a7/17/20
Tu-affa – town on Colossi Homeland between two rivers, lots of old towers. It’s on the material realm. Oldest towers in the center are from the age of the Auburn Sisters, and older.
Before hitting the towers, and before Wishing away artifact penalties, Al finally gets his shot at the Artifact Rodeo…
Minor artifacts — maximum 100 PP — one month
Lesser artifacts — maximum 250 PP — two months
Greater artifacts — maximum 500 PP — three months
Major artifacts — maximum 750 PPT — four months
Order of trial:
1. Quarterstaff of Alyosha – lessor
Anti-magic 50% PP:
Dispel Magic PP:
Spell Damage +2 per die PP:
- Staff of Power – 200 pp
Timestop protection – PP: 90
Power Attacks – PP: 110
- Helm of Wayland PP: 180?
-Fly – PP: 30?
-Invis PP: 20?
-Immunity – PP: 90?
-8 AC bonus – PP: 40?
- Bracelet – minor – 100 PP
= about 860,000 xp for Al! Work out the exact number with Justin, but that should be enough to bump Al to Attack Rank K, which will give him the option of 3 attacks per round.
The tower of Lut-Hoff was a shrine to Luta.
Luta 3 pillars of leadership
1. rewards and punishments
2. ubiquitous eyes and ears
3. great external threat
Gerrefenna – the “gatekeeper” on the plane for the tower. Gerrefenna is by far the most famous colossi on the plane, the most powerful.
Other character is “the porter”. Burnt orange marble skin. Golem or servitor? People say he “keeps” the shrine. Has not been seen for centuries. Like the “quicksilver” golem? Yes.
Check in with Skemeku. Update about finding the bronze, Thorn conversions. Interested in Luta’s shrine to help Faenare withstand Thanatos.
Talked with Vaun the Arresting to connect him with Skemeku. Vaun doesn’t want anything to do with this. Maybe you can speak to ….Getherin the Sober “wait there”.
We are out on a hilltop, and wait. On Carrock’s watch… presence looming above. … in the moonlight. A guy, with leather robes? Statue, stylized. Appears directly behind Carrock, looking down at him. We speak to him in Immortal. He replies telepathically. 277 HD
“You wanted to contact our chieftain? I will convey your message.”
- Offer the ability to communicate with Skemeku on Tortoise back
- Vaun knows we are followers of Krysma, want to go into the tower to gain advantage against our enemy Thanatos.
He keeps looking at Carrock. But says “I can tell her so.” He waits and doesn’t disappear. “Are there any Supreme Rulers among you?”
Carrock is the leader of his entire species! He says “I am the master windsinger”.
Efrim makes a weak speech about being the Lord Protector.
We wait six days. Gerrefenna appears. Blue green stone. Carved as wearing plate armor. Runes on her neck. Real big. Imposing. She appears next to Al and Lakshmi. 1288 HD.
“We have 2 items of business to discuss. I will not trade personal favors for permission to enter Lut-Hoff. “
We just want you to judge us to see if we are worthy.
“Yes, and I have done so.” Gives Carrock and Efrim’s full name and titles. “Each has permission to enter. You can bring one retainer each.”
Any recommendations?
“Don’t destroy anything. If you engage in combat, give them the chance to surrender. Bring brute strength to open the front door.”
Pose down! *wineskin of baby oil…*
“and on the other matter. I would like to speak with my counterpart on Tortoiseback.”
We open the communications. They spend some time talking in code. Want to know if anyone has died…
She is grateful for the service. Conversation is over in about. We talk about Thorn for a while. She is the most guarded colossi we have met yet. Lakshmi brings up that the Rift was created by Thanatos, and our quest is to right that wrong, bearing witness against Thanatos. If she has any advice, we just want her to know that.
-Someone told us that the colossi don’t go to the metallic levels. They don’t have disks, and colossi are only where the disks are.
-The three headed goat thing went around smashing disks on planes where the disks are not. We tell her about it.
“long ago I saw a similar statue.” She doesn’t say anything else about it.
She doesn’t say anything else about the gold realm.
“Do you have any auburn sister horns?”
“That sounds like a good trade. I can loan you a horn for the service you have provided. Wait here and Getherin will provide it.” You’ll return it within 100 years? Yes! “When you return it leave it at the doorstep of Lut-Hoff.”
E: If you or your people need any more communication, let us know.
We wait for three days on the hill. Getherin shows up with the horn and drops it on the ground for us.
Other info from mages…
Trench Tower: (visted by brass skinned giants). Exists in material and Silver. What’s it like in the silver realm? Similar but more sparcely populated with towers. Considered more dangerous because there are more super powerful creatures. It’s the realm of the winter kingdom on the silver, so she doesn’t go there.
Scribal Estate: Disagrees with the view that the Historian was killed. There were 5 historians. Their golem task was to explain history to visitors. Each had a specialization. The last surviving, the 5th historian, was the giant-folk historian. It was killed about 4 centuries ago. The others were destroyed before that.
E: Does Pflarr have a spell to resurrect constructs? Yes, Repair Constructs would work on something that has been “killed”.
We talk about other ways to “raise” the golem. Al suggests we epic wish for the alchemic formula for the Repair Constructs potion. If he has the knowledge, then making potions is easy. “Oil Can”.
Historians:
- Giantkind historian (last)
- Gutanan Historian – god of mineralization.
- Metternalite historian (Metternal Inkstone — influential thinker and god)
Came after Luta’s dynasty collapsed. Believed in reincarnation. Rejected fate. Followers really into documenting things. His followers created the towers, and the historians. So mortal level repair constructs might work. - Historian of the metallic planes
The “Gutanan period” is super secret era of the plane. Back when there was fleshy colossi. The Gutanan historian is disintegrated.
We go to Scribal Estate Towers first:
One tower for Material History
One tower for Intellectual History
Our expert will go with us. She can tell us names on pedastals, etc. lots of things have been taken.
About 4 centuries ago, a treasure seeking party killed the historian, not knowing anything.
We FTP to a fragment of the Giant Historian. The entry way room in the tower for Intellectual History has fragments of sandstone encrusted Ruby, or something. Al applies the Oil. Over 24 hours it grows into the shape of a man. Hunched head with a beard. He has the same instructions he always did. He can take us on a tour of the building!
Lakshmi attempts to speak to him and asks to enter his thoughts with the Bowl. He responds. L does not have his permission. Too bad! He will only reveal information he has been programmed to reveal. He takes us through three buildings.
Apparently the followers of Inkstone had an “anti-extravegance” philosophy. Stripped down musical performances to bare bones. Simple instruments. Goblet drums. The follows of Inkstone work wood block and peg shoes. Empty pedestal, but he describes them to us. Pedastal that there was a jar that preserved the life force of a ram folk in Bronze ocean water.
A pedestal where there was once a Horn of the Auburn Sisters. Describe? It’s a little different from the one we have.
On to the Building for Intellectual History. They tell the history in terms of religious disputes between religious factions. Inkstone followers were “so enlightened, and so good to the others” and everyone else is bad. This tour is from their perspective. The historian that came with us is losing her mind, so much to learn!!!!!
A few key points: as of Luta, leadership was passed along family lines. Inkstone believed every leader should be hired and fired, not passed through heredity. Boring…. The god was killed later, but his followers spread throughout the planes, and set up communes based on their views. Started studying defensive warfare. One of the splinter groups became the first to spread to the silver realms. All of these followers were fleshy colossi.
Lakshmi is going to brain tap him. Uses the specs to Open Mind on the golem. Then she gets out the sand bowl. An image forms from the sand in front of her. She begins to acquire the memories from the construct. She can choose which memories to take. To take the salient memories will take days and days, over a week.
Things to glean:
Where were the other Historians killed?
Any passwords?
Essentially Lakshmi becomes a Giantkind historian for this region, but you have to ask her questions to recall the information.
Heyday is 7000-5000 years ago. Begins with Luta’s overthrow of the bronze forger (9658 BC)
What prompted the Gutanan era?
Area had obsession with fertility. Bronze Forger boasted fathering 100,000 children. The species that you would turn into if you used the artifact had androgynous people to keep the families from getting too large. Having lots of children was a way to dominate your enemies. The Gutanan era marks the end of that way of thinking. This is when colossi started changing.
7/20/20
*a lot of DM logistics questions about Epic Wishes. *
DM Ruling: a Luck Potion cannot help with the saving throw for an epic wish, because an epic wish takes a ritual to cast, and the Luck won’t last long enough to make a difference.
Efrim pays for an Epic Wish to become a 36th level MYSTIC for 1 year. The mage performing the service contracts the mineralization disease.
Efrim, Carrock and Lakshmi pay for an Epic Wish to gain “Disk Sight”. Carrock beds the mage, with a charisma of 42.
Al pays for an Epic Wish to gain “Gold Realm Sight”.
We attempt to gain info on the amber. Check spot next to horns on second floor.
Carrock wishes for Al to be immune to the amber. Al uses the Tome and the Cloak to Lore the substance.
Lore the Walls: Upon touch, wall turns from stone (wauble and daub), turns softer, fleshy, forms mouth, spooges amber fluid and covers Al from head to toe. Spooges again once per round! Spooges 12 times and stops. Al continues to touch the wall to complete the Lore spell(s).
- Immortal Impass.
- Immortal Scry Protection
- Immortal Amber Suffusion – allows that which is suffused with the amber to act in its own defense. It spurts amber.
Efrim and Carrock use artifacts to attempt to dispel two properties: Impass and Amber Suffusion.
We get Pontus over here to cast Passwall, twice.
Need two mirrors. We enter the tower on the material realm, use the mirrors to see into the silver realm where the racks for the horns are, grab the horns and then flee. Wearing the Summer Silver will allow them to see into silver, see through the mirrors, and reach and grab.
Iustal and the rescued Yoichig followers get set to go through the 4th floor and get through the portal that is there. Al preps a mundane map with the Summon Object spell and gives it to Iustal. “Iustal, take notes on your whereabouts, and add them to the back of the map. If the map is not in your possession at some point we will have some clues as to where to find you.” The Palidin uses a Merge potion, and is Wished Immune to the amber.
We all wish to be immune to the amber for a day.
We agree to reconvene 2 weeks from now.
In four rounds, all the Passwalls are open, ropes tied around Efrim and Carrock.
They fly to the fourth floor, and Pontus casts0020Passwall. A local mage wishes Pontus immune.
Dispelling and Passwall goes as planned. 2 five foot wide holes ar in the walls at the 2nd and 4th levels.
We are all hasted.
Carrock and Efrim enter. Carrock flies, Efrim parkours? Running through the tunnel, the walls start reacting and spurting amber. The Goat headed thing is still statue-esque on the silver. Has not moved. They are in the room with the racks… split up, hold up the mirrors to see into the silver. When they enter, there is a rumble coming from the top story… like ponderous thunder….
Lakshmi looks at the churning bronze clouds on the fourth floor. It’s getting more tumultuous.
Round 1, get next to the stands. Round 2, hold up the mirror. Rumbling gets louder.
Stick hands through mirror, and golem springs to life. “All Hail Herotha!” –Efrim.
Those with disk magic sight, see a yellow cloud coming from beneath the scales of the goat thing. A silver “lasso” is forming in front of a goat head. When the fingers pierce the mirror, lightning comes crashing down from the cloud. Efrim, Carrock, Paladin must save vs. spells. A MESH of lighning pierces through the floors. Saves are made, they take 60 HP damage. Efrim’s monk power “resistance” reduces it to 30 HP. Carrock’s lightning immunity… drops it to ¼ damage. The paladin makes his save and takes 100 points of damage. He’s alive! He moves into a dome. And gradually fades away…
They grab the horns and start moving back out of the tower. Efrim watches the goat thing react through the mirror. They book it to the walls. Lightning strikes again when they are in the walls.
L watching the goat… as soon as the horns and hands are gone, the statue goes back to the original position. It had been getting ready to breath, but it just stopped when the paladin faded away went back to the material.
We get out of this plane, and back to the breathing plane where we can cast spells.
“The monk known as Vellium the Dragon-Armed pulled off the feat!”
Al casts Summon Object: Map location is: Planar West, ever so slightly to the North.
DM Ruling: for Summon Object, if the object is held by another, and is on a different plane, the Caster will get a general planar direction of the item, but not the exact plane, or location within the plane.
On to Lut-Hoff!!