Arcane expert Myn seeks himself out.

"As you may have noticed, my imp has vanished. It seems that some great benevolent force has acted upon our world."

"You weren't the best caretaker of the poor fella" the ranger replies, looking surprised.
"Anyway, something's wrong with my equipment and the stuff I had in my magic bag. You guys know something about that?"

>>78193
"Everything seems different, and most of my gold disappeared. I guess it wasn't sabotage, after all?"

"A few of my items feel as though they've lost their magic." A shame, he thinks to himself, as he liked those boots and gloves.

"Maybe Sid will know some of this" ,the ranger says.
"Alright, should we go meet Valanor?"

Hovering near Torinn, Asgorath's tiny avatar takes form once more.

This Sundering heraldeth Midnight's return. With the Weave's renewal, the cycle begineth anew. Ill-timed, perhaps, but such are the wages of fate.

The tiny dragon begins to fly a lazy circle around the adventurers, looking down as if that explained everything.

>>78197
The shaman thinks about what Asgorath said, wondering if she has picked up any relevant information.

Religion check: 5.

>>78197

Myn is satisfied.

"In any case, should we head out?"

Sureiya listens to the ramblings and tries to figure out if he understands any of it.
Religion check: 15

Religion: Neither Bernkastel nor Sureiya seem to know much about what Asgorath is speaking of.

Common Knowledge: The Weave is the common name for the current of magic that runs through the world and nearby planes, which is what spellcasters tapped into in order to utilize magic prior to the onset of the Spellplague. It is well known that the death of the goddess of all magic, Mystra (also known as the Mother of Magic, the Lady of Mysteries, and the Lost Goddess), and the subsequent collapse of the Weave is the direct cause of the Spellplague.

Looking somewhat annoyed, Asgorath clarifies.

The Lady of Mysteries hath returned to assume her rightful position, and thus is the Weave restored to Abeir-Toril.

>>78199
Still somewhat confused, the ranger nods to Myn and heads out with the rest.

>>78201
"A goddess... came back from death? But why now?" the shaman questions.

>>78203
Sureiya shrugs. "The god's business can't be bothered. They will go and do as they want. I say we move on and ask Sid if he knows how to protect our stuff."

At this point in the discussion, a familiar-looking sorcerer in gold-and-red robes strides into the tavern, and immediately approaches the table you have gathered around. As this happens, Asgorath slowly fades from view.

"Greetings," the draconic sorcerer says evenly, taking a seat. "I'm certain you've noticed the... disturbance. It would appear that some great cosmic forces are realigning. Of course, this may alter how we approach the battle against Tiamat..." Nodding towards Ramuh, he adds, "Indeed, the delegation you are associated with is recalling you. It would appear they require your assistance in some matter related to this disturbance." Turning back to the party, he adds, "Well, as for our business, it would seem that our trip might take slightly longer than expected--the magic I was utilizing to speed my flight seems to no longer be functioning correctly. With that aside, I am still quite willing to fly you to your destination. Are your travel preparations complete?"

>>78204
"But what if it's related to our mission?"

>>78205
"Hello, Mr. Valanor. I am prepared, but is it really okay to just move forward? Without understanding these changes to magic and maybe other things?"

"I leave that to your individual discretion," Valanor replies, nodding sagely. "There are time constraints, and certainly I would be more comfortable with time to feel out the full extents of this... shift, in a more controlled environment, but duty will call me to act regardless. I would not speak as to why it has happened now, not without more investigation, but I leave that task to those more qualified."

The shifted dragon pauses, then elaborates, gesturing with his hands in a somewhat unnatural manner that probably suggests to you that he's still having trouble keeping his mannerisms consistent with that of a normal human. "My own spellcasting comes from innate talent, a sorcerous origin, if you would. Magic is in my blood, and while there will surely be some trial and error involved, I am still fully capable of utilizing my magic via innate ability. Those who possess power bestowed on them by an external force would also have a somewhat easier time of it, as they are given the power as it is, and it is theirs to use as they please. Naturally, it will become easier to use with experience, but it will not be as troublesome a task as those before those who have gained their power through the intense study of magic, as their worlds have been essentially turned upside down from this. In any case, I leave the decision as to how to best proceed to you, as always. My own physical prowess remains unbowed, in any event, so I am confident enough in my ability to face challenges as I did before."

>>78207
The shaman looks around at the party, before concluding they probably won't face significant difficulties. "So Mr. Silversprocket might have some trouble... I guess we should get moving, then."

>>78208
"I don't feel my skills have changed much, as I've never relied much on arcane power..." he says as he glances at his swords.

"Still, it seems my weapons have lost some of the magic they had in them. So, Torinn, are you still holding the Fell King's weapon? Do you think I could use them for a while?"

>>78209
Torinn reaches into his bag of holding. Slowly, carefully, cautiously he removes the fell black sword and hands it to Sureiya. "Tell us if it starts talking to you," he warns.

Give Nightfall to Sureiya

>>78210
Nodding, the ranger accepts the artifact swords and examines them with curiosity.
"Talking? You think these have their own mind or something?"

>>78211
"They might. I urge you to be cautious in any case."

>>78212
"Alright, it won't hurt me to be cautious. Anyway, you found anything interesting about them, besides the splitting property of the blade?" Sureiya asks, still looking at the terribly cursed weapon.

>>78213
Torinn shakes his head. "It never really did anything special when I used it."

>>78214
Thanking the paladin, Sureiya carefully saves Nightfall longswords into his magic bag. "Well, I guess I'm ready now."

Valanor watches the discussion of the artifact with interest. Once the matter seems concluded, he comments, "That was the weapon wielded by the Fell King, yes? I admit I am quite curious as to the story behind that blade. Artifacts always have a storied past."

As the golden dragon--in humanoid form--speaks, Sureiya can feel the blade resonating with shadowy power within his grasp. It seems to be reaching out to the half-orc in some intangible manner, in a way Torinn did not describe. Perhaps the dragonborn was right, and the blades do in fact have a mind of their own?

"At any rate, if you preparations are complete, I am prepared to depart immediately," Valanor states simply, rising from the table. "If there are any last-minute things you need to take care of, feel free, else, we shall start the journey."

>>78213
"If you want to be safe, I do have a ritual spell for identifying items. I wonder if it still works, though."

>>78216
The shaman stands to follow.

>>78217
The ranger considers it for a minute and then nods, as he lends the shaman the artifact.

>>78218
"Oh, no, I'll have to take a little time for it. Maybe during breaks between flying? Please hold on to it until then."

Sureiya nods again and stows the swords. "It seems like we're ready."

Myn nods, rubbing his beardless chin.

Ramuh says his goodbyes to the party, and as the group follows Valanor out of the inn towards the nearest gate that leads out of the city, he heads back towards Castle Waterdeep. The remaining four adventurers gather around Valanor outside the city gates, slightly far enough afield to not startle anyone or be observed easily, as the golden dragon assumes his true form. After each of the four has climbed upon his back, he takes flight, and heads off in the direction of Loudwater.

>>78222
During the first one-hour break, she confirms that her Identify ritual is functioning, and explains the weapon's abilities to Sureiya. "You will have to... take the time to get to 'know' the sword. I remember reading that this called 'attunement.' Once you do, in greatsword form, it can be swung for a wide attack to hit multiple enemies. While split into longswords, it will let you teleport short distances while attacking. It... also has some hidden functions, but I'm not sure how they can be unlocked. For now, these are its capabilities."

The shaman spends her time during flight communing with spirits and looking into the magic available to her. Eventually, she comes to a conclusion, and the next time they land to camp, the shaman addresses the party. "I think we should take some time to test some of our new magic."

Last edited at 16/02/05(Fri)12:52:31

>>78231
Sureiya is slightly confused by the attunement requeriment, but he thanks the shaman and spents some time trying to establish a connection with the magical swords.

"I'd like to test Nightfall, you got something in mind?"

>>78231

"I don't suppose you found that a nearby deer or sheep was a disguised dragon to slay?"

While Myn understands as few but the arcane-minded do that shooting with magic is shooting with magic, he remains bored enough to assent.

>>78232
>>78233
"It may not be much of a challenge for three or four of us, but I believe I can conjure some creatures to serve as your opponents. I also have another spell in mind, but maybe I'll save it for after this."

Last edited at 16/02/05(Fri)13:16:36

The party flew, mounted on Valanor for the most part (though Torinn rode separately on Rutger), towards Loudwater. There was a brief testing of battle prowess against an earth elemental, before the shaman received an urgent Sending from Sid, updating the party on a new situation: Loudwater was under occupation by mysterious forces. Redirecting their meeting to the south, the two sides exchanged information by magic until Valanor dropped them off at their destination. It was here that Sid explained that he was investigating activity he believed related to an Imperial Remnant from Abeir, based in Returned Abeir but apparently acting on this continent as well, when he found that they were possibly based around the remnant of an ancient, mobile Abeiran fortress.

Sid was just explaining to the party that he himself was from this remnant when Asgorath interrupted, and revealed that it had personally done battle with the mobile fortress in the days leading up to the Spellplague. Both Sid and Asgorath believed the fortress destroyed, but the appearance of even a fragment of it is concerning to both, as the World-Shaper revealed that those who built it consorted with a power from the Far Realm in doing so. The gnome is now more resolute than ever to see the fortress fragment for himself, but a band of troopers from the occupation force confront the adventurers in the forest, and a battle ensues!

>>78235
Some blows have been exchanged, and it is now Torinn's turn.

>>78236
Torinn orders Rutger to hover over the commander and the other soldier, threatening the both of them should they attack anyone else or attempt to move away. He then prepares a spell, and then a second, different spell. His sword of light glows even brighter from the powers infusing him and his weapon.

He strikes at the commander twice in succession, a hit blinding him with holy light, and then even more radiant power from an infusion of holy power. Meanwhile, Rutger kicks at the conscript with his hooves, stomping his unprotected face.

Cast Blinding Smite as a bonus action. Concentration until it's used on an attack that hits. Con save DC 17.
Use Channel Divinity: Sacred Weapon as an action, gaining +4 to attack rolls with my weapon for 1 minute.
From the shaman's infusion, attack the commander twice. Use a level 1 Divine Smite on a hit.
17 on attack roll against commander, 12 radiant damage plus 7 radiant damage from improved divine smite, total 19 damage
19 on attack roll against commander, 15 radiant damage plus 3 radiant damage from improved divine smite, total 18 damage
11 damage from Blinding Smite
11 damage from Divine Smite
Total damage: 59 radiant damage
Rutger attacks conscript 2, rolling 24 for attack and 10 bludgeoning damage

The paladin takes a moment to imbue his weapon with sacred light, but his strike at the imperial commander is thwarted by the elite's heavy armor. Still, his pegasus manages to strike the nearby conscript in the chest with its hooves, sending the soldier staggering back.

The conscripts begin to focus their attacks on the isolated Sureiya, striking at him with both slices from the gunblade-wielders engaged in melee combat, and blasts from the one at range. Sureiya manages to turn aside one of the blows and counterattack with a solid strike against his quarry, and he dodges nimbly from another hit, but he is still struck four times and looks worse for wear.

The ranger slashes twice the soldier to his right and left. Then, using Nightfall's power, he teleports away and retreats into safety.
Attack twice Mook 3 (33 damage)
Horde Breaker + another attack to Mook 5 (29 damage)
Shadow Strikes to teleport, invigorating stride to heal 15 hp. End turn in Torinn's aura.

Last edited at 16/02/09(Tue)14:05:44

Sureiya slays his quarry with a pair of quick slashes from Nightfall, and begins to phase into shadow as he does so, issuing another pair of quick slashes towards the other nearby foe before fading from sight and reappearing near the paladin. He digs into his reserves of strength in order to continue the fight, even as Sid darts over and conjures an enormous sphere of acid, lobbing it towards the gathered foes Sureiya just vacated. The mage in the area tries to dispel the sphere before it connects, but is unable to do so, and the conscripts are all drenched in acid, the one Sureiya weakened collapsing to his knees and beginning to give off a distinct odor consistent with melting metal.

"G-good work, team! Let's keep up the pressure!" Sid shouts.

Sid moves and uses vitrolic sphere, conscript mage 2 tries to counterspell but fails. All of the affected in the aoe take 29 acid damage and will take more acid damage at the end of their turns.

Myn shoots a lot of magic everywhere.

Cast Eldritch Blast + Quickened Eldritch Blast at Conscript 6, Caster 2, Caster 1, Conscript 2, switching targets if previous targets die to beams in that order.
Move northeast one space.

The warlock's barrage of magic fells three of the conscript troops, including both mages--though one of the eldritch blasts is deflected by a shield spell cast by one of the mages, but the final eldritch blast is strong enough to shatter the shield and pierce the mage through, and all of them collapse dead.

The remaining conscripts are looking very nervous at this point, though the Abeiran soldier's face is impossible to read due to its helmet.

>>78242
Good, the spellcasters are down. "As usual, please try to keep some of them alive. And here, this should help get through the armor."

With a gesture of the shaman's open hand and a primordial blessing, the circular pendant around the shaman's neck flashes, and discs of light adorn the heads of Myn, Sureiya, and Torinn briefly before fading away. The shaman then takes cover from the remaining soldier(s) to the northwest.

Bless for Myn, Sureiya, and Torinn. http://www.dndmagic.com/?id=34

One of the conscripts attempts to escape Torinn, but the paladin strikes his leg with his sunblade, and the soldier stumbles briefly, then collapses, overwhelmed by radiant power. In that moment, another conscript and the Abeiran soldier in charge try to attack Myn in tandem, but as the warlock-sorcerer conjures a shield to deflect one of the shots from the conscript's gunblade, the Abeiran soldier tries to turn its attacks to Torinn, but only one manages to get past the paladin's plate armor. When the paladin counter-attacks relentlessly, his slashing blade drives the soldier back on the first hit, and though he raises his gunblade to parry the second, he is too distracted by the pegasus' hooves thundering against his chest to properly deflect the third blow, and briefly falls to one knee before picking himself back up.

"Very well... stand down, men. I offer a formal surrender," the Abeiran soldier yells, relaxing his fighting posture slightly. The conscripts comply instantly, holding their hands up in a gesture of surrender.

Conscript soldier 2 uses disengage and moves away from Torinn. Torinn's opportunity attack hits, and its speed drops to 0 so it can't get away, and his blinding smite and divine smite combine to defeat it. Conscript soldier 4 moves and readies an action. It takes 20 acid damage from Sid's spell.
Abeiran soldier moves. Conscript soldier 4 uses its readied action and shoots Myn twice, Myn uses shield to deflect one attack but still takes 4 damage. Abeiran soldier slashes at Torinn 3 times but only hits once for 11 damage.
Torinn attacks the abeiran soldier, hitting twice times for 39 damage, and Rutger's hooves miss. The abeiran soldier used parry to turn one hit into a miss.
Conscript soldier 1 surrenders.

The ranger throws a glance around the battlefield, and goes after the Conscript soldier who just surrendered.
"Don't try anything funny" Sureiya growls. "Throw away your weapons and lie on the ground."
Move next to Conscript soldier 1. Ready an action to attack him if the situation becomes hostile again.

The conscripts look nervously at their commander, who nods once, and they drop their gunblades on the ground. However, they do not lie down. The commander also disarms himself by tossing his gunblade to the side, but doesn't lie down--he faces Sureiya with his arms raised.

"We will not put ourselves at your mercy," the Abeiran soldier says. "You have bested us and we surrender accordingly, but resistance to imperial authority will not be tolerated by those higher in the chain of command."

>>78246

His soul collection hobby unsatisfied, Myn speaks to the commander with veiled disinterest.

"It would be a simpler world, should all of our foes recognize when they are outmatched. So, what business do you have with our friend the gnome here?"

"You're already in our mercy" the ranger thinks, but remains silent for now.

"The gnome resembles a deserter wanted by the Empire. I have orders to bring him in for questioning," the commander replies.

Sid looks more nervous than ever at this line of questioning, and stays close to Torinn for protection.

"He's our friend and you we won't let you take him with you" the ranger snarls. "Actually, we kind of need your people out of the city, so we can't let you return with your higher ups, either."

Myn puts a hand on the foolish half-orc's shoulder.

"There's no need to overreact, Mister Sureiya. It's clear that these men are mistaken. In the first place, gnome included, we all arrived here only just briefly from Baldur's Gate, via our dragon companion who you may have seen flying away prior. Thus, this can't be the gnome you're looking for."

With a dismissive wave of the hand, he continues.

"That being said, we do have some business in Loudwater, so as my companion here noted, your presence is a bit of an issue. I don't suppose you can give us any information as to the purpose of your occupation of the city?"

Deception (25)
Persuasion (17)

The commander considers Myn's words for a moment, then replies, without much body language to accompany, "We've reported spotting a gnome in this area on prior occasion. If this gnome arrived only recently with you, it is quite the coincidence... but as you say, it means your companion could not be the gnome in question. As for the occupation."

On that point, the commander seems far less willing to accommodate any deviation. "You may go about your business in the city, even with our troops occupying it. Simply tell the soldiers keeping watch your business, and you'll be allowed to proceed. Life continues as normal for the townsfolk, but our business there is not a matter I will discuss."

>>78252
'Somehow I doubt we can just do what we want', Torinn thinks to himself. There is no good that can come of it, and Sid needs to be kept away from their clutches somehow.

"Is there anything else that we should know?"the dragonborn inquires of the commander.

The imperial commander doesn't seem inclined to offer further information freely. "There's nothing to fear if the gnome is not the wanted fugitive, and you prove cooperative to Imperial directive." Looking back in the direction of the city, a few miles away, he adds, "We have much larger numbers present in the city. Even if you bested my force, it would behoove you to not challenge the garrison."

Sid looks almost thoughtful at this, and appears he might have something to say when they're out of earshot of the imperials.

>>78252
>>78254
The shaman wonders if everything is as it initially sounds. Insight. (28) http://orokos.com/roll/373835

>>78254

"It is unwise to seek conflict, naturally. In that case, we may as well head to the city shortly. As our misunderstanding has been cleared, feel free to return as well at your leisure."

While Myn is aware that the best course of action would be to dig a hole and leave the remaining soldiers in it, he is aware that his foolish party has historically disagreed with the idea.

The shaman detects that while the soldier is unwilling to give away everything he knows, he's not attempting to deceive the party.

At Myn's words, the soldier and the two remaining conscripts make to leave.

The ranger glances to the others "Are you sure about this? We killed a few of their soldiers, they ain't gonna let us get inside of the city" ,he whispers to the group.

>>78259
The shaman whispers back. "They attacked us first. Also, we should clean up the campsite so it doesn't look like a campsite when they come back for the bodies."

She then summons an owl from the aether, and sets it to the task of tracking the soldiers.

Find Familiar's recall effect.

Last edited at 16/02/16(Tue)11:38:26

As the soldiers depart, Sid's gaze follows them intently until they are out of earshot. Then he quickly turns to the party and says, "If this legion sent their forces to occupy the city, then the base they've set up around the fortress remnant probably won't be as heavily defended! They can't have the manpower to garrison both places extensively! This may be our chance to get close to it!"

>>78261
The shaman turns to Sid. "I have to ask again, though. Mr. Silversprocket, do you know what you want to accomplish in Loudwater?"

Sid turns to the shaman, looking slightly exasperated. "If we go to the city itself, it will be to judge the strength of the garrison so that we can guess at how strong they are at the base. Either way, though, my goal is to get close enough to that fortress fragment such that I can investigate it!"

Sighing, the gnome continues, "Perhaps I did a insufficient job of explaining the nature of the fortress before. As I understand it, it began simple enough, as a place for the scholarly-minded to house knowledge such that it is not lost. Abeir was a harsh environment, and humanoids being in charge of their own fate was a fairly new concept for those citizens in the Empire, having long served as slaves to dragonkind or other powers." He gestures excitedly as he elaborates, "So to defend the knowledge against would-be aggressors, the library eventually became a hardened defense point--a fortress. Eventually, a mobile fortress. As it grew in size and the knowledge contained within was expanded, it also became a place that housed many laboratories and workshops--it was thought as a natural expansion! It was sometime after that that the reports of madness began, and shortly after then that it came to be used as a weapon." Releasing his built-up energy with another sigh, he simply says, "That's the tales of it. It was thought to be a legend--the big moving library that became a fortress. If it's real, it's worth checking out, if for no other reason than it would be quite dangerous in the wrong hands."

>>78263
"I only thought the mystery of the weapon was already solved. ... Just further investigation, then? Well, I'll go if the others want to go." The shaman looks around at said others.

"We agreed to help Sid" Sureiya nods.
"If he thinks these people are dangerous then we better go and check em."

Once he finishes talking, the ranger return to the tower and inspects it. "We better hide the signs of your camping here Sid."
Disguise Sid's camp using survival (18)

"I suppose it may prove interesting. I've been meaning to borrow a few books."

As Sureiya moves to hide signs of of Sid's campside, the gnome himself addresses the group. "Well... either way, did you want to head to Loudwater first? I-I do have some magic that will prove useful to disguise myself so that this doesn't happen again! But if you prefer to head right to the imperial base, we can try to bypass the town without being seen."

"Don't worry about Loudwater, let's head to their base," the ranger says.
"Staying hidden shouldn't be a problem, well, maybe except for the pegasus" then he adds.

>>78267
>>78268
"The number of soldiers guarding the fortress shouldn't be the biggest problem, anyway. I'm more worried about its magic... Can we take some time, maybe a day, to scout the building and learn more about it, like how to bypass its defenses, before mounting an infiltration?"

"I leave it to your discretion," Sid says, but then warns, "But they seem to be actively recruiting. The longer we wait, the harder it may become. And if our scouting attempts tip them off we'll have all the more to worry about."

"I would agree with scouting beforehand. If we mean to be stealthy, knowledge of the area will give us a greater advantage than numbers would them."

>>78270
"...If we were to get caught merely scouting, maybe we shouldn't attempt an infiltration," suggests the shaman.

"If we're scouting it's better if it's just me" the ranger says.
"Well, maybe someone else can come with me, in case it gets ugly."

>>78273
>>78272

"There's no basis for worry, so long as I accompany Mister Surieya. My newfound magics may render us invisible to the eye, or allow us escape via teleportation at a moment's notice."

>>78273
>>78274
The shaman nods in agreement. "It would be good for at least one spellcaster to go with Mr. Sureiya. For now, though, we need to move elsewhere... Somewhere we can watch the movements at the fortress?"

If I'm not here when the scouting starts, I want to cast Goodberry a number of times and give them to the scouts before they go.

Sureiya glances at Myn in doubt for a second, wondering about what his father said about him. Nonetheless, the ranger still trust the evil spellcaster.
"Alright, we should depart as soon the preparations are ready" he says as he looks as the Shaman getting busy.

Deciding to bypass the city, Sid says that it will be a long journey on foot to the site of the imperial base camp, in the Dire Wood north of the city.

Traversing the forest is not too difficult, as it seems the recent happenings have driven off any potentially hostile wildlife, and Loudwater was not settled in an utterly untamed region. If there are any goblins remaining in the area, they are smart enough to leave the group alone through the night and into the next morning, and it's late morning when you see the ominous metal structure in the distance.

Sid explains that this is a temporary imperial base made of "prefab" structures, cubes roughly a hundred and ten feet across on each side. By shipping these cubes out via skyships and connecting them together, they have a ready-made base with a rather large interior. However, the base only has few entry points, and is completely closed off, with no windows or alternate methods of entry.

Just beyond the hundred-ish-foot tall structure in the distance is something that stands out even more--it towers above the treeline that surrounds the group. It appears to be an enormous metallic tower of some sort, perhaps a couple of hundred of feet in diameter. It is on the other side of the imperial base from you.

In the distance, you can see that the forest path that has been trampled out between the trees leads directly into the front of the imperial base, and you cannot see guards from your current location. You are probably too far out to be spotted by any unseen guards, too.

"We should continue by ourselves" the ranger says, addressing Myn.

"Shaman, I saw you making some kind of berries while we camped. Are they for us?"

>>78275
"I suppose we'll be hiding behind the trees, then?" Torinn inquires.

>>78279
"It shouldn't took us long" the ranger explains.
"These soldiers look strong, and I got no intention to fight them alone" Sureiya says, thinking back about their fight a few minutes ago.

>>78280
"Most soldiers are."

This thread is being retconned out of existence! Stand by.