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15:49, 29th March 2024 (GMT+0)

Expedition to Myth Drannor.

Posted by DMFor group 0
DM
GM, 2562 posts
Fri 24 May 2019
at 00:13
  • msg #1

Expedition to Myth Drannor

By the time you return to Mistledale winter has truly arrived. Temperatures are rarely above freezing as you walk between Ashabenford and Glen. A storm passes through, leaving several inches of snow covering the plains. Fortunately, the people of Glen have already shoveled the road down into the town by the time you get there, and it's been liberally coated with dirt as well. It's not much worse walking down than it was the first time you arrived.

With winter comes the end of caravan season and a drastic decrease in travelers. The Dark Door's proprietor is happy to see you, and assures you that he has rooms available for as long as you care to stay. With its plentiful warm stoves and blankets you're able to chase the chill from your bones, and after a hearty meal of roast venison you gather to plan your return to Myth Drannor.

((ooc: I'm going to open the main thread and pause the action here, to give everyone a chance to discuss plans for the city. In particular, I'd like to know what route you're planning to take. Re-tracing your steps as closely as possible, or some other route? Anything you wish to do in Glen before you leave?))
Dorian
player, 82 posts
Fri 24 May 2019
at 00:33
  • msg #2

Expedition to Myth Drannor

OOC: Are you hand-waving the cost of staying in Glen?  It seems to me that 3 months staying at an inn would be expensive as hell.

Dorian sipped at some tea "We should discuss the dangers we think we will face.  One of my great concerns is that we've seen Gargoyles and Demons already.  I am no expert on such things, but I have heard that it requires magical weapons to harm them.  I am primarily an archer and though there is a strong enchantment on my bow I have no such ammunition."

"I suggest that we return by the same route.  I'm fairly certain that I can get back there and return to Glen, but for those of you who lack woodcraft it is probably wisest to keep to a trail with familiar landmarks in case you need to leave the ruins without guidance."
DM
GM, 2564 posts
Fri 24 May 2019
at 00:45
  • msg #3

Expedition to Myth Drannor

((ooc: Are you staying in Glen for three months? If you're going to search for Syndra, you should probably leave sooner rather than later. Also, waiting out winter would be more like four or five months. I haven't worked out the exact date yet, since I don't know how long you're in Deepingdale, but it's only mid or late November.))
Corym Ildroun
player, 1719 posts
28/28 HP
AC 0
Fri 24 May 2019
at 03:57
  • msg #4

Expedition to Myth Drannor

I assume we're wintering in Myth Drannor, actually--since we're hunting for Syndra.

My thought is that we go back in the way we came out--minimally we're familiar with that, and if we repeat it a few times, perhaps even non-rangers will learn the way.

The way I envision it, we're going to find a defensible, solid building to explore first.  Once probing its mysteries we'll secure it as a base camp and work the surrounding area from there. Trips between base camp at an exploration site ought to be governed by Stealth.  I have 3 second level spells to keep invisibility around on several folks.  I also know a way of cycling those spells so that I can do six in a day's time.

Sirenya, can you help with that?

We do need to find out what kinds of weapons we need to hit these guys.  I'd assume +1.

DM
GM, 2565 posts
Fri 24 May 2019
at 13:14
  • msg #5

Expedition to Myth Drannor

((ooc: Well, Glen does happen to have a resident sage...))
Corym Ildroun
player, 1720 posts
28/28 HP
AC 0
Fri 24 May 2019
at 15:39
  • msg #6

Expedition to Myth Drannor

((Maybe the Sage could even hook us up with a useful spell or two?))
Corym Ildroun
player, 1721 posts
28/28 HP
AC 0
Fri 24 May 2019
at 15:58
  • msg #7

Expedition to Myth Drannor

That's a few reasons to see the Sage then--that's where I'll be heading. Do I need to do that IC?
This message was last edited by the player at 18:00, Fri 24 May 2019.
DM
GM, 2566 posts
Fri 24 May 2019
at 18:15
  • msg #8

Expedition to Myth Drannor

((ooc: Yes, definitely.))
Corym Ildroun
player, 1722 posts
28/28 HP
AC 0
Sat 25 May 2019
at 03:44
  • msg #9

Expedition to Myth Drannor

Corym walked with Kora down the switchbacks that drew neat lines in the cliff faces of Glen. He sighed pensively. Somehow the rock cliffs and elevations of this odd town felt more like home to him than the verdant forests of Bristar and Myth Drannor. Humans believed that all elves lived in forests, but his upbringing in the misty hills of Evereska. The fact that these cliffs were waterfront property made them all the dearer in his eyes. The exploration of Myth Drannor was a life’s work—he could build a life for himself here.  Neldor had.

He felt invigorated ever since he had found himself in the ruin.  He was suffused with purpose.  Not someone else’s mission.  Not the Knaves, or Elorfindar’s father.  This was his.  This was remarkably close to his father’s missions.  There was something more romantic about it than the work he did for the Knaves.

He’d sensed a change in his companions too.  Kora had always irrepressible, but ever since he’d begun her arcane apprenticeship she’d seemed—happier?  More excited?

He regarded his apprentice as he walked.

She’d always possessed raw talents of physicality and intelligence. In truth she was a rare find.  Her martial training had revealed the potential he had merely intuited before.  She’d always walked with confidence, but now it was confidence that had been earned.  Under a human’s apprenticeship what had been gained would have been lost in the transition to arcane training.  He’d been training her hard to make sure that there was no backsliding.

She’d only ever really tolerated him before.  Was their relationship changing?

In a sense he’d always regarded her like a block of stone.  An asset with exceptional potential, and a desire to see it developed.

Whether her regard for him had changed or not, he was a little surprised to discover this his regard for her had evolved.

He could see Neldor’s establishment in the distance, accurately described to him by Dorian. He’d nearly passed the entire time in silence.

“Kora, let me give you some context for this meeting. This Sage is likely to have information, equipment, and spells that will aid our cause.  We have some currency, but likely not enough to acquire what we would.  I have in my possession three rare spells that are worth many times the currency we possess.  In particular, I possess one which should be of exceptional interest to a sage, and in fact I have not yet cast it, though I have intended to many times.  But Neldor is also an elf living in proximity to Myth Drannor but isolated from his people save for his daughter.  I may yet hope that our cause will be in common cause with him, and that it might adjust his bargaining in our favor.  Unfortunately I have little presence when it comes to affecting the hearts of men and women.  I’ve only ever been able to acquire favor by the soundness of my words or the positive outcome of my actions.”

Coming to Neldor’s door, Corym smoothed his coat and tapped on the door lightly, as was polite in elf-lands.  Elves did not require the blunt banging of humans on their doors to hear the presence of guests arrived.
Kora Roustinghorn
NPC, 85 posts
33/33 HP
Sat 25 May 2019
at 23:12
  • msg #10

Expedition to Myth Drannor

"If he's an elf and a student of history, wouldn't he want to help you?" Kora asked. "You could recover lost things. And he wouldn't want more elves to die in the city, would he?"
Corym Ildroun
player, 1725 posts
28/28 HP
AC 0
Sat 25 May 2019
at 23:56
  • msg #11

Expedition to Myth Drannor

“Not all people study history with the same ends in mind. Perhaps he’s like Nym and would see humanity brought low to make room for our reconstitution. Perhaps he thinks that Myth Drannor should live on pristine and undefiled as a testament to a previous age and a warning for those that would tempt those heights. Perhaps he is like a Tomb Guardian of my native land, set as sentry to mark those that seek antiquities riches and annihilate them when before they succeed—or else despoil them after they succeed but are still weakened from the perils faced. There are many possibilities.”
Kora Roustinghorn
NPC, 86 posts
33/33 HP
Sun 26 May 2019
at 00:32
  • msg #12

Expedition to Myth Drannor

"I... I suppose." Kora looks a little abashed. "You know, there aren't very many elves in Hill's Edge. We mostly knew your people from bard's tales, or the stories my family brought out of Cormyr of the Elven Court. It's a little disconcerting to learn you're all just people, like us."
Dorian
player, 84 posts
Sun 26 May 2019
at 01:53
  • msg #13

Re: Expedition to Myth Drannor

DM:
((ooc: Are you staying in Glen for three months? If you're going to search for Syndra, you should probably leave sooner rather than later. Also, waiting out winter would be more like four or five months. I haven't worked out the exact date yet, since I don't know how long you're in Deepingdale, but it's only mid or late November.))


I don't know.  As a new player I don't know how you handle winter.  Does this part of the world get snowed in?
DM
GM, 2568 posts
Sun 26 May 2019
at 03:17
  • msg #14

Re: Expedition to Myth Drannor

((ooc: This is the first winter we've had. So it's new for everyone. Fortunately, Elminster's Ecologies has a nice table on weather in Cormanthor, and apparently it doesn't get below freezing very much inside the forest. So the dales, especially the northern dales, get snow, but it shouldn't be too bad under the trees. As you're a ranger and had a chance to chat with barge folks who have been to Shadowdale, it's not a stretch for you to have learned all of this.))
Krackor Steelfist
player, 946 posts
Lord Protector Steelfist
AC: -5/-3/-4. HP: 54/54
Sun 26 May 2019
at 09:30
  • msg #15

Re: Expedition to Myth Drannor

It had been a while since the Guardian Priest had seen snow, for so long, he had been on duty under the mountain, he remembered it would be cold though, thank the Bronze Mask for his magical clasp of dryness, getting wet when it was cold wouldn't be a good thing when the winds got stronger.

With these temperatures dropping, I will ask the Vigilant Host for access to divine magic that allows us to endure these cold temperatures, I won't be able to help everyone though, can others of you ask your Divine Patrons for similar?


He had only used the Endure Cold spell a couple of times on the journey with the company but knew of it's effectiveness.  My Lords gifts will last whilst we travel in the day, so we'll have to watch out for how long we travel in the open for.
This message was lightly edited by the GM at 14:25, Sun 26 May 2019.
Corym Ildroun
player, 1726 posts
28/28 HP
AC 0
Sun 26 May 2019
at 20:56
  • msg #16

Re: Expedition to Myth Drannor

Krackor Steelfist:
It had been a while since the Guardian Priest had seen snow, for so long, he had been on duty under the mountain, he remembered it would be cold though, thank the Bronze Mask for his magical clasp of dryness, getting wet when it was cold wouldn't be a good thing when the winds got stronger.

With these temperatures dropping, I will ask the Vigilant Host for access to divine magic that allows us to endure these cold temperatures, I won't be able to help everyone though, can others of you ask your Divine Patrons for similar?


He had only used the Endure Cold spell a couple of times on the journey with the company but knew of it's effectiveness.  My Lords gifts will last whilst we travel in the day, so we'll have to watch out for how long we travel in the open for.


"I'm not familiar with the local weather patterns, but I know that in Myth Drannor one of the most obvious effects of the Mythal is a moderation of the weather.  Whatever heavy clothing we may need to get there, none will be needed within."
Corym Ildroun
player, 1727 posts
28/28 HP
AC 0
Sun 26 May 2019
at 21:00
  • msg #17

Re: Expedition to Myth Drannor

Kora Roustinghorn:
"I... I suppose." Kora looks a little abashed. "You know, there aren't very many elves in Hill's Edge. We mostly knew your people from bard's tales, or the stories my family brought out of Cormyr of the Elven Court. It's a little disconcerting to learn you're all just people, like us."


Corym smirked wryly and began, "On behalf of the fables..."

Just then the door opened and Neldor greeted and invited them in.

"My companion, Dorian, stopped by a while ago and made your acquaintance.  He told you of our hopes to return to Myth Drannor for further exploration and investigation into the circumstances of our assembly. The creatures that currently inhabit Myth Drannor are fearsome, and I wanted to consult with you regarding their natures, how best to defend ourselves from them, and how best to injure them.  Two of the things we saw were from the Abyss and the Nine-Hells respectively.  What can you tell me of these beings?"
Krackor Steelfist
player, 947 posts
Lord Protector Steelfist
AC: -5/-3/-4. HP: 54/54
Sun 26 May 2019
at 21:19
  • msg #18

Re: Expedition to Myth Drannor

Corym Ildroun:
"I'm not familiar with the local weather patterns, but I know that in Myth Drannor one of the most obvious effects of the Mythal is a moderation of the weather.  Whatever heavy clothing we may need to get there, none will be needed within."
Then the spells will be just what we need.  No need to take extra clothing.  Oh, will we be taking tents or is there a spell that will provide shelter for us and help keep us warm?
Dorian
player, 85 posts
Sun 26 May 2019
at 23:01
  • msg #19

Re: Expedition to Myth Drannor

“No offense, friends, but relying on magic in place of mundane preparation can lead to catastrophe.  Especially in a place known for chaotic magics.” Reasoned Dorian “we can certainly use the convenience of magic, but I must insist that we gear up as if we had no such aid.”
This message was last edited by the player at 01:49, Tue 28 May 2019.
Corym Ildroun
player, 1728 posts
28/28 HP
AC 0
Mon 27 May 2019
at 02:45
  • msg #20

Re: Expedition to Myth Drannor

Dorian:
“No offense, friends, but relying on magic in place of mundane preparation can lead to catastrophe.  Especially in a place known for chaotic magics.” Reasoned Dorian “we can certainly use the convenience of magic, but I must insist that we gear up as if we had no such aid.”


"In a sense, Dorian restates the position of Incanthus the Elder regarding the Fall of Myth Drannor--'an over-reliance on magical luxury corrupted the strength and resilience of the people until they became enfeebled and were easily brushed aside by the Army of Darkness and Trio Nefarious though their forebears may have more easily resisted their assault.'  We would do well to heed their advice.  There is little to be suffered by doing so, and much suffering may come if we disregard it."
Krackor Steelfist
player, 948 posts
Lord Protector Steelfist
AC: -5/-3/-4. HP: 54/54
Mon 27 May 2019
at 16:53
  • msg #21

Re: Expedition to Myth Drannor

In reply to Corym Ildroun (msg # 20):

In that case, we need a mount to carry gear then, like a couple of tents and to put the cold weather stuff once we get back into the warmer areas that Corym mentioned.

I am not knowledgeable in the ways of this Mythral you keep talking about, what else does it do?


Maybe it has something useful about it other than stopping us getting cold, thought Krackor.
DM
GM, 2569 posts
Mon 27 May 2019
at 18:16
  • msg #22

Re: Expedition to Myth Drannor

Corym

Neldor is perusing a book set on the counter. The strong smell of alchemy Dorian described is less pronounced, though from the way his black hair is frizzing, it's probably just because he's working with less caustic materials today. Sitting beside him on the counter is a green elven adolescent. She's somewhere in her eighties, you would guess. Despite the cold outside she's dressed in a sleeveless tunic that shows off her her muscled arms, and is swinging one leg idly as she chats with Neldor.

As you introduce yourself, Neldor smiles and gives you a short bow. "I remember Dorian. You must be more of the people who found themselves in Myth Drannor without so much as a by-your-leave. Such a wonderful mystery."

He closes the book and sets it aside. "So you're headed back to the ruins. I can't say I advise it, but then I've never been one for fighting. And the gods know we should have done something about Myth Drannor centuries ago. I don't know anything about the city's current conditions, but I may be able to help with knowledge about the fiends. But before I do, I am afraid I need to ask about payment. I am in favor of the People reclaiming what can be had from the city, but I have a family of my own to support." He spreads his hands and glances briefly as the girl beside him.
Corym Ildroun
player, 1729 posts
28/28 HP
AC 0
Mon 27 May 2019
at 18:18
  • msg #23

Re: Expedition to Myth Drannor

Krackor Steelfist:
In reply to Corym Ildroun (msg # 20):

In that case, we need a mount to carry gear then, like a couple of tents and to put the cold weather stuff once we get back into the warmer areas that Corym mentioned.

I am not knowledgeable in the ways of this Mythral you keep talking about, what else does it do?


Maybe it has something useful about it other than stopping us getting cold, thought Krackor.


"Not all of its powers are known today.  I can tell you that it was raised in order to help protect the indigenous Elven population against the feared depredations of other races after the Opening.  Presumably some of its powers only work for elves and are defensive or protective in nature.  Some are passive--they always work whether you want them to or not--and others are active, you must know *how* to activate them.  I seem to recall that at the raising of the Mythal each mage that participated in the ritual imbued the Mythal with a power, but that the designer of the Mythal swore each of them to secrecy so that the citizens would have to explore the Mythal in order to unlock its secrets.  Sirenya, Kora, and I will work on investigating it from our base camp once we establish it, though the going will be slow since Sirenya and I are also accomplished scouts that can help case the next site."
Corym Ildroun
player, 1730 posts
28/28 HP
AC 0
Mon 27 May 2019
at 18:32
  • msg #24

Re: Expedition to Myth Drannor

DM:
Corym

Neldor is perusing a book set on the counter. The strong smell of alchemy Dorian described is less pronounced, though from the way his black hair is frizzing, it's probably just because he's working with less caustic materials today. Sitting beside him on the counter is a green elven adolescent. She's somewhere in her eighties, you would guess. Despite the cold outside she's dressed in a sleeveless tunic that shows off her her muscled arms, and is swinging one leg idly as she chats with Neldor.

As you introduce yourself, Neldor smiles and gives you a short bow. "I remember Dorian. You must be more of the people who found themselves in Myth Drannor without so much as a by-your-leave. Such a wonderful mystery."

He closes the book and sets it aside. "So you're headed back to the ruins. I can't say I advise it, but then I've never been one for fighting. And the gods know we should have done something about Myth Drannor centuries ago. I don't know anything about the city's current conditions, but I may be able to help with knowledge about the fiends. But before I do, I am afraid I need to ask about payment. I am in favor of the People reclaiming what can be had from the city, but I have a family of my own to support." He spreads his hands and glances briefly as the girl beside him.


"I note that you say 'current' condition of the city. If you could give us some rough estimates of where some notable buildings were, that'd be immensely helpful."

Corym consults the party's account books.  "We have some coin, depending on how precious you think your knowledge is.  If it exceeds our finances, there are a number of items our company possesses that we could barter with.  There's also the likelihood that whatever we find in Myth Drannor is likely to be brought back here, whether that's material wealth or knowledge.  We could give you the right of first refusal on items we're looking to part way with or allow you to interview us after each expedition.  Or both. We could even talk about giving you a percentage of each find in exchange for regular services rendered."

"It's likely that you're wondering whether we'll make it back or not?  A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, after all.  To that, I'll say only this:  We already have once, and then in the worst possible conditions--no preparations, no field intelligence, unacquainted with either our companions or their capabilities. If we can survive and return under those circumstances, how much more likely after you help us prepare?  Knowledge given costs little, but in this case can return much."

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