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Kenric's Post Chapter 1 Down Time
In order to not clutter up the other thread I made one of my own for my weekly plans. :)
Cliff Notes:
- Scribe a bunch of scrolls
- Perform any light weight research I can (Knowledge checks?)
- Examine what the BCA (Blue Crater Academy) has to offer specifically, services and items for sale.
- Get a stock list from Skye
- Do some stuff for Ghelve
- Read the various books/papers I’ve collected in more detail.
- Other stuff….
The Plan:
This is roughly what I have planned out. This may not actually all be possible:
Most of the following scrolls will be done at CL1 or whatever the minimum for that spell is. I’ll update with estimated costs soon.
Week 1
Day 0(Saturday): Spells to prepare for next day: Darkvision, Comprehend Languages
Day 1:Scribe Scroll: Darkvision (2nd Level) 75gp – Gerran is buying this.
Non-Spell Research:
Spells to prepare for next day: Comprehend languages (lose one MM), Invisibility (replace DV), Ray of Frost x2, Read Magic (if used to read the book),
Other Stuff: Look for replacement furniture for Ghelve’s. Bed too small! Look at job wanted postings at Academy. Chat with explorers club. Inquire if Ghelve wants some books to study and see if he might be able to do some work on a work release type of thing.
Day 2:
Scribe Scroll: Comprehend Languages 12gp
Non-Spell Research:
Spell preperation: Comprehend Languages, other spells as necessary.
Other Stuff: Consider turning it into the Moonhowler’s “Front Office”. By Appointment Only of course. Find out who owns the property. If that doesn’t work, see what we can do to get Ghelve working or something.
Odd Jobs: Perform the gig at Tucklin Manor using Ray of Frost.
Day 3:
Scribe Scroll: Invisibility 75gp
Non-Spell Research: Spell Research:
Spell Preparation: Keep the same as I already have and replace Invisibility. So no changes.
Other Stuff: Stop by Vordamax Weer’s shop and get a list of potions and other magical items he has for sale. Play chess with Kegan and/or Ythaob
Day 4:
Scribe Scroll: Comprehend Languages 12gp
Non-Spell Research: Book?
Spell Research:
Spell Preparation: Mage Armor, Comprehend Languages
Other:Play chess with Kegan and/or Ythaob
Day 5:
Scribe Scroll: Mage Armor 12gp
Spell Preparation: Mage Armor
Play chess with Kegan and/or Ythaob
Day 6:
Scribe Scroll: Mage Armor 12gp
Spell Preparation: Mage Armor
Day 7:
Copy from Scroll: Mirror Image (200gp to copy to book)
Spell Preparation: Mirror Image
Roll for available spells at BCA
(75g for the scroll sold to Gerran).
Week 2:
Day 1: Scribe Scroll: Mirror Image (75gp)Spells for next day: Standard load out + 2x Comprehend Languages.
At this point I have 1p, 2g, 97s I am done doing stuff that costs money.
Spells for next day: standard load out
Day 3: Research #1: Jzadirune using Local(+7) and Architecture (+5), and History (+6)
Research #2: Vanishing using Arcana (+11), Local (+7) and History (+6)
Day 4: Research #1: Malachite Hold using Local(+7) and Architecture (+5), and History (+6)
Research #2: Beholders using Planes (+6)
Day 5: Research #1: Lord Orbius using Local +7, The Planes +6
Research #2: Hookface using Local +7 (4 hours block +6) +13
Day 6: Research #1: King Snurr using Knowledge Nobility +6 (4 hour block +6) = +12
Research #2: The Chain using Knowledge Arcana +17 (4 hour check)
After researching I’ll send it to Braenna’s master for any insight he can provide.
Day 7: Scroll: Mage Armor (12gp)
Week 3:
Day 1: Researching #1 and #2: Examine the busted automation and the partially complete one. Performing any supplemental research at the academy as necessary. Knowledge Engineering twice +11 each.Day 2: Craft a second Mirror image scrolls since I didn’t have the money for the first. Sell to BCA. Play chess with Kegan and/or Ythaob
Day 3: Scroll: Mirror Image (making two one to BCA next to me)
Day 4: Scroll Mirror Image
In the interest of burnishing our street cred, one the Cauldron Herald comes out, I will write a lovely thank you note to the noble that sponsored my after school wizardly program. I’m presuming that there will be an article about our daring rescue of the captives. And if there isn’t we need to write up one and make sure it gets published.
In response to Thom’s post on the explorer’s society at the BCA:
Oh great, more secret society bullshit. Kenric just paid 2,000gp to join one organization, I’m not sure he wants to get hooked up with another. What is their charter? And what does this oath entail?
I’ll inquire if Keygan Ghelve wants any of his books while he is in prison, and if he’d be willing to sell his house. It also might be interesting if we could get him released on a “work furlough” program. He works, we get paid.
CL1 in most cases on the scrolls.
I also want to explore working out an arrangement with Skie (or anyone else for that matter) for the manufacture of magic items and alchemical items. I figure this can work work several ways.
- Buyer pays for materials and just compensates me for my time, either in gold or in store credit. I’d be willing to accept less gold, or more store credit. We will have to work out guidelines.
- I make the stuff out of my own pocket on request, but it will cost more.
- I’ll also make items for “trade”, say Skie finds a cool spell book or whatever and wants a particular wand.
Excellent description of your downtime, Kenric!
I’ll try to address your items in order:
The Bluecrater Academy is even more vast inside than you thought, with classrooms, laboratories, dormitories and other rooms, hallways and stairways that form a spiderweb that defies spacial logic. Much of the Academy is off-limits to an academ, such as yourself. It seems that to a fledgling wizard the main offerings of the Academy is arcane education. You are expected to attend lectures and get involved with the Philosophies or begin research. Most of the politics revolve around the various schools of magic specialization. It is likely there is much more to it – as evidenced by the plethora of badges and emblems of unknown meaning or purpose that are proudly worn by the most established of the wizardly members. It appears to you that it would take years of dedication to this institute of academic/philosophic finger-wagglers in order to truly fit in and understand them. One thing is for sure, they frown upon adventurers since the whole lot are uncouth and ‘mis’-civilized. The Academy does not sell magical items or scrolls. When you ask about this they say with a sniff, “Go make them yourself.” Likewise, there are no obvious services offered here beyond what you are already aware of.
The Seekers are a small group of mis-fits within the Academy, as they seem to be more interested in exploration and the acquisition of treasure or magic. They seem to persevere only because their leader, Jarvin Menthrow, insists the organization is concerned with the historical study of ancient cultures. Rumor has it that the Seekers were found by the indomitable Mordekainen, but, in fact, the history of the organization goes back much, much further than that. At any rate, they are recruiting and they aren’t picky. If asked in a serious manner, Jarvin explains in more detail that the Seekers catalog treasure and magical items found in the ruins of ancient civilizations. A master catalog exists at the University of the Flanness and the group theorizes that this collection of knowledge somehow can offer wealth and power to its members. The Seekers don’t share in their finds with each other, they only ask for an honest reporting of what is found. It is a bit like modern day bird-watching. Its not clear what advantages would be of an immediate benefit to Kenric except the fact that all wizards belong to some faction within the walls of the great school and loners tend to be thoroughly ignored. Maybe there is power in numbers and since Kenric is not a specialist, it puts him at an immediate disadvantage.
Non-magical Research: Whenever you want to dedicate 4 hours of brain-draining research, go ahead and send me over Knowledge checks. You get +6 to these if you use the BCA’s Library of Universality.
- Jzadirune (Local, Architecture, History)
- Vanishing (Local, History, Arcana)
- Malachite Hold (Local, History, Architecture)
- Beholders (Dungeoneering, The Planes)
- Lord Orbius (Local, The Planes)
Weer’s Elixirs: Well…ok, the brinded cat is now out of the bag of holding, or so to speak. Somehow he crams his massive stock of potions and such in that little shop down by the waterfront. He’s a cheap and angry bastard and he won’t spring for a better place. He claims his arcane skills are more than a match for any would-be-thief. Go on now…go take a look…I know you want to.
The Cauldron Herald: This upstanding piece of journalism comes out once a week on Waterday. I’ll post the last one and I’ll be sure to post this one too – please write up your notice. It costs 1 sp per word for adverts.
Skie: Skie will gladly purchase your creations. But she needs to see them first. No, she won’t sponsor your work by paying for your merchandise before she sees it first!
The Seekers What is their oath like? I don’t really have a problem joining them although I would like to know what the benefits are, and how hard it is to leave the group if they turn out to be dorks?
The Cauldron Herald My intent wasn’t to write an article IN the herald, but to the sponsor of the n00b wizard program I attended and thank her for her patronage AFTER the herald comes out mentioning our deeds.
Actually it might be wise to consult with the Herald and make sure they get the facts right. If they aren’t writing one, then we certainly need to provide them with a “press release”.
Outstanding Thom Issues:
- Update on the Elves
- Updates on the knowledge checks so I can finish planning
- Results from Gerran’s gather info checks so I can see if I need to expand my knowledge checks
- Odd Jobs for Kenric if there are any
- Updates on some of my proposed knowledge checks so I know what to use.
1. There is now a reply waiting for you under the Correspondence (with the elves) Forum regarding this.
2. Jzadirune and the Vanishing – you find considerable information on these two topics, but most of it is already listed in the Wiki under Jzadirune, The Vanishing, Dromlin Mortarsblud, Malachite Hold, Baldo Stelunkin and King Beznod. A few new tidbits are discovered, however. First, you uncover evidence that only about half of Jzadirune has been discovered. You have found the Royal Apartments, Chapel District and the Center of Industry (as the gnomes loved to call it), but you have yet to discover the Grande Entry, the Commons and the Public Park. You surmise it is somewhere beyond the gargantuan slabs of malachite that Alec pointed out. You also discover that many gnomes survived the Vanishing and that Victella Marswert, the High Priest of Wee Jas sixty eight years ago, had successfully diagnosed the ailment as a disease. She and her very small staff of acolytes (at that time Wee Jas was just a fledgling religion in the area) cured any gnome suffering from the blight for free. For some time afterward the church was held up as a favorite by many gnomes in Cauldron, but in time the gnomes wandered away from the city and few remain to this day.
3. Malachite Hold – you discover that the Malachite Hold had long been the gathering place of all things dwarven in Cauldron. The dwarves always had a king that was usually a hereditary position – passed down from father to son. The dwarves of the Hold were known for their piousness and devotion to their god and it was said Moradin was so pleased with the residents of the Hold that he, personally, visited them on many occasions and was fond of watching over their great forgeworks and blessing their craft at metal shaping. Many stories exist of nightmares traveling up from the Underdark in an effort to capture, kill, enslave or just eat those who lived above ground – only to be met at the gates of the Hold (where it gets its name) and repulsed by the mighty dwarves who lived there. Apparently a break in the royal line lead to civil war among the dwarves in 186 CY. Martorn Helmsmark claimed rights to the throne as his sister-in-law was the great-great grand niece of the late king’s late grand-uncle. Half the dwarves in the Hold agreed this link was too thin and the High Priest Delkin Boorsmal rallied the Church of Moradin to claim rulership over the Hold. In the end, the followers of Delkin removed the statue of Moradin from the Hold and took it out to the jungle somewhere. It was at that point when the dwarves agreed Moradin abandoned them and all hope was lost. The dwarves left the Malachite Hold at that point – leaving it defenseless. The Gnomes of Jzadirune permanently sealed the Grande Stair that connected the two cities, as they were both unwilling and unable to defend that perilous connection to the Underdark. Eventually, both dwarven factions dissolved and blended into the rest of the Cauldron populace. Others fled to the mines outside of town. Only the Splintershield family has ever kept the faith and remembered the Hold and the glory days when Moradin himself strode amongst the dwarves and gave strength to their Great Forge! You find more current information about the Malachite Hold but it is already detailed under the NPC section for Zenith Splintershield.
4. Beholders and Lord Orbius – well…good rolls, but you find not ONE thing about a Lord Orbius or any beholders known to haunt the area. But beholders in general nets you much more information: It is described as a “Sphere of Many Eyes” or “Eye Tyrant,” a levitating globe with ten magical eye stalks. It is described as a hateful, aggressive, avaricious spherical monster that is most frequently found underground when residing upon the Prime, but most theorize the horrible creatures are spawned within the Abyss. A beholder’s eyes each possess a different magical ability; the main eye projects an anti-magical cone, and the other eyes use different spell-like abilities (disintegrate objects, transmute flesh to stone, cause sleep, slow the motion of objects or beings, charm animals, charm humans, cause death, induce fear, levitate objects, and inflict serious wounds.). Many variant beholder species exist, such as “observers”, “spectators”, “eyes of the deep”, “elder orbs”, “hive mothers”, and “death tyrants”. In addition, some rare beholders can use their eyes for non-standard spell-like abilities; these mutant beholders are often killed or exiled by their peers. Beholders wishing to cast spells like ordinary wizards relinquish the traditional use of their eyestalks, and put out their central anti-magic eye, making these beholder mages immediate outcasts.Beholders are extremely xenophobic, to the point of being engaged in a violent intra-species war with others of their kind who differ even slightly in appearance. They will sometimes take members of other, non-beholder races as slaves. Beholder communities in the Underdark often, when provoked, wage war on any and all nearby settlements, finding the most resistance from the drow and illithids.
Beholders worship their insane, controlling goddess known as the Great Mother, though some also, or instead, follow her rebel offspring, Gzemnid, the beholder god of gases.
Some beholder strains have mutated far from the basic beholder stock. These are aberrant beholders, of which there are numerous different types. These aberrants may have differing abilities and/or appearances but the unifying feature among beholders and the various aberrant beholders seems to be a simple, fleshy body with one or more grotesque eyes.
The Great Mother is the creator and primary racial deity of beholders, gibbering orbs, and the various races of beholder-kin. The Great Mother is the beholder deity of magic, fertility, and tyranny. Its symbol is an egg with an eye peering out of its center. In avatar form, the Great Mother appears as a huge, bloated beholder with rocks, gems, scraps of armor and weapons, shells, monstrous teeth, intact skeletons, and other debris stuck in its carapace. However, because the eyes of its Abyssal layer are the eyes of the deity itself, its true form must be much vaster and stranger. Scholars who worship Gzemnid believe the Great Mother changes appearance from one moment to the next.
Unlike its primarily lawful evil children, the Great Mother is chaotic evil and quite insane by human or even beholder standards (though it’s possible that mortals simply lack the intellectual capacity to comprehend its motivations). Its mindset is incredibly alien, and few of its children are able to contemplate its thoughts or understand its actions, assuming they survive an encounter with it. Unlike beholders, the Great Mother is an egg-laying being. The Great Mother is allied with Kiaransalee and considered the enemy of Callarduran Smoothhands, Laduguer, Lolth, and Vhaeraun, but she is largely unconcerned with the affairs of other gods.
The Great Mother is said to have mated with demons, demodands, and worse, always consuming its mates in the process. Some of its offspring are said to still wander the Lower Planes.
Of its spawn, Gzemnid, its only offspring to achieve godhood, is perhaps the only one relatively safe from its seemingly mercurial whims when in its presence. Gzemnid, while he cannot entirely comprehend his mother either, does seek to understand at least some of the wisdom produced by its insanity. He greatly admires it, as much as any deity can another.
The Great Mother inhabits the 6th layer of the Abyss in the domain known as the Realm of a Million Eyes. The layer is made up of thousands of tunnels, the walls, ceilings, and floors of which the living eyes of the deity protrude. Every known kind of beholder and beholder-kin inhabits these tunnels, preying on one another and on any demons foolish enough to venture near. The Great Mother moves through the planes as it desires, laying the eggs that form Hive Mothers on many worlds.
The Realm of a Million Eyes was discovered by the mind flayer Illionth using its mental powers. It considered the Realm to be the source of all corruption and foulness, and attempted unsuccessfully to destroy it.The Great Mother exists to remake the multiverse in its image by filling it with its spawn, replacing all forms of life with monsters that resemble the Mother itself. It does not bother to acquire knowledge as Ilsensine and Boccob do, because it has always known all that it could ever need to know. However, it cannot or will not communicate this knowledge to lesser beings, including its own offspring. It neglects its children, not bothering with omens or portents. Sometimes it will allow beholders to be entirely wiped out on a given world, while other times it will become enraged when even a small beholder community is threatened.
All beholders and beholder-kin revere the Great Mother as the creator of their race, but the Mother is a fearful power who they hope will ignore them most of the time. It is unknown if other possibly related races such as the astereaters and gibbering orbs, or the amoeboid argos and gibbering mouthers, worship the Mother.
The Great Mother does not have regular priests, though she may invest hive mothers with clerical powers in times of conflict.
Some human cultists worship beholders as deities; they are actually granted spells by the Great Mother, though they credit the mortal beholders as the source of their powers.
You uncover evidence of some very powerful beholders who have made an appearance over the years on Oerth. In particular you run across the names of Kzamnal, The Beholder Ancients, Vikhrispa and The Fragmented God.
5. We really don’t want to describe every odd-job that you might be interested in from the BCA job-boards. Suffice to say, you can net 25 gp each week from taking these on in your spare time. Rarely will you find one, such as the Tucklin Manor job, where the payout is more than 30 gold and most offer up just a modest 5-10 gold each. Just let me know if you pursue odd-jobs for any given week and we’ll add 25 gp to your vast personal savings account.
6. The Seekers of Arcana simply require you to swear upon might Boccob that you will earnestly seek out ancient ruins wherever you wander in the world and that you will meticulously record your findings (magical items in particular) in a journal and that you will report your findings to a chapter of the group. You can bounce out of the Seekers by retracting your vows – but the group frowns at you even asking the question!
7. I’m still working on the Herald (finding last week’s to post here AND compiling the correct article for the next few week’s worth (i might be late producing this!)) Go ahead and write your letter to Lady Ophellha Knowlern.
Regarding #2 in Thom’s massive post above – the part about Jzadirune and the Vanishing. I was thinking we need to contact the church of Wee Jass before anouncing our find of Jzadurine and MH since they helped cure the Gnomes of the vanishing for free – they might still have a relationship with the Gnomes – that might be a quick way to get on their good side and prevent the city from getting too greedy with our find. Since Braeden and Breanna met one of the Wee Jass high priests at the big tax meeting with the mayor we could take care of this – but Garren’s Diplomacy would be good to have along too.
I think it might be helpful to chat with Wee Jass. I’d like to tag along just to ask them questions about the disease. They might also be able to provide us with names of gnomes that are still around.
Letter to Lady Ophellha Knowlern:
“Your Ladyship,
You may have recently read in the Cauldron Herald about the harrowing and courageous rescue of the kidnapped victims. This daring deed was performed by the stalwart and lionhearted band of adventures known as the Moon Howlers.
Acting under the authority as deputies of the town guard as granted by Sergeant Justin Maltemps; the Moon Howlers descended into the depths of the earth to repatriate these forlorn souls to the light of Cauldron once again.
What you may not be aware, is that one of the graduates of your auspicious wizard initiate program was part of this stalwart band that extracted these prisoners from their bondage. Indeed, it was I, Kenric, who along with his fellows braved the dangers of the underworld.
Of course without you, Lady Knowlern and your generous sponsorship it would not have been possible for us to accomplish this task. Steel melded with the arcane to lay low our foes and liberate the oppressed! For this I have you to thank, and your modest investment in my education I am certain will pay off many times over.
You devoted servant,
Academ Kenric of the Moon Howlers”
