Saturday, September 17, 2011

Recap # 28 - Out of the Frying Pan and into the Boiling Cauldron

Author's note:
So, being delinquent 2 years ago accounts for a number of recaps that didn't occur. I'm going to wave my magic DM hands and point out the following:

  • The party made it to the Elemental Chaos (Plane of Fire) via a ritual/portal in Mount Onatar in Eberron. However one of their arch rivals - Skamos the Tiefling - followed them through. In the ensuing battle he summoned the undead Sinruth and managed to get his hands on the two Phoenix items that the party was carrying.
  • The party destroyed Sinruth but before Skamos to escape a huge devil appeared. From the brief conversation (i.e. begging and pleading on Skamos part) it was evident to the party that their was a past history between the two.
  • The devil proceeded to smash Skamos to a pulp (literally), take the Phoenix items for himself, and turn the party to stone.
  • Unbeknownst to the now-petrified heroes, this entire scene was witnessed by a Korred scout/thief named Ize. He observed a squad of Salamanders and Azers from the nearby city move in and engage the devil who they called Zul'bar. The devil teleported away and the squad loaded up the newly created statues and headed back to town.
  • Ize carefully made his way back to his superiors to report these incredible events.
The Session
  • The party "awoke" to find themselves standing in small, well-kept park or garden. Before them stood 5 individuals: 4 humans - one of which looked to be a young teen boy - and a small, unkempt individual who was urging them to quickly follow before they were discovered by the Chattlemaster's Guard and summarily executed.
  • After a brief moment the party recognized two of the strangers as their previous comrades Tharunn and Jaryn. They looked like they had aged though.
  • One of the other men introduced himself as Harrison Crabfeather. He had just completed a ritual to free the party from their stone stasis of over two years. At the urging of Tharunn the party struggled to follow their rescuers through the streets and alleyways toward safety in "The Pit". No small feat as they felt weak and slow from petrification effects.
  • The party discovered that Harrison had some allies creating distractions throughout the city to try and hide the escape.
  • During their flight Harrison's companion - a warlock of some sort - tripped and fell while crossing a street to an alley. He was spotted by a group of guardsmen who began firing arrows down the alley.
  • At the head of the group ran the small, unkempt creature who had been introduced as the Korred named Ize. In a dark shadow of the alley he pulled out some small device, murmured some soft words and open a magically sealed door before plunging into the hole.
  • It turned out to be a escape shaft of some sort. One by one the party leaped into the darkness and slid crazily through the tunnel. It was a struggle to keep from getting disoriented and dizzy. Braddoc and Delian brought of the rear and somehow Ize appeared behind them to seal the door again.
  • At the bottom the party found themselves in a dimly lit sealed room. After a moment, Ize extinguished the light and repeated his actions from above. Another sealed door opened. This time the party found themselves looking across a huge cavern decorated in hanging chains, winches, elevators, and bridges. Jaryn indicated that the need to get to a tunnel approximately 50 feet below in order to continue their journey.
  • Sizing up the jump, Ethan took hold of one end of a rope in his pack, handed the other end to Braddoc, Sterling, and Delian an pitched himself deftly from the edge of the drop. Landing like a cat, proceeded to tie off his end of the rope and hide in the shadows watching for danger.
  • One by one the party began making their way down the rope. Unfortunately they were spotted by some guards on an upper tier along the cavern wall. As arrows began to pelt down onto the party Tharunn and Jaryn nodded their heads to the group, indicated to Harrison and Ize that they would meet up "at the usual spot" later, and headed off along the ledge into the steamy shadows.
  • Aside from the warlock who nearly plunged to his death as his hung from one hand over the vast cavern, the party managed to make their way down. Together they pulled the rope and rock it was tied to off the upper ledge and let it plunge into the depths before they headed into the dark cave behind them. The rest of the journey was uneventful as they slide down another (very long) tube and found themselves lying on the ground before two more Korred. Ize introduced them as Two-Toes and Shaman. They only spoke an old elvish dialect.
  • After a brief conversation Two-Toes and Shaman turned and left. The party took a short rest and finally had a chance to properly dialogue with Harrison and his companion. (Noah, I need your warlock's name man!)
  • A short time later an alarm was raised. It seems a demon Solamith had recently found its way into the tunnels here and had taken to killing and feeding upon anyone unlucky enough to meet it. The party decided to assist.
  • A short distance away they found 5-6 Korred battling the Solamith who had allied itself with 2 Chasme, 2 Canoloth, and 4 Canoloth Harriers. Though they fought bravely, 4 of the Korred perished. 
  • Though still sluggish, the party waded into the battle toward the 20 ft ledge from which the Solamith was tearing out chunks of its own flesh and hurling onto its enemies below. With tongues reminiscent of chameleons, the Canoloth peppered the party from up to 20 feet away keeping them dazed at every turn.
  • As they cleared the floor below the party was able to make their way onto the ledge. From their they surrounded the demon and eventually destroyed it thereby earning some respect and trust from the local Korred.
  • As they searched the corpses and tended to the wounded Ize ran in. With a grave look he informed the party that Tharunn and Jaryn had somehow been captured. The party was requested to join Two-Toes and Shaman for a meeting.



Cauldron's Background


The slaves of the town (the Korreds) have had an underground resistance movement for generations. Their masters are extremely powerful so they have exercised EXTREME patience while they scheme and plan and wait for the opportunity to bring down their captors. They trust you both enough to have included you both in their plan to free the party who they see as crucial allies in their struggles. It is their hope that the party will help bring about the downfall of the town's guards and allow all the slave to escape.

While most of the resistance remains hidden in vast underground chambers you both are able to move freely in the town. With that said, you both have the distinct impression that the authority above is starting to suspect you both and that you are being watched carefully. It wouldn't take much for you to be arrested, quickly tried and executed if someone began to solidly suspect your involvement with the Free-Kors as they are called.

Cauldron

Population:

  • 4,500 adults (large town).
  • Mixed (79% Korred, 9% Azers, 5% Archons, 3% Salamanders, 2% Phoelarch, 2% other).
  • Korred are slaves who have been working the steam pits for generations.

Economy:

  • Mushrooms/fungi – major food export to the City of Brass
  • Fire mare herds – raised for export to City of Brass
  • Exotic gems, cut gemstones, obsidian
  • Water – Collected from steam pits and stored under constant heavy guard.

Authority Figures:

  • Lord Balrus
    • male efreet karadjin
    • rarely seen and VERY powerful
    • rumoured to spend most of his time in the City of Brass with occasion unannounced visits to keep the town’s lords on their toes
  • Lord Xan'klru'atzl, Chattlemaster
    • Beholder
    • Answers only to Lord Balrus
    • Resides in “castle”
    • Merciless
  • Terseon Skellerang:
    • male salamander noble
    • Captain of the Chattlemaster Guard

Town Emblem:

  • A blue circle wreathed in flames.



Description:

Believed to have been founded by Lord Balrus, Cauldron is the only populous area in the Cauldron Region. The Cauldron region is in a barren volcanic wasteland. The town’s buildings, tightly packed and built from volcanic rock and petrified wood, linethe inner bowl of a nameless, dormant volcano. Obsidian roads form concentric circles around a steaming pit, which fills the volcano’s basin. The steam which emits from this pit is what makes Cauldron so unique.

A 50-foot-tall fortified wall of black malachite encircles the city, tracing the outer rim of the volcano, contains only one main entrance which begins the long road to The City of Brass. The districts nearer the rim of the city tend to be occupied by upper class (mostly salamanders) and elite merchants (mostly azars). The closer one gets to the centre of town (and the closer to the pungent odours of the central steam pit), the shoddier the construction and the more dangerous the dark alleys. This is where the bulk of the cities slaves spend the time they are not working the mushroom farms in the pit’s side caverns or mining the ore and precious metals found throughout the caverns walls below. Smaller avenues connect the four main roadways (from outer to inner, the avenues are named Obsidian, Magma, Lava, and Ash), which form concentric terraces down to the pit in the centre of the town.

Cauldron is ultimately ruled by Lord Balrus. Over the years he has entrusted this duty to the beholder Lord Xan'klru'atzl. Other important individuals in the city include Terseon Skellerang, captain of the Chattlemaster’s Guard, the members of the noble families, and Cauldron’s few wealthy merchant interests.

Cauldron’s major exports come from two sources: mines and plantations. Both industries are based within the pit itself, and are managed by the various noble families who live in the area. Obsidian and diamonds are theprimary products mined in the region. Plantations – located in underground caverns running perpendicular to the pit usually produce mushrooms and other underground plants. Most of those who dwell in the city itself are slaves and those associated with running the harvesting operations. While steam issues from the mouth of the pit, there are very few places where it collects naturally. There are a few collection centres located around the mouth of the pit which are very heavily guarded as are all water sources in the Plane of Fire.

Friday, September 16, 2011

Say a Silent Prayer

The culmination of the past few years, nay, decades, time spent before I was born has gone from a cool heat to a raging burn in such a short period of time! Such are your ways... Oh heavenly bodies, I pray your guidance was not misinterpreted by your subject, and that I did not waste the efforts of generations of these poor people. I came to raise their lot and my own, let us pray that I was guided by my want for the former. Please be with these people in this dark time, if not in the mines within which they slave, then in their hearts so that they may have the strength to reailize the virtuious struggle you invision for them.

Please, lend strength.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Nenia's Awakening

I have been told I was paralyzed for two years and it feels like I have gone through some sort of cleansing. I have grown up human, lived with humans and shared memories with humans. It must have been some sort of spell – a powerful spell – that cloaked me and shaped me in the way of Man. Alas I now feel whole. Many questions of my past now answered. I am an Eladrin. Free.

Nenia Osik, Level 11


Eladrin, Wizard (Arcanist), Rimetongue Caller
Build: Illusionist Wizard
Arcane Implement Mastery Option: Staff of Defense
Second Implement Option: Tome of Binding
Inherent Bonuses
Maelstrom (Learn Primordial)
Theme: Order Adept

FINAL ABILITY SCORES
STR 9, CON 18, DEX 16, INT 21, WIS 14, CHA 11

STARTING ABILITY SCORES
STR 8, CON 15, DEX 13, INT 16, WIS 13, CHA 10


AC: 25 Fort: 23 Ref: 24 Will: 26
HP: 68 Surges: 10 Surge Value: 17

TRAINED SKILLS
Acrobatics +13, Arcana +21, History +17, Insight +12, Religion +15

UNTRAINED SKILLS
Athletics +4, Bluff +5, Diplomacy +5, Dungeoneering +7, Endurance +9, Heal +7, Intimidate +5, Nature +7, Perception +7, Stealth +8, Streetwise +5, Thievery +8

POWERS
Basic Attack: Melee Basic Attack
Basic Attack: Ranged Basic Attack
Order Adept Attack: Argent Rain
Eladrin Racial Power: Fey Step
Staff of Defense  Power: Staff of Defense
Wizard Utility: Ghost Sound
Wizard Utility: Light
Wizard Utility: Mage Hand
Wizard Utility: Prestidigitation
Wizard Attack 1: Flaming Sphere
Wizard Attack 1: Illusory Ambush
Wizard Attack 1: Scorching Burst
Wizard Attack 1: Grasping Shadows
Wizard Attack 1: Summon Fire Warrior
Wizard Utility 2: Guardian Blades
Wizard Utility 2: Phantasmal Terrain
Wizard Utility 2: Shield
Wizard Attack 3: Icy Rays
Wizard Attack 5: Summon Abyssal Maw
Wizard Attack 5: Stinking Cloud
Wizard Utility 6: Summon Iron Cohort
Wizard Utility 6: Wall of Fog
Wizard Attack 7: Winter's Wrath
Wizard Attack 9: Ice Storm
Wizard Attack 9: Wall of Fire
Wizard Utility 10: Illusory Wall
Wizard Utility 10: Blur
Rimetongue Caller Attack 11: Wall of Winter

FEATS
Level 1: Ritual Caster
Level 1: Armor Proficiency: Leather
Level 2: Improved Defenses
Level 4: Implement Expertise (Staff)
Level 6: Careful Summoner
Level 8: Arcane Fire
Level 10: Wintertouched
Level 11: Second Implement

ITEMS
Spellbook
Make Whole
Wizard's Curtain
Unseen Servant
Tensor's Floating Disc
Arcane Lock
Knock
Banish Illusions
Water's Gift
Ritual Candle (paragon tier)
Enshrouding Candle (heroic tier)
Architect's Staff +2
Elven Battle Leather Armor +2 x1
Cloak of Resistance +2 x1
Staff of Ultimate Defense +1 x1
Tome of Arrest +1