And so the search for a new home continues! This session saw us finish off our inspection of the Sindar ruins and get a good start on the abandoned naval base, leaving only the old dwarven castle to explore next week before we have to make a decision.
As promised, the next floor of the Sindar ruins that we explored held two recurring characters, Killey and Lorelai, who were arguing over how to proceed. A trap door closed us in on the floor, with the only exit being the door where the two of them stood. There was a riddle on the door, which Sciath quickly dealt with, and Killey and Lorelai agreed to join us for the duration of the exploration. (Both Killey and Lorelai are noted treasure hunters and Sindar aficionados from the Suikoden games).
We hacked and slashed our way through some banshees, giant bats, and ghost armor as we headed deeper into the ruins. Royce was indispensable in getting through safely; his sharp eyes caught every trap, and his dragon flew us across a pit or two with ease (though Daisy and Harold both jumped the largest pit to show off, with Daisy flying clear over Harold’s head in a display in a rather silly show of machismo. I think Daisy and Harold will be good friends, don’t you?).
Finally, we reached the final chamber to find a very strange enemy waiting for us, guarding a chest…. Yes, it was a flaming goat, like the picture up there. Its main attack was using fire magic against us, so once Kuarjav blocked all magic with Silent Lake a few turns in, the poor creature couldn’t do much more than a headbutt. Luckily, Daisy is quickly becoming a murder machine beyond all reason, and her powerful attacks helped bring it down without too much bloodshed (though Kuarjav did almost kick the bucket, being weak to fire and all).
We were disappointed to find that the chest the goat guarded was empty, but not as much as Lorelai and Killey were. The latter took his leave of us then, pausing only to try and discourage Lorelai from her endless search (for what?) and to pay his respects to Daisy’s father Viktor. Lorelai, lured by the prospect of more ruins to be explored, agreed to officially join our party.
After a quick rest and check-in with the rebels, it was time to check out Potential Dream Home #2: the abandoned Harmonian naval base in the far north. A Harmonian woman named Lyn was waiting outside the main building, apparently considering whether or not to go inside. She told us that she was a reporter working on a story about the abandoned base, but there were too many monsters inside for her to explore safely. We offered to accompany her, and she gratefully accepted.
On the first floor, the main enemies we fought were gaggles of flying electric eels (because some of us have an odd imagination). Daisy killed one group with a massive shockwave attack, thanks to a critical attack with maximum damage. The first floor was all monsters and random treasure in chests: a water rune; ghosts who dropped a Sacrificial Buddha; a treasure hunter scarf for Sciath to go with her armor of the same type; more eels.
Next time, we will continue heading up the staircase to next level, where more treasures, monsters, and perhaps some Harmonian secrets await us. Don’t forget, we will be playing on MONDAY (1/8/12) next week! See you there!
