Sleeping Giants Game 3

Intro

Ana's Needle

You’re taking a breather with your newfound… let’s call them companions. You’re staying alert, as you are wont to do, keeping one eye on your surroundings and one on your “companions”. You occasionally give a tug on the rope so Boopagroot doesn’t forget who the boss is.

Now that you’re finally sitting still, you notice a slight movement in your robes, as if one of your belongings is shifting without your meaning it to. You dump one of your pouches out and immediately notice the unbendable needle. You’re not even sure why you still keep it around, perhaps because it signifies being the star pupil in all of your classes. Perhaps because it reminds you of the man you once looked up to. The man whose true name you never even learned.

You’re interrupted mid-speculation by the needle taking on a life of its own. You hold it between your thumb and index finger and watch as it slowly rotates such that the tip is pointing to the north-west, and down toward the ground at a steep angle. You inspect it closer and can see a faint blackness emanating from it. The needle holds steady, seeming to point you in the direction of… something.

Recap

Recap notes, by Laura

"STILL DAY 2"

• Nil left to "get some air"
• In the dungeon-esque round room with 3 doors and a hidden door Ford located
• I made a tinker toy firestarter during short rest then broke it down because I realized it wouldn't replace a torch and therefore was unhelpful.
• During this, Ana empties her bag for some reason and pulls out a needle which she declares is magical - like a compass - and we should go in the direction it suggests
• Lyla casts detect magic and Jordan questions the source/goodness/validity of the needle's magic.
• Meanwhile, Ford opens the magic-concealed door in a *really* cool way, but then gets stabbed by a needle for some reason.
• It reveals a hidden room. 3 skeletons of long dead archers slumped against archer slits on the east and south walls.
• The needle is pointing towards a door, almost the opposite side of the hidden room.
• ATTACK:
  • The 3 skeletons come to life and start to attack the two in the room - Ana and Jordan.
  • I cast Heroism on Ford (2nd spell of the day: 2/3)
    • Stratton to Ford: "I love your body"
  • Ford kills a skeleton
  • Ana kills a skeleton
  • Jordan kills a skeleton
  • Special compartment in the quivers of the skeletons with a magical arrow in each (3 total)
  • Stratton picks up one of the shortbows and a quiver of 20 arrows and one magical arrow
  • We each get 3 gold, 6 silver
  • There's 3 silver left over which I save for NIL
  • We take a short rest, I cast "song of rest"
• Lyla stands in front of the door that the needle was pointing at and opens the door which opens into a hallway (40 feet down) ending in a wooden door with 2 wooden doors on either side, 15 feet before the door at the end.
• When the short rest ends, Ford checks the remaining door. It opens into a south facing 20'x40' room partially collapsed with another stone door with a rearing dragon carved in relief and a key hole in the dragon's open mouth. No doorknob, no latch just the keyhole which Ford checks.
  • Stratton checks the room and gets surprise attacked by the rat. -5 HP
  • Ford tries to help but misses.
  • Rat attacks again and hits. -5 HP
  • I cast Dissonant Whispers and hit rat with 6 points damage
  • Ana fires an arrow at it for an additional 7 damage.
  • Jordan tries to hit it with a spear, but just misses.
  • Ford stabs the rat with a short sword and kills it.
• Ford then tries to open the lock and is unsuccessful.
• Jordan heals Stratton for +5 = 15 HPs post rat battle.
• We all enter the hallway and the door on the southern wall depicts a dragon-like fish swimming with an open mouth and keyhole, but not special like the other room's door.
• The door at the far end of the hallway is just wooden.
• The other door on north end opens to a small room with rocky debris - it's empty.
• Ford couldn't open dragon door.
• Ford opens far door with cage and whimpering coming from it with a bedroll seen inside.
• It's a large room with more doors (2) off of it and a hallway leading further off of the far side.
• There is also a small wooden bench draped with green cloth and small instruments on top of it.
• Jordan goes to investigate the whimpering bedroll and finds a very small dragon like being. It immediately tries to get away from him.
• He speaks calmly to it (rolls nat 20) and calms it down.
• The creature says its name is MEEPO, the dragon-keeper. It's a kobold.
• Says there were humans that passed through, but they have no issues with humans.
• "Durbooloop" tribe of goblins in other part of Fortress.
• Meepo's leader is Usedreeal (another kobold?)
• Meepo seems legit. Doesn't seem to be lying. I call him "Meeps". He calls me "Handsome Daddy".
• Says Usedrial is down the hallway.
• Says the goblins took their dragon. Asks for help to get the dragon back. States they took the dragon days or weeks ago.
  • The dragon's name is Calcryx, it is a white dragon.
• Meeps says the items on the green bench are offerings to Calcryx.
• They walk down the hallway to meet Usedreeal, the kobold leader.
• We walk into a large hallway with marble columns depicting dragons, on other side, a throne, with a statue of a rearing with a real key being kept inside the dragon's mouth. Usedreal is sitting on a small pile of stones beneath the statue. Usedreal is a red kobold (they're all red) and wearing white robes.
• Usedreal and Jordan speak.
• Usedreal states several humans (3 or 4) came through about a month ago - one fitting the description of Lyla's brother.
• Usedreal stated they captured the dragon who tried to overtake the area, which the kobolds already occupied.
• Usedreal's tribe battles with the goblins tribe in the northeast and directly north. (East was the way we came)
• Usedreal stated either the humans went the direction towards the goblins or towards the other area which the kobolds don't go to because it "feels wrong".
• Lyla casts Charm Person and Usedreal states she does remember Lyla's brother.
• Usedreal offers Meepo's services to get the humans back.
• Ana checks the needle again and it's pointed directly east.
• Usedreal stated the dragon went north.
• The humans left and came from the direction that they just came from, but says there was another door which they could have gone to/come from.
• Usedreal offers to show them where the humans went in exchange for us trying to bring Calcryx back alive - she'll offer us the key in the dragon's mouth OR 2 items on the altar.
• Jordan asks about the apples.
• Usedreal stated they are given to "Bellock", who they "dare not disturb". She stated he is human but with a very dark aura and in charge of the goblins.
• Usedreal sends Meepo to lead the way to lead them to find their friends/the dragons back toward the original room we found him in, but takes us to a door that we hadn't checked out opening to a 50'x10' hallway which turns right.
• It ends in a wooden door to the left of the hallway facing north, over the top of the circular room we initially entered.
• Jordan opens this door. Empty chamber - dirty. 30'x20'. Directly across is another wooden door.
• Ford noticed tracks in the dust - the rat tracks are a day old, human tracks a week old with 3 or 4 sets of tracks leading toward the next door (north)
  • (Portion missing because Ford needed)
• Inspiration on the door - "Rebule the dead, open the way" and the fountain says "Let there be fire."
  • We take this back to Usedreal to read
• Jordan realizes that a holy speed needs to be used to open the door.
• Lyla casts detect magic - the fountain depicts an aura (green) (conjuration)
• The door was booby trapped with a scythe that drops from the ceiling. He easily dismantles this strap which had injured Jordan.
• He also tries pouring oil in the fountain and set it on fire and it doesn't work.
• We wait here - PAUSED GAME - 5:00PM
• (Gain 100 exp points) - we decided not to take a rest at this time
• Decided that we'll need to get Nil down here and possibly a priestess from the town to get through the door...
  • Used all 3 spells for the day - out of spells.