Megadungeon B (IC)

[D_Man_7733]

Garol HP: 16/16 AC: 19
Active Auras (all allies out to 60ft): +1 initiative/dex based skills
+1 Fast healing if you fall to or below half HP

"Got it!" Garol shouts as he approaches the north of the glop, using his shield so that when Eleanor hits it, it can only go one direction

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Aid another str?: (1d20+3)[5]

[RaggedAngel]

Doldor

Doldor and Brutus wait for Elanor to charge, at which point the dwarf and hound both rush the ooze with their new allies, both of them letting out a howl of challenge. They hit the ooze like twin hammers, though to how much effect remains to be seen.

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Doldor Bull Rush assist: (1d20+4)[15]

Brutus Bull Rush assist: (1d20+4)[15]

[Malimar]

DM
Eleanor isn't sure what this creature is, or any weaknesses or strengths it might have. All she knows is it's some kind of ooze. They can be shoved around bodily, though one often doesn't want to touch an ooze. They tend to be at best grossly slimy and at worst acidically digestive.


Scarecrow breathes on the creature, and his fire and entanglement do appear to have their full effect! The creature is made of not-particularly-flammable goo, so it wouldn't normally burn, but Scarecrow's fire is magic, so entangling bands of fire encircle the ooze.


Eleanor, aided by Garol, Doldor, and Brutus, approach and try to herd the monster by shoving it! It rather ignores Garol's efforts, but Eleanor singlehandedly shoves it back a solid five feet. (The crowd cheers) The monster worbles and jurbles at it (a hush falls over the crowd) comes to a halt just short of the edge of the blue sand (the crowd exhales a collective "ooooh", as they realize how close that was). (The creature's outer membrane also has a yellowy bruise where Eleanor shoved it. The slimy residue it leaves on Eleanor's armor doesn't seem to be melting through or anything, so maybe barreling into it like that really was an okay idea.) But then, a dwarf and his dog hit the ooze, just barely shoving it the last precious few feet, over the line, out of the blue sand!

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=p===p=p=p====p=p===
==p==p==####pp===p==
==p######╪╪######=p=
==##............##p=
p=#..............#=p
==#..............#p=
=p#..............#p=
p=#.....,,,,.....#==
==#....,,,,,,....#=p
=p#...,,,,,,,,...#p=
p=#..,,,,,,,,,,..#p=
=##.,,,,,,,,,G,,.##=
p#╪.,,,,,,S,D,,oo╪#=
=#╪.,,,,,,,,E,,oo╪#p
=##.,,,,,,,,,b,,.##=
p=#..,,,,,,,,,,..#p=
==#...,,,,,,,,...#=p
=p#....,,,,,,....#==
=p#.....,,,,.....#=p
p=#..............#==
==#..............#p=
=p#..............#==
p=##............##p=
===######╪╪######===
=p==p==p####=pp===p=
=====p===p=====p==p=

# - wall
= - stadium seating
p - spectator
╪ - door
. - sand
, - blue sand
E - Eleanor
S - Scarecrow
G - Garol
D - Doldor
b - Brutus the dog
o - orangey ooze

The crowd goes wild, so much so that you can barely hear the announcer declare, "That's victory for the gladiators! An impressive show, breaking our previous record, for thirty-two hundred gold!"

The east doors to the arena slam open, and several acolytes are there, waving around chunks of aromatic meat, trying to distract the ooze. They succeed, and it schlorps off, to be put back wherever they were keeping it.

Brutus appears surprised and alarmed as the creature's acid starts to dissolve his fur where he slammed into it. He shakes himself, sending specks of acid everywhere, but not in sufficient concentrations to do anything worse than sting a little.

You all gain 225 experience.

"Do our adroit gladiators dare to face round six, for eight thousand gold?"

[RaggedAngel]

Doldor

The druid tends to his companion's fur carefully, brushing away the acidic slime with a tender hand. When he is done, he looks to the others, hesitant. "Again, that went very well, but if we had not been given an automatic win condition things could have gotten deadly very quickly. We have beaten the previous record and earned quite a fair bit of gold. The phrase 'quit while you're ahead' comes to mind."

[RCgothic]

Eleanor

I can't believe that worked! I roar my appreciation to the crowd and high five any of my companions who wish to reciprocate before kneeling in the dust and offering a quiet prayer of thanks to Numiel for the incredible feat we just performed.

With that essential task done, I stand and shake my head to the unseen announcer and my fellows.

"I feel that is enough. We can always return later after we've trained some more."

[Sliver]

Scarecrow

The warforged looks at the herded ooze with some disappointment. He didn't get the challenge he sought, but felt that now would be really pushing it. He nodded quietly to Eleanor.

[D_Man_7733]

Garol

In agreeance with everyone else Garol leaves to collect his share of the prize money.

[Malimar]

DM

The announcer: "Our new champions have decided to go home with their winnings!" Most of the crowd cheers (a small handful boo) as the party triumphantly heads back out of the arena and back to the gladiator locker room.

A couple of priests of Inglip meet them there. (There's a brief whispered conversation between the priests, as they decide whether Brutus counts as a separate participant or not, which is to say, whether Brutus merits a share of the gold. Luckily for the sake of balance, they apparently decide he doesn't, so Doldor only gets one share.) The priests distribute the 3200gp winnings in easily-portable form: 80 platinum pieces each to Eleanor, Scarecrow, Garol, and Doldor.

And then, you're free to go!

[RCgothic]

Eleanor

Champions of the arena! I feel barely connected to the ground. When I left Vertical Falls I thought maybe I'd be able to accomplish a few things and my capture by Nalf and subsequent escort of the freedpersons had been a rather inauspicious start. And this was supposed to be just a bit of light training before our mission proper. But champions of the arena! That's something else entirely!

I take my reward still almost in a daze - it's not more money than I've ever seen before, but it comes close. I should send a portion home, to make up for my absence at the farm and pay back the equipment I'd 'borrowed'. I swish my glaive experimentally. A kernel of an idea had formed during one of those rounds and I begin to mentally fill in the details. But that can wait.

I punch Scarecrow playfully on the arm as we exit the arena, my gauntlet clanging off his plate. "Thanks for convincing me to stay one more round. This feeling is totally worth it!"

[RaggedAngel]

Doldor

The druid adds a hearty pile of platinum to his previously meager funds, a broad smile on his face. "I'll say, that was a damned good time. You lot are a competent group. It looks like the road brought me to town at just the right time, to have met you. Isn't that right, Brutus?"

Brutus seems in great spirits as well, and he trots over to Eleanor, butting his head against her leg playfully. It's a bit amusing to watch; the dog weighs as much as a full grown man, and he's covered with bits and pieces of monsters that he's just killed. Even so, his tongue lolls carelessly from his mouth, and he looks back and forth between his new friends, wondering who is most likely to scratch his head.

[Rizban]

Shian

As they leave the arena, a small sparrow swoops down through the air to land on Eleanor's shoulder, letting out a merry chirp in the process.

[Sliver]

Scarecrow

Scarecrow takes the gold silently and walks out. When Eleanor thanks him, he can't share her excitement. "Those victories were too easy... The arena wasn't as challenging as I thought... But I know that alone it would have been different, and that I still have to grow in power before I can seek the excitement I desire."

[RaggedAngel]

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Knowledge (Nature): (1d20+3)[9]
Could a druid notice Shian?

EDIT- Not with that roll.

[Rizban]

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He isn't hidden, so everyone should be able to see him...

[RCgothic]

Eleanor

"I am sorry you did not find that challenging Scarecrow.We had an easier time of it than we should, but counting on our good luck continuing would have been to invite disaster. Perhaps we will find greater foes on our next mission."

I indulge Brutus by giving him a quick scratch between the ears. I'm a little surprised by a sparrow landing on my shoulder whilst I do so, but after the day I've been having so far it'll take a lot to phase me. I think about whether to pet the sparrow as well, but figure a wild bird is unlikely to accept that sort of contact, so I just let it be.

"I have an idea for some of this money that requires me to visit a weaponsmith and then a postal service. Would we be ready for our next mission after that? I am still of a mind to go to the rescue of the seaforged Titan, but I think Scarecrow would prefer to map the tombs. Is that still the case?"

[Sliver]

Scarecrow

"Mapping the tombs can wait, but you never know when things turn bad for the titan. I do not mind putting my preference on hold, for the time being." Scarecow says.

[Rizban]

Shian

Quite happy to be perched on Eleanor's shoulder, Shian occasionally twitters happily to himself but otherwise just goes along for the ride.

[RaggedAngel]

Doldor

The dwarven druid watches the sparrow with a bemused smile, only halfway paying attention to the other's conversation. "You're a funny little fellow, aren't you?" He says to the bird. "I can't recall the last time I met a bird so willing to get that close to an armored human, clanking about with the scent of metal and oil. Good for you, I suppose; you managed to pick a friendly one."

He turns his attention back to the conversation. "I'd like to go about rescuing that seaforged, if we could. I may not count myself among the Engineers, but I still have their blood, and their creations are partially my responsibility. And beside that, it's the right thing to do."

[RCgothic]

Eleanor

"Garol, do you agree? And didn't you want to get a new crossbow and identify those gold vials we picked off those frog monsters the other day?"

[D_Man_7733]

Garol

"Thank you, the vials are probably the most important though, I'll see if I can requesition a crossbow for when we get back if there are none readily available, I much prefer being close anyway. Especially after the money we recieved from the arena, I could get something a little more interesting than just a plain crossbow." Garol does little more than smile at the sparrow, acknowledging it's presence as a pleasant surprise.

[RaggedAngel]

Doldor

Tugging on one of his braids to straighten it, Doldor adds a little more to the conversation. "I wish I could help with the potions, but my understanding of magical items isn't the best. I'm better at bashing faces than understanding glowing liquids, sorry to say. But as for our winnings, I think I may get me a belt of healing. They're damned useful things, from what I've heard, and it'll use most of the winnings while leaving me a little something for a rainy day."

[RCgothic]

Eleanor
"OK, then let's reconvene in a couple of hours and we'll set out to rescue Titan."

Eleanor then sets off to give a weaponsmith plans for her glaive variant, and to find a post service to send 400g back to Falls Farm, Vertical Falls, sparrow still apparently in tow.

[D_Man_7733]

Garol

"I'll see you guys at the guild later then." Garol also goes off to get himself a well built warhammer and light crossbow, asking to see if it's possible to get a blade fitted on to the end of the crossbow for when people get close.

[Malimar]

DM
So the party agrees to meet up in a few hours.

Meanwhile, shopping trip! It's a big city, one of the biggest in the world (if not outright the biggest), so it's relatively easy to find what you're looking for.


The fourth magic shop Doldor checks happens to have a belt of healing on hand, which they will sell for the regular price.


Eleanor and Garol (and Shian the apparently perfectly normal, albeit disconcertingly friendly, sparrow, chilling on Eleanor's shoulder) find, after a couple false starts, a competent-seeming (if slightly seedy) weaponsmith, a fuzzy-sideburned engineer woman who seems interested in the prospect of this custom work.

She says she can have the hammerglaive Eleanor describes ready in a few days.

As for Garol, she happens to have warhammers and crossbows on hand, both regular and extra-fancy (masterwork). And when he inquires after a blade, she grins and produces just the thing, which she happened to have on hand: a selection of crossbow bayonets (Complete Scoundrel page 109, choice between: knife bayonet 2gp, 1 lb, acts as a shortspear; or sword bayonet 4gp, 2 lb, acts as a spear). If he wants a masterwork bayonet, it, too, will be a couple days.


Then Eleanor locates the most trustworthy-seeming of a few competing messenger services to send some of her well-gotten gains back home to Vertical Falls!

[RCgothic]

Eleanor

With masterwork hammerglaive on order (I attempt to negotiate a 100gp deposit with the rest to pay on delivery) and parcel sent (how much did that cost?), I make my way back to the meet up.

With the sparrow still apparently perched on my shoulder.

"You are a persistent little thing, aren't you?", amazed that it had remained with me through all my chores.

[Malimar]

DM
The smith accepts the "100gp deposit, the rest on delivery" arrangement, as it is a reasonably standard arrangement. If Eleanor never comes back, well, the smith will be up 100gp and could be able to sell the hammerglaive to somebody else.

Whoops! The messenger service costs 2 gold. 3 if she wants it properly insured. (It might also be customary to tip the messenger, to make absolutely certain of the package's safe arrival.)

[D_Man_7733]

Garol

Following Eleanor's example, Garol will put a 100gp deposit on the masterwork knife bayonet, while purchasing a normal knife bayonet, masterwork light crossbow and masterwork warhammer.

(that should be 649gp (312 + 335 + 2) for all three plus the 100 deposit on the knife bayonet for a total of 749gp right?)

[RCgothic]

Eleanor

I make sure to give the messenger a generous tip of 2gp on top of the price of the insured package.

Down 505g, I make my way back to the meet up.

[Sliver]

Scarecrow

Scarecrow walks around, looking for a shop that specializes in magical items. Something to repair his scales, if he gets hurt, since the normal magic isn't as effective.

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Looking to put in a deposit so that a Fixing Belt is crafted while Scarecrow is away, if anyone locally is capable.

[Malimar]

DM
The messenger's eyes widen at the generous tip, and Eleanor gets the impression her package is very likely to arrive safely, rain or shine, snow or sleet.


The first little magic item shop Scarecrow comes to is just a reseller, and doesn't make magic items themselves. Gus is officially at war with the Engineer nation, so even if they had product sources amongst the engineers, they wouldn't be willing to risk sending away for anything. (The war is one of the few things the government of Gus takes seriously.)

The second shop makes their own items, but the proprietor scratches his head and says he wouldn't have any idea how to make the object Scarecrow describes.

Then he comes to Mario's Discount Magic Supply Emporium! A simple room, empty but for illusions of products on the walls and a circle in the middle of the room. No visible proprietor. If Scarecrow describes the item he desires on a 3"x5" index card and putting the card in the middle of the circle, it vanishes. Presently, a new card comes back. It reads: "Not in stock. Crafting will take 24 hours. 750 gold pieces: half down, half on delivery."