Morph3us

You can see the event is a long festival and not a rigid concert with a setlist he has to stick to. So, if you see an opportunity for him to take a break and interact, go for it! The aforementioned work surge has a few weeks left in it. I think I need to bite a small bullet and say I won't be posting much until it's over. The lull to come after should bridge things nicely to the time when my live game will end (and it's still on track). So, I should soon be consistently more available than I have been in years.

Got it, thanks! The aforementioned work surge has a few weeks left in it. I think I need to bite a small bullet and say I won't be posting much until it's over. The lull to come after should bridge things nicely to the time when my live game will end (and it's still on track). So, I should soon be consistently more available than I have been in years.

I don't think we need a second perform check mid-conversation, if you'd rather not have Ynessa suddenly develop two left feet. 😁 The perform skill says "Trying to earn money by playing in public requires anywhere from an evening’s work to a full day’s performance." Ynessa isn't actually doing that but it still shows that one check can cover a much longer period of time.

"Nonsense." Galen dismisses Ynessa's demonstrably false modesty. She more than keeps pace with him; their refined performance draws attention from many, some of them stopping to admire the sight. The shadowdancer prods him for local information as they step and spin. Galen begins with shallow gossip but is more blunt about sharing that than a full elf in this community might be. He opens up more over time, eager to impress and impressed himself by Ynessa's vibrant dance. His stories progress from humdrum to scandalous and then to clandestine. "The Sea Dogs are beginning to outmaneuver the Alley Rats." he explains after confirming she knows of the existence of both thieving operations. "I think magic is involved. But all the upstanding mages here would never..." Something crosses his mind and he starts thinking out loud. "Could it be the halfling I saw?" Referring, no doubt, to Nasri/Milo. "He seems new as well, and brash enough to take risks. Oh, no, but you mustn't tell anyone! It would be wrong to imply such without any real reason."

Two sessions later and we are increasingly on track for this! In the short term my availability is getting crushed by a surge at work. But later in the summer I will get an indefinite improvement. Looking forward to no longer having to alternate between preparing for the live game and writing posts for MW.

Two sessions later and we are increasingly on track for this! In the short term my availability is getting crushed by a surge at work. But later in the summer I will get an indefinite improvement. Looking forward to no longer having to alternate between preparing for the live game and writing posts for MW.

Also, I'm not clear on whether Kutaeg went down there also?

The gray elf is just as put off by Nasri's unpredictable outbursts as the others in this circle of mingling scholars. At least his question about her travels finds some purchase. That's a good sign she probably hasn't made him for who he actually is yet. "Not very much," she replies with carefully practiced modesty. "Of the non-transitive planes, Arborea, the Outlands, and Air. I may return to each someday; for example, to see Arvandor again or finally visit the Citadel of Ice and Steel." As far as planar excursions go, those are among the safer options. Arborea, of course, holds the realms of elven deities in the Seldarine, such as Corellon Larethian and Sehanine Moonbow. And the Elemental Plane of Air is one of the more benign places in existence. "Non-transitive" may be doing some interesting work here. There is much to see in the Ethereal, Astral, and even Shadow if one is a dedicated planar traveler. And she was noticeably less specific about them. Nasri's magical scholarship serves him well in the ensuing conversation. There are even more specific trivia he could mention, some riskier than others. For example, the party did have contact with the noble Abdule, the lord of a freehold in the Elemental Plane of Air. Unfortunately, that involved fighting with him against Hargreave. Selissa is roped into discussing Arvandor a great deal by the other elves in attendance. To have visited the realms of the Elven pantheon wearing a false faith--this woman is capable! The party finds themselves moving in high social circles these days. That topic exhausted, her attention returns to Nasri as a few others drift off. "Your knowledge must be broad if you can sustain discussion of planar travel with little personal experience. What are your other specialties?" She asks. OOC: Ran out of time tonight to write up Ynessa's part but I will come back for that soon. As posted in the OOC thread my years-long gaming schedule problems are nearing their end. MW will have my undivided D&D attention sometime this year. 🙂

Gundin shadows Bhalgurn until the barbarian decides to abscond back to the ground floor. Unfortunately the dutiful metal servant also proves susceptible to the haze of necromancy gathered in the cellar. The effects are understated so far: tiny spots of rust that will come off with the right spell or even a thorough polish. Still, these are early signs that the environment down there is hazardous to all who visit. Upon their return, Bhalgurn deposits assorted small tools and papers collected from the workbench. Grommash inspects them first. The writing is alien to him but the hardware is more familiar. Some of the tools resemble those he uses for the finer aspects of work on his contraptions. One could also mistake them for a jeweler's: there are calipers, slender pliers, magnifying glasses, and the like. That's not all, though. There is also a mortar and pestle and other items one might find an alchemist puttering about with in his lab. The artificer assesses that, while this equipment could probably be put to other uses, the main reason for it was to maintain the magic powering the lighthouse over the years. If there are any supplies left for that purpose, they are probably to be found in the cellar. Bhalgurn's investigation of the storage down there was (understandably!) distracted. OOC: Neither constructs in general nor Steel Defenders in particular seem immune to Necrotic damage. I think Gundin has to make the same save. Also, the equipment collectively counts as Alchemist's and Jeweler's tools. They would cost around 75 GP so it's a neat little find.

Hope both are fun! And, thank you! I have been running one game or another almost continuously the whole time I have been doing this play by post. No longer having one will make me more available for this.

Projected finish: August 3rd after accounting for some skipped meetings due to my calendar. Probably with some epilogue meeting after, but the time+energy sink will have ended.

Projected finish: August 3rd due to some skipped meetings based on my calendar. Probably with some epilogue meeting after, but the time+energy sink will have ended.

Kutaeg's mind is still reeling. Given time, he may piece together more of what he saw before the dream was shattered when Gundin roused him. Bhalgurn expands the investigation while waiting for the him to recover. The warrior climbs down into the gloomy cellar, prepared to check out its contents. The necromantic wisps down here are drawn to the living like monochrome moths to a flame. Of course, fire is hazardous to moths--while here the danger is reversed! Bhalgurn paces among the storage containers but finds himself distracted by the gathering necrotic presence. It feels metaphysically cold, a chill to the soul instead of the body. And it's getting worse. That distraction foils his investigation. He finds himself rushing, opening sacks and lifting lids but barely checking inside before moving on. All the while he feels a slight but mounting pressure on his life force. He could stick around to try again but it would be more hazardous. Alternatively, he could head for the workbench and just grab everything he can to look at with the others. OOC: DC 10 Con save for half of 2d6 Necrotic damage. He could try investigating again with the danger this time being DC 12; it's getting worse the longer he's down here.

The sun soars into the sky as mid-morning gives way to mid-day. Scattered clouds occasionally roam across and obscure it. Down below, and in much the same way, attendees drift in and out. The temple grounds aren't huge but the gardens flanking its paths sometimes prevent everyone in the party from being in sight of each other. A new course is served, including blackbark soup (it's heartier and tastier than it sounds) and delicious elven seedcakes. Abrecan and Black presumably hone in on them. Ynessa, meanwhile, is waylaid by a half-elf named Galen who asks her for a dance to Varrik's music. He has inherited the piercing green eyes and dark hair of his elven heritage but dances with the energy of one raised by humans. Nasri--er, "Milo"--comes across Vestrenna first. "Selissa" is drawn in by the spectacle of a brash halfling commanding grudging intellectual respect from the surrounding elves. She wears a dusty blue dress that matches the airy, gently festive mood of the temple grounds. The grim stare she had when scrying is replaced by refined, placid grace. Some of Nasri's points spin off side conversations; he overhears her participating in one about the different alloys of tuning forks needed for a plane shift to reach specific regions of the Inner Planes. For example, copper (Elemental Plane of Fire) alloyed with zinc (Elemental Plane of Earth) makes brass. A properly tuned fork of it brings one to the Para-Elemental Plane of Magma at the intersection of the aforementioned planes. Alloying with tin (Air) makes bronze suitable for reaching the Para-Elemental Plane of Ash, and so on.

I think a courtier's outfit is closer to the refined sensibilities of this crowd rather than a noble's outfit, which is described as visibly, intentionally expensive. It's been a few weeks since I posted so I will try to update this weekend.

That sounds like fun! I hope you get a chance to pull it off!

Gundin hauls Kutaeg out of the chair with some effort while Bhalgurn ponders for any historical precedent to draw on. The sudden intervention snaps the bard out of his catatonic state. Grommash observes some changes in the auras of magic that are present. The divination fades when the bard wakes up. The necromancy withdraws but does not dissipate, moving up away from this level of the lighthouse. The enchantment lingers. Kutaeg experiences the intervening moments very differently. He finds his sense of self drowned in a waking dream and briefly forgets who he actually is. All the grime evaporates from the windows with a golden glow. The bard looks out at the water beyond from the eyes of an elderly man; he can tell by the gnarled hands on the arm rests. An age before now, the sea teems with ships. Most are adorned not with conventional white sails but with the deep red of tanbark. Storms are frequent; this must be after the star died and the world sank, but before the civilization that clung to it faded. And fade it does. Kutaeg watches a rapid time-lapse of diminishing traffic. The stored supplies start to dwindle instead of being fully maintained. The flow of visitors slows to trickle. He feels someone else's stubborn pride at staffing this landmark to the bitter end. One night, the blazing light flickers. Before he can consider the situation further, something yanks-- --being wrenched out of the dream is disorienting. Kutaeg struggles through a migraine that slowly fades as he reacquaints himself with the present. When he presumably recounts what he saw, it completes a thought Bhalgurn had half-put together already. History is full of examples of legendary hauntings (real or not). A frequent theme is a restless spirit bound to some unfinished worldly business. The torment of their situation can render them hostile until they are finally put to rest.

That is fine with me! In my last post I pointed out the group has a number of ways to earn incidental gold on days when they don't have more pressing concerns. 🙂

Glad to hear it. Since this is all just scene-setting I won't linger too long. But I will give Ynessa and Nasri a moment to establish their presence along with the rest who already did.

Grommash observes for some time. Meanwhile, Kutaeg seems stable and not in physical danger. Eventually the artificer determines the necromancy concentrated near the bard is the original source of that in the cellar. Over time--a long time, he suspects--wisps of the haze surrounding the former sank down and pooled below. That means the necromancy around Kutaeg has persisted and is not an acute effect like a spell that triggered upon the group's entrance. It may be the cause of all the other auras he can see. Unfortunately this place just might be haunted after all. creak... creak... creak...

It is! But I really don't have time for it anymore. And they will have wrapped everything up while reaching 20th level (from 5th with two level skips in there). So I am happy with how it's turning out.

Update should come today or tomorrow! Also, the live game I have run for a long time should finish this summer. We are meeting twice a month and have approximately 10 sessions left at the pace they are progressing. I don't plan on running any new ones for quite a few years. This will be a long-term improvement to my posting ability.

I agree they will find it highly amusing. And at least this time there is something for Abrecan to eat! Unrelated: The live game I have run for a long time should finish this summer. We are meeting twice a month and have approximately 10 sessions left at the pace they are progressing. I don't plan on running any new ones for quite a few years. This will be a long-term improvement to my posting ability.

Spring Equinox (T+44 days) The party elects to focus on the Springrites. The city of Grand Bank is increasingly abuzz during the intervening several days. The group secured an invitation to the innermost circles of the celebration where the most influential elves (and their hangers-on) will be in attendance. But the festival as a whole is far from exclusive. Everyone has plans of some sort. That's even true of the two street kids the party encountered on their way in to the city. The pair come wandering by the Safe Harbor one day and, among other errands, check in to see if their old tour group needs any more guidance. It seems the adventurers' largesse made an impression on them. Some might fill their time with work to help pay for the group's accommodations. Their options are far less lucrative than adventuring. However, they are safe and reliable. They also give the party a chance to take a break from risking their lives. Spring, true spring, finally arrives. The festival begins on a bright, gorgeous morning. Puffs of clouds drift lazily across a brilliant blue sky. The wind stirs but no longer chills. The off-and-on rain stopped two days ago. Trees are starting to bud. The flowers in elven gardens are already blooming. The dreary winter is now fully vanquished. The party finds themselves once again on the grounds of Corellon's temple. This time they are full of elves, scholars, musicians, artists, merchants, and other influential figures. Ethereal music drifts through the gardens. Varrik (perhaps adopting a new face) has some duty to contribute to it. However, he has enough freedom to take breaks as needed and so can help with the party's real reason for being here. The harpist Meridia spends most of her time inside the temple itself, but seems friendly enough to a fellow musician if he needs to ask an insider about anything. Nasri (wisely appearing as a halfling) has a chance to mingle with arcane casters. The gnomish shopkeep Davnan is here and trying to do the same to make new customers. The pair of potential assassins are not a major focus of conversation but there are occasional whispers of concern. Abrecan is probably pleased to find the grounds now well-appointed with festival delicacies. There are expensive wines, wild berries, cheese to die for, and other simple pleasures. Hopefully more substantial meals are coming but things are off to a good, if light, start. He is given a wide berth by most attendees. Perhaps, as far as he is concerned, that just grants him first pick of anything he comes across. Black gets a moderately warmer reception. Humans are not disliked by the kind of elves who live in a human-dominated city. But he still looks a lot more rough-and-tumble than the crowd they usually associate with. At least he can be confident his presence helps dissuade most kinds of trouble. As for the kind it might invite, well, the party probably wants to find it anyway. Ynessa might not be used to being the party member paid the most attention. But so she is. The shadowdancer is a new face in the elven community here. So, she is regularly subject to polite but probably oft-deflected questions about her background and journey here. OOC: One post of scene-setting to let you all establish how you approach the festival in character. Hence Vestrenna has not made an appearance right away but it's early yet. 🙂 Although it continues to cost 5 GP/night to rent their suite, I assume the party finds ways to cover it and doesn't have to keep drawing down their own funds. Abrecan and Black are both far hardier than your average day laborer, even before getting into other options they have. Nasri isn't a professional scribe or translator but has utilities like Comprehend Languages and the ability to Identify things. Varrik could, on average, earn several gold per day performing. Ynessa has perform also as well as other options to make money.