Tag Archives: magic item

014, 015 – Prism Theater – My Office

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Zeno’s bad dreams continued. He dreamed he was performing for Apollo, playing beautifully. Slowly his performance twisted, he kept making mistakes and the only way to recover would be to do things that were… outside of his character.

Despite Zeno’s exhaustion, we headed back to the cove to find out if the Kraken Cult was still operating there. After a bit of making fun of my enjoyment of Kraken Tracks cereal (seriously, it turned the milk blue! so cool!) we began to explore the place. A new growth of coral had gathered around the base of the obelisk. I was trying to get a closer look at it, when it rudely tried to club me to death.

Zeno leapt to action, bashing the coral to bits as I zipped out of range of the creature. And good thing I did. That thing hit HARD!

We took the passage behind the obelisk to find the room beyond filled with the corpses of the missing people from The Cross. Across the water, next to the horrible altar stood a man in robes, his skin pale blue and tentacle whiskers down his chin. A shorter human was with him, holding a quarterstaff.

The villains began to monologue, and that is when we took off running to jump across the water. Behind us, seven seaspawn rose from the corpses, reaching for us. The fight was pitched, but I knew we had the upper hand when the catfish man escaped down the path hidden behind the altar. Jade ran after him, zooming through the room beyond and back to us to say that he had taken the teleportation circle.

Zeno took off after him. The rest of us were a little slow in following him due to some seaspawn shenanigans, but we made it eventually. Of course, that is when we discovered that the catfish man had filled the landing circle with darkness and tentacles. It was hard work just to get out of the tentacles and find the catfish standing on a small island over 30 feet away within the watery cavern.

Ever the hero, Zeno leapt to the island to fight the horrible catfish man kraken cultist. Za’lynn misty stepped into place, the two of them battling the horrible thing. Lightning filled the cavern, and horrible magics glowed around the cultist. With a single, horrible, touch, the cultist took Zeno down. His body crumpled and fell from the small island, sinking into the surrounding water.

It was a horrible moment, worrying if we had just lost Zeno forever. But just then, the beautiful and talented Jade jumped into action. With the grace of a furry angel, she moved across the divide to scoop Zeno’s corpse from the water. Gathering him to her on the shore, she carefully poured a healing potion between his lips and brought him back to life!

Even in the midst of combat, this touching and heroic moment brought tears to all of our eyes. With a renewed vigor, we went after the cultist, bringing him down at last.

In the aftermath, we were able to establish that the cavern was somewhere out in the open ocean. We took a robe and an ebon key from the fallen. The robe is interesting and I have claimed it. The key opened a hidden compartment on the altar and held a considerable amount of coin. With that, we were able to fund the work on the theater and commission two sets of full plate for the boys.

We took the robe to Rennan, who pointed was able to identify what should go in the openings along the collar of the robe: 2 star rubies, 2 star sapphires, 2 star emeralds.

With Zeno’s nightmares worsening, we sought out advice. Mad Felicia explained that her grandmother is turning Zeno. She said if we killed her grandmother, then we’d need to provide a replacement in the coven. (re: baby)

The Sage’s advice was to kill all three and free The Cross of their influence. First order of business though, was to help Zeno. After some experimentation with magic and the advice of the sage, we think that consecrated ground would help Zeno to sleep well. Tomorrow, we plan to sail to the meeting place of a local Olympian council. Perhaps the priest of Apollo can be convinced to come here and consecrate the theater. It will give us a staging ground to take down this evil.

I mean, since I guess that’s what we’re doing now. I just hope one of them likes to write down all their secrets. I really hope.

012 – Prism Theater – Should Be Sleeping

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We found the shipwreck in three pieces. As we swam toward it, Zeno decided to question a fish. He is a very strange and interesting paladin. It was in this way we learned that there were many things inside the wreck, our size, but not moving around on legs as we were. We soon found the fish’s words to be true, as the wreck was filled with the corpses of the sailors.

We headed first to the Captain’s Quarters. There we found him, a magical sword at his side and a gem held in his hands. When Za’lynn touched the gem, a wave emanated from it, rippling through the water. A thing like that has never been a good sign.

It did not take long before 7 sahuagin and 2 sharks showed up. The sahauagin were tricky enough to fight. Once our blood hit the water, their already unsettling eyes took on a frenzied glaze and their attacks struck with a greater accuracy. However, we also had to contend with a cleric among them. She paralyzed Zeno, and troubled us all with a spiritual weapon. Zeno did his best to pursue the sea witch, but it was too much for him. Several times. But he never stayed down!

Despite the annoyance of wet fur and angry fish, Jade remained on point and tore into the sea frog fish people, as well as their sharks. I helped in what small ways I could, mostly just finishing up weakened foes. In time, we were victorious. We are learning more and more how to work effectively as a team.

We took a rest once the creatures were dispatched, taking the time to identify the items we found which turned out to be a magical scimitar, a gem of brightness, a scroll of purify food and drink, and 3 potions of greater healing.

In the hold we found much more than some barrels of wine. There were:

  • ingots of cobalt blue glass
  • ingots of a variety of colors of glass
  • ingots of steel
  • ingots of mithril (15) and adamantine (5)

This was more than Requiem planned on finding. They have offered, as further compensation, to supply us with a list of locations where they believe there are treasures to be found, but the risk level is too high for them.

I am feeling very good about the connections and friends we are making around the town. Though I still need to understand more about what is going on in our waters.

011 – On The Deck – Prepping for Adventure

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We returned to the theater, ready to fight and capture the banshee. I began the confrontation with a barrage of insults, though they did not seem to matter to the screaming meemie. In fact, she did not surface until we stepped onto the stage proper, only then did she and her actor companion appear. The fight was difficult, and a bit terrifying when Zeno went down during the opening salvo. Jade however, was quick to step in and absolutely eviscerate the spectral intestines of the creature.

As the banshee discorporated, I spoke the binding phrase and its angry little spirit bound itself inside the provided bottle. We wasted no time in heading again for Mad Felicia’s. On our voyage there, Zeno entertained us with his explanation of Personality Island. Evidently, this is an island on which all ‘good personality’ elves are kept until they become proper elves, or until they die. I suppose that does make sense as to why most elves that you meet have somewhat less than gracious personalities. What a strange culture!

Mad Felicia was glad to see us return with the bottle, and told us that the theater, and the wraith, were now free of their darkness. Felicia read into our exuberance at the news and pressed us to find out if we had plans for the theater. We gave her the general outline, that we plan to fix the place up and create a place of art and community… and a minor propaganda machine. It was hard to read her reaction at first, but then she asked to have a free pass to attend. It was easy to agree to, and I love the idea of having a box reserved just for her. Something for patrons to glance at and wonder if tonight is the night that Mad Felicia will show up.

She dropped into a meaningful conversation with Za’lynn, referring to him as Child of Sorrow. There was one other bit of work she had, a debt to be collected. This would be when I found out that the more outraged Zeno gets, the higher his voice gets. Seems the debt that Felicia is owed, is a baby.

There was lots of back and forth over the morality of repossessing babies, and I really am shocked at Zeno’s entire lack of appreciation for a binding contract. So, once there was an opening, Za’lynn and I slipped away to investigate this request. Turns out that the deal was made by the father of the child, though he made it when he was nine and mourning the loss of his father. So… I suppose that’s not an entirely binding contract. Fine, we did not relocate the baby. In fact, I gave the father some gold. Gold always helps things.And he’s going to need help if he plans on keeping that child.

We decided to all crash at the theater, which is good because we were so exhausted from all the work we’ve started on the place. Late that night, there was a knock at the door. An older woman, kerchiefed and hunched, stood in the dark. She offered Zeno a small fingurine of a bird, thanking us for the kindness we had done. I tried to get Zeno to see what she was with that whole paladin thing he does, but he wouldn’t do it until she was leaving. Then he was all , ‘Oh, she’s a fiend!’ and raced after her and I just think that was rude.

He tried to explain himself when he caught up her, but luckily, she stopped him from completing his thought before she tottered off into the night.

The next day, we sought out Casta to ask about donations for the theater. (We also made a deal with Rennyn of Cloak & Curtain to do the costuming for the theater.) Instead, she offered us a job that could help. So now we’re on the deck of a ship, heading off the coast of the island to try to retrieve some lost cargo. Coins to Apple Tarts, we’re going to find a whole lot of kraken cult nonsense down there. This should be illuminating.

Zeno’s Code (updated)

  1. Never take the first deal
  2. No one knows they’re hunting ghosts until they’re hunting ghosts. Be prepared.
  3. Punch up, no down.
  4. Open mind not closed fist.
  5. There is a very thin line between evil and dick.
  6. tbd
  7. Justice doesn’t have the stealth skill
  8. tbd
  9. Talking doesn’t get stuff done. Doing gets stuff done.
  10. tbd
  11. tbd
  12. tbd
  13. tbd
  14. tbd
  15. tbd
  16. tbd
  17. tbd
  18. tbd
  19. tbd
  20. tbd
  21. tbd
  22. tbd
  23. tbd
  24. tbd
  25. tbd
  26. tbd
  27. tbd
  28. tbd
  29. Backdoor friends are best and don’t steal babies.

Action Items

  • Continue to research the kraken cult
  • Continue to fix up the temple
  • Continue to fix up the theater
  • Write a play
  • Find out Mad Felicia’s story about the theater

008 – In the Bath – Soaking Off the Sewers

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Another day started and it was time to pursue the kobolds. The sewer system was a simple radial design. Mostly water flowed through the tunnels, with slippery paths along the side. Given that we had waited to pursue, tracks were impossible to find so we picked a direction and began to walk deeper into the sewers. There were some rats. It is possible, given their tenacity that some sort of demonic power has influenced the rats, but we vanquished them all the same.

Past the demon rats, we found the remains of animals and humans with bruising and strange bite marks. Continuing down the tunnel, we soon found the source of the odd bites. A creature with a purple worm-like body, a beak mouth, and slicer tipped tentacles, called a grick. It was a hard battle to defeat this creature, and we decided that that kobolds could not have come this way so we turned to follow the tunnels out toward the ocean.

Once we hit the outside world again, dropping onto a beach, Za’lynn was able to pick up the tracks of the kobolds in the sand. We followed them around to a cave that descended under the city. There were traps in the cramped tunnels and we did what we could to avoid them. What we could not avoid was the notice of the kobolds.

They were holed up in a small earthen room, four of them, along with a sickly looking baby bronze dragon. Tayanna attempted to speak with the dragon, but it would not seem to want to be saved. After a rather dangerous fight, complete with poison and lighting from the mouth of the baby dragon, we finally put all the creatures down.

In the aftermath, we found a small nest of dragon eggs, each one infected by the foul soup it rested We also found a magical necklace on one of the kobolds. It held the image of a kraken. So, we’re back to that. We destroyed the eggs and left… to bathe.

Necklace of Adaptation: Breathe in any environment, immune to inhaled harmful glasses

Zeno’s Code (updated)

  1. Never take the first deal
  2. No one knows they’re hunting ghosts until they’re hunting ghosts. Be prepared.
  3. Punch up, no down.
  4. Open mind not closed fist.
  5. tbd
  6. tbd
  7. Justice doesn’t have the stealth skill

Action Items

  • Find out more about this kraken cult