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Author Topic: Duality - DnD from the DM's perspective  (Read 969 times)

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the asshole you hate

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Duality - DnD from the DM's perspective
« on: September 22, 2010, 08:46:14 PM »

What follows is a written log of my latest campaign (which started last monday night). I will be idealizing certain interactions to form a more seamless story. I'm doing this mostly to keep details fresh in my mind and so the players will have something to read if they want to refresh their memories on what is happening. A tertiary reason is the entertainment factor for me and possibly others.


Duality
a story of war over millenia




Player information: given to players before the game began



Magic is the antithesis of science. Indeed, within the confines of an extremely magical workshop the laws of physics are known to be broken without rhyme or reason. Flasks transforming into animals, rocks sliding up walls and torches that burn backward until the torch becomes whole. Mages spend a great portion of their time managing these flares of chaotic and often dangerous spells. The only rule that seems constant with magic is that it attracts itself, meaning spells left sitting too long will edge toward each other and eventually collide, causing strange effects. Objects and even creatures left too long in the presence of magic may develop strange magical properties. This story begins with one such object; a book of time magic left so long in the hands of chronomages that it took on three unique and powerful traits.

First, the pages are filled with entries dated both future and past.

Second, when held by a chronomage of sufficient power, the mage is able to see into the past or future and even converse with other chronomages of other times who have or will hold the book.

Finally, the book seems to have gained a personality and chooses what the reader is able to see of its content at will, even changing entries to correct mistakes made by inept chronomages. The tome has never been known to lie or show false data, instead simply refusing to display certain powerful spells to those it deems unworthy.

In the year 1042 CE the book spoke to the gnomish chronomage Finn of Coil.

"I am destined to die in the year 4201 unless someone aids me. After years of careful calculation I have decided that you are the best person to bequeath this knowledge to. Being a gnome, you are inclined to secrets, and given your sanctum's security and your immense memory I feel safer granting you this knowledge than any other chronomage in history. This is a powerful time traveling spell. I bequeath it to you without fear that you will fail to do the right thing. While I cannot see futures that may be, I have now already seen the effect that giving you this spell will have, and see that I have chosen wisely. I don't care how many of this planet's races may die, or even that the planet itself will be destroyed. I care only for my own existence. Use the spell as you deem fit, and save my life."

The pages of the book became blank and Finn of Coil put it into his robe and set out to find the components for the spell he'd just memorized.




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Re: Duality - DnD from the DM's perspective
« Reply #1 on: September 22, 2010, 08:51:34 PM »

Player information continued

A History for the Uneducated on the Events and Places of our Planet
By Magus Finn of Coil


I wrote this to help educate others during my travels. The words are all very simple so that those who wish to  can learn from it easily. I'll add new entries as I explore.


The Beginning of Time

First there was the age of myth. We don't know much about this age. Time mages cannot peer that far back because there wasn't much magic at the time. We do know that there was a king who ended the age of myth in the year 0 CE. King Edol, a great ruler from the eastern coastlands, fought every tribe and nation and forced them all to offer blood sacrifice to his god in his language.

King Edol's throne sat in the northern tropics which today are the wastes. He claimed them as his throne lands and made all the other tribes and nations pay tribute to him there. The terrible chaos of his faith helped to grow his armies; madness caused by bloodletting and sacrifices was considered holy by his god, and so as his armies killed, raped and terrorized they found replacements for their own fallen.

During his reign, Edol started the bookwalker's guild and his priests traveled the world spreading knowledge and religion. We owe King Edol a large debt despite the fact that his reign was terrible and his laws were cruel. If not for the bookwalkers, common would not be a language we all understand, our dates and measurements would all still be different and there might be no books at all.

We now live in the common era. Since Edol's defeat there has never been another King of the World.


The Contents of our Continent

Our world is a ball made up of magical layers. The outside-most layer is the air we all breathe. Beneath that is water which makes up the vast oceans. Under the water is a layer of stone and earth. Beneath that, the earth becomes hot and melts into magma. We don't know if there is another elemental layer beneath, but Air, Water, Earth and Fire are thus divided into orbs or shells. Upon this ball one area of earth has risen above the water, pushed up by the heat of the fires below.

It is upon this mound of earth we all live. If one were to stand on the center of this mass of land, one could face each of the important areas of the world by turning in a quartered circle.


East: The Barbarian Tribes of Edol's Children

After Edol rose from the east and conquered the world he was defeated by the unified city-states of the far west. His sons divided his armies and went to war with each-other rather than fight the overwhelming forces of the unified west. Their children further divided the lands of Edol until today they exist only as half-mad barbarians.

The lands of Edol's Children are mostly a mystery to us. They rule only by strength, and leadership changes frequently. Tribes are formed, grow and die at random, and constant battles for territory keep the borders changing yearly. Traders of the other lands no longer travel there out of fear.

Most barbarians worship the god of World-King Edol, whose name is lost to history, with human sacrifice and blood-letting. All worshipers of this god believe writing is evil. They burn books and kill those who can read.

Barbarian humans have two hearts and stand between six and ten feet tall. They have an extra brain in their chests in case their head gets cut off. A headless human barbarian can live for decades, though it cannot see, hear, speak or smell. Barbarian women are smaller and have four breasts and usually cannot speak at all. This is probably because both their brains are smaller. A learned scholar named Erundulastine Klapenshinfal reported that this is because barbarians seek stupid female mates and their female children are culled by intelligence. He went on to report that this was one reason for the decline in intelligence among barbarian humans in recent centuries.

The other races are also present here, though similarly transformed into a more savage or bestial form. Dwarves of human height and permanently stony skin stomp the underground and elves made partially of air who speak in the tongue of the wind live high in dire redwoods, many never touching earth in their long lives. A barbarian is hard to kill and harder to converse with. They distrust everyone and fight to the death for reasons that seem trivial. Almost no barbarian lives to see old age if there is a younger one around to stop them.


West: The City-states of Paelor's Sanctum

The reign of Edol ended when the western city-states united to form Paelor's Sanctum, led by the Righteous King and servant of Paelor, King Aether I.

The western city-states are strong because they are somewhat independent yet united under a common set of laws. The first law is that a ruler is decided by the people he or she rules. This is to keep tyrants like King Edol from rising again. The second law is that murder, stealing and all forms of violence are illegal unless sanctioned by a ruler and no nation can go to war unless all city-states are going to war with or against them. The third law is that all rulers of the city-states must meet every year for a banquet and civil conversation. While not all city-states follow the spirit of the law, their common banner is a matter of pride and so they do not fight each other. The capital of the Nation of Paelor's Sanctum and the meeting hall the leaders feast in is called Arlie's Ford.


South: The Kingdoms

The southern kingdoms are secluded and many are older than recorded history. Dozens of fantastic and strong castles built before Edol's time lie here, some abandoned to swamps or plague. Jaice, Dollet, Sylvania and Marc are the furthest north. The further south kingdoms are Vench, Mastille and Corinth. Jaice is largely an elven kingdom. Their castle is a living tree sculpted by magic into a massive tower. Dollet is human. The humans there are xenophobic, meaning they hate outsiders, and they fight anyone who comes there for any reason. Sylvania is a kingdom of vampires. They are being watched by many. Marc is a kingdom of dwarves in a high mountain peak. Vench used to be a Gnomish kingdom but it was destroyed and rebuilt by humans. Mastille is a city of many races on the southern coast. Their ships trade as far north as Paelor's Sanctum. Corinth, also a city of many races, is a farming kingdom that exports plants and animals to many other lands by ox or lizard-driven wagon.


North: The Wastes

To the north are the spell-ravaged wastes - the ancient battlegrounds of the World War. Only things which don't need air or food live there. A great hole in the air layer freezes the ground by night and burns it by day. The area is bordered by massive spellstorms which have raged for over a millennia.

Many dangerous things left over from the World War lie here. Beasts of war long altered by magic occasionally make it past the spellstorms into the other kingdoms. In times like these, mercenaries and powerful warriors and mages are called upon, for a fee, to destroy them. There is very good money in this job.


Other Important Things

The Dragon-infested islands of the Cloudlands float over our heads. People have traveled there but many die. Beneath the shadow of the Cloudlands are blind giants and trolls and other creatures of the night. Sylvania is beneath the largest of these, bathed in eternal night. An ancient tunnel built by early dwarves connects the mountain of Marc to the northern wastes. Today it is the safest way to get past the violent spellstorms raging on the edges of the northlands other than flying, though nobody should want to go to the northlands and the dwarves fiercely guard the massive iron and gold gates inside their mountain home.

Far, far south lies another land, but that one is made of ice and snow. There are rumors of another such land to the far, far north, but they are not reliable since the planet is round (though we don't know how large) and those people might just be traveling too far.

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Re: Duality - DnD from the DM's perspective
« Reply #2 on: September 22, 2010, 08:52:29 PM »

Background Templates:
These are optional. No substitutions can be made.

Money is Power templates:

Sword-for-hire: gregor

You are a mercenary often hired to handle small groups of raiders from the north. You live in Paelor's Sanctum and make a fair living off your services. Start with double gold or an extra item of your level. Any time your party would be paid for mercenary services you receive an extra 7% for your experience. This amount increases to 15% at level 11 and 20% at level 21.

Alchemy Student:

You are a student of alchemy, a nearly-forgotten art involving using inherency magic instead of the magic of the gods. You are able to craft any alchemical item given the time and resources necessary. Gold being a strong alchemical agent, you may substitute equitable gold for any component of any spell. You can turn gold into equitable food and water with very little effort, though feeding more than a dozen people might wear you out utterly. You can begin to create gold from mineral objects at level 11 not to exceed 2x your level in gold coins per day. This amount goes up to 3x your level at level 21. Creating gold requires a spell component of 1 lb. of mineral material per gold coin to be created. The mineral material is utterly destroyed.

Information is Power templates:

Sooth-sayer: zenzi

Choose a focus (mineral, plant-type [eg. trees], animal-type [eg. birds], element [earth, fire, water, wind, ether] or other [eg. books]).

You are able to commune with the essence of your (focus) at any time with ten minutes of uninterrupted mental preparation. This communion's usefulness is dependent upon the amount of your focus there is near you. Using commune with stone on a mountain peak or deep in a cave gives the strongest result, as an example. At level 11 you no longer need to be touching the focus. At level 21 you no longer need the preparation time.

Senator:  gregor

You are a senator of the House of Paelor's Sanctum. Your parents may have been senators or you may have been elected by your commons district. Start with two extra ranks in each of two social skills of your choice. Gain two more in each skill at level 11, and two more again at level 21. Every day you may re-roll one social-based check after seeing the result.
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Re: Duality - DnD from the DM's perspective
« Reply #3 on: September 22, 2010, 08:55:30 PM »

Session 1 pre-game notes

Session 1: Industrial Revolution
25 days before winter solstice

Paelor's Sanctum is divided into five areas. The seaside docks and industrial sectors lie to the west. Most residents live in the commons in the middle. To the east are the senatorial houses and government buildings. A large military base lies between them and the commons.

Theodore Dale, Byson Drench and Mariel Millis have formed a company showcasing the Mk 1. It is a large mobile vehicle that runs on magic planned to be used to ship goods across kingdoms at very high speeds. Mariel is a talented space mage, Byson is an inventor, and Theodore is an investor and very wealthy entrepreneur. Yesterday, Byson came up missing. Mariel and Theodore planned to open their business tomorrow by shipping fish from Paelor's Sanctum all the way to Mastille, hoping to help a local guild beat Corinth's prices on shipped fish.

Mariel's home is stuffed with junk that appears to have been crazy glued to the walls and ceiling in huge clusters. As you pass an object it may drift faintly in the breeze of your passing, indicating that the items are not actually glued but rather merely weightlessly stationed.

Mariel leads you into the only drifting-clutter-free room in the house, her living room. A cat is walking across her ceiling toward a bowl of food stuck to the wall, but otherwise this room seems surprisingly normal.

"My business partner, Byson Drench, has gone missing. Tomorrow is the launch of our business, M&D Shipping."

"The last I saw him, he was at the fishing docks negotiating the price of seven hundred stones of fish. Theodore was with him. Theodore is our investor."

Theodore seems shady to anyone with a high social check. A letter addressed to Mariel is in Byson's desk in a locked compartment. The letter reads:


Mariel,

I have discovered that Theodore is planning to destroy my lovely A.B. I don't know why, since he fronted most of the money for the project. It is driving me nearly mad, but I have no proof and cannot approach the authorities with suspicion unfounded in proof. I've hired mercenaries from the south dock to guard the A.B. tonight. They seem adequate for the task. I only hope I can find proof of Theodore's intent in time to save the business. I'm going to your house tonight to tell you everything I know. If I am waylaid, Theodore is likely responsible. I've left this letter as insurance against the worst.

Byson Drench
CEO M&D Shipping

The party can search around for Drench. Whatever they do winds up being the right thing to do assuming it's not too stupid. The gimmick is that Theodore is not planning to do anything to the Mk. 1. The whole thing was Drench's plan to get revenge for his bad contract. Drench is found and the party is off!


Session 2: War!
2nd day of summer solstice

The senators of Paelor's Sanctum are holding a mandatory session. Highest Senator Maxwell Versailles opens the meeting with a short speech.

"Senators, citizens and mercenaries, it is with a heavy heart that I must inform you of news most dire. The kingdom of Vench has been overrun by Edol's Children. As we speak, the armies of the barbarians are invading Jaice and Mastille simultaneously. We have long known that the barbarians lacked only a strong leader to lead them into our lands, and preparations have been underway for many decades to lead a counter assault upon them. That time has come."

"First, we must vote on when and where to attack. I will now open the floor to other senators to speak."

Jaiben Lemmich speaks next.

"We should wait. The barbarians will dull their blades on the other kingdoms and spread themselves out in the coming months and we can attack when they are weaker."

Another senator stands.

"Preposterous. It would be spitting in the face of all that our ancestors accomplished in the World War to wait. We owe it to the citizens of our neighbors to act now and swiftly. Their gratitude has waned in recent centuries. Let us remind them of why we are the strongest nation by aiding them immediately!"

Another senator,

"Let us instead rally the armies of other kingdoms to our banner. Within two weeks we could have a concerted effort from the other kingdoms and a more decisive victory, sparing our own troops unless absolutely needed. A delegation should be formed to travel to each kingdom and issue a call to arms."

Jaiben Lemmich: "Does anyone else have a proposal?"

At this point, the PCs have an option to issue a plan. If they do not, a fourth senator stands and says, "We do not know enough yet. Who is their leader? Can he be reasoned with? We should send spies and messengers to the barbarians to see what they want."

Jaiben Lemmich speaks again. "Four good plans. We will now vote. All in favor of waiting for the barbarians to spread themselves out, raise a hand. And now, those in favor of immediate action. Those in favor of a delegation of senators and hire-swords. Finally, the fourth plan. It is decided."

<post-it note: The party chose a combination of spies and war-rallying-delegations and chose to travel with the spies, perhaps because of the prolificity of information-gathering methods they have.>

Whatever is decided, the party is pulled aside by the Liaison to Mercenaries, Albus Kerrick. Kerrick tells the party that they are being offered gold to travel to Mastille and perform several duties. They will only be paid for successfully completing any objective.

100,000g for the head of the leader.
50,000g for information on which kingdom they will invade next.
20,000g for information on why the Barbarians are attacking.
10,000g for a live captive member of the Barbarian leader's cabinet.

Twelve hours of downtime begins. The party is stuck on a fast-moving vehicle.
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Re: Duality - DnD from the DM's perspective
« Reply #4 on: September 22, 2010, 08:56:08 PM »

Session 1: Industrial Revolution and War

It was a bitterly cold morning in late autumn when verified reports of Edol's children invading the eastern kingdoms finally reached Paelor's Sanctum city proper. Senator Leides (lee-AH-dees) called the various senators into session along with any available mercenaries. The word quickly spread that civilians were also invited to attend.

Leides stood atop a dais with a look upon his face so solemn that there was no need to call for order. Dead silence met his first, mournful words, and they dropped like clashing gongs of doom from his lips.

"Citizens and nobles, mercenaries and soldiers. Long has the world held our city-states in favor, for Paelor's Sanctum was founded by those nations who first defeated World-King* Edol and brought freedom to the land. We are a nation descended from heroes and valiant citizens who took upon themselves the burden of pulling ourselves from the clutches of a terrible tyrant."

"After Edol's death at the hands of a nameless footsoldier, Edol's sons took command of his armies. Faced with the option of annihilation or retreat, they retreated back to the eastern coasts. There, they began wars amongst themselves and further divided into nations, then tribes and, today, small groups living in caves and trees and isolated valleys."

"Until recently we have kept a careful watch on Edol's Children. Brave researchers have reported that they've undergone a kind of reverse evolution, becoming both more bestial and even partially elemental in some cases. A barbarian human has two brains; one in the chest that will allow the monster to live for decades without the ability to hear, speak, smell, talk or see. Dwarven descendants of Edol's armies have become part stone and taller, elven flesh turned to wind and dragonborn regressing to little more than quadrupedal elemental lizards.**"

"Long have we feared that these monsters might organize under a single leader and attack again, but we have also known how unlikely it would be considering their low intelligence and tendency to make war with each-other."

"Unfortunately, citizens, it seems that our worst fears have been realized."

Shocked gasps and muttering ensued. Leides raised his voice and continued, nearly shouting now.

"The kingdoms of Mastille and Vench have already been invaded, perhaps even now their capitals are burning. Two armies, each over a thousand strong, are marching westward at an incredible pace."

Leides waited patiently for nearly five minutes for the shouting, muttering and whispering to finally die off enough for him to continue.

"We have here three proposals from senators. They will speak in turn. Snaketongue?"

The man named Snaketongue stood. His cloak obscured his face, his dark brows were pulled down over beady eyes. He looked shifty. "A delegation of spies will be arranged. These spies will be paid for certain information. Interested hire-swords will meet at the entrance to the west meeting hall after this session is called to a close." With no further words, he turned and walked in the indicated direction, his silent passing causing titters of dismay amongst nobles and soldiers alike.

"And now, senator Mileshoshand and the liaison for Mercenaries, Captain Stavor."

Mileshoshand, a female dark elf of some notoriety amongst her peers, stood beside her husband, a well decorated human with graying hair and functional armor. "We will be hiring mercenaries to travel with groups of delegates to the other kingdoms. These delegates will be representing The City-States in an effort to rally armies and concert our counter-movement. Interested mercenaries can hear more at the east meeting hall following the vote."

Having not mentioned the vote yet, Leides cleared his throat with a slight note of irritation. "Yes. The vote. We must vote on whether we will be taking military action at all."

Several people in the crowd cheered, prompting an equally hearty boo from others. A young senator stood and waited for Leides to indicate that he might speak. "There are those amongst us who do not wish to go to war. They say we should let the barbarians dull their blades on the other kingdoms. They say we should wait to strike until, as in the past, the barbarians are spread across the world and more easily routed. Those people are cowards who are spitting in the face of-"

Shouts and cries drowned him out and he sat down again. The oldest senator in the room stood. "Indeed. Thank you for making our argument for us. We know this plan would work, and we fully endorse it."

The two senators were now both standing and arguing loudly.

"You cannot ask us to forswear our historical oaths-"

"There were no oaths made. We did what we had to do, as we will now."

"But our own ancestors were citizens and soldiers of those kingdoms. We share common ancestry and have an obligation to help!"

"Obligation? What obligation? We represent those who were strong and survived. We will survive again! And we don't need to-"

"Need is not a factor! We must! We cannot abide another World-King!"

Leides bangs his gavel. "There will now be a vote. The senate has determined that citizens shall be allowed to vote on this matter, as they represent the families of soldiers who will die in the conflict. All in favor of going to war?"

* World-King translated into common is one of the most profane words that can be used. Here, Leides uses it to shock the audience into paying closer attention to his words.

** The subject of Edol's Children is avoided because of pride issues, especially amongst elves, dwarves and dragonborn. Leides is again trying to shock his audience with the gravity of his words.


++++++++

Gregor - ungendered shapeshifter Assassin of unknown age


One of the senators stepped back into shadow, his features melting and reforming into those of a grizzled mercenary. He walked to the east meeting hall doors where an administrator for Snaketongue stood holding a clipped board and an ink pen.

"Am I on the list?"

The administrator looked down at his papers and then back up. "Yes." He stepped aside and let the large man pass. Gregor nodded and walked into a well-furnished and dimly lit room containing a table encircled on three sides by a velvet-covered bench. The mahogany table was headed by Snaketongue. Also in attendance were a minotaur, a warrior named Shamal (translation: beef) and a thief.

Gregor sat down and waited with the ever-present patience of a sniper.

++++++++

Zenzi - 12-year-old female dwarven Spirit Shaman

Zenzi was having a hard time seeing where she was going, lost amongst a sea of knees and swinging arms and sword sheathes. "Shamishir, where am I going?" Something under the floor moaned woefully in a language only she understood and she corrected her course, heading directly for Snaketongue's administrator. "Thanks Sham."

The administrator looked down on Zenzi with a distasteful frown. "What do you want little girl?"

"I wanna go inside!" Zenzi was consciously unaware of how effective her doe-eyed gaze could be, but in this case asking nicely didn't seem to be doing the trick.

"Only grownups with special abilities are invited. Go find your parents."

Zenzi did not like being disregarded and Shamishir did not like it when Zenzi was unhappy. He pulled himself up from the cold stones of the floor behind the administrator and blew a gust of frozen wind onto his neck. "You are going to make Shamishir unhappy. You shouldn't do that. He's very protective."

The administrator had been ordered to allow anyone of sufficient talents into the room. He didn't know how exactly to translate those orders, however, but shrugged slightly and decided to let Snaketongue sort the girl out if he disagreed. "Go on in. Tell your... uh, friend not to cause problems."

Zenzi clapped her hands and bounded inside, once again light as a feather and happy to be exploring.

++++++++

Freiderick - 24-year-old human Battlemind

Freiderick didn't feel like arguing with a secretary. When he approached and the man was already shaking his head 'no', The psionic warrior merely teleported behind him and reached under his arm to write his own name on the list, then phased into the room, right through the door.

"NO MORE APPLICANTS!" shouted the administrator with a slight crack in his voice. I deserve a raise, he thought as he shooed the remaining hopefuls away with his clipped board, the paper attached with only one name written upon it, and that somewhat messily.

++++++++

Snaketongue got right to the point. "Beneath your seat is a bag of gold containing a slip of paper. Do not lose these slips of paper. They will grant you transportation to Mastille in a few hours. The 45 gold pieces are for greasing palms and personal expenses. I will pair you up according to talents and observation. Do not lose sight of your partner; for the next few days they might be the only friend you have..."

Gregor was paired with the minotaur, Shamal (beef) with the thief (who had already stolen Gregor's gold bag), and Freiderick with Zenzi.

"We are offering 100,000 gold for the head of the leader of Edol's Children's army. 50,000 for a live captive of his cabinet. 20,000 for information on how and why the barbarians are attacking. 10,000 for reliable information on their plans for the next month of movements. A list of lesser items we will pay for are also in your bags. Go to the eastern block of the trades district where the Ancto Balkeen sits. You will take the Ancto Balkeen to Mastille and be there by tomorrow evening."

Snaketongue left while the thief argued loudly with Shamal about the impossibility of being in Mastille by evening the following day. "We'd have to fly!"

"Maybe we will." shrugged Shamal, his incredible biceps rolling like machinery as he tested the pull of his sword unconsciously.

Zenzi wondered aloud if Freiderick could see Shamishir. He ignored her, slightly miffed at being partnered with a child.

Gregor realized his sack of gold was missing and grabbed the thief just in time to catch him walking out the door. "My bag?"

"What makes you so sure I have it?" the thief grinned and dropped it into the shapeshifter's palm. "Next time watch your personal belongings more closely."

"Next time you'll be dead." Something about Gregor's flat tone caused the thief to gulp audibly and he went along his way feeling rather annoyed at being reprimanded so casually.

++++++++

The Ancto Balkeen turned out to be a metal tank roughly the size of a house sitting on twin tracks of metal. It had doors on the right side, one in front and one in back, and a large dome atop with a window cut out and various pipes twisting over the frame. It looked for all the world like an oversized still on wheels.

The tracks rolled over the streets in a perfectly straight parallel line all the way to the main eastern gate of Paelor's Sanctum. One could stand at the head of the machine and stare out almost directly to where the tracks rose into the foothills, cutting a swath through the forest.

"This device rolls on metal tracks and is powered by steam." Zenzi relayed the information Shamishir sent her as it explored the metal monster, scouting it for threats. The typical reaction adults gave Zenzi when she spouted seemingly omniscient information about things was dulled quite a lot in both Freiderick and Gregor, both of whom understood that people are not always what they appear to be. The Minotaur was not the type to voice his opinions unnecessarily, and so he kept his skepticism of Zenzi's authority on the subject to himself.

Two people appeared to be arguing in front of the A.B.: a female human with bottle glasses and her hair pulled up into a fierce bun and a very wealthy-looking merchant were exchanging very emotional and angry words. The woman suddenly spun about and knocked Zenzi down, her countenance stern. "Watch out!" she snapped, then her expression softened and she stooped to help the child up.

"Why are you so angry?"

The woman introduces herself as one of three owners of the A.B. She is apparently the V.P. of the company. She describes the other man as "Thomas, the investor," with a remarkable amount of derision in her voice for someone describing a business investor. She says she's upset because her friend and other partner is missing.

"Byson Drench, the inventor, is missing. Without him, nobody can operate it." She appears to be pleading slightly with the other men around Zenzi, as if hoping there is something they can do.

(failed insight checks for the entire party; she's lying but they don't know it)

After more prompting the woman explains that Byson Drench has been agitated at Thomas McMillain, the investor who funded the A.B. project, and had planned to confront him about certain mysterious concerns late last night. He never arrived at Thomas' house. She suspects Thomas knows why Byson is missing.

The party splits into two, Gregor and the minotaur peeling off to investigate Byson's home. There they discover that the place has been sacked. The walls and floor have been drenched in kerosene but a burned-out match near the door reveals why the arson did not succeed in burning Byson's house down: It landed in one of the few kerosene-free areas of the floor. Gregor, being a shifty fellow, knows how to hide and therefore find hidden things. He discovers a letter in a secret, fireproof compartment in the desk.

Dearest Mariel, I suspect that my business partner is trying to sabotage the A.B.
I think he took bribes from his competitors to keep this miraculous machine from
putting them out of business. He stands to gain a lot more from taking such bribes
than we will make in the first few years of business. If something should happen to
me, Thomas is responsible. I'm going to his house tonight to confront him.

Byson Drench


Freiderick and Zenzi confront Thomas, who says that Byson never arrived at his home last night at all. The four meet up again and decide to investigate Thomas' house illegally and they take separate paths to the house to avoid suspcion.

Unbeknownst to them, Thomas has been receiving death threats from his competition; other traders who don't wish to have their businesses put out of commission by a newfangled metal cart. Thomas has hired mercenaries to guard his house. Said mercenaries are on the other side of the door they are lining up behind.

In walks the party. Three minion dagger-tossing stun/daze hire-swords and three level 5 fighters attack. Gregor extinguishes a torch and hides in shadow in that corner. Gregor causes the shadows of everyone in the enemy party to attack them, killing the annoying minions who keep stunning Frederick. Zenzi's spirit bears the brunt of the melee damage from the enemies through some very efficient powers uses and as a finishing blow, Freiderick attacks with an AOE that looks like snake-blades rushing from another dimension but is actually just his sword phasing through reality to slice his enemies at range.

One soldier still alive spills the beans. I was hired to protect this man's property. I don't know what he's up to. He is revealed to not only be innocent, but to be protecting what appears to be the home of a perfectly innocent man, judging by the papers found in Thomas' basement.

Zenzi decides to check out Millie's house. Her spirit companion easily finds Byson hiding in the wine cellar, but Millie closes a panic room door, locking Byson safely downstairs and despite now-successful insight checks indicating that she is lying her pants off, she refuses to admit to it.

Byson secretly sneaks out, having had enough of hearing doors slam and shouting from upstairs. He assumes he'll be better off on his own rather than hiding like a trapped rat in Mariel's cellar.

The party retreats. Frederick is the only person who has fully comprehended the situation the party finds itself in: They've killed five innocent men and left a sixth witness to their actions. He sneaks away to a bar where he finds... Byson Drench! City guards have been following the party for some time at this point and one of them notices Byson and Freiderick talking. Freiderick slips his guard and gets back to the A.B. just in time for the guards to haul a loudly protesting Byson back to his post.

Byson's contract with Freiderick states that Freiderick will get 95% of all profits from the A.B. venture and Byson, the A.B.'s inventor, will get only 5%. Byson wanted his disappearance and apparent death to be blamed on Freiderick, following which he would emerge again, famous inventor of the wonder machine. Amidst the publicity he was hoping to find another investor and start a more profitable business.

Byson's revenge is still exacted: The fish that were to be shipped east have been purchased wholesale by the senate for pennies on the dollar and are rotting beside the tracks as the A.B. pulls out on her maiden voyage; on to Mastille, the most recently invaded of the kingdoms.

After the train reaches the outskirts of Mastille, it hits a herd of Bonboons - water buffalo-sized baboonlike monsters with four-inch-long fangs. They scatter from the train as it explodes sidelong into a knot of them slowly wandering across the countryside. The A.B. is utterly stopped in its tracks. At least seventeen beasts are dead, one mortally wounded.

As Zenzi and Freiderick tend the animal, Gregor and Baal slip out to reconnoiter. They hear something in the forest. Gregor creeps closer and sees nothing at all.

Nothing at all is making a repeating, slurping, wet, muddy noise in the foliage just beyond the nearest tree. Gregor can see as if it were broad daylight, but he cannot see what is making the noises. It sounds to him for all the world like someone slapping in the mud.

Just then, Zenzi comes bounding around the corner, her dress pulled up to her waist and her millions of braids flashing with trinkets, complaining about needing help with the dying animal. She stops and looks and sees what Gregor could not; an earth spirit is pulling handfuls of mud up from the ground and smearing it onto its eyes. It repeats the action, this time smearing the mud on its ears.

"What are you doing?" Zenzi asked politely.

"I'm preparing to go to war." replied the earth spirit. "Some foul metal beast has killed many of my precious herd, and I am going to kill the invader before it kills again."

"Oh, you don't need to do all that. That thing won't hurt you. One of your herd is dying. We need help!"

She rushes off, and the spirit follows. With the spirit's help, Zenzi unconsciously taps into the spirit's powers and the beast is fully healed beyond what should have been possible. Miraculously, the quite lethal monster bounds away, sensing the presence of its god and leaving peacefully.

"I promise you that I will destroy this thing. Will you let it pass?" Zenzi spoke, as she always did, with perfect honesty. The spirit sensed this and knew she was a spirit-sage.

It nodded. "We are bound together by your promise. I cannot leave you until it is complete." Zenzi felt the pull of a band of power form between them. It sat flashing in her mind beside the one connecting her to Shamishir. Shamishir hadn't needed a promise; he followed Zenzi for reasons entirely his own secret. Whatever the reason, these bands were not leashes, they were instead amplifications. Her spirits and her shared a mutually beneficial relationship - each became more powerful as a result of the band.

Bandal joins the party. He's not much more talkative than Shamishir. Spirits seem to Zenzi to be a rather quiet lot, though this is just a matter of personality and spirits can, in fact, be QUITE annoying.

The party finally reaches the final crest before the valley Mastille rests within when they see this:



And after a bit of recon, this:


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It was a fun visit. I hope someday someone figures out what I was saying in this post. Bye!

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Re: Duality - DnD from the DM's perspective
« Reply #5 on: September 22, 2010, 08:57:45 PM »

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It was a fun visit. I hope someday someone figures out what I was saying in this post. Bye!