[The Jeweled Heart]

[Elle]

Thanks for being patient with me while I dealt with work and my very poor judgment relative to the leftover Chinese food.

You are so very close to being done with JH4, but I am leaving it open in case any final actions need to be resolved there. JH5 is ready to begin after that - please let me know if you are unable to edit it or if you want a direct link PMed to you.

This is section 5 out of 9, just so you get a sense of where we're at in the progression of the whole. However, in this next section, different things might happen depending on the decisions people make, whereas before you were mostly led/encouraged along a particular path, so it's hard to predict the route that might end up leading to JH6.

Almost forgot, here's another thing: I finally was adding up your XP and really, you should already have made it to Level 2. So if you would like to level up your characters, you can do that! However, please do not feel you have to wait to take actions until that's completed. We can sort out the numbers later if they might affect a role or ability or something.

[Elle]

Other Jeweled Heart info, for anyone else following our progress: We lost one player (Ron/Petunia), one hasn't been active lately (The Master's Myrdinn), and so if anyone would like to leap in due to the massive amounts of free time on your plate, there is opportunity to do so. I would simply swap out any new character someone created, in place of Petunia, and pretend you had always been there in her stead. Kind of like on a Soap Opera.

Here's what we know so far:
The fearless little ragtag band, perhaps motivated to save their city and stave off an economic crisis brought on by the dwindling population and difficult approaching winter, has taken the advice of a crazy old goat-loving gnome and run off in search of something called the Jeweled Heart (of Mount Bex). She was convinced of their valor after they dealt with mysterious, sulfurous-smelling, yellow-dusted, long-fanged rabbits attacking both her goats and the party.

They followed an old mountain trail through the forest to the hidey-hole of an old magic-using gnome named Beryl, where a guardian-tree with the best of intentions tried to ensnare them while an unknown toxic gas might have put them to sleep. They managed to free themselves from the tree roots and dissipate the gas, but not without Girda having some sort of unusual religious experience of communion with the tree and rocks.

They find and take along with them some books, including a magic spells book in gnomish and a poetry book, a small jeweled box and a few potions it contained (likely CLW), two ornately carved daggers, a small wooden key, some bits of oddball stuff that are probably Beryl's spell components, a dirty old parasol, a used knapsack that can hold an amazing amount of stuff, a number of small polished and cut gemstones, and a blue bag with small, silky blue shirt inside. Most importantly, they find a small wooden box that has been magically sealed, but they are able to figure out how to open it. Within, they find an old map from a long-forgotten time when a band of elves controlled the mountain, conflict among the peoples of the area was the norm, and the lovely town of Entremont had not yet been founded.

After dealing with more of the nasty little fanged rabbits, they do a little guesswork about the map and find an opening in the mountain created by an old lava tube. Following the lava tube leads to a tunnel that may have been deliberately carved out of the rock. Down in the damp passageway, Girda is attacked by a cavefisher hidden on a ledge above. The others manage to free her and kill the creature, and now they're going to proceed, presumably, deeper into the passageway, because what's not to like about tunnels into the unknown lined with creatures who want to eat you?

[Cazmonster]

I will get Sorrow updated at work tomorrow. Life has been tumultuous the past two weeks. Now that the High Holiday and the latest school project are done, I have more time.

[Elle]

No worries! I have been struggling for sleep lately.

[Cazmonster]

Sorrow is up to date. I'll be posting to Part 5 yet tonight as well.

[Stan]

Girda at level 2:

[Elle]

Hello, I finally have gotten my $#*& together enough to advance the cause in our little game. I am sorry to be so slow; things are a bit crazy around here. I just proceeded as if Girda and Sorrow had enough time to check things out without having to roll it under pressure.

[Tahlvin]

I leveled up Mora a couple weeks ago, I just haven't had time or energy to post the updated character sheet. And right now, Mora's just staying out of the way of the more experienced spelunkers, so I haven't posted anything in the RP document.

[Elle]

No prob... they can roll their various spelunking rolls and try things.

[Tahlvin]

Mora's character sheet has been updated to level 2. I took a second level of wizard, rather than a level of cleric. If this adventure is only going to last a few levels, it's probably better to remain single-classed rather than trying to dual-class and pick up mystic theurge.

[Phoebe]

Sorry to have been such a slacker lately; things haven't been going well. Finally posted your new (little) map and the next area...