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[D&D 4e IC] Den of the Slavetakers
robp85
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
The Adventurers:
Kazadim Yri-Rozen - Causticsoul Warlord - Submitted by Draw On Holy Might
Ayliana - Eladrin Paladin - Submitted by Joeslop
Flutter - Deva Druid - Submitted by InkSplat
Malryna Kilrae and Blackfang - Drow Ranger - Submitted by TiamatZ
Paela - Halfling Sorceress - Submitted by El SkidA little background/history on the Chaos Scar for those of you who have not read it:
Wizards of the Coast wrote:Long ago, a dark power traveled through the space between worlds, intent on finding world upon which to wreak havoc. After seeding countless wars on many worlds, it found a new world to ruin. There it crash-landed, embedding itself deep in the ground and carving a valley-sized furrow in its wake. Patient beyond mortal comprehension, it began to sow the seeds of evil and reach out to those of a perverse and corruptible bent.
The Chaos Scar is a long, wide valley carved long ago by the fall of a massive meteor. As the giant rock passed overhead, milk curdled, livestock fell over dead, and ill fortune befell all. The meteor crashed into the earth with deafening force, and red radiance lit the sky for a week. Then it vanished.
The meteor had carved its massive gash in a dark and wild place between points of civilization. Where once had stood a wild forest and swamp between a line of small hills was this new valley—the Chaos Scar.
Over a mile long and several hundred feet deep, the Chaos Scar is a testament to the vast power of the meteor’s impact. As it carved its path through the earth, shards and fragments of the meteor tore away until only its heart remained, embedded in an escarpment at the far end of its new home. There, it sent out its call. Over the centuries, creatures of evil spirit have been drawn to this beacon. The meteor's dark sentience spurred competition among them so that they fought with one another. The weak were killed or pushed to the edges of the meteor’s influence, while the strong and cruel rose to the top of the pecking order.
Following years of conflict, a group has emerged to rule the valley. It calls itself the Brotherhood of the Scar. Some nearby cities and nation states believe them to be worshipers of Bane. Others think them servitors of Zehir, or possibly a demon prince. The order seems to have reached some sort of understanding with the meteor, because while the conflicts between the monsters of the Chaos Scar continue, the Brotherhood is left to its own devices. The Brotherhood built a keep around the meteor, and the other denizens of the Scar have carved out their own dominions within the valley’s many caves. The weakest settle near the mouth of the valley and the plain beyond, while the strongest lair closer to the valley’s terminus and in the fortress that now encloses the valley’s upper wall.
Some cities have tried to hem in the threat of the Chaos Scar, with little to no success. A long-forgotten ruler who fancied himself a king erected a wall across the valley’s mouth long ago. It still stands, partly in ruins, its gates open and unguarded. Towers that once ringed the valley have fallen to ruin as well. Some are inhabited by monsters; others are simply empty.
The Chaos Scar itself is death to most who wander in. It is filled with evil and riddled with caves both natural and tunneled by generations of monstrous denizens. The deeper one travels into the valley, the deadlier the foes lurking in its caves and hollows. Strange features have been raised, or have simply appeared, within the Scar—circles of standing stones, bizarre towers, grotesque cottages, and other more otherworldly features. Capping off the valley is the fortress of Hallowgaunt, home to the mysterious Brotherhood of the Scar, crowned by a perpetual storm of black clouds and crackling lightning.
Many adventurers have entered the Chaos Scar. Few have returned. Those that do weave dark stories of monsters working in concert as never before. Others tell of monstrous creatures working against one another. Welcome to the Chaos Scar.
Mika looks around at the group of adventurers gathered before her. They had put out word to the general public that help was needed but Mika did not expect the hodgepodge of characters surrounding her now would be the ones to answer the call.
Well, I guess those with the least to lose are the ones who are more likely to show up, she tells herself.
With a weird looking Genasi, an Eladrin, a Deva, a Halfling, and even a Drow, this group would be interesting, to say the least.
Mika is a priestess of Avandra. She's a younger priestess, not looking to be more than 25 years old. Her gold robe hangs from her delicate frame gracefully and as she walks the robe flows with her fluid movements.
"Thank you all for answering the Temple of Avandra's call," her voice is smooth like silk and echoes through the room in which you stand. "Recently, the small town of King's Watch has had people go missing: two human males, two Halfling males and two Halfling females. We believe a Halfling named Morgana is the reason these people are missing. We have been unable to deal with her and her cultists so that is why we sent for all of you."
She takes another moment to clear her throat before continuing and begins pacing.
"Morgana leads a group of cultists who worship Torog in a temple nearby. We are not sure exactly where they are but we do know that they are not far from the King's Wall. Please, help us eliminate this threat to us and our small town. You will, of course, be handsomely rewarded."
She finishes her small speech and looks around the room, ready to field any questions you may have.
Alright. Here's the beginning of our adventure. You're all welcome to meet each other, RP a little and ask Mika any questions you may have. We will begin the adventure and hopefully roll initiative for the first time come Monday.
I hope you all enjoy your time playing. My goal is that we all have fun and move along in the adventure. Let's roll some dice!
I hope you all enjoy your time playing. My goal is that we all have fun and move along in the adventure. Let's roll some dice!
Some additional info:
Character sheets should be posted on Myth-weavers or Orokos.
Rolling can be done on Invisible Castle or Orokos.
Please roll under the campaign name "PA Den of the Slavetakers".
Posting should occur at least once a weekday from everyone, we want to keep the adventure going.
Any other rules will be posted here as I remember them
Rolling can be done on Invisible Castle or Orokos.
Please roll under the campaign name "PA Den of the Slavetakers".
Posting should occur at least once a weekday from everyone, we want to keep the adventure going.
Any other rules will be posted here as I remember them
Skard, Shifter Warden
Basic Attack +26 vs AC -- Damage 1d10+19 (+5 if enemy is prone) (+2 if Longtooth Shifting is active)
Basic Attack +26 vs AC -- Damage 1d10+19 (+5 if enemy is prone) (+2 if Longtooth Shifting is active)
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Perhaps not, some whispered about the chore they had sent her on. Still time to turn back. Though no one else could hear them. The deva shook her head, eying the fickle creatures.
No, she wasn't going anywhere. She wanted her peace and quiet--that would be reward enough.
"When do we leave?" was all she asked, looking out from beneath the hood of her cloak. As far as she was concerned, nothing else really mattered.
The halfling paused, as though listening to something. "Good point. We'd also like to know who this Torog is, and what his aims are. We've never heard of him."
"To be honest me and my companion here..." Malryna stops midsentence, staring at her companion Blackfang, a large tarantula, hiding behind one of the Drow's legs sheepishly (and passes the time staring at the many butterflies fluttering around the deva, thinking how one would taste). Predicting the spider's actions all to well, she slaps Blackfang swiftly (but not too hard) on the head for even thinking such an act. Butterflies are living beings too, Blackfang!
"As I was saying, me and my companion only came here out of pure dumb luck. If not for one of your temple's many parchments you so gratiously distributed to the outlying towns, we would never have come here standing in front of your presence. But since we're here, we'll help you as much as we can... for a fee of course."
She takes a glance at the odd halfling before asking, "Aye, it seems none of us have heard of this Torog before. Tell us, is he some type of demon the cultists are fanatically worshipping?"
Or perhaps I've heard of this being before, as Malryna tries to recollect a memory from her many times relaxing at a tavern, eavesdropping on the local town's drunks spreading their rumors, hoping that even one rumor might glean some information about the being...
Edit: Fixed some spelling and grammar stuff...
"We would like you to leave as soon as you can. You should be able to make it to the general area of the hideout within a day's walk."
She turns to the others and continues to speak.
"As far as we can tell, those that were taken have little in common other than they were at the wrong place at the wrong time."
She shakes her head obviously sad as she thinks of those taken but composes herself before she continues, "Torog is the god of Darkness, entrapment, isolation, and pain. Most often, he is worshiped by slavers, jailers and torturers. Unfortunately, beyond these things, we don't know much about him. We do know that Morgana calls her group the "Hand of Torog," though. We also suspect that she has collected a fragment of the meteor that created the Chaos Scar, but those rumors have not yet been confirmed. Needless to say, if she can harness the power of the meteor, she would become an even greater problem than she already is."
Basic Attack +26 vs AC -- Damage 1d10+19 (+5 if enemy is prone) (+2 if Longtooth Shifting is active)
Though none could take the place of the Lady of the Tides, he discovered the church of Avandra to be mostly enlightening, but so much reliance on fate and luck had no appeal to him.
When the audience with the priestess was called, Kazadim took the time to greet her properly, as well as the other adventurers as they came in. He was abrupt, if not very traditional about the whole thing.
Standing here now, listening to the situation, he shook his head sternly at the description of Torog and his portfolio.
"None of this bodes well for your missing people."
His voice was smooth, words flowing over one another like water; yet there was still something dark and strained, wholly unnatural, about it.
"Groups like this... Hand of Torog seem familiar. In any event, if they are as bad as the patron deity they serve, we should be wary."
Taking the steel helmet held under her arm and smoothly placing it on her head, she fixed the priestess with a hard stare.
"I see no reason to wait. We WILL return your people and find the one responsible for their capture. Whether this person returns with us remains to be seen; I suggest that you spend the time we're gone trying to remove the claws of this cult from your town. Once they're dug in deep it will be impossible to find and remove them.
Ayliana Moonwhisper Ecksus Cerazal
A flickering ball of...something appears in Paela's hands as she contemplates this persuasion, and she begins to toss it up and down like a ball... it glows faintly in a shifting array of colours, and makes a faint 'gloop' sound every time it lands back in the palm of her hand.
Paela'a Streetwise Check:
Basic Attack +26 vs AC -- Damage 1d10+19 (+5 if enemy is prone) (+2 if Longtooth Shifting is active)
Malryna takes another sly look to the strange Genasi standing next to her. She heard and saw her share of Genasi before, but none that looked even remotely to this man's physique. Malryna pointedly reminded herself to make sure not to shake hands with this acidic looking Genasi... yet. She turns her head to the priestess before continuing on with her discussion.
"Tell us priestess, are there any caves or remote areas in this valley that you might know of. You know, the kind that look suspicious to travellers, or ones that might pose as an excellent ambush spot for potential victims? I mean, this temple the cultists now supposedly inhabit sounds too good a spot to lay a trap for would be adventurers. Perhaps they may have hidden the prisoners someplace else."
Edit: Malryna (and by default, Blackfang) is ready to go wherever the group needs to go, whether it's in a forest, cave or town.
"If it is near the King's Wall, this temple should not be hard to find. All we need is a direction. Perhaps asking around town is a good idea, but we should be quick if the Priestess has nothing further for us."
His smooth voice lowered dramatically.
"I fear every second we spend here puts the captives in more danger. We must cleanse these cultists from the land as swiftly as possible."
"Yeah, let's get a move on. Unless the priestess has anything else she forgot to tell us, we should get going."
Ayliana Moonwhisper Ecksus Cerazal
"Agreed then, maybe I've been giving this cult too much credit. Perhaps it's just another petty group of slavers calling themselves a cult. Pretty understandable."
Well of course its understandable, Malryna reasons. Ever since that overgrown chunk of rock came blasting from the skies and crashed in this here valley, there's been an increase in cult activities all over the land. Most were just nothing more than small groups with delusions of grandeur, who would inevitably fall apart due to deception and petty infighting for their self-obsessed power. But some were successful, such as the Brotherhood of the Scar the ranger kept hearing around the neighbouring towns.
"To be honest, it all looks suspicious. There are very few people out there because of the danger. It seems to me that it would be the perfect place for a cult to hide out."
As the rest of the group seems prepared to go, the young priestess gives them a little more advice.
"We will lead you to the gate and point you in the right direction. From there, you'll have to rely on your hunting instincts to find the cult. If possible, please save those people that were taken from us."
Second, let me know when you all are !Ready to go and we'll continue on. If you've got something else you want to do in the town or ask Mika, now would be the time.
Basic Attack +26 vs AC -- Damage 1d10+19 (+5 if enemy is prone) (+2 if Longtooth Shifting is active)
Though, he kept it from being spoken aloud while inside the temple and in front of the Priestess.
Ayliana Moonwhisper Ecksus Cerazal
Mika introduces you to your guide. A short halfling man by the name of Garrow stands in front of you. His short brown hair sits on his head almost as a wig would and his bright blue eyes looks your group all over. As you all are led to the outside of the temple, Garrow tells you what must be done.
"We are headed to the King's Gate. Once we get there, I'll leave you to figure out what has happened to the missing people on your own. I'm sure you adventurers can figure this out and solve our problems for us." The halfing is annoyingly hopeful and cheery and you notice the pitch of his voice continue to rise as he speaks. "We are all counting on you. This is so exciting! I've never seen real life adventurers before."
You see his eyes dart back and forth, taking in everyone from the group. He isn't even afraid of, and in fact seems interested in, Malryna's spider companion.
His chatter continues all the way to the gate (a good six hour walk) leaving your group little time to talk amongst each other. His questions spew from his mouth as water would from a geyser that never ends.
Finally, you get your reprieve as you reach your destination. He bids your group farewell before heading gleefully back to the temple. Now standing at the gate which is left wide open, you must figure out what needs to be done to find the temple.
Round 1
Every hour, you must give me an endurance check (DC 10) and either a nature, perception or arcana check (all DC 15). For every endurance check failed, you lose a healing surge. The other three skills are used to find the location of the temple (5 successes needed). Perception and nature are obviously meant to physically track footprints or other signs and arcana is meant to detect the evil magic going on. Let's see what ya'll got!
Basic Attack +26 vs AC -- Damage 1d10+19 (+5 if enemy is prone) (+2 if Longtooth Shifting is active)
Endurance(DC10): 1d20+1= 14
Arcana(DC15): 1d20+5= 10
As she travelled ahead, she spots for any footprints, or places where struggles seemed to have occured. She doubted these slavers would hide their trail well, so it was only a matter of time before they would find them.
Nature check: (1d20+7) = 27
Endurance check: (1d20+7) = 17
Blackfang's endurance check: (1d20+1) = 12
(Your call on this; the martial power book doesn't say if companions join in skill challenges, so you can call if it counts or not. Blackfang does have healing surges on her though.)
Alright, so we have two people's rolls so far. No missed endurance checks and 1/5 successes.
Basic Attack +26 vs AC -- Damage 1d10+19 (+5 if enemy is prone) (+2 if Longtooth Shifting is active)
At least, he thought, with a wary look at Paela, this one has proven to be much less bothersome.
Easily distracted, perhaps. But so far agreeable.
Out in the open now, in the heart of the Scar, the group was on their own. Kazadim was no stranger to the perils of this cursed land, but he had never ventured past the King’s Wall before. Though it proved to be an embarrassingly ineffective barrier, it was still a symbolic landmark in many ways. He was more cautious than anything. Dark things lurked all around in the Scar, and he was in unfamiliar territory.
Here is where he and his new companions would prove themselves against the dangers of this wretched place.
He closed his eyes and attempted to tune himself in with the flowing current of latent energies that flowed around everything here.
“I sense… I sense something malevolent.”
Now connected with the world, he spoke in a detached voice – hollow, and dripping with caustic acrimony. “They are close.”
He pointed in the direction, the earth beneath his outstretched hand scorching with an audible hiss at the acid that dripped slowly onto it.
Endurance check (1d20+7) = 20, for not strangling Garrow. And, you know, I guess to keep my healing surges.
Arcana check (1d20+4) = 21, for detecting evil magics.
(and not noticing much of anything, yeesh)
Arcana: 1d20+3 4
Ayliana Moonwhisper Ecksus Cerazal
Basic Attack +26 vs AC -- Damage 1d10+19 (+5 if enemy is prone) (+2 if Longtooth Shifting is active)
"We think that is the way," she says, watching as a trail of butterflies begins to diverge from the way of the group as they trek through the foreign landscape.
Perception: 1d20+9=20
Looks like we've got 3/5 successes and no one has missed their endurance roll yet. Everyone is free to roll their second tracking and endurance rolls now.
Basic Attack +26 vs AC -- Damage 1d10+19 (+5 if enemy is prone) (+2 if Longtooth Shifting is active)
As she stayed ahead of the group, she caught sight of another trail of footprints. Upon inspecting them closely, she concluded that these were only a few days old at best.
We're getting closer, Malryna mused to herself.
Perception check: (1d20+7) = 27
Endurance check: (1d20+7) = 22
Edit: It was a perception check, not a nature check
Basic Attack +26 vs AC -- Damage 1d10+19 (+5 if enemy is prone) (+2 if Longtooth Shifting is active)
Perception: 1d20+9=11 Blargh.
He felt it again. A pounding in his head; a vision of terror. It was closer this time, and it came with a much greater force.
He was not expecting it. Kazadim let out a quick cry of anguish as his eyes flew open suddenly as he stumbled backwards for a few steps. After steadying himself, he cleared his throat abruptly, looking around to see if anyone had noticed the outburst.
“My friends,” he called out, “what have you discovered so far?”
Endurance check (1d20+7) = 12
Arcana check (1d20+4) = 24
Good game on rolling a natural 20 for a damn Arcana check... there goes my luck
Arcana: 1d20+3 9
Ayliana Moonwhisper Ecksus Cerazal
Congratulations, you've completed the skill challenge. 75 xp for each of you. We will now move on.
The combined efforts from all of you eventually leads you onto a solid trail which leads to a slight depression in the land.
The depression in the valley floor leads to a wide cavern that slopes gently downward. You don’t have to be a tracker to tell that many people have walked in and out of this cavern recently, following a single-file trail— tracks from boots and tracks from small feet, likely children or halflings. The cavern slopes gently down, turning into a wide corridor.
Basic Attack +26 vs AC -- Damage 1d10+19 (+5 if enemy is prone) (+2 if Longtooth Shifting is active)
"This looks like the entrance. I'll take point. With my darkvision we'll hopefully be able to spot our foes." She points to Blackfang, gives a few hand signals (only those that she and Blackfang knew of), moves to the entrance, and waits for her companion.
Blackfang, on cue, scurried next to her master. Just as she was taught, Blackfang scurried inside the cave and started climbing upwards to the ceiling. This trick, Malryna thought, was one of her more original ideas. She can look for threats on the floor, while Blackfang would scout the ceiling for any threats to her master (which was quite common inside caves). That way they would know where the danger would come from.
She signalled the group to form up and move in, while the Drow quietly searched the cavern's corridor, like a mantis searching for her prey...
Stealth Check: (1d20+5) = 16
Blackfang:
Stealth Check: (1d20+8 [+3 dex mod +5 trained]) = 27
Hopefully nobody in the cave spots Blackfang...
Stealth: 1d20-4 -2
Ayliana Moonwhisper Ecksus Cerazal
"We are vigilant," pulsed a thousand tiny voices as twice as many eyes peered at their surroundings.
The waltzing cloud remained outside the entrance of the cavern.
Memory of a Thousand Lifetimes: 1d6=5
Total Perception roll: 23.
She hunched down and sneaks off remarkably quietly, hoping to see what the cave has to offer.
The Drow and the Halfling had disappeared quickly into the caverns depths and natural shadows, although the Eladrin could still be seen, creeping after them both. He remained behind with the Deva, who had just burst into a myriad of butterflies that all spoke as one. How unnerving.
He glanced around outside one last time, before slowly drawing his sword, keeping it at the ready.
He spoke quietly to the swarm, blindly guessing a direction in which to address it. “We should not tarry so far behind the others. The Goddess only knows what might lurk within these caves.”
He took a closer look at the tracks that led them here before he proceeded any further in.
“But... if they are children, it will certainly give me some pause before I run them through.”
Nature (1d20+2) = 5 and Dungeoneering (1d20) = 7
Neither of which probably identifies shit.
But, Stealth (1d20-2) = 13
A draft of air blows from the inside of the cavern giving everyone a whiff of death and fungus, though at this point it is not obvious where those putrid smells originate from.
Nature/Dungeoneering for Kazadim:
Perception for Flutter:
For everyone's convenience, a map has been provided
Status:
@E0 - Status: Normal.
Ayliana - 29/29 - AC20/F14/R14/W14 - HS 12/12 - AP 1/2
@E2 - Status: Normal.
Flutter - 28/28 - AC15/F13/R13/W15 - HS 10/10 - AP 1/2
@D0 - Status: Normal.
Malryna - 25/25 - AC16/F14/R14/W12 - HS 7/7 - AP 1/2
@E3 - Status: Normal -- Blackfang @E4
Paela - 25/25 - AC14/F11/R14/W16 - HS 7/7 - AP 1/2
@D3 - Status: Normal.
Basic Attack +26 vs AC -- Damage 1d10+19 (+5 if enemy is prone) (+2 if Longtooth Shifting is active)
The Genasi and Eladrin give the Drow a stern look. Malryna quickly finishes. "...unless we find the 'queen' of this 'ant' cult and kill it. Then, and perhaps only then, might the children realize their error."
"But until then, the safety of the prisoners come first!"
Malryna scouts the cavern further. Not seeing any more threats from below, and with no signals from Blackfang to warn incoming danger from above, the ranger moves silently to the slit in the wall.
Blackfang took his regular position of covering the Drow's back. Should an intruder appear, Blackfang would drop down in a heartbeat to protect her master.
After seeing what she wanted, she turned silently to the party, waving her hand to signal if anyone else wants to see through the wall.
Perception check: (1d20+7) = 26
Stealth Check (to peek unnoticed): (1d20+7) = 20
Afterwards, I'll move to C16 for others to try.
Blackfang scurries to F15, checking to make sure nobody surprises me from behind (and should they, let a giant spider fall next or right on top of them :winky:).
Black's Stealth: (1d20+8) = 22