AAR: Wreck of the Courageous

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etherial
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AAR: Wreck of the Courageous

Post by etherial » Fri Feb 16, 2018 5:35 am

Mission: Wreck of the Courageous
GM: etherial
Date: 2018-02-16
Difficulty and circle rating: Circle 2 Medium

Player Rewards:
Dubhan Goronich: 3TIP, 800 Legend, 230sp
Durgin: 3 TIP, 800 Legend. 220 silver. Navigation training to 2nd.
Fliver: 3 TIP, 800 Legend, 220 Silver, Navigation Training, Map Making training.
Robert: 3 TIP, 800 Legend, 230 Silver

Downtime Actions Available:
Dubhan: Alchemy 7 (Booster Potions)
Fliver: Research (Rank 3, Step 10, step 13 with library)
Robert: Research 13

Further Information:
The Kingdom of Throal has successfully contacted the Blood Wood, the Courageous has been rescued.
Last edited by etherial on Sat Feb 17, 2018 3:14 am, edited 1 time in total.

ender3rd
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Re: AAR: Wreck of the Courageous

Post by ender3rd » Fri Feb 16, 2018 6:13 am

So we went, found and rescued a downed ship. The Courageous was the replacement of the Earthdawn in the Throalic expeditionary corps. It was going to the blood wood "designated meeting spot" but got blown off course by a storm. We went through the mountains to Iceclaw Moot, getting harassed by some wolves along the way. As an aside we really need to kill off those wolves, every time I'm anywhere even close to hilly country I get attacked by wolves. Anyway we talk our way though the Moot to the other side of the river. The moot is the only (semi-)reliable crossing of the Serpent River right now.

One night we were attacked by giant insects. Apparently this is a thing near the Iceclaw Moot. They hurt me pretty badly right at the start but once the rest started using some basic team up/hit them in the back tactics the fight didn't go on too long. Plenty of time to heal up before we made it to the Blood Wood and out of the hills.

Then we traveled west until we found the downed ship. A bunch of trees from the blood wood were holding the ship down while some thorny wood elemental constructs attacked the crew. We stopped the immediate attack, held council with the officers, and decided to journey to the meeting point ourselves to ask the Elves to get the ship out of its predicament. This we did any things wen't OK, but not really well. We need to make sure to bring lots of Sperethiel speakers to the Blood Wood on any future trips - they don't take kindly to being addressed in any other tongue. They're also pretty racist and classist. They evidently still believe that they are the center of the Elven universe, no matter that that hasn't been true for almost a millennia. Still, I suppose that any Namegiver which could sprout thorns from their skin can't exactly be all there.

The other guys bugged me a bit about me giving an honest reply when asked if there was anything else he could do. I know that asking to see a grimoire isn't exactly a usual thing to do with someone you just met - but when else am I going to be meeting a blood elf! Besides, I only asked to see a couple specific, useful first circle spells - nothing powerful or heavily secret! If he didn't want an answer to his question why did he ask it? Besides, this is the third time I've come close to learning Elementalism but I still haven't been able to make it happen! Nethermancy was pretty easy to find a teacher for, and there's an Illusionist (Fliver, quite a capable Windling) who seems perfectly happy to help me with Illusionism. Elementalism still eludes me though! Still, probably best if I start thinking about advancing a bit in my own Discipline as well as learning the others.

Slimcreeper
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Re: AAR: Wreck of the Courageous

Post by Slimcreeper » Fri Feb 16, 2018 5:29 pm

We really got to see some stuff on this expedition! The Exploratory Force had lost an airship on a trip to the Blood Wood and assembled a team to track it down. This is the second time I've traveled with Fliver, windling illusionist, and Robert, human jack-of-all-spellcasting-trades. Duhban, a dwarf wizard also joined us. A fell We needed to cross the Serpent River, so first we headed north through the mountains to the Iceclaw Moot. Ixta, the chief, is very agreeable. They've come up with an ingenious machine to lower parties from their village on the cliff to the Serpent River far below, where they offer a ferry service across the river. I've never imagined such a body of water! I'll need to update my mental image of what a sea must be like after laying eyes on the mighty Serpent! Once across, it was a simple matter to follow the river to the west northwest. We were attacked in the night by great, dwarf-sized ants. Chief Ixta had warned us that a horror in the area was hatching them out like a chicken on the brood. I suppose we weren't quite vigilant enough. They packed a painful bite with a poison that had us laying about in the most pitiful way after we slew them all. I'm starting to get my rhythm as a fighter, although it's not what I saw my self mainly doing when I took up this life. It should be said, however, that traveling with a troop of magicians can make anyone feel like the most ferocious warrior in Barsaive. Still, I'm glad I invested in heavier armor. The wolves that seem to always crop up whenever you head into the mountains couldn't seem to get purchase, and even the ferocious mutated ants were only able to get a few significant bites.

We found the Airship HMS Courageous hung up in some trees just inside the Blood Wood, the crew beset by animated trees, dwarf-like in form but as tall as humans. Again, we prevailed as I managed to keep all of their attention on me while the casters showered them with spells. Duhban also kept a spell called 'Iron Hand' on me most of the time, which gave me a much-needed boost to my spear strikes.

After speaking with Captain Varis on board the Courageous, we determined that diplomacy was the best course of action to free the ship. As it turned out, the very trees of the Wood were actively grappling the vessel. I went so far as to try speaking soothingly to them while petting the vines reassuringly. It was about as successful as you might have expected. But if you don't reach out, you'll never know if the murderous animate tree wants to be your friend. So we went in Varis's place to the rendezvous point to speak with the Blood Elves.

The Blood Warder Takaris spoke with us. He was elegant, mesmerizing, and horrifying, although I was able to keep my impressions to myself, as far as I can tell. On learning of the plight of the airship, he spoke to his thorny wooden servants and they went to free it. We spoke for a few minutes about how the Wood had fared during the Scourge and how the world had changed. He was positive, and even spoke of uniting the elves of the world within the Blood Wood way of life. While he spoke of this, the thorns that pierced his skin dripped blood, drop by drop, on to the spongy earth, adding to the pools of red liquid and the coppery tang in the air. I don't know many elves. Perhaps they would see the appeal, but all I saw was horror.

Speaking of horror, as we were bringing our conversation to a close, the Warder asked if there was anything else we required. Robert actually asked to borrow his grimoire, as though he was a common neighbor and short a cup of sugar! And asked him in Throalic, a language which obviously grated on the elf's nerves! Even Duhban, the quintessential laconic dwarf, felt the need to apologize on Robert's behalf. Fortunately Duhban also speaks Sperethiel, so I think he was able to recover the situation. As we left, I gifted Takaris the fine herbs I had found, which green or dried will make for a bracing tea. We parted ways and returned on the airship.

I was able to talk extensively with the ship's navigator, and she even allowed me to make a copy of the charts in exchange for making a study of mine! There was a gentleman in Throal who approached me about acquiring them before we left. I'll have to look him up! The better our maps, and the more accessible they are, the quicker we can reclaim Barsaive!

-OCC- There was a legitamate moment of shocked silence when Robert asked to see Takaris's grimoire. Easily my favorite moment of the night! Kudos, Ender!

ChrisDDickey
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Re: AAR: Wreck of the Courageous

Post by ChrisDDickey » Sat Feb 17, 2018 12:48 pm

The Throal Exploratory force has maintained an airship since before the end of the scourge. Since the Earthdawn is years overdue from it's 2nd voyage, they had the Courageous built. It was several days overdue from returning from a trip to the bloodwood, when some high circle spellcaster working for the government used divination magic to revel that it had crashed and it's crew, though alive, was in peril.
They quickly recruited a small team to search for it, that team turned out to be myself, two wizards (Robert and Dubhan Goronich), and a troubadour (Durgin Trotter), all of first or second circle.
The village of Sossenopa being a no-go area, we decided to make our crossing of the Serpent River near the Ice-Claw Moot. Thus we first crossed the heart of the Throalic mountains. We suffered a brief attack by wolves, which concerns me somewhat, since I have read that all wolves encountered in that area since the reopening of Throal, all the wolves have been under the control of a powerful being called "The Wolf Father", and that the wolves in that area did not normally attack Throalic citizens. I know not if these were more "wild" wolves, or if we have somehow managed to offend the Wolf Father. In any case, these wolves attacked us as if they have no fear of Namegivers, as indeed, after 500 years of our absence, very few wild animals have.
I cast Blindness upon two, and one of them ran away. The other three were fairly swiftly subdued, two to unconsciousness, the third to death. Robert slit the two unconscious ones throats before I could stop him or tell him the legend of the Wolf Father. If we get attacked again by Wolves in the Northern Mountains, I shall assuredly tell my companions the legend, as I feel it is unwise to gratuitously slay wolves in that area. And once again, I wonder why these wolves are behaving so naturally, and not exhibiting sights of being under the control of the Wolf Father? Or are they under the control of the Wolf Father, but the Wolf Father is angry at us for some reason?

We spent little time at the moot. Since we arrived in the mid=mourning we did not even stay a night, but descended the cliff in their contraption and let them ferry us across the mighty river. The chieftain Ixta warned us that there were more giant insects roaming the area (adventurers have been slaying giant insects here for years, and hunting down queen hives. Everybody knows there is a horror somewhere who is creating monstrous insects, but nobody has located it yet) One night during the last watch we were attacked by giant ants. 3 Solder Ants and a Drone Ant that could fly. It was a long fight since half of us were asleep when attacked, and I took the time to make all 4 of them blind before switching to E-Bolts. I like blinding monstrous opponents, since it makes them so much easier to be hit, and so much less likely to hit us. But it still means a longer time of yelling and screaming before we put the last one down.

Several of my companions had been bitten in the first few seconds of combat, and after the fight they needed to lie down for several hours before the poison worked it's way through their systems.
It only took us a few more days to reach the blood wood. For some reason I had never realized the blood wood was quite so close.
We were still more than a day away from the coordinates that was the Courageous' destination when we noticed a commotion near the edge of the wood. Gingerly entering the woods, we could see the Courageous entangled with tall trees. It seemed as if the Trees were actually grappling the large airship. As we approached, several things that we at first took to be large trees, attacked us. These things turned out to not be true trees, because not only could and did they attack us, but they also moved around. I never did see anything that looked like eyes, so I did not bother to cast blindness upon them Instead I blasted them with E-Bolts and True E-Bolts. In no time they were reduced to kindling.

We spoke to the captain. His name was spelled Varis, but the pronunciation was very different from, and was of no relation to (or the same species as) the adventurer whose name is also spelled that way who has performed many legendary events the last several seasons. The captain was exhausted and could barely evaluate a plan. We discussed our attacking several key trees, while he and his crew attempted to sail the ship free. He seemed willing to try that, but seemed unenthused. When we suggested that we go meet the blood warders at the agreed meeting place, he also agreed to that, and so that is what we did.

We traveled to the meeting place, met the Blood Warder Takaris, who said that the woods defenders must have mistaken the ship for an attacking horror, and gave an order to the wood that the ship was to be freed. It was and joined us at the meeting place shortly.

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BattleChad
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Re: AAR: Wreck of the Courageous

Post by BattleChad » Sun Feb 18, 2018 6:02 am

The Great Library of Throal thanks Robert, Durhin, and Fliver for thier contributions.

Journal Rewards: 40 Legend Points and 57 Silver

ottdmk
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Re: AAR: Wreck of the Courageous

Post by ottdmk » Sun Feb 18, 2018 6:53 pm

Dubhan Goronich writes:

The Throal Expeditionary Force put out a call for volunteers to seek out their overdue airship, the Courageous. Having recently completed my apprenticeship I was eager for a chance to explore beyond the walls of Throal and soon found myself amongst a most unusual party: a human of my own Discipline named Robert, a Windling Illusionist and a Dwarven Troubadour. I was somewhat surprised, as I had anticipated that the lure of adventure would bring out more martially inclined sorts, but that was not to be the case.

As our search required us to cross the Serpent River we went to the Iceclaw Moot. On the way we were attacked by wolves in the forest. Durgin the Troubadour is quite capable with the spear he carries, especially when his blows are augmented by my spells. We successfully negotiated passage across the river from the Trolls and once on the other side of the Serpent we ended up attacked by giant ants. Their bite was quite painful, and poisonous, as I had the misfortune to discover.

We succeeded in finding the Courageous. It had been blown off course and attacked by the Blood Wood itself. After defeating a small force of Thorn Folk we were able to determine that the ship, although trapped, was holding its own.

Realizing our small force could not effect a rescue, we determined to go to the original rendezvous point to convince the powers that rule the Blood Wood to aid us. We successfully made our way to the rendezvous and spoke with Takaris, a Blood Warder. My knowledge of the elven tongue served me well that day. Tarkaris immediately took steps to effect the release of the Courageous. The four of us were able to ride home on the airship.

I am concerned about Robert. He showed a lack of decorum on the mission unbecoming to a Wizard, bluntly asking a complete stranger (and a foreign diplomat at that!) if he could borrow his (Tarkaris') grimoire. It was plain from his actions during the mission that he is dabbling in other areas of spellcasting, as some humans are known to do. If I knew the name of his mentor I would bring my concerns directly to him or her. As it is, I shall simply have to keep a wary eye out should our paths cross again.

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BattleChad
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Re: AAR: Wreck of the Courageous

Post by BattleChad » Sun Mar 11, 2018 3:12 pm

The Great Library of Throal thanks Dubhan for his contribution.

Journal Rewards: 40 Legend Points and 57 Silver

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