20050402 Teeth01

<H1> The Teeth: New Blood </H1>
<H2> Role Call </H2>
<TABLE>
<TR>
 <TD> Foradun </TD>
 <TD> 6th/5th Githzerai Psychic Warrior/Soul Knife (13th ECL) </TD>
 <TD> Rick DiRicco </TD>
</TR>
<TR>
 <TD> Borgar </TD>
 <TD> 10th/8th Dwarf Cleric/Warpriest </TD>
 <TD> Matt Miller </TD>
</TR>
<TR>
 <TD> Heimlich </TD>
 <TD> 7th/1st Human Cleric/Fighter </TD>
 <TD> Ray Chiang </TD>
</TR>
<TR>
 <TD> Bimblefin Candytuft </TD>
 <TD> 4th/2nd Pixie Rogue/Sorcerer </TD>
 <TD> John Speck </TD>
</TR>
<TR>
 <TD> Thorfinn the Lucky </TD>
 <TD> 11th Human Bard </TD>
 <TD> Jim Yonemura </TD>
</TR>
<TR>
 <TD> Mirto </TD>
 <TD> 12th Human Wizard </TD>
 <TD> Mark Whisler </TD>
</TR>
<TR>
 <TD> Mylar Morak </TD>
 <TD> 8th Dwarf Fighter </TD>
 <TD> Robert Giedt </TD>
</TR>
<TR>
 <TD> Olaf Olafson </TD>
 <TD> 7th Human Cleric </TD>
 <TD> Keith Farrar </TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>
<H2> Session Summary </H2>
<H3> Gathering Forces </H3>
Months ago, Thorfinn sent word to some people. Mylar and Heimlich have travelled far from Norge. In the meantime, Borgar is interviewing one Bimblefin Candytuft, who is claiming to have come recommended from Colin.
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<B>Borgar:</B> It's a very large responsibility.
<B>Bimblefin:</B> I got a letter of responsibility from Colin. I don't think that's a question.
<B>Borgar:</B> I see. And what did you do for him?
<B>Bimblefin:</B> I was Colin's trusted personal advisor for all operations in his domain.
<B>Borgar:</B> You know I can communicate with Colin?
<B>Bimblefin:</B> What are you saying?
<B>Borgar:</B> I find it hard to believe that he would take advice and be trusting of
<B>Bimblefin:</B> I see how it is...
<B>Borgar:</B> You're not going to goad me into anything.
<B>Bimblefin:</B> Goad you? Oh, I see how it is... But seriously for a moment...
<B>Borgar:</B> Yes?
<B>Bimblefin:</B> When you want professional, you don't go be talking to pixies...
</BLOCKQUOTE>
Foradun finds Borgar and introduces his "true" self. He tells Borgar of his mission on the Prime Material and offers his services in the meantime. Later that day, Borgar finds Mirto.
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<B>Borgar:</B> I see you wear the trappings of the Black Lions. I've fought alongside them. What rank did you hold?
<B>Mirto:</B> Heavy damage specialist.
</BLOCKQUOTE>
Borgar borrows Heimlich's Crystal Ball with Telepathy to talk to Colin.
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<B>Borgar:</B> I'm putting together my force to go to the Teeth. There's a pixie here.
<B>Colin:</B> Bimblefin?
<B>Borgar:</B> Yes, that's him.
<B>Colin:</B> (Snickers) He can be a little trying, but he's there when you need him. And he pulled my fat out of the fire. He's capable when he wants to be and/or needs to be.
<B>Borgar:</B> I got a feeling he might have been exaggerating his achievements.
<B>Colin:</B> I've trusted my life to him. Although, he does tend to exaggerate things a bit.
<B>Borgar:</B> Like the knighthood you gave him?
<B>Colin:</B> Excuse me? Yes, I called him Sir Pixie, but I didn't actually knight him.
<B>Borgar:</B> Any tricks for getting him to do what you want?
<B>Colin:</B> You know, I couldn't think of anything. It's really sort of a carrot/stick thing.
<B>Borgar:</B> It seems thing only thing he wants is a mithril mine.
<B>Colin:</B> It helps to have True Seeing to be able to spot him.
</BLOCKQUOTE>
The party takes horses and starts riding towards the Teeth. Along the way, they stop at Kennetar. Based on some earlier recommendations, Heimlich stops to visit the wizard Valek. After asking around a bit, it turns out that Valek has been promoted to commander of the wall defenses.
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<B>Heimlich:</B> So, I've got this item. It's colloquially known as a Rod of Wonder.
<B>Valek:</B> Very interesting.
<B>Heimlich:</B> What can you offer in exchange?
<B>Valek:</B> Well, I'm not much for saving money.
<B>Heimlich:</B> (Ponders a moment)
<B>Valek:</B> I'll tell you what. I'd be interested in a three-way trade. I do have some items for trade. The reason I still have these is that there is a little bit of risk and I've been ordered not to use them.
 These scrolls were taken off of a fallen invader and it turns out he's a summoner. Largely by reading page after page of these scrolls. I've got a scroll here that has 3 Monster Summoning IX spells on them. That's outside my reach so if I give it a shot, the results can be unpredictable.
</BLOCKQUOTE>
Heimlich asks around and finds that either George or Kill'Dar would be interested in the scrolls. He agrees to the deal in exchange for a later item that he can find useful.
Also asking around in Kennetar, it turns out that there are rumors of an army of orcs gathering nearby. Thorfinn hears that they're led by some ogres. Possibly some fearsome ogre who is said to be able to travel at will anywhere he wants. There are also rumors that Toran Shah is related to Aishapra by blood.
The party takes care of some other miscellaneous tasks in Kennetar before taking off for the Teeth the next morning.
<H3> On the Plateau </H3>
Their first night on the Plateau, Borgar asks Bimblefin to scout out the area for signs of the orcish army. At first, Bimblefin appears reluctant.
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<B>Borgar:</B> I heard that you killed Vampire Lords. (Pauses) I heard that from you, but...
</BLOCKQUOTE>
After further discussion, Borgar manages to convince Bimblefin. The pixie begins by flying up and looking for other signs of an army's passage. Flying around for a bit, he finds them about three miles away crossing the river. He goes back and wakes up Borgar.
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<B>Njall:</B> What?
</BLOCKQUOTE>
The next day, as the party rides along, the run into an ambush of large spiders.
<B>Round 1:</B> Mylar gets off his rhino and attacks one spider. Heimlich gets off his horse and casts Shield of Faith on Mirto. One spider steps up on Olaf and hits him once for 11. Another spider attacks Thorfinn. Two attack Bimblefin and hit twice. One attacks Foradun and hits him in the leg once. Mylar takes 11 and 12 points from two spiders. Bimblefin tumbles out of the way. Mirto casts Chain Lighting (54,27). Thorfinn dismounts and casts Good Hope. Borgar casts Blade Barrier, killing two, but also wounding Mylar.
<B>Round 2:</B> Foradun hits his spider three times and kills it. Mylar attacks his spider, hacking it into little bits. Heimlich moves to the spider and hits it once. Several spiders attack, wounding more of the party. Bimblefin fires an arrow at a spider. Mirto casts Scorching Ray. He hits one spider for 16 and 18, and one spider for 10. Thorfin fires an arrow but misses. Njall fires his crossbow and hits a spider for 16. Borgar swings and hits his spider 3 times for for 22 points.
<B>Round 3:</B> Foradun attacks and kills another spider. Mylar steps up and attacks a spider, killing it. The last spider leaps over the Blade Barrier and attacks Foradun, but misses him. Heimlich flies over and attacks the last spider for 17 pts.
Olaf and Heimlich spread around some healing for the party.
They search around the various spider trapdoors. There are several strange bones around. There are some multi-limbed feline bones (displacer beasts). There are also the bones of some sort of canine humanoid (gnolls). In one of the lairs, on one of the bodies appears to be the remains of importance. There is a silk and gold wire cape. A golden circlet with emeralds. And a pouch containing 35 platinum coins.
Heimlich estimates (21 Appraise) the cape is worth a few thousand gold. The circlet looks around 6000 GP. There is a bracelet worth about 70 GP. This person might have been religous because there is a golden holy symbol of Apollo (700 GP).
<H3> Outside the Teeth </H3>
As the group approaches the Teeth, there appear to be large masses of medium sized creatures. Bimblefin flies on ahead and scouts out their camp. The groups appear to be well-organized. Bimblefin also spots some figures flying above the army. They appear to have 12-15 foot wingspans. They appear to be humanoid--very dark.
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<B>Bimblefin:</B> You're out of luck.
<B>Borgar:</B> What do you mean?
<B>Bimblefin:</B> There's a bunch of guys surround that area over there. There are some flying things too. They're dark fighters.
<B>Borgar:</B> I don't know what that is.
<B>Bimblefin:</B> They're bad.
<B>Olaf:</B> Vampire bats?
<B>Bimblefin:</B> There a lot like vampire bats. And there's tons of ogres. I don't think you can take 'em.
<B>Borgar:</B> I think we should be able to take them.
<B>Bimblefin:</B> Really?
<B>Borgar:</B> How many are there?
<B>Bimblefin:</B> I didn't get close enough to count. Tell you what, you can go count it. And just in case you don't make it back, why don't you give me your items to hold on to? I can give it to your next of kin.
<B>Mirto:</B> Something tells me that whatever I give you won't quite make it to my family.
<B>Bimblefin:</B> What are you saying?
<B>Bimblefin:</B> They might be sending groups of people scouting out the area.
<B>Borgar:</B> We need to clear a path out of the Teeth. I would prefer to deal with it before we get to the Teeth. That way, we can deal with the gate inside as they leave.
<B>Bimblefin:</B> Aren't there warriors in there?
<B>Borgar:</B> Yes, but there are also women and children.
<B>Bimblefin:</B> I see.
<B>Borgar:</B> Tell you what, if you scout it out, you can get the next magic item we find.
<B>Bimblefin:</B> Sure! Sounds great.
</BLOCKQUOTE>
Bimblefin goes and scouts out the army. It appears to be mostly gnolls. They have hunter groups nearby. There are also some heavily armored creatures working as handlers with displacer beasts. The displacers beasts seem really alert and aware. As he wanders around the camp some more, a gnoll flies right past him. There's a big ogre shaking a firt and shouting: "One more like that and it's your head in my belly" He is laughing with several of them. Entering the tent is a silent flapping of wings and it gets really dark in the tent. There is a voice that hisses: "Never forget who commands". There is a piercing bird-like screech and another flap of wings and everything is back to normal. The ogres are whimpering a bit.
Bimblefin flies over to the Teeth. It looks as if there are some manned positions nearby. None of the troops appear to be within crossbow shot distance. Bimblefin lands near one of the murder holes.
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<B>Bimblefin:</B> "Psst" Hey! Brogar's here.
<B>Voices:</B> (Whispering)
<B>Bimblefin:</B> Hey! Speak in common. Brogar's here and he's going to attack those forces outside.
<B>Voices:</B> (Sounds of movement)
<B>Bimblefin:</B> (Drops a copper piece)
<B>Voices:</B> (More motion)
</BLOCKQUOTE>
After a while, it's obvious that the dwarves aren't going to reveal themselves to Bimblefin. So, he flies back to the party.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<B>Bimblefin:</B> There's all these thigns around. Then it was dark. Then a bird screeched or something. They're speaking something at the Teeth.
<B>Borgar:</B> Slow down. Drink something. Why don't you draw up their defenses?
<B>Thorfinn:</B> If I'm going to get a better story, I'm going to need more details.
</BLOCKQUOTE>
Over the next hour, Thorfinn manages to make sense of what Bimblefin has found during his scouting.
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<B>Borgar:</B> Hey Mirto, see that mound over there? Can you check it out?
<B>Mirto:</B> Sure.
<B>Borgar:</B> Did you see it?
<B>Mirto:</B> It appears to be a potion of some sort.
<B>Borgar:</B> Would that be a magic item we just found?
<B>Mirto:</B> Sure.
</BLOCKQUOTE>
Borgar uses the crystal ball to talk to Nils Thorson, the leader of the dwarves. There are rumors that he has possession of Thor's Hammer.
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<B>Borgar:</B> Sir, this is Borgar. We're a few hours away from the Teeth. We should be there at some point tomorrow. Are you aware of the situation of the camps surrounding the Teeth?
<B>Nils:</B> We've seen an increase of activity. Largely because it's not safe to travel out there. Our snipers have killed and wounded several at range.
<B>Borgar:</B> (Describes Bimblefin's report)
<B>Nils:</B> Well, we'll do whatever we can to keep everyone protected by circles when we move, but we can't cover everyone.
<B>Borgar:</B> We can clear out a path from this end, or we can try to get in the Teeth and protect the clan as they leave.
<B>Nils:</B> So, you're saying you could either fight your way in or fight your way out?
<B>Borgar:</B> Yes
<B>Nils:</B> Well, we're not fully ready to move. We're as close as we can while still needing to eat and sleep every night. It would take us a day for us to get ready. If you can eliminate one of these groups, we could move quickly enough to move past one of these groups. Especially if you did it quickly enough so that the rest of these groups could close in.
<B>Nils:</B> If the circle is as tight as it is now, but the casualties would be horrific.
<B>Borgar:</B> Okay, I'll try to work something out here with my group. You should probably expect us to come to the Teeth sometime tomorrow. I'll contact you this way tomorrow.
</BLOCKQUOTE>
After further analysis of the army's movements and after further deliberation, the group decides that if they can remove one of the three columns surrounding the Teeth, it should be possible to provide a sufficient opening for the dwarven forces to escape. Borgar informs the dwarves to begin packing and prepare to move out the following day.
In the meantime, the party decides upon the right mix of spells to use to take out the orcs. Borgar expects that he can use Control Weather to create an obscuring rain to prevent the other columns from noticing the party's activities until the dwarves have left the Teeth. It is expected that Mirto's higher level spells (mainly Cloudkill) can easily take out the low-level grunts and Borgar and the rest of the party can use their abilities to take out any of the elite troops and leaders that might remain.
<H2> Loot </H2>
<UL>
<LI> 1256 GP, 2 SP, 5 CP (divided among all except Borgar)
<LI> Golden Holy Symbol of Apollo sold to Estus
</UL>
<H2> Foes Fought </H2>
Lots of Spiders