Carousing and intersession for G71: Ape and Essence
Snickwick
Snickwick burst into the little apartment over the cobblers shop, his arms full of books, notes and scrolls, his eyes bloodshot and bulging, it appears he hasn't slept in some time…
"Frognettle, do you remember the stories of Green David?! Please tell me! I think I may be on the verge of my greatest invention ever!"
"Of course!" Putting down her word puzzle, Frognettle clears her throat and begins a sing-song cant "When the spring sister passes closest to the moon, He flies around to visit all the good little gnomelings. He leaves sweets and toys in a little basket by the window! Then, everybody gathers 'round the… "
"No no! Not that part! I know that part! I mean the other stuff, the stories great uncle Frigwhipple used to tell about when Green David was a boy, and how he chased the snakefolk back across the sea!"
" Hmm… Yeah… I… I guess I remember some of that… They say he could fly around the world in a single day on the back of an albatross. He could sing up to the clouds, and call down the sun, rain, or even lightening bolts! He could speak to animals of the forest and the trees themselves, just like you and me are talking now! But come on now Snick, those are just kids stories… Snick? … Where did he go?"
Snickwick had long held that "magic" was simply an application of humours, energies and sound philosophical principle. But his encounter with the Mushroom king had opened his mind. Perhaps there was in fact some transitive connection between all living things, some inexplicable, metaphysical soul that bound all living creatures together, beyond the explainings of sound scientific principle. His visions in the King's chamber had opened the windows of his consciousness, and the rainbow light of inspiration had poured in.
The legends of his youth resonate with the growing power inside him. Perhaps some of the legends of Green David were true. Perhaps a diligent gnome could understand this "principle of unifying spirit" and apply it, like fire to metal to forge a new understanding, a new science!
This is a carousing attempt. Snickwick will begin a study of great Gnomish Enchanters. He would need to start from a corner he comprehends clearly. Snickwick will use the scroll of speak with plants an his library pass to gather any stories he can find of the Gnomish enchanters of old, and compare their spells to the runes, symbols and words he can interpret from the scroll (hopefully this doesn't actually use the scroll, as he is not necessarily casting the spell). Snickwick has an Intelligence of 15, and 787gp.
For the next week, Snickwick remains cloistered with his books and scrolls. He reads until his eyes are red and the candles have burned down to stumps. Then he begins his first experiment. Burning weird herbs and inhaling their smoke, he chants a muddle of barely-understood incantations while encircling himself with a circle of occult-looking runes. He begins to nod off as the herbs set his mind adrift. He feels the ancient magic of his people run through him in strange ways.
Then he sees a light.
Forcing his eyes open, he peers out the second-story window of the Malinbois cobbler's shop. Outside, he sees an equine shape hovering in midair. Its body is made of flowers that glow from within. Its wings are delicate rainbow shimmers. Garlands dangle from its emerald antlers.
It beckons to him. Groggily, he rises.
The next morning, when Snickwick does not come out for breakfast, Frognettle looks into his room. The window is open, and the ashes of his experiment dance about in an autumn breeze. Snickwick himself is nowhere to be seen.
(You rolled a 5, spending 500gp and gaining 500xp. Having just failed his saving throw, Snickwick spends the next session engrossed in a weird and wonderful experience with psychedelic nature spirits.)
Rusty
Rusty is anxious. In the past, his miraculous abilities seemed guided by nothing but his whims; later, they seemed related somehow to an indefinite presence watching over him in his dreams. More recently, however, this presence has become a strange voice. Worse, it is not alone: His more frightening visions are a cacophony of commands, with the Presence, Pritchard Hood, and Snickwick all joyously singing ditties of conflicting advice… and joined by still more voices, somehow familiar but unidentifiable. During his dreams, Rusty is not at all unhappy, but upon waking he is gripped with fear. He decides he needs help, and seeks out the counsels of Neva outside Malinbois.
Rusty carouses in Malinbois, buying gifts, reagents, offerings and anything else Neva requires to turn her supernatural gaze onto the source of his powers.
loot
Snickwick would like to make a play for the potion "Owl's Keen Eyes" AND the scroll of speak with plants, (recalling legends of the great Gnomish Enchanter Fligglebottom, who was known to converse with plants and animals alike). Unless anyone has issue, he'll also hang onto the 3 shrieker pellets.
As our only only magic user, it would seem obvious that Pritchard should receive Ta's Abschied.
It is also worth noting that our new elf, Linden, is keeping custody of Yakutsk the Bloody an enchanted partisan
That leaves the following "up for grabs" (of course, feel free to challenge any of the claims Snickwick has made):
Potion of Levitation, Potion of Polymorph Self, Scroll of Bestow Curse (CL), Grimoire (would this have "stone shape" notes as well? Seems likely based on the description)
Lets sort this out and write the items on our sheets lest we forget and they be lost to the ages.
Sufficient notes on magically shaping stone can be pulled from the texts to begin researching related spells.
I'm trying to arc these towards Rusty figuring something of his character out at (fingers crossed) fourth level. Quen, let me know what rules you want to use, and I'll elaborate the proposal.
Gang ,did we ever resolve who walked away with this stuff?:
Potion of Levitation, Potion of Polymorph Self, Scroll of Bestow Curse (CL), Grimoire
Naked Sam suggested Rusty had the Polymorph, he should probably get the Bestow Curse as well. Levitation anyone? Snickwick will take it if nobody speaks up (although he already grabbed some other goodies).
Rusty does NOT have the Potion of Polymorph Self. He should have the scroll of Bestow Curse, however, as he is the cleric.
BUT, as far as unclaimed and forgotten items go… you guys have also forgotten about these:
Crushed Human Hearts (x2) - these powdered portions found in the temple of Camazotz allowed for the detection of any medium size and larger creature's heart beating within a certain radius. I figure they've lost potency by now and lost all powers, because no one gave a crap.
Magical Arrow Fletchings (x?) - these parrot/colorful feathers could be tied on to normal arrows to cause their flights to fly more true. I figure they've been lost. Probably the Torchbearers have them.
Magical Torches (x2?) - one of these was used to create a homonculous and rescued a jewel from a box of yellow mold. The other two have fallen into a river and have been lost.
A Box of Simple Disappearance - This was given to the party by the Temple of Sertraline, an elitist god-cult of commerce. If an item the size of a jewel or thereabouts is placed in its pillowed interior and a command word spoken, the item will disappear until the word is invoked again. Theoretically there is no known limit to how many items could be stored, so long as the commands are remembered. I think Richard still has this, but maybe Borek took it.
that's cold.
Sorry for my fit of pique. We should lock down these items. Snickwick can carry the Polymorph Self potion. It gives him more options for niftiness. I don't remember who took the Potion of Speed. If no one speaks up I will claim that.
Richard had the torches, the fletchings, and the box. The first two lay fallow waiting for an opportunity (though one of the torches rather famously solved the problem of a yellow mold in G46, and Richard unsuccessfully tried to suspend a group of shadows with another); the latter because he didn't understand its function (although, in retrospect, it must have been how he carried his cash around). Unfortunately, Richard had become a bit of a mule for potentially useful enchantments before his run-in with Borek. Take heed, Snickwick.
The hearts we were squicky about; didn't we sell them (or attempt to)?
You are right, the one torch was unsuccessful in stopping the shadows. The warrior hearts were suggested in use against the gnolls in gnollpocalypse. We can probably say we didn't know how to preserve them, as alien as they were.
Perhaps I didn't set it up properly - the whole session was poorly done by me - but the trick of the box was in how it was given. The church to Sertraline, being put together and not fully occupied, hadn't the means to compensate you for your help. So they took some belongings of one of the traveling clergy, perhaps intending to explain to him later. It was a a bitch of a session, so no one had the energy to ask whether there was anything already in the box when it was given. There was, and it was a ring, and there might have been some legal frivolities over who it properly belonged to. It's neither here nor there. The box otherwise is like a very, very small and peculiar bag of holding.
Ah! I always understood it to be like one of those sliding boxes that you hide a quarter in, but actually magical.