The Balance of Power

[at]

As Altar arrives the group can see that he carries thin rice paper and a block of charcoal, "I don't plan to chase you across the fell, there isn't the time and Eldon would kill himself trying to to track the book down"

He holds up the paper, "keep the book, i'll take Eldon and a copy of the map east to the monastery when he is strong enough to travel."

(Altar plans on making a charcoal rubbing of the book unless prevented - though it seems both Eldon and the groups destinations appear to once again be the same if Ka'lion has given up his ambitions to seek out the druids - geographically the two locations are in opposite directions)

[harknail]

Vadania will encourage Ka'lion to allow Altair to copy the book if needed. Such encouragement may not be needed (I hope).

I looks like we're heading in the same direction, but not at the same time, since Eldon isn't in good enough shape to travel yet.

[(George) 3.5./ ZEM ( 4.0)]

George will be out there with ka'lion. An. Would have headed out of town with him already
This was the only time i could post.

[sageaqua]

Ka'lion has already made a rubbing of the first page. He point's at it hanging from a nearby tree. "Elban should be wanting to kill me once enough of those pages are found hanging from enough trees but I have no objections to a few complete copies being made. Perhaps enough for the temples needs but the book is mine. He thinks the book is a holy relic and it issent. It's useful tool or a childs nightlight with maps and charts that would take a large library to use constructively and it's nothing more then that. Or at least it has soon no other value yet. It may show more latter. Altor can copy the book once we make camp. Let's move out." say's Ka'lion getting back on Runeway.

[at]

Altar looks at the letter and the copy, crude and indistinct from Ka'lions lack of proper materials, and clearly out of patience he states "the book does not leave Burr Town until a copy is made, this madness ends here and now."

As he approaches he holds out Ka'lions first picture to George showing the book secured on it's pedestal before the gates beneath Clearwater and adds, "perhaps you can explain to your new friends how you pried free your property from a mausoleum. Now place the book on the ground and lets be done with this"


DMs note - Ka'lions attempts to stir up needless conflict and his generally erratic behaviour is pushing his alignment towards chaotic neutral. You may choose to change your alignment to CN at this point if you wish.

Once the book is copied the party can essentially opt out of this adventure arc - it will continue to unfold in the background with other heroes taking their place and the party can move on to different adventures

[(George) 3.5./ ZEM ( 4.0)]

Altar im giving you this one chance to stand down.

Its your choice as always but if you attack you will give me no other option this is not something i want

for we are all on the same side.

Ka'lion has only done what he thinks is right, and has done no evil.

If you attack or therten him, your doing the very same to me.

Now drop your weapon and walk away, its the smart choice that you have,

i advise you take it.

[at]

Altar looks towards George and states in a flat tone, "you are all mad.". Looking to Vadania in the hopes of finding a voice of reason, "you understand how many will die while this idiot galavants around the fell writing love letters to himself with the only key we have to defeating these things"


The gathering and Vadanias hasty rounding up of the party is beginning to draw attention from the others in Burr Town, surprised at the groups sudden move to depart and perhaps wondering if a new threat has been seen.


(Altar doesn't have a weapon drawn, he came carrying rice paper and charcoal to copy the book)

[sageaqua]

"Altor, I've been more then fair. I've shone the book to more then a dozen people. But no one gives me orders with regards to my belongings. You wouldn't put up with it and neither well I. Now I expect an apology or you will never get a chance to copy my book. And I think making copies is a good idea. It would greatly cut down on others feeling so desperate. Or at least it should. I just wouldn't trust you with it. As of now. Your going to need to earn the privilege of coping it. Or someone else that has proven they are trustworthy can copy it for you.

My provoking the old lion is for his own good and between me and him. He's feeling old and that is not the way a leader of others should represent themselves. In nature the old pack leader among lion's is killed by a younger lion to take their place in the pack. They do that to keep a pack strong but the lion's ways have never been my own.

Provoking the old man should fill the old lions belly with anger and hopefully improve his faith in himself. It may not. But anyone that intends to fight a demon needs to be highly skilled and more then a little crazy to do it. Because any demon will retaliate against their attackers friends and family and the innocent and even the guilty just because they hope to hurt you. They enjoy doing that kind of thing." said Ka’lion, "You may think I'm crazy and I know Vadania thinks I'm crazy but I'm not crazy. I know full well that loyalty needs to be earned and so far I think I've shone just how brave I really am. I don't runaway out fear. I runaway to buy time to think of a workable strategy for the fight at hand.

Traditional battle is predictable to a point. Who ever has the best skills, most exspairance, effective strategies of combat, best magic and best weapons should win. But they may not. The landscape the battle is fought on may favor the other side or the outcome may depend on just one person welling to die so others will live.

If you don't understand what I'm talking about. You don't need to think back very far. In the last fight with the ibaxian leader that you claim was possessed. Although we had no proof of it but I agreed with you. If he was not possess he had turned into a monster because he killed his own people. For me that alone is grounds to kill him. Traitors to their own kind are by far the greatest danger of all. But at the end of that battle half of the party was disarmed and suddenly helpless. The Ibaxian could of very easily killed any of you. I made the choice to die if nesasery so the rest of you would have a chance to live. I knew I would not be able to avoid getting hit. I knew that I had a good chance of dying to stop him from being able to swing his frightening weapon at my helpless party. So I attacked his weapon. In the end he killed himself.

If your still wondering why? It's because one man can make a difference. All it take is a few second of extreme bravery to win. That can change your life forever." said Ka'lion, "And it is why I fight in as I do. I'm not very strong. I'm not very dexterous. I'm not even a very good leader or wise or even charismatic. But what I am is cunning, fast and very creative and those are my weapons of choice because you can never lose them! As you can findly see I’m not crazy. I just follow my own path. And not one dictated by others! That is the best way to get killed.”

[at]

Altars eyes narrow and he stiffens, seeming to have an internal discussion with himself as Ka'lion speaks before saying in a very measured and slow voice, "I am sorry. You were right. I will copy the book now, or one of your companions can copy it here, and then I will not try to stop you from leaving with the original."

[harknail]

Vadania speaks up, "Ka'lion, you keep calling me your captain. Very well, as your captain I'm telling you to let Altair copy the book. The copy needs to be made, and he can do a better job of it than any of us. He and his order are NOT trying to get the book from you, but they vitally need the information in that book. Armed with that information they can send out other heroes to oppose the demons plans so that we don't need to do it alone. I REALLY want those copies made before we leave Burr town, so PLEASE let Altair copy the book."

[sageaqua]

"Thank you. I except your apology. Now it's going to take you a while to make good copies and I will supervise you doing so but you will need to work quickly. My leaving as suddenly as I did means my party needs to pick up some additional equipment and we need a lot more arrows. We leave at high noon. Garrot can stock up on arrows for the party and get horses for the rest of the party as we need to move as quickly as possible. George will go and get additional healing potions and as many scrolls as are available. Vadania will find us a wizard able to use the scrolls we get and a warlock will not do!. Now considering we have no money. The old lion's job is to arrange for the horses and arrows and other provisions to be paid for. That's what I'm charging him for those copies. It's also his manners that need to be improved. After we've left. You should make arrangements for the victims to the goblins attack by bringing as much food for any survivors that you can when you get there. Agreed?" insisted Ka'lion firmly. "Captain if you can't find a wizard, get a bard or sorcerer. They can use the scrolls to."

[at]

Altar, in the same even tone as before, simply states "agreed"

It does not take long to discover that the town is without horses - all were taken by those who fled before the siege closed in, and any that found their way back since then would have become an Ibixian meal. Arrows though are plentiful and the townsfolk are still collecting those fired during the siege.

The closest thing to a mage in Burr Town is the alchemist Vassily, though he is hardly adventuring material. Few of the townsfolk seem skilled in magic though the excitable barmaid from earlier claims to have trained with an old mage by the name of Melwyn who lives in the hills - a little more investigation suggests that she isn't the only maid that Melwyn trained. No shortage of cantrip casters in any event.

There is little left of healing magic in the town - George had already purchased the majority of it when he arrived and treatment of the prisoners had expended much of what was left. A few scrolls and potions remain but represent the entirety of the towns magical healing items.

While asking in the bar for mages the mercenary that she had seen before speaks up in a course voice, "if you provide the scrolls my fee is five gold coins per day", he turns to face Vadania, "and an equal share."




(as a note regarding Ka'lions first copy - he doesn't appear to have any writing materials on his character sheet, nor any of the items that he took from the keep - please update your sheet)

[harknail]

Vadania would also like to sale her old armor, masterwork hide, if she can find a buyer quickly.

She's not at all bothered by the lack of horses, she wouldn't have wanted one anyway.

As for the cantrip casters, she'll explain the dangers, including that the barbarian is chaotic crazy (but he does pull through when things get tough), as well as her goal to work against the demon. If one is still interested she is I welcome to accompany us. Vadania doesn't know what scrolls Ka'lion is talking about. All the wizard scrolls were given to Altair as his share.

For the mercenary, Vadania replies, "Sorry, but saving the world doesn't pay that well. We must decline your offer. "

[sageaqua]

Ka'lion would be okay with taking the barmaid if she wanted to come and had a spellbook of cantrips of her own. She could also take the party by the old wizards place which a very good idea. He may also have scrolls the party can use. As far as the mercenary's offer it's more then fair just very inconvenient. We’d just need to charge the mercenary for any healing he needed to get it back.


GM:Ka'lion updated

[at]

The mercenary laughs dryly at Vadanias comment, "perhaps you are not asking the right people, I find the desperate have the deepest pockets." He holds up his glass, "leave a man out in the sun long enough and he'd cut off his own hand for nothing more than a glass of water, or perhaps he'd cut off yours. The question is never what you have, or what you do. Only what you can make of it."


The girl, Lynette, is a more appealing character and assures Vadania that she has a sword and armour of her own. She doesn't state if she has ever used them before running off to get ready however, without waiting for anyone to tell her that she is welcome.

[harknail]

Vadania will wait and see what armor Lynette has (and possibly offer an upgrade if her old armor is better suited to keeping Lynette alive) before looking again for someone interested in it.

[at]

Lynette does not reappear for some time and Vadania has almost given up on her, selling her armour on (85gp) before the girl appears once more - wearing leather armour that appears to be in surprisingly good condition, from what Vadania can see of it under the broad hooded cloak that the girl as also brought.

She carries at her side two rapiers beneath the distinct pattern of a concealed half cape, ice like the one Vadania had only recently inspected.


Outside Altar quickly but carefully copies each page of the book, checking the result against the original for any mistake or omission before placing them into a scroll case for protection.


(the group as an hour, if that, to complete any tasks they wish before Altar is finished, though they are under no particular time pressure to leave at that point.)

[sageaqua]

Ka'lion intends to leave at high sun. He wants the city far behind the group by nightfall. His next stop will be Melwyn's place if the rest of the party has no objections to it. He hopes to stay over night there and to make sure the wizard Valania recruited has a useable spell book for the trip.

[harknail]

May 17, 2014 20:35:45 GMT -5 at said:

Lynette does not reappear for some time and Vadania has almost given up on her, selling her armour on (85gp) before the girl appears once more - wearing leather armour that appears to be in surprisingly good condition, from what Vadania can see of it under the broad hooded cloak that the girl as also brought.

She carries at her side two rapiers beneath the distinct pattern of a concealed half cape, ice like the one Vadania had only recently inspected.


Outside Altar quickly but carefully copies each page of the book, checking the result against the original for any mistake or omission before placing them into a scroll case for protection.


(the group as an hour, if that, to complete any tasks they wish before Altar is finished, though they are under no particular time pressure to leave at that point.)

Vadania is much impressed by Lynette's appearance, especially the cloak like those the group had just been awarded. "It looks like you are trained in martial arts as well," commented Vadania. "How did you come by the ice cloak? "

Who is Melwyn?

[sageaqua]

The wizard that trained Lynette. See above. Ka'lion doesn't know anything about the wizard but once Lynette shows Ka'lion that she can cast spells and he's going to want to see one cast. He'll want her to take the party to see him. I was just giving the gm a heads up.