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Cosmar
Seeker
89 Posts |
 Posted - 22 Mar 2019 : 23:41:16
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Hi everyone!
I wasn't sure where the best place to put this would be. I play a Sun Elf wizard of Silverymoon in a long-running game. He started off with a fairly generic backstory, but after delving more into the lore of the elves and also reading The Last Mythal series, I decided to develop his House and family history more. Herein is the history of House Sylairaque, a noble Sun Elf house with a storied history.
I would love comments and questions to flesh out and/or correct discrepancies/fill in holes.
This is my character (Kethamil's) starting backstory (the game is set in 1372 DR):
"Kethamil was born in Silverymoon on Flamerule 13, 1226 DR, to a Sun Elf couple who had moved there from Evermeet during a bout of wanderlust and decided to stay.
His father, Valandil, was a wizard who had joined the Spellguard upon a few years living in Silverymoon, and his mother, Ruasar, was an artist and musician. When Kethamil was a boy, his father gave him the option of whether he wanted to learn wizardry -- he didn't want to force it on his son like it had been forced onto him in Evermeet. To his delight, the young Kethamil responded with unbridled enthusiasm and spent the next several years learning the basics with his father.
Eventually, his father secured a teaching job at the Lady's College in Silverymoon, and Kethamil enrolled, learning more under his father and the other teachers. His mother instilled a love for the arts and music within him, and though he never went very far with formal artistic or musical training, he always takes time out for a good concert or art show, occasionally blowing out a few timid tunes on his flute in private so no one can hear how bad he is.
Over the years, Kethamil has grown into a respectable wizard in his own right. When his first wanderlust struck, he journeyed with a caravan traveling through Silverymoon to Athkatla. He provided them with magical defense from bandits and creatures along the road, parted ways with them in Athkatla where he spent a few months learning about the culture and the rest of the world. He eventually found his way back to Silverymoon via Cormyr, Cormanthor and across Anauroch with a traveling group of mercenaries. Several of the group perished during the trip across Anauroch, during which Kethamil learned much about his personal limits, magically, physically and spiritually.
When he came back, though, things were not good. His father had gone missing a few weeks before his return while on a routine patrol with a detachment of Knights in Silver. No sign of any of that group has been found, and theories abound, such as being abducted by the Arcane Brotherhood or Church of Bane, or being killed and eaten by magical beasts, or becoming hopelessly lost in the High Forest. His mother has been very depressed since then, and Kethamil has thrown himself into his studies and craft in the hopes of eventually following in his father's footsteps as a member of the Spellguard and possibly discovering what happened to him.
During this time, he has tried proving himself multiple times by taking up with adventuring groups or mercenary groups trying to help Silverymoon and the Silver Marches in general. His most recent exploit came when a group he was with answered a call to investigate problems going on in Sundabar. The group discovered that Zhentarim agents were attempting to gain access to the Everfire to make magical weapons for Zhentil Keep. The group foiled the plot, thanks in no small part to Kethamil's magical skills, though in the final battle the rest of his group perished. Kethamil managed to duel the Zhentarim's wizard leader into submission, but not before suffering some nasty curses and magical wounds.
After he recovered, he returned to Silverymoon with a sense of purpose -- protect the homeland he loved from those who would destroy it or tyrannize it, no matter what the cost. Now he felt more sure than ever of his desire to someday join the Spellguard, now for personal reasons, not just following in his father's footsteps."
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Now here's the stuff about his House I've come up with:
House Sylairaque
House Crest: A blue-winged pixie with a raven in one hand and a dove in the other, a semicircle of six six-pointed silver stars over his head.
House Colors: Blue and silver (argent)
House motto: Ivae Ifeira ("Light Unending")
House Sylairaque Overview
**History of House Sylairaque, as told to Kethamil by his parents; omissions/distortions possible. How much Kethamil actually knows at any given time obviously subject to Knowledge checks or DM fiat; family would have tried to teach him most of this in his youth, and they would at least keep a chronicle/genealogy of the family somewhere.**
The family is known for producing talented mages, and the vast majority of the family's patriarch's have been wizards, though a few have been clerics or paladins (usually of Corellon).
The House began in Aryvaandar, founded by a powerful mage named Ansravar, who became a high mage and participated in the Crown Wars. Eventually, patriarch Telhilion resisted and spoke out against the eventual corruption of the kingdom (unaware yet the it was due to daemonfey involvement), and eventually cut ties with the kingdom before the Fifth Crown War, suing for mercy from the Elven Court in exchange for their renunciation of the Vyshaantar Empire.
At Telhilion's request, the House later was involved in establishing Siluvanede as a "do-over" of Aryvandaar without Vyshaan's influence. The House was somewhat prominent in Siluvaneden politics. Eventually, before the onset of the Seven Citadels' War, patriarch Caelemar broke ties with the kingdom due to its corruption, and at the onset of the war, bid his family flee to Evermeet while he stayed behind to fight with other Siluvaneden defectors in Earlann. He perished in one of the war's final battles against a fellow archmage of Siluvanede.
A few generations later, one Sylairaque patriarch, Almarael, a paladin and champion of Corellon Larethian, brought the House back to Faerun to join the efforts in Cormanthyr around ~ -200. The House stayed in Myth Drannor until it's fall, in which the entire House except for one middle son, his wife and only child were decimated, after which the survivors decided to relocate back to Evermeet, where they have officially remained.
The house lost much of its influence since its near-destruction in the Weeping War, though current patriarch Corihar, an archmage, has been obsessed with regaining influence in Evermeet at least; though he, like most of his most recent forebears, dismisses the thought of going back to Faerun. He resents his son Valandil and wife Ruasar's leaving, but is convinced the family will return once what he sees as their youthful wanderlust is over.
Sylairaque timeline
~~~ indicates a significant break in which either nothing particularly interesting or important happened and the family prospered, and/or not enough details are available to piece together a coherent narrative.
Ancient History
-12,100 ish: Ansravar born in Aryvandaar.
-11,800: Ansravar fights in First Crown War, becomes a high mage of Aryvandaar, founds House Sylairaque.
-11,400: Death of Ansravar.
~-11,400->
-9,200: House Sylairaque allied with Vyshaan, continues participation in Crown Wars.
-9,200: Sylairaque Patriarch Telhilion convinces his House to abandon the Aryvandaaran cause, disavowing allegiance to Vyshaantar, bids for and receives mercy for his House from the Elven Court. House Sylairaque formally detaches from Aryvandaar, does not participate in Fifth Crown War.
House is involved in establishment of Siluvanede.
~~~
-4,500: Sylairaque Patriarch Caelemar, an archmage of Siluvanede, intuiting the onset of the Seven Citadels' War, defects from Siluvenade in disgust of the kingdom's Aryvandaar-esque power plays and bids his family flee to Evermeet. He however stays behind and joins other Siluvaneden defectors in Earlann and fights against Siluvenade in the Seven Citadels' War. He is slain in one of the final battles in a spell duel with a high mage of Siluvenade (both are killed in the process). Family remains in Evermeet.
~~~
-250: Sylairaque Patriarch Almarael, a paladin and Champion of Corellon Larethian, decides to lead family back to Faerun from Evermeet to participate in the efforts happening in Cormanthyr.
271: Death of Almarael by natural causes. Lives to see the founding of Myth Drannor, in which his wizard daughter, the abjurer Tialea, aids in the erecting of the mythal. Family remains in Myth Drannor.
~~~
714: Sylairaque Patriarch Talethil, archmage and son of Tialea, grandson of Almarael, perishes, along with 99% of the entire rest of House Sylairaque, in the Weeping War. Middle son Gaelean (age 200), along with his wife and son, Calruil (age 14 at the time), are the sole survivors of House Sylairaque. They flee Myth Drannor's destruction, relinquishing much of the House's relics and holdings in the process, and in grief return to Evermeet, where they remained.
Current History
870: Corihar born to Calruil in Evermeet.
920: Death of Gaelean.
1050: Corihar marries Amahel Baelara.
1080: Birth of Valandil to Corihar and Amahel.
1083: Birth of Nyralya to Corihar and Amahel.
1085: Birth of Solviel to Corihar and Amahel.
1200: Valandil weds Ruasar Drevarean; Calruil dies.
1210: Ruasar and Valandil move to Faerun.
1226: Kethamil born in Silverymoon.
1229: Elethar born to Solviel and Clafiryel.
1231: Throvanna born to Solviel and Clafiryel.
1235: Nyralya takes to service of her god after death of her husband ? in a magic accident in which Corihar was involved. No children.
1236-1348: Peaceful. Children raised, taught, etc.
1349: Amahel embarks to Faerun to aid Sun Elves in The Retreat from Cormanthor after receiving a vision from Sehanine. Falling out with Corihar over this.
1350: Amahel visits Ruasar and Valandil in Silvery moon, meets Kethamil. Is later that year murdered by a drow while helping escort sun elves to Evermeet. The assassin escapes; body returned to Evermeet.
1351: Nyralya falls out with Corihar over not leaving Evermeet to seek justice for Amahel. Departs for Faerun herself to seek her killer.
1362: Kethamil begins his adventuring career, returning home frequently, but keeping around the Silver Marches mostly.
1368: Nyralya meets and marries human druid of Eldath, Arund, on the Sword Coast. He joins her in her quest.
1369: Elethar departs for Evereska.
1370: Nothing more is heard from Nyralya or Arund after this.
1370: Kethamil embarks on his major travel around Faerun, journeying with a caravan to Athkatla, spending a bit of time there, then returning via Cormyr, Cormanthor and Anauroch. Many acquaintances on both trips perish.
1371: Kethamil returns to Silverymoon to find father is missing. Joins a group which foils a Zhentarim plot in Sundabar. All but he are killed, and he spends time recovering from the ordeal.
1372: Beginning of current shenanigans.
Known modern family members:
- Corihar
Age: 502. Born 900. Archmage, father of Valandil, Solviel and Nyralya. Hoping to learn high magic and quietly resentful that he hasn't been chosen yet. Stern, solemn, proud. Has never left Evermeet. Was against Valandil leaving to adventure, but Valandil convinced him by saying he was interested in trying to recover lost family relics. Disdains lesser races. Aspires to High Mage. Racist, isolationist.
Apparently wasn't always so steely. Got more bitter and exclusionary after wife was murdered by a drow assassin while she was trying to help elves from fallen Cormanthyr travel to Evermeet in the Retreat (an excursion Corihar did not approve of and which they had a falling out over before she left).
Consumed by grief over Amahel's death, he has become isolationist and believes the family is abandoning him by going on their excursions to the mainland. Stubbornly refuses to leave Evermeet despite family proddings.
A private man not given to emotional outbursts, it's obvious to everyone involved that Valandil's decision to emigrate to Faerun wounded Corihar deeply, and it is suggested the Valandil's actions were the catalyst for more of his family's "abandonment."
- Amahel
Deceased. Lived 908-1350. Priestess of Sehanine Moonbow, mother of Valandil, Solviel and Nyralya. Met Kethamil once briefly when she visited them in Silverymoon prior to her self-appointed mission to aid The Retreat. Wife of Corihar. Killed somewhere in Faerun in 1350 by a drow assassin while helping sun elves leave from Cormanthor for Evermeet.
She embarked on her quest in late 1349 after receiving a vision from Sehanine that she needed to help. Until then, she had been content to stay in Evermeet and live a quiet dignified life with Corihar. She tried to get him to come with him but he was convinced it was a bad idea, and they had a falling-out over it.
She is buried in the family estate beneath Corihar's Tower in Leuthilspar, and it is said that he visits her grave every day.
- Valandil
Age: 292. Born 1080. Wizard, born in Evermeet to Corihar and Amahel. Married to Ruasar. Spellguard of Silverymoon, Harper. Status and whereabouts unknown. Was compassionate and caring to Kethamil but also an exacting teacher. Rejects father's isolationist policies. Believes in the dream of Silverymoon as the "Myth Drannor of the North."
Apparently had a falling out with his father, Corihar, and brother, Solviel and sister-in-law Clarifyel over his decision to emigrate to Faerun with his wife, Ruasar. He argued with his father that the best way to reestablish the Sylairaque name was not by hiding in comfort in Leuthilspar currying favor with the nobility in Leuthilspar, but by returning to Faerun to aid in elven efforts there.
Valandil and Ruasar left for Faerun in 1210, wandering the land and adventuring for about 5 years before deciding to settle in Silverymoon to have their family and focus their efforts in Silverymoon and environs. Within that first couple years, Valandil was accepted as a teacher at the Lady's College, and soon after accepted into the Spellguard.
Corihar still apparently believes Valandil and co. will return to Evermeet once what he sees as their youthful rebellion is over, despite the evidence seeming to indicate otherwise.
- Ruasar
Age: 289. Born 1083. Artist and musician. Training as a bard (perhaps a spell singer?). Follower of Hanali Celanil. Mother of Kethamil and wife of Valandil. Free-spirited. Depressed since Valandil's disappearance.
It was rumored that Corihar wasn't especially pleased with Valandil's choice of bride, since Corihar hoped to offer his son's hand in marriage to the heiress of a more important family. But Ruasar won him over with her great beauty, charm, elegance and prodigious talent at strings and singing. Corihar somewhat blames her for changing Valandil's demeanor to be too free-spirited and somewhat wonders if it was her influence that convinced Valandil to move to Faerun.
Nyralya
Age: 285. Younger sister of Valandil. She was the more rebellious of her siblings, Valandil and Solviel. She was married at first to a promising mage named Sethien, a student of Corihar's. They were happy for a few years, until Sethien died in a magic accident while trying to make a new spell to win more favor with Corihar.
After that, Nyralya took the vows as a priestess of Elebrin Liothiel, and her nature-heavy views clashed a bit with the family's focus on arcana, and Corihar all but disowned her after she married a human druid follower of Eldath in 1368.
She idolized mother, and, in 1351, a year after Amahel's murder, left Evermeet to search Faerun to find her drow killer. One of the (among other) reasons Corihar was against Valandil and Ruasar's leaving Evermeet.
Supposedly Nyralya pleaded with her father to come with her to help bring Amahel's killer to justice, but in his grief and hopelessness he decided to stay, apparently disgusting her.
Nothing has been heard from her by the family since 1370.
- Solviel
Age: 290. Younger brother of Valandil. Cloistered cleric of Labelas Enoreth in Evermeet. Shares father's views on most things. Rather disinterested in getting involved in Faerunian affairs.
Content to live a quiet life of luxury and modest importance with his wife. Thinks the family's misfortunes would be nullified if they would all stop getting crazy ideas in their heads to leave Evermeet.
- Clafiryel
Age: 293. Wife of Solviel. Marriage arranged between Corihar and Clafiryel's parents, it's been a good match since Clafiryel and Solviel share many interests and beliefs if perhaps not passion. Rumor has it she carried a flame for Valandil, but he loved Ruasar, whom also was a good friend of Clafiryel's.
She is a transmuter of some skill but prefers to put her powers and knowledge to use creating objects of beauty, particularly jewelry and musical instruments (though she herself doesn't have much musical skill).
Apparently she has been a little sad since Ruasar left with Valandil, since they had been almost inseparable companions since youth and many of Ruasar's favorite instruments had been hand-crafted by Clafiryel.
Elethar
Age: 143. Son of Solviel and Clafiryel. Bladesinger who currently resides in Evereska, interested in battling the elves' enemies, particularly drow. Has never met his cousin Kethamil.
Apparently disagrees with his parents' and grandfather's passive views toward Faerunian affairs, apparently trying to mold himself in the image of their ancestor Almarael.
- Throvanna
Daughter of Solviel and Clafiryel, sister of Elethar. She is a musician of some skill as well as a budding talent with illusions. So far she simply enjoys a life of beauty and luxury in Evermeet, following her mother's example of using her powers and talents to create beauty. Was apparently hurt and confused at her brother's leavetaking for Faerun.
Dholasheval Drevarean
Younger brother of Ruasar's, uncle of Kethamil. Ranger/scout, elven hound companion, free-spirited explorer. Had met Kethamil a couple times. Follower of Rillifane. Peripatetic wanderer, loner.
Arund
Age: 44. Now-husband of Nyralya, Arund is apparently a druidic follower of Eldath whom Nyralya met somewhere on the Sword Coast. They were married in 1368. He joined her in her quest to find Amahel's killer. Nothing has been heard from him or her since 1370.
Known (But how much, and how much is true?) ancestors:
- Ansravar
Founder of House Sylairaque not long before the start of the First Crown War. Mighty mage, fought in Crown Wars. Believed in the superiority of Sun Elves as Corellon's chosen, obsessed with keeping race pure. Fervently believed the other elf races "needed" Sun Elf guidance. Modern family have mixed opinions of him. All respect his recorded prowess as a mage but his legacy as a Crown Wars supporter and Aryvandaaran expansionist is something most modern Sylairaques try to distance themselves from. Corihar's veneration of him makes some (including his son Valandil) uncomfortable.
- Telhilion
Sylairaque Patriarch who, before the onset of the Fifth Crown War during the Elven Court's condemnation of the Vyshaantar Empire, sued for mercy for his House and received it, in exchange for Sylairaque's renunciation of any loyalty to the Vyshaan. Telhilion extricates House Sylairaque from the Vyshaan Empire and keeps it out of the war, though he loses a lot of clout within the Empire as a result. At his behest before he dies, the family takes part in establishing Siluvenade as the idea of a more peaceful "do-over" and way of atoning for Aryvandaar's crimes.
- Caelemar
Sylairaque Patriarch who resisted and spoke out against the corruption of Siluvanede, which eventually caused the family to flee their holdings in advance of the Seven Citadels' War and emigrate to Evermeet. At the last moment, Caelemar reportedly decided to send his family onward, himself staying behind to join other Siluvaneden defectors in Sharrven. He reportedly perished in the fighting against Siluvenade. Many modern Sylairaques point to Caelemar more than Ansravar as the embodiment of Sylairaque ideals. Valandil admired him enough that he had a copy of his portrait (the original of which hangs in Corihar's tower in Evermeet) commissioned for his and Ruasar's Silverymoon home.
- Almarael
Paladin and Champion of Corellon Larethian who led the family back to Faerun from Evermeet to Cormanthyr around -200 DR. They remained in Cormanthyr until its fall. (Almarael is said to have taken part in campaigns against the drow and demons between -200 DR and Myth Drannor's founding, after which he died of old age). One of the only patriarchs who wasn't a wizard. Died of natural causes, got to see the founding of Myth Drannor at which his daughter, who had become a mage, aided in erecting the mythal.
- Tialea
One of the few Matriarchs of the family, Tialea, son of Almarael, inherited her father's dream of and love for Cormanthyr and she was one of the mages who lent her power toward the erecting of the mythal establishing Myth Drannor. She and her father were active in Cormanthyran affairs and both took part in the destruction of the temple of Moander in 171. She also later taught magic at the school in Myth Drannor.
- Talethil
Grandson of Almarael, son of Tialea, prominent mage and active in Myth Drannor politics. Perished at a venerable age in the Weeping War, along with his oldest and youngest son, his wife, and their families.
- Gaelean
Son of Talethil, grandfather of Corihar. Survivor of the Weeping War. Saddened by the deaths of most of his family (including his father the patriarch and both his older brothers), he abandoned Faerun and left for Evermeet. Kethamil disagrees with his decision and thinks if he were in the same situation he'd have stayed.
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Edited by - Cosmar on 29 Mar 2022 18:54:37
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ericlboyd
Forgotten Realms Designer
USA
2067 Posts |
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Cosmar
Seeker
89 Posts |
Posted - 01 Jun 2019 : 23:26:43
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Thanks Eric! :D
In addition to plot hooks, Kethamil's backstory/family tree offers my DM potential PC ideas from his family tree in the event other characters leave/die. lol |
Edited by - Cosmar on 01 Jun 2019 23:27:21 |
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cpthero2
Great Reader
USA
2286 Posts |
Posted - 08 Nov 2020 : 02:10:23
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Seeker Cosmar,
I agree with Erik. That is a fantastic backstory! If I could recommend making and utilizing a psyche profile as a yellow brick road for RP when things increase in their storyline complexity. On the rare chance I play, I use one, and I create ones for my NPC's and my players use them as well. It really helps with keeping things straight and getting into the role of your character. Only a suggestion of course! :)
Best regards,
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Higher Atlar
Spirit Soaring |
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Cosmar
Seeker
89 Posts |
Posted - 07 Aug 2021 : 06:55:22
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Cpthero2, that sounds like a cool idea! How would I design a psyche profile like that?
I love this character, but I feel a little bad because our game has kind of become The Kethamil Show and I'm afraid the other PCs kind of feel like extras, story-wise. I'm hoping our DM will find time in-game to pursue a mission or two focused on the other PCs goals. It's a play-by-post game so has progressed very slowly (been going strong for almost 7 years!). We're all level 9 now, and our DM doesn't dispense XP as we go along but at the end of adventures. I'm thinking after our current adventure we might actually jump to level 11.
I've loved this game from the start. Our DM is really clever and never pulls punches. Other than my wizard (who literally almost died at least 3 times), the only other original members of the party still with us are a human female swashbuckler/rogue and a half-orc paladin of Ilmater. So far we've lost to gruesome death a dwarven cleric, a half-elf scout, a human Doomguide of Kelemvor, a human shapeshifting ranger and a human changeling druid. The current party is my wizard, the fighter/rogue, the paladin, a human fighter/Occult Slayer, and a female sun elf priestess of Corellon (finally someone my wizard can relate to!)
For your enjoyment I'll go over our adventures thus far!
Adventure 1:
At a Highharvesttide festival in a small town on the western reaches of the High Forest (can't remember the name offhand), the festivities were ruined by a returning hunter who, it turned out, was infested with a Hellwasp Swarm. We managed to save the hunter's life and kill the hellwasps, and were given a mission by the town elders to find out where the hellwasps came from.
We journeyed into the High Forest and discovered the Hellwasps came from the ruins of a Siluvanede fortress called Bellan'Daaran, the Spire of Black Ice. We were ambushed there by a party of fey'ri who were disguised as high elves and tried to trick us into going away.
We found out they were there trying to reactive an ancient relic called the Soul Forge (I think, I might be misremembering), which was built to convert intelligent creatures' souls into magical energy to quickly produce magic items. We destroyed the Soul Forge (encountering ogre zombies, a vampire spawn, a babau demon, a Glassteel golem+swarm of Shadows, and the feyri), but the fey'ri leader, a half-fiend cleric named Pelidaressindal, escaped.
Among the fey'ri's possessions, we discovered a map of the North marked with other locations the Fey'ri intended to go for various reasons.
Adventure 2:
Using clues from the fey'ri map, we journeyed to another Siluvanede ruin in the Nether Mountains, called the Circle of the Black Hand. Turns out they were a secret cabal of demonbinders who worshiped Grazzt.
The fey'ri wanted to go there to reclaim an ancient Siluvaneden artifact called the Bloodstone Chamber, which turned out to be a modified version of a Mirror of Life Trapping, in which the Circle had bound a number of powerful creatures, whose powers they could claim for their own in a ritual with the Bloodstone Chamber.
Unfortunately, a clan of blue dragon-blooded hobgoblins of the Morueme clan were already there trying to excavate it to become a new stronghold. We tentatively allied with the Morueme to try to cleanse the ruin so they could move in, in return for us taking a number of artifacts for ourselves.
Inside we fought a bunch of allips under the control of a whisper demon (hardest fight ever), a bunch of living spells and some demons, and a flameskull who used to be the Circle master. Unfortunately, my character, when examining the Bloodstone Chamber, was tricked by an imp into releasing its master, a powerful Demonfey sorcerer who ended up killing some of the Morueme hobgoblins which basically canceled our truce with the Morueme, forcing us to leave without the Bloodstone Chamber. It was kind of a pyrrhic victory in that the Bloodstone Chamber fell into the hands of the Morueme dragons, who now use its powers to enhance their own armies. But at least the fey'ri don't have it.
Also during this adventure, in the ruin, we came across the remains of a Harper scouting party that included my character's father's journal (no trace of my actual father). Turns out my father, while in the Spellguard, was also a Harper and often would pretend to be away on Spellguard business while actually doing Harper stuff.
Turns out my father convinced his Harper friends to come with him to the Circle in order to recover ANOTHER lost relic, called The Song of Stillness, which is a spellbook filled with great spells but also is a relic of Labelas Enoreth, in which is contained a special ritual that can open temporary portals between two planes which are out of temporal sync. He wanted to use the ritual to try contacting or even traveling to Myth Adofhaer to try to convince Myth Adofhaer to return to Faerun to help combat the risen House Dlargrageth. We found the spellbook and my character deciphered the ritual (and eventually learned a bunch of new regular spells from it).
We discovered that he did in fact perform the ritual and stepped into the portal (which was long gone by the time we got there). So one of our long-term goals now is to recreate the ritual, try to travel to Myth Adofhaer ourselves, find my father and perhaps finish his mission. However, the ritual has rare components: 10,000 gp worth of crushed diamonds, two foci (one from each plane involved in the portal), and a scale from the hide of Chronepsis, the dragon god.
Our only lead on how to find a scale from Chronepsis is by talking to Tulrun of the Tent about how such a thing could occur. But since that seems really hard we decided to go on some more adventures before tackling that.
Also at the end of this adventure, my character joined the Harpers (Harper Mage PrC) as well as our Cormyrean swashbuckler/rogue.
Adventure 3:
Side adventure unrelated to the demonfey etc! We went to Everlund to try to suss out corruption in the guard, and ended up exposing a cult of Cyric who were in cahoots with some of the town leaders for a crime ring. We almost botched it entirely.
The leader of the cult was a necromancer who was using Necromantic Cyst magic to control various guards and town leaders (including some of the clerics of Helm), and once he realized the jig was up tried to burn it all down. In the final battle, a bunch of city buildings burned and general chaos reigned due to the cysts, and our PC Doomguide of Kelemvor was abducted, killed, and raised as an intelligent undead under the necromancer's control. In the battle, he managed to break control long enough to cast dispel magic on the necromancer to help us, and then committed suicide with his bastard sword. Amrallatha the cleric of Corellon almost died helping us.
But we managed to save all the guards, city leaders and clerics from the necromantic cysts, and the corrupt city leader who was one of the masterminds was deposed and exiled. Made a few new enemies who managed to escape. (My wizard's duel with the necromancer was totally satisfying though.)
Adventure 4:
With help from the Harpers, and a retired undercover assassin of Shar, we discovered the Demonfey have been abducting sun elves and imprisoning them in an old dwarven ruin called Dun Moran in the Nether Mountains, where they use some kind of magical brazier to forcibly turn sun elves into Demonfey, with a ritual involving the heart of a slain celestial (we encountered a room full of undead devas with their hearts torn out).
We basically totally botched this mission. We only managed to rescue one captive sun elf before we had to flee because our stealth failed and the whole complex of Demonfey came down on us. Including THEIR leader, a sorcerer named Meth'rael, who summoned a bunch of yeth hounds. We also fought a bunch of bar-lgura demons, which the demonfey had summoned with planar binding to help them in their kidnapping scheme.
During our escape, our half-orc Paladin of Ilmater PC pulled a Gandalf and fought off the demonfey while we escaped. We returned later to try to rescue him, and found the place deserted except for a fire elemental which had destroyed any clues about where the Demonfey went, and also a Vrock left behind just to slow us down. Unfortunately we were too late to save our Paladin, who we found in lots of little pieces in the dungeon, apparently having been slowly tortured to death over the past 2 days. We gathered all the bits in a bag with the intent of getting him resurrected. However (and I smell a DM-PC story plot here), in the process we found a magic axe that somehow restored him to life just by touching him. Turns out it's a holy Dwarven artifact axe called Arurgaast, or The Burden. Super powerful weapon in the hands of a paladin (+4 Holy axe that grants the user the ability to cast several healing spells and also Status, but at the cost of some his own health). The Paladin told us that while he was being tortured, Meth'Rael used the brazier to turn the remaining captive elves into Demonfey and then they all escaped. Also they killed his hippogriff mount :(
Also on our second trip we found the Demonfey's summoning chamber, on the walls of which was written a cryptic message in Celestial that mentioned Malkizid the Branded King.
The bonus of this mission was that High Mage Taern Hornblade debriefed us in person, and basically bade us to continue our fight against the Demonfey and keep him updated on our progress.
Current adventure:
One of the locations on the original fey'ri map was a place called The Vale Beyond the Veil, a demiplane court of unseelie fey whose portal was located in the Silverwood. The fey'ri wanted to go there to reclaim something called "Rain of Embers," which through exhaustive research in Silverymoon's Vault of Sages, we learned is some kind of epic spell or ritual of Corellon that has tremendous destructive power. We learned it was last used in the Seven Citadels War by a heroine of Earlann, the results of the ritual being the entire battlefield and everything on it destroyed (The ballad which told this story ended with a mention of Malkizid and his final doom, which will seemingly be tied to Rain of Embers).
We also learned that, during the Seven Citadels War, a champion of Earlann traveled to the Vale in order to negotiate a ceasefire pact with the fey there, in order to keep the fey from siding with the Dlardrageths in the war. The Champion never returned from the Vale, but his mission worked because the fey never did respond to the Fey'ri's request for aid.
Well, we made it into the Vale (in this demiplane, one week in the Vale equals one year on Faerun), and learned that the current ruler of the Vale, an ancient and powerful nymph sorceress named Angharad, is the current possessor of Rain of Embers. In order to win her favor (and a chance at retrieving Rain of Embers, or ensuring that the fey'ri don't get it), we decided to take part in the Great Hunt, an annual Hunger Games-esque ritual in which groups of hunters try to kill a mythical White Stag, the prize for which is a single wish granted by the Queen. And WHO should we meet again in the Vale except the Demonfey cleric Pelidaressindal from our first adventure and some of her friends, who are ALSO trying to hunt the Stag for the purpose of gaining Rain of Embers from the Queen.
So far in this mission we've gained favor with some of the Vale residents by helping them out but also gained the enmity of others, including the Queen's consort who is a renegade drow wizard. Still haven't concretely discovered what happened to the Champion of Earlann or what the terms of his deal with the fey were (being unseelie fey, it was probably unpleasant). Also, in order to secure some magical help on our hunt from a Killoren Runecaster (in the form of a semi-permanent rune of the Wind at Back spell), my character gave away 20 years of his life (the druid apparently uses Time as currency. Gold is meaningless here.).
We're currently zeroing in on the Stag, but the Demonfey have beat us to the punch and are already fighting it! (The Stag is actually a giant powerful beast that has already killed several other hunters). We're currently racing across a frozen lake toward the battle hoping to get the kill before the Demonfey do! And one of the rules of the Hunt is that no hunter may spill the blood of another hunter, so this is going to be interesting!
I'm REALLLY hoping this goes well and we don't completely botch it. |
Edited by - Cosmar on 07 Aug 2021 07:37:58 |
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Delnyn
Senior Scribe
USA
953 Posts |
Posted - 10 Aug 2021 : 23:07:14
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| Would Kethamil still be interested in joining the Olin Gisir? His background and current training make me think gaining such skills would be perfect to thwart tje Daemonfey. |
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Cosmar
Seeker
89 Posts |
Posted - 12 Aug 2021 : 08:08:14
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I'm debating with my DM over the mechanical merits of going Olin Gisir or just going generic Loremaster and kind of fluffing it as if he were Olin Gisir.
They're *almost* the same class. Olin Gisir sacrifices some of the divination/lore-related abilities in favor of more abjuration-y stuff, and the entry requirements are different. OG requires Iron Will (which Kethamil doesn't have), while Loremaster doesn't - I could enter Loremaster without any fuss (Also I love skills and Loremaster does have more class skills and skill points, but with my 22 Int that doesn't really matter THAT much). However, some of the Olin Gisir secrets are a lot more interesting than the Loremaster's, like Fiend Warding and Focused Mind. And also eventually getting to cast Augury 3/day and also gaining access to Dispel Evil and Holy Word as wizard spells would be huge. But Olin Gisir also has some "dead levels" whereas Loremaster gets something new every level. Regardless, I do think Olin Gisir is a cooler class overall, mechanical arguments aside.
However, my DM has strongly hinted at the possibility of using an Otyugh Hole on Kethamil as a way to get Iron Will for free, but knowing my DM such a scenario could very well result in death. Or, rather, him being forcefully turned into a fey'ri himself (which, depending on how he would run it, could be pretty interesting in itself). Our enemies have made it pretty clear they want Kethamil alive, not dead, so...
I also originally designed Kethamil with the intent of becoming a Spellguard of Silverymoon, but the way the game has progressed and the way I've actually been playing him make me want Olin Gisir instead. He started off much more blasty/offensive, but over time has become more divination/utility/buff/debuff, with very specifically chosen offensive spells (Frost Breath, Orb of Acid, and Great Thunderclap being my favorites, particularly with Sculpt Spell). I even have used Defenestrating Sphere a couple times to hilarious effect.
He also picked up a Runestaff of Fire from one of the ruins we explored, which frees his spell slots up for more interesting spells that he can burn for 'splosions if need be. Also my playstyle has been influenced by the fact I went with Elven Generalist levels (from Races of the Wild) so he can be more of a jack-of-all-trades magically, but there have been times I almost wished I was a specialist just for more spells/day. With mostly the regular wizard allotment I've had to be a lot more careful with my spell choices. |
Edited by - Cosmar on 12 Aug 2021 08:30:58 |
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Delnyn
Senior Scribe
USA
953 Posts |
Posted - 12 Aug 2021 : 23:51:56
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Thanks for replying. Would your DM consider Olin Gisir as a loremaster class with RP bonuses in Tel'Quessir strongholds? The mechanics are loremaster, but admission and advancement are dictated by accomplishments as much as XP. You could be overt loremaster and be treated as ally, but not as committed to the cause as Olin Gisir.
Edit: Autocorrect treated loremaster as postmaster. |
Edited by - Delnyn on 12 Aug 2021 23:54:08 |
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Cosmar
Seeker
89 Posts |
Posted - 25 Aug 2021 : 14:55:03
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I think he probably would allow that. He mostly follows the rules but isn't slavish to them - for example, I was level 7 when I went into the Harper Mage PrC, but he allowed it to retroactively affect my previous levels so it was as if I had chosen it after level 5. Also, since Harper Mage is a 3.0 class and we're playing 3.5, he allowed some tweaks to the class to fit. (I think we redid the Scry prereq as Decipher Script or something like that, can't remember now). (Currently Wizard5/Harper Mage 4). It's been a lot more fun RP'ing as a Harper than I thought it would be. :)
He still might throw me in an Otyugh Hole at some point anyway, because he likes to torture us. :p In which case, if it happens, I'd definitely go with Olin Gisir. |
Edited by - Cosmar on 25 Aug 2021 15:04:58 |
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Delnyn
Senior Scribe
USA
953 Posts |
Posted - 25 Aug 2021 : 22:06:07
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| Hopefully a friendly Harper would be amenable to trading (rare and harder to get) spells. |
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Cosmar
Seeker
89 Posts |
Posted - 27 Aug 2021 : 08:37:21
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That's something I hope can happen too. My DM is somewhat strict (yet realistic) in which spells I am able to find. For example, at one pointed I wanted to find some spells from the Lost Empires of Faerun book to scribe (Nezram's Amethyst Aura and Nezram's Emerald Energy Shield, to be specific) and none of the magic vendors in Silverymoon (where I was looking) had any scrolls of them. It made sense because they're supposed to be rare and obscure spells because they're "lost and forgotten", but maybe some Harper somewhere would!
Aside, update on our current battle, trying to kill the White Stag at the same time as the Demonfey: The demonfey tried to thwart our approach by summoning a huge fiendish centipede on the ice of the frozen lake we were crossing as well as a wall of fire; I teleported our swashbuckler/rogue and paladin past them and closer to the Stag. Our fighter and swashbuckler/rogue closed on the stag (who is affected by Greater Mirror Image, and is large size with the Large and in Charge feat, has 90 feet movement and a really powerful headbutt attack). The main demonfey enemy cast a Dispelling Screen hempishere spell around the Stag and our adjacent characters, and the other demonfey dispelled some of my buffs, and another Demonfey used his Darkness SLA to hide himself. I have a Ring of the Darkhidden though and tried (and failed) to dispel the Dispelling Screen, and ran into the darkness to be hidden and hope to disable the demonfey in a Solid Fog. We've got to get rid of that dispelling screen or we could be toast. It's already a tough battle because the Stag is so powerful (in one full round with 3 headbutt attacks the stag did 59 damage to the fighter), and per the rules of the Hunt neither us nor the demonfey can physically harm each other while hunting the Stag. Ugh. I also have Glitterdust, Great Thunderclap, Resilient Sphere, and Telekinesis prepared, in the hope of taking the Demonfey out of the equation without actually hurting them (maybe just pinning the casters with Telekinesis so they can't cast spells). I also want to buff the swashbucker/rogue with Greater Invisibility and the paladin with Enlarge Person, but I think I first need to get those demonfey casters neutralized... |
Edited by - Cosmar on 27 Aug 2021 09:04:25 |
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Cosmar
Seeker
89 Posts |
Posted - 21 Dec 2021 : 04:05:48
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For anyone interested: we won our battle with the White Stag.
The Demonfey tried to thwart our approach to the stag by casting a wall of fire across the frozen lake we were running across and summoning a colossal centipede as well. My wizard (in avariel form thanks to alter self) teleported our party past the fire and centipede and into the fray. The next few rounds consisted of both us and the fey'ri trying to get potshots in on the stag while hindering each other. They used their natural darkness ability, and I used fog cloud to obscure their sight, and their leader put up a hemispheric Dispelling Screen around the stag and our meleers.
(The stag had Greater Mirror Image and Dimension Door SLAs, DR/cold iron (I think DR/10), SR 15 ish I think, 28 AC, 90-ft move speed, Large and in Charge feat, Fast Healing of at least 3, and a brutal antler attack that routinely did between 25-40 damage per hit with power attack. Also had super high ref and fort saves, such that I gave up trying to use spells that targeted those as I realized I had about a 10% chance of success).
Eventually, after getting some solid hits on it, the stag (like a real life stag probably would) tried to escape, leading to a protracted chase sequence in which we and the demonfey tried to catch it. It evaded my solid fog and made all its saves against my great thunderclap, and by that point the demonfey seemed to give up and teleported away, assuming it was lost for the day. However right then I cast telekinesis and got lucky with a nat 20 grapple check. I was able to hold it just long enough for our party to catch up to it, but then it decided to gore me (as I was alone at the time), almost killed me in one hit. Then our biggest tank got between us and I cast Enlarge Person on him so that he could get into the stag's melee range without an AOO (stag was Large size with reach) and took its next full attack, which took him to -9 hp, but our cleric (who was Flying) cast mass cure light wounds just in time.
Our hippogriff mounted paladin and greater-invisibility'ed rogue caught up, I took a 5-foot step out of the stag's reach and cast glitterdust, it failed its will save and was blinded. The rogue finally got sneak attack with her cold iron mace, and the enlarged Tank finished it off with his cold iron shortswords. 138 damage total. The fight lasted 15 rounds total, by far the longest I've had (though at least half of that was chasing).
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Edited by - Cosmar on 21 Dec 2021 04:11:34 |
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Delnyn
Senior Scribe
USA
953 Posts |
Posted - 06 Feb 2022 : 21:33:03
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| Any more updates on this campaign? |
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Cards77
Senior Scribe
USA
746 Posts |
Posted - 07 Feb 2022 : 00:42:48
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I melded Olin-Gisir and Loremaster in my current gold elf wizard.
Does this family know if their kiira still exists? |
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Delnyn
Senior Scribe
USA
953 Posts |
Posted - 20 Mar 2022 : 18:45:12
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quote:
Originally posted by Cards77
I melded Olin-Gisir and Loremaster in my current gold elf wizard.
Does this family know if their kiira still exists?
Yeah, the kiira currently adorns the forehead of a particularly meddlesome Chosen of Mystra. No guarantee of its return like House Alastrarra (spelling) |
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Cosmar
Seeker
89 Posts |
Posted - 27 Mar 2022 : 22:23:56
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The campaign slowed down a lot over the past few months (pbp campaign and various people including the DM had lots going on). So we're only just now going to bed after killing the Stag. A lot is happening though.
After killing the stag, our ranger/occult slayer tank butchered the carcass to extract the heart and the liver (the latter as a souvenir to eat), and my wizard took a few of its hairs and some shavings off its antlers for souvenirs/potential spell/research components.
Just as we were doing this, the party of Demonfey started flying toward our location, having realized the Stag did not elude us. We were able to get most of us into our Portable Hole and teleport back to the Faerie Queen's ice castle before the Demonfey reached us.
Once there, the Queen and all her court were seen to have been gathered around a magic pool that had been showing them the progress of the Hunt remotely the whole time. We gave the Queen the stag's heart very ceremoniously. She then tossed it into a magic fire that appeared above the pool and gave a speech about how "the pact has been remade" and "the circle is closed." Our cleric, who still had True Seeing active, and my wizard, who divined some of what was happening via Spellcraft, saw the truth: that the Hunt was part of an elaborate, epic-level abjuration ritual that somehow protected this demiplane from attack by the Far Realm. The cleric saw beyond the sky a colossal mass of eyes, tentacles and teeth bearing down on the world but just as the heart was consumed in the flame the thing was pushed back by a barrier.
The Queen then asked us what boon we wished for our service. My wizard gave the speech asking for the Rain of Embers, mentioning what we learned before: that an unnamed Champion of Earlann traveled here long ago trying to prevent the Vale from joining the Sixth Thrones War on the side of the Demonfey. This angered the court and the queen gave a scathing speech to them about the importance of upholding oaths. Then she told us the history we didn't know: the Champion of Earlann had come to the Vale and pleaded with the ruler at the time, who was the current queen's father, to aid Earlann against Siluvanede. But the King said no, and then the Champion assassinated him. After ascending to the throne, the current queen punished the Champion to burn for all eternity (the Champion's now nicknamed The Burning One) and took the Rain of Embers.
Despite the history, she decided to uphold her end and give us the Rain of Embers in the morning, which apparently is contained in a bottle. However we had to swear oaths that 1) we would not release the Rain of Embers until we'd returned to our own world, and 2) that none of us would ever return to the Vale. She spoke of a "spreading conflict" on Faerun and that she refused to allow anyone to get her involved.
So now we're sleeping in our quarters of honor in her palace getting ready to receive Rain of Embers in the morning and go back to Faerun. We're hoping that we can just have the cleric Plane Shift us back instead of going through the hoops required to use the Portal to go back. We know that time in the Vale is way slower than time on Faerun, so it's hard ot say how much time has passed and what's happening now. But it was winter 1372 and 1373 had just begun when we entered the Vale so by now it might very well be 1374.
We know the Demonfey came back to the Castle as well and we mingled with the Court a bit at the party. We know there's some intrigue brewing among the court involving the Queen's half-fey son and the Queen's consort, who is a renegade drow wizard. We rescued the prince from certain death at the hands of an aranea who was apparently friendly with the drow wizard. We're hoping we can avoid being entangled in it and can just go back to Faerun in the morning.
Things I'm worried about: 1) the Demonfey trying something sneaky during the night or in the morning to either get us killed / seize Rain of Embers for themselves / thwart us from returning to Faerun. 2) Somehow getting caught up further in Fey Court intrigue. This has been a long adventure and I kind of just want to get back to Faerun ASAP! (And I suspect the adventure won't be over till we've taken Rain of Embers to wherever it is we're going to take it.)
However, I am curious about WHO THE CHAMPION ACTUALLY IS and if we'll get to see this "burning one" in person (and I also wonder what the truth of the old king's assassination was. It's hard to trust the fey on their own word).
Also, in the morning the cleric will commune with Corellon to seek his guidance on what should be done with the Rain of Embers. Who should have it/where should we take it? I'm thinking maybe Evereska.
Also a small aside, after returning to the palace and while having a private dinner, the ranger tank cut up some of the Stag liver and he and my wizard ate some. The others didn't. Now in the night my wizard is having weird stag-like dreams and had to roll a d100, which I really hope doesn't end badly. (Note to self: probably shouldn't just eat the liver of a strange magical creature).
Re: My character's family's kiira, I haven't written anything about them into the backstory specifically, and we haven't seen or heard anything about them specifically in game. But I am hoping something like that might turn up in our travels. I would imagine his grandfather in Evermeet might have one. I think it would be super cool to find/receive one that goes all the way back to Aryvandaar. |
Edited by - Cosmar on 27 Mar 2022 22:48:40 |
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Cosmar
Seeker
89 Posts |
Posted - 27 Mar 2022 : 23:27:37
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UPDATE: So, eating the Stag liver has given my wizard a measure of its power! He now has +1 natural armor, the Improved Toughness feat, and a pair of silver antlers growing out of his forehead that give him a natural gore attack (1d8+Str or 1/2 Str as extra attack, silver and magic for DR). Also he has longer nails and a slight silver fur all over his body. These are permanent (Ex) effects.
Though the DM said there will be other impacts that will be explored in-game (gulp)
Apparently, the tank received hooves instead of horns, and the Fleet of Foot feat.
Edit: Does anyone have recommendations for where I could get a really high-quality character portrait commissioned? I've wanted to get one of Kethamil for a while, but now he's got these funky fey-ish changes I'm dying to get one! |
Edited by - Cosmar on 28 Mar 2022 14:45:56 |
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Delnyn
Senior Scribe
USA
953 Posts |
Posted - 29 Mar 2022 : 00:25:15
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quote:
Originally posted by Cosmar
UPDATE: So, eating the Stag liver has given my wizard a measure of its power! He now has +1 natural armor, the Improved Toughness feat, and a pair of silver antlers growing out of his forehead that give him a natural gore attack (1d8+Str or 1/2 Str as extra attack, silver and magic for DR). Also he has longer nails and a slight silver fur all over his body. These are permanent (Ex) effects.
Though the DM said there will be other impacts that will be explored in-game (gulp)
Apparently, the tank received hooves instead of horns, and the Fleet of Foot feat.
Edit: Does anyone have recommendations for where I could get a really high-quality character portrait commissioned? I've wanted to get one of Kethamil for a while, but now he's got these funky fey-ish changes I'm dying to get one!
I take it Kethamil will have a hard time with head slot items such as a headband of intellect and the ranger will have a hard time with foot slot items. |
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Cosmar
Seeker
89 Posts |
Posted - 29 Mar 2022 : 00:44:58
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If that's the case, the DM hasn't said anything about it (he currently has a headband of int equipped), and I'm certainly not going to bring it up! XD
Also I misread what the ranger had said, he doesn't actually have hooves but rather his fingernails now just kind of resemble hooves. I imagine the antlers may have been the result of the d100 I had to roll (got a 93), probably was for random physical effects or something. |
Edited by - Cosmar on 29 Mar 2022 00:46:30 |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6666 Posts |
Posted - 29 Mar 2022 : 12:53:26
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Better late than never: "light unending" in FR elvish would be Ivae Ifeira.
-- George Krashos |
"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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Cosmar
Seeker
89 Posts |
Posted - 29 Mar 2022 : 18:26:09
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quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos
Better late than never: "light unending" in FR elvish would be Ivae Ifeira.
-- George Krashos
Thanks, George! I couldn't find what it would be in Realms-elven so found it in Tolkien elven (I think probably Sindarin?). But I wanted to know it in FR-speak. It looks kind of cooler anyway! If I ever get a chance to play Kethamil's cousin Elethar who is a bladesinger, I'd like that motto to be written on his sword. |
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Cosmar
Seeker
89 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jun 2022 : 14:34:46
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Brief update to this campaign.
We took a long break due to at various times the DM or other players having various life challenges to deal with.
However:
- We passed the night in the Fey Queen's Palace without incident, and in the morning we unexpectedly smoothly just received the Rain of Embers. It was contained in a crystal vial that seemed to be filled with smoke and embers.
- We managed to make it back to Faerun with the vial containing Rain of Embers via a Plane Shift spell, after receiving an escort away from the Faerie Queen's palace by her winter wolf captain of the guard. The demonfey were nowhere to be seen, I assume they probably left in the night or maybe were disguised. But so far they haven't bothered us again.
- We appeared in Faerun sometime at night, apparently 180 miles southwest of Silverymoon near the Trollmoors.
- We don't yet know what time of year it is, or what year even. We learned earlier that a tenday in the Vale Beyond the Veil equals roughly a year on Faerun, and we were in the Vale about a week. And it was winter in either very late 1372 or early 1373 when we entered the Vale (can't remember exactly), and based on the weather conditions on Faerun currently I'm guessing it's late summer or fall sometime.
- We spent an inordinate amount of time trying to decide how to break the vial containing Rain of Embers. All we knew about Rain of Embers was that it was fiery and powerful, and we didn't want to risk accidentally blowing ourselves up (and our priestess Communed with Corellon about it before we left the Vale, and all he said was that we should release the Rain of Embers as soon as possible, and something about the Branded King's prophesied doom being consumed by the Rain of Embers). And we weren't sure how tough the vial was. So our paladin ended up carrying it 1000 feet into the sky on his griffon mount and just dropping it while we took cover.
- The vial broke, and out of it came a giant winged angel made of fire (best I could get with Knowledge the Planes was that it's probably some kind of celestial, most likely a high-ranking Deva or maybe a Solar). So apparently the Rain of Embers is not a spell or a ritual, but an actual celestial being! It's been made clear that this thing is a lot more powerful than anything we've ever experienced.
That's it for now. We're still trying to process how to respond, lol. It's just kind of standing there looking at us and we're looking back like "uhhh."
Edit: During her Commune with Corellon, our priestess found out that the changes to my wizard from eating the Stag liver may not be entirely benevolent, but he didn't elaborate (maybe he didn't know exactly). Apparently whatever the other side effects are will be revealed. (gulp) |
Edited by - Cosmar on 10 Jun 2022 14:57:27 |
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Cosmar
Seeker
89 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jun 2022 : 20:28:06
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We spoke very little with the Rain of Embers. She looked to the stars and seemed afraid, then asked us how much time has passed. We told her it's been nearly 6,000 years. She looked very concerned with dread, but thanked us, told us she'd repay her debt to her for liberating her, and that we'd talk again soon, and vanished.
After some more chatter, we decided to teleport to Silverymoon to report our success to the High Mage and plan next steps. (It is nighttime with stars currently).
We teleport...only to find ourselves smack dab in the middle of a many-thousands-strong orc horde laying siege to the city. The walls are intact, but smoke is rising from behind the walls (methinks sabotage).
Now we're fighting off waves of orcs trying to figure what to do. We're debating about teleporting again to somewhere safe but away from the city to reconnoiter, or teleporting to the other side of the city (Where there aren't any visible foes) and then flying over the walls into the city.
The besieging army is described as "a true orc horde," and they're complete with trebuchets and siege towers. |
Edited by - Cosmar on 23 Jun 2022 21:05:44 |
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Delnyn
Senior Scribe
USA
953 Posts |
Posted - 28 Jun 2022 : 23:47:33
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What is the political condition of Luruar in your campaign at this time?
"Lurker" changed to "Luruar". Darn autocorrect. |
Edited by - Delnyn on 03 Jul 2022 12:15:37 |
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Cosmar
Seeker
89 Posts |
Posted - 29 Jun 2022 : 23:03:39
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Do you mean Luruar? Well as of game start, I don't think it had even been a full year since it was founded, so quite new and maybe untested.
It's hard to tell yet until we get more information whether the siege has just recently begun or if it's already been going on for a while. |
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Delnyn
Senior Scribe
USA
953 Posts |
Posted - 03 Jul 2022 : 12:19:52
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| I'm curious which tribe(s) leads the seige. You may have an Obould-caliber warlord involved. |
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Cosmar
Seeker
89 Posts |
Posted - 05 Jul 2022 : 03:13:15
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Yes, we saw the Many-Arrows banner, so it would seem Obould himself might at least be involved somehow.
I'll be interested to see whether the Demonfey had any involvement in it. The timing seems pretty coincidental with the other Demonfey stuff that has been going on.
Brief update:
- We managed to get everyone back into our Portable Hole in time to teleport to relative safety before the horde completely overwhelmed us. (Not high enough level yet for teleport to work on everyone in the group, so until we hit level 12 someone has to go in the hole whenever we teleport.) I teleported us to the southwest of Silverymoon near the Silverwood where we could see there weren't any encampments. (We were previously on a hill just east of Silverymoon where the bulk of the horde was).
- We're now trying to find a safe spot from which I can cast a Sending to the High Mage informing him of our return, mission successful, and asking for direction. Since it takes 10 minutes to cast we need to make sure we're safe. We're currently trying to stealthily skirt around a wooden watchtower to get closer to the Silverwood.
- Since Silverymoon's mythal doesn't block flying magic (or flying creatures in general), I am thinking we could fly over the walls into the city, but I want to make sure that 1) inside the city is actually safe, 2) whether the High Mage would rather us stay away and maybe get help from/do something somewhere else, 3) that they know we'd be flying over the walls and so not just shoot us down.
- I can fly, our priestess of Corellon can fly (Transportation domain), and our paladin can fly (newly summoned Griffon mount), so we should all be able to get in.
- Also, it's dark and cloudy, but not total darkness, so I'm guessing very early morning. So stealth and general dimness work in our favor.
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Edited by - Cosmar on 05 Jul 2022 03:47:56 |
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Cosmar
Seeker
89 Posts |
Posted - 31 Jul 2022 : 05:39:38
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The campaign has been very slow lately, with DM and players here and there having to be away for a while. But it seems about to pick up with everyone back from our various trips.
- We scouted a wooden guard tower that was between us and the Silverwood, and it was full of orcs. They didn't see us, and we managed to sneak down to the Rauvin River, where we're taking the "hard" way to Everlund.
- We found and rescued a nobleman from Silverymoon who was unconscious and dying after being left behind (at his insistence) by his group after they were ambushed by orcs. We healed him and are probably going to try to delivery him safely to his family at Everlund.
- The nobleman filled us in on some happenings. Apparently a month ago (when we were still in the Vale), rumors began that the orcs in the northern mountains and the Rauvin Vale were massing. They first attacked Citadel Felbarr, which they conquered. The Spellguard and Argent Legion rode out to slow the horde's advance, but something went very wrong: the horde was not slowed, and less than half of the Spellguard and Argent Legion came back. The orc horde reached Silverymoon ten days ago, and are besieging both it and Rauvinwatch Keep.
- I got my Sending spell off to Taern Hornblade, who responded that we should not try to enter Silverymoon by any means and warned us to beware of Demonfey hidden among the orc ranks. So, confirmed that the Demonfey are helping the orcs (and/or vice versa?) He also said he'll scry Kethamil in a couple of hours for more proper talk.
- So now we're going to try to make our way overland to Everlund and try to keep this nobleman alive, and meanwhile wait for the High Mage's contact. |
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Cosmar
Seeker
89 Posts |
Posted - 08 Aug 2022 : 01:57:44
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After speaking with the High Mage more thoroughly, I'm guessing through a greater scrying on his end, we learned that the demonfey have recovered two pieces of the Gatekeeper's Crystal, and it was with their help that they and the orcs overpowered Citadel Felbarr's defenses, routed the Spellguard/Argent Legion, and are helping to prevent Silverymoon from unleashing its full magical power against the hordes.
He also confirmed the horde is following King Obould, and he told us that Everlund hasn't been besieged yet and promised what aid it could spare, but its forces are tied up in defending settlements in the Delimbyr Vale. Also, Citadel Adbar and Sundabar are bitter about Felbarr's fall, and are focused on protecting themselves and so aren't sending help. Mithril Hall has remained true, and has dispatched forces to the northern mountains to prevent more orc tribes from joining Obould's horde.
He told us the situation for Silverymoon is grim, but is a stalemate at the moment. But if the demonfey get a hold of the third piece of the crystal, that would be very bad for Silverymoon.
The third piece is still lost, and Alustriel and one of her sisters (unknown which one) are searching for it through the planes.
Once we get to Everlund and regroup, Taern wants to enlist our help to deal with the other two pieces. Exactly how, I'm not sure: he said that whoever the bearers of those pieces are, they're guarded against divinations, and they are regularly teleporting around the region, but remain close enough to Silverymoon for the shards' powers to affect it.
This should be interesting, but it looks like our search for Myth Adofhaer might again be put on hold (unless it somehow gets tied up in the Gatekeeper's Crystal thing). Kind of sad because I really want to find Myth Adofhaer!
I wonder if my DM has read The Last Mythal series. I haven't read all of it, but from other people I know the basic story and the Gatekeeper's Crystal is heavily involved. IT feels like the current events are kind of similar to that story, but with more of an enemy focus on Silverymoon.
What other published sources talk about the Gatekeeper's Crystal? All I know is the Harpers used it to blow up Hellgate Keep. |
Edited by - Cosmar on 08 Aug 2022 02:18:32 |
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Cosmar
Seeker
89 Posts |
Posted - 22 Sep 2022 : 15:04:44
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OK so we made it safely to Everlund where the noble we rescued was reunited with his family.
We went to Moongleam Tower to talk to Eaerlraun Shadowlyn, who told us that the bearers of the 2 shards of the Gatekeeper's Crystal are probably somewhere in the wilderness between Everlund and Silverymoon, since sometimes when they use the Crystal's power, both Everlund and Silverymoon have been affected.
We also know which specific pieces of the crystal they have. I can't remember off the top of my head which spheres of magic each individual Shard blocks, but when both of their shards are put together, they negate all arcane magic (including their own) over a large area. It was this use of the crystal that enabled the Horde to win a major victory against the Argent Legion and Spellguard in the early days of the war.
He also said that Everlund hasn't had to face the Horde directly yet, since the Horde seems intent on Silverymoon (which, barring any disasters, should be able to hold out for a long time). In the meantime, Everlund's Lord Moorwalker is harrying the Tanarruk who have descended from the mountains, trying to keep the roads open etc. From what they can tell, the Tanarruk are striking out of opportunity rather than any obedience to Obould.
He also gave us more backstory on the Gatekeeper's Crystal and showed us an image of what the shards look like via an illusion. So our characters now know (even though we players already knew) that the Harpers used the Crystal to blow up Hellgate Keep with the help of the Mistmaster.
So now we're resting and recuperating (and also leveling up). We're actually jumping from level 9 to level 11 with some spare XP on top, since we didn't level up at the end of the previous mission. Also, since the last couple missions were kind of light on treasure, the Harpers are opening their resources to us to help us prepare. Basically, we are able to procure up to 25K gp worth of items.
For Kethamil, I'm going to split that gold between new spells to learn and items. I'm picking up Bracers of the Entangling Blast, Boots of Big Stepping, a Third Eye Penetrate (for the bonus to defeat SR), and upgrading my headband of intellect from +2 to +4.
He'll go from Wizard 5/Harper Mage4 to Wizard 5/Harper Mage 5/Loremaster 1. The neat thing about both those PrCs is that they have 4+Int mod/level skill points rather than the usual 2, and so I have gotten to be fairly skillful as well. I've put a bunch of ranks into Listen and Move Silently so that I can more easily accompany our party rogue/swashbuckler (who is also a member of the Harpers) without ruining her stealth. And with a couple class and racial features, my Listen modifier is now +16 so he can hear almost anything.
For new spells learned, I'm debating. Since I took the Elf Generalist substitution levels (from Races of the Wild), I get to learn 3 spells at each level-up for free instead of 2. And with my DM's house rules, I can learn and scribe 1 additional spell in each 24-hour period. So I can learn a few new spells. I just want to try to actually pick spells that will be useful and see actual use, rather than "cool spells I like on paper but realistically I might only use once if ever."
I'm thinking for the free spells, at level 10 I'll learn Overland Flight, Prying Eyes, and Dimension Door (which I've wished I had a bunch of times), and for level 11, I'll learn Greater Dispel Magic, Disintegrate, and Contingency.
I'm also thinking of picking up Dimensional Anchor, since there have been several times that villains escaped us with teleportation (and I'm sick of that!)
Since he's a dedicated Generalist wizard, he has fewer spell slots but has the whole smorgasbord of magic available to learn, so I try to pick useful spells from across all schools. Which I think will be a benefit now with the Gatekeeper's Crystal in play: if they use one Shard against us and certain schools are blocked, I can use spells from the schools that aren't blocked.
Any thoughts on level 5 or 6 spells I should learn for battling demons and Demonfey? (Remember this is 3.5). |
Edited by - Cosmar on 22 Sep 2022 16:50:02 |
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Delnyn
Senior Scribe
USA
953 Posts |
Posted - 25 Sep 2022 : 16:49:08
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| If you expect to fight demons, study dismissal if you can. For a 6th level spell, I always recommend greater dispel magic for any spellcaster. |
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House Sylairaque: in search of lost glory
