Conjuerer/Publisher: msphil@tsrv1.ts.wm.edu
Beth Gaynor: bgaynor@csi.compuserve.com
Sorga Kazan: (missed the Internet address)
Jon Gad: jng53092@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu
Waterdeep, Ruins of Undermountain
ELEMENTAL BLADE RECOVERED
A noted band of adventurers, the Swinging Swords, is reported to
have recovered the third of four Elemental Blades from the dungeons
beneath the city of Waterdeep. Rumors claim that the band has some
affiliation with the dark elves lairing beneath the city, but this
rumor is believed to be without basis in fact. It is known that the
band has not yet emerged from the main well of the Yawning Portal inn,
and may have met a sinister fate beneath the city streets.
Eric L. Boyd: boyd@eecs.umich.edu
A 19th-lvl fighter leading a 6th-lvl fighter, a 3rd-lvl fighter,
20 cavalry, 100 infantry, and 20 berserkers
A 16th-lvl fighter leading a 7th-lvl fighter, 30 cavalry, and 10
mounted knights
An 11th-lvl fighter leading a 5th-lvl fighter, 40 heavy
crossbowmen, 20 light crossbowmen, and 20 expert archers
A 20th-lvl mage, two 13th-lvl mages, and 5 8th-lvl mages
A 17th-lvl Cleric of Helm with 134 followers
A 14th-lvl thief leading fifteen thieves
Deadlock: deadlock@apache.dtcc.edu
Andy Merritt: amerritt@armltd.co.uk
MFASSBEN@ucs.indiana.edu
Don JohnsonL $01bcgfs@etsu.bitnet
Pat Ellis: io11330@maine.maine.edu
Kitiara look-alike: What does Gildentongue report my servants? (her voice sounds strangely far away and
muffled)
(Here, a draconian, a winged sivak, stands)
Sivak officer: Milady, Gildentongue reports that a group of Solamnics
were in Jansburg asking questions about your return. The force sent to
destroy them failed.
Kitiara: Damn! Those heroes, those must be the ones spying on me from
above! Draconians, leave us!
Sivak officer: Milady... perhaps it woul-
Kitiara: Leave! (takes off her helm and throws it at the Sivak
revealing bedraggled dark brown-gray hair.)
(Draconians quiver with fear and then scramble out. Their steps can be
heard thundering down the hall.)
Kitiara: Come heroes, I have more important things to do than wait for
you! (She points to the ceiling of her chambers, where the heroes are
and says) Break!
(the ceiling crumbles and the party, minus the shadowpeople who fled
before, fall into the chamber, fine, but slightly stunned.)
(Kit turns to face them, her face in bandages)
Lord Crownguard: Paladine help us.... A Death Warrior! You must all
escape! NOW! I will hold her off!
Tasslehoff: Why? Hi Kitiara! Why is your face in bandag- Hey!
(Hauk grabs the kender by his collar and hauls him back with the
others who are scrambling back up into the tunnels. Lord Crownguard
moves forward to meet Kit.)
Kit: Thats it heroes! Run! Leave your knight to die! (draws her sword.
Advances to meet Crownguard.)
(the party escapes into the tunnels and meeting the shadowpeople begin
to escape from the Temple. Behind they hear a scream.)
Lord Crownguard: Nooooo!!!!! Not my son! Not my son!!!! (said as a
Death Knight enters the room, Derek Crownguard. Lord Crownguard
charges Kit.)
Kit: Fool! Die then! (draws her sword and parrying Lord Crownguards
blows points with her free finger and says,) Die!
(Lord Crownguard crumples and falls, dead.)
Kit: Derek, take this fools corpse and prepare him for the ceremony...
we will get the others soon enough. (here the party moves out of
hearing, urged by the shadowfolk.)
(Note: A Death Warrior differs in several ways from a Death Knight,
and so I will provide stats for both Lord Soth and Lady Kitiara to
provide comparison:)
Lord Soth: Alignment: CE, Death Knight
Str: 18(99)
Dex: 14
Con: 17
Int: 10
Wis: 9
Cha: 17
AC: 0 (plate mail +3); THACO 5 (+2/+5)
Hitpoints: 89
Special Abilities: Magic resistance 75% (if roll is 11% or less, spell
reflects on caster), affects undead as 6th-level priest, summons
nightmare steed once every 4 years, projects fear 5' radius; Magic:
fireball (20d6) once/day, gate twice/day, power word (stun, blind,
kill) once/day, symbol (pain or fear) once/day wall of ice at will.
Lady Kitiara: Alignment: LE, Death Warrior
Str: 17
Dex: 18
Con: 15
Int: 11
Wis: 9
Cha: 18
AC: -3 (Plate Mail +3, Bracers of Defense +3); THACO 3
Hitpoints: 112
Special Abilities: Magic resistance 50% (if magic fails, spell
reflects, with three times the power back on the caster and anyone
within 10 ft., affects undead as 6th-level priest, summons nightmare
steed once a year, projects fear 5' radius at will; can polymorph into
her living form once/week but loses all death warrior abilities except
for undead control, Magic: fireball (22d6) twice/day (not within six
hours of each other), gate once/day, power word (stun, blind, kill)
three times/day (not within six hours of each other), symbol (pain or
fear) once/week, wall of ice, once/day.
Raistlin Majere: lucas@scicom.alphacdc.com
The Republic of Darokin, Fort Nell
SIEGE BROKEN AT FORT NELL
Reinforcements from Darokin City arrived just in time to break a
siege on the fort, taking light casualties. Apparently, just after
the commander of the fort had sent his request for more troops, the
*rest* of the army sent against the fort showed up (the previous group
of about a thousand orcs was apparently only a vanguard). The
assault, while well-organized, suffered from a certain amount of
internal tension, and thus the ten thousand humanoids, mostly orcs,
were able to be turned back by slightly more than a thousand human
troops marching from Darokin City.
The commandant, who had been under a great deal of pressure during
the siege, was happy to see the supplies, and he reportedly fell to
his knees before the leader of the reinforcements, begging the other
officer to take over the fort.
Alfheim, Alfheim City
ALFHEIM OFFICERS SLAIN
About half of the officers involved in the discovery and arrest of
a shadow elf only a short while ago have disappeared. Most have
turned up slain by strange-looking daggers. These daggers, which
sport a pair of serpentine blades intertwined and odd pommels which
look like the eyes of a reptile of some sort, were poisoned, and they
were left at the scene of each of the deaths. The local authorities
are worried and have reportedly placed the rest of their force into
various safehouses. Citizens and travelers are warned against the
possible threat.
Glantri, Viscompty de Malinbois
SUSPECTED LYCANTHROPES SLAIN IN GLANTRI OVER SILVER MINING
The Viscomptess de Malinbois, who had recently announced the
discovery of a massive deposit of silver under her own castle, has
reached an agreement with the Fellowship of Were-Hunters. Mining and
weapon-forging will commence shortly. However, a number of the
residents of the area have voiced a certain amount of concern about
the mining activity, many of them worried about the impact it will
have on the local economy. A few of the more outspoken residents have
also mentioned that there are, in fact, a number of lycanthropes
settled in the valley, and their reprisals against the mining
operation could be disastrous.
Since, by Glantrian law, lycanthropy is justification for being
put to the death, each of these outspoken citizens has been impaled on
a silver pike and burned for suspected sympathizing.
The Empire of Thyatis, Thyatis City
THYATIS RECOGNIZES NEW COUNTRY OF VYALIA
The Emperor has announced that he has sent an envoy to the
neghboring Grand Duchy of Karameikos, encouraging Grand Duke Stephen
Karameikos I to recognize the independance of Vyalia, the recently
announced homeland of the Vyalian elves.
The Empire of Alphatia, Sundsvall
UPROAR OVER NOBLE'S RETURN IN ALPHATIA
The Court of Empress Eriadna was in an uproar recently, upon the
return of a nobleman thought long-dead. Cries of "He's an imposter"
and "But he hasn't aged these past decades", as well as objections by
the Heldannic Knights, has driven the so-called nobleman away from the
capital city. His airship recently left under a cloud of mystery, the
supposed mission being to negotiate trade interests for the Empire in
previously unexplored areas.
The Grand Duchy of Karameikos, Dymrak Forest (Vyalia Woods)
SEARCH FOR MISSING HOMESTEADER BEGINS
Sukiskyn, a homestead along the Volaga River, the only homestead
for miles to have survived the goblin rampages of a month ago, had
lost a member of the homestead in the goblin raid. Stepan Petrov,
brother of the head of the household, was captured. A paladin of
Petra, who had volunteered to search for Stepan, reappeared recently
with news of his probable whereabouts. She is setting out for the
ruins of Xitaqa shortly, where she hopes to find Stepan.
Hollow World, The Kingdom of Nithia, Tothys
HEDONISTIC CULT RESURFACES
Kharabasta, a young woman in the small town of Tothys, began
manifesting clerical powers a month ago, has recently formed a very
small following for the Immortal called Bast. A few of the oldest of
Nithian writings had mentioned this Immortal, but worship had ended
millenia before.
Kharabasta, along with a half dozen of her followers, has
announced that she is taking them on a pilgramage into the desert to
the west, where she and her followers supposedly will be founding a
new village, Basta.
Hollow World, Tanagoro
NITHIAN FORCE LOST IN TANAGORO FOREST
A Nithian retaliatory strike after the defeat a dozen sleeps
before by Milenian forces, was reported lost amongst the Tanagoro
tribesmen. The Nithian army reportedly and repeatedly warned the
general of the retaliatory force not to burn the Tanagoro villages,
but the general continued to voice this desire for "revenge for
allowing the hated Milenians through their territory."
The Nithian army is supposedly forming a second force to replace
the lost one.
Mike Phillips: msphil@tsrv1.ts.wm.edu
Gideon Weinstein: GWEINSTE@ucs.indiana.edu aka
MANY MISSING AROUND STILLKEEP
Cube, the owner of StillKeep and the captain of the STORMER has
been reported missing. He hasn't been seen for three days, nor has the
Stormer. His cadre of giants has disappeared as well.
Phill Hatch: phatch@solstice.slc.MENTORG.COM
From the wizards of Vir and the priestesses of Yagwa:
Comperire Exsecrationem - Minor
(Detect Curse - Minor)
(Priest 1st, Wizard 2nd)*
This spell is used to detect if a single creature or object
is under the influence of a curse. If an object is th>e subject
of this spell then it must be handled by the caster, so that
[much like an Identify spell] the caster is in a position
to be exposed to the effects of the item. The clerical version
of this spell allows for the detection of curses from a divine
origin, though not necessarily that cleric's diety, while the
wizard's version of the spell allows for the detection of curses
of a magical nature.
If the subject of the spell is sentient and unwilling,
then s/he gets a saving throw vs. magic. This is often the case
for curses that work so tha the victim does not think they are
cursed. If the spell is successful, the caster will learn whether
or not the subject is under a curse or not, even if the effects of
the curse have yet to manifest themselves. If the victim is under
a curse then the caster has a 5% chance per level of determining
the exact nature of the curse. If the individual is under more
than one curse then the only information that can be divined with
this spell is the fact that the subject is cursed and the number
of curses afflicting that unfortunate.
The caster must make a magic circle of various inexpensive
colored inks, chalks, or sands (depending on the surface on which
the circle will be made). The subject must stand within the circle
while the spell is cast or if the spell is being cast upon an
object, the caster must hold the object while s/he is inside the
magic circle.
The reverse of the spell, Mask Curse - Minor completely
blocks all attempts, by means of this spell, to detect a curse
on an individual for 24 hours. An unwilling recipient gets a
saving throw vs. magic. No material component is needed for
this version of the spell.
Comperire Exsecrationem - Mayor
(Detect Curse - Major)
(Priest 2nd, Wizard 3rd)*
The parameters of this spell are like Detect Curse - Minor
except that all sorts of curses can be detected by means of this
divination. However, the priest's version of this spell allows
for a 10% chance per level of determining the exact nature o>f>
divine curses while the wizard's version allows for the same
chance of determining the exact nature of magical curses. The
caster still has the standard 5% chance per level of determining
the exact nature of curse's outside his or her area.
The reverse of this spell, Mask Curse - Major completely
blocks all attempts to detect a curse on an individual for 24
hours. An unwilling recipient receives a saving throw vs. magic.
*My justification for making the spell higher level for wizards
than priests is that Remove Curse is 4th for wizards and
3rd for priests. Also, Detect Evil is 1st for priests and 2nd
for wizards. I think the Detect Curses spells fit into these
general types of spells and should thus be higher level for wizards.
Also, I am interested in what people think defines a curse,
beyond the common sense definition of the term. Lastly, do the
definitions of what makes the origin of a curse "magical" or
"divine" require definition beyond common sense notions. If so,
what are your thoughts on the subject?