AAR: A Glorious Dawn

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etherial
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AAR: A Glorious Dawn

Post by etherial » Tue Jul 10, 2018 4:39 am

A Glorious Dawn
Time: 2018-07-09@23:00 GMT
GM: etherial (Gronk)
Circle: 4
Difficulty: Medium

Player Rewards:
Avalandohamagannahnieventhallailmar: 3 TIPs, 2200 Legend, Last Chance Salve, Death Cheat charm, 25 silver.
Blaethynn: 3 TIP's, 2200 Legend, 550 Silver, - 2 boosters, - 1 Physician kit use, -9 silver, wool jacket
Dubhan: 3 TIPs, 2200 Legend, 550 silver
Osahar: 3 TIPs, 2200 Legend, 550 silver
Quis'Tan: 3 TIPs, 2200 Legend, Last chance Salve, research and item history TBD and possibly some spare silver.

Downtime Actions Available:
Blaethynn: Alchemy (Rank 3, Step 14) (Booster Potion, Kelx's Poultice. Kelia's Antidote)
Blaethynn: Craftsman (Rank 4, Step 19)
Blaethynn: Forge Weapon (Rank 5, Step 16)
Blaethynn: Item History (Rank 4, step 15)
Dubhan: Alchemy Step 11 (Rank 4, Booster Potion, Kelix' Poultice, Kelia's Antidote)
Dubhan: Research 21 (Rank 4)
Researchers may spend 20/2 Silver for +3 Steps

Further Information:
A Temple to Garlen has been built at the pool of Garlen's Tears in 48.10.

CodexDragon
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Re: AAR: A Glorious Dawn

Post by CodexDragon » Wed Jul 11, 2018 12:26 pm

Notes submitted by Osahar

Elijah 'Sunrise' Kane needed an escort in to the mountains to create a shrine to Garlen. Besides myself, he hired Blaethynn, a windling weaponsmith, Dubhan, a dwarf wizard, Quis'tan, an obsidiman spirit rider, and Avalan, an obisidiman elementalist. We made some purchases in the Bazaar, specifically some items to keep ourselves warm in the mountains and then headed off.

Elijah wanted to stop off at Kaer Avon along the way, but unfortunately we got lost. In one of the canyons we took a wrong turn in to, we were attacked by five cockatrices. We were able to kill or run off all of the cockatrices, but not before one greivously injured, and poisoned, Elijah. We found a cave to hole up in for the night, but during the wee hours of the last watch, our cave was attacked by three large spiders with the faces of people. I later was told they were called jehuthra. We defeated those created and started our day.

Elijah was muttering an old poem, but we thought it might have been a clue. Giving up on making it to Kaer Avon, we headed into the mountains, looking for landmarks that might match up with the poem. We were able to make our way to a large pond, our final destination. As we searched around it, we were attacked by an erhlgren and several cadaver men (and women). After killing all of those, we still had to figure out how to renew and consecrate the pool. With just minutes before the sun rose, our final gambit paid off. Turns out you had to cry real tears into the frozen pool.

The pool was consecrated, Elijah recovered, and we helped build a shrine to Garlen. The trip back to Throal was uneventful.

Reyntrannin
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Re: AAR: A Glorious Dawn

Post by Reyntrannin » Wed Jul 11, 2018 3:22 pm

{From a letter to his parents]
So aside from my training, I also recently took part in a venture to Garlen’s Tears to assist a Questor Named Elijah Kane build and consecrate a shrine to Garlen. Avalan, Dubhan, and Quis’tan, who I’ve mentioned before also came, as did the Archer Osahar, whom I think you would like.
We set out on our journey, first heading towards Kaer Avon, but we lost quickly lost the path and began casting about to get back on track. Towards evening, we were set upon by a small flock of cockatrices, but they did not prove too great a threat. However, one of the broke past our fighters’ ranks and stung Elijah, poisoning him badly enough that he became insensate.

While we waited for Elijah to recover enough to travel, Osahar found a cave a for us to camp in. I searched about and found that while it was large, no wild beasts or Horrors seemed to be using it as a lair. (Of course, that turned out to be somewhat incorrect.) We set up camp and took our various watches. It was while I and Avalan were standing the last watch of the night that the problems occurred.

I heard something moving about outside the cavern mouth, something that reminded me greatly of the scurring of spider legs brushing against one another. Now, I will admit that I tend to be a bit sensitive about the risk of giant spiders, my past experiences with them having been poor, but I think that Avalan should have been more responsive when I pointed out the sound (yes, it was the third time I had said something about hearing spiders that watch, but still…). As it is, a pair of large, spider-like creatures (I would find out later they were called jehuthra. I really must begin to study more about Horrors and their ilk.) appeared and attacked us. Avalan called out with a mighty yell and managed to awaken our friends, so they were quickly able to join the fray. In the meantime, just as I had taken off to confront the beasts, one of them pinned me to the ground with some kind of freezing magical spider web, so I was unable to turn sufficiently to see much of what went on.

Although the web only lasted for a brief moment, things still did not go well for me. Just as I began to be bale to move freely again, one of them used a different power, which imprisoned all of us in what seemed to be a maze made of steel webs covered in barbs and edges. Of course, the moment this appeared, I lost my bearings for a moment, and the Jehuthra I was facing used this as an opportunity to drive me back into the webbing, which wrapped around me, leaving me pinned once again, although at least my arms were free enough that I could still defend myself, so I did manage to give that one a serious gash before it disappeared into the web, never to meet my eyes again in its life.

Truthfully, I didn’t get to see much, other than Osahar and Quis’tan running past me as if the floor wasn’t covered in hooks and barbs. I tried to give encouragement where I could, but no amount of struggling could free me until, with the death of the last jehuthra, the web vanished. I had taken some lasting injuries, but a couple of timely potions helped put me back right, and no one else suffered much more.

After seeing that the Questor’s party was still in no worse shape than they had been, we decided that the best hope of healing Elijah would be to continue our mission and let the waters of Garlen’s Tears provide their healing magic. The only problem with this was that Elijah was the only person who knew where we were going…

Despite his poison addled state, the dwarf was able to give us some cryptic clues to follow, specifically a poem that described the location in vague terms. Fortunately, Osahar was able to combine this with the general area we were looking in and managed to find a mountain that seemed like it might fit the poem. Shortly after we started climbing, I found a couple of rocks shaped like a house and hearth, which had also been mentioned. It didn’t take very much longer for us to finally reach Garlen’s Tears, but then we really didn’t know what to do.
We started off by building a basic shelter to be our ‘hearth and home’, but this did nothing to trigger the magics. In the meantime, Avalan began scouting around and found something interesting indeed. Another kind of Horror, called an erhlgren, had colonized the area and rose from the snows around us to attack, along with a small patrol of cadaver people.

While Quis’tan rode to support Avalan against the erhlgren, the rest of us focused on systematically destroying the cadaver folks, one by one. I have to admit that they were spread out enough that I was not able to do much to assist in the slaughter, so when Quis’tan charged back to help us, I flew towards Avalan and the Horror, knowing that the spellcaster could not stand against that creature very long on his own. I didn’t make it before the erhlgren, warping the magics that Avalan depended on for his defense, seemed to rip energy through the obsid’s body, leaving him to fall to the round unconscious. I think an arrow struck the thing shortly after that while Quis’tan was charging it, and one of those things finished it off, but several cadaverfolk were still standing. Since I was already nearby, I went to Avalan to try and wake him, then flew back into the fray, such as it was. Things didn’t last much longer after that, each of us worked to follow the others and were able to dispatch the remaining undead without any issues, and Avalan was even able to recover sufficiently to begin supporting us from a distance with his magic.

But the fight had taken valuable time. It was nearing sunrise, and the ritual needed to be completed right away. Based on the mutterings from Elijah about ‘renewing her gift’, we tried several things, but finally hit on the correct trick of crying into the frozen pool, which melted the waters and began restoring green to the frozen land around it. Using the waters, the other Questors were able to restore Elijah, and the work on the shrine was completed in rapid course from there.

All in all, a satisfying journey. However, it reminds of another place where perhaps a shrine still needs to be placed. In time, I think I will push to see it done.

Fusilliban
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Re: AAR: A Glorious Dawn

Post by Fusilliban » Sat Jul 14, 2018 4:38 am

The Observations of Avalandohamagannahnieventhallailmar

In my readings, I found a story of a temple which had been consecrated to Garlen in 1421. The consecration was only good for a year and a day, and had not been renewed. After some brief searching (and weeding out of many impostors), I was able to contact some Questors of Garlen, who were keen to restore their temple, but needed guards for the journey. I contacted some Adepts I had traveled with in the past, and they contacted a friend, and we set forth. My companions were:

Blaethynn, Windling Weaponsmith
Dubhan Goronich, Dwarf Wizard
Osahar, Elf Archer
Quis'Tan, Spirit Rider and fellow Obsid

According to the best maps we had available, the route to the Eye of Garlen would take us near, but not through, Kaer Avon. We planned to make a stop there for additional supplies, rest, and I hoped to see if Pethrytholilanista's daughter, Anderfinstafin, had any more messages for her. Our maps must have been quite wrong! We never saw Kaer Avon, and instead saw cockatrices.

I am coming to believe that one of the many prices that Barsaive has paid for the Scourge is that all animals which survived it seem to be poisonous in some way, and cockatrices are no exception. Cockatrices are chicken-lizards. (It is not clear to be why they are not simply called "chizzards". Obviously they should not be called "lickens" as that would be silly, as it is their front half that is chicken and not the back. I will hereafter call them chizzards for simplicity and in an attempt to improve the nomenclature.) Myself and the other Adepts tried to protect the Questors, who while powerful in their own right, seemed unlikely to survive chizzard attacks as well as we could. We mostly succeeded, and only one scored a solid hit. Elijah was crippled by the chizzard's beak and poison, and we could not heal her. Her fellow Questors comforted us by saying that if we could re-consecrate the temple, that they would be able to heal her there. Osahar personally slew at least two of the chizzards - she is mighty. (I am beginning to have a healthy respect for all those who carry a bow and arrow. While unable to hit as many targets as my Lightning Bolt, these tools seem much more effective against single targets.)

Wounded from the fight with the chizzards, we resolved to camp for the night. Osahar soon found a cave that was uninhabited. We made camp just inside the first bend of the cave.

I drew the final watch shift. Before morning, just as I was contemplating if I should start breakfast soon, Blaethynn informed me that she heard spider-noises. Blaethynn is always hearing spider-noises, because the surface world is full of spiders. I listened, but was unable to hear them. Nothing occurred and I resumed thinking about breakfast. Blaethynn again informed me that she heard spider-noises. I listened, but was unable to hear them. Nothing occurred and I resumed thinking about breakfast, and I began to get quite hungry. Blaethynn informed me yet again that she heard spider-noises. I saw spiders, but they were "normal" sized and it seemed best to leave them alone. After some more time, Blaethynn heard spiders again. I listened, and was unable to hear them, but I agreed about the general ubiquity of spiders in the modern world and began to outline my plans for Giant Spiders Unlimited, a venture which will surely be extremely profitable. Blaethynn seemed strangely uninterested in my plans, regardless of how lucrative they will prove to be. Blaethynn heard spiders yet one more time, and despite my straining, I heard nothing. However, Blaethynn was correct this time (her second time this watch shift), and we encountered spiders with Human faces. (As per previous nomenclature standards, these human-spiders should be called "hiders"). They attacked immediately, and viciously.

I raised the alarm, waking our comrades. We engaged the hiders in battle, and were making good progress, when suddenly I was trapped in some sort of... steel labyrinth spider web. I did not know it at the time, but my companions were each trapped in similar sections of the same web. This made the battle very confusing, but my trusty Lightning Bolt spell did not let me down, and we were able to destroy the hiders. When we killed them, the metallic web ensnaring us all disappeared. Breakfast was extended as we all took stock and recovered from the hider attack.

Elijah fared no better with a day of rest, and mumbled in her fever dreams. These mumblings proved to be the lines of a poem, which guided us to our destination.
Pools of Garlen's Tears Appear
Wherever hearth and home are near
Seek her open arms spread wide
And renew her gift within her eye.
A singular mountain, touched by Garlen. was our destination. When we reached it, we found a small frozen pool, and were certain it was the location we were looking for. We attempted to add "hearth and home", constructing a small shelter. I searched the area for stones that might contain a hearth fire. I saw one on the far side of the pond, and left to retrieve it. I was quite surprised when the stone stood up! The stone turned out to be a Horror, and it clawed at me repeatedly, while mentally summoning animated cadavers to kill us all. I was able to stand against it for a few blows, but soon it changed tactics. I do not understand exactly what it did, but I could feel it take magic that was attached to me and pull it through my Pattern, as thought it were filtering the spell through me in exactly the way a spell matrix does not. It was the most painful thing I have ever felt, and I lost consciousness quickly. I was woken by Blaethynn, and everyone had moved, but the fight continued. I contributed what I could - which was little - and my companions destroyed the Horror and its minions.

We then spent an hour, trying to restore the pool's power. Nothing worked, until someone suggested that the tears referred to in the final line of the poem might be actual tears, literally speaking. After the times we had, summoning tears was unusually easy, and the temple was restored.

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BattleChad
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Re: AAR: A Glorious Dawn

Post by BattleChad » Thu Jul 19, 2018 12:01 am

The Great Library of Throal thanks Osahar, Blaethynn, and Avalan for their contributions.

Journal Rewards: 110 Legend Points and 137 Silver

ottdmk
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Re: AAR: A Glorious Dawn

Post by ottdmk » Fri Jul 20, 2018 8:45 pm

From the journals of Dubhan Goronich:

It seems to me that when my path crosses with those of Questors, my life becomes very interesting indeed. In this case, I and a few companions (Osahar, Blaethynn, & Avalan) were hired to accompany some Questors of Garlen to reconsecrate a site. As a result of accepting the commission, I have invested heavily in new cold weather gear.

First off, we got lost. I swear, sometimes I think I should devote some time to mastering the art of Navigation. Problem is, there are so many other things that are much more fascinating to learn...

To add injury to the situation, we were attacked by cockatrices. I swear to Garlen, I am never going to travel again without a significant supply of Kelia's Antidote which I will quaff immediately on encountering anything poisonous. We dispatched the beasts, but not before they poisoned the leader of the Questors, one Elijah.

This complicated things. Taking refuge in a cave, we were ambushed by horror constructs called hiders, capable of spinning webs of steel. We were eventually triumphant, but it was a long, nasty fight. I had a very difficult time finding the targets of our wrath.

We managed to find our way to the site, but once there we had to figure out how to renew the consecration from Elijah's fevered ramblings. We only had until sunrise. To add to the pressure, we were attacked yet again. After surviving the physical encounter, we managed to figure out the riddle contained in Elijah's fevered poetry. The lake was successfully reconsecrated and we returned to Throal.

ender3rd
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Re: AAR: A Glorious Dawn

Post by ender3rd » Sun Jul 22, 2018 3:08 am

Questors are the lifeblood of our society. When some questors of Garlen wished to consecrate a site in the mountains called Garlen's Tears. Rather more literal a name than you might hope for, but that's to come. We wished to stop at Kaer Avon but were unable to find it. Sadly, navigational talents seem to be lacking in so many of us. While lost we ran across several cockatrices. While not difficult for trained combatants to deal with one did get through to poison our sponsor, Elijah. We found a cave to take refuge in, with the hope of stabilizing Elijah who was starting to become delirious with fever. No respite was had though as the cave was infested with Jehuthra who, in the tight confines of a cave, were a much more potent threat.

Once somewhat rested we found out way to the site but with only fever-ramblings to go on some interpretation was called for. I was able to discern that the first part of his poem referred to a mountain and some topographical features upon it. Once we got to the frozen lake which was the site to be conscecrated we were attacked again by a horror and it's minions. These seemed to me to be most potent creatures called Robiech Erhlgren which absorb magic, tear active spells away from Namegiver patterns, emit taint, and are generally quite painful to deal with. Eventually these were all dispatched.

We raced the sunrise to determine that the consecration of Garlen's Tears required our own tears to make clear. I drew upon my memories of Barsaive before the scourge and wept for what was lost.

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BattleChad
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Re: AAR: A Glorious Dawn

Post by BattleChad » Fri Jul 27, 2018 1:26 pm

The Great Library of Throal thanks Dubhan and Quis'Tan for their contributions.

Journal Rewards: 110 Legend Points and 137 Silver

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