Skull Mountain: The Island

[greyarea]

Gatto and the Captain chat, Gatto asking questions and the Darkling replying, sometimes with just a single word, sometimes with a phrase.

Gatto turns to Grimes and says, Here's what he says. His name is Clarence, by the way. He isn't sure where Greenstar is: she is to be sacrificed soon but could be in a nearby chamber or in the dome being sacrificed. Since Clarence is off duty, he doesn't know for sure, but there's a good chance she can still be saved. He says that they sacrifice her over the water in the largest dome on a platform where the Razemeth the Avatar comes up and eats the sacrifice. He says the Avatar is a large, black dragon and is to be feared.

Clarence says he isn't an explorer and doesn't know how you got in, but the way he knows to the surface is the volcano. He was there once, long ago. The huge cavern across the lava lake from here has many paths leading to other lizard colonies. He imagines that that's how I was kidnapped from my home in the Gemfarer mines.

Clarence says that he would have heard it if you were coming: the troops would have been mobilized. He says there are maybe thirty lizardfolk, both Darkling and Greens, in the domes at any given time. He has no idea how many you've encountered so no idea how many you have left to encounter. The last dome, if the sacrifice is occurring, will have perhaps somewhere between ten and fifteen lizardfolk, from the high priest to pilgrims come to make offerings.

Legend has it that Razemeth has a great treasure under water where he lives.

Actions?

Hit points and marching order
Grimes 18/34
--Furuk 36/36
Dieter 18/18
--Dandy 18/23
Einar 11/11

[Spanningtree]

Dieter - Mage

Good questions Grimes. Do we go to rescue this elf or do we rest up a bit? Looking to Gatto and the henchmen: How fair is this elf? With a laugh and wink. Gatto, please ask the reptile if the sacrifice would be complete in 8 hours? I'm trying to figure out what we have to work with... do we have any other healing? Were walking into some deep mud.

OCC: Dandy could re-memorize his spells in that period, right? Is the staff of healing charge based or cyclical?

[badams30]

Grimes - Fighter

Grimes glances at all the members of the group, and then on Gatto. "I don't want to see your friend sacrificed, and if it's that dicey, I'll keep going till I drop. I aint' gonna let anyone get eaten by a big lizard if I can help it. But if wormy here says that we may have some time, it might be wise for all of us to rest up and prepare ourselves for what might be our big push. And I don't know a thing about dragons, but I'm not too sure about fighting one a' them. But I'll happily do it if it means the end of this business down here."

He'll wait to see what the others say, then he says to Gatto's offer for someone else to use the cloak for the time being "That cloak could come in handy for the battle ahead. Someone needs to take that so they can sneak up on the bad guys while they focus on me. (Pointing to the shield) The seem to love them some wee man with lizard shields..."

Grimes vote is to rest up, but only if the others agree. If the fate of the elf is in doubt, then he'll vote to press on if the others do as well. With his current injuries, he isn't too confident at the moment...

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Gatto seems upset that there might be a delay in rescuing Greenstone but upon hearing that rest, new spells, and healing might make the rescue more successful, he calms. He starts to have a conversation with Clarence, all hisses and spitting from what you can tell. There are times when it sounds kind of heated but you can't tell if they're arguing or that's just lizardspeak.

Gatto turns to you, Clarence says he doesn't know but he's on sacrifice-duty tomorrow, hence his being off duty this evening. He sais it could be Greenstone's ritual that he's working but he heard that there's a gnome to be killed too. I pointed out that that was me. He seemed confused that I wasn't in my cell. It was weird. That magic you fellas pull with the charming? Strange stuff. Anyway, we went back and forth but I'm pretty sure we've got 'til tomorrow until Greenstone is killed.

By my clock, it's about dusk now. That's the nice thing about being a Gemfarer, we seem to have a rhythm with the sun so we know what time of day it is even when we're deep underground. Dwarves I met don't seem to know that trick but then again the other gnome clans I've met don't seem to know it either. Maybe it's a Gemfarer thing. Who knows? Magic is weird stuff.

Dandy can use up the rest of his healing magic before nodding off. His staff is not based on charges, but a one use per day per person being healed basis. He says that the staff knows even if the person has been polymorphed. Magic is weird stuff. But it might be weirder that the dwarven cleric has tested the staff on a polymorphed companion at one point...

Now to decide who gets the cloak...

Actions?

Hit points and marching order
Grimes 18/34
--Furuk 36/36
Dieter 18/18
--Dandy 18/23
Einar 11/11

[badams30]

Grimes - Fighter

Grimes pats Gatto on the shoulder and says "Let's rest a bit - we won't do your colleague any good if we are all killed trying. We can rest now and start out early, and perhaps you can convince wormy to let us know the best way to get to the sacrifice site undetected, or perhaps in some disguise. He can possibly tell us about the guard changes and when our killings around this dome are likely to be noticed. Oh, also, ask him if any others are in this dome, please."

Grimes thinks rest and healing is in order, and then it's rescue time! And Grimes thinks that Furuk or Deiter would be good candidates for the cloak, as either could do some serious hurt with a sneak attack. Whatever our strategy, we can use the two cloaks and the cloak of Arachnidia to great effect against the bad guys.

[Spanningtree]

Dieter - Mage

Rest it is... He'll give the cloak to Furuk. The question is where to rest... whispering to his comrades: We'll need to make sure the henchmen don't make off while we rest, I think they have rested enough and could be waiting to make a break.

[Craigers07]

Furuk takes the cloak from Dieter.

"Resting is fine with me. Now we just need to find a good place. We could stay in this room unless somebody else has a suggestion."

[badams30]

Dieter - Mage

whispering to his comrades: We'll need to make sure the henchmen don't make off while we rest, I think they have rested enough and could be waiting to make a break.

Grimes puts on his best serious face and whispers "I could cut their legs off." And makes "Swisssssh!" sound as he pats his sword of dismembering.... Then he smiles and says "While I don't like the company (eyeing wormy) this is as good a place as any." As long as no one comes looking for this guy. We just need to keep our guard up."

That's it. Let's rest. And lets keep a close eye on our porters. If they make any silly moves or try anything suspicious, they'll regret it.

[greyarea]

A Well Deserved Break

Before bed, Dandy touches himself with his Staff of Healing (d6+1, 4+1=5) and then casts Cure Light Wounds on Grimes three times (d6+1X3, 4+1=5, 6+1=7, 3+1=4).

You establish a guard and pass the evening. The guard is enough to keep the henchmen in line, although they didn't seem eager to leave anyway. They are impressed with you and decide to hang with you some more, you know, for protection. They do keep to the other side of you from Clarence, the Darkling Captain. Clarence and Gatto speak further but Gatto doesn't find any more useful information from his new friend.

(secret rolls) No one disturbs you as the time passes and you get your needed rest.

Actions will commence in new thread

Hit points and marching order
Grimes 34/34
--Furuk 36/36
Dieter 18/18
--Dandy 23/23
Einar 11/11