Captured! (Online Adventure)

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Re: Captured! (Online Adventure)

Post by GM-Brad »

Quick update: the next segment will be late, but it is coming (sorry, work stuff has been eating up a lot of my time unexpectedly). Here's a little to tide you over.

Everyone has been healed, and has retrieved their equipment.

Spot on the refuse pile reveals little of value. Though, the prisoners find their personal belongings there (a locket, a hairbrush, etc.) that they had on them when they were originally captured.

When Khorvalis disenchants the bound Depraved, something strange happens. Its back straightens and the boils on its face disappear. It suddenly looks very much like an elf! But, only for a moment, and then the ugliness returns. Sages looking on realize that this transformation from elf to “thing” must have taken years, and it would probably take years to undo properly. If the green metal was responsible, it was probably worn for a long time to achieve such a result.

When Morgause prepares to interrogate the Depraved, you quickly realize this is not the first time this creature has been tortured.

“No no no,” says the Depraved, muttering with round eyes. “The masters won’t like this at all.”

You ask who the masters are, and the Depraved simply replies, “The masters of the Depraved are the Depraved.” He says the word “Depraved” proudly, like it’s an honorary title.

When asked where the exit is, he simply shrugs. “It’s wherever we dig one.”

Unfortunately, you are not certain if the interrogation is actually working and if the answers are in fact true. Something about the creature’s mind is off, and it casts doubt on the whole proceedings. Still, Morgause asks on.

“Why have we captured people?” The Depraved muses. “To punish those who have punished our masters. To punish the pretties with the long ears. And to dig for secrets. Shhh.” He puts a finger to his lips, then starts to hum a nonsensical tune. “I used to be pretty, but then I got better; wrinkles are nice, but boils are better," he sings. "The masters are good singers, you know, but they are not whimsical. It is an angry song, and they will not like you. Even if you like to have conversations the same way they do.”

Morgause asks another question, but all the Depraved does is scream, ignoring the words. Again, another scream, but nothing in reply.

Eventually, he falls unconscious. Morgause, wondering if others might have better luck with better questions, leaves to work magic in the corner, signaling for Kami to come over to heal the creature for another round. But, before the Depraved can be questioned again, a knife flashes in Kami’s hand, silently. She plunges it into him, and the light quickly goes out of the Depraved’s eyes.
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Re: Captured! (Online Adventure)

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Okay, one more tidbit. With a bit of work you are able to decipher the books. There are three of them, and they are quite old, well before the cataclysm. The books are indeed magic, and each contains but a single spell on one page followed by a dense encyclopedic index which details how to “properly” cast it. It seems very complex, with hand gestures that change depending on the phase of the moon and the age of the caster. The spells don’t seem to function on their own, but rather work together, and you realize there are quite a few volumes of the spell missing.

Tucked into one book is a letter.




To the Council of Twelve:

It is with the heaviest of heart, and with partial objection, that I deliver this ritual to the high elven council upon request. Know that all 18 parts must be performed simultaneously for the greatest effect, though it is possible to perform this ritual with as little as eleven, which will merely render the subjects of the spell ghostly. When performed fully, however, they will be made entirely invisible to the eye.

It is true that this insane craze that has been sweeping the court these last few years is both dangerous and corrupting to our society. Commoners have been seen wearing the stuff now, even after the edict banning anything further being crafted out of the metal. What’s fashionable with the elite soon becomes fashionable to all, I suppose. I dare say it’s the slow power of the green stuff. While it interferes with healing and ritualism, it enhances the natural empathic powers many elves are born with, if worn (and activated) long enough, as I’m sure you know. And the necessity of singing is quite fetching, I must say. The metal requires some sonic resonance to be effective, though too much at once can be jarring. But, singing to your jewelry? Oh, how could there not be a more seductive trend for an elf? I met a temple guard the other day who had had a sword secretly made of the stuff, and he bragged that singing to his blade was what made him a better fighter than any of his peers.

But the price? The horrific appearance! The rashes, blisters, and lesions on the skin. Even the smell! And, it gets worse with time. The sacrilege of forsaking our natural beauty for power! I have encountered few things so repulsive. And they do it willingly! Truly, they are depraved.

As you know, the metal smooths when in resonance, and jewelry is often hard to remove, though it is possible with the right magic. Still, even if it is removed, the effects cannot be reversed. And, if we cannot return their beauty with magic, then perhaps you are right, that the best solution is to remove them from our sight. If it were that simple, then yes, I agree, it would be the most humane thing to do. And then no one would be plagued by their ugliness or have to see them again.

But, know this magic spell was intended to make animals invisible alone. Deer or boar. I created it years ago for use on a Duke’s hunt, to make the prey challenging enough for the world’s greatest hunters. If the magic were used on elves themselves, it is possible it might be painful. There would certainly be at least some discomfort. I have no clue how long that discomfort would last.

But, if law alone will not stop this trend, then perhaps an example must be made before it gets out of control. I leave the decision in your hands.

Agramon D’Utheneldor
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Re: Captured! (Online Adventure)

Post by Morgause »

As Morgause slips into the alcove she spies Kami from the corner of her eye. The Valkin'vi healer silently kills the Depraved and Morgause wonders why Kami would do such a thing. Is there something that the silent one knows that she doesn't?

Morgause's sapphire sparks for a moment but the Winter Witch withholds her protest out of deference for Kami. She remembers her mother's advice from years ago that it is usually the quiet ones that know things that others do not. Either way, Morgause got enough information from that wretched boil-ridden lieutenant. Perhaps it was best to finally put the poor ugly creature out of its misery. Besides, the Winter Witch has more pressing matters that need her attention.

While Morgause looks upon the bodies of the slain Depraved, she finds Fibble darting about the alcove, picking at a corpse and then another.

"Gurthrie, once you have finished with your scavenging," the Seer utters with a stern voice, her tone filled with slight disdain. " Take what you find and then leave. I have work to be done here."

Morgause steps closer, hands on her hips, "If we are to escape here with our lives, we need all the help that our skills can afford. I suggest you turn your thoughts to helping fortify this cavern and protecting those who need it, rather than looting the dead for baubles and trinkets."

The Winter Witch impatiently waits for Fibble to finish his dirty work. As he exits the shadowy alcove, Morgause continues with her ritual.

Frost begins to coat the cavern walls, and fog rises from the floor. Soon, eerie reflections appear in the icy walls of the alcove.
Last edited by Morgause on Fri Dec 11, 2015 1:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness because it shows me the stars."

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Re: Captured! (Online Adventure)

Post by Zandron »

Zandron shrugs to Gondowon and Mahto. "What I tell you? Mages is crazy."

A queer look comes over his face, and he holds up a finger, wobbling for a moment. The elf turns away, bends near in half, and discharges the contents of his stomach with an explosive, gutteral noise. He coughs, stands and wipes his mouth, then stumbles over to Khorvalis.

"Food?" He points to the salted meat and cheese.
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Re: Captured! (Online Adventure)

Post by Gondowon T. Falbor »

(Catching up a bit)

As Kami finishes her quiet ritual, Gondowon feels abruptly sobered. He finds it jarring for his senses to be so keen once more. He's surprised his headache isn't worse, but he is made aware that he does in fact have one. He rubs his temples and nods thanks to the silent Valkin'Vi as she walks away.

The sage then takes a moment to try and look over the books that were being deciphered. He takes note of the letter hidden within the tomes and his eyes widen. "Very true Captain, at least in this case," he says, referring to Zandron's comment regarding the insanity of magicians. He does his best to ignore the elf and his vomiting so he doesn't lose his train of thought.

"They turned their kin invisible," he mutters, placing a hand on his chin. "The thing I could not see that took me captive must have been one of the original Depraved. Spirits, how horrible though, to slowly be corrupted by this strange metal, and then have your own kind turn against you because of the way you looked... If only there were a way to reverse the effects..."

Gondowon begins pacing as he thinks. "Nonetheless, it would be good to note the effects of the jade steel... it bestows power to those with empathic abilities, and reacts to sonic resonance, specifically singing in this case... we saw with the bell, however, that too much resonance will disrupt the wearer and cause excruciating pain..."

At that, Gondowon begins moving to collect the broken pieces of the green shackles that the prisoners had worn. "I might be getting ahead of myself, but perhaps we could weaponize this substance. Recreate the collars to use against the invisible Depraved we come across. A few of us could theoretically clasp these collars around our unseen foes, and then using something similar to the bell used earlier, we could stun whoever we placed this on."

The sage stops himself a second later, looking up at the prisoners, still gathering themselves and trying to recover. "Oh... Then again, if there are other prisoners with this stuff on them when we did that... blast. I really am getting ahead of myself..."

Gondowon lets out a sigh and drops what he's doing, shaking his head in frustration. "Either way, we need some way to combat invisible enemies..."

With another sigh, he resigns himself to walking over to examine the bell as Khorvalis had requested earlier. (Identify Magic Item/Recall; whichever is more relevant)
"The road an adventurer walks has no destination, yet they reach places no one else can dream of reaching." - Gondowon Tedra Falbor
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Re: Captured! (Online Adventure)

Post by Zydana »

Removing the small blade from the neck of the Depraved, the woman in the purple robe stares with a furled brow as his life slips away. Sill, gripping the blade, she lowers her hand, and the large sleeve of her robe conceals both her hand and blade. She slowly scans the room before making her way over to Khorvalis, Gondowon and Phinkis, who are inspecting the bell. Standing beside him, she looks to Phinkis briefly with her sad eyes before lowering her head. A drop of blood hits the cavern floor from her sleeve.
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Re: Captured! (Online Adventure)

Post by Khorvalis »

"Of course there is still some here for you, Captain!" the druid gets more cheese and jerky from his satchel and gladly tosses it to Zandron.

Then, as Gondowon approaches to inspect the bell, Khorvalis notices the shards of jade metal in his hands.

"By very cautious, dear friend." The Ga'vin points at the Sage's hands, "We must not let curiosity get the better of us. Look at what has become of these elves because of their vanity."

Khorvalis motions to the bound and gagged Depraved, "All because they sought power... power is seductive and can corrupt even the most beautiful of creatures. Who knows what vile magicks those green shards of metal still possess. According to these tomes, the corruptive transformation is irreversible. I pity these creatures as well as the thought that any one of us could also befall the same accursed fate."

Khorvalis sees the blood dripping from Kami's sleeve then sees the slain lieutenant behind her. "Tortured, twisted souls... What they have become is a fate far worse than death!"

With an empathetic sadness welling from his eyes, Khorvalis stoops over the unconscious Depraved at his feet and touches the creature's brow. The old druid whispers a short prayer of comfort as his irises turn a golden hue.
Last edited by Khorvalis on Fri Dec 11, 2015 9:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.
~Khorvalis~
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"Nothing brings me more happiness than trying to help the most vulnerable people in society. It is a goal and an essential part of my life - a kind of destiny. Whoever is in distress can call on me. I will come running wherever they are."
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Re: Captured! (Online Adventure)

Post by Phinkis »

When Kami walks over Phinkis turns to her and Gondowon. First he looks at the shards of metal in the sages hands and then he looks at Kami.

"This metal is not the same as the Jade Steel that is found in my mine. It may be similar but I would have to have to have someone more knowledgeable compare both of them to tell you more. What I do know is the steel in my mine starts out a metallic green like this but it's brittle in it's natural form. If you forge it into an item from the ore the magical green essence is lost and it becomes normal steel. That metal you have there I believe I have heard called malachite but I do not recall where I heard that."

"Also, I agree with Khorvalis. Walking around with that stuff may not be the greatest idea. Even if it's transformative properties are slow acting, we do not know what else the Depraved can do to those that carry it. Kaylen is suffering side effects from trying to use that metal, best we don't risk loosing anyone else."

"I find it strange that these Depraved have stopped wearing the material now that they are transformed. They once forsook their elven beauty to wear the stuff because it was trendy, but now they use it to enslave and control others. Perhaps even to convert others into being Depraved. I think there may be more going on here than we know, maybe even more than the first elves to encounter the substance knew. One thing I do know though is we need to get out of here and get these people to safety. We also need try and recover as many of those tomes as we can on the way out. I'm not sure what they are planning but it can't be good. If we can grab enough tomes to prevent them from casting the ritual then we need to do that."

Finally Phinkis' eyes pan over to the now slumped corpse of the captured Depraved. "No matter what these Depraved used to be, they are now monsters and this is their lair. Even if we want to try and help them, if that is something that is even possible, we can't do that here and now. We can not afford to show them mercy, nor do I think they deserve it."

Phinkis looks up at Kami and gives her a have smile. "We'll all be okay, we have a professional escape artist with us."
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Re: Captured! (Online Adventure)

Post by Nellie Duncan »

"Interesting," Nellie mutters, seeing the disenchant work momentarily. A thoughtful expression crosses her face, and she starts flipping through her codex.

(OOC: Recall with Codex for any crafting materials or known items that are permanently enchantment resistant. Also Elven Cultural Lore for a deeper knowledge on the era and cultural incident described in the letter.)
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Re: Captured! (Online Adventure)

Post by GM-Brad »

Nellie, you realize these elves were probably a small offshoot of Sylvandar many years before the cataclysm; one that decided to form their own civilization elsewhere. Many did, and many of those civilizations remain nameless and undiscovered to this day. The cataclysm took them. Recall on material doesn't help you at the moment.

Also, as a side note, I'll be away this weekend, so I probably won't get to answer questions till Sunday night.
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Re: Captured! (Online Adventure)

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Assured the prisoners are as safe as they can be here, you follow the tunnel where Bolg’s sled went and it eventually leads you to another large, enclosed area. Interspersed with the snow and rock here are the old ruins of an ancient civilization, one that must have been hit hard by the cataclysm. A crumbled pillar here, a wall half frozen in ice there. Eventually, you see the signs of an old craftsman’s workshop. There are several stone furnaces, once elegantly carved, now in disrepair. Decayed workbenches. A broken anvil. But amongst that there is fresh work being done. One furnace has clearly been rebuilt and by it are new tools and ingots of the green metal for working. The fire in it, though, is strange. The flame is blue and doesn’t give off much light. It moves oddly and you swear you hear whispering coming from it.
Read only if you are a craftsman.
The green metal is unusually tough. Working it would take fire extremely hot, especially in an ice cave.
Read only if you have spot
You swear you see something smiling in the fire
Read only if you poke the fire
A blue willow wisp dances out of the flames and around the room, laughing. Describe this to everyone. If anyone tried to catch it, read the ‘if you try to touch’ text
Read only if you try to touch the fire
Take a wound, you immediately remove your hand, unsuccessful in what you were doing
Read only if you throw snow on the fire
There’s a high pitched wail that comes from the flames
Read only if you are told to
You reach into the flames with the crystal vial and are able to capture a blue willow wisp. It becomes docile, servile, even friendly. It likes the crystal. You may light things with its flames.
Along another wall you see three holes, and investigating the ice, you notice they are pipes, sluices perhaps that once carried water and waste out of this workroom. Clearly Bolg’s sled came this way, but you are uncertain down which chute he went.
Read only if you have Scout
Bolg’s sled went down the middle shoot.
And even if you did know, they all appear to be blocked by metal doors. A strange set of symbols lies on the ground, carved in stone just before the sluices. These symbols have been here a long time. Sitting amongst some circles are some red candles (though unlike the image below, they are unlit). Off to the side are more candles.
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Decide how many candles you will place in the sun, moon, and star circles. The candles need to be lit with blue flame. You may get others to work it out with you
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Re: Captured! (Online Adventure)

Post by GM-Brad »

Next to the puzzle lies a rack of sleds, these ones smaller, intended for one person each. The sleds glow faintly with some magic, and each either has the word “Sturdy” written on it, or “Fast.” But not both.

On the other side of the room you notice a hand reaching out of an ice wall. Part of the wall has been chiseled away to reveal it. Whatever the hand was holding is now gone. Its skin is pale, but not ugly like the Depraved. The rest of the figure is trapped behind the ice. You notice two more such figures (let’s call them figures A, B, and C).
Read only if you have greater sense magic
[You get a flash of an elf in an earlier time holding a crystal vial. Flames are trapped inside of it. If you have found the crystal vial and wish to capture some flames, go ahead and read the “only if you are told to” text.
Read only if you chisel out figure A
You discover an elf, long dead. His clothing is archaic. He comes alive as undead. Roll attack rounds from the previous fight.
Read only if you chisel out figure B
You discover an elf, long dead. His clothing is archaic. He comes alive as undead. Roll attack rounds from the previous fight. Around his neck is a locket that’s frozen shut
Read only if you chisel out figure C
You discover an elf, long dead. He has in his pocket a golden key.
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Inside it is 1 gold coin
Read only if you have found the Golden Key and you know where to use it
there is a small cubby in the floor. Inside of it is a crystal vial.
Lastly, in another corner there is clearly torture equipment. Tables, straps, vices and saws. And blood on them suggest they’ve been recently used.
Read only if you have Necropsy or Improved Spot
Beneath the equipment you see a keyhole in the stone floor. If you have a golden key, you can unlock it
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Re: Captured! (Online Adventure)

Post by Khorvalis »

Khorvalis hobbles to the tracks, "It appears that Bolg's sled went down this middle chute"

The old man moves to peer down the small tunnel but his attention is drawn elsewhere. He sees figures trapped in the ice.

Khorvalis cautiously approaches one of them (Figure C) and tries to free it. He shatters the ice around the figure with his druidic magic and the body of a long dead elf falls to the ground. Out of its pocket bounces a small golden key.

The Hierophant picks it up and examines it closely.

"Look, over there..." Khorvalis points as he calls to his companions."There are two more bodies trapped in the ice!"
Last edited by Khorvalis on Sat Dec 12, 2015 10:44 am, edited 1 time in total.
~Khorvalis~
Druid of the Redwind
Hierophant of the Circle of the Sun
Follower of the Light and Keeper of the Sacred Flame

"Nothing brings me more happiness than trying to help the most vulnerable people in society. It is a goal and an essential part of my life - a kind of destiny. Whoever is in distress can call on me. I will come running wherever they are."
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Re: Captured! (Online Adventure)

Post by potentiallydead »

Fibble's eyes light up when he sees the blue flame. Before anyone can stop him, he picks up a tongs and pokes the fire. The flame leaps into the air and slowly capers around the room.

"I knew it was smiling at me! I want it! Please! Someone catch it! CATCH IT! I've never had a pet flame. I will call it Bernie! Please catch Bernie! "

[[OOC: If you try to catch it, read the "Try to touch the flame" entry]]
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Re: Captured! (Online Adventure)

Post by Isho »

Th creature puts his blood soaked crag of face down and sniffs hard.

"meat this way. I smell fear and flesh. The smell good."

*disenchant flame."
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