Wayfarers of Veeshan

We assembled for the next stage of our Great Item Hunt back in Warsilks Woods. We had already acquired the Bracer of Scavenging for Thunderhart, but now we had a different mission. During my travels through the Plane of Knowledge, I overheard a curator of a newly formed museum asking for help in acquiring some display items. He said “This building will be the site of New Tanaan's greatest museum ever. I realize it looks a bit empty now, but just imagine how beautiful it will look after we fill it with rare and exotic treasures from all over. It's a very exciting time, no? Of course, we still need to obtain a few more artifacts”. When I pressed him for details on some of the things he was looking for, he handed me this list.

1. Coldain Fetish
2. Forlorn Totem of Rolfron Zek
3. Idol of Woven Grass
4. Petrified Totem

He promised to give me a Fine Antique Velvet Rose in exchange for the items. While I am partial to flowers in general, this rose was reputed to have mystical powers that would enable my healing spells to land when the target was much further away. While Thunderhart is a very good fighter, he is a little slow when it comes to complex things, so getting him to understand that he REALLY REALLY needs to stay close when I am trying to heal him has been very hard on me. He has a tendancy to say things like "OK I need a little healing please" and then he runs out of my range when I start to cast the spell. It has been very frustrating as you can imagine. This rose if it does indeed extend my range, may just be what Tunare had in mind for me.

Now, It just so happens that the Idol of Woven Grass was last seen in the presence of some goblins in Warsilks Woods where the boys were waiting for me. I was told the Idol was taken by a Goblin Witchdoctor. Seemed simple enough for us, but when we arrived we realized there was one little snag in our simple plan. We knew where the goblins were camped and we knew their number, unfortunately we were unprepared for their lack of imagination in selecting individual names. The Goblins just used their TITLES as names so there was no way for us to differentiate between them. We just decided to exterminate all goblins in the area, hoping the witchdoctors would show up to try to heal their comrades.

I ventured back to the woods to rejoin my comrades, located Drexxell and sat down to wait for Talinoth and Thunderhart. I started to organize my spell book and must have dozed off. I was personally not around for the actual hunt for the Idol, since Drexx decided I must have needed the nap and he let me sleep. He had previously mentioned to that shy ranger Perisai, that we would some help tracking the goblin witchdoctors. She must have stood in my place. Between Peri, Tali, Thunder and Drexxell’s pet Du Jour, all living things in the area were quickly dispatched and their possessions were searched for the idol. Drexx had admonished us time and time again that if we found the Idol, we needed to make sure that I, Xandamir was the one to loot it. The idol was apparently linked to the first person who touches it. Once it was picked up, it could not be dropped or traded to someone else. Since I was the one doing the quest, I needed to be the one who looted it. The slaughter began and continued unabated for many many hours.

Suddenly Talinoth let out a whoop!!!! He found the idol but in his haste and excitement, he reached over and picked it up instead of getting me to do it. The collective groans must have reached from one end of the woods to the other. Everyone started berating that poor druid about his lack of reserve and restraint. Saying how hard they had all worked to find the one and only goblin who was carrying the idol and now they had to find a new one. Talinoth, with tears in his eyes, walked over, woke me up and tried to apologize for his mistake. He showed me the idol, so I would know what it looked like for future reference and Lo and Behold I could take it from him. We had been wrong, the item COULD be traded. Everyone apologized profusely, Talinoth dried his tears, blew his nose and took a few moments to compose himself. We decided to head over to Dalnir to start on Drexxell’s newest item the Visceral Dagger, and hopefully this akward moment would pass.

We turned to head that way, when Drexxell noticed Grachnist the Destroyer. This goblin had been lurking about where we were hunting and we have had the occasion to slay him or his incarnation at least three times. So as an added bonus, we now had three Iksar scaled gloves. I am sure they are not really worth all that much in retrospect, but it is a nice little bonus for some of our littler siblings and guildmates.

The quick trip we made to the Crypt of Dalir was a severe disappointment to Drexxell. He always gets his hopes up when he hears the word “crypt”. This crypt was inhabited by live Sarnaks and their Coerced followers. It was so sad to see gnomes and dwarves brainwashed into working for the evil sarnaks. We tried to talk some sense into them, using all our powers of persuasion. We were sad to report, the only liberation we could give them was death. Later we realized the poor hapless creatures had been the subject of bizarre medical experiments where an device was implanted in their brains to allow the Kly (as the sarnaks were known) to control them.

This portion was virtually uneventful, but at least we know our way around the top level now and are prepared for the journey below. We evacuated out of the crypt and pitched our tents for or Thursday's adventures. We plan on being here as long as it takes to get Drexx his Dagger.

Xandamir *Humble Servant of Tunare*

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Xandamir - 57th level Templar (Ranger Rezzor)
Perisai Troublemaker - 56th level Sacrificial OUTRIDER
Pulkaria - 54th level Beastlord (Furry Ranger)
Nealyn Prae - 43rd level Druid (Ranger Wannabe)
Calithe - 47th level bardling (Never wanted to be a ranger)
Nessah - 37th Level Ranger Mezzer

My thanks to Xandamir for that excellent write-up (and my further apologies to Talinoth for the profanities we heaped upon him during the now-infamous Idol of Woven Grass incident...)

This time, when we headed to the Romantic Crypt of Dalnir, I checked my guidebook....<u>Relaxing Vacation Spots for Necromancers, Volume 4: Crypt of Dalnir</u>...and read the fine print closely: <i>Note that although this is a Crypt, it is full of well-and-lively Kly and their slaves and no undead are to be found</i>. Ahhh...this time I wouldn't make the same mistake of memorizing undead-only spells as I had in Castle Mistmoore. Reading further: <i>Note however that there are a pleasant mix of slimes, oozes, nibblers and goos to add a "homey" atmosphere to the Crypt.</i>

Although we only toured the upper level (the Visceral Dagger quest will take us to levels 2 and 3 of the Crypt), I did manage to pause and pull out my tinkered image-capturing device and have included those images for your perusal.

Drex

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Drexxell , 71st GNecrOMancEr -- Wielder of ()
Druul , 60th Troll Shaman () + Wielder of and
Driss, 51st Dwarf Priestess of Brell Serilis
Dralia, 36th Erudite Enchantress

Finally...we took a peek into the pit down to level 2 and decided to camp, gather strength, and jump in next time.

Drex

_________________
Drexxell , 71st GNecrOMancEr -- Wielder of ()
Druul , 60th Troll Shaman () + Wielder of and
Driss, 51st Dwarf Priestess of Brell Serilis
Dralia, 36th Erudite Enchantress

Following a brief respite in Kelethin, where I engaged myself in proper elvish trades and availed my charity to succor many a bruised and worried nymphette newly returned from Crushbone, I returned to Warsliks Wood to continue the search for the Idol of Woven Grass. Alas, despite the verdant luxury of the wood, the drudgery of the hunt eroded my cheer. It was a wee bit too evocative of our futile hunts in Dagnor’s Cauldron, our ineffective quest for the Reed Belt to complete “TGIH02”. Imagine my delight when, having voiced this concern, I retrieved the aforementioned Idol from the tenacious grasp of a horrid little goblin. Then, imagine my consternation when, expecting an enthusiastic chorus of “Woot’s”, I heard instead a cacophony of invective in myriad languages--some of which I am sure were never meant for actual utterance for fear of summoning untold evil into the world. It became quickly apparent that my partners were under the impression that the Idol should not be handled by any among us but the fair Xandamir. I assured them, somewhat laconically, that this was not the case, but I do not think they actually believed me until I had passed the item into Xandamir’s trembling hands. Perhaps it is because I am the youngest of our consortium, or perhaps it is because I keep my eyes to the wood and sky more than to the tomes and runes, but it seems I am yet considered “newbie” by my formidable colleagues.

Tensions subsiding, we left the goblin lair to visit Dalnir’s Crypt. Being preoccupied with the sights around me, I had developed only a vague notion that Drexxell wished to make a short pilgrimage to the site. Little was I prepared for the strange changes that washed over my wee friend as we began our descent into the depths. He became so, well, so serious and demanding and commanding. This was his realm. He was in charge and we were to do as told, when told, for as long as it took to acquire the treasure he sought. For a moment I thought him cute, barking out his orders like a little general. But then I saw the cold determination in his eyes. Yes, this was his realm.

--From the Birch Bark Memoirs, Vol 2, pg. 6
By Talinoth, a humble druid of 39 growth rings.

A couple notes about dalnir.
1) Almost nothing sees invis there. The only exceptions I have found were a rare named goo on the second floor & the skellie you are after for the hammer.
2) It is believed that only 1 of the 3 imprecators you are after can be up at a time. This means that before you set up camp for a certain one, you should scout out the other 2 first. tip #1 makes this very easy

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Master Artisan Kahmon Feelthenoize
- Fabled 100 Shadow Knight of Cestus Dei Atherius
- Master(300) Jeweler, Chef, Potter, Brewer, Blacksmith, Tailor, Fletcher, Researcher
Vektor - 95 Ranger, Scout Extraordinaire
Kahzbot - 97 Enchanter, Master Spell Researcher & Tinkerer
Kroger - 98 Rogue, Poison Maker, Tome Researcher, and Illusion Collector
Shazbon - 96 Shaman, Master Alchemist
Vendding - 94 Magician

Thanks Kahmon I had forgotten they did not see thru invisible.. that will make it much easier

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Xandamir - 57th level Templar (Ranger Rezzor)
Perisai Troublemaker - 56th level Sacrificial OUTRIDER
Pulkaria - 54th level Beastlord (Furry Ranger)
Nealyn Prae - 43rd level Druid (Ranger Wannabe)
Calithe - 47th level bardling (Never wanted to be a ranger)
Nessah - 37th Level Ranger Mezzer

OOC: Just experimenting to see how to do this picture thing.

ACK, the nibbler is looking up Thunder's Kilt... careful Thunder....Look at all those teeth.

_________________
Xandamir - 57th level Templar (Ranger Rezzor)
Perisai Troublemaker - 56th level Sacrificial OUTRIDER
Pulkaria - 54th level Beastlord (Furry Ranger)
Nealyn Prae - 43rd level Druid (Ranger Wannabe)
Calithe - 47th level bardling (Never wanted to be a ranger)
Nessah - 37th Level Ranger Mezzer

_________________
Drexxell , 71st GNecrOMancEr -- Wielder of ()
Druul , 60th Troll Shaman () + Wielder of and
Driss, 51st Dwarf Priestess of Brell Serilis
Dralia, 36th Erudite Enchantress

_________________
Drexxell , 71st GNecrOMancEr -- Wielder of ()
Druul , 60th Troll Shaman () + Wielder of and
Driss, 51st Dwarf Priestess of Brell Serilis
Dralia, 36th Erudite Enchantress

it's just a small pattern Drexx, not necessarily a trend. Don't let the little things get to you

_________________
Xandamir - 57th level Templar (Ranger Rezzor)
Perisai Troublemaker - 56th level Sacrificial OUTRIDER
Pulkaria - 54th level Beastlord (Furry Ranger)
Nealyn Prae - 43rd level Druid (Ranger Wannabe)
Calithe - 47th level bardling (Never wanted to be a ranger)
Nessah - 37th Level Ranger Mezzer

The Kly Imprecator only pops in those 3 places, each dropping a different piece. The church one took me about 2 hours to get, but I have heard horror stories about how long it has taken some people. Fortunately there is a room just around teh corner which is quite safe to camp in if you choose to.

_________________
Master Artisan Kahmon Feelthenoize
- Fabled 100 Shadow Knight of Cestus Dei Atherius
- Master(300) Jeweler, Chef, Potter, Brewer, Blacksmith, Tailor, Fletcher, Researcher
Vektor - 95 Ranger, Scout Extraordinaire
Kahzbot - 97 Enchanter, Master Spell Researcher & Tinkerer
Kroger - 98 Rogue, Poison Maker, Tome Researcher, and Illusion Collector
Shazbon - 96 Shaman, Master Alchemist
Vendding - 94 Magician

:grins.

Honestly, Drexx, I didn't mean the least little thing by it, ...

Note to self: Get lock or glamour to secure journal from roving gnomie eyes.

Last night was our 2nd night in Dalnir, and in many ways it reminds me strongly of how we tackled Solusek A, where we spent some 8-10 hunts looking for 3 items in TGIH02. Similarly, in Dalnir, we are learning our way around, learning the mobs, getting more "comfortable" (this is helped by the fact that it <i>is</i> a crypt, of course).

We awoke at the cave mouth to Dalnir, out in Warsliks Woods. Through the night, I had a dream of our brother Kahmon, and some advice he once gave ... <i>uuuuuuse invisiblity to your advantage.......It is belieeeeeeeeved that only one Imprecator may be in the Crypt at a tiiiiiiiiiiiime....</i>

With this in mind, we called upon our respective gods to grant us protections against harm, and lastly had Talinoth raise our feet above the floor and drop a mystic cloak of transparency over us all. We raced into the first level of Dalnir, unseen by the pathetic first level guardians, and made our way down the pit with some slight difficulty (the pit walls were too high for me to climb, and while levitating I could neither jump nor rise to wall level...finally I had to drop my feet to the floor, jump up on the pit wall, and then have Talinoth re-levitate me. Just a word of advice for my shorter bretheren who choose to undertake this adventure).

Talinoth indicated that the tracks of a Kly Imprecator did indeed seem to have gone through the area of level 2, and so we proceeded to look around, getting somewhat lost at first (it being our first look at this deeper part of Dalnir). Unlike level 1, there were Kly everywhere. Acolytes, Believers, Followers, Evokers and Invokers abounded. When we finally located the room where our arcane tomes had indicated the Imprecator should be, we were disappointed to see that the tracks Tali had found did not belong to anyone in this room. We cleared the room out, and began formulating a plan. This began a long evening that I won't recount for you all here. But what happened remains a mystery to us all yet....

Talinoth would regularly see tracks of the "Kly Imp" (as we came to call it) at one point in the dungeon, but then later no tracks, then again later, new tracks. We were the ONLY people in Dalnir all night, and nothing in our studies indicated that the Kly Imps ever move from their rooms. Considering the difficulty of going UP a pit, Tali would Evacuate us to the top of the dungeon if we seemed too low to find the Kly Imp and we'd go back down, trying again....and again...and again.

Ultimately, frustrated by the fact that the Kly Imp eluded us, despite leaving tracks and our knowledge of its direction relative to where we were, we turned our attention the tracks of the Undead Blacksmith of Dalnir. Just for a sake of accomplishment, we set out for this monstrosity, and after dispatching its Kly cohorts, we killed it, and I was able to pick up the Forge Hammer of Dalnir, one of the 4 components which were revealed to me in order to craft the Visceral Dagger.

After 2 hours of frustrating searching for one of the 3 Kly Imp, we evacuated Dalnir with growing determination to try again.

In my next note, I will include a map that shows how our frustration arose, and ask for advice to alleviate it, before we hunt again.

Drexxell

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Drexxell , 71st GNecrOMancEr -- Wielder of ()
Druul , 60th Troll Shaman () + Wielder of and
Driss, 51st Dwarf Priestess of Brell Serilis
Dralia, 36th Erudite Enchantress