On The Road: We Are Anthony Pt2 (Robin)

[marsden_online]

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Author's note: Three intense sessions in this log. Finally back up to date!

The climb up the volcano was long but not strenuous until near the lip, when waves of heat forced the group to abandon the ascent and instead circle around in hopes of finding a tolerable entrance. One was duly located, a carved tunnel watched by two small magical statues set to alert someone inside of any passers-by. Zenon threw one of these down the mountain, it bounced and shattered.

Inside there were few choices. A passageway ran left and right, possibly circling right around. The party went left; encountering occasional pressure-plate triggered lava traps. Small cupboards in the side of the corridor seemed to contain the cremated remains of (numbered) failed or otherwise deceased experiments.

Eventually a way down - a set of stairs - presented itself and this led to another long corridor curving back the other way. Sharp-eared members of the party picked up on the presence of a guard post up ahead, on stealthing closer Markos and Sa discovered it to be staffed by three mojh - or mojh-like - warriors and fell back to consult with the others.

Aiu offered a plan to take the position by surprise - stepping out boldly and with a cheery greeting she began showering the guards with ribald jokes, winning their confused trust enough that they followed her back up the passageway to where the rest of the group could get the drop on them. The guards were variously: terrified by Zediz'r (the 300-pound verric/buddha) doing the "truffle shuffle"; interrogated about what lay below (the next guard post); tied up and rendered precisely unconscious.

As the group attempted to sneak further down the stairs to the next guard post Aiu and Zediz'r both lost their footing and ended up in a mad dash to the the bottom. Bursting out onto the flat Aiu put on a show of winning ("Huzzah! Huzzah!") which confused the half-dozen guards long enough that despite their leader ordering them to attack immediately the rest of the party, hurrying after were able to get there before combat was joined.

It is worth noting here that Aiu's previous poor marksmanship (terrible luck with the dice) seems to have deserted her and throughout she consistently managed to hit what she aimed at with her bow).

This group had the chance to deploy their smoke bombs but were still no match for the charging adventurers until a eight-legged, eight-foot reptile came charging up from further down the corridor. The guards also opted to try and flee at that point; the one Markos had cornered acceeding to the mage-blade's demand to hand over his remaining smoke bombs before being allowed to retreat. Markos having some suspicion of the creatures nature started spreading these around to provide cover from it's gaze, but it ran up the wall and halfway through thrrough the party before unleashing its baleful glare, catching Trido (who shook off the effect) and Zenon - who (did not and) was immediately turned to unliving stone.

The remaining party members closed on the basilisk from both sides and were able to cut it down before it could do this again. Meanwhile Zenon's "body" was starting to emit an odd glow ... exploding a few seconds later leaving the naked, fleshy form of the winter-witch curled up on the floor clutching the Scroll of Restoration. Only two other items survived the double transformation (both made of stone) - his ring of protection and a crystal/lens picked up in the lighthouse basement which allows the user to observe the magical flows around them. Unarmoured and unarmed but still in possession of his wits and magic Zenon insisted the party should press on to face Robin despite this setback.

[session ends]

The final guard post was set before massive doors crafted of precious metal and engraved with the "tree of science" in fine detail. There was no hope of surprise as at least one of the previous guards had fled back this way so the party opted for a straightforward charge, managing to capture two of the six mojh here (including one who attempted to escape by Levitating to the ceiling and pulling itself along it). Questioning these two was enough to ascertain that the bulk of the volcano occupants were housed on the far side of the mountain and that only Robin was in the laboratory on the far side of the doors.

Entering the huge, half-circular laboratory everyone spread out a bit as they crossed the floor, wary of attack. Around the racks of alchemical equipment and materials multiple huge pipes ran ferrying liquid to and from a massive glass chamber near the centre of the room in which could be seen a humanoid foetus, already as large as a fully grown giant. Next to this on a raised throne-like chair of stone sat the albino alchemist Anthony 56, aka Robin. Eventually he deigned to acknowledge the party. "I wondered if you would find your way here. So my friends we meet again."

Markos queried the use of the term "friends" and Robin laughed. Turning his face away slightly (it became clear that one side was loose and sagging) he covered it briefly and then lowered his hands to reveal the face of ... Jeffery.

Most relevant reference: Jeffery does not show up clearly on the mini-map

Markos again asked the obvious question - "So then why did you set us against your brother Anthony in Brimsworth?" This leads Robin to begin a long exposition starting with "He had something I needed and wasn't willing to give it up - part of father's life force". He goes on to explain that he is crafting a new healthy body for his father's life-force to inhabit, his greatest work yet (and the foetus in the chamber). He ruefully admits that Wrath and clutch devouring the bodies was not part of the plan and that "digging through wyvern shit is not the most pleasant of tasks". It becomes clear that Robin considers most of his brothers "weak" - including 26 whom he implies he has "dealt with" since the party visited the cabin.

Eventually Robin was standing, almost ranting, his hands pressed hard against the tank. It was obvious that he was about to do something extreme - Aiu attempted to "talk him down" by first stroking his ego then alternatively by criticising his project, drawing on her limited knowledge of magical theory and information gleaned from listening to Markos, Zenon and Eric discuss what notes they have found previously. This almost works but not quite and Robin goes into "I shal show you the power of my creation" mode, reaching for a lever on the side of the tank.

Meanwhile Sa had managed to sidle around behind him and was standing next to one of the large pipes indicated by Markos as likely being the most important feed into the tank. Looking to Markos for further instructions Sa mis-interpreted the mage-blade's signal and hewed at the pipe (causing a caustic fountain to burst forth) then falling back to the far wall instead of charging forward. Markos rushed forward and droped a smokebomb in hopes of causing Robin to miss the lever but the alchemist was too close and the tank vented - a slush of alchemical fluid sweeping across the laboratory floor.

Robin ignored the actions of the party gathering his energy to cast a spell which shattered the glass of the tank (and everything else of glass in a broad radius) and then leaping through the hole and casting another spell to somehow meld with the massive, fleshy, skinless body flailing about on the floor. Markos filled the tank with Eldritch Web which bought the party a few moments to attack before the abomination heaved itself free. Long enough to prove that meteoric tipped missiles and meteoric steel blades burnt this creature as they do the werewolves. (Aiu landing the first shot.)

Zenon's approach tot he situation was to rummage through an undamaged corner of the laboratory for the largest jar of acid he could find and carry this to Sa, who threw it into the mix. Screaming "Give me your life force!" and ignoring the others attacking it the Robin-abomination hurled itself from the tank to Zenon, wrapping the puny witch in a massive embrace. Zediz'r threw Zenon one of the remaining silver-shard bombs from Tabitha. Despite his arms being pinned Zenon somehow managed to catch this in his mouth then drove his head forward into the Robin-abomination's chest.

Hero points were running like water. This is the second time Zenon - unquestionably the most self-serving member of the party - has unexpectedly self-sacrified an extremity to slay an Anthony. (Upsetting Markos' assessment of his character no-end.)

The two bodies collapsed to the floor. One blasted open to reveal the partial form of Robin inside, the other headless. Zedzid'r was also felled by the blast but quickly back on his feet with healing from Markos. Picking up the Scroll of Restoration from where it had fallen the greenbond began to invoke its power on Zenon, as the forces of the green swirled around him he saw spirits emerge from the stone and forcibly hold Zenon's soul within his corpse. Realising that he was going completely against everything his philosophy stood for Zediz'r wrestled with his conscience, eventually continuing through the scroll. As the magic reached its peak Zenons head regrew with a soft slurp and the witch's eyes flickered open. The scroll fell from Zediz'r's hands, now exhausted and just another sheet of fine parchment.

Artifacts destroyed: 1
"Well at least that prophecy about the dragons coming back if all seven scrolls are brought together will never be completed." - Markos
"I have stared into the void - and I never want to go back." - Zenon

There was the sound of running feet from the corridor and Markos ripped Robin's torso loose from the abominations torso to intimidate the expected guards out of attemting to attack the exhausted party - but it was Gideon, Windrunner and Eric who burst in through the doors.

[session ended. Zenon's player was not present for the next session so his character was (understandably given that he had died twice in the space of about an hour game time) quiet leaving the rest of the players to speculate on just what effect having your brain re-grown might have on memory or personality ...]

Gideon and Eric looked around and exploded with questions. The big ones are:

"Late to the party ... again." - Markos

What happened to him? [pointing at Zenon] - ?
"He lost his head in the heat of battle." - Sa

That looks like one of the scrolls from the Librarum Arcanum! What are you doing with it? - Eric
"Oh, it has been in the party for some time..." - Markos

What is that? [pointing to the corpse of the abomination] - Gideon
"Robin, who I believe is there, and there..." - Sa?

A search of the laboratory ws conducted and all of Robin's research notes packed into Windrunners saddlebags for safekeeping. Everything else in the laboratory, although of the finest quality, was ultimately reproduceable.

On their way in the Kingsmen had taken into custody the previously captured mojh guards (leaving them in the custody of Jerome and his griffon) and the most helpful of these was now re-questioned. With it's previous master Robin proven dead "Larry" was even more helpful especially when Markos made clear that the party would advocate for all the mojh to be released from Kingsguard custody and left to do what they wished with the island. Larry provided a sketch map of the other half of the complex (where about 20 mojh remained), locations of traps and guards and accompanied the party to negotiate for it's kin to stand down rather to fight. (Although the torso of Robin strapped to Sa's back probably had a stronger influence).

Thus the party got to visit unhindered the library (a more complete one Eric has never seen, chock full of rare editions and lost tomes. He, Aiu and Markos move on with great reluctance) and the treasury where after a bit of trouble getting in due to all the coins piled up against the door they find enough treasure to finance a medium-sized kingdom (maybe bigger). Millions of coins (10 million according to Sa who spent some time counting and estimating). Legendary lost and stolen treasures, in particular four nigh-immovable dragon-bone statues stood about the chamber or lined the walls. Aiu and Markos moved from magical item to item trying to identify each - a catalogue found in the library helped slightly but mostly described each item appearance not their history or powers.

Markos made a formal claim on the treasure under whatever Kingdom laws might apply, while Gideon and Eric were present to bear witness. It was clear that even these two stalwarts were being sorely tempted by the sheer amount of wealth present, with Eric grudgingly noting that they were technically just outside Kingdom jurisdiction. (Gideon and Windrunner went a little crazy and had a dust-bath in one of the piles.)

"Windrunner are you eating coins? - Markos
"...No..." - Gideon [guiltily]

Aiu suggested putting some of the gold through the bag still in her posession to the blacksmith's chest in Brimsworth but Markos pointed out that the smith had been in league with Jeffery-now-known-to-be-Robin and this could not be considered a secure transaction.

The party did take down some items:
- for Aiu a Belt of Giants giving +4 STR and the bow "Hawking Moon" which was once used by a hero to hold off an entire army attacking a keep. (Halves range penalties, gives low-light-vision, when settling on a target zooms and focuses the wielders full attention to that target until released (which could be detrimental under some circumstances.)
- for Markos the studded leather armour "Armateum" which absorbs damage from blows to the wearer (DR 5/magic)
- for Zediz'r a magical crossbow [which I don't have details for]
- for Zenon something to be decided when the player is present probably from the jewellery cabinet
- Sa was torn between multiple bows and eventually took a dark black one out to try, more on that later. [again I forget what he did end up with]

Moving all this treasure was impractical, even with the folding boat Eric produced from a pocket. Instead Markos negotiated with Larry for safe custody of the hoard, eventually agreeing to a full third of the coinage for the mojh to take away with them and start a new life somewhere. [That's about 3 million in coin, which sounds like a lot but is dwarfed by the value of the items in this room].

We considered claiming the island and simply hiring the Mojh but decided that wasn't really the direction the group wanted to go in right now.
"And then we'll have an army of mooks in our secret volcano lair!" - Sa

See next: "Your box can't go without seamen!" - Sa - on a roll

Erics's folding boat opens out into a small galley - but does not come with a crew. A new plan was needed and so Jerome was tasked to fly Aiu and some gold back to Murdered Bow where she arranged more ships and spare crew to sail out to the island (bringing with them fresh food, a banquet to the mojh and Anthony 26 (who survived an attack from two of Robins "lesser" abominations while the party was in the volcano) who mostly subsisted on hard rations delivered monthly by ship. This ship was only 5 days away so the party waited the extra day and added it to the fleet(also hopefully increasing the time until word reaches the other Anthonys).

[26 told us that they can usually get a sense when one of them dies but he felt nothing when Robin was killed - meaning either the alchemist had become so corrupted away from the others or so adept at hiding his true plans from them that the connection no longer functioned; or perhaps that he wasn't actually an Anthony?]

This made enough that all except the most immovable objects and the coin belonging to the mojh were able to be loaded with only a small chance that any given ship would capsize.

In the intervening time Sa tried out a bow made of black oak and had to drop it as his mind was filled with the screams of the damned. Aiu was able to identify the bow as "the Executioners Bow", which is said to trap the souls of everyone it kills and in its history has been used for such atrocities as slaying entire villages. Zediz'r was determined that such an evil item must be destroyed - repeated attempts to break it by Sa resulted in the bow cracking but both he and Aiu were nearly driven to madness by the scream it issued. Zediz'r was sent fleeing across the island in a blind panic. Markos eventually borrowed Aiu's new belt, cast several magical protections upon himself and with two blows of his meteoric blade was able to split the shaft in half, releasing a powerful stream of energies in to the sky as the souls trapped within soared to freedom.

Attracted by the light show Eric swore never to let us randomly wander off with potentially dangerous/evil items (of which there are many in the hoard) ever again.

The trip back to Murdered Bow was surprisingly without incident, with one party member aboard each ship and the griffons overhead to discourage thoughts of piracy from the (being well paid) crews. The next plan is to sail around the coast and then travel overland (wagons and trusted guards to be arranged by Gideon) to the Kingdom capital city and present ourselves to the King, gifting him another third of the coin and maybe purchasing a title or two. But first some loose ends needed tied up.
- Aiu needed to find someone suitable to take over as acting-Chancellor
- A message was sent by griffon to Daggakorian updating "her" on the situation and asking her to secure the smith's chest.
- the safekeeping of the warehouse and its occupants along with a stash of treasure was given over to Hughes and Juno (and we still need to get that ring sorted out for Hughes)
- during our absence Spoony had dye-bombed and Gideon and Eric had rounded up as many of Anthony's known collaborators as possible and some others had fled the city into the jungle (which is suddenly dying back. It is currently a deep but sad shade of autumn. Murdered Bow will probably have a good lumber industry for the next little while).The entire market sqaure was splattered in bright pink, irremovable dye. Daniel the innkeeper (cousin of Earl accomplice of "Jeffery") was gone but the extra-dimensional storeroom in his inn was untouched and Markos retrieved the Scroll of the Undying with a sigh of relief.

Immediately on arrival Zediz'r[?] came up with a practical joke to play on Spoony - with Sa holding the corpse (preserved by the amulet of Gentle Repose found previously in front of them and with Zediz'r using Lesser Telekinesis to animate the limbs they called Spoony out. The little dragon flew out completely unexpecting and then fled in terror from the sight of "Robin" screaming "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to!". He could be heard banging off the walls trying to find an exit until the party managed to calm him down again.

Hughes had a similar response when he emerged from the cellar in response to the party's call but Juno was made from sterner stuff. Nevertheless she treated the party with considerably more respect from then on.

"Ok, so we made a meat puppet of of the dead guy" - Sa?
"Oh, you got me good. I'm never playing tricks on you again! - Spoony (still shaken, to Sa)
"[sniff sniff] He smells dead." - Juno to the panicking Hughes in the cellar.

[session ends]