Submitted by Seaan on Wed, 04/27/2011 - 9:00am
Posted in
Samson may not recall much of the details of his life, but his dedication to protect the weak and deserving is still his overriding drive. He recalls that his confidence is a great strength, and an occasional weakness. We shall have to see how his confidence is affected by the memory gaps, the long nightmares and the new body.
Paladin (level 2) - current experience points = 2,934 (after 1.4)
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Equipment from 1.4
Samson's concsious is bothered by the concept of stealing from a host, and thus decided to minimize to things a host might have supplied. He basically took food and gear to contain it (backpack and bags) to hold it, but nothing else. This is still marginal behaviour and Samson will probably have to make some amends.
Notes from 1.4 (June 8, 2011)
Talking with the Steward, who is moderately evil. Under questioning from Tantris, he says the lord is protecting his guests from external forces but not from themselves. He talks about us as being thieves because of the bodies we wear and gear we posses. There are some explanations, and the steward says he will interceded for us if we take care of some of his problems (like eliminating a meddlesome Lich). He also rejoins us with Dawn (who had gotten lost, slept in the tomb, ran from spiders in the stables, then attacked two by well dressed creatures with power shooting out of yellow eyes (perhaps a specter, wight, or lich?).
Taken to comfortable rooms that seemed shielded from some of the evils in the castle. Very opulent with hot and cold running water. We question the steward's son and a ghostly noble lady. Told there are only three corporeal beings aside from us. We get a nice meal, most of us wash. We find clothes and personal effects from our past lives, but not precisely (clothes fit the new bodies, personal items are “off” like diaries are OK on the outside but random letters on the inside). There is a magic storm that almost severs our soul from their precarious seat in the new bodies, but we observe a red magical shield around the castle which the ghostly lady tells us is the lord protecting the castle.
We eventually find a note on the dessert tray (which was delivered by the steward's son) and it says that we can fight or flee. Says to meet in Valerian's room at midnight. There is the ghostly lady who offers us a way out (through a secret door). We go through many twisty hallways and head under the ground. She leads us to a room where a scouting troop (who apparently killed themselves). They were outfitted for a scouting/mapping journey and there is well preserved food. We grab various equipment, food, and some masterwork weapons. The lady leads us to a door, and into a corridor that Dawn recognizes. We head in the direction of the stables, but are attacked by the wights.
Tantris uses his smite on one of the wights, Preston and Dawn channel positive energy against the wights (267 xp for 2 wights). But one wight crit's Banik (2 level drain) and kills him. We keep the wight from possessing his body, and see his ethereal ghost floating with the body.
At the end of the tunnel, we see a ladder leading up to a web-filled portal. Tantris prepares for battle like he is facing a horde of nasty undead (because of the poison).
Many note know this unless we communicate with Banik. He floats up to the entrance and notes the webs are in the ethereal plane. He talks with the mother spider (unusual that it talks). The smaller spiders are undead. He bargains with the mother spider, and she agrees not to attack us if we remove a fragment of a blade from her (ghost touch?). Banik removes the blade and the baby spiders start attacking the mother. Banik grabs the fragment of blade and takes it over toward us.
We spot the blade trying to cut the web and start cutting through the web. A part of the spiders swarm over us. Damage but no poisoning, and eventually we killed them (thanks to channelers). Tantris is staggered because of the poison (xp 600 for spiders). We snuck out and turned towards the tomb to see if the lich could help “reattach” Banik to the body.
Note - second game session
We hear noises beyond the wall, and intuit it is a missing person that we know (Dawn). As we walk off the path, we are attacked by trees. One tree is destroyed (dr 5 to damage?), and Preston demoralizes the other tree to make it stop attacking us (very cool, uses a channel slot to produce cool effects). We avoid the trees the rest of the way, and find a person (not Dawn) trapped in a tree with 10 zombies lumbering beneath. Preston and Summer both channel killing the remaining zombies (Zakere killed one). Than a Ghoul lunges out of the ground almost taking out Preston. Samson criticals the Ghoul, who only had 1 HP. We rescue Summer, who wears the same holy symbol as Preston (she has been there a day). We find another person (who Summer had seen) killed by plants on the back wall. We retrieve his 2-handed sword, which Zakere carries.
Zakere looks for food, and also manages to avoid both zombies and hostile plants. We find and eat some berries and roots. Most things are larger than normal, like a dog sized squirel. Then Zakere finds a pool with mirror like surface, which reflects the moon, but not the fog. There are normal looking plants around it, and it seems a place of peace. As we approach we see reflections in the pool that are different (immense castle, laden fruit trees, animals flying overhead). The immense castle seems to defy gravity, and we see a dragon hanging from part of the castle (in the reflection). Zakere reaches out to dip a sword in the pool, but feels a strong sense of dread and decides not to. We look into the pool in different angles to scope out the garden, and then notice that our own reflections are of our past selfs. The garden is about 1000' square, and slopes up to the castle.
A large size, but otherwise normal dear comes to drink at the pool, and approaches without fear. Zackere does wild empathy and approaches the deer. After it drinks, a doe and 2 foals come out and drink. Larien decides killing near the pool would not be right, and has some perhaps external sense that this is true. We decide to camp here, and try to find out more about each other. Zackere sets a snare trap, and catches a large chipmunk, which we butcher and eat. Banik Bunson summons a familiar (senses a chrome snake about 3 feet long).
As the sun comes up, we see the castle. We notice smoke coming from the crypt and return. On the way we avoid most encounters, but do ambush 3 zombies. As we return to the crypt entrance, we see the lich (?) carrying a body out of the tomb, and follow him and observe him put a body on a bon fire and perform a ritual from the Lady. The lich names himself Tatheri. He states he had more than one purpose for bringing us back to life, please the lady by bringing those whose life was cut short, those of the family of Evenmere. The party where we were killed at was 32 years ago. He can't see past the wall, but sees some who come and go; but admission is normally denied.
There was a cataclysm at the party which swept a wave of destruction. Everything has changed. He was a servant of Necropolis for 9 centuries and came here with his wife. He was caught in a maelstrom and made a bargain with the Lady.
Samson when trying to recall Tatheri, recalls being behind two undead emissaries (along with perhaps a dozen other armored similarly to myself, tense and ready but not in actual combat) in front of Lord Evenmere.
There was once a human settlement (City state of Merrin), down path beyond the stables. This is the only road that leads out. South is shield wall (towards Necropolis), and to the North Kadara (Kardaran Empire).
We get 1,000 hp.
Notes from the awakening
Creation method (and Michael makes some excellent rolls):
Modifiers because of sprit experience:
Dreams starting with party (Mardi gra like), suddenly wave of disruption, people dying, fighting and feeling poison coursing through body as I die - looping again and again. Samson's bane is poison.
Then ripped out of tableau, we feel spirits all around us and plunge into a body surrounded by white fire (that feels good and healing, not burning). We don't remember much about past, but know we are in a new body.
There are two circles lined with silver, and characters are laying like spokes in a wheel. Inside an interior circle is a creature with desiccated flesh (not in tatters), wearing white robes and a holy symbol. One side of the face has a "crack" which has white flame leaking out it. The holy symbol is also pouring forth flame, and the creature is screaming in agony. There is an ankh (blue with gold veins) at his feet. He is in agony, but each of decide we cannot help and his cries get weaker over a ~40 minute period.
Samson recognizes some essence of the holy symbol, but knows it is not the goddess he worshiped. He is uncomfortable with not being able to remember the details of his primary god, but is confident that this will be revealed as he starts to act in proper purpose.
We are wrapped in white cloth, that has been dipped in some type of liquid. Huge chamber, huge stone altars rise up with bodies (formal repose with weapons). Dwarven made one of the party notes. Two of the biers have equipment and no bodies. These match up with party members equipment. We start exploring, and find 10 chambers in total (new to old, 2 not used yet, we were in 7 that was half full). Found equipment for people in the rest of the chambers (+1 primary weapon, +1 armor). Samson has +1 long sword, +1 full plate, and +1 heavy shield.
We are all trying to be accustomed to our new bodies, but eventually we realize part of the pain is severe thirst and hunger. We leave the crypts and start licking dew from roses, than eating the roses. Samson pricks his finger on a poisonous thorn and discovers his bane (takes damage and finger swells up), hints these roses might be more poisonous than usual. I did not take notes, but we fought several zombies (heard wolves?) and were easily victorious.