Desperation (Prologue)

"Yeah, it's pretty nice. Shopkeeper told me it's made of silver."

He raises a fiery eyebrow. "Is that the wisest material for a weapon?"

"He means it's silvered. Regular steel alloyed with silver in such a way that it doesn't hurt the integrity of the weapon. Excellent against shapeshifters." Ricker cocks an eyebrow. "Expensive for a gift, too."

He turns back to the chest and opens it. Inside is a suit of plate armor. Ricker sighs. "I'll never be able to fit into it. Can anyone here wear this?"

Menzo shakes his head. He never learned how to properly wear plate.

Fang shrugs, preferring the flexibility his hide armor offered him.

Ricker glances at the other two but realizes his mistake as soon as he see's Mambele's robes and Tulka's bare bark. "Well I'd hate for it to go to waste, but since no one can wear it." He starts to shut the lid but Menzo stops him.

"Is it magical?"

"Oh yes! Very much so!"

"And you do not wish to keep it?"

"It's just lying around, no sense in keeping it."

"Then I believe I have a solution. One that can benefit us all." Menzo takes out a strange, ruby tipped wand. "Bring it out here." Ricker pulls the suit out and Menzo touches the rod to it. The armor instantly dissolves into dust which is sucked into the rod. The ruby gives off a bright glow.

"What the hell was that?" Ricker calls out in shock.

"It's call a chalcamarak. With it I can use the power of your armor to enchant our own items." Menzo smirks.

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OOC: Tulka, Fang and Menzo can all choose one magic item of level 3 or below. Mambele, I'm leaving you out because you already have two items, the Crown and your Rod.

Fang feels he should focus on his defense, and draws power from the rod to enhance the armor he was already wearing. "Hmmm... next?"

OOC: Picked a Level 2 Veteran's Hide Armor.

Tulka reaches into her self and grabs the orb out of it. Looking at it, she grasps onto the rod with her other hand. A shock goes through her, and the purple light of the orb she carries turns into a bright white. She releases the rod, and carefully replaces the orb safely back inside her bark.


OOC: Orb of Psychic Conversion please!

Menzo draws his sword and focuses on the last remaining power in the Chalcamarak. The shock runs through him and into his weapon. The blade ripples and takes on the appearance of flickering flames. The ruby goes dim.

"There." He says. "I'm sure we all feel a bit better with our new toys." He sheathes the blade and places the rod back into his pack. "Shall we be going, then?" He climbs into the cart, next to the trunk and waits for the rest of you to join him.

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OOC: +1 Infectious Flame Longsword for me!

Fang climbs into the cart,s itting behind the chest and leaning back slightly.

The wilden obediently gets into the cart as well, her feet dangling off the back.

Mambele, ever the warlock, finds the shadiest spot on the cart and curls up, wrapping his robe around his face to shut off the offending sunlight, more than ready to fall asleep again.

Ricker takes the reins and drives all of you out of the city. He heads to the east, toward a forested area. You notice there are a few boulders strewn about the open plain before the trees.

"Nobody knows how these stones got out here. Some say that we once had a war with giants!" The old adventurer laughs.

Menzo starts to chuckle when suddenly his flame goes out. He lets out a sigh and his skin cools to the dark gray it was before. His eyes revert to the smoldering embers and his laugh is cut short. "Can't these nags go any faster!" His attitude as obviously turned as well.

Before Ricker can comment, however, a couple figures step out from behind trees.

"Halt! You're to give us the gold you won in Braghnia!" You recognize the figures as the bald man and the halfling from the wrestling competition!

Behind you steps out the man with the ponytail and the halfling known as Mr. Hepplegrew! An elf you don't recognize comes out from behind a nearby boulder, arrow notched and ready in his longbow.

Ricker turns and whispers. "I can't fight, folks. But I think you can take them."

Menzo stands up and leaps down, drawing his blade. "Damn straight we can take em! Attack!"

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To be continued in the next encounter thread!