A Journey to Hadrigon

[Arik]

You kill them all.

[zmflavius]

Where in Tysa am I now?

[Arik]

Roughly at the border between Central Tysa and Southern Tysa.

[zmflavius]

I keep riding northwest for Trithik.

[Arik]

You continue along the road for several hours. It's night, and you can see Trithik in the distance, but you estimate it will take you another several hours to get there. There's a small inn that you can see along the side of the road.

[zmflavius]

I continue on towards Tallys's trading post.

[Arik]

The sun is rising when you see Tallys's Trading Post. After a minute, you're almost at the door. Suddenly you see Tallys walking toward you. "Hello!" he says. "Why might you be here at this time?"

[zmflavius]

I explain the situation to him.

[Arik]

"Liar! You are lying to me!" Tallys yells suddenly. "You could not have been there, or you––" He stops himself. "You are lying," he continues. "We both know you are lying. Don't lie to me––why are you here?"

[zmflavius]

"Or?"

[Arik]

"Or you would have known who I am––or rather, who I am not!"

[zmflavius]

Divination to find his identity.

At the same time, I say,

"How the hell am I supposed to know that?"

[Arik]

He is Tallys's friend Hargadh, an illusionist (though he is almost blind). As a prank on people arriving to the post, Hargandh used his skill in illusions to make himself look like Tallys. When you talked to him as if he were Tallys, he assumed that you were not actually Zmflavius; he didn't recognize your face because of the dim light and his poor vision.

He says, "Because Tallys is in Hadrigon!"

[zmflavius]

"Say what?!?"

[Arik]

You see Tallys and a few other adventurers charging up to the group of Uprooters, killing most––but one of the adventurers, someone whom you've seen before, bragging of his skill in combat (his name is Kadr) is hit by an Uprooter's club. He falls to the ground, where you see him vanish under the feet of Uprooters.


The first of these gives a roar and charges. He reaches Tallys's horse and crushes the horse's neck with his thick fingers; it slumps to the ground, dead. With another howl, he picks up Tallys and throws him.



Wenreald has already decided to send the following adventurers on this journey: Arik, Varagg, Kadr, Severian (all of whom are my characters), Fyrna, and Tallys. A few other adventurers may end up journeying to Orrokk as well. These adventurers will be accompanied by four thousand Graldok troops.

Hargandh says, "I said, he is in Hadrigon!"

[zmflavius]

*headdesk*

"Oh, right..."

[Arik]

"Ha! You had better tell me the truth about why you are here!"

[zmflavius]

I use divination to make sure he's trustworthy.

[Arik]

He is.

[zmflavius]

I explain how this was supposed to be a rendezvous point.

[Arik]

"So...fleeing from Uprooters, you and some other men decided to meet here. I will believe you. Now tell me truthfully: why did you lie and say you were going to Hadrigon?"

[zmflavius]

When did I say that?

[Arik]

:o Sorry, I meant that he said "fleeing from Vorenthans."

[zmflavius]

I order all eighty original men using divination to split up into small groups of 5 or less, and dodge and avoid the Vorenthans. I order all of them to meet back up at Tallys's Trading Post, and give them the location of the place.

Yes, but still...when did I say I was going to Hadrigon?

[Arik]

I explain the situation to him.

Not going to Hadrigon now, but before you fled the Vorenthans, you were going to Hadrigon.

[zmflavius]

I reveal the "secret" mission of Thane Marindol to him.

[Arik]

Suddenly, Hargandh's expression changes, and he says, "Unless my skill in the art of divination is less than I think, you are telling the truth. It takes me a long time these days to summon magic; I apologize that I did not use it before now, so that I could determine whether your words were truthful."

[zmflavius]

I ask him if any other soldiers have shown up.

[Arik]

"No."

[zmflavius]

I ask if I can stay for three days.

[Arik]

"All right. Go to Tallys's cottage; it should be unlocked. You can sleep on the floor."

[zmflavius]

I thank him, and wait out the three days.

[Arik]

On the third day, nine soldiers arrive. You're outside of the cottage, drinking palo with Hargandh, when they arrive. Hargandh says, "Why are you here?"

[zmflavius]

Ummm...since the soldiers are NPCs, shouldn't you answer his question?

[Arik]

Yes. I wanted to see if you would say anything.

The soldiers say, "We agreed to meet here." Then one of them says, "Zmflavius, who is this man?"

[zmflavius]

I explain who he is.

[Arik]

The person who asked who the man was says, "We rode for the Post, but a tribe of Uprooters attacked us...and there was a griffon fighting for them, with its wings cut off..." His voice trails away.

[zmflavius]

"And?"

[Arik]

"We were the only survivors," continues another soldier. "We killed all the Uprooters and the griffon...but we were the only soldiers left."

[zmflavius]

"Of all the retreating soldiers?"

[Arik]

"Yes," says the soldier. Suddenly, Hargandh yells, "You're lying!"

[zmflavius]

I probe him with divination.

[Arik]

The soldiers are telling you the truth about the attack from the tribe of Uprooters, but there were no griffons fighting for the tribe, and the nine soldiers fled during the middle of the battle.

[zmflavius]

I confront him about his deceit.

[Arik]

"Don't hurt us!" he screams. "You're right, you're right, we lied, have mercy on us, you can send us to the Hole, but don't kill us!"

[zmflavius]

I find out their MR/SP/NV/stats.

[Arik]

One has MR 89, SP 42, NvR 14. The other eight have MR 30 (they're unarmed), SP 35.

[zmflavius]

I attempt to furnish horses, armour, and weapons from the surrounding area.

[Arik]

Where did you place your weapons and armor?

[zmflavius]

I'm still holding onto mine.

[Arik]

Hargandh took your mount to the stables which he built during Tallys's absence for his own horses. The stables are several hundred yards away.

[zmflavius]

Why are they so far away? Wouldn't that just make it difficult to guard the horses if they were around a third of a mile away?

[Arik]

The stables are hidden in the forest and protected by spells of illusion; however, Hargandh has given you instructions on where to find it. And "several", on reflection, is too strong a word; the stables are about 400 yards away.

[zmflavius]

I head for the stables to get horses.

[Arik]

There are seven horses (including yours) in the stables.

[zmflavius]

I lead them back, and order some people to double up. I propose heading for Southern Sryth and then Graldok in order to procure horses, armour and weapons.

[Arik]

Hargandh says, "I will let these men rent some armor and weapons...you as well, Zmflavius." He gestures for you alone to follow him.

[zmflavius]

I follow him.

[Arik]

When you're far enough away from the nine men that they can't hear you, Hargandh says, "With Nevernal energy I have read the minds of these men, and while none of them currently plan to harm you, if I let them borrow the most powerful armor and weapons in the Trading Post, they might attack you. Do you wish to risk that?"

[zmflavius]

"Give them the best armour they can wield...which I imagine is not very high-level. How high could their stats be anyways?"

[Arik]

"You make a good point. I suppose the risk is small enough to be ignored."

[zmflavius]

I check the soldier's stats.

[Arik]

One of the soldiers has MR 89, SP 42, NvR 14, all stats 20 (except for body and Spirit, which are 19, and Luck, which is 16), Arcana 66, Archery 65, Diplomacy 66, Horsemanship 21, Lore 61, Seamanship 51, Thievery 66, Unarmed Combat 77, Weaponry 63, Weaponry: Bashing 52, Weaponry: Hacking 14, Weaponry: Polearms 14, Weaponry: Slashing 65, Weaponry: Stabbing 24, Woodsmanship 40, Conjuration 15, Destruction 50, Divination 41, Elementalism 54, Fortification 45, Gating 52, Illusion 30, Necromancy 57, Restoration 58, Telekinesis 10.

Two of the others have MR 30, SP 35, NvR 12, all stats 14 (except for Might, which is 15), Weaponry 45, Weaponry: Slashing 40, all other Weaponry subskills 30, Archery 25, Horsemanship 15, Destruction 15, Fortification 15, Restoration 10.

All of the others have the same stats as those two soldiers, except for the fact that they have Mind 10 and thus cannot use magic.

[zmflavius]

I carefully probe the first stats, because for a soldier, his stats are rather abnormal.

I scrounge up decent Tallys equipment for the rest.

Decent meaning around mid-level.

[Arik]

The first soldier's stats are increased by four magical rings he wears. His skills and powers became as high as they were through an adventuring career he had previous to becoming a soldier.

What's the specific equipment you get for the other soldiers?

[zmflavius]

(I might have to hold for a little while, my subscription expired and it's difficult to browse the wiki Tallys item list. I'll create a list when I renew (which should be in a couple days max.))

[zmflavius]

(Sorry about delay, renewal took longer than expected)

1N and 2N signify the two soldiers without magic.

1-6M signify the soldiers with magic.

FA signifies the former adventurer.

Weapon:
1N: Humming Warsword
2N: Howling Wolf Blade
1M: Maurauder’s Blood-red Blade
2M: Deathstroke Longsword
3M: Blizzard Axe
4M: Painsong
5M: Onyxian Deathspear
6M: Dragongem Spear
FA: Dragongem Longsword

Shield:
1N: Princely Protector
2N: Glorious Defender
1M: Blessed Defender
2M: Demonhide Shield
3M: Kingly Protector
4M: Spirited Defender
5M: Silver Star Shield
6M: Shield of Wonder
FA: Griffon-Emblazoned Shield

Torso:
1N: Moonglow Breastplate
2N: Skull Breastplate
1M: Marred Breastplate
2M: Sapphire Eye Breastplate
3M: Blizzard Chain Shirt
4M: Onyxian Demonplate
5M: Silver Star Breastplate
6M: Marauder’s wolfskin vest
FA: Dragongem Breastplate

Head:
1N: Ravenlord Helm
2N: Skull Helm
1M: Plumed Helm
2M: Ivora’s Grand Helm
3M: Blizzard Helm
4M: Griffon-Emblazoned Helm
5M: Woven Silver Headpiece
6M: Moonglow Helm
FA: Dragongem helm

Hands:
1N: Dragongem Gauntlets
2N: Rugged Leather Gloves
1M: Glowing Trollskin Gloves
2M: Etched Gauntlets
3M: Blizzard Gloves
4M: Sapphire Eye Gauntlets
5M: Silver Star Gauntlets
6M: Blackbone gauntlets
FA: Skull Gauntlets

Feet:
1N: Gold-banded warboots
2N: Trollstomp Boots
1M: Soft Leather boots (greater)
2M: Silver-Banded warboots
3M: Sapphire eye boots
4M: Soft Leather Boots (lesser)
5M: Bronze-Banded warboots
6M: Platinum-Banded Warboots
FA: Planewalker’s boots

Arms:
1N: Griffon Emblazoned Sleeves
2N: Dragongem sleeves
1M: Moonglow Sleeves
2M: Bright crimson sleeves
3M: Blizzard Sleeves
4M: Dragonscale Sleeves
5M: Silver Star Sleeves
6M: Fire Eye sleeves
FA: Sparkling Silver sleeves

Legs:
1N: Dragongem Greaves
2N: Demonhide greaves
1M: Moonglow greaves
2M: Fire eye leggings
3M: Blizzard Greaves
4M: Blood Knight greaves
5M: Chain Greaves
6M: Leather leggings (best)
FA: Master Huntsman’s leggings

Neck:
1N: Whisper stone
2N: Spellcaster’s amulet of aura
1M: Ruby Battle charm
2M: Sapphire Battle Charm
3M: Emerald battle charm
4M: Minor Luckstone
5M: Amulet of Ferocious might
6M: Amulet of Nimbleness
FA: Dragongem amulet

Waist:
1N: Blood-Knight Belt
2N: Ratlord Belt
1M: Moonglow belt
2M: Sapphire Eye belt
3M: Fanged Belt
4M: Griffon-Emblazoned belt
5M: Tallys’s battle belt
6M: Belt of Troll Might
FA: Dragongem Belt

Back:
1N: Jade Sorcerer’s cloak
2N: Ruby Sorcerer’s cloak
1M: Champion’s cape
2M: Griffon-Emblazoned cape
3M: Ravenlord Cape
4M: Black Chain Cape
5M: Midnight cloak
6M: Wayfarer’s cloak
FA: Dragongem Cape

[Arik]

What equipment do you get for yourself?

[zmflavius]

(Heheh...)

Weapon: Shadowfire Sword (Sapphire)

Shield: Coiled Serpent Shield

Torso: Fangmaul's Black Jade Breastplate

Head: Epic Battle Circlet (ravenbone)

Hands: Platinum Mesh Gloves

Feet: Ruby-Studded Warboots

Arms: Master Huntsman's Sleeves

Legs: Master Huntsman's Leggings

Neck: Snake's Head Medallion

Wrist: Bracelet of Arcane Might

Rings: Runeskin's Ring
Legendary Mariner's Ring
Caster's Stone Band
Caster's Jade Band

Waist: Dragongem Belt

Back: Cloak of the Archmage

Tabard: Rynduil's Crimson Tabard

All totaled, that adds up to 238 MR, 234 SP, and 59 NV. And 20 in all stats.

edit: Oh wait, I'm not sure if I included phantom armour bonus...I think I probably did.

[Arik]

Hargandh says, "Is there anything else you need?"

[zmflavius]

"Are there any tomes of attainment here?"

[Arik]

"Tallys told me to make sure that no one gets the Tomes––not that I think you would misuse them," Hargandh quickly adds, "but Tallys told me not to let anyone get them."

[zmflavius]

"Ok then. I'm ready now."

[Arik]

"Then go to the soldiers and give them their armor and weapons," says Hargandh.

[zmflavius]

I do that.

[Arik]

"Then leave on the horses," says Hargandh. "Be careful to avoid bandits," he adds. "I hear that there are a lot of bandits on the roads these days."

[zmflavius]

I thank him, and then set out for Hadrigon.

[Arik]

You ride towards Hadrigon for a few hours. After a while, you're on a road leading south when you see about twelve men riding towards you. As they approach, you can see that they all carry weapons.

[zmflavius]

I use divination to figure out what they want.

[Arik]

The men want a weapon that you own.

[zmflavius]

Any details?

[Arik]

That's all you're able to discern about precisely what they want. However, you sense that they are willing to kill you to get this weapon, and that they are trying to get the weapon for someone else.

[zmflavius]

I approach them cautiously and with my current weapon at the ready.

[Arik]

The men immediately ride up to you and attack.

[zmflavius]

I use destruction on them.

[Arik]

Two of them die. One of the men swings a mace at one of the soldiers, striking him and visibly wounding him. Another soldier stabs the same man (who attacked the soldier), killing him.

[zmflavius]

I use restoration on the wounded soldier.

[Arik]

As you use Restoration on the soldier, one of the attackers wounds you with a sword. You lose 5 SP, and your Restoration failed. Then the attacker swings at the soldier, slicing his head off before you can respond.

[zmflavius]

I use destruction.

[Arik]

The attacker who killed the soldier dies immediately. Two more of the attackers begin fighting another one of the soldiers.

[zmflavius]

I use melee.

[Arik]

You kill the two men who were attacking the soldier.

[zmflavius]

Anyone else dead or wounded?

[Arik]

One soldier's arm was broken.

[zmflavius]

I heal it.

[Arik]

You heal it successfully. As you stop healing it, one of the remaining men attacks you.

[zmflavius]

I attack that guy, and count the remaining enemies.

[Arik]

Your first stroke slices off his arm––the arm with which he was holding his weapon. He screams in pain.

Five enemies are left.

[zmflavius]

(Is he included among the five?)

I kill him, subdue two, and kill the rest.

[Arik]

No, he wasn't included.

While fighting the last three attackers, you lose 25 SP, but you manage to kill them.

[zmflavius]

I use my coil of strong rope to tie up the remaining two (yes, I always carry that around with me).

[Arik]

They're wearing bone armor and carrying weapons.

[zmflavius]

I distribute the armour and weapons to soldiers, and then make sure the two captives and mentally and physically separate using divination.

[Arik]

Yes, they are.

[zmflavius]

I interrogate them.

[Arik]

They refuse to speak.

[zmflavius]

I enter their minds with divination.

[Arik]

The two men are part of a group of some sort. (It's not allied with the Vorenthans or Uprooters.) Their leader heard about a weapon of yours and wanted it.

[zmflavius]

I try to find out about the group.

[Arik]

You divine the word "Srytekir."

[zmflavius]

Anything else?

[Arik]

The word "Srytekir" seems to be connected to magic.

[zmflavius]

Is that it?

[Arik]

Yes.

[zmflavius]

I kill the two and use necromancy to raise all the dead enemies as undead minions. And then I rest to regain SP/NV.

[Arik]

After a while, you finish resting. The soldiers who are alive finish resting as well.

[zmflavius]

I resume traveling to Hadrigon.

[Arik]

You ride on for a while. Suddenly, you hear the sounds of a few people riding up the path towards you. (It's still night.)

[zmflavius]

I use divination to detect whether they are hostile or friendly.

[Arik]

While they do not intend to kill you, they are hostile.

One of them says: "We can see you. You and your friends, come with us, and we won't hurt you."

[zmflavius]

(By do not intend to kill, do you mean that they strictly can't kill me and the men, or do you mean they would rather not.)

I order everyone to draw their weapons and turn around.

[Arik]

They would rather not.

One of the men says: "Come with us. We are more skilled than you, and if you do not obey, we will kill you."

You recognize their accent then––it's Vorenthan.

[zmflavius]

I demand to know why.

[Arik]

"We cannot let you live free," says one of them. "For you have entered what was once our temple. Demon or no, by our laws it was a terrible crime you committed. Normally we would slay you, but you can help us greatly; we have heard of your might. Besides, your friends are with us––those friends who accompanied you on your journey...at least those who survived the Uprooters, and whom we thought of some use to us. Follow us, Zmflavius, or we will not hesitate to kill you."

[zmflavius]

"What temple?"

[Arik]

"Tarramyre!"

[zmflavius]

"But no Vorenthans have used it for something like hundreds or thousands of years!"

[Arik]

"It was still ours!" cries the Vorenthan; then he says, "I refuse to argue over our laws with you. Follow me, or you will die."

[zmflavius]

"Can you at least tell me where we're going? Or can I assume that it's Tarramyre or Hadrigon?"

[Arik]

"It is not Tarramyre––that we will reclaim soon. Nor is it Hadrigon. But I do not have the time for these questions. Follow me now, or die."

[zmflavius]

I follow him.

[Arik]

You get on their horses. They blindfold and gag you. Then they ride away.

"If you try using your magic, we will kill you all," says one of the men.

[zmflavius]

I cast a dead man's switch necromancy spell which will raise every corpse in a sphere-shaped "bubble" centered around the exact center of my body that is of radius 12 feet with full mental capacity exactly 3 seconds after I am dead. I then attempt to gate myself as far away from the region as possible.

[Arik]

I'm going to rule that the necromancy spell you described is too difficult for you to cast.

[zmflavius]

In that case, I follow along quietly.

(Well, it was worth a try:p. All of which proves that I don't grind enough.)

[Arik]

By the way, I wouldn't have let you cast the spell you described unless your Necromancy was level 90 or higher, and even then I might not have let you.

You continue on for hours and hours. Once, you stop and are given food and water. Finally, the men stop and remove the blindfold and gag. It's day; you can see a camp near you––a large camp, with thousands of people.

[zmflavius]

So...what about if I knocked off everything except the dead man's switch and making it affect myself?

I examine them to see about how many are Aldvari and how many are Vorenthans.

[Arik]

I still wouldn't let you cast the spell. Sorry. (I might if you had Necro 85 or so.)

Anyway, almost all the people are Vorenthans.

[zmflavius]

I ask where most of them come from.

[Arik]

"Orrokk."

[zmflavius]

I ask someone.

"So...I take this gathering to mean that the negotiations have failed? Or did they never take place?"

[Arik]

"Your time passed," he says simply. Then he withdraws a sword and points toward a tent, saying, "Walk that way."

[zmflavius]

I walk toward the tent. I use divination to see if he's hostile.

[Arik]

He is––he's a Vorenthan from Orrokk––but he won't attack you unless he is forced to.

You walk towards the tent––the other soldiers join you. The man follows you, with his sword drawn.

[zmflavius]

I ask him where all the people here are going.

[Arik]

"Shut up!" he says. By now, you and the soldiers have reached the tent. The man says, "Get in."

[zmflavius]

I enter.

[Arik]

The tent is massive. Inside it, there are a few adventurers who were traveling to Hadrigon, as well as Tallys. He says, "So you've returned, Zmflavius."

[zmflavius]

"Yup. What did I miss?"

[Arik]

"We were attacked...Not many of us survived, and those who did were captured."

[zmflavius]

"And I presume that this Vorenthan army is enroute to attacking Tysa?"

[Arik]

"Yes."

[zmflavius]

"So...does anyone have any ideas?"

[Arik]

"We can do nothing."