Session Start: Fri Apr 13 18:53:00 2001

*** Now talking in #Nightbelow

<Amber> Anyone like the Pern series of books? There's a new one out. Just finished it. "The Skies of Pern"

<Saif> Hi all

<Amber> hi Saif

<Shadow> Hiya

<Castinar> Hiya

<Saif> Pern - great books. Several of my characters still have Fire Lizard familiars

<Saif> Judd and Diane - you two need to get together and get Diane's e-mail address corrected for the mailing list. (Judd, you here?)

<Amber> Is there a 'write-up' on fire lizards as familiers? I d like to get a copy of it.

<Saif> No, I just made one up

<Castinar> I need to have mine changed as well to the @home address

<Amber> ahhh!

<Saif> I usually have to trim the teleportation ability back to Dimension Door to get them approved.

<Amber> Now there's a thought...

*** Kat has joined #nightbelow

<Amber> hi Kat

<Kat> hello

<Shadow> Hiya

<Saif> While we're waiting for the others I'm going to go tweak the main Underdark map with the 3e travel rates.

* Castinar nods at Kat

<Castinar> Was wondering about that

*** Nikki has joined #nightbelow

*** db sets mode: +o Nikki

<Nikki> db

<db> Nikki rolled 1d20: [16]

<Kat> Hi Judd

<Nikki> its a win!

<Nikki> a 16!

<Nikki> hi

<Nikki> you see that?

<Nikki> a 16?

<Nikki> wow

<Kat> I saw the 16

*** Ari has joined #nightbelow

<Kat> Hi Kim

<Nikki> amazing huh?

<Nikki> hi kim

<Ari> hi

<Saif> BTW, I'm going to assume that Thengal dumps some stuff to get him up to a 20' movement rate, which will give you guys a daily rate of 16 miles a day

<Amber> hi Ari, nikki

<Saif> OK, maybe I won't go update the map <g>

<Nikki> > \_ yeah i had to break my veil of secrecy. yes i am normally

<Nikki> > extremely cowardly. -dcs

<Nikki> ignore that

<Saif> ..

<Saif> .

<Saif> .

<Saif> Any questions before we get started?

<Saif> .

<Saif> .

<Kat> Any sounds coming from any of the caves?

<Saif> No

<Saif> All you've got is tunnels

<Saif> and lots of dead derro

<Saif> .

<Saif> .

<Saif> OK, a review of the situation

<Saif> not much to review <g>

<Saif> You just wiped out what appears to be a guard post with six derro and a pair of illithid

<Saif> one of the illithid got away

<Saif> the DM screwed up on some of the angles, and perhaps even the location of the guard post

<Saif> so the fortifications would be guarding the side tunnel, not the tunnel straight forward (as it was for most of the combat)

<Saif> Also the derro that fled would have run down the side tunnel, not the tunnel straight ahead

<Saif> hum, what else?

<Kat> is the fire still raging in the tower?

<Nikki> * my 15 level bonus

<Saif> I imagine you've all looked at the maps, so you know what the gnomes had down about this area

<Saif> No, the fire is out. It burned the wooden furniture in the tower for a few minutes, but there wasn't a lot of fuel in there.

<Saif> Oh, it would have burned the wooden roof of the circular tower by now

<Saif> any other questions, either about the strategic or tactical situation?

<Diana> * Seems we have the choice of trying to wipe out the diregund (to protect our rear), or just press on to city

<Saif> K, start talking and decide what you want to do next

<Kat> How long has the quest of the Truth Seekers been going on?

<Saif> hrm, just a second...

<Matar> well if you hadnt been so zealous and kept one alive we could have questioned it about this rebellion that was going on

<Kat> "Any guess at why they smell like fish?"

<Castinar> "Does anyone recognize or can interprete the symbol on the medallion?"

<Matar> anyone able to speak with dead?

<Diana> * should have that spell yes

<Diana> * ari too

* Castinar doesn't

<Ari> yes

<Saif> 27 months since the original members departed Hultail on the mission to take the stuff to Tauster.

<Amber> ANyone speak..never mind. Don't have it in memory at the moment.

<Shadow> ?

<Saif> So... this is your chance to talk things over, or do you all just want Matar to make a command decision?

<Castinar> "Does anyone recognize or can interprete the symbol on the medallion?"

<Diana> * I dont know, can I Saif? the meddallion that is

<Saif> No, the medallion design is unfamiliar to everybody

<Castinar> diregund --- htat was the gnomish word for Derro, no?

<Saif> Nobody can read the runes on the thing

<Saif> Yes to diregund

<Amber> and does anyone know why the fish smell?

<Diana> We have encountered the fish smell before.

<Nikki> can Read Magic read it?

<Saif> * That's a good point - some of the newer players/characters haven't experienced the fish smell

<Diana> didnt it have something to do with lowering resistance to mental attacks?

<Saif> The last time you smelled it was with the Bloodskull Orcs

* Castinar nods in remembrance

<Saif> Something along those lines, Diana - you guys never got a definitive reading on them.

<Saif> Nikki- the runes are not magic or magical

<Diana> ah k

<Saif> * I'd have to go back and find the time you analyzed them, but I'm pretty sure you got a "generally they do this" result

<Castinar> Don't suppose my Racial enemy knowledge will help me interpret them ;_

<Saif> Cast - you do know they are not derro in origin

* Castinar nods

* Diana would recommend resting, then memorizing and casting what divination spells we have available to help us decide a course of action or merely gain information.

* Castinar agrees --- perhaps we could scry this rebellion out and decide how to approach it

<Kat> "What?"

* Amber would suggest a quick scouting down the tunnel the derro fled, just to see if reinforcements coming too.

* Castinar scratches his head, thinking he used to be able to do that --- but quite unable to remember how he did it

<Matar> we could also speak with dead on one or more of these fellas, which may require tongues to be of use

<Diana> * heh, derro didnt flee, he died before getting too far

<Diana> *nod* matar

<Amber> *oh, misinterepted what Saif said earlier. shrug.

<Saif> So do you want to rest here, or somewhere else?

<Kat> "Hey, one of the snake-faced things escaped!! Remember?"

* Castinar nods

<Kat> "Time is not our friend."

<Diana> "Yes, and there isnt much we can do about that Kat. I imagine the City or the Derro will be aware of the attack here."

<Nikki> "Let's rest up and.. oh nevermind."

<Matar> "Ok, so lets grab a couple of the less messy bodies and head back to our last camp. There we can rest and prepare spells."

<Amber> *all too right he fled! Which is why AMber is still on guard!

* Shadow motions <set up wards>?

<Diana> "But time more or less will not matter. They will be as prepared a day from now as a week."

<Matar> "We can't stay here because we let that squid get away."

<Diana> "Although we should move away from here before resting."

*** Shadow is now known as Thengal

* Thengal growls "Yeah -- me's wanna meet up wit' dat one agin'"

<Kat> "The bodies we don't take, we should burn. I don't want to fight these things again."

* Diana nods vigoursly

<Saif> * Also remember several slavers got away as well. I don't remember if you guys got any specific information out of them before you killed them all, but you at least suspect they were associated with the City of the Glass Pool.

<Matar> "We need the body for the speak with dead spell... don't we?"

<Diana> -SOP: Burn all bodies. all of em.

* Castinar turns green at the thought, and starts pitching bodies into the smoldering tower

<Diana> * yes, one body to keep. or two just in case

<Saif> Do you want to keep the illithid or not?

<Nikki> I think Kat wanted to eat it or something.

* Thengal winces

<Nikki> Flayers have any known uses in magical stuff?

*** Thengal is now known as Shadow

* Shadow winces

<Kat> *It's like chicken, or kenku

<Matar> yea

<Matar> keep the illithid and a derro

<Matar> the illithid prolly knows more

<Saif> Probably in 2e, but not 3e (unless the DM wants to use rare ingredients)

<Matar> keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't regen

<Saif> So where does the party pull back to with the flayer and one derro body?

<Matar> back to our last camp site

<Nikki> afk

<Matar> ?

<Kat> *burn the rest of the bodies

<Matar> yes we burn the rest of the bodies

<Matar> cast, what do you think?

<Saif> That's 7 hours back. OK with that? It will be a long day (7 hours to here, two hours planning/fight, 7 more hours to get back)

* Castinar agrees

<Castinar> *was there anything defensible 3 - 3 1/2 hours back?

<Saif> The party makes a nice little oven out of the remaining tower and burns all of the bodies except the two they carry with them.

* Kat has no trouble with that

<Matar> "We need someplace defensible in case we ticked them off. Did we see anyplace 2-3 hrs back?

<Saif> Cast - you could probably find something

* Castinar will look

<Saif> A small side cave or something, nothing elaborate

<Nikki> * whats wrong with a small side cave?

<Saif> that would probably be as good as your last camp site

<Matar> "Anyone wanna try and trap the door to this tower in case they come looking?"

* Shadow can set a trap or two

* Shadow thinks for a moment, then motions for one of the poisoned bolts

<Matar> "Go for it, lets leave in 10 minutes."

<Saif> the door would have burned with the other wood in the tower. YOu can place something simple across the entrance, but not on the door itself.

<Nikki> "Unless the trap is enough to kill or permanently incapacitate, we should just move on"

<Saif> Still set the trap?

<Diana> * the poison has a good chance of killing...

<Nikki> * how long we playing? my manager just walked out and its friday and I wanna go home. :)

* Shadow sighs, looking around, then motions that it's not practical to do anything lasting

<Matar> * im guessing we looted before hand?

<Saif> Nikki - a couple hours or so, I would imagine. We'll do the speak with dead thing and some div spells, then probably some exploring.

<Shadow> *Poison wasn't killing kind...

<Nikki> * k.

<Saif> If you do go, do you have any divination-type spells you want to cast?

<Nikki> * i saw theres little point in non killing traps except to maybe slow them down. do we care about that?

<Nikki> * saw = say

<Diana> * oh, thought the poison could kill. oh well

<Nikki> * fireball, baby! its the only divine help a mage needs!

<Saif> * no, was a CON poison and a STR poison

<Diana> * Con poisons can kill right?

<Saif> the CON poison might kill a sickly person

<Diana> * ifyour con goes to 0, you die

<Saif> but it was only a couple points, as I remember

<Diana> ah.

<Diana> brb

* Shadow would rather use them as intended

<Shadow> *or see them used as intended

<Saif> yes, was 2-3, so probably wouldn't kill anything

<Nikki> * just that a trap that does, say, 2d10 is just annoying and a waste of our time to setup imvho. i dont care really, just dont want to be here hours setting traps

<Castinar> *Speaking of which, Ari, did you pick up crossbow skill?

<Ari> yes

<Shadow> *wouldn't take me <that> long!

* Shadow grins

<Saif> Also be aware the Speak with Dead spell has changed somewhat. In the past I've always had the spirit return and you talked with the spirit (thus the scene with the demon over the body of Dac). Now the soul does not return and you question a slightly-animated body.

<Nikki> * :-) you know what i meant.

<Kat> *What skills does it take now to set traps?

<Saif> I think it's a skill

<Saif> a craft, rather

<Saif> Yes, Craft: Trapmaking

* Shadow thinks its a craft/profession

<Shadow> *Okay, so it would take me that long ;)

<Saif> OK, the party burns the corpses, doesn't set any traps, and pulls back about 3 hours to a side-cave they can set up in. Anything else before we move on to that?

* Castinar can't think of anything

<Saif> .

<Saif> .

<Saif> OK, the party does that

<Saif> You are now in the side cave

<Saif> and you set up camp

<Saif> any spells you want to cast or precautions you want to take before you go to sleep and recover spells?

<Castinar> *checking

<Matar> have we healed ourselves up?

<Saif> Yes, everybody was full up on HP

<Castinar> *no spells handy at this point

<Saif> Spellcasters - start looking at what spells you want to memorize for tomorrow.

<Saif> Matar - is the plan to cast spells and then leave the same day, or cast, rest up again, then head out?

<Matar> depends how many spells we cast

<Castinar> *might depend on the information we get?

<Matar> if its just speak dead and tongues we can go straight out - if its half their hps then we wait

<Saif> Just wondering so the casters can plan accordingly.

<Saif> K, you guys are going to have to decide what you do there - particularly Diana and Ari since they have the more powerful divination type spells.

<Matar> dang no more nap spells?

<Matar> suckage

<Nikki> but it doesnt take half a day to memorise everything anymore

<Diana> working on spells

<Saif> Ari - you working on spells as well? I think you've got access to several that Diana doesn't that the party may want cast.

<Diana> xchange cure moderate for Augury, Prayer for Speak with Dead, cure crit for Divination, Summon monsters IV for Tounges, and Minor globe for Scrying.

<Saif> Ari and Amber - anything to add to that from you guys?

<Amber> no, keeping what I have listed on grid...wish I had nap though :)

<Saif> ok

<Saif> Diana - you're center stage. What do you cast first?

<Diana> hrm..

<Diana> Well, let me check some durations.

<Diana> Ok, Tounges first

<Diana> Did Ari do a Speak with dead?

<Diana> guess no. Ill have to memorize a second then.

<Saif> What language did you want to speak?

<Diana> it will switch as needed.

<Diana> they just say i cant _speak_ more than one language... at any given moment. you can switch as necessary

<Saif> switch? what, the tongues spell? it only works on one creature

<Diana> yes, creature touched... ie me

<Saif> target - creature touched

<Castinar> can you cast it on the creature?

<Castinar> then it could understand us

<Saif> you cast it on yourself, but pick up the language of the creature you touch

<Diana> no no... thats not how spell targets work

<Diana> and tounges doesnt say that

<Saif> Oh, hold on

<Saif> hum, isn't really clear about whether or not you can switch languages. Could you do that with the 2e version?

<Diana> 2e version you understood all languages spoken at you

<Diana> i was interpreting the description in 3e to mean the same thing

<Castinar> it says language of any intelligent creature, no more than one at a time

<Saif> in 2e you got a number of languages depending on your level

<Diana> right. so i can communicate magically with an orc, a lizard man, and a gith at the same time

<Diana> i have to pick one language at a time

<Diana> can = cant

<Diana> but i could understand all three if they spoke at me at the same time

<Diana> thats what the limitation is

<Diana> ie: its not an inverse comprehend languages.

<Saif> OK, from my reading it looks like you can listen to any intelligent creature and understand them, but can only speak one langauage at a time (which is what you were saying at first, no? rack it up to the medication)

<Diana> yah

<Diana> :)

<Saif> OK, you've got tongues running

<Saif> what now?

-> *Ari* work it out with Diana in the main window plz

<Diana> Speak with dead on the Derro. then Speak with Dead on the Flayer

<Diana> Ill drop CSW for the second SWD, since Ari wont be casting int

<Saif> OK, the Derro is now slightly animated and able to speak.

<Castinar> *You have ? ?s -- 4 per spell?

<Ari> ill cast it if you want. i dont care

<Saif> what's your caster level?

<Saif> looks like 8, so 4 questions

<Diana> Will save to resist

<Diana> since i doubt the derro was neutral good

<Saif> what's your DC?

<Diana> DC 18

<Castinar> what's a dead Derro's save? <VBG>

<Diana> same as in life

<Saif> db +3

<db> Saif rolled 1d20+3: [17]

<Diana> :)

<Saif> it's there

<Diana> keen

<Diana> ok Matar, what to ask it? you got 4 questions

<Nikki> * I think its unfair to bag on the poor derro and assume by nature that it was not good. its exactly this sort of racism that keeps d&d as the bloody game it is.

<Diana> hehe

<Saif> * I thought you were going home? <g>

<Diana> it could be good, lawful or chaotic good for example :)

<Nikki> not yet. i never leave before 7.

<Diana> just not neutral good

<Matar> soryr

<Diana> 4 questions :)

<Diana> for the derro

<Matar> ugh i have to ask

<Matar> grumble

<Diana> your our leader oh great and wondrous one

<Castinar> hehe

<Matar> Who are the derro fighting?

<Diana> * Diana parrots these then relays the answers

<Saif> ### Feel free to craft your questions. Since Diana has the spell running, she'll actually voice the questions. When I see @@@ "This is the question I ask" that will count as one of the asked questions. Otherwise feel free to hash it out.

<Diana> "Who are the derro fighting in the rebellion?"

<Diana> ok

<Diana> sound good matar?

<Saif> So you want that one to count?

* Castinar shudders and turns away --- this is too close to ---- that

<Saif> k, just do that @@@ thing when ready

<Diana> *nod*

<Matar> im think who, where, why, how?

* Castinar will resolutely stand guard down the hallway

<Diana> ok. is the above specific enough? or should we add more details?

<Amber> how about why?

<Diana> its in there :)

<Diana> we will get to why in a bit

<Nikki> "fighting _against_"

<Nikki> or "with"

<Kat> brb

<Nikki> or, "what races are on each side in the rebellion?"

<Diana> so "Who are the derro fighting against in the rebellion at the City of the Glass Pool?"

<Matar> might not be a race thing

<Matar> they could fight themselves

<Shadow> *They might not know hte city by that name

<Diana> *nod*

<Shadow> that may be the gnomish name

<Nikki> or, "when the hell is the 3ed wizard's book getting published?"

<Diana> hehe

<Matar> got pushed back

<Diana> i dont think this derro knows that

<Nikki> worthless derro. must be not neutral good.

<Matar> a couple months anyway

<Diana> we will have to kill skip williams and ask his corpse

<Diana> course, that would delay it even more...

<Matar> you might be able to ask without killing him

<Diana> less fun tho.,

<Diana> so is the last submission good enough for a question?

<Shadow> The one about skip? Sure ;-)

<Ari> **you guys ant me to cast speak with dead or not? Ari gets 5 questions...going to put the boy to bed..brb

<Diana> :P

* Diana slaps Ari with a large, slimy, very dead trout.

<Diana> which is to say, yes, please memorize two speak with deads and a tounges spell, and you can follow up on the questions that I ask

<Diana> ok, matar, in the absence of confirmation im going with that question

* Shadow nods

<Matar> thats fine

<Diana> @@@ "Who are the derro fighting against in the rebellion at the City of the Glass Pool?"

<Saif> thinking...

<Saif> "There ain't no rebellion in the City, just those scum wandering around out here in the tunnels."

<Saif> 1 down

<Matar> sigh

<Matar> oh you can only speak with dead once

<Matar> then you have to wait a week

<Matar> per corpse

<Diana> ah.

<Diana> so we will let ari interrogate the mind flayer then

<Matar> aye

<Diana> hrm. it seems we ran into some political spin doctoring on that question

<Matar> hmm i spose asking for a map of the tunnels is a little too specific?

<Diana> yah

<Diana> he has to be able to respond in a minute or less, and he uses very simple responses

<Diana> so next?

<Kat> *could ask about the fish smell

<Matar> "Why does Kat smell like a fish?"

<Diana> he probobly doesnt know

<Diana> better to ask the flayer that one

* Castinar agrees

* Castinar says over his shoulder "Ask why they are so interested in kidnapping magic users?"

<Matar> how about "Who are these scum" "how many scum are there" "why havent you wiped scum out yet?"

<Diana> hrm, again better to ask flayer

<Amber> *where does it say speak with dead can only be done once in a week?

<Matar> bottom of spell descri

<Nikki> "How many Angels can dance on the head of a pin?"

<Diana> "Who are the scum wandering the tunnels?"

<Diana> or maybe What are the scum wandering the tunnels?

<Saif> Amber - first line, second paragraph

<Matar> er begin second p

<Kat> How many derro protect the City of the Glass Pool from the scum

<Diana> "How many derro and mind flayers are in the City of the Glass pool?

<Matar> or how many illithids are around? where do they come from? where are the prisoners kept? what fetches a good price at the market?

<Amber> *sorry, my version doesn't say anything like that at end, middle or beginning.

<Diana> pick one matar :)

<Kat> How many derro and mind flayers live in the City of the Glass Pool?

<Saif> * Amber, you looking at the 3e version??

<Castinar> If the corpse has been subject to speak with deaad within the last week, the new spell fails...........

<Amber> *yes, corpse can only be talked to in 1 week, not caster!

<Saif> * huh?

<Nikki> the limitation is on the corpse, not the caster.

<Diana> yah, but ari can ask more questions, so she should ask the mind flayer :)

<Amber> *I got the empression way back that Diana thought she could only do one casting and that Ari had to do the other...she could do both corpses. never mind..brain dead tonight.

<Diana> *nod*

<Diana> ok matar what do you think of Kat's last suggestion. go with that?

<Matar> ok back to the questin at hand

<Matar> um id rather follow up on the scum first tho i guess we need to ask that at some point

<Shadow> *or how many of what type ofally they have?

<Kat> *What do you know about the Truth Seekers?

<Matar> hmm what forces do you bid in this batchall?

<Diana> ok, so What are the scum wandering the tunnels?

<Saif> * note that Kat's question would count as two questions - how many derro and then how many illithid

<Castinar> thats why I suggested how many of what type --- or is that 2 as well?

<Nikki> "Where is the Grail?"

<Nikki> "How many sparrows does it take to...."

<Castinar> *If so, then "Describe the allies you have here in this area..."

<Nikki> "What is your favorite color?"

<Castinar> blue, no, Red... Auuughhhhhhh

<Nikki> lol

<Nikki> "Just one more waffer thin mint?"

<Matar> i like castinars

<Diana> ok...

<Nikki> "Ugly and short"

<Kat> *Why does everything Crichton suggests, doesn't work?

<Matar> * hes a stupid human?

<Diana> so "Describe the allies (or maybe forces?) you have at the City of the Glass Pool (or here, but that might mean the towers)."

<Nikki> "Ugly and short"

<Nikki> 'describe' isnt a good word choice.

<Matar> perhaps you can suggest a better word?

<Nikki> thinking about it

<Diana> hrm.

<Castinar> Enumerate -- good programmers word

<Nikki> "how many troops can be mustered for the defense of the CotGP?"

<Diana> sounds good to me

<Matar> sure for it go

<Kat> What kinds of troops can be mustered for the defense of the CotGP?

<Nikki> "Ugly and short" :)

<Matar> that might not give numbers

<Kat> *Answer to Nikki's is - many

<Diana> hrm

<Nikki> "Many, ugly, and short".

<Diana> kinds or numbers

<Kat> yes

<Diana> kinds?

<Nikki> frankly, why do we care how many? we wont be fighting an army will we?

<Kat> 3

<Diana> *nod* so kinds then

<Diana> yes?

<Kat> 3 doesn't mean much if you don't know the units

* Diana poke Matar.

<Matar> well we can prolly safely assume derro and illithids

<Diana> not really, illithids are slavers.

<Diana> they probobly have alot of different slaves

<Saif> * BTW, since you're just asking the corpse and not the unwilling spirit, I won't be quite as hard with the exact wording of questions. You got an answer you didn't expect on the first one because it was based in part on a bad assumption/wording - that the rebellion was actually in/at the City.

<Kat> slavers might be gnome mage, human cleric, half-orc fighter...

<Nikki> "Tell us everything you know!" :-)

<Nikki> "Where is all the good loot in the City?"

<Matar> while that very well could take less then a minute for a derro it might not prove useful to us

<Saif> * OK, a little more precise than that <g>

<Amber> yes, scum might be useful to us, why are they called scum?

<Diana> ok, pick a question then guys :)

<Matar> "What do you know about this scum?"

<Diana> works for me

<Amber> yep

<Matar> "What do you know about the scum in the tunnels?"

<Diana> k

<Amber> bingo

<Diana> @@@ "What do you know about the scum in the tunnels?"

<Saif> * Jamie talking to me, I'll answer that, go ahead and work on your next question - you get some data about a small tribe of rebel derro

<Matar> "How is the city defended?"

<Matar> "How can we sneak into the city?"

<Castinar> how about what's beyond the city?

<Amber> might mistake that for his own city.

<Amber> Do the rebel derro refuse to work with the slavers? or why do the rebel?

<Amber> the=they

<Matar> there isnt anything beyond the city! it'd be on the gnome's map!

<Matar> what other entrances are there to the city?

<Amber> seems like a question for squidface not derro.

<Kat> what rebels?

<Saif> Answer to scum question: "There are about 40 of them, including the half-dozen or so savants that lead them. They are holed up down the tunnel. They keep raiding us, so we built the guard post I work at..." He trails off for a second, then continues...

<Diana> * oh ho...

<Diana> * nice information there...

<Saif> "They keep spouting stuff about the purity of the race and all. Fools! Strength is all that matters, not purity!" It then grows silent and looks rather tired (which is quite an achievement for a corpse)

<Diana> lol

<Shadow> *Question --- Do I know what Savants are in the Derro society?

<Diana> brb... talk about next to last question.

<Saif> Cast - yes

<Matar> "Castinar, do you know these savants he speaks of?"

* Castinar spits

<Castinar> Dwarven Spellcasters --- and leaders of the scum, er, race

<Matar> "Hmm well if they're worried about purity they might not be usefull.... - how about 'Why are they concerned with the race's purity?"

<Matar> "I'd guess its cause they work with the illithid's but ya never know"

<Castinar> *Hmm.. just wonder how knowing that (or not knowing, for that matter) could be useful.... might be a good question tho

<Castinar> 3 asked?

<Saif> no, two

<Castinar> 2?

<Castinar> Meant two sorry

<Nikki> none of my better questions were asked.

<Nikki> my last question request before going, "What is the answer to life, the universe, and everything?"

<Castinar> *reserving them for later ;-)

<Nikki> going home now. cyta

<Nikki> cya

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<Diana> ok back

<Kat> 42

<Amber> no, 4d2

<Kat> read a book

<Amber> :)

<Diana> did we settle on the third question?

<Matar> "Cast, I'm just wondering if the enemy of my enemy is my friend or yet another and more hated enemy"

<Saif> nope

<Castinar> *Easy --- they're derro, you can't trust them as far as you can't see them

<Kat> where are the scum located?

<Diana> we know that, down the side tunnel

<Kat> how often do they attack

<Diana> we dont much care really?

<Castinar> *yup, why the fortifications were there

<Matar> "Well I know you arn't the most partial person when it comes to derro."

* Castinar grins "You noticed?"

<Kat> How many slaver with slaves come this way?

<Diana> * thats not bad

<Kat> If we want to find the other group, we need to know where they are

<Matar> "Why haven't you wiped out such a small number of scum yet?"

* Saif prods the collective party

<Matar> not a whole lotta input here

<Diana> Is that your final answer :)

<Shadow> hehe

<Diana> I liked cat's How man slavers with slaves come/came this way.

<Castinar> Ah, we're going to find the weaker group? And wipe them out?

* Castinar rubs his hands together

<Kat> "Is this body under the influence of the fish stuff?"

<Kat> "Even if it is dead?"

<Diana> *sigh*

<Amber> I like the slaver question myself

<Diana> "What forces lie between the guard towers and the city?

<Shadow> *Why are they supporting the Illithid?

<Diana> (or protections)

<Diana> they are slaves shadow :)

<Diana> they dont have much choice.

<Matar> guess go ahead and try the slavers question

<Shadow> *They don't act like it.... do they?

<Diana> ok

<Diana> @@@ "How many slavers with slaves came this way?

<Saif> It looks confused for a moment, then replies "We usually get a group of slavers through here every couple of weeks or so."

<Matar> bleh

<Matar> "Why haven't you wiped out such a small number of scum yet?"

<Matar> that could give us an interesting answer

<Diana> @@@ "Why haven't you wiped out such a small number of scum yet?"

<Kat> *It is not my command

<Saif> The corpse sneers. "The illithid don't care about them. They don't think they are much of a threat so they don't allow us to do what we should have done months ago and organize a single strike to destroy them all."

<Diana> ok, on to ari and the illithid then

<Saif> The corpse's face then slowly looses its firmness and then goes slack

<Kat> "Who were you working for?"

<Saif> ### Ari - do you want to ask the questions, or let Diana handle it again (although IC Ari will be the one asking)

<Kat> "Who is in charge of the City of the Glass Pool?"

<Kat> "What is the secret password to get past the guards?"

<Matar> hmm that could be useful

<Matar> pose as slavers?

<Diana> not bad...

<Ari> whatever they want...Diana can do it

<Amber> better make it passwords ...plural

<Matar> of course gotta fail the will save first unless its a good illithid

<Amber> might be a whole sentence or countercode

<Diana> <Kat> *could ask about the fish smell

<Saif> K, Diana, same as before, I'll consider @@@ from you to be actual questions.

<Diana> ok

<Diana> right.

<Diana> but at Ari's DC, not mine :)

<Ari> DC 18

<Kat> *What does the effects of the potion, the fish smelling one, that you make the derro drink?

<Saif> oh yea, let me check that

<Diana> mind flayers have good will saves. this will be interesting

<Saif> db +9

<db> Saif rolled 1d20+9: [24]

<Diana> ouch

<Saif> oh well

<Saif> the illithid resists Ari's casting.

<Kat> *Why are you collecting spell casters?

<Diana> does that mean we cant cast it again?

<Diana> for a week i mean?

<Saif> hrm...

<Kat> *If we eat the spell resist creature, do we get spell resistence?

<Saif> "subject" to the spell, which I interpret as being "cast on it" whether it worked or not, so I'd say no. Comments on that?

* Castinar agrees

<Diana> sounds fair

<Matar> that was my interp

<Diana> it makes the will save meaningfu

<Saif> OK, so what now?

<Shadow> Let's sum up what we found out and make a plan... :-)

<Diana> * I recommend we at least scout this rebel band. enlisting their aid could be quite useful for our approach on the city.

<Matar> let me explain... no that will take too long... let me sum up

* Shadow frowns

<Castinar> "

<Castinar> You expect me to work <with> a Derro?????

<Kat> yes

<Castinar> "Not happening --- only one thing I'll do with Derro"

<Kat> "How do you know that the derro aren't good?"

<Matar> "That could be a really tough sell if they are after racial purity. They may be fighting because the others are working for the illithid. But if it goes bad then it is at least another source of information."

<Diana> yah. we have ways of making you talk. and no, we dont need you alive for it :)

<Matar> they do need to have a mouth tho so dont attack the face!

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<Diana> * not the face! not the face!

*** dshutton is now known as Amber1

<Castinar> "They're Derro. That's all I need to know. I've lived under here more than any except Ari --- I've studied them. I ain't never seen a single one who wouldn't want to gut you as talk to you."

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<Amber> *don't know what happened...miss anything?

<Matar> i s'pose another option would be to wait a week and try again with these two

<Diana> "Yes, your prejudices are well known Castinar. I still think they could be a valuable ally or information source, willing or unwilling. Even unknowing, if we could work that."

<Diana> "Tag along covertly behind one of their raiding parties for instance."

* Amber thinks of calomary and noodles looking at squidhead....

<Kat> "We could at least ask them, er, trick them, into attacking the City."

<Diana> "Especially now that we have cleared an obstacle from their path. They may take advantage of the situation."

<Castinar> "Now that, I would love to see --- then we could clean up the pieces."

<Diana> "We did enough damage to the towers that they will not be able to repair very quickly."

<Kat> "They need to know that the towers are burned. They might not know. Unless they have scouting parties."

<Shadow> Heh --- down here? They could smell it if they're within 5 miles...

* Shadow wrinkles her nose

<Kat> "Are they attacking it now? Maybe they don't have the forces to attack the city."

<Kat> "They might think they need some allias to attack the city. Clean the impure."

<Diana> * raiding more like it. a raid is all we need as well

<Amber> Maybe they could be a diversion for us?

<Kat> "If we act like slavers wanting to take over the slave trade, they might work for us."

<Amber> Better find out what they think about slavers first.

<Matar> "That could backfire too. Maybe they don't like all this cheap labor and want to see jobs for American... er derro workers instead."

<Castinar> "We could wait for them to raid the city, find their camp and wait for them to limp back --- get the information we need then --- and leave the rest up ot me..."

<Diana> lol

<Saif> keep talking....

<Saif> you need a plan

<Saif> or, then again, maybe all you need is a dozen Wands of Fireball

<Saif> that would be a good plan too

<Castinar> *You don't like mine? <VBG>

<Castinar> Not as much fun though....

<Saif> Matar - you're going to have to make the final decision

<Matar> "Well first things first. Here's is what I suggest our course of action is: 1) head back to the fortifications and see if there are recent tracks/new forces there, 2) scout out the rebels and see what we can see, 3) take it from there."

<Kat> How much does it cost to make a few dozen Wands of Fireball?

<Diana> I concur

<Ari> *ok people. I am too tired to stay awake any longer. Ari can cast Divination and Commune is you want. Goodnight all

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<Matar> see which tunnel they seem to be protecting this time!

<Amber> I concur as long as someone hold Castinar when we get close to derro. :)

<Castinar> Hold me? With Fin in my possession????

<Matar> question is - do we think we need to recoup spell power or are we still good to go?

<Amber> Sure, Hold person spell....

<Amber> :)

<Diana> * recoup after I cast scry on the mindflayer that got away :)

<Diana> see what he is up to

<Castinar> try it ;-) good saves vs that

<Kat> What can Divination and Commune do to help us find the rebel forces?

<Matar> cant hurt

<Diana> then we can do some divinations and communes on the best courses of action

<Diana> no save vs scry

<Diana> just an int/scry check to notice it vs dc20

<Matar> forgot we had other spells

<Matar> lets rattle those off

<Matar> scry first

<Diana> Ok, it should be a DC 10 scry check for me to successfully cast it.

<Diana> right saif?

-> *Diana* remember you've got your ring as well. Or was it a dagger? I think dagger. One y/n question per day.

<Saif> so what exactly are you trying to scry?

<Diana> The mind flayer who teleported away

<Saif> yes, 10 for him

<Diana> k

<Saif> well, about a 13, since you just saw him, not actually met him

<Saif> make it 12

<Diana> ok.

<Diana> db d20+11

<db> Diana rolled 1d20+11: [25]

<Diana> i made it :)

<Castinar> hehe

<Saif> let me think about this for a second...

<Diana> he gets a scry skill or unskilled int check to notice the effect

<Diana> im pretty sure he is int 12+ :)

<Saif> db +4

<db> Saif rolled 1d20+4: [7]

<Saif> Just trying to decide where he might be.

<Saif> OK, let me read a little something

<Diana> k

<Saif> db d4

<db> Saif rolled 1d4: [4]

<Saif> OK

<Saif> You see a large room, about 50' long

<Saif> The furnishings are increadible - lots of beautiful tapestries, deep, thick rugs, fine leather furniture, etc.

<Saif> The area is faintly lit from the far end of the room, where a globe of light hangs over a desk

<Saif> Your point of view is from the other end, where it is mostly dark

<Saif> You see your target asleep in a very comfortable looking chair.

<Kat> *give him a nightmare

<Diana> hrm

<Amber> *bandaged? healed?

<Saif> * Only the caster can see through the scrying pool, correct?

<Amber> *he was badly wounded right?

<Diana> dont know it doesnt say

<Diana> but in traditional fantasy, anyone can see the image

<Diana> (talking books and stories)

* Amber will whisper these statements if Diana /Ari tells us what she sees.

<Diana> up to you tho

<Saif> since it is a skill now, I'll say just the caster

<Diana> k

<Diana> Bandaged? Wounded? :)

<Saif> no bandages, no wounds

<Diana> and yeah, ill describe what i see.

<Saif> but you can see the tears from where Thengal hit him

<Saif> in his clothing

<Diana> oho, hasnt had time to change.

<Kat> *he knows how to heal, not sew

<Diana> hehe

<Matar> it is still a spell - just has an associated skill to it

<Diana> we can drop in on him later, if we want.

<Diana> see what hes up to.

<Saif> Diana - you describe the scene, right?

<Diana> yah

<Diana> including, if possible, any healdry or runes/images i see.

<Diana> in case castinar or ari recognize them

<Saif> Kat recognizes it - she spent many hours wandering around this room when stuck in cat form. It is the residence of the illithid in the City of the Glass Pool.

<Saif> no runes or anything

<Kat> "I've spend many hours in that room."

<Shadow> The illithid? Or the illithid?

<Diana> ouch

<Shadow> *The as in a specific?

<Amber> "oh dear!"

<Saif> I'm going to go back on what I said before. The effect of the spell is the "magical sensor", not the caster, so we'll say anybody can look in and see through the sensor once it is activated and focused in.

<Diana> ok :)

<Saif> Kat remembers anywhere between two and five illithid would share those quarters at any given time

<Saif> There are doors leading out of this main room along both sides. Kat knows those lead to the private rooms of the individual illithid. This is the central 'common' room.

* Kat tells everyone the info Saif just typed out

<Saif> there are four doors along one side, two along another

<Diana> ok.

<Castinar> 3 to 5 --- with one down --- I don't like the remaining numbers

-> *Kat* seeing this whole scene frees up a bad memory you had repressed for a long time. The illithid who had you captive was named Zanticor. You know he was a powerful priest.

<Kat> *Does the one that is sleeping, look like the one that put that nasty collar on Kat?

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*** db sets mode: +o Nikki

<Saif> no, the one sleeping is the one you fought with at the fortifications

<Saif> he's the only one you see

<Kat> "There are at least two more snake-faces. That's not the one that made the collar for me."

<Diana> does anything change over the course of the 8 minutes of the spell?

<Saif> Nikki - the party is scrying the illithid that got away. Kat recognizes where he's at - it's the illithid residence in the City of the Glass Pool. He's asleep in a lazy-boy recliner

<Saif> db d60

<db> Saif rolled 1d60: [37]

<Saif> no

<Diana> ok

<Diana> Last spell for diana: Divination

<Saif> k

<Diana> we can ask about the outcome of a particular action that we will attempt in the next week. we have a 78% chance of getting a useful answer

<Saif> your question?

<Diana> my recommendation will be to ask either:

<Saif> * we'll do the same thing, the @@@ will be the question asked

<Diana> "What will be the result of talking to the rebellious Derro"

<Diana> or

<Diana> "What will be the result of approaching the city?"

<Diana> the question specifics dont matter much, just the subject.

<Diana> the gods will decide what they actually divulge.

<Diana> (ie Siaf :)

* Amber likes the first

<Diana> Of course, Ari can ask the second one with her Divination, and has an 80% chance to boot

<Castinar> I know the results of the first --- the Derro will die ;-)

<Kat> "Will the purest derro help us fight against Zanticor and his allias?"

<Diana> thats not how divination works really

<Amber> :) and with all the dead bodies, lots of them can be questioned via speak to dead!

<Diana> we can ask what the outcome of asking them will be tho

<Kat> "Zanticor is the snake-face thatput the collar on me."

<Saif> * note you ask about a possible action, goal, or event and get the results about the action, not general questions.

<Diana> exactly

<Saif> And you do have two questions - one from Diana and one from Ari.

<Saif> Diana - you'll make the final decision here on both.

<Matar> id like to know what the results will be if we try talking to the rebels

<Diana> ok

<Diana> sooo...

<Matar> we'll just give cast a glass of milk first. <G>

<Castinar> It'll take more than that :-}

<Diana> I guess specific wording isnt so improtant

<Diana> Saif, just asking about our interaction with rebels enough?

<Saif> no, we'll go with the gist of the question. This is an answer from "friendly forces"

<Diana> k

<Diana> do that one then

<Diana> 78% chance, should i roll?

<Saif> give me a question, however

<Saif> and yes, you roll, but you do need exact wording so I know what to reply to.

<Diana> "We wish to meet and talk with the Rebel Derro. What can we expect?"

<Saif> roll

<Diana> to be the outcome...

<Diana> db d100

<db> Diana rolled 1d100: [58]

<Diana> :)

<Saif> "Negotiations from strength, with patience, sprinkled liberally with flattery, done with eyes wide open, will lead to a beneficial alliance."

<Diana> sounds good.

<Diana> we leave castinar behind :)

<Diana> hehe

* Castinar mutters You better believe I'll keep my "eyes" wide open

<Saif> oh yeah "And leave Castinar behind" <g>

<Diana> lol

<Diana> Ok, matar, what about Ari's question?

<Saif> oh, and "you guys really should have looked into the diplomacy, intimidate, and bluff skills"

<Diana> I have diplomacy!

<Diana> 5 ranks :)

<Saif> then that should