The Mysterious Evil

[Slartibartfast]

What room Heradoth? Friar Krispen is outside failing to clog tubes.

[Firesong]

My mistake; as it doesn't actually say exactly where he was, I'd assumed he was inside the building while looking for other entrances (that's where I'd look, anyways)... although having him walk outside works just as well...

[BurntOfferings]

Krispen

The good friar, clearly frustrated, looks up. "Ah, Heradoth. I'm glad you're back. Perhaps your knowledge of the arcane will reveal a way to use these accursed magical fields to keep the smoke I intend to generate in the basement from escaping."

[Firesong]

Heradoth nods, a glimmer of curiousity coming to his eyes. "Indeed? Are you certain, then, that smoke does pass through the barrier?" He waves his hand dismissively. "No matter." Stepping forwards, he examines the tubes, and pulls a few various powders from the pouch in which he keeps his various magical aids, sprinkling the merest pinch of some poisonous herbs against it, followed by the merest pinch of of some pleasant-smelling incense. "Interesting," he comments.

[Slartibartfast]

This barrier is a highly sophisticated magik; it blocks out substances it deems harmful and allows others to pass through, with a learning clause to monitor nearby humanoids and determine from their reactions to the substances whether they are dangerous or not. There is also a direct link to each of the other barriers so that they share their knowledge.

You believe you could train the barrier to repulse a substance, such as smoke, if you had enough of that substance with you a little bit of time with the barrier. You also believe you could later untrain the barrier. You note that the barrier is flawed in that it block substances both ways; it won't let harmful things in, but it won't let them out either, just like any force field. That would be harder to fix, but you think you still could given enough time.

[BurntOfferings]

Krispen

The good friar attempts to watch Heradoth work by looking over his shoulder, but eventually settles for looking under his elbow.

"Well? What have you discovered?"

[Firesong]

"It appears to be almost intelligent," Heradoth notes. "Whoever created it had some talent. It learns from the reactions of those around it. I would hazard the guess that if we brought people here and had them react negatively to smoke - inhalation and coughing, most likely - that the barrier would decide to cease letting it pass. It blocks things both ways, so once it has learnt that, we should be able to exterminate the creatures within."

[BurntOfferings]

Krispen

The good friar gives the fire elf an incredulous look. "Are you serious? Adaptive magical barriers?" Krispen looks around at the decrepit town. "How, exactly, did this tiny excuse for a town come in possession of such powerful magicks? Ah well, I suppose that's a mystery for another time. My minions should be returning shortly. We can use them to teach the barrier about smoke. Will we need to teach each barrier separately, or are they connected in some way?"

When the minions return, we'll use some of the supplies they gathered to start a small smoky fire. Fantom will be subjected to a lot more smoke than the others.

[Firesong]

"That is something I wish to learn as well, though you are right; it is for another time. They are connected," he responds simply. "What one knows, they all know." With that, he folds his arms and waits patiently.

[BurntOfferings]

Krispen

The halfling looks around impatiently, tapping his foot.

"These new minions certainly are taking their own sweet time. I expected them back by now. Do you suppose they were attacked?"

[Slartibartfast]

Each lugging their own respective loads, the five underlings return.

"Well, here we are. We got a bunch of wood and rags and stuff. It'll all burn."

"I've got oil. This will start up our fire nicely."

"Now what's the next part of the plan?"

[BurntOfferings]

Krispen

"Ah yes, the next part. I'm glad you asked. Before we do anything else, we must first 'train' these clever magical filters that smoke is bad for you. Therefore we must first start a small but smoky fire here next to this ventilation shaft, while you four stand in the smoke and act like it's killing you. Feel free to ham it up. Fantom, it's my understanding that it is vitally important that you in particular get a big lungful of smoke. I don't have time to explain it, it's complicated magical... stuff. Remember, this is all for the good of the town."

Krispen smiles in a less than reassuring way as he begins to construct a campfire over the ventilation shaft (or as near as the field will allow). He uses a bit of the oil to make sure the fire will start without a problem. Satisfied with his work, he takes flint and steel from his backpack and sets the oily wood alight.

Stepping back, he says, "Alright you lot, you're up. Make it feel real."

[Slartibartfast]

After much coughing, choking, and suffocation, you find the task to be done when suddenly a small sphere forms around the field where smoke is repulsed.

It appears no more smoke will pass through the barrier.

The minions look up to you for the next step in the plan.

[BurntOfferings]

Krispen

The good Friar rubs his hands together in satisfaction. "Well done! But that was the easy part. Now we need to start the fire in the basement. We'll need to open and guard the door while tossing wood down the stairway. What weapons are available? From what the mayor described, I'd say that longspears and similar weapons would be best, in case one of those floating brains comes up the stairs." Friar Krispen directs his underlings to move the supplies inside and stack them near the basement door.

[Slartibartfast]

The group moves their flammables to the door.

You find that each underling has one longspear and one shortspear. Apparently the mayor also realized you might need spears when he assigned these men to you. One of them has the key to the basement. Now you must complete your plan...

[BurntOfferings]

Krispen

"Alright, the three of you that are most skilled with the long spear, position yourselves to attack anything that tries to come through the door. The other two, prepare to toss the wood and other combustibles down the stairs. The oil goes last. YOU," says the good Friar, simultaneously pointing dramatically at the door's guard, while swiping the key to the door's lock, "will ready your weapon and defend the spearbearers if the floating brains get too close. I'll open the door for you. Heradoth and I will provide magical assistance as needed.

"Ready? Good. Then here we go...." And with that, Krispen unlocks and opens the door.

[Firesong]

Heradoth smiles enigmatically. "You," he says, nodding at the skeleton. "If any of the brains escape, strike them down. Satisfied, he moves off to the edge while his servant clutches his sword, waiting, but not moving. Raising his hands, he prepares to unleash his wrath upon anything attempting to escape the room. Assuming the minions can't handle it, anyway...

[Slartibartfast]

Gerald, Mannish, and Newton place themselves in the doorway. Fantom and Timmy prepare to hurl debris down into the basement. The door opens, and everything seems to be going as planned. You hear a strange, rustling, squishy noise. It comes towards you, into the light, as hideous as the picture displayed it. Emerging, the brains approach your warriors. The lit canisters of oil are thrown through the doorway, and Mannish slams the door shut. Retreating to the top of the stairs, the soldiers close the second door for good measure, and then you wait. You hear the explosion as the oil sets off, and then silence.

Do you wait longer, or investigate the basement?

[BurntOfferings]

(( What's the hurry? Let the smoke do it's work. I say we break for supper. Halfling's gotta geat, ya know. ))

[Slartibartfast]

No hurry, I just wanted to see if you were impatient/stupid. You leave the normal guard on duty and break for a meal.

((I leave for school.))

[BurntOfferings]

Krispen

Later that evening....

Krispen pushes back from the table where the mayor so generously provided a filling meal from the town's meager stores. "Not bad, not bad, considering the circumstances. A bit heavy on the oregano."

Turning towards Heradoth, he asks, "So, shall we venture into the basement and see if floating brains can breathe smoke?"

[Firesong]

"Indeed, I believe it's time to do so," Heradoth responds, grinning. "Even if they are capable of breathing smoke, I doubt they're capable of breathing fire or steel; the first of which we can provide, and the second of which our minions, both living and dead, can bear fore us."

[BurntOfferings]

Krispen

The halfling belches loudly, rubs his full belly, and grins. "Then let's be off! Gerald! Mannish! Newton! Fantom! Timmy! Rudolph! You did well earlier. Now it's time to follow up. Arm yourselves and come with us."

Unless someone or something stops us, we'll go back to the door, open it, and start down. Fantom will take point.

[Slartibartfast]

Tha lot o' ye march down yon basement stairs, to tha most strangest o' sights. Tha brains be still living, but float round and round in random trajectories. They bounce off o' tha walls and off'n each other. Tha three brains yonder make gurgling and chirruping noises in the oddest of fashions. They don' even appear ta have noticed ye, as if in a drunken daze. Tha last time any o' ye had seen someone like this was when 'e filled a treasure chamber with Funny Flowers ((a rough equivalent of high-power hallucinatory marijuana)), locked 'imself in, and spent the night while them flowers burned. These 'ere brains 'ave lost all semblances of intelligence, and simply bouncin' as momentum might carry them. Sometimes they'll make an energetic spurt in a random direction, but then they'll resume to twist and twirl as they floated in an artificial zero-G created by their natural flight power. Tha hilarity! Now what doth ye do? ((Hooray for Pirate speech!))

[BurntOfferings]

Krispen

The good Friar arches an eyebrow as he watches the monstrous creatures bounce around. "A ha! Just as I planned! Now it's time for you lot to really earn your pay. Choose a target, take up flanking positions, and KILL it! Repeat with the others. Try not to get eaten. Heradoth and I are ready with magical backup.

"Heradoth, five is an odd number; would you consent to sending your anorexic comrade into combat with these five?" Krispen readies and loads his sling while he addresses his companion.

(( Minions don't get a share of the XP, right?

EDIT: And I'm pretty sure that Talk Like a Pirate Day is September 18th or thereabouts. ))

[Slartibartfast]

((Screw the calander. I'm talking like a Pirate NOW!!!))

Okay, according to The Rulebook these NPCs would get a share of the XP. Each. Or, I could use the Cohort XP rules where they get a half share of XP that's not deducted from the total XP earned. So if I awarded 16 XP for the encounter, Friar and Heradoth would get 8 each, and the Cohorts get 4 each.

Amazingly, your friends take down the first brain with an uber crit hit on the first roll. Mannish, amazed, looks at the shreds at her feet. The rest of the minions kill the second brain. The third brain remains uninjured. The third brain starts to make strange noises of anew variety, and you realize that it's singing. Taquar then owns its face, and it screams and rolls away, swiping at the skeleton. The poison has no effect on Taquar.

Friar and Heradoth's turn.

[BurntOfferings]

Krispen

(( Aww, I thought they were just hirelings that someone else paid for. Also, I hope Heradoth was okay with Taquar mixing it up without his permission. ))

The good Friar lets loose with his sling, sending a shot riquocheting wildly around the room. Undaunted, he reloads to try again.

I'm pretty sure that a 4 is a big miss.

[Slartibartfast]

Lemme rephrase the cohort thing. They are not counted as being in the party, then gain half of whatever a party member XP share was. It's like them not being there, but they get better anyways.

Meanwhile, Heradoth's turn. Sorry about using Taquar, but I figured He's do that anyways, knowing that whenever we suggest a plan of action to take with Taquar Heradoth takes it.

[Firesong]

Heradoth mutters something under his breath and extends one arm, a thin, blue beam extending from it and shooting toward the seemingly brain-dead brain.


OOC: Well, I was actually going to keep Heradoth out of the way this time so I could toast things with impunity... so... ray of frost it is!

[Slartibartfast]

The brain squeals in agony. The minions finish it off.

NOTICE: My posting is going to be more shaky now, because my laptop just broke. I'll try to steal my sisters computer when I can to post, but it's really up to her when I can get internet.