The next OA session will be this coming Sunday, at the Standley's in Woburn. A number of PCs went up levels and hopefully all have been able to get advancement issues squared away by now (if not try to do so before sunday).
I beleive that it was the intention of the group to spend two days recovering and gaining skills, with the only real "adventure" so to speak, being a number of people heading over to the Shrine of the Four Elements and having Ashiko summoning up some elementals for her and Noku to interact with as they get ready to go up levels in various PrCs.
I also recall that Hatori used his abilities and crystal ball to look in on the strange samurai that we met hacking down bushes.
Unless new information is forthcoming, it is Zenako's intention that we should advance up along the west side of the complex / ruins towards the locus of the Bell of the Void. With any luck we successfully encounter any beings or forces between us and the locus of the Bell.
Assuming we can trust the info that the Samurai gave us, we have the names and natures of a few of the beings still active in this area. More Gaki, a Duoc cu'oc (sp) and others.
Ernie, with a couple of days to compare notes, would it be reasonable for our spirit experts to have just read the monster sections for those critters and have an understanding of what a standard issue critter of that sort would have as native abilities. If so, Orion and John and perhaps Hatori should take a peek at the critters in question.
After two days, during which it is recommended that Til'k rest to restore his CON completely, we will head back into the ruins with intent to expand the covered area.
As a heads up, Mulan may or may not be active depending on the weather. IF it is a nice day, Laura is likely to be wanting to play outside or stuff like that, so Mulan will be taking a turn helping to guard the outpost with the Barbarians. If things work out that we have to return to camp and head back out after dinner, she might be available. The recent level advances of the characters had rendered them much more powerful, since some of the warrior types have now gained +6 BAB for the extra swing attack in full attack mode. Far more of an increase than just another +1 to hit has been for the last few levels. So missing a PC or two from the group will not be that big a deal for most encounters.
Is anyone else going to be unable to attend this weekend?
Any other lose ends that need to be tied up before sunday?
A few random notes from the GM...
Those characters with Knowledge (Spirits) may indeed review the section on Gaki in the O.A. Monsters section. According to your earlier discussion with "The Lone Samurai", it would be reasonable to expect either or both of two types of Gaki -- the more dangerous type which actually plays the biwa (or possibly other instruments as well?) and can converse if it chooses to, as well as the lesser sort of similar appearance which just attacks ravenously. As far as defenses against the music, you CAN figure out ways to essentially make yourself temporarily deaf -- the effects of deafness, i.e the condition of being deafened, in addition to protecting you from the enchanting tunes of the gaki, consist of being -4 to Initiative, 20% spell failure chance when casting spells with verbal components, and cannot make Listen checks -- and of course cannot hear anything spoken by comrades etc. If you want to do something like that you could arrange a simple set of hand signals...
The Do'c Cu'oc (not sure of the spelling either at the moment...) can also be investigated in the book.
In Drakara there may be minor difference for any sort of creature, but the book is good enough as far as determining what is generally known by those learned in the subject. So for example you could expect a do'c cu'oc to be able to strike with a weapon charged with electrical force, but that is an ability of the spirit creature, not of the weapon. The creature also has a variety of other abilities, and most of its kind are fairly neutral as far as morality is concerned...
Speaking of The Lone Samurai, Hatori did indeed check on her, once just after dawn on the first day, and then later just after dusk -- i.e. both times from the comfort of the camp, after spending an hour focusing through the crystal ball. According to Hatori's scrying report, in the first case, the lady was obviously practicing her 'fast draw' Iaijutsu techniques, and in the later instance, was sitting at a low fire (of brush, mostly) eating what appeared to be a roast rabbit. In neither check did the lady appear to have any companions or visitors.
As with the general scouting idea -- making Mulan, say, invisible and buffed up and so on so she can scout around the periphery of the complex looking for tracks, I may have some results from that.
However, I don't know if Noku should also be allowed to just wander around the periphery casting Locate Object spells just yet. (There MAY be potential encounters, that Mulan would find much more survivable than Noku...) Casting them within the protection of his comrades is one thing, so may have a few cast from the areas already visited, but not yet triangulated so a significant degree. For one thing, Noku thinks he should be spending the bulk of his attention on the first day discussing things with a minor Fire Elemental Spirit, and absorbing the impacts of those conversations, and on the second day actually fitting his mind, body and spirit around his new talents and spells. Now I know the two new spells are 'free' with the new level, but Noku cannot actually ADD the new level as an aspiring Flame Lord until after his conversations, and the new spells aren't actually available until the level is actually gained. I am not requiring level training per se, but let's try not to push the limit on our suspension of disbelief -- i.e. talking with Fire Elemental one moment, suddenly a level higher and casting a new spell the next...
So let's say that a few Locate Object spells could be cast near the end of the second day, as the group heads back towards the camp, from previously cleared locations, but that is about it.
All for now... -- E3 / DrakaraGM