"Well that settles it!" Clarence exclaimed, slapping his gnarled hand on the table with all the force of a falling moth. "I'm heading out to this island. I've always wanted to take a vacation from the city air, and I can think of no better a time than the present. Anyone of you is free to come with me, just don't expect excitement, pillage, or rape. I'm too old for those shenanigans and I feel they're rather rude, well, except for excitement, that one can be had without being rude." Clarence drained his mug as he finished, quenching the dry thirst that the trail had put in his throat. "Now, Captain Renault, what must be done to sail for this island?"
Make arrangements with the good Captain Renault to set sail for Rift Island!
"'s a bit out of the way, but not many overt dangers. Main thing fer you is just gettin' there in the first place.
Now, with all due respect to yer vacation plans, I'd rather not drop off just one to a spot. Vastly reduces my chances o' gettin' paid later on, ye see, in addition to makin' for more stops. And I reckon ye ain't got the coin for a proper fare."
Rhedarios downed the new scroll. It had water and probably gems, and he also liked the cold weather, but...
"Well, I found a cold cave. It does not seem very amicable, though. Does that island have some water aside from the sea one?"
He was still hellbent on trying to keep his gear pristine.
Rhedarios looks around and remembers his mental note. He tries to ask a nearby woman for a light blue ribbon, unconsciously using his puppy-like stare.
[5+1] You ask a woman for a ribbon. She squees a little, fishes a blue ribbon out of a pouch, and begins experimenting with it on you like a doll, trying all the different ways it could be applied.
well it appears were gonna be setting off on our own and therefore not going to be able to trade until we get our base set up and Renault turns up so yeah ill grab a pair of cheap scuffed boots for that turn.
((Do remember that you do have shoes, though "scuffed" would certainly be an overly generous term for their current condition.
Also, you can't buy them right this instant unless you buy them off one of the patrons. I may have forgotten to mention that this particular tavern is the middle of nowhere traveler's stop kind, not the in a city sort. There will be semblances of civilization between here and your destination, though, including places that sell shoes.))
"A scrap with everyone in the region just means there'll be more work for me to do. I think I'll take it, but just to be cautious..."
Draw another scroll. Unless I get a [3+][3+][4+] on the scroll's rolls, tell the captain I want to sign up with Sarvak.
[6][4][5] You find something else interesting.
Esteemed Chancellor Maro,
I appreciate your concerns, but I believe you are vastly underestimating the dangers this beast poses. He is far more than a savage brute; we have, I assure you, ample enough experience dealing with them to not find them alarming, and to know when something is far more than that.
I realize this Dragon of Bones nonsense may seem preposterous in the extreme, but again I would remind you of his sacking of Merth, a walled and heavily defended city. Surely there must be some magical force at work here, unless you'd inform me that they've learned siegecraft instead.
More importantly, his claims are presumably the driving force behind the savage tribes not just joining him, but joining him in a berserk frenzy. I must once again stress that frothing savages are no strange thing to us; when I tell you that their rage is truly terrifying to behold, please understand that it is not the words of someone who has never seen such nonsense breaking against a tall wall or being cut down by disciplined soldiers. Whatever this Warlord Karth is doing to these brutes, it's not normal and it's not natural.
Our greatest advantage, then, is in our ability to work together. If the forces of decency, civilization, and culture cannot come together to beat back this unwashed horde, I fear it shall seep to your doorstep on its own terms. Please, think of your citizens and your home, and provide aid while it is still far away, rather than when it is battering at your own doors.
-Senator IilmeTentative Travel PlansCaellath: ?
Unholy_Pariah: ?
HmH: ?
Draignean: The Rift
Spinal_Taper: ?
Nirur Torir: ?
Dungeon LordsFallas you filthy whore, you think this will stop me? I already
control Galren and Soroth, Methrel lies in ashes and Siprel is pleading for
mercy as we speak. A few butchered goblins will not save you, your
people, or your soul. Ready yourself, for my hordes are still limitless
and your kingdom is still mine.
-Sarvak, Lord of Destruction
I wish to devote this particular manuscript to the study of Lord Helsess, a truly resplendent Dungeon Lord as far as these things go. Unlike most of his vile, simpering kin, Lord Helsess maintains the strictest codes of honor and decency. I managed to catch up with him just as he was finished defiling a maiden during one of his conquests.
"I understand it, Lord Helsess" I spoke to the noble Lord, "That you completely eschew all things foul and nefarious in your schemings."
"Indeed!" he replied, magnificent in his gleaming armor, "For no undead nor other magical abominations dare grace my army's banners. When the captives have been properly flayed, they are artfully impaled on spikes as warning and decoration, not transformed into shambling crimes against all decency."
"How wonderful!" I exclaimed, noting the pride with which he spoke. "Can you say why more Dungeon Lords, indeed why more lords in general, do not follow your shining example?"
"Nay," he cried, with the practiced sorrow of one all too familiar with a reasonless evil. "'Tis simply that such creatures are useful, to cowards and knaves, beggars and thieves, weaklings and savages. Why they do not cast off the chains of their decay and embrace righteousness, I sadly do not know."
His eyes at this point took on the most heroic of sadnesses, and I could not help but feel moved by his valor and virtue. Truly, here was a Lord worthy of the title!
In the next installment of Hieramus Harackus' breathtaking interviews, he examines the peculiar culinary habits of the Queen of Spikes.
Esteemed Chancellor Maro,
I appreciate your concerns, but I believe you are vastly underestimating the dangers this beast poses. He is far more than a savage brute; we have, I assure you, ample enough experience dealing with them to not find them alarming, and to know when something is far more than that.
I realize this Dragon of Bones nonsense may seem preposterous in the extreme, but again I would remind you of his sacking of Merth, a walled and heavily defended city. Surely there must be some magical force at work here, unless you'd inform me that they've learned siegecraft instead.
More importantly, his claims are presumably the driving force behind the savage tribes not just joining him, but joining him in a berserk frenzy. I must once again stress that frothing savages are no strange thing to us; when I tell you that their rage is truly terrifying to behold, please understand that it is not the words of someone who has never seen such nonsense breaking against a tall wall or being cut down by disciplined soldiers. Whatever this Warlord Karth is doing to these brutes, it's not normal and it's not natural.
Our greatest advantage, then, is in our ability to work together. If the forces of decency, civilization, and culture cannot come together to beat back this unwashed horde, I fear it shall seep to your doorstep on its own terms. Please, think of your citizens and your home, and provide aid while it is still far away, rather than when it is battering at your own doors.
-Senator Iilme
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Dungeon Locations21st Granite- Arrived at site. Scattered villages all around, rumors of Goldenboats being around here somewhere. No sign of them yet though. Mostly goatmen, some others.
Surveys look good- several heavily jungled mountains, sufficient mineral wealth within them. Natives might be a problem, mainly as thieves. Premium on gemstones, might make good trading partners if they had anything in return. Some exotic meats.
Threats of wildlife, local rumors of worse things. Requires further investigation to confirm, but not to settle.
Report on the Barren Fields, by Apprentice Mythrar
The Barren Fields are a somewhat rocky wasteland of no apparent value, but hold many secrets.
The Barren Fields contain dried riverbeds. This means there used to be rivers here, but now there aren't.
The Barren Fields contain very fertile soil beneath the surface. According to my research, this means they used to have a lot of plant life in them, but now they don't.
The Barren Fields contain lots of minerals. This means they would make a good place for a mine.
The Barren Fields contain disturbing animals that are very dangerous and strange. They are not like animals here.
In conclusion, The Barren Fields are a dangerous but interesting place.
Dark Lord Sytheriss,
I have completed my survey of the Horn of the Atradox, as per your orders. It appears in most ways to be similar to the rest of the Rift, in that it is bright yet there is void all about, plants of truly fascinating properties abound, as do animals that feed primarily by destroying these properties, and water courses out of nowhere before flowing back into the void. I have been unable to determine any particular properties regarding the Horn, beyond being made of stone as was assumed.
-Sril
Commander-
I have found the spire. It is a sheer pinnacle of rock which no humans could hope to climb and no humans could hope to reach in the first place. It will not satisfy our needs.
I will continue scouting the area until further orders, but be advised that this deep into the jungle will be very difficult to persuade the humans to attack.
-D
Entry 382
We have made shelter in a series of caves. This place is bitterly cold, and I have seen no traces of life that did not immediately attempt to trample and eat us. Carlac says he saw emeralds in one of the ice walls, but I'm not sure how that's possible.
Then again, I'm not sure how this place is possible either, but here we are. There's a stream running in the back, despite most of the cavern being ice in the first place. How bizarre.
Jarlson has been sent out to find food, but I doubt he'll find anything he can kill. I doubt even more he'll find anything he won't have to. I think I might have a plan, though...
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