New Frontiers #33

[GM Mad]

New Frontiers #33


Sherwood has rejoined the Guardians and he is not alone. Accompanying him are his cousin, the Lady Sallavarian and the gentle healer Elspeth. To everyone's surprise they were joined by the Invoker Argent, yet another of Jallarzi's apprentices. According to Sherwood, Elspeth has had a vision regarding the current situation. Everyone gathers inside Lord Cavius' throne room to hear what she has to say.


Elspeth's Vision:

"From time to time the Blue Lady has seen to grant me helpful visions. Much of what I saw didn't make sense, but Sherwood and Jallarzi helped find the true meaning."

"It began simply enough. I felt as if I was light as a feather. I was hovering far above the ground, amongst the clouds. The sky burst open with rain and then I was falling amongst the drops."

"I landed on the slope of a high ridge of mountains. Natural channels on the slope sent water downwards and I was swept away. Somewhere down the mountain slope the water fell into a crevice and seeped into the earth."

"I traveled on in darkness for a long time until suddenly the water entered a chamber deep within the earth. The water gathered around a small hole in the ceiling of this chamber. Once there was enough water, a drop would fall down into the room."

"Down below me was something I had trouble comprehending. Resting on a stone slab was a shape wrapped in a black haze. I could not bear to look at the shape and it hurt my eyes to do so. Under the haze was something so dark that even light was lost to it."

"The next thing I knew I was falling once more. The water landed on the shape. Mere contact with the dark shape was like putting one's hands into a smith's fire. It burned like nothing I ever felt before."

"For a brief instance, I felt the presence of something so foul, so dark, so unrelentingly evil that it nearly overpowered my very soul. Whatever the shape was, it was the enemy of everything I held dear. It was as if evil itself had been given form."

"I could feel the water being changed, being corrupted by this contact. The darkness around the shape rippled once and then the water rolled off."

"Once on the floor, the water continued to flow. There was a crack in the floor of this chamber and that is the way the water departed. The water traveled through the earth again. Once more time and distance were evaporated by darkness."

"Finally, the corrupted water emerged from the Earth. As everything turned light once more, I saw myself before the water purifying it. I felt the evil drain away from me once more and those who had operated from under its haze were liberated. My vision ended at this point."

[GM Mad]

Sherwood's Analysis:

After Elspeth finishes her tale, Sherwood will begin to speak.

"Portions of what Elspeth saw do tie in to some very old and ancient myths. It was research into these myths that caused our delay."

"It is said that a very long time ago, the gods did freely act on our plane of existence, bringing their full power to bear. It is also said that a war amongst the gods did take place. The gods banded together against an enemy that none of them could stomach to tolerate. Even those gods who are bitter enemies these days did battle side by side."

"It is said that the combined efforts of the gods did finally defeat this unnamed god and imprisoned him in a sheath of darkness. Some even say that he is imprisoned by the very evil he exudes. Regardless of the truth, this ancient god was sealed away for all eternity."

"But the price of this battle was beyond comprehension. Our plane of existence only barely withstood the effects of this war. The loss of life was unimaginable. It could be possible that the beings we call the Elders were wiped out during this battle."

"It is said that it was because of this war that the gods departed our plane after seeing the damage that they had caused. From then on they were content to act only through their followers and not take any direct action. Hence the rise of priesthoods and other holy orders."

"The legends do name who this dark god is, but I will not say his name aloud. As our experience of Kharyna's patron taught us, the gods do hear who speaks their name. I would imagine that those who are the favored of the god or have gained their emnity would be heard more clearly amongst a the chorus of voices and there is very little risk in naming those gods of good. The more powerful the god, the more voices to call their name. The fewer the voices, the more likely the god will pay attention to all who speak their name."

"In most of the texts this god is called 'He Who Must Not Be Named' or even the Sleeping God. What we believe is that Elspeth's vision showed just how the black water was created. It was rain water warped and perverted by this Sleeping God. Those who ingest it do his bidding."

"It is said that the dark god was the antithesis of life itself. It represented such things as darkness, oblivion, decay, erosion, corruption, the void, and nothingness. It sought nothing less than the removal of all things that exist everywhere. Something that even those gods dedicated to evil could not tolerate."

"It is logical to conclude that the presence of this black water is what is behind the evil in Beleme Swamp. Further more, the temple of this Lord of Corruption must be where the black water comes to the surface. Our task is to fight our way there so that Elspeth can purify the water. We depart in the morning."

[GM Mad]

GM Notes:

Everyone has been healed up to max HP's.

Now what?

[Grondar]

Grondar:

"You are correct, of course, Grondar of Berronar. I agree with you I just choose not to dwell on the sadness, else it might consume us. I have lost dozens of comrades at arms in the Seekers in only a few months. I have lost close friends without a chance to say goodbye. It may be a sad time, but I prefer to honor their memory by remembering the good in their life, not the passing of it." Validar looks away and clearly there is a deep memory in his mind that returns from this conversation etched on his face. Eventually the memory fades, but his face does not change expression.

Noting the expression on Validar's face, Grondar chooses to say nothing, simplying laying a hand on the man's arm momentarily.

"I too echo your thoughts, but I would prefer not to allow trial and error to be the means to gain such experience. The Seekers did the same and we lost many along the way. And while our group may be large for an adventuring party, as we often split into smaller groups it should be more manageable. After all, military companies are made up of much larger groups than this and they can act in, albeit limited, cohesion quite well."

"Dividing ourselves up into tactical squads is an intriguing idea. With as many people as there are in our company currently, we could make several strike teams of, say, 5 or 6 members each. Each could have a team leader under your overall leadership. I think that would allow for a lot of flexibility while providing some cohesion as well."

"Nor do I like the implications that have surfaced. But I am much relieved to know that information now, rather than finding out by surprise in the field. Unfortunately, we can now, no longer trust anyone in this part of the Kingdom, unless they first prove their intentions. We cannot afford to be trusting and end up taken by surprise. In truth, we are as alone in this conflict, until all effects of the Lord of Corruption are removed. This task will be our truest test yet."

Grondar nods in tacit agreement, his face grim. He doesn't like the idea of not being able to trust anyone, but understands the reality of their situation all too well.

Gwenith looks at Grondar and says:
"Well that is a shame; you seem like a wonderful dwarf." She leans over and kisses him on his forehead. "Dont worry I am not the type that judges people on their race. I rather look inside their heart and see who they really are".

Is that a blush on the face of this doubty dwarf. "Uhm.... Thank you," he says, seemingly more embarassed by the praise than the kiss. "There are many fine people in our recently-formed company, as no doubt you'll come to see. You should fit right in."

As Grondar and Validar speak of the battle, Chareos listens to what both man and dwarf say. He soon responds. "Very forunate indeed. I merely wish for all of us to come through such a conflict as we do so today. It may be the nature of this businesss to lose friends and comrades alike but I personally don't have to sit by and watch them fall. This was an oppurtunity to voice a concern. A concern that we will hopefully not relive. With any luck we will be a stronger unit soon enough."

"I do not believe in luck, my friend. We make our own fortune, by doing, by striving, by learning and by our bravery. It is my own heartfelt wish that none of this group will perish on the field of battle. If that happens, then we will have been the greatest and most successful adventuring party in the history of this kingdom. Or we will have to disband tonight." Validar will say that last bit with a wry smile on his face. "Those are the only ways we will be free from the spectre of death. We all face it and it looms even greater with our next battle before us."

Grondar smiles at the mage. "I agree. And I have no intention of losing anyone as long as Berronar graces me with her blessings. We have also several others skilled in the healing arts, which should help greatly in aiding our survival."

Chareos and Validar discuss the idea of someone being in charge of the mages, and idea that he recalls being suggested before. "It seems to me that we discussed this once previously - shortly after forming our band. I believe there was some resistance from some of the spellcasters. Perhaps if we go to a small squad arrangement, then the spellcasters in each group can work together for maximum flexibility and power."

He replies, "If not I have begun to make it a habit to keep a Dispel magic handy." He scratches at his chin when a thought comes to him. "Don't you find it the least bit strange that Lord Cavius does not have any mages in his employ? If he did why did he not keep them near him or at the castle."

"Very good, Chareos. That is a fine choice I believe. From what little I know, this spell is useful for a good many things.

"A good idea, Chareos. Similarly, I have requested and received a blessing of similar nature from Berronar. Having such an ability seems quite useful for a variety of situations."

"I think we should have a meeting with all the mages and other spellcasters to make sure we have a good plan of attack and spread our needed spells throughout the group. This will not be an easy task, despite the numbers we have and the additional power of Sherwood, Elspeth, Jallarzi and Argent."

"This has been fun and all, but we have a duty to Mystra as well and while I am commited to completing this battle, I do not wish to drag it out. I propose a gathering today with our tactical leaders and all the spellcasters to make sure we can all have the proper spell selections in the morning when we move out."

"We were just discussing that notion. However, we might want to consider dividing into small teams, and having each team coordinate internally. Trying to function all as one large group may prove unwieldy."

Grondar pays close attention as Elspeth describes her visions and Sherwood provides some interpretation and background information. From the sound, this could be quite an undertaking, on a scale he hadn't anticipated. However, it is quite clear that this Sleeping God is the opposite of everything Berronar stands for, and must be opposed at any cost.

Grondar rises to speak, an unpleasant look on his craggy face. "Truely this is an insidious, diabolical threat and must be stopped. Sherwood, do we know if the black water is coming from the temple in the swamp, or whether it is being brought in from elsewhere? Do you expect that this Sleeping God's prison is here in the swamp?"

[Kylie]

Kylie:

Kylie continues to listen to the discussion of this 'mage guild', hoping to get a better understanding of exactly what one consists of and what it's purpose is. If she can gain no better explanation, she hunts down Jallarzi and asks her mentor about it.

"You would be suprised. I once knew an elf while near our borders that wasn't too fond of the bow. He was vastly better with his sword."

"I have heard of such things. Still, I find it hard to believe that any goblin would be a better shot than even the most minimally-trained elf. They are such... pitiful and disgusting little creatures."

"I think we should have a meeting with all the mages and other spellcasters to make sure we have a good plan of attack and spread our needed spells throughout the group. This will not be an easy task, despite the numbers we have and the additional power of Sherwood, Elspeth, Jallarzi and Argent."

"This has been fun and all, but we have a duty to Mystra as well and while I am commited to completing this battle, I do not wish to drag it out. I propose a gathering today with our tactical leaders and all the spellcasters to make sure we can all have the proper spell selections in the morning when we move out."

"We were just discussing that notion. However, we might want to consider dividing into small teams, and having each team coordinate internally. Trying to function all as one large group may prove unwieldy."

Kylie just shrugs. It all seems terribly dull to her. Too many people trying to boss other people around - just doesn't appeal to her.

As Elspeth relates her visions, chills run up and down Kylie's back. A cold finger of dread wriggles in her guts like a worm boring into her heart. She begins to shiver as fear threatens to strip her courage naked and fling it into the snow.

Sherwood's words bring her no peace. Kylie nearly jumps to her feet. "A god?! We're supposed to stop a god?! It took all of the other gods to simply imprison this Sleeping God. And we have to go up against that?!" It begins to dawn on Kylie that they may all be insane...

[Sherwood]

Sherwood:

Validar - "We have done well and continue to unravel layers under layers. The situation may be getting worse, in other words, more dangerous, but at the same time, it is getting better, more people of the Kingdom are safe now that Lothar has been removed and that Rennydale is on the way to recovery. Removing the blight in the swamp will be one more step to improvement. And if it uncovers another layer of intrigue and danger, then the Guardians of the Light shall be ready to oppose it."

Chareos - Being short and to the point he will ask Sherwood," How so?"

"I believe that we have come to the final layer of what we're dealing with. It appears that the name for this group is quite appropriate for what we are about to encounter."

He will move to greet Sherwood with a clasp of wrists when a moment presents itself. "Good to have you back among us," Acerion will say after greeting him.

"Thank you, Acerion. I have to admit that I'm pleased how well you all did in my absence. Looks like we've got one more battle ahead of us."

Grondar rises to speak, an unpleasant look on his craggy face. "Truly this is an insidious, diabolical threat and must be stopped. Sherwood, do we know if the black water is coming from the temple in the swamp, or whether it is being brought in from elsewhere? Do you expect that this Sleeping God's prison is here in the swamp?"

"Based on Elspeth's vision, I would say that the Sleeping God's prison is somewhere underneath mountains, which really doesn't help as there are numerous mountain ranges in this area. I would also say that the temple in the swamp is the end of the flow of the black water. The prison lies somewhere else."

Sherwood's words bring her no peace. Kylie nearly jumps to her feet. "A god?! We're supposed to stop a god?! It took all of the other gods to simply imprison this Sleeping God. And we have to go up against that?!" It begins to dawn on Kylie that they may all be insane...

"That god in question has already been defeated, Kylie. All we have to do is stop what he has set in motion. It is the flow of the black water we are seeking to stop. I believe that the gods will not simply let us fight this on our own. I am sure that in addition to the vision Azrella granted Elspeth she was also given the power necessary to pull this task off. All we have to do is make sure Elspeth reaches this temple in the swamp safely."

[Jallarzi Sallavarian]

Jallarzi:

"That is a wonderful suggestion, Lady Sallavarian. Your efforts would be most welcomed. Not that we did not appreciate your own efforts toward our comfort, milady Kharyna," he will say turning to the follower of Mystra and bowing his head slightly. "I hope we get some time to speak about things not so serious and catch up a little on our personal lives while you are with us."

"You are most welcomed, Lord Validar. I look forward to our little chat."

Kylie will use such time as Jallarzi can spare, questioning her about various spells, and the difficulties she has encountered in using them. Some of the frustration she has been feeling with her magical talents comes through, though she also brags about how effective her Sleep spell was in the battle of the previous day.

"That's very good, Kylie. Sleep can be a powerful spell against most normal folks. Which spells would you like to know more about?"

Kylie joins in the discussion regarding this Karn's Keep that Argent encountered. It sounds to be a fascinating place that would be interesting to visit. Unfortunately, as things stand, it is likely to be quite some time before the opportunity presents itself.

"Can any of you tell me a bit more about this mage guild? I'm afraid I have very little experience with such things. What are they and how do they function? Might it be possible to find further training in the mystic arts there?"

"Kylie, a mage guild is more like an exclusive club, in this case one for mages only. Typically there is a place to meet and gather, a library for research, and perhaps a shop to buy spell components. A few even have magic shops were items can be purchased or traded for. The guild in Karn's Keep also includes spell books with many of the most common spells in them. It would be possible to purchase the formula to a spell that you did not know. It is not a mage school, at least not in the sense that you are looking for."

[Lilia]

Lilia:

He will also ask Lilia later on in the night," Pardon me Lilia, but how old are you?" if she is a little bit younger than he is he will ask her another question soon.

"I am 120 winters old", Lilia will simply answer. "Why do you ask, clansman?"

[Elspeth]

Elspeth:

Acerion's look turns somber, "What is it you have seen? I have heard of many 'ultimate' evils, but it is apparent the vision has shaken you so even without your speaking of its effect upon you. Can you reveal this?"

This bit of information gets Validar's attention and he moves closer. "Indeed. Knowledge of your foe is more than half of the means to defeat him." Validar will listen intently to anything that the healer and sage Elspeth says before asking more questions.

"I will reveal what I have seen for all to hear, noble lords. Let us wait until all have gathered to hear my words. What I saw was so disturbing that I would just as soon speak the words only once more."

Once she is done with her story, Elspeth will look visibly relieved and will go stand with Ivy while Sherwood continues to speak.

Grondar - "A pleasure to meet you, Elspeth. I'm sorry I didn't get the opportunity while we were in Elcadan. I must thank you for your assistance in getting the shine set up for visiting dwarves there in Elcadan. I understand that your help was instrumental in that coming to fruition and ensuring proper maintenance. Thank you."

"You are most welcomed, Grondar. There are many similarities between your goddess and mine, so I was only happy to make this small thing come true for you."

[Grondar]

Grondar:

"You are most welcomed, Grondar. There are many similarities between your goddess and mine, so I was only happy to make this small thing come true for you."

"I know that it will seem a small matter to you, but I believe it will prove to be a notable boon for my people. Thus, I owe you and Ivy a debt of gratitude, and I always pay my debts."

"Based on Elspeth's vision, I would say that the Sleeping God's prison is somewhere underneath mountains, which really doesn't help as there are numerous mountain ranges in this area. I would also say that the temple in the swamp is the end of the flow of the black water. The prison lies somewhere else."

Grondar nods for a moment as he considers Sherwood's reply. "Hmm... I sense a problem. Assuming that Elspeth is able to cleanse the water, will it stay clean? As long as water is dripping on the Sleeping God, won't more be created? It seems to me we need to find some way to prevent more being made, or at least block it from emerging there in the swamp. Is there some kind of spell that could seal the outlet?"

Grondar thinks for another moment. "Berronar allows me access to miracle known as Stone Shape. I have never used it before, but might it be of use in such a way?"

"That god in question has already been defeated, Kylie. All we have to do is stop what he has set in motion. It is the flow of the black water we are seeking to stop. I believe that the gods will not simply let us fight this on our own. I am sure that in addition to the vision Azrella granted Elspeth she was also given the power necessary to pull this task off. All we have to do is make sure Elspeth reaches this temple in the swamp safely."

Grondar looks over at the young half-breed. "I think Sherwood is right, Kylie. There is little reason to believe that the Sleeping God will awake or escape from his imprisonment. We won't be opposing him directly, just dealing with an unpleasant side-effect of his existance. Our real opposition will be his priests and those people and creatures in his service in and around the temple."

[Kylie]

Kylie:

"That's very good, Kylie. Sleep can be a powerful spell against most normal folks. Which spells would you like to know more about?"

"I seem to be having unexpected troubles with a number of my spells. For example, I found that Alter Self seems to take far longer for the actual transformation - both to and from - than I had expected. This left me in somewhat of a difficult situation and made the tactics that I was planning quite moot. Fortunately, others were able to resolve that particular situation without my help.

"Similarly, my Web spell didn't perform in the way that I had expected. Despite being sticky, it doesn't seem to stick to anything unless it has huge anchors on either end. What seemed to be one of the few truly useful spells I have appears to be extremely limited.

"I think the bigger issue is all of the little details about spells that I can't seem to anticipate. Unfortunately, I don't even know the questions to ask because they haven't come up yet. However, not knowing what to expect leaves me very uncertain as to the value of my magical abilities. It's very frustrating, Jallarzi."

"Kylie, a mage guild is more like an exclusive club, in this case one for mages only. Typically there is a place to meet and gather, a library for research, and perhaps a shop to buy spell components. A few even have magic shops were items can be purchased or traded for. The guild in Karn's Keep also includes spell books with many of the most common spells in them. It would be possible to purchase the formula to a spell that you did not know. It is not a mage school, at least not in the sense that you are looking for."

"Ah, okay. That explains it much better. Thanks, Jallarzi. The opportunity to buy new spells, and perhaps improve in skill through study, sounds helpful."

"That god in question has already been defeated, Kylie. All we have to do is stop what he has set in motion. It is the flow of the black water we are seeking to stop. I believe that the gods will not simply let us fight this on our own. I am sure that in addition to the vision Azrella granted Elspeth she was also given the power necessary to pull this task off. All we have to do is make sure Elspeth reaches this temple in the swamp safely."

Grondar looks over at the young half-breed. "I think Sherwood is right, Kylie. There is little reason to believe that the Sleeping God will awake or escape from his imprisonment. We won't be opposing him directly, just dealing with an unpleasant side-effect of his existance. Our real opposition will be his priests and those people and creatures in his service in and around the temple."

Kylie begins to settle down, though the worm of fear doesn't entirely depart. "Uhmm... I hope you're right. As long as he's far away, I guess we may be okay..."

[Validar]

VALIDAR -

Here are my suggestions for 3 sub-groups. If there are any dissenting votes, please let me know.

Group 1
Validar
Argent
Po
Arocken
Gwenith
Ivy
Corley

Group 2
Sherwood
Lilia
Sherra
Elspeth
Kylie
Laucian
Acerion

Group 3
Jallarzi
Kharyna
Talia
Aswansea
Lara
Grondar
Chareos
Lyonessa

Group 1 is a bit fighter heavy, Group 3 is a bit mage heavy and Group 2 is more ranged weapons. Each group has a couple good fighters and at least one mage and cleric each.

Riding Order
<TABLE><TR><TD>Laucian </TD><TD>Arocken</TR>
<TR></TD><TD>Corley </TD> <TD>Acerion</TD></TR>
<TR><TD>Chareos</TD> <TD>Argent</TD></TR>
<TR><TD>Po</TD> <TD>Elspeth</TD></TR>
<TR><TD>Gwenith </TD> <TD>Lyonessa</TD></TR>
<TR><TD>Aswansea </TD> <TD>Talia</TD></TR>
<TR><TD>Lara </TD><TD>Kharyna</TD></TR>
<TR><TD>Sherwood </TD><TD>Kylie</TD></TR>
<TR><TD>Ivy</TD><TD> Jallarzi</TD></TR>
<TR><TD>Lilia </TD> <TD>Grondar</TD></TR>
<TR><TD>Validar </TD> <TD>Sherra</TD></TR></TABLE>

[Validar]

VALIDAR -

"It may be a sad time, but I prefer to honor their memory by remembering the good in their life, not the passing of it." Validar looks away and clearly there is a deep memory in his mind that returns from this conversation etched on his face. Eventually the memory fades, but his face does not change expression.

Noting the expression on Validar's face, Grondar chooses to say nothing, simplying laying a hand on the man's arm momentarily.

Lord Validar meets the dwarf's eyes with his own gaze, but says nothing, returning the slightest nod, before continuing.


"Dividing ourselves up into tactical squads is an intriguing idea. With as many people as there are in our company currently, we could make several strike teams of, say, 5 or 6 members each. Each could have a team leader under your overall leadership. I think that would allow for a lot of flexibility while providing some cohesion as well."

"I agree. I would still prefer a centralized leadership position, but this will still be more effective than other alternatives." See previous post for squad breakdowns.


As Grondar and Validar speak of the battle, Chareos listens to what both man and dwarf say. He soon responds. "Very forunate indeed. I merely wish for all of us to come through such a conflict as we do so today. It may be the nature of this businesss to lose friends and comrades alike but I personally don't have to sit by and watch them fall. This was an oppurtunity to voice a concern. A concern that we will hopefully not relive. With any luck we will be a stronger unit soon enough."

"I do not believe in luck, my friend. We make our own fortune, by doing, by striving, by learning and by our bravery. It is my own heartfelt wish that none of this group will perish on the field of battle. If that happens, then we will have been the greatest and most successful adventuring party in the history of this kingdom. Or we will have to disband tonight." Validar will say that last bit with a wry smile on his face. "Those are the only ways we will be free from the spectre of death. We all face it and it looms even greater with our next battle before us."

Grondar smiles at the mage. "I agree. And I have no intention of losing anyone as long as Berronar graces me with her blessings. We have also several others skilled in the healing arts, which should help greatly in aiding our survival."

"While I do not have much need for the healing skills of the clerics personally, the group we have assembled is a great one and I am pleased they are here."


Validar listens quietly to Elspeth's story of her vision and then Sherwood's explanation of it. Questions fill his mind, one of which is voiced immediately by Grondar.

Grondar nods for a moment as he considers Sherwood's reply. "Hmm... I sense a problem. Assuming that Elspeth is able to cleanse the water, will it stay clean? As long as water is dripping on the Sleeping God, won't more be created? It seems to me we need to find some way to prevent more being made, or at least block it from emerging there in the swamp. Is there some kind of spell that could seal the outlet?"

Grondar thinks for another moment. "Berronar allows me access to miracle known as Stone Shape. I have never used it before, but might it be of use in such a way?"

Validar looks on questioningly as they await the answer to Grondar's question.

[fanchergw]

Overall, the groups look good. My one concern is whether we can expect Sherwood and Jallarzi to participate as team members. Sherwood has already shown a tendency to do his own thing. I wouldn't be surprised if his cousin Jallarzi doesn't tend in the same direction.

If that happens, I think Group 2 is going to be kind of light. In that case, it might make sense to move Chareos or Lyonessa to Group2, and Po to Group 3 to even things up a bit. What do you think?

Also, who are you anticipating as the team leaders for Groups 2 and 3? Do they need to be PCs, or can NPCs fill that role? I suspect that Mad would resist making NPCs team leaders.

[Validar]

My one concern is whether we can expect Sherwood and Jallarzi to participate as team members. Sherwood has already shown a tendency to do his own thing. I wouldn't be surprised if his cousin Jallarzi doesn't tend in the same direction.

That is very true. However, since we are in what we hope should be our final round of battles, there shouldn't be the need for improvising. I believe Sherwood was 'doing his own thing', as part of his test of the group (which they passed). He was not there in the castle attack as part of the storyline, but also to make it more challenging. So I think they can be expected to 'fit in'. And they should be the leaders of those groups from a storyline perspective, since they are the most experienced and are both nobles of the kingdom.

So with the particular goal ahead of us and the story winding down, it looks like they should be the leaders. Especially since this will be extremely short term. I did mention to Ken about organizing the mages and coordinating them and he sai it should be Jallarzi's realm. So the big question comes back to him. Are Sherwood and Jallarzi the ones to lead these groups or do we pull the 'Big Three' out and work around them?

If such is the case, I think we can get by with moving Lyonessa to Group 2 and leave them as is. Kharyna, Aswansea, Lara and Chareos are all hand-to-hand fighters if need be. Group 2 would still have plenty of clerical support as well.

What does anyone else think?

[GM Mad]

GM Notes:

Ivy succeeds in freeing the last man under the influence of the black water with a Dispel Magic.

Laucian will then write a letter to his temple letting them know of what he learned about their sister temple north of Gateway. He will ask Lord Cavius if he has any means in which he may send the letter. If he does he will then send a third of his earnings to his temple.

No, Lord Cavius does not have a way to send such a message at this time. Those men he does have are needed to help restore order to Rennydale.

At some point during the day, Kylie will find a small stone that fits easily in her palm and cast her Continual Light on it. She then secrets it inside one of the many pockets of her wondrous Girdle.

Kylie will note a few things about the Continual Light Stone. First off, the light it generates covers a radius of sixty feet wide. Furthermore, it creates an area of light where there are no shadows. Covering the light stone with your hand does not block out the light, nor does placing it in a backpack or a pocket. A lead lined container will block it, as will placing the light into a Bag of Holding or in Kylie's Girdle. Many adventurers prefer to place a Continual Light into a Bullseye Lantern as the light can be focused forwards. The metal of the lamp blocks most of the light but there is some seepage.

(Just bringing these points up now as it does involve a past ruling involving Continual Light spells. A PC tried to create the equivalent of a flashlight and had all sorts of difficulties with it. That'll all be reposted in future posts of The Frontier.)

Overall, the groups look good. My one concern is whether we can expect Sherwood and Jallarzi to participate as team members. Sherwood has already shown a tendency to do his own thing. I wouldn't be surprised if his cousin Jallarzi doesn't tend in the same direction.

Also, who are you anticipating as the team leaders for Groups 2 and 3? Do they need to be PCs, or can NPC's fill that role? I suspect that Mad would resist making NPC's team leaders.

That is very true. However, since we are in what we hope should be our final round of battles, there shouldn't be the need for improvising. I believe Sherwood was 'doing his own thing', as part of his test of the group (which they passed). He was not there in the castle attack as part of the storyline, but also to make it more challenging. So I think they can be expected to 'fit in'. And they should be the leaders of those groups from a storyline perspective, since they are the most experienced and are both nobles of the kingdom.

So with the particular goal ahead of us and the story winding down, it looks like they should be the leaders. Especially since this will be extremely short term. I did mention to Ken about organizing the mages and coordinating them and he said it should be Jallarzi's realm. So the big question comes back to him. Are Sherwood and Jallarzi the ones to lead these groups or do we pull the 'Big Three' out and work around them?

This is somewhat of a tricky question. Gordon is right in that I generally prefer PC's to be in positions of responsibility. You guys should be the one making the group decisions not me or one of the many characters I portray in this.

However, Steven is correct in that these are important high ranking characters in the game and that if this were real, they would be involved. But on the other hand, as Gordon noted, they are both more lone wolf types than team players.

Another problem is that I know exactly what is coming up, so I don't have to wonder about the unknown and that does shape my own thinking quite a bit.

From my own personal perspective, I'm really not sure just how big of an issue it really is. Jallarzi will have a suggestion that should make it easy to safely reach the swamp. Once in the swamp, it's primarily single file riding. (Lord Cavius can confirm this easy enough.)

So about the only place that group tactics are going to come into play would be at the temple in the swamp.

Steven is also correct in that the swamp is pretty much the conclusion to this particular storyline. It will resolve what Sherwood assembled the original group for and because of that you are all now free to do what you will. Sherwood, Jallarzi, and Elspeth will most likely go back to turning up every so often as semi-regular NPC's. Validar will continue on, along with those who continue with him as numerous side issues have arisen during this adventure. Kharyna and her crew are going to go back to their own thing and into their own game. What each individual character does is up to them. They can continue on with Validar or go off by themselves or form smaller groups. The choice is all theirs as there are plenty of things to keep adventurers occupied out there.

That's my thoughts on things for the moment.

[Argent]

Argent:

Acerion will laugh, "If that were the only true threat we were facing."

"Indeed. Although such a threat can also be more dangerous than a flight of dragons," Validar will say, clapping the paladin on his shoulder as he passes by.

"Indeed, milord's. Alas, Lady Fate always seems to be throwing some unpleasant challenge our way."

"Yes, we have been blessed by having such a fine gathering as we have amassed. There are instances when such a large group could be a disadvantage, but the benefits far outweigh those concerns," Acerion will reply.

"That is very true, Lord Acerion. The Company of the Sword started out as a very large assemblage that quickly was whittled down to a more manageable size. Let us hope that everyone survives in this group."

"I know that I would welcome the services of one such as yourself, milady. The conditions in this part of the Kingdom are dire indeed. The outer lands here are left to their own devices compared to the older inner domains and there are many foes besetting us, both from inside and outside the kingdom."

Argent will listen intently to what Lord Validar says, committing his words to memory. "Things do sound dire indeed. My parents have had bad dealings with the Elcadan Guilds in the past. They always hated to do business there. All the things you suggest are indeed noble and highly desirable."

"Very well, Lord Validar. I accept your gracious invitation. I'm all yours!"

"Great to see you as well, Argent. Thanks, we've managed to do okay in the collecting areas, both gems and magick. I'd love to hear what you've been up to lately."

"Oh, I've been keeping busy in the Frontier Lands. Our biggest accomplishment was capturing Karn's Keep. I did have the misfortune of briefly visiting Everwinter. What a cold place that was!"

(Most of Argent's adventures have been reposted in the Sword of Doom game in the Qlink section, so I won't go into any great deal on those.)

"But what of your adventures? Jallarzi tells me that you've been exploring Gaz's Towers. That must be very exciting! Find anything good there?"

As Argent speaks with Lara, Chareos overhears of a mage guild that Sharadin has started. With his curiosity piqued he asks, "This is interesting indeed. While I was apprenticing under him he had a large library. I wonder how many tomes and books he has at his disposal. What is the fare to join this guild?"

"The keep's library has the largest collection of tomes that I have ever seen, Chareos. The majority are written in the Alphatian language. Their topics are wide and varied. I'm honestly not sure how much it costs to join as I wasn't involved in the formation of the guild. Since I was part of the group who helped liberate the keep I was given free lifetime membership. Given that your mentor runs the place, I'm sure he'll let you have access for at reasonable rate if not for free."

Argent-"Well, you are a most unusual mage then, Chareos," Argent responds with a wide grin. "A humble mage? I find it hard to fathom such a thing. If anything, we mages are anything but humble."

He can't help but let out a laugh. "I guess it is due to my upbringing. My parents always taught me to take pride in one's work but not at anyone else's expense."

"That's a very good trait to have, Chareos. But still, there must be times when you are commanding impressive forces that you can't help but be impressed with yourself. I know I am at times."

"Ah, you trained under Sharadin, did you? How interesting. I actually first tried to apprentice myself to Sharadin as he was closer to my hometown of Crossroads. But he sent me to Jallarzi instead. From what I gather he trains wizards while Jallarzi trains sorceresses."

"Aye I did, My mother did as well for a short time but was inadequate at the arcane. She spoke with Sharadin and put me to a task. I proved my worth to him and he soon took me in. He is a fine teacher, I couldn't have asked for a better mentor. Though come to think of it his daughters were always a distraction. Yet somehow I worked through it."

"I bet Sharadin would have taught you how not to be distracted rather quickly."

Laucian - "Nay, we are not related of which I know of." A thought comes to his mind as he speaks this; a matter he will have to ask Lilia later on. "Our clan is of adequate size with sub race of elves as well. I was raised in the denser forest."

"Ah, I see. So it's more a loose association than a family affair. I understand."

"My apologizes; I misunderstood. One priest? That is fairly odd. Usually there are a handful of followers. Truly wondrous indeed. I have never witnessed such a marvel of which you speak. Though I have a heard of them from our texts."

"The priestess did say that others would be coming to the temple right before we left. We were concerned about leaving her alone there too."

"Oh, well in that case, I'd be happy to share whatever I know with you. However, it is likely to take some time, as there is much to know of dwarven religion, society and folklore. Feel free to ask questions whenever you like, or let me know when you have time and we can discuss it further."

"I look forward to our discussion, Grondar."

"You are right, of course," Kylie sighs. "I am interested in him, though I'm not really certain whether he's aware or not. I've been trying to find ways to demonstrate how I feel, but he may be slow catching on or he may just not share the interest. I just can't tell. He doesn't really seem to treat me notably different than the other women here. And he may not really have an inclination to settling for one woman. I'm sure you've noticed his tendency to a wandering eye.

"Any advice for a young fool?"

"Well, Kylie, love can play all of us for fools at some point so no need to feel foolish. My advice is twofold. The first is to figure out just what you want to accomplish with him. Are you looking for a little light romance, or a long term relationship? Figuring out what you are after will be a big help."

"Next there is a series of questions about him that you need to get answered. The obvious ones as such is he interested in you in that manner? He did tell me that he is gracious to all ladies, so be sure that you're not mistaking him being polite as something more."

"The next questions may be the most painful ones for you depending on the answer. Is there already another woman in his life? It is not uncommon among the nobility for there to be arranged marriages. He may very well be already spoken for. Furthermore, just how tolerant are his parents? Would they accept a half-elf as a daughter-in-law? What about your background as a thief?"

"I'm not saying these things to hurt you in anyway, but they must be taken into consideration if you are going to be dealing with the nobility."

Kylie pauses to consider. "I don't really know. I'd like to have a comfortable life and to make sure that my father has the same. I know I want to find my mother some day, or at least find out what happened to her. Admittedly, I enjoy having some excitement in my life, but - frankly - robbing houses seemed to fill that bill in a way that I was more comfortable with than all of this fighting. I know that we're doing good, and that it's important, but I'm not sure that's really me. After all, I've never been particularly altruistic in the past, and I still don't feel a great need to save the world or anything."

"The most important thing is to follow your heart, Kylie. Do those things that make you comfortable. I'm sure that this current adventure will eventually come to an end and then you can go back to what makes you happy. After all, this isn't a life time obligation."


Argent listens as Elspeth tells her tale and Sherwood provides follow up explanations. "Well, this seems suitably unpleasant."

Argent has no problems with the sub-grouping and riding order suggested. She's just beginning to learn who is who as it is and is content to just follow along right now.

[Laucian]

Laucian

Laucian listens intently at the foretelling of Elspeth's vision and as well of Sherwood's explaination of it. He is fascinated by the fact that the gods once may have walked this world and soon chose to leave it of their own accord. Furthermore their priesthoods thrived amongst the remaining people (he assumes).

As the idea to put us in groups comes to surface Laucian will make his thoughts known. "I have no problem with your proposed plan minus one. It would be easier to lead us for that I am sure. Yet, If these trails only allow for one rider it could be troublesome. If you do wish to split us into these groups might I make a small suggestion to our groups or at least to their placement with in the column."

"Why not spread the fighters between the front and rear of the column with the archers and mages inbetween them. In this way your groups can be attained once we enter this temple clearing, if there is one by the front of the column forming a "v" until everyone is clear of the trail. Once this is acheived your groups would form easier. With some of our fighters toward the front flank you can bring most of our skills and spells to bare without risking disorientation when and if we meet thier front line.


Kylie--"I have heard of such things. Still, I find it hard to believe that any goblin would be a better shot than even the most minimally-trained elf. They are such... pitiful and disgusting little creatures."

"With all due respect Lady Kylie, it is never wise to overestimate the skills of your enemy or tempt Tymora's blessings. Many factors could unravel your theory rather quickly. A sweaty palm, sudden gust of wind, a glancing blow or even a spoked horse can change your view of this." He will look at her curiously and then add, "Unless you are speaking of ideal conditions......"


Lilia--"I am 120 winters old", Lilia will simply answer. "Why do you ask, clansman?"

A slight look of astonishment creeps across his weathered features. "Merely a thought. Argent spoke of us perhaps being related in some way beside our clan." Looking at her confused face he will add. "Seeing how I am merely a winter or two older than you it would seem far fetched that it is so yet my father was lost to me when I was very young. Perhaps there may be truth in what she speaks....."


Validar--- "While I do not have much need for the healing skills of the clerics personally, the group we have assembled is a great one and I am pleased they are here."

A look of pride comes over his features. As he nods in agreement he replies, "As we all are."


Argent--"Ah, I see. So it's more a loose association than a family affair. I understand."

"In truth, yes. Pardon the usage of words but think of it as extended family twice removed. We all share a common bond that is not broken easily."


--"The priestess did say that others would be coming to the temple right before we left. We were concerned about leaving her alone there too."

"When this is over I would like to see what became of this priestess and her followers. Perhaps I will ride there to aid her."

[Grondar]

Grondar:

"While I do not have much need for the healing skills of the clerics personally, the group we have assembled is a great one and I am pleased they are here."

I look of pride comes over his features as he nods in agreement he replies, "As we all are."

Grondar chuckles. "Truly, it is unfortunate that all people are not blessed with your incredible vitality, Validar. It would save far more lives than all the healers in the world put together.

"Thank you both," Grondar says with a bow. "It is of special pride to me to have representatives of so many deities working together for the common good."

As the idea to put us in groups comes to surface Laucian will make his thoughts known.
"I have no problem with your proposed plan minus one. It would be easier to lead us for that I am sure. Yet, If these trails only allow for one rider it could be troublesome. If you do wish to split us into these groups might I make a small suggestion to our groups or at least to thier placement with in the column."

"Why not spread the fighters between the front and rear of the column with the archers and mages inbetween them. In this way your groups can be attained once we enter this temple clearing, if there is one by the front of the column forming a "v" until everyone is clear of the trail. Once this is acheived your groups would form easier. With some of our fighters toward the front flank you can bring most of our skills and spells to bare without risking disorientation when and if we meet thier front line.

Grondar scratches his chin for a moment as he considers the elf's statement. "Actually, I think we can make this work even in the swamp. We could ride in group order with Group 1 in the front and Group 3 in the rear. As Validar correctly pointed out, several members of Group 3 are fine warriors, and even I can hold my own in melee if necessary. Group 2 focusses on ranged attacks, and would be in the middle. This should make it easy to form into squads if we're attacked. Of course, it would require a change to the riding order."

"I look forward to our discussion, Grondar."

"As do I, milady." Grondar bows, then turns and heads off in search of Sherra for some Dwarven language lessons. Unfortunately, the moat doesn't appear to be a friendly place for swimming lessons.

[Kylie]

Kylie:

Kylie will note a few things about the Continual Light Stone. First off, the light it generates covers a radius of sixty feet wide. Furthermore, it creates an area of light where there are no shadows. Covering the light stone with your hand does not block out the light, nor does placing it in a backpack or a pocket. A lead lined container will block it, as will placing the light into a Bag of Holding or in Kylie's Girdle. Many adventurers prefer to place a Continual Light into a Bullseye Lantern as the light can be focused forwards. The metal of the lamp blocks most of the light but there is some seepage.

Kylie is encouraged by the success of this spell that she has made little use of previously. More importantly, her assumption that her Girdle would successfully trap the light proves correct. Eventually, she would like to have several of them, but one will have to do for now.

"Well, Kylie, love can play all of us for fools at some point so no need to feel foolish. My advice is twofold. The first is to figure out just what you want to accomplish with him. Are you looking for a little light romance, or a long term relationship? Figuring out what you are after will be a big help."

"Next there is a series of questions about him that you need to get answered. The obvious ones as such is he interested in you in that manner? He did tell me that he is gracious to all ladies, so be sure that you're not mistaking him being polite as something more."

"The next questions may be the most painful ones for you depending on the answer. Is there already another woman in his life? It is not uncommon among the nobility for there to be arranged marriages. He may very well be already spoken for. Furthermore, just how tolerant are his parents? Would they accept a half-elf as a daughter-in-law? What about your background as a thief?"

"I'm not saying these things to hurt you in anyway, but they must be taken into consideration if you are going to be dealing with the nobility."

Listening to her old friend, Kylie's hopes sag like the limbs of a willow tree. Argent makes many excellent points for which she has no answer. "I don't know that I can answer your questions, Argent. I guess I had envisioned more a relationship than a daliance, but it's hard to know exactly until you're in it.

"I must admit, I hadn't even thought about the problems inherent in my background versus his. You're right, though, there is little chance that I could be considered a worthy match for him.

"It seems I have much to discuss with him..." Kylie's tone is melancholy at best.

"The most important thing is to follow your heart, Kylie. Do those things that make you comfortable. I'm sure that this current adventure will eventually come to an end and then you can go back to what makes you happy. After all, this isn't a life time obligation."

"You're right," Kylie says with a smile. "Sherwood mentioned that this encounter in the swamp - whatever it turns out to be - is the end of the mission that he recruited us for. I will have to think about what I want to do afterwards."

"With all due respect Lady Kylie, It is never wise to over estimate the skills or tempt Tymora's blessings. Many factors could unravel your theory rather quicly. A sweaty palm, sudden gust of wind, a glancing blow or even a spoked horse can change your view of this." He will look at her curiously and then add, " unless you are speaking of ideal conditions......"

"Actually, I was speaking of overall skill. I well know that one shot for anyone can be errant for any of the reasons you mention or many others. Still, that one shot doesn't determine or reflect necessarily the archer's true skill."

[Validar]

VALIDAR -

Argent will listen intently to what Lord Validar says, committing his words to memory. "Things do sound dire indeed. My parents have had bad dealings with the Elcadan Guilds in the past. They always hated to do business there. All the things you suggest are indeed noble and highly desirable."

"Very well, Lord Validar. I accept your gracious invitation. I'm all yours!"

"I am pleased that you have considered our task worthy. You are welcome to ride with us as long as you wish, milady. We welcome your presence and your skills."


As the idea to put us in groups comes to surface Laucian will make his thoughts known. "I have no problem with your proposed plan minus one. It would be easier to lead us for that I am sure. Yet, If these trails only allow for one rider it could be troublesome. If you do wish to split us into these groups might I make a small suggestion to our groups or at least to their placement with in the column."

"Why not spread the fighters between the front and rear of the column with the archers and mages inbetween them. In this way your groups can be attained once we enter this temple clearing, if there is one by the front of the column forming a "v" until everyone is clear of the trail. Once this is acheived your groups would form easier. With some of our fighters toward the front flank you can bring most of our skills and spells to bare without risking disorientation when and if we meet thier front line.

"To be honest, any configuration could easily be split into sub-groups quickly, so grouping fighters or others are not really necessary. Everyone refers to this as a large group, but in truth is about the size of one of our light cavalry squadrons only."

Grondar scratches his chin for a moment as he considers the elf's statement. "Actually, I think we can make this work even in the swamp. We could ride in group order with Group 1 in the front and Group 3 in the rear. As Validar correctly pointed out, several members of Group 3 are fine warriors, and even I can hold my own in melee if necessary. Group 2 focusses on ranged attacks, and would be in the middle. This should make it easy to form into squads if we're attacked. Of course, it would require a change to the riding order."

"My feelings were that the riding order is designed for getting us where we are going with certain people in key positions, but most of the group able to react to a threat from any direction, either by surprise or not. The groups should be for our attacks. In a defensive mode, we are more likely to all work as one anyway. Therefore I do not believe that the groups need to be in the riding order, as if we are going to go on the offensive, either it will be a quick attack to strike against and unexpected foe or it will be a planned attack. In either case our riding column is not a major issue. The arrangement is more for defensive purposes and ease of movement."

"Also if we put all the best fighters to the front and rear of the column, what happens when something attacks the middle of the column from surprise? Only the ones before and after will be able to respond quickly and safely. Therefore, we need a different column order for the swamp. My suggestion on riding order is simply to get to the location. Also the breakdowns of group are for organization and order, they are not a strict breakdown of the group as it likely will not continue as such past the next battles. The groups are for fighting and have no real bearing on overall riding order. Therefore it is not necessary to think of them in absolute terms, but in terms of attack groups."

"There are too many eventualities to consider for a group of diverse abilities. In a light cavalry squadron, most everyone has the same skills and battle tactics, perhaps with some variations based on where they are placed in the formation. With a group such as this, Lord Corley has much different tactics from Kharyna or from Kylie or from Laucian and as such have different uses depending on the situation presented. Therefore, one formation or grouping of squads does not serve all purposes."

"For instance, the riding order to the swamp is what I suggested with two rangers to the front, as typical and Sherwood towards the rear. Mages are spread throughout the group, as are ranged weapon people. With our ranger's eyes to the front, Sherra and Lilia are to the rear for their awareness of what is going on around us. Similarly, the clerics are towards the rear of the group with the more aggressive fighters, including mages to the front. I prefer to be near the rear in this case as it affords me a change to see what is happening and react. This order is designed to be defensive and counter-offensive and has not real bearing on our sub-groups or the riding order for the swamp."

"For that I would split the rangers and elves evenly throughout the group. Also I would not bunch up any non-front line fighters, preferring to space them out evenly to protect against any sudden unexpected attacks."

[Kharyna]

Kharyna -

"The legends do name who this dark god is, but I will not say his name aloud. As our experience of Kharyna's patron taught us, the gods do hear who speaks their name. I would imagine that those who are the favored of the god or have gained their emnity would be heard more clearly amongst a the chorus of voices and there is very little risk in naming those gods of good. The more powerful the god, the more voices to call their name. The fewer the voices, the more likely the god will pay attention to all who speak their name."

"EX-patron, thank you very much," Kharyna will say with a disapproving look on her face. "I happen to follow Mystra at the moment. The situation with the Cold One was temporary and very much in my past."


Kharyna says nothing at first when Kylie over-reacts to the talk about the Sleeping God. After she calms down a bit, the mage will add. "I have already directly opposed one diety in this world. I do not expect that to be the last, to be honest. The striving for knowledge and power and increasingly magickal artifacts will always put us in conflict with powerful adversaries, whether of this plane or another and whether mortal or immortal. My group and my mission has me in direct conflict with other gods as well and I am sure that our eventual success will not win their respect and honor, but more emnity and danger. I consider it a by-product of my life choices. Bring this Sleeping God and his crummy followers on, I say."

[Sherra]

Sherra:

Sherra hangs around at various points of the conversations as they range from everything from debriefing of what happened against Lord Cavius to the upcoming excursion into the swamp.

Elspeth's vision is one that indeed seems to be pretty dreadful, but it quickly makes sense that the water is an unfortunate by-product of circumstance rather than an active god assuming control of the land like Kylie at first believes.

The conversations continue then to pick up again with over-analyzing the tactics of moving one person twenty feet as opposed to another direction in case the wind is blowing at a certain angle when an arrow is misfired. Sherra merely leans against the wall and picks under her fingernails with one of her knives.

Grondar walks up to her at some point during all this and thankfully rescues her boredom with an obscure Dwarven phrase that forces her to concentrate on its meaning.

"Thank the heavens that you're here," Sherra replies in her best Dwarvish. "The need for tactics is important but there's too many chefs for this stew." Sherra isn't 100% sure it translates exactly the way she wants it to in Dwarvish, but she gives it her best shot.

Sherra will gladly welcome the chance to learn even more of the Dwarven tongue and laughes at Grondar's thinking that the moat is not a desireable place to practice swimming. "It might be a good place to practice outrunning, or more acurately swimming, moat monsters though," Sherra will joke.

[Chareos]

Chareos

He listens as Elspeth and Sherwood speak of the history of this Black water. More so it is intriging to hear that a sleeping god is responsible of such water even with out its knowledge presumably. Perhaps this god's work maybe isn't finished yet in this world. Furthermore this raises a question within his mind which he can't help but ask.

"Begging your pardon but if this God slowly begins to gain followers by this means could it be assumed that with this added power that he may awaken from his slumber?"


Sherwood--"It is said that the dark god was the antithesis of life itself. It represented such things as darkness, oblivion, decay, erosion, corruption, the void, and nothingness. It sought nothing less than the removal of all things that exist everywhere. Something that even those gods dedicated to evil could not tolerate."

"By of which you speak it sounds as if it is nothing more than a massive and widespread plague.. Almost as if it releshed in such things... Are some of the Patrons of which you speak represented now?"


Grondar--Grondar smiles at the mage. "I agree. And I have no intention of losing anyone as long as Berronar graces me with her blessings. We have also several others skilled in the healing arts, which should help greatly in aiding our survival."

Chareos and Validar discuss the idea of someone being in charge of the mages, an idea that he recalls being suggested before. "It seems to me that we discussed this once previously - shortly after forming our band. I believe there was some resistance from some of the spellcasters. Perhaps if we go to a small squad arrangement, then the spellcasters in each group can work together for maximum flexibility and power."

"I believe you are correct, my dwarven friend this would seem best, perhaps Lady Jallazari and Sherwood could make some suggestions on which spells may be of use to us." (he is in no way asking them to lead merely suggest, may work well given her vast experiance.)


Grondar--"A good idea, Chareos. Similarly, I have requested and received a blessing of similar nature from Berronar. Having such an ability seems quite useful for a variety of situations."

"Indeed, I have been wondering. This Lord Of Corruption is he self-appointed follower of this Sleeping god or could he be affected by this blackwater as well? Does the text of which you speak mention any remaining followers of this cult?"


Argent--"The keep's library has the largest collection of tomes that I have ever seen, Chareos. The majority are written in the Alphatian language. Their topics are wide and varied. I'm honestly not sure how much it costs to join as I wasn't involved in the formation of the guild. Since I was part of the group who helped liberate the keep I was given free lifetime membership. Given that your mentor runs the place, I'm sure he'll let you have access for at reasonable rate if not for free."

"One could only hope. Though I would be hard pressed to take access to this guild for free."


-"That's a very good trait to have, Chareos. But still, there must be times when you are commanding impressive forces that you can't help but be impressed with yourself. I know I am at times."

"Indeed so there are. So far I was most impressed by my Flaming Sphere spell. To harness such power and will it to move under one's own power is remarkable. There are times I find it diffucult to remain so grounded."


-"I bet Sharadin would have taught you how not to be distracted rather quickly."

"You dont realize the half of it." he says with a grin.

[Lyonessa]

Lyonessa:

"I know it is not much consolation but I have not given up on finding my father nor should you no matter what may lay ahead. We will find her in time and free her if she is indeed with this Lord of Corruption," he will say this with a reassuring smile and a pat on the arm.

there are so many here who genuinely seem to care. it is a pleasure to be in with such company. Lyonessa will return Laucian's smile with a warm one of her own. "Thank you. I know I might be worrying needlessly, for my sister is a very capable mage. It is just with all we have learned that fear filled me briefly over worry for her."

"How is it that you have not heard from your father in so long? Was he questing or did something else tear him from his family?" Lyonessa is not sure how deep to pry but Laucian's casual demeanor lets her risk the question.

[Kharyna]

Kharyna -

Argent - "Oh, I've been keeping busy in the Frontier Lands. Our biggest accomplishment was capturing Karn's Keep. I did have the misfortune of briefly visiting Everwinter. What a cold place that was!"

(Most of Argent's adventures have been reposted in the Sword of Doom game in the Qlink section, so I won't go into any great deal on those.)

"Sounds great, although if you've been there recntly, it's not Everwinter, but Neverwinter again. The Cold One has lost her grip on the island, thanks to one of her ex-followers. I thought you knew all that from when we were apprenticed together with Jallarzi. Surely I told you some about where I grew up in those months."


"But what of your adventures? Jallarzi tells me that you've been exploring Gaz's Towers. That must be very exciting! Find anything good there?"

"We are on a mission for Mystra personally to clear the Towers of Gaz. To be honest, little of the towers themselves remain and only the underground sections are intact. We have been searching for artifacts and items of interest and once we wandered onto the Towers of Gaz, Mystra let her intentions be known. There is much to do to reclaim the area, and once this conflict and my duty to Jallarzi is completed, we will be returning there soon enough."

"There is much information and great magick hidden underneath and we have managed to penetrate but 6 levels down in the first Tower. There is sure to be wealth and magick unimaginable once we have completed it."

[Acerion]

Acerion:

"Hello once more, Lord Kalindor", Jallarzi will say with a smile. "How are you today? I hope that with Elspeth's help we'll be able to break the grip of this Lord of Corruption once and for all."

"Faring quite well, thank you," Acerion will reply. "Our victory in rescuing Lord Cavius has done much to lift the spirits of everyone here, including many of our own group. I for one am greatly pleased that the effects of the foul water can be reversed with magic that the group readily possesses."

"I will reveal what I have seen for all to hear, noble lords. Let us wait until all have gathered to hear my words. What I saw was so disturbing that I would just as soon speak the words only once more."

"Of course, fair Elspeth, for had I known that was the intention I would not have asked," Acerion will say, although it is evident his concern for what she envisioned, as well as his own curiousity, weighs heavily on him.

Once she is done with her story, Elspeth will look visibly relieved and will go stand with Ivy while Sherwood continues to speak.

Acerion will look over at Elspeth and then to Ivy. His eyes show the unasked question to her about his concern that Eslpeth will be alright.

Acerion will listen as theories arise about whether or not it is the will of an active god or merely circumstance that the foul water exists. He nods his agreement as several suggest it is merely an unfortunate circumstance that has created such a vile liquid.

Grondar nods for a moment as he considers Sherwood's reply. "Hmm... I sense a problem. Assuming that Elspeth is able to cleanse the water, will it stay clean? As long as water is dripping on the Sleeping God, won't more be created? It seems to me we need to find some way to prevent more being made, or at least block it from emerging there in the swamp. Is there some kind of spell that could seal the outlet?"

Grondar thinks for another moment. "Berronar allows me access to miracle known as Stone Shape. I have never used it before, but might it be of use in such a way?"

Acerion will wonder as well, but will voice a reply. "I do not see why it would not work if the source of the water can be located. If the name of the spell acurately describes its effects and is of a permanent nature then that would solve the problem." Acerion will still look around to see if anyone can confirm his theory.

"That is very true, Lord Acerion. The Company of the Sword started out as a very large assemblage that quickly was whittled down to a more manageable size. Let us hope that everyone survives in this group."

"Well I do not intend to let anyone die as long as I have anything to say about it Argent," Acerion will reply. "I would also wager there are more than a few others among us who would vow the same thing."

"For instance, the riding order to the swamp is what I suggested with two rangers to the front, as typical and Sherwood towards the rear. Mages are spread throughout the group, as are ranged weapon people. With our ranger's eyes to the front, Sherra and Lilia are to the rear for their awareness of what is going on around us. Similarly, the clerics are towards the rear of the group with the more aggressive fighters, including mages to the front. I prefer to be near the rear in this case as it affords me a change to see what is happening and react. This order is designed to be defensive and counter-offensive and has not real bearing on our sub-groups or the riding order for the swamp."

"For that I would split the rangers and elves evenly throughout the group. Also I would not bunch up any non-front line fighters, preferring to space them out evenly to protect against any sudden unexpected attacks."

Acerion listens at length to the various discussions about tactics and formations for the upcoming expedition into the swamp. The final things that Validar says seems to sum up everything rather nicely.

"I agree Validar," Acerion begins. "There really won't be much opportunity for advanced riding formations in the swamp from what Lord Cavius has detailed for us. Having our resources spread throughout our entire column is the best way to counter any actions against the group. Additional scouting of the temple might provide us with a change of even these plans as we draw closer. There might be newly constructed defenses, magical effects or some other unknown elements in place upon our arrival. We truly won't know what to expect until we get there."

[Lara Spellsword]

Lara:

Kharyna too is interested in the talk about the library at Karn's Keep. "I think our next break will have to take us there. It seems very interesting and I would love to check out the information stored there."

"I'll vote for that! I hope it lives up to its billing. From what Jallarzi told me, we'll need to use your mother's mirror to get there. I have a Picture of the designated arrival location."

Lara simply listens as Elspeth and Sherwood relay their tales. Nothing too difficult from the sounds of it. Being actively against the plans of gods is nothing new to Lara. They fought Auril back in Neverwinter and then have discovered that the forces of two outsider deities have infiltrated that Tower of Magic. Several levels of the Tower of War have been almost destroyed from the conflict between Nerull and Vaprak.

Lara will be ready to depart when the time comes.

[Aswansea]

Swanny:

Swannie'll rise late next morning and probably will have to be wakened to attention Sherwood's little chat. Seeing that several others have joined the band, Swanny will remark, "This is becoming quite a small army."

"Yes, very different from what I am used to, but interesting nonetheless. Still once we have completed this part of the adventure, we need to return to the Towers, as they are a priority to me as well."

"Of course. Our home away from home."

As he pours the wine and both have a drink in hand Chareos will raise his glass and propose a toast. "To new acquaintances."

Swanny will chime in with, "To adventure and the spoils of victory!"

[Corley]

Corley:

Kylie gladly allows Corley to eat the lion's share of the treats she made. "I learned this recipe from my mother, so it may be elven originally, though I don't really know for sure. I do know that my father loved it, and I try to make it for him when I can. It's been a few years since we could afford the ingredients, though."

She smiles shyly at the large warrior. "So, are there any particular foods you prefer? I'm sure your mother must be a fabulous cook, what with having so many strapping sons..."

"Ah, how interesting! Yes, it is quite delicious. Foods that I prefer? I tend to favor meats mostly. Fine roast, chicken and turkey for the most part. Actually, my mother rarely cooks. When we traveled we were guests and the nobles households we visited had their own cooks. At the family estate in Alexandria we had a cooking staff."


Corley tries to listen as the talk of riding and battle formations begins, but he quickly finds his mind wandering elsewhere. He has nothing constructive to add.

[Ivy]

Ivy:

Ivy is pleased when her magic frees the remaining man under the sway of the black water.

"I know that it will seem a small matter to you, but I believe it will prove to be a notable boon for my people. Thus, I owe you and Ivy a debt of gratitude, and I always pay my debts."

"You do not owe us anything, friend Grondar. We were happy to be able to help."


Ivy listens as Elspeth relates her horrific vision. It is easy to see the strain that the toll such a vision causes her adopted sister. Once over, Ivy will give Elspeth a sisterly hug.

"That was a most troubling vision, Elspeth. I can only pray that you can forget such a thing."

Grondar nods for a moment as he considers Sherwood's reply. "Hmm... I sense a problem. Assuming that Elspeth is able to cleanse the water, will it stay clean? As long as water is dripping on the Sleeping God, won't more be created? It seems to me we need to find some way to prevent more being made, or at least block it from emerging there in the swamp. Is there some kind of spell that could seal the outlet?"

Upon hearing this and the dialogue that follows, Ivy takes it upon herself to speak up. "My friends, this is not the first vision Elspeth has been blessed with. In the past, when given a vision, she was also given the power to fully resolve the problem. It is my belief that not only will the black water be cleansed, but its flow will be permanently stopped. You just need to have a little faith."

Acerion will look over at Elspeth and then to Ivy. His eyes show the unasked question to her about his concern that Elspeth will be alright.

Upon seeing Acerion's look, Ivy will smile. She'll nod to show that she believes that Elspeth will be fine.

[Elspeth]

Elspeth:

"I know that it will seem a small matter to you, but I believe it will prove to be a notable boon for my people. Thus, I owe you and Ivy a debt of gratitude, and I always pay my debts."

"You owe me no debt, Grondar. But if you feel you must, then continue to help those in need. That is all the payment that I need."

Upon hearing this and the dialogue that follows, Ivy takes it upon herself to speak up. "My friends, this is not the first vision Elspeth has been blessed with. In the past, when given a vision, she was also given the power to fully resolve the problem. It is my believe that not only will the black water be cleansed, but its flow will be permanently stopped. You just need to have a little faith."

Feeling the need to say more, Elspeth will add, "I know that most of you are skeptical of what has been said. But I believe with every fiber of my being that Azrella has given me means to resolve this situation. I cannot do this alone. I need your support and strength to carry this out. I firmly believe that together we can solve this problem once and for all."

"Of course, fair Elspeth, for had I known that was the intention I would not have asked," Acerion will say, although it is evident his concern for what she envisioned, as is his own curiosity, weighs heavily on him.

"No need to apologize, Lord Acerion. The only foolish question is the one that goes unasked. I may need to draw upon the strength of others to accomplish this great task. I can almost sense the goodness within you. When the time comes, will you and Ivy be at my side so that I can draw upon your strength and goodness to turn back this evil tide?"

[Sherwood]

Sherwood:

Grondar nods for a moment as he considers Sherwood's reply. "Hmm... I sense a problem. Assuming that Elspeth is able to cleanse the water, will it stay clean? As long as water is dripping on the Sleeping God, won't more be created? It seems to me we need to find some way to prevent more being made, or at least block it from emerging there in the swamp. Is there some kind of spell that could seal the outlet?"

"That is a valid concern", Sherwood will agree. "However, as both Ivy and Elspeth themselves have said, this is not the first time it has occurred. While I am unsure just what is going to happen once Elspeth does what she's supposed to, I do trust that it will accomplish what she claims. I've come to trust her visions."

"EX-patron, thank you very much," Kharyna will say with a disapproving look on her face. "I happen to follow Mystra at the moment. The situation with the Cold One was temporary and very much in my past."

"My apologies, Kharyna. I had meant to say former patron."

"Begging your pardon but if this God slowly begins to gain followers by this means could it be assumed that with this added power that he may awaken from his slumber?"

"That is exactly what we are hoping to avoid."

"By of which you speak it sounds as if it is nothing more than a massive and widespread plague.. Almost as if it relished in such things... Are some of the Patrons of which you speak represented now?"

"There is a Goddess of Darkness, but she does not seek to destroy all of existence."

"I believe you are correct, my dwarven friend this would seem best, perhaps Lady Jallarzi and Sherwood could make some suggestions on which spells may be of use to us." (he is in no way asking them to lead merely suggest, may work well given her vast experience.)

"I would suggest avoiding fire magic while in the swamp. Some of the gasses in the swamp may ignite in the process causing an uncontrolled fire burst that may engulf allies."

"Indeed, I have been wondering. This Lord Of Corruption is he self-appointed follower of this Sleeping god or could he be affected by this black water as well? Does the text of which you speak mention any remaining followers of this cult?"

"I made no mention of a cult surrounding this sleeping god, Chareos. Were there such a thing, I doubt that they would be rational beings. Were I to venture a guess, the Lord of Corruption is just another unfortunate being controlled by the water."

[Jallarzi Sallavarian]

Jallarzi:

Lady Sallavarian will take her former apprentice aside to discuss her trouble with spells.

"I seem to be having unexpected troubles with a number of my spells. For example, I found that Alter Self seems to take far longer for the actual transformation - both to and from - than I had expected. This left me in somewhat of a difficult situation and made the tactics that I was planning quite moot. Fortunately, others were able to resolve that particular situation without my help.

"Similarly, my Web spell didn't perform in the way that I had expected. Despite being sticky, it doesn't seem to stick to anything unless it has huge anchors on either end. What seemed to be one of the few truly useful spells I have appears to be extremely limited.

"I think the bigger issue is all of the little details about spells that I can't seem to anticipate. Unfortunately, I don't even know the questions to ask because they haven't come up yet. However, not knowing what to expect leaves me very uncertain as to the value of my magical abilities. It's very frustrating, Jallarzi."

"Low level spells tend to be limited and in some cases more clumsy than more powerful magicks. In most cases these spells work as the person who created the magic wished them to work. You need to realize how the creator wants the spell to work and not go by how you think it should work. In most cases, all the information you need is given in the spell write-up. Sometimes it's not. Something that you or I may consider vital information may be trivial to the person who created the spell and is not mentioned. In all cases, there is always going to be some trial and error in spellcasting. My best advice is to practice a spell before attempting to use it when it really matters."

"In the case of Alter Self, the spell creator does not mention how long the spell takes to work its magic. Only that it limits how small or large you can make yourself and a few other parameters."

"As for the Web spell, it makes perfect sense the way it works. The spell is similar to a very large spider's web. Now I know you've seen a spider's web before. It usually has an intricate design in the middle to trap flies and then has numerous anchor points to support it. Now what happens if you break one of those anchor points? The web gets weaker. Remove enough of them and it collapses."

"The same thing happens with the Web Spell. You're creating a large web to trap 'flies' in. Without the proper support, the Web will collapse and being that it is only magic, it will fade away as if it never existed. According to the spell parameters, you create eight blocks ten feet in diameter. It is only reasonable to assume that support for the web must be as high, if not higher than the web itself."

"Such little things illustrate the one great part about magic. If you find a spell that doesn't work the way you think it should, then when you have enough experience, you can create your own spell that does work as you think it should. Does that help?"

"Ah, okay. That explains it much better. Thanks, Jallarzi. The opportunity to buy new spells, and perhaps improve in skill through study, sounds helpful."

"You are welcome, Kylie." And Jallarzi will give her apprentice a supportive hug.


After Elspeth tells her tell, Jallarzi will add a few things as talk turns to the upcoming battle.

"The journey to the swamp should be relatively easy. My advice would be to allow Sherwood, Kharyna, and myself to fly on ahead. Should we spot any basilisks, we can destroy them from the sky with magic before they even present a danger. Everyone else can ride in behind us and I can conjure my Magnificent Mansion for our protection at night."

"I believe you are correct, my dwarven friend this would seem best, perhaps Lady Jallarzi and Sherwood could make some suggestions on which spells may be of use to us." (he is in no way asking them to lead merely suggest, may work well given her vast experience.)

"Spells come in several different varieties as all mages well know. There are defensive spells and offensive spells. There are spells used to gather information and spells that change the caster. Spells are to a mage as weapons are to a warrior. A warrior uses those weapons he has mastered in battle after years of practice. It is the same with a mage. My advice is to make use of those spells that you are comfortable with and know how they will react in a given situation. Trial and error has no place on the battlefield."

"Faring quite well, thank you," Acerion will reply. "Our victory in rescuing Lord Cavius has done much to lift the spirits of everyone here, including many of our own group. I for one am greatly pleased that the effects of the foul water can be reversed with magic that the group readily possesses."

"I am pleased to hear that. It can be depressing to continually battle such evil. It is my hope that Elspeth can put an end to this black water once and for all."

Once evening comes, Jallarzi will conjure her Magnificent Mansion spell to provide quarters for the evening.

[Grondar]

Grondar:

Grondar nods thoughtfully as the discussion of riding order and combat squads winds down. His questions have been answered to his satisfaction, so he has nothing more to add. "Since that's taken care of, I guess spell choices is the next issue to deal with." Grondar moves off to meet up with Jallarzi and the other spellcasters.

Grondar walks up to her at some point during all this and thankfully rescues her boredom with an obscure Dwarven phrase that forces her to concentrate on its meaning.

"Thank the heavens that you're here," Sherra replies in her best Dwarvish. "The need for tactics is important but there's too many chefs for this stew." Sherra isn't 100% sure it translates exactly the way she wants it to in Dwarvish, but she gives it her best shot.

Sherra will gladly welcome the chance to learn even more of the Dwarven tongue and laughes at Grondar's thinking that the moat is not a desireable place to practice swimming. "It might be a good place to practice outrunning, or more acurately swimming, moat monsters though," Sherra will joke.

Grondar laughs. "I know what you mean. Hopefully, splitting into squads with defined leaders will help that somewhat. By the way, you said that pretty well, but this would be the correct phrasing..." He then repeats Sherra's comment back to her, with corrections to pronounciation and grammar.

"I doubt I will be out-swimming much of anything short of a rock for a long time," Grondar says, grinning crookedly. "I figure I'm doing well to keep my head above water."

"I believe you are correct, my dwarven friend this would seem best, perhaps Lady Jallazari and Sherwood could make some suggestions on which spells may be of use to us." (he is in no way asking them to lead merely suggest, may work well given her vast experiance.)

"I believe we are to be meeting with them soon to get their input. Why don't we head on over?" Grondar asks, not really waiting for a reply before turning and going in search of the magically-talented cousins.

Acerion will wonder as well, but will voice a reply. "I do not see why it would not work if the source of the water can be located. If the name of the spell acurately describes its effects and is of a permanent nature then that would solve the problem." Acerion will still look around to see if anyone can confirm his theory.

"No doubt it would, if cast at the source, my friend," Grondar says. "However, I doubt we'll get that luxury. I was thinking more about trying to jam up the outlet on the swamp end. Unfortunately, that could prove tricky; for example, dealing with the pressure or trying to find all of the points of leakage."

"You do not owe us anything, friend Grondar. We were happy to be able to help.

"You owe me no debt, Grondar. But if you feel you must, then continue to help those in need. That is all the payment that I need."

Grondar bows to both Ivy and Elspeth. "Nothing short of death shall ever stop me from continuing the Revered Mother's good work."

Upon hearing this and the dialogue that follows, Ivy takes it upon herself to speak up. "My friends, this is not the first vision Elspeth has been blessed with. In the past, when given a vision, she was also given the power to fully resolve the problem. It is my belief that not only will the black water be cleansed, but its flow will be permanently stopped. You just need to have a little faith.

Feeling the need to say more, Elspeth will add, "I know that most of you are skeptical of what has been said. But I believe with every fiber of my being that Azrella has given me means to resolve this situation. I cannot do this alone. I need your support and strength to carry this out. I firmly believe that together we can solve this problem once and for all."

"That is a valid concern", Sherwood will agree. "However, as both Ivy and Elspeth themselves have said, this is not the first time it has occurred. While I am unsure just what is going to happen once Elspeth does what she's supposed to, I do trust that it will accomplish what she claims. I've come to trust her visions."

Grondar chuckles. "I don't believe I have ever been accused of lacking faith before, nor am I skeptical of what the divine Azrella can achieve. It was stated that the water would be purified, but no mention was made of preventing the creation of more or otherwise resolving the problem at the source. I merely wanted to make sure that there was no likelyhood of the problem returning. Since you say that it will be fully resolved, that is good enough for me."

"I would suggest avoiding fire magic while in the swamp. Some of the gasses in the swamp may ignite in the process causing an uncontrolled fire burst that may engulf allies."

"The journey to the swamp should be relatively easy. My advice would be to allow Sherwood, Kharyna, and myself to fly on ahead. Should we spot any basilisks, we can destroy them from the sky with magic before they even present a danger. Everyone else can ride in behind us and I can conjure my Magnificent Mansion for our protection at night."
"Spells come in several different varieties as all mages well know. There are defensive spells and offensive spells. There are spells used to gather information and spells that change the caster. Spells are to a mage as weapons are to a warrior. A warrior uses those weapons he has mastered in battle after years of practice. It is the same with a mage. My advice is to make use of those spells that you are comfortable with and know how they will react in a given situation. Trial and error has no place on the battlefield."

"Between what you have said and Lord Cavius' assertions that the basilisks won't be encountered in the swamp, I believe we have a lot to consider in our selections of spells and holy miracles for the coming battles." Grondar glances around to make sure that the other spellcasters are taking note.

[Kylie]

Kylie:

Kharyna says nothing at first when Kylie over-reacts to the talk about the Sleeping God. After she calms down a bit, the mage will add. "I have already directly opposed one diety in this world. I do not expect that to be the last, to be honest. The striving for knowledge and power and increasingly magickal artifacts will always put us in conflict with powerful adversaries, whether of this plane or another and whether mortal or immortal. My group and my mission has me in direct conflict with other gods as well and I am sure that our eventual success will not win their respect and honor, but more emnity and danger. I consider it a by-product of my life choices. Bring this Sleeping God and his crummy followers on, I say.

Kylie stares at Jallarzi's elder apprentice for a moment, then shakes her head. Truly, she must be insane to court such danger...

"Ah, how interesting! Yes, it is quite delicious. Foods that I prefer? I tend to favor meats mostly. Fine roast, chicken and turkey for the most part. Actually, my mother rarely cooks. When we traveled we were guests and the nobles households we visited had their own cooks. At the family estate in Alexandria we had a cooking staff."

"Ahh... I should have known," Kylie blushes, realizing that - of course - nobles would have people to do their cooking for them. Yet another reminder of the gulf between them. "I have some experience with chicken and the more common meats, but we were rarely able to afford anything as special as a roast - particularly after my mother... went away."

Kylie pauses, considering how to ask the next question. "There must be many maidens in your lands who have taken an interest in you. Do you see yourself settling down and raising a family some day? Are your parents likely to select a mate for you? Or do you have your eye on someone yourself? I'm sorry, but I'm not really familiar with how these things are handled among the nobility. What kind of traits would you look for in a mate?"

"Low level spells tend to be limited and in some cases more clumsy than more powerful magicks. In most cases these spells work as the person who created the magic wished them to work. You need to realize how the creator wants the spell to work and not go by how you think it should work. In most cases, all the information you need is given in the spell write-up. Sometimes it's not. Something that you or I may consider vital information may be trivial to the person who created the spell and is not mentioned. In all cases, there is always going to be some trial and error in spellcasting. My best advice is to practice a spell before attempting to use it when it really matters."

"In the case of Alter Self, the spell creator does not mention how long the spell takes to work its magic. Only that it limits how small or large you can make yourself and a few other parameters."

"As for the Web spell, it makes perfect sense the way it works. The spell is similar to a very large spider's web. Now I know you've seen a spider's web before. It usually has an intricate design in the middle to trap flies and then has numerous anchor points to support it. Now what happens if you break one of those anchor points? The web gets weaker. Remove enough of them and it collapses."

"The same thing happens with the Web Spell. You're creating a large web to trap 'flies' in. Without the proper support, the Web will collapse and being that it is only magic, it will fade away as if it never existed. According to the spell parameters, you create eight blocks ten feet in diameter. It is only reasonable to assume that support for the web must be as high, if not higher than the web itself."

"Such little things illustrate the one great part about magic. If you find a spell that doesn't work the way you think it should, then when you have enough experience, you can create your own spell that does work as you think it should. Does that help?"

Kylie listens carefully to Jallarzi's instruction. The information is helpful, though perhaps not as much so as she might have hoped. "In some ways it seems logical, and in other ways not. For example, if you break and anchor point on a spider web, the strands to not immediately lose their stickiness, nor are any trapped bugs suddenly set free.

"It seems to me that it would be very difficult to know what someone else was thinking, however long ago, at the time they created a new spell. And I find it very difficult to figure out what questions to ask before encountering problems; unfortunately, it seems I wasn't gifted with prescience," she says, attempting a smile despite her frustration.

"The real problem seems to be one of experience. We seem to be almost constantly busy since leaving Pyris, with little time available to practice spells and such. This leaves the unfortunate circumstance of having to hope for the best when the time comes and trying to survive when things go wrong."

"Between what you have said and Lord Cavius' assertions that the basilisks won't be encountered in the swamp, I believe we have a lot to consider in our selections of spells and holy miracles for the coming battles." Grondar glances around to make sure that the other spellcasters are taking note.

"Okay, so no fire spells and forget the Gaze Reflection. Got it. Anything else?"

[Lilia]

Lilia:

A slight look of astonishment creeps across his weathered features. "Merely a thought. Argent spoke of us perhaps being related in some way beside our clan." Looking at her confused face he will add. "Seeing how I am merely a winter or two older than you it would seem far fetched that it is so yet my father was lost to me when I was very young. Perhaps there may be truth in what she speaks....."

"It is assumed that all members of Clan Grunalf do have a common ancestor from thousands of years ago. However, I can assure you that my father is not missing. He is a commander in the home guard and my mother runs their household and tends to my younger siblings."

[Aswansea]

Swanny:

Kharyna says nothing at first when Kylie over-reacts to the talk about the Sleeping God. After she calms down a bit, the mage will add. "I have already directly opposed one deity in this world. I do not expect that to be the last, to be honest. The striving for knowledge and power and increasingly magickal artifacts will always put us in conflict with powerful adversaries, whether of this plane or another and whether mortal or immortal. My group and my mission has me in direct conflict with other gods as well and I am sure that our eventual success will not win their respect and honor, but more enmity and danger. I consider it a by-product of my life choices. Bring this Sleeping God and his crummy followers on, I say."

That will get a soft laugh from Swanny. "You know, K, I think I'm beginning to wear off on you. That's something I would have said! Although I might have said some like, 'This dark dummy and his scummy followers.'"

[Argent]

Argent:

Listening to her old friend, Kylie's hopes sag like the limbs of a willow tree. Argent makes many excellent points for which she has no answer. "I don't know that I can answer your questions, Argent. I guess I had envisioned more a relationship than a dalliance, but it's hard to know exactly until you're in it.

"I must admit, I hadn't even thought about the problems inherent in my background versus his. You're right, though, there is little chance that I could be considered a worthy match for him.

"It seems I have much to discuss with him..." Kylie's tone is melancholy at best.

Argent will give Kylie a hug for support. "It's all right, Kylie. Nobles are different folks from the rest of us. I've been in several relationships since I left Jallarzi's tutelage so I have some experience in the matter. You don't know how they are going to turn out or even when they're going to find you. Love is tricky like that."

"Speaking for myself, I am not currently looking to get married, settle down, and have children. There are just too many things that I want to accomplish before putting down those kind of roots. That doesn't mean that I don't mind flirting with a handsome man, I just don't expect anything serious to come from it. Of course, love may have other ideas and I may very well be married by this time next year!"

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that you're very young and you've got time to find the right man you want to spend your life with. Things still might work out with Corley. We simply don't know yet. I find it better to go into these things with low expectations. You don't get hurt so much that way. If things work out for the better, then that's great. If they don't, then it's not a big surprise."

"Tell you what. I could find out a little bit more about Corley if you would like. Perhaps find answers to those nagging questions. Would that be all right with you?"

"You're right," Kylie says with a smile. "Sherwood mentioned that this encounter in the swamp - whatever it turns out to be - is the end of the mission that he recruited us for. I will have to think about what I want to do afterwards."

"There you go! That's the spirit. Looks like I'm going to be staying around here for a while. Lord Validar has invited me to assist in this endeavor and I've agreed. Perhaps you can continue to stay with us, or go back to a little simpler life style. The choice will be yours."

"I am pleased that you have considered our task worthy. You are welcome to ride with us as long as you wish, milady. We welcome your presence and your skills."

"I may not be of noble birth, but Cynalon is my home too. I'd rather see it prosperous than sliding back into uncontrolled wild lands."

"I suppose that I should use this opportunity to inform you more about myself, Lord Validar, if I am to be riding with your band. Do not let my small, thin form fool you. The magick's I dabble in are among the most powerful and destructive given by Mystra. I've become something of a specialist with Magic Missiles."

"On the other side of the coin, I am a liability when it comes to close quarters battle. I have been trained with the staff and the dagger, but can easily be bested by others. Furthermore, I am somewhat physically weak and do tire easily."

"I am also somewhat opinionated and have no problems in speaking my mind. If you can accept and deal with these things, then we'll get along just fine."

"Indeed so there are. So far I was most impressed by my Flaming Sphere spell. To harness such power and will it to move under one's own power is remarkable. There are times I find it difficult to remain so grounded."

"Oh, I really don't worry about such things. Magic Missile was the first spell that I fell in love with. I was so fond of it that I've become something of a specialist with it. Flaming Sphere was alright, at least before I could toss Fireballs and Lightning Bolts. At the moment I'm waiting until I'm powerful enough to cast Ice Storm."

"Sounds great, although if you've been there recently, it's not Everwinter, but Neverwinter again. The Cold One has lost her grip on the island, thanks to one of her ex-followers. I thought you knew all that from when we were apprenticed together with Jallarzi. Surely I told you some about where I grew up in those months."

"I do recall what you said, but based on where I was at, you could have fooled me. We arrived in a blizzard and had to fight off a white dragon. Neverwinter my shapely bottom!"

"We are on a mission for Mystra personally to clear the Towers of Gaz. To be honest, little of the towers themselves remain and only the underground sections are intact. We have been searching for artifacts and items of interest and once we wandered onto the Towers of Gaz, Mystra let her intentions be known. There is much to do to reclaim the area, and once this conflict and my duty to Jallarzi is completed, we will be returning there soon enough."

"There is much information and great magick hidden underneath and we have managed to penetrate but 6 levels down in the first Tower. There is sure to be wealth and magick unimaginable once we have completed it."

"Wow, that does sound very exciting. I almost wish I could join you in this venture, Kharyna. Acquiring magic spells, items, and material wealth are among my favorites hobbies. So I guess you and your crew are going to be leaving after we finish off the black water in the swamp then. Too bad. I was hoping to spend more time with you out in the field."

"Well I do not intend to let anyone die as long as I have anything to say about it Argent," Acerion will reply. "I would also wager there are more than a few others among us who would vow the same thing."

"My apologies, Lord Acerion. I did not mean to imply otherwise. While it is true that the Company did see its share of casualties, many also chose to depart on their own. I guess the quest was just too much for them to bear."


Argent has nothing constructive to add to Elspeth's tale. "I've encountered deity level magic before. If Elspeth thinks she can do this, then I believe she can."

"I do have some questions for those mages in the group that I'm now going to be riding with. What sort of spellbook policy do you have? In my former group, we mages shared spells allowing each other to freely copy from each other's books. What method do you employ?"

[Gwenith Moonsong]

Gwenith sits and observes the meeting. She listens carefully to what Sherwood and Elspeth have to say. She wonders what Lord Cavius has voluntered her for. Gwenith thinks to herself ::Tomorrow morning?? I was hoping we would get there by tonight. ::

Everyone can see Gwenith is over-excited to get on with this adventure. She can't wait to fight again in battle. After the meeting Gwenith makes her rounds conversing with people trying to get to know everyone.

[Acerion]

Acerion:

"No need to apologize, Lord Acerion. The only foolish question is the one that goes unasked. I may need to draw upon the strength of others to accomplish this great task. I can almost sense the goodness within you. When the time comes, will you and Ivy be at my side so that I can draw upon your strength and goodness to turn back this evil tide?"

"Whatever you need from me you may have," Acerion will say. "I will not falter in my defense of you so that you may bestow your miracle. No others must be allowed to suffer such a cruel imprisonment as the foul water has delivered."

"No doubt it would, if cast at the source, my friend," Grondar says. "However, I doubt we'll get that luxury. I was thinking more about trying to jam up the outlet on the swamp end. Unfortunately, that could prove tricky; for example, dealing with the pressure or trying to find all of the points of leakage."

Acerion considers this a moment before replying. "What about if we can locate where the water drips down before it becomes contaminated? Is the spell nimble enough to shape the surronding stone so that although the water may still drip, it falls away from the source of contamination? If so, then all the concern about pressure would be avoided."

"My apologies, Lord Acerion. I did not mean to imply otherwise. While it is true that the Company did see its share of casualties, many also choose to depart on their own. I guess the quest was just too much for them to bear."

"There is no need for apologies Argent, for I did not think you were implying anything," Acerion states. "I was merely letting you know my convictions to this group and this cause. It is pleasing to know you will be among us as well and my vow extends to include you."

[Validar]

VALIDAR -

"While I do not have much need for the healing skills of the clerics personally, the group we have assembled is a great one and I am pleased they are here."

Laucian wrote: A look of pride comes over his features as he nods in agreement he replies, "As we all are."

Grondar chuckles. "Truly, it is unfortunate that all people are not blessed with your incredible vitality, Validar. It would save far more lives than all the healers in the world put together.

"Unfortunately, it would make it that much more difficult to kill those who are evil and that is a challenge we do not need," Validar says with a smile. "It would cause the healers to find another line of work however."


Acerion listens at length to the various discussions about tactics and formations for the upcoming expedition into the swamp. The final things that Validar says seems to sum up everything rather nicely.

"I agree Validar," Acerion begins. "There really won't be much opportunity for advanced riding formations in the swamp from what Lord Cavius has detailed for us. Having our resources spread throughout our entire column is the best way to counter any actions against the group. Additional scouting of the temple might provide us with a change of even these plans as we draw closer. There might be newly constructed defenses, magical effects or some other unknown elements in place upon our arrival. We truly won't know what to expect until we get there."

"That was my thinking entirely. No need to restrict ourselves unnecessarily. We are flexible enough to handle adjustments to our group and tasks at a brief notice."


Upon hearing this and the dialogue that follows, Ivy takes it upon herself to speak up. "My friends, this is not the first vision Elspeth has been blessed with. In the past, when given a vision, she was also given the power to fully resolve the problem. It is my belief that not only will the black water be cleansed, but its flow will be permanently stopped. You just need to have a little faith."

A few others give some ideas about Elspeth and her vision as well and the group seems willing to accept that Elspeth's power will somehow be enough to counter the effects of this Sleeping God. "While I have no answer to whether this will work exactly as you all hope, there is still no question that the destruction of this Lord of Corruption involves us going there and defeating this evil monster. Therefore, the two tasks are mutually connected. I hope that it does indeed work, but if it does not, then we can resort to more mundane means of countering this evil."


"I am pleased that you have considered our task worthy. You are welcome to ride with us as long as you wish, milady. We welcome your presence and your skills."

"I may not be of noble birth, but Cynalon is my home too. I'd rather see it prosperous than sliding back into uncontrolled wild lands."

Argent proceeds to offer some information about herself. Validar listens intently.

"I am full aware of the power that an Invoker possesses, especially on the field of battle. I was trained in batlefield magick as I mentioned before, by my father's general as well as mages in the kingdom. It is a standard tactic to take these days as magicks can quickly turn the tide of battle if unprepared for them."

"I am certain that you do not simply dabble, milady. Knowing the Lady Sallavarian as I do, I am sure you are well equipped for magickal combat. No need to be humble. As for combat, we seem to have that aspect already well accounted for. Therefore, there is no need to trouble yourself on that front."

"I respect people who speak their mind, provided the bear the strength of those convictions. Too many have strong opinions that they cannot argue for or explain and too many have opinions that are quickly crushed when questioned. I do not mind having someone who can back up their feelings, in fact I welcome all of them."


Acerion considers this a moment before replying. "What about if we can locate where the water drips down before it becomes contaminated? Is the spell nimble enough to shape the surrounding stone so that although the water may still drip, it falls away from the source of contamination? If so, then all the concern about pressure would be avoided."

"This is a fine alternative suggestion. There may be others. We can see if Elspeth is successful and then adjust our plans as needed, based upon the circumstances there. We may not be able to find the source of the water immediately."

[Grondar]

Grondar:

"Okay, so no fire spells and forget the Gaze Reflection. Got it. Anything else?"

"That sounds about right, Kylie," Grondar says. "Anyone else want to put in any ideas regarding spell selections for tomorrow?"

"I suppose that I should use this opportunity to inform you more about myself, Lord Validar, if I am to be riding with your band. Do not let my small, thin form fool you. The magick's I dabble in are among the most powerful and destructive given by Mystra. I've become something of a specialist with Magic Missiles."

"On the other side of the coin, I am a liability when it comes to close quarters battle. I have been trained with the staff and the dagger, but can easily be bested by others. Furthermore, I am somewhat physically weak and do tire easily."

"I am also somewhat opinionated and have no problems in speaking my mind. If you can accept and deal with these things, then we'll get along just fine."

"I respect people who speak their mind, provided the bear the strength of those convictions. Too many have strong opinions that they cannot argue for or explain and too many have opinions that are quickly crushed when questioned. I do not mind having someone who can back up their feelings, in fact I welcome all of them."

Passing by, Grondar happens to catch the tail end of this conversation. "I wouldn't worry about that, Argent," Grondar says with a chuckle, "Validar gets plenty of that from me."

Everyone can see Gwenith is over-excited to get on with this adventure. She can't wait to fight again in battle. After the meeting Gwenith makes her rounds conversing with people trying to get to know everyone.

Grondar notes the young warrior-woman looking anxious. Walking over, he pipes up with his gravelly voice, "Hi, Gwenith. You seem anxious. Is everything alright?"

Acerion considers this a moment before replying. "What about if we can locate where the water drips down before it becomes contaminated? Is the spell nimble enough to shape the surronding stone so that although the water may still drip, it falls away from the source of contamination? If so, then all the concern about pressure would be avoided."

"This is a fine alternative suggestion. There may be others. We can see if Elspeth is successful and then adjust our plans as needed, based upon the circumstances there. We may not be able to find the source of the water immediately."

"I have no doubts that Elspeth can do what she says she can. However, if by some strange fate something goes wrong, we may yet have to seek out this Sleeping God's resting place."

"Unfortunately, it would make it that much more difficult to kill those who are evil and that is a challenge we do not need," Validar says with a smile. "It would cause the healers to find another line of work however."

"Ah, too true, Lord Validar," Grondar replies. "I would seem every silver lining has a bit of cloud with it..."

[Kylie]

Kylie:

Argent will give Kylie a hug for support. "It's all right, Kylie. Nobles are different folks from the rest of us. I've been in several relationships since I left Jallarzi's tutelage so I have some experience in the matter. You don't know how they are going to turn out or even when they're going to find you. Love is tricky like that."

"Speaking for myself, I am not currently looking to get married, settle down, and have children. There are just too many things that I want to accomplish before putting down those kind of roots. That doesn't mean that I don't mind flirting with a handsome man, I just don't expect anything serious to come from it. Of course, love may have other ideas and I may very well be married by this time next year!"

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that you're very young and you've got time to find the right man you want to spend your life with. Things still might work out with Corley. We simply don't know yet. I find it better to go into these things with low expectations. You don't get hurt so much that way. If things work out for the better, then that's great. If they don't, then it's not a big surprise."

"Tell you what. I could find out a little bit more about Corley if you would like. Perhaps find answers to those nagging questions. Would that be all right with you?"

Kylie returns the hug. "You're right; perhaps I've been expecting too much. I just wish love were more logical; it seems so... random. Despite my profession, I'm not really a big fan of randomness and leaving things to luck. I don't generally play games of chance at all. One of the reasons I turned to magic was to help me push the odds in my direction as much as possible.

"I guess I'll wait and see what, if anything, happens with Corley. In some ways, I think not knowing is worse than any result."

Kylie pauses to consider. "I appreciate the offer, Argent. Let me think about it a bit, okay?"

"There you go! That's the spirit. Looks like I'm going to be staying around here for a while. Lord Validar has invited me to assist in this endeavor and I've agreed. Perhaps you can continue to stay with us, or go back to a little simpler life style. The choice will be yours."

"That's wonderful! It will be so nice having you with us! I don't know how long I'll stay, but I will see this thing in the swamp through."

"I do have some questions for those mages in the group that I'm now going to be riding with. What sort of spellbook policy do you have? In my former group, we mages shared spells allowing each other to freely copy from each other's books. What method do you employ?"

Kylie pauses for a moment to try to recall what they have done in the past. "Well, it's not really very set yet. We started out with kind of an informal 'you can look at my book if I can look at yours' sort of thing. Since then, we've been moving toward a more open-book kind of policy, but I'm not sure we've really made if official yet. We do have a couple of acquired spell books that anyone can look at at any time."

Once the mage discussion winds down, Kylie puts forth a proposal. "I have given some thought to my selections for the morrow. Would anyone be interested in reviewing my choices and giving me feedback?"
__________________________________________
I have updated my spell lists (in the appropriate thread) for both Grondar and Kylie to reflect what I anticipate them taking the following day. Any constuctive input is welcome and I'll modify as needed. Thanks.

[Gwenith Moonsong]

Grondar Wrote:

Grondar notes the young warrior-woman looking anxious. Walking over, he pipes up with his gravelly voice, "Hi, Gwenith. You seem anxious. Is everything alright?"

Gwenith smiles at Grondar and replies "Hello my dwarfen friend, I am so excited to set out on this journey and to be honest from all my days in the dungeon Im ready to get back out there and feel the wind on my face." " I am hoping this journey is a safe one for us all ."

[Laucian]

Laucian

Lyonessa--"How is it that you have not heard from your father in so long? Was he questing or did something else tear him from his family?" Lyonessa is not sure how deep to pry but Laucian's casual demeanor lets her risk the question

Laucian will consider her question for a few moments while staring at the clouds. He soon replies, "Sadly I do not know why he has not sought me out. After my mother passed away riders from my temple were sent forth to look for him. They only knew his name. For several days they looked tirelessly for him but to no avail. From what we have uncovered he was patroling our lands when an orc raid attacked our encampment. He may have been captured or slain by orcs."

He will look thoughtfully at her for a moment then speak, "I will not give up hope of finding him. Only until I see evidence with my own eyes will I cease my search of him."


Lilia--"It is assumed that all members of Clan Grunalf do have a common ancestor from thousands of years ago. However, I can assure you that my father is not missing. He is a commander in the home guard and my mother runs their household and tends to my younger siblings."

"My apologizes, I didnt mean to imply anything or offend you Lilia. How many siblings do you have?

[Chareos]

Chareos

"Indeed, I have been wondering. This Lord Of Corruption is he self-appointed follower of this Sleeping god or could he be affected by this black water as well? Does the text of which you speak mention any remaining followers of this cult?"

Sherwood-- "I made no mention of a cult surrounding this sleeping god, Chareos. Were there such a thing, I doubt that they would be rational beings. Were I to venture a guess, the Lord of Corruption is just another unfortunate being controlled by the water."

"I think I may have confused you my friend. I merely meant was there known followers after this god was fast asleep. If he is indeed so, perhaps on sight of him we should cast a dispel his way?"


Jallazari-"Spells come in several different varieties as all mages well know. There are defensive spells and offensive spells. There are spells used to gather information and spells that change the caster. Spells are to a mage as weapons are to a warrior. A warrior uses those weapons he has mastered in battle after years of practice. It is the same with a mage. My advice is to make use of those spells that you are comfortable with and know how they will react in a given situation. Trial and error has no place on the battlefield."

He considers what she has spoken of experience and takes it to heart. "There are a few spells that were handy in the past. But alas some of them were fire-based and it may be unwise to use them as Sherwood had pointed out."

He will Follow Grondar to the spell casters meeting.
Argent-"Oh, I really don't worry about such things. Magic Missile was the first spell that I fell in love with. I was so fond of it that I've become something of a specialist with it. Flaming Sphere was alright, at least before I could toss Fireballs and Lightning Bolts. At the moment I'm waiting until I'm powerful enough to cast Ice Storm."

"I recently learned some of the spells of which you speak though I have not had a chance to properly use them. Though I was granted the use of a lightning wand that we acquired a few days past. There is one thing that I also use in my spell selection as well." He will pull forth his Ioun stone from his pocket and show her it. If she recognizes it he will say nothing but if she does not he will speak of its properties."This stone allows the user additional spells in a sense. You merely have to cast a spell on it and it will retain that spell for a future time. It has come in handy in the past."

Argent soon asks of our Spell policy and Chareos will answer,"Well as of lately, we have been swapping one spell for one. Yet I would be more in favor of the open book policy as we all can benefit from it."

"When we defeated a mage we acquired his tomes of magic. Master Sherwood and the rest of us decided that it would be owned by our group. If you would like to skim it you are welcome to, seeing how you are joining us for a time."

[GM Mad]

Post Closed