| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
Drakul
Senior Scribe
USA
367 Posts |
 Posted - 05 Mar 2006 : 14:34:57
|
Vendui' everyone. I play a Wild Elf Fighter named Yjoshua in this campaign that I do every Tuesday. Here are the first 2 sessions:
Sly Len, Davy the Trubadour and Yjoshua the Wild Elf Warrior had travelled as Caravan Guards all the way from Amn to Daggerdale. They had seen the world, drunk, wenched and sung. At last they had some time of their own and they lodged at "The Backstabbing Bitch", a local inn. Len didn't waste a moment, he leased the best room and the best wench in town. Yjoshua bought a bottle of the best elven wine money could buy.
It was just after nightfall and the shutters had been drawn before the windows. Suddenly they could hear a racket, like somebody was rattling the shutters. They ran out together with a couple of local heroes, Malark the Just and Gimli, the dwarven paladin. They found an owl with a piece of red cloth in one claw and a ring marking around the other claw. The cloth bore the initiales "M.R.". Malark claimed it was the mark of a chaotic magician "Magnus the Red" (or "bloody" as his numerous enemies called him). A couple of watchmen told them the owl belonged to the druid Ragaran whom was supposed to live in the wood 3 miles to the southwest.
"Forest of inevitable Death?? Sounds like a nice place" was the inevitable conclusion of Gimli and they ran of to investigate. Even though none of them were locals they found the place quickly as the owl seemed to lead them to the place. As the came nearer the sacred grove they could hear goblins chopping down an oak. The goblins were given no quarter and were expertly massacred.
Closer to the center of the grove they could see a hut and 9 goblins in front of it barbequeing a stag over a fire. The hut was constructed out of a wooden frame covered with skins and canvas. At first Gimli wanted to sneak around in his chain mail. Len explained in harsh and loud words how stupid an idea that would be and preceeded to sneak around himself to the left in order to find the magician he was convinced to be there and lure him away so they could massacre the goblins without arcane interference. Then Yjoshua decided to sneak around to the right. When they were sneaking around the goblins decided to investigate the noise Len had made when he convinced Gimli to stay still. The goblins almost got to execute a perfect ambush and while 4 of them were killed they took out the three heroes. Gimli managed to survive, unconscious, but his bleeding wounds staunched themselves. Malark the Just just became Malark the dead and the same fate became Davy's lot in life.
In the mean time Yjoshua and Len completed their manoeuvre. Yjosuha heard the combat the others were engaged in and saw only the one goblin who was guarding the barbeque. He decided to liberate the fire and tried to sneak up on the goblin, the goblin turned in time however and called for help. Two more goblins burst out of the hut in order to help him. Len came to the backside of the hut and could see the shadow of a man with his arm stretched out. He stabbed him through the canvas wall and killed him instantly, skewering his heart from behind. Two goblins tried to investigate and were quickly dispatched. Len discovered that he hadn't killed a magician, he had killed the druid they were supposed to rescue. He had been tied up by the goblins which had been torturing him. Len covered up his mistake by thrusting a goblinsword through Ragaran's heart from the front before he helped Yjoshua dispatching his opponent. Then they ran away, leading the goblins on a merry chase before doubling back and rescuing Gimli. Back at the village they were given a reward of 26 gold pieces for killing 13 goblins.
|
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDonLNKf6_KA9Qlal3Qu3zQ?view_as=subscriber |
|
|
Drakul
Senior Scribe
USA
367 Posts |
Posted - 05 Mar 2006 : 14:37:03
|
Devastated by the loss of their beloved druid, the people of Daggerdale collected 487 gold pieces (gp) as a reward to anyone who could reclaim the body of their fallen druid. The survivors of last nights massacre recruited another dwarf, this one a barbarian, and a human monk to help in their endeavour. This time they started out in broad daylight.
In the sacred grove they could find tracks leading to the southwest, deeper into the forest. The tracks looked like someone had dragged a body along. 7 miles later they could spot the goblins in the ruins of an old temple to Lathander. To the east a tower was still standing and they knew there were some gnolls in it.
Len was able to convince the rest of the group to let him go forth and buy back the corpse of the druid. He was, and after some hard bargaining and information gathering he bought the body for 75 gp to be paid two days later to their hobgoblin leader, minus the hearth which Magnus the Red was supposed to use in some unspecified ritual at "Twin Peaks" in the foothills to the west. The party went back towards town, but were ambushed by 3 ghouls at the site of last night's massacre. After killing the ghouls they were able to collect their reward and the bounty on the ghouls.
After taking a day off they went back to the temple and Len paid his debt to the hobgoblin leader. Then Len tried to strike a bargain with him. They were supposed to cooperate in cleansing the cellar of the temple for skeletons. Len managed to convince his friends of the soundness of his plan and they went back after warning the goblins and hobgoblins of the dwarves amongst them.
The greenskins had set an ambush and attacked the dwarves, and as the others helped the dwarves they were attacked as well. The hobgoblin leader turned out to be a cleric of Bane and with his divine spellcasting it looked bad for the party. But they killed most of goblins and hobgoblins present and ran away without their barbarian.
The heroes came back to town and 6 hours later the barbarian appeared. He was angry, but his rage was soon quelled with beer. Two days later they set out again, and this time the local gnomen cleric of Ilmater decided to join them. Back at the temple they found it deserted except for the three gnolls which had barricaded themselves in the tower. When the party started to try to force their way in the gnolls started to communicate with them. They told them that they had laid an ambush for the rest of the hobgoblins and forced them to flee. They produced a ladder the heroes could use to get into the catacombs beneath the temple. The heroes decided to let the gnolls keep their lives and went underground and killed all the undead, which wasn't a big deal, considering that they had brought a cleric of Ilmater along. They found some treasure:
A holy symbol of Lathander, worth appr. 25GP
124 GP
A set of silverware for use in holy rituals worth appr. 200 GP
A sundisk of gold, worth app. 500GP
A suit of leather armour
A mace, designed to look like a starburst or sun
A shield, designed to look like a rising sun, golden
A sling
A ring
A pair of boots |
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDonLNKf6_KA9Qlal3Qu3zQ?view_as=subscriber |
 |
|
|
Drakul
Senior Scribe
USA
367 Posts |
Posted - 15 Mar 2006 : 14:58:52
|
When they returned to the surface the gnolls had left without any explanation.
The next day Len got up early and looked out from the top of the tower. He could see some movement in the forest and warned his friends. It was one of the gnolls which returned. It had been hit in the back by an arrow and it told them that 20 goblins were coming. The heroes decided to wait and see what happened and healed the grateful gnoll. Then they discovered a rogue spying on them. Len convinced him become his henchman for 1 silver each day. Everybody holed up in the first floor of the tower.
During the night the goblins tried to enter the tower through the cellars. Jenkins tried to backstab Gimli at his watch but were no more succesful than the goblins. He was thrown of the first floor onto the goblins. They all left. The following morning the goblins and Jenkins were all gone. The heroes decided that they had successfully cleansed the Lathandertemple and defended it and went back to town and left the gnoll Uglum without a further thought.
Back in town they were given two potions of cure light wounds each as payment. They decided to form an adventuring group and styled themselves "Piecemakers". As an official group they could now claim bounties for villains, people like Magnus the Red. They heard rumours of a caravan going north which had been attacked by a band of brigands called the Kendall Brotherhood, an attack which had been repulsed. The caravan needed to hire guards and had sent an agent to hire any available talent and send them south, the Piecemakers were not interested. Len was contacted by a rogue claiming to be of said group and which admitted to being Jenkins contact in Daggerdale. Len pumped him for information, but he never learned why he was contacted in the first place.
The Piecemakers set out for Twin Peaks. On their way to Twin Peaks they found tracks of a goblin army moving from Twin Peaks to intercept the caravan as well as attacking a small supply patrol with first aid equipment and artificial limb.
Twin Peaks was a goblin town built between two hills which were devoid of any large vegetation. The town was built of timber, except for a stone tower in the center. It would soon be the full moon and the Piecemakers were worried about lycantropes. Len sneaked close to the town and set fires several places along their wooden palisade. When those fired had done their job he waited for the change of watch and set fire to the barracks housing the goblins not standing watch, killing everybody in the blaze. Then the rest of the Piecemakers attacked and killed or routed the rest of the goblin watchforce - the rest of the inhabitants had left to rob the caravan leaving only a token, and now mostly dead, watchforce.
They entered the tower and went straight to the top. There they burst into a chamber with Magnus the Red performing some ritual - they killed him before he realized what was happening and took his head. Among other loot they also found a ring of Wizardry which warped the wearers mind. In the dungeon beneath the tower they found Jenkins, chained and helpless. Gimli immediately dispatched him, cleaving his head in twain all the way to the breastbone, losing his paladinhood in the process. Then the tower was picked for easily carried valuables.
They went back to Daggerdale. As Twin Peaks was outside of any jurisdiction they were entitled to sell the liberated goods, which they did, never mind whomever would believe they had a stake in the stuff. Then they partied for most of the 10000 gold they had emancipated, giving the local economy a sorely needed boost. Because the caravan which had been attacked by the goblins had ceased to exist. |
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDonLNKf6_KA9Qlal3Qu3zQ?view_as=subscriber |
|
|
|
Drakul
Senior Scribe
USA
367 Posts |
Posted - 15 Mar 2006 : 15:00:01
|
Two days after returning from Twin Peaks the Piecemakers woke up after a real hard party. Waiting for them was a representative of the Monastery of Moradin close to Tilverton. He told them that they expected the presence of Gimli and any witnesses to his recent actions for a board of inquiry. They were joined by a Drow called Shyntmur.
On their way to Tilverton they found the rest of the caravan - Shyntmur had already seen the remains when they were much fresher. The same night someone was spying on them. Len went out to counterspy and came back with a prisoner. He threatened to torture him, but this didn't scare him, he had been tortured to death before, rescued by his friends and ressurected, so this was nothing new. After a while they learned that he was a Harper looking for clues to what had attacked the caravan. The Piecemakers told him that it probably was goblins from Twin Peaks. They freed him and he told them that he and his three friends would go there and sort things out.
When they came to the Monastery close to Tilverton they went before the board of inquiry headed by archbishop Gandur. He judged that it was probably that Jenkins had been sentenced by Magnus the Red back in Twin Peaks, but to decide this they needed the Piecemakers to go up there, recover his body so it could be raised and Jenkins could be given a fair trial and then beheaded for backstabbing Gimli and almost certainly a host of other crimes.
On their way to Twin Peaks they were now following the trail of a goblin army and 4 Harpers. They came upon a place were 100 goblins had been surprised and killed by the Harpers. They could here some shoveling close by. It happened to be a goblin undertaker digging a mass grave to prevent attracting ghouls. When the others had left Shyntmur killed him.
At Twin Peaks Len covered the last mile alone. He were escorted to the new leader of the goblins - Kanski, cleric of Bane. Len learned that the goblins here had killed the Harpers in some unspecified way and made them into zombie workers, along with Jenkins and Magnus the Red. Jenkins had a leather thong around his head to keep it together, but the zombie of Magnus was even more unstable than the rest - having no head it needed a goblin minder to shove it in the right direction. Len bought the body of Jenkins for 75 gold pieces and got a wheel barrow for 2 more gold. He then went back to the rest of the Piecemakers which complained that they didn't get to kill any goblins and forced Len to transport the body all the way home.
On their way back they were ambushed by ghouls at the place were Shyntmur had killed the goblin undertaker. It was a close call, but they survived. Back in Tilverton Shyntmur sent a message to his drow friends asking for assistance against the goblins in Twin Peaks. |
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDonLNKf6_KA9Qlal3Qu3zQ?view_as=subscriber |
|
|
|
Drakul
Senior Scribe
USA
367 Posts |
Posted - 15 Mar 2006 : 15:02:07
|
Outside of Twin Peaks they split up: Shyntmur started stalking in the woods, the dwarves made camp and the humans rode into Twin Peaks. The goblins were in good mood, this was the night of the full moon and they were to celebrate their leader, Kanski's promotion into a priest of Bane. Unfortunately, Kanski had sold the bodies of the Harpers to Shryl, which had disintegrated them soon afterwards, so Len and Davy had to leave emptyhanded.
In the meantime Shyntmur had found the Drow army, with his friends Dantrag and Zaknafein. The drow had captured the dwarves which were set free post haste so they wouldn't even know what had happened. When darkness fell the drow surrounded the celebrating town, attacked and killed everyone. Shyntmur made especially sure Kanski was dead and dismembered and eviscerated him, looking for any hidden loot. A group of zombies was made and given orders to make a big pyre for the bodies. The dark elves then left. Shyntmur hang back, waiting for the zombies to finish their job so he could take the gems in their mouths which powered the dark magic giving them a semblance of life. A rogue went into the town, ran to the pile of bodies and wood and started stuffing something bloody into a bag. Shyntmur shot him in the back and the rogue ran away. A zombie with a torch was moving into town towards the pile of wood and bodies. Shyntmur stopped it, piled the zombies on the pile and set fire to the pyre himself. Theh he went back to his friends.
Back in Tilverton Shyntmur collected the reward for killing 500 goblins. The Piecemakers were given a new assignment: Traveling into the Anauroch and recovering the Axe of Nad from the ruins of Orytmul. Nad was the first paladin of Moradin and his dwarven waraxe was an important artifact for the church of Moradin. They had to recover it before the Zhentarim sent an adventuring party to the ruins and stole it first.
Inside Anauroch they met a caravan which had lost 70% of it's numbers during the trip. Close to the ruins of Orytmul 10 slaves had escaped with some supplies. They still had much more supplies than they needed, and after producing a letter of recommendation from Karsten Len was able to lighten their load. He also told them that he was going to take care of the ruins and that the Zhentarim didn't have to send anyone else to do so.
Orytmul had been a caravanserai, a town were caravans stopped. But now it lay on a hill a few miles north of the main route - the tower in the center of town could be seen from that distance. As the heroes closed they could see movement in the tower. Before they came into town Len sneaked in by himself and managed to get in touch with their leader, a bard named Harry the Harper. Harry told him about his little anti-zhentarim force and how he often used his harp during ambushes to inspire competence in his followers when sneaking up on the enemy. For some reason it worked best when he was far from them.
The Piecemakers gained the trust of the Harpers and their newly freed slaves. They used them as base camp and the next day they went into the dungeons beneath the tower. They went down a broad spiral staircase and came to an antechamber. Len detected a pit trap in the middle of the chamber. There were 4 normal doors and a big door with the symbol of Moradin on. They opened the big door and looked into a churchroom with 64 skeletons and a wight clad in the vestments of Bane. During the fight the Wight managed to wake up another 120 skeletons from adjoining rooms and the Piecemakers retreated to the staircase. They defended it valiantly until Carmelia, the priest of Ilamter shoved up and turned the undeads Gimli hadn't turned or which hadn't been cut to pieces in melee. Next time - deeper into the dungeon. |
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDonLNKf6_KA9Qlal3Qu3zQ?view_as=subscriber |
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
Piece Makers Campaign Journal
