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Dungeon Crawl


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Demon Girl
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Re: Dungeon Crawl

1. Do not fight her, accept her offer of rest and reward.

She seems trustworthy, and this option will hopefully give a better chance to get to know her. At the very least, she seems unlikely to respond by having us killed... .
 

tomaito89

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Re: Dungeon Crawl

2. I fucking HATE necromancers AND their spawnlings, but fighting her in this state is foolishness. Let's grab our kobold buddy (I'm sure he'll appreciate our new looks) and get the fuck out of Dodge.
 

sturm

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Re: Dungeon Crawl

EDIT:
4 Essentially 1 but with conditions. I would suggest we ask that the regular soldiers below be given some safeguard or way of stopping the ghouls and countess if it becomes necessary. I would suggest blessing their weapons in the morning. She should also name an heir as soon as possible.
+1, but I don't think our priestess can bless weapons unless they convert to her religion. I believe that was the issue we ran into with Hadrian. Speaking of, isn't there a tentacle demon hand running around?
 
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maxentius-septimus

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Re: Dungeon Crawl

4 Essentially 1 but with conditions. I would suggest we ask that the regular soldiers below be given some safeguard or way of stopping the ghouls and countess if it becomes necessary. I would suggest blessing their weapons in the morning. She should also name an heir as soon as possible.
 

MrMe

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Re: Dungeon Crawl

4 Essentially 1 but with conditions. I would suggest we ask that the regular soldiers below be given some safeguard or way of stopping the ghouls and countess if it becomes necessary. I would suggest blessing their weapons in the morning. She should also name an heir as soon as possible.
Yeah, I'll go with this
 

maxentius-septimus

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Re: Dungeon Crawl

Whoever wants their sword blessed should have the option. They would also have the means to fight the demon hand if it shows up.
 

omegau

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Re: Dungeon Crawl

4 Essentially 1 but with conditions. I would suggest we ask that the regular soldiers below be given some safeguard or way of stopping the ghouls and countess if it becomes necessary. I would suggest blessing their weapons in the morning. She should also name an heir as soon as possible.
+1
 
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BlueSlime

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Re: Dungeon Crawl

In your impromptu team huddle, the four of you hash out the pros and cons.

"We must remember, she is a creature of necromancy - no longer the human she once was," warns Hadrian solemnly, though his voice begins to falter, showing signs of fatigue setting in, now that the immediate combat has finished.

"Unnatural she may be," Reina admits, "But she has made her point well. We are in no position to defeat her and she is giving us a chance to escape."

"Not merely escape, but a reprieve and much needed rest," Elise notes. "None of us are well, Hadrian alone will need days of rest to be fully travel-worthy."

"I am fine," he mutters.

"You are far from fine," you say, pointing out his wounds.

"I could say the same of all of you," he responds. "A cat and a drake where once I traveled with humans. But steady, I take your point. But we must insist on conditions."

Hadrian turns from you to face the Countess once again.

"All right, we will take your offer. But you and the ghouls must keep to this tower. Do not mingle with your remaining human retainers. It will only provoke conflict. I will take temporary command of the guards, and we shall see your husband laid to rest."

"There is also the matter of the demon's hand," Elise states. "It appeared to be driven off, and my strengthened connection to Zerica suggests that it has moved on, but it may return."

The Countess' gaunt and ashen face shows little emotion as she nods to your friends' requests.

"I grant you leave to command my guards, paladin. In the meanwhile, I will control the ghouls as best I can. They will remain with me in the tower. Use the main keep for as long as you need to recover from your injuries. You may bury my husband by the rites of your Order. He was not particular to any one god, but Jorn oversees all whose duty is to the land and the people. Even if he faltered at the end, I know he must have been truly conflicted."

The four of you accept this state of affairs and descend the staircase, walking by the pack of ghouls who grunt and hiss while piling over a pulpy mass of gore that had previously been Osvar, the apprentice necromancer. You personally feel that a natural justice has occurred with both the deaths of Merik and Osvar, the two men who were chiefly responsible for the degradation you suffered in the dungeons of this horrid keep. You will be glad to be rid of this place, but for now, with the storm still thundering overhead, the four of you head to one of the rooms not destroyed by the fight with the demon hand and take stock of your situation.

Along the way, Hadrian pauses to speak tiredly with the remaining guards, who have gathered in the great hall and look at a loss when informed about the passing of their count. Elise ensures that all blame is laid chiefly at D'Graz' feet. His sorceries are at the core of all that transpired in Barrowbridge, and his desire for a tome that would increase his blasphemous powers has directly led to the demon attack, the false imprisonment and attacks on your persons, the death of this land's ruler, and the unnatural transformations performed on the local populace, including the Countess.

The soldiers take this news hard. Numbly they consent to follow Hadrian's orders for the time being, as his order of paladins is well-known throughout the lands, and here in Dal, they are respected authorities when a local ruler is not at hand. Eventually, some sort of message must be sent to the Dalish king, and the crown will sort out what will happen going forward.

They take up watch for signs of the demon hand's retreat. Servants are roused from the keep village to tend to the many corpses and broken furniture. Eventually, the Count's body is removed from the tower and brought to be cleaned for burial in the local shrine to the pantheon of gods.

The four of you take a much needed rest, true sleep overcoming you swiftly. There's no room for awkward conversations about all the insanity that has just occurred. You briefly are introduced to Reina properly, but in name only before you lie back and let a troubled sleep sweep you away.

---

The following morning brings with it confirmation that the healing process will be a slow one, especially for Hadrian. His renowned fortitude in the face of immediate danger is otherworldly, but once the danger has passed, the full effects of his grievous wounds render him bedridden. His skin takes a yellowish-green hue from the infective ghoul's rot, and Elise confirms that he's suffered at least a mild concussion. She and a local herbalist do their best ease his condition, but he will need to stay in bed for a few more days at the least.

You are also in need of some more rest to make a full recovery, so you stay in the keep, hidden away from most of the soldiers and servants. A young handmaiden serves you some simple meals, and stares overlong at your horns and claws and tail. She asks you if you've been cursed by the necromancer, and you inform her that these are the marks of a dragon, and that you have been made stronger by having them. Then you tell her to get out, because you have a headache, while in truth you are simply annoyed that she called your appearance a 'curse.'

Elise comforts you by saying she has been getting the same treatment for her own condition. The two of you fill one another in on the nature of your changes. You appreciate her saying that she approves of your decision, and that she believes that if you are pleased with your new looks, then she is as well. You thank her for the kind words.

Reina recovers quicker than anyone else in the party, and even manages to sneak away at one point, returning half a day later with news that the nearby towns have heard of the great battle with the necromancer. Fear that he escaped is tempered by the knowledge that there are heroes in the land willing and able to fight against him. Tales of your deeds are spreading.

At some point on the second day of recovery, you and Elise are finally able to corner the elf and have a chat with her about who she is and what she was doing at the keep in the first place. She says that there are some details of her past that will just have to remain a mystery for now, but she claims to be a ranger from the blighted lands, far to the southwest, beyond the Great Woods that are home to the largest population of elves that still dwell on the surface of the known lands.

She claims that she is not a wood elf, though she has met and spoken with those "cousins" on many occasions. Neither is she a Deep Elf, as some of her captors accused her of being. She has met and dwelt with those "cousins" as well, but she does not put faith in the dark gods that they worship.

Her purpose in wandering through human lands was to investigate the unnatural sorcery that was twisting the Dalish Uplands and threatening to spread into the Wilds. Rangers are similar to Paladins in that both seek to discover and destroy evil, but the former does so from outside the bounds of human law and tradition.

Reina shows an intense curiosity for both Elise and yourself, fascinated with both of your tales. Like Elise, she is interested in rediscovering the secrets of long lost elven ruins that predate the Shattering, and while she is no expert in dragons, she has a deep respect for the powerful magic they possess, which has exhibited itself in you. You also note how she asks after Hadrian, wanting to know more about his standing in human society, his creed, his vows, and his personal attachments. She seems pleased to know that he has no wife or promised love interest.

By the third day of rest and no strenuous activity, you feel the effects of Osvar's necromantic poison leave your system. Your natural strength returns to you. You also feel as though you have grown from this experience, but in what way still remains to be seen. (A)

Ariel has leveled up!

Choose an attribute to increase once.

Current stats:

Str 8 -1 (Increasing once would eliminate the -1)
Dex 16 +2 (At 18, you max out at +3 bonus)
Con 12 +0 (Increasing once would grant a +1 and you gain a hit point)
Int 13 +1
Wis 9 +0
Cha 16 +2 (At 18, you max out at +3 bonus)

You may also choose a new technique for Ariel to learn!

1. Bardic Confidence: Whenever your actions assist one of your companions, gain a +1 bonus to your next action.

2. Convincing Demeanor: Whenever you succeed in a manipulation roll, gain a +1 bonus to any follow up action against the same target.

3. Duelist's Parry: Whenever you engage in melee, you add +1 to your armor value.

4. Eldritch Tones: Your normal (non-dragon) songs are strengthened and you may choose an extra effect from among (healing/damage bonus/remove fear/disenchant/improved team tactics); this will also help you avoid drawing attention.

5. Healing Song: When you play a melody of healing, you now heal both your ally and yourself for 1d8 HP each.

6. Magical Dabbling: Gain the ability to cast dragon magic as if you were a Mage. (MAGIC IS BASED OFF OF INTELLIGENCE)

7. Dragon's Voice (aka Fus Ro Dah): Shout with great force, then make a Constitution roll. Success means a target takes 1d10 damage and is temporarily deafened.

8. Vicious Cacaphony: When using your bard song to grant bonus damage, you may buff two allies instead of one.

As you reflect upon all that has happened, you realize that you see your life and your companions a bit differently than you had before. No longer are you the naive, carefree girl with fantasies of singing songs about dragons. Now you feel that draconic presence inside of you, and you respect the great beasts properly. You believe that you have found a nobler purpose for your songs, and that is to restore humanity's understanding of dragons, as well as their role as guardians against the great and terrible forces that threaten to shatter the world.

You feel the tug of your mission to distant Orumar, to seek out Xarenthezar and warn him of the demonic threat. You also sympathize with your companions' fears about D'Graz now that he has his book and has escaped. You also know that Elise continues to speak on about fulfilling her new mission to restore the faith of Zerica - which she says will mean a trek north, into your mutual homeland of Nhem. She believes that those responsible for the doom of her goddess' temples are not associated with D'Graz. She also believes that the maps she recovered of ancient elven ruins could lead to the discovery of powerful ancient relics - tools that could be used to accomplish any of the group's quests. What priority will you argue for the group to set? (B)

1. Journey to Orumar in the East, through the depraved nation of Nazak.

2. Seek out rumours of D'Graz to the West, in the Forest of Shadows.

3. Ride into the heart of the Empire of Nhem, to the North, to investigate the threat to Zerica's temples and the activation of the Chaos portals.

4. Explore the forgotten ruins of an elven city, upon one of the tropic isles along the Southern Coast.
 

maxentius-septimus

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Re: Dungeon Crawl

A: I don't really know much about the stats so I won't vote for that.
Either 4. Eldritch Tones or 5. Healing Song sound like the best to me.
 
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BlueSlime

BlueSlime

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Re: Dungeon Crawl

The stats follow classic D&D.

You have six choices: increase Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma.

Bardic songs are based on Charisma, which is your ability to socially get things done.

Fighting with a dueling rapier or shooting things is with dexterity

Fighting with regular melee stuff is strength

Constitution is your toughness.

Intelligence is your smarts and magical aptitude and lore knowledge

Wisdom is your perception and your mental resilience. It also helps with priest spells, but Ariel doesn't need that.
 

moonblack

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Re: Dungeon Crawl

A. Constitution and Duelist's Parry - because we are going to end fighting again sooner or later, and both will improve our odds of survival. Also, my second choice would be Eldritch Tones, if there are not enough votes for Duelist's Parry

B. 1 (or 3, there aren't enough votes for 1)
 

tomaito89

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Re: Dungeon Crawl

A: Strength and Bardic Confidence.

B: Travel to Nhem (3)
 

sturm

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Re: Dungeon Crawl

A. Intelligence and Eldritch tomes
B. 3. To the Empire and the temples
 
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