Chapter 11: Arrival at Devil's Elbow

[NukeHavoc]

After looting through corpses of the wizards, you find the following items of note:

Bracers of armor +2
Ring of Protection +1
Minor ring of spell storing
Scroll of Sleep (CL2)
Scroll of Magic Missile x2 (CL6)
Scroll of Alarm (CL6)
Scroll of Comprehend Languages (CL6)
Scroll of Expeditious Retreat (CL6)
Wand of Identify (8 charges) (CL7)

You receive the following XP:

Full XP

Jheru : 1600
Skender: 1700
Phil: 1600
Tholyr: 1600
Jorm: 1600

Passive XP

Korlandril: 800
Emeryon Star-seeker: 800
Maturin: 800

[NukeHavoc]

Everyone save Emeryon Star-seeker and Mautrin are now 4th level.

[setanta14]

That list looks like Phil and Korlandril toys to me.

Were we going to hole up in the tower to avoid the zombie apocalypse for that night?

[NukeHavoc]

That list looks like Phil and Korlandril toys to me.

Yeah, that's what you get from a pile of dead mages.

[EvilGenius]

Allright. If we're saying Emeryon is with the mages at Witchlight, and is now holed up with us in the tower, here's what I need him to do.

We need to find out if the tentacle things radiate evil. If so, Emeryon needs to memorize as many Protection from Evil spells as possible. At the very least, we'll need 1 for me, and 1 for any infected person who hasn't sprouted tentacles yet.

Emeryon will also need to memorzie as many Guidance orisons as he can. Protection from Evil (+2 resistance bonus) and Guidance (+1 competence bonus) stack.

IF the yucky tentacles are evil, then we will get a +3 to our saves to resist/overcome being turned into tentacle-faces. If they tentacles are NOT evil, then they're probably chaotic. I don't know if Emeryon can cast protection from chaos. He may be chaotic himself. If he can't cast Protection, we'll have to fall back on just Guidance for the +1.

We can still fail our checks, but this will give us a good shot IF he can memorize/cast in time (I'll have an especially good chance since I have hero points to spend).

[EvilGenius]

Re: treasure, Tholyr would be interested in the Ring of Protection +1 or the Ring of Spell Storing (anyone can use Spell Storing, but you have to be a caster to 'charge' it).

[Jonkga]

Jheru will say:
As for this 'town' of Witchlight and the remaining bodies, I would say a purging fire is in order. Not only should we burn the bodies so they don't possibly reanimate again, but I believe that most of the structures in town have been rendered unsafe due to the impact shockwaves from the skymetal crashing to earth on the island. I would say that certainly we want to investigate as safely and as thoroughly as we can these buildings and the tower, but I would say we want to burn the lot - each building, the bodies, the tower, etc. Anything that won't burn we may want to think about casting over the edge of the cliff to be destroyed on the rocks and waves below. We can possibly topple the unsteady tower relatively easily.
And, frankly, if there are more of those tentacle creatures and zombies on the island, we may want to think seriously about starting a forest fire and helping the island to cast off such evil creatures with some cleansing flame.

[EvilGenius]

And, frankly, if there are more of those tentacle creatures and zombies on the island, we may want to think seriously about starting a forest fire and helping the island to cast off such evil creatures with some cleansing flame.

I don't think we're there yet, but I like the way you think!!!

[erilar]

Agreed on all points, except that IIRC the tower was still in pretty good structural shape - I remember Ken saying that it looked like it was made all from one piece of stone (perhaps magically shaped?).

If the tower is indeed structurally sound, we should retain that building for potential use as a redoubt until we are ready to flee the island?

Oh, and dibs on the top bunk!

[Jonkga]

Having little direct knowledge of these things, Jheru would ask his companions:

Is there any possibility of saving any of the other folks from Riddleport (like the dwarves) from their zombie fate? Once they've turned and become these unnatural creatures, is there any hope of turning them back, or is destroying them the only way?

[Jonkga]

Jheru will also ask the group:

Ok, so we've gotten to the island, surveyed the skymetal crash site, and made our way to what is left of Witchlight. After burning the town to the ground, how shall we proceed? We saw tracks that could have been the dark elf lady's, but we don't know where on the island she is. There are light houses to explore, but not much else of note on our map, right? What ideas for finding the lady and the skymetal, and possibly the others who've made it to the island ahead of us, do you have?

[NukeHavoc]

Agreed on all points, except that IIRC the tower was still in pretty good structural shape - I remember Ken saying that it looked like it was made all from one piece of stone (perhaps magically shaped?).

If the tower is indeed structurally sound, we should retain that building for potential use as a redoubt until we are ready to flee the island?

While structurally the building looks sound, the ground beneath it is not. The tower has developed a pronounced lean; an aftershock might be enough to knock it off the cliff and into the ocean below. A thorough assessment by someone with engineering skills would be able to answer the question of its long term viability.

[Jonkga]

Jheru will also add:

Perhaps it would be a good idea to try and get word to the mainland and/or other ships on there way about the dangers they will face so that more lives aren't lost tot he tentacle creatures and zombies, and perhaps even worse fates...

[NukeHavoc]

Emeryon is in Witchlight, having taken cover with the surviving wizards in the tower during the attack last night. He and Samaritha explain that they were attacked by perhaps two dozen of the tentacle-maned monsters, and that Fanella died trying to protect the apprentices.

We need to find out if the tentacle things radiate evil. If so, Emeryon needs to memorize as many Protection from Evil spells as possible. At the very least, we'll need 1 for me, and 1 for any infected person who hasn't sprouted tentacles yet.

Examining one of the corpses reveals that the "tongue" drooping from actually seems to be some sort of proto-tentacle, the same sort that comprises the main of the full-sized creature. If you had to guess, it might be some sort of larval form of the monster. Divination spells detect neither evil nor chaos.

[setanta14]

Can we find a way to both isolate/quarantine and protect those thought to be infected in whatever remains of the buildings there? Not just from the non-infected, but from each other if they survive and fend off the infection.

Skender is also interested in taking a look from the top of the tower to see what he can see of the other towers, the crater, points on the other coasts, etc. from that vantage point.