IC Age of Worms: Trans-Atlantic Party

[Farmerbink]

Frederick, standing in the small yard in front of the house, surveys the scene before him with a mixture of pride, concern, and ambition. To no one in particular, he comments, We most certainly must do something about the yard. This is a mess! And I will need someplace more permanent to stable Leeroy, and Olofire will want a lab... We-

A thought occurs to him, and he hurries into the entry room, loudly gathering his companions in the process.

I think the time has come, that we should all decide exactly what it is we want here. I have not learned anything regarding my uncle or grandfather, and would be glad for any company or assistance that any of you feel compelled to offer. That aside, I will, to the best of my abilities, fight alongside you all against this age of worms. After that... He seems to struggle with himself for a moment, shifting positions frequently, and glaring at nothing in particular.

What I mean to say, is that I intend to live here, in this house, Heironeous willing permanently. I was all-but raised here, and it is all that remains of my childhood. Obviously, there is still much to be done before it will be a comfortable abode, and the grounds could use as much work as the inside, but I wanted to ask- err.... I wanted to know what you all were thinking about the property. I owe our ownership, such as it is, as much to you all as I do myself, though I perhaps have more interest in it than most. So? What say you all?

[JWallyR]

Jan's humming abruptly ends as Frederick ruminates about the house. As she listens, she eyes the environs appraisingly before looking intently at Frederick. I bet it'll look a lot better after some work, but how long are you going to want to stare at the same plot of ground? There's excitement and adventure out there! Her eyes gleam as she continues, What about the bustling cities and slithering swamps, the jagged mountain ridges and deep, dark forests?!? A sudden pallor seizes her face, and her fingers unconsciously trace a line across her ribcage. Then again... adventure kinda hurts.

[Untarr]

"I will be willing to help return it to its former state." Arkiana piques up from behind a rather massive tome with the picture of a cadaver on a dais. "We will need a base of operations for our crusade against the Age of Worms, and this place provides several advantages towards choosing it as a headquarters." Not looking up, she continues to read while speaking with the group. "I could get Allustan to donate a few books towards the start of a library. It would help keep us informed as we moved forward."

"Unfortunately," she says as she closes the tome, "I cannot be of more help at this moment. There is quite a bit of training and research that I need to do to prepare, and it will cost me every ounce of that gold we just finished earning."

Standing up, she tucks the tome under her arm and heads for the door. "Speaking of which, Allustan is expecting me. I have a series of lessons with him that starts today."

Spoiler: Retraining

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• Improved Initiative
  Will Train with Lyr. Cost is 150 (gold goes towards supplies)
• Spell Focus Conjuration
  Will train by self. Cost is 225 (increased 50% for no trainer)
• Scribe Scroll
  Will train with Allustan. Cost is 150
• Change Evoker (Admixture) to Conjuration (Teleportation)
  Train by self. Replacing Admixture and Intense Spells at 225g each

The whole thing costs 975g (I currently have 937). If there is some extra work I can do for Allustan in exchange for lowering the price to retrain Scribe Scroll by 50%, I will be able to do all of this in this month.

Total Time: 25 Days
Total Gold: 900g (With Allustan Work Discount)

Spoiler: Library

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For now lets focus on Knowledge: Religion checks.

[MuffinMan]

Leaning against the sturdiest remaining wall, Lyr picks idly at the crumbling masonry as the others discuss their plans for the property. He grins at Jan's expression of wanderlust, and groans at Arkiana's mention of a "crusade" against the Age of Worms. "Look, someone in town has to know what that worm thing we found is, and when we find that someone you'll see that this is nothing but some crazy experiment Filge cooked up, not the end of the world. I'm more worried about that necromancer, myself. He's still out there, and it wouldn't be hard for him to trace us back to here. Until he's stopped for good, we're all at risk."

Taking a breath, he turns to address Frederick. "Staying put's not my style, but I'll help you fix the place up. With a proper shrine to the Dweller on the Horizon this could make a good rest station, at any rate."

Seeing Arkiana preparing to leave, he straightens up. "I'll walk back to town with you. I have some... business to care of, and then I'll start tracking down Filge. Someone's gotta know where he'd go - maybe our old pal Kullen. Jan, you in?"

Spoiler: Actions during the month

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What I summed up in the OOC thread, plus:

- Lyr will go confront the mine manager he owes about his debt first (maybe Rob and I should RP that in a separate thread?)

- He'll commission a small shrine to Fharlanghn on the property. Looking at the rates at which PCs earn gold from the Profession skill, I'd estimate the cost by figuring 1 architect and 2-3 workers for ~2 weeks, so maybe something like 100gp?

- He'll try to use Diplomacy and Knowledge: Local while gambling in the bars to learn anything about where Filge might have gone. He won't confront Kullen directly, but might try to observe where he goes.
Here are some skill checks if needed, maybe 1/week is appropriate?
Diplomacy (1d20+1)[9], (1d20+1)[5], (1d20+1)[12], (1d20+1)[11]
Knowledge: Local (1d20+5)[11], (1d20+5)[7], (1d20+5)[18], (1d20+5)[22]

[JWallyR]

Seeing Arkiana preparing to leave, he straightens up. "I'll walk back to town with you. I have some... business to care of, and then I'll start tracking down Filge. Someone's gotta know where he'd go - maybe our old pal Kullen. Jan, you in?"

Jan's smile vanishes, replaced by an oddly neutral look. I suppose we didn't really get the answer we were looking for, did we?

[Albinobrow]

Spoiler: Checks and What not

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Appraise for black horns with red tips (1d20+7)[23] vs DC 20
Day 2 Fort save against Red Ache (1d20+5)[25] vs DC 15. (1d6)[5] Str damage on a fail..

I agree with Arkiana. While during our "quest" or "adventure" or "insane endeavor" or what ever you wish to call it, I think this would be a good place for a home base. But afterwards, I'm sure I would like to continue my alchemical studies somewhere though I'm not 100% certain where as of yet. Though I'm sure I have plenty of time to decide that. In the meantime, I'll help out however I can! Especially in the potion or alchemical goods department. Dr. Olofire miles widely, feeling much better after a couple nights rest since his would from the undead dust bunny at the Observatory.

He spends the next few weeks studying up on alchemy, especially on his mutagen, imagining all the possibilities he can concoct from it. As well as helping out at the Smelting House. He also makes time to go talk with Allusten hoping to copy some more formulas into his book of extracts, should he need them in the months to come.

[DarkOne-Rob]

The month passes swiftly, everyone handling their activities individually and sometimes not seeing each other more than briefly for days.
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Frederick spends the first week visiting Manlin Osgood's smithy, working with the master smith and his team. Returning to the forge is invigorating, as is the product of their effort. At the end of the week the half-orc's blade is clearly improved, handling with better balance and a finer, sharper edge that dulls less easily. The smith tells Frederick as he leaves the last day, "I cannot give away such time and effort often, Frederick. You are welcome to come back and work with me in the future, but understand that this is for old-time's sake. Next time I will have to charge for the work, too. For now, though, go out and do right. May this weapon aid you in ridding the land of evil and protecting those who need it." The big man then gives a proper Heironean salute to the young paladin before returning to his forge.

During the following days Frederick supervises the work on restoring the company's property, lending a hand when necessary. The work goes quickly, and by the end of the month the construction is largely completed. At the end of the fourth week the yard is cleared, fence repaired, walls, floors, and roof rebuilt. For it to feel like a proper home it will need to be furnished, but for now it is a safe, if spartan, place to come home and get out of the weather.
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Lyr commissions a lovely shrine to the Dweller on the Horizon, Fharlanghn, on the side of the road leading to the home. Taking the time to dedicate it (and eventually hallowing the ground) is likely worthwhile at some point, but for now it is a well built place for travelers to get off the road and out of the worst of the weather, complete with a shielded oven/stove for cooking, a stone table and benches on the sides, and a wooden enclosure large enough for several people to camp in safely. The work is completed around the same time as the work on the party's property nearby.

The gambler's efforts to pay off his debt to Balabar Smenk are unusually unfruitful - all efforts to reach the man and settle fail. The mine manager's personal assistant explains, "Mr. Smenk will be in touch, please do not come back until he has sent word." Likewise, Filge seems to be laying low - no one in town shares any news about the necromancer, if they have seen him at all.

During the second week of the month, Arkiana works closely with Lyr, putting an enormous amount of effort into honing her reflexes and avoiding surprise. After she feels good enough, she basically disappears, leaving the half-elf as lost as ever in their unusual relationship...
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Jan spends her time in exploration of the wilderness around her new home and meeting new people in Diamond Lake. Traveling frequently with Lyr, she often smooths out the rougher moments, avoiding confrontations with her usual mixture of luck and adorableness. After a particularly productive day at the house-site, she is asked to stick around by the foreman, who says, "It appears the men enjoy having you around, miss. If you think you can continue to be here, I think we will actually make better time!" By the end of the month it is clear he is right and that much of the work would not be completed as quickly without her present.
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As she predicted, Arkiana is largely absent for the month, first working closely with Allustan, then Lyr, and finally disappearing into her developing library. The delivery of several boxes of books on assorted undead and the religions that sponsor/oppose them arrives from her mentor during the fourth week.
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Olofire's lab is arranged in the newly reinforced basement by the end of the first week. Ignoring the unusual smells and noises from his underground workshop takes some effort for the construction workers, but they manage and the little alchemist is free to craft for three weeks.

The basement has enough room for him to leave some space available for Arkiana to set up a summoning circle or similar arcane workspace, though currently it is simply open floor and walls.

Spoiler: Notes

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Frederick - works with Osgood for a week, gets a +1 Greatsword for his effort; otherwise, days are primarily spent supervising the work restoring the house or exploring Diamond Lake (asking about his family's disappearance) - more details will be found in the off-shoot thread

Lyr - tries to confront Balabar Smenk about his debt, commissions a road-side shrine and oversees its construction, spends five days (during the second week) working with Arkiana to retrain her feat, and tries (unsuccessfully) to hunt down Filge

Jan - oversees some of the house restoration, asking questions of the laborers all the time, but her generally pleasant persona keeps them from being annoyed (actually speeds up the work)

Arkiana - retrains alot and sets up the library with some books donated by Allustan

Olofire - sets up his lab (one week), works to learn some new formula from Allustan's notes (with his help explaining them, no rolls for learning them are required) and has three weeks to craft some items

Lyr and Jan - spend their days exploring Diamond Lake, meeting various people and asking about the "Seekers" - waiting for an offshoot thread to be made (hint, hint!)

We will begin the next chapter of the Age of Worms here.