frp

• Third Age, Year 1108
• 22 June - Fight Hydra and Blink Frogs; Arrive at Songan gate

Sahale, male Exp/2: CR 1; Size M (6'0“); HD 2d6+2; hp 12; Init +2 (+2 Dex); Spd 30 ft.; AC 12 (+2 Dex); Attack +2 melee, or +3 ranged; SV Fort +1, Ref +2, Will +4; AL NE; Str 12, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 18, Wis 13, Cha 9.

Skills and feats: Climb +6, Concentration +3, Craft (Armorsmithing) +6, Craft (Painting) +4.5, Craft (Trapmaking) +9, Hide +2, Intimidate +4, Knowledge (Geography) +7, Knowledge (Nature) +4.5, Listen +1, Move Silently +2, Perform (Act) +3, Perform (Comedy) +2, Perform (Dance) +4, Profession (Guide) +2, Profession (Driver) +3, Search +9, Spot +1, Tumble +7; Exotic Weapon Proficiency (whip), Skill Focus (Knowledge (Geography)).

Lashmere (finally):

Human Male Commoner/1: CR 1; Size M (5'6”); HD 1d4+1; hp 5; Init +0; Spd 30'; AC 10; Attack +3 melee, or +0 ranged; SV Fort -1, Ref +0, Will +1; AL N; Str 16, Dex 11, Con 12, Int 11, Wis 13, Cha 16.

Skills and feats: Craft (Painting) +5, Hide +0, Listen +3, Move Silently +0, Perform (Dance) +5, Ride +4, Spot +3; Alertness, Skill Focus (Craft (Painting)). (Note that much of these skills have not fully revealed themselves, yet. Once he discovers his painting muse, though, he will pursue it with vigor!)

When in physical contact with the water, Lashmere has a charm power over the native creatures in that water. This power was imbued in him by Shadow and is therefore god-like in effect. It is similar to a Mass Charm Monster spell, though there is no hit dice limit on the creatures affected - and he must remain in contact with the water for the spell to remain in effect. Monsters do get a save against this charm - though it is against DC 35, so most creatures will be unable to resist it.

With this power, he will be able to command the lake serpents to come forth. Once they are near the shore, the party may use Aramil's speak with animals to ask it questions - and perhaps convince one or more of the creatures to carry the party across the lake to the island.

The typical lake serpent is a “Sea Drake” from pp 147-148 of the Fiend Folio (see attached scan). Note also that Lashmere's power has one very important weakness: He must remain in contact with the water (or the creature being charmed) at all times or the charm fades in 1d6 rounds. Since Lashmere is a mere first level Commoner, he is naturally *terrified* of these serpents and will require quite a bit of convincing to remain in the water when one of these beasts is approaching!

The most obvious way to cross the lake is by boat. However, there have been no boats on this lake for centuries! If the party opts to go this route, the only option will be to build a raft. Propulsion, however, will be a serious problem. Unless they come up with something clever, they will have to enlist the aid of the serpents to tug them to the island. Unfortunately, the way the serpents move in the water makes them unsuitable as a beast of burden.

However, if the party asks for passage across the lake, the serpents will offer to fetch a Dragon Turtle who can swim smoothly on the surface. In addition, they (and the turtle) will be able to offer information about the island. They know that the island did not originally exist, and that it appeared quite suddenly about four months ago. (In fact, it appeared on January 31st - the same day that the magic changed). They also know that the island is shrouded in mist and that the water near it feels wrong, so they stay away. If pressed for details, they may be able to convey that the water near the island is imbued with excess shadow!

If the serpents manage to fetch a Dragon Turtle (they will have to herd one to the shore - which will be quite the spectacle!), he will not be big enough to carry the whole party. However, he will be able to suggest that the party trek north along the shore to a lagoon and will fetch his ancestor, a Gargantuan Dragon Turtle! This magnificent beast (unlike your “typical” Dragon Turtle) is a deep shade of blue. In conversation, he will admit that he dreamt that he was ferrying humans across the lake. He did not expect, however, that the dream would come true! (Inside joke: The Dream of the Blue Turtles).

Assuming the party makes it to this point, there will still not be enough room for the turtle to carry more than the nine humans. The horses *must* be left behind. (Aramil's wolf would probably suffice as a companion to keep them from harm).

On the turtle's back, the party will have to lash themselves to the shell. He will (with persuasion) allow holes to be drilled in his spiny ridges and ropes could be strung across for people to hold onto.

As the Dragon Turtle can swim at 30', he can cover 24 miles in an 8-hour swim. Because the lake is (at its widest) around 25 miles across, he will be able to reach the tower from anywhere on the shore within one day. The lagoon where he will meet the party is located on the Songan map just south of the lake's sub-title (“Lake of the Serpents”) where one of the faint blue lines intersects with the shore. This is roughly 20 miles along the shore up from the gate.

All this combines into the following rough schedule:

22 June - Talk to serpents either this evening or the next morning 23 June - move up the shore to the lagoon, meet the Dragon Turtle 24 June - travel to island

As the 27th is a full moon, there will be plenty of moonlight if the party decides to go for a night operation.

As the party approaches the island, they will enter what looks like a very heavy (and tall) fog bank. This is, of course, the obscuring mist of Shadow and is what the Slaad referred to when they said they were hidden in Shadow.

The tower (due to its size) should be visible from a *long* distance. However, the shadow fog bank extends up above the tower's top and so conceals it quite effectively. The party will likely not see the tower until they reach its base - or Dhersion removes the fog.

In addition to the fog, the waves at the island are rougher than they should be - and the shore is quite treacherous. It has the appearance of a rocky sea shore and the Turtle will be reluctant to land. It may be up to the party to fly/levitate across the final 50 meters or so.

Other than the fog and the waves, though, the island will appear as a normal island. It is relatively small (roughly 1 kilometer across), irregularly shaped, and very rocky. However, over time, the party may notice that the island changes shape subtly.

The tower is, obviously, the most prominent feature of the island. At its base, it is fully 100 meters in diameter and stands over 1,000 meters tall. It is comprised entirely of gigantic blocks (100 meters tall) of what appears to be a worked, magical stone. The blocks are as smooth as granite, and if inspected, it will be noted that the seams do have any mortar. In fact, it is identical to the stone used in the tower back in the resort - though while the resort tower was built from one piece, this tower was built from over a dozen.

Because of the fog, the immensity of the tower will not be obvious. In fact, they will not even be able to see it until they are on the island. If, however, Dhersion were to use Matchitisiu's staff to clear the fog, all will be seen! (Note, however, that if this is done, the winds aloft will quickly move the fog back into place).

The design of the tower is quite similar to the resort tower - in that the base is open to the air and is ringed with large, curved archways. The biggest difference here is the scale. While the resort tower's walls were relatively thin in comparison to the entire diameter, these walls occupy roughly 50% of the space! Thus, the arches are actually 15 meters wide and anywhere from 20 to 30 meters tall (the ground the tower rests on is sloped).

Above each archway (both on the outside and inside) is a huge chaos rune (probably 3 meters tall) that glows a faint blue. These runes serve as surveillance devices and each one is linked to a crystal sphere on the control panel in the station room. (See Section VI below).

The central area is vast - 50 meters in diameter, with an arched ceiling that has a curved peak over 300 meters above the ground! However, the most unusual feature in this area of the tower is the wind. Once the party moves through the arched hallways to the center of the tower, they will feel a chaotic gusty wind that doesn't seem to spread out from the tower. This is a remnant of the winds of limbo and only exists here because the top of this covered area crosses the boundary from the material realm into Limbo. (See next paragraph). The wind has no combat effect and is provided only for color. However, pay attention to spell effects in this region - as they may behave differently due to the presence of primal chaos.

At around 200 meters, there is an invisible plane (parallel to the ground) that cuts across the tower. This plane is an open gate between the material realm and Limbo. Anybody who manages to cross through this plane (via Levitation, for example) will find themselves on Limbo. The reverse path also works.

Travel into and around the tower can be accomplished by using teleport circles that have been placed randomly throughout the area. Though figuring out how they work will be a challenge. There are six circles outside the tower (numbered 1-6 on the map) and each is 2 meters in diameter (meaning no more than about three people can use the circle at once). Each is linked with a corresponding circle in the tower's main station room. The teleport effect can be activated either by placing a key crystal in the control panel in this station room or by mentally activating a key crystal while in a circle. Both Vincent's frog and Kesi's staff can function as a key crystal!

As with everything else on this island, the circles were built by the Shadowlord. Because of this, they have an important weakness - one whose risk is not fully understood by Chaos. The circles are two-way transports! This means that whenever a circle is activated, whoever is standing on the destination will swap places with the person who activated it! This is how the party can enter the tower - should be choose to do so.

Once the party reaches the island, Sahale will reveal his true colors and attempt to take Kesi's staff. His appearance will shift entirely to shadow, though he will remain corporeal. He will fight as a doppleganger (of sorts). Against each person, he will fight as that person (for combat purposes only). Damage inflicted should be tallied separately, but any one person who defeats him will defeat him for everybody. Whenever he uses a power, he will briefly appear as the person whose power he is using. For instance, if he uses Kesi's stunning fist attack, his form will mimic that of Kesi's while he makes the attack.

His strategy is simple, yet bold: His attack will be unexpected, so during his surprise round, he will use a stunning fist attack on Kesi to hopefully stun her. If she is stunned, he will take the staff, and run for the nearest teleport circle. There, he will activate it with the staff, and deliver the staff to Chaos. This will have the effect of reassuring Chaos about Shadow's intentions - which will placate him so that he will not send all his Slaad soldier to kill the party. (At least not right away).

If Sahale fails to do this (which is quite likely), he will continue his attack on Kesi, moving toward a teleport circle if possible, and plead for her to surrender the staff. After three rounds of this, Chaos will begin sending Slaad down.

The first few Slaad will be Red soldiers. They will make every effort to get to Kesi and use their Stunning Croak attack to stun her. If successful, one of them will take the staff and return inside. Naturally, they will have to fend off the party and will act “intelligently” - but since their INT is only 6, they will be prone to making stupid, tactical mistakes.

The Slaad will arrive one per round at a random circle. Because of the ranges involved, there may be several rounds of movement and/or ranged combat before melee occurs. The first four arrivals will be Red Slaad. Following them will be: Blue, Green, Red, Blue, Green, Red, Blue, Blue, Red, and Red. If the game's not over by then, the game will be over in a different way…

Slaad combat statistics:

Gray Slaad, Medium Outsider (Chaos, Extraplanar) HD 10d8+50 (95 hp) Init +7 Speed 30' AC 24 (+3 Dex, +11 Natural), touch 13, flat-footed 21 Attack: Claws +15 melee (2d4+4) Full Attack: 2 claws +15 melee (2d4+4), bite +12 melee (2d8+2) Space/Reach: 5'/5' Special Attacks: Spell-like abilities, summon slaad Special Qualities: Change Shape, Damage Reduction 10/lawful,

    Darkvision 60', Fast healing 5, Immunity to Sonic,
    Resistance to Acid 5, Cold 5, Electricity 5, and Fire 5

Saves: Fort +12, Ref +10, Will +9 Abilities: Str 19, Dex 17, Con 21, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 14 Skills: Climb +17, Concentration +15, Hide +16, Jump +17,

    Knowledge (Arcana) +15, Listen +15, Move Silently +16, Search +15,
    Spellcraft +17, Spot +15, Survival +5 (+7 following tracks)

Feats: Multiattack, Improved Initiative, Weapon Focus (claw),

    Item creation feat (any one)

CR: 10

Slaad combat statistics:

Red Slaad, Large Outsider (Chaos, Extraplanar) HD 7d8+21 (52 hp) Init +2 Speed 30' AC 19 (-1 Size, +2 Dex, +8 Natural), touch 11, flat-footed 17 Attack: Bite +11 melee (2d8+5) Full Attack: Bite +11 melee (2d8+5), 2 claws +9 melee (1d4+2) Space/Reach: 10'/10' Special Attacks: Pounce, implant, stunning croak, summon slaad Special Qualities: Darkvision 60', Fast healing 5, Immunity to Sonic,

    Resistance to Acid 5, Cold 5, Electricity 5, and Fire 5

Saves: Fort +8, Ref +7, Will +3 Abilities: Str 21, Dex 15, Con 17, Int 6, Wis 6, Cha 8 Skills: Climb +15, Hide +8, Jump +15, Listen +8, Move Silently +12, Spot +8 Feats: Dodge, Mobility, Multiattack CR: 7

Blue Slaad, Large Outsider (Chaos, Extraplanar) HD 8d8+32 (68 hp) Init +2 Speed 30' AC 20 (-1 Size, +2 Dex, +9 Natural), touch 11, flat-footed 18 Attack: Claw +13 melee (2d6+6) Full Attack: 4 claws +13 melee (2d6+6), Bite +11 melee (2d8+3 plus disease) Space/Reach: 10'/10' Special Attacks: Spell-like abilities, Slaad fever, summon slaad Special Qualities: Darkvision 60', Fast healing 5, Immunity to Sonic,

    Resistance to Acid 5, Cold 5, Electricity 5, and Fire 5

Saves: Fort +10, Ref +8, Will +4 Abilities: Str 23, Dex 15, Con 19, Int 6, Wis 6, Cha 10 Skills: Climb +17, Hide +9, Jump +17, Listen +9, Move Silently +13, Spot +9 Feats: Dodge, Mobility, Multiattack CR: 8

Green Slaad, Large Outsider (Chaos, Extraplanar) HD 9d8+36 (76 hp) Init +5 Speed 30' AC 23 (-1 Size, +1 Dex, +13 Natural) Attack: Claws +14 melee (1d6+6) Full Attack: 2 claws +14 melee (1d6+6), Bite +12 melee (2d8+3) Space/Reach: 10'/10' Special Attacks: Spell-like abilities, summon slaad Special Qualities: Change Shape, Darkvision 60', Fast healing 5,

    Immunity to Sonic, Resistance to Acid 5, Cold 5, Electricity 5, and Fire 5

Saves: Fort +10, Ref +7, Will +6 Abilities: Str 23, Dex 13, Con 19, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 12 Skills: Climb +18, Concentration +10, Hide +9, Jump +18,

    Listen +12, Move Silently +13, Search +12, Spot +12,
    Survival +6 (+8 following tracks)

Feats: Cleave, Improved Initiative, Multiattack, Power Attack CR: 9

The six circles outside all go to their corresponding circle in the station room. Inside, though, there is a seventh circle that goes to a secondary room with additional Slaad guards. In this room, there is an eighth circle that goes to the throne room.

In the Station Room, there is a curved control panel manned by a Green Slaad. His job is to send the soldiers down to the battle below, but he spends most of his time yelling at them to get on the circles. Once a soldier is on the circle, he moves a crystal from a placeholder to an activation holder, then moves it back. It only needs to be there for a second or two to activate the teleport effect - which has a special effect similar to the teleport circles in the movie Stargate. Once activated, the crystal must be moved out of the activation holder and back in to activate it again. It can safely rest in the activation holder as long as desired, though.

The control panel has seven sets of holders and seven activation crystals. They are not keyed to a specific circle, though, and can be moved around at will - and the Green Slaad in charge often does this. The panel is not labeled in any way - though the mapping between holders and circles does not vary.

The crystals can also be used to directly activate the circles by stepping into a circle with a crystal. (Vincent may learn this by accident outside). The Green Slaad in charge of the control panel jealously guards the crystals (and the control panel) because there are only the seven crystals! If one is lost, he won't be able to activate all the circles at once (should he need). If someone were to steal a crystal, his wrath would be unleashed and he would attack that person vigorously. Naturally, if he cannot *see* the thief, he will likely blame whichever Red Slaad is closest.

Kesi's staff and Vincent's frog can both be used to activate the circles. However, Kesi's staff only works by tapping it on the ground in a circle. Vincent's frog can be used in the station room's control panel just as if it were one of the regular crystals.

Only Vincent has any use going to the throne room. Anybody else would surely die as the occupant of the throne has the combat stats of a Death Slaad. See secret notes to Vincent below for more information…

Vincent,

You stand in what seems like a relatively small room - perhaps 10 meters in diameter. The walls are uneven and have a “wet” appearance that shifts color constantly. Your eyes are drawn to them wherever you look - and you find yourself having difficulty seeing anything else.

A voice in your head grates like fingernails on a chalkboard. “Shadow? Is that you?”

Make a Will Save vs. DC 20 every round. If you fail, you see nothing else in this room. Once you succeed, though, you break your gaze away from the goofy walls and see the rest of the room (and no longer need to roll). You may attempt to move, but you are effectively blind. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Now that you've learned to ignore the confusing walls, you see only four things: 1. A creature sits in a large, ornate throne. 2. On the floor in front of him/it sits a huge boulder. 3. Behind him/it, through a large open window, you see a distant landscape that looks plush and green. 4. There is no teleport circle at your feet. Additional details: You quickly realize that the creature, his throne, the rock, and the window are all details your mind has created to match something that your brain cannot process. Every time you look at one of these objects, it appears different in some subtle way. The rock is the least constant - shifting rapidly in size, color, and texture while you look at it. However, there is one feature that remains constant in size, shape, and location: A small indentation no more than a couple inches across. The same grating voice enters your mind. “Shadow? Why are you hidden from me?” You now realize that the shadow leaking from your frog has increased dramatically and is beginning to fill the room from floor to ceiling. However, it does not appear to be emanating only from the frog. It is as if everything in the room - walls, floor, and air - is turning to shadow. You are not sure, though, whether this is just a side-effect of the confusion effect. He/it begins casting a spell. What do you do?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

He/it finishes the spell and begins looking around the room. The grating voice in your mind says, “I can smell you, Shadow. Why do you conceal yourself so? End this charade or I will cast you from my domain!”

** He/it begins casting another spell. What do you do?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The rock confounds the confusion effect around you - which makes it a chore to get closer. Still, you push through the webs in your mind and focus on the one constant: the small indentation. Soon, you are standing before it. The shadow leakage from your frog is a torrent now. If it continues, the rock in front of you will be hidden from sight. Even now, the throne and the creature in it are behind a veil of shadow.

You reach forward with the frog and place it on the rock - an easier task than you expected, considering the twisting reality around you. It seems to have an almost magnetic attraction to the indentation.

There is a flash of blinding light, followed by a brief “flash” of equally deep darkness. Then all the color in the room turns to gray and the grating voice begins screaming words that have no meaning.

The misty shadow substance around you thins quickly. You realize after a few seconds that it is being sucked into the rock. In a few more seconds, the room is clear. The rock, the throne, and the creature in it remain - but the walls no longer have the “wet” look or the confusion effect.

The creature is still screaming in your mind - and, for the first time, you realize he/it is screaming in your ears, as well. His gaze fixes on you and for a second, you think it is all over. But then, the glow from his eyes fades to a dull gray and his chaotic form stops shifting and slumps forward, falling out of the throne. Instead of hitting the floor, though, it vanishes into a lingering cloud of shadow.

The throne and the rock, already a dull gray, crumble before you. They, too, fall into shadow. The room is suddenly quiet and empty.

The window is the only fixture that remains. Through it, the lush, green lands are still visible. You notice movement and step closer to see.

You seem to be a half mile above the ground - though it is not the same ground as you left. There is no sign of the lake. Below you, a wave of shadow is speeding outward from the tower, engulfing the land. In the shock wave just in front of the moving shadow front, the green lands are turning gray.

A new voice appears in your head. “You have served me well, Vincent. You have brought my weapon to Limbo and made this realm mine. For this service, I grant you a painless death - no matter which choice you make.”

Then, you hear and feel a rumble. The stone walls seem more porous than they were a moment before and you see debris start to fall past the window.

You feel the floor shudder and begin to sink. There is no way out except an open window a half mile above the ground.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Level : 0 1 2 3 4

1. ————— Close = 45' (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)

Wizard/8 : 4 4 3 3 1 Medium = 180' (100 ft. + 10 ft./level) INT 16 : - 1 1 1 1 School : 1 1 1 1 1

Total : 5 6 5 5 3

Spells known (excluding cantrips):

1 Cause Fear 3 Deep Slumber 1 Charm Person 3 Heroism 1 Expeditious Retreat 3 Hold Person 1 Feather Fall 3 Suggestion 1 Floating Disk 1 Hypnotism 4 Charm Monster 1 Identify 4 Confusion 1 Mage Armor 4 Crushing Despair 1 Magic Missile 1 Sleep

2 Blindness/Deafness 2 Daze Monster 2 Hideous Laughter 2 Levitate 2 See Invisibility 2 Touch of Idiocy

Typical set of spells: 2 Levitate

                               2  See Invisibility

0 Detect Magic 2 Tasha's Hideous Laughter 0 Daze 2 Magic Missile (Silent) 0 Light 2 Daze Monster 0 Prestidigitation 0 Ray of Frost 3 Hold Person

                               3  Suggestion

1 Feather Fall 3 Magic Missile (Silent & Still) 1 Mage Armor 3 Deep Slumber 1 Magic Missile 3 Heroism 1 Magic Missile 1 Tenser's Floating Disk 4 Charm Monster 1 Charm Person 4 Confusion

                               4  Crushing Despair

Spells for the tower: 2 Levitate

                               2  Levitate

0 Detect Magic 2 See Invisibility 0 Detect Magic 2 Magic Missile (Silent) 0 Message 2 Daze Monster 0 Prestidigitation 0 Ray of Frost 3 Levitate (Silent)

                               3  Suggestion

1 Mage Armor 3 Magic Missile (Silent & Still) 1 Feather Fall 3 Deep Slumber 1 Feather Fall 3 Heroism 1 Magic Missile 1 Tenser's Floating Disk 4 Charm Monster 1 Tenser's Floating Disk 4 Levitate (Silent & Still)

                               4  Crushing Despair

Back to Voyager page