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[D&D 4E IC] Residuum Revolution Strange- Outlaws!

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  • dresdenphiledresdenphile Watch out for snakes!Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Ilesombra didn't bother looking up at the king as she pored over the books in front of her. "Me? Just a little flushed from the fire and the fight."

    She flipped through the pages, eager to find something of interest, but she was having trouble concentrating in the mundane realm with the King's sudden interest in her.

    If necessary:
    Arcana: 1d20+1 20
    Perception: 1d20+2 5
    Religion: 1d20+6 10

    dresdenphile on
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  • daniantdaniant Columbus, OhioRegistered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Ilesombra finds:

    Book 1
    The Life and Times of Dragons

    Book 2
    Corellon, Ioun, and Vecna: The Ancient Fonts of Power

    Book 3
    The Fey Empire: From Foundation to Decay

    Book 4
    Harnessing the Elemental Chaos: A Practical Guide

    Opening the first book , Ilesombra immediately flips to a page that strikes her. Did her innate arcane sense guide her to this page?

    On the front leaf, there is a beautifully illustrated portrait of an emerald dragon. Below it is a mysterious woman, dressed in green, exactly like the woman in your dream. The page next to the illustration is titled "Enthrexa". There is a lot of writing in spidery print, including historical information. Apparently Enthrexa was a very powerful dragon empress before the foundation of the Fey Empire. She was apparently destroyed in a ritual that buried her in an emerald mine and banished her soul to the realm of The Raven Queen.

    daniant on
  • daniantdaniant Columbus, OhioRegistered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Tordain finds no traps guarding the chest.

    daniant on
  • Lord PalingtonLord Palington he.him.his History-loving pal!Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Tordain, satisfied that the chest wouldn't explode if he tried to open it, opens the chest.

    Lord Palington on
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  • daniantdaniant Columbus, OhioRegistered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Inside, Tordain finds:
    Headband of Perception
    Level 1 Common

    This chiffon headwrap is stitched with eye-shaped patterns, which heighten your senses.

    Price: 360 gp
    Item Slot: Head
    Property: You gain a +1 item bonus to Perception checks.


    Plate Armor of Eyes

    Level 2 Uncommon

    The eyes carved on this heavy armor constantly watch for incoming attacks.

    Price: 520 gp
    Armor: Scale, Plate
    Enhancement: +1 AC
    Property: You gain a +2 item bonus to Perception checks.

    Power (Encounter): Free Action. Trigger: An enemy targets you with an attack and you’re granting combat advantage to it. Effect: You don’t grant combat advantage to the triggering enemy for this attack.

    Freezing Bolt
    Level 3 Uncommon

    The shaft of this bolt is shaved from unmelting ice.

    Price: 30 gp
    Ammunition
    Enhancement: +1 attack rolls and damage rolls
    Property: When you hit an enemy with an attack using this ammunition, that enemy takes 1d6 extra cold damage per plus and is slowed until the end of its next turn.


    Robe of Avoidance
    Level 3 Uncommon

    When an enemy’s attack misses you, this billowing robe confuses the foe so that you can get away.

    Price: 680 gp
    Armor: Cloth
    Enhancement: +1 AC

    Power (Encounter): Immediate Reaction. Trigger: An enemy misses you with a melee attack. Effect: You shift 1 square.

    The chest is full of some fairly amateurish attempts at harnessing elemental and arcane power. Nevertheless, there are so few arcane objects that still exist in the world, you marvel as the eyes engraved in the plate armor seem to follow you as you pick up the metal pieces. The bolt that constantly drips icicles is another wonder. Each of these items are extremely rare and in most places are illegal.

    daniant on
  • Lord PalingtonLord Palington he.him.his History-loving pal!Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Tordain carefully lays the objects on an empty table, taking stock. "Has anyone found anything else we need?"

    Lord Palington on
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  • daniantdaniant Columbus, OhioRegistered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Sorry, missed Ladej:

    Ladej sees that the weapons on the wall are:

    Earth-Wrought Hammer
    Level 1 Uncommon

    This hammer appears to be carved from a single piece of stone, though it’s no heavier than a normal weapon. But it hits your enemies like a battering ram.

    Price: 360 gp
    Weapon: Hammer
    Enhancement: +1 attack rolls and damage rolls
    Critical: The target is knocked prone.

    Infectious Flame Longsword
    Level 3 Uncommon

    Shaped in the form of flickering flames, this weapon causes fire to leap from foe to foe.

    Price: 680 gp
    Weapon: Heavy blade, Light blade
    Enhancement: +1 attack rolls and damage rolls
    Critical: +1d6 fire damage per plus

    Power (Daily * Fire): Free Action. Trigger: You hit a target with an attack made with this weapon. Effect: The target takes ongoing 5 fire damage (save ends). Aftereffect: One enemy within 2 squares of the original target gains ongoing 5 fire damage (save ends).



    Thinking about it, perhaps the wizard was thinking of combining primal and arcane to form elemental weapons?

    Nature or History checks if anyone is trying to put two and two together about this treasure trove.

    daniant on
  • Lord PalingtonLord Palington he.him.his History-loving pal!Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Nature: 1d20+4 6

    Looking around at all the things on display, Tordain can't seem to make heads or tails of it all. "Surprised the nk'barra weren't here earlier."

    Lord Palington on
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  • dresdenphiledresdenphile Watch out for snakes!Registered User regular
    edited June 2011
    Quietly stuffing the books in her bag, Ilesombra takes a moment to assess any historical value of the items before claiming the plate armor as her own.
    History: 1d20+6 16

    Not great, but not terrible.

    dresdenphile on
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  • TuranosTuranos Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    Apparently recovered from its mental daze, Mnemo begins to inspect the items the others have found more diligently. It tilts its head in a motion that would seem quizzical for a human, and the symbol newly seared into its "forehead" flares with light once more.
    History: 1d20+12 24

    Turanos on
  • daniantdaniant Columbus, OhioRegistered User regular
    edited July 2011
    Mnemno gets strange flashes of memory of things he's read...of arcane magic and primal power working together in tandem- a world before the Eladrin empire threw that power structure out of balance and became like gods. It seems like the dragon might have something to do with it, but you can't quite remember how...

    daniant on
  • Lord PalingtonLord Palington he.him.his History-loving pal!Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    Todain hefts the large stone hammer, testing its weight and swing. He then eyes the robe, watching the cloth rustle in a distracting way.

    "So what next?"

    Lord Palington on
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  • HorseshoeHorseshoe Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    "Steady on, Hammer... the Thinking Rock is Thinking. That's what it does, you know. Wait a moment... it might think something at me again."

    The King poised himself (in a manner that was mostly inscrutable to those who witnessed it) so that his forehead was optimally pointed toward that of Mnemo's. You never knew when a good think might be coming.

    Horseshoe on
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  • TuranosTuranos Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    Noticing the King's attention, Mnemo breaks from its reverie and eyes him sceptically. After a few seconds pass, it makes a motion that might be interpreted as a shrug, and its eyes flash the emerald of the lady in their dreams. Mental images dance and shudder in the King's brain for some time as the construct seeks the most efficient way to communicate with his fractured psyche. Eventually, he sees a scene unfold; a tiny stage show, with his various personalities rendered as finger puppets narrating the basic history of the world before the eladrin empire. Just before the minuscule mental curtains are drawn, a comical and yet still somehow fierce puppet dragon overshadows the stage for a brief moment.

    Once the mental performance concludes, Mnemo makes a vague waving motion towards the rest of the party, apparently asking the King to explain to the group what it has recalled.

    Turanos on
  • HorseshoeHorseshoe Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    "Hmm..." the King took off his glasses for a moment and scrutinized Mnemo. Piercing green eyes gazed out at the Thinking Stone until he covered them again with the smoky lenses.

    "Well?" somebody asked.

    "Hm? Oh yes. You see... the Fey Empire was not the beginning of civilization. Before the Poncy Eladrin showed up and ponced about their Empire, there was one that existed before. Beings that knew great and Ancient Power -- and unfortunately great hubris. The balance of Magic and the Primal Spirits was upset by their hubrinating, and the consequence must have been both disastrous and Chaotic. Also they might have been Dragons... or had Dragons... something about Dragons that was both incredibly deadly but also somewhat funny in a puppety sort of way."

    "...what?"

    "Alas," he continued, "If only we had found any books about the Fey Empire, or Dragons, or perhaps some sort of Ancient Power. It's a dreadful shame that the N'kbarra seem to have burned everything worth reading."

    Horseshoe on
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  • Lord PalingtonLord Palington he.him.his History-loving pal!Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    "No books in the chest I found, just enchanted weapons and armor." Tordain shrugged. "The thugs are good at what they do, I'm just surprised this much survived. Is anyone else taking this robe?" He gestures at the magical robe on the table, not bothering to ask about the hammer.

    Lord Palington on
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  • HorseshoeHorseshoe Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    "It's lovely, Tordain. One might even say magical."

    Horseshoe on
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  • dresdenphiledresdenphile Watch out for snakes!Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    Ilesombra bristles at the King's mention of the books, but calmly says, "Yes, such books would be most helpful."

    After listening to King's interpretation of Memno's events, she adds, "I...remember a story about a dragon empress named Enthrexa from long ago. She terrorized the Fey empire, before she was defeated and bound by a ritual. Her body was sealed beneath an emerald mine, and her soul is with the Raven Queen."

    dresdenphile on
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  • HorseshoeHorseshoe Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    "Remember it from what? A book? Who even finds those anymore, they seem to get burned wherever you go these days. Helpful doesn't even begin to describe it."

    The King thought to lean out a leg and checked his balance before his monologue. Wouldn't do to fall across the room mid-speech.

    "I might say more than helpful. Life-Saving, more like. Those stupid, myopic N'kbarra use the most dishonorable of tactics - from destruction to thievery - to keep knowledge from others. And for what? So that people will somehow not know better? If such books were evil, then wouldn't it be easily known by any who look upon them? Keeping the world safe? Right, because ignorance is bliss, I suppose. I'll tell you what it really is: The Establishment and its many subordinates fears commoners due to a misplaced sense of self-doubt, and would rather control them then face the harder questions about their own 'faith'. Faithful my ass. Faith does not require others to fear you, nor does it crumble in the face of contrary evidence... mine certainly doesn't. No, not faithful. Cowardly is what these types who oppress knowledge really are. Imitation is no substitute for knowledge, just as blind devotion is no substitute for character. I really hate to keep going on about it, but it's just so infuriating. I suppose I simply won't be able keep quiet about it until those divine degenerates confess their wrongdoings and stop their stealing and lying... those fat, two-faced, lying... thieving... liars."

    The King seemed to suddenly realize that his ranting had brought his face was mere inches away from that of Ilesombra.

    "Oh, not that I'm insinuating things about you, my dear. Far be it from me to level accusations of petty theft and childish falsehoods. No, no. I'm open-minded, me. An open book. After all, you're in the same boat as myself, the thinking rock, the fiery breath, and the holy hammer. What naughty little heretics we all must be."

    Horseshoe on
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  • Lord PalingtonLord Palington he.him.his History-loving pal!Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    Apparently the man did keep a brain under the haze of all the smoke. "The N'kbarra don't care for law and order, that's true. Their entire strength lies in the common man's fear of what will happen if they resist. Arm them with the knowledge of their own power, and the n'kbarra will have nothing."

    Tordain takes the hammer and the robe, then checks outside for any sign of trouble.

    Lord Palington on
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  • daniantdaniant Columbus, OhioRegistered User regular
    edited July 2011
    As Tordain peers out, sigils around the doorframe begin to glow and you hear a female voice in your brains...

    I sense your presence, mortals. The living rock you see before you houses a psychic remnant of my former glory. You seek a way from the darkness imposed by these false believers. I can grant you that, if you will but release me...

    daniant on
  • AegofAegof Registered User regular
    Ladej drops the weapons he had been carrying like the worthless rocks they are, eager to replace them with weapons with even a shred of magical power, amateurish though it may be. He had molded by hand more dangerous eating utensils, but these will have to do. But not for long, hopefully; the enchantments might hold through a decade with luck, but after that they'd get caught on any loose hook of magic and potentially tear right off, shredding the weapon down to residuum in the process. And that's if he lived long enough while holding the things; he doubted they could dent even world-forged armor without excessive (any) effort.

    His mental list of what is wrong with his new arms is only begun when the doorway speaks.

    "The only thing worse than a prison," Ladej Cai says, "is a prisoner that begs for release."

    I'm providing ambience.
  • HorseshoeHorseshoe Registered User regular
    "Not long ago we were eager to escape our prison as well. However, it seems that in this case the prisoner and the prison are identical in a more literal sense of the word than is usual."

    The King supposed that the doorway, or perhaps even the whole building, had some sort of awareness. However, someone who had more experience in the gray area between animate and inanimate objects might have some more insight.

    "Thinking Stone," he said, addressing Mnemo, "I'd like to think that I have an awareness of sapient rocks... but in this case, you are much more qualified than I to assess one's intent. How can we know whether this voice is one that belongs to a conscious being, or if it is merely some sort of trick?"

    He gazed into the semi-tranclucent stone near the arcane mark on its 'forehead', and awaited telepathic reply.

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  • Lord PalingtonLord Palington he.him.his History-loving pal!Registered User regular
    Tordain listened to the others, trying to think this through. "If you want our help, identify yourself, and why you have been imprisoned."

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  • TuranosTuranos Registered User regular
    Mnemo moves to the door, the symbol on its forehead glowing once more as its crystalline form swirls into a purple amethyst-like appearance. Its eyes literally light up as it slowly inspects the door.

    [Arcana check to determine what, if anything, Mnemo can determine regarding the door. Will make other kinds checks if prompted.]
    Arcana: 1d20+16 25

  • daniantdaniant Columbus, OhioRegistered User regular
    Mnemo:
    There would be nothing to tell you normally that the stones set in the doorway were more than decoration unless someone walked out the door. Then, the arcane essence stored in the stones is activated. However, there is nothing sinister about the door. In fact, you sense a resonance between yourself and the stones around the door. There is a psychic presence inside you, and a creepy sensation of a personality lurking around that doesn't belong to you.

  • daniantdaniant Columbus, OhioRegistered User regular
    edited July 2011
    The voice continues: I see the world in darkness, the lost light of arcane working destroying all things beautiful. I see anger. I see retribution! Come, be my arms and eyes and free me from my stoney prison. I have been betrayed by those I cared for most, and their hearts are hard. They buried me, but I sleep still, waiting...

    daniant on
  • TuranosTuranos Registered User regular
    Mnemo steps back a little from the door, recoiling in a recognisable gesture of surprise. Its appearance shifts to that of a very pale ruby, and it looks around at its companions. Focussing on the King again, it projects its surety of the fact that this voice does indeed belong to a sentient being, though confusion as to the being's nature leaks through the mental link. The headache that accompanies Mnemo's communications is even less this time, though still significantly uncomfortable. It begins to feel more like one of the King's own personalities is just shouting very loudly inside his head, rather than a foreign intelligence invading.

    After informing the King of this and once again gesturing vaguely towards the rest of the group, Mnemo turns its attention back to the other presence. It reaches out tentatively with its psychic senses, attempting to ascertain the nature of the personality and what it desires from the party.

    [Let me know if you want me to roll anything.]

  • daniantdaniant Columbus, OhioRegistered User regular
    When Mnemo reaches out psychically, he feels a thousand years of a person's life descend on his shoulders. Memories well up from him, so profound and real that the others in the room can almost sense them. The King can almost feel them himself. First there is darkness. Then, a shattering and a sense of deep satisfaction. Later, the feeling of airy enjoyment and the crunch of satisfaction. A sense of being. I am...Enthrexa.

    Memories of growth, of power, of wisdom. There are cities built to honor you. Ecstatic people dance in your presence and brought you gifts. You are their hero and their anointed ruler.

    Then comes the bitter cold and the help given to you in need. Your confidence is placed in those who are broken by magic. You do not see it then, only count your blessings as winter is conquered by a beautiful man that you love. Your betrayer.

    Ambushed, defenseless, deep magic is woven around you, and you sleep, unknowing. But as that magic fades slowly, you wake. No form can you find, except that of a hedge wizard. With your subtle encouragement, he makes a vessel. A beautiful form. Except he is not the best at his art, and you are trapped in many different places. Until today. You are united. You can be whole. There is hope!

  • TuranosTuranos Registered User regular
    The many crystals that form Mnemo's body judder and shift anxiously as it tries to absorb the information the presence contains. After it has sorted through the details in its own mind, it turns to the group once more. Forgoing its now usual mouthpiece in the King, Mnemo directly projects the image and identity of Enthrexa into the others' minds. It tentatively links the mental concepts with the presence that now speaks to them, communicating that this being may or may not in fact be the dragon they have heard about.

    Despite this information apparently being important enough to share directly with the party, and prompt a vicious return of their earlier headaches, Mnemo does not share the entire personal "history" it received with them. In particular, it deliberately omits any link Enthrexa might have to these particular stones or the wizard that created them. The construct certainly does not communicate the sense of resonance between itself and the stones or the presence itself.

  • Lord PalingtonLord Palington he.him.his History-loving pal!Registered User regular
    Tordain sucks in his breath and only lets it out when the visions pass. "You could warn a man before you do that." He looks around at the rest of the group. "I do not tolerate those locked up without reason or trial, what say the rest of you?"

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  • dresdenphiledresdenphile Watch out for snakes!Registered User regular
    Ilesombra purses her lips and nods. "I'm interested in learning more. But where do we start? Where is she trapped?"

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  • AegofAegof Registered User regular
    Ladej stays silent, and attempts to gain some insight on what's gone on between the stone and stones.

    Arcana: 1d20+9 20

    I'm providing ambience.
  • daniantdaniant Columbus, OhioRegistered User regular
    edited July 2011
    Much in the manner of your home plane, the stone and the stones are related. In a family kind of way. Like Mnemo and the stones are part of the same working. You also feel a strong arcane pull. A directional pull. You could pry them from the wall and take them with you, if you wanted.

    The stones sing out in your minds, Hurry to me! Though this plane has many perils, their are greater threats that must be tamed. Release me, champions!

    Ladej:
    The stones give an arcane directional signal. You would guess that you could follow them to Enthrexa if you used your arcane power to orient yourself to them.

    daniant on
  • daniantdaniant Columbus, OhioRegistered User regular
  • Lord PalingtonLord Palington he.him.his History-loving pal!Registered User regular
    Sorry, read 'minds' as 'mind,' was waiting on Ladej

    "We cannot delay any longer. More nk'barra will come soon, and we need to find out more about this voice." Tordain shoulders his hammer, ready to leave.

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  • dresdenphiledresdenphile Watch out for snakes!Registered User regular
    Ilsemobra adjuster her gear and heads for the door. "Agreed. Let's move out."

    She pauses and looks toward Ladej. "Which way?"

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  • AegofAegof Registered User regular
    Ladej glared at her. This was a terrible idea.

    Sure let's do that orient to the stones thing. Arcana I guess? Sure, arcana.
    Arcana: 1d20+9 28

    I'm providing ambience.
  • daniantdaniant Columbus, OhioRegistered User regular
    I love how your character hates this plan.

    Ladej innately taps into the stones' power, prying them off the wall as he does so. You feel the sudden urge to go west. West is calling to you. Also, there's a little twinge of elemental power in the stones. They feel like...home. That's weird. As you examine them, they appear to swirl with elemental energy. As if pieces of elemental chaos were trapped within them...

  • AegofAegof Registered User regular
    The genasi's eyes narrow. "West," he grunts, somehow more sure that this was a bad idea. It could be a way back to the Chaos, where things make sense and elements behaved properly. On the other hand, freeing trapped elemental powers was usually a fatal exercise for the liberator.

    I'm providing ambience.
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