Chpt. 1: To the Palace

[jdluna]

Save vs Spell=15 - [1d20] = 6

[tkrexx]

Flint, Illusionist

Save vs Spell=12: [1d20] = 15

[Eulalios]

Idwillen's Saving Throw [1d20] = 11 (Death 10; Petr 13; Rod 14; Breath 16; Spell 15)

[Grognardsw]

Bjorn and Idwellin feel something slipping from their minds, but they don’t quite know what. Then they wonder how they got in this strange room, for the last thing they remember is standing outside the ruined Palace of the Silver Princess!

Ianin and Flint bring their arcane concentration to bear in repelling an unknown mental attack.

The others in the party don’t notice anything amiss as they examine the prone woman and various pools. Shen and Poltux at close range see an unconscious young woman, a little on the short side of average. She has long wavy-straight hair, a deep brown, dark to the point that it may seem black to some if not in the sunlight. Her skin is relatively pale in comparison the average person. She wears loose travelers clothing, and soft leather boots.

Actions?

[Zhym]

Andover, bow in hand and arrow nocked, investigates pool K.

[Grognardsw]

Andover, bow in hand and arrow nocked, investigates pool K.

About a dozen fish swim about in the clear water of this pool. As you watch, they come to a pause, line up and look at you.

[Zhym]

Oh, right. I missed that reading through your post the first time. Speaking of which:

a pool of clear water with submerged gold and jewels (M)

I wonder what the odds are that "M" also stands for "mimic."

[greyarea]

Shen, monk

Bjorn, this woman may need your clerical abilities. She's alive but unconscious and I don't feel comfortable moving her, calls the monk across the room.

[Grognardsw]

Shen, monk

Bjorn, this woman may need your clerical abilities. She's alive but unconscious and I don't feel comfortable moving her, calls the monk across the room.

Bjorn hears the monk's call for aid. With some dismay the cleric realizes he can't recall any of his spells.

[jdluna]

Gentlemen, there is something not right here. My spells have been stripped from me and I don't know what I am doing here.

[Zhym]

Andover's ranger training kicks in. "Memory loss, some moss over there—I think I know what this is. There's a type of sentient moss that 'eats' memories. If you eat the moss, it will restore your memories and spells. It might also make you sick, though. And usually these things only eat the memories of one person per day, so that patch of moss might be four creatures. If so, and with no way to tell which is which, you'll have to try your luck that the moss you eat is your own."

[jdluna]

Bjorn pulls the moss patch down, tears it i half and give half to Idwellin. Eat up!

[Eulalios]

The druid shakes his head, holds up his hand. "Wait. Look closely. Andover makes a good point. Let's be sure we, at least, get only one person's memories per person." He grips his sling. "I hope this works ... Speak with Plants {I am sorry for your injuries, friend moss, but you have injured us, and what you have taken must be restored. Tell me the name you have eaten." He repeats this for each piece of the moss, trying to identify who should eat what.

[Zhym]

Andover hopes the druid's approach works, but his training indicates that the creature is regarded as evil.

[jdluna]

I was not aware you retained your spells. I was shooting in the dark

[tkrexx]

Flint will move away from the moss, giving it a dour look. He will cast his gaze about the room, trying to notice what others may have missed, and in general keep watch.

[tkrexx]

Honnilee will continue scanning the lower portions of the room along the perimeter.

[Grognardsw]

What Memories Are Made Of

Bjorn the cleric gives voice to his memory loss. Andover the ranger explains it may be memory-stealing moss by yonder pool, and eat it to regain lost memories. It sounds preposterous, but the cleric hopes he is right and walks over to the pool, which is next to the prone woman, Shen and Poltux.

Ianin and Flint again feel an odd pressure in their heads, their brains like sand flowing out of an hourglass. Both please make a Save roll.

Idwellin, though he too lacks recent memories and his spells, advises Bjorn to hold, for the druid would speak to the moss using his nature-communing magic sling. The moss wraps around the edges of the pool and extends out a few feet. Idwellin wonders how many moss may be within the large green and black algae blanket. Or is it all one, or a hive-mind?

Idwellin’s sling magic and his own inner bond with nature reveal to the druid that this moss is evil, tainted with an aura he has never felt before. Perhaps from the contamination of Chaos that has effected so much in the ruined Palace of the Silver Princess? The green world parts its veil and Idwellin speaks to the large patch of moss. In response to the druid’s inquiry, the moss speaks but one sentence:

“We are obliviax, and we will know you."

Then the prone woman stirs, slowly shaking her head. Those near her - Shen, Poltux, Bjorn, Idwellin - look at her.

At the same time they hear distant buzzing of flying insects. Then utter silence falls around the moss pool area, cutting off the noise, except for those not near the moss pool - Honnilee, Flint, Ianin and Andover.

Those around the pool see that among the large moss blanket are six-inch moss versions of Bjorn, Idwellin, and a third form not recognized. Though unable to move from their patch, the mossy miniatures are waving their arms at you menacingly.

Meanwhile, Honnilee, after reconnoitering the upper pools (C, B, A), turns south to look at the lower pools. As she passes the western-most pool (D), which appears to be a pool of clear liquid, the water erupts in a serpentine coil with a large demon head. It surprises Honnilee, lashing out in an attempt to entwine the hobbit. But the startled Honnilee’s instinct for danger propels her to the right, and the weird water creature only wets the hobbit’s left arm.

Actions!

- Honnilee surprised? Yes - Honilee surprise [1d6] = 2
- Attack on Honnilee [1d20] = 4 Miss!
- I generally have a player make an Int. check or something if they want their character to suspect or know something the player does, such as Andover and the moss. Let me know of such requests going forward, by PM.
- It's tough to surprise you veterans on these boards, so as you've seen I'll be fielding new monsters of my own or variations on existing monsters to keep up suspense. The influence of Chaos in this area can lead to disturbing changes...

[NJWilliam]

Ianin, magic-user

Ianin save vs. spells (12+): [1d20] = 17

Hearing the talk about memory loss and psychically active moss, Ianin moves away from the bizarre moss creatures and over towards Poltux, Shen, and the prone woman. Slinging his quarterstaff over his shoulder as he walks, and twisting his ring of shocking grasp on his finger.

Ianin Ring of Shocking Grasp THAC1 20: to hit, [1d20] = 5, damage [1d8+6] = 5+6 = 11 Guess it doesn't matter if he only needs to hit AC 10 on a touch or not . . .

[NJWilliam]

Poltux, fighter

Hearing the mass of moss speak, Poltux's eyes bulge. Then, distracted by the buzzing, he looks around as he hefts his new axe above his shoulder and clenches it hard envisioning smashing it into a giant flying bug.

Poltux Axe Melee THAC020 (non-proficient): to hit [1d20] = 4+2, damage [1d6] = 4+3 | [1d8] = 7+3