AAR: Absent-Minded Tinker, Redux

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Arikail
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AAR: Absent-Minded Tinker, Redux

Post by Arikail » Thu Dec 28, 2017 4:55 am

AAR: Absent-minded Tinker, Redux
GM: Arikail
Circle: 2
Difficulty: M

Brimbli Elwick Bizzspanner by Rock Nibbler the III is once again seeking alchemical ingredients out in the wild, and seeks the help of some adventurers.

Rewards/spent:
Maxim: 800 Legend Points, 230 Silver, +2 Earth Q'Wril Beaks, +1 Wolf Pelts
Ursula von Knuckelbreaker: 800 Legend, 230 Silver, 2 Earth Q'Wril Beaks
Romari: 800 LP, 230 SIlver, 2 Q'Wril Beaks
Thane: 800 Legend Points, 230 Silver, +2 Q'wril Beaks

Downtime skills available:
Romari: Alchemy 7 (Booster Potion, Kelia’s Antidote), Map Making 8, Research 10 (+4 with Speed Reading spell, +3 from Throal library 20sp, +4 Karma)
Ursula: Animal Bond, Animal Training
Maxim: Animal Bond 7 (Rank 1) Animal Training 8 (Rank 2)

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etherial
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Re: AAR: Absent-Minded Tinker, Redux

Post by etherial » Thu Dec 28, 2017 4:57 am

From the collected letters of Ursula von Knucklebreaker:

18 Riag, 1421 T.H.

Dearest Mother and Father:

Attempting to increase my business contacts, I have accepted an offer of employment from one Brimbli Elwick Bizzspanner by Rock Nibbler the III, Absent-minded Tinkerer. He is seeking to harvest Alchemical Reagents in the wild, some Earth Q'Wril beaks, some semi-aquatic fungi, and some exotic botanical flowers. Taking advantage of his offer, I hope to see more of what valuables are to be found in the natural world above.

We arrived at Borgan's Rest on the Fourth Day. Performing the necessary greeting rituals, I impressed them with my glorious vision of the bustling town, and end up selling my shibboleth to the guard for a pittance. My Name will forever hang in his family's halls.

On the Seventh Day, I located a cave that seemed a likely a place for the mushrooms and we went in to explore it. I found signs that a largish creature may have been living in the cave, so we moved slowly and carefully. A small section of an underground stream ran through the Southern portion of the cave and we found the bioluminscent fungi within. Thane stripped down to his skivvies and dove to the bottom of the stream and recovered most of the mushrooms. The harvest was not quite up to Brimbli's desires, so we continued to explore the cave and found a Beastmaster with Bear and Wolf companions.

The others ignored his dismissive commands and instead of leaving, hastened me into his presence. I immediately recognized a follower of my Discipline of superior Circle and inhospitable disposition, and I admonished my colleagues for not heeding his wishes. We left.

After a few days of searching, we located an area showing signs of Earth Q'Wril activity. Maxim, convinced that they honored their dead as we do, began searching for an Earth Q'Wril graveyard. Zinj leapt to the top of the hill to protect us and the Earth Q'Wrils took that as a sign of aggression and one attacked him, bursting up through the earth and dealing him a savage blow.

The party leapt into action and we found the Earth Q'Wril's difficult to handle on their initial attack, but easily dispatched thereafter. Maxim, to my surprise, did locate a Q'Wril graveyard and everyone was able to take a few beaks home as a prize.

The next day, we arrived at the edge of the Servos Jungle, having found a grove of trees that had the Ambiguous Florinest, a creeping vine that grows in the utmost branches and emits a sickeningly sweet smell. Maxim and Zimbu made quick work harvesting these, and we headed home to Throal.

Our journey nearly complete, we encountered a gang of Bandits with Wolf-headed armor who tried to extort money from us, but Maxim stabbed one in the kidneys and we frightened them off with our maddening charge, slaying two and driving the rest away. Brimbli rewarded us for our efforts protecting him the last two weeks.

Yours,

Ursula von Knuckebreaker, née Nusserman

Other PCs:
Maxim, male Windling Thief
Thane Cawdor, male Troll Sky Raider
Romari, male Elf Wizard

NPCs:
Brimbli Elwick Bizzspanner by Rock Nibbler the III, a Tinkerer
Zimbu, a Monkey
Zinj, an Ape

ChrisDDickey
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Re: AAR: Absent-Minded Tinker, Redux

Post by ChrisDDickey » Thu Dec 28, 2017 4:02 pm

From the journal of Thane Cawdor, Troll Sky Raider of the 2nd Circle.

The dwarvish tinkerer Brimbli Elwick Bizzspanner by Rock Nibbler the III desired to get some alchemical components, and hired a group of us to accompany him. In addition to myself, Maxium, a windling thief, Ursula von Knucklebreaker, a beastmaster and her pet Ape, and Romari, a human wizard all answered his advert.

The first item on our employers agenda was some aquatic mushrooms. We passed through Borgan's rest on our way to that range of hills a few days south of there. There we found a cave, which we explored. We found a deep stream. At the bottom of the stream, maybe around 30 feet down, we saw the glowing mushrooms that Brimbli identified as being what he wanted. The dwarf did not seem to be inclined to go diving for them himself, nor did any of the others, so I stripped down and made several dives down, holding my breath while working in the cold and dark to harvest the fungus.

I got good harvests from the first two patches, but was feeling the chill by the time I got to the last patch. Brimbli did much grumbling about the quality of those mushrooms, but I did not see him volunteering to go get them. I shudder to think what the rest would have done if I had not been along as I doubt any of them would have been able to harvest but a fraction of what I did.

When we had entered the cavern with the stream, we had noticed a side passage up near the ceiling. The others talked about looking in there. But by the time I had harvested all 3 patches, dried myself and redressed, none of them had yet mustered up the energy or gumption to look into it yet. We wished to locate and harvest more of the mushrooms, so decided to explore more of the cave. I get out my climbing kit and climb up. I called down that there was a long passage way, and let down a rope for the others to climb up. The human wizard does, but the others refuse to go up. They suggest we go explore it ourselves while they stay down there, as if I would be so stupid. So we end up going back the way we came, but taking the time to explore another branch. We find no more streams before we leave that cave. We spend 2 days looking for another cave, but don't find one.

Soon we head out to where Brimbli hopes to find some Earth Q'Wril. Brimbli tells us all about them (in long rambling speeches that manage to be both boring and mostly leave out the most useful of information). I gather that they hear their prey coming, and attack above the footfalls. I use my wood carving skills to fashion a pair of stilts in the hopes that they will attack the space under me. I carry them until Brimbli announces that we have arrived near a Earth Q'Wril colony. When he does, I climb upon my stilts. My idea does not really work, but does not harm.

I had presumed that we would wait at the bottom of the hill for them to come at us. Unfortunately the Apes instincts were to take the high ground. While all of us except the Wizard could have flew/jumped/climbed up there, the party was split up. The Ape and Beastmaster were sore pressed at the top of the hill. Enough attacked at the bottom of the hill that I was kept busy keeping them from the wizard. Earth Q'Wril, I am given to understand, are very dangerous when they manage to leap at you unseen. Fortunately we were all on our toes and they were easy to kill. We slew about 8, and found where some wolves and killed several more, so Brimbli had more than he needed.

Reaching the edges of the Servos jungle, we found the flower we were looking for. It grew high up in a tree, but between the windlings flight, and my climbing, they were easy to harvest.

As we got within a few days travel of Throal, we were set upon by the most unstealthy group of bandits I have ever seen. Our thief disappeared into the bushes even before their spokesperson stepped out and demanded a toll. I rather jovially inquired how many lumps he wanted! He had stopped us rather far away from him, so I pulled out a pouch (not my money pouch, this pouch held nothing but some walnuts for my afternoon snack) and started forward as if I was going to pay him. I got to almost within a dozen yards before he ordered me to halt again and said he did not want my pouch, he wanted Brimbli's pouch! We did some more bantering with him for a while, and I was starting to wonder if the thief would ever attack, when finally everybody heard a choked scream and our counterambush sprung. The cowardly bandits immediately ran away, and we only managed to slay the ones the thief and I knocked down.

All in all the expedition was successful and enjoyable.

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BattleChad
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Re: AAR: Absent-Minded Tinker, Redux

Post by BattleChad » Thu Dec 28, 2017 4:49 pm

The Great Library of Throal thanks Ursula and Thane for their contributions.

Journal Rewards: 40 Legend Points and 57 Silver

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