AAR: The Ruined Tower

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AAR: The Ruined Tower

Post by etherial » Tue Oct 03, 2017 5:50 pm

Mission: Explore the ruined tower near the Coil River
GM: Greg (etherial)
Date: 2017-10-03
Players: August Rey, Draevinn Vrinn, Felsic, Ibonto
Difficulty and circle rating: Circle 2 medium

Player Rewards:
August Rey gains 800 LP and 150 SP and 4 Booster Potions (half price)
Draevinn: 800 LP, 100 SP, 1 Healing Potion
Felsic: Gains 800 L.P., 4 Booster potions, 150 sp.
Ibontu: LP 800 Healing Potion + 100 silver

Rolls that were witnessed:
Varis (Item History): 8, 12, 14, 7. Three weeks of Item History to find the first Key Knowledge, then a failed attempt to find the second.
Varis (Research): 7. One presumably failed week of Research trying to find the Research Knowledge.

ChrisDDickey
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Re: AAR: The Ruined Tower

Post by ChrisDDickey » Tue Oct 03, 2017 7:52 pm

From the journal of August Rey, 3rd circle dwarf cavalryman

Last month my good friend (some might even say loyal friend) Ibontu had occasion to fight a follower of Raggok who was creating undead Bog Gobs in an old abandoned tower. He got to wondering if there might not be some sinister reason why such a vile fellow was attracted to such a place, and resolved to lead an expedition to see if the site might not have some secrets. Draevinn Vrinn, Felsic and myself answered his call for volunteers.

His theory that corrupt creatures were attracted to the site proved presentient, as when we arrived we found a small flock of 3 harpies roosting upon the low walls of the ruined tower. After a lengthy exchange of insults (it is very hard to find words to demean such an already low creature), they attacked us. Two flew at Felsic and and Ibontu while I charged the third, knocking it out of the fight with one mighty blow that also caused me to drop my spear. I switched to my trusty mace as Nightshadow and myself fiercely joined the melee that swiftly dispatched the other two.

The fight, though short, was not without cost, as both Felsic and Draevinn Vrinn caught some dread disease from the bites of the filthy creatures. As the day went on, they fell progressively sicker. We found a harpy egg which Felsic resolved to bring back to Throal on the off chance that some person would be deranged enough to wish to buy such a loathsome item.

Examining the ruined tower, we noticed a partially buried staircase leading down. We dug it out, and found a root cellar / storage area of the old tower. Within the cellar were 6 large carnivorous rabbits called prayer rabbits because of the way they hold their forelegs. Somebody dragged a harpy corpse down and threw it into the room. We then retired while they ate it. We waited until the filthy creature had thoroughly sickened the Preces and then threw more hunks of harpy down the hole to lure the creatures out. We attempted to bonk them upon head as they emerged, but they all came rushing out so fast that most of us missed. fortunately, most of them missed us as well.

This fight was long and brutal. The prayer rabbits were fast and hard to hit. I made liberal use of my Battle Shout, and Nightshadow's and my mobility meant that we were eventually able to harry and destroy them individually.

Going back down the stairs, we explored the cellar. We came upon two ancient waxmen, which attacked us and were quickly destroyed. We came upon a storage shelf of ancient potions, two seemed to be cure disease potions that were in cracked bottles that could not be transported, so Felsic and Draevinn consumed them upon the spot. We also found many booster potions that several of us took, and some loose coinage.

We explored the area thoroughly, but could find no reason why such loathsome creatures as followers of Raggok, Harpies, and Preces all seem drawn to this place.

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BattleChad
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Re: AAR: The Ruined Tower

Post by BattleChad » Tue Oct 03, 2017 10:44 pm

The Great Library of Throal thanks August Rey for his addition to our archives.

Journal reward: 80 silver and 40 legend points.

Quixotic
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Re: AAR: The Ruined Tower

Post by Quixotic » Thu Oct 05, 2017 3:22 am

I had been asked by an Obsidiman warrior named Ibontu to help him explore an old tower. My contacts among the Merchant in Throal tell me that a sect of Chorrolis; Passion of trade, wealth, and desire; used it before the Scourge for hidden Alchemist experimentation. It sounds like a promising afternoon of discovery - better than doing nothing in a resource stretched city underground.

I then mey the individuals Ibontu has brought on this exploration at the tower. There was August Rey the Dwarven Cavalryman and his steed Shadow. There is also the Elven beastmaster Draevinn whom went berserk twice on my last foray into the wilderness. I shall keep an eye on him and for six legged rats.

The ruin of the tower was disappointing to me at first glance. The walls left are about five feet tall and about sixty feet in diameter. The Scourge had changed this place in the Forest. Evidently the Harpies living here were not there a month ago when Ibontu was last here. It is fortunate that there are two seasoned veterans with us.

The Harpies were lazy, dirty, and disgusting creatures with foul mouths. I was embarrassed that their taunts got under my skin and I accidently three my sling instead of the rock at them. The Warrior and the Beastmaster made their way forward to meet the creatures in the clearing outside the tower and two of the Harpies came out to fight them.

Draevinn was badly hurt by the quick flying beast and I decided that even though I was affected by their words I could guard Ibontu’s (and Draevinn’s) back by advancing and making myself a target. The Harpy’s claws bit into my shoulder as it turned its attention onto me. August Ray charged the one sitting on the wall of the tower and killed it and both he and Ibontu made short work of the other two creatures.

While the injury I received was minor the dirty claws and the diseases these foul beasts carried soon sickened me. Draevinn was worse off than I was. We found a Harpy egg and I packed it away in case an Alchemist or Wizard might buy it in Throal. Otherwise it might become an omelet.

Searching the ruin we found a stairway hidden under the rubble. Ibontu and I had most of it cleared away quickly but we needed help from August Rey for the last piece. The stairs descended into a large basement and a room full of six carnivorous rabbits with poison bites and thorns on their arms.

I tried to distract them by throwing a Harpy corpse but in my weakened state it fell at our feet and we retreated up the stairs. A second corpse was torn apart and left on the stairs so that we could draw them up and fight some of them at a time in the light.

Unfortunately these rabbits jumped over our trap and we had to fight them all at once. Fortunately all six were suffering from the dirty diseases the Harpy meat was carrying and they were as sick as Draevinn. We killed all but one who fled into the woods where we hoped the disease would end it. Otherwise hopefully it was male and this had no liferock inside it.

Descending again underneath the tower we found a cabinet with alchemical materials in it. It was being watched by two giant wax statues whom kept yelling “Fire bad!” Draevinn attacked one of them while Ibontu wanted to see if they were intelligent. I approached the two wax figures armed with a torch and drew one’s ire away from the sick beastmaster. Fire was indeed bad for it as one swing from my torch melted it into a sticky mess on the floor. Ibontu and August Rey had already dealt with the other one.

In the cabinet we found two potions that cured Draevinn and I of the Harpy disease. The ceramic containers were old and weak but we managed to salvage 8 Booster potions and two potions of healing. The sale of the rabbit bodies, the Harpy egg, and salvaged alchemical materials provided us with a number of silver pieces to divide between us. I would count this expedition as a success despite not finding any recipe book.

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BattleChad
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Re: AAR: The Ruined Tower

Post by BattleChad » Thu Oct 05, 2017 1:13 pm

The Great Library of Throal thanks Felsic for his addition to our archives.

Journal Reward: 40 legend points and 80 silver.

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