Spellmoot continues

[FalconTamer]

Tomorrow's event will be different than the ones we've attended so far. Here are the ground rules - read them thoroughly and decide whether or not you will attend because during the event significant consequences could occur. These rules will only apply once inside the main event area, and will not be in effect in the exterior areas leading to it.

Ground rules for the main event area:

1) Prior to heading out on the excursion, the team will be given several RP items;

2) Once inside the main event area, there will be select-able and non-select-able placeables strewn about;

3) The team must decide what action, if any, to take on the area placeables and which, if any, of the RP item(s) will be used to assist with the action. Each action will only be performed by one individual. Choose the team member, the action and the RP Items carefully for the following reasons:
--- a) some actions will require Ability and/or Skill checks, so the person chosen should have good values in those Abilities/Skills;
--- b) some actions will require certain RP item(s), and if you don't use the correct RP item(s), you will auto-fail the action;
--- c) if you choose more RP items than necessary to perform the action, you won't be penalized, but...
--- d) if you fail the action, all of the RP item(s) chosen to perform the action will be destroyed, no longer to be used;
--- e) if you fail what is obviously a precarious action, the person chosen to perform the action will also die (see 5)

4) A successful action will give you one or more of the items needed for the quest, but those items are subject to being destroyed as the result of 3.d (no more about this as it is a potential spoiler)

5) If an action is taken that could result in death and the player chosen to perform that action fails, that player will die and be sent back to the Arcane Society, no longer a part of the event.

6) To keep things moving, the team will only be allowed to choose 25 actions to perform. Once the team decides what to do and states definitively to the DM that it wants to perform it, will constitute one action. But beware, some of the placeables are red herrings; in those cases, as soon as you definitively state to perform the action the DM will state "nothing happens." Interacting with usable placeables or NPC's will not be considered an action.

7) DM involvement will be minimal. Once a course of action, the person and the RP Items have been decided upon and you have stated that you want to perform that action, the DM will then let you know what Abilit(ies) are actually required to perform the action. The DM will then roll d20 with a Base Ability of 25 or a Base Skill of 50; So, for example 14 + 25 = 39 roll for INT. Your Roll for INT needs to equal or beat that. If the player rolls 1 that is auto-fail and a roll of 20 is auto-succeed. But choose very wisely. If the team decides to choose someone to perform an action believing that Intelligence is the right Ability when in fact it is Charisma and the player's is low, there is a high likelihood that the action will fail.

If all of this was too much writing for you, it's for a reason. These instructions will not be given out during the event. So if you have questions, now would be a good time

FT

[Cervantes]

So, when you say "base ability" and "base skill," what exactly do you mean? My base intelligence is 38, but my intelligence with gear is 50...so will I be adding 38 or 50 to the roll? My base spellcraft is +43, but my spellcraft check is like +85 or something stupid...which of those would I use? Just wanted to clarify.

[Samyx]

I have one question regarding this : how will you deal with the usual laters like me ? As usuall I will put Aegys ready in main hall, but i won't be playing her until I can physically be there.
That being said, as always I really wish to attend this.
Kr Samyx

[FalconTamer]

1) Base Ability & Skill of 25/50 are the DM's starting base. Players use fully buffed values.

2) We will be engaging a few areas before the "main event" .. Prior to the main event, the team will decide what happens, and who continues with the quest.

FT

[FalconTamer]

Spell Moot 5/10 was once again well-attended and by all accounts quite a lot of fun.

Elminster, through his studies of ancient tomes, uncovered hints of a mythical item that when borne in battle against the Netheril would render their Energy and Elemental damage protections useless. Elminster indicated that the powerful item was devised by none other than the powerful Zhent, Manshoon. All the pieces to construct the artifact were to be found in Darkhold - but Manshoon never had the chance to use it as Darkhold was infiltrated and destroyed by the Netherese in 1312 DR.

Our valiant heroes of the arcane started in the seaport town of Smuggler's Redoubt (aka, New Haven) located southwest of Suzail along the Dragonmere. From there, they headed north west along The Stormhorns and then through the Western and High passes of The Far Hills and Sunset Mountains. Along the way they encountered ferocious mountain lions, tigers and wyverns. The journey took a solid day and a half until they reached Darkhold - the former Zhent enclave, now left in ruins.

Once inside, the Society immediately went to work looking for clues as to the whereabouts of the artifact and its elements. As they began walking through the hold, they came across a recently deceased Netherese mage, and wondered as to his demise. They searched him but came up empty. On closer inspection, they decided the mage was excavating into a room and the ceiling collapsed, burying him in rubble. After shape-changing to bolster his strength, Founder Blackbird picked up a shovel and dug his way past the decaying body and was soon rewarded with finding some gems which looked to be a part of the puzzle.

As they seemed not to be in any immediate peril, they returned to the heart of the mountain where they encountered a Zhentarim ghost maintining vigilant watch watch over the hold waiting for Manshoon to return - the Society posed no immediate threat to the hold, so the ghost did not engage in battle. The Society found a torch bearing Manshoon's symbol near the Altar of Fire and once that torch was held aloft by Founder Ahriman, the ghost immediately took notice and began conversing with Ahriman, whom the ghost perceived to be "Master Manshoon." The Society got just enough information from the ghost to know that they needed to search all of the Zhentarim Acolytes chambers to find the rest of "The Nine" ... nine infused gems from the hand of Manshoon, each with a property to diminish a specific Elemental or Energy protection. They had found three, but six were not so readily found. It took some amount of doing, but the founders and others quickly realized that they could port to sites within the hold that were unavailable by standard means. Elminster had given them some climbing gear but the Founders obviously chose a more direct path

Once all of the items were at hand, they returned to the Zhent Ghost as they learned from a scroll in the Archive that only this long-dead priest had the power to fuse all of the items into The Standard of Zhentarim. Always at the ready, the Society prepared for a battle with the priest that never came. His job done, the priest continued his watch over the hold. Tired and worn out, but quite jubilant with the prospect of meeting the Netherese head on, the Society returned to their tower in Trinity to prepare for the real battle to come.

FT

[FalconTamer]

The Standard of the Zhentarim hoisted in battle, The Society descended upon Thultanthar. OK, Thultanthar is a floating fortress, so maybe rose to is better than descended upon? Or maybe, since Herbert the Stands Around All Day opened a portal directly to Thultanthar, appeared on would be best.

Their elemental and energy protections weakened by the sight of The Standard, the Netherese and their Orc creations fell quickly to the seemingly endless magic dispensed by the members of The Society. One by one, the fortress was cleared of enemies until finally they caught up with Rasturil Tanthul on the balcony of his tower at a most dizzying height. Recalcitrant until his last breath, Tanthul was worn down by The Society until at the very last they threw him from the balcony to his deserved end below - impaled on a long stanchion above the tower's entrance. The Society could hear a faintly defiant whisper from below "You shall never defeat me!" Or perhaps it was just the wind playing tricks on their tired minds.

Meanwhile, back at their own tower in Trinity, The Society was greeted by an emissary of Evereska, with a proposition to meet with their communal Elder in a fortnight. To which The Society, ever willing to serve, agreed to. Until then, The Society will take a much deserved rest.

FT

[FalconTamer]

Spell Moot will take place tomorrow @ 2pm EDT.

FT

[FalconTamer]

At the request of its Elders, a very large contingent of Arcane Society members headed to the hidden gem of Evereska for a meeting with its High Elder, Shelendra Imesfor. Instead of being confronted by the usual array of ne'er do wells that the Society has become accustomed to facing in recent months, they were greeted with open arms by the Evereskan Elves, so beloved of Sune. Evereska, under Imesfor's watchful instruction, has steadily rebuilt itself over the years and is now close to its former glory. Once inside the walls, the Society visited some of its resurrected sites: The Floating Gardens, Sune's golden temple and Cloudcrown Palace, open to the trees and sky above.

After their walk around Evereska, back at the palace, the Society ate and drank to their hearts' content - Ample portions of oarsk and tekrue were accompanied with forest mushrooms, dakesi and many other local fruits and vegetables, and all of these were wondrously paired with fine Elven wines and mead. And a glass of the famed elverquisst put a nice finishing touch to a fine meal before the Society was finally called forth by the Lady.

Lady Imesfor made it very clear from the outset that she had heard about, and was very impressed with, the Society's prowess. And instead of striking a political relationship with the Society, she wished to call them friends. High praise indeed from an elf. But as with all things, there was a price to this new found friendship. Lady Imesfor asked the Society to deal with some troublesome kobolds that had found their way into Groaning Cave and had since taken root. During an evening raid, the kobolds had sneaked into Evereska and stolen a statuette of Sune, the return of which Lady Imesfor would pay handsomely. And if that was not enough, these little tricksters had somehow managed to enslave four Adolescent Dragons: Black, Brass, Silver and Gold. Although the Society was in no way bound to act, their interest was piqued enough to accept this challenge and circuitously made their way to Groaning Cave. [Add a footnote here about blind mages walking through the countryside and unable to follow directions ]

Once inside the cave, they were immediately confronted with a challenge at the first door - guess a number correctly and move on; guess it incorrectly, and get whisked away to another room where a group of kobolds would poke and prod them, laughing the whole time like a pack of hyenas. After a couple of tries, the Society, much to the kobolds' dismay, guessed the number correctly. For their reward, the Society were sent to a dungeon where they would wait to be fed to the dragons. Inside the holding cell, the Society came across some remains of previous occupants. Judging from the collapsed rubble on top of the remains, it appeared that the poor souls were trying to escape and were unfortunate to be standing underneath the ceiling when it fell. After searching the rubble [footnote 2 about blind mages ], the Society were able to push aside some very loose stones, which led to a flooded cavern. They swam to the other side where, fortunately for them, they came face to face with the Gold Dragon.

The Dragon explained as much as it could about his predicament, and what could be done to be removed of the gheas. He instructed the Society to slay the Black Dragon and enlist the Silver and Brass Dragons to break the bindings which held them down so that they could gain entrance to the main kobold chamber. Upon being ported to the Silver Dragon however, they were immediately embroiled in battle! The Silver Dragon had gone half-crazed from being imprisoned and mistook the heroes as his captors. With one of the metallics dead, this did not bode well for their chances of escape. Unperturbed by this apparent turn of events, the Society pressed on and were next in front of the Black Dragon which was immediately dispatched. Lastly, they met with and discussed the situation with the Brass Dragon who quickly came on board with the plan. Lastly, the Gold Dragon, along with the Brass Dragon, were able to muster what energy they could to get the Society to the Kobold chamber - which they were miraculously able to do.

The Kobold King and his minions never knew what hit them as they were blindsided by the sudden appearance of the Society right in the middle of their nightly meal! One by one, or rather tens by tens, the kobolds were easily turned to dust by the Society's magical incantations, the Kobold King dying next to his would-be throne. Finding the hidden stash, the Society recovered the Evereskan statuette of Sune [footnote 3 about really blind mages ] which was returned post haste to the Evereskans.

Speaking on behalf of the Gold Dragon, the Society was able to easily convince Lady Imesfor to allow the Gold Dragon to retain the rights to the cavern, which was a suitable den for a dragon of his stature and would be a wonderful neighbor in times of need. That settled, the Society returned to the dining room and found more bottles of elverquisst - especially Grevaine the Blackbird who seemed to have a particular penchant for drinking the ruby colored liquor.

FT

[FalconTamer]

Another excellent turnout - thanks to all attendees: gazoo, cataca, geovex, samyx, karmic, cait_sith_0x, loric elder, onomatopoeia, naamarikala, tmaramba and fistov. [ and a little early wyvern help from brumm ]

After a lengthy discussion regarding the 'assistance' of Tam, an exceptionally powerful lich, it was decided that the members would broach the subject with Ahriman to see if such an endeavor was something the Arcane Society should consider undertaking {pun intended }. Afterwards, they convened to the portal chamber where they were met by an oddly-behaving Herbert, who appeared drunk. After Grevaine specified a seemingly benign location for gathering items of interest, the members were unexpectedly whisked away by "Herbert" to the spellplague-ridden scar that used to be Tilverton. Apparently, Herbert's condition was a factor in the team being misplaced so far away from their intended target, and the team was justifiably miffed.

Instead of gathering herbs and such, the AS was met almost immediately by a heavy contingent of scavengers and cannibals in the area, who seemed singularly focused on killing every last Society member! In addition, this army summoned forth numerous wyverns to bolster their line of attack. But the society persevered and drove the forces deeper and deeper into the scar, until at last they had defeated all but a few scavengers who fled in disgrace.

After taking a well-deserved meal and quick rest, the AS ventured into the abandoned mining cave at the heart of the scar. Inside the cave, the Society was ambushed by a far more potent foe - a heavy team of drow, sneaking up from the Underdark. The society put up a stiff fight at first, but as their magic faded, one by one, nearly all fell to the ground, weakened and disabled, mowed down by the drow as wheat to a scythe. Still remaining Zak, with the aid of Kwis, revived the entire team who then pressed forward with a deadly purpose, after which the drow did not stand a chance and were slowly but surely dispatched.

Despite being bruised, battered and very shaken, the team now had a moment to reflect, and they grew quite angry at Herbert, the drunkard who seemingly sent them astray to be murdered. They were quite anxious to confront him now and made their way back to the tower with all due haste. Upon arrival, Herbert was heading quickly out the door because in his words he "had forgotten to say goodbye to his wife before coming to work." The members blocked his path at the door and Herbert was quite startled at this aggressive display from his friends and colleagues. He explained to them all where he was going, but they didn't believe him, at first.

Upon further investigation, Marge the receptionist bolstered Herbert's story that he just recently arrived at work no more than twenty minutes ago. And when visiting Alfred, it became clear that something strange had happened very recently in the basement - a wall had collapsed and there was a distinct musty smell along with a draft coming from it behind a bookcase. Apparently, one of the mages had sent an errant magic missile astray causing the wall to collapse - which, given the sturdiness of the structure should not have happened. And, judging from the timeline, this wall breach occurred just at the same time that Herbert sent the Society to Tilverton Scar. With this new evidence at hand, it became clear to the members that something foul was afoot and that for whatever reason, a Herbert doppelganger appeared and apparently sent the Society to meet their doom. Did it have anything to do with this wall breach? And if so, what? The team quickly ordered the wall to be cordoned off and a guard posted so that they could investigate at a later time.

FT

[FalconTamer]

No DM run Moot today. Of course, that doesn't mean the Society cannot hold its impromptu event of their own making. We will pick up again next week.

FT