A Stoney problem(formerlyThe Cursed)
Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2016 9:09 am
Ah, endless starlight glistening above in the night sky's open canopy... the salty scent and soothing sound of the ocean below... cool, quiet breeze rustling through branches... the sweet scent and steady breath of a young maiden fair yet strong, sleeping in her tent nearby... most of all, the presence of the blessed waters of the Moonwell... should have been a peaceful, even enjoyable watch these past days and nights...
But there was something else... another presence nearby, of a thing... and yet more than a thing... and the pain, the throbbing pain... the images and twisted memories, nightmarish and torturous. Seldarine, how long?
((This thread is being started to hopefully organize/summarize/coordinate efforts towards dealing with the plot on MS based on/around the friday night sessions. I think organization and collaboration is generally a good idea barring things like characters in conflict actually working to undermine each others' efforts and such... which I'm pretty sure isn't happening (tensions/dislikes between a couple of PCs notwithstanding, so far hasn't reached that point anyway)... yet!
I wish I had time and energy these days to write out long IC posts like in days of yore (good memories) but it's just not feasible atm, so for my part at least there will be some mix of IC and ooc, or IC communication written out in 'shorthand' form oocly. If this is objectionable to anyone (especially the DM) please let me know, but I generally think some ooc communication/semi tabletop style is better than none at all, especially since our current game usually doesn't seem well suited to feature a deep level of character/faction conflict like in the past (at least overtly; kudos if there's secretive stuff going on behind the scenes that I'm not aware of). I suspect with current numbers/level of activity that this holds largely true for other folks as well, so I'm hoping this is helpful.))
((Summary of current events Aglaril would disclose to those who come and visit him and Caine where they're camped out - Aglaril would also fill Caine in on the below))
- dangerous undead warriors are stirring in/around macsheean ruins; when defeated in battle, they crumble into dust and reform later - they seem to be lead by some kind of red mist-entity; a local druidess named Mortacia suspects the mist is a vampire (or vampire-ish thing) without it's body possibly
-from interviewing the priest of kelemvor at macsheean and the druidess, some of the undead warriors seem to once have been 'Blood Warriors' from the days when the Beast roamed the isles; others (they seem to wear cloaks) may have once been guardians in the ruined temple of Myrkul in the ruins.
- exploration of passage below the ruins led to discovery of secret chambers; a chamber (only accessible via portal, the portal is 2 way and blocks access to undead) holding dozens of coffins was found. one coffin was broken; one was forced open by PCs and a black stone found inside taken. The coffin had ancient runes covering it which was partially deciphered and seemed to say something about a curse.
-black stone seems to be causing severe headaches, messing with people's memories/dreams, making animals violent when nearby; dirt or bags of holding do not block it's effects.
-group returned to the passages below the ruins via a different entrance point, discovered what may be the red mist's lair, was set upon while unprepared by much tougher cloaked undead warriors, had to retreat
-druidess is not happy the stone has been brought to her wood and is affecting plants and animals; the spot where it currently rests it's clear that the vegetation around it is dead/dying; moonwell seems to provide some relief from effects of the stone but druidess fears it will taint the moonwell eventually.
Questions/problems facing the group:
immediate issue is the stone; Toby is apparently working on obtaining a lead container to see if the material has any effect on shielding/dampening the stone's effect. In the meantime the druidess expects it to be gone within a few days ((friday's session probably)). Caine, myself, and my familiar are guarding it; Alarm spell has been cast at the spot where it's buried, etc. with only the Moonwell's proximity likely providing sufficient relief to make the watch bearable.
If the lead box fails (which wouldn't surprise me) or is unobtainable, other options are to attempt to destroy it or to return it where it was found. It was hoped that the stone might play some part in either ending the curse or weakening these undead; bringing it back to Macsheean might yield some answers on those fronts as well as allowing us to get it back to someplace where it won't affect living things and would be out of the reach of the undead. However it's also highly risky; having it fall into their hands (or even merely come into proximity) might be precisely what the mist entity wants (but could not obtain because the portal was warded against undead).
There's always the option of seeking to unearth more lore/information about the stone and in general/about vampire-ish mists, but that may take quite a bit of time, which may not be a luxury.
Another way to obtain answers is a return visit to the underground lair; higher risk, but potentially quicker results than traveling around the Isles ((Aglaril does know Teleport which helps)) picking the brains of gods knows how many people - Seldarine these Isles need a Candlekeep or Vault of Sages! If the elite hooded warriors exhibit the same kind of tactics as the lesser ones (consistently swarming less hardy targets), combat could be extremely difficult without relying on invisibility or other tactics - for that matter have we confirmed whether they can see the invisible or not? I intend to find out one way or another, as well as exploring other possible weaknesses. I've a few things in mind that should allow us to deal with one or two groups of such foes, but if there are more or if they reform quickly enough, things could go poorly once more... several - perhaps all of them - seemed to be my match with blade.
In the final analysis regardless, force of blade and spell will not be sufficient; we need answers... what the mist is, what it seeks, what the black stone is and what is to be done with it, and more. If/when we return to the lair it probably will be to seek answers not necessarily for a final confrontation, relying on magical means for a quick exit.
Also, some have speculated whether the stone could be a soul gem but such things for the time being lie beyond my own lore...
But there was something else... another presence nearby, of a thing... and yet more than a thing... and the pain, the throbbing pain... the images and twisted memories, nightmarish and torturous. Seldarine, how long?
((This thread is being started to hopefully organize/summarize/coordinate efforts towards dealing with the plot on MS based on/around the friday night sessions. I think organization and collaboration is generally a good idea barring things like characters in conflict actually working to undermine each others' efforts and such... which I'm pretty sure isn't happening (tensions/dislikes between a couple of PCs notwithstanding, so far hasn't reached that point anyway)... yet!
I wish I had time and energy these days to write out long IC posts like in days of yore (good memories) but it's just not feasible atm, so for my part at least there will be some mix of IC and ooc, or IC communication written out in 'shorthand' form oocly. If this is objectionable to anyone (especially the DM) please let me know, but I generally think some ooc communication/semi tabletop style is better than none at all, especially since our current game usually doesn't seem well suited to feature a deep level of character/faction conflict like in the past (at least overtly; kudos if there's secretive stuff going on behind the scenes that I'm not aware of). I suspect with current numbers/level of activity that this holds largely true for other folks as well, so I'm hoping this is helpful.))
((Summary of current events Aglaril would disclose to those who come and visit him and Caine where they're camped out - Aglaril would also fill Caine in on the below))
- dangerous undead warriors are stirring in/around macsheean ruins; when defeated in battle, they crumble into dust and reform later - they seem to be lead by some kind of red mist-entity; a local druidess named Mortacia suspects the mist is a vampire (or vampire-ish thing) without it's body possibly
-from interviewing the priest of kelemvor at macsheean and the druidess, some of the undead warriors seem to once have been 'Blood Warriors' from the days when the Beast roamed the isles; others (they seem to wear cloaks) may have once been guardians in the ruined temple of Myrkul in the ruins.
- exploration of passage below the ruins led to discovery of secret chambers; a chamber (only accessible via portal, the portal is 2 way and blocks access to undead) holding dozens of coffins was found. one coffin was broken; one was forced open by PCs and a black stone found inside taken. The coffin had ancient runes covering it which was partially deciphered and seemed to say something about a curse.
-black stone seems to be causing severe headaches, messing with people's memories/dreams, making animals violent when nearby; dirt or bags of holding do not block it's effects.
-group returned to the passages below the ruins via a different entrance point, discovered what may be the red mist's lair, was set upon while unprepared by much tougher cloaked undead warriors, had to retreat
-druidess is not happy the stone has been brought to her wood and is affecting plants and animals; the spot where it currently rests it's clear that the vegetation around it is dead/dying; moonwell seems to provide some relief from effects of the stone but druidess fears it will taint the moonwell eventually.
Questions/problems facing the group:
immediate issue is the stone; Toby is apparently working on obtaining a lead container to see if the material has any effect on shielding/dampening the stone's effect. In the meantime the druidess expects it to be gone within a few days ((friday's session probably)). Caine, myself, and my familiar are guarding it; Alarm spell has been cast at the spot where it's buried, etc. with only the Moonwell's proximity likely providing sufficient relief to make the watch bearable.
If the lead box fails (which wouldn't surprise me) or is unobtainable, other options are to attempt to destroy it or to return it where it was found. It was hoped that the stone might play some part in either ending the curse or weakening these undead; bringing it back to Macsheean might yield some answers on those fronts as well as allowing us to get it back to someplace where it won't affect living things and would be out of the reach of the undead. However it's also highly risky; having it fall into their hands (or even merely come into proximity) might be precisely what the mist entity wants (but could not obtain because the portal was warded against undead).
There's always the option of seeking to unearth more lore/information about the stone and in general/about vampire-ish mists, but that may take quite a bit of time, which may not be a luxury.
Another way to obtain answers is a return visit to the underground lair; higher risk, but potentially quicker results than traveling around the Isles ((Aglaril does know Teleport which helps)) picking the brains of gods knows how many people - Seldarine these Isles need a Candlekeep or Vault of Sages! If the elite hooded warriors exhibit the same kind of tactics as the lesser ones (consistently swarming less hardy targets), combat could be extremely difficult without relying on invisibility or other tactics - for that matter have we confirmed whether they can see the invisible or not? I intend to find out one way or another, as well as exploring other possible weaknesses. I've a few things in mind that should allow us to deal with one or two groups of such foes, but if there are more or if they reform quickly enough, things could go poorly once more... several - perhaps all of them - seemed to be my match with blade.
In the final analysis regardless, force of blade and spell will not be sufficient; we need answers... what the mist is, what it seeks, what the black stone is and what is to be done with it, and more. If/when we return to the lair it probably will be to seek answers not necessarily for a final confrontation, relying on magical means for a quick exit.
Also, some have speculated whether the stone could be a soul gem but such things for the time being lie beyond my own lore...