Chronolark - Part 1

Log Info

• Title: Chronolark - Part 1
  
• GM: Whirlpool
• Characters: Thoth, Reithak, Aznara, Tlanexhuani
  
• Location: The Badlands
  
• Summary: Adventurers are asked to go to Genrivia, in order to uncover magical artifacts that might help find temporal anomalies.

"Do you ever feel like you're missing something? Like asking yourself why the week seemed to go so fast, what happened to yesterday? What day is it really?"

The eldelry wizard smiled, but seemed content to continue his explanation without waiting for an actual response. "Some might think it the purview of the aged but time really *does* seem to have gotten away from all of us, hm?" He leaned heavily on his cane as he continued, "It is believed by some of us that we have, hm, *lost* time. As a result of divine meddling, the demon wars, whatever you want to consider -- but that there are bits of time, here or there, splintered or missing. Chronological energy, say, that isn't in its proper place. Guessing how much may well be impossible, but there may be a way to better measure this reality, or at least test against it. To do so, we'll need to craft a clock capable of minimal disruption, even in the event of chronological shifts or unsettlings in the flow of history and time itself. The demon wars are the likely suspect of the beginning of this process, but the changes in Navos due to the death of Animus may well be another."

He adjusted his resurrectionist pin.

"...that's where you come in," he explained, "and why we're hiring you. Some of you know my associate, Farley, lovely chap. ALways getting in trouble. Apparently he's ensnared in red tape over some magicite vein they found recently in the mountains and now the government has its eyes on the untapped magical potential in the Spires of Linneia over in the so-called 'Felwood', and they have precious little time for another like me suggesting more research."

He lets out a breath, "I need something very, very magical and -- " He eyed Thoth.

"...no, that's too old," he mutters.

"...something very old, very magical, and untouched. I suspect none of you know much of Genrivia, a site of prominence, a place where those who wished to rebirth magic into the world congregated as they did in Rune. Only these wizards gave rise to something far darker than they intended: the rise of the first lich of the new age. The city was sacked as a result of this and then fell beneath the earth, where it would be forgotten until it was found close to two decades ago. Now, it is home to dangers a plenty, but also magical artifacts of an earlier time, sitting somewhere between the old age of magic and the new. The scholar, Namra the Lost, to whom this vault is thought to have belonged, well, we do not have *much* knowledge of Genrivian magic or scholarship, but we have learned he had an interest in time energy and chronal magics. Her research and tools will provide us a great deal of insight and the tools we require to create a more accurate clock based on shifts in the sea of mana, to say the least."

He pinches his greying beard.

"The above ground site of the city has been secured, and the path in secured... but in addition to the potential danger of the vault and its magics, there is also the city's occupants."

"..../kobolds/."

Every adventurer's worst nightmare, of course.

No. Thoth has the opposite problem. It remembers things all too clearly. Memories it cannot forget, even though it wishes it could.

So it stares at the elderly wizard throughout his dialogue. Knowing very well the Magicite this man is referring to.

At being called 'too old', it clicks it beak in response. Clack clack. It's too hard to tell what it is thinking.

"This one understands. Elude or Annihilate Kobolds on the surface, Enter the vault belonging to Namra the Lost, retrieve magical artifacts within, return. This one will aid you on your research. This one believes there is merit. This one has... lost parts of its Memories. Parts of Time. So this one is curious as well."

Reithak was listening closely to the briefing, or at least as closely as could be managed, it was clear to see that at least some of it was going over their head. Enough was understood at the very least for the egalrin to look troubled, as might be expected.

"So, you're saying magic is even more out of whack than we thought maybe. I'm not master of arcane, but that doesn't sound too good." Reithak huffs. "That's settled then! We'll help best we can, diplomatically if possible. We're adventurers, not looters, you know."

Tlanexhuani knows something of time, a bit of old things, and even some of very old things. Still, he blinks slowly at the quantity of all the ... revelations given here. "This one iss here to help." He considers the presence of kobolds that seem to have taken up residence, but thruth be told... the Crafter was probably hooked at building a special timepiece.

"The ruins are populated by Kobolds, at war with everything seeking to take their home away from them. We understand their desires to protect what they believe is there's, and over time, we have come to the realization that trying to push them out of their home is too costly an undertaking to look at lightly. The value of the lives lost in the process is not worth what we would gain, I think."

The elderly wizard, he was introduced as Cham, strokes his beard again, "but you will descend into the ruins and travel to the location on the map provided. Take great care, and be watchful. The kobolds are unlikely to engage you outright until you are weakened by their traps. And, oh, there will be so *many* traps, I'm sorry to say." He makes a face.

"...be watchful, is all I can suggest."

And with that, you are given leave to prepare for the trip and receive the map. No big. Just moving in and out of a kobold infested ruins of a city underground. Nothing you can't handle.

Right?

Thoth takes the map and studies it for a while. Committing it to memory as best as it can, before offering it to Reithak and Thlanexhuani. "Understood. This one will request the aid of its Familiar to find the traps along the way. Perhaps, if we are never weakened, they will not bother us." It offers to Cham, before turning and heading out with the team. It sounds so assured of itself.

"Well, yeah, everyone needs a place to live and all that, but I do know that some races are much more amicable to negotiation than most. At least I hope when they went to go live in ancient caverns they weren't kicking out the people still living there, I hope." The large egalrin shrugs. "Traps, and more traps, sounds pleasant enough, nothing we can't handle. Let's just make sure we've got climbing gear and stuff in case they try to drop us in any pits, maybe some supplies in case they poison any of their traps, and extra light sources in case they douse all our torches. Doesn't hurt to be prepared, you know?" The inquisitor rattles off to one hand.

Aznara has arrived.

Genrivia sits deep to the northwest of Alexandria in the rugged and scarred so-called 'badlands'. Compared to the rolling green hills and fertile greenery of much of the rest of the area, it sticks out like a sore thumb. A particualrly ugly and scarred thumb, honestly. The lands beyond it further northwest lead towards the lands of Bludgun and Sendor.

Still, a better than a day's ride -- or in this case a couple hours by airship -- and you'll landing near set of equally scarred hilltops, and a camp site full of guards who are assigned to keep an eye on the area.

You're more or less waved through by the guards, who are expecting you, and directed towards a well secured tunnel's entry way, where you soon find yourself moving by mana-light to what appears to be the entry, after quite a walk, yes, to a vast chasm within.

...your lights, feeble as they are by comparison, shine over an entire, well preserved city scape that expands into the distance. This place once must have been a thriving and now it is only a bleak testimony to the march of history.

Leading down to it are very, very large set of stairs carved into the side of the chasm -- narrow enough that you need to take care, but not so narrow as to be actively treacherous.

As the group meets up and passes by the guard, Thoth grips its chest and pulls open a latch. Soon, revealing that within, is a cage of sorts. A bleary-eyed magical owl hoots, and step out onto Thoth's offered arm. The chest gets closed again, as Ra moves onto its shoulder, and they both begin to descend.

"This one will try its best to be on the lookout for traps. Perhaps we move slower, so we have more time to spot troublesome things." It offers to the group. "And proceed more... stealthily."

GAME: Thoth rolls Stealth: (3)+8: 11

GAME: Thoth rolls 10+3+2: (17)+10+3+2: 32

"Sounds good to me. How are you lot for seeing in the dark?", Aznara wonders as she approaches the top of the stairs and looks down them. She had her hood up most of the way here, but once the part was underground, she pulled it back as if no longer needing it over her head and shading her eyes. The side of the cloak, which looks quite a nice thing in and of itself, are tossed back over her shoulders... clearly to make the hilt of her rapier, sheathed on her left hip, and the handle of her whip, coiled on her right hip, easier to access.

Thoth chimes in for Aznara's purposes; "This one and its familiar, Ra, are quite adapted to the dark." It also knows that Tlanexhuani is capable of seeing in the dark, but it will let them reveal that themselves.

Tlanexhuani had not yet travelled by airship. This was a novel thing, and an excellent view. Of the inner workings of an airship, of course. The azure Makari emerges to the less-pleasant scarred countryside, though doesn't comment on it beyond slightly drooping tail. There isn't time to dewll on it, as he moves to stay near Thoth and so beings to descend as well. "This one thinks," he comments idly, "what great things ones here before made? Iss sad are not here now." After Aznara's inquiry, he responds, "This one spend many seasons under ground. See well without light."

Reithak passes by the guards leading into the ruins, and the large egalrin pauses just long enough to quietly whistle. "I can see why they'd want to set up shop here. Shame it isn't higher up, but that's not what we're here for anyways, and those kobolds are calling this place home."

"So, well, yes. Eyes and ears, and noses or their equivalents open." Reithak nods, fiddling with one their gloves, causing it to glow brightly. "There we go, it's hard to decide between being easier to ambush and being unable to see any traps before I stumble upon them, and I'll probably be more helpful this way."

"Well, let's just try and be quiet about it, then, shall we?", Aznara quips after the egalrin produces a lightsource, following along after the others as they head down the stairs.

The stairs are made of stone. Going down them is not exactly a 'quiet' process without care and, obviously, as you are carrying light, it's not exactly *subtle*.

So far, however, you are doing just fine...

Ra hoots.

Thoth suddenly, just as they are about to step further down the stairs, puts one arm out. Stopping some of the group from stepping further.

"This one bids you to be careful. The step is lubricated." It warns. "Let us carefully step to a safer spot."

Tlanexhuani, hunched and using his spear as a walking stave, may not be as quiet as some. Nor as inconspicuous. He does halt briskly enough at Thoth's warning and peers harder at the steps. "Sssa," he hisses quietly. "Not good fall. This one not have wing." He takes a very careful sidestep, checking what he spies against Thoth's, just to be sure.

Fortunately, bypassing the step is an easy, short hop.

As you continue your way down, you find other steps that have been slathered with this oil on the way down. So far, so good. They're easy enough to avoid. Dangerous, obviously, but progressively less so the closer you get to the bottom of the lengthy stairdcase.

GAME: Tlanexhuani rolls perception: (20)+10: 30

GAME: Reithak rolls perception: (10)+13: 23

GAME: Aznara rolls perception: (2)+11: 13

GAME: Thoth rolls 10+3+2: (11)+10+3+2: 26

GAME: Thoth rolls Perception+3: (20)+6+3: 29

GAME: Thoth refreshes spells.

GAME: Thoth casts Mage Armor. Caster Level: 5 DC: 16

Tlanexhuani's eyes are very mych on the steps immediately in front rather then their eventual destination after the lubricated one. He doesn't want to fall, or anyone else to, either. Even it they have wings.

So it is that he sharply and suddenly grabs Thoth by a shoulder to halt him as he looses a quick hiss. "Stop!" He then adds a bit louder, "Step broken. Not hold. Will fall." The butt of his spear points are the stairstep and the cracked portion, without touching it.

Ra hoots, Thoth spots the rock, but it's already stepping there. It lets out a squawk in the midst of losing its balance - but Tlanexhuani luckily stops it from stepping in it. Drawn back, it finds a good spot to step next instead, and does a small jump. "This one thanks thee, Lizardman." It chirps at Tlanexhuani.

Loose stones have been carved out of the step so that when Tlanex pokes it, they clearly wobble and tip. Land on those the wrong way and you're going to lose your footing, that's for sure.

Aznara continues to follow along, stepping over the slippery steps and, now, the loose one as well, as they are pointed out to her by those up front. It's at this point that she digs into her haversack for a moment, pulling out what looks like a clockwork parasol... though the object's clearly much too tall to actually fit in the bag; magic's obviously at play. Popping it open and spinning it slowly as she rests the stick on her shoulder, so that the umbrella fan is behind her head, she continues following along.

"Woah woah, more stuff?" The large egalrin huffs as she comes to a stop to avoid bowling over anyone on the way down. "How do they even get up here? There's way too many steps to count them all, maybe they've got another way down to here?"

Finally, *finally*, after all that you reach the bottom of the stairs.

Now, there's just the way into the city to go. This is a large, open chasm, and you're already on the outskirts, small and squat buildings and streets starting to form as you move closer.

The city is, as noted, remarkably well preserved, and the map you've got will guide you to your destination. It seems accurate, given where you're starting.

It is very quiet.

GAME: Thoth rolls Stealth: (15)+8: 23

GAME: Thoth rolls PErception+3: (6)+6+3: 15

GAME: Thoth rolls 10+3: (4)+10+3: 17

GAME: Reithak rolls perception: (18)+13: 31

GAME: Reithak rolls stealth: (12)+10: 22

GAME: Aznara rolls perception: (17)+11: 28

GAME: Aznara rolls stealth: (7)+10: 17

Aznara's parasol gets put back away, once the danger of falling ends with the stairs, and she steps off to one side... and out of the brightest part of Reithak's lighting. She says nothing, though she's obviously looking and listening, content to let someone else take the lead... perhaps to whomever the map was given.

GAME: Tlanexhuani rolls perception: (18)+10: 28

GAME: Tlanexhuani rolls stealth: (12)+-1: 11

Thoth moves down from the last step, but doesn't relax. It looks at the squat buildings, the old streets. Kobolds live here, yet there is no Yip or Yap to be heard. It may not know much about nature, but it understands that Kobolds are little yappers. Quiet means nothing good. So, it tries to move as quietly as it can - applying a bit of oil to its joints first - and proceeds onwards.

Aznara speaks, finally, barely a whisper -- but loud enough to carry to her teammates: "It seems -too- quiet. It would've been difficult to miss our descent, with the needed light making our travel easy to track." Her right hand, meanwhile, falls to her whip and pulls its coils free from its hanger on her hip.

"Are safe thanks enough," Tlanexhuani assures Thorth before they resume and finish descending. He doesn't seem to notice the parasol, so focused on the steps he was, before it is put away. This saves some confusion on his part with the lack of rain. "Ssa," he agrees softly. "iss ... strange." He own joins may or may not need lubricant, but the bronze banding over his scales is as well-maintained as can be. This doesn't exactly make it silent as he follows, nor does the light tap of wood on stone. "Maybe kobolds leave? Iss empty?" he offers optimistically after some steps.

GAME: Thoth rolls Knowledge/Dungeoneering: (11)+13: 24

Even with a map, being in an eerie and unfamiliar environment is going to make this a challenge, to say nothing of the limited value of your light sources here. Sure, your immediate environ is lit, but all across the way, there could be anything, lurking anywhere.

You push through the streets, hewing to the side and trying to reduec your visibility. Some of the buildings show paths you can pick through, as they are ruins, to avoid getting caught out in the open.

Many of these ruins look like they have long been picked clean of anything that might have been of value, but they are remarkably well maintained, if covered in dust. Holding together quite well. Then again, they've been in a sealed chamber for centuries, more or less.

You freeze, briefly, as you see some movement in the ditance at the edge of your light -- a solitary giant spider creeping through a building, dragging a squirming bundle behind it wrapped in webs.

Aznara narrows her eyes and slips closer to the others from where she's been, out at the edges of the light, so she doesn't have to be too loud. "Spider... possibly kobolds as its prey. Should we attempt rescue?", she questions, lifting the hand holding her still-coiled whip to gesture in the creature's direction.

GAME: Reithak rolls knowledge/nature+2: (4)+6+2: 12

"Possibly kobolds, possibly person, possibly something else." The large egalrin curses under her breath, already drawing her sword. "No time to second guess if it's any of those possibilities before it head back home. Best case we scare it off with minimal commotion and force it to leave it's things here. We can always come back here, but if there's anyone there, they don't have that luxury, y'know?"

The caught-yet-squirming prey could be a person. It could be an animal. Tlanexhuani watches it a moment. Yes, there could be more spiders. Yes, it could have caught a large rat or three.

He decides he is not willing to take that chance; Reithak's words are received easily and as reinforcement. "Whatever caught, needs help!" Tlanexuani then abandons what concealment he may have had to rush for the spider's catch.

As Reithak makes their move, the spider senses their approach. It leaps from the ground to the side of one of the buoldings, dragigng its bundle with it. It's not very far up, still in reach, but it's looking like its' already deciding it wants no part of you.

GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.

Round One - Init 20.

GAME: Aznara rolls weapon2: (20)+12: 32 (THREAT)

GAME: Aznara rolls intimidate: (19)+11: 30

Aznara darts after the big spider, letting her whip uncoil and trail behind her as she goes forward. She brings her right had forward quickly, then pulls it back and over her head to make the whip crack right where the spider's making contact with the bundle it carries.

GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.

Round One - Init 17.

GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.

Round One - Init 14.

GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.

Round One - Init 11.

GAME: Whirlpool reverses the initiative order.

Round One - Init 14.

The end of the swashbuckler's whip lashes back out after startling the spider, and wraps around the narrow end of the bundle. With a yank at the whip, Aznara tightens her 'grip' on the bundle. She's got it... but as slender and quick as she is, she doesn't look particularly strong. She probably isn't going to be able to pull it free of the spider's grasp on her own!

GAME: Reithak rolls strength: (15)+3: 18

GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.

Round One - Init 11.

GAME: Thoth casts Burning Hands. Caster Level: 5 DC: 18

GAME: Thoth rolls 5d4: (13): 13

"Good job! Don't let that thing get away!" Reithak cheers, Diving into the fray and leaping for the bundle of webbing with a huge flap of their wings, spraying a small cloud of feathers in the air as they grab a fistful of the material with their free hand, and some of their clothes by nature of the material. "Tlan! Get your butt over here, we've got this!"

"This one is not certain we should disturb ecosystem here." It offers to the group. But it is perfectly willing to go with the majority vote. So when the group moves towards the spider, it brings up a finger in preparation to start burning things.

For such is what Thoth does.

So, as people rush the bundle. Climb on the bundle. Whip the bundle. Thoth seems to almost unnervingly calmly step up to the spider... not experiencing things such as Arachnophobia... and proceeds to spread its fingers; opening small gates at the tips, and proceeds to flamethrowing the area ahead of itself, burning the webbing and the Spider if it wants to get uppity.

GAME: Whirlpool advances the initiative order.

Round One - Init 9.

GAME: Tlanexhuani activates his Titan Armor, gaining: +4 Str

GAME: Tlanexhuani rolls strength: (4)+5: 9

GAME: NEW ROUND!

Whirlpool advances the initiative order.

Round Two - Init 20.

The spider, a big black and hairy beast with so many eyes and fangs and pedipalps and ...

...well, you know, it decides lunch isn't worth being set on fire and flees up the side of the bulding and over onto its roof, limbs clattering away as it seeks escape.

Aznara flicks the arm with which she's holding the whip, to uncoil the end of the weapon from the package they've secured from the spider. "Now to free whatever's in there and see if this wasn't a waste of our time...", she says.

Tlanexhuani didn't need any encouragement; his butt (and the rest of him) was already on its way. He stops short of the now-flaming web and the Reithak'd bundle to help Aznara more directly. A snort sends a light shower of sparks downward from his nostrils; they strike the bronze bands about his chest and jolt them to begin to move on their own. The movement accentuates his own as he grabs for the whip to help pull. Perhaps too much, as scaled palms slip down the whip. At least he stops short of bapping the mul.

GAME: Tlanexhuani deactivates his Titan Armor.

GAME: Whirlpool removes the timestop.

Reithak has to take some time pulling one hand free, followed by the rest of her clothes and armor, and the egalrin is still left with more than a few wispy fragments of of webbing sticking off at odd places. "They're going? Great! Well, I'd say that went even better than expected." Reithak hums. "We should be careful, Tlan, you speak dragon, right? Gods, I should have got language lessons from that speaker when I had the chance, but it can't be helped. Going to need you on hand to talk if it is kobolds, since we can't have them running off if that thing poisoned them at all."

For the moment, the squirming in the cocoon has stopped. No doubt, whatever's inside is waiting to see what happened.

Aznara, after coiling her whip back up, pulls a goblin army knife from her bag... and steps up to the cocoon as she pulls out the thing's blade.

"Ssa," Tlanexhuani bobs his snout to Reithak, "this one knows the words, will share if kobold." He moves nearer the cocoon, though then waits. The hammer at his hip is not drawn as it is not good at cutting, and the crystal-tipped spear in hand is more a walking aid than sharp.

Well, speculation was right about one thing: there is a Kobold inside. In tatteerd robes and bloody, with bleeding knuckles, the grey-skinned lizardling vaults off the ground in a single smooth motion and goes into the air, landing with one foot on Thoth's head, and bounces off him to start running the other direction.

Yep, that kobold has zero plans on sticking around.