secret of the dragon emperor ... part 23!

hi, guys! here's more of our dragonbane campaign -- you can catch up on the link page here: dragon emperor campaign links!

MSG: Okay, first thing I'm going to do is see if I have my stuff.
Claire: First thing I'm going to do is cast Light and see what there is to see in this creepy room.
GM Elle: With the advantage of normal light, you see that the figure in the rocking chair is a male dwarf, vaguely familiar -- possibly one of the patrons you saw when you entered the common room.  He appears to be fast asleep. The tapestry on the wall is of an old woman who seems to be looking at you no matter where in the room you are. It appears that your gear is all piled on the floor at the foot of your beds.
MSG: I'll start putting mine on and try to get the dwarf's attention at the same time. "Psst! Psst!" I'll tell him to wake up in dwarven if that doesn't work, but I'm not raising my voice.
Claire: I'll just go over and shake him. "Hey! Who are you and what are we all doing here?"
GM Elle: His eyes open slowly, as though he's incredibly weary. "Old Hag Stare ..." he says. "It's all in our minds ..."
Claire: I'll ask him what's in our minds.
Ariel: My mind is full of wishing I was still asleep.
Sasha: Quackers is getting into his armor. He'll ask, "Is this hag a monster?"
GM Elle: He appears to have difficulty following the multiple questions. "She ... yes, she trapped me here. You too now. Hiding ... somewhere in the illusion ..."
MSG: So I guess he's saying none of this is real?
Hettie: Dilfriida asks what this hag woman's problem is -- in a very surly tone. "It's not like we did anything to her, we just got into town! Or into the inn, or whatever."
GM Elle: His thoughts are very rambling and disconnected, and he keeps seeming to fade in and out of sleep, but you get the idea that whoever Old Hag Stare is, she has imprisoned everyone in this place, and he begs you to help him get out. After a while he slumps back into an exhausted sleep.
Ariel: Fidu feels jealous that he doesn't get to go back to sleep, but this guy does. 
Akane: Are there exits, besides a moon-beaming window?
GM Elle: There's a door in the north wall.
MSG: Since the dwarf said it's all in our minds, I'm going to try thinking really hard about waking up and being out of the illusion. Do I need to make a roll?
GM Elle: No. You can concentrate as hard as you like and you still seem to be in the room with the tapestry and the sleeping dwarf.
Claire: I'm curious to know what's on the other side of the door, but not so curious that I don't take a little time to put my leather armor and other gear back on.
Ariel: Same here, I guess.
Sasha: Quackers tells you to hurry up. The dwarf said yes when I asked if the hag is a monster, so I'm itching to ditch this room and go find her.
Akane: Zedeja dons her equippage as well.
Hettie: Dilfriida too.
GM Elle: All right. Marching order?
Sasha: Quackers, Dolora, Filvo Fact-ins, Fidu, Zedeja and Dilfriida, I'm thinking.
Akane: It is good this is only thinking, not speaking, or Zedeja would have anger from such usurpery of her authority. She commands everyone to assume the same order.
Sasha: Soon as everyone's lined up, then, Quackers opens the door. Actually, he probably doesn't even wait.
Akane: What! No door-opening command has been given!
GM Elle: Beyond the door, you find a long stairway descending toward a doorless room. Halfway down is a torch-holder with a flaming torch.
MSG: I have my bow out, by the way. Looking at my skills, I realized I'm a lot better with it than with my shortsword.
Sasha: Sir Q heads down to the open room at the bottom.
GM Elle: It's a small room, cluttered with chests and a table. Most of the chests appear to have been forced open. There's a toolbox on the table. To the north is an archway into a room with strange mosaic tiles on its floor. To the east is a burgundy curtain covered in shimmering golden patterns.
MSG: I'm going to look in the toolbox and see if there's anything there I could use to fix my broken club.
Claire: I'm checking the chests to see if there's anything in any of them.
Ariel: Fidu is checking chests too.
Sasha: Quackers moves up to look into that next room, in case there are any monsters in there.
Akane: Zedeja examines the curtain patterns.
Hettie: Dilfriida is going to go back up the stairs and see if she can get that torch from the wall sconce. It might be helpful if she decides she wants to investigate something that Filvius doesn't have his magic light near.
GM Elle: MSG, when Dolora checks the toolbox, she finds that it's locked. Claire and Ariel, draw initiative cards to see who finds something first. 
Claire: Woohoo! I got the 2 card!
Ariel: Woohoo-ier! I got the 1!
Akane: How are our initiatives always so good when not initiating in combat?
GM Elle: Ariel, you can draw a treasure card to see what Fidu finds.
Ariel: Sweet! Let's see ... silver coins! 3d6 x 10 of them! I roll ... 15, so a hundred and fifty, right?
Sasha: Dang, nice!
Akane: It's definite that our hound has a nose that scents treasure.
GM Elle: Sir Quackenscrump sees that the next room is brightly lit by a large oil lamp hanging from the ceiling. A chaotic pattern of tiles covers the floor, and along one wall are three statues of women. One is praying, one is holding her hands over her face, and the last one is pointing toward the floor. Zedeja doesn't notice anything particular about the golden patterns on the curtain.
MSG: I'll look around for Dilfriida to see if she can pick the lock on this toolbox.
Hettie: I suppose when I return I can be persuaded to try to circumvent the lock with my set of advanced lockpicks.
GM Elle: Make a Sleight of Hand check
Hettie: The lockpicks give me a Boon, but they might as well do nothing, because I roll 9 on both dice.
GM Elle: The lock opens pretty easily. Who looks inside?
Hettie: Dilfriida does, before Zedeja has a chance to order her not to.
GM Elle: All you find within is a strange, ornate dagger whose tip is badly worn.
MSG: Great. Dolora is lousy with knives.
Hettie: Dilfriida is also lousy with knives, but it's the other kind of lousy, meaning she already has three and any more will exceed her encumbrance limit.
Ariel: Well, Fidu isn't lousy with knives or lousy with knives, and if it's ornate maybe it's worth something, so I'll take it if neither of you guys wants it.
GM Elle: Write down that you have the ornate dagger from page 97. Are you going to try using it, or put it away in your backpack?
Ariel: Hmm. Can I use my Knives skill to examine it and see if it looks sturdy and sharp enough to use? I don't want to damage it if it's worth something but super-breakable.
GM Elle: You definitely think it's combat-ready.
Ariel: I guess I'll try using it next time we're in a fight, then. Maybe it's magic!
Sasha: Or cursed.
Ariel: Cursed would still be magic. Ooh! That's an interesting question ... if there's stuff in this game that can only be hurt with magic weapons, would a cursed weapon count and be able to hurt it? Uh ... what are you writing down there, Elle?
GM Elle: Just a note about that question, so that if you ever use a cursed weapon against something that requires magic to damage, I'll have the answer handy.
Sasha: See? It's definitely cursed. Anyway, Quackers asks Filvius if he's about done searching chests and can bring his light over here to this mosaic statue room.
Claire: If Fidu and I have checked all the chests there are to check, I'll head that way.
Ariel: Oh man, I wish Filvius wasn't a dude right now. Because then I could say, "How many chests could an elf chick check if an elf chick could check chests."
Sasha: You just did say it, though.
Ariel: Sure, but if Filvius was a chick I could say it lots.
Sasha: If you did, I would chuck you out the door.
GM Elle: Nice job sneaking that one in there, Sash. But yes, there aren't any more chests to loot. As you head toward the next room, though, the floor beneath you begins to shake and crack.
MSG: Aers, I can totally see you trying to put "would" and "shake" or "would" and "crack" together for another tongue twister, and I don't know if you want to push your luck on whether Sash actually would chuck you somewhere.
Ariel: Dang! And I almost had a good one, too.
Sasha: Fine. Just say it and get it over with.
Ariel: How many cracks would a floor quake break if a floor quake shaked max cracks?
Sasha: I go in the next room and check the floor where that one statue is pointing.
GM Elle: Whoa, whoa, whoa, people. Your characters are experiencing their whole environment jolting and shuddering. The gaps and cracks in the wood flooring of this room release a foul, gagging stench. Everybody needs to make a Con save or become Sickly.
MSG: Made it.
Claire: Me too.
Ariel: Augh. I roll a Demon.
Sasha: I make it with an easy-peasey 14.
Akane: Success for Zedeja.
Hettie: Dilfriida manages to hold down her gorge with a 13.
GM Elle: Aers, because of that Demon, I'm going to give you a double bane on the first Con-related roll you have to make from here out.
Ariel: Boo!
Sasha: So can I go in the next room and check that floor, or do I have to make an Agility check to avoid slipping in Fidu's yarkage?
GM Elle: You were already in the doorway, so I doubt you're in danger of stepping in it. Could you describe how you're checking the floor in a little more detail?
Sasha: Hey, with it being a Demon roll, I just wanted to make sure it wasn't like a hose of projectile vomit going off. But I'm cool with not having to roll. I guess I'll get down on my hands and knees and look real close at the mosaic tiles for anything funky or hidden as I head toward the place that statue is pointing.
Claire: Well, I don't want him learning stuff from those tiles that I don't know, so I'll get on my hands and knees too and help.
GM Elle: Okay, that gives Sir Q a Boon on his Spot Hidden roll.
Sasha: Which is good because I think I'm like, tied for last place in that skill. My rolls are ... 17 and 3, whew!
Claire: I guess Filvius is like, "Hey, be sure you check that spot there too!"
GM Elle: Between the two of you, then, you find that there's a trap-door that opens in the floor right where the statue is pointing.
Sasha: Can we get it open without actually falling through?
Akane: Possibly tie a rope to one of the previous room's chests and push onto the trap? Zedeja decides we must do this. Oh ... if she learns of such a trap.
Sasha: Well, Quackers isn't exactly a brainiac, so he'd definitely ask if anyone had any ideas.
Hettie: Dilfriida suggests lowering Zedeja on a rope instead.
Akane: Ha! I defeat halfling sarcasm by announcing this is a fine idea. Apparently even halflings can have them by accident. With rope for safety, Zedeja may use Slow Fall to avoid a dangerous plunge. If the bottom has spikes, she can call to be pulled back up before reaching those.
Hettie: Dilfriida claims that she meant exactly that with her suggestion even though she certainly did not.
Akane: It's no effort for Zedeja to penetrate this falsehood. Her snort is derisive.
MSG: Dolora has rope and offers it before any more of an argument breaks out.
GM Elle: If that's the plan you use, it works without any problems. Mark off the WP for your spell, Akane. There are no spikes, so Zedeja is able to descend to the bottom of a 15-meter pit using her spell.
Akane: What is discoverable there? Unlike an elf and a duck, the Spot Hidden of Zedeja is at a competent level.
GM Elle: The bottom of the pit is littered with bones and not much else. But you do see something glowing faintly among the skeletal remains. It looks like a ring.
Akane: Hmm. Probably a glowing ring is magical. Zedeja puts it in her pocket and orders the rope-holders to pull her up.
Hettie: Dilfriida is definitely not helping.
MSG: I'll pull her up. Do I need to make a Strength roll?
Akane: Zedeja is mostly stick bones and skin and bossiness. It shouldn't trouble a large-muscled dwarf to extract her.
GM Elle: I don't think there's any call for a roll. Dolora pulls Zedeja up pretty easily.
Claire: Filvius will carefully walk around the pit and look at those statues to see if he can learn anything interesting from looking at them. Are there any inscriptions or anything?
GM Elle: No inscriptions. You see that they appear to be wearing mourning clothes, and have expressions of grief on their faces.
Sasha: Borrring. Are they gonna come to life and turn out to be monsters? If not, Sir Q is ready to go on to the next room.
Akane: Wise Zedeja advises caution. One statue pointed to a trap -- possibly the others are clues to avoid trouble as well?
Sasha: I mean, I looked where the one was pointing. What do we got with the other two? Praying and covering their faces, right? So, what, I should say a prayer before I go through the next door? Or put my hands over my eyes? I think Quackers would prefer to be ready with his sword and shield instead of either of those. We got any other doors leading out of this joint, gamemaster?
GM Elle: There's an open archway to the north and a large, rough hole in the wall to the east. Both ways are dark. You think you can hear a trickling sound like water coming from the one to the north.
MSG: If we back up a second though, what if the statue wasn't pointing to the trap?
Sasha: I mean, it literally was pointing right at it, and that's how we found it instead of walking right in and dropping into the pit.
MSG: Obviously I saw that part. But what if the statue was really pointing us to that glowing ring Akane found?
Claire: Do we know she found that, though? I don't think Zedeja said anything about it.
MSG: Well then, while Quackers is looking around for the other ways out of this room, Dolora would be asking Zedeja, "So did you find anything down there?"
Akane: Yes, a glowing ring. Most likely, magical.
Hettie: Dilfriida grumbles that maybe Zedeja should have spoken up about that sooner.
Akane: Such halfling impatience! Barely is Zedeja out of the pit when the dwarf asks her about its contents. Her answer is prompt -- it's an abrupt sequence from start to finish! Any complaint is premature, you scoundrel.
Hettie: Dilfriida says the one statue should have had its fingers in its ears instead of its hands over its face, to warn us about having to listen to Zedeja.
Claire: Filvius is very interested in knowing about this magic ring. He suggests Zedeja let him use Sense Magic to see what kind of magic is on the ring.
Ariel: I think it's the glowy kind.
Akane: Zedeja approves of the junior mage volunteering for this. Much more helpful than the grumping of a burglar. Here is the ring.
Claire: I'll spend 1 WP to cast Sense Magic on it. What do I learn?
GM Elle: The rulebook is pretty vague about what level of detail it means when it says "kind of magic." But I'll say you learn that it's some form of protection magic.
MSG: Doesn't seem to have protected whoever fell into the pit wearing it.
Ariel: What if it did? It maybe could have protected them totally from getting hurt by the fall. Ew, but I don't like that, because then it means instead of dying really quick, whoever it was starved to death down there.
Sasha: They might not have. There might have been somebody starving in the pit already when they fell in, and then that guy ate the guy with the ring.
Claire: How did this turn so morbid just from Filvius saying the ring has protection magic on it? Anyway, I volunteer to put it on to see if I can figure out exactly what it protects from.
Akane: Zedeja will allow this. But if you find it protects from halfling complaints, you must return it immediately.
Hettie: Dilfriida says Zedeja should put it on and see if it protects you from getting a foot put up your ass.
Claire: Filvius puts the ring on, Elle.
GM Elle: Noted.
Akane: Now you must say something a halfling will find objectionable.
Hettie: Yes, such as, "My name is Zejeda."
Claire: I think I'd rather not get in the middle of that. I'll just wear it for now.
Sasha: Great. Now if we're done wasting time, how about bringing your light this direction and we can see what's making this trickling sound in the next room. Maybe Filvo will learn that the ring protects you from getting peed on.
Claire: Sure, I'll accompany our knight to the open archway and see what's beyond it.
GM Elle: The room beyond the archway is a little larger than the one you're in, and instead of the long dimension being north-south, it's east-west. To the west is a small pond fed by a spring in the west wall. The small cascade of water from the spring is the source of the trickling sound -- which, now that you're closer, almost has a gloomily musical tone to it, like tiny bells or a harp playing a loose, downbeat melody. As a counterpoint to that, you also hear the croaking of a large number of frogs from the edges of the pond and lilypads in its center. There are doors on the east wall and at the east end of the north wall.
Sasha: Anybody else starting to feel like this is just a weird collection of rando stuff in rooms?
Akane: Yes. Remember, the rocking-chair dwarf told us we are in an illusion.
Sasha: Right. Quackers doesn't have time for being stuck in an illusion. There are monsters to kill out there somewhere. I say we just keep going north and ignore whatever is in these rooms along the way. If we hit a dead end, we can double back until we find the way out.
Hettie: Dilfriida says, "But we might skip past all kinds of treasure by doing that."
Sasha: Yeah ... illusion treasure.
Ariel: Okay, so I have a solution! Fidu is going to use his Treasure Hunter ability in the middle of this room to see which direction the greatest treasure is.
GM Elle: So you go in the room?
Ariel: Well ... when you ask it like that, maybe I don't.
Sasha: Quackers is already walking in. You coming with, Filvius?
Claire: I feel like my craving for knowledge would make me want to find out all we can in each room.
Sasha: Okay. You go and talk to those frogs. Fidu, don't you have a lamp or something? If you sense treasure in the direction of one of those doors, I'm heading that way and I'll need a light.
Ariel: That sounds pretty good to me. I light my oil lamp and go in with Sir Quackenscrump.
Claire: Filvius will go and have a look at the pond and the frogs.
Akane: Zedeja scowls fiercely at this lack of consulting the wisest party member. 
Hettie: Dilfriida will be sticking with Fidu and the knight, since that sounds like the best route to treasure.
MSG: Dolora will hang with Filvius. She craves knowledge too, so she'll have a look at the pond as well.
GM Elle: All right. When Sir Q and Fidu reach the middle of the room, you can use your Treasure Hunter ability, Aers.
Ariel: Cool. I just spent the WP, so where's the biggest treasure?
GM Elle: Definitely in the direction of the pond.
Sasha: Damn it.
GM Elle: Filvius and Dolora think they see the outlines of a box at the bottom of the pond, about 4 meters down.
MSG: You see that, Filvy?
Claire: Yes, I do. But I'm going to take a look at these frogs and see if my Beast Lore or Hunting and Fishing lets me know whether they're like, some kind of piranha frog that'll swarm us if we get in the water with them.
GM Elle: I'd say that's more Beast Lore than Hunting and Fishing. You can roll.
Claire: Dragon!
GM Elle: You immediately recognize the frogs as "underfoot frogs." They're not dangerous, but for some reason they tend to cluster around anyone who enters the water in their territory, getting in the way and causing general aggravation. Having recognized that, you could now gain a Boon on a Hunting and Fishing roll to catch a bunch of them, but you'll probably need the better part of a shift to wrangle enough up to serve as rations.
Claire: Well, it sounds like we could have somebody wade into the water on one side to attract the frogs, and then someone else can swim down and get the box.
Akane: Zedeja uses Levitate to bring the box up from the water. The roll is 7, easily succeeding. This assumes the box is human sized or less. If larger, it's no use to cast it, so she won't.
GM Elle: It's easily a size that can be moved with your spell.
MSG: Nice plan anyway, Claire. Dolora says that to Filvius too, but in a grumbly tone with a sour look at Zedeja.
Claire: Both of us say thanks.
Akane: Zedeja says, "There. The box is lifted. Someone must open it."
Hettie: Dilfriida will sidle over to have a look at the box, preferably maneuvering into Zedeja's blind spot to avoid getting bossed around.
GM Elle: You can roll a Sneaking check.
Akane: There should be a Bane! Zedeja is watchful for halfling mischief!
GM Elle: No Bane, but if Zedeja is specifically keeping an eye out, it becomes an opposed roll between Dilfriida's Sneaking and the mage's Awareness.
Akane: Awareness is a top skill for Zedeja. I roll 6, far under my value.
Hettie: Well, Sneaking is one of Dilfriida's better skills as well, but I roll an 8, which I believe means she spots me.
GM Elle: Correct.
Akane: Zedeja says that your Sneaking skills are meager compared to the great Awareness of Zedeja. You should not bother with attempting such sneakery.
Hettie: Dilfriida says, "Fine," and walks right over to the box to examine it.
GM Elle: It appears to have been sealed to make it watertight, but there's not a lock on it. Someone will need to make a Crafting check to figure out how to break the seal and separate the lid from the box without damaging the contents. Unless you want to assume whatever's inside isn't fragile and just smash it open.
MSG: Didn't we figure out before that Crafting is like, everyone's worst skill?
Claire: Yeah, I think that's one of the reasons your club is still broken.
Ariel: Maybe this is one of those cases where we should use that helping other people rule.
Sasha: Count me out. My Crafting is only 7.
Akane: That exceeds the 5 of Zedeja.
Hettie: 5 here as well.
MSG: It's a strength-based skill, so unless somebody's been beefing theirs up, I'm guessing you and I are the tops at it, Sash. Mine's 7 too.
Claire: 5.
Ariel: 5.
Sasha: Damn, we really do suck at this. You wanna roll and I'll be the helper, or the other way around?
MSG: How about if you roll.
Sasha: Okay, 2 dice because of the helping Boon, and ... yes! A 6 and a 7. Popped that puppy open like a tupperware container.
GM Elle: Inside you find a silver brooch and a gold amulet. Both of them are beautifully made. The brooch is worth 90 silver and the amulet is worth 70 gold.
Ariel: And you wanted to just rush through this room, Sash!
Sasha: Hey, we haven't gotten out of the illusion yet. The loot may still go ker-poof when we wake up or shake off the hypnosis or whatever.
GM Elle: No comment from the GM. And that part will have to wait for later, because I think this is a good spot to end this session. 
Ariel: Experience questions!
GM Elle: Let's see ... giant spider gets you the dangerous adversaries one. Definitely plenty of exploring new locations. Overcame obstacles without using force, check. And you guys almost always play up on your weaknesses, so when you add in participation, that's 5 marks for everybody.
MSG: Great!
Claire: Thanks, Elle!
Sasha: Good job.
Hettie: I quite enjoyed the atmosphere of the illusion or curse or whatever we're stuck in.
GM Elle: Well, I'm glad about that. I was worried this scenario is a bit of an odd one and might not be hitting on all cylinders.
Akane: No, the entertainment of your game mastery is reliable.
Ariel: All the suspense about quicksand was a really good touch, too.
 
all right, see everybody next time!