The trek into the snowbound valley is hard and tedious. At some points snow barely covers the rocky
ground, at others, it is almost thigh deep.
After several hours of hard travel you and your party enter a town
composed of several dozen houses, a town square and a lesser stone castle at
the center. The ground appears ice
covered, as do the buildings. The town
itself appears to be deserted, with no sign of life. As you walk through the streets, dawn breaks,
and the sounds of wood creaking can be heard behind you. You see the door to a cellar of a building
slowly open….a man peers his head out, yelling to you in a shaky voice “Is….he…gone?”
Sir, yes he is gone. The beast has fled to the North. Please do not fear, my companions and I watched him fly away... we were thrust here from Absolom using powerful magics that we do not fully understand and are not aware of where we are.. Would you be so kind as to tell us where in this land is, and what your town is named? I promise you need not fear us, not be concerned for your safety we are here, you have my word that you and your village are safe.
ReplyDeleteHe exits the cellar and walks towards you slowly, keeping his eyes on the skies. His voice, still shaky, speaks softly, as if not to echo throughout the mountains. "This is Frostbend." As he steps into the street, he is followed by some others, including women and children. You hear and see other cellar doors opening along the street and people emerge. They seem like simple folk, unarmed and unarmored. "Who are you, why are you here? Absalom? Has Freyr Darkwine finally heard our pleas? Did he send you? We have nothing else to give to the great beast...are you here to rid us of Sjohvor?"
DeleteIndeed. Dragons flee at the very sight of "The Belhaim Dragonknights"! Now that we are here, your town is safe. But, as my diminutive friend told you, we are unaware of exactly where we are. Could you tell us of this place? Also, we will track down this dragon terror for you. Did anyone see from which direction it came or how long it has been a trouble to you fine folks? Perhaps you could show us to the nearest lodging, and we can discuss over a warm meal. I'm not a fan of standing out in this cold. But a meal and good ale would make us all more comfortable!
ReplyDelete"Dragonknights?!" says a woman in a surprised and excited. "You are here to kill Sjohvor! They are here to kill the dragon!" yells another man. The townsfolk that have gathered cheer, as more begin to surround you. A portly man approaches you. "I am Norborg, you can stay in my home as long as it takes to hunt the foul beast. I can fill your bellies with hot broth and ale. I can give you beds..." he seems to swell up that point, then bringing himself back together "...and warm furs to sleep in. If you come to my home now", he points to the small stone castle, "we can tell you all we know of the foul creature."
Delete"We would be most happy to accept your offer of food, shelter, and hospitality. Let us move to your fine castle and discuss this Joe-vor."
ReplyDeleteAs the party makes their way to the home of Norborg, Thomas speaks through chattering teeth. "Gents... there were a few items that we collected through the ghostly tower that we have yet to identify. Once we sit down at Norborg's house, and I get something warm in my belly, I'll take a look and see if there is anything of incredible value there."
ReplyDeleteDude, it's not really that cold out here. Why're your teeth rattling? I mean, the sun is shining! There's fresh snow! It could totally be worse.
DeleteI mean, look at BjornBjorn... He's not even any bluer than he usually is.
Once within the friendly confines of Norborg's home and with hot stew in hand, Thomas begins reviewing some of the collected items from the ghostly tower. He sits and turns each item over in his hands. "'Oh that's interesting," he mutters under his breath. As he looks through the loot, he points out a few items of note.
ReplyDelete"Thornbjorn, look at this mug we collected. I believe it is originally from your lands. Looks at the age and craftsmanship of this... fascinating. I'm not familiar of how you would say it in your tongue, but in common its called the "Anymug". Basically, you say a command word, and if I'm right this one uses the term 'filler up'..." with that the mug instantly fills with ale. "I think you can get any beverage you want in this. Pretty much any liquid other than poisons, acid, or lava. Cool, eh?"
He holds up the masterword longsword in Mal's direction. "Mal, come check this out. I realize that this looks like a simple +1 longsword, but if you look at this ornate gem built in the hilt, it is actually a Runestone of Power level 3. I believe these were traditionally crafted in the Arcanamirium for spellweavers in Absalom. Very useful tool."
Thomas holds up a nice dagger from the loot. "Now this is something I've never seen before. But if you note the slight curve of the blade and the nature of the hilt, it is clearly of Qadiran make. I think if you press here on the pommel, you can..." with that Thomas begins to shift in and out of existance. "Ah hah... BLINK. But I think its only once per day."
Once Thomas returns to being fully material, he beckons for Chad. He holds up a slender sliver crown. "Chad, how would you like to wear this sweet Crown. I believe this one was crafted deep within the Mwangi. It has this radical gemstone dude, that you can totally use to see in the dark. We call it a Cat's Eye Crown, but man, trust me, you are one cool cat w/ this. Not only can you see, but you could totally take the gem out use it to see in all kinds of crazy places. Far out, I know!"
Thomas then pulls out a very simple looking ring. "Haha... how bizarre. This is a Ring of Sleeping. If any of you are in need of a catnap, you can say the command word and fall asleep for an exact amount of time that you determine at the time of saying the command word. Tala, before you ask, no you cannot put it on someone else's finger and cause them to go to sleep. Only the wearer can issue the command word. Too bad, because I've heard it can be quite fun to put other people to sleep... oh well."
The last piece of equipment that Thomas pulls from the pile is an elaborately decorated circlet. "Now this is a nice piece. I believe this was crafted in the city of Nyrosen in Mendev. It is a circlet that is modeled after the Mitre of the Heirophant. Basically, this gives the wearer nice bonuses for Diplomacy and Religious Knowledge. It also gives the wearer the ability to talk to their deity once per day. Additionally, I think the wearer can also help to atone for the wrongs of others once per week. This was clearly created by the Iomedean clerics at the Worldwound. Incredible."
Chad snatches the mug and says "Goat Milk! Filler up!" and chugs the thick, creamy liquid down. Some spills into his beard and down his shirt.
Delete"AHHHHHHHHHH......"
Tala thinks for a moment. "I am already well skilled in the art of diplomacy (+10) and I do have a bit of knowledge concerning religion (+11), but more than that, it has been so so long since I have spoken with the Mother of Night and she has so much to tell us...to guide us...I am sure in that regard this would be a very useful item.
DeleteWell, here is what I think that some of these pieces might be worth... Not that we are in a local to sell them at the moment.
Deleteanymug - 750 gp
longsword w/runestone - 75000 gp
Warhammer - 300 gp
chainmail -book price
morning star -book price
Crown of Cat’s eye - 23000gp
Ring of Sleep - 3500 gp
Circlet - 20000 gp
Norborg settles himself at the head of a large dining table. He motions for you to all have a seat. A young girl brings mugs of ale and a jar of pickled peppers for you, handing each of you a small plate. Then, she brings a large molded cheese and a knife. “Dragonknights eh?” Norborg speaks as he cuts the cheese. “Well, lucky for you we have a dragon that needs killing.” He looks at the young girl. “That bastard took half our town…including my son, Bors, and my wife Helena.” He looks hopelessly down into the veins of the cheese. “I was once the mayor of this town…at least the one who owned the most land. We lived simple lives, harvesting snowbeans in the summer, sending them south in the winter. Then, a year ago it all changed. It started with the tiny flying things.” He drank from his mug. The dark stout dripping down his chin. “At first we didn’t know what was stealing our crops…or breaking into our winter stores. Then one of the farmers caught a group of them. Little men with wings was how he described them. He chased them off, but they came back. After losing several weeks’ worth of food, we decided to do a little pest control, and caught and killed the little buggers.” Belching, Norborg raises his hand to the ceiling, looking up. “Well, one of them must have got away, because that’s when the goat men attacked, with their bows, and hideous music. We fought them off, but not before their music lead off half our children.” Another drink quiets his voice. “That’s when we sent out a hunting party, tracking them to the north ridge of the mountains. Met by one of them who called himself Fakar, an agreement was reached, food for the children…” The large man’s eyes watered. “But some of the town’s men disagreed. It was a slaughter. Most of the men dead. All of the children dead. Most of the creatures dead. Burying our families was to be the end of it. The people looked to me for answers. I told them it was over. Or I thought it was. That’s when he came. The wyrm was only glimpsed at first, flying high in the snowfilled clouds. Then it attacked, its breath freezing us still. It came back two months later. Then every month. Now every week. He proclaims that he is the instrument of revenge, the guardian of his people. His name is vengeance, his name is Sjohvor.” His eyes grow dim again. “His lair is no secret, it’s beyond the pass at the north ridge.” His brow tightens with skepticism. “ Before you go off to solve our problem I must ask…you mentioned Absalom…a long way to come for suicide. What really brings you here…?”
ReplyDelete"We were tricked into coming here."
ReplyDeleteThomas turns an inquisitive eye toward Mal. "While I will concur that there was massive deception afoot when we departed Absalom, I do not think our arrival in this place was a product of trickery. Our benefactor... our 'late' benefactor... set us on this course with finding the white dragon. And here we are. I think this was all by design."
ReplyDeleteThomas turns to Norborg. "There are many who think that the arrival of your "Sjohvor", and others like it throughout Golarion, is a symptom of a larger illness. We have come to bring some rid you of this ailment with the hope of finding clues to the true root of the disease that plagues all of Golarion. Master Wong and I are going to discuss further your descriptions of these "flying humanoids" and "goatmen". I have a theory that what you have seen are both of the fey-folk, perhaps pixies and either satyrs or fauns. In any event, we have evidence that these and other "First Worlders" are being affected by the return of the dragons. The true relation between these things has yet to be deciphered, but there is little doubt that they are connected in some way."
Thomas rubs his chin for a moment. "Maybe before we rush off to face down this "Sjohvor", we should seek out some information from the fey-folk. Norborg do you know where to find "Fakar"? Perhaps if we knew what was going on w/ these, we might get some insight as to the greater issues at hand?"
"Perhaps if I could speak with the Goddess of the Night I may be able to get some answers concerning this path we have been set upon. I have been trying to contact her and thought we almost made a connection back on the boat, but apparently that was a false start. Maybe she will take pity on us soon and give us a bit of direction..."
DeleteThomas and Wong sit and chat briefly about the description given by Norborg. Thomas turns back to the group, "OK. Wong and I agree that what was described were Pixies and Satyrs. Off the top of my head I can tell you this much...
DeletePixies:
1) Special attacks...
Special Arrows (Su) When a pixie fires an arrow from any bow, it can decide to change the arrow's properties by sprinkling it with magical pixie dust. Doing so is a free action as long as the pixie is the one who fires the arrow. A pixie can generate a number of uses of dust equal to its Charisma score each day (16 uses per day for most pixies)—the dust is useless to another creature unless the pixie gives the dust freely. In this case, the pixie chooses what effect the dust will have on an arrow when it is applied, and it takes a standard action to apply the dust to the arrow. Once pixie dust is applied to an arrow, the pixie's chosen effect persists on the arrow for only 1 round. As long as an arrow is altered in this way, it does not inflict damage when it hits—it only causes its new effect. A pixie can choose any one of the following three effects when dusting an arrow. Save DCs are Charisma-based.
Charm: The target must succeed on a DC 15 Will save or be affected as though by a charm monster spell for 10 minutes.
Memory Loss: The target must succeed on a DC 15 Will save or be affected by a modify memory spell (this effect can only eliminate the previous 5 minutes of memory—a pixie typically uses this ability to make the target forget it encountered the pixie so it won't chase the pixie when he flees).
Sleep: The target must succeed on a DC 15 Will save or fall asleep for 5 minutes.
Satyrs:
1) Special attacks
Pipes (Su) A satyr can focus and empower his magic by playing haunting melodies on his panpipes. When he plays, all creatures within a 60-foot radius must make a DC 18 Will save or be affected by charm person, fear, sleep, or suggestion, depending on what tune the satyr chooses. A creature that successfully saves against any of the pipes' effects cannot be affected by the same set of pipes for 24 hours, but can still be affected by the satyr's other spell-like abilities as normal. The satyr's use of his pipes does not count toward his uses per day of his spell-like abilities, and if separated from them he may continue to use his standard abilities. The pipes themselves are masterwork, and a satyr can craft a replacement with 1 week of labor. The save DC is Charisma-based.
2) Resistances/Immunities
DR 5
Wong, can you think of anything else we know about these creatures?"
I friggin' hate pan pipes man. Hate em.
DeleteCan we like, plug our ears with stuff so we don't get put to sleep?
Tala listens to Thomas and Wong intently, as if in deep thought. "Thomas, after listening to your description of the Fey, which I believe is correct, a thought occurs to me concerning a connect between the usual order of things and our present environment. On our trip to Absolam, I had a chance to speak with the Mother of the Night and she mentioned the many strange behaviors by fey, including the Drow. She of course also mentioned to me the terrible way in which my people are being treated by the dirty colnbluth, who will some day feel the poisoned sting of vengeance upon their necks, but that is a different subject altogether.
DeleteWhat is now pertinent is the fact that almost every fey race has been leaving their homes, including the Drow. It seems as if a significant portion of those races have found their way up here. Why? No idea. But they are here and we are here. It is my experience that things happen for a reason.
Thomas listens intently to Tala. Then he turns back to Norborg... "You said that when Sjohvor attacked the village, he claimed that he was the "instrument of revenge... the guardian of HIS PEOPLE..." Are there more Dragons out there??? If not more dragons, then who are "his people"??? Did he ever say anything about defending the Pixies or the Satyrs or was that just coincidence?
ReplyDeleteAlso, you mentioned that you knew where the dragon's lair was. BUT how would we find this Fakar or where the pixies came from?