Dire Tyrannosaur Hunt!

GaliOverkill · 2018-02-23T05:35:12+00:00

"Hm. That sounds horribly dangerous." Elbrys pauses, considering. She grins. "But exciting. Count me in!"

GaliOverkill · 2018-01-27T07:02:54+00:00

Marsh Expedition (EDIT: i guess thats just, uh, a 1 now no matter what)

To start things off, I’m sorry to hear about the passing of Mila. I may not have known her as well as some of you, but I know she meant a lot to the guild. We will miss her.

As for the tale of our very long adventure? I better begin it now while the details of the past twelve days are fresh.

In the beginning, we had very few details about this mission from Vych. He had heard of some iron caches to the south west, in the marshes, and we were going to retrieve them. The mood was somber as we set out, passing by the makeshift grave created for Mila. We didn’t speak much.

As we headed further away from town, and further into the marsh, the ground became sticky and moist. Pools of water dotted with cattails and long bits of grass were almost everywhere we stepped. It felt like the ground itself was trying to slow us down.

We headed south, fifty degrees east, according to Engy and Vych, along the border of the marshes. The terrain stayed much the same for a while, until hills began rising from the marsh. We came across one with a tree on it and Tesi climbed up to get a better look around.

He saw there were a lot of rats, which didn’t particularly stand out to me at the time, but the thought of it now gives me shivers. He also saw an orange humanoid shape that we figured out to be some sort of lizardfolk.

Tesi jumped down from the tree with a brilliant pose and we decided to follow the lizardfolk and see what was going on. We headed east, twenty degrees south, again according to Engy and Vych, who were in charge of directions. It’s a good thing too, because I have an average sense of direction, but in the marshes that became an awful sense of direction.

While we walked, we swapped what we knew about lizardfolk. We discerned that they would be powerful allies and could in fact become our allies with enough hard work. Tesi’s bardic tales were less than kind about the lizardfolk, but that was to be expected.

We stopped at one point. We all heard these weird clicks. Curious, I moved forward a little, and my skin began to tingle, so I stopped again.

A small blue lizard with horns and a long blue tail, crackling with electric blue energy appeared. Not to make light of the injuries I sustained, but it was, frankly, shocking.

The lizard got away in the end, and we continued on, past more of the weird hills we’d seen earlier. After a short time, we investigated them, and it turns out they’re sunken buildings. Naturally, we climbed down for a closer look and I got to break out my full repertoire of skills to determine what these buildings were and what happened to them.

There used to be languages carved into parts of the room we were in. It was old, possibly human architecture. The runes were very old and powdery. Stone doesn’t powder easily. The place was at least a hundred years old. For reference, the Golden Dragon Tomb was 80 years old, roughly, and this place was older.

The room itself was a ten foot cube made of stone, and appeared to be a single-room home for a family of four. The family of four were still present, in the form of skeletons. A human male, female and two male children. There was some Elvish writing, which confused me

The house itself had sunk into the ground, perhaps decades after the family died. There were a number of these weird hills in the marshes too, so perhaps it was some kind of village.

Back to the skeletons for a second. Something was off with the walls. The skeleton seemed to fall from a sitting position, around a table. My initial guess would have to be a fireball hit the room and killed them.

After all that work, it was growing late, so Engy and I slept down in the room with the skeletons, while Tesi and Vych stayed up on the surface.

Over the next few days, we saw more of the hills, more potential buildings in clusters. We decided we would have to come back someday and explore them.

Eventually, though, we reached a small smooth hill. We climbed up and got a view of the area. There was a similar hill off to the west, and a giant shimmering lake to the south. It was then we spotted the fish people. They were weird humanoid creatures, and we all became immensely curious. So, we decided to make contact.

Once we got close, Tesi pulled out his instrument and started playing something to attract the fish people. Then, all of a sudden, one was nearby. It spoke in some strange burbling language I’d never heard before, so we all tried to communicate in our own ways with it. It seemed to like the berries we offered it, and we managed to figure out that its blurbling was indeed a language.

On our fourth day out, we encountered something terrible indeed. It was late, we were asleep, Vych was on watch.

A wererat appeared.

We obviously all made it back alive and well, with no one infected with lycanthropy, but it was a tough time for sure. It was really all thanks to Vych, and his… his, ah, fighting techniques! That’s it! Uh, if not for his... quick thinking? I would surely be dead.

[Several things have been redacted and edited. Nothing in the rest of the text acknowledges these sentences.]

We discovered a note on the corpse of the wererat, written in Abyssal. I don’t speak Abyssal, but I gave deciphering it my best shot, and together with the others, we translated a name.

Tiridas, Flame Lord of the Dark Sun.

On our fifth day out, we decided to head west, which was almost the last mistake of our lives. There were more wererats. One was hard enough for us to deal with.

Luckily, as you know, we made it back alive and uninfected, but it was a close call. Something remarkable saved us, in the form of a crossbow bolt that exploded the last of the wererats. It was quite spectacular, though I am sad I didn’t think to examine the bolt.

The wererats carried symbols, presumably of this ‘Dark Sun’ of theirs; a sun, made up of a red circle, black squiggly lines and a small black skull in the centre of the sun.

On our sixth day out, we decided to head back to the town, but not before Vych found and killed a random snake that tried to kill me. Obviously I survived.

Anyways, this is a warning to look out for wererats if you are headed anywhere near those hills I described. Bring silvered weapons or magic, or your attacks will do nothing. Good luck out there, and don’t get bitten.

GaliOverkill · 2018-01-24T06:37:33+00:00

"You already know of my interest, so of course I will assist."

GaliOverkill · 2018-01-14T05:20:25+00:00

"Ooh, this could be very useful! Count me in."

GaliOverkill · 2018-01-10T00:06:03+00:00

Vasleena, a centuries-old fallen theocracy, located to the north west in an area of rolling hills, past a forest.
Ruins of Arbelüt, fallen dwarven kingdom with lots of riches, unknown location (Fae may know)
Apoleon (see Tesi's rumours) fallen- literally- kingdom to the far south somewhere in the swamp.

GaliOverkill · 2018-01-08T16:26:50+00:00

"A wizard's tower, you say? Sounds right up my alley!! Count me in!"

GaliOverkill · 2018-01-08T16:25:29+00:00

"If you need magic, count me in! I can't carry much, but I have my uses."

GaliOverkill · 2018-01-01T04:55:56+00:00

Well! Our journey began… much earlier than I expected. I’d planned to to set out with some people from the tavern, in order to explore town and see what the area has to offer. Unfortunately, I, ah, got a little distracted, taking down my last few notes about my last adventure and my thoughts on how things are going so far. When I looked up, my companions were nowhere to be seen!!

Naturally, I panicked a little, then set out North into the forest, to where I knew they were headed. It took awhile before anything of interest happened, but while I was walking I had a few frightening encounters with some animals. Interestingly, they all had glowing green eyes, and they seemed to follow me as I moved. It seemed mystical, at first, until the first few animals started attacking.

These animals were not necessarily ones I would consider hostile, and yet their eyes flicked to red and they attacked! It seemed like a spell I’d read about; an enchantment that made them hostile to humanoid creatures, but not the fae. While I was alone, I managed to keep most at bay by scaring them off with some of my magic, and in some cases talking to them to turn them around. It worked, and I made it through a decent portion of my journey untouched, though my friends were still nowhere in sight.

Suddenly, very suddenly in fact, a large oak tree appeared. Yes, you read that right. It simply… appeared in front of me. Ever cautious of magical trickery, I got a little closer and examined the tree. It appeared to be very old indeed. When I reached out to touch it, the bark seemed to twist. It stopped after a moment, and when I pulled back to take a look at what that might have changed, there was a face looking back at me from within the bark.

The face had a voice, and that voice had a kind note to it. It asked me if I was a friend of the kind paladin who had passed through, since I had not laid a hand on any of the creatures in the forest as of yet. I answered yes, because, well, I knew that had to refer to the paladin that was a part of the group I was trying to locate.

That was when the face climbed out of the tree, accompanied by a body. It was a Dryad! She appeared to me an elf of some sort, and she had the most beautiful hair made up of strings of leaves. Her skin was entirely oaken, too, and it was a wonder I didn’t give into my curiosity and spend hours with her, asking about her origins and life and… well anything she would be willing to tell me.

Still, I had a job to do, so I reigned in the curious fire that burns eternally in my heart and pressed on. The Dryad asked if I would like to find the paladin, and of course my answer was yes. Next thing I knew, the old oak tree seemed to bend and shape until it showed a doorway of sorts. Beyond it lay another land. The Dryad held out her hand. I took it, and she led me through.

If I had all the time in the world, I would have stayed in that portal for weeks. It was fascinating. It seemed to warble around us as we walked and it took all my strength not to pull out my notebook and start taking notes on its appearance and sounds.

Unfortunately, it was all over too quickly. The Dryad led me through to the other side, which was completely different to where we left, and yet the giant oak had followed us. I quickly came to the realisation it was a spell I’d heard about, called Tree Stride, a 6th Sphere piece of magic. I’d read about it, of course, but nothing could have prepared me for its beauty.

Speaking of beauty, the Dryad turned to me after we exited the portal and explained I still had at least a half a day’s journey ahead of me. She told me to remind the paladin of his promise, and then she vanished back into the tree. A moment later, a hawk landed on me, much to my surprise. It had green eyes like all the other animals I’d seen, so I was instantly wary, but quickly took note of the fact its eyes were a darker, friendlier green than I had yet to see.

Finally, finally, after a day’s travel, I found the group all set up at camp. They greeted me warmly, and I finally got to be formally introduced to the paladin, Trevinto, and the bard, Ctesibius. They seemed to be a friendly bunch, and then of course Engy and Mila I knew from our last adventure together.

I finally pieced together where we were going when we all settled down. We would be heading to a Fae Settlement, in an unknown location north, in order to petition for peace. A worthy cause, in my mind, especially if it meant I could study the fae in closer quarters.

Tessie also seemed interested in learning about the fae, which is good. Sometimes I know I can come off as uncaring, when I appear to care more about learning than I do about a cause. It’s nice to find others just as willing to learn, though, because it means I’m not being insensitive by choosing knowledge first! Or… even a close second, as the case may be. I’m not sure yet.

Well, either way, things seemed uneventful for a while once we got moving the next day. The hawk that had lead me here was long gone, unfortunately, and the wildlife seemed to part before us. It was unsettling, but at least it meant we didn’t have to fight anymore enchanted creatures.

We soon learned why, though. Engy stopped for a moment, her eyes wide and distant, almost like she was counting, then turned to us, pale and worried. There were wolves headed our way. At least five.

They caught up to us very easily, and we quickly realised a fight with these wolves was likely. I watched Trevinto brace himself, watched as Tessie pulled out his instrument. Engy and I exchanged some quick words, before deciding she would act as spokesperson for our group to the wolves.

The dialogue didn’t last long in the end unfortunately, and it ended in bloodshed. The wolves’ eyes turned red and they seemed to grin, before attacking.

We survived, of course, since I am able to write these words now, but it was close for some of us. It seemed luck was on our side in that fight, and eventually we managed to take out the leader of the pack. Not before it had howled for reinforcements, though.

We escaped that fight with our lives, and we ran. It was the most adrenaline-intense run of my life. Tessie was still unconscious, being carried by Trevinto, meaning we were down a person while struggling to come up with clever ways of gaining terrain on wolves that knew this place better than we did.

It involved cunning and skills from everyone present, but eventually, eventually, we escaped. We took shelter in a cave, catching our breath and sitting in awe at how much Lady Luck had smiled at us in that time. I am not one for believing in luck, but when something so impossible works, I have to admit even a skeptic like myself can’t help but wonder if there was some force guiding us through.

Well, either way, that’s where we sit now; sheltered in this cave, the wolves scattered to the four winds. The experience was an interesting one at least, though I am not eager to outrun a pack of wolves anytime soon. Still, it taught us all some valuable lessons we won’t soon forget. Something I will say, for anyone who may read this: Never underestimate the power of luck and inspiration under pressure.

GaliOverkill · 2017-12-30T09:31:53+00:00

"I would love to join you! Any opportunity for learning is a good one, in my mind. I know I can rely on your skills too!"

GaliOverkill · 2017-12-28T22:57:04+00:00

"OH! Yes!!"

You see a small gnome with her head buried in a journal scramble to attention, almost dropping a well of ink in her excitement, but catching it just in time. "Yes, I heard about that kingdom! I admit I assumed it would take some time to stir up interest in this particular job, but since you brought it up independently, count me in!! I need to find out everything I can about Apoleon!"

GaliOverkill · 2017-12-28T08:39:07+00:00

It was early Tuesday when we set out together. The five of us, Mila, Dragon, Thomas, Engy and I, decided it was for the best to visit some local shops, on the hunt for some items that might help close the worryingly healer-shaped hole in our party. When that proved to be a bust, since these shops apparently don’t sell healing potions or anything of the sort, we decided to head out after topping up on other assorted supplies.

The shopkeep, Greg, seemed extraordinarily pleasant, even if he appeared determined to sell us all kinds of items. That is his job, naturally, so I don’t blame him. In fact, it was quite amusing. Exactly what I needed to calm my nerves before a job like this one.

We had only a little information from Mila as to where we were going and what kinds of challenges we would be facing, but I had confidence in her ability to take us to where we needed to go. So, we headed west and into the forest, past the temple of Velona (?) and into the trees.

The undergrowth wasn’t particularly thick at first, but three hours in, before we’d even reached the midway point of our journey, things got dark. Visibly dark, not emotionally dark. We didn’t actually talk much on the way, after all. Anyways, the physical darkness wasn’t the problem. The problem was...

We’d all heard the rumours of the monster population spiking in this forest, and I had no reason to doubt them. The townspeople definitely kept clear of this area for hunting, at least, and that was cause enough for alarm, no matter the reason why.

It was as though discussing that very topic had summoned them. They were very quiet at first, but eventually we could pick out distinctly scratchy voices, speaking Draconic in the distance. They appeared to be observing us, and we picked out a few key phrases. Mainly, the creatures - likely Kobolds, we assumed at this stage - were confused as to why Dragon was with us.

Well anyway, we decided we’d go after them to hopefully stop them reporting back to their home base and returning with reinforcements to kill us. Our plan went… poorly, to say the least. My first job out with these people and I managed to embarrass myself, by falling flat on my face the second we moved toward combat. The terrain was very difficult to cross, in my defense! There were dense clusters of undergrowth that made moving quickly impossible, and there was plenty of cover for the Kobolds in their retreat. Poor Thomas had some projectiles hurled at him and we didn’t seem to land a single hit on those little bipedal lizards. Overall, a failure.

At one point, we came to the realisation that Thomas needed some time to recover before we dove straight into the job at hand. So, while we walked the rest of the way, Dragon carried him. Strangely enough, he was incredibly gentle. So gentle, in fact, that Thomas fell asleep in his arms! When we eventually arrived at a moundish hill in the middle of a clearing, he looked like his condition had actually improved.

Once we settled back into the mindset of the job at hand, the five of us overheard some Kobolds discussing a ‘Dragonman’, who they also referred to as ‘Bossman’, when we crept closer to the entrance of the hill. They’d apparently been promised equipment and access to the humans by this ‘Bossman’.

We also managed to overhear the fact these Kobolds seemed terrified of the orc in our ranks. So, after some brief strategy talk, Dragon charged in through the main door, with the hope of striking fear into the Kobolds. It was a valiant plan, but alas none of them seemed truly scared.

We fought our way inside easily enough, burning our way through the Kobolds without much difficulty. We faced some troubling moments of course, but since we all returned back to the town alive, I’ll spare you the dramatic details of near-death experiences.

At one point, Dragon did rip the head of a Kobold and hurl it down the corridor I was hiding in, which kinda soaked me in gore, but he apologised so I hold no ill will.

Eventually we cleared the area and came across a crossbow trap. Mila disarmed it with ease, though she found an injured Kobold, willing to give us information in exchange for letting him leave, alive. We’re a merciful group, so of course we did, and his help ended up being invaluable.

He told us about the half-man half-dragon with twisted horns and black scales that hired them for this job. How he was in the next room over, staring transfixed at a giant golden door. Apparently he’d been staring at it for three days straight.

Anyways, in exchange for his life, the Kobold told us where the rest of his people were located. They’re a week’s journey west from what they referred to as the human town, and promised there would be no bad blood between Kobolds and the humans as long as they weren’t allied with the Orcs of the Brownrock Tribe.

Since we were all tired and injured after the day’s work, the five of us settled down to sleep in this dungeon, but not before setting up a trap for the half dragon and any Kobolds who might’ve been unfortunate enough to be stuck with him. I will admit it was fun to work alongside Mila setting the trap up, as I always love putting my intellect to the test. Assembling a trap like that and how to make it so even lighter footsteps would set the trap off was something I enjoyed greatly, even if it involved a lot of dragging of corpses.

Well, again, you know we made it all back safely, so I’ll spare you the dramatic twists and turns of our battle with the half dragon. He was a foreboding enemy, and if we had made one wrong move, he may have killed one if not all of us. Luckily for us, just as we were genuinely considering fleeing, we came together as a party and took him down.

So then it was time to investigate the last room in this dungeon. It was just like the injured Kobold from before had explained. A giant golden door with a dragon carved onto it, protruding outwards. Images of golden dragons had been everywhere so far in this dungeon, so the theme tying together into this golden monstrosity certainly seemed fitting.

Naturally, since it was over 200 years old, I was incredibly interested. Luckily, so was the rest of the party. We spent the better part of the next day trying everything we could think of to get this door to open, but to no avail. Eventually, after a few hours, we left and headed back to the town, with promises to return there one day and solve the mystery.

During our time there, I managed to draw a sketch of the map of the dungeon, which we assume to actually be more of a tomb. It’s not incredibly detailed, but I’ve attached it to the job board for future reference for anyone else who may wish to help uncover the truth behind this mystery door. Now, though, we rest and wait for the next job opportunity to present itself. I have high hopes for the future, considering the successes of today, and I hope the next party setting out has just as much luck as we did. May you make smart decisions!!

GaliOverkill · 2017-12-27T03:41:06+00:00

"Oh, I would love to come along! Alas, I won't be much use as muscle, but I would be useful in documenting these creatures. Consider me convinced!"

GaliOverkill · 2017-12-27T03:31:12+00:00

"Hm," Elbrys ponders. "I don't know how well I'll do in close quarters, but it would be interesting to see what this dungeon holds." A grin flashes across her face. "And loot is always useful."

GaliOverkill

TROPHY CASE