Luckily (or not) it hits her in the shoulder for a single point of damage. Ouchies!
Now that the door is open, you stare in blank astonishment into the room. It is an amazing sight. Neatly stacked row on row are electrum coins. They sit on an old wooden table. On the rear of the table is a bulging leather pouch. Even without these treasures, the room would seem dull, a mere 20' by 20' with dark stone walls and floor.
"I'm hurt! Again!" wails Alora. And then she sees the money. "But don't worry because I'm rich! Guys, we hit the jackpot! Look at all the money in here!"
Excitedly, Alora hurries over to see what is in the pouch.
But Anomen's words stop her in her tracks. What is there is something dangerous lurking in that leather pouch? Alora approaches with caution and gives the bag a poke with her short sword to make sure it doesn't contain a snake or something equally nasty.
The pouch contains a large gem, a Star Sapphire. Alora guesstimates it to be worth about 2000gp. There are 400 ep (200 gp). Alora pulls out the hollow gold statue and sees that the gem fits into the empty eye socket.
"Just remember, we have to split this between all of us," Jaheira said. Then, with a faint smile, she added. "I think it will at least buy a pony. And maybe some ducks."
"I'm getting a pony! Did you hear that Anomen, Jaheira says I can have a pony!" Alora is very excited. "This is the best adventure ever! I'm going to see what's behind the other door. It's probably even more treasure!"
Alora goes to the other door and checks for traps (attempting to make a better job of it than last time).
For us to spend it, we need to get back to civilization instead of dawdling here. But I think the noblest thing to do would be to pay a priest to give back Lady Aerie's wings.
The other door is not locked, but when you open it, you find the corridor leads to the east after you get out the door. It continues to lead east, slowly heading downwards.
After a short time, you feel you are living the phrase "into the bowels of the earth" as the path circles around and around, always heading deeper. Suddenly, after a descent of over 200 feet, the stair flattens out into a low, damp corridor. Not far into the corridor, you encounter an impassable iron gate. Blocked!
Or maybe not. There is a lever beside the gate, but Alora isn't strong enough to work it by herself.
For us to spend it, we need to get back to civilization instead of dawdling here. But I think the noblest thing to do would be to pay a priest to give back Lady Aerie's wings.
OOC: Oh, I so need to reply to this, but I gotta leave for work in a few minutes. >.>;; Hold that thought.
Edit:
Aerie nearly flinched. Restore her wings? Her heart seemed to rip in two halves at the thought. Yes, of course she wanted to fly again. The disfigured humps were a constant fire on her back, reignited by the flight of the rocs and embroiled by this whole blasted venture down the mountain.
At the same time, she wished the universe would stop giving her hope. Every time she thought she had finally healed and moved on from the violence that'd been done to her, it dangled in front of her like a fish hook--only to be yanked away. Even if her wings were returned to her, Aerie wondered, would she ever feel whole again? A body could be mended, but the spirit was another thing entirely.
"It is the party's treasure," Aerie finally whispered. "Please, don't feel you have to spend it all on me."
It takes two of you to open it. Twenty feet away is a secret door- meant to be secret from the other side, that is. You can easily open it from this side, and then you are out in the sunlight once again. The sun feels good and warm on your skin.
"I will go find my people," Linden says. "We will find you." With that, he leaves, letting you enjoy the sunlight on your skin once more.
All the evil dwarves are not dead. We have a duty to rid this place of them before we head back to the keep as that was deal for helping whoever that little green fellow was.
“Quite a successful venture into the maws of death,” says Ajantis. “Behold, we emerged virtually unscathed! Surely, our cause is righteous, for Helm is with us.”
About 45 mins later, Linden returns. "You seek direction back to civilization, yes?" The distaste in his voice when he says, "civilization" makes you think his definition of such is different than yours. "Follow the arrows," he tells you. "They will be made of stones and twigs." He disappears back into the undergrowth and is gone. Left behind is an arrow made of stones, pointing west, across the sea of grass.
IC: Lets go. Follow the arrows only. We don't want to lose the trail by wandering into every crack in the ground. Once we get back, we can retrace our steps to whatever hole you all want to explore.
You follow the arrows, which come about every quarter of a mile until the grassland fades into low hills. Ahead, you can see the hills becoming passes that very much resemble those near Quasqueton.
That night, you make camp near enough that you can still find firewood for the fire in the center of the camp. You make a meal of the supplies you stole from the Dwarves and the food and drink you were carrying before you were dropped here.
It's been a long day, and you quickly drop into sleep. Everyone drowses around the fire, even those on watch. Then, around midnight, you feel as though you are dreaming. Fog billows around the campsite, until everything grows misty and hazy.
Then, like magic you begin seeing images in the fog.
The valley of Haven was a peaceful land. The crops were abundant, the citizens, prosperous. Elves, Dwarves, Halflings and Humans lived together in harmony. Hidden away in the heart of the Thunder Mountains, Haven was a safe place to live. The rivers were sweet and pure, the weather was pleasant and warm.
One reason Haven was so peaceful was due to the presence of its Protectors, a magical race from the land of Faerie. These mysterious green beings were a gentle folk, and their magic helped ward off evil. They helped the crops to grow and the land of Haven to prosper.
The ruler of Haven was the fair Princess Argenta. She lived in a palace of white, shining marble, which, when the sun set, glowed like shining silver. Princess Argenta was beloved by all her people. She was just, fair and friendly to all.
One day, the Dwarves of Haven found a ruby the size of an apple while digging a new mine. As a token of their affection, they gave the ruby to Princess Argenta. The Dwarves named the Ruby, "My Lady's Heart". The Princess was so pleased with the gift that she invited all the realm to a celebration to see the wondrous gem. The Dwarves were to be the guests of honor. It was to be a grand day of feasting and fun.
The day before the celebration, a strange visitor arrived. He flew into the valley riding a white dragon. The rider was dressed in all black. He had pale skin, long blonde hair and a short blonde beard. Since Haven was noted for its hospitality, the Princss invited the stranger to stay at the Palace. She also granted his request to escort her to the celebration.
At midnight, disaster struck. Dark clouds hid the moon and a freezing wind blew through the valley. The crops withered in the fields. Cattle grew sick. The valley began to die.
From the palace came an explosion and parts of the walls came down. When the dust cleared, it could be seen that a ruby glow surrounded the entire palace.
Haven now lies in chaos. Raiding bands of orcs, goblins and hobgoblins terrorize the countryside. The disaster happened so suddenly that the citizens are confused and helpless. Without their leaders, who are trapped in the palace, they have no courage to fight back. Even the Protectors have disappeared. The situation has become desperate.
In your dream, you are approached by a Protector, a hazy figure in green.
"Haven is in dire trouble," the Protector says. "We do not know what caused the disaster, but we do know that the reason can be found somewhere in the Palace. Allies of the evil that has attacked Haven have challenged the Protectors and we are under siege. We cannot help Haven, but you can. The Princess needs you. The people of Haven need you. You are Haven's only hope. We beg you to find the source of the evil that has overtaken Haven, and destroy that evil. If you will go, you will meet a band of similarly-minded friends outside the palace when you wake up. We will open the way into and out of the Palace for you. We will also give you all the help we can, but our power is limited. The future of Haven is in your hands."
Note to players: If you want to play a different character, now is your time to change. Also, since Jaheira's player is no longer in the game, she will not be taking part- unless you want to change the character you are currently playing for her. Let me know what you decide.
OOC: We survived a whole adventure! Congratulations to my fellow adventurers and thanks for such an enjoyable time. Most thanks of course must go to @LadyRhian for providing us with a playground and for describing everything so imaginatively and evocatively. It has been an absolute pleasure as always.
Some thanks to @Minion who seems to have liked us in the end. It's fun getting to roll our own dice.
If people aren't finding her too annoying I would like to carry on being Alora but if anyone else wants to be the thief in the party I would be happy to switch to being Kagain (who I see as avaricious and world-weary rather than truly evil so he shouldn't clash too much with the good guys).
Anyway, I hope you will all still be playing. Onwards to Haven!
OOC: The good thing about playing Baldur's Gate characters is that we all know who the characters are so we know who gets on and who comes into conflict. This has the advantage that characters can be mean to each other without the players taking it personally.
Comments
"It's okay everybody. It's perfectly safe. I've disarmed the trap. The door is locked so I am going to try the key I found in it."
Alora attempts to open the door using the key from the duergar's boot.
Minion, roll 1d4 for bolt damage
Now that the door is open, you stare in blank astonishment into the room. It is an amazing sight. Neatly stacked row on row are electrum coins. They sit on an old wooden table. On the rear of the table is a bulging leather pouch. Even without these treasures, the room would seem dull, a mere 20' by 20' with dark stone walls and floor.
Excitedly, Alora hurries over to see what is in the pouch.
But Anomen's words stop her in her tracks. What is there is something dangerous lurking in that leather pouch? Alora approaches with caution and gives the bag a poke with her short sword to make sure it doesn't contain a snake or something equally nasty.
Alora goes to the other door and checks for traps (attempting to make a better job of it than last time).
After a short time, you feel you are living the phrase "into the bowels of the earth" as the path circles around and around, always heading deeper. Suddenly, after a descent of over 200 feet, the stair flattens out into a low, damp corridor. Not far into the corridor, you encounter an impassable iron gate. Blocked!
Or maybe not. There is a lever beside the gate, but Alora isn't strong enough to work it by herself.
Edit:
Aerie nearly flinched. Restore her wings? Her heart seemed to rip in two halves at the thought. Yes, of course she wanted to fly again. The disfigured humps were a constant fire on her back, reignited by the flight of the rocs and embroiled by this whole blasted venture down the mountain.
At the same time, she wished the universe would stop giving her hope. Every time she thought she had finally healed and moved on from the violence that'd been done to her, it dangled in front of her like a fish hook--only to be yanked away. Even if her wings were returned to her, Aerie wondered, would she ever feel whole again? A body could be mended, but the spirit was another thing entirely.
"It is the party's treasure," Aerie finally whispered. "Please, don't feel you have to spend it all on me."
"I will go find my people," Linden says. "We will find you." With that, he leaves, letting you enjoy the sunlight on your skin once more.
IC: Lets go. Follow the arrows only. We don't want to lose the trail by wandering into every crack in the ground. Once we get back, we can retrace our steps to whatever hole you all want to explore.
That night, you make camp near enough that you can still find firewood for the fire in the center of the camp. You make a meal of the supplies you stole from the Dwarves and the food and drink you were carrying before you were dropped here.
It's been a long day, and you quickly drop into sleep. Everyone drowses around the fire, even those on watch. Then, around midnight, you feel as though you are dreaming. Fog billows around the campsite, until everything grows misty and hazy.
Then, like magic you begin seeing images in the fog.
The valley of Haven was a peaceful land. The crops were abundant, the citizens, prosperous. Elves, Dwarves, Halflings and Humans lived together in harmony. Hidden away in the heart of the Thunder Mountains, Haven was a safe place to live. The rivers were sweet and pure, the weather was pleasant and warm.
One reason Haven was so peaceful was due to the presence of its Protectors, a magical race from the land of Faerie. These mysterious green beings were a gentle folk, and their magic helped ward off evil. They helped the crops to grow and the land of Haven to prosper.
The ruler of Haven was the fair Princess Argenta. She lived in a palace of white, shining marble, which, when the sun set, glowed like shining silver. Princess Argenta was beloved by all her people. She was just, fair and friendly to all.
One day, the Dwarves of Haven found a ruby the size of an apple while digging a new mine. As a token of their affection, they gave the ruby to Princess Argenta. The Dwarves named the Ruby, "My Lady's Heart". The Princess was so pleased with the gift that she invited all the realm to a celebration to see the wondrous gem. The Dwarves were to be the guests of honor. It was to be a grand day of feasting and fun.
The day before the celebration, a strange visitor arrived. He flew into the valley riding a white dragon. The rider was dressed in all black. He had pale skin, long blonde hair and a short blonde beard. Since Haven was noted for its hospitality, the Princss invited the stranger to stay at the Palace. She also granted his request to escort her to the celebration.
At midnight, disaster struck. Dark clouds hid the moon and a freezing wind blew through the valley. The crops withered in the fields. Cattle grew sick. The valley began to die.
From the palace came an explosion and parts of the walls came down. When the dust cleared, it could be seen that a ruby glow surrounded the entire palace.
Haven now lies in chaos. Raiding bands of orcs, goblins and hobgoblins terrorize the countryside. The disaster happened so suddenly that the citizens are confused and helpless. Without their leaders, who are trapped in the palace, they have no courage to fight back. Even the Protectors have disappeared. The situation has become desperate.
In your dream, you are approached by a Protector, a hazy figure in green.
"Haven is in dire trouble," the Protector says. "We do not know what caused the disaster, but we do know that the reason can be found somewhere in the Palace. Allies of the evil that has attacked Haven have challenged the Protectors and we are under siege. We cannot help Haven, but you can. The Princess needs you. The people of Haven need you. You are Haven's only hope. We beg you to find the source of the evil that has overtaken Haven, and destroy that evil. If you will go, you will meet a band of similarly-minded friends outside the palace when you wake up. We will open the way into and out of the Palace for you. We will also give you all the help we can, but our power is limited. The future of Haven is in your hands."
Some thanks to @Minion who seems to have liked us in the end. It's fun getting to roll our own dice.
If people aren't finding her too annoying I would like to carry on being Alora but if anyone else wants to be the thief in the party I would be happy to switch to being Kagain (who I see as avaricious and world-weary rather than truly evil so he shouldn't clash too much with the good guys).
Anyway, I hope you will all still be playing. Onwards to Haven!