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Experience:
El'Fross, Snf'L, L'Wehn, Siroth (will someone remind me about him next game, please? He could help or something), Charlie and Coderick split 900xp for the Girallon, and 1,200xp for the Green Dragon. This is 350xp each.
El'Fross, Snf'L and L'Wehn split 500xp for turning A'Ha back to flesh, for 167xp each. No experience for S'Part and X'Ylo(?) returning to the land of the living, as this was more or less a freebie.
Roleplayer of the week:
Player's Choice (100xp):
Coderick wins this week's Player's Choice Award. He got 2 votes, while S'Part got one and El'Fross got the other.
DM's Choice (50xp):
This week's DM's Vote goes to Snf'L, who grimly faced the dragon and the Girallon, certain (in at least one case, but probably both) that he was going to die to save the rest of the K'Needian Elves.
A'Ha - 0xp - was at 7,495xp - puts him at 7,495xp - needs 10,000xp for 5th level
Coderick the thief - 450xp - puts him at 18,450xp - needs 21,000xp for 7th level
El'Fross - 517xp - was 15,975xp - puts him at 16,492xp - needs 21,000 for 7th level
Snf'L - 567xp - was 15,707xp - puts him at 16,274xp - needs 21,000 for 7th level
S'Part - 0xp - was at 11,398xp - DIED and came back - puts him at 8,000xp - needs 10,000xp for 5th level
L'Wehn - 517xp - was at 7,395xp - puts her at 7,912xp - needs 10,000xp for 5th level
Siroth the White Dragon - 350xp - cannot earn experience, but alters the level of the group and takes 1 share away from party (when with them)
Charlie the Lonesome Centaur - 350xp - takes 1 share away from party
Grinbeard - ?xp - was at 6,907xp - puts him at ?xp - needs 10,000xp for 5th level
Daranel - ?xp - was 6,465xp - puts him at ?xp - needs 10,000xp for 5th level
Tikkel the spider - ..DEAD..
X'Ylo - ...DEAD...
17th Harvester (cont...)
Party meets a group of Centaurs on their way back to Unicks. One of them is quite suspicious of the elves, but the rest are quite friendly. The K'Needian Elves are invited back to the Centaur's camp for a party. While there, the Elves are informed that the Centaurs know where a scroll of Stone to Flesh can be found. There was such a scroll in the treasure hoard of the Centaurs in their grotto home. They had to leave because a Green Draon came in and killed many of them and they had to escape. A plan to regain the grotto failed and five more Centaurs died. They really want their queen back (killed in the first attack of the dragon) and her crown. If the elves could get her skull and the crown (hopefully killing the dragon in the process) the Centaurs would in return bring back to life anyone who died in the attempt in a special pool they know of, and allow the elves to keep the scroll of Stone to Flesh for their own use. They offer also the services of a Halfling Thief named Coderick, who was caught trying to lift a belt pouch off a passed-out Centaur reveler, and they have kept him in a cage for the past two weeks, unsure of what to do with him.
After a little discussion, the elves agree, and try to formulate a plan.
18th Harvester
Traveling through the Fellreev. The party meets an odd 4-armed creature, huge in stature, that Coderick calls a "Gorilla" which apparently is a kind of "Ape". It just about tears Snf'L and L'Wehns' collective arms off before the party takes it out. Two humans come calling for it right after, claiming it to be a pet of some kind in something called a "circus". The humans are scared off by the threatening gestures of the Elves, threatening themselves that "Gandolfo" will not be happy that the "Girallon" is dead.
Shrugging to each other, the Elves continue on toward the grotto.
19th Harvester
The party rests and prepares further for the attack on the Green Dragon. Spells are cast and re-prepared.
Subsequent plan discussions seem to make L'Wehn increasingly nervous. She becomes convinced that the Elves will ALL die in this attempt to save her brother. She even accepts when El'Fross, tired of all this planning, invites her to go for a walk. She surprises El'Fross even more by pushing him up against a tree as soon as they are out of sight of the camp and kissing him hard on the mouth. She does this for some time, but it goes not further. She then releases him and walks back to camp, saying nothing.
20th Harvester
More spell prep, and then the final trek to the Centaur Grotto. There the theif Coderick is sent down to investigate and bring back a report. Once behind the waterfall and in the cave of the dragon, Coderick finds he can't see well enough by the light flickering through the waterfall to do anything useful, so he shouts out, "Hello?"
Immediately an answer comes back, demanding who is here in the cave and what do they want. Coderick then does the rational thing - he heads back out of the cave, throught the waterfall and back up the rope hanging from the cliff. The dragon comes streaking out and Snf'L immediately hits him with arrows. The dragon flies over and breathes his gaseous acidic breath on Snf'L, but S'Part's spell protects Snf'L.
The battle is on. To L'Wehn's frustration, the dragon does not land, but keeps to the sky. She can't get her swords near it, but gets blasted by the dragon as it flies by. She, too, is protected by S'Part's spells, and survives.
El'Fross quietly sneaks back into the cave and recovers the skulls of the Centaurs, the crown of the queen, and the scroll of Stone to Flesh. As the dragon slowly gains more injuries, it flies in toward the Halfling, who ducks behind the priest. The dragon grabs S'Part instead and drops him in the middle of the small lake the waterfall empties into. S'Part tries to swim to shore, but sinks instead.
Another arrow from Snf'L sends the dragon flying away toward the west. L'Wehn tries to get to S'Part, but can't swim herself. Because of the exceptionally clean water, the party can see S'Part, floating under the water, and not moving. El'Fross goes after their friend, but alas, he has drowned, becoming the only casualty of the battle.
Charlie the Centaur gladly bears the cleric's body back to the Centaur camp. They travle all day but must rest before they get there.
21st Harvester
The party returns to the Centaur camp. A'Ha is brought back to flesh by El'Fross casting from the scroll. A second copy of the spell is used on the stone elf, but results in a shower of rocks and stones which attack El'Fross. The third and final casting brings the elven girl back to life. Her name is Aplina.
22nd Harvester
Entire group heads toward the Pool of Restoration. There the queen will be broguth back, as well as X'Ylo. The Centaur's make the Elves promise to never use the pool to resurrect humans "or other monsters".
23rd Harvester
Arrival at the pool. Contrary to the expectations of the party, they are not taken toward the Artonsamay River. Instead, they go Northwest, in the general direction of Mykell's
Castle. Not far from the Crypt of Berole, the centaurs lead them through a rocky area and through a valley, nestled between two large hills. Caves abound in the area. Through a twisting passage in one of the caves, they emerge into a beautiful Sylvan setting. Pine trees growing to heights unheard of in perfect health nestled next to stands of birch and elder. Several ash groves are in the area as well. And in the center of it all, a natural hot springs wells up from the rocky ground. The centaurs head toward this hot springs, eager looks upon their faces. The hot springs flows out from some rocks, forming a small stream, and at one point there is a small pool where the water gathers.
Magic is in the air near the pool - there is a static feel to the air. The centaurs reverently lay the first of their skulls into the pool. The Elves note that they are careful not to touch the sacred waters themselves, only allowing the skull to touch the pool. As the Elves watch, the skull begins to grow tendrils. The tendrils take shape slowly as a spine and then other bones begin to grow. After a complete centaur skeleton has been created, the muscles and organs begin to take shape, growing like melons or squash.
One of the centaurs nearby the party turns to El'Fross and explains, "The pool is most miraculous. Not only does it bring life back to those whom have died, it improves them as well. They become "Earth-touched". We believe the pool to be sacred to the earth goddess Ulaa."
After the organs have grown, skin begins to cover it all, starting at the head and moving downwards. Seconds after the skin is complete, the eyes open and the centaur, now fully restored, leaps out of the water. She is a beautiful specimen, and the other centaurs show her much respect. She turns out to not be the queen as you first suspected, but the head priestess of the centaur god Skerrit. The four other skulls are restored in turn, and the queen IS among them. The centaurs are overjoyed and very grateful, although there is a little muttering at this point about the loss of the grotto and how the elves did not kill the dragon, but this is quickly squelched by Fidel, acting leader of the Centaurs.
The centaurs move aside so you can deal with S'Part now. He is placed in the pool, and immediately his eyes open and he sits up, gasping for air.
Next is the skull of X'Ylo, after some joking around by Siroth that he "traded it". The skull is placed in the pool as the centaur skulls were. The buckawn's skeleton is created first, then the musles and organs. Lastly comes the skin. At long last, X'Ylo is back with his friends. They greet him and all begin talking at once, trying to fill him in on lost time, but the Buckawn seems confused. Eventually he holds his hands up for the K'Needian Elves to
quiet down. Once they do, he quietly asks, "Who is this `X'Ylo'? My name is Bakjrew."
S'Part asks the centaurs what happens to those who have been reincarnated. The centaurs appear blank, perhaps not understanding the question. S'Part elucidates by saying, "Obviously the body that the spirit inhabits comes back as the original creature killed," but they still do not seem to understand. L'Wehn glances quickly at her brother A'Ha.
Trying another tack, S'Part then asks, "What happens to the spirit of one killed and
then reincarnated?"
"It enters the new body, doesn't it?" they respond.
"One other thing, how many people can be brought back by the pool? Are there any warnings or tales?" S'Part asks them.
"How many? We don't know of any limit, but it is food for thought. Perhaps we should be more careful in restricting its use. There are no warnings we have heard of, but tales say those who are brought back by the pool carry something of Ulaa's blessing within their bodies."
From the diary of El'Fross:
Its been an interesting week, to say the least.
While taking our stoned friend A'ha for a drag we happened by a group of centaurs who, aside from one slightly crazed and paranoid individual (who actually reminded me a bit of A'ha), seemed harmless enough. We camped with them for the night and traded stories. It seems they had been driven from their home by a nasty green dragon and they asked if we might be interested in helping them get their homes back, or at the very least recover the remains of their queen. We of course, were not. They also mentioned that there may be a scroll with the flesh to stone spell on it…..hmmm, that piqued our interest. The centaurs also were holding a hobbit that they offered to us to help with the mission. The hobbit was quite eager to join us, as it meant leaving the centaurs who were threatening to kill him.
We spent most of the evening planning. After offering up my usually brilliant ideas, a plan was struck to send the halfling in first to scout. We would then decide whether we needed to attack the dragon outright or sneak past him to retrieve the items. It was settled – we would leave in the morning. L'wen was looking a little nervous and fretting about having her skin melted off or something. I asked her if she wanted to go for a "walk" to settle her nerves in anticipation of the upcoming battle. To my complete and utter surprise she consented and we went off to "walk" for a bit. With A'Ha being a statue, I was afforded the pleasure of not having to hear his usual protestations.
As it turns out, L'Wen is a very good "walker". We "walked" for quite some time, not far from the camp. I wanted to "walk" some more, but eventually L'Wen decided it was time to walk back to the camp. Still, the "walking" was fun. Having been smitten with my beautiful elf companion for the past oh,…..57 years, it was quite a pleasant surprise. Another 57 years and who knows what could happen…….
On the way to the dragon's lair we ran across an odd creature – a four armed ape that seemed quite aggressive. I encouraged S'Nfl to feed it however before he could, the ape whacked him and the fight was on. S'Nfl and L'Wen both took major damage before we killed the creature.
After a day of rest, we continued to the dragons's lair. The halfling climbed carefully down a rope leading to the waterfall that hid the cave. Sneaking into the cave, he looked around and suddenly realizing he couldn't see in the dark, he yelled out "hello" to the darkness, which he was pretty sure contained the dragon. When the dragon answered, the halfing ran. Apparently he felt it necessary to lure the dragon outside – which was NOT part of the plan.
A horrible battle ensued or so I was told. Shortly after the dragon appeared, I skulked down the cliff and into the cave. While the others kept the dragon occupied, I searched the cave with a torch I found on the wall. I managed to find some skulls, a scroll and the queen's crown. I scrambled out of the cave. To my surprise the group had managed to drive off the dragon. Unfortunately, not before he had dropped S'Part into the pond at the foot of the waterfall. I jumped in and dragged our companion to shore. I attempted to resuscitate him, but he had died.
Back to the centaurs with our friend's body in tow. Luckily they agreed to help return him to his normal…um, regular state. Before we left for the pond, I brought A'ha back from Stone…..then tried to bring back the female elf we also carted back from the cockatrice clearing. One of the spells on the scroll (there were three stone to flesh spells) was obviously defective, as it caused a hail storm of fist sized rocks to rain down on me. The third worked, and the elf seemed suitably grateful at first. However, after I realized that I had neglected S'Part's raven, I asked her to take the raven and find a way to change it to flesh again – exactly as I had just done for her. She seemed to think this was too high a price to pay (I thought it exceedingly fair) so I asked her to spend some "time" with A'ha instead. She definitely thought that was too high a price (I couldn't entirely disagree). She left with the stone bird.
They took us to a pond that mystically restored the dead; a very handy thing indeed. While they raised their kind and S'Part, I took advantage of the pond and I dipped X'Ylo's little buckawn skull in. And suddenly, after many months, X'Ylo stood before us, albeit still in a buckawn form.
So lets recap shall we……
- A'ha's (Stoner) latest tribulation is over and he has been restored.
- S'Part is back among the living after having been drowned by a green dragon
- X'Ylo is back among us – suitably confused at having missed the last few months, but well.
- S'Nfl aside from nearly having his arms ripped from their sockets by a 4 armed ape is fine
- L"Wen took a vicious shot from the ape, (clearly she is the toughest of us all) but stood her ground and is no worse for wear. She is also a great "walker".
- And me, El'Fross'? I haven't felt this good in months – My confidence has returned. Life is better, I'm feeling good – almost cocky. Hmmmm….. usually when I get feeling this way, something really bad happens…..
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