Quest #29 “Raiders of the Lost Obelisk”

[Monsieur Rose]

Now do Bonnie! See if Obad Hai approves...

Bonnie

Bonnie spends some time reading her books and gaining knowledge, she's now level 5 as well. The rule of not leveling twice during downtime has finally evened out. Maybe she should do smaller, less epic adventures.

On that note, she's trying to gather a group to go find a dragon. I think Luther and Grimm are going across the river, Wes is going halfway.

Bonnie stays invisible and is able to freely sunbathe nude without the glares of the humans during this stay. She finds her freedom intoxicating now that she's invisible. If things get misplaced or go missing during these few days, blame her.

Once feeling a bit better she clears her throat, announcing her presence to Cealwyn and Chauncey. "Psst. Hey. Are you interested in taking a meeting with the dragon? I really think it knows quite a bit about what's going on here. Plus, I kinda have to go. I don't really want to chance delay fighting whatever is on the beach, but that's the best way to go. What do you think?"

[Jernau35]

Purely out of paranoia, I went back to check Wes' last 20 CLW rolls. This is what found:
1: six
2: two
3: four
4: two
5: two
6: zero
7: two
8: two

Twenty rolls isn't a big sample. But having most of them 3 or below is odd. Even weirder, four of the 1's, two of the 3's, both of the 7's and both of the 8's were rolled consecutively (the 1's came in pairs).

[Jernau35]

So, here are Wes' day two spells. Let's see how these go...

Day 2:
Luther
Cure Light Wounds [1d8]=5

Chauncey
Cure Light Wounds [1d8]=2
Cure Light Wounds [1d8]=1

Wes
Cure Light Wounds [1d8]=3
Cure Light Wounds [1d8]=2

Actually I was going to cut Bonnie in for a spell too. But the scores have been so awful I just couldn't.

[Jernau35]

As usual, several townies flock to the side of Wes once he returns to Beachtown. They walk along with him, touching his robes and telling him about what has happened while he was away, mostly informing him about the precarious situation with the upset Stonegut dwarves.

He wins several more of the common folk over with his help with the crops and creating more fresh water for them to use. He cures a few more sick folks as well, garnering the druid even more praise from the Beachtowners.

None of this attention is lost on the other members of his group, especially Chauncey.

Wes invites folk over to listen to him speak at the Obad-Hai tree. "My friends! It troubles me to hear of so many new problems in our little community. But I urge you to be calm. Life brings troubles to us, just as the winds bring storms. And just as the mighty oak resists the storms, we will also bear our problems. We may bow and bend. But we will not break."

"Our Stonegut neighbors have mighty big hands it seems. They want to take everything that belongs to us! That is mighty un-neighborly indeed! When WE came here, we stuck together. We shared everything with each other. And that's how we survived! We might not be rich! But we know how to be true friends! And good neighbors!"

"Now my friends, I'll pass on the wisdom of Obad-Hai. Firstly, you've all probably heard about this plan to move over the river. Some of you might like it. And maybe some of you don't. But by the grace of Obad-Hai, I've been over and across that river. The land on the other side is much better than here. You farmers will make out much better over there. And of course, there's more water, so the ladies won't have to waste their time walking all day."

"I'll tell you another thing. It's safer over there. There was a horrible monster, a hag! But I killed it! By the graces of Obad Hai and the help of my friend Galanthas. You'll be safer over there. No monsters and no Stoneguts poking in where they're not wanted! "

"Listen to the Wisdom of The Shalm, passed on by your friend Wes. As hard as it might be, pack up your stuff and head for the river. Leave this worthless sandy ground to the Stoneguts if they want it so bad! Let's go to the green side of the river!"

[Paladin]

I'll try to get something up about Cealwyn tonight before bed. Sorry to be slow. Work was so wet and stressful today. Got chewed on and just been in a foul mood.

[Paladin]

Cealwyn Blackthorn

Cealwyn spends any free time seeing to his equipment, mending armor, and sharpening blades. If he has a chance to do any hunting, he'll lope through the nearby jungle and seek any small game that might be available near town, though he doesn't expect much.

Back in town, he'll quirk an eyebrow when he hears the familiar voice of Bonnie asking about a dragon. Cealwyn sheathes his newly-sharpened and oiled blade and smiles faintly.

"I hope you weren't lurking when...nevermind." He pulls a slow grin and nods in the affirmative. "Always wanted to see a wyrm."

[ChubbyPixie]

"Timothy! Wait! This is not what we agreed upon! I said tiny human hands, not the malformed talons of some antediluvian creature! Come back with my copper-piece you little scamp!" says Chauncey in frustration as one of the village children, one of his workers, runs off to follow Wesley as he monologues in the square about trees or love of nature or whatever...

I'll say he got 5 more made, total? but one of them is stretching the definition of "hand."

Still, were he to give it a second thought, he would be grateful for the healing meted out each day by the druid. As it is, he is quite absorbed in his studies and in the manufacture of the "hands." He does keep tabs, though. Wesley has the key to the next obelisk, and he does not intend to let it out of his sight.

When he is startled by the voice of Bonnie, he replies: "Ah! Greystokes beard! There you are, Bonnie. I was afraid you'd been eaten by a plant or... glued to a tree... you know, something weird. It's a veritable folio of fiends around here at times, it seems. Are you alright?

"As pertains to this dragon, I quite wish to accompany you - who knows what knowledge such a creature might possess? - yet I feel I may not leave Wesley's side while he has the green stone and allow the furtherance of the obelisk hunt to escape me. He and the others wish to defeat a sea creature - probably just another giant crab, I imagine. There are some in town who call me Crab's Bane, I'm told, and so intend to offer my services in the endeavor. Perhaps I'll accompany you on your next visit?"

He'll offer his consultation, tactical planning and spell execution services to Wesley in the defeat or capture of the "crab."

[Urson]

Luther
When he sees that he can't chase the kid down, Luther grins to himself and goes back to his R&R. Shortly, he cuts a straight twig with one blunt end and one sharp, and then begins playing a version of 'mumbledy-peg,' using the sharp twig. What kid doesn't love games? he thinks to himself.

[Paladin]

I meant to say that Cealwyn levelled up, too. I've updated his sheet. Any rolls made are present in the log. He lucked out and got max hp this go-round! It's at 29 now. 8+2 for CON.

[OGRE MAGE]

After working on her all over tan for a couple days, Bonnie eventually joins up with the others. The fact that they appear to have been magically healed recently isn't lost on the still injured invisible elf. Fortunately, the others don't see her exaggerated eyerolls. Cealwyn seems eager to accompany her to see the dragon, but Chauncey turns the offer down for now, wishing to keep Wes and his magic sphere as close as possible. Perhaps Bonnie will need to recruit strangers to her group if she wants to take a few more people with her. (I have a couple more possibilities coming into the game soon.)

Cealwyn tries his luck at hunting, but there isn't much to track this close to town, since everyone here hunts the nearby areas early and often. He is lucky enough to spot a jungle squirrel at one point, probably too small to make a good meal for one person. Once he sets his mind to killing it anyway, he suddenly becomes obsessed with the task, shooting arrow after arrow at it until it eventually gets away in the treetops well out of his sight. The ranger needs to take a few minutes to calm down after this incident, his desire to kill indiscriminately almost getting the best of him yet again. His magic ring throbs on his finger as if it enjoys the disturbing feeling much more than the usually calm hunter.

Luther notices that he amazes his distant mini-me shadow with his game, but not enough to lure the boy from his hiding spot observation points. When he sees the group heading out for the river, he hurriedly packs his kit and rushes after the others.

I think I will have everyone go along with Luther to catch up with the others at the site of the sea monster. You can then decide together what you will do from that point on. If there are no objections to this, I will write that bit into the Clifftown thread shortly.

Here are the stats after Wes's healing sessions:
Tell me if you see anything wrong!

Luther AC3 24/30
Grimm AC5 15/15
Wes (D5) AC7 37/43 first 6/6 second 5/5 third 3/3
Chauncey AC8 21/26 CL, DM, RM first 3/3 second 2/2
Mr. Wrenly AC7 4/4
Cealwyn AC3 29/29 (Cursed)
Bonnie AC3 5/17 (Invisible)

[Monsieur Rose]

Bonnie

I think that works for me. I'll have Bonnie go along, then continue on to the dragon.

"I understand, Chauncey. Maybe it would be best if you held onto the orb, though. The dragon might understand us more and reveal more if we could show it something. Either way, it's a shame about the others' misunderstandings. I never touched or hurt any of those phanatons, you know. It would be great if someone could help clear up that situation. And just so you know, I'm going to the next obelisk as well. I'd like to do it with you if possible, if not then I guess we may meet there."

To Cealwyn:
"I'd be glad to have you, but let's go with the others to see this sea monster first. It's on the way. We can discuss how best to proceed from there." You can almost hear her smile and feel her eyes lingering.

To Wes:
After his speech, she clears her throat and tries to engage him in conversation without shocking him. "Hey, Wes. I just feel I need to say again that I did not attack or hurt any of the phanaton. They have me mixed up with that Krystal, who I'm now becoming more invisibly alike. It would be great if you could try to dissuade them from that misunderstanding next time you see them. A lack of communication is making things difficult. That's all. See you at the next obelisk."

[Jernau35]

Wes

To an observer, Wes quite obviously doesn't hear the voice coming out of thin air next to him. He waved at a few of the townsfolk as they go about their business. Scrapes a bit of moss off the Obad-Hai tree. Has a bit of a coughing fit, during which he scuffs an arrow pointing toward the sea into the sand. Once he's recovered from his coughing, he stretches and casually ambles down to the high tide line.

"Bonnie? I assume you can hear me? Wes says, gazing out to sea. "Sorry about the little routine. There's Phanaton in the trees all around town. Best if they don't see anything suspicious."

"I was willing to help you talk to them about your problem. But they're not in the mood to listen. And after what happened in the clearing, I'm not either. Even if I wanted to, Obad-Hai is making his displeasure very clear to me. The healing blessings he gives to me have barely been effective ever since the slizards were wiped out."

"Look. Beachtown needs the friendship of the Phanaton. We can't afford to jeopardize things between the two groups. You're brave; you're resourceful; but you're headstrong. And right now, you're the number one target of every Phanaton with a weapon. Chwee is coming with us on our next trip. Which means you can't."

Wes shakes his head sadly. "Despite what you might think, I don't want to abandon you out there. But if the Phanaton find out we're sheltering you, there'll be trouble." He looks towards where he thinks Bonnie is standing.

"I'll help you when I can. And...aye, see you at the next obilisk."

[ChubbyPixie]

After her parting, Chauncey wonders to himself how Bonnie intends to find the next obelisk without the use of the green sphere. He squints suspiciously. Maybe she knows something he doesn't know..? Impossible.

After taking care of this and that in town, he'll set out with Wes and the others towards the river when they leave.

"I'm sure we'll have this all laid to rest in no time, Wesley," he says, "I specialize in beach fauna removal, you know."

[Karaunios]

Grimm

Will kill some time lying down in one of the shacks (he's not so fond of sun-bathes and beaches) and will join the monster-killing expedition.