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Topic: Filthy Thief Q/A
Subject: there
more posting from me. What's next on the list? Sleeping, or going to deliver the pouch?
Posted on 2008-09-26 at 20:13:31.
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Topic: You Filthy Little Thief!!!
Subject: outside
Trading one darkness for another, the group returned to the night. They had come up with a promising lead, and would find out more after they had delivered the strange pouch. But Ocyari was getting really tired. Even though the others were much older than she was, they too felt the straint from walking all day, their short run-in with thugs, and the fight with the water cat. It had been an exceptionally long day, and they all needed to rest. But were they going to put off sleep in order to not waste precious time? Time was not their friend in this situation.
The big door-man let them pass without a word. The back alley was now deserted and silent. Even the last of the muttering from inside the tavern was shut off when the door was closed with an elaborate bang.
Mist had crept its way up the streets. So close to the water, the white fog was a familiar sight, claiming the streets on many a night. But the creepiness that it brought with it now was not common. They realized that they had just entered one of the most dreaded places of Drefast, and come out alive. Why nothing had happened was perhaps hard to understand, for they had been obviously alien to the establishment. Was the tavern not as dreadful as they had feared? Or was there something else they were not aware of?
Whatever the reason, they had a new assignment to complete, and a new companion to help them. Would they do go now, or wait until morning?
(OOC: I'm assuming that you are all leaving the tavern. I didn't get posts from everybody, but figured you might be waiting for me to post something. So, here it is. I need a plan in order to continue.)
Posted on 2008-09-26 at 20:01:40.
Edited on 2008-09-26 at 20:05:09 by Almerin
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Topic: The Chakran Portal - Q/A
Subject: yes
Cheers, Chris. 
Now for the rest of the story:
You guys would've escaped the goblin camp eventually. Either by regaining strength and spells, or by help of the orcs (depending on whether or not you guys would've impressed them with your Bootskull-skills).
The humanoid with wings was a Kelden (Audalis race) who lived around these mountains for all his life. He was able to tell you the entrance to Chakranna. If you guys had failed to get information from him, since so far you didn't attempt to converse with it, there would've been other ways of finding the entrance (another was of course Tann's use of ranger skills).
Once inside Chakranna, you would've found out it was infested with Goblins. The goblins were looking for something, and the name 'Avesaath' would return regularly. Depending on how you guys would've played the whole scenario, you would've found out more details about what was going on.
1 ) They are looking for an old Portal, called the Chakran Portal
2 ) The high priests were guided by a powerful demon. It was this demon's involvement that kept all the clans and even the orcs in a somewhat peaceful union.
3 ) It is not the first time this demon has led the goblins troops. The last time its reign caused the demise of the Chakrandrum, but was soon after ended because its worshippers were systematically wiped out. Now it's back and looking for the Portal once more.
4 ) The demon's name is Avesaath
5 ) Draven had a special scheme, and was also involved with Avesaath, though how exactly this was all played out depended totally on Valimar's actions.
6 ) The demon's plans were to enter Audalis through the Portal and claim the lands as a new God in the Pantheon.
7 ) The mutated animals in Sylvaria were caused by the poisoned trees (you guys knew so much already). The poison that was being used carried a small part of the essence of Avesaath.
8 ) The open Portal would also allow the goblin forces to invade Khordal (the Khordaldrum kingdom) unexpectedly. There were already some 'possessed' Khords and infiltrated Goblins in Khordal at the beginning of the adventure.
How you guys would've ended this whole scenario was not planned out. I deliberately let this open, because I believed in your capability to come up with a good plan. Also, since there were so many factors at play here, I couldn't possibly plan things ahead in detail without limiting your freedom.
In the end two things could've happened:
1) You guys stop the demon from entering the world of Audalis and therefore stop the rise of power of the orcs and goblins (of course aided by Sylvarian troops). You guys get a huge amount of XP, become heroes and even make it back to Guland Granitefingers for a Fat Check.
2) A new God enters the world, throwing everything off balance, creating chaos, in which you guys would've had to flee the mountains to join the forces of good to fight back. In this case you guys would've also go a huge amount of XP, would've also become heroes, but the campaign would've gone on for a very long time, the story changing into you guys having to help the forces of good destroy a God... wow.
Hope you guys enjoyed this little scenario.
Posted on 2008-09-26 at 18:52:35.
Edited on 2008-09-26 at 18:53:02 by Almerin
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Topic: D&D (3.5 ed) Query
Subject: I don't know
I don't know for sure, but as a DM, I would have it apply to only one form of the skill. You can sing very well, but that doesn't mean you can dance very well either.
This would be my ruling, unless the bonus is an insight bonus, and then I would let it apply to all forms, since it's more about a bonus on you intelligently manipulating the crowd by entertainment.
Posted on 2008-09-26 at 18:33:58.
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Topic: The Chakran Portal - Q/A
Subject: the truth
Hey Guys,
I'm sorry for not updating yet. There have been numerous occasions where I could've sat down and written an update, but I couldn't motivate myself to do so. My mind has been going back and forth and back again on whether or not to quit this game. I do appreciate all the enthusiasm and the many posts from Brianna , but maybe it's time to give up.
The fact that I'm wondering whether or not to continue tells me it's time to do something new. There was a time when I couldn't wait to put a new post in. This has changed for this game. I want my posting to be something to look forward to, not something that I have to drag myself on the computer for.
So, I regretfully make a decision, and with mixed feelings as well. I'm going to give up this game. Perhaps in later days I'll restart another game related to this, or one that picks up after ending the infestation of Sylvaria.
Let me tell you this: It's been a pleasure DMing all of you, even Wyrmsting, though our time together has been short. You guys brought these characters to life for a big part of this adventure. Great job, and you are all welcome to join whatever it is I conjure up next time.
I certainly hope there are no hard feelings about me quiting this game, and I hope you won't think less of me for doing so. I've invested 2 years of my life in this game, and I look back on this gaming-period with great joy. Thanks for making this experience possible.
Well, if you guys like it, I'll post a little summary of what was laying ahead of you, later.
Thanks again,
Almerin
Posted on 2008-09-26 at 16:52:05.
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Topic: Scary Stuff
Subject: woah
A post from Mithrandir? That has been forever! 
Anyway... can't be our guy.
Right?
Posted on 2008-09-23 at 16:23:48.
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Topic: The Chakran Portal - Q/A
Subject: oh...
Guys, you're making it hard for me. I'll give it another go, but as soon as I feel this way again, I'm going to have to quit and start something new.
The reason that I didn't write out the orcs' first round is because people might already get hurt, while you have a round to prepare. So to make sure you guys survive this game/battle I gave you the opportunity to get ready for anything.
We'll give it a few weeks, because I'm just as attached to the game as you guys are, but I have to believe that it's working. If it's not... again... I'll start something new, to which you are all welcome of course.
Posted on 2008-09-21 at 09:35:01.
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Topic: The Chakran Portal - Q/A
Subject: yes
Thanks for the honesty, Tann. It's appreciated.
And where are my manners: Dragon Mistress and Brianna, I'm sorry for your Loss. Losing a good friend is always bitter. I hope you'll remember your friend in your best moments of friendship.
Posted on 2008-09-20 at 21:33:32.
Edited on 2008-09-20 at 21:45:25 by Almerin
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Topic: The Chakran Portal - Q/A
Subject: ah
Thanks for the nice reply, Dragon Mistress, but I think I've made up my mind.
You see, I remember this same situation happening on page 60 of this Q/A.
We were all really enthusiastic to keep this going, but only 3 months later, we're at a halt again, and in the same situation.
I feel like I wanted too much out of this adventure. This whole thing should've been about the infestation of the Sylvari Empire and stopped there. Because that was the time when people knew what was going on, and it was ended with a plendid battle that could've been the end of the Adventure. But there is much more to this whole adventure then that. You don't know exactly what the goblins are up to, and their reasons. And that was to be the story of the second part of this game. But I feel like it's dragging it too far. Characters have changed players, and much detail has been forgotten. We've got a nice group of players here, but time is working against us, and with time also comes attention span, enthusiasm and involvement.
I think it's time to call it quits, and start something fresh. Let me think this over a bit more.
Posted on 2008-09-20 at 18:45:42.
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Topic: The Chakran Portal - Q/A
Subject: huh?
Guys, I'm not going to bend around the bush, or whatever the expression is: I'm very much disappointed with the number of posts that have come in lately. Some people have just not posted (Jozan... why?) (Valimar promised he would be back, but something must've come up, again).
And this week I don't have a post from Tann, who's busy but there's not even a post saying he can't make it. And none from Kaelyn, other than 'I don't know what to post'. What do you mean, you don't know? You're one of the players that I thought would be especially capable of coming up with a plan.
In general: I'm disappointed by the lack of imagination, or perhaps the interest that is shown by the players. And maybe it's my own fault for puting you guys in a situation where you can't rely on weapons and magic. But there is so much more to dnd than just hack and slash, and a bunch of experienced players like you should be able to think 'outside the box'. It's not even really outside the box, it's just a different set of rules than you're used to using.
I thought it would be fun to try something new (the bootskull scenario), but the last-minute posting and the lack of a proper (individual) battle-plan, and passive reactions (save for Dragon Mistress, and Wyrmsting's elaborate module) tells me something:
Perhaps this adventure is done? Maybe too many people have been switched for interest to remain? Maybe there are too many other games people are involved in and my game does not have the same quality as it used to (also my own fault)? Maybe online games aren't meant to last more than a year or two?
I'm seriously considering stopping the game, because this is very demotivating and not worth all my effort and time. Maybe I should start a new adventure, with a less elaborate or epic timespan...
I will leave room to comment. And I mean comment, not posts that say: go on with the game. I want to hear why and why not. Reasons and ideas. Judgement or compassion.
Speak your mind. I just did.
Posted on 2008-09-20 at 09:07:20.
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Topic: "Ello!" said TND cheerfully!
Subject: hah
Sings along:
*Welcome to the Re-hed Dragon I-hin*
Such a lovely place...
such a lovely face.
*Plenty of room in the Re-hed Dragon I-hin*
Such a nice surprise...
Bring your set of dice.
Posted on 2008-09-18 at 20:13:49.
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Topic: Prelude to The Red Dragon Inn
Subject: well
there IS a black panther avatar, in the superheroes/villains category. But perhaps that's not suitable?
Posted on 2008-09-18 at 20:04:50.
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Topic: You Filthy Little Thief!!!
Subject: begone...
The Heart of Darkness
Some Shady Back Alley
Drefast
~Positive Tide is normal
~Negative Tide is rising
Pao’s extended hand was certainly not ignored. Stuart clapped his right hand into Pao’s and held it in a firm grip. The leathery skin of the shady man felt oily and unpleasant to the touch. His one eye was on the cleric’s hand and inspecting it precisely. Then, with a quick shake, he let go, and the group was free to wander of.
Inside his pocket, Pao could feel the little pouch shift, even though it was so slight that he could’ve imagined it.
Then he was at the table where Beinsel and Perci had been waiting, and told the rest of his departure. Would they go with him? It was getting very late, and though sleep would not fell them for quite a while with all this excitement going on, it would certainly start taking its toll sooner or later.
Posted on 2008-09-18 at 20:00:36.
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Topic: yet another movie thread...
Subject: yes
Nausica of the Valley of the Winds, I think it was called.. .let me imdb that... no... let's go back to page 7 of this thread instead. Third post 
Posted on 2008-09-18 at 19:32:31.
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Topic: yet another movie thread...
Subject: so...
next on your list are Howl's Moving Castle and Princess Mononoke? They should be. Same quality, same weirdness, same intelligent entertainment (inteltainment, could that be the new word to use?).
Posted on 2008-09-17 at 16:03:49.
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Topic: Sorry for not being able to get on sooner...
Subject: yay!
Awesome... you've got a lot to catch up to!
Posted on 2008-09-15 at 15:36:47.
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Topic: Filthy Thief Q/A
Subject: we'll see then :)
Posted, and updated the map on the first page of this Q/A.
Posted on 2008-09-14 at 10:37:05.
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Topic: You Filthy Little Thief!!!
Subject: ah... ok then
Stuart chose not to respond to Pao's wielding of his holy symbol, nor did any of the people on his table. If there were undead among them, they knew to keep their fear at bay.
"We were told you had information that might be useful to us in our endeavor. Ormander Galios runs an orphanage on West Gutterfallstreet. I'm sure you know of it. Recently he has been accused of a theft he did not commit. We seek knowledge of that theft, the reason for it, and who is responsible for it. We have been told you have at least some of the knowledge we seek. Whether we intend to aid that person or to punish is neither relevant nor important to you, as far as I am concerned. We would speak with the person or people involved about our business with them. This is not a demand, nor is it a threat. It is a statement of intent. Now, what is it that you want?" Pao sprouted his words now he had a chance for Stuart's attention. And Stuart's attention was caught right away.
"Ah, yes. I know of that orphanage. Ormander does some important work there." He turned to his friends and stated, "Mills came from that place." upon which the others nodded in the shadows.
"I've heard some rumors concerning the theft from Councilor Velch's office, and I am willing to share them with you... IF you're willing to help me out as well."
His one good eye blinked a few times as he took a sip from the drink Pao had brougth him. He smacked his lips, sending spittle over the table.
"Ahhhh, delicious. Now... let's talk business. I don't give information for free, you know."
His hand went under the table and came up with a little pouch, about the size of an apple.
"Deliver this to SatyrMarket 53, and come back tomorrow with the payment you'll receive in return. I'll give you the information in return.
One word of advice though, don't open it up. What's in it is not your problem."
Posted on 2008-09-14 at 10:18:47.
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Topic: The Chakran Portal - Q/A
Subject: ah
Sorry about that Tann. You can't really use Animal Empathy or anything like that because it's not really an animal. It's a humanoid with animal traits. If you want to communicate with it, try talking.
Posted on 2008-09-14 at 09:23:23.
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Topic: The Chakran Portal - Q/A
Subject: pfff
find the time to cast first.... 
Posted on 2008-09-13 at 15:31:12.
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Topic: The Chakran Portal - Q/A
Subject: there
Now you guys know what Bootskull is. And it's not pleasant.
Hope you'll enjoy this.
Posted on 2008-09-13 at 13:55:53.
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Topic: The Chakran Portal - an Adventure in Audalis
Subject: Bootskull
Goblin Encampment
The Chakran Mnts
18th day of the 8th month: Temoth Ore
10:37 am
(OOC: I’m taking this a bit further, since I don’t want to spend forever on you guys being stuck in a cage. Since none of you have come up with an actual plan of getting out, I’m taking control of the situation.)
The orcs banged and slammed, shouted and partied. Their aggressive dance was an abomination to delight. Laughter and music were not meant to be so brutal.
Geim tried to sink into sleep as much as he could, but rather then rest, he slipped into a feverish state of half-consciousness. It did anything but restore his strength.
Elessarae decided to test the cage they were in, but dared not do so openly. Feigning a stretch, she pressured the wooden floor with her foot. It didn’t budge, but her Sylvarian heritage of harmony with trees and plants told her that it was not the sturdiest of boards either. Still, to break through these planks unnoticed would not be an easy feat to pull off.
An hour and a half passed, and the orcs grew tired of their pestering and left the cage. Only one of them returned to his initial place of observation. A few moments later he was brought a big piece of raw meat on a leg-bone, which he started chewing up pleasantly.
The calm that settled over the cage was heavy, and Geim finally fell asleep. Soon he was followed by the others, who had been up since midnight. There was no fighting it; no matter how many healing spells were cast, a person needed to sleep.
Four hours later they were rudely awoken by a splash of warmish water. A handful of potatoes followed right after it. The birdlike creature gobbled one down immediately, almost swallowing it hole. He eyed the rest of the potatoes hungrily, but waited for the other captives to dig in.
The sun had already passed its highest point, and something was going on around the cage. Activity had picked up in the camp. Goblins were running up and down with wooden planks and poles, small groups of orcs strolled leisurely towards the west side of the cage and talked wildly amongst each other. Words that were picked up were ‘match’, ‘maggots’ and ‘bootskull’. More than once, a glance was cast at the prisoners, followed by smirks and elbow banging.
Not long after, orcs and goblins carrying spears approached the cage, gathering around it. They formed two lines, one on either side of the cage’s door. Then, a familiar group of orcs approached, walking between the two lines. The spear-wielding masses pounded the ends of their weapons against the ground in an ominous crescendo. The group of orcs, the seven who had been watching the cage earlier that day, was clad in spiked metal shoulder-pads, leather armor and leopard loin-cloths. As they arrived at the cage, one of the guards opened the door and made way for the leader of the orcish seven. He was the largest of them all, which is usually the case in orcish culture, and his skin proved that he had survived his share of attempts to take his life.
“Follow us.” It grunted in the common tongue.
(OOC: If you choose to remain seated, you’ll find that the tips of goblin spears will prod at you until you stand up and obey. I will leave in the middle if Thondrek is going to attempt to dimension hop away. If he does so, I want to know where he plans to land. Remember, you can only move 5 feet per two caster levels, to a destination in line of sight.)
The group was escorted in between the seven orcs and the rest of the spear wielding goblins, who all looked at the prisoners and a destination up ahead with gleaming eyes and grins of anticipation.
This destination proved to be a grassy field, surrounded by a make-shift wooden fence built of planks and poles. The field was about 75 ft by 120 ft, and on either side stood a wooden doorway covered in some sort of webbing that appeared to be a net. In the middle of the field lay something like a ball, but it was hard to see what it was from a distance.
Torches and bonfires around the field displayed hordes of goblins and orcs rooting at the heroes, calling them names and cheering them on at the same time. The seven orcs took them on the field, close to one of the wooden doorways. There they left them, to move to the other end of the field, where they started raising the crowd’s enthusiasm even more with displays of strength and testosterone. A little goblin with glasses on his long nose approached the captives.
“Alright, let’s see here. You’re going to be playing a game called Bootskull against our champion team here. You score points if you get that skull over there,” he pointed at the round object in the middle of the field, “in the other team’s goal. Now the rules are… oh who am I even kidding. There are no real rules. Just make sure you make points. But I don’t know if I should advice you to win….”
He quickly ran off, as the orcish team took position.
(OOC: Yes, you’ll be playing some orcish form of soccer. The bards under us recall tales of orcish savage games like this. Those tales tell more of the violence that happens on the field than of the scores that have been made. Apparently dodging the orcs will be most of your problem.
Now you guys are lucky that you’ve escaped your bonds already, otherwise you would’ve had to spend one or more rounds getting loose. There are no weapons allowed, and all damage done will be subdual in nature. You get to choose exactly what you intend to do in each round. You can use most of the special attacks listed on page 154 in the PHB, being: Aid Another, Bull Rush, Charge, Feint, Grapple, Overrun, Sunder and Trip, to get the skull or evade opponents. You can try to dodge and tumble and ‘fight defensively’. Basically anything goes, even foul play. This is not necessarily a game of brute strength. It most likely is for the orcs though.
Of course you can decide not to go along with the game. You’ll be an easy target for any of the opponent’s death grapples in that case.
This might be a way out, this might be entertaining, or this might be an @$$ whoopin’ so to speak. But perhaps you can make something of it.
Good luck!)
Posted on 2008-09-13 at 13:55:04.
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Topic: Filthy Thief Q/A
Subject: wow
Pao is getting hostile there, Wyrmsting/Utan. If somebody offers you the palm of their hand it means a handshake, usually. So I think you mistook it for a thread... which I can see why.
One thing though: you can't mask the fact that you're casting Magic Weapon, since it needs all forms of components (verbal, and somatic). Simply touching the weapon won't be enough. Or maybe you don't care to start casting in a tavern such as the Heart of Darkness, but that would be kinda foolish.
Oh, and I changed your post in the game-thread to Utan's account.
Posted on 2008-09-12 at 13:04:51.
Edited on 2008-09-12 at 13:19:33 by Almerin
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Topic: Brownie-man sayeth, "Hello!"
Subject: Hah!
That's one nice introduction Mister Brownie!
I'm definitely going to buy something from your red wagon one day. For now, let me say 'welcome to the Red Dragon Inn'. We hope you'll have a lot of fun here. Check out the games, free-form and rules-based alike.
If you have any questions, don't be afraid to post them or send a Private Message to one of the moderators.
Good luck with your merchandise!
Posted on 2008-09-12 at 12:53:22.
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Topic: The Chakran Portal - Q/A
Subject: yes, true
You can cast spells directly from a spellbook, but that'll be the only time, and the last time you'll use them, because the spell is gone after one use.
Posted on 2008-09-11 at 20:46:26.
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