12 Nakki Nakk
again?
(To Find a Hobbit Staff, pt 1)
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Background:
When the Party successfully rescues King Hektor and returns him
to the hidden haven of Shel-Avdi, they are given a quest (see The
Hobbit Test): to find a legendary Hobbit Staff. Hobbit clerics
at the Great Sanctuary know it lies far to the south, across the
Axenos ("Inhospitable") Sea, in the land of the fierce
Kimmerians.
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| December
17 |
Over
the past few months, Pippin in particular has been able to find out
more about the Staff of Life, the artifact that the Party is to find.
Hanna, cleric to Celandine in Malmesbury, in particular knows much
about its origins. It was built for Dwarves thousands of years ago,
as a means for them and the Hobbits to escape enslavement by Hobgoblins,
back when the latter ruled the world. Last seen, it was buried in
Kimmeria with the Elf who stole it; but that was ages ago. Hanna tells
them that Hobbits living in the Ryban Mountains of Kimmeria are descendants
of those who made the Staff, and they may have more recent knowledge.
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Having
completed training and the like, the Party leaves Shel-Avdi on foot.
Nearby, is the start of an ancient tunnel complex that leads under
the Pindos Mountains. Parts of the tunnel still have working "moving
walkways" - a magical transport system that can move things simultaneously
in both directions at any speed up to 5 kph. However, without regular
maintenance, nor the means to keep riff-raff out of the tunnels, such
high-speed travel is hazardous; thus after a couple of hours, they
plough into a stationary gelatenous cube; and Goblins now live in
some of the caverns that the walkway traverses, resulting in a few
combats on the way. |
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Moving
walkway abruptly ceasing functioning approximately 5km from the far
end (an earthquake 15 years ago triggered a slow and irreversible
breakdown at the far end, which is slowly moving along the track),
flinging everyone painfully to the ground. Party sacks out. Pippin
finally tells the Party all that the sanctuary clerics told him about
the Staff. |
| December
18 |
Walking
along the broken walkway, they come to a cave-in. Hamfast and Pippin
(being Hobbits) dig their way through, but fall and are captured by
unknown foes who run away with them. The Party eventually digs their
way through, and easily defeat some Goblins, Kobolds, Orcs, and an
Ogre. But Hamfast and Pippin are nowhere to be seen. |
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They
continue to the exit of the tunnel complex, and eventually find a
hidden complex. Meet two spectacularly powerful Kobolds named Lucky
and Muscles, who thrash Darkmoon, Taro, and Arand. Party exits and
rests. |
| December
19 |
Walk
to nearby Japanese fishing village of Nemaro. Taro (being part-Japanese)
meets with locals, and arranges to hire a boat, "Child of the
Night", for their eventual journey across the Axenos. (The boat
astounds Shawn, who has extensive boating experience, as he has never
seen the like: it has a 40' fiberglass hull. Try as he might, he cannot
get the owner to explain where the boat is from or how it was made.)
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Battle
Broll, a tough dragon; Darkmoon and Aithra killed. Arand *recognises*
the dragon, and the complex, as a place named Nakki-Nak he had been
in on another world named Dafan ... he is mighty confused. |
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Find
a miraculous pool. Darkmoon and Aithra are revived, by being
emersed in the pool. However, Darkmoon finds she has lost her proficiency
with daggers, and Aithra has lost her sense of taste, and her spell-casting
capability (the latter is a bit of divine opportunism - Eris, Goddess
of Chaos, decides to try and discretely convert Aithra). Arand, hoping
to heal his mangled body, takes a sip from the pool, and is poisoned
instead. |
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Find
Hamfast and Pippin in a prison, along with 3 other captives: Oðúlfr
(WrC2), Thorgrim (F2),
and Himako (F3) join.
Each had been tossed into the pool, experiments for the resident mage,
Alkmene, to see what (ill) effects they would suffer. |
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Exit
complex. |
| December
20 |
Go
back in. Find that the corpse of Broll has reanimated, and thus have
to battle an undead dragon. |
| December
21 (Yule) |
Find
some friendly undead servants in a dining hall. Shawn and Arand are
able to learn much about the complex from them. Hamfast killed
by an illusionary dog; Hamfast revived when thown into the
pool. As well, Arlephone finds that she can talk to it, but besides
it's name ("The Pool of Mimir"), she does not learn very
much. |
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Exit
and return to Nemaro. Talk with local priestess, Sei, and find out
more about their Quest. With Sei's guidance and extensive prayer to
Artemis, Aithra is able to throw off Eris's meddlings and recovers
her spell-casting capability. |
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Surviving
members:
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Arlephone
(F4/MU4), Darkmoon (F5),
Taro (T5/F4), Shawn
(MU4), Arand (R3),
Pippin (NtC4), Hamfast
(T4), Osric (NrC4/Mk3),
Aithra (WrC4), Vainamoinen
(R3), Oðúlfr
(WrC2), Thorgrim (F2),
Himako (F3) |
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New
members:
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Oðúlfr,
Thorgrim, Himako |
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Casualties:
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Darkmoon,
Aithra, Hamfast (all three raised by the Pool of Mimir) |
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Retirees:
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none |
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Continuing
party:
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Arlephone, Darkmoon,
Taro, Shawn, Arand, Pippin, Hamfast, Osric, Aithra, Vainamoinen,
Oðúlfr, Thorgrim, Himako
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