Apparently this Skalmad thing is more resiliant than I thought and worse, it's not even trapped in the Feywild; he has some kind of magic flying chair that takes him between there in the world, so unfortunately I can't count on him leaving Moonstair alone.
We're going in. We're following him. Before we do, I'm going to find out just how we're supposed to kill the troll without having just come back again.
Ugh. I acquired an Airship during my vacation and pretty much everyone but V has been a turned into Bahamut over it. The same *people* that gleefully rip trolls to pieces and then carefully split the spoils afterward got their panties in a bunch over the protestations of a few drow. Drow! The same drow who all worship Lolth, the Queen of Spiders. The same drow who consort with demons (bad ones, not like me). The same drow who would just as soon kill them all as look at them. Morons.
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--Vanèäron--
ReplyDeleteArcher's Log
Trollhaunt Warrens, continuing
After the successful defense of Moonstair, we all took a much-needed break. I hung around town to scope out the local talent and the rest of the crew did various things. Obsidian, however, took a trip to the tropics. While there, he "acquired" an airship of obvious value and dubious history.
While showing his new treasure to the group, some ill-tempered Drow arrived claiming ownership and threatening harm to our companion. Since every member of our party has-at one time or another-saved my bacon without question, I felt it best to dispatch these stated enemies of Obsidian and ask questions later. The middle of a fight is not the time to turn your back on your friends...
Found in the hold of the airship were a small handful of Firestorm Arrows. Obsidian graciously gave them to me, even though they were valuable and would bring a good price at market. It is a good thing, too. We needed them later in the day...
After we triumphed over the Drow and their pet tentacle-monster, we took a ride back to the Warrens. On the way, Gloomfang intercepted us and demanded return of "her" treasure! Dragons! They think they own every shiny thing in the realm!
Denied!
Once at the Warrens again, we went back to the Forge to recover the remaining treasure we had left there previously. Unfortunately, Skalmad had returned (Obsidian, I TOLD you he wasn't dead!) with more of his unwashed friends. Arrows flying! Swords flashing! Spells caroming off troll hide and exploding in noise and confusion! Drow going swimming!
We were going to win again!
Except...I didn't want to face Skalmad a third time and had a thought. The last time we killed him, we did it properly with fire and acid, he returned again. Obsidian was about to administer the killing blow with fire again and we stopped him. While his actions would have been proper with a normal troll, something about the Eye caused me to give pause. We implored Obsidian to use a regular attack, which succeeded, and the Eye vanished!
Yes, Skalmad resurrected, but this time without powers. One more attack and we were victorious! As we were gathering the loot, a townie was discovered hiding among the gold and gems. He told us about the paired thrones connecting the Feywild to this world, which was used by Skalmad to go between worlds. The townie also described the location where we were to go if we wished to recover the sword and the treasure which started this journey.
It looks like we still have some work ahead of us, this time in the Feywild...
"V"
Returned from the Warren and back in again. It seems like I'm doing more exploring in the swamp in the last few days than I normally do. After the strange man appeared at our camp, we entered the trolls' forge, slaying a small force that included a large, fiery lizard. One battle later we were once more short said strange man, and made a hasty exit of the Warren, slogging our way back to Moonstair, to find that both Obsidian and the archer, Vee as he's occasionally called, had gotten there already, and fought off some attacks from the trolls and their allies.
ReplyDeleteWe had a day or two reprieve from the fights, though there were still preparations to be made. Obsidian left the town, proclaiming he needed to take care of something. Apparently "something" was stealing an airship from Drow, promising that he'd protect them from...something at some point during or before his leaving, then getting the group together just to protect his person and interests. To do so he went to his bar to fetch some of us, collecting at least myself on the way to the docks.
He took us to the ship, and seemed to be showing it off until the drow appeared from behind some crates, claiming he had betrayed them. Admittedly, they are drow, but by the same token I've seen what Obsidian is capable of. I wouldn't be at all surprised if he'd sworn to protect them, as they proclaimed, then made off with the ship, thinking they'd not find him. I can't say if he knew they were coming, or simply wanted to stroke his own ego by showing it off, but he dragged us into the fight either way. I'd half hoped they would simply take Obsidian, possibly kill him, and the world would be less one self-centered warlock.
He may well have, too. The drow had apparently brought some kind of...sea creature. Summoning it to attack, and getting Obsidian into the water. The temptation was great to leave him to his fate, but for chance. Having climbed onto the boat in an attempt to try and get the beast's attention, I looked in to see if there might be better odds leaping in to just stab it in the eye, if it had one.
Looking down, though, and despite the churning caused by the tentacles, I happened to spy the pendant I wear. Despite how I may feel about him, simply leaving him to the devices of the drow, it's not what I am. I dove in after him, and though it didn't seem to take much, seemed to slay the thing, or at least make it retreat. We swam to the dock, though I think he more slumped up onto it, probably because of the waterlogged robes he had on at the time.
The rest of the group had all but handled the drow by that point, I think. The archer had gotten a hold of the ballista in the guard tower, and landed a bolt right into one of the drow. Not a pleasant sight, for certain. After the fight, Obsidian, still drenched, made his way as regally onto the boat as was possible.
Shathyn headed into town, away from the tiefling, and while I was inclined to join him, I didn't think the drow would simply give up. Once Khar'dan had removed the chains from the wheel, it was decided we'd use the ship to get back to the Warren. We left not too long after, taking a rest on the way. Shathyn, by some strange happening, ended up on the boat as something was spotted on the horizon. Gloomfang.
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ReplyDelete(Yay two parter, and realizing I didn't get it all in so added a delete!)
ReplyDeleteShe howled about her treasure, which would have been the mess we found shortly out of her lair, hidden away in the muck. She closed on the ship, and I'll admit the fight itself becomes a blur. All I remember was trying to keep her attacking me, and that she almost knocked me off the ship. The latter may explain why details elude me, since falling from that high would require considerably more than a new arm.
We arrived at the Warren once more, without further incident, though Obsidian was understandably upset that he couldn't find a way to keep the ship from being taken, should someone come upon it. Hazarding a guess, the drow had eyes on us since we left the port, and might even now have the ship once more under their control. I have to say it makes me grin a bit. Turnabout, it's been said, is fair play.
We fought back to the forge, then pressed on, only to come face to face with a more guant, but no less foreboding. He and Obsidian had words before he moved to attack, leaping a raging river and setting about on us with his eye's fire magic. The other trolls and two drow followed suit, the dark elves throwing daggers as near as I could tell. I moved to engage the troll "king", at least letting him know I had my eye on him, then shifted around him, ignoring his axe swing as I moved to strike at the drow on the opposite shore.
Through the power of nature, my reach was extended to the point that the ten foot gap meant nothing, and pulled one straight into the river, sending him downstream and far from us. The other quickly followed, more focused on the others than me, and spat curses at me as I turned to join in the fight against the trolls once more. Skalmad has somehow gotten into the middle of the group, likely more of his magic, and the self proclaimed "lord" had gotten himself stuck between the also self proclaimed "king", and another troll. Being as they both looked at least a bit singed, there was, as normal, plenty of fire to go around.
I moved to try and get Skalmad's attention again, though if I succeeded it became academic, as he was laid out on the ground shortly after. Having not been *killed* with fire, as Obsidian was reigned in a bit to prevent such, he would get up again, presumably after his eye was removed, and thus be killable without retreating magically again. That, too, became moot, since it vanished once he'd fallen, and a little alchemist's acid was enough to keep him down permanently.
That accomplished, the remaining trolls mopped up, we had time to look around, and in doing so found both Skalmad's treasure, and someone he'd been keeping as a personal slave. The man informed us that the crystal throne in the room was in fact a portal to the Feywild, and that through it we would be able to retrieve the sword claimed by Skalmad from a group that had come to try and kill him.
Having split the treasure, we're going to rest, then use the throne to go look for the sword. I worry about both what we'll find there, and where the eye went when Skalmad fell and lost it. He's certainly dead now, but someone or something else may have found the eye, and intend to use it. We'll need to be prepared for what might come, and hopefully put an end to the troll army's new leader, if there is one.
A good report, although something tells me we're not through this thing yet. Rule of three, and all that. Two down, one to go.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, It seems to enjoy beating me up, and it insulted my Powers, so that's enough reason right there to go find it, leaving aside that Moonstair will never be safe until it's dead.
And on the side, did you ever consider that leaving me to die at the hand of unknown assailant is exactly what I might have done, were I in your position? Accepting that, you might have to admit that I'm rubbing off on you a little.
(And I am so very very late in putting this up. I swear my procrastination will prove terminal one of these times, but whatever.)
ReplyDeleteLog of Khar'dan, Entry 29:
Skalmad is dead!
Of course, getting to him was a bit tricky, what with the airship debacle. Obsidian could stand to be a tad less... scheming. We'll go with that. He stole it from drow, which helped his case of it actually being a vaguely noble cause. They yelled something about him protecting it or skullduggery, I think, but that's just standard procedure for Obsidian.
The airship got us to Skalmad, though, and gave us a chance to put that damnable black dragon hiding in the Trollhaunt down. Quite literally, as we were mid-flight when she attacked. I imagine she left a spectacular crater on impact.
The eye yet remains unaccounted for. At the time of Skalmad's death, it vanished from his eye socket, likely to the Feywild. We've also the sword of a hero to reclaim, and it seems to be in the Feywild as well, as it wasn't within the Trollhaunt.
Skalmad's throne-gate will provide us the answers we need. Or, on an off chance, get us killed. I'm really hoping the former.
(Also, O Lord Obsidian, him leaving you to be killed by the drow wouldn't have been truly character breaking. The more lawful neutral approach of letting you suffer for your crimes, certainly, but an LG character wouldn't cringe so much at the "letting you die" part as the "hey, average evil drow getting away with evil there" part. So keep it in mind.)