILITY SCORES
Str 20, Con 10, Dex 13, Int 13, Wis 16, Cha 10.

STARTING ABILITY SCORES
Str 16, Con 10, Dex 13, Int 13, Wis 14, Cha 10.

Init +6
Speed 7
Passive Insight 18
Passive Perception 23
Languages Common, Giant

AC: 22 Fort: 23 Reflex: 20 Will: 20
HP: 67 Surges: 6 Surge Value: 16

TRAINED SKILLS
Perception +13, Nature +13, Endurance +9, Acrobatics +10, Athletics +16, Stealth +10, Arcana +11

UNTRAINED SKILLS
Bluff +5, Diplomacy +5, Dungeoneering +8, Heal +8, History +6, Insight +8, Intimidate +5, Religion +6, Streetwise +5, Thievery +5

FEATS
Mark of Passage, Blade Initiate, Two-Weapon Fighting, Two-Weapon Defense, Novice Power, Acolyte Power, Adept Power

POWERS
At-Will: Circling Strike, Hit and Run, Twin Strike

Encounter: Enclose the Prey, Paired Predators, Dimensional Vortex

Daily: Hunter's Bear Trap, Two-Wolf Pounce, Dimensional Bond

Utility: Pack Dimensional Warp, Weave Through the Fray, Companion Emplacement

ITEMS
Adventurer's Kit, Candle (3), Climber's Kit, Everburning Torch, Fine Clothing, Flask (empty), Flint and Steel, Grappling Hook, Hammer, Journeybreads (20), Oil (1 pint), Pitons (10), Pouch, Belt (empty), Ritual Book, Rope, Silk (50 ft.), Sunrod (4), Tent, Torch (3), Waterskin, Deathcut Hide Armor +2, Longbow, Arrows (60), Dagger (2), Sacrificial Longsword +3, Lightning Short sword +1, Boots of Striding (heroic tier), Amulet of Physical Resolve +1, Bag of Holding (heroic tier), Alchemist's Acid (level 1), Alchemist's Fire (level 1), Antivenom (heroic tier), Panther Tears (heroic tier), Ghoststrike Oil (level 3) (2), Woundpatch (heroic tier), Alchemical Silver (heroic tier), Lodret Leaf (heroic tier), Tanglefoot Bag (level 7), Quickhit Braces (heroic tier), Arcane Signet Ring, Identification Papers, Standard, Traveling papers

RITUALS
Raise Beast Companion, Water Walk

History: Brand's father, Traega d'Orien, was a noble in the House of Orien and was next in line for succession to a position of influence within the house. A cousin who was next in line after the father was not strong like most in his house. He was sickly and weak and grew to be quite diabolical, especially for the House of Orien. When Traega d'Orien fell in love with Sheryn, a druid from the Eldeen Reaches, the cousin revealed their love affair and arranged things so that the Traega was exiled. Traega and his lover went to the Eldeen Reaches. The cousin hired mercenaries to kill Traega once he was far away from the watchful eyes of House Orien, but he survived the attack. Traega d'Orien escaped and drew his pursuers after him to keep them away from his lover.

However, he had left Brand’s mother, Sheryn, pregnant. She quickly wed a close friend to cover up the fact that the child came from the House of Orien. Brand’s dragonmark manifested as a teenager and he and his mother went to great lengths to cover it up. One day he had to use his power to save a friend and thus his mark was revealed. The cousin had left a spy in the village all these years, just in case the father should return. The spy reported that the father had a son, so the cousin led a delegation from the House of Orien to retrieve the boy. The elders of the Eldeen Reaches declared that Brand should return with the cousin for political reasons.

Once he was in his new environment, Brand tried to learn the ways of the House of Orien. However, he was very put off with the intricacies of political maneuvering. He learned from someone loyal to his father the truth about his father’s exile and the cousin’s treachery. He also learned that his father is still alive. He took off, heading out to look for his father. He learned that his dad was last spotted in Xen'drik, the lost continent, so he went to work for Morgrave University in Sharn as a cartographer. When fate finally brought Brand to Xen'drik, he had little hope of finding his father on so vast a continent. However, when Brand was struck by a mummy in combat and began to feel the ravages of its disease upon his flesh, he learned that his father had been keeping an eye out for him as well. For in that grave moment, Brand's father appeared from a Dimension Door, saying, "It's good to have oracles, boy." Then Traega d'Orien spirited Brand away to locales unknown.

As it turned out, "locales unknown" was his father's camp in Xen'drik, where Brand got to stay with his father and his allies for a few months, training and studying until he rejoined the Wolves a few months later. Upon returning to Khorvaire, he returned to House Orien and revealed that he was alive, beginning his training as a Blade of Orien.

3.5 Stats:
Race: Human
Class: Ranger 6/Rogue 1/Blade of Orien 2
Experience: 38,022 (Next Level 45,000)
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Religion: Balinor/Sovereign Host
Homeland: Eldeen Reaches
Age: 18 Height: 6'1" Weight: 162 lbs.

Statistics: STR 14, DEX 18 (22), CON 12, INT 14, WIS 14, CHA 11, BAB +8/+3, Fort +5 (+7), Ref +10 (+17), Will +2 (+5), Init +4 (+6), AC 23 +25% miss chance (AC 22 when not using 2 weapons) (+4 armor, +6 Dex, +1 Two-Weapon Defense, +1 Ring, +1 Amulet), Move: 40, HP 62

Skills: Balance +2 synergy (+8), Bluff (+2 vs. Warforged/+4 vs. Humans) Climb +1 (+3), Concentration +1 (+2), Diplomacy +3 (+6), Handle Animal +9 (+9), Heal +3 (+4), Hide +10 (+16), Jump +0 (+9), Knowledge (Dungeoneering) +6 (+8), Knowledge (Geography) +1 (+3), Knowledge (Nature) +8 (+12), Listen +3 (+4/+6 vs. Warforged/+8 vs. Humans), Move Silently +12 (+18), Profession (Cartographer) +2 (+3), Ride +3 (+11), Search +3 (+5), Sense Motive +5 (+6, +8 vs. Warforged/+10 vs. Humans), Spot +8 (+9, +11 vs. Warforged/+13 vs. Humans), Survival +12 (+15, +17 above ground, +18/20 vs. Warforged/+20/22 vs. Humans), Tumble +9 (+15)

Spells: 1st - 2/day Default: Embrace the Wild (SC), Blades of Fire (SC)

Class Abilities: Favored Enemy: Warforged +2/Humans +4, Track, Wild Empathy (+2 synergy), Two Weapon Fighting, Endurance, Animal Companion, Improved Two Weapon Fighting, Trapfinding, Sneak Attack +1d6, Heir's Mark, Improved Dimension Leap, Swift Leap
Weapons/Attacks: +15/+10 (1d6+3/+5 vs. Warforged/+7 vs. Humans, Rapier +1), +15/+10 (1d6 Electricity +1d6+2/+4 vs. Warforged/+6 vs. Humans, Shortsword of Shock), +13/+8/+13/+10 (Two-Weapon Fighting: Rapier/Rapier/Short Sword/Short Sword), +15/+10 (1d8 +1/+4 vs. Favored Enemies, +1 Hunting Longbow w/20 arrows) SNEAK ATTACK: +1d6

Equipment:

+1 Rapier (Keen), +1 Masterwork Short Sword of Shock, +2 Chitin Armor (w/Crystal of Lifekeeping), +1 Bastard Sword, Light Mace, Amulet of Natural Armor +1, Minor Cloak of Displacement, Vest of Resistance +1, Ring of Protection +1, Gloves of Dexterity +4, Bag of Tricks (Rust), Golembane Scarab, Hat of Disguise, Potion Bracer, Potion: Cure Moderate Wounds (3), Potion: Cure Light Wounds (3), Potion: Lesser Restoration, Potion:Protection From Evil (2), Potion:Hide From Undead, Oil: Magic Weapon (2), Oil: Bless Weapon (3), Silversheen (4), Scrolls: Restoration, Charm Animal (2), Magic Fang (9), Summon Nature's Ally I, Cat's Grace, Speak With Animals (4), Cure Serious Wounds, Aspect of the Wolf (2nd), Boots of Striding & Springing, Pearl of Power (1st level), Bracer of Continual Flame, Wand: Cure Light Wounds (48 charges), Daylight Pellet (2), Backpack, Belt Pouch, Traveler's Outfit (Glamerweave), Acidic Fire (2), Noxious Smokesticks (2), Smokestick (1), Feather Fall Token (3), Wandering Wolves signet ring, 6 CP, 10 SP, 243 GP, 11 PP, Gems worth 2,095 GP, Letter of Credit: 600 GP

In Bag of Holding (Type 2):
Candle, Map Case (1), Map of Giant City from someone working for his devious uncle Aeromus, Fishhook, Flint & Steel, Ink (1 oz. vial), Inkpen, Small Steel Mirror, Parchment (5 sheets), Trail Rations (1 day), Eternal Rations (0 days), Sewing Needle, Torch (2), Waterskin, Whetstone, (1) Sunrod, (5) Antitoxin, Panther's Tears (1 - gives low-light vision, but with strong light sensitivity), (1) Vermin Ointment (drives off vermin), Hunter's kit (+2 circumstance bonus to Survival when hunting/foraging, or helps throw off trail of those tracking by scent - 10 uses), (2) Dagger, Glamerweave Noble's Outfit

Feats: Least Dragonmark (Dimensional Leap 90' 4/Day), Lesser Dragonmark (Dimension Door 2/Day, 1,380', 4 passengers), Greater Dragonmark (Teleport 1/Day, 1,200 miles, 4 passengers), Weapon Finesse, Two-Weapon Defense
Proficiencies: Simple & Martial Weapons, Shields, Light Armor
Languages: Common, Sylvan, Goblin, Drow
Contacts: Lionel d'Vadalis in Sharn

Name: WHITEHEARTH
Race: Wolf
Statistics: STR 14, DEX 16, CON 15, INT 2, WIS 12, CHA 6, BAB/Grapple +3/+2, Fort +6, Ref +6, Will +1, Init +3, AC 17 (Touch 13, Flat Footed 14), Speed 50', HP 29

Skills: Hide +2, Listen +3, Move Silently +3, Spot +3, Survival +1 (+4 to track by Scent)
Feats: Trace, Weapon Focus (Bite)
Tricks (7): Attack, Track, Down, Guard, Heel, Stay, Defend
Special Abilities: Low Light Vision, Scent, Link, Share Spells
Weapons/Attacks: +6 (1d6+2, Bite), +6 (1d6+2, Full Attack, Bite)
A wolf that hits with a bite can attempt a trip (+1 check modifier) as a free action with no touch attack or attack of opportunity. If the attempt fails, the opponent cannot attempt to trip the wolf.

Name: Crowley
Race: Medium Viper
Statistics: STR 8, DEX 17, CON 11, INT 1, WIS 12, CHA 2, BAB/Grapple +1/+0, Fort +3, Ref +6, Will +1, Init +3, AC 16 (Touch 13, Flat Footed 13), Speed 20' (climb/swim), HP 9

Skills: Balance +11, Climb +11, Hide +12, Listen +5, Spot +5, Swim +7
Feats: Weapon Finesse
Tricks (7): Attack
Special Abilities: Scent, Link, Share Spells
Weapons/Attacks: +4 (1d4-1 plus poison, Bite)
Poison (Ex) - Poisonous bite that deals initial and secondary damage of 1d6 Con (DC 11).

Name: LANDSTRIDER
Race: Magebred Light Riding Horse
Statistics: STR 16, DEX 17, CON 17, INT 2, WIS 12, CHA 6, BAB/Grapple +2/+8, Fort +6, Ref +6, Will +2, Init +1 (+4), AC 17 (Touch 14, Flat Footed 14), Speed 70', HP 30

Skills: Listen +6, Spot +6
Feats: Endurance, Run, Excellent Learner, Alertness
Tricks (8): Come, Heel, Stay, Track, Fetch
Special Abilities: Low Light Vision, Scent
Weapons/Attacks: -1 (1d4+1, Hoof), -1/-1 (1d4+1, Full Attack, 2 Hooves)

Who is this Woman?

Who is she? What does she have to offer your characters, and ask of them in return? You'll find out on Friday!

Oh, and unless my calendar is incorrect, I believe Friday is also Ben's birthday!

Feng Shui Some Other Friday!

Gaming is called on account of lack 'o gamers. We'll pick up with Forgotten Realms next week, and then start Eberron on the 24th (or 31st, depending on schedules and whether or not we get to an FR stopping point).

Feng Shui Friday!

Feng Shui is an RPG based on action movies, specifically influenced by the Hong Kong action movies of John Woo, Tsui Hark and the like. Kung-fu, gunplay and sorcery. The game also includes some sci-fi and fantasy elements. You guys won't need to worry too much about the details of the setting, as for the introductory adventure (which may be the only adventure, if we just run a one-shot), your characters will just be modern-day heroes who don't really know about all the strangeness they're about to encounter. Think Jack Burton in Big Trouble in Little China.

Basic Rules:
1. Dice - You'll have two dice, six-sided, of two different colors. One is your negative die, the other your positive. You roll both, subtract negative from positive, add it to whatever attribute/skill you're using, and aim for a target number. Most of the time, if you roll a six (on either die), you'll roll again and add that number in. So it's a dice mechanic similar to Shadowrun, for those familiar with that, except with the addition of negative dice.

2. Stats - You have four primary attributes - Body, Chi, Mind and Reflexes. Each of these has sub-attributes: Bod (Move, Strength, Constitution, Toughness), Chi (Fortune, Kung Fu and Magic), Mind (Charisma, Intelligence, Perception, Will), Reflexes (Agility, Manual Dexterity, Speed).

3. Combat - Combat basically works like this: You roll initiative, which is one six-sided die (no rerolling sixes on this one) added to your Speed sub-attribute. The action is judged in terms of "shots" instead of rounds or turns. Think "shots" like shots from a movie set, rather than shots from a gun, and it mostly makes sense. The highest initiative count determines how many shots are in the "sequence," which represents more or less three seconds of real time. The GM counts down the shots, and each time it hits your initiative, you act. Each action uses up a certain number of shots (firing a gun at one opponent is one shot, at two is two, dodging an attack is one shot, etc.) and reduces your initiative count. When the shot clock hits 0, we roll initiative again. Don't worry too much about how damage works, I'll explain it on the fly and it's pretty easy. Mostly you'll be fighting unnamed mooks, and as long as you do about 10 points of damage, they'll be taken down with one shot.

4. Style - The style of Feng Shui is to do everything big and loud. Don't say "I shoot the guy" when you can say "I spin around, whip my .45 out of my coat at blinding speed and put two bullets into his head." Don't say "I punch the guy" when you can say "I pull out the desk drawer, push his face down into it, and slam it shut." This sort of imaginative, over-the-top description of how your characters fight and move is the key to making the game fun.

Characters:
Since I'm running a one-shot on relatively short notice, we're not going to go real in-depth on character creation. I'm going to build four different characters using their templates, bring them to the game, you guys can take one of the characters and we'll go from there. What I'm planning on having right now are: Ex-Special Forces, Killer, Martial Artist and Maverick Cop.

Background:
When we start, your characters will be mostly strangers to one another. The Killer and Ex-Special Forces guys will have trained together way back when, but otherwise, mostly unrelated. You'll all be attending the funeral of Old Man Fong, a kindly ice cream vendor in San Francisco who you've all run into and befriended at some point during your lives, and that's where things will start.

Any questions, post 'em in the comments section. See most of you on Friday!

Eberron Character: Lysander d'Phiarlan

Name: Lysander Llyddellyn d'Phiarlan
Elf Bard 10 (Unaligned)
Build: Cunning Bard
Bardic Virtue: Virtue of Cunning
Background: Occupation - Entertainer (+2 to Bluff)

FINAL ABILITY SCORES
Str 10, Con 10, Dex 18, Int 14, Wis 13, Cha 18.

STARTING ABILITY SCORES
Str 10, Con 10, Dex 14, Int 14, Wis 11, Cha 16.

Init +9
Speed 6
Passive Insight 19
Passive Perception 21
Languages Common, Elven

AC: 24 Fort: 15 Reflex: 20 Will: 20
HP: 67 Surges: 7 Surge Value: 16

TRAINED SKILLS
Arcana +14, History +14, Acrobatics +13, Bluff +16, Diplomacy +14, Thievery +13

UNTRAINED SKILLS
Dungeoneering +9, Endurance +7, Heal +9, Insight +9, Intimidate +12, Nature +11, Perception +11, Religion +10, Stealth +11, Streetwise +12, Athletics +7

FEATS
Ritual Caster, Mark of Shadow, Sneak of Shadows, Arcane Initiate, Bardic Knowledge, Jack of All Trades, Combat Virtuoso

POWERS
At-Will: Vicious Mockery, Guiding Strike

Encounter: Magic Missile, Inspiring Refrain, Rhyme of the Blood-Seeking Blade, Deflect Attention

Daily: Verse of Triumph, Compulsion, Saga of Vengeance

Utility: Song of Courage, Synchronicity, Veil

ITEMS
Ritual Book, Gloves of Storing (heroic tier), Mithral Finemail +2, Lightning Scimitar +1, Doss Lute +2, Magic Longbow +3

RITUALS
Traveler's Chant, Wizard's Curtain

History: Lysander was born into House Phiarlan and had, for the house in question, and an elf reared in the city of Sharn, a fairly normal childhood. That is, until the war, and specifically, the tension within the old organization, cost the lives of both of his parents, presumably; the bodies were never recovered. An only child, his fate may have been difficult, but House Phiarlan takes care of its own and Lys found himself cared for and educated, if not as lovingly as in a family home, certainly as thoroughly.

When his dragonmark manifested, that care and education became an intense interest in the future of this young elf. He was given, somewhat reluctantly, to be the apprentice and student of Chiarlin the Heretic, a Bard and spy of some reknown. Chiarlin found his way into many circles of information, not just because of his entertainment qualities, but also because he constantly asked trouble-making questions in such grandstanding ways that people wanted to hear him and host him just to see what he would do next.

He ingrained in his apprentice his distrust of those who wish to control and anyone who claimed special authority from the Gods. His unorthodox view of Story not Song being the cornerstone of creation earned him few friends among the more mainstream Bards. (In fairness, Chiarlin taught that Song was part of Story.) He also claimed that the known Gods were too involved in the stories, as they were passed down, to be actual Storytellers. So the Elder Dragons must be the Storytellers, if they were not in fact characters themselves. Lys learned the discipline of thorough research and the art of telling the story with an emphasis on the points he needed highlights for either his employers or his audience, or both.

At the end of his training, Lys did some minor work for the House, before he was posted to Morgrave University to be part of an adventuring team. He has built good relations with the others in his team and begins to show promise as a gatherer of information.

Unlike even most Elves in the human world, Lys is driven by a fierce curiosity and an earnest desire for knowledge. He is also something of an adrenaline junkie, a dangerous descriptor for a barely-tested adventurer.

3.5 Stats:
Race: Elf
Class: Bard 7, Dragonmarked Heir 3
Experience: 45,406
Alignment: Neutral Good
Religion: Unknown
Homeland: Breland (Sharn)
Age: 137 Height: 5'5" Weight: 105 lbs.

Statistics: STR 12, DEX 18, CON 12, INT 14, WIS 14, CHA 19 (16), BAB +3, Fort +5(+1), Ref +8 (+4), Will +8 (+2), Init +4 (+4), AC 22 (+1 buckler, +1 Mithral Shirt, +4 Dex), HP 60

Skills: Balance +7, Bluff +8, Climb +3, Concentration +5, Craft (Painting) +2, Decipher Script +5, Diplomacy +9, Disguise +5, Escape Artist +4, Forgery +2.5, Gather Information +8, Hide +10, Intimidate +6, Knowledge (Arcana) +3, Knowledge (Geography) +3, Knowledge (History) +7, Knowledge (Nobility and Royalty) +5, Knowledge (Religion) +3, Listen +4, Move Silently +10, Perform (Act) +10, Perform (Dance) +5, Perform (Oratory) +9, Perform (Sing) +14, Perform (String Instruments) +10, Search +4, Sense Motive +9, Sleight of Hand +5, Spellcraft +6, Spot +5, Tumble +11.

Action Dice: 8(11)

Spells: Spells Known (Brd 3/4/3/1): 0 -- Dancing Lights, Detect Magic, Ghost Sound, Know Direction, Read Magic, Resistance; 1st -- Charm Person, Cure Light Wounds, Identify, Sleep; 2nd -- Eagle`s Splendor, Invisibility, Mirror Image, Hold Person; 3rd -- Allegro, Glibness;
Class Abilities: Inspire Courage +1 - Fascinate - Countersong - Inspire Competence-Suggestion-Bardic Knowledge +8, Additional Action Points, House Status, Improved Least Dragonmark (Mark of Shadow: Minor Image, Disguise Self), Lesser Dragonmark (Mark of Shadow: Shadow Conjuration)
Racial Abilities: +2 vs. Enchantment spells & effects, Immunity: Sleep Effects (Ex), Low-light vision (Ex)
Weapons/Attacks: +8 (1d6+2+1d6, +1 keen, shocking burst rapier), +78(1d8+1, Longsword +1), +7, +11 thrown(1d4, Dagger), +12(1d8, Longbow w/20 arrows)

Equipment:
Coin: 241 pp, 8 gp, 4sp; Musical instrument (5 gp); Entertainer`s outfit (3 gp); (2 sp); (2 gp); Bedroll (1 sp); Ink (vial) (8 gp); Parchment (sheet) (2) (4 sp); Paper (sheet) (4 sp); Backpack (2 gp); Signet ring (5 gp); Smokestick (2) (40 gp); Sunrod (2 gp). Magic: Wondrous: Hand of the Mage (900 gp);; Wondrous: Silversheen (250 gp); Wand: Darkness (4) (Charges: 7) (6,000 gp); Wand: Cure Light Wounds (1) (charges:37) (750 gp); Wondrous: Glove of Storing (10,000 gp); Wondrous: Cloak of Charisma +2 (4000 gp); Potions: Cure Moderate Wounds (400 gp), , Cat's Grace (4) (400 gp), Scroll: Major Image, Dispel Magic ; Wondrous: Hat of Disguise: +2 Ring of Protection; 13 =1 arrows: Amulet of Health
Feats: Least Dragonmark (Minor Image), Extra Music, Favored in House, lesser dragonmark, improved least dragonmark, improved lesser dragonmark, weapon finesse
Proficiencies: Simple Weapons, Shield, Light Armor
Languages: Common, Elven, Draconic

William's 15th Birthday Present

For William d'Deneith's fifteenth birthday, his kindly Uncle Maresh commissioned a portrait of the boy. Being of the House of the Blademark, there was little doubt what the theme of the piece would be. Bedecked with crimson and gold, the family colors, and wielding his grandfather Gowan's storied blade, William stands triumphant on a battlefield, facing westward towards Cyre. The bodies of his foes litter the torn earth around his feet.

William was thrilled.

Click on the little version for the big version.