TOOG: Part 2

TOOG: Part 2




The party, such as they are, have yet to decode the scroll they found on the necromancer. Lacking any other leads, they head north, where the Stranger believes there to be a fair.

On their way, they encounter a covered cart on the road. Careful suspicious squinting and creeping reveals that the cart is pulled by a giant lizard, and driven by what appears to be a Kobold with a straw hat and a fake moustache.
He claims to be a Mr Haricot Mungo, of Haricot Mungo's Mystical Emporium and fishing Tackle.

The ladies ask him if he has masks for the rumoured fair, and spend half an hour picking masks while the Kobold enthusiastically assists them and presents random other non-mask objects.
Magic detection reveals that only one mask is magical, and the merchant says that it's prrrrobably cursed (not surprising, given that it's just a creepy oily dark cloth in an unknown shape).

Lhoryn asks Haricot if he's killed any Gnolls. Haricot says no. The next question concerns weapons, and the kobold eagerly provides a selection of objects, most of them even weapons. The creature made of teeth in the goldfish bowl is probably not a weapon.
It's decided that the party does not have the wealth to buy any magical weapons, and they part ways.

The party reach Redstone and wander around what seems like a number of deserted tents and stalls, eventually coming across a short fat drunken man wailing and bemoaning about a loss of fun and spectral curses.
Some moments of bemused questioning later, a woman appears to attend to the drunk and explains.
Apparently the town's founder was interred in a nearby tomb, and had established a tradition of paying him yearly respects. During the great fair, he had gotten wind of all the fun being had and cursed the town to no longer have fun. Apparently most of the town and visitors are busy getting drunk inside. The party is implored to venture to the tomb and fix things.

Franzibald begins to plan how to extort the kobold upon his arrival to the fair, but his plan is quashed.

Lacking any reason not to, the party trudges up to the tomb of Caloric, founder of Redstone.
They see a large stone structure, apparently partly sunk into a swamp.
They also see BULLYWUGS
Battle ensues.

TOOG: Part 1

The Party:
Mialee, Eladrin sorcerer. Orphaned foundling, has a backstory of several incinerated willages (only one of them intentionally).
Franzibald Fitzherbert, Human wizard. Student from a far off land, teleported here with the task of returning to the school. It's a wizard thing.
Lhoryn, Gnoll Fighter. Last of his clan after they were mysteriously decimated, joined the party in the hopes that they'll find out who dunnit.
Stranger, Changeling Cleric. Worships only her own pantheon of dead gods, that she claims speak to her. Accompanied by:
Scissors, Sassy Horse. Screams obscenities and aggressive remarks. Fortunately only speaks Horse.
Glom (Conglomerate), Oldest Basilisk. Blind and older than the world. Spends most of his time sleeping when not plodding behind the party.

Our brave heroes adventurers are currently following a lead on 'magic people' at the request of the Gnoll. Questioning "smelly woman with baby", they now head to the ruins of a nearby wizard's tower.

Skill checks reveal fire near the tower.
Approaching reveals a necromancer overseeing a number of archeologist-trench-digging zombies.
Multiple requests to leave sit unwell with the party.
Necromancer brings out a couple of armoured men from within the ruins of the tower. He continues to be uncooperative and demanding that the party leaves to permit him to continue with his work.
Initiative inevitably ensues.
The party is swarmed by soldiers and zombles, and the necromancer causes the Gnoll's flesh to slough off for the duration of the fight.
Several rounds of careful maneuvering and corpse-beating free the party up to scatter and the fighter to go slap the necromancer around. Much groaning when the zombies keep popping up again.

The necromancer (Helvec) is eventually taken down nonlethally and tied up. Franz tries several times to slap him awake, and fails. He then goes to rummage around and finds a scrolltube with something coded inside, while Stranger tries not to break down from having killed one of the humans (and later sneaks in a heal check to stabilise him).
Lhoryn takes a turn with Helvec and punches him awake.
He proceeds to mock Franz, who tells the Gnoll to torture the necromancer.
JOLLYNESS ENSUES
It is suggested OOC that the cleric could heal the necromancer so that they can break his toes a second time, as he's too busy screaming in pain to answer anyone.
The cleric instead attempts a heal check, critically fails and slays Helvec.
She reasons that it was the will of the (her) gods.
They loot further, and find some money.
Time is spent explaining the concept of money to the Gnoll.
It isn't easy.

Lhoryn grabs Franz and demands to know how come the wizard hadn't told him that he was, in fact, a wizard. What with the Gnoll hunting down Magic Men.
Suspicion remains, but the wizard is not torn limb from limb.
THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP

Veosair, the Art of Knowing

I made up the name on the spot, shut up.

Veosair is the technique employed by the Delving Archivists (I had a better name that I lost, also shut up) to do their thing.

The Archivists thing is to go into the dark places of the world, and rip lost knowledge from the hands of whatever might be clutching at it. And they do this, with Veosair.

To be a practitioner of Veosair, you need a strong and agile mind. And a lot of study time.
The core of the art is to have such a solid understanding of an object or principle that your personal reality supersedes local reality.
A student of Veosair who has grasped the essence of swords can swing him arm around and cut someone who is several feet away. Understanding of armour can help them deflect a blow, seemingly off a shield. In reality, it's their understanding of these things that is so profound that it impact on the material world.

Think wandering battle librarians.



They can either be found in their library/fortress of The Archive, or wandering to/from/in whatever dungeon they think might contain something interesting. Lich lairs, crazy wizard laboratories, ruined cities and whatever tickles their fancy.

A group of Archivists typically contains a couple of apprentices on field experience, a handfull of mid-grade combat capable archivist-Warriors, and one or two well-learned Scholars.
An Apprentice will usually know some basic battle Veosair or have limited understand of an element, a Warrior is fully proficient in beating the shit out of people with mindswords and will know a few useful definitions, and a Scholar will typically eschew weaponry Veosair and stick to something more complex such as Time, Thought, Space.


Individuals always have their own designs, but as an institution, they're only interested in knowledge. They're mostly self-funded from all the other crap they find on expeditions.