10th Level up!

After the last skirmish, everyone (Including Rudha-an) zooms up to 10th level!
New Feat and new Utility power.

After my adventure finishes, all survivors will rise to 11th level.
I've decided this for two reasons...
1) We might as well restart after the summer at 'Paragon' status.
2) Starting a 10th level would make it very hard for the next DM to find a balance.

Vogir gets: 'Adept power' and 'Resume the Hunt'.
:)

From the dead Vedics...

Spider (Crossbow) Bolts +1 x 22 Lvl: 3 (30each)
Chainmail armour x 18
Longswords x 18
Large shileds x 18
Crossbows x 18
Regular bolts x 340

A Pauling behavior

While both in awe and frightened of the strange psionic Gnome, Pauling explains what he can of High Vedic Liebniz’ plan.

“A millennium ago, our people were created by the Gnomish elders. A slave race. Our ancestry was certainly lycanthropic, but we were made to be so much more than that. The Gnomish Lords gave us the intelligence to understand their very work. To build it. To maintain it.”
Pauling falls silent for a moment before chittering on.
“But then they disappeared. Our ancestors were too timid and simply failed to seek out the truth. As a race we survived, but little more. Our salvation didn’t come until a little over a century ago. And then by the hands of a band of adventurers much like yourselves.”
The tri-coloured Vedic smiles at the irony.
“The Gnomes we discovered though weren’t the all-powerful race that they once were. They were reduced. Unimpressive. All the old knowledge had been lost to them.”
Lukas can’t help but feel a small measure of sympathy for this prostrate creature. It had been created to fulfill a purpose no longer available to it.
Lukas listens as the creature continues its tale.
“Despite our disappointment, many of us went out into the world to explore its wonders. Many died but we are fast breeders and some of us stayed to guard the wonders of the Elders.
My ancestors.
It was then that the High Vedic: Leibniz came to realize that maintaining what was there wasn’t enough. We had been created for a purpose.
To serve our Gnomish makers.
The answer was so obvious, I’m surprised it took us a hundred years to reach the conclusion.
It has become our mission and our sacred duty to raise the Gnomes to their former glory.
We have the knowledge; all we needed were the Gnomes. A few came willingly. Too few unfortunately. Not enough to make a difference.
We needed more.
We needed a lot more.
We needed them young.”

No one makes an ape of the head librarian

“They’re coming this way?” Questions the Head librarian. “Are you sure?”
The young Vedic nods at his orange furred superior. “I’m afraid so Head librarian Godel. They might go another way, but according to Pascal’s notes, this route is the invaders most likely with a probability of over sixty percent. I’ve been told that we must interrupt lessons for today.”
Looking over to the dozens of Gnomes and Humans strapped into the inculcation chairs, Godel makes a decision. “It’ll take too long to unharness them. Send for more reserves. We’re staying put. If the invaders come this way, they’ll not harm the children.”
The young Vedic scurries off to raise whatever reinforcements he can.

Scholars not soldiers

Everything is quiet as the handful of Vedics wait behind the closed door. It’s sturdy enough, but they know it won’t hold. The enemy at the bottom of the stone steps are too strong.
Panini looks around at his fellow soldiers.
“Soldiers?” he chitters under his breathe. “Hardly”.
Still, they have to hold the line as long as they can. Hold the invaders back until support can come.
Raising his voice, Panini tries to rally his troops.
“I know you’re scared. I know we can’t hope to defeat them. But we don’t have to. All we need to do is delay them. Stay alive and hamper their advance. We can do it if we’re clever, and frankly, who’s more cleverer than us?”

Digging for victory

In the tunnel, the lead Gnome glances back over his shoulder at the man crawling in the gloom behind him.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?”
“Yes Criz, I’m sure.” responds the man. “By now, the Vedic forces will be spread too thin to stop us. Hopefully the map's correct and we can save your children while avoiding any more violence. If we do encounter any more resistance though, let me take the lead this time. You’re already wounded and I promised your wife I wouldn’t let you get killed.”
The grizzled, bald-headed Gnome scowls, but continues to move forward.
Looking at the map, he stops and rubs his well groomed beard… “Now where do we knock through again?”

Little problems behind

Scurrying back across the pit room, Velinsk is dragged back through the door by his fellow kitchen slaves.
“What did you see?” snaps one of his fellows.
Wide eyed, Velinsk responds…
“They’re all dead. Scores of them! Frick was able to tell me that it was a mixed band of adventurers. They came up through the washrooms and slaughtered everyone. In his dying breath though, he mentioned that one of them was a Dragon-born.”
Several of the Kobolds spit on the floor in disgust.
“They think they’re so much better than us. Bigger doesn’t mean better.”
The one that had asked the original question though, looks slyly down the corridor.
“Did you say they came up through the, corroded shut, down pipe?”

Big troubles ahead

On hearing the order, the massive creature heaves itself from it’s reinforced bed. Its begrudging spine, cracking with the unwanted movement.
Gripping the bedpost, it rises slowly to its feet and gropes around for its weapons amongst the armour and helmets lying in the corner of the room.
“Where mees needed?” it asks in a deep and gravelly voice.
Once instructed by the cowering Vedic, the lumbering creature heads off after it to crush the tiny invaders, beneath the spikes of its twin giant maces.
“Hurry up. Big clubs wants to squash little skulls!”

Summon the Crettin!

High Vedic Liebniz is sitting on his stone throne now with his clawed fingers, white with the pressure of his grip on the rough armrests.
He looks up sharply as yet another of his minions rushes in.
“What is it now?” he chitters to his underling.
“There’s been another attack my lord.”
“Where?”
The red robed Vedic shuffles his feet nervously.
“The secondary vault.”
High Vedic Liebniz is on his feet, faster than the messenger can see,
“When? How many guards did they get past?”
“Perhaps less than half an hour ago… They killed the two guards at the vault door.”
“Only two guards? On whose order were these Vedics relocated?”
“On Pascal’s my lord. He needed them to secure the possible entrance points from the cavern below.”
High Vedic Liebniz sits back down to consider.
“Where is Pascal now?”
“Dead sir.”
High Vedic Liebniz sighs…
“Well I suppose that’s punishment enough. Tell me, who have we between us and these various factions of what now appears to be an invasion?”
“Well my lord, we have all of the Vedics stationed in strategically defensible positions, but…”
“But what?”
“Well my lord, these invaders have cut a swath through our ranks. We are not a match for them and they kill everyone they encounter… Even the slave kobolds!”
Sighing again, High Vedic Liebniz comes to a decision.
“In that case Gauss, I think it’s time our idiot earns his keep… And send the remainder of our reserve soldiers to protect the primary vault.”

New character, Dungeon Master and what’s for sale Magical debate

As my adventure’s coming to the end and I’m starting to think what magical goodies I’m going to ‘buy’ for Vogir, I’ve come to the realization that we haven’t really set any rules for any of this stuff.

How about this:

New characters: I’m not sure about this. They certainly should be able to choose whatever they want… but… They shouldn’t really have much as the characters that have ground their way up the levels. These characters won’t have had the option to choose their magical items so should offset that by having more. I can’t find any rules about this so need some help/criticism/debate.
(I always assumed the 'character builder' on your PCs gave you a set amount...?)

Dungeon Master bonus: An equal amount of gold of the average Party member total got is allocated to the DM who can then spend it on whatever he chooses. (No limits).

Buying: As an easy rule, why not say we can buy anything of half our experience level or less (assuming enough gold to afford it)?

Selling: Sell whatever magical item you like for 1/5 it's book value. (Or sell it to another Party member for whatever you agree on.)

A (Brute) Force for Good?

Puffing from the exertion of the battle, Dokan looks around himself. The defending forces are all dead. Even their leader lies dead in the corridor ahead.
He should feel happy, but instead he feels a sinking dread that he’s been responsible for the deaths of scores of mistreated Kobold slaves and worse, the death of a mind-controlled human boy.
Something else as well…
He feels hot and a little giddy.
Meanwhile, Ghanash has busied himself pulling the hoods from the faces of several of the red robed figures. They’re some sort of giant, bipedal rodent…
They’re familiar somehow…
It’s only when he notices the pale and shaven headed child, that his memory serves him.
He’s seen these collars before. Over a year ago, just after he’d met up with the human Vogir.
Opening his mouth to speak, he realises that none of his fellows were with him back then. Adventurers and mercenaries tend not to last too long in this world.
Orestes looks uncomfortable. Although he relishes a fight, possibly a ‘little’ too much, their current path seems certain to draw the attention of all the Vedic’s forces.
They couldn’t have been less subtle even if they’d taken the main entrance…
Could Niema have been captured and given them away?
Still, a fight’s a fight. The worse the odds, the greater the glory!
Rudha-an glances up from his effort to separate the dead boy from one of his pallid ears.
His teammates don’t look happy.
Don’t they realise that the child had gone for him?
In the corridor, Lucas telekinetically drags the body of Pascal back towards the others. The corridor he was in lead to a flight of stairs going up. No rush now though as the Vedic’s surely know they’re coming.

Treasure:

From the Otyugh’s fetid lair:
(The dead from disease and asphyxiation dwarf)

Dwarven greaves Lvl: 7 (2,600)
Holy gauntlets Lvl: 8 (3,400)
Helm of battle Lvl: 9 (4,200)
Battle-axe +3 (Frightful) Lvl: 12 (13,000)
Battle forged plat email +3 Lvl: 15 (25,000)

From the Kobold slave quarters:

Bizarrely nothing.

From Pascal and the Hamstermen/Vedics

9 x Long swords
9 x Crossbows
8 x Chainmail armour
Iron skin belt Lvl: 15 (25,000)
Stoneskin robes +3 Lvl: 13 (17,000)
Potion of healing Lvl: 2 (50)

Spreading the Red

Another of the Redrobes rushes in to the see the High Vedic.
“We’ve just got word from the inflativator, that a group of people were seen heading toward the abandoned Gnomish village.”
Leibniz shifts in his massive stone chair. Although it resembles a crude throne, he’d never refer to it as such.
“How many were seen Bernoulli? Was it an army?”
“Apparently not, but from where he was, it was hard to tell.”
Scratching his chin, High Vedic Leibniz considers the problem.
“How many troops have you sent out already?”
“About two dozen so far.”
“Send out another group from the hanger to have a scout around and another squad out the top on foot.”
The red robed creature bows and retreats from the room.
“At once sir.”