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Brother Ezra
Learned Scribe
USA
268 Posts |
 Posted - 22 Mar 2004 : 06:10:54
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"The Shards of Bloodstone" is my new 3.5 ed. campaign that began about a month ago. The setting, as the name implies, is in the former kingdom of Damara, beginning in Tarsakh of the year 1360 (the Year of the Turret). The campaign begins the spring following the defeat of the witch king Zhengyi. The political climate is as described in FR9 "The Bloodstone Lands". The party begins the campaign in the city of Trailsend, in the barony of Polten.
We're starting from 1st level, and there are a total of seven player characters:
Fallon uth Pendemyr, female half-elf ranger: A child of a Brandiar noble, Fallon and her elven mother fled their holdings near Goliad when their lands were overrun by Zhengyi's initial invasion in DR 1348. Fallon's human paladin father died fighting a rearguard action while the refugees fled south. As the refugees made their way towards Impiltur, Fallon's mother was slain by a group of raiding orcs. Fallon was found and raised by a group of rangers and druids residing in the northwestern section of Rawlinswood. She retains a deep hatred for orcs, and longs to return to Brandiar and Soravia to cleanse those lands of the remnants of Zhengyi's scum.
Hiro Var, male half-orc barbarian: An accepted member of the Nar tribe of Var for most of his life, Hiro suddenly found himself exiled from the tribe by a new tribal chieftan who tolerated no half-breeds in his clan. Hiro was "sent into the west" and found himself near Trailsend. Hiro is an honorable being, and is searching for like-minded people with whom he can ally. Hiro honors his former tribe deeply, but harbors resentment for its new chieftan.
Kaelin Drache, male human rogue: The son of Steppenhall shepherds, Kaelin found the prospect of becomming a shepherd unpalatable, and fled his family at the age of ten, eventually finding his way to Trailsend. There he learned the fine arts of begging, breaking and entering and confidence games. He eked out a meager living until his skills were honed, whereupon he became a chameleon in Trailsend, maintaining a number of identities and personalities, each designed to bring him further wealth. Kaelin had just begun a promising business venture with Baron Zorth, but the unexpected return of Donlevy the Young put a crimp in those plans, and Zorth recommended to Kaelin that he leave the city for a few months until the political situation settled down.
Jonrek Silverun, male half-elf cleric of Tyr: Raised by the green elves of the Gray Forest near Impiltur, Jonrek's father was a cleric of Tyr, trained by the clerics in Trailsend. After his father's death, Jonrek made a decision to follow in his father's footsteps and become a priest of Grimjaws himself. Jonrek travelled to Trailsend seeking the fine men that trained his father in Tyr's ways.
More to follow...
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"Suffering is the touchstone of all spiritual growth."
-St. Sollars the Twice-Martyred |
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Lord Rad
Great Reader
United Kingdom
2080 Posts |
Posted - 22 Mar 2004 : 08:19:48
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Excellent, Brother 
Im looking forward to reading more on this as im putting together plans for taking my campaign over into the same location.
Certainly sounds interesting so far. |
Lord Rad
"What? No, I wasn't reading your module. I was just looking at the pictures"
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31774 Posts |
Posted - 22 Mar 2004 : 12:27:11
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As a fan of the 2e Bloodstone Lands adventure series, I can say with a certain definitive voice that I am definitely interested in hearing more about this campaign your running Brother Ezra.
I greatly anticipate what you still have to follow. However, as always, I have questions -
Firstly, I'm curious. Regardless of the fact that these PCs are starting at 1st level, do any of them have any magical items/weapons that they are using?.
And secondly, why are the majority of your PCs hybrid races...?
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kahonen
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
358 Posts |
Posted - 22 Mar 2004 : 12:52:51
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It appears you may be heading into the same areas of difficulties that my party were in a while ago.
You've got a Priest of Tyr (The God of Justice) travelling with a Rogue, who you describe as well versed in "the fine arts of begging, breaking and entering and confidence games ...".
You need to remember that in many rural areas, a visiting Priest of Tyr would be employed to sit in judgement of people like you describe, the tenets of his faith actually say that he must do it. Here you are with a party where the Priest and the Rogue are about to become best buddies. I'd suggest that this may well require some justification in the future (or is this another change introduced at 3.5E?)
Good Luck.
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Brother Ezra
Learned Scribe
USA
268 Posts |
Posted - 22 Mar 2004 : 14:17:52
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quote:
Originally posted by Rad
Excellent, Brother
Im looking forward to reading more on this as im putting together plans for taking my campaign over into the same location.
Certainly sounds interesting so far.
Although Vaasa and Damara weren't originally part of Ed Greenwood's Realms, I still find a lot to like about the region. I've got so many potential plots forming in the background that I'm not sure which way the campaign will go. It will mostly depend on the PC's and what plot threads they decide to pick up and run with.
I have to remain a little tight-lipped about plot since some of my players may lurk on this site, but most veteran Realms fans will recognize some of the elements of the campaign and their sources.
It's really amazing how much background information about a location can be created just during the generation of a PC. One of the players originated in Hinterford, a town very close to the Great Glacier. It was really neat creating a community of "ice miners", who carve out great blocks of ice from the glacier walls, then have the blocks enchanted by a priest of Auril to preserve them before they ship south to other Damaran towns. |
"Suffering is the touchstone of all spiritual growth."
-St. Sollars the Twice-Martyred |
Edited by - Brother Ezra on 23 Mar 2004 04:57:00 |
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Brother Ezra
Learned Scribe
USA
268 Posts |
Posted - 22 Mar 2004 : 14:22:57
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quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
As a fan of the 2e Bloodstone Lands adventure series, I can say with a certain definitive voice that I am definitely interested in hearing more about this campaign your running Brother Ezra.
I greatly anticipate what you still have to follow. However, as always, I have questions -
Firstly, I'm curious. Regardless of the fact that these PCs are starting at 1st level, do any of them have any magical items/weapons that they are using?.
And secondly, why are the majority of your PCs hybrid races...?
Thanks Sage, I'm just glad to be actively involved in a Realms campaign again...it's been a long time
First question: The party has started out bare bones, i.e. no magic items at all. I try to tone down the high magic Realms feel to a more moderate level, so no starting items at first level.
Second question: At first I wasn't sure what you meant, but then noticed that I had three out of four Half-somethings. LOL! Strictly coincidence, the balance of the party (to be posted in a little while) are all human. Hadn't even noticed until you pointed it out |
"Suffering is the touchstone of all spiritual growth."
-St. Sollars the Twice-Martyred |
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Brother Ezra
Learned Scribe
USA
268 Posts |
Posted - 22 Mar 2004 : 14:33:00
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quote:
Originally posted by kahonen
It appears you may be heading into the same areas of difficulties that my party were in a while ago.
You've got a Priest of Tyr (The God of Justice) travelling with a Rogue, who you describe as well versed in "the fine arts of begging, breaking and entering and confidence games ...".
You need to remember that in many rural areas, a visiting Priest of Tyr would be employed to sit in judgement of people like you describe, the tenets of his faith actually say that he must do it. Here you are with a party where the Priest and the Rogue are about to become best buddies. I'd suggest that this may well require some justification in the future (or is this another change introduced at 3.5E?)
Good Luck.
I absolutely agree with you Kahonen, there is a great potential for inter-party conflict here. Kaelin has presented himself to the party as a "negotiator" and a "businessman" (Can anyone say "euphamism?") Kaelin's activities prior to joining the group are not known among the party, and Kaelin is doing his best to keep it that way. There has already been a near-conflict when the Tyrran demanded that the party make restitution to a farmer for the cow that was slaughtered by the druid's wolf companion.
The dynamic is pretty interesting, though. Both characters are run by strong role-players, and from an alignment perspective, their philosophies are not all that different (Jonrek is LG, Kaelin is LN). I think it would be hilarious to see a grudging respect form between the two. |
"Suffering is the touchstone of all spiritual growth."
-St. Sollars the Twice-Martyred |
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Brother Ezra
Learned Scribe
USA
268 Posts |
Posted - 22 Mar 2004 : 15:01:30
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The balance of the party:
Corian Tanner, human female sorceress: Upon completing her studies with the renown mage Feriblan of Heliogabalus, Corian has returned to her native Trailsend with information pertaining to a wizard's keep in eastern Soravia. The keep was once owned by a wizard named Eralion, who was rumored to have attempted lichdom many years ago. Two possibilities exist: Either Eralion has become a lich and has withdrawn to the seclusion of his keep, or he has perished in the attempt to become a lich, in which case his keep (and spellbooks) are unguarded. Corian has information that points to the latter possibility, and intends to find out for herself.
Ashe, human female druid, and her wolf companion Shadow: Having been raised her whole life by the Tellerth druid's circle in Rawlinswood, Ashe is very naive about the doings of the "civilized" world. Ashe's druid mother has sent her out into the wider world in a quest for knowledge and greater understanding of the delicate nature of the Balance. Ashe is to return to Rawlinswood when she feels she has learned what she was sent to learn. She agreed to travel to Trailsend with Donlevy and his retinue, with whom she has a passing acquaintance. From there, Ashe intends to learn what she can learn, although she is greatly frightened by the "civilized" world.
Berthold Aelfson, human male fighter: Originally from Hinterford in the far northern reaches of Soravia, Berthold was a child of well-to-do ice merchants, and acted as a guard for many of the caravans that left Hinterford hauling large shipments of ice southward. That changed when Zhengyi's forces invaded Damara and overran Soravia. Today, Hinterford is still enslaved by the bandit remnants of Zhengyi's orcs, goblins and orgres, and Berthold intends to liberate his former home once sufficient resources are obtained. The disposition and whereabouts of his family are unknown. |
"Suffering is the touchstone of all spiritual growth."
-St. Sollars the Twice-Martyred |
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Brother Ezra
Learned Scribe
USA
268 Posts |
Posted - 23 Mar 2004 : 05:23:52
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The campaign began in Trailsend with Corian soliciting adventurers to undertake a mission into eastern Soravia. THe mission objective was to explore a keep once owned by a wizard named Eralion. Corian had obtained information that Eralion had attempted to become a lich, but had failed and perished in the attempt. If true, Corian assumes that the wizards wealth and spellbooks are there for the taking.
The group were each interviewed by Corian, and after meeting with each, she gathererd the entire group together to meet one another. Fallon the ranger took an instant dislike to Hiro the half-orc, but the group seemed to polarize into two groups: the "urban" characters (Kaelin the rogue, Jonrek the cleric and Corian the sorceress) and the "outdoors" characters (Fallon, Hiro and Ashe the druid). After agreeing upon the distribution of wealth and discussing the group ethics, the party set out on what was to be an eight day journey north and east.
While traveling north along the eastern shore of Lake Mogador, the party encountered no difficulties more severe than the early Tarsakh cold. However, on their first night outside of Trailsend, just south of Withermeet, Hiro and the wolf Shadow attempt to hunt some game for dinner. When they encounter a farm fence, Hiro decides to turn around and hunt in the opposite direction, but the wolf suddenly leaps the fence and takes down a large heiffer grazing in the fields. Not knowing what the proper "civilized" thing to do would be, Hiro slings the dead cow over his shoulders (he has a 20 strength) and carries it back to the camp.
A large debate ensues about the legal ramifications of killing a farmer's cow. Jonrek demands that the group make restitution to the cow's owner, and the rest of the party grudgingly agree. Kaelin volunteers to "negotiate" with the farmer on behalf of the party, but Jonrek insists on accompanying him, to be sure the transaction is honesty and fairly performed.
Once the party passed through the town of Daleport, they leave the main roads and begin to follow a track northeast towards Steppenhall. The group is accosted by a band of three raiding orcs, but the party makes short work of them with minimal damage taken. However, the next evening the group faces a much more dangerous challenge: a female leucrotta and her offspring. The party manage to kill the juvenile, and drive away the adult, but Jonrek and Ashe are seriously wounded.
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"Suffering is the touchstone of all spiritual growth."
-St. Sollars the Twice-Martyred |
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kahonen
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
358 Posts |
Posted - 23 Mar 2004 : 11:50:09
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quote:
Originally posted by Brother Ezra
quote:
Originally posted by kahonen
It appears you may be heading into the same areas of difficulties that my party were in a while ago.
You've got a Priest of Tyr (The God of Justice) travelling with a Rogue, who you describe as well versed in "the fine arts of begging, breaking and entering and confidence games ...".
You need to remember that in many rural areas, a visiting Priest of Tyr would be employed to sit in judgement of people like you describe, the tenets of his faith actually say that he must do it. Here you are with a party where the Priest and the Rogue are about to become best buddies. I'd suggest that this may well require some justification in the future (or is this another change introduced at 3.5E?)
Good Luck.
I absolutely agree with you Kahonen, there is a great potential for inter-party conflict here. Kaelin has presented himself to the party as a "negotiator" and a "businessman" (Can anyone say "euphamism?") Kaelin's activities prior to joining the group are not known among the party, and Kaelin is doing his best to keep it that way. There has already been a near-conflict when the Tyrran demanded that the party make restitution to a farmer for the cow that was slaughtered by the druid's wolf companion.
The dynamic is pretty interesting, though. Both characters are run by strong role-players, and from an alignment perspective, their philosophies are not all that different (Jonrek is LG, Kaelin is LN). I think it would be hilarious to see a grudging respect form between the two.
One thing to look forward to. The rogue in my party was caught red-handed stealing from a market in a small village the party were at. The priest of Tyr was asked to sit as the judge. What a wonderful session that was
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Brother Ezra
Learned Scribe
USA
268 Posts |
Posted - 24 Mar 2004 : 04:57:55
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One thing to look forward to. The rogue in my party was caught red-handed stealing from a market in a small village the party were at. The priest of Tyr was asked to sit as the judge. What a wonderful session that was
The group's in a small town right now. I'm almost hoping that the rogue get's caught doing something illegal so the cleric can preside over the judgement! |
"Suffering is the touchstone of all spiritual growth."
-St. Sollars the Twice-Martyred |
Edited by - Brother Ezra on 28 Mar 2004 19:08:39 |
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Brother Ezra
Learned Scribe
USA
268 Posts |
Posted - 24 Mar 2004 : 05:22:06
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After recovering sufficiently from the leucrotta encounter, the group eventually passes through Steppenhall, their last stop in civilization before they reach Fairhill. While in Steppenhall, they meet Berthold Aelfson, who agrees to accompany the party to Fairhill, and perhaps beyond.
For two days, the party makes progress towards Fairhill despite frequent snow squalls. While making camp on the second evening outside Steppenhall, Corian informs the group that there is more to her story than what she originally revealed. Corian indeed had information about the disposition of the wizard Eralion, and the information she gained told her that Eralion perished in his attempt to become a lich. Positively. No chance he could have succeeded. She knows this because she stole a letter written by Eralion more than 20 years ago, addressed to Corian's mentor (who, as it turns out, was also Eralion's mentor many years ago).
In the letter, Eralion relates his intention to become a lich, using knowledge gained directly from the demon lord Orcus. Included with the letter is an amulet which is supposed to grant entry to Eralion's keep. Corian filched both the letter and the amulet. Later, she casually inquired of her mentor about Eralion, and about the possibility that he might have become a lich. Her mentor assured her that Eralion was nowhere near powerful enough to attempt the procedure, and if he did try, he would have died. Period. No chance he could have succeeded. Her mentor also lamented the fact that Eralion had borrowed several valuable spell books and had never bothered to return them.
Armed with this information, Corian was determined to gain access to the abandoned keep, and obtain the spell books for herself. She is quite sure, she tells the group, that Eralion is dead, and his keep is only accessible to her through the amulet.
Corian is concerned, however, because when she stole the letter and amulet, she believes that she may have been observed. One of her fellow students, a surly and disagreeable wizard named Vortigern, owned a raven familiar, and Corian thinks that she saw the raven sitting outside on the windowsill when she pocketed the letter and amulet.
She tells the party this information now, because she thinks that she spotted the same raven familiar following them since they departed from Steppenhall. She believes that Vortigern is following the group, and may try to take the amulet from them. |
"Suffering is the touchstone of all spiritual growth."
-St. Sollars the Twice-Martyred |
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Brother Ezra
Learned Scribe
USA
268 Posts |
Posted - 28 Mar 2004 : 19:23:11
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While digesting this new knowledge divulged by Corian, the party continued to move on towards Fairhill. Around noon the next day, the group came upon a scene of slaughter: A family of farmers had been brutally massacred by what appeared to be slashing weapons. While the party was gathering the bodies to make a decent burial, an ambush was sprung! From the distant woods, magic missiles and a volley of arrows burst forth. Simultanteously, the ground beneath the group's feet roiled and erupted in skeletal forms. Lastly the bodies of the newly dead farmers began to writhe and jerk, reanimated as zombies.
Vortigern, Corian's nemesis, had made his end-game to capture the amulet. While the undead and Vortigern's half-orc archers engaged the rest of the group, Vortigern and his unusual familiar attempted to wrest the amulet from Corian's backpack. The raven familar turned invisible (?) and tried to open Corian's backpack while Vortigern assaulted her with magic missile spells.
The fight was long and brutal, but ultimately victorious. Fallon, Hiro and the wolf Shadow were all near death, but were healed in time. The rest of the party had been sorely wounded, and required much rest to regain their strength. The undead had been defeated, but Vortigern, the half-orcs and the strange familiar had escaped. Fortunately, the amulet remained in Corian's possession.
Taking refuge in the family's home for rest and healing, the group confronted Corian and expressed their dissatisfaction with her lack of honesty. Corian reitereated her story and swore that she had told all that she knew to the group. The amulet, as well as the letter from Eralion were all examined by the group. At the end of the night, the decision was made to continue on to Fairhill, but that Corian would not be responsible for making decisions on the party's behalf. Two days later, the group had healed enough to continue their journey.
By nightfall the next day (Tarsakh 15), the group had arrived in the remote village of Fairhill. |
"Suffering is the touchstone of all spiritual growth."
-St. Sollars the Twice-Martyred |
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Brother Ezra
Learned Scribe
USA
268 Posts |
Posted - 12 Apr 2004 : 19:54:09
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The next session began with Kaelin gathering the party together at the end of the evening, their first in the village of Fairhill. Kaelin announces that he has “bad news, good news, and an opportunity” that resulted from a conversation he had with the town magistrate, Arlen.
The Bad News: Eralion’s keep is infested with orcs who have been raiding the area lately. Their numbers are undetermined, but their strength is probably much greater than that of the party.
The Good News: Kaelin seems to have convinced the magistrate to assist the party in clearing out the orcs from the keep. The town militia consists of approximately 25 men and women. He has scheduled a meeting with the group, Arlen and Shandril at noon the next day.
The Opportunity: If the group was interested, Kaelin also discovered other potential challenges that exist in and around the village, such as the mystery of the smith’s missing daughter, who was apparently a bard, and who has not been seen since last autumn.
Furthermore, Kaelin informs the group that he has spotted Vortigern’s unusual raven familiar in town, and can only assume that Vortigern is in Fairhill as well, and most likely is planning another attack on the party. The group immediately decides to stay together and not split up any further. The group all assembles in the rented rooms at the Drunken Cockatrice, where they discuss their options.
After the meeting with Arlen and Shandril, the group agrees that the best course of action is to scout the keep and determine the exact strength of the orcish force. Once their strength is assessed, the group will be able to formulate a plan of attack in conjunction with the town militia.
Arlen also informs the group that a member of the town militia, Lauril, will be assigned to the scouting mission as the village’s representative. The group has a very unpleasant meeting with Baran, the captain of the guard, but leaves the meeting unmolested. The group decides to depart at first light to reconnoiter the keep. The rest of the day is spent wandering around town. The group meets many of the townsfolk, and also hears rumors that the keep is not inhabited by a lich, but rather by a vampire. They also are introduced to Lannet, a friendly but enigmatic halfling from the south of Damara.
During the course of the night, the group is awakened by the sound of an alarm bell ringing earnestly. It is discovered that an orc raid has occurred, and that in addition to burning the shrine to Chauntea, the orcs have stolen an object called The Crucible of Chauntea, an artifact that Shandril needs in order to bless the crops at planting. Five members of the militia lie dead, and the orc force was thought to number over a dozen. Shandril begs the party to pursue the orcs and recover the Crucible. She gives Fallon use of her magical blade, Charyou Tree, in hopes that it will aid the party in defeating the orcs. The town also provides the group with mounts to aid them in their pursuit.
Thirty minutes later, the group is hot on the trail of the fleeing orcs. The ground is soft and moist, allowing Fallon to track the orc band without much difficulty. After about two hours of tracking, the party hears the boisterous singing of the orc’s celebration, and plans their attack.
The party flanks the orc band to the east by about 100 feet, taking cover in a wooded ridge overlooking the orc’s general position. The orcs hear the party, and send two scouts to investigate. The scouts wander right into the party’s trap and are eliminated by missile fire. The main body of the orc force attacks, only to wander into an entangle spell strategically placed by Ashe. Although the party was outnumbered, the orcs were killed with little damage to the characters (although Hiro was sorely wounded, Jonrek was able to treat him before he perished).
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"Suffering is the touchstone of all spiritual growth."
-St. Sollars the Twice-Martyred |
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Brother Ezra
Learned Scribe
USA
268 Posts |
Posted - 26 Apr 2004 : 04:34:57
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Picking up right where we left off last time, the party looted the dead orcs, recovering some coinage, but more importantly locating the stolen Crucible of Chauntea, fortunately undamaged. Shortly after the orcs were defeated, a delegation from Fairhill arrived on the scene, consisting of a militiaman, Lauriel and Brother Kath. Lauriel wasted no time in urging the group to return to Fairhill with the crucible. After some debate, the group agreed to return the Crucible to Fairhill straight away.
The party returned to the grateful thanks of Shandril, but was informed that Baran had forbid the inclusion of any of Fairhill’s militia on any scouting expedition to Eralion’s keep until such time as he was certain that the village was safe from further attack. A potentially disastrous argument between Baran and Berthold was narrowly averted, and the party decided to venture out on their own to scout the keep the next morning. The only concession that Baran was willing to make to the party was the inclusion of his lieutenant, Lauriel, on the scouting expedition.
The group set out the next morning for the keep. Shortly after passing the site of the first orc encounter, the party encountered another group of orcs, this one only consisting of five creatures in total. Although their numbers were less than the previous group, the circumstances were much more balanced, and the ensuing fight was brutal The orcs were defeated, but Fallon, Ashe, Shadow, Kaelin, Corian and Berthold all fell at various points during the fight. Jonrek healed as many people as he could, but the group was too sorely wounded to continue on to the keep. They turned back and returned to Fairhill.
After some much-needed healing from Shandril and Kath, the group was ready to return, and by late afternoon, the group spotted a side trail that eventually led to a back entrance to Eralion’s keep. A lone sentry stood watch in a high tower inside the keep, but otherwise the group spotted no other guards or sentries. Kaelin moved into position by the door, and spotting nothing inside after a cursory look, slipped inside the door…
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"Suffering is the touchstone of all spiritual growth."
-St. Sollars the Twice-Martyred |
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Brother Ezra
Learned Scribe
USA
268 Posts |
Posted - 06 May 2004 : 16:52:12
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Kaelin opened the door to the tower to find a 20’ diameter tower whose 2nd level had collapsed in the center of the room. The debris had been cleared around the perimeter of the first floor, and Kaelin spotted a door on the opposite side of the tower. Opening the other door, he saw the tower where the sentry stood guard, an orc by all appearances. A few buildings were visible from his vantage point, but no activity beyond the lone sentry was observed. Kaelin made his way back to the rest of the group and reported his findings.
The group agreed that the best way to proceed was to eliminate the sentry and then enter the keep. A number of people using ranged weapons coordinated a simultaneous attack on the hapless lone orc, and Fallon’s well-placed arrow punctured the orc’s lung, allowing no more than a quiet gasp to escape the dying monster’s mouth. The group then filed in to the tower, taking positions around the perimeter of the room. However, Shadow the wolf bounded up on top of the pile of debris in the middle of the room, only to find a large amount of green slime dripping down onto his back from the upper level of the tower. Ashe used her produce flame spell to burn off the slime, but her wolf companion was badly shaken, and was no longer in any condition for combat. Ashe instructed the wolf to stay in a safe area until she called for him.
Seeing no other enemies in the courtyard, the group exited the tower and entered the main courtyard of Eralion’s keep. The building immediately to the south of them, along the western wall, appeared to be a chapel or temple of some kind. Ashe, Fallon, Corian and Jonrek took positions next to the two windows in the north wall of the chapel and attempted to hear any noises through the thick tapestries that curtained the windows. Berthold and Lauriel got ready to throw the door open, and Hiro and Kaelin moved east about 50 feet to keep an eye out for any other approaching enemies.
The group heard a discussion going on in the chapel, perhaps no more than two or three voices. Armed with this knowledge, Berthold threw the door wide open and charged inside the chapel, Lauriel hot on his heels. They immediately appear in front of a group of four axe-wielding orcs, who appeared perplexed at the sudden intrusion. “Who are you?” one of the orcs had time to inquire before Berthold and Lauriel engaged the enemy. As the battle was joined, a human voice from the back of the chapel bellows “What in the abyss is going on out there!?”, and a half-orc dressed in blackened chain mail and wielding a skull tipped spiked mace emerged from the back of the chapel. Seeing the developing battle, he looked over his shoulder and said to an unseen companion “My friend, it appears your chance has arrived.”
The half orc then began casting a spell, and a diminutive beast flew out from the back of the chapel: The Hot Leather Beast! The creature was about a foot and a half tall, with dry leathery skin, long, talon-tipped fingers and toes, wiry, bristle-like hair growing from its back, and small bat-like wings. As the beast approached Berthold and Lauriel, it disappeared, and evaded Bertold’s wild attempt to knock it down.
Meanwhile, Hiro spotted a group of three orcs patrolling inside the east wall of the keep, about 75 feet further east from his position. The combat in the chapel had reached a noise level where it was audible to the orcs on patrol at the other end of the keep, and they rushed across the courtyard, only to be met by Hiro, who leaped out at them from behind a wall and dropped one of the three almost immediately. Hiro had little problem with the patrolling orcs. He dropped two, and felled the third as it tried to escape and summon more help.
Ashe and Jonrek heard the commotion inside the chapel and each grabbed the heavy curtains that line the windows and tore them down. Jonrek and Ashe both prepared to cast spells through the narrow windows at the appropriate time.
The half-orc in the chapel launched into his Big Bad Evil Guy speech. He introduced himself as Tavik, who is in command of the forces at the keep. He admitted that it has been enjoyable toying with the group so far, but now the time for games has ended, and he will eliminate the party forthwith. Just at that moment, Ashe released her flare spell, which went off directly in front of Tavik’s face, breaking his concentration and ruining the spell he had begun to cast. Then, from the shadows of the back of the temple emerged the party’s recent nemesis, Vortigern the wizard.
In the center of the courtyard, the hot leather beast became visible once again and cast a suggestion spell on Corian. “Gives us the amulet” the thing hissed in its coarse voice. “But…I…don’t have it” Corian responded dreamily, throwing the familiar into hisses of rage. Fallon, Jonrek and Kaelin, seeing the creature become visible, closed in to engage it in melee combat. Corian snapped out of the effects of the spell, recognized the creature, screamed “DIE YOU FREAK!” and launched a magic missile at it. Kaelin also succeeded in hitting the creature. Looking around at its enemies, the creature spotted Kaelin. “You I remember you” it shrieked, and lashed out at Kaelin, scoring a hit, and injecting him with the poison liquid contained it its barbed tail. Fortunately, only a minute quantity of poison entered the wound, and Kaelin was able to shake off the effects of the poison. Corian scored another hit on the beast with her second magic missile spell. Badly wounded, the creature attempted to fly straight up, but before it could get away, Jonrek wound up with his flail and scored a solid hit, knocking the creature to the ground. Jonrek finished the beast off with a satisfying coup de gras, crushing the beast’s skull beneath his flail. The Hot Leather beast would trouble the group no further.
In the chapel, Lauriel and Berthold had felled two of the four orcs, and Ashe had foiled Vortigern’s attempt to cast a spell by poking him in the side through the window with her scimitar. Tavik, seeing that spellcasting was proving difficult, resorted to a more direct approach and attacked Lauriel with his mace, chanting some type of incantation. The blow struck home and Lauriel was knocked senseless by the power of the hit. Berthold realized that he was in a disadvantageous position without Lauriel’s support, and withdrew from the chapel into the courtyard to join his remaining companions.
Tavik, having lost Berthold as a viable target, chose instead to cast a hold person spell at the only opponent visible through the chapel door: Hiro. The burly half-orc was able to resist the mental effects of the spell, and, seeing an opportunity to make a strong impression, went into a full rage, charged full tilt into the chapel and launched himself at Tavik, driving the evil leader into the back wall of the chapel with great force. The two opponents hacked at each other for several seconds, but Hiro proved the stronger of the two, and Tavik fell at last. Vortigern the wizard, who had been peppering Hiro with magic missile spells, suddenly realized that the tide of the battle was turning against him, and fled up a ladder at the back of the chapel, into the bell tower, and over the crumbling western wall, fleeing for his life.
More orcs were arriving from the eastern side of the keep. In an attempt to slow them down, Ashe cast an entangle spell, and although there was not much vegetation in the keep, the few roots and weeds were enough to slightly hinder the approaching orc’s progress. The rest of the group switched to their melee weapons and began to pick the orcs off one by one. Kaelin took the opportunity to enter the chapel, climb the ladder and take a high ground position in the bell tower.
Hiro was still in the throes of a barbarian rage, and though sorely wounded, was consumed with battle lust, and immediately chased after the panicked mage. Just as Vortigern scrambled down to the bottom of the crumbling wall, Hiro leapt down to him from the bell tower, landing inches away from the wizard. “Hi”, Hiro said simply. Shrieking in pure terror now, Vortigern fled to the south in a desperate attempt to get away from the hulking half-orc. Vortigern reached another crumbling wall further to the south, and attempted to re-enter the keep, but lost his balance and fell to the bottom of the pile of debris just as Hiro arrived. Wasting no more time, Hiro brandished his great axe high above his head, and landed a blow that clove the wizard’s skull in twain. Coming out of his rage and trembling with exhaustion, Hiro attempted to heave the wizard’s body over the palisade wall, but only succeeded in impaling the corpse on one of the many sharpened sticks that protruded from the palisade’s slopes.
Back in the courtyard, Berthold went back into the chapel and began to drag Tavik’s dying body into the courtyard, where he hoped it would be viewed by the remaining forces and break their morale. However, just as Berthold was about to deliver a coup de gras to the dying half-orc, his body suddenly disappeared in an implosion of air, leaving Berthold and the rest of the party baffled.
It seemed at this point that the group had matters well in hand. Only five orcs remained, and they were hindered by Ashe’s spell and gradually falling to a hail of missile fire. Just as the group was about to celebrate their victory, the rest of the keeps forces entered the courtyard from the southwest, including Vortigern’s half-orc bodyguards, several more orcs and a huge orge named Grosh. Corian only had time to cast a flare spell in front of the massive ogre before an orcish greataxe landed squarely in her belly, dropping her instantly.
Another surprise greeted the party when an unknown and unseen ally began to fire a crossbow at the newcomer enemies. The session ended with the situation appearing grim for the party. Both Corian and Lauriel were either unconscious or dying, Hiro and Kaelin were inches from unconsciousness, Berthold was wounded, and Jonrek had no more healing spells left to cast. Only Ashe, Jonrek and Fallon were still moderately healthy. The ogre was only scratched, and about a half-dozen orcs and half-orcs remained standing when we concluded the game for the night at about 1:00 a.m.
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"Suffering is the touchstone of all spiritual growth."
-St. Sollars the Twice-Martyred |
Edited by - Brother Ezra on 06 May 2004 17:39:23 |
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labcoatmunkey124
Acolyte
USA
42 Posts |
Posted - 16 May 2004 : 22:20:51
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| This is very good. But i am confused about it. Are you writing as you go or just typing what you have already thought or read? (This would make a cool playable scenario if we could choose the characters!) |
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Brother Ezra
Learned Scribe
USA
268 Posts |
Posted - 17 May 2004 : 04:28:27
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quote:
Originally posted by labcoatmunkey124
This is very good. But i am confused about it. Are you writing as you go or just typing what you have already thought or read? (This would make a cool playable scenario if we could choose the characters!)
Each entry is a summary of the events that occurred in that particular game session. The adventure itself has been planned out to its conclusion, but I'll only detail the story as it unfolds in the campaign.
Truthfully, the entire current scenario is a published adventure (albeit modified to fit into the Bloodstone Lands setting), but I'd rather not say which one since my players may lurk here. If you'd like, I can e-mail you the name of the module and publisher...I've gotten some very good feedback about it.
BTW, LCM124, what's up with the bold type? We try to speak softly here at the library, lest Alaundo bop us on the head with his Staff of the Irritated Moderator +5 |
"Suffering is the touchstone of all spiritual growth."
-St. Sollars the Twice-Martyred |
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Alaundo
Head Moderator
United Kingdom
5695 Posts |
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Brother Ezra
Learned Scribe
USA
268 Posts |
Posted - 17 May 2004 : 18:25:24
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As things began to look desperate for the group, Tymora must have granted her favor to the band of adventurers. First, Fallon began to hit the ogre with a number of severe wounds, the first she had scored since the ogre entered the fray. Second, the ogre struck Jonrek, but the blow was only glancing, and although he sustained a great deal of damage, Jonrek remained conscious and was able to remain in the melee. Third, Lauriel unexpectedly emerged from the chapel, seemingly in reasonably good health. Spitting out a cork from her mouth and casting aside a glass vial, it became clear to the rest of the party that she had consumed some sort of healing potion, and had rejoined the combat. She immediately engaged with Grenag and Slaaroc, Vortigern’s former bodyguards. Grosh the ogre struck Ashe’s wolf a mighty blow, knocking the unfortunate creature out, but not yet dead. Crossbow bolts continued to strike the ogre from an unknown ally on the roof of the gatehouse.
Hiro arrived back at the courtyard about this time, carrying the mutilated body of the wizard Vortigern. Heaving the near-decapitated body of the mage into the center of the melee, Hiro shouted at the top of his lungs “Wasn’t somebody supposed to be guarding HIM?” The effect on the remaining foes was visible, and the attacks against the group began to waver in their ferocity and determination. Seeing the deterioration of morale beginning, Kaelin rushed back down from the bell tower and retrieved Tavik’s skull-tipped mace. Feeling nothing more than a funny feeling in his belly, Kaelin climbed back to the bell tower, and, brandishing the mace high above his head, screamed “Tavik is defeated! Your cause is hopeless! Flee or die!”
All discipline finally left the remaining orcs when a final hit from Fallon dropped the ogre to his knees, reeling from the onslaught. Berthold thrust his magical longsword through the ogre’s heart, slaying him instantly. Seeing all of their leaders vanquished, the surviving orcs broke ranks and fled to the nearest exit from the keep. The group took a few more parting shots at them, but Jonrek immediately charged over to attend to Corian, while Ashe saw to her wolf’s safety. Ashe stabilized Shadow’s bleeding in time to save him, but Jonrek rose sadly and announced that Corian had perished.
The group spent the rest of the night in the chapel, keeping guards posted in the bell tower and outside the chapel. The evening passed without further incident, and in the morning, the group began the process of recovering from the battle. Healing was performed; Corian’s body was placed in Tavik’s cot at the back of the chapel, and would be later carried to Fairhill for proper burial. The bodies of their enemies were piled in the central courtyard and burned after all valuables had been removed.
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"Suffering is the touchstone of all spiritual growth."
-St. Sollars the Twice-Martyred |
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Brother Ezra
Learned Scribe
USA
268 Posts |
Posted - 17 May 2004 : 18:27:51
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Upon searching Tavik’s quarters, the group located his personal journal. It consisted mostly of ravings and rants about the glory of the demon lord Orcus, and of the inherent weaknesses and inferiority of other gods. Tavik makes several references to his Most Unholy Lord’s “Glorious Appearance” as though it were some event that he would personally witness in the future. There were several items in the journal of interest to the party:
• Tavik was a soldier in Zhengyi’s army, under the command of Banak, high priest of Orcus. After their defeat at the Ford of Goliad last autumn, Tavik escaped with a group of about 100 orcs and 2 ogres. He struggled his way back to Castle Perilous in Vaasa just as the first snows of winter began to fall, only to find the stronghold of the Witch-King collapsed and destroyed. Tavik almost surrendered to despair at that moment, but during the night, Orcus visited him with a vision. He was instructed to lead his group of followers east to the plains of Narfell, where he would find and settle the ancient city of Mintas Rhelgor. Tavik would be the high priest of a new bastion of Orcus worship that would enslave the entire area and be the center of a vast and mighty empire.
• Filled with visions of power and glory, Tavik braved the winter and led his troops across the Galena Mountains and eastward through Soravia. The winter took its toll on his forces, but the majority survived the difficult journey across the icy mountains and snowy plains.
• Tavik stopped briefly in the Soravian town of Kinnery to consult with a local sage named Mundelraun. Apparently, Tavik had no idea of how to locate the ancient city, having never heard of it before. Mundelraun gave Tavik some history about the place (he did not go into detail in the journal) and Mundelraun also informed him that, although he personally did not know the location of the city, he did know of certain letters that gave detailed instructions on how to get there from Damara. It would seem that King Feldrin III of Damara sponsored an expedition to the city in DR 1313. The leader of the expedition sent several letters to the king, detailing their progress right up until their arrival at the city. No further letters were sent, and the expedition disappeared without a trace. Mundelraun explains that the letters were originally in the care of the royal palace in Heliogabalus, but were then transferred to the library of a renowned mage named Feriblan. Muldelraun also informed Tavik that the letters were borrowed by another mage named Eralion, who owned a keep near the village of Fairhill, and that the letters were never returned. If Tavik wished to find those letters, he would have to find Eralion’s keep. Detailed instructions on how to get to Fairhill were given to Tavik.
• Tavik’s forces arrived at the keep in late Ches and eliminated a small group of bandits that had been wintering there. Once the bandits were eradicated, the unit settled in to the keep, still some threescore strong with one ogre surviving. Tavik immediately began to search for the letters but could not locate them, nor could he find any trace of the wizard that once lived in the keep. The only place left to look was a trap door in the southwest tower, which would not open, even for the ogre. Tavik assumed that some magic prevented him from opening the door, but he could not dispel it.
• Tavik immediately began to schedule raids on farms near Fairhill. A great deal of good would be needed if the group was to travel into Narfell, and there was almost none left after the long winter trek. Tavik also believed that someone in the village had knowledge of how to open the trap door in the keep. He conceived of a plan to raid the village and steal an item of religious significance to the community. He would then bargain the return of the item in exchange for assistance in opening the trap door. Tavik was sire that the letters he sought were beneath that trap door.
• His last entry, dated only two days ago, notes the arrival of an unexpected visitor: a mage with an imp familiar and two half-orc bodyguards. Tavik almost slew them outright, but decided to find out the wizard’s business at the keep before killing him. The wizard, Vortigern by name, was in search of spell books owned by the original resident of the keep. Vortigern knew that the spell books were stored in an area of the keep that could only be accessed with a magical amulet. Tavik immediately recognized the amulet as the mechanism that would open the trap door, but prepared to kill the mage when he admitted that he did not possess the amulet. Vortigern pleaded for his life, claiming that he came to the keep to ambush the group of adventurers that possessed the amulet. They were weak, Vortigern claimed, and also naïve, and would easily be defeated by their combined forces.
• Tavik and Vortigern struck a deal that night. Tavik would assist Vortigern in ambushing Corian and her companions, and would gain the amulet, which would be used to open the trap door. Vortigern would be allowed to take the spell books he sought, but nothing else. In return, Tavik promised Vortigern that he would be left alive, and that once Tavik had obtained the letters he sought, he and his followers would leave the keep to Vortigern to do with as he pleased.
• Despite the fact that Tavik did not need to raid Fairhill to steal the Crucible of Chauntea, the last sentence in his journal indicated that the raid would proceed just because he relished the death and havoc it would cause.
Finally understanding the roles each of their enemies played in the scheme of things, there was only one thing left to do: Find Eralion’s spell books and leave.
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"Suffering is the touchstone of all spiritual growth."
-St. Sollars the Twice-Martyred |
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Brother Ezra
Learned Scribe
USA
268 Posts |
Posted - 17 May 2004 : 18:31:33
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The group rested one more day and began to explore the southwest tower. Beneath a soiled pile of furs and curtains the group located the trap door. The door pulled open easily, and opened into a chamber below, without any visible means of descent. Tying a rope to the handle on the tower door, the group lowered Kaelin down to get a better look. He observed a circular room filled with wrecked furniture and torn tapestries. In the center of the room was another trap door, this one inscribed with runes, one of which exactly matched the rune on Corian’s amulet. The trap door had been nailed shut with masonry nails, and the cracks had been filled with silver pieces. Remembering the rumors about vampires in this keep, Kaelin reluctantly waved the amulet over the trap door. Instantly, the nails flew out of the wood with a popping sound, and the silver pieces sprang out of the cracks and clinked to the stone floor nearby. The trap door had risen up enough to get a handhold on it, so the group once again lowered Kaelin in for a look at the level beneath.
Again, Kaelin observed a circular room, this one ringed with armored statues. A door was set in the eastern wall of the room. As Kaelin was reporting his findings, the “statues” sprang to life, revealing themselves to be zombies. Kaelin was quickly pulled up to the level below, and the zombies were eliminated by missile fire from above. After the undead creatures were defeated, the group descended and found Eralion’s bedroom behind the eastern door. The group located several tomes, including what appeared to be a treatise on demonology, as well as Eralion’s spell books. The group also found a partially ruined set of letters documenting an expedition to the ancient city of Mintas Rhelgor. Anxious to finish the exploration of the keep, the group found one more trap door in the center of the zombie chamber, and opened it as well, lowering Kaelin in once more.
Kaelin observed another circular chamber, this one with a set of six sarcophagi lining the wall. In the center of the room, resting on a large stone sarcophagus, lay the desiccated skeletal form of Eralion, still grasping his staff tightly in one hand. As Kaelin looked around at the details of the room, a barely audible voice whispered
“Feriblan?”:
Taking a daring chance, Kaelin responded “It is I.”
“Welcome, my friend.”
“Did you succeed in becoming a lich, my student?”
“No.”
“What happened?”
“Tricked.”
“Tricked? By whom?”
“Orcussssssss.”
“If you are not a lich, my friend, what are you?”
“Sssssomething….elssse.”
“Is there anything that I can do to help you?”
“Free me!”
“How do I do that?”
“Trap doorsss. Open them.”
Kaelin tugged desperately on the rope and the group hauled him back to the level above. As he was raised up on his lifeline, he heard a barely audible hiss, and an icy-cold touch passed over his brow, causing him to swoon and shiver with weakness.
Relating the conversation and events to the rest of the party, the group debated what the best course of action would be. After a great deal of debate, the group decided to seal the trap doors back up, and leave the cursed mage to whatever fate met him beneath his damned keep. They regained the ground level and packed their belongings to head back to Fairhill.
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"Suffering is the touchstone of all spiritual growth."
-St. Sollars the Twice-Martyred |
Edited by - Brother Ezra on 11 Jul 2004 20:53:31 |
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Sarelle
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
508 Posts |
Posted - 17 May 2004 : 20:10:25
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| Brother Ezra - your campaign seems really intriguing and fun. But you mentioned earlier that each post was a new session? It seems to me you've had about 4 sessions and 9 posts - or have I misunderstood? |
Chair of the The Rightful Return of Monster Deities to FR Society (RRMDFRS)
My character, drawn by Liodain: Sarelle / Sarelle (smaller) |
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Brother Ezra
Learned Scribe
USA
268 Posts |
Posted - 17 May 2004 : 21:07:38
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quote:
Originally posted by Sarelle
Brother Ezra - your campaign seems really intriguing and fun. But you mentioned earlier that each post was a new session? It seems to me you've had about 4 sessions and 9 posts - or have I misunderstood?
Well...I got a bit verbose in my last game summary, plus there was a lot of supplemental information that was handed out to the players (Tavik's journal, the Greymantle Letters, etc.) so I decided to break it up into three seperate posts. I know I sometimes get daunted by huge posts, so I decided to go easy on people's eyes and attention spans.
Everything from the defeat of the ogre until the encounter with Eraliion's spirit happened at this past Saturday's game.
And yes, it has been a great deal of fun. |
"Suffering is the touchstone of all spiritual growth."
-St. Sollars the Twice-Martyred |
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labcoatmunkey124
Acolyte
USA
42 Posts |
Posted - 18 May 2004 : 03:46:41
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Sorry people. I'll stop the boldness. And thank you Ezra for the elaboration on this wonderful topic. I'm still getting used to this site. 
Ezra, my E-mail is : snowmanskater@yahoo.com
Thank you
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Brother Ezra
Learned Scribe
USA
268 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jun 2004 : 16:42:51
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| Sorry that this thread's been quiet for a while. The campaign is still very active, but I got lazy with my scribe duties, so one of our players came to my rescue. The following chapter was written by Jaime McLeod, a.k.a. Fallon uth Pendemyr. |
"Suffering is the touchstone of all spiritual growth."
-St. Sollars the Twice-Martyred |
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Brother Ezra
Learned Scribe
USA
268 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jun 2004 : 16:45:40
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As the group made ready to leave Eralion’s Keep for good, Kaelin, still weakened by the shadow’s touch, approached the companions one by one. Apparently troubled by the torments endured by the undead wizard, Kaelin besought each of them to return with him, once he regained his strength, to “free” Eralion. All eventually agreed, though some required more persuading than others.
The road to Fairhill was mercifully clear of enemies, but the journey was arduous. Hiro bore Corian’s remains, while other party members carried heavy sacks of plunder from the keep, including the spellbooks the group had traveled so far to recover. For Kaelin, it was a struggle merely to carry himself back to Fairhill.
Nevertheless, the group arrived safely and, much to the pleasure of Shandril and Arlen, announced that the orcs in the keep had been soundly routed. Despite worries that the some of the orcs, after taking the party’s horses, may have set upon the village, there had been no sign of the beasts.
Lauriel took her leave of the group and reported back to Baran for duty. Refusing any payment for her aid, the lieutenant told the party, instead, to make a donation to the Temple of Chauntea. Lauriel’s report to her commander must have been positive, because shortly after their arrival, Baran found the group and offered an apology for his prior hasty judgment of them.
Everywhere they turned, the party received a hero’s welcome. Glarian offered them free room and board at the Cockatrice… Arlen even offered to throw a banquet in their honor—though they refused, thinking it inappropriate in light of Corian’s death and the destruction of the temple. After a brief detour to the blacksmith’s shop, Kaelin took to bed, while others offered their strength to the cause of rebuilding the temple. As they toiled, the group became acquainted with another stranger in town, a ranger a long way from home. Originally from the Moonshaes, Caeg had been passing through Fairhill and, seeing that a temple of his own patron goddess had been sacked, opted to stay and aid in its restoration. Caeg gushed profusely about the group’s heroism for defeating the band of orcs, and eventually asked to accompany them on any future adventures.
The group also ran into a figure from their past. Lannet, the friendly but enigmatic halfling, greeted them at the temple. He admitted he had, in fact, followed them to Erailion’s Keep, and that the small crossbow bolts that struck the ogre were his. Fallon took Lannett back to the inn so that Kaelin could question him. There, Lannet told the companions he had followed them because they were “interesting.” Kaelin gave the halfling five gold for his troubles, which actually seemed to offend the little fellow. Fallon hoped to smooth over the situation by getting Lannet hopelessly sauced at the pub, which did seem improve his mood.
Later that night, the party discussed not only the prospect of letting Caeg join them, but also their impetus for staying together at all. The mission for which they had been assembled had drawn to a tragic close for the one who brought them together. Nothing, it seemed, prevented them from going their separate ways. After much discussion, many members revealed their own motivations for desiring lives of adventure. Though few of their reasons were the same, none seemed to conflict, so it was decided that the group would remain together, at least for now. After all, they had defeated a cleric of Orcus, an ogre, an imp and an evil mage, not to mention dozens of orcs. Something was obviously working… Though he seemed rather green, not to mention overly-eager, Caeg would also be invited to travel with the group.
The following morning, Shandril performed funeral services for Corian. She also
cured Kaelin of some of his strength damage, and, though Kaelin was still weak, kept a promise to Ashe and cured Shadow of some of his constitution damage, using up all of her restoration spells until the following day. Seeing that Kaelin was still in no condition to travel, the party remained in Fairhill another day, and continued to work on the temple.
The day was relatively uneventful, though the group was faced with an interesting proposition. Arlen approached them and offered to allow them to take up residence in Eralion’s Keep. He posed the idea to them as a mutually beneficial arrangement—the party’s presence would deter the unending stream of bandits and monsters that had taken up residence in the keep since Eralion’s demise—but the group had their doubts. The structure of the keep had been so heavily compromised that it would undoubtedly take more than the relatively poor band of adventurers could afford to restore and maintain it. Berthold told Arlen the group would have to refuse his offer, at least for the time being.
On the party’s third day in town, Shandril was finally able to restore Kaelin to his former strength. Before leaving to finish the job at the keep, the group took a few moments to help Shandril destroy the Candle of Defiling Jonrek had carried away from Eralion’s desecrated chapel.
The road back to the keep was once again clear, and the group arrived, on foot, in a few short hours. Upon their arrival, they immediately set about cleansing the defiled chapel with holy water Shandril had given them. Once all of the bloody graffiti in tribute to Orcus had been wiped away, the companions wasted no time in climbing back down to Eralion’s self-imposed tomb. They used the magic amulet to gain entrance to the lower levels, and, finding the zombies they had killed earlier still very much dead (and not moving), pressed on into the lowest chamber.
After formulating a very clever plan for who would be lowered first into the tomb and which weapons would be blessed by Jonrek or imbued with Ashe’s shillelagh spell, the group opened the hatch and everything went to the Nine Hells…
The very shadow that had so weakened Kaelin burst through the opening and immediately began to attack the adventurers, who were squeezed very tightly in the small tower. Those closest to the shadow heard the faintest whisper escape its form as it swiped what looked to be a hand at Fallon, narrowly missing…
“Liar!” hissed the undead form that the group now knew to be Eralion. It had been the mage who touched Kaelin when the group last visited this room!
Those with magical weapons—Berthold, Fallon and Kaelin—attacked the shadow right away, while others were forced to find different strategies. Ashe heroically suffered an attack of opportunity, losing a measure of her strength, to cast shillelagh on Hiro’s club. The burly half-orc was then enabled to enter the fray. Jonrek tried unsuccessfully to turn the enraged shadow, while Caeg showered everyone, except Eralion, with a vial of holy water.
Eralion was eventually defeated, but only after weakening not only Ashe, but Berthold as well. The shadow disappeared with a loud “POP,” and a pair of very supple leather bracers fell to the floor. Berthold tucked the bracers in his belt and Hiro once again lowered Kaelin into the lower chamber to have a look around. Kaelin gave the group the “all clear”—only after propelling Eralion’s skeletal remains from atop his sarcophagus in a rather undignified fashion as he tried to wrest the mage’s staff from his death-grip. The group descended, one by one, to join him below.
After making absolute certain that none of the corpses contained in the six sarcophagi along the walls had been reanimated, the group proceeded to search the chamber. They were amazed to find that Eralion’s sarcophagus was filled with treasure—coins, jewelry, weapons and other strange items. Though most of the coins were copper, the group was able to pick out about 200 gold pieces, which they transferred to a sack. A detect magic spell by Jonrek revealed that many of the items, including the leather bracers were magical.
Before leaving Eralion’s Keep, the group took care of some unfinished business. They located the phylactery Eralion had used to store a piece of his flesh in preparation for his attempt at lichdom, and burned the accursed item. They then gathered up the mage’s skeleton—including an arm Kaelin had accidentally removed—and bore it to the surface for a proper burial. They resealed their magical vault with the amulet and once again returned to Fairhill for some well-needed rest.
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"Suffering is the touchstone of all spiritual growth."
-St. Sollars the Twice-Martyred |
Edited by - Brother Ezra on 11 Jul 2004 20:57:22 |
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Brother Ezra
Learned Scribe
USA
268 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jun 2004 : 21:24:37
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After the group had counted the coinage found in Eralion’s crypt and readied their gear, they departed for Fairhill on the morning of Tarsakh 24. Upon arrival, Fallon reminded the group about their commitment to donate some funds for the reconstruction of the temple. The group allocated 50 gold talers as a suitable donation. Shandril thanked the group for their generosity, but also informed them that an owlbear had been spotted last night near a farm to the south, and asked if the group would be willing to hunt and kill it. Although the party realized that the village of Fairhill was beginning to rely upon them a bit too much, they agreed to undertake the task, and then get out of Dodge as soon as possible.
Baran, the captain of the guard, allowed 5 of his militia to accompany the group on their hunt. After speaking with the farmer that had spotted the owlbear, the group tracked it in an easterly direction for about 4 hours. The owlbear attacked the party suddenly without warning, and after its first attack, three of the militiamen were gored and unconscious. Its first attack was its only one, however, as the group collectively scored a number of hits that brought the creature down in a matter of seconds. Jonrek saw to the healing of the injured soldiers, and Hiro extracted the beast’s beak to use as a helmet ornament. Fallon returned the sword Charyou Tree to the militiamen, and the group bid a not-so-fond farewell to the village of Fairhill.
Arriving in Steppenhall four days later, the group paused only to rest overnight, and then continued their journey. Their ultimate destination: Heliogabalus, former capital of Damara.
No untoward encounters hindered the group on their final leg, and passing through the village of Daleport, the group crossed the bridge over the Icelace River, and arrived in Heliogabalus late in the afternoon of the third day of Mirtul. Finding the lodging choices somewhat expensive, the group secured housing in a shabby section of town at an establishment called the White Horse Inn. After settling in, the party sought out the services of a commercial mage to appraise the value of the spellbooks found in Eralion’s keep. Finding a mage named Nesselbryll, they presented the spellbooks, but the mage recognized Feriblan’s mark on the cover, and refused to appraise them, thinking them stolen. The group then attempted to see Feriblan directly, but were told to make an appointment, which they did for the following evening. Afterward, the group split up: Kaelin, Berthold and Hiro headed for a tavern to gather information, Fallon and Ashe went to the City Gate to obtain peaceknots for their weaponry, and Jonrek and Caeg located a temple of Tyr, where Jonrek could be officially advanced in rank within the church.
The group slept overnight, and then made some preliminary exploration of the city the next day. That evening, they were to meet Feriblan at one of Heliogabalus’ most expensive eateries, The Bloodstone Inn. They were cautioned by several people that Feriblan always expects his hosts to pay for dinner. Feriblan arrived about 30 minutes late, and promptly ordered several bottles of wine. As soon as Feriblan recognized the spellbooks as his own, the negotiations began. Feriblan was only interested in one of the spellbooks; the spells contained in the other had all been recovered or re-written in the ensuing 25 years since the originals were lost. The second book, however, contained spells of his own creation, or of uncommon knowledge, and he was interested in recovering them.
Kaelin expected to use his negotiating skills to secure a good amount of money. He did not expect both Berthold and Ashe to join in on the negotiations. By the end of the evening, a price of 1700 gold talers had been agreed to. Kaelin controlled his rage until after Feriblan left, but afterwards exploded at the others, telling them that they had probably cost the group hundreds, if not thousands of talers because of their interference. Ashe was quite taken aback, but Berthold retorted that Kaelin didn’t bother to discuss any negotiation strategy before the meeting, and Berthold was just trying to look out for the group’s best interests. He stated that Kaelin had a lot of secrets, and that didn’t make him very trustworthy in the group’s eyes. Kaelin stormed out of the restaurant without further debate.
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"Suffering is the touchstone of all spiritual growth."
-St. Sollars the Twice-Martyred |
Edited by - Brother Ezra on 24 Jun 2004 03:00:40 |
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Brother Ezra
Learned Scribe
USA
268 Posts |
Posted - 24 Jun 2004 : 02:58:10
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The latest chapter of the Shards of Bloodstone campaign, penned by Jaime McLeod (Fallon uth Pendemyr):
After Kaelin stormed out of the restaurant, the others lost interest in their drinks and decided to head back to the inn.
The following day, they met Feriblan at a jeweler’s shop in town and agreed to accept payment in bloodstone rather than gems, rendering the jeweler’s services unnecessary. The group followed the eccentric wizard back to his castle, where he bid them to make themselves comfortable in his sitting room until his servants could ready the payment.
Some tense moments passed as Feriblan began to question the circumstances under which the party had found his books. A well-placed lie by Fallon appeared to satisfy the mage’s prying curiosity, though a seemingly innocent question as to whether the group encountered any wizards “floating around” Eralion’s Keep caused Hiro to spray a mouthful of very expensive wine all over Feriblan’s even more expensive rug.
At last, the crate of 100 bloodstone bars was ready and, after Berthold had counted each and every one, the adventurers took their leave of the wizard. Hiro hoisted the 200-pound box up over one shoulder and they all made their way to visit Nesselbryl, the commercial mage they had dealt with a few days prior, in order to have their magical items identified. Kaelin took his leave from the group during this time, to take care of some personal business.
Nesselbryl informed the group she would be able to cast only four identify spells that day. It was agreed that Berthold’s sword, Eralion’s bracers, Vortigern’s ring and Eralion’s staff would be first. Berthold also convinced Nesselbryl to take Feriblan’s other spellbook off of the group’s hands on consignment.
The following day, the group returned, this time with Kaelin, to identify their remaining items. Tavik’s mace was the first item to be identified. Before Nesselbryl even cast the identify spell she could tell it was an evil weapon belonging to a follower of Orcus—a fact, she said, that would certainly cause suspicion among the citizenry of Heliogabalus if a member of the group were ever seen wielding it. Once she identified the weapon, the group learned that the mace was enchanted to cause extra harm to paladins.
Nesselbryl also identified two vials of liquid. One was a potion of cure light wounds, and the other a longevity potion.
Back at the White Horse, the group divided up their items. Hiro got the bracers of armor and Fallon claimed the ring of protection. It was decided that the dust of disappearance and the potion of healing would be saved for such a time a time as they might come in handy. Kaelin, realizing that he was terribly outnumbered now that his companions were aware of the true nature of his mace, surrendered the weapon to be destroyed by clerics of Tyr. After the evil magic in the weapon was dispelled, Keeper of the Balance Pebble twisted it into a holy symbol of Tyr and presented it as a gift to Jonrek.
Kaelin sold the staff and the longevity potion for a very good price to Nesselbryl, who, it seemed, had taken quite a liking to the young “diplomat.” The two went to dinner the following evening and, though gentlemen tell no tales, it’s fair to say that Kaelin had an enjoyable evening. Hiro spent the night alone in the double room he and Kaelin usually shared.
With their newfound wealth burning holes in their belt pouches, the group began to re-outfit themselves with fresh weapons, armor and horses. They relaxed for some days while waiting for their new equipment to be forged and heard many rumors.
In particular, they learned that the Bloodstone Council, led by Gareth Dragonsbane, had met and made the several announcements:
1) They plan to build a monastery in the Bloodstone Village area, called the Monastery of the Golden Cup.
2) They also plan to build two massive gates at either end of Bloodstone Pass. These gates would each act as a fortress, effectively sealing Vaasa and Damara off from one another.
3) The Soravian Military had been commissioned to clear the remnants of Zhengyi's forces from the north.
The adventurers had little time to digest the meaning of these rumors. About a week after their arrival in Heliogabalus, Lily, the proprietress of the White Horse Inn, informed Berthold that a messenger had tracked him to the inn and wished to meet the fighter in a nearby tavern.
Berthold went to meet this unidentified messenger and was perplexed to find the disheveled figure of Theodoric Tonk, the son of the sheepherder he had briefly worked for in Stepenhall, drinking alone in a corner. Tonk had received a message for Berthold some weeks ago and was dismayed to learn that he had missed the party when they passed through Steppenhall at the end of Tarsakh. Without further explanation, the shepherd passed Berthold a scroll containing the following message:
Son,
It is very unlikely that this message will reach you, but I had to take whatever chances I could to try and rescue your mother and me. I got the opportunity to write this message on a coincadence of chanse circumstances. I’m sending it to Steppenhall since that was the last place we heard you had arrived. I pray to Tymora that she will be with the messenger and that this message finds you alive and free.
Your mother and I are held in slavery by the force of orcs, goblins and other creatures that have captured Hinterford. It has been almost half a year that we have been held captive, and the creatures that rule this town are becoming desparate. Most of the townfolk that live here have either fled or become enslaved. The human bandits that once commanded the creatures all fled after the witchking’s defeat, and they are now ruled by a goblin (I think) named Hoobis. He’s not like any other goblin in the enemy forces, tho, because he was wings like a bat. He is thorowly evil, and very strong. Most of the other orcs and goblins fear him, and even the ogres and trolls show him grudging respect.
Because there are no civilized folks left in town, no one was able to plow the fields during the planting season, and the flocks were killed and eaten without thought for the future. Now, the food supply has run dangerously low, and the creatures have begun to eat the slaves in order to not starve to death. They don’t seem to be above eating humans and half-orcs. There’s no one left with any power to stop the monsters from killing all the slaves. Myree, the priestess of Auril, was killed almost immediately, and Runnik, the retired army captain was just taken by the creatures last week. I fear that he isn’t alive any longer.
I don’t know if you’ve finished your training as a guard yet, but our time is running out. If there is anything you can do to help the people of this town, the time is now. Your mother is terrified and no longer speaks. She has a look in her eyes that suggests madness has overtaken her. I am powerless to help.
If you aren’t able to help us yourself, please let others know of our plight, and ask them to assist. Our time is running out.
Pa
Berthold distractedly tossed Tonk a few talers for his troubles and returned to his friends with a haunted but determined expression. After explaining the situation to the group, he informed them of his decision to save his parents at any cost, and assured them they had no obligation to follow. Everyone immediately offered to do what they could, though Kaelin expressed some reservations that Berthold would act rashly and endanger the group in an attempt to free not just his parents, but all the enslaved villagers in Hinterford.
Fallon offered to enlist the aid of Gwaeron’s Gallants, the rangers who had raised her, in the effort, but Berthold refused, insisting that the journey to Rawlinswood would take more time than he felt his parents could afford. Fallon, understanding his position, did not argue.
The group left first thing the following morning and rode hard for several days, stopping as little as possible and camping along the river to save time. During this time, they passed through the garrison town of Merkurn, where they were warned that the road ahead of them would be fraught with danger.
Still, they pressed on, northward through the plains of Soravia. On their fourth day of travel, just as the group rounded a large rock formation, Berthold—his mind miles away—was surprised by the sight of a humungous troll. The beast swiped viciously at the fighter, wounding him sorely. Berthold tried to fend off the giant creature, but was soon rendered unconscious when it set upon him once again with its massive claws and teeth. Shadow, heeding Ashe’s call, charged at the troll but was unable to land a solid bite on any of the brute’s hulking limbs.
After dismounting from his horse, Jonrek ran to Berthold and healed him of his wounds, only to watch in horror as the troll once again knocked the fighter senseless. By this time, both Fallon and Ashe had wheeled their horses around the line of companions and charged against the beast. Ashe—with a horrified Kaelin riding behind her and scrambling to dismount—chucked her shortspear into the troll’s leg. Fallon, frustrated at her inability to use her longbow from atop her warhorse, dismounted and fired an arrow into the monster’s shoulder.
Hiro rode into the tangle and grabbed the reins of Berthold’s mount, leading him away to safety, all the while cursing his companions’ idiocy for trying to fight a troll. Without Berthold to punish, the troll switched its attentions to Shadow, knocking the wolf unconscious at its feet. Ashe, enraged over her beloved companion, closed in the distance between herself and the troll. She reared her warhorse up, causing her mount’s deadly hooves pummel the creature, while she, herself, sliced at it with her scimitar.
By then, Kaelin had successfully removed himself from Ashe’s horse and was safely on the ground. He added an arrow of his own to the growing collection of weapons protruding from the troll’s body. Meanwhile, behind the troll, Caeg had leapt from his horse onto the nearby rock formation. He stealthily fired two arrows right through the beast’s throat, staggering but not quite killing it.
Once he was certain that Berthold was safe, at least for the time being, Hiro once again threw himself into the confusion of bodies and heaved his greataxe at the monster’s skull, taking it down once and for all.
While Jonrek attended to the healing of Berthold and Shadow, the rest of group saw to burning the troll’s corpse.
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"Suffering is the touchstone of all spiritual growth."
-St. Sollars the Twice-Martyred |
Edited by - Brother Ezra on 11 Jul 2004 20:42:01 |
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Brother Ezra
Learned Scribe
USA
268 Posts |
Posted - 01 Jul 2004 : 18:01:39
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After killing the troll, the group, decided to set up camp for the night. They did not wish to risk another encounter without the benefits of Jonrek’s healing spells, which had been used up following the difficult encounter.
Much of the night passed peacefully, but just before sunrise Ashe and Hiro’s watch was disturbed by the eerie howl of wolves. The druid and barbarian awoke their sleeping companions as a precaution, and, as the howling grew closer, the group formed a circle of defense. Within minutes, two dire wolves charged into the group’s ring of vision. Caeg, Fallon and Kaelin fired arrows at the beasts as soon as they were in sight, but the missile fire did nothing to slow the onslaught. Jonrek, wielding his longspear, was the next to attack, impaling, but not killing one of the creatures.
The other wolf clamped down on Hiro’s arm, tearing away a sizable chunk of flesh. The wound only served to anger the massive half-orc, however, who, in turn, swung into the beast with his greataxe. The two rangers and the “diplomat” switched to their melee weapons and the party quickly defeated the dire wolves with mostly minimal injuries to themselves.
Hiro removed the beasts’ canine teeth as a trophy before Fallon and Caeg dragged the carcasses into the bushes and blessed the animals’ eternal spirits.
The following day, the group came within sight of the great glacier and knew they were close to their destination. The day’s ride was unmarred by enemies, though the adventurers did encounter a refugee from Thimble, the central town in the cluster of towns where Hinterford lay. Bozomus had escaped from bondage to a band of monstrous creatures leftover from Zhengyi’s reign and was prepared to surrender to the party until he discovered they were not aligned with his captors. He attempted to dissuade the group from their course, assuring them that their chosen path led only to death. Berthold, however, was unmoved, thinking only of his parents’ safety. The others, bound to his will by both friendship and honor, also refused to abandon their quest. The companions sent the stranger off—pointing him in the direction of the nearest town and providing him with seven days’ rations and a dagger—and were on their way.
That night, the group’s rest was again disturbed by howls, though, this time, Ashe could say with certainty that those producing the noise were no natural animals. The party made ready for another attack, but were no less surprised when a massive creature that looked like a wolf with a snow-white coat burst into view and enveloped Jonrek in a blast of freezing vapor. The cleric, already suffering from the effects of the magical attack, crumpled into a frozen heap when the beast followed up with a vicious bite.
Shadow threw himself at the dangerous creature, and the two animals—black wolf and white wolf—locked into a fierce struggle of snarling and snapping. Her wolf’s violent attack against the creature distracted it from the rest of the group, allowing Ashe to run to Jonrek’s side and pull the group’s potion of healing from the cleric’s pack. She poured the warm liquid down her wounded friend’s throat and knew instantly that, though he remained unconscious, Jonrek no longer teetered on the brink of death.
Realizing there was nothing more she could do for the wounded half-elf, Ashe joined Shadow in his battle against the much larger foe. On the other side of the camp, Hiro laid his axe into the other beast. Fallon placed herself opposite the half-orc, hoping to flank the creature, but her assistance proved unnecessary. Hiro, now in the throes of intense rage, took the beast out with his next swing.
By this time, nearly everyone else had joined in the effort against the other winter wolf. Only Kaelin and Caeg remained outside of the circle, bows drawn. Fallon ran to her companions’ sides, with Hiro close behind her. As soon as she reached the heated—or, more accurately, frigid, as the creature had loosed its wicked breath weapon again—conflict, an arrow whizzed by her head, barely missing her. She looked up, expecting to see another enemy, but was greeted only by the sight of a rather sheepish looking Caeg. Kaelin, realizing he would need an intervention from the gods to successfully shoot the winter wolf through the ever-growing tangle of friendly bodies, cautiously drew his rapier and closed in on the beast. He was nearly bowled over when Hiro, just a few steps behind Fallon, charged into combat, finishing this winter wolf off as succinctly as its cohort.
Both Shadow and Berthold had taken serious wounds in the conflict, and, with Jonrek still unconscious, the remaining party members did their best to bind up their wounds before settling in for some rest.
The following morning, Jonrek regained consciousness and spent some time in prayer before healing himself and some of his companions. Though Berthold was anxious to reach Hinterford, he grudgingly suggested the group rest another day before continuing their journey. The road had indeed proven dangerous, and no one wished to face more enemies until everyone’s strength was renewed.
Shortly after daybreak, however, their rest was disturbed by a hail of arrows from across a nearby stream. One of the arrows lodged right into Kaelin’s gut, immediately toppling the wiry rogue. Caeg and Jonrek ran to his side, while Berthold and Fallon leapt on their horses and raced across the stream toward the unseen enemies. Hiro unslung his axe and ran at the attackers, nearly keeping pace with his allies’ horses.
Having used up all of his spells for the day, Jonrek was forced to try and stabilize Kaelin through more traditional methods. The gravity of the wound made the task extremely difficult, even with Caeg assisting. After several failed attempts to help their injured friend, Jonrek released Caeg to enter the battle. The cleric needed space to work. Caeg mounted up and rode off.
More than a hundred feet away from the thunderous hooves of Caeg’s horse, a fierce battle was already underway. Berthold’s mount had crashed through the bushes the ambushing party had been using for cover, and the fighter easily felled one of the attackers, an orc. Before Berthold could spur his mount deeper into the brush, however, he was approached by a second orc, tougher and better armed than the first. Though the orc was unable to penetrate Berthold’s sold defenses, the fighter had similar difficulties dispatching this second enemy.
Near him, Fallon was surrounded on all sides by attacking orcs. The orcs had little luck striking at the ranger, however, as her horse fiercely bucked and kicked, landing solid hoof-blows on many of the brutes. Hiro soon caught up with his companions and began slashing away at everything that moved. The barbarian was thrown into another fit of rage when a burst of light flew out from behind a nearby bush and bore painfully into his flesh. The hulking barbarian effortlessly crushed two orcs on his way to dispatch the magic-user.
Ashe and Shadow arrived shortly after and joined Berthold’s efforts to defeat the orc captain. Though the enemy proved himself tough and resourceful, he was no match for the triple-threat he faced. The orc captain met his final defeat at the end of a Caeg’s sword, shortly after the ranger caught up with his comapnions. The orc sorcerer was able to fire off one more attack, a daze spell aimed at Fallon, before Hiro’s axe brought his spellcasting to an end. The final orc, seeing that the tide of the battle had turned against him, attempted to flee, but was overrun by Berthold, who swiftly cut him down.
After searching the orcs for any valuables, the party decided it prudent to move camp. They packed up their belongings, secured the still unconscious Kaelin to Ashe’s horse and set out.
Written by Jaime McLeod, a.k.a. Fallon uth Pendemyr |
"Suffering is the touchstone of all spiritual growth."
-St. Sollars the Twice-Martyred |
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Vexxan
Acolyte
USA
18 Posts |
Posted - 10 Jul 2004 : 07:54:28
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A very good read and yes I read it all.
I'm looking forward to hearing more about this band of adventurers.
I have two questions, Ezra:
How exactly did Kaelin suffer the weakening effects of Eralion's touch? It was not mentioned until they were back in Fairhill. Did Eralion reach out for Kaelin as he was hauled out of the chamber?
Have these characters made any level progression yet? If so, what level are they now? |
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Shards of Bloodstone
