Completed Play-by-Post: In Search of the Sorcerer

[ERYFKRAD]

Spoiler

I'm keeping to the maul, thanks. To be honest, the bloke with the spear might attract the most attention from the wolf, so, probably a stealthy bloke should hold it to jump the wolf when least expected. Stalin_Brando maybe?
Plus I got a good barbarian cloak out of this. So enough loot for me.

"What is with all the images of snakes in the tombs? Is there anything of this in Pictish legends?"

 

[nikolokolus]

"What is with all the images of snakes in the tombs? Is there anything of this in Pictish legends?"

(I assume you are addressing Brule, Fidach or Oona)
Fidach speaks up, "Ulfheonar. A serpent was his sigil and he was often called by his epithet, "The Viper." This was hundreds of years ago granted, but we still remember well the tales of he and his fianná driving off Blaidd Mawr back to Otherworld."

 

[ERYFKRAD]

(I assume you are addressing Brule, Fidach or Oona)

They don't speak common and Borric can't into Pictish. Ok we did this in sign language.

 

[nikolokolus]

(I assume you are addressing Brule, Fidach or Oona)

They don't speak common and Borric can't into Pictish. Ok we did this in sign language.

Fidach speaks a bit of common.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Fidach speaks a bit of common.

My bad.

p.s.

What's a bloke with a wolf-based name like Ulfhednar doing with snakes as his, uh, signature creature? Paranoia senses tingling.

 

[Grimgravy]

OOC

nikolokolus 50 minutes? I thought I saw 4-5 turns. I'm not nitpicking, but I'm concerned about the amount of daylight we have left.
I'll pass on the spear and shield if someone wants them. But I've got the most HP and the shiny new armor, so I don't mind trying to tank the wolf with them either. The guardian in the pool may try something when we leave with the artifacts, so we need to be aware of that.

"Urash, you studied the spell on the sealed door? Does it have any bearing on our situation and the Blaidd Mawr?"

 

[Llywelyn ap Gruffydd]

Spoiler

If nobody needs the shield, I wouldn't mind grabbing it. That is unless a front line guy needs it more to act as a better meat shield.

"I'm not sure what Urash found, but all I saw was heresy."

Spoiler

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Spoiler

If nobody needs the shield, I wouldn't mind grabbing it. That is unless a front line guy needs it more to act as a better meat shield.

"I'm not sure what Urash found, but all I saw was heresy."

Spoiler

Spoiler

I got no objection, actually.

 

[L'ennui]

"Heresy, hmm? It seems to me the world is strange enough as it is, no use arguing over which particular brand of madness is truer to form..." Urash gets lost in his thoughts for a moment, looking at the runes again. Turning to Rhenmyr, he suddenly says:
"These runes describe a way to open a portal to the underworld of our friend Cormac's god. A one-way trip for a solitary traveler, I'm afraid... But perhaps it could be used to... rid ourselves of some unwelcome creature?" Urash rubs his beard.
"The trouble is, if I'm understanding it correctly, the portal can only be created in a place consecrated to Arawn. This tomb is such a place. Perhaps the pool outside also. But the wolf we are hunting may be outside of Arawn's reach."

Turning again to Cormac: "Tell me, priest, do you believe you could consecrate a place to your god? Perhaps with your rituals, we could invoke these runes and create portals at other places of our choosing."

 

[Llywelyn ap Gruffydd]

"I don't know. I have a bad feeling about this. I've prepared people to meet Arawn after their death, not send the living. I must ask Arawn for guidance in meditation before I can move forward with this. Brule, Fidach and Oona, does anyone in your village know or follow Arawn? It looks like at one time your people did."

Spoiler

Whenever we get a chance to rest, Cormac will ask Arawn for guidance on how to proceed with the portal and the runes.

 

[nikolokolus]

p.s.

What's a bloke with a wolf-based name like Ulfhednar doing with snakes as his, uh, signature creature? Paranoia senses tingling.

ANSWER

During your conversations with Fidach, it becomes somewhat clear that the name Ulfheonar was taken by the hero after he slew Blaidd Mawr and banished him to Otherworld. Whatever the hero's name was before this is unknown

OOC

nikolokolus 50 minutes? I thought I saw 4-5 turns. I'm not nitpicking, but I'm concerned about the amount of daylight we have left.
...

ANSWER

One turn is ten minutes. and a round is one minute. At the end of Urash's reverie it will be about an hour past midday. The trek to the sunken fen where you tracked Blaidd Mawr is a few hours away by foot.

 

[nikolokolus]

"I don't know. I have a bad feeling about this. I've prepared people to meet Arawn after their death, not send the living. I must ask Arawn for guidance in meditation before I can move forward with this. Brule, Fidach and Oona, does anyone in your village know or follow Arawn? It looks like at one time your people did."

Spoiler

Whenever we get a chance to rest, Cormac will ask Arawn for guidance on how to proceed with the portal and the runes.

Consecration of an area

There's no such spell as "Consecrate Ground" in the S&W, but here's my best approximation. (You might want to write this down for future reference?)

Consecrate
Spell Level: Cleric, 2nd level, Druid 3rd Level
Range: 10 feet radius per caster level centered on the caster
Duration: 1 turn per caster level (or permanent if cast on an altar, etc.)
Components: see spell description

The Cleric invokes the power of his god and dedicates a site as holy to that deity. Within the area, all undead and supernatural creatures antithetical to the god (daemons, summoned creatures, etc.) must pass a saving throw to enter the circle and even if they pass they suffer -1 to attack and damage rolls. While inside the circle, clerics allied with the god to whom the area is consecrated, turn undead as if they are 1 levels higher.

The spell requires a vial of holy water, and 25 gold pieces worth of powdered silver. If the spell is cast on altar or other permanent fixture dedicated to the cleric's deity, then above penalties and bonuses are doubled and the saving throw for creatures to pass is -2.

The spell is reversible for Chaotic Clerics as the spell Desecrate. This spell doubles the power of the "animate dead" spell and dispels Consecrate as well as repels supernatural beings of Law. It also gives the Chaotic Cleric a bonus to their Dominate Undead ability as above.

The material component for Desecrate is a vial of unholy water and a pinch of dung.

Fidach and Brule exchange a glance before Fidach speaks, "Yes Arawn is known to us . . . The terrible and dark god of the Underworld. We make offerings to him on Samhain that he might avert his gaze from us through the long dark winter."

 

[Grimgravy]

"Perhaps, if we bind the wolf with the hair rope and put it down, we can bring the corpse back here for a permanent banishment. But that's beyond me. Mages and holy men can deal with portals and the underworld. I'll deal with putting holes in the wolf."

Spoiler

I've got a standard shield, so if we decide I should use the fancy one, Cormac could use mine. If someone has detect magic prepared, it might be worth seeing if the stuff we've acquired recently is more than quality equipment.

 

[Llywelyn ap Gruffydd]

Cormac tenses a bit, and then speaks. "A terrible and dark god? Then you must not truly know Arawn. Arawn resides over a paradise, where he set his hounds loose in a great wild hunt. I could teach you the truth about Arawn and Annwn."

Cormac looks at Urash. "I know of a consecration ritual, but it is beyond my power to perform the rite. We would need a more seasoned priest of Arwan that could perform the rites.

Spoiler

Cormac's cult doesn't recognize the Cad Goddeu version of the Arawn story and his inconvenient loss in battle to Gwynedd.

"Perhaps, if we bind the wolf with the hair rope and put it down, we can bring the corpse back here for a permanent banishment. But that's beyond me. Mages and holy men can deal with portals and the underworld. I'll deal with putting holes in the wolf."

Spoiler

I've got a standard shield, so if we decide I should use the fancy one, Cormac could use mine. If someone has detect magic prepared, it might be worth seeing if the stuff we've acquired recently is more than quality equipment.

I do have a shield already, and since you will be doing a lot more fighting than I will it would probably be best in your character's hands.

 

[nikolokolus]

Cormac tenses a bit, and then speaks. "A terrible and dark god? Then you must not truly know Arawn. Arawn resides over a paradise, where he set his hounds loose in a great wild hunt. I could teach you the truth about Arawn and Annwn."

Cormac looks at Urash. "I know of a consecration ritual, but it is beyond my power to perform the rite. We would need a more seasoned priest of Arwan that could perform the rites.

Brule, Fidach and Oona all shift nervously at Cormac's rebuke. Brule turns his back abrputly and stalks down the hill toward the pool to fill his waterskin.

Fidach finally speaks after a long awkward moment stretches on for what feels like an eternity, "I am not a man versed in the ways of the gods . . . so perhaps it is as you say?" His voice trails off with a degree of uncertainty. You get the distinct impression he is attempting to be polite.

Brule comes back up the hill and looms over the still unconscious Uvan. He pours out a fraction of his water on the man's face which doesn't cause him to stir. He frowns and walks over to the edge of the portico and sits down watching the gathering clouds roll in from the North.

 

[Siveon]

Marcán turns his head over to Brule, before looking back at Fidach, "We can talk about this once we've found and felled the beast. I doubt we would need to call upon Arawn himself to be rid of it. If we're done here, I'd like to plan our attack outside." He loses his composure for a bit, and smirks, "For one reason or another I can't say I'm very comfortable in this cave."

Spoiler

If no one wants Uvans sword, I'll take it, replacing my old spare sword. I also want to at least inspect our two artifacts before we get rolling.

 

[nikolokolus]

Marcán turns his head over to Brule, before looking back at Fidach, "We can talk about this once we've found and felled the beast. I doubt we would need to call upon Arawn himself to be rid of it. If we're done here, I'd like to plan our attack outside." He loses his composure for a bit, and smirks, "For one reason or another I can't say I'm very comfortable in this cave."

Spoiler

If no one wants Uvans sword, I'll take it, replacing my old spare sword. I also want to at least inspect our two artifacts before we get rolling.

Marcán handles the ancient spear and shield looking them over carefully. Even though you are not a weapon smith, you know that the craftsmanship is excellent and the inlay and etching show a great deal of care and skill went into the manufacture of each.

Spoiler

roll your lore check for each to see if you can suss anything out about them based on what little you know of the Ulfheonar legend.

 

[Siveon]

Spoiler

Alright, google search, don't fail me now.

Spear: Lore Check: [1d20] = 19
Shield: Lore Check: [1d20] = 13

 

[nikolokolus]

While there's no doubting the quality of the spear and shield -- masterworks by any stretch of the imagination -- You can't shake the feeling that something isn't quite right.

In all of the imagery inside the tomb, that depicted Ulfheonar's defeat of Blaidd Mawr, he was shown wielding a great two-handed wolf-spear; a weapon probably 12 feet long at least.

This heavy, short-hafted spear is just a shade over six feet long from butt to tip and is obviously balanced for use in one hand with a shield. The flared prongs at the base of the spear point are also very short . . . hardly the kind of feature you'd expect to see on a spear designed for pinning an animal or other foe.

Examining the shield doesn't provoke any memories or other insights.

 

[Siveon]

Marcán sighs. "I don't believe this is it." He says, taking another look at the spear - and explains his findings with the rest of the group. "Maybe it's... ceremonial, maybe someone is hiding the real one, but I can't with good faith say we found the spear that killed Blaidd Mawr."

 

[Grimgravy]

"Bloody hell! A massive pillar spins a room down on top of me and it's not the right spear?" Rhenmyr fumes for a bit. "There aren't many places left to explore. There's the shaft the snake thing came down and the sealed door to the underworld. I'm willing to explore the former if we think it's worth the effort."

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Spoiler

"flared prongs at spear tip" is this like some manner of tuning fork? Or somewhat like those snake-catching things in movies and all? Pending confirmation, I'm voting with Grimgravy.

 

[Grimgravy]

Spoiler

ERYFKRAD do you have Battle Brothers? The flared prongs would be like the two metal projections sticking out from the shaft of the boar spear. Note that the militia spear lacks them. They would press against a boar's (or wolf's in the case of the spear we're looking for) body and pin it to the ground or limit its movement so other people can stab it too. I also imagine it would prevent, or at least hinder, it from running up the spear in pain and madness and goring the hell out of you.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Spoiler

ERYFKRAD do you have Battle Brothers? The flared prongs would be like the two metal projections sticking out from the shaft of the boar spear. Note that the militia spear lacks them. They would press against a boar's (or wolf's in the case of the spear we're looking for) body and pin it to the ground or limit its movement so other people can stab it too. I also imagine it would prevent, or at least hinder, it from running up the spear in pain and madness and goring the hell out of you.

Oh THOSE prongs. Fuck I don't have battle brothers, thank you for reminding me. :Negative:

 

[nikolokolus]

The head of the spear depicted on all of the tomb engravings looks a bit like this and is always wielded two-handed

The one you found looks more like this (with the addition that the haft is bronze and the head has etchings on its surface that make it look like a viper's head)