Jason was unavailable for this session, so Karnak was left out of play.
*** BA is now known as Liatus.
<Liatus> Excuse me...
*** Liatus is now known as The.Incredible.Fabtabulas.Liatus.
* DM laughs.
* Silana cackles.
* The.Incredible.Fabtabulas.Liatus breaks out into a song and dance number.
<DM> When we left off, Silana was settling in to examine Belak's library, and she found some new-to-her spells in one of them, along with a clue to something else in his stores. That may warrant comment from Silana.
*** The.Incredible.Fabtabulas.Liatus is now known as Liatus.
*** Silana is now known as The.Magnificent.Splendiferous.Gnaea.and.Her.Ground.Support.
<Liatus> :)
<The.Magnificent.Splendiferous.Gnaea.and.Her.Ground.Support> "Hey!"
<DM> You know, I can choose to refuse to grant any XP, you guys. :)
*** The.Magnificent.Splendiferous.Gnaea.and.Her.Ground.Support is now known as Silana.
<11: Silana> "Well, Miss Feathers here DID save the day last time..."
<DM> You've also got the general question of figuring out how to proceed from here.
*** iChris is now known as Meridius.
* Liatus believes theres still some undead ass to kick on the first floor, plus whatever it is we may ultimately plan to do about the kobolds and the dragon.
<DM> There is the "dragonpriest" in room 12 in http://www.baugh.info/citadel1.jpg , yes.
<Liatus> The perfect test subject for my new 4th level turning powers.
<DM> This fully operational battle station! :)
<Dreamworks> "And now, viewers of THE HAUNTING, witness the power of this fully armed and operational special FX department!" [Liatus]
<DM> And yes, there is the matter of deciding what to do about the kobolds, their goblin prisoners, and Calcryx.
<Liatus> I forget, did we barrack in the goblin workshop/lab/bedchamber at the end of last session?
* Silana nods. Well, we were staying put for the night to get spells back, etc. before heading out. I believe we'd agreed to move the bodies to somewhere safe, which means Not Here at the very least. What we do about stuff on the way out depends in no small part on what we do with the bodies.
* Liatus settles in to try and cook breakfast for the morning.
<DM> Yes, the set of goblin rooms is where I remember you settling down.
<Silana> With all the plants down here (and what we heard through the wall up above) there's got to be a decent water source. Is it clean?
<DM> Rather to your surprise, yes, there is fairly clean water in the room where the still was.
<DM> There's a touch of rust in it, but nothing else.
* Liatus rehydrates some more of our dried fish while Silana and Meridius go about their morning business.
<Silana> After the events of the previous day, the first thing Silana does the following morning is to go and wash up as best she can. It's as much a psychological refreshment as a matter of physical cleanliness, at this point.
* DM nods.
<DM> She can manage better than she might expect to under the circumstances.
* Meridius cleans up as well.
<DM> It's quiet on this level now. There's the occasional crackle of embers of the Gulthias Tree, when you're in the cave, and the stirrings of insects, and precious little else.
* Liatus takes advantage of the fresh water to boil some rice with vegies.
<Silana> Well, the 'managing' is partly a matter of avoiding disrobing more than would be proper with her companions present.
<DM> Hence the advantage of small separate rooms with their own doors.
<Silana> Ah.
<Silana> Back /there/. Misunderstood where we were.
<DM> The #47 rooms do have doors. They were mostly open when you came in, that's all.
<Liatus> Once I've finished boiling the rice and vegatables and frying the fish, I'll offers some to Meridius and Silana and then see to my own hygene.
* Liatus takes full advantage of the fire and uses warm water to bathe with.
<Silana> (And in that case, Silana takes her time to wash up thoroughly. A Prestidigitation cantrip witll do for freshening up her clothes before she gets dressed again.)
* Liatus also tries to clean his armor and clothing as much as he can without resorting to all out washing.
<11: Meridius> If it's okay with folks, I'd like to sneak off for a bit and grab a shower. Will the game be okay without me for 20 minutes or so?
<11: DM> We can get a fine argument going in your absence. :)
<11: Meridius> Groovy. :)
*** Meridius is now known as idleChris.
* DM thinks if there are other descriptive things I've left lying incomplete.
<DM> I can certainly take questions, while I consider. :)
<DM> I feel like there was something else I wanted to cover, and now I'm not thinking of it...*flips through notes*
<DM> Oh, yes, here we go.
<DM> Liatus has with him an old battle flag found on the compost heap, with the crest of the Kingdom of Bay, one of the small principalities that the empire defeated when it moved in.
* Liatus listens
<DM> It turns out that one of the goblins who was sleeping in the room #47 barracks had a small collection of old military parephernalia - half a dozen battle flags, and nine shields from different kingdoms, including the old Empire of Merithia that used to rule pretty much everything west of the Cataract range.
<Liatus> Curious.
<DM> He was apparently quite the diligent little scavenger.
* Liatus wonders if they're worth anything as antiques.
<DM> They might well be, in a larger city or to an antiquarian.
* Liatus stacks them up and makes a note of them in case we are able to lug them back with us.
* Liatus also wonders just how they all got here.
<DM> It's not a terribly heavy load.
<DM> Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to have kept a diary or any sort of sound records. :)
* Silana nods. "This is peculiar, don't you think? Either this goblin has done some traveling, or there have been a lot more people down this way than you'd think. Or else maybe all of this was in the place before it fell to ruin."
<DM> (That was the loose bit in my notes from earlier.)
<DM> Characters are pretty much at full strength at this point, yes?
<Silana> Yes.
<Liatus> Yes
<DM> Good, then I can unleash the balrog.
<11: Silana> That's gotta be some leash.
*** idleChris is now known as Meridius.
<DM> Welcome back, Chris. :)
* Meridius had 32 HP as of the night before.
* Liatus throws a sofa at Bruce
<DM> Okay, so, everyone's reasonably rested, cleaned, and fed. What comes next?
* Meridius would like to leave this place and return to Roburcollis with word and tokens of the Hucreles' fate, though we might first deal with whatever might be in the crypt on level 1 first.
<Liatus> "I vote we collect what we can carry and return to the surface, pausing to deal with the remaining menace on the upper level first."
<Meridius> BTW, I'm fuzzy on what happened to the Hucrele son. Was he eaten?
<DM> Let's see. Rats got the local friend. The son was killed by the goblin king in a fit of temper. The daughter and the paladin became tree-things.
<Silana> "Well, now we have to decide what to do next. To me, that depends on what we're going to do with the bodies. If we're going to hide them here somewhere, then we shouldn't antagonize the kobolds on our way out. If we take the bodies out of this place so we have no need to return, then I say we free the poor little dragon as we leave."
<Meridius> "The kobolds treated honorably with us. Regardless of what contempt you may feel for them, they have done nothing to earn deceit from us."
<11: Liatus> Says the guy who wanted to kill Meepo a few days ago :)
<Silana> "They will also not unduly suffer without having a dragon in captivity. Calcryx is suffering, and now we are partly responsible for it."
<11: Meridius> That's my 8 WIS talking, BA. :)
* 11: DM laughs.
<Meridius> "Would you then bring the wrath of this kobold tribe down upon us?"
<Silana> "Once we've left this place, I don't care what the kobolds do. If they and the goblins -- assuming there are more goblins left that we haven't met -- want to keep on fighting each other down here, that's their business. I really don't think they pose a threat to the outside."
<Meridius> "The goblin threat has been eliminated, as best I can tell, leaving the kobolds to rule this place. And if you don't care what they do, do you not care if they pursue and kill us for freeing their dragon?"
* Silana grins. "Not if they are not aware it was us that did it."
<11: DM> "Oops. Darn. How dragon get loose? Must not have anything to do with not-so-nice strangers."
<Liatus> "Perhaps we could put Meepo to sleep and let the dragon loose, and leave some sign that the goblins did it?"
<Meridius> "So it appears I must participate in more foolishness. First we want to cart dead, magically infected bodies back to Roburcollis, then we want to free a dragon. Feh."
<Liatus> "Having slept on the matter, I fear it may not be possible to do anything for the departed Roburcollises."
<Meridius> "So we can dispose of one foolish idea, then?"
* Meridius may appear frustrated.
<11: Liatus> Do I still have the notes from the goblin's lab?
* Silana looks at Liatus, with surprise and dismay. "Why do you say that, Liatus?"
<11: DM> Yes, you do.
<Liatus> "Even if it is possible to reverse what was done to them, such a thing is beyond what power I've been graced with. And, I suspect, beyond yours as well. Such a thing would require powerful, and therefore expensive magics. And then there is still the matter of finding someone able to restore the dead to life. I would hate to dangle such hopes before Madame Roburcollis and have her bancrupt herself and her family in its persuit - or worse, in vain."
* Silana sighs. "It would be difficult, and likely expensive, and may in fact not be possible. But is it not her choice whether to pursue it or not? Who are we to make that choice for her?"
<Liatus> "Still ..." (Holds up the notes taken from the Goblin lab) "There is a slim chance that this may contain some cure."
<Liatus> "If you wish, we can spend the morning pooling our knowledge to see what these papers might offer up."
* Silana nods. "And then we can present madame Hucrele with those notes, and tell her that she would be doing herself a kindness not to look at the bodies herself in their present state. Then it will be up to herself and her family what to do from there."
* Liatus looks to Meridius.
<11: DM> Meridius takes a break from hitting his head against the wall to answer... :)
* 11: Liatus notes that he's perfectly happy to leave the bodies here. This is mostly be being fixated on the idea that the lab and notes might offer up a cure or something.
<11: DM> If you'd like to make a Spellcraft or Knowledge (Arcane) roll for some preliminary info, you can. Likewise Silana.
* Meridius takes a break from hitting his head against the wall to answer, "This is all foolishness! We should be done with this place before the day is out and give no further thought to bringing back the dead or freeing dragons so they may prey upon the countryside."
## Silana rolled 1d20+5 = 15 (10).
* Liatus ignores Meridius's outburst as he makes a Spellcraft roll
## Liatus rolled 1d20+4 = 23 (19).
<Liatus> And an Arcana roll
<DM> Silana finds nothing of immediate comprehensibility. Liatus does; I'll whisper it.
## Liatus rolled 1d20+7 = 27 (20).
<11: Liatus> Holy frickin' crap
* Silana turns to look at Meridius, her eyes meeting his. Calmly, but firmly, she asks, "And would you feel the same if it were your own child lying there?"
<Meridius> "If my child were dead, yes. The Hucrele daughter seems dead, does she not?"
<11: Homer> Me am so smart! Me am so smart! S! M! R! T! [Liatus]
<Silana> "And if she were your daughter, would you not wish at least to have her body returned to you for a proper funeral? Never mind that it might be possible to return her to life and health."
<Meridius> "A funeral is a worthy thing. This talk of resurrection strikes me as so much nonsense."
<Silana> "Then we are agreed that the bodies should be returned. What course their families take from there is their choice."
<Meridius> "A body will be returned. Sir Braford has no family in Roburcollis or its surrounds. There is no one to return the body to."
* Liatus continues looking at the notes. "I do believe I've found something."
* Silana turns to look toward Liatus, grateful for the interruption. "What is it?"
<Liatus> "These notes do in fact discuss during animals into plants, and were written by Belak himself. I think it would be possible to use these to piece together a way to reverse the transformation."
* Liatus frowns. "However, it will take me at least a week or more to do so."
<Meridius> "Then you'll be spending at least another week drinking and eating at Garon's inn. Heh."
<Silana> "Let's gather what you'll need from here, then, and be off."
* Liatus continues reading. "That said, Meridius is correct. The tenets of Sir Braford's order require cremation upon death. We'd be best served to burn his remains and send word of his passing to his order."
* Meridius sets to finding materials to make a litter for Sharwyn's body.
* Liatus consults the notes and begins collecting things from the lab.
* Silana assists Liatus.
* Liatus adds the shields and banners from earlier to the litter.
<DM> Meridius, between the lab table, the barracks furniture, and the pieces of the still, you'll have no problem with materials. And the small forge provides any tools you're likely to want.
<Liatus> "Make sure we have plenty of rope, as we'll need it to bring the litter back up through the throne room."
<Meridius> "Aye."
<DM> Rope isn't in quite such abundant supply, but there's some.
<DM> DC 10 Reflexes saves, please.
<Meridius> We already have some of our own as well.
## Silana rolled 1d20+3 = 10 (7).
<11: Silana> Whew. As the nimble one nearly blows it.
## Meridius rolled 1d20+3 = 9 (6).
## Liatus rolled 1d20+2 = 4 (2).
<Liatus> crap
<11: Silana> Gahhh.
<DM> There's a sudden brief tremor in the ground. Meridius stumbles; Liatus actually falls over. No damage done to him, though some bottles and small objects have been knocked off shelves.
<DM> From the direction things fell, it looks like the tremor originated at or near the remains of the Gulthias Tree.
* Meridius starts moving a trifle more quickly.
<Liatus> "That did not sound good."
* Liatus also quickens his pace
* Silana nods. "Agreed. Let's hurry." She starts taking everything she can from the shelves, not worrying about being selective at this point.
* Liatus makes sure we've collected all of our gear and loot as well.
<DM> You have. Your own swag is in order.
<DM> In the aftermath of the tremor, quiet returns - you don't hear sudden stirring from lurking antaognists, for instance.
* Liatus is ready to move out then.
* Meridius is ready.
<DM> Okay, getting the litter and gear out of the goblin commons and into the compost room at the bottom of the shaft up is easy enough. That's just a straight drag. What's the next step?
* Silana slips into the straps of her pack, and takes up her weapons again. "I am ready. We'll set Sir Braford's pyre here, or somewhere else?"
<DM> Ah, yes, the pyre.
* Liatus douses the body in oil. I'm sure he can provide his own wood.
<Silana> We also have a ready supply of goblin liquor to use.
<11: DM> Okay, line of the session award probably goes to BA.
* Liatus then prays to the Imperial Presence, asking it to accept the spirit of its servant.
<11: Meridius> What say we get everything out to the tower room we were using as our level 1 encampment, then go back in for a bit and check the dragon crypt...
<Liatus> Luckily, the way up is in the next room.
<Silana> As Liatus is making the pyre ready, Silana takes out her flute and plays. A slow, mournful dirge. She's not crying at the end of it, but it's clear she's not far from it.
* Liatus fires Sir Braford up.
<DM> The body smolders for a moment, then ignites. It burns with slightly greenish flames, and much faster than a person typically would.
<DM> Getting the litter up the shaft will require a total of three successful climb rolls, of DC 15. You can work together on this, so that whoever's making any roll gets the +2 for aid.
<Liatus> Who's got the best bonus?
<Meridius> Meridius is at -1 to climb.
* Silana is at 0.
<Liatus> I think I'm at 0 also.
<Liatus> Wait, shouldn't Meridius have a Str bonus for climbing?
<DM> He should, yes.
* Meridius has +2 ranks in Climb and a +3 STR bonus, all offset by a -6 armor check penalty.
<DM> Ahh, right.
<Silana> I'm at 0 by having one rank to overcome my STR penalty. So Liatus is probably the better choice.
<DM> So it looks like if the others aid Liatus, that's your best bet.
<Meridius> DC10 on rolls to aid, right?
<Liatus> I'm wearing Scale Mail. That gives me -4.
<DM> Yes, for the aid.
<Silana> "Perhaps one of your strengthening magics would be helpful, Liatus?"
* Liatus suggests casting Bull's Str on Meridius, then us aiding him.
* Liatus Casts his spell.
## Liatus rolled 1d4+1 = 4 (3).
* Meridius now has a 20 STR.
<11: Silana> Damn, you're making up for your formerly lousy dice lately, aren't you, BA? :)
<Meridius> What's the modifier for 20 STR?
<DM> +5.
<Meridius> I now have a net +1 on my Climb check.
<Liatus> And the +2 for us helping.
<DM> That gives you +3, and you can take 10/20 on it.
<Meridius> Well, I could've taken 20 without all the help. :)
<Meridius> I may as well roll and see how wacky the dice get.
<Meridius> Others need to roll to aid me first, though.
## Silana rolled 1d20 = 13 (13).
<Meridius> Okay, now I'll try the DC15 Climb check to get a third of the way up:
<Liatus> I'm casting Bull's Str on myself as well, just because of that sucky -4
## Meridius rolled 1d20+3 = 18 (15).
## Liatus rolled 1d4+1 = 2 (1).
<Liatus> grr
## Liatus rolled 1d20-3 = 8 (11).
<Meridius> I need a second and third aid roll for the second and third bits of the trip up, right?
<DM> Correct.
## Silana rolled 1d20 = 4 (4).
<Silana> Bleah.
<Meridius> I'm going to hold at the 1/3rd mark until someone is successful.
<Meridius> At this point, Silana could take 10 on the aid roll and be cool every time.
<Silana> True.
<DM> That would simplify things.
* Silana does so.
<Meridius> Okay, here's my roll to get to the 2/3rds mark with Silana's aid:
## Meridius rolled 1d20+3 = 5 (2).
* 11: Silana facepalms.
## Liatus rolled 1d20-3 = 2 (5).
* Liatus is just going to stop helping.
<DM> You don't actually drop the litter but it slips back down a ways, and you have to spend your effort getting it back to where it was.
<Meridius> Another roll to get to the 2/3rds mark, then?
<DM> Right.
## Meridius rolled 1d20+3 = 9 (6).
<DM> And now, more of the same....
<Meridius> And another roll to get to the 2/3rds mark:
## Meridius rolled 1d20+3 = 5 (2).
<Meridius> And yet another roll to get to the 2/3rds mark:
## Meridius rolled 1d20+3 = 8 (5).
<DM> This could take some time. It might be worth the much longer time to take 20?
<Silana> Let's just take 20?
## DM rolled 1d10 = 1 (1).
* Meridius takes 20 and very slowly gets the litter up the hole.
## Liatus rolled 1d20-3 = 2 (5).
<DM> Make a listen check for me too, please. DC 12. (All three of you can make it.)
## Meridius rolled 1d20 = 4 (4).
## Silana rolled 1d20+2 = 18 (16).
## Liatus rolled 1d20+3 = 7 (4).
<Liatus> Oh for the love of....
<11: Silana> I guess I shouldn't have said anything.
* 11: Silana is getting it straight with Bruce what I heard.
* Silana whispers, "I heard something up there. In the big room, I think."
* 11: Meridius hopes it isn't the sound of inevitability Silana's hearing.
* Liatus readies his morning star.
<11: Meridius> If by the big room you mean room 40, we can bypass it or check out what the noise is.
<11: DM> That is the room in question, yes.
<DM> The door opens, and an armored kobold enters. It sees the characters in the midst of doing something around the shaft, and pauses in the entrance.
* Meridius still bears Yusdrayl's token of safe passage around his neck.
* Liatus just stares at the kobold.
<DM> The kobold bows and says in EXTREMELY heavily accented speech, "Make ground shake?"
<11: Liatus> Someone else answer before I give in to the impulse to do my "White men have heep big magic!" schtick.
<Meridius> "We felt the ground shake as well, but did not make it shake. Has the ground here shaken before?"
<DM> The kobold shakes its head. "New thing. You new. Think one new make other new, maybe."
<Silana> "We have defeated the Outcast. It may be his works collapsing on themselves."
<DM> The kobold looks puzzled at Silana. "Again?"
* Silana looks equally puzzled. "What do you mean, 'again'?"
<Kobold> "You say again, small words, I know?" [DM]
<Silana> "Oh. Sorry. We killed the Outcast and killed the tree. His things may be falling down."
<DM> The kobold nods again. "Okay. I check?" It points at the shaft and makes climbing motions.
<Silana> "Not safe. Wait."
<Silana> "Go with more of you later."
<Kobold> "Should check?" [DM]
<Kobold> "Oh. Good." [DM]
<DM> And it goes off again.
<11: Meridius> I'm watching Kira display a behavior that's completely new to me. She's watching birds out the window. Her tail twitches, she opens her mouth a bit and makes a curious vibrating noise.
<11: DM> :)
<Liatus> "I suggest we take the most direct way out."
<Meridius> "Yes."
<11: Silana> The little-known Feline Sonic Attack. It's mostly vestigial now, but ancient housecats could level walls with it.
* Liatus moves toward the door to room 40
<DM> The kobold left the door open; the room beyond is empty, apart from the mounds of goblin goods pushed into the corners.
<11: Silana> (And people wonder why the Egyptians treated their cats so well. Hah.)
<Meridius> We're heading back to room 4, right?
<Liatus> "A pity we lack the mystical knowledge to seal off that throne room and the floor below it."
<Liatus> That was my plan, yes.
<DM> Do you plan to come through kobold country from the west (the door into the temple hall) or the east (the one into Meepo's dragon chamber)?
* 11: Liatus now demands that Gamma World include cats that hunt birds with a sonic stun attack.
<Meridius> Avoiding the temple hall would be good, I think.
* Liatus nods
* Silana keeps wary as we move along, her crossbow ready but not raised.
<DM> I have no trouble planned for you guys. :) Moving the litter through goblin country is slow and occasionally awkward, but it works. You pass several now-cold pyres where the kobolds piled up goblin (and bugbear) bodies and burned them, and the stores have been thoroughly picked over.
<Liatus> "I hope the enjoy the elf pudding."
* Silana gives Liatus a /look/, and shudders.
<DM> So after much time for the PCs but little time for you, here you are back at Meepo's room, and you hear the now-recognizable sounds of Calcryx occasionally banging something on the bars of his cage.
* Liatus looks to see if it's Meepo he's banging.
* 11: Silana SO no-comments.
<DM> Opening the door carefully, you see that it is _not_ Meepo he's banging. Meepo kneels with his back to you at that little shrine next to the cage, and more or less ignores Calcryx, who's banging with a haunch of some four-legged animal.
* Liatus idlly thinks that now would be a great time to knock Meepo out.
* Silana was just thinking the same thing. Any other kobolds in sight?
<DM> No other kobolds in sight. You know from past experience that some of the small rooms off this big one sometimes hold guards, but the doors are closed and there's no sound from them now.
* Silana holds her finger to her lips, indicating the others to silence...
* Liatus also thinks that if we knock Meepo out now, it would mean we couldn't deal with the dragon priest or anything else we needed to do.
<11: Silana> Not like we're standing there discussing this, though.
<11: DM> Presumably a) quietly and b) back in the hall.
<Silana> . o O ( I really hate to do this, but I may also be saving you from getting killed by Calcryx someday, Meepo... ) She grasps her staff, and tries to sneak up quietly behind the kobold. (Move Silently roll to come.) The others DO have the opportunity to either tug her back, or make some noise to spoil the attempt.
* Liatus stops Silana.
## Silana rolled 1d20+4 = 7 (3).
<Liatus> Or not.
* Silana stops herself, by being a klutz.
* Meridius steps up and says, "Hi, Meepo."
<DM> Actually, Liatus can stop her before the roll would matter.
<Silana> By the time Meepo turns around, Silana is standing there, looking innocent. o.o;;
<DM> Meepo mumbles something quietly and rapidly, then turns around. He smiles. "Hello! Kill more goblins?"
* Liatus just enters the room and makes sure he's away from the dragon.
<Meridius> "Yep. Lots."
<Liatus> We're in room 15 right?
<Silana> "And the Outcast."
<Meridius> Yes, BA.
<DM> Yes, room 15.
<DM> Meepo cheers, and Calcryx lays off with the banging to try to figure out what's going on. "Wonderful! You tell queen?"
<Meridius> "We're going to let you tell her, Meepo."
<DM> Meepo smiles broadly. "I do!" He pauses. "I show her sign?"
* Meridius removes the ribbon he got from Yusdrayl and hands it to Meepo. "Take this and tell her the whole of the Sunless Citadel is hers."
<DM> Meepo nods vigorously. "I tell. She ask, when you come speak with her again. What I say?"
<Meridius> "My companions and I have one more thing to do here and then we'll be off."
<Meridius> "Please tell your queen that we will probably not speak again, but that we thank her for her countenance and her gifts."
<DM> He looks concerned. "Um. Queen not good with second hand. You wait here, I bring vizier?"
<Meridius> "I will await your vizier here."
<DM> Meepo prepares to run off, unless one of you stops him...
<DM> (Just making sure folks have the chance.)
* Meridius asides to Liatus and Silana, "Perhaps the two of you should see to getting our goods into the tower room." (room 4)
<Meridius> "I'll deal with the vizier."
* Liatus nods and takes up the litter.
<11: Liatus> Unless he's going to kill the kobolds, then I want in.
<DM> Meepo clatters down the hall toward Yusdrayl's throne, and is shortly out of sight.
<DM> Calcryx eyes you with a speculative and slightly hungry look.
<11: Meridius> If I were playing Mystique, I'd blow Calcryx a kiss.
* Silana says quietly, once Meepo has left, "We may have just insulted Yusdrayl."
<DM> Are the other two heading out to leave Meridius alone to wait for the vizier, then? I'm not entirely clear.
<Meridius> "Perhaps. Diplomacy is of less concern to me than quitting this place."
<Liatus> I'm going to move the litter into the hallway leading to 4 incase we have to run. Then I'll await further instruction from Meridius.
<DM> Righto.
* Meridius awaits the arrival of the vizier.
* Silana will wait with Liatus.
<DM> In just a few minutes, an elderly kobold in elaborate red and silver robes enters, with Meepo leading the way. The older one holds the ribbon, and hoists it up to somewhere around Meridius' eye level. "This was great gifting to you. You wish to return?"
* Liatus makes a diplomacy roll
## Liatus rolled 1d20+10 = 30 (20).
<DM> Hot DAMN, man.
<Meridius> If Liatus knows what to do, I'll gladly keep my mouth shut.
<11: Liatus> I am the King Kong of smooth talk.
<DM> The vizier looks around. "Meepo tells us you have killed the goblins and the stranger. Is it true?"
<Liatus> "Yes, Meepo speaks the truth."
<Vizier> "You came seeking news of lost ones. You have news of them? [DM]
<Liatus> "Yes, we have discovered the fate of those we sought."
<Vizier> "It is well to know. Now your business done, you leave?" [DM]
<Liatus> "Once we have destroyed the spirit that haunts one of the passages between here and the door to the surface, yes, we shall leave."
<DM> The vizier nods. "It is well. Yusdrayl cannot see you now. She prepare for great blessing of citadel, purify goblin filth. Now you go, she can proceed. Ritual require great purification, would contaminate her to speak with you. I speak on her behalf, say thanks. If you come again, come in friendship."
<Liatus> "We thank the great Queen Yusdrayl for her hospitality and her aid. We could not have accomplished our goal without her help."
<DM> The vizier says, "It will be so."
* Liatus bows to the vizier.
<DM> He raises one hand and draws an elaborate gesture in the air. "Blessings, dragon-worthy though not dragon-kin."
* Meridius bows deeply.
<DM> The vizier turns to go.
* Silana bows as well.
<11: Liatus> Now lets kill them all.
* 11: DM laughs.
<Meridius> So we'll move the stuff to room 4 and then go check out the dragon crypt?
<DM> That's the plan as I understand it. This is a reasonable stopping point, by the way.
<Liatus> I'm cool with trying to fight the crypt keeper now if everyone else is.
<DM> I'd love to go on, but I don't demand that Chris and Dan be free. :)
<Silana> I can keep going.
<Meridius> I have another engagement that's about to start happening, so cutting out now would be good.
<DM> Righto, Chris.
* Liatus uses his amazing Diplomacy skills to make Chris stay.
<Meridius> My stomach is immune to your diplomacy. Time for me to go get a bigass steak.
<DM> Applying the story points system of XP, you get a total of 2400 xp to divide among yourselves. One story point: deciding what to do next, and doing it. Next story point: deal successfully with kobolds.
<Meridius> See y'all later!
<carter@q7.com>