Adventure to Noviarn-Pazarluk

[Gamer Girl]

You are each doing a normal mundane activity for the day, when suddenly a tiny one foot long gold colored dragon flies over to you. After looking at you for a second, the dragon slowly changes shape into a gold scroll, that floats in the air.

If taken and unrolled it reads in common:

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Dear Gentile being, I Volellumorixxiselious, am humbled to ask for your help. A great wrong has been done to me that I can not right. Through my divinations, I have found you and and seen that you are able to assist me. Though the task is filled with great danger, I can offer an equally great reward. If you accept, you need only rip this scroll in half to activate the portal that will bring you to my location.

Volellumorixxiselious

And:

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OOC
Just describe your PCs a little. Maybe a little background of their thoughts. Once everyone responds we will begin.

The OOC Thread can be found here:http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=257657

[only1doug]

A redheaded Gnome looks up from his meditations, "well, what do we have here?" he asks in draconic.

Evan's curiosity and brash self confidence know no restraints,
"Hmm, tear to help, OK", he takes the scroll and rips it in two and instantly steps through the resulting portal.

"You called and I have come", Says Evan, in Draconic again,"how may I be of assistance?"

[Crazyfailure13]

Oarrick Looks at the scroll, reading it through. His black fur stands up a bit, and he looks around, then speaks to himself in catfolk "Well, Damn, might as well see what's going on, I've got nothing better to do after all." To anyone that is listening it just sounds like hissing and purring, then he rips the scroll in half and steps into the portal.

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Are you going to make an OOC thread? and which players are playing?

[Ophiuchus]

Acrasia is uncharacteristically jumpy as she attempts to flee her province. The minor cantrip nearly makes her choke on her grapes! Upon regaining composure and reading the scroll she give an affected cackle, "What fool would I be to slip the grasp of the law only to leap into that of a complete stranger!"

The scroll lies crumpled in the corner of her carriage for most of the day; until they come upon a well armed sentry, who appear to have a Diviner in their ranks. "Curse that mindless escort! This is exactly why I never planned on paying him." She begins to consider a battle strategy, when the abandoned scroll catches her eye. "Desperate times..." she mutters, tearing the scroll down the middle.

[Erasmas]

Shadowslayer ducked into the alleyway, pulling his hood up over his head and pressing his body against the cold stone wall in the dark. He waited there, slowing his breath, counting the time to himself.

When the small dragon appeared, he batted the thing away, trying to shoo it from his hiding spot. When it transformed into a golden scroll, the rogue paid it more attention... almost too much attention. The sound of armored boots splashed the mud as the four town guard ran past the maw of the alley. The blackened thief shot out his hand after they had gone and snatched the shiny object out of the air, and just in time too... for a single guard returned to the alley's opening and peered down it into the darkness. Clearly, he had seen the glinting gold and had come back to investigate further.

For a moment, it seemed as though he was going to tread his way down the dark passage, but after a yell from his compatriots further up the lane, he thought second about it and then disappeared once more. After several long seconds, Shadowslayer released the tension on the black hilt of one of the shortswords at his belt, the leather of his gauntlet creaking quietly against the leather of the grip as his hand relaxed. He exhaled, slowly, feeling his pulse lessen.

And then he pulled open the scroll and read it silently to himself. The rogue then cast his eyes about the alleyway he was in, examining the rooftops as well. He looked about as if to see whether whoever this was from might actually be a simple trickster, playing games with him. Satisfied in his half-hearted search, he tore the scroll into pieces and let them fall to the ground. And, drawing the Eye of Night and nocking a dark arrow, he stepped cautiously through whatever arcane doorway awaited.

[ProudGrognard]

The beer mug was empty and had been for quite a long time. The man who was holding did not seem to mind. Averis was never a heavy drinker, but it had been an unusual long time between jobs. And the last one had not gone that well. Damn, he was even contemplating going back to a mercenary company. "Well'', he thought, straightening his fancy doublet " as my old sergeant used to say, sometimes you just dig and wait".

Averis tried to straighten his clothes once more, with limited success. He was wearing an expensive doublet of gold and dark red, which did not exactly match his reddish brown hair or his long sideburns. He is not a tall man and his heavy shoulders and powerful legs make him look shorter.His boyish features and somewhat stocky physique hide his strength somewhat, and his friendly demeanor has already made him popular around here. He tugged at his doublet again.No matter what he did, it seems that he appeared as a slovenly soldier. He took a breath, a philosophical expression on his face. "It is what I am, after all", he thought.

His musings were disrupted by the very strange sight of a huge bee coming inside the tavern and sitting on his table. "By Desna's brown legs, what the..." Averis yelled as his mind slowly registered what he was seeing. His mug fell heavily in the silence of a stunned tavern, as Averis caught the incredible little dragon by the tail. His surprise turned to sheer exasperation, when the dragon turned to a scroll.

After reading the scroll, Averis just stood, his mouth very uncharacteristically tight. After two minutes, he smirked. Then laughed. "OK, pretty boy" he said to himself. "It is time to roll the dice and hope for the best. May Cayden 's smelly breath be with me". Buying a final round for all present in the tavern, he went up to his rented room and gathered his numerous and heavy equipment. His final thought as he ripped the scroll was
"I hope the horse can pass through. I payed good money for it".

[shugyosha]

Levin

The errant knight had been wandering for days now. The warm glow of accomplishment was beginning to fade. His last victory had been small but decisive, an arrow to the throat had finished the serpent, but that was days ago and Levin was worried that there might not be another challenge for day to months.

He was on a dusty road when the scroll appeared. He quickly opened it a read its contents. A smirk appeared on his thin face. Another challenge, he thought.

He tore it half quickly and jumped into the portal.

[Gamer Girl]

As each scroll is teared they fade away into wisps of golden light that swirl around for a couple seconds and form a golden portal. The portal is a good five feet around and stays active for just over a minute. The portal leads to a long tunnel made of golden light, with an opaque portal at the other end.

Stepping through that portal finds you in a large cavern, several hundred feet long and wide and a couple dozen feet high. The cavern is lit by several large glowing glass balls. The main feature of the room, is a large gold scaled dragon. The Dragon watches each portal form and fade and then studies the ones that stepped through the portal.

All:

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Please describe each of your characters.

[only1doug]

A red haired gnome in a burnished bronze breastplate embossed with the holy symbol of Sarenrae steps forward, he is brimming with self confidence, "You called and I have come", Says the Gnome, in Draconic, "how may I be of assistance?"

[Crazyfailure13]

Oarrick steps through the portal, when he see the dragon, his ears fold back as he makes a slight hissing sound, halting himself, he smells the air quickly. His black fur glistens slightly in the light of the room whenever he move, and his long fangs protruding slight out of his mouth as his yellow eye explore the dragon. Speaking in catfolk to the dragon Hello, scaled one, I'm Oarrick, my name is actually much longer then that but I don't want to say it all. Then he notices the others in the room, and starts speaking in common to them.Hello, all, I'm O, don't bother with my full name, it's just bothersome, so just call me O.

[ProudGrognard]

Averis

Averis comes through the portal, leading his horse on foot. With practiced ease, he manages to balance walking in full plate armor, holding a bardiche and carrying an assortment of weapons. Both the armor and the bardiche are unadorned but well used, and both have been cleaned and oiled to gleaming. Even with the armor, Averis does not seem very tall, and his whole frame is deceptively thin.

As the man and the horse step through the portal, the man gasps as the horse whines for a bit.
"This job becomes stranger by the minute!", he thinks, taking a minute to assess the situation and get his bearings.
Digging his feet as for an inspection, Averis calms the horse, and stands straight.

"Averis Peronus, here for the job offer" he says with a small theatrical bow and a friendly smile."Though I must admit I was expecting an employer of the more humanoid persuasion. No matter, though. A job is a job" he adds with a laugh. "Abadar's small change, you are big aren't you?"

Averis then turns to the others present, offering the same small theatrical bow and his name. He waits, a knowing half smile in his face, leaning on his bardiche in a seemingly relaxed pose. Experience has taught him that showing his full panoply of weapons is often a better introduction that anything he could say.

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Is there anyone nearby that Averis could chat as he waits?

[shugyosha]

Levin

A slender man steps through. His sunken eyes scan the area and stops on the golden dragon. "Well, that's something you don't see everyday."

His armor clinks as he steps forward and spots the others. His gaunt face smiles a crooked feature. "Hello, I am Levin." His breast plate is modestly adorned. A bow is slung over his shoulder while a sword and quiver are at his sides.

[Ophiuchus]

Acrasia

A tall, dark-haired woman, exquisitely dressed with a supernatural beauty, rushes through the portal. Her large red eyes have grown to the size of saucers in her excitement. She drinks the air with a devilish grin. She freezes when her gaze meets that of the dragon. For several long seconds she simply stands, staring; until she brings a small dried leaf up to her lips and begins to chew. Her hungry grin reappears as she takes notice of the others. "So, dragon. I presume it is you who are in need of my considerable talents? Waste no time describing the task...and, the compensation!"

[Erasmas]

Shadowslayer leveled his bow as his eyes adjusted to the difference in lighting, staggering back a few steps at the sight of the massive creature. His fingers nearly released the projectile they held at bay... but a second of hesitation allowed the thief to think better of attacking.

"I don't care much to trust in a dragon, and that is saying something."

A small-framed human man stood apprehensively, as if his feet wanted to flee despite the resolve upon his hardened face. His disheveled brown hair was pulled loosely back and he sported the line of a puckered scar upon his chin. He seemed to be teeming with weapons and equipment, although all of it appeared to be varying shades of black.

[Gamer Girl]

The gold dragon looks at each of you quite closely as you speak, his large eyes glowing with a soft golden light. He does a slight nod of his head after looking at each of you.
"Gentile beings, I am Volellumorixxiselious, a dragon of the gold scales. And as my scrolls said, I have called you here as I need help." Says the dragon in a deep voice, looking over each one of you again.

"A great wrong has been done to me, and all dragon kind, and more so. An item, the Pelltrongrom Statue has been stolen from me...but one I quite mistakenly trusted. I simply must have it back. I was it's entrusted guardian, and I failed. The thief fled, to a mountain fortress known as Noviarn-Pazarluk. I tried to retrieve it...but..but...my bulk was too big and my body too aged to dig it out. In my youth I could have smashed the fortress to rubble, but now...now I must call on others to help. I offer my horde, minus the Pelltrongrom Statue, to the ones that do this task for me. What say you?" Volellumorixxiselious says as he hangs his head downward to fix is eyes on the floor.

[shugyosha]

Levin

He had never had to deal with a dragon before. Levin had heard of legends surrounding these creatures. He gives a discerning look at the creature then asks, "Who exactly took this prize of yours and what is he capable of?"

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detect evil

[Ophiuchus]

Acrasia

"A dragon's horde!" She covers her mouth as she is very close to drooling.

[ProudGrognard]

Averis


As more and more people come through the luminous gates, Averis is torn between watching the arrivals and taking stock of the dragon in front of him. He bows his head in each new arrival, appraising his improbable companions. There seem to be all sorts, from extraordinarily beautiful women to cat-people. "We may as well open a circus!" he thinks to himself, smirking.

When the dragon starts to talk, he retains his relaxed demeanor, continuing to brace himself against his bardiche " A chair would have been nice", he thinks.

When the dragon finishes, Averis addresses it, counting in his fingers as he goes
"Kind Vollelor....Vollem... kind Dragon you have left a lot of questions unanswered. Unfortunately, I have to ask them and not out of idle curiosity. I am obviously far away from where I was, and going blind against a prepared enemy is suicide.
First of all, who is the thief? What is he capable of? If he could slip by you, he is obviously a rather cunning fellow. And why did he hole up in a fortress rather than disappear?
Secondly, what is this item supposed to do? How heavy or bulky is it? It is different to retrieve a pebble than a life size statue.
Thirdly, where is this Noviarn castle? What can we expect going there, inside it and leaving it?
Fourthly, are we to expect competition? Would others know of the theft and try to recover it for themselves?
Finally, I would like some more details on your generous payment. A horde is a rather vague term. What is a fortune for one man... or woman -that with a nod towards Acracia- is barely enough for someone other. Are there more specifics? And would we be able to access some of these funds to prepare?

By Gorum 's rusty underpants, I talked too much. But standing underneath fortified castles for months in my previous work has taught me that some things should be spelled out front"

With that, Averis tries to gauge the Dragon's reactions and also remember if he had heard anything of the various names mentioned.

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Relevant checks are to be made by us or you? Things like Sense Motive and Knowledge Checks? If so, what check should I roll now? In any case, some rolls in the OOC thread.

[only1doug]

Evan

Whilst waiting politely for the questions of the strangers to be answered Evan double checks that this really is a gold dragon talking to him and thinks back to whether he has ever heard of this statue before.

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Disbelieve illusion: (will save) (1d20+9)[21]
See through disguise: (perception) (1d20-1)[8]
Knowledge (history): (1d20+11)[18](if other knowledge skills are more appropriate knowledge (the planes) is the same value and knowledge (religion) is another +2)

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if not he asks about it, after the dragon has replied to the other questions, "what is the nature of the statue, that it is prized so highly?"

[Erasmas]

The thief shifts his stance and un-nocks his arrow, re-quivering it and relaxing as the dragon's shame became apparent. Kainan forced the smirk from his face, for although it was slightly humorous to see such a great beast humbled by so small a thing as to fall prey to an obviously-noteworthy rogue, it was rude to show that you thought so.

A lot of the other details of this task melted away in his mind, as boring points do. The two that he awaited more information on, however, had already been addressed as questions... he simply needed the answers. The first of which was how much this "horde" constituted. The second of which was just who this thief was - he had no qualms in stealing from the competition, in fact he rather liked the challenge. But Shadowslayer wanted to be certain that this person was, indeed, a rival... and not a member of the guild to which he himself was a part of.

[Crazyfailure13]

O looks around "Sure, sounds fun, But I don't really care to much for gold, so I get to do something fun and get paid for it."

[Gamer Girl]

Levin

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The Gold Dragon does not have even the slightest hint of an evil glow about him

Evan

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The dragon is not an illusion or disguised, as far as you can see.

Always a good idea to re state what a skill roll is for here.. Planes and Religion get no information, but history has an old story about some sort of gnome gold dragon(maybe the same, maybe two separate persons as it's unclear) trapping red dragons in a statue.

[Gamer Girl]

Volellumorixxiselious says "I did not intend to be so vague, it is just that I find it hard to share much with furlings like yourself. But your right, knowledge is important here."

"The thief was one, Avoren Goldtree, an elf. I dare say I don't know what he is capable off after this. As far as I knew he was a youngling wizard, but it seems he had more skills then that, as even an old dragon can be fooled. I have no idea why he went to Noviarn-Pazarluk.''

"The Pelltrongrom Statue is a item of great value that has been in my family for many years. It...it needs to be here with me. I don't want to say much more about it. As for it's size, it's quite small even to you furlings. You would have no trouble holding it in one of your paws."

"Noviarn-Pazarluk is a fortress farther north of here, several long wing beats. I've been there, so sending you there by portal drakes won't be a problem. Noviarn-Pazarluk was built by giants, at least an age or so ago, but the giants are long gone. Now it's little more then an infested nest of furlings. I don't know much about it, it's outside my domain and I have little interest in furlings. Though it's a place full of as much evil as it's full of disgusting little creatures."

"Competition? I should think not. The Pelltrongrom Statue is a great draconic secret, no one knows about it other then myself and a few trusted others. I have not even spoke it's name aloud until recently."

"Furling greed" shakes his head a bit "my horde is the life time gatherings of an old dragon. To me it's a mere bed, but would bury any one of you and even all of you at once."

"I have a small catch of life gems left, one of them each should be good for an advance."

[shugyosha]

Levin

"How do you know he is a wizard? What spells has he cast," Levin asks.

"I don't need to be bribed, but I would like to know why he has stolen this, what can he do with the Pelltrongrom Statue."

[Gamer Girl]

Volellumorixxiselious slowly moves his head over to look at Leven "I have only known him to cast simple spells and cantrips. His most advanced spell let him cling to the walls like a spider."


"I would perfer to not say much more about the statue. It's dangerous and im important I get it back." He looks down as he says this.

[ProudGrognard]

As the great Gold Dragon answers his questions, Averis stores the information on his mind. Outwardly, he retains his relaxed friendly attitude. When the dragon stops, Averis let's out a small laugh.

"Well, I have been called worse things than greedy furling in my time. But I suppose that our lives and our wealth are measured differently than that of dragons. In any case, I will take up your quest."

He then turns to the others.

"I would also like a chance to coordinate with my fellow... coworkers before you send us away".

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What is a life gem? Would Averis know? Also, where are rolls to be made here, or in the OCC thread? What is for here and what for there?

[Gamer Girl]

Averis

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I guess you missed my reply in the OOC Thread. I'm fine with you rolling here in the IC Thread, in Spoilers.

[only1doug]

Evan
"I am sure that all of these fine people will agree with me that while we are eager to recover your lost statue, our task would surely be greatly aided by an advance payment to each of us of some powerful magic items from your hoard, while Lifestones are useful perhaps there are other items that would assist us even further"

Evan's words slip fluently from common to draconic, each word carefully chosen to indicate the dedication of the group to the goal and the necessity for strong precautions when taking on an unknown threat.

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Diplomacy (1d20+19)[37] -2 to this, I typed it from memory and I actually only have +17 not +19 as written. so only 35 on my diplomacy roll (Actually, I can't remember were I got all the bonuses from, I'm now checking back to ensure that number is legal Yup thats correct.)
Linguistics (assist) (1d20+8)[14] might add a small bonus to diplomacy roll

[Erasmas]

Shadowslayer laughed to himself quietly. What with all of the negotiations, stipulations, and "what if"s... the rogue doubted that this expedition would last very long at all.

"Dragon!"

The thief called, waiting for the wyrm's attention before he continued.

"I will do this task for you, for the agreed price. I am ready to depart, so summon your portal, if you will. I tire of questions. A job undone is money ungained."

[ProudGrognard]

Averis

The red haired gnome fellow was doing a fine job after Averis own's heart when the black clad fellow barged in. Averis left a theatrical sigh after the speech.

"Sure kind Dragon, send him ahead. He is sure eager to go in alone in a fortified castle. We 'll catch up with him later... or what is left of him. The rest of us would perhaps like some time to organize first. In the spirit of camaraderie, I promise to safeguard his share of the fee. He well probably need it for healing."

With that, he winked at Shadowslayer, an extra friendly smile on his face and made a 'Go ahead' gesture.

"Or perhaps you could wait a bit? A few more minutes, so you would know, with whom you are going to risk your life with?"