S-Team 1-11-2003: S-Team Returneth Again!
Everyone has a dream and we see symbols, second is [like a horseshoe]
A contest of who can draw the first symbol; Brian wins 10 xp.
DREAM:
In the night, your dreams are unremarkable at first. After a time, you begin to feel rather lucid, but are still unable to grasp that you’re dreaming. The images turn to unclear dreams of a being trapped. Then you see a number of figures staring at a towering wall, but the only one clear enough to make out turns out to be you. A mighty voice booms from all around and the wall shimmers and turns translucent along with the rhythms of the voice.
“It is our time, and I shall be reborn!”
Suddenly the scene races away at incredible speed. It is as if you are hurtled backwards across an entire world. Mountains, seas, deserts, and plains all flash beneath you for just moments before vanishing into the distance. You turn for a moment to see where you are headed just in time to see a mountain loom up before you. As you get closer, you can to make out a symbol shaped like a number of boxes in a spiral pattern on the mountainside. Another symbol you do not recognize comes into focus just as you should be smashed upon the rocks, then you awake with a start.
Nagatok spies out the trail ahead and sees 6 Orcs.
Party doesn’t want to engage them.
3 Orcs go inside
“Well, we might as well attack. Now there’s only 3!” -Orander
Couple of range spells and then a dwarf.
A sound blast and Ice Dagger take care of the foes.
Found another axe w/ Durgeddon’s Mark.
3 Orcs come out again.
Qwand takes out an Orc by himself; smiles at Orander. Then the other 2 fall.
The party chooses to leave the bodies where they’ve fallen as a warning to other evils who might wish to claim the stronghold as their own.
The journey starts towards the town.
John hands Ben a note, which inspires a quizzical look on Ben’s face.
Second day uneventful.
Kire mentioned that a WARM place in the SOUTH would be nice.
Orander stokes up the campfire today.
We talk about the Ioun Stones, then Orander and Kire try to take off their stones, but fail.
Qwand raises his concerns about the picture of the group.
Kire invents a new band called “Thongs Pots.”
Thong is not pleased.
Qwand takes first watch, Orander second, and Kire third.
The other party members are still mysteriously “hung over.”
That night… talk about the dream we all had.
John R appears and tells us to roll a d20, then hands out cool gifts.
Nothing happens that night. We ride!
We see several figures at near high sun. Our mute guides are bound and being hurried into a cave by jackal-headed figures in a ravine.
We engage!
Thong runs up close to the cave and sees a large wooden door shut behind the figures.
A two-headed giant jumps into the fray… an Etternic? -Orander
We don’t do well. Thong goes down.
Many spells are cast, many attacks are made.
Kire hits him with an arrow and it sticks!!!
The bard sings BOLT THORWER!!! -RRRRRRR
A guttural cry from the giant rings out across the valley, “POOOOORKCHOOOOOP!”
Orander casts burning hands. “You guys really want to make your save.” –Orander
“He’s, like, smoking.” -John
Giant clubs Kire twice.
“I’m negative 1, guys” –Ben
Shortly after the bad guy goes down to one key, then stumbles away before he gets poleaxed.
Finally the giant goes down.
Kire and thong are healed up just in time for… MORE BADDIES!!!
Thong and Qwand engage in melee.
We’re doing well and take out another baddy, but Qwand gets critted by one.
We defeat the “gnolls”! [John let it slip, but it was later confirmed by Baron Althon]
The party goes over to the cave.
Door is 10’ in.
“Hello in there!” –Kire
-silence-
“It’s ok! They have fallen in the name of Steam! SSSSSSSSSSSS!”
-silence-
The party stands around and looks at each other.
Suddenly half of the party leaves the table.
“Dude, you can’t drink the beer of the band you’re going to see.”
“Oh.” –Orander to Kire when conversing about drink.
After further silence from the cave, everyone hides.
Kire continues to antagonize the cave from under a log.
Orander turns on his cap of illumination and peeks into the cave, and sees a boot sticking
out from around a corner.
Orander asks Thong to make him some eggs and an argument ensues.
Kire, seeing the boot, gets very upset and insults the cave even more.
Finally Carbuncle slinks into the cave. He finds the boot belongs to one of the mute guides. Both guides are in a small 10x15’ cave with their throats slit. He casts detect magic and finds one waterskin to be magical, and throws it in the wagon. There are also three straw pallets and one half-eaten boar. The party debates whether this is “Porkchop.”
“You can do stuff with dead guys, right?” –Kire
“What? Well, I can stop them from decomposing.” –Orander
“Well, can you speed it up or something?”
“I give life, not take it away.”
“So, you’re NOT going to do anything with the dead guys?”
Orander spits at the last rights as presented by Carbuncle, Dwarven priest of Pelor.
He claims that Pelor should have saved them before they died. Party assumes Orander has been dipping into the Party’s Barrel.
Tira grinds on the ricecakes.
Kire does a dance of honor around the good people, then does a dance of mockery around the bad people.
John R tries to correlate “Rosebud” with “Porkshop”
Orander finds the lean-to where the big guy came from.
Found a few kegs with flaming mug branded on them. Severn is the owner of the “Flaming Mug” which Kire knew where the kegs came from. Brew pub.
All of the barrels were put on the wagon.
Orander teaches how to drink while riding.
Kire enjoys the lesson.
The Heros Return… With Beer!
Party stops at the old inn, and finds it as they’ve left it.
Kire sparks talks of reopening this place as a Greyhawk “Las Vegas,” whatever THAT is.
Thong likes the idea of having his own place with his very own buffet.
Qwand envisions doing his old escape routine.
Jokes ensue about the establishment’s nightclub “magician” who happens to be a necromancer. Orander takes offense. He also thinks this ground has not been cleansed, and that it must be cursed because of the two undead. Party assumes Orander has been dipping into the Party’s Barrel again.
“My dreams have always led me beyond what is shown.” -Orander
“Well, all I know is we have 3 kegs, and better not have 3 kegs by the time we reach Devarnish.” -Kire
Party has 3 kegs of Spence Ale.
The group returns to a Devarnish overflowing with Gnomes.
They were displaced by an Orc army plundering the Kron hills south of town.
They bore the standard of the dripping eye.
Gnomes are all over in and around the city.
One tries to get Kire to purchase a strange gnomish clarinet, but is turned down.
The main encampment is on the north side of the city.
Gem prices low from massive influx of gnomish goodies.
Party sees the Baron, and he is saddened by the loss of his guides.
He dispatches 5 personal guards to mark their graves.
He sits with the party and has them dictate their deeds so a personal scribe may record them. A copy will be sent to the Devarnish Archives and its sage, Moriandus Borolanthalanter.
Kire does most of the telling in his standard, grand style.
The party gets down to business and sells 4 of the Durgeddon items, as well as the half-plate.
2000 XP