CAMPAIGN: The Unburning (D&D5e)

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Gizmog
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Post by Gizmog »

There is no sky. Only smoke and the thin spidery legs that poke through it, stabbing into the ground, yet also dancing across it. The owl men disappear one by one, shimmering in the unfelt heat and then bursting like sausages. Cece tries to run, seeking shelter in the shadow of a semi-familliar building. Her legs are taking the day off, only occasionally pushing her gently, wobbily in the desired direction. It takes an eternity, but she finally trips over the threshold, tumbling head over heels into the open doorway.

There's stairs going up. Stairs going down. And somehow, she knows that she's precisely in the middle.
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Mogri
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Post by Mogri »

Caldon sighs conspicuously. "Yes, the Lord and I do have much to discuss. We will start with his selection of representative for the sale of the most august Morgensen estate."

He rises and gives his most courtly bow to the dragonborn. They don't deserve it, but Caldon is still nobility, and he will act as such.
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Bob the Hamster
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Post by Bob the Hamster »

Normin, Sharn, Cece

Provincial raises his eyebrows in surprise at Sharn's exclamation, but he makes no comment.

To Normin he says, "Well, have a fine day then sir! My messages are delivered, my sausages are delivered, so I'll be off!"

and he excuses himself from the room.

Ebald taps Normin's hat politely. "Normin, I think the alarmstones are those big triangle-shaped things in the back room."

"They're taller than me." says Petrol, standing in the back room door and looking around.

Upstairs, Sharn finds Cece still asleep. Her legs are flexing sporadically, as if trying to run in her dreams.

Caldon

Mr Antagonis looks briefly surprised, fumbles his monacle, and then returns Caldon's bow.

"Hrmrhm! Lovely structure this is." he asserts. "The architecture looks Old-Monarchy... but the decor seems to be Middle-Material-Reformed, right?"

Elizibreath and Ms Pitt begin gossiping rapidly, and head directly for a balcony, where Ms Pitt insists there is a view of the University Cupola Spire that "just has to be seen to be believed, the way the morning light hits it just so!"
Last edited by Bob the Hamster on Tue Jun 27, 2017 2:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Mogri
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Post by Mogri »

Caldon is pleasantly surprised, and he can't hide a genuine smile. "You are a man of taste! Indeed, the decor in the parlor tends toward the Middle-Reformed. You won't find the artifacts of the Old Monarchy in the public areas, for the most part, but if you happen into the west wing while you are here, you will find armors and regalia from the Seven Hundred Years' War, where my ancestors fought alongside the High-Kings -- in fact, House Morgensen were awarded the Ceremonial Sword, but you'll only find that in the master bedroom. One of only a dozen still in existence, as you might be aware, and one of the best-preserved."
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Post by Newbie Newtype »

ooc wrote:Are the alarmstones the security that Normin had installed, or are they the portable alarms for when fires happen?
<TheGiz> oh hai doggy, oh no that's the straw that broke tjhe came baclsb
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Bob the Hamster
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Post by Bob the Hamster »

Newbie Newtype wrote:
ooc wrote:Are the alarmstones the security that Normin had installed, or are they the portable alarms for when fires happen?
DM wrote:A perfectly understandable confusion! The security that Instructor Vulgate placed was just an enchantment, it did not involve any stones.

The Alarmstones were briefly mentioned when the team first arrived at Headquarters, but nobody payed much attention to them, since the "Pamphlets of Create Water" seemed so much more interesting at the time

first look at Headquarters wrote: It looks dark inside, but after Normin unlocks the door, some simple magical lights come on inside.

Downstairs are two rooms. The front room is completely empty, with no furnishings at all.

The back room has a table and a few miss-matched chairs, but the room is dominated by a pile of large carved stones. Each of them is shaped like a steep pyramid with a blunt top. They all stand about 4 feet tall, and look heavy.

There are 9 Alarmstones in all.

8 of them have relatively simple arcane carvings on them, and in bright red paint they have the words "TOUCH AND SPEAK FOR HELP" neatly lettered in a different language on each side, Common, Elvish, Dwarven, Draconic

The last Alarmstone is different. It has far more arcane carvings on it, and there is no other lettering on it. A rolled up scroll is balanced on the top of this one.

From the front room, there are stairs that lead up to the second floor. The second floor has 2 bunkrooms and two washrooms. Each bunkroom contains 2 bunk-beds, so between both rooms there is a total of 8 beds. The bunkrooms have a lot of empty space, as if they used to contain more bunks that were removed. There are also several wooden wardrobes in each bunkroom.

In the back of the Alarmstone room downstairs is a door that leads to attached stables in the back. It does indeed have six empty horse stalls, and a large high-roofed empty central space that might have once been intended to park a coach or a wagon. The Stables have a large back door, easily big enough to drive a vehicle through. It is sealed from the inside with a heavy cross-bar.
Scroll on top of one of the Alarmstones wrote: The scroll on top of the special Alarmstone describes it as the "Stationstone". He reads over the instructions, and then confirms them with his own identify spell.

The Stationstone is enchanted with what seems to be a more powerful and elaborate variant of the Message spell.

If someone touches one of the Alarmstones and speaks, their voice will be heard through the Stationstone, even if the stones are separated by great distance. Someone standing next to the Stationstone can then touch it and reply to the person using the Alarmstone.

The Stationstone has glyphs that can be touched to give the listener awareness of the exact location of the currently active Alarmstone, similar to the Locate Object spell.
DM wrote:This is your "dial 9-1-1" emergency system
There are also glyphs on the Stationstone that can be touched to mute a specific Alarmstone if needed.

The enchantments seem to be a little more complicated than they need to be, but that is probably to make them powerful enough and to avoid blocking or interference from other magic.
That scroll is what Ursula was reading last night.
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Post by Bob the Hamster »

Caldon

Mr Antagonis brightens considerably when Caldon starts talking about history and relics.

"Really!? One of the Unbloodied 12? I would love to see it."

"Which dynasty was it from?"
Knowledge (nobility) wrote:Antagonis's usage of the phrase "Unbloodied" and his question about the dynasties hints that he is fishing for Caldon's historical sympathies.

The modern non-hereditary Regicide-Monarchy, while already several hundred years old, heavily villifies the final dynasty of High-Kings of the Old-Monarchy, especially the last two from right before the Bloody Reformation that brought about the current system of regularly pre-scheduled regicide.

Many noble families chafe at the restrictions on their political power enforced by the Regicide-Monarchy, but talking about it openly is... if not risky, certainly impolitic.
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Post by Newbie Newtype »

"No sense not having one of these," He takes an alarm stone and pockets it, "It could make a trip to the capital interesting! Hah hrm."
<TheGiz> oh hai doggy, oh no that's the straw that broke tjhe came baclsb
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Bob the Hamster
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Post by Bob the Hamster »

Newbie Newtype wrote:"No sense not having one of these," He takes an alarm stone and pockets it, "It could make a trip to the capital interesting! Hah hrm."
They are definitely too big to pocket. A weelbarrow might be adequate
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Post by Spoonweaver »

Sharn looks at Cece with envy. "Why am I awake while she's still sleeping," she says while giving a sideways glance at her lazy leaf stash, as if accusing it of something. Sharn finds the water bucket and splashes Cece awake before returning to bed herself.
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Post by Mogri »

Caldon is taken aback, but he maintains his composure. "Ah, that's right. It was bestowed by Richten the Great, making it the second-last Ceremonial Sword awarded before the revolution." An enthusiast of Antagonis's stripes would know that no High-King awarded more than one Sword; no more need be said on the subject. "The Old-Monarchy architecture goes in and out of favor as the years go by, but the condition of the estate speaks more to the quality of the architecture than any trend or fashion.

"Anyway, better I show you the Sword than Miss Pitt. She wouldn't know a Ceremonial Sword from a polearm."
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Post by Newbie Newtype »

Bob the Hamster wrote:
Newbie Newtype wrote:"No sense not having one of these," He takes an alarm stone and pockets it, "It could make a trip to the capital interesting! Hah hrm."
They are definitely too big to pocket. A weelbarrow might be adequate
ooc wrote:Oops. I admit I didn't re-read the text and I think I meant to take a stationstone, but I think even that is permanently fixed?
<TheGiz> oh hai doggy, oh no that's the straw that broke tjhe came baclsb
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Gizmog
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Post by Gizmog »

Cece wraps the wet blanket around her tighter and flops over. Who the hell throws away water? Maybe if the wizard who did it figures out how to make food, they'll throw a banquet for him.. she's dreaming again before too long.
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Post by Bob the Hamster »

Normin

After Sharn goes upstairs, Ebald moves close to Normin, a look of concern on his face. He seems about to say something when a noise interrupts.

There is a sound of hooves clip-clopping and wagon-wheels rumbling on the stones outside the door.

They stop, and Ursula comes in the front door, beaming. "I bought us a firewagon!... well, leased it anyway. Can somebody run and open the stable doors?"

Petrol heads through the back room, towards the stables, and Ursula heads back out the front door.

Sharn and Cece

The words "..a banquet.." escape Cece's lips, but she remains asleep in the now soaking-wet bed.

In Cece's Dream

A pair of angry eyes imposes itself into Cece's dream. They are grey like ash. They don't last long, but while they do persist, they glare into her soul with cold, silent ferocious malice

Caldon

Mr Antagonis follows Caldon to see the sword.

His eyes gleam gold when he sees it.

"I had no idea this estate included such..." he catches himself before saying whatever he first had in mind, and the continues "...beautiful decor."
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Post by Newbie Newtype »

ooc wrote:I still need clarification: the stationstones AREN'T portable right? Somebody has to stand here and listen and we won't know even if we are away?
"Oh? Well then, we have found the best way to get to the fires with far greater meddling and startling inefficiency than my brittle and stubby legs can manage, what with all of the traffic cluttering the streets, mmhmm."
<TheGiz> oh hai doggy, oh no that's the straw that broke tjhe came baclsb
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