Quest #21 "Island Hopping"

[wolfpack]

Screw cora and screw brutus I am sick of both of them. We need to destroy that stupid pedestal and we need the necklace thing because it has a piece of cresty on it.

Gramble opens the door

[Jernau35]

Maag

Maag looks on incredulously as everyone starts examining the shack.

"Er... maybe Brutus can't die, but we can. 'ow about closin' dat fing down an' we can leg it to der beach before 'e gets back."

"If yer fink 'e's pissed off now, wot's 'e gonna be like when 'e gets back 'ere an' we're all standin' round wiv bits of Cresty in our 'ands?"

"Even if we kill 'im now, dat just means we gotta kill 'im again tomorrow!"

Maag picks up his lump of Cresty and heads for the exit.

[Quonundrum]

Andronichishche

Andronichishche looks on with interest as Gramble tries the shack's door. "I agree with everything you said, Mr. Maag. Let us quickly assess the shack and make for the beach. And to Mr. Gramble's point we do need to keep the symbol ... at least until we restore Sir Crestbrook. We must be careful in how we disable the dais, though. Remember what happened with Cora's amulet ..."

[ravenn4544]

Alordan offers, "what if we don't kill him? He can't come back if he isn't dead. Not sure how to talk to him if we do, but just a thought"

[kruk]

Lerrick

The cleric cringes at the sounds of Brutus. Thinking out loud and letting out a sigh. What a sad fate for Brutus? I hope one day the the riddle of the dais can be solved so that the poor beast feel no more pain and sorrow.

[Quonundrum]

Andronichishche

"I agree, Mr. Alordan. I would very much prefer talking to him, as well. I certainly don't suggest we hunt him right now, in either case. He knows every inch of those tunnels and could easily ambush us at his leisure."

[Rex]

Tlachtga

Tlachtga will follow Gramble in.

[OGRE MAGE]

The Shack
Sunday, 21st of Goodmonth
Sunrise, Warm, Humid

It is agreed upon that Brutus has suffered enough, so the party doesn't hunt him down, since they will just have to kill him again tomorrow anyway.

Gramble opens the door to the shack and walks in, with the others on his heels. The 15'x15' wooden room is completely empty, and the shutters on the 4 window openings are all latched up tight. There are four 7 foot long and 1 foot tall rectangle outlines along two opposite walls that straddle the windows. The floor of the shack has strange outlines along its length as well, one of them about the size of a large table, with 8 smaller square outlines around it. There is another rectangle and square outline on the floor in one corner opposite the door.

Oddly, the room seems to maintain a very comfortable temperature while you search, not at all like the hot and humid conditions outside its walls, and no loud noises seem to penetrate the structure either.

Actions?

Gramble 14/16 (Light stone 40'r)
Alordan 18/18
Tlachtga 7/8 3/4 1st
Andronichishche 5/6 3/3 1st / CL, DM, RM 0/1 1st (Light stone 40'r)
Lerrick 10/11 1/4 1st (Light stone 40'r)
Maag 11/12

Deceased
Sir Crestbrook 0/11 LoH (Petrified and Broken in Melania’s bedroom)
Cu AC:3 0/13
Carucenus -5.5/10[/color]
message on tiny decorative box
Mina's note
Notes and other Bookkeeping:

Melania
You have been warned several times now about your unwillingness to remain in your designated location. Since you cannot control your desire to destroy my hard earned collection by turning them into useless statuary, you leave me little other choice but to relocate you somewhere safer.

Melaina
I have decided on a far more suitable spot for you to reside. There is a cave complex on the other side of the island that will suit your needs perfectly. It is an old experiment of mine, that never panned out the way that I had hoped. But there is a fresh water source inside and a magical summoning device of my own creation that should provide you with an endless supply of food. You will be relocated there as soon as I get it ready. I am still working on filling your request for companionship. As I told you before, they are extremely rare and nearly impossible to locate.

Melania
I understand you are not happy with your new accommodations, but it is simply the best I can do for now. I think you will be much more at ease living here once I am able to fill your request for a mate. The reoccurring minotaur should provide you plenty of food and enough sport to keep you preoccupied while I search. Please remember that your captor was also once your savior, and that you wouldn’t be here right now if it weren’t for me. I know this isn’t an easy adjustment for you, but it must be preferable to the horrible death you would have endured without my aid.

Melania
At long last, after several years of searching and burning through countless resources, I have finally found what you seek the most. An unmatched Maedar, one of the rarest of all creatures known to man. And he is all for you. I sincerely hope this will suffice to keep you happy for the rest of your years here. You must stop meddling in my experiments. You of all people should know they can be very dangerous, especially when they are unfinished. Once I have checked him over for myself, I will release him to you. Once that is done, I must insist that you stay put in your area and stop breaking your containment. By the way, his name is Marquees, and he is magnificent.

Melania
Once again you need to learn the hard way that you are no match for my powers. It saddens me greatly that after everything I’ve done to make you happy, you continue to defy me, routinely breaking your pact without remorse. I thought you to be one of the more intelligent of your kind, but you have proven to me that I was mistaken. Since I have invested so much, I will give you one last chance to comply. However, you will now be marked. Breaking the rules of your containment again will result in your termination.

Melania
This last attempt at wreaking havoc on my experiments was all I can take. I have warned you multiple times now and you simply wont listen. Therefore, you have left me no other choice. I cannot allow you or anyone else here to undermine my work as you have. I know you were never really happy here, but with the amount of monies, time, sacrifice, and effort I have put into this place already, finishing my ultimate creation must continue to be my main focus. I will allow Marquees to remain on the island, since he has done nothing that I know of to aid you in your constant meddling. The treasures you were supposed to protect for me will also remain inside the complex, now under the supervision of your lover. However, the next time you see me will be the last. I wish things could have worked out better, but you have only yourself to blame for this outcome.

Bookkeeping:
01-05= The “Key”
06-10= Intact Copper Bowl of Wax Fruit (25gp)
11-15= Solid Copper Decorative Serving Tray (40gp)
16-20= Broken Cartouche
21-25= List of 7 Unknown Items
26-30= Note About the Contacts
31-35= Moldy Sack of 254 Copper Coins
36-40= Melania's Note About Escaping
41-45= Small Locked Chest: (312gp and 18-25gp gems)
46-50= Grey Stone Sphere
51-55= Fancy String of 21 Pearls (yet to be evaluated)
56=60=
61=65= Large Copper Cube: viewtopic.php?p=501032#p501032
66-70= Ornate Latched Scroll Case
71-75= Copper Armband w/ Circular Diagram (20gp)
76-80= Fairy Tale Storybook
81-85= Hand Written Notes
86-90= Notes on Minotaur Summoning Dais
91-95= Small Wooden Puzzle Box
96-100= Magical Golden Ring

This is a list of the items you will be "protecting" for me in here. Please remember the terms of our earlier agreement before you get any ridiculous ideas to use any of these against me.

Chime of Serpent’s Desire

Protecting Egg

Withering Venom

Shedding Strike

Band of Fools

Green Manalishi

Dansden

Marquees

I know you like this place, but I am not about to spend the rest of my days preforming for this pompous bastard. We are getting out of here, and I think I finally figured out how. The ring of glass obelisks have something to do with the mobility of this place, so through them, there must be a way out. I know the colored stone spheres are the keys, all I need to do is figure out how they function. There must be a way to use the spheres to activate the obelisks, since the ones I have investigated don’t seem to do anything yet. Once I can figure out their secrets, I am hoping we will be able to go anywhere we want. I know you want to concentrate on making more eggs and raising new babies, but you cant expect me to be happy about bringing more of our kind into existence while we are all being held here against our will. We must find a way out! We can discuss this further once I've returned.

scrollcase note:

I have used the magic scrolls to find three of them so far. They are a sight to behold, so tall and crystal clear. One is in the jungle near the black cliffs, a second deep in the swamp, and the third by the lake to the northwest. I promise you that I will figure out what they do and how they function. Once I do, we will be free again.

note about the contacts:

Marquees

My love, I know you don't like wearing the contacts, but their use will be quintessential in making our eventual escape from this place. The wizard doesn't know about them, so it is imperative that we keep them secret for now. Please continue to wear them when you can, since they have no affect on us or our young. You must try to get accustomed to them so they can be used to their utmost effectiveness against our foes once the time comes.

It is important that you keep them wet when you are not wearing them. The case is filled with a salty solution of mannish extract and fairy tears, which should keep them crystal clear and usable forever, so take caution not to spill any of it. Since they will allow both you and I to turn our enemies to stone, I cant wait for you to put them to use.

[/quote]

[Rex]

Tlachtga

Tlachtga searches everything, trying to figure out what everything is and does. "Handy thing/place to have."

[ravenn4544]

Alordan nods in amazement, "you can say that again. This is unbelievably helpful for navigating the jungle of the island!"

He takes a look at some of the outlines on the wall to see what they may reveal.

[wolfpack]

I imagine the outlines create beds and tables and such.

we should catch brutus and take him to the hole so it freezes him in place forever.

[Rex]

Tlachtga

"Excellent idea Gramble, now we just need to figure out how to capture him."

[kruk]

Lerrick

The cleric nods in agreement with the fighters suggestion. Great idea Gramble. She then enters the room with the others, noticing right away the difference in temperature compared to the jungle heat outside. Wow, this is nice!

[Quonundrum]

Andronichishche

Andronichishche follows the others into the small shack and appraises the interior, obviously impressed. "Indeed, Mr. Alordan! It also suggests that the other magical objects may not be as harmful as I feared." He walks to the opposite corner with the square outline and traces a finger along the lines. "Mr. Gramble is likely correct about these outlines. Question is ... how are they activated."

He pauses momentarily in thought before continuing. "The void would not transfix Brutus indefinitely. Although it seems to dilate time in its vicinity, which allowed Mr. Carucenus to survive two months with no food or water, it doesn't eliminate it. I expect he would eventually starve or dehydrate and respawn the very next morning. Capturing him is an excellent idea, though. We need to learn more about the wizard and his experiments. Brutus could provide invaluable information. Besides, he has been here for a very long time and likely accumulated any number of hidden magical items or treasures. If we can help him, the rewards may be quite significant."

[Jernau35]

Maag

Maag takes a quick peek through the door of the shack. "Not bad at all." Once he notices the temperature difference he smiles. "We could probably even make money from dis when we are in town. Rent it out by der hour to people dat wanna cool off".

"Now den, are we leavin' before Brutus gets back 'ere or what?"

[Quonundrum]

Andronichishche

"Quite so, Mr. Maag! We can perform a more thorough assessment of the shack after we are safely back in town."

[kruk]

Lerrick

The cleric waits until everyone leaves the hut before she goes out into the smoldering hot sticky, bug infested island habitat.

[wolfpack]

Gramble exits ready to lave the island.

we could kill brutus and then out a cage over the dias so when he spawns again he is trapped.

[ravenn4544]

Alordan nods at the idea and wonders aloud if they could put the cube over the dais and trap him inside the hut.

[Quonundrum]

Andronichishche

"An excellent idea, Mr. Gramble. I would prefer not killing him again, but we should have a plan if it comes to that." Andron considers Alordan's suggestion before replying. "That may just work, however, I would be concerned with the damage he could cause to the hut." A sudden thought seems to occur to him as he cocks his head to one side with a wry grin. "Of course ... there is also the chime. Perhaps that combined with a large serving of those mushrooms would serve to incapacitate him."