The Realms of Horror (Ch. 1)

BMR · Post by **BMR** » Sat Feb 25, 2017 3:00 pm

While waiting for Catt to return, Kamaron begins setting up a magic circle. He traces divine symbols within the circle, then plants incense at five different points along the edge. He then closes his eyes and begins to chant a lengthy prayer. He drones on for the next ten minutes, after which the five sets of incense begin to glow with bright light, igniting the incense. The light shoots up to the ceiling, then bends around to converge on Kamaron, and the smoke begins to swirl about him as well. He opens his eyes which are once more glowing with bright white light.

"Divine Istus, what path will best take myself and my companions most safely to the lich's tomb?"

Spell Used: Divination (Caster Level 11)

Spoonweaver · Post by **Spoonweaver** » Wed Mar 01, 2017 4:58 am

Wilstra is thankful for the spell. Johnny seems grateful as well, but tried to keep it to himself. The camp has been packed up at this point and the groups seems ready to begin exploring again. Karamon casts one final spell before everyone begins.

Karamon hears:
A slot needs a ring, but not just any will do. If a door is not secret it might kill you.

Catt returns with a strange woman. The woman is wearing Renold's armor and looks very much like Renold. The woman gives an odd shrug and says, "It's me, Renold. Can I have my weapons belt back?"

Gizmog · Post by **Gizmog** » Wed Mar 01, 2017 5:51 am

Code: Select all

How much str does Slickens have now?

"Dropped 'em over there" Slickens says, nose twitching with effort to sniff out any deception.

BMR · Post by **BMR** » Wed Mar 01, 2017 6:17 am

"Wait. Wait, wait, wait. We are in a death trap built by a lich whom we know enjoys tricking us and playing with our heads in cruel and sadistic ways. We see our 'oh so wise and fearless' leader get snuffed by poison gas yesterday after pressing on despite warnings that we were ill-prepared. Today, a woman arrives, saying that she's 'actually' Renold. Then the same woman asks for weapons. Am I being stupidly paranoid? Am I the only one that thinks this seems rather off? Or maybe, divines willing, does all that seem even the least bit suspect to any of you?"

Newbie Newtype · Post by **Newbie Newtype** » Wed Mar 01, 2017 1:09 pm

Horace raises a brow at what Karamon states. He admits he did not consider the possibility himself, given the nature of the traps to embarrass their own as it is. He looks to Renald, and asks, "This change... it does not cause panic?"

BMR · Post by **BMR** » Wed Mar 01, 2017 2:09 pm

Kamaron nods at Horace's words, then says: "Indeed. I would have imagined that anyone else would have been far more agitated than what you are showing right now. Further, Renold knows that three of us have powerful arcane abilities, stands to reason that that the first question would be, 'can any of you help me?' rather than, 'where can I get my hands on some tools for killing people?'"

Post by **Bob the Hamster** » Wed Mar 01, 2017 3:22 pm

Catt starts walking around Renold, prodding and pinching.

"Are you the REAL Reny, Lady?" "Can you say something that only a Renold would say?" She says this in a playful tone.

Grinning back at Kamaron, Catt says "Really, Kam? If the Lich is going to send us a counterfeit Renold, why send one with its gender flipped?"

BMR · Post by **BMR** » Wed Mar 01, 2017 4:07 pm

"Probably to put us in this exact situation. With very little way of figuring things out, we spend time trying to figure things out when we could instead be tracking down the lich. And the problem is, even knowing that, we'd need to figure this out before proceeding, as I have no desire to get a knife in my back."

Post by **Bob the Hamster** » Wed Mar 08, 2017 9:49 pm

"So... wait... you trusted Reny when he was a man, but now that he is a woman, he's gonna stab you in the back?" says Catt. "Isn't that a little sexist? I mean, we didn't know him that well in the first place-- we don't know each other that well in the first place!"

"Hey, Siggie!" Catt calls to the Paladin. "You can detect Evil at will, right? Can you check out She-Reny here and verify for Kam that she isn't a Lich-Spawned Lady-Devil?"

BMR · Post by **BMR** » Thu Mar 09, 2017 12:48 am

"I don't care if he's a man or a woman, that's not the point. The point is, how are we sure that this is our fearless, but ever so deluded, leader?"

Post by **Bob the Hamster** » Thu Mar 09, 2017 1:14 am

Catt throws her hands up in exasperation and walks away, but not before giving Sigmund a Get-Over-Here-With-The-Detect-Evil glare.

Gizmog · Post by **Gizmog** » Thu Mar 09, 2017 3:43 am

"Smells okay to me." slickens says, trusting his nose's ability to sense motive implicitly.

Newbie Newtype · Post by **Newbie Newtype** » Thu Mar 09, 2017 4:40 pm

"The only way we shall get to the bottom of this mystery is if we give the tomb a riddle of our own."

He rubs his jaw momentarily, then asks the woman, "Who was it that Catt had announced was her most hated deity when we first arrived near the tomb?"

Spoonweaver · Post by **Spoonweaver** » Wed Apr 05, 2017 9:41 pm

Renold answered correctly and was not detected as evil. She took a moment for the other questions and comments to die down before commenting. "I changed last night when I first entered the orange mist archway. I have had some time to adjust to this change. As far as curses go, it could have been much worse. At least I kept my clothes. "
"I was honestly ready for potential death when I entered the archway. We had set off a deadly trap and we all seem to have come out alive. I understand your concerns but I am not willing to give up my weapons in this hostile environment."

The party stood around for quite some time discussing Renold. By this time the lantern archon began teleporting purchased items into the tomb for the party.

Post by **Bob the Hamster** » Wed May 24, 2017 5:57 pm

As the archon piles things up, Catt sits down and starts to pick through Kamaron's stuff as if it is her own.

"What the 7 hells are these all about?" she asks him, holding up the chicken bones. "Did you order a chicken, and the archon got hungry?"