01/12/11 Review

Late Saturday, after disposing of the body the manager had requested, we went to the Broken Barrel. When we arrived, we discovered the establishment in turmoil as Giblet the Demon-blooded giant was in a rage. A rage wrought from, mayhap the breakup from Turana (The Muse?) who owns the Broken Barrel. His champion status at the Broken Barrel was tested and fell to our overwhelming power. Now dead, we secured the magical ring we were to gather and eventually made a gnomish contact named Nebin; a friggin spriggin. Having no loyalties to the Broken Barrel Nebin was offered employment at the Cinder Block to which he agreed.

It was also revealed through conversation that Turana was looking for a particular, mayhap unique sword named Wen-Hastani or Kermaga? (Somebody please correct me here).

Midnight – Saturday into Sunday. After bringing back Giblet’s carcass back to the lair for later component harvest, we set out to Twilight House to meet with Arkeil. Upon arrival we find the house grounds still occupied of refugees, however; not all is in disarray. In fact a large group, upwards of two dozen, was equipped and is prepared for something, as early as Sunday morning.

At the watch tower we returned the ring to Arkeil and Twilight House. Having completed another task we are rewarded with gold, magic and four watermarks to use as we will.

Sunday morning. Jaren comes up with an idea to offer to our dragon mother the holy sword, armor, relic-bracers and shiled (approx value 91,000 gold) from the Stormwave Paladin. We would commune with her via the Dragon-Heart and in return we ask for knowledge on how to purify the taint from magic items. When we at last awakened it is dark, the sun long since set. We are in pain and are filled with dread. Nothing will be granted until the whites are killed, is her lasting remark upon us. We were, however; bestowed two tomes: The Dancing Wizard’s Workbook and the High Alchemy of Deogolsson. (101 Spellbooks, pg 11)

We begin next session with the Seven’s Ship.

Amida

Amida had been born a gypsy. Traveling from city to city she had never called anywhere home. Her mother taught her to perform at an early age. Showing exceptional grace she excelled at dancing and was the best dancer in the troop by age 15. While dancing was her passion Amida developed another usefull quality. Her perception and interaction skills were second to none. It wasn’t long before her father had her selling homemade jewelry & trinkets in the crowds sizing up potential marks. She had the uncanny gift of distinguishing who really had money & who was trying to bluff her into their bed. They began supplementing their income as information brokers and muggers. It wasn’t long before her father drew the ire of a widespread assassin organization known as The Daemons of auric. The Daemons took offense to outsiders trafficking in information, especially their information. After a late night raid on the gypsy camp all men that offered resistance was put to death. The women and young boys were sold to a slave trader.

At the age of 18 Amida was traded to Kurtos, a former adventurer turned tavern owner. Kurtos and his wife took pity on Amida after learning of her story and put her to work in their tavern. Over the next 5 years she learned the ins and outs of the tavern and believed she would inherit it on their passing. Upon Kurtos death his wife is forced to sell the tavern along with Amida to settle old debts.

Amida soon found herself on a 3 month sea voyage heading to a city her masters referred to as Stormhaven. Though they try to conceal their conversations with whispered words Amida overhears that she is to be given to some sort of “dragon cult”. Her thoughts immediately stray to the stories of cultists sacrificing maidens to heathen gods. She was trying to overhear any other details of her new master, but the sights and sounds of this new city flooded her senses. As she stepped onto the giant platform that lifted them into the air she began to shake. The fear of her uncertain future welled up in her eyes. ”I am strong she whispered…I will survive”.

Abu bin Salaah

Born in a far away desert empire, Abu was the 5th generation of slaves in his family, 7th generation stonemason. Learning his craft from an early age, he labored and oversaw many small projects for his masters, the kings they called pharoahs. Not yet worthy of earning the title "master mason", his creations were rooms inside the huge temples and pyramids that the master masons oversaw the raising of. Cunning hidden doors, hallways that tricked the eye, these were the areas Abu excelled at.

Falling on hard times, he was sold at auction to the two swarthy fellows from a neighboring country, and the endured a long, hard voyage aboard ship, travelling to Stormhaven. While aboard, to pass the time, he began studying the ship's construction. The slavers treated him better than most of the others, due to his being educated and valuable. Under guard, he was allowed to exam the ship from bow to stern and thus began his learning of the shipwright's skill. Upon arriving at Stormhaven, he was told that his new masters, some type of melding of dragon and men, much like the gods of his country, would be wanting to meet with him and find out his areas of expertise. Always ready to sell himself, Abu bin Salaah made sure he was clean of the rank that the other, lower slaves had and presented himself to his new masters, his eyes roving over the building they were in and mentally making notes should the masters ever ask for his opinion

Chromatic Cauldron of Brewing

Created from mithril fired in the furnaces of a red dragon for a year and a day, from the dawn of one summer solstice to the twilight of the next; it was the very cauldron Auge cut his teeth and received his beginner alchemy training on at Twilight House. So Auge was naturally excited to see the Chromatic Cauldron offered up as Arkeil and Twilight House’ treasure payment.

Weighing only five pounds, the vat has five half-faces /half-skulls set into the artistry of the cauldron’s design giving it a life to death motif. Each face a different draconic race and each corresponding skull is set with a gemstone eye symbolizing the five chromatic species: ruby, sapphire, onxy, opal and emerald.

The cauldron is capable of heating any liquid placed in it to a precise temperature (anywhere from just above room temperature to hot enough to boil salt water) and maintaining it indefinitely while still remaining only slightly warm to the touch on the outside. A cauldron of brewing provides a +5 competence bonus on Craft (alchemy) skill checks.

Pilini the Gnome

The gnome was loathe to leave behind his three most valuable magical possessions, but Pilini was confident that his nephew, Tendor a factotum of promising talent and skill would put them to better use. Pilini possessed some modest wild magical talents and skill as a gnome, but nothing that would measure to any significance in an adventuring life. Sure he could use magical devices and could bluff the lesser into thinking he was a powerful spellcaster with his rod of wonder and other baubles, but the truth was he was only an expert by profession.

His fortune changed after a fascinating palaver with a visiting dwarf adventurer and a strange gaunt human to Shabbad who shared extraordinary tales of a mythical dwarven island, a veritable island paved with mithril and rivers of molten gold. Pilini, was fascinated to find this city of Drakarmos and was beset with thoughts of retirement. All Pilini would have to do was see if this rumor of underdark highways were the ticket to the Drakarmos.

Pilini was a brewer by trade and specialized in replicating dwarven ales of all kinds, so much that even the most discriminating dwarven libation aficionados were challenged to discern the difference between Pilini’s brew and authentic dwarven ales. It was Pilini’s dream to make his fortune and retire in Drakarmos; the dwarves do love their cocktails, Pilini thought.

Pilini didn’t make it to Drakarmos, instead ten days into his journey he was captured by slavers. Treated fairly well, considering; each of his multitude of owners recognized Pilini for his skill and talent and was summarily treated relatively well. Pilini was even sometime outfitted and equipped, allowed to toil at his trade and even was recently elevated from ‘slave’ to indentured servant and was given employment at a bar in Stormhaven, an establishment at the Cinder Block.

Pilini entered this arrangement with renewed vigor. His new master, while terrible, red and frightening, shared his own talents and his liking for fine cigars.

TARGET 777's

"I have work for all of you if you are ready." Tamros replied to Durg's inquiry. "I have it on good authority from Tressalien of the Sea Rovers that the 777's, damn their souls, have taken over one of the rear ships waiting to dock.  The ship is here to trade exotic meats and a strange spice said to enhance the senses.  Truth be told they are also here to deliver to us several roots and fungi that are components for Goodnight Kiss.  The ships name is the Salty Lightwing.  Tressailien says their plan is to impersonate the crew and sail it into port under a guise of normalcy.  Recover all you can and please make an example of them.  Make sure to recover the components or else we are off to an ominous beginning to our quest in corning the poison market!"

Tales from the Lifter Guild

Brix stared a hole in the back of his “superior”, Kaplan. Yet another order without explanation.  Kaplan was always telling Brix where to direct his eyes and occasionally where not to.  The latest order wasn’t surprising considering how paranoid Kaplan was.  Keep an eye on their newest strongman, the half dragon Versel.  Normally this type of thing didn’t bother Brix but he was so close to being done with the Lifter Guild and really wanted to avoid making any enemies. Beyond his personal plans though, Versel was a great new hire, as strong as any lifter, far from lazy, and once you got past the idea that he might eat you, seemed like a good guy.  Besides Brix had been at this for a while and if someone joined the lifter’s guild for ulterior motives they usually weren’t your hardest workers and ask way too many questions.  Only questions Versel has had have been about lift procedure, dinner, and a good bar.  Brix heard that Versel even took a fight at the Broken Barrel not too long ago.  He was fitting in well and Brix had just suggested a promotion for the fellow.  Brix figured he’d just give Kaplan some bogus reports and maybe if the opportunity presented itself, he could give Versel the heads up that someone is interested in his business.  Besides after the Solstice he would be raking in the money and be able to “retire” from the guild.  GG assured him that the investors were lined up and it wouldn’t be much longer before the first display of the crafter’s work.  Each group would fall all over themselves to invest and before they realized they had been duped, GG, Brix, and the crafter would be figuring out ways to spend their new wealth. Come to think of it, it might not be a bad idea to befriend the dragon man, he might need some muscle in the coming weeks. 

The Coldstones

The Coldstone clan of dwarves is new money in Stormhaven, having risen to wealth over the last hundred years.  They take their name from the market they have monopolized, the trading of so called, "cold-stones", small stones that radiate icy cold for years.  The clan has fallen on hard times over the last decade as their once reliable source of stones has become intermediate deliveries of far less amount than meets demand. The reasons for this disruption are unknown to all but the leaders of the clan.
Two years ago the clan's leadership changed to a ranger of some renown, Erich Von Coldstone.  Since his election to leadership, he has called forth his brothers from the Evening Isles.  While he and all of his brothers are volcano dwarves, Erich's long years away from his ancestral home have reduced his racial heritage to negligible difference from a standard dwarf.  His brothers however are still ruddy skinned and charred, seemingly immune to heat, and smiths of the finest skill.  Erich is said to have earned himself a fortune beyond the family trade and there has been plenty of gossip and speculation as to just how much and what that treasure is. 

Treasure Pool

We had a little left overs to clear up. We found a total of 1100 gold coins as well as 12 pieces of jewelry worth a hundred gold a piece. There were some potions and oils left unpicked, and it seems they will be studied for replication later. There were also 4 masterwork longswords won from the wolf men. I propose we each take 250 coins and 2 pieces of jewelry (200 gp value) and put the remaining 100 coin and 4 pieces of jewelry into Son Commodities. We could also each take a sword, or add them to our training rooms and gyms for the fight club.

01/05/11 Review

Saturday morning we arrive to the Dragon’s Lair and Vinco, the manager of the Sunbow Mansion. Our perceptions reveal that his disposition was different and he was eager, greedily so, to make arrangement that if we did go into Sunbow, somehow eliminate Buki and if something were to befall the Madame Daphnie… that would improve Vinco’s status; so much so that it would annex the Sunbow Mansion into our territory. We would provide guild standing and he gets a stipend from us.

Noon. We acquire anti-toxins. When we arrive to the Sunbow on foot we encounter a Stormwave member on the lookout for us as well as street urchins paid to run information between said members when we show up. Auge and Durg intercept once such youngin and he gets paid to divert his quarry to the Edana estate. We are not the dragons you are looking for.

Jaren and Vercil confront and defeat the first Stormwave member and when Auge and Durg return we find Rothwell and a ranger have joined the fray, but they were ultimately defeated and looted. We left their bodies on the roof they were watching from to be discovered by their comrades.

Once in side the Sunbow, we met up with Vinco who suggests venturing into the underlevels where dangerous creatures and activities take place. Different pleasures are different treasures. We pass two magical wards- purge invisibility and dimensional anchor before we encounter a vault door that required a combination and a phrase. “Take us to the Madame of the house.” Took us to a gothic chamber where wolf-men were waiting for us and attacked. After destroying them we further explored the area and found Buki and others in gimp outfits all suspended in a trapeze-like contraption, complete with a net. Buki threatens to harm Daphnie, but we paid no heed and set the entire trapeze ablaze with our combined breath in a surprising opening move. Buki didn’t even get to his feet before he was killed.

We split the loot, was awarded XP. We begin next session returning to Vinco’s office.