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Thread: Muddled Pasts - Pathfinder 3.5
Friday, 22nd October, 2010, 05:21 PM #21
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Session #12, part 2 - Giant Ninja Skeletons?
continued from above:
Medea smiled and stepped out from behind the cauldron. Her hair billowed out behind her, although there was no breeze to be detected, and beneath her blindfold her smile was beautiful and terrible. As if it had been painted on, her dress hugged every curve of her lush body. She juiced the power level of her grin up as she stopped. "My price is one night with me. Now, I under-"
"Deal." This was a lead on my mother. There was never a question on whether or not I was going to make a deal once I saw her. It might be a trap, it might be something horrible, and it certainly won't be a fun romp in the sack, but there are times to do the smart thing and other times you just do what you have to do, damn the consequences.
Medea seemed almost surprised at my ready acquiescence, but then her smile turned wicked. "So be it. 3 sailors for the crown, and a night with me for the rest." I thought I heard a throaty chuckle as she moved back to her sisters, but I couldn't be sure over the thudding of my heart.
Tofa refused offers of glory and so on, insisting she wanted to save the sailors. For master Pho, they stopped the normally implacable man in his tracks by offering . . . the perfect moment. He considered it for quite some time before passing, stating that he would find such moments on his own. He then negotiated for seven sailors.
Why didn't we think of that?
Back outside, we worked down to a campfire by the beach as twilight fell. The Bletchko brothers were there with Pike Pilkey, and they stared at us like we were ghosts. "'Cor," said Pike. "We was about to give up on yas." he jerked a thumb over his shoulder at the Barnacle, which sat at anchor off the reef.
"Why? Just because you managed to get the boat off the reef in one afternoon?"
He looked at me, wide-eyed. "You been gone a week, mate."
Ah. Great. By our reckoning, we'd been in the cave for an hour or two at most. If that was really a week, then how long was the night I'd just signed up for?
Back on the boat (ship, ship, as I keep getting reminded) we set about various tasks. Research was done on Njall and his weapon, while I traded for a Find Object scroll from Ferin Thorne, the 'wizard' on ship. The woman had also mentioned Runelord Alaznist, a name that kept popping up. She'd been the ruler of Baklond and it was her face that was now Hollow Mountain - well, not actually her face, but . . . you get it.
Then the alarm bells started going off.
I managed to remember to cast Mage Armor this time and ran out on deck to see it covered with undead horrors. Some were just bones, some were rotting corpses, and some were HUGE. One in armor pointed to Tofa and somehow said, 'Murderer!' Others did the same. I looked over at her in confusion.
She growled and said, "How many times to you have to kill a mutinous crew, anyway?"
Bloody hell.
The other night, while meditating, I felt i had actually gained the ability to cast a spell that had up until then been beyond my powers. No time like the present. With a mutter and a flick I created a large pit on one side of the boat. A pair of skeletons fell in and made smashing sounds as they hit bottom, but the huge humanoid skeleton somehow leapt to the side. Irritated, I shifted over and cast it again, taking down another pair of undead but the big bastard leaped aside yet again. I cursed, a sound swallowed up by Trixie's song. She conjured a pair of dogs to keep it in place, and Pho tumbled by, did that ball of air thing he does, and this time it tumbled in. I moved over, breathed a sigh of relief as it made it almost out before falling back in, and tossed in one of Naffir's grenades. "Eat that, buddy."
Trixie's dogs tripped up a huge zombie, and Tofa and Londis were knocking out her former crew left and right. Pho took a nasty hit before radiating healing with a wave of some sort. Together we took down a giant minotaur skeleton before Tofa's former first mate, after nailing her with a javelin, bid us farewell for now. he dove overboard and vanished. The fight was over for us, but truly over for the unfortunate Pike Pilkey. Firendrin's owl had gotten clocked as well, but would survive.
Now all we had to worry about was why Tofa's crew had found us. Oh, and finding Njall and getting his crown. Oh, and my night with a scary powerful thing that was woman-shaped. No problem.
notes: Create Pit is a lot of fun, even if a huge skeleton made two reflex saves to stay out. The GM ruled my grenade did double-damage in the enclosed space. The group fought tremendously well together and it was fun essentially cutting the boat in half with the pits.
Wednesday, 27th October, 2010, 01:18 PM #22
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Session #13 - Octeober 25, 2010 - Wight or Wrong, an End to the Matter
notes: hairy session. Two fights that could have gone very, very badly, and almost did. A quick reminder that a GM can take your shiny new pit spell and make it fairly useless if he wishes. Good teamwork overcame some bad rolling, especially in the showdown at the end. We started a little late and ended a whole lot late, running about 90 minutes long. Dinner was pizza, a total sellout.
From the journal of Grezzalik M'Rethen:
Would bringing flowers be a good idea?
It seemed like a reasonable question, but only elicited a sign and an eye roll from Trixie. To be fair we were slogging along in an underwater cavern at the time, but still.
I'm getting ahead of myself. The day had started with us piling into the Barnacle's glass bottomed dinghy to better navigate the reef-laden waters to find both the Silver Raven and our bestest buddy Njall. The area was treacherous but with Tofa piloting and Big Dill and Sing Song rowing we were able to get around unscathed. It took us a bit of searching, including finding several other wrecks and seeing some green-skinned creatures I believe are called Saugahin we chose not to mess with, but finally we found the prow of the Raven jutting above the waves.
We also noticed a few skeletons walking along the bottom of the 20 foot deep water carrying glass ingots. Our glass ingots.
Bloody undead.
Still, they gave us an easy trail to follow, one I was able to keep with a Detect Magic cantrip (ooc - Kat won this argument with her GM hubby by bludgeoning him with the logic that since they are created by magic, skeletons always should detect as such a bit). After a while they vanished from my senses, no doubt entering a tunnel or cavern of some sort. We started to debate what to do next, but after a bit Londis and Firendrin each sipped some of their water breathing potions and jumped overboard. After a while we saw a ray of light emanate from a waterspout hole a bit further along the reef, and after we went there and dropped lines they clambered back up, reporting that there was a crevice the skeletons had continued on into.
At this point we had Trixie read the scroll we'd gotten from the ship's wizard to find Njall's sword and . . . nothing. Crap. Panicked, we moved along a bit when, just as the spell was about to run out, Trixie said 'Ooo!" and pointed to spot on the island itself. Even from where we were there was nothing to see, so it had to be underground. Underwater. Wonderful.
We geared up, anchored the boat, and sent Firendrin's wacky owl over to the Barnacle with a note saying what we'd found. Then we went over the side.
It wasn't so bad. The water was reasonably warm, we had plenty of light at our disposal, and the breathing potions worked well, albeit with the slightly discomfiting side effect of giving us tiny gills in our necks. Well, I'm assuming everyone else had them, I wasn't getting close enough to check. Especially not to the hairy, practically naked dwarf.
The trail was easy to follow as we swayed our way through the fissure without incident, pulverizing the worker skeletons when we saw them. They didn't notice us and didn't fight back. Soon we came to a large open cavern, with a steep slope upward on the opposite side of us that led above water. A number of skeletons and zombies stood guard near the breakwater. We suggested that Pho perhaps take them out with his surprising magic, but he felt they weren't worth the effort. So we began to slog across (it's damn difficult to move in water! We had a single potion of free movement, but wanted to save it for something important). Trixie summoned a dolphin, which streaked across the chamber and smashed a skeleton to tiny bits. The warrior types had pretty much moved into position when the thing that was truly missing from this tableau dropped in. Literally.
A freakin' hydra splashed down on our midst, six heads waving around as it hissed with hunger. I summoned a dolphin and it raced in to attack. That didn't go particularly well for it and there was much devouring. Trixie had about the same amount of luck with an octopus (an octopus! I'll have to speak to her about that, I found it fascinating!). The water was a red cloud around the horrible beast.
Meanwhile the others were making short work of the skeletons and zombies and moving for the hoped safety the shore would provide. There was a slight problem with that, as Trixie and I were on the wrong side of our new scaly friend for that. I was beginning to think that this was going to be a very ignoble way to die when Londis and Pho challenged it from the side. The monk glanced my way and said, "Use your dolphin to escape!" He may have said 'fool' at the end of that, I'm not sure. But it was certainly a good idea (ooc - I had no idea I could do anything with summoned creatures other than tell then to attack. I like to think I would have come up with this by myself if I'd known, but I can't guarantee that ).
One hurried casting and one wild, wild ride later, I felt my chest scrape against sand as my head broke the surface. My savior made a squeaking noise and rocketed through the water at the hydra - he deserved a better fate, but whatever. Trixie was almost right behind me, he feet moving in a magically-induced blur. Londis had taken several solid shots but was able to stagger to safety as the hydra ate nummy fish snacks. In fact, a few moments later we were all out of the water and far enough into a cavern that the hydra couldn't follow. Safety, for now.
We healed up and pushed on, heading back underwater. A short tunnel led to another shimmer of light above our heads, and we surfaced to find ourselves in a stone-lined pool filled with bones that was part of a massive cavern, at least two hundred feet long and more than half as wide. It was filled with statues and furniture made from flotsam and, well, a lot of skeletons. On the other side of the room, in front of a wall absolutely PILED HIGH with treasure of all sorts stood three figures. Even from here I could see they weren't alive. The one on the throne stood up, flaking moss and other sea crap. It seemed annoyed.
"Interlopers! How dare you come here?"
I'm not subtle. "Hi. We're here for your crown."
If an undead could splutter, this one did. "My crown! How dare you!" Then he fixed on Tofa. "Ah, the coward is here. See, Eric, I told you she'd come."
The large armored skeleton that had led the attack on our ship chuckled. "Yes, Njall, the coward is here. I ask the boon of being allowed to slay her myself and send her soul to Hel."
"Coward?" Tofa was clearly angry but just also looked somewhat in awe - later she explained that Njall was a legend among her people, the subject of the stories she listened to as a kid, and to meet him, even in this state, was a little overwhelming. "You got the treatment you deserved, you traitorous, mutinous cur! I'll take pleasure in killing you again!"
Njall stepped in again. "In my day, we had honor and pride, and we were fearsome raiders that make the whole world quake and . . ." blah blah blah. Boy, these guys just love to hear themselves talk. The three of them yelled at one another for a while more before I jumped in during a pause and asked, "So can we have the crown already? The ladies up on the mountain need it."
From the corner of his mouth Pho said, "It is surprising you are so eager for your assignation."
Firendrin laughed and said, "Yeah, it is totally gonna fall off when she's done with it."
"Please," chimed in Trixie, "it's not like he ever uses it."
Njall blew his top at our gallows humor. "What are you talking about! KILL THEM!"
before we could do anything the other figure up by him - crap, a Hecuva, if it was what I'd seen once during class - wiggled fingers and made a tossing gesture. My ears popped as a heavy blanket of silence fell over us. I was able to discern what the spell was (ooc: 25 on the spellcraft/arcana check) and realized it had dropped an area with a large radius, and that we needed to move.
of course, that's when the skeletons moved in. Oh, and the bones beneath our feet began to shudder and move as Njall waved his arms, quickly coming together into a giant dragon skeleton.
Since spell-casting was out of the question, I did the dumbest thing I could think of. My mage armor from the 'battle' with the hydra was still in place, which was fortunate as the skeleton I moved away from no doubt would have clobbered me otherwise. Pulling out my wand of shocking grasp, I walked right up to the bony terror and zapped the crap out of it. It howled, or at least I guess it did, because I couldn't hear anything. Pho did one of his crazy things, tattoos flaring, and the skeletons menacing us simply exploded. The dragon staggered, and as the others clambered out of the pool to meet the oncoming Eric and Njall, I dodged an attack from the monster's tail and zapped it again. Boy, will I be sorry when this wand runs out.
It was a good jolt, and the dragon rocked back and forth for a few seconds before collapsing back into a pile of bones. Outstanding. Scrambling out of the water, I quickly moved to get out of the effect of the silence spell. Once I did, I almost wished I hadn't. By Shelyn's Luscious Earlobes, I almost wished I hadn't. Ever been in a room with THREE raging barbarians? Sounds like someone's dipping a huge sack filled with badgers into a hornet's nest. Tofa was trying not to get surrounded by Eric and Njall as they screamed at one another. Njall's blade was glowing a bright blue and looked rimed with frost. He saw Londis rushing to Tofa's aid and the rest of us not far behind and snarled, "Finally someone to give me a worthy fight!" With that he waved his blade and a wall of ice basically bisected the room, cutting the rest of us off from he and Tofa - and the spellcaster, who was still up there causing problems. Eric was on our side but seemed unperturbed - a perk of being undead, I guess. He considered us and cracked a smile as he crossed weapons with Londis.
He was still smiling when I made a pit under his feet and he fell in. I heard a curse from the other side of the wall and surmised that Njall had fallen in as well, but not before Tofa yelled in pain. There might have been a way around the wall at the far side of the room, but most of us weren't close to that at all. Pho and Firendrin moved in that direction. Trixie fired an arrow at the Hecuva, watched it plink off armor, and cursed a blue streak. The sailors had taught her a few new ones.
I stepped forward as Londis took up a position poised to shove Eric back in, and looked down at the undead. To my surprise the SOB was almost out already, and I muttered something about the lack of appreciation for a well-made pit and hit him between the eyes with one of Naffir's grenades. He almost fell back in, but with a grace and agility one wouldn't have expected of him he burst out of the pit, avoiding Londis, and moved to safety. From there he pulled something from a necklace and tossed it to us - a gift from a foe. It exploded in our midst, although Trixie and I were able to avoid the worst of it (ooc: I think Trixie's reflex save is in double digits already. I rolled a 20, which made up for the sub-5 rolls I was making with everything else). Londis got creamed, though. Still, he waded right into Eric and staggered him with a mighty blow. I missed with a elemental ray, but Trixie took care of business by stepping forward and casting a healing spell - on Eric. The skeleton was in bad shape before that, but at her touch it simply crumbled to the ground with a clatter of armor and weapons.
I refrained from making comment on what Trixie's hands could do to a male.
We raced around the edge of the ice wall to see a badly battered Pho and Tofa battling with Njall and the caster at the edge of my pit. Tofa looked terrible, pale and bloody, but her face was locked in that insane battle grin she gets and she gave no quarter. Firendrin's owl was in a bloody mess behind them. I charged up the wand and went for Njall as his cleric healed him up. I thought I'd missed - for a big man or skeleton or whatever (Pho later informed us he was a wight, a particularly foul type of undead that feeds on the essence of the living) in armor he moved well, but the electricity arced from my fingers to the metal of his mail and delivered the jolt.
The next few moments were hazy, and I'm not sure what happened but Tofa finally delivered a killing blow. Njall went down and his cleric immediately crumbled into dust. Around his body formed a golden glow, and we could see the image of of a young Northerner flanked by a pair of devastatingly beautiful warrior women clad in shimmering mail. He started to rise, but turned to Tofa first. "You have freed me, and I am grateful. The legend of the brave warriors of the north shall carry on in your name, and you were truly a worthy foe. You fought with great honor, and so I find you deserving of Hidarga. Wield it well." And poof, he was gone.
Tofa grabbed the two-handed blade with a sense of triumph, which turned to horror as the runes on the blade flared for a moment before the whole thing slowly crumbled to dust. Before anyone could react her broadsword, the one taken from Nuallia, began to glow as several runes etched themselves into the blade.
"Hmm," mused Trixie. "No wonder there were so many differing stories about what the blade looked like." She looked up at the back wall. "Wow. That's a lot of treasure." She and Londis grinned.
"Yeah," I said absentmindedly. "So, if not flowers, maybe some sort of sweetmeats? Or fruit?"
notes: really touch and go in that fight at the end. Tofa got touched by the wight and lost a level, but we do have a restoration potion somewhere. Bad rolling had us in big trouble and the room being split was a tactical nightmare, but Pho's healing waves were a huge help, as was Firendrin casting hexes galore behind the scene. I'm very interested to see how my INCREDIBLY greedy partymates figure out how to screw Amieko out of her share of the found plunder.
Monday, 8th November, 2010, 04:55 AM #23
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Session #14 - November 1, 2010 - She Never Calls, Never Writes
notes: Missing Firendrin's player, this was a somewhat subdued session as we tied up loose ends with the mission. The question was how we'd manage to keep most of the insane amount of coinage we'd found . . . never underestimate creativity fueled by greed. Dinner was a crazy ravioli lasagne by Laura which was also DELICIOUS.
From the journal of Grezzalik M'Rethen:
It's a little scary when your party handles a creature like a hydra almost as a nuisance. When we first encountered it there was a pitched battle - forewarned and prepared, I almost felt bad for the thing as we clobbered it in savage fashion before Tofa, armed with Haldarga, charged in to finish it off. She, Londis and Pho swam out to begin working with the Barnacle on the salvage aspect of the mission - the rest of us stayed busy hauling stuff or, in my case, identifying the bloody hell out of the passel of magical crap we found. Magically speaking, I was on fire. Some nice stuff, too. A load of scrolls Firendrin was fairly drooling over for himself and that spooky not-owl, a necklace of fireballs with a pair of charges left, a nice lesser rod of extend spell, and a host of other small items. Oh, and the crown we were sent for, which was something I would have given my eyeteeth for, once I figured out what it did. Guh.
We ended up filling 10 chests with just coins, most of it copper. Trixie and Londis, thinking ahead to our return to Sandport, filled three of the chests with gold and then covered the top with a layer of coppers. I was too preoccupied with my upcoming assignation to care. Soon enough, it was time to go.
We headed up minus Londis, who wanted to bring the Captain with him later. At the cave the ladies were waiting, and seemed both happy and surprised to see us. I tossed them the crown. "Deal's a deal."
"Indeed, indeed," cackled the Crone. She pointed to Firendrin. "You, you bargained for knowledge. Come forward, little chickie, and get your reward."
Firendrin stepped up to the cauldron and peered in. I couldn't see any change, but he started to spasm after a bit and his eyes rolled up, showing only the whites. With a groan he fell over sideways and crashed to the floor, the rise and fall of his chest the only proof he was still alive.
"You, little one." The Crone smiled at Trixie. "You wished a way to escape those who follow you." She thrust her hands into the bubbling goop and, after rummaging around a bit, pulled out a human skull. After wiping away some . . . stuff, she urged Trixie forward and handing it to her. "When you are in trouble break this skull and call my name, and I will come to your aid. This is only good for a single use."
Trixie nodded, then creased her brow. "Fine, fine. "What's your name?"
"Ah, we didn't bargain for that knowledge, little one." She cackled and spat in the fire. "Perhaps you'd like to make another deal?"
Trixie shook her head. "We'll figure it out." I nodded, thinking of the sage in Sandport. We'd figure it out.
Pho stepped forward. "Thirteen sailors, was our deal."
Medea nodded, waved her hands. Animals of all sorts started trooping in from everywhere. They shouldn't have all fit in the cave, but they did. "Choose, then."
Pho produced some colorful sand and performed some sort of ritual. Without looking up he pointed to his number of prisoners, and with a bit of a sour expression the Ladies nodded. Tofa chose her three as well before I did the same, being told they'd revert to 'their repulsive natural forms' once they left the cavern.
And then it was my turn. Medea bade me forward, her half-lidded eyes filled with amusement. "Our deal then, Grezzalik. Come see what you have bargained a night with me for."
I edged up to the cauldron, the contents of which smelled like a combination of the underside of a latrine and the inside of a tannery mixed with week-old fish guts. The smoke above it twisted and twisted before taking shape as a window of some sort, allowing me to peak in at . . . my mother.
Shamara sat with a happy but glazed look on her face, draped in finery and looking more beautiful than I remembered. next to her sat a tall elf with white hair and a stern face. He seemed bored and restless, and I pegged him as a warrior, a creature of action. Around them was a scene of some sort of ball but something . . . wasn't right. Spriggans and satyrs danced and capered but the other elves in attendance looked gaunt and almost haggard. The hall was clearly ruled over by a striking elf that could be none other than a queen, and held an air of menace, dark and foreboding.
"That's Queen Roswyn," Medea whispered in my ear, and I gave a small gasp. I'd read about her, a creature of almost immeasurable power, the Ruler of the Fellnight Realm. It was a stretch of Shadow and the Faewild that overlapped one another, and how to get there was merely speculation.
"Your mother was here, Grezzalik. Her ship wrecked not too far away and she managed to make it to shore." Her breath was causing my body to go crazy even while her words chilled me to the bone. "She spent some time here as livestock before the elf came and freed her."
I blinked. "Freed her?"
"Well, bargained for her, just as you bargained for this knowledge. Not in the same manner, of course." Her lips brushed my neck and I shivered. "Have you not seen Loric Tinvilldien before, Grezzalik? Your father?"
I started but stayed quiet, examining the elf in the vision before me again. At once I could see in his face some of the features I carried. I'd always been so obsessed with finding my mother that I'd spent little time wondering about my father . . . the image wavered and faded from view. That was fine.
I'd remember.
"So, you'll need to find a gateway." She smiled. "Another bargain, perhaps?"
I shook my head. "Let's settle up."
She took my hand as the Crone dropped the crown into the cauldron and muttered, "The Crown of the Redeemed King. Two more to find, two more to go." What that meant I had no idea, but in the meantime Medea walked me into the back of the cave which was clearly not the back of the cave, bringing us to an opulent villa equipped with all matters of delight one could imagine. And for the first few hours, it was fun, erotic, and enjoyable. Medea was an eager and able hostess, and our antics in the ridiculously large bed were amazing.
Then the snakes came out, and got weird. I think they came out of her hair, but once they started biting things got blurry for me and the rest of the time I can't recall.
The sailors, returned to human form, hailed their rescuers as heroes. I wasn't part of that, as I awoke in the dark, empty cave wrapped in a snakeskin and covered with bites. My robes were tossed carelessly nearby, and I shrugged into them with a groan and headed out.
The trip down the mountain was uneventful, and I found the ship still salvaging nearby. I was met with curious stares and wide eyes - it had been 4 days. Oh well. At least I wasn't pregnant.
Pho and Londis had some sort of stand off over the Inquistor's plan to give the Captain to the Ladies - as he was still here I could surmise Pho won. Back in Sandport Trixie successfully conned Amieko's beancounters into letting us take the three chests with the goad for our shares. Not sure how I feel about that. Right now, I'm just glad to be back in a bed that doesn't move up and down with the tide.
Notes: no game this week, as the GMs away on business. I suppose I'm a little concerned about Grezz's memory loss via medea but what could possibly go wrong? heh heh hehe yipes yipes yipes
Last edited by jydog1; Monday, 8th November, 2010 at 08:27 PM.
Wednesday, 17th November, 2010, 04:19 PM #24
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Interlude: All Hallows Eve
Ahh yes, look at the brave heroes all tucked into their cozy beds, pockets full of coin, and not a care in the world. Trixie, oh beautiful, desirable Trixie, how I long for your fiery embrace. The way you move is intoxicating, even lying there the rise and fall of your chest sears my brain! Of course, soon, ever so soon, you she recognize my greatness, be drawn to me, and join my pack, where you shall be mine....forever.
A soft grating sound is heard as a gaunt figure climbs down the wall of the Rusty Dragon, abandoning its nighttime perch. Inside the window a certain halfling lies asleep, comfortably wrapped in blissful slumber.
The figure wanders away down the street, humming an old Varisian nursery rhyme:
Mumble Mumble Scarecrow
Alone in the Maze
Sleeping in the daytime
A stitched man he stays
But when the moon she rises
Up Mumble Gets
He shakes his hands at first
And moves his feet the next
And when the dog is snoring
And when youre fast asleep
Mumble Mumble Scarecrow
Will find you good to eat
Thursday, 18th November, 2010, 04:07 AM #25
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Session #15 November 15, 2010 - Sandport is Truly a Damsel in Distress
notes: on to a new super creepy story arc. It would be easier to pity poor Trixie if she hadn't given Grezz such a steady stream of abuse the entire session. Firendrin's choice of taking knowledge in exchange for helping recover the crown seems to have turned out well so far, as he gained a few skills (and would have had more if he hadn't boned some rolls). Now we're into something darker and presumably undead-ier. Dinner, after a crock pot malfunction KO'd a pot roast, was (damn tasty) rotisserie chicken and twice-cooked baked potatoes (why were they twice cooked? because I didn't cook 'em long enough the first time. Hiyo!!!!).
From the Journal of Grezzalik M'Rethen:
For someone who's trying to keep a low profile, I'm not doing that great a job.
Okay, it's hard to do so in Sandport, where we're treated like heroes. But after we got back from the salvage job it was hard to walk around town without someone pointing or hailing us or wanting to shake our hands. I needed some time to do some research - I'd had enough time on the voyage to give Hadarga a thorough examination and told Tofa everything the blade could currently do, in addition to managing to retrain myself to swap one spell out for another. Ah, Color Spray, i thank you for nursing me through the early days of my wandering career, but I know your limitations and had no choice. The wand we have can't cast shocking grasp forever, so I learned it myself. Zap. Zap Zap Zap!
It was a long voyage.
I manged to scrape together enough money - we made an obscene amount from the job (OOC: 2250gp each) and I had some lying around - to lay in an order for a Cauldron of Brewing. I toyed with the idea of getting some sort of protective item or even a magic weapon of some sort, but it wasn't enough for anything really good. I had about a thousand other things I wanted to do but an invite from Amieko reminded us of a mistake we'd made, a while ago. Ugh.
Back when we'd first stopped the goblins from ruining the festival an actor named Cerdric had approached us and negotiated for the rights to the story. At the time 10 gold each sounded like an awful lot of money, and so we'd agreed and given him the story after taking out Nuallia. At worst we figured he'd make something silly and it would vanish shortly thereafter.
Nah. huge hit. So we joined Amieko and Ethrem Valdemars in a private box and watched the . . . whatever it was. Let's just say some creative license was taken - liberally. Right before the show ended we were joined by the Sheriff, who had a grim tale to tell. Sandport was in trouble again.
This time it was murders, the second having just taken place at a lumber mill owned by . . . the ing Scarnettis. Wonderful. A pair of lovers had been gruesomely slaughtered while the foreman was home for dinner by something we quickly determined wasn't human. The slashing wounds on the male victim, Banny Hasker, reeked of the grave. The female was the very same young lady who'd tried to seduce me, Katrina Vinder (see! I KNEW she was trouble!). As best as we could determine, something came out of the river under the mill's pier and attacked. Banny was torn up by talons and staked to a wall, with a sehedron rune carved into his chest. Katrina had evidently fought back and wounded the thing with a handaxe before being thrown into the saw . . . yeah, it was as gruesome as one might imagine.
oh, there was one other thing - a note left for Trixie - yes, our Trixie - scrawled in blood on a torn shirt. The completely freaked halfling gave it to me after she'd read it:
You will learn to love me,Quite. We were then told of a triple murder that had taken place a few days earlier outside of town with similar results - dead men with sehedron runes craved into them and festering slashes elsewhere. We were told of a survivor behind held in a sanitarium, and we agreed we needed to see him after we talked to Ebor Thorn, the missing manager of the mill.
desire me in time like She did.
Give yourself to the Pack and
it shall all End - Your Lordship
He was being held in town and wasn't particularly forthcoming at first. He admitted he knew Harker was messing around with Vinder, but it took some special threatening by Londis (he cast a silence spell and pulled out surgical tools, which loosened Thorn's tongue quickly) to get the truth. Harker was skimming from Scarnetti, not a good idea at all given the ruthlessness of the bastard, but Thorn had just looked the other way. he didn't know anything about the murders other than being the person who walked in and found them. Not much help there.
With the sanitarium too far a walk at this time of night a few of us went to the after party, wherein a shaken Trixie had a good deal to drink, got into a verbal catfight with the actress portraying her, and then started fooling around with the actor playing me - weird. She left with someone at some point as Tofa and I kept things a little calmer, but was bright and chipper the next morning when we headed out.
The Saintly Haven of Respite was an odd building in the middle of nowhere, and soon after we were ushered in Firendren vanished to no doubt cause some sort of trouble. he returned while we were talking to Doctor Habe dressed in a doctor's coat and stethoscope he'd gotten from somewhere.
He's an odd one.
Eventually Habe took us to one Grayve Sevilla, strapped to a table in the basement and reeking of corrupted flesh. Firendren quickly identified the man in the late stages of ghoul fever, and he looked helpless until he caught sight of Trixie. His eyes lit up, and his previously unintelligible babble became crystal clear - "You! He said you'd visit! The Lordship was right, he's always right! He said, oh, I must remember, I must remember, he wants me to deliver this message, oh yes yes! if you can get over your misgivings soon and join the Pack he has something wonderful to show you! yes! His Lordship!"
Then he died.
Then he un-died, bursting his bonds and charging us as a horrific ghoul. We put him down quickly and then turned on Habe, who admitted he'd known what was wrong with him but simply had to study him! Londis had a talk with him and the filthy rich bastard agreed to pay for a number of rituals and potions that will hopefully not be necessary.
Oh, of course they will. Sandport's in trouble again, and they're looking to us. So we'll consult with the town Sage and try to find this thing before it finds Trixie.
And I thought Foxglove was bad.
Thursday, 18th November, 2010, 10:45 PM #26
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Monday, 29th November, 2010, 04:07 AM #27
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Session #16 - November 22, 2010 - Extra Helpings of the Creepy
Notes: Lots of scrambling around as we remain a step behind the killer but draw ever closer. I came in with slew of ideas on who the murderer might be and they all pretty much seem completely wrong at this point. Good ideas from all corners helped put us on the right track. Well, that and people dying gruesomely. Dinner was Laura's delicious Chicken-bacon pie and Kat's yummy cream cheese crumble. oh, and the kids' Halloween candy was pillaged. Alas, no session this week as the GM has family in town.
From the journal of Grezzalik M'rethen:
Hmmm. Yes. Well.
Okay, this has gotten creepy, brutal, and bloody. The entire town is on edge and we find ourselves off in the southern farmlands stepping up be Big Damn Heroes AGAIN. But by Shelyn's Hands, I'm more worried than usual. And that's saying a lot.
Broderick Quint, the sage we'd been talking to, gave us some useful info about ghouls, ghasts, and other nasty things (have I mentioned things seem to be pointing in that direction? Seriously, what is with this town?). I had some theories about the late Deverin/Chopper affair and also the kid who'd knocked up Nuallia and then bailed, but they didn't pan out. My question about why they kept carving the entire Sehedron rune instead of just the one for necromancy also went unanswered.
From there we managed to pretty much completely freak out Alma, Deverin's daughter and the baker friend of Trixie's. Trixie shooed us out and managed to get some info from her, but we also forgot to tell Alma to keep the news under her bonnet. Oops. We also received invites to Shalue's wedding to Beldin, up in one of the Elven cities. A chance to get more info on my mother? Maybe.
We'd talked the Father into casting a Speak to Dead ritual for us, and we debated a while what and whom to ask. With only two questions we needed to be specific. We settled on Mortwell, the leader of the three con men who'd been slaughtered at the abandoned farm outside of town, and on a pair of questions that should yield the most info. With the body on ice at the guardhouse, we headed over to gather it and bring it to the church.
We got delayed.
A runner found us and took us to the theater, where we were lead to a grisly discovery - Trixie was dead. Not our Trixie, thank Shelyn, but Penniel Sorn, the actress who'd been playing her in the blasted show. She and Trix had had words after the party - I believe Trixie had told her 'there are no small roles, only bad actresses,' and there was no love lost between them. Still, I doubt Trixie would have wished this on her worst enemy, and in fact she took one look at the scene and headed outside to be sick.
how to describe it? Penniel's room was in shambles and she was horribly mangled - face torn off, fingers amputated, and so on. The digits, in fact, has been used to compose another message for Trixie, written in blood across the wall:
Trixie, Do not worry, my love, no longer will your lovely eyes have to gaze upon this impostor. Penniel was a pale shadow of your beauty, a mere white lily compared to the petals of a vibrant red rose. Still the trollop did remind me of you; I shall have her prepared and added to my collection. Please come let me show you my treasures, can you not sense my need for you? - Your LordshipYeah. Creepy, right? Somehow none of the other actors heard any of this happening, which leads me to believe we might have a spellcaster involved. We did finally get a physical description - a tall, gaunt man wearing a blue demon mask and a long purple jacket. The wounds had that same foul stench to them we'd encountered before, and indeed the blood trail we found proved to be useless and the bloodhounds whined and shied away from the scent. Wonderful. Evidently met up with Penniel while the actors had been out drinking and came back with her.
Thoroughly frustrated, we gathered up the shaken Trixie and headed over to do the ritual, desperate for some sort of lead we could follow. We dithered over the wording on the questions, tinkering until we felt comfortable we'd get the most info possible. The first we asked was "Tell us everything you know about the being that killed you."
In a droning voice Mortwell filled in some gaps. He and his partners showed up to answer a note that offered them a great deal of money. The physical description was a match to the person who killed the pseudo-Trixie, expect this time the mask was of several pieces of tanned brown skin - perhaps human - sewn together. He'd attacked them with a straight razor and despite being outnumbered four to one he quickly overpowered them all - Mortwell referred to him as a 'terrible man.' After taking Grayst and hanging him from a hook so he'd have to watch everything, the attacker tied them up, tortured them craved the sehedron into their chests, and finally killed them. Our second question asked him who'd brought the note - we were figuring Jubral, the local crime lord, might have been mixed up in this somehow - but he said it was a farmer named Rogers Crosby.
A farmer. That made no sense until we headed over to the guardhouse to share what we'd learned and found a very rattled and somewhat inebriated Farmer Grump in their hands. After we calmed him down somewhat we managed to get his story, which was that the farmers down south had noticed something was amiss and gone en masse to the old Hambley farm, where they were attacked and mauled by what he called 'walking scarecrows.' They attcked the farmers and fell on the stricken, eating them, eating the dogs, eating everything. He was the only one to escape. They'd come out of the corn and as far as he knew they'd gotten everyone, including that ranger Belden.
We asked, he mentioned that Rogers Crosby sometimes served as a worker over at Misgivings - Londis immediately picked up on that, as we'd heard it from Grayst when he was reciting his Lordship's message to Trixie - and we discovered that it was the locals' name for a manor - the Foxglove Manor.
Trixie somehow got paler.
Turns out some of the farmers had been working at the place as Aldrin Foxglove tried to rebuild it. Grump had some vague recollection of why it was called Misgivings, but not enough info. We needed to head out regardless, and we were given 4 guardsmen and mounts.
Tofa had an idea, a brilliant idea, as we stopped by Ethram Valdemar's place on the way to the farms. Indeed old Ethram was exactly the person who could help us, telling us the sordid story of Aldrin's grandfather Vorol, who vanished years ago after his wife Cassandra died under mysterious circumstances. Aldrin's father, Travos, had a wife who, while at the manor, went insane. Travos then killed her and burned the servants' quarters down, with some of them still in there. Aldrin and his sister survived and were raised in Corvosa by other members of the family. An almost speechless Trixie said she'd noticed nothing weird while out there and in fact had a wonderful time. the place was only about half restored but she'd had no sense of dread while there. I wondered, to myself, if the mentioned rose petals in the mural of her hadn't been painted with blood . . . ugh. And so it seemed be were dealing with some sort of evil granddaddy monster. Whether or not Aldrin was a willing or unwilling accomplice remained to be seen.
We headed toward the farm first. After a while a pair of the scarecrows came out and attacked us, and indeed they were ghouls. We took them down, but the mostly green guardsmen were terrified (I wasn't thrilled myself). Further on we saw far too many scarecrows grouped together, and when Tofa and Londis hit them with arrows they reacted unlike a shirt stuffed with straw ought to. Several charged us then, catching some of us by surprise. I summoned a dog that took one down and tore it to shreds, but another one clawed Trixie before I could do anything and she locked in place, affected by the poison Broderick had warned us about.
It was a brutal fight. We lost one of the guards as a ghoul claw torn his throat open, but in the end we eliminated 5 of the foul creatures with nobody suffering a bite. Examination of the hanging scarecrows proved them to be the missing farmers, left up there suffering from ghoul fever and likely to turn soon. We killed the ones that were too far gone, but found two that had a chance. One was Belden, and several of us were adamant that Shalue's fiancee get one of the two cure disease potions he had. The other one we manacled and tied to a horse, to ride back to town with the guards. i'd hoped Belden might be able to stay and fight beside us, but he was suffering heavily what the fever had done to him. It wasn't until after he'd gone that i remembered the restoration potion we had. It might have been enough to get him up and running, but too late now. At least we probably saved the lives of the other three guardsmen by sending them back. Now, we just had to worry about saving ours.
Monday, 13th December, 2010, 06:17 AM #28
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Session #17 - December 6th, 2010 - House Party!
Notes: we forged on despite missing Tofa's player. Lots of good saving throws, good roleplaying, and good outside the box thinking - a very fun session as we tried to discover whether or not trixie's boyfriend is indeed the crazed ghast we're seeking (my money is on the grandfather). No game this Monday but we've rescheduled for Friday instead.
From the journal of Grezzalik M'rethen:
We edged up to the barn, expecting trouble. Trixie rode Shotzie up one side and Firendrin sent his owl up the other and thus we knew things lurked within. Said things were ghouls and a dire ghoul, and we took care of them with some summoned help from Trixie and Londis being able to resist their horrible bites. Aside from a pile of bones there was nothing else there, and the house had long since been destroyed. there was another message for Trixie but it was a older one, urging her to take the fever, the first of his gifts. The creep must have conscripted a poet since then. Firendrin wanted to torch the place - lately he's wanted to burn everything. We're keeping the flint and steel away from him.
With the afternoon speeding along we moved up to the manor house. Trixie remember some of it, and a trip around the grounds proved it to be right along a 300 foot cliff. She and I scouted some of the first floor windows and came across a curious sight. In one room the dust was disturbed in a path between a desk, a fireplace, and a crib - actively disturbed. As we watched saw a ghost named Laurie who either was old Vorol's daughter or wanted to throw Vorol's daughter off the cliff - and at that moment, for a second, I really wanted to throw Trixie off. I mean, I relly really wanted to see her flailing as she dropped to ger doom and the rocky crags below. I looked at her and saw she wanted to do the same exact thing to me. Then the moment passed, and we went from dangerous to merely awkward.
"Uhm, maybe I'll just detect magic on the place," I stammered.
"Yeah, good idea," she said, fiddling with Shotzie's harness.
I cast the cantrip and rocked back on my heels as the WHOLE DAMN PLACE lit up like the noonday sun. The entire building reeked of necromancy. Wonderful. We headed back to tell the others and I saw Londis starting to wiggle his fingers like he always does when he casts a spell, and I said, "Nooo-"
Too late. His eyes went wide, then rolled back in his head before he keeled over backwards. He was out of it for a few minutes. When he came to we tossed around ideas on how to go in. I was leery of the front door and eyed the attic gable.
'How about up there? Maybe we can go in that way, if Trix -"
Trixie was already up there on Shotzie securing a rope, and moment later we were all inside. Most of the rooms were either being renovated or housing materials to be used - and all had laid dormant for a while. Finally we heard a woman crying and a shriek from a corner room. Londis peered in and then closed the door, shaking his head. "it's a revenant," he said. "A creature powered by the need to extract revenge."
I stuck out my lower lip. "In this place, she'd probably be of use to us. Maybe go seek out and attack the one we're looking for."
"Fine. But who goes in there?"
(OOC: because Grezz grew up pretty much ignored, I've been downplaying his high charisma. Now that he's getting out an about some and having success I'm letting him actually play up to his strengths a bit) "I'll do it," I said. "Just get me out if there's trouble."
That earned me dubious looks. Edging into the largish room I saw a gaunt, haggard, obviously dead noblewoman in front of a mirror, looking downward. her nails were ragged and black, and she was sobbing quietly. then she looked up into the mirror and shrieked in anguish again, collapsing into heavy sobs and muttering about other women. When she wound down the whole process started up again.
"Hello? Miss? Hi, I'm Grezz and I'd like to help you."
Nothing. Completely obsessed with her reflection in the mirror. I looked around, spotted a dusty old blanket. I grabbed it and, whispering a short prayer to Shelyn, dropped it over the mirror.
The effect was instantaneous. She leaped to her feet and yelled, "Alderin Foxglove, I'll be in your arms again soon!"
She did not do this in a sexy way. Indeed, she rushed past me like I wasn't there and tore through the door, scattering my friends as well. We took off after her, hoping she'd lead us to our target and perhaps mess him up a bit for us.
We got as far as the master bedroom before all hell broke loose. We were right behind her when Tofa suddenly screamed and went into that crazy frenzy thing she does with the whites of the eyes and ravens swarming around everywhere. Her target was Trixie and she drilled her with Hardarga before the bard could get her gecko to carry her up to the ceiling, out of harm's way. Tofa was calling her every name in the book and I moved forward to try something but Firendrin beat me to it, dazing her long enough for Londis to step forward. I thought he was going to slap manacles on her - he's big with the manacles - but instead he cast Protection from Evil, and that snapped her right out of it. Abashed, she said the spirit of someone named Cassandra had taken her over and wanted her to kill 'that slut.' We also got to see the infamous Trixie mural and I must say, if it's accurate she's even more impressive than one would imagine.
Trixie found a hidden box, of course, but couldn't get it open. We tucked it away and headed to the main hall, which was loaded with windows containing sehidron runes, and stuffed animals along with various mounted heads including a harpy, a monkey, and some squidlike creature, to name a few. One, a sorry looking manticore, suddenly reared back and nailed me with a blast of fire. I went over, immediately out. Someone healed me (and somehow I got wet) but the damn fire wouldn't go out, and I could smell my skin sizzling as the painful flames charred my body. Just when it seemed like I couldn't take any more I realized the flames weren't real and they vanished, leaving me close to death (OOC: very close - the initial attack took me from my full 16 hits to -6). Under a rug we found some sort of toxic mold that was also a trap - this place is horrible.
Now we have a staircase down in front of us, no doubt containing some Foxglovian horror waiting for us. Why again didn't I take my money and retire young again? (Answer - because I no longer have any money, having spent all of it on a cauldron of brewing!)
More notes: trixie and Grezz made 5th level, and with expanded arcana as my feat I'll pick up 3 new 2nd level spells - scorching ray, from my bloodline; summon 2; and either web, stone call, levitate, or something else. I'm trading out summon 1 for floating disk and getting protection from evil for my additional 1st level spell. Oh, and I'll have my 4 year old roll my hit die, since both my wife and I are incapable of rolling over a 2 for me.
Last edited by jydog1; Monday, 13th December, 2010 at 05:32 PM.
Sunday, 26th December, 2010, 05:31 AM #29
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Session #18 - December 20, 2010 - I Hate this Effing House
notes: 4 year old daughter rolled me a 6 for my hits, the little darling. That increased my hits by half - the life of a sorcerer with a 10 Con. We had a full crew on hand for the endless evil of the damn manor house. At least the place is an equal opportunity attacker, going after everyone at different times. I'm bitching, but this has been an extremely fun and challenging mission as we unravel the mystery of what the blue hell is going on. No WAY I get everything that happened right.
From the journal of Grezzalik M'rethen:
I looked down the dark stairwell. "But if we go down there now, whatever's waiting for us might still be screwed up from the revenant."
Lots of shaking heads. "But if we go back up, we can make sure there's nothing behind us." That was Londis. "Also, we can find things." Now lots of nods. Outvoted again. So up we went.
On each level there was a large room overlooking the cliffs with large stained glass windows. We walked into the one on the upper floor and dammit, I felt the same feeling come over me that I did downstairs right before the manicore attacked. Thsi time I saw a scene play out in front of me, of Travor Foxglove's wife Cyrallie charging into this room with a torch, intent on clobbering him with it. He made a pass with hand and the fire flared out of control, burning her horribly, and then she continued right through the window, beginning a descent to the craggy surf some 300 feet below.
Taking that jump seemed like an AWESOME idea to me because, dammit, I was on fire! But Londis wouldn't let me! That bastard grabbed me and held me in place, and then Trixie started doing a dance and . . . wow, that's a really interesting thing she can do with her hips and . . .
I snapped out of it and sheepishly convinced Londis to put me down. After telling them what I'd seen, we checked out the room. There was a book by an arch-wizard named Sorocco about the Lich of Carrion Hill - pretty creepy stuff. Then Firendrin broke out the stained glass, which had been of two godlike looking people.
Moving along, we found a study that featured a nice painting of a bullfight, a couple of scrolls we could use (Lightning Bolt and Keen Edge), and charts that Tofa was extremely interested in. Firendrin also has his turn to freak out, babbling about a laughing, possibly insane man mired in bitter disappointment for getting married.
back on the 2nd floor, we checked out the room under the one that had make me freak out. it had the big stained glass windows as well, these showing 5 creatures - a scorpion; a vampire; a death's head moth; a familiar looking plant; and a spider. Something about them nagged at me, and I closed my eyes and tried to figure it out.
the sound of shattering glass interrupted my line of though as Firendrin broke out the windows again. Not sure why. He does like destruction, though. Tofa stuck her head out to take a gander then popped back in, surprised. "Hey, there's two more sets of stained glass windows below us, one above the other."
We crowed around, but it was too sharp and angle to see. Wordlessly I looked at Trixie, who scowled and threw up her hands. "Fine." Within seconds she and Shotsie were zipping down the wall as if it were level ground. When she came back in and got settled she gave us a description.
'There's the level below us - that has glass with creatures as well. Something made of smoke; a treant; a roc; a thing with lady front parts and a lion in the back; and some sort of nasty looking squid. Below that which is below ground level, there's two images - one of a gaunt, dead looking guy drinking something that just looks horrible, and smoke going into a 6-sided box." She paused. "I hate this place."
Something clicked in my head. "I get it. I get it!" the others looked at me expectantly. "I remember, from a class. The first two glasses were of dark deities of some sort. The next five - those are a components list for a ritual - scorpion venom, vampire's breath, tongue from a death-moth, belladonna, and, oh, I forget what comes from the spider."
"Okay, so?" I'm not even sure who that was, as my mind was racing.
"So, the next set was of creatures that had to be killed for more components - all long-lived. The last one is the end of the ritual - the caster drinks the vile concoction, and . . ." I trailed off in horror.
"And what?"
"And he or she becomes a Lich. That's what the last panel is about - it's a phylactery." At a blank stare I said, "It's what Lichs hide their essence in. You can kill the body, but it'll just regenerate unless you get the phylactery as well."
Trixie looked a little pale for a moment, then started digging through her pack. Producing the box she'd found int he bedroom she said, "It's looked like this, except it had runes on it and this is bare. What's that mean?"
I shook my head. "I'm not sure. But I'd say that Vorol tried to become a Lich and possibly succeeded. We're going to have to find out."
In silence we moved on to another room, one covered in an ugly blue mold much like what we'd found under the carpet downstairs. I suggested using some acid to get rid of it, but Londis pulled out a vial of holy water and it washed the stuff away like a stream of water removing dust. Interesting. Tofa had a vision of Cassandra running with her child in her arms as the servants behind them turned into blue mold and crumbled. the little girl asked if they were going to be okay before things went black.
The we found the gallery. I'll try to make it simple - it was filled with portraits of the Foxgloves. Then it got cold and they changed. Here's what happened and to whom.
Vorol - Exploded with growths of the blue mold we'd just eliminated.
Cassandra, his wife, and Lorrie, their daughter - turned into the blue mold, then crumbled.
Travor - a huge slit appeared in his throat and gushed blood
Cyrallie, his wife - charred, then broken and battered
Aldrerin - turned into a ghoul or something like it
Zeba, his sister - head splits wide open, as if thrown off cliff (aha!)
Sendili - another sister - darkens a little with frost, but that's all
important things there, but also important was that the paintings then exploded with blue mold and I felt it burn down into my lungs. Firendrin confirmed that I had the same thing he did. Bloody hell. The big thing we learned was the existence of Sendili, the other sister. Was that the one supposedly sent away? Why didn't she show a death as well?
the next room was a bedroom, and Firendrin was treated to the vision of Travor slitting his own throat. He managed to resist the compulsion to do the same. We needed to be done with this place.
Back on the main floor, we had more wacky stuff go on. A scarf did/didn't try to attack Londis, who was then forced into dance with Iesla, Alderin's wife and our friendly revenant when someone ::cough cough:: played a piano. FINALLY we were ready to go downstairs.
Ina kitchen we heard chittering through cracks in a wall, and sure enough swarms of rats soon followed. Firendrim and I handled them with burning and lightning hands respectively, then we pushed a table on its side and against the wall to contain them until Trixie could summon some spiders to go in there and clean house.
There was nothing else of interest on that level aside from the glass, so down we went, following a trail of destruction and sprung traps courtesy of the revenant. We entered a room with a book on a pedestal, a steamer trunk, and the final two images, one of which began to shimmer and move as we entered. Tofa's eyes rolled up like they had upstairs when she lost it and tried to make halfling paste out of Trixie, but this time the bard touched her arm and she snapped out of it (Tofa boned her save, but Trixie's player used the very cool daily Lucky Halfling feat to make another saving throw for her with Trixie's sick bonuses, saving her). meanwhile Firendrin smashed the glass yet again.
"Oh! Oh!" Tofa was excited. "What I saw! This Vorol, he was drinking the potion, he was trying to be a lich, but his wife came in and saw what he was doing. She smashed the box, the whatever you called it, Grezz, then ran off to save her daughter. Oh, and then she, oh."
I licked my lips. "She ruined the ritual. He failed, and that's where this blue crap came from."
Trixie asked, "What happened to all the power he'd built up?"
"Not sure. Judging by the way this place radiates necromancy, it's possible it went into the building." Grimly I added, "When we leave, this place has to be burned to the ground."
Trixie eyed the trunk. "Well, let's check that out first." She started to head over.
"Wait," I said. "Why not let me open it my mage hand first?"
"It might be trapped," said Londis. "A fireball or something like it would be incredibly deadly here."
"True, but -" that was a far as I got before Trixie reached the trunk, which suddenly reared up, showed immense teeth, and pulled her right off her gecko, swallowing her whole. We sprang into action, but the thing slurped up Shotsie as well. Horrible sounds came from within. I unleashed a scorching ray and the thing sizzled, but Firendrin stepped forward and touched it, murmuring something. His fingers almost stuck, but the thing's eyes fluttered shut and it slumped to the ground, still pulsing. Shotsie, half in and half out, looked terrible. Londis stepped up and absolutely smashed whatever it was, and we carved our way into it to pull out an extremely battered Trixie. She'd managed to heal Shotsie in the nic kof time and we got her back up and patched as well. Inside we found 3 arrows I didn't have time to ID. but I knew two out of three potions - bloodblock and antiplague. Important stuff.
In the next room there was a spiraling staircase heading down - trixie had a vision of an insane Alderin ripping up flagstones and digging to uncover it - and emitting the foul stench we were all too used to by now. If only we had several thousand gallons of cheap liquor with us to pump down there and ignite . . .
Thursday, 30th December, 2010, 06:07 AM #30
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Session #19 - December 27, 2010 - But What's Confusing You is the Nature of my Game
notes: FINALLY. The bloody end. Pretty damn challenging, as our tanks got pummeled and mind-controlled and almost turned into mold and chomped on by giant evil ghoul bats - and I won't even mention what happened to Trixie - yet. Lots of fun.
From the journal of Grezzalik M'rethen:
So. there was a staircase before us, reeking of putrid undead and really reinforcing the fact that I hated this house. Of course I slipped and pretty much bounced down the stairs, but before my friends could laugh at me we were beset by ghouls yet again. One clawed me and while it hurt, I was happy for my elvish blood as the paralysis didn't set in. Firendren took a nasty bite and confirmed that he'd contracted ghoul fever - I wasn't too wild about the way he was eying the pouch at my belt that held the lone remaining Cure Disease potion. One of the ghouls had a chunk of statue in his head from the study upstairs, a angel's wing, and Tofa recognized him as one of the servants. So there was a good chance Alderin or whoever was running the show brained this guy and then dragged him down here, still alive, to be ghoulified by something with an absolutely huge bite - I mean, like 18 inches across. There was a sound like something huge breathing, but the tang of salt water in the air led me to believe it was something else.
We trudged on through sandstone passageways, finding an empty chamber piled with gnawed bones, but no more freaking ghouls. Soon we arrived at the source of the breathing sound, a massive cavern. The center was filled with rising and falling sea water, and a narrow ledge circled around to a set of stone doors. Leery of the water and concerned it might be something more than it appeared to be, Londis threw one of the ghoul bodies in it. That served to alert the speedy little goblin ghouls that were on guard of our presence and a battle raged, briefly. Choosing to scale down a ledge rather than go the long way around we made it level to the doors, and thus we went to face our foe.
What follows is a conglomeration of recollections collected from my stalwart companions, as some of us were in better position to see certain things. As we drew closer to the doors and could hear a man weeping inside - Trixie and Tofa thought it sounded like Alderin - the bard suddenly stopped short about 30 feet away.
I cocked an eyebrow and whispered, "What's wrong?"
She growled something in Goblin and shook her head. "Shotsie won't get any closer. Something's got her spooked."
"Okay. You going to dismount?"
She looked at me as if I were insane. "No! I trust her judgement."
Meanwhile Londis and Tofa, having overruled my suggestion of just summoning something and letting it run wild in there, had reached the doors in hope of talking with whatever was inside. It was . . . Alderin. Well, the ghoul version of Alderin, with a huge black hole in his chest. At his feet were the remains of Iesha, who still clutched the pulped remains of his heart. The room was some sort of necromantic lab or study, and in addition to the two large ghouls chowing away on some remains there was a patch of horrific looking mold over the remains of Vorol's broken phylactry - this was the place Tofa had seen in her vision, where Cassandra had been an unsung hero and prevented Vorol's ascension to Lichdom.
Alderin wept at a table covered with knicknacks and mementos of Trixie, most likely bought from CMOT Dibbler. Upon spying Tofa he sobbed, "You must help me, it isn't my fault! The Hurter is coming, he's coming! He -"
Alderin's eyes rolled back in his head and he donned an evil grin. "Ah, the heroes. How fitting you shall be here to see how this plays out." Then Alderin was back, begging again. "Please save me, please! They made me do those things, the Brothers of the Seven, and . . . "
He broke off again, a third voice now speaking with mocking tones as he put on a mask made of human skin and pulled out a wicked looking straight razor. "Your deaths will be so useful to us,of course. They will further demoralize Sandpoint, and the effect -"
At this point Trixie yelled something - I can't remember what - and the creature shot out the door with inhuman speed, pausing to slash at Tofa and call her something derogatory. "Ah, my darling!", it said, and whatever Trixie was going to do or say was pre-empted by Shotsie freaking the hell right out and bolting back the way we came. She hung on, barely. I summoned an ant and it gave the thing a pretty good shot, almost trapping it with its pincers. Londis started battling with the ghouls as the thing bit Tofa, eliciting a snarl from her that turned to a yelp as it took on her appearance.
I tossed a pit underneath it, but the son of a bitch leaped away with grace. My ant - a big ant, mind you - grabbed the nearest ghoul and chomped it but good, taking it for a ride to the bottom of the pit. A horrible crunching sound ensued. Sorry, ant.
Unbeknown to me, the patch of mold on the wall in the room did something to Tofa that (as she told us later) made her convinced that it had stolen her shadow and that she needed to go get it back. had I known i could have stopped her, but she's usually yelling about something in battle anyway so it's hard to tell. my concern was with Trixie as Shotsie had chosen an escape route poorly and got her close enough to the Skinsaw bastard to allow him to grab her, pluck her off the gecko, and lick her - ugh. Trixie went rigid immediately, obviously paralyzed. I summoned another ant and it gave the prick a good bite, but failed to grab him. Firendrin had his owl drop a vial of holy water on Alderin or whomever he was - that seemed quite effective, but as badly battered as he was the thing started sauntering away with Trixie under his arm, crooning sweet promises to her. My ant followed and hit it again, and as our foe finally looked annoyed Firendrin sent a healing hex through his owl that almost made the bastard explode before it shuddered and collapsed to the ledge, vanquished.
Happily, Trixie did not slide into the water. I wasn't quick enough to keep Tofa from touching the evil mold, but I gave her the Cure disease potion in time to keep her from suffering the same fate as Cassandra, as her arm was already beginning to turn into blue mold. We managed to destroy the mold with fire and acid, but it started to regrow immediately. We needed a holy man for this. Looks like I'll be making a trip to Windsong Abbey - no doubt Pho will find this most surprising.
We found some stuff here and more in a cave inhabited by a giant dire ghoul bat that was probably the main ghoul maker and damn near killed both Tofa and Londis - it took a last second charging spear strike from Londis to save the barbarian after my final spell, a lightning ray of decent power, went wide and high. Oops.
We stumbled back into town just before dark, some of us carrying phage, some ghoul fever, some both, and the few people that saw us and heard our weary assurances that it was over viewed us as if we'd just descended from the heavens. With Alderin's ghoulish head and an incriminating letter mentioning his involvement both before and after being ghoulified we had all the proof we needed - and confirmation that we'd stopped some sort of evil by those corrupting the Sehidron yet again. It seems Nuallia was only the tip of the iceberg. Looks like we might need to make a visit to Alderin's townhouse in Magnidaar soon, as more hints may be there. Normally I'd be concerned about returning home, but after what I've been through lately I almost want to see the Scarnettis try something.
Well, almost. I'd really just like some time to identify what we've found and maybe make a potion or three once my cauldron arrives. Something tells me that something will come up, though. Something always does.
Last edited by jydog1; Thursday, 30th December, 2010 at 06:45 PM. Reason: typos from late night writing
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The Mass-Market Electric Vehicle Wars Commence
The GM Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf will both enter showrooms at the tail end of this year. And with GM announcing the Chevy Volt price this week, you can finally find out how much each would set you back to live the "the green dream". I'll give a brief run-down of the price, specs, and features of each vehicle and try to decipher which might be the better buy. It turns out that they might not be as far out of your league as you may have initially thought…
Chevy Volt
- Chevy Volt Price: GM announced yesterday that the Chevy Volt purchase price would be $41,000 (they have since dropped the price to around $34,185).
- Electric Vehicle Tax Credit for the Chevy Volt: The Volt qualifies for a full electric vehicle federal tax credit of $7,500 (bringing MSRP down to $26,685). It might be eligible for state credits as well, depending on the state (note: Oregon is offering $1,500 off, Georgia is offering $5,000).
- Volt Lease Price: $269/month, 36 months, $2,499 down.
- Luxury Standard Features: Just about everything, including 8 airbags, 5 years of OnStar, Bluetooth capability, 30 GB hard-drive for music storage, 6 speaker Bose sound system with subwoofer, remote start, navigation with voice recognition.
- Warranty: 8 years, 100,000 miles on all electric components.
- Mileage Range: 40 miles electric (gas and emission free) + 300 miles on internal gas engine to power electric drive.
Nissan Leaf
- Nissan Leaf Price: $28,800.
- Electric Vehicle Tax Credit for the Nissan Leaf: The Leaf qualifies for a full electric vehicle tax credit of $7,500 (bringing cost down to $21,300). It might be eligible for state credits as well, depending on the state (note: California offers a $5,000 credit for the leaf, and not the Volt).
- Leaf Lease Price: $350/month, 36 months, $2,000 down.
- Luxury Standard Features: Bluetooth, navigation system.
- Warranty: 8 years, 100,000 miles on all electric components.
- Mileage Range: 100 miles electric (gas and emission free). No internal gas engine for extended range.
Chevy Volt Versus Nissan Leaf Review
I have been clamoring for electric vehicles for a long time now. The Tesla Roadster (out of most mortal humans price range at $108,000) and the unreleased Tesla Model S (a more modest $49,000 before incentives) both get 300 miles on a charge. So the technology is there to provide a 100% electric vehicle that can take you just about anywhere in a day. But neither the Volt or Leaf were able to come anywhere near that range.
So, I'm conflicted. I like the fact that the Leaf is 100% electric (no emissions). However, the range pretty much makes it a commuter car only, unless you have friends every 90 miles or so that you would allow you to charge up your car on an extended trip.
For that reason, I like the Volt's extended range capabilities. However, the 40 miles on one charge is not jaw-dropping impressive, especially when you consider than the older lead-acid batteries on the EV1 had a range of 70-100 miles, back in 1996. For anyone with a decent commute, you wouldn't be able to go 100% electric on the round trip unless you had somewhere at work to plug in. If GM could have just pushed it up to 60 or 80 miles on a charge, it would have provided a lot more convenience.
Both vehicles are cheaper than I was expecting them to be, when the tax credit is factored in (and much cheaper than the EV1 that GM leased in 1996, which was $400-$550/month). If you can nab an extra $5k state tax credit, you're looking at a $20,000 cost on a new electric Leaf. Not bad for an all electric right out of the gate! The purchasing tax incentives and lower sticker price lead to the Leaf being the better deal of the two for buyers.
With GM subsidizing the Volt's lease price to make it equal to the Leaf (excluding a + $500 on the down payment), it makes it the better leasing option because of the super standard options and extended range. Plus, it's easier on the eyes.
If either GM or Nissan read this and would like to let me indefinitely "borrow" either vehicle, I might be able to review in more detail. Make a believer out of me. (Note to GM: I'm in the Detroit area).
Not that either is more cost efficient than buying a used Honda Civic, so don't blast me on that. But which of the two would you buy?
Related Posts:

subset: commoncrawl


text:
As a beginner investor, it's easy to get overwhelmed by the stock market. The entire investing idea can seem a bit scary if you don't know what you're doing. But just because you're a newbie investor doesn't mean it has to stay that way!
Here are the best brokerage accounts for anyone looking to successfully break into the investment world. We've listed these in order of simplicity and skill level.
Additionally, many of them have a zero, or low, minimum balance for putting funds into an investment account and all of these brokers are available online.
Betterment is known for making asset allocation simple and focusing on the end result — having enough money to retire comfortably. And thanks to their low fees and their preset basket of stocks and bonds to choose from, this goal is within grasp.
As you invest money into the account, Betterment will automatically purchase exchange traded funds (ETFs) on your behalf, based on your previously set asset allocation. This set-it-and-forget-it strategy is dollar-cost averaging at it's best!
You simply choose how money to invest, how often and what allocation of risk you want your investments to have. That's it!
Betterment specifically designed their investments to take the analysis paralysis out of the equation, so investing becomes incredibly simple. Because of this, their service one of the best options for beginning investors.
Acorns is a very popular service with Millennials. It's a painless to save and invest in the stock market. Every time you spend money via a credit card, Acorns rounds-up to the nearest dollar and invests the difference. You don't have to worry about scheduling deposits, the money is automatically taken out of your checking account.
Acorns is $1/month for your first $5,000, and then 0.25% annually for anything over that amount. Similar to Betterment, you are diversified via investments through ETFs. You choose how risky your investment are from 5 different types of portfolios. Acorns hides the investment details which is perfect for most beginning investors investing in the stock market.
TD Ameritrade
If you want easy investing from a reputable discount brokerage, then TD Ameritrade is the perfect choice for any new investor. They do, however, offer an expansive resource of tools for advanced and beginner investors alike. And you have the option to walk into one of over 100 TD Ameritrade branches to speak with a representative.
They offer features that are especially enticing for new investors like, a no minimum required deposit amount, along with low fees for online stock transactions. Additionally, one of nicest features of TD Ameritrade is their online webinars and free investing classes that are offered to all their users.
These features, combined with TD Ameritrade's excellent service, makes it a no-brainer for newer investors looking to get into the stock market.
As a leader in the investment world, E*TRADE has one of the largest investment inventories available. Once you're comfortable with moving into more advanced investing options, like active trading, E*TRADE is the perfect choice.
Since this brokerage firm is a bit more advanced, they do require a $500 minimum deposit on all accounts. This is still reasonable for newer investors, but not as low as some of the other brokerage accounts on this list.
They also aren't the lowest priced brokerage out there, but they do have extensive research reports, and the site (along with their mobile features) is very easy to use.


text:
Hits & misses: 63 years of No. 1 NFL draft picks
How important is making the right call on the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft? Depends on who you ask. So let's take a trip through time, starting in 1954, and see which teams hit and which missed.
1954: BOBBY GARRETT, QB, Cleveland Browns
The Stanford All-American was traded to Green Bay early in training camp after coach Paul Brown learned that he struggled calling plays because of a stuttering problem. He played in nine games for the Packers (no starts) and was 15-for-30 for 143 yards and one INT.
Impact: Miss.
1955: GEORGE SHAW, QB, Baltimore Colts
In eight seasons with four teams (Colts, Giants, Vikings, Broncos), Shaw started 29 of his 71 games played. He threw 41 career TDs and 63 INTs. He was 11-16-2 as a starter.
Impact: Miss.
1956: GARY GLICK, DB, Pittsburgh Steelers
Seven seasons, four teams, 14 career interceptions in 71 games. Offered little stats in the return game as well.
Impact: Miss.
1957: PAUL HORNUNG, HB, Green Bay Packers
Hornung was a runner, receiver, passer and kicker from 1957-66. He was on the Super Bowl I roster but did not play because of a neck injury. Hornung was a two-time Pro Bowler, a two-time All-Pro and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1985.
Impact: Hit.
1958: KING HILL, QB, Chicago Cardinals
In 1959, Hill (above, right) started all 11 games. In 11 more seasons with four other teams, he never started more than five games a year. No matter which era it is, a No. 1 pick QB needs to do more.
Impact: Miss.
1959: RANDY DUNCAN, QB, Green Bay Packers
The QB from Iowa chose to play for Vancouver in the Canadian Football League, not an uncommon move then since he was offered more money. After two seasons, he played for the AFL's Dallas Texans and was 25-for-67 for 361 yards in 15 games.
Impact: Miss
1960: BILLY CANNON, RB, Los Angeles Rams
Cannon signed with the AFL's Houston Oilers and led the league in rushing in 1961 with 948 yards. He became a tight end when traded to the Oakland Raiders. He totaled 64 TDs and was a two-time Pro Bowler and first-team All-Pro.
Impact: Hit.
1961: TOMMY MASON, RB, Minnesota Vikings (NFL)
Mason (No. 20 above) played 11 seasons with three teams and totaled 8,081 all-purpose yards as a runner, receiver and returner. The first pick in Vikings history has 45 TDs -- and 61 fumbles. A three-time Pro Bowler, but as a No. 1 pick, more was needed.
Impact: Miss.
1961: BOB GAITERS, RB, Denver Broncos (AFL)
Gaiters (No. 35 in above photo) chose to play with the NFL's Giants, who drafted him No. 17 overall that same year. He came back to Denver in 1963, and in three seasons with three teams, he totaled 848 yards from scrimmage and eight TDs, but did average 23.8 yards on kickoffs.
Impact: Miss.
1962: ERNIE DAVIS, RB, Washington Redskins (NFL)
Davis was the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy and the first to be drafted No. 1. His rights were traded to the Cleveland Browns, but Davis never played in the NFL. He was diagnosed with leukemia in 1962 and died on May 18, 1963.
Impact: Miss.
1962: ROMAN GABRIEL, QB, Oakland Raiders (AFL)
Gabriel was selected No. 2 overall by the Los Angeles Rams in that year's NFL draft and played 16 seasons with the Rams and Eagles. He was a four-time Pro Bowl quarterback who twice led the NFL in pass attempts and touchdowns.
Impact: Hit.
1963: TERRY BAKER, QB, Los Angeles Rams (NFL)
In three seasons with the Rams, Baker appeared in 18 games and only started one. Drafted as a quarterback, Baker was used more as a runner (210 yards) and receiver (302) than a passer (154).
Impact: Miss.
1963: BUCK BUCHANAN, DT, Kansas City Chiefs (AFL)
How do you judge a defensive tackle (pictured: No. 86 on top of pile) who played in an era when most current statistics weren't counted? Here's how: 13 seasons, 8 Pro Bowls, 4 first-team All-Pro selections and induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990.
Impact: Hit.
1964: JACK CONCANNON, QB, Boston Patriots (AFL)
Selected No. 1 in the AFL draft, Concannon chose to sign with the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles, who picked him in the second round. He appeared in 90 games in 10 NFL seasons and had a 54.8 passer rating.
Impact: Miss.
1964: DAVE PARKS, WR, San Francisco 49ers (NFL)
Impact: In his second season, Parks led the league in receptions (80), receiving yards (1,344) and touchdowns (12), all of which were career highs. Parks played 10 seasons for the 49ers, Saints and Oilers, totaling 360 catches for 5,619 yards and 44 touchdowns and made three Pro Bowls.
Impact: Hit.
1965: TUCKER FREDERICKSON, RB, New York Giants (NFL)
Frederickson made the Pro Bowl as a rookie when he ran for 659 yards and five touchdowns as a fullback. In 66 games over six years before a knee injury forced his retirement, Frederickson never started one game and totaled 3,220 yards from scrimmage. Just not enough production from a No. 1 pick.
Impact: Miss.
1965: JOE NAMATH, QB, New York Jets (AFL)
It was Namath who first ushered in the idea of athlete as celebrity. But on the field, he made nearly as large an impact. A five-time Pro Bowler and 1985 Hall of Fame inductee, Namath guaranteed his underdog Jets would beat the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III. Then he went out and did just that. He led the NFL three times in passing yards. In 13 NFL seasons (12 with the Jets), Namath threw 173 touchdown passes and ran for another seven. He also scored the first touchdown in NFL overtime history.
Impact: Hit.
1966: TOMMY NOBIS, LB, Atlanta Falcons (NFL)
A five-time Pro Bowl middle linebacker, Nobis had 12 interceptions and 13 fumble recoveries in his 11 seasons. Nobis was the first draft pick in franchise history and was named the NFL Rookie of the Year in 1966.
Impact: Hit.
1966: JIM GRABOWSKI, RB, Miami Dolphins (AFL)
Grabowski was also drafted No. 9 overall in the first round of the 1966 NFL Draft. He chose the NFL and scored 11 career touchdowns in six seasons.
Impact: Miss.
1967: BUBBA SMITH, DE, Baltimore Colts
Before he was Hightower in the "Police Academy" movie franchise, Smith was a fearsome defensive end. He spent five seasons with the Baltimore Colts, winning the 1971 Super Bowl, and two seasons each with Oakland and Houston. Smith played in the era before sacks were officially counted. He often drew two blockers, but was still dominant enough to make two Pro Bowls and one All-Pro team. Impact: Hit.
1968: RON YARY, OT, Minnesota Vikings
Yary spent 14 of his 15 Hall-of-Fame seasons at right tackle for the Vikings and finished up with the L.A. Rams in 1982. Yary was named to six All-Pro teams and played in seven consecutive Pro Bowls from 1970-77.
Impact: Hit.
1969: O.J. SIMPSON, RB, Buffalo Bills
In 1973, Simpson became the first player in NFL history to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season, and he did it in just 14 games. A six-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro running back, "The Juice" totaled 11,236 career yards in 11 seasons, second highest in NFL history at the time (Now 18th after the 2011 season). Simpson led the NFL is rushing four times and wan inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1985.
Impact: Hit.
1970: TERRY BRADSHAW, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers
Bradshaw only threw for more than 3,000 yards twice in his 14-year career. Not so great, right? Yeah, well, he won four Super Bowls, went to three Pro Bowls and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1989.
Impact: Hit.
1971: JIM PLUNKETT, QB, New England Patriots
In 15 seasons with three teams, Plunkett never made it to a Pro Bowl. He's a career .500 quarterback, with more interceptions (198) than touchdowns (164). His 52.5 career completion percentage is below average at best. But he was 8-2 in the playoffs and led the Raiders to wins in Super Bowl XV and XVIII (1980, 1983). His passer rating in those two games was 122.8. Big-game player.
Impact: Hit.
1972: WALT PATULSKI, Defensive tackle, Buffalo Bills
Drafted out of Notre Dame, pictured above, Patulski played four years with the Bills, then one year with the St. Louis Cardinals before a knee injury ended his career. His statistics were so-so, amassing a sack total in the low 20s.
Impact: Miss.
1973: JOHN MATUSZAK, DE, Houston Oilers
He played for nine seasons with three different teams, ending up with the Oakland Raiders. Matuszak won two Super Bowls (XI and XV) with Oakland, but was more known for his excessive drug use and partying ways. Aside from his role as "Sloth" in the 1985 kid adventure movie "The Goonies," Matuszak's tale is more cautionary that praiseworthy.
Impact: Miss
1974: ED "TOO TALL" JONES, DE, Dallas Cowboys
Twenty years after he retired, he was featured in a Geico commercial. Talk about impact! On the field, the 6-foot-9 Jones dominated as a defensive end. He's one of only three Cowboys to last 15 or more seasons in Dallas. The three-time Pro Bowler also helped lead the "Doomsday Defense" to a win in Super Bowl XII.
Impact: Hit.
1975: STEVE BARTKOWSKI, QB, Atlanta Falcons
Bartkowski last 12 years in the NFL and made two Pro Bowls. But he only led the Falcons to the playoffs three times and went 1-3. His passer rating in the playoffs was 20 points lower than in the regular season. In 1980, he led the NFL with 31 touchdown passes. In 1983, his 97.3 passer rating led the NFL. In 1984, he led the NFL with a 67.3 completion percentage. Just not enough good seasons all around.
Impact: Miss.
1976: LEE ROY SELMON, DE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Selmon was the first-ever draft pick by the Buccaneers, and despite the franchise's rocky start, he was a star. A back injury ended his career prematurely in 1985, but this Hall-of-Fame defensive end made six Pro Bowls in nine seasons and was the unanimous winner of the 1979 NFL defensive player of the year.
Impact: Hit.
1977: RICKY BELL, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The best of Bell's six seasons came in 1979 as the Bucs actually won their division. Bell ran for 1,239 yards and seven touchdowns. His career totals, however were 3,063 yards and 16 touchdowns. Bell died in 1984, two years after his last game, due to heart failure brought on by dermatomyositis.
Impact: Miss.
1978: EARL CAMPBELL, RB, Houston Oilers
Campbell ran hard. That likely cut his career short, but in eight seasons, he made five Pro Bowls and rushed more than 1,300 yards those years. In 1979, he had 19 rushing TDs. In 1980, he ran for 1,934 yards. In 1985, he retired. In 1991, he became a Hall-of-Famer.
Impact: Hit.
1979: TOM COUSINEAU, LB, Buffalo Bills
Cousineau was drafted by the Bills but never played for them, instead signing with the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL. He returned to the NFL in 1982, playing four seasons with the Cleveland Browns and two with the San Francisco 49ers. His biggest impact on the league? The Bills, who still owned Cousineau's rights, traded him to Cleveland for their No. 1 pick in 1983 (14th overall). That turned out to be franchise QB and future Hall-of-Famer Jim Kelly.
Impact: Miss.
1980: BILLY SIMS, RB, Detroit Lions
A knee injury ended what was a promising five-year career for Sims. He ran for more than 1,000 yards three times and went to three Pro Bowls. He also scored 13 TDs in first two years, but the shortened career for a No. 1 pick hurts his cause.
Impact: Miss
1981: GEORGE ROGERS, RB, New Orleans Saints
As a rookie, led the NFL with 1,674 rushing yards. In 1986, he led the NFL with 18 touchdowns. He amassed 7,176 rushing yards, 54 touchdowns and two Pro Bowl selections in seven seasons.
Impact: Hit
1982: KENNETH SIMS, DT, New England Patriots
Played in just 74 games over eight seasons and totaled only 17 sacks.
Impact: Miss
1983: JOHN ELWAY, QB, Baltimore Colts
Refused to play for the Colts, then was traded to the Denver Broncos. Well, 300 TDs, 51,475 passing yards and two Super Bowl rings later, he became the third QB taken No. 1 overall to reach the Hall of Fame.
Impact: Hit
1984: IRVING FRYAR, WR, New England Patriots
A 17-year veteran with five Pro Bowl nods, Fryar is tied for 14th all-time with 84 receiving TDs. His 12,785 career receiving yards is 13th all-time.
Impact: Hit
1985: BRUCE SMITH, DE, Buffalo Bills
The all-time NFL leader in sacks with 200, Smith was a beast on the D-line. He terrorized opposing linemen every week.
Impact: Hit
1986: BO JACKSON, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Yes, he ran over the Boz and was the greatest video game character ever, but he also only played four seasons, all for the Los Angeles Raiders. Those seasons were split with his baseball duties for Kansas City. Arguably the greatest pure athlete of the 1980s and '90s, he could have been the best RB ever if he played full-time and didn't injure his hip.
Impact: Miss
1987: VINNY TESTAVERDE, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
A native Long Islander with a cannon for an arm, "Yo Vinny" is 7th all-time with 46,223 passing yards and 8th all-time with 275 TDs. But he's 90-123-1 as a starter, which will happen when you play six years for Tampa Bay in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Impact: Hit
1988: AUNDRAY BRUCE, LB, Atlanta Falcons
Played 11 seasons for Atlanta and Oakland, but only started 42 of the 151 games he played. His 32 sacks and 4 interceptions for his career highlight the lack of expectation.
Impact: Miss
1989: TROY AIKMAN, QB, Dallas Cowboys
Gets knocked for his average numbers playing alongside great teams. Here's what matters: 6 Pro Bowls, 3 Super Bowls and the second QB to be drafted No. 1 overall and reach the Hall of Fame.
Impact: Hit
1990: JEFF GEORGE, QB, Indianapolis Colts
Was 46-78 as a starter in 12 seasons with five teams. Cannon for an arm, but had an attitude and a bad mustache.
Impact: Miss
1991: RUSSELL MARYLAND, DT, Dallas Cowboys
Played 10 seasons and made one Pro Bowl. As a run-stuffer, pretty good. Elsewhere, he had 375 tackles and 24.5 sacks career. Not bad.
Impact: Hit
1992: STEVE EMTMAN, DT, Indianapolis Colts
Hey, remember that 90-yard interception return to beat the Dolphins his rookie year? In 50 games over six seasons, that's about it.
Impact: Miss
1993: DREW BLEDSOE, QB, New England Patriots
Played 14 years for three teams and threw for more than 4,000 yards three times. His 251 TD total is 13th on the all-time list. Will probably be most remembered by Jets fans as the guy who got hurt and let Tom Brady become Tom Brady.
Impact: Hit
1994: DAN WILKINSON, DT, Cincinnati Bengals
A solid run clogger in the middle, Wilkinson amassed 54.5 sacks in 13 NFL seasons. Not too shabby.
Impact: Hit
1995: KI-JANA CARTER, RB, Cincinnati Bengals
Signed what was then then biggest contract for a rookie (7 years, $19.2 million with a $7.152 million bonus), then blew out his knee in the preseason. Was in the NFL for seven seasons but totaled just 1,144 rushing yards.
Impact: Miss
1996: KEYSHAWN JOHNSON, WR, New York Jets
Controversial, no doubt, but a very talented receiver. Had 814 receptions in 11 seasons, plus 66 touchdowns (2 rushing), 3 Pro Bowl selections and 1 Super Bowl ring.
Impact: Hit
1997: ORLANDO PACE, OT, St. Louis Rams
A 13-year stint as one of the pre-eminent left tackles in the NFL.
Impact: Hit
Related MediaNick Klopsis' NFL mock draft Hit or miss: Giants 1st-round picks since 1986 Hit or miss: Jets' 1st-round picks since 1986
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Ahmadinejad Orders Uranium Enrichment
After days of confusion over whether or not Iran would reopen negotiations regarding its nuclear program, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has ordered his country's atomic energy agency to begin producing uranium for a medical reactor in Tehran. The United States quickly expressed disappointment over the announcement. –JCL
The New York Times:
Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, ordered the nation's atomic energy agency on Sunday to begin producing a special form of uranium that can be used to power a medical reactor in Tehran, but that could also move the country much closer to possessing fuel usable in nuclear weapons.
The announcement Sunday came after several days of conflicting signals from Mr. Ahmadinejad and other Iranian officials about whether they were ready to reopen negotiations about giving up much of their country's fuel in exchange for enriched uranium from another country. The exchange would allow Iran to meet some of its energy needs, but would ease fears in the West because the fuel sent to Tehran would be in a form that would be very difficult to use in a bomb.
The deal fell apart when it was rejected by the leadership in Tehran.
Mr. Ahmadinejad's order on Sunday may represent nuclear gamesmanship; it is unclear if the country has the capacity to enrich its fuel to roughly 20 percent, from about 5 percent, as Mr. Ahmadinejad was ordering. Doing so would require retooling the configuration of the nation's centrifuges at a moment when Iran appears to have run into considerable technical difficulties at its nuclear plants.


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Nine West Women's Collection Clutch Shoulder Bag Satchel
- Dimensions: 8"W x 5.62"H x 1"D
- Chain Strap with strap drop of 24"
- Fashion Trend: Shoulder Bag Synthetic Satchel
- Button Closure
Out of stock
A common wallet done uncommonly well, this Nine West wallet is one of a kind! Get lost in the little things with the confidence that you not going to have to worry about the look and durability of your wallet. With its high quality synthetic fabric mixed with a little class, this wallet is sure to impress even the snobbiest of in-laws. The wallet holds all major credit cards and $10 bills, and will keep you organized with its 10 pockets. This wallet is engineered for the man who is always active, going to the gym, to work, to school, and enduring the activities of everyday life. A handyman is not complete without his toolbox and this wallet is the ultimate toolbox for life. Where to keep your wallet: The average man keeps his wallet in his trousers back pockets while some keep their wallet in their front pocket. Wallets that are kept in the front pocket tend to last longer than those kept in the back pocket. What to keep in your wallet: Keep all important credit cards, IDs, juice bar rewards cards, and old receipts. Please be sure not to over-stuff the wallet as over-stuffing can damage the seams. If the seams are damaged, then your whole wallet may fall apart, meaning you could lose all those important cards and bad family pictures. IF LOST: Make sure that you check your drawers, your pant pockets, at the bar, that taxi you took home from the bar, the kitchen counter, and the area of your car that's between the seat and the console. If you are unable to find it there, please be sure that you cancel all credit cards and contact your bank. Also, make sure to contact the proper authorities.
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Get the Best Priced Ford LN600 Radiator
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Search our online radiator catalog and find the lowest priced discount auto parts on the web. We sell wholesale to the public. We offer high quality new, OEM, aftermarket and remanufactured Ford LN600 Radiator parts. We specialize in a wide-variety of high-quality car parts and accessories for your car, truck or SUV. Call toll free to order or place your order online via our secure checkout system. Our online parts catalog uses real-time inventory, so you can be assured the parts you buy are in stock at the time of ordering. Most orders are shipped the same day. They are available for the following Ford LN600 years: 1985, 1984, 1983, 1982, 1981, 1980, 85, 84, 83, 82, 81, 80. This part is also sometimes called Ford LN600 Auto Radiators. We stock radiator parts for most Ford models including F150, Ranger, Explorer, F250 Super Duty, Mustang, F350 Super Duty, F250, Expedition, F350, Focus, Escape, Taurus, F100, Explorer Sport Trac, Falcon, E150 Econoline, E350 Econoline, E250 Econoline, Galaxie 500, Bronco, Escort, Fusion, Crown Victoria, Fairlane, F550 Super Duty, Mustang II, E350 Econoline Club Wagon, F450 Super Duty, Windstar, Thunderbird, Excursion, Fiesta, Aerostar, F800, Maverick, F Super Duty, F700, E350 Super Duty, Pinto and L9000.
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Product SKU: 8010479
Product Note: Radiator -- 2V/4V
Inventory: In Stock
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