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Re: AAR [4M] Laying a Foundation (2020-04-30 @ 22:30 GMT)

Posted: Fri May 01, 2020 9:02 pm
by Waijhou
April 30, 2020
LFG [4M] Laying a Foundation (2020-04-30 @ 22:30 GMT)
From the journal of Xeviouz, Human Warrior
Rumor:
A grieving mother was in the tavern last night, crying her heart out to anyone who would listen. "My boy was such a good boy, he never did aught to deserve this fate. I just can't believe that he's gone, and with..."
As the night progressed, she became even more insensate, but it occurs to you that this might be just kind of thing that an Adept (or four) could help with. Perhaps it would be a good idea to round up a few friends and see what you could do to aid the old woman who is in such dire straights. The barman says she is a regular, Named Temera Longways, who lives nearby.
Myself, Dubahn the Dwarven Wizard, Moe’uhane the T’skrang Illusionist, Temur Tengerkhan the Orcish Spirit Rider, and Daldorer the Obsidiman Nethermancer get together and go speak with Temura Longways to get more information about the situation with her boy. Possible we can assist her. We go to her house and knock on the door. She opens the door part way. Asks what we want. We tell her we are here to help about the missing boy. She says he went off to work and she was told he was not coming back. Temur mixes words with her and she shuts the door. Well that didnt go well. Temur, myself and Daldorer decide to go wait at the bar. Dubahn and Moe will stay and talk to her.
Moe does a very good job at his first impression and he and Dubahn get invited inside the apartment. Temera says her son went to help build a shrine south of Thrawl. The leader down there, a Mr Strorbrout Cragbringer, sent a letter to her saying that her son had run off and gotten himself killed. Temera will not believe that. Her sons name is Mateo Longways. We all meet at the bar. Discuss what we learned from Temera and what we learned from the bartender. Apparently Mateo is a stone mason that went to work there. He had gone off to look for some children that had been raiding supplies from the work camp.
It takes us 3 days walk to get there, the hunting was bad so we used trail rations. Other than that, it was uneventful. We arrive at the work camp and do the ritual of greeting. Moe made some kind of omelette that was pretty awful. I spit it out when nobody was looking. We go into the camp and talk to Mr Cragbringer. He says he hasn't seen any children and the stealing on supplies has stopped. There is a blonde haired woman that seems to be yelling at everybody and not happy. She is the architect.
We speak to some of Mateo’s co-workers, they tell us, the two that left were not bunk mates. They volunteered because Joseph had experience with hunting and trapping. Mateo went because he was a big guy and he was going to protect Joseph. Nobody has found any sign of the missing dwarfs. 5 days ago Cragbringer had hired a professional scout to try to find them. THe scout said he had found a trail to follow but had not been seen since. THe workers said they all liked Joseph, he was quiet and did good work. Mateo would cut up alot in the evenings.. Ale and fighting. They took normal weapons and gear, expecting to be gone a day or two. They both seemed to be happy working there. We go back to talk to Cragbringer again about the hired scout. He says Derilin might know more about where the trail was. Derilin is the engineer leading the build.
Temur goes right up to Derilin and begins questioning her. She tells us Foalwin the Scout was going to leave markers along the trail that he had found. She draws us a small map in the dirt as to where he was heading. Also mentioned something about a witch at the nearby Windling village. We spend the night at the encampment and leave the next morning.
We find the witch close to the crossroads by the Windling village. THis time we ask Temur to hold back and let Dubahn do the talking. After some discussion the witch says she can craft a charm for tracking. It will only cost 500 silver. We negotiate and settle on a favor to be paid at a later date. The crafting will take 1 day. We decide to go back to the work camp to find a personal item from Mateo to use with the blood charm the witch is crafting. During our waiting time I will learn the finer points of Awareness from Temur.
Dubahn examines the charm bracelet the witch has crafted. It gives the user the talent of Mystic Pursuit for about a week. Dubahn puts on the bracelet. Dubahn focuses on Mateo’s tobacco pouch and we start out heading North East. The next morning we are going more to the East. We are heading into the wilderness. The hunting is a little bt better here, but not much. Only use 1 trail ration every other day.
Second morning on the trail we are walking along and get ambushed by 4 wood liones. We are able to drive 3 of them off and kill one. Most of the team is wounded and we rest.
Third day is uneventful as we continue to follow Dubahn and the charm on his wrist.
Fourth day everybody is mostly healed up from the Lion ambush and we continue on our way. We follow the pull of the bracelet to a small meadow, there is a cliff face on the far side. The base of the cliff face seems to be covered in a thin layer of fog. As we approach we hide in some bushes. We notice a couple of large ogers standing by the cave entrance. We are preparing for battle before we engage them. Temur summons s spirit horse that gets the ogers attention and the battle is on.
2 regular ogers, an Oger Twin and a bigger meaner type of Oger. There is also a spell caster of some kind hiding in the cave throwing spells at us. After a long drawn out battle we are able to win the day. We find an alchemy lab in the back of the cave. In a cage there is the missing scout and a dwarf. There is a dead dwarf on a table, looks like it has been cut up.
Dubahn says all the creatures in the area including the Ogres, have all been horror marked.
The dead spell caster is an Elf.. He wears a fancy necklace that is a silver chain with a dark emerald. Dubahn burns it with fire.
We need to put down the two coru[ted individuals. The scout tried to fight it, but Mateo is resined to his fate. He writes a letter to his mother. We head back to the work camp tell the masons about the cave that needs to be caved in. They agree to go back with us as long as we stand watch. The corrupted cave is sealed in.
We head back to Thrawl and deliver Mateo’s last letter to his mother. She loves us and hates us at the same time…

Re: AAR [4M] Laying a Foundation (2020-04-30 @ 22:30 GMT)

Posted: Sat May 02, 2020 2:38 am
by Xzandrate
From the writings of Moe'uhane, T'skrang Illusionist, 2nd Circle.

The Passions have chosen me for a task, now I must just determine what that riddle of a task is. It began by enticing me with the tale of Temera Longways, an elderly dwarven woman who was distressing over the loss of her boy.

Having heard the tale and seeking adventure, I met up with four others to visit Mrs. Longways. Once again I was to have the pleasure of travelling with Temur the Rider of Spirits, and Daldorer the Nethermancer, both fine companions. New to me were the meticulous Dwarven Wizard Dubhan, and the shield wielding Human Warrior Xeviouz. Both were veteran adventurers that I hoped to learn much from in my own preparation for advancement.

Temur's direct charge tactics do not translate so well to the social battlefield, and we were at first initially rebuffed. Feeling that their talents may be better leveraged by questioning bar patrons, the rest of the group left myself and Dubhan to win her story. We knocked again and I gave her my best smile and a dose of empathy winning entry to her abode. Little did I know before she began her tale that Temera was a conduit of fate, a unknowing tool of the Passions. It seemed her son, Matteo, had been working for Strorbrout Cragbringer at Clear Creek Crossing. Thrice in as many adventures have the currents brought me to Clear Creek Crossing, each time the knot of mystery grows ever more complex. Matteo was one of the missing scouting party that we failed to find trace of in my last visit. She was certain he was not dead, and reassured us that he would at least have written a letter before he died. I knew not if this was the ravings of a woman maddened with grief or the speakings of a blood oath, either way adventure was afoot.

Unfortunately for Strorbrout, his trading post seemed ill located, as there would be no caravans heading that way for a number of days, so we embarked on our own, since most of us knew the way. Once we arrived, we once again became acquainted with the guards, and began to ask around further about the missing workers. A month had passed since the disappearances, and it seems that the parents of the other worker, Joseph, had been more forceful of the matter; as we found out that Strorbrout had retained the services of an adept scout, Folwen. He informed us that the scout had gone missing as well. He had not been heard from in five days, and left little clues as to his plans. Though it seemed the fellow had become enamoured with Darellon, the blonde dwarven engineer. We spoke with her and it was readily apparent that she did not reciprocate the infatuation, in fact rather in character she felt he did it all wrong. She was however able to give us more details on his direction of travel and the fact that he would mark his path.

The passing mention to see the witch north of the Windling encampment on Skyreader Isle was our first destination. We didn't pass close enough to enjoy the water, but we did make it to the location directed. We did NOT, however, find a witch; just a middle age dwarven woman. I had rather hoped to encounter a witch, I had heard very little of them and looked forward to viewing their magics in the hopes of incorporating it into my own arsenal of illusions. I've had the pleasure of traveling with Wizards, Nethermancers, Shaman, and Elementalits; a Witch would be ideal for the set. The dwarven woman was rather . . Dwarven, but helpful in the end. In exchange for a later favor she gifted us with a rather unique Blood Charm, that both Dubhan and Daldorer seemed rather taken with. It was much like watching women fawn over jewelry in the market. The charm would lead us to the owner of a personal item, as luck would have it we retrieved Matteo's tabacco pouch with a quick trip back to the camp.

Dubhan bore the blood charm and lead us eastward, and as the day began to fall to twilight we were fell upon by Lions. They were on us in a flash, as if the forest manifest had to fell us. The pounce on myself, Daldorer, and Dubhan and took us to the ground and even staggered Temur. Xeviouz managed to wound one with his shield and scare it off. Temur and Xeviouz managed to hold off the remaining three while the casters recovered, then the spells began to help multiply the force of our fierce combatants. In the end, we slayed a single lion and drove the rest off. We left the corpse behind to draw the other predators and moved along to make camp and recover from the encounter. The next day, with some of us still bearing the traces of the previous days encounter, we pushed all day, and though we felt that we were very close exercised caution and camped for the night again.

The next day we found the end of our journey in relatively short order, a cave in the side of the mountain with a pair of Ogres standing guard. We all prepared for battle, Xeviouz readied his shield, the casters began the subtle motions and sounds of thread weaving, and Temur . . summoned a spirit horse from the sky. Surprise was lost and the battle was joined. Xeviouz bounded forward, the Ogres advanced in retaliation. Temur waited patiently. As he and his horse took on the visage of a brithan he was off like a bolt of lightning streaking across the sky. He hit the nearest troll an skewered him through. This generated commotion from within the cave, as more Ogres joined the fray. We fought on, spell effects emenated from the cave, Xevious faultered only slightly and Temur held a look of terror and bolted into the cave. The day was victorious for our band of adepts, though barely. We took stock of the battlefield, a number of trolls that would be burned, and an elf with a strange necklace. I am told he was a nethermancer and hindering our front line. Dubhan informed us that all of these beings were tainted, and the general space was tainted. He took one look at the emerald necklace and proceeded to destroy it.

Inside we found what we searched for, or at least the bodies of what we searched for, as well as what can best be described as a macabre laboratory. Of the three missing men, all had been experimented on in some fashion. We noted that the wounds were all expertly cared for, but we could not tell the source. Only one of them was lucky enough to be truly departed. Folwen and Matteo remained fleeting states of consciousness for the better part of a day, a day which we all mourned their soul, for they were tainted and very likely horror marked. There would be no place for them to live in this world. When they finally could hold a conversation we explained the situation. Folwen was scared and wanted to die with honour, he leapt towards us putting the best fight he could, we granted him the Passions mercy. Matteo was resigned to his fate, we allowed him the time to write a letter to his mother, to satisfy both mother and son as much as any devious blood oath.

We did not stay to let the gaze of whatever laid ownership to the cave and it's inhabitants, but take careful planning on any trips into this area and give the cave I have marked a wide berth. There are many strange happenings already in Barsaive, the truth will help keep all things moving towards the benefit of all her inhabitants. So when I undoubtably get summoned back to Clear Creek Crossing, I will double down my work again to unravel the mysteries that surround it and threaten those who want to reclaim this land.

Re: AAR [4M] Laying a Foundation (2020-04-30 @ 22:30 GMT)

Posted: Sun May 03, 2020 7:59 pm
by ottdmk
From the Journal of Dubhan Goronovich:

Sometimes, it seems, you can't win for losing. In some ways, my latest foray into the field was very much a success. in others, it was not.

A Dwarven matron named Temera Longways put out word that she was seeking assistance to find her missing son, Mateo. I ended up arriving at her door in the company of other Adepts: my old colleague Xevious along with three new to me: the Illusionist Moe'Uhane, the Spirit Rider Temur (that was a surprise, I wasn't sure Spirit Riders actually existed) and the Nethermancer Daldorer.

I'll be honest: I was only doing this because I was somewhat bored. A missing person wouldn't normally interest me. After a disastrous attempt at diplomacy by Temur, Moe'Uhane and I managed to get inside and get the whole story from the upset mother. (With an assist from Bedazzling Display of Logical Analysis. Nice spell.)

So it appears that my new colleagues had been involved with this before. A construction site some days from Throal had been plagued by thieves. The woman's son, one Mateo by name, was a mason on the site and volunteered to hunt down the problem. He and a colleague disappeared. Moe, Temur and Daldorer were amongst the group that stopped the thefts, but did not find the missing Dwarves.

So, it would appear that we would head out and try the search again. I really found myself wishing that William Carver could have come along. I hate the wilderness. Nonetheless, we arrived at the construction site more or less on schedule and from there we began our search,

In the time between the original party and ours, the construction group had hired a Scout to find their missing crew. The Scout disappeared as well. This was beginning to become interesting... and interesting usually means dangerous.

Still, we had no trackers. On the advice of the construction group we ended up requesting aid from a witch. This witch created a Blood Magic charm unlike any I've ever heard of. For a few days, it granted me the Mystic Pursuit talent. Very, very useful... and completely unique. We all owe the witch an unspecified favour now. If I can glean her secrets it might be worth it.

Using the Charm we managed to find our quarry. We were immediately beset by corrupted Ogres and what seemed to be an Elf Nethermancer. I actually *saw* the Horror's mark in the astral. After a fierce battle we succeeded in vanquishing the foe. We discovered Mateo and the Scout still alive. The other Dwarf was dead. All three had obviously been experimented on, and I saw signs of pattern corruption in the two that were alive.

As everything else seemed to be Horror marked, the only possible conclusion were that these two were as well. I was unable to discern any marks, but the lore is clear: Horror Marks can be impossible to find even with extensive Astral surveying. I'm still surprised I found the ones I did; in those cases I guess the Horror wanted people to know.

Alas, the likelihood of the mark meant doom for the two survivors. I broke the news to them as gently as I could, to give them a chance to write any farewells they wished to make. The Scout reacted poorly, and had to be fought. Mateo took the news more bravely. After the executions we gained help from the construction crew to close down the cave that the experiments had been done in. We then returned to Throal, bearing Mateo's farewell letter to his mother.