Greed, Garyth the Chew Toy
Subject: Re: The jungle; looking for holes
[OOC - I don't know how many scrolls Farron actually has. I know he has at least 1 left and maybe as many as 3. Ty????]
At any rate, Farron will give Sa'id a scroll to copy into his book. Just this morning he would have been loath to part with it considering how valuable it is and the fact that it will cost the loss of one of the perfect pearls each time either he or Sa'id casts Identify as a spell. (And now that Sa'id wants the spell, he'll surely want to share the pearls as well). But at this point, he surrenders the scroll gladly. The dead mage's artifacts have begun to feel very heavy in his pack this day and if it weren't for the fact that they needed every advantage they could gain he'd be tempted to throw the spoils of that battle into the murky sewer water at the bottom of the hole. Because of this, and partly to make amends for his uncharacteristic (he hoped) greed the day before, Farron digs in his pack and returns to Sa'id not only with his last remaining [??] scroll, but half of the pearls as well. "When you learn the spell, you'll need these too. You have to crush one and stir the powder into wine with an owl feather. Unless you brought one, we'll have to share the one I . . . have. Then you drink the potion and touch the item in question while weaving the spell." Farron hands the pearls and scroll to Sa'id, and looks almost relieved when the other mage takes them.
Looking around to make sure the rest of the party is occupied, Farron lowers his voice. "Sa'id. . . brother, did you not desire in the least to have these items before. . .when we were in the tower?" he asks quietly.
From: Ty
Subject: Re: The jungle; looking for holes
I was going to write the next turn, but Farron is opening up a very interesting discussion, so I am going to wait until Raja answers before I move on.
Karl? According to my notes, you still had two of the scrolls. So, you have one left after giving one to Sa'id for his spell book.
From: Raja
Subject: Re: The jungle; looking for holes
[OOC: Ok, NOW I understand how Identify works. Ty, I may need to modify my spell memorization plans based on what Karl and I decide to do about these items, if that's ok.]
Sa'id takes one of the pearls and looks intently at it. "Identify is an expensive spell," he mutters. "There must be a more efficient way." He looks back to Farron. "This is too much, my friend. I am not a diviner. You should keep the lion's share, it will be rare that I find the room in my addled brain to memorize this. Besides which, it isn't so relevant which of us casts the spell on the items we have found." Sa'id smiles slightly, hoping to lighten the mood somewhat, but his eyes widen at Farron's next words:
"Sa'id. . . brother, did you not desire in the least to have these items before. . .when we were in the tower?"
Sa'id looks at the other wizard, and speaks equally quietly. "Of course I was curious. Especially about the contents of that spellbook. The pursuit of knowledge is a vice of mine. But seeing him there, his body so ruined that even my father could not have made it look presentable for a funeral, and at our hands..." he sighs. "We did what we had to do. Of that I am certain. However, I had expected to be able to send the wizard's belongings with his surviving companions, to help defray the cost of revivification... Garth's oath, despite the grisly and disturbing nature of his death, did ultimately make me feel somewhat better." Sa'id pauses for a moment and leans closer to Farron. "Not that I'm certain I believe Cadfael's explanation... but for the time being, at least, I think it may be best to let it lie. And now that wizard will rot, because his companions fled and his friend swore an oath on the darkest of the gods." The necromancer shakes his head.
"I will admit, though, that the events of this morning have overshadowed what happened at the tower. At the very least, I believe we need the priest to keep us from the dark god's sight. But that makes an interesting balance -- we cannot prod him or push him too far, for fear he will turn on us again, but we cannot simply let him go about his business, for he would walk through the jungle without stopping to rest or sleep and promptly be killed when he arrived alone at his destination. That ring he wears is an insidious influence. It has divided us. But I am glad you and Garyth, at least, have kept your senses."
Straightening, Sa'id looks back at Mission. "I think it may be worthwhile to identify that robe as well as this ring. I suppose we'll have to spend some time memorizing the spell first, but if I memorize one instance of it to cast on the ring, it will serve as good practice for me." Sa'id smiles. "Then, however, we should decide what to do about that spellbook. I think it is important that we try to get at its contents -- spells are, of course, the best asset that you and I have."
[OOC: There's just the ring and the robe, right? Then we can deal with the spellbook? Does Farron have identify memorized? ...at any rate, Sa'id will scribe the spell into his spellbook, memorize it (in the slot I had planned to allocate to Cause Fear, Ty), cast it on his green eye gem ring with Farron's assistance to make sure he doesn't screw it up -- at least, provided no one in the group vehemently opposes spellcasting tonight.]
From: Karl
Subject: Re: The jungle; looking for holes
Farron's hopeful look falls as Sa'id returns so many of the pearls so easily. And falls further as Sa'id speaks of his distrust of Cadfael, fearing him under the influence of evil powers. When his talk so quickly moves on to the business of identifying the items Farron can contain himself no longer. "Brother!" he interrupts in a stressed whisper. "I'm not talking about curiosity, though I'm as susceptible to that as the next man. And I'm equally prone to a healthy amount of greed, too. But back in that tower. . . well. . . I . . .I *wanted* his things. As soon as I saw the man dead against the wall it was all I could do not to trip over you to get to his pack. I've never wanted anything so much as I wanted his things, especially his spellbook. I can't say what came over me. I. . .I do not think this covetousness is from within me. I hope it is not. I have been trusted with riches like you've never seen on my voyages for the merchants of the city and I never once . . . I swear to you, NEVER ONCE betrayed a trust to greed or avarice."
Farron looks nervously around to make sure no one is interested in their whispered conversation. Seeing the others still settling their own things for camp he continues. "I'm afraid, Sa'id. Is this the influence of the Dark God we are pursuing? If so, why have you not felt this? What is it in me that could give over so easily to . . ." He trails off not willing to name his fear. "I don't claim any special righteousness, Sa'id. But Cadfael is a good man of some reputation in Overlook. If he can be led to serve an unspeakable evil, what chance have I?"
From: Raja
Subject: Re: The jungle; looking for holes
"This is what happens when the gods meddle in the affairs of men," Sa'id mutters. "I am sorry for my feeble attempts at humour, they have had the exact opposite of their intended effect."
Sa'id mulls over Farron's words before speaking. His tone is tentative. "Perhaps when we do things we believe to be wrong, we expose our minds to Kor Garesh's influence. It would explain Rennik and Mission's wrath in the tower, as well as your uncharacteristic avarice. But I think it is simpler than that." He subtly emphasizes the word 'uncharacteristic,' to ensure Farron catches that Sa'id's belief in the other wizard's strength of character is firm.
"There is also the matter of stress. I am no counselor, but the things we have been exposed to since leaving Overlook are enough to fray even the strongest of people around the edges." He says this last with a flick of the eyes at Cadfael. "It need not even be the direct meddling of the gods, it may simply have been a subconscious way of getting your mind off the killing." He pauses. "If I still had faith in my sense of humour, I would add that unlike me, you aren't particularly used to corpses." Sa'id is sure to make it clear that this last is a joke.
"I am not certain of Cadfael," Sa'id says. "I do not believe his actions are forced directly by the gods. Rather, I believe they have broken him, and now he clings to all that is left to him. But he is so unpredictable..." he trails off, and stares into nowhere for a moment before looking back at Farron, leaning forward, and focusing intently.
"You are not alone in this. I have felt, said, and done things on this journey that I would never have done before it began." Sa'id sighs. "I had not wanted to tell anyone of this. I prefer to deal with my inner failings on my own terms. But in light of the circumstances, perhaps it is best that I tell you. After the battle at the lodge, I came back in through a a door that my fireball had burned. Looking at the embers, I felt... I'm not sure how to describe it. Pleased with myself, with the destruction that I had wrought. Arrogance is another of my vices, but this went beyond that. I was looking forward to doing it again, whether I was destroying undead blasphemies against the cycle of life, or burning halfling priests alive. There are times when I am almost hungry for a battle, so strongly do I desire to revel in my power. The fire is an outlet for my frustrations, but more than that, when I bend the laws of the universe to my will I feel like I am a larger part of it. And after all of that destruction, not a one of our companions respects my power -- with the sole exception of you. When my mood is black, I can't help but think that the only way to earn that respect is to destroy even more."
"This is not easy for me to admit. Inside, I rage at myself and at the others for their lack of respect, but when I regain my senses I regret it. I know they are worthy and of good intent, and I am deeply thankful for Mission's numerous interventions on my behalf. But it is not easy to keep thinking light thoughts in times such as these."
"No, I do not believe us to be tainted by the dark god. Rather, I believe we are all having trouble coping with the disturbing events of these last days, and that this manifests itself in uncharacteristic outbursts and thoughts. My intent, with regard to the identification of these items and the investigation of the spellbook, is both to gain what advantage we can and also to distract us from the dark thoughts lodged in our minds. I have no more wish to think about my darker thoughts than you."
From: Karl
Subject: Re: The jungle; looking for holes
Farron listens to Sa'id with the attention of a man being told he's not going to hell. He sits quietly for some minutes after Sa'id finishes and replies, "I hope you are right. I too have been frustrated by the others, so sure they are of their own worth and not recognizing any of ours. And I know how you feel. . . well, *powerful* when weaving the threads of magic to influence the universe." He pauses.
"I will accept your assurances for now. But let's not turn a blind eye completely. There *are* dark forces at work here. If they are trying to corrupt us and I am more susceptible, I want you to help keep me true. I have felt such a strong curiosity in the spellbook that I have begun to fear the Dark God wants me to see inside. If this is the case the spells it contains could be dangerous indeed. I will not look inside it unless you are there to back me up. Who knows? Maybe I've just been paranoid and it will just be low level love potion recipes." He adds with a chuckle. His first in what seems like months.
[Ty, Farron will help Sa'id with the ID spells in the manner I described earlier to you. Also, he and Sa'id will examine the spellbook very carefully, looking for a way to get it open without killing anyone or destroying it.]
From: Ty
Subject: The underground trail; two days left
The party decides to camp above the tunnel, while leaving a rope dangling inside for rapid retreat if necessary. This seems like a very good idea when Rennik mentions it, but during the first watch, as Rennik sits swatting blood sucking insects, he questions his own wisdom. The jungle is not any more pleasant at night than it was during the day. It remains stiflingly hot, and the insects maintain their constant vigil. If anything, it seems that a great many creatures become active during the night that were quiet during that day. Rennik counts at least five new bird sounds during his watch, and several great cats scream as they hunt. He fingers the cat's pelt he wears, and remembers the ferocity of the creature he took it from. He keeps his bow close.
During the night, Mission continues to hack and cough, but some time before the early morning hours, he quiets, and his breathing becomes clearer (Fort save 21). The monk's almost supernatural resistance to illness seems to have finally won out.
Prior to sleeping, the wizards had spent quite a bit of time together, talking quietly and working with their books and scrolls. At one point, they replaced the robe Mission was wearing with a blanket, and then sat making obscure gestures over it and chanting. With the exception of Garyth, who is quite comfortable around magic, the rest of the party eyes them suspiciously during this open use of magery.
Later, during Garyth's watch, he sees something huge and low to the ground slither by not more than forty feet away. It's head pops out of one side of an opening in the jungle, and at least twenty feet of body goes by before the tail appears and then disappears into the jungle on the other side of the clearing. It did not appear interested in the party in the slightest, so he settles back down after it disappears. (listen check 15) However, he doesn't sit for long. A moment or two after the slithery thing goes away, he hears what sounds like deep breaths coming from behind him. Spinning around on one knee, he sees a huge toothy face not more than fifteen feet away. One of the gigantic crocodiles that Rennik's people call swamp dragons has snuck up closer to the camp site than Garyth would have thought possible, considering its bulk. It is easily twenty five feet long, and must mass upwards of a ton. It is covered in a scaly hide so thick it must be harder to penetrate than most armor, and its jaws look capable of snapping a horse in two. It is no wonder the otherwise brave halflings live in fear of these creatures.
Once the beast sees Garyth move, it launches itself at him in a lightning fast charge. That thing is as fast as a horse! Flashes through Garyth's mind in the split second before the creature is on him. But Garyth's reflexes have always been good, and he was already keyed up and on edge from watching the giant snake go by, so he reacts almost instantly to the attack [surprise round, swamp dragon bite 12 (natural 1) miss]. The huge jaws snap shut with a terrifying crash just inches from his face.
[First combat round, initiative Garyth 14, Crocodile 5]
From: Karl
Subject: Re: The underground trail; two days left
Farron will lie quietly acting the part of swamp dragon kibble until someone wakes him.
From: Raja
Subject: Re: The jungle; looking for holes
"This will be in my thoughts, you have my word. If I can see any truly dark influences growing in anyone, I will speak out. But I do have faith in you, brother. You are stronger than you know, I think."
[OOC: This next bit is after Farron identifies the robe, but before the morning when Sa'id identfies the ring.]
"It seems that it might be best for Mission, with his fever, to keep the robe on," Sa'id says with a mild chuckle. "At the very least it will bring him some relief from the heat. It's no use to me, though, because I already wear a ring of protection. It would help you, though, Farron."
The wizards then turn to the spellbook. [Cue poking it with pointy sticks. ;) ].
"I may be able to dispel the warding on the book," Sa'id says, "but if I fail then the wards will detonate. Most likely it would be an explosion of some kind, intended to destroy the book first and whoever tried to open it second. I could cast a spell of resistance to protect myself somewhat from the effects of the explosion. But it's a risk, more so because if I fail in the dispel, the explosion could attract the attention of wildlife or other, darker things." He sighs. "It is frustrating to leave such a useful thing untouched. Perhaps in the tunnel..." he trails off.
[OOC: I'd just like to sort this out with Karl before we sleep; if we decide it's best for me to try "opening" the book, I'll do it in the morning, after memorizing Resist Energy -- Fire -- in a slot that was going to contain Mirror Image originally.]
[OOC 2: All right, got the turn and Karl's message, I'll memorize Resist Energy and we can talk more in the morning. In the meantime I'll snooze until someone wakes me up.]
From: Matt
Subject: Re: The jungle; looking for holes
(OOC: Oh, yeah, great idea. Open the exploding thing *in the tunnel*. Yep. Didn't we just leave that party? ;)
From: Mike
Subject: Re: The underground trail; two days left
How could something so big move so quickly? He jumps back just in time, but the bite was close enough that Garyth could smell the creature's fetid breath. His sword and mace are in hand by the time his feet meet the ground.
"Awake! Awake!" he shouts. "Swamp dragon!"
The creature seems to be attracted to motion; he needs to distract it while his companions slip down the hole. With a cry, he swings at the beast. [Full Attack]
From: Raja
Subject: Re: The underground trail; two days left
:-D
Well, it does make a perverse sort of sense. It's certainly more sensible than opening it up top where it'll alert swamp dragons...
Oh wai
From: Matt
Subject: Re: The underground trail; two days left
(OOC: Dibs on Garyth's stuff after he dies... fighting a swamp dragon with a melee weapon... he listens about as well as my students...)
Rennik awakes in an instant, coming up with bow in hand and grabbing reflexively for one of the arrows he routinely prepped point-down in the dirt before bedding down.
Seeing the beast and Garyth turning to swing, he calls out "No, you fool! Run! RUN!"
Rennik will fire an arrow into the creature's head, still screaming, "Down the hole! The HOLE! Keep your distance!!!!"
Rennik will mechanically grab and fire another arrow, and then a third (using Rapid Shot feat).
Finally, in the halfling tongue, "Tichenor, get clear!"
From: Raja
Subject: Re: The underground trail; two days left
Sa'id's heart just about pounds clear out of his chest at the sight of the swamp dragon, and any thoughts he had entertained of spellwork as he awoke to Garyth's cries vanished from his mind. There was nothing to do but run.
[OOC: As soon as he is able, Sa'id will head straight for the hole.]
From: Ty
Subject: The underground trail; nice lizard lizard lizard... 1
Ever since the fight in the tower, Garyth has been practicing using the light mace in his left hand. It has become more and more comfortable. Now, faced with his first fight, he is surprised to see his left hand draw the weapon without even thinking about it. He slashes at the swamp dragons face with his sword, and tries to strike its skull with the mace. [Full attack 17, miss; 17, miss; 12, miss] His skills are good. All three weapons strike their targets. Unfortunately, the creatures hide is even thicker than he had thought, and all three blows bounce harmlessly aside.
The monster does not look amused. The huge tooth filled mouth flashes forward again, and this time clamps around the young guardsman's torso with a sickening crunch [Attack 31, hit; damage 20; grapple attempt 37, hit; grappled]. The monstrous creature picks Garyth up in his jaws and begins whipping his body back and forth trying to snap his spine.
The sounds of Garyth's yelling, and Tichenor's barking wakes the rest of the party, who roll out of their bedrolls to the horrifying sight of Garyth in the dragon's jaws?
[Initiative Sa'id 20, Garyth 14, Cadfael 13, Rennik 12, Mission 12, Swamp dragon 5, Farron 4]
From: Matt
Subject: Re: The underground trail; nice lizard lizard lizard... 1
Addendum to previous actions... which still stand.
Rennik will do his best to shoot *around* the writhing body of Garyth, so as not to damage any of the stuff he has dibs on.
From: Mike
Subject: Re: The underground trail; nice lizard lizard lizard... 1
OOC: Of course, you'd have to convince the swamp dragon not to attack you while you were coming to claim Garyth's stuff. :)
All rational thought leaves Garyth as the dragon swings him back and forth. Bare instinct keeps him fighting as hard as he can to break free and run for the hole.
From: Matt
Subject: Re: The underground trail; nice lizard lizard lizard... 1
(OOC: Oh suuuuure... NOW you think about running... should we start calling you Jonah yet?)
From: Ty
Subject: Re: The underground trail; nice lizard lizard lizard... 1
It should probably be noted, that had Garyth run right off the bat, the swamp dragon would have just munched whoever the closest sleeping person was.
From: Matt
Subject: Re: The underground trail; nice lizard lizard lizard... 1
What might it have done if he hit it with his sword then took his movement off to the side, I wonder?
From: Dan
Subject: Re: The underground trail; nice lizard lizard lizard... 1
You can have his stuff, you're going to have to crawl inside the belly of the beast to get it.
Do we all wake up? I thought you had to make a Con check or something. Tyyyyyy.
From: Ty
Subject: Re: The underground trail; nice lizard lizard lizard... 1
Everyone is awake, what with Garyth yelling his head off and Tichenor barking up a storm.
From: Raja
Subject: Re: The underground trail; nice lizard lizard lizard... 1
Sa'id watches in horror as the beast snaps up Garyth in its jaws.
He was only trying to defend us, Sa'id thinks. And now he's as good as dead. But maybe if I can distract it...
If he could distract it, it might drop Garyth. Perhaps in the time it took the beast to get to him he could cast Mirror Image... for the first time, Sa'id regretted his inability to learn spells that would allow him to fly. He doubly regretted memorizing Identify over Cause Fear, though hopefully the morning would tell him something useful about the eye ring.
He had never seen such an animal before, but given the size of its head with respect to its body it couldn't possibly be too intelligent. Singing it might distract it. Pointing at the beast, he calls on the fire he has come to know so well on this journey [Scorching Ray]. He hopes to hit the thing on one of its legs if he can, or at least in that general vicinity.
From: Scott
Subject: Re: The underground trail; nice lizard lizard lizard... 1
Fever dreams. He saw his father, Rigor, working steadily on the stones around the Garden of Vicar Hope, chiseling away at the dark granite with his bare fingers. He was making a bird-- an ulaan, one of the songbirds local to Bannock's Ire. Mission watched how his father's fingers swept across the stone easily, shaping it as easily as clay.
He turned to Mission. "We do not mold the Stone," he said, clearly and calmly. But he had just formed the wide, open eye of the songbird. "The Stone molds us."
And then he was facing Deacon Comfort in the Room of Discipline. "Illusion, Mission. The physical world is only Illusion. Sand and Shadow." Comfort moved swiftly to the side, and then lept at him, striking out with his two feet.
Mission caught the attack, and swept it away. Comfort laughed on the floor, delighted. Mission stared at him. If the physical world was illusion, why bother attacking with blows and fists, why discipline the body at all?
Because the physical world was not an illusion. It was just not everything there was. Incomplete.
Yes. Only a portion of the Stone could be touched. Only a part of the Path could be seen.
Blood.
The part unseen. The hidden.
Mission struggled out of his sickness, the sickness that Shadow had laid on him. It was not illusion, this thing that held his chest so tightly. It was real. And it ate at him. So that his elation at having discovered. . . something. . . about the Path was tempered in pain and hurt.
But that was the way of things. The way of the Path of Blood and Stone.
Mission hears Garyth's call for help, and wakes to see the giant lizard snatch him up. Rennick had screamed something as well-- Down! it sounded like.
Mission will flank the swamp dragon and attempt Stonetap (stunning blow).
Hopefully, that will make the dragon release Garyth. Mission will then help Garyth get to the safety of the tunnel.
From: Scott
Subject: Re: The underground trail; nice lizard lizard lizard... 1
I'll be using my dodge bonus against the swamp dragon, if it comes to that, Ty.
If we get a chance to retreat, and Rennick and the wolf are amenable, and Garyth can climb down the rope himself, Mission will carry the wolf down the hole using slow fall. Um. . . that's a lot of if's and only if he can use the walls to get down.
But I don't see another way to get the wolf down the sewer. . .
Thinking ahead. . .
From: Matt
Subject: Re: The underground trail; nice lizard lizard lizard... 1
Yeah, at this point, Tichenor's scrambling. I figured we could probably lower him down using the rope and a bedroll, or cloak or something, if we weren't harrassed by the swamp dragon. Hrm.
From: Ty
Subject: Re: The underground trail; nice lizard lizard lizard... 1
I would also allow Mission to use slowfall next to a rope.
From: Mike
Subject: Re: The underground trail; nice lizard lizard lizard... 1
Cadfael wakens quickly to the sounds of Gayth's screams and when he sees the man caught in the swamp dragon's jaws his laughter cuts through the night.
"I told you you were nothing Garyth! But it seems the Gods have seen fit to make you a sacrifice. Do you like heroics? How does it taste?"
Cadfael will then, in no particular hurry, pack up his gear and head down the rope.
OOC -- If the others succeed in upsetting the thing or if Garyth isn't enough to satiate it Cadfael will hurry the heck up to get his ass down the rope.