Introduction

With Sarcem murdered and the wands nowhere to be seen, our heros return to
Cauldron empty handed. As they do, the clouds above gather and the rain begins
to fall, first in big wet drops and by the time the enter the city, in misrible
sheets. the mood in the city has dampened as well, as an undercurrent of tension
spreads thorugh the citizenry. rumors that the wands of control water used to
hold the floodwaters at bay are lost spread, and the churches of cauldron do
little to refute this gossip. jenyya is little help in this matter as the star
of justice, a powerfull artifact and badge of her office, was lost with sarecems
body.

over the next few days, the rainstorms continue. they relent for a few hours
each day, but it soon becomes clear that this will be a wet winter. as the days
go by the relentless rianstorms depress the public, and the inexorable rise of
the water level begin to wory them. if the wands are not recovered soon riots
and flooding will be come real problems.


you have your clues and two weeks to investigate and research before the next
clue hits. post your actions of the next two weeks.

Steady Hand speaks softly to Ormr, “Kamaren feels as if the baboon was not being completely honest when he told us he did not know the place his Mistress stays."

Kamaren opens his maw wide, yawning, then speaks in a deep, growling voice, “The creature's thoughts would not be steady, but he was constantly thinking of a large cavern with an underground lake. Perhaps the lake in this city might bear investigating, unless you know of another way beneath this mountain.” Kamaren turns to Ormr with this last statement.

As this discussion is occurring, Lia awakens to find herself in a simple room. Against one wall there are two small beds, and a dresser between them, and then the opposite was has a fire place that is currently burning softly. Near the fireplace is a large window, through which you see that it is raining. There are two doors in the room, one on each of the other two walls, and both doors are currently closed. Near the fire is Ormr and Steady Hand, talking quietly, and a wolf about the size of a large horse lays curled in front of the fireplace.

Lia's First Post:
Lia wakes up quietly and gently moves herself to a sitting position. A look of confusion moves over her face as she notices the rain, but the look fades quickly. She turns to face the others in the room and says, “Thank you so much for rescuing me. I probably would have died soon if you hadn't shown up. I am in your debt.”

She turns to look outside again, “I see the rains have started. I must have been out for some time. I wonder who will take Sarcem's place in the ritual this year.” Lia stands and begins stretching, still from being unconscious for so long.

Ormr's Fourth Post:
Ormr turns to the girl, gentle concern out-weighing his normal stoic attitude. “I am glad to see you alright. Are you sure you should be up and moving about? You have been out for a few days. To answer your question, we do not know who will be taking Sarcem's place in the ritual, especially when the badge of his office has been lost, along with his body. As well, the question becomes moot when one realizes that the wands of control are missing. Do you have any kin we can take you to?”

Ormr had, at one point or another, while the girl slept, cast Detect Good upon to tell if she was good-aligned.

After hearing her answer, Ormr turns back to Steady Hand, “I am not surprised that vile beast was with-holding some information, but I do wish you had spoken up earlier, so that we could try and correct his error. I do not know of any direct way into the mountain, but I know someone I can ask, you will just have to give me a little time to go visit him.” Ormr sits and thinks for a minute. “In the meantime, while I am going and visiting my friend, I think you should try and find some more information out about the Ebony Triad.”

Lia's Second Post:
Lia continues her stretching, looking slightly concerned when the duration of her slumber is said, then says, laughing a bit, “If I've been out for that long, it's no wonder I'm so stiff.”

She shakes her head slowly and sadly when asked of her kin, “No, I do not have any kin here save for the monastery.” She stops stretching, and asks, “If it is okay, I would like to travel with your adventuring group. You saved my life there, and I owe you. Besides . . . I can't exactly go back to where I was now, everyone died at the Lucky Monkey.

A look of deep concern falls over her face a she hears that the wands have gone missing. “We need to find those wands, the city will surely be washed away if they are not found! Do you have any idea where the people who did this could be? I wonder what they hope to accomplish by taking the wands . . . other than flooding the city, and potentially killing everyone in it.”

Spell Results:
Detect Good: The results of Ormr's Detect Good spell would allow him to see that Lia is indeed a good aligned creature. Her hit dice put her at a moderately strong aura.

Ormr's Fifth Post:
At the mention of 'adventuring group', Ormr's eyes turn back to being stony. “My apologies girl, you seem to have made a misunderstanding. This is little more than two warriors being contracted to help a church's, and this city's, problem. After this is finished, I will be continuing my training, and that will leave me little time for 'adventuring.' At least for now. You say you have no-one left to return to, and for that I am sorry. But you do not owe me anything. If you feel indebted to someone, be indebted to the church of St. Cuthbert, and by all means, work that debt off with us. Assuming you can take care of yourself.”

The look on Ormr's face is not one of doubt, but one of sternness. “I do not mind helping those in need, in fact I quite enjoy it. But 'To stand by one's self is divine, to use another as a crutch, forever, is pitiable.” With that, Ormr walks out of the room, heading back towards the mountain where his gold dragon friend is resting. He walks by himself, and eventually just scales the mountain as if it is just steps, using his spider walk ability freely.

Once Ormr arrives up where the gold dragon is resting, he bows politely, and inquires, “How do you feel this day? I have unfortunate news. Sarcem is dead, and the wands have been taken. My compatriot believes that the culprit who ordered the theft and attack might be in a cavern beneath the city. Do you know of any way into the caverns, specifically one where there might be a very large lake? I know of a way into the Gnomish city underneath Cauldron, but I do not know of a large lake down there.” While speaking to the dragon, Ormr fusses about like a knight protector, making sure the dragon is comfortable, and making sure that there is nothing that could threaten his charge.

(I don't believe that there has been enough time for me to completely heal the dragon's wounds, so I am acting under that assumption.)

Lia's Third Post:
A look of confusion crosses Lia's face as Ormr leaves and she turns to Steadyhand. "He is a member of the adventuring group called the Glorious Ankle-Biters correct? Skie mentioned someone named Ormr was a member of that group to me earlier, they're the ones that killed that vampire right? I'm assuming they've disbanded since then, your friend seemed upset when i brought it up."

She casts a glance of curiosity towards Kamaren, "Your friend mentioned something about investigating an underground lake, if you would have me, I may be of some help there. I am fairly good at spotting things, even in dark areas and could make these areas less dark if that is of any help to you."

Steady Hand's Fourth Post:
As Steady Hand leaves he says, "A man's past is his own." His tone is somber and has an air of finality to it. With this short statement said, he leaves.

As the door closes, you hear the sound like a whisper on the wind, and Kamaren vanishes before your eyes. As you strain to hear the whisper, you are able to discern a single word from a language you don't recognize, and you feel weakened from the sound of it.

(Lia is now fatigued)

Story Teller's Reply to Ormr:

As you near the cave, you feel the bond between you and your dragon grow stronger. Much of your dragon's strength has recovered, though his wounds are still deep.

When you arrive, you find that you have guests. Fizzban and Sir Surabar Tiamatsbane are sitting in large, wing-backed chairs that appear to be very comfortable. The cave has been widened and deepened to allow for Sir Surabar's dragon to visit as well. Your dragon and Sir Surabar's dragon are lying near the entrance speaking together.

As you tend to your dragon's wounds and fuss about the cave, you are left to your self. (After you made a proper greeting, you were dismissed to your duties with a, "We have much to discuss, but it can wait.")

"I feel much better Ormr, thanks in large part to you. I know of many tunnels beneath these mountains, most of them being old lava tubes. I have not explored many of these tubes since I was much younger and smaller, but even then I did my best not to venture beneath the city. But I could show you where most of the entrances are. Perhaps if you kept a vigil, you may spot your quarry as they travel."

After your conversation is over, you hear the sound of a kettle whistling, and Sir Surabar asks you to join him and Fizzban for tea. Fizzban waves a hand, and a chair appears for you to sit in.

Sir Surabar turns to you, "You have made unprecedented progress in your taining. I am honored to be your teacher. For now, your training must be put on hold. The news of Sarcem's death is unfortunate, and after the city has been saved, and a new high priest is appointed, we will continue your training."

As Sir Surabar finishes, Fizzban taps his staff against the cave floor, and the very world seems to go silent.

Fizzban's demeanor seems to instantly change. He seems more regal and majestic. He addresses you, "My son, you are so far from your home, do you not wish you could return there?"

Lia's Fourth Post:
After Lia rests for abou a half hour, she gets up and travels to the church of Pelor (St. Cuthbert) to ask them if they know any further information concerning the Ebony Triad.

Feeling better after her rest, she decides to stop by one of the local inns, and performs there for an hour.

If she comes across anyone unfortunate enough to not have a place to stay during the rains, she hands them a portion of her earnings from performing at the inn, and tells them to get a room and a warm meal. As she parts from those she finds, she casts bless on the person and says, "Pelor's light guide you through these hard times." When she makes it back to the church of Pelor, she donates the remains of her earnings to the church.

The next part was handled during a live game. This is just a synopsis of what happened.

Ormr Gwynt: During his visit with the gold dragon that is his charge, and his teacher, Ormr is offered a gift from Fizzban. Fizzban offers to imbue Ormr with the powers of a Chosen of Bahamut. Ormr is taken aback, and asks to be given time to make this decision, as Ormr feels he might not be worthy of such an honor. Fizzban agrees, and gives Ormr one month after his training to make his decision. After the offer had been given, Fizzban and Sir Surabar speak to Ormr of the troubles going on in the city of Cauldron. They tell him that he needs to find the Cagewrights and release those they have kept prisoner, the Shackled. The Shackled are children who possess the bloodline of a long imprisoned demon. The Cagewrights are using those children, and the blood in their bodies, to perform a ritual that will summon the demon back to this plane. After this task is completed, Sir Surabar will finish Ormr's training.

Lia Tessirl: After her conversation with her church, Lia discovers some information about the Ebony Triad. There are three dieties that have followers in the Ebony Triad: Hextor, Erythnul, and Vecna. These members of the Ebony Triad believe, for some reason, the those three dieties were once one and the same, just different facets of an Over-Diety. They are trying to perform a ritual that will combine the three gods into their "original" form. In an attempt to gain more information, Lia travels throughout Cauldron, asking the churches if they have any information regarding the Ebony Triad. One of those churches was the church of Wee-Jas, and there was a humorous incident where the character was almost forcibly converted to the faith of Wee-Jas, and this attempt was very reminiscent of the old ways of being converted to Islam: either convert, or die by the sword. After Lia's near conversion, Lia takes some time to speak to Skye, the owner of one of the major merchant shops in Cauldron, a gnome shopkeep with a very large interest in adventurers and their stories.

After two more days go, Lia and Kamaren work together, and find a tunnel where some of the party's targets are coming in and out of. This is the point where this live session ended, and we waited a few weeks, and began then next live session.