After journeying for several days, Alera, Baba Zephyr, Direli, Finley, and Durgan return home to Nevermore. The group had hoped to rest after their long journey, but with the terrible news that Jennu had not yet returned from his investigations of Oman's shipyard, paired with the terrible visions of pain and torture Therrah was having, the group had no choice but to go after Nevermore's guardian Dragon.
They felt they stood the best chance of infiltrating the base if they disguised themselves as members of Oman's forces, and used the egg the Dread Lord had been searching for as a way of getting inside. They would also make Durgan appear to be a captured prisoner, to help strengthen their ruse.
After sailing for a day, it was time to put their plan into action. Their ship The Elder Break was disguised well, and fooled the harbour masters, but once they saw the red dragons flying overhead, they knew there would be no turning back. One of the guards led them up into the keep, which was inside a large cavern, with thin walkways between rooms, and a long fall with a watery grave. Not wanting to risk being stuck in a torture chamber, Durgan took his chances by breaking free of his makeshift ties, and leapt down the cliff into the waters below.
Concerned about their cover being broken, the group was forced to ignore Durgan's stunt, and press on. They found an opportunity soon after to get away from the guard, and they took it. They dispatched him quickly, and then continued to bluff their way through the keep.
They eventually came to a large room with a glowing blue light emanating from its centre and rising up through a hole in the ceiling. Jennu was trapped within the magical prison, that was being powered by a strange stone, controlled by a fiery humanoid known as an Azer. The group battled to free him, and were successful, but Jennu was in no condition to fly. He instructed the group to destroy the stone, which would cause the whole island to sink back beneath the waves.
They did as he asked, and the entire island began to quake. Knowing they only had a short window of opportunity to learn anything they could about Oman's plans, they agreed a quick search of the keep was a good idea. This decision would prove costly though. Their investigation led them face to face with Dread Lord Oman himself.
He had Durgan bound by rope, and demanded they hand over the egg, or it would cost Durgan his life. But Finley Clearwater would not suffer Oman's negotiations, and with a carefully thrown dagger, he severed the rope that held Durgan prisoner.
Jennu, now in his human form, told them this was not a fight they could win, and urged the group to flee. Durgan and Finley were not the type of heroes to run from a fight, no matter how grave it may seem, and the group leapt into battle. They soon realized the truth of Jennu's pleas and decided they had no choice but to escape, but Finley and Durgan refused to retreat.
Jennu was able to escape with Alera, Direli and Baba Zephyr, but only because Finley and Durgan were buying them time.
Durgan was the first to fall to Oman's blade, and while Finley in all his rage was a force to be reckoned with, the Dread Lord's power proved to be too much for the brave Halfling, and Finley Clearwater of Nevermore was slain.
To Be Continued...
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Wednesday 9 October 2013
Tuesday 8 October 2013
AI - Chapter Six - The Centaurs of Feyfoot
Tasked with bringing news of the Lizardfolk's call for peace to the Centaurs, our heroes make their way to their home in Euratheon. Upon arrival they are greeted by their leader Barellion Aguastas, and his advisor known as Pharan.
Barellion is relieved to hear that peace is desired, and sends out scouts to inform his troops to pull back. He also agrees to the terms that Farelok put forward. The war is ending, and since the party has proven themselves capable, Barellion asks them for their aid. His son, Chiron has been investigating the disappearance of centaur wizards and sorcerers, and asks them for help. They accept, much to the chagrin of Pharan, who believes it was simply packs of Gnolls that are behind it. Barellion isn't convinced however, and sends the party away.
The group meets up with Chiron, who informs them of a Human Sorcerer that has been hanging around their city right around the time the disappearances began. He hasn't told anyone yet, because he's concerned Pharan is involved. He has spied the two meeting on several occasions, and now Chiron believes Pharan has hidden the human away, concerned that the leader's son was getting too close to figuring it out.
He asks them to accompany him out into the wilderness, where he has just returned from. He learned that Pharan sent the human away to hide until they could make their next move, and that the human has since been taken in by Gnolls, strange half-hyena humanoids that live out in the woods.
The group comes upon the encampment, and after a brief battle they find the human, with a crow perched upon his shoulder. To their horror, they discover that the human has no tongue and uses the crow on his shoulder to speak for him. When they interrogate him, they learn that he had been forced to work for Oman. The wizards and sorcerers were gone by now, and Oman has them. He also tells them about the mysterious island, and that Oman has turned it into a shipyard. Many of Oman's forces are there, but that a large amount of his army has been sent North to further his campaign of terror.
Pharan is also in the employ of Oman, but has ambitions of his own. When the centaur had sent him out into the woods, he used magic to attempt to break free of Oman's oath. While he no longer felt compelled to do his bidding, it cost him his tongue.
The group runs back into town to stop Pharan, only to realize that much of the area is now dark and deserted. When they reach Barellion's citadel, they find large Undead Centaur, and Pharan, who appears to be using strange black magical pillars for power, and Barellion who now lies unconscious at his feet.
After an arduous battle, the group rescues Barellion and slays Pharan. The other centaur are released from a prison Pharan had magically created. Barellion rewards them for saving their city, and with all their affairs in order, the group is ready to head home.
They are eager to hear what Jennu has learned while investigating the strange island.
To Be Continued....
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Barellion is relieved to hear that peace is desired, and sends out scouts to inform his troops to pull back. He also agrees to the terms that Farelok put forward. The war is ending, and since the party has proven themselves capable, Barellion asks them for their aid. His son, Chiron has been investigating the disappearance of centaur wizards and sorcerers, and asks them for help. They accept, much to the chagrin of Pharan, who believes it was simply packs of Gnolls that are behind it. Barellion isn't convinced however, and sends the party away.
The group meets up with Chiron, who informs them of a Human Sorcerer that has been hanging around their city right around the time the disappearances began. He hasn't told anyone yet, because he's concerned Pharan is involved. He has spied the two meeting on several occasions, and now Chiron believes Pharan has hidden the human away, concerned that the leader's son was getting too close to figuring it out.
He asks them to accompany him out into the wilderness, where he has just returned from. He learned that Pharan sent the human away to hide until they could make their next move, and that the human has since been taken in by Gnolls, strange half-hyena humanoids that live out in the woods.
The group comes upon the encampment, and after a brief battle they find the human, with a crow perched upon his shoulder. To their horror, they discover that the human has no tongue and uses the crow on his shoulder to speak for him. When they interrogate him, they learn that he had been forced to work for Oman. The wizards and sorcerers were gone by now, and Oman has them. He also tells them about the mysterious island, and that Oman has turned it into a shipyard. Many of Oman's forces are there, but that a large amount of his army has been sent North to further his campaign of terror.
Pharan is also in the employ of Oman, but has ambitions of his own. When the centaur had sent him out into the woods, he used magic to attempt to break free of Oman's oath. While he no longer felt compelled to do his bidding, it cost him his tongue.
The group runs back into town to stop Pharan, only to realize that much of the area is now dark and deserted. When they reach Barellion's citadel, they find large Undead Centaur, and Pharan, who appears to be using strange black magical pillars for power, and Barellion who now lies unconscious at his feet.
After an arduous battle, the group rescues Barellion and slays Pharan. The other centaur are released from a prison Pharan had magically created. Barellion rewards them for saving their city, and with all their affairs in order, the group is ready to head home.
They are eager to hear what Jennu has learned while investigating the strange island.
To Be Continued....
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Tuesday 24 September 2013
AI - Chapter Five - Diplomats
When the party meets with Therrah, he's just finishing up a meeting with two Centaur emissaries from the southern territories of the island. They came bearing news that they were now in open war with a tribe of Lizardfolk that had begun encroaching on their lands. They are asking for military support from Nevermore, hoping to end the war by forcing their enemy to fight battles on two fronts.
Not wanting to commit Nevermore's forces to a war while Oman remains a threat, Therrah asks the party to go on a diplomatic mission to meet with the Lizard's leader, "Ashkoort, Son of Lightning", in hopes that they will learn why the Lizardfolk have come to Feyfoot Isle, and see if there is any way that peace can be reached between the two factions.
They also inform Jennu and Therrah about the mysterious island that does not appear on any normal sea charts, and ask if Jennu is willing to investigate the island while they leave on their mission. Jennu agrees, and then quickly flies off.
The party leaves the following morning and travels south. After nearly a day's travel, they are ambushed by a scouting party led by a Fighter named Farelok, and are quickly surrounded. Farelok asks them to come peacefully to meet with their tribe.
They are brought before Ashkoort, and they quickly learn that he is a powerful being known as a Half-Dragon. They also learn, that he has been driven mad with desperation, and all attempts at reasoning with him prove futile. He asks the group to speak with a Centaur they've captured, and have him deliver his terms to the leader of the Centaurs.
The party deems his terms to be insane, and luckily for them, that is an opinion that Farelok agrees with. He does not like this war, and believes the cost is too high for it to continue. The party reluctantly agrees to meet with this prisoner first however, and Farelok comes with them.
Along the way, their new friend informs them of the reason they have begun to settle on Feyfoot. Pirates attacked their island in great force, with the aid of Red Dragons. They have become refugees, and have since been forced to flee. Ashkoort, a once noble and benevolent creature, has had to watch many of his people die, and as a result, he became twisted.
Durgan suggests staging a coup and removing Ashkoort from power, which the centaur prisoner believes to be the best idea. Farelok is reluctant at first, but is convinced by the group that replacing him with a far more level-headed leader is the strongest option to end the war. Farelok agrees to the plan, and will have to prove his strength to his clansmen in order to become Ashkoort's successor.
The group attempts one final act of diplomacy with Ashkoort, but when they fail miserably to make him see reason, they attack. He is a fearsome enemy, but with their combined strength, they are able to bring him down. Farelok guarded the entrance to the main tent during the battle, and fought off anyone trying to aid them.
Their plan works perfectly, and Farelok assumes leadership of the Emerald Scale Tribe. He then immediately signals the end of the war with the Centaurs, and asks the party to bring this news to Barellion Aguastas, leader of the Feyfoot Centaurs.
To Be Continued....
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Not wanting to commit Nevermore's forces to a war while Oman remains a threat, Therrah asks the party to go on a diplomatic mission to meet with the Lizard's leader, "Ashkoort, Son of Lightning", in hopes that they will learn why the Lizardfolk have come to Feyfoot Isle, and see if there is any way that peace can be reached between the two factions.
They also inform Jennu and Therrah about the mysterious island that does not appear on any normal sea charts, and ask if Jennu is willing to investigate the island while they leave on their mission. Jennu agrees, and then quickly flies off.
The party leaves the following morning and travels south. After nearly a day's travel, they are ambushed by a scouting party led by a Fighter named Farelok, and are quickly surrounded. Farelok asks them to come peacefully to meet with their tribe.
They are brought before Ashkoort, and they quickly learn that he is a powerful being known as a Half-Dragon. They also learn, that he has been driven mad with desperation, and all attempts at reasoning with him prove futile. He asks the group to speak with a Centaur they've captured, and have him deliver his terms to the leader of the Centaurs.
The party deems his terms to be insane, and luckily for them, that is an opinion that Farelok agrees with. He does not like this war, and believes the cost is too high for it to continue. The party reluctantly agrees to meet with this prisoner first however, and Farelok comes with them.
Along the way, their new friend informs them of the reason they have begun to settle on Feyfoot. Pirates attacked their island in great force, with the aid of Red Dragons. They have become refugees, and have since been forced to flee. Ashkoort, a once noble and benevolent creature, has had to watch many of his people die, and as a result, he became twisted.
Durgan suggests staging a coup and removing Ashkoort from power, which the centaur prisoner believes to be the best idea. Farelok is reluctant at first, but is convinced by the group that replacing him with a far more level-headed leader is the strongest option to end the war. Farelok agrees to the plan, and will have to prove his strength to his clansmen in order to become Ashkoort's successor.
The group attempts one final act of diplomacy with Ashkoort, but when they fail miserably to make him see reason, they attack. He is a fearsome enemy, but with their combined strength, they are able to bring him down. Farelok guarded the entrance to the main tent during the battle, and fought off anyone trying to aid them.
Their plan works perfectly, and Farelok assumes leadership of the Emerald Scale Tribe. He then immediately signals the end of the war with the Centaurs, and asks the party to bring this news to Barellion Aguastas, leader of the Feyfoot Centaurs.
To Be Continued....
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Monday 16 September 2013
AI - Chapter Four - The Islands and the Planes
Our heroes gathered up the egg, and brought it back to the ship. The villagers were tended to, and then sent them home aboard the Argo. Half of the crew stayed behind to help the party sail the pirate ship they had just liberated. It was big enough to house them, and it was still fairly well provisioned.
Before departing, Devlin, the Cleric from the Order of the Pulling Tide that was accompanying them on this particular mission felt something strange in the air. Clerics of this particular order worship the Auroch Islands, and they are sensitive to changes to them. He tells the group that the islands are closely linked to the Elemental Planes of Water, and Air. He believes the islands are going to test them on their way home, and he mentions this to the group, but since there didn't appear to be any immediate sign of danger, the party set sail for Nevermore.
Devlin remained on the deck of the ship until nightfall, when suddenly, off in the distance he heard a terrible screeching sound over the crash of the water around them. He called the group out on deck, as the screeching sound drew closer. It wasn't long before they realized there were two creatures circling over head. The wind picked up, and blew out the torches, and the group was shrouded in darkness.
A bolt of lightning pierced the night as it launched itself down towards Durgan, and the group went on the defensive. The only one who was able to see what was attacking them was the dwarf, thanks to his darkvision, which let him see clearly at night up to 60ft. He told them they were under attack from monstrous birds, and Devlin realized the Plane of Air had brought two beasts into the world.
Thanks to some clever planning, and spell casting, the party turned Durgan into a walking lantern, and as he climbed the mast of the ship, the creatures were illuminated, and the party was able to bring them down.
The rest of their journey home was uneventful, and they were happy to return victorious. They wouldn't have much time to celebrate however, for when they finally arrived home, Therrah was waiting for them and was going to trust them with an important diplomatic mission...
To Be Continued...
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To Be Continued...
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Wednesday 7 August 2013
AI - Chapter Three - Swords and Fire
The letter was addressed to the "Captain of the Elder Break, Lothari Duskend" and bore the same terrible insignia of a dragon's skull with fire burning behind it. The message was written in Draconic, a language in which Alera was fluent, and broken into two parts.
The first part was a mission to take the townsfolk of Illiad as slaves. A mission that was now thwarted, save for the large group that was directed off into the forest. The other half of the message was a direction to hold the town as long as it took while the band's best pirates, and Ranger were to head off into the forest in search of something, and the pirates were not to return until they had it, whatever it was.
The group also found a strange map that had an island drawn on that wasn't on any other map they had ever seen, and if ever there was a sign that pointed to this Dread Lord Oman, this was surely it. However, there was still the problem of the pirates in the jungle, and the object of Oman's mission.
It was at this point, they heard the sound of a creature swimming towards the ship. It was their Dwarven ally Durgan, who had come to join them in their battles with Oman's forces! After taking some time to regroup, the party returned to the main land, and set up a defensive position in the town, waiting for the ruse they pulled on their foes to be realized.
Eventually two smaller figures emerged from the jungle, a goblin and a kobold. After killing the goblin quickly, they took the kobold prisoner, and attempted to coerce information about Oman out of him. Whenever he was openly asked about Oman, he would give the same reply:
"Dread Lord Oman, Commander of the Gantrithor,
the Ship Eater.
He will boil the seas, sink civilizations and
devour nations!"
Every question was met with that answer, and when the group was tired of hearing it they threatened the creature with it's life. Upon realizing he was going to die if he didn't co-operate, the kobold appeared as if he was going to give them an answer, which triggered something truly horrifying.
The creature's tongue fell out, the creature panicked, and the group decided to promptly put the creature put out of its misery.
Our heroes then set off in search of the remaining pirates. After a brief 20 minute march, they heard voices. When they realized they had found the remaining pirates, our heroes rushed in to meet them! A brief battle ensued, and our heroes emerged victorious.
Among the various things they looted, one was a map with an X on it. Some of the larger pirates had been looking over it when they first came upon them, and the group decided that if the pirates thought it important, they should probably investigate it.
After following the map, they came to the entrance of a darkened cave, whose surrounding area was full of charred trees, scorched bushes and grass. Durgan went ahead into the cave, but his footsteps alerted what was waiting within. A giant wave of fire came spewing out from an opening in the cave's side, and from the darkness, out stepped a Wyrmling Red Dragon.
The group hardened themselves in preparation for the fight. Despite the dragon's size and young age, the group knew that Dragons were not to be taken lightly. Luckily they had a numbers advantage, and after a hectic fight, the dragon was defeated.
Much treasure was found in it's den, as Red Dragons are especially known for their greed and desire for wealth. Among the gold however, lied the body of Oman's elite ranger, and a lone Red Dragon egg, sitting amongst a clutch of broken ones.
Was this what Oman was looking for?
To Be Continued...
Monday 22 July 2013
AI - Chapter Two - Illiad and the Argo
The day after Argo's death, a funeral service is held, and most of the city is in attendance. At the service, Therrah accepts responsibility for having let things go too far at the duel, and he calls upon the town to embody the newly anointed name, Nevermore, to help prevent a tragedy like this from occurring again. He also asks the town to forgive itself for how it acted after the duel.
With the service complete, Therrah approaches Baba Zephyr, Finn, Alera, and Direli and tells them about the pirate hook that was given to them by their friend Durgan, an odd dwarven warrior that has been a friend of the group since they were just kids. He found it while investigating a pirate camp north of the city. The hook itself bears an insignia of a dragon skull facing forward with what appears to be flames behind it. The equipment found on the pirates that attacked Nevermore have the same symbol, and Durgan also reported seeing the same symbol on flags and banners of a ship that was sailing north toward a fishing village on the northern coast of Feyfoot Isle.
Therrah believes this is a cause for concern, as it signifies that pirates are beginning to organize. Which can only mean that someone sinister, and crazy enough is trying to lead them. The group believes this is a matter important enough to investigate, and that if a ship was sailing north towards the village Illiad they should hurry to investigate it. The group agrees this is a matter worth looking into, and they begin making preparations for their trip.
Under Therrah's advisement, they recruit a cleric named Devlin Abershin from the Order of the Pulling Tide to accompany them on their journey aboard their newly given ship, aptly named the "Argo". Once everyone is ready to go they head off.
While sailing north, the ship is attacked by creatures known as Sahuagin. An opportunistic race of aquatic reptiles looking to raid their ship. Unfortunately for the beasts, the group is more than capable of repelling their boarding attempts.
After dispatching the creatures, the group continues their journey until they reach a bay on the other side of Illiad, where they can safely leave their ship for the night. When they wake up the next morning they make their way inland towards the village using some scouting information Devlin was able to acquire the night before.
The city is under hostile occupation from the pirates, and manoeuvring around the town is no simple task. The group manages to clear the town, hut by hut, even luring a large number of the pirates off into the jungle with some clever magic, rescuing any civilians they found along the way, and directing them towards the Argo.
After clearing the town of any pirates that didn't run off into the jungle, they disguised themselves as pirates and took a row boat out to the pirate ship anchored in the bay. The captain, an elf, stood at the helm flanked by larger, more menacing bodyguards. Their disguises gave them a surprise attack on the captain, and after a tense fight, the captain and his crew were slain.
They weren't out of danger yet though. There was still a band of pirates they sent off into the jungle, and they had found an ominous message written by a mysterious Dread Lord Oman...
To be continued...
With the service complete, Therrah approaches Baba Zephyr, Finn, Alera, and Direli and tells them about the pirate hook that was given to them by their friend Durgan, an odd dwarven warrior that has been a friend of the group since they were just kids. He found it while investigating a pirate camp north of the city. The hook itself bears an insignia of a dragon skull facing forward with what appears to be flames behind it. The equipment found on the pirates that attacked Nevermore have the same symbol, and Durgan also reported seeing the same symbol on flags and banners of a ship that was sailing north toward a fishing village on the northern coast of Feyfoot Isle.
Therrah believes this is a cause for concern, as it signifies that pirates are beginning to organize. Which can only mean that someone sinister, and crazy enough is trying to lead them. The group believes this is a matter important enough to investigate, and that if a ship was sailing north towards the village Illiad they should hurry to investigate it. The group agrees this is a matter worth looking into, and they begin making preparations for their trip.
Under Therrah's advisement, they recruit a cleric named Devlin Abershin from the Order of the Pulling Tide to accompany them on their journey aboard their newly given ship, aptly named the "Argo". Once everyone is ready to go they head off.
While sailing north, the ship is attacked by creatures known as Sahuagin. An opportunistic race of aquatic reptiles looking to raid their ship. Unfortunately for the beasts, the group is more than capable of repelling their boarding attempts.
After dispatching the creatures, the group continues their journey until they reach a bay on the other side of Illiad, where they can safely leave their ship for the night. When they wake up the next morning they make their way inland towards the village using some scouting information Devlin was able to acquire the night before.
The city is under hostile occupation from the pirates, and manoeuvring around the town is no simple task. The group manages to clear the town, hut by hut, even luring a large number of the pirates off into the jungle with some clever magic, rescuing any civilians they found along the way, and directing them towards the Argo.
After clearing the town of any pirates that didn't run off into the jungle, they disguised themselves as pirates and took a row boat out to the pirate ship anchored in the bay. The captain, an elf, stood at the helm flanked by larger, more menacing bodyguards. Their disguises gave them a surprise attack on the captain, and after a tense fight, the captain and his crew were slain.
They weren't out of danger yet though. There was still a band of pirates they sent off into the jungle, and they had found an ominous message written by a mysterious Dread Lord Oman...
To be continued...
Saturday 15 June 2013
The Auroch Islands - Chapter 1 - The Nominis Festival
Our story begins in the village of Haven. It is a town of over 300 families located on Feyfoot Isle, inside the Bay of Gazing. We find our new heroes sitting at a large banquet table as honoured guests. They are Direli Wolfswift, a female human fighter with a burdened past, Baba Zephyr, a male human druid with ambitions of being the village's medicine man with an affinity for snakes and poisons, Finley Clearwater, a courageous halfling warrior, a legend amongst his family, and Alera Goldwing, a human wizard, daughter of a merchant family. All four have been friends in the town since childhood.
They were chosen, along with a dozen other villagers, by the town leaders Therrah Gerrywill, an old white haired man, and Jennu Kehlash, a very old Silver Dragon, to compete in a competition to see who would earn the right to rename the town, a tradition that happens every half a century.
After the feast, all four teams were to sleep in the same long house on the docks. When Direli went for a jog before resting, she heard the sounds of paddling off in the distance. When she alerted a nearby guard to the noise, they soon realized that they were about to be attacked by pirates. The guard ran to gather reinforcements while Direli woke the other competitors to help defend the harbour.
The new foursome was put to the test, along with several other groups who had never seen true combat before. They all fought bravely though, and were able to repel the attackers with ease. Jennu flew above and out into the bay to deal with the main ship. His roar, and the cries of the terrified pirates rang through the giant canyon. No one from the town died that night, or suffered any grievous injury.
The following morning, despite the events of the previous night, the village thought it best to help raise the spirits of the town after the attack. They would continue with the competition.
The four competitors were led to their areas. The events were an Arcane Alteration challenge, a wildlife taming challenge, a marksmanship challenge, as well as a one-on-one duel.
The four heroes all prevailed in their respective competitions, and overall placements were announced. the top two teams were to take part in a 4 on 4 battle to decide who would gain a large advantage in the conclusion of the festival.
The two teams met in the arena the following day. The arena had Clerics surrounding it to act as first aid should any of the competitors suffer great wounds, but even those precautions wouldn't be enough.
It was an incredibly tense fight, but things took a terrible turn when Direli, empowered by one of Alera's spells, dealt a fantastically powerful blow to the other side's strongest warrior. Argo, the half-orc barbarian was killed immediately, and the clerics on the side were helpless to save him. With the remainder of the group staggered, Jennu flew down and grabbed the body of the barbarian in his claws, as well as one of his other severely wounded allies and took them away.
The crowd, shocked at what they had just witnessed, cheered. The four heroes left the arena, rather disgusted at their town's reaction to such violence. It was a tragic accident. Therrah would assume responsibility for not taking all the precautions needed to protect his townsfolk from harm, and would need to find a way to begin the healing process after Argo's death.
The four heroes named the city Nevermore, so that the town would never again allow something like this to happen. The town was to become a beacon of peace, and protection.
The town was then left to contemplate the events of the day, while one of the group's friends came bearing information on the pirate's attack from the night before...
To Be Continued...
They were chosen, along with a dozen other villagers, by the town leaders Therrah Gerrywill, an old white haired man, and Jennu Kehlash, a very old Silver Dragon, to compete in a competition to see who would earn the right to rename the town, a tradition that happens every half a century.
After the feast, all four teams were to sleep in the same long house on the docks. When Direli went for a jog before resting, she heard the sounds of paddling off in the distance. When she alerted a nearby guard to the noise, they soon realized that they were about to be attacked by pirates. The guard ran to gather reinforcements while Direli woke the other competitors to help defend the harbour.
The new foursome was put to the test, along with several other groups who had never seen true combat before. They all fought bravely though, and were able to repel the attackers with ease. Jennu flew above and out into the bay to deal with the main ship. His roar, and the cries of the terrified pirates rang through the giant canyon. No one from the town died that night, or suffered any grievous injury.
The following morning, despite the events of the previous night, the village thought it best to help raise the spirits of the town after the attack. They would continue with the competition.
The four competitors were led to their areas. The events were an Arcane Alteration challenge, a wildlife taming challenge, a marksmanship challenge, as well as a one-on-one duel.
The four heroes all prevailed in their respective competitions, and overall placements were announced. the top two teams were to take part in a 4 on 4 battle to decide who would gain a large advantage in the conclusion of the festival.
The two teams met in the arena the following day. The arena had Clerics surrounding it to act as first aid should any of the competitors suffer great wounds, but even those precautions wouldn't be enough.
It was an incredibly tense fight, but things took a terrible turn when Direli, empowered by one of Alera's spells, dealt a fantastically powerful blow to the other side's strongest warrior. Argo, the half-orc barbarian was killed immediately, and the clerics on the side were helpless to save him. With the remainder of the group staggered, Jennu flew down and grabbed the body of the barbarian in his claws, as well as one of his other severely wounded allies and took them away.
The crowd, shocked at what they had just witnessed, cheered. The four heroes left the arena, rather disgusted at their town's reaction to such violence. It was a tragic accident. Therrah would assume responsibility for not taking all the precautions needed to protect his townsfolk from harm, and would need to find a way to begin the healing process after Argo's death.
The four heroes named the city Nevermore, so that the town would never again allow something like this to happen. The town was to become a beacon of peace, and protection.
The town was then left to contemplate the events of the day, while one of the group's friends came bearing information on the pirate's attack from the night before...
To Be Continued...
Tuesday 2 April 2013
Chapter Fifteen - Blink Dogs
The group spends the afternoon gathering information on what's been happening in terms of these strange dogs. They don't learn too much, just that they are able to move in and out of reality at seemingly random intervals. No one has really seen much of them, save for one elf, who heard barking and when he peered out the window he witnessed a dog that was popping in and out of his sight, then after grabbing a bag of food the hound quickly disappeared.
As the group marches towards the woods they hear barking, and turn around to see a dog standing before them. It is behaving exactly the way the elves described. Radamyr attempts use his knowledge of Spellcraft to discern what kind of magic it is, but he is unsuccessful. The dog turns to run into the forest and after starting off to a run, he disappears right before their very eyes.
The group takes off in that direction, and after a few hours walking they come upon a small camp. Arradel climbs a tree to get a better vantage point of the site, and the others march ahead.
When seemingly out of nowhere, there are three dogs surrounding them. The group is caught off guard by this. When the see the way the dogs are snarling, it is clear they intend to defend this territory.
As the group moves to defend themselves, they realize they are in for a harder fight. Bogor and Liaathvain's attacks seem to just whiz right through the beasts half of the time. The dogs' are randomly flashing in and out of existence, and the fight is proving to be rather frustrating.
When suddenly, from out of the far side of the camp an arrow comes whizzing by and strikes Arradel's armor. From the far side of the camp, a hooded elf walks out with his bow drawn. When the group calls out to him, he simply laughs, and readies another arrow.
Radamyr discovers that the Wand of Magic Missle that he picked up long ago in the goblin cave seems to hit the dogs regardless of whether or not they are in reality. It is the nature of the spell that it cannot miss, this proves useful in the fight, and the group manages to fell one of the dogs. With the pressure off of them, Liaathvain breaks away from the fight and runs over to the ranger, and engages the elf in close combat.
It doesn't take long for her to finish him off, and Bogor and Radamyr are able to finish off the dogs with Arradel providing ranged support.
They loot the bodies of the ranger, and come across a vast assortment of gems, as well as another strange wand.
Arradel and Liaathvain make the journey back to Chartram, while Radamyr and Bogor stay and investigate the site. Upon returning to the village, they meet with the Lord-Mayor of the town, and fill him in on what they have found. He directs them to meet with the elf Baleer. The elf is able to magically teleport them back to the camp.
Radamyr is busy trying to use the wand, but nothing is really happening, when suddenly a trio of elves appear in the field behind them. Baleer identifies the items for the group, and they learn the wand is a Wand of Delay Poison, used to greatly slow down the effects of any poison. He informs them the slain ranger is named B'rathan, and he was exiled from the town around 25 years ago, for causing too many problems in Chartram.
He then teleports them all back to the village, where they spend the night celebrating their victory.
Chartram has welcomed them with open arms, and the group decides to call this village home.
Arradel and Liaathvain make the journey back to Chartram, while Radamyr and Bogor stay and investigate the site. Upon returning to the village, they meet with the Lord-Mayor of the town, and fill him in on what they have found. He directs them to meet with the elf Baleer. The elf is able to magically teleport them back to the camp.
Radamyr is busy trying to use the wand, but nothing is really happening, when suddenly a trio of elves appear in the field behind them. Baleer identifies the items for the group, and they learn the wand is a Wand of Delay Poison, used to greatly slow down the effects of any poison. He informs them the slain ranger is named B'rathan, and he was exiled from the town around 25 years ago, for causing too many problems in Chartram.
He then teleports them all back to the village, where they spend the night celebrating their victory.
Chartram has welcomed them with open arms, and the group decides to call this village home.
Thursday 28 March 2013
Chapter Fourteen - Chartram
Our heroes wake up the following morning, with Arradel curious about the magic compass. As a rogue she has the ability to attempt to Use Magical Device, and bypass any magical protections or safeguards the compass may have in order to use it. The group watches as she tries to find a way to manipulate the object into working.
Her attempt is successful, and she closes her eyes, and after a brief moment the group watches as part of the compass begins to glow, and points them south! Everyone is thrilled, and they decide that they are going to follow the compass' bearings. After travelling for some time, they decide to check to see if the compass has anything new to tell them, and Arradel once again retrieves the item from her belongings and tries to use it, only this time it doesn't go as planned, and she is knocked unconscious. After the group wakes her up they decide that until they know more about this object they should refrain from using the device.
Her attempt is successful, and she closes her eyes, and after a brief moment the group watches as part of the compass begins to glow, and points them south! Everyone is thrilled, and they decide that they are going to follow the compass' bearings. After travelling for some time, they decide to check to see if the compass has anything new to tell them, and Arradel once again retrieves the item from her belongings and tries to use it, only this time it doesn't go as planned, and she is knocked unconscious. After the group wakes her up they decide that until they know more about this object they should refrain from using the device.
They keep heading south, and soon they come upon some sort of checkpoint. Two elves appear to be stationed at a guard post, and as the group approaches they wave them over.
The laid back and peaceful nature of the elves is in full display as they heartily welcome a group of strangers onto their land. They tell them that further down the road they will come to the town of Chartram.
Following the directions of the guards, they eventually come upon a humble elven conclave. They are greeted by many elves as they make their way around town. It's a breath of fresh air for them, as their experiences in town as of late have not been pleasant.
Locals tell them they can find a group of wizards on the other side of the town that might be able to give them some information on the compass.
After crossing the village, they come to large tree, with a staircase wrapping itself around it that winds all the way up to a large hut. As they walk the stairs, and get the near the top, they gain sight over much of the forest's canopy and Arradel and Liaathvain are able to distinguish a large shape just over the mountains off in the distance.
It is the boughs of Alda'Orne, from far off in Verraway, homeland of the elves. It is a massive tree, that is home to the elves' capital city. They take a moment to admire the view and continue to make their way up into the cottage.
They are greeted by an elven wizard named Choska. The group tells he and his assistants about their compass, leaving out parts of their journey that might draw suspicion from them. The elves are fascinated with it, and will tell them they will help them uncover it's secrets, but it will take time.
The group then heads down to the local drinking spot, and while they are there enjoying themselves they learn the town has been having some problems with strange dogs as of late. When they tell them about the worgs, the elves laugh. They aren't concerned about a few worgs, they know how to kill them. These ones have been different, and have been giving the town some problems. Apparently, they've been able to teleport in and out of the town and run off with supplies. They aren't sure how they've been able to do it, but it's become frustrating and it's upset the elves daily lives considerably.
Knowing they are going to be here for awhile while the wizards attempt to discover the secrets of the compass, they decide to help out, and investigate this teleporting dog problem...
To Be Continued...
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Following the directions of the guards, they eventually come upon a humble elven conclave. They are greeted by many elves as they make their way around town. It's a breath of fresh air for them, as their experiences in town as of late have not been pleasant.
Locals tell them they can find a group of wizards on the other side of the town that might be able to give them some information on the compass.
After crossing the village, they come to large tree, with a staircase wrapping itself around it that winds all the way up to a large hut. As they walk the stairs, and get the near the top, they gain sight over much of the forest's canopy and Arradel and Liaathvain are able to distinguish a large shape just over the mountains off in the distance.
It is the boughs of Alda'Orne, from far off in Verraway, homeland of the elves. It is a massive tree, that is home to the elves' capital city. They take a moment to admire the view and continue to make their way up into the cottage.
They are greeted by an elven wizard named Choska. The group tells he and his assistants about their compass, leaving out parts of their journey that might draw suspicion from them. The elves are fascinated with it, and will tell them they will help them uncover it's secrets, but it will take time.
The group then heads down to the local drinking spot, and while they are there enjoying themselves they learn the town has been having some problems with strange dogs as of late. When they tell them about the worgs, the elves laugh. They aren't concerned about a few worgs, they know how to kill them. These ones have been different, and have been giving the town some problems. Apparently, they've been able to teleport in and out of the town and run off with supplies. They aren't sure how they've been able to do it, but it's become frustrating and it's upset the elves daily lives considerably.
Knowing they are going to be here for awhile while the wizards attempt to discover the secrets of the compass, they decide to help out, and investigate this teleporting dog problem...
To Be Continued...
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Saturday 23 March 2013
Chapter Thirteen - A God's Call
Bogor and Liaathvain make their way around the city walls, looking to free up their horses from the stables. Upon walking across the main road however, a knight on guard at the gates sees them, and starts making his way towards them. Upon realizing who they are, he draws his sword and attacks them.
He proves to be a very worthy adversary however, and the fight lasts for longer than they both expected. Liaathvain, concerned that she is at risk of losing her god's favour has been attempting to subdue him, rather than kill him which makes it a bit more difficult for her. Bogor on the other hand is trying to use him as fertilizer for the grass, and as the knight succumbs to the blows of his enemies, he mutters his final words "My blood will feed the wolves," and then Bogor ends him. It appears as if the knight was a member of the wolf cult, for his final words were very ominous.
As the two enter the stable to free the horses, Liaathvain has a change of heart, and believes the glowing light was a gift from a praying Eric, and now that the glowing has ceased, and she has the horses, she is willing to travel back with the group.
Meanwhile, Arradel and Radamyr are waiting for them to return. They ask the fighter what kind of person Baltham was, and he doesn't tell them much besides the fact that he was a grumpy old man, and that he doesn't have any information on the magical compass. He then takes his leave, and runs off into the night.
Arradel takes this time to confess to Radamyr that she lied to Liaathvain, and that she could find no sign that the wizard was evil. This revelation troubles them, and they question the princess' motives. Why would she claim that he was a man of ill repute? Surely she would have known more about him.
Liaathvain and Bogor soon ride up, and tell them of their encounter with the evil knight. Arradel soon suggests that rather than head back to Greyholt, they leave and travel south through the forest, until things blow over. Liaathvain does not understand why they won't finish their mission and return to the Princess, but since there is no arguing with them she reluctantly goes with them.
Before they leave however, they hear a horrifyingly loud sound come from the Forum. They listen closely, and they discern it is the sound of wood snapping and cracking. There are terrible crashing noises coming from the city. They are too far to see anything, but the fact that the sound is travelling this far suggests something terrible has just happened. The sound lasts for several minutes, and once it has quieted down, they leave.
They ride south on their horses, Snowball and Fireball, for a long time, until they reach a safe area of the forest for them to set up camp. Liaathvain agrees to take watch first, and after an hour or so she once again experiences a vision. This time it is Eric, and he is kneeling next to what appears to be a very small lake. She also sees various animals in her vision, and notices a deer in particular. The vision then fades, and she is left bewildered. That is until she sees a deer poke it's head out from the forest. It looks at her with curiosity then turns around and begins to walk away.
The paladin follows it until she comes across the same body of water from her vision. There is no sign of Eric however, and as she approaches the water, a small gust of wind blows by her, and she begins to hear a strange sound of wood snapping. She turns around to see that the exposed trunks of nearby trees are carving expressionless faces out of their wood. The night air warms around her, and the mouths begin to move, and a powerful voice fills her head.
She receives the message, and realizes that her god has just spoken to her. As soon as the message is received, she returns to the camp, and is left to question the strange encounter she just had. She smiles though, knowing her god has not abandoned her.
He proves to be a very worthy adversary however, and the fight lasts for longer than they both expected. Liaathvain, concerned that she is at risk of losing her god's favour has been attempting to subdue him, rather than kill him which makes it a bit more difficult for her. Bogor on the other hand is trying to use him as fertilizer for the grass, and as the knight succumbs to the blows of his enemies, he mutters his final words "My blood will feed the wolves," and then Bogor ends him. It appears as if the knight was a member of the wolf cult, for his final words were very ominous.
As the two enter the stable to free the horses, Liaathvain has a change of heart, and believes the glowing light was a gift from a praying Eric, and now that the glowing has ceased, and she has the horses, she is willing to travel back with the group.
Meanwhile, Arradel and Radamyr are waiting for them to return. They ask the fighter what kind of person Baltham was, and he doesn't tell them much besides the fact that he was a grumpy old man, and that he doesn't have any information on the magical compass. He then takes his leave, and runs off into the night.
Arradel takes this time to confess to Radamyr that she lied to Liaathvain, and that she could find no sign that the wizard was evil. This revelation troubles them, and they question the princess' motives. Why would she claim that he was a man of ill repute? Surely she would have known more about him.
Liaathvain and Bogor soon ride up, and tell them of their encounter with the evil knight. Arradel soon suggests that rather than head back to Greyholt, they leave and travel south through the forest, until things blow over. Liaathvain does not understand why they won't finish their mission and return to the Princess, but since there is no arguing with them she reluctantly goes with them.
Before they leave however, they hear a horrifyingly loud sound come from the Forum. They listen closely, and they discern it is the sound of wood snapping and cracking. There are terrible crashing noises coming from the city. They are too far to see anything, but the fact that the sound is travelling this far suggests something terrible has just happened. The sound lasts for several minutes, and once it has quieted down, they leave.
They ride south on their horses, Snowball and Fireball, for a long time, until they reach a safe area of the forest for them to set up camp. Liaathvain agrees to take watch first, and after an hour or so she once again experiences a vision. This time it is Eric, and he is kneeling next to what appears to be a very small lake. She also sees various animals in her vision, and notices a deer in particular. The vision then fades, and she is left bewildered. That is until she sees a deer poke it's head out from the forest. It looks at her with curiosity then turns around and begins to walk away.
The paladin follows it until she comes across the same body of water from her vision. There is no sign of Eric however, and as she approaches the water, a small gust of wind blows by her, and she begins to hear a strange sound of wood snapping. She turns around to see that the exposed trunks of nearby trees are carving expressionless faces out of their wood. The night air warms around her, and the mouths begin to move, and a powerful voice fills her head.
She receives the message, and realizes that her god has just spoken to her. As soon as the message is received, she returns to the camp, and is left to question the strange encounter she just had. She smiles though, knowing her god has not abandoned her.
Chapter Twelve - The Heist Pt.3
Liaathvain sits at the base of the stairs with a look of shock on her face. Baltham, the wizard they were only supposed to steal from, lies dead at the top of the stairs. She's heard of Paladins losing their connection to their god for committing certain acts, and she's concerned that this might be one of those cases.
It is at this moment Arradel has come up from the secret trap door in the basement floors, and after seeing what has happened, looks towards Baltham's bodyguard. He has ceased his hostilities realizing the one who was paying him is now dead. Arradel tosses him some gold to keep him silent, and he has no problem with that. She then runs upstairs to search for the compass.
When she enters Baltham's room, she sees a small box in a closet, she opens it up to check for the compass, and sure enough it is in there. However, before leaving she is curious as to why the Princess thought the wizard was of questionable character, so she decides to scan the room for anything that could be evil, or at the very least, able to be considered evil. She's going to need Liaathvain complicit in order for their escape to go smoothly. To her dismay, there appears to be nothing of any kind of evil in the room. Spying a stack of wizarding books, she decides she could at least use those.
As she heads down the stairs and tells everyone that she has the compass, she tells Liaathvain that the room is full of evil things, including books on dark magic. The lie succeeds, and Liaathvain believes her. It's at this point that the fighter hears the sounds of guards clamouring outside, and they realize the sounds of battle, as well as a somewhat burnt through staircase have attracted the attention of many knights. The group decides the best option to stay hidden is to head into the basement, and the fighter accompanies them.
No sooner do they all make their way down into the basement, do the knights come storming into the house. Upon feeling a very strange chill run up their spine, Liaathvain detects evil, and to the group's shock, she detects evil coming from right above them, though knowing this doesn't help them currently. They are very much outnumbered, and they now have only one escape route, out through the basement window.
Radamyr casts ghost sound out the window to make it sound as if there are people running away from the house, which lures the guards outside away. They take this opportunity to squeeze out from the basement and head for the city walls not too far away.
As they go to leave though, Liaathvain suffers a strange kind of vision. She sees Eric the Cleric, kneeling by the tree over by the town's church, praying. Then the vision ends. She tells the group of what just transpired, and she believes it is her god calling to her. The church is on the other side of town, and there is a good chance the city is on alert due to the commotion they've caused. Despite the risks Liaathvain tells them that she plans on going over there, believing her god is sending her there.
The group strongly disagrees with this move, and after a lot of deliberation she agrees to find a safer route by travelling around the city, instead of through it. The group finds a wide open enough area, and chooses to plant one of their Feather Tokens. A tree grows from it, and they use the massive tree to climb over the walls.
They manage to land somewhat safely, after which something strange happens. Liaathvain's hands begin to glow with Divine magic. The group doesn't have any idea what this means, but Arradel and Radamyr both having no intention of following Liaathvain on her crazy mission, tell her they'll meet her in the forest afterwards. Bogor, not wanting her to go alone, travels with her.
The glow emanating from Liaathvain begins to travel through her whole body, and she is fully healed from their previous battle, which is good news for her, for the fight to escape the Forum is not yet over.
To Be Continued...
It is at this moment Arradel has come up from the secret trap door in the basement floors, and after seeing what has happened, looks towards Baltham's bodyguard. He has ceased his hostilities realizing the one who was paying him is now dead. Arradel tosses him some gold to keep him silent, and he has no problem with that. She then runs upstairs to search for the compass.
When she enters Baltham's room, she sees a small box in a closet, she opens it up to check for the compass, and sure enough it is in there. However, before leaving she is curious as to why the Princess thought the wizard was of questionable character, so she decides to scan the room for anything that could be evil, or at the very least, able to be considered evil. She's going to need Liaathvain complicit in order for their escape to go smoothly. To her dismay, there appears to be nothing of any kind of evil in the room. Spying a stack of wizarding books, she decides she could at least use those.
As she heads down the stairs and tells everyone that she has the compass, she tells Liaathvain that the room is full of evil things, including books on dark magic. The lie succeeds, and Liaathvain believes her. It's at this point that the fighter hears the sounds of guards clamouring outside, and they realize the sounds of battle, as well as a somewhat burnt through staircase have attracted the attention of many knights. The group decides the best option to stay hidden is to head into the basement, and the fighter accompanies them.
No sooner do they all make their way down into the basement, do the knights come storming into the house. Upon feeling a very strange chill run up their spine, Liaathvain detects evil, and to the group's shock, she detects evil coming from right above them, though knowing this doesn't help them currently. They are very much outnumbered, and they now have only one escape route, out through the basement window.
Radamyr casts ghost sound out the window to make it sound as if there are people running away from the house, which lures the guards outside away. They take this opportunity to squeeze out from the basement and head for the city walls not too far away.
As they go to leave though, Liaathvain suffers a strange kind of vision. She sees Eric the Cleric, kneeling by the tree over by the town's church, praying. Then the vision ends. She tells the group of what just transpired, and she believes it is her god calling to her. The church is on the other side of town, and there is a good chance the city is on alert due to the commotion they've caused. Despite the risks Liaathvain tells them that she plans on going over there, believing her god is sending her there.
The group strongly disagrees with this move, and after a lot of deliberation she agrees to find a safer route by travelling around the city, instead of through it. The group finds a wide open enough area, and chooses to plant one of their Feather Tokens. A tree grows from it, and they use the massive tree to climb over the walls.
They manage to land somewhat safely, after which something strange happens. Liaathvain's hands begin to glow with Divine magic. The group doesn't have any idea what this means, but Arradel and Radamyr both having no intention of following Liaathvain on her crazy mission, tell her they'll meet her in the forest afterwards. Bogor, not wanting her to go alone, travels with her.
The glow emanating from Liaathvain begins to travel through her whole body, and she is fully healed from their previous battle, which is good news for her, for the fight to escape the Forum is not yet over.
To Be Continued...
Friday 15 March 2013
Chapter Eleven - The Heist Pt.2
With a plan in motion all they need to do now is wait for him to show up. Arradel stays in the Donkey for several hours while the others hide. Sure enough, Baltham shows up, but not alone. He has a mean looking bodyguard with him. After the wizard has taken his fill on drinks and food, he proceeds to leave the bar, and Arradel follows him.
The other three tail her, but keep their distance. But just as Arradel passes a side street, three Knights of Alabaster walk out, and turn towards the three adventurers, and cut them off from their friend. Arradel notices this but continues to follow the wizard, leaving a trail of arrows drawn on dusty windows in case they need to find her.
The guards happen to be the same three that Radamyr tried to charm on his first visit to the city, and just when things start to get a bit heated between them, there's a strange green glow that starts emanating from under Radamyr's cloak. Radamyr tries to tell them it's nothing, but something has aroused the orb's magic, and soon a brilliant green flash occurs, and they are all knocked unconscious.
Arradel has kept a safe distance and manages to tail them all the way to the wizard's home, but when the bodyguard goes to do one final check of the streets, he spots what appears to be an old woman staring at them. He approaches Arradel, wanting to politely ask what's wrong, but he is no fool, and sees right through her disguise.
When she tries to flee, he reaches out to grab her, but only grabs the costume she was wearing, and she barely makes it away. Forsaking her costume she bolts, giving the fighter a full view of her armour before taking off out of sight.
The other three wake up, with dirt and sand in their mouth and when they look around, they realize they are still standing in the street, but the three knights of alabaster, are not. The orb has sent them away somewhere. Once again, the orb has intervened with no explanation.
When Arradel runs into her compatriots again they all have a story to share. They tell the rogue about what happened with the knights, and Arradel informs them that their plan may be compromised. Realizing their group may have just given their target a head's up that something is wrong, they decide to throw caution to the wind, and try something crazy. With the sun setting after a long day of information gathering, and waiting, they decide the best course of action is to simply walk up, and knock on the front door.
Arradel leads them down the winding path to the part of town with houses built with strange angles and alleys, until they walk up the front steps and reach the front door. Radamyr and Liaathvain stand at the entrance, and begin to knock.
When the fighter answers the door, he is immediately suspicious and asks them what it is they want, noticing Arradel puts him on his guard. They try to reason with him, but to no avail. They aren't offering up any reason that he would believe, and he slams the door in their face. After repeated attempts at negotiating fail, Arradel decides to sneak around the house to look for another way in. At this point, Radamyr brandishes a spear he had purchased, and uses it to knock on the door.
When the knocking continues even after the fighter drives a sword through the door, in attempts to send them a message, the bodyguard decides he has had enough. He bursts open the door with his weapon drawn, and the group finds themselves in a fight for their lives.
They are severely outmatched by this man, but by sheer stroke of luck they manage to disarm him of his greatsword, a weapon capable of inflicting a lot of damage. Bogor begins to rage and charges the fighter. A big struggle ensues in the house, causing a lot of noise.
Meanwhile Arradel has found a small basement window, with a lone candle lit, and she manages to shatter it and make her way inside, entering what she believes to be a secret basement. She gathered this by the odd staircase leading up to the floor above. She assumes there must be a trap door at the end of it.
The fighting continues inside, and Liaathvain manages to overhear a strange chanting come from around the corner, as she goes to look up she sees Baltham, preparing to cast a spell at the top of the stairs. Not looking to kill him, she attempts to subdue him with non-lethal attacks. She strikes him with the flat of her blade, but he is more sturdy that she realizes. His eyes light up, and fire forms in his hands and he sends a Fireball flying at her, and she suffers more damage in one spell than any one source from their whole adventure. They realize they are in a seriously dangerous situation, as the fighter is also not showing signs of slowing down.
Just as the battle looks to be turning in favour of the wizard, he offers them a deal. If the other three leave, he will spare Liaathvain's life. Showing that he means buisness, he immediately begins to cast another fireball. Liaathvain cries out for the group to listen. Being left to Baltham is a risk she is willing to take.
Realizing they have a very short amount of time before Liaathvain could be killed, Bogor makes a split second decision. While raging, he charges past the fighter, and runs up the stairs wielding his battle hammer. With no signs of holding back, he raises his weapon above his head for one powerful swing. He brings it down upon the wizard, and he crumples to the floor.
The commotion of the battle has caused a few nearby citizens to panic, and they begin calling out for guards to investigate. With their plan having gone completely awry, they now realize they have murdered their target.
What they haven't noticed yet, are the guards that are beginning to make their way up the road.
To Be Continued...
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Thursday 14 March 2013
Chapter Ten - The Heist Pt.1
With no sign of Boro at all, the group is concerned that perhaps he died in the attack. The reality of the situation sinks in, and they realize that this is going to be a lot trickier than perhaps they first realized. They don't know what to expect once they enter the Forum, and to cover more ground, they decide to split up. The first thing they need to do is find out what their target looks like, and where he lives. Arradel and Bogor head to the stables to tie up the horses, while Radamyr and Liaathvain decide to head into town to start gathering information.
However, their search proves to be fruitless as the town seems to look at them with an air of suspicion. They are after all, the ones who brought the Worg's head to the church. They realize Versteeg had been telling everyone about their deeds, so word had travelled fast about them, even moreso when it was no longer hope that fuelled the conversation, but rather fear.
Radamyr wasn't doing them any favours either when he tried to intimidate a local merchant into giving him information when it was clear that the merchant was reluctant to offer any info up. Liaathvain was not at all happy about that, but Radamyr believed it to be the only way to get information from these people, who seemed to already harbour a serious dislike for them. They were met with a roadblock again, at the registry where Liaathvain tried to be diplomatic with the clerk when asking about Baltham by name, however the clerk seemed to be thinking with his gut, and didn't trust their intentions, and turned them away.
Arradel and Bogor seemed to get a long a little better at the stables, when a nervous stable boy was approached by the rogue. She was able to discern that the town wasn't like it used to be since the worgs. He tells her he still hears the howling in his head, Arradel promises they will get to the bottom of this. When he tells her the town is on a bit of a high alert, she decides now would be a good time to use some discretion. She heads back to Boro's and disguises herself as an old woman.
The disguise seems to do the trick as she seems to fool the guards. They don't give her much afterthought, and her disguise seems to take attention away from both herself, and Bogor.
They too go seeking information, and Arradel thinks it a good idea to use some of her contacts in the city, assuming they are still alive. She heads to the apothecary where a contact named Aiden works. He wasn't harmed in the attack, and manages to tell her that Baltham seems to enjoy a regular schedule of visiting the Donkey. Before he can give her any other info though, his partner pulls him away for something else.
The four convene at the middle of town, and decide their last course of action is to use Arradel's other contact, Denae, a bard who works primarily out of the Drunken Donkey. All except Arradel find a place to hide, while she enters the tavern.
They're in luck, and Denae is currently putting on a small performance. She takes a seat near him, and when there's a break in the song she reveals herself to him, and he tells her to meet him in the back alley.
She brings over the rest of the group, and Denae tells them everything he can about the wizard, and what's been going on in the town. He tells them to be very careful, all the guards and citizens are on the lookout for them. They aren't going to charge them for anything, but no one trusts them. The town seems to think their actions lead to the worg attack. The group thinks this is entirely irrational, but Denae assures them that fear can make a lot of people think crazy things. He tells them he was a witness to the gruesome death of a few guards, and that he wasn't the only onlooker. This town has changed.
He tells them Baltham is due to show up that night, and it will be obvious when he comes in because the grumpy old man pays him to play the same damn song over and over that everyone seems to hate. That's how she'll know it's him. When he asks why they want to know about him, they tell him they can't say, which worries him, but he's willing to put his faith in Arradel.
Radamyr then pays him to craft a full version of the song "The Clumsy Cleric", which he agrees to do, and will begin working on it when he can.
To Be Continued...
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However, their search proves to be fruitless as the town seems to look at them with an air of suspicion. They are after all, the ones who brought the Worg's head to the church. They realize Versteeg had been telling everyone about their deeds, so word had travelled fast about them, even moreso when it was no longer hope that fuelled the conversation, but rather fear.
Radamyr wasn't doing them any favours either when he tried to intimidate a local merchant into giving him information when it was clear that the merchant was reluctant to offer any info up. Liaathvain was not at all happy about that, but Radamyr believed it to be the only way to get information from these people, who seemed to already harbour a serious dislike for them. They were met with a roadblock again, at the registry where Liaathvain tried to be diplomatic with the clerk when asking about Baltham by name, however the clerk seemed to be thinking with his gut, and didn't trust their intentions, and turned them away.
Arradel and Bogor seemed to get a long a little better at the stables, when a nervous stable boy was approached by the rogue. She was able to discern that the town wasn't like it used to be since the worgs. He tells her he still hears the howling in his head, Arradel promises they will get to the bottom of this. When he tells her the town is on a bit of a high alert, she decides now would be a good time to use some discretion. She heads back to Boro's and disguises herself as an old woman.
The disguise seems to do the trick as she seems to fool the guards. They don't give her much afterthought, and her disguise seems to take attention away from both herself, and Bogor.
They too go seeking information, and Arradel thinks it a good idea to use some of her contacts in the city, assuming they are still alive. She heads to the apothecary where a contact named Aiden works. He wasn't harmed in the attack, and manages to tell her that Baltham seems to enjoy a regular schedule of visiting the Donkey. Before he can give her any other info though, his partner pulls him away for something else.
The four convene at the middle of town, and decide their last course of action is to use Arradel's other contact, Denae, a bard who works primarily out of the Drunken Donkey. All except Arradel find a place to hide, while she enters the tavern.
They're in luck, and Denae is currently putting on a small performance. She takes a seat near him, and when there's a break in the song she reveals herself to him, and he tells her to meet him in the back alley.
She brings over the rest of the group, and Denae tells them everything he can about the wizard, and what's been going on in the town. He tells them to be very careful, all the guards and citizens are on the lookout for them. They aren't going to charge them for anything, but no one trusts them. The town seems to think their actions lead to the worg attack. The group thinks this is entirely irrational, but Denae assures them that fear can make a lot of people think crazy things. He tells them he was a witness to the gruesome death of a few guards, and that he wasn't the only onlooker. This town has changed.
He tells them Baltham is due to show up that night, and it will be obvious when he comes in because the grumpy old man pays him to play the same damn song over and over that everyone seems to hate. That's how she'll know it's him. When he asks why they want to know about him, they tell him they can't say, which worries him, but he's willing to put his faith in Arradel.
Radamyr then pays him to craft a full version of the song "The Clumsy Cleric", which he agrees to do, and will begin working on it when he can.
To Be Continued...
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Chapter Nine - Mission Interrupted
The next day the group is brought to a small area inside part of the noble's corner. The princess is waiting with a guard, and when she sees the group arrive, she waves him away.
She tells the group she believes the key to preventing the wolf cult from returning to strength is to find that city once again, and use whatever power lies within to destroy it once and for all. The problem, is finding the city, since no record of it exists. She believes she has a way of locating it though. She knows of a Verrawayan object known to be a Magical Compass, capable of leading whomever owns it to great sources of magical power. She also knows it is in the possession of a rather nasty wizard, currently living in The Forum named Baltham, but that he won't part with it willingly. They'll need to steal it.
Upon hearing they would be stealing something, Arradel's ears perk up, and she decides to join in the conversation, having recused herself from it originally on the grounds that she doesn't like Wandaella. Her mind was quickly changing, however.
To help them, she offers them a potion of invisibility, and gives them some gold. She can't give them to much, for the royal treasurers are keeping an eye on the family's gold reserves, in an attempt to ward off any bribery that may arise due to the political climate in Dahldrum. When they ask if they can have some horses for their journey, she agrees to give them two. They thank her for her help, and head off to the stables to prepare for their journey back to The Forum.
Leading their horses across the pillar, Arradel stops by a local jewellery stall, and tries to plant the seed that they are heroes, on a quest to save the kingdom. Bueller, the jeweller is amazed that they would risk themselves for the kingdom, and watches in awe as they make their way down the pillar.
The group rides out across the plains, passing by the farmhouse they burned to the ground after battling necromancers. They take in the beautiful scenery of the rolling hills, but they stop when they see something strange.
A very small forest seems to have sprung up in the middle of the plains almost overnight. They certainly didn't see this the first time they passed through the plains. Deciding to investigate they ride over. They tie the horses up to one of the trees, and cautiously make their way to the central area from the eastern corner. Remaining hidden, the group spies the body of a human lying face down in the dirt, and sitting right next to him, a Kobold.
The kobold appears to be whimpering, and crying out in pain. Liaathvain senses evil nearby, but they inch their way closer to investigate, ready for action. Liaathvain and Bogor head in first to try and see what has happened to the Kobold, who now seeing the two approach continues to whimper and cry out, but makes no move to try and run away.
Once they ask it if it's alright though, it lets out a loud cry, and many kobolds step out from behind the opposite treeline, including three new, tall lizards they've never seen before called Troglodytes. The trap is sprung.
A long fight ensues, but the group manages to fight them off, even when they went after their horses. One poor kobold in particular had a rough go in the fight, and he was spared after the fight so he could be questioned.
Arradel threatens him with her dagger, and asks who that human was. He tells them he doesn't know, but that he was tortured and used to make Feather Tokens so they could make this forest. When asked why they would go to all this trouble, he responded by telling them because they hate their group, and wanted revenge for killing their brothers and sisters in their battle in the forest on their way to the goblin cave.
When they ask him how they knew about them, he responds with "All Kobolds in this region know of you!" This causes the group to cheer, and be quite pleased with themselves. When they realize that the kobold just wants to kill them, they see no further use for him. Arradel finishes him off, and they tend to their horses.
With the help of their horses, they are able to make excellent time, and arrive at Boro's house late that night. They make their way inside, and hope to find Boro home. However he isn't anywhere to be found. They decide they would spend the night there, and explain their situation to him should he come home.
They rest up, knowing that they have a mission to accomplish the next day.
To Be Continued...
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She tells the group she believes the key to preventing the wolf cult from returning to strength is to find that city once again, and use whatever power lies within to destroy it once and for all. The problem, is finding the city, since no record of it exists. She believes she has a way of locating it though. She knows of a Verrawayan object known to be a Magical Compass, capable of leading whomever owns it to great sources of magical power. She also knows it is in the possession of a rather nasty wizard, currently living in The Forum named Baltham, but that he won't part with it willingly. They'll need to steal it.
Upon hearing they would be stealing something, Arradel's ears perk up, and she decides to join in the conversation, having recused herself from it originally on the grounds that she doesn't like Wandaella. Her mind was quickly changing, however.
To help them, she offers them a potion of invisibility, and gives them some gold. She can't give them to much, for the royal treasurers are keeping an eye on the family's gold reserves, in an attempt to ward off any bribery that may arise due to the political climate in Dahldrum. When they ask if they can have some horses for their journey, she agrees to give them two. They thank her for her help, and head off to the stables to prepare for their journey back to The Forum.
Leading their horses across the pillar, Arradel stops by a local jewellery stall, and tries to plant the seed that they are heroes, on a quest to save the kingdom. Bueller, the jeweller is amazed that they would risk themselves for the kingdom, and watches in awe as they make their way down the pillar.
The group rides out across the plains, passing by the farmhouse they burned to the ground after battling necromancers. They take in the beautiful scenery of the rolling hills, but they stop when they see something strange.
A very small forest seems to have sprung up in the middle of the plains almost overnight. They certainly didn't see this the first time they passed through the plains. Deciding to investigate they ride over. They tie the horses up to one of the trees, and cautiously make their way to the central area from the eastern corner. Remaining hidden, the group spies the body of a human lying face down in the dirt, and sitting right next to him, a Kobold.
The kobold appears to be whimpering, and crying out in pain. Liaathvain senses evil nearby, but they inch their way closer to investigate, ready for action. Liaathvain and Bogor head in first to try and see what has happened to the Kobold, who now seeing the two approach continues to whimper and cry out, but makes no move to try and run away.
Once they ask it if it's alright though, it lets out a loud cry, and many kobolds step out from behind the opposite treeline, including three new, tall lizards they've never seen before called Troglodytes. The trap is sprung.
A long fight ensues, but the group manages to fight them off, even when they went after their horses. One poor kobold in particular had a rough go in the fight, and he was spared after the fight so he could be questioned.
Arradel threatens him with her dagger, and asks who that human was. He tells them he doesn't know, but that he was tortured and used to make Feather Tokens so they could make this forest. When asked why they would go to all this trouble, he responded by telling them because they hate their group, and wanted revenge for killing their brothers and sisters in their battle in the forest on their way to the goblin cave.
When they ask him how they knew about them, he responds with "All Kobolds in this region know of you!" This causes the group to cheer, and be quite pleased with themselves. When they realize that the kobold just wants to kill them, they see no further use for him. Arradel finishes him off, and they tend to their horses.
With the help of their horses, they are able to make excellent time, and arrive at Boro's house late that night. They make their way inside, and hope to find Boro home. However he isn't anywhere to be found. They decide they would spend the night there, and explain their situation to him should he come home.
They rest up, knowing that they have a mission to accomplish the next day.
To Be Continued...
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Chapter Eight - Cult of the Wolf
The next day, as our heroes are making their way through the capital city they happen to notice an eagle flying overhead. This puts them off balance a bit, for they know what happened the last time they saw this sort of thing. On their guard, they begin to make their way to the historian's house to meet with him and see what he came up with. As they are walking up his street however, they hear a terrible cry.
They turn around to see Sheifle red in the face and looking mad with rage, tears flowing down his face. He is flanked by Cypress and Jorga, who appear to be quite shaken. Sheifle draws his mace, and charges at the group, screaming for Radamyr's blood. He attempts to charge past Liaathvain, who manages to wrestle his weapon from him, only to have him barrel past her and brandish a dagger. He runs up to the sorcerer, but Radamyr is able to knock the dagger from his hands.
Sheifle screams at him "HE'S DEAD, HE'S DEAD" and proceeds to land a solid punch against Radamyr. The scene has attracted many onlookers from their windows, and some are calling for the guards.
In an attempt to stop him from harming the sorcerer further, Bogor steps in and delivers a powerful blow with his hammer. Upon impact, Sheifle is bloodied, and crumples to the ground. He's alive but in terrible condition. Responding to the cries of its citizens, a patrol of Knights arrives in time to separate the combatants. Two drag Sheifle off for medical attention, while the rest take everyone else to holding cells, MUCH to the displeasure of Arradel, who is absolutely fuming over being carted off.
The knights say no one is being accused of anything, they are simply holding them until they can piece together what happened.
The group is separated into cells. Both Arradel and Liaathvain are put in one cell together, Radamyr and Cypress are sitting together, with Jorga and Bogor having their own cell each. Jorga does not look well, as she has simply been staring at the floor and looking distant this whole time. Realizing they have a quiet moment, they ask Jorga what happened, and what drove Sheifle to near madness.
Without looking up, Jorga tells them that the night after they left for Greyholt, there was a terrible howling that came from outside the Forum's walls, and shortly after that, packs of Worgs came bursting in through the gates and tore their way to the church. Many knights were killed, as well as everyone in the church, including Versteeg. Jorga had been staying in a house that overlooked the path of terror the worgs made as they rushed through the city, and said it was monstrous. She said it seemed as if they were targeting the church, and because the group had left the head of a dead worg there, combined with the suspicions the three already had of them, Sheifle thought perhaps they had lured them in. She knows it's crazy, and she tells them she understands his madness, for the cleric was one of the first to walk into the church and see the terrible scene within. Sheifle told Cypress and Jorga to come with him, and worrying about his sanity, they followed. They left shortly after the attack, knowing that their group had left for Greyholt.
The room falls silent, and several hours pass. Cypress is off in his own little world, manipulating fire in his hands while Radamyr watches, and Arradel, still completely furious over this whole incident starts to check out the lock on her cell, until they hear the voice of a woman outside the door. After a brief muffled conversation, the guard that was outside the door leaves, and in walks the Princess.
She thought that when she heard guards had arrested honoured guests that it might be them, and she came to find out what was going on. She also told them that she had brought the historian so they could speak to him while they wait for their release.
The group however refused the offer, saying they did not wish to speak with him while trapped in the cell. Wandaella was a bit baffled by this decision, and chose to sit and wait with them, wanting to be there with them when they go and speak to him. Concerned with what is happening to their kingdom, she wishes to know anything she can about the worgs.
Wandaella spent much of her time watching Cypress, and he would look back at her every once and awhile. After another hour the guards release them, and tell Cypress and Jorga where they can find Sheifle, and that he is in stable condition. They run off to go and see him, while everyone else makes their way to the historian's.
Upon arrival he brings them into this study, and lays out everything they left him, and asks if any of them have ever heard of the Cult of the Wolf. They of course haven't, and he goes on to tell them that they were an ancient order of druids who worshipped wolves. They revered them so much that they began to curse themselves with Lycanthropy, the terrifying werewolf's curse. He also mentions that it was interesting timing, for Sir Ravenhold had been looking into the sacrifices as well, and had come to him earlier seeking counsel.
He went on to say how the cult's ranks grew to great numbers, and soon they began to threaten all of Dahldrum. The reigning king and military at the time could not stop them, and so the elves of Verraway stepped in to help, and were able to push them back, using a power hidden deep away within a mysterious city. The city appears to have vanished without a trace, however, and no record remains of it. It doesn't say what the power was that defeated them, only that it lied within this forgotten city. He goes on to say that the ritual sacrifices must be tied to bringing the cult back to power. In fact that green piece of fabric from Boro's house is actually a torn piece of a wolf cultist's cloak. The repairs have been extensive to keep it in this condition after all these centuries.
When the party tells the princess that she'll need to tell the king, she laughs. She knows that he won't believe it. While he'll find the worg's behaviour strange, he's always been a sceptic. He will surely doubt the existence of a mythic evil cult. She believes he'll just increase patrols, and put out bounties for worgs.
Liaathvain offers the group's services, for a cost. The group admires her cleverness, and the princess tells them she will have a mission for them tomorrow. They will be summoned to her, and she will give them instructions.
With many questions answered, the group makes their way back to the divine district, and pays a visit to the small rest area where Sheifle is being tended. Jorga is sitting in a corner, staring off into the distance, and Cypress is once again playing with magic. Radamyr scribbles a simple note, and leaves it with Cypress, asking him to give it to Sheifle when he wakes up. Afterwards they decide to stop by the paladin's home to fill him in on all they had learned, but they found his home empty, with books and notes strewn about the room. It didn't appear as if he'd been robbed, but rather that he was engrossed with his study of the evil objects.
Further investigation into his notes would find that he believed the amulets to not only increase the vitality of the wearer, but that they were also a way of communication. Neither of the objects are present though, and he appears to have left in a hurry. Concerned for their friend, they head to their lodgings, and eagerly await word for their mission.
To Be Continued...
Wednesday 13 March 2013
Chapter Seven - The Council of Eight
Later that evening the group is escorted to a small building near the palace, and given a chance to freshen up with some fancier clothing before their meeting. They are advised to leave all weapons and armour behind. Radamyr brings the worg teeth with him, in case they could help prove their claims, and Liaathvain thinks it would be a great idea to bring the orb with them, and just to make sure it is not viewed as a weapon, Radamyr hands the orb over to her, where she holds out it in front of her, in plain sight.
Once they're ready, they are brought inside the royal palace. As they head inside they see a very regal looking carriage, and they recognize it as the same one that was at the execution the day they all met. They are then lead to a massive meeting area. There are eight large pillars, each rising higher than the next. Behind each pillar sat a human. The human sitting behind the tallest one introduces himself as King Darsaadi, the First of Eight, and head of the council. He asks the group to explain to him everything Versteeg's letter alluded to.
They fill him in on all the information. A couple of the eight chuckle when the subject of Worgs comes up, but their scepticism is silenced when Radamyr shows them the Worg teeth, and after they finish telling them about the evils they faced, Liaathvain feels it timely to show them the orb. As she goes to show them, however, the orb vanishes from her hand, and mysteriously appears within Radamyr's robes.
The group is shocked as this has never happened before, and everyone is left bewildered. They've never seen anything like it. Radamyr is amused, and decides to test out this newfound magic. He hands the orb to Bogor, who attempts to hide it in his robes, only to have it once again, reappear in Radamyr's. Rather than find some answers, the group is left with more questions about it than when they went in.
The Council thanks them for the information, and that they have much to think about. They let them know that there is a royal gala being held currently for many foreign politicians that are visiting from far away, and that they are welcome to attend. There is a lot of political tension rising in the south of Dahldrum, and many believe a civil war may be on the horizon. The southern parts of the large province wish to separate, feeling their needs have been neglected by much of the ruling class. They tell them to enjoy themselves, and not to worry about the larger events in motion. They thank them for their time, and bid them goodnight.
The group heads into the party, with the exception of Liaathvain, who wants to go and visit Sir Ravenhold. She is rather taken by him, and would like to take this opportunity to see if he needs any help studying the evil devices. She hasn't met many paladins in her travels, and wants to learn more from him.
The remaining three scope out the party, and Radamyr and Bogor want to have some fun with the orb. They search the room for the dumbest looking person, however neither of them do a very good job. However, Arradel decides to scan the room for someone important they might recognize, but instead finds a man trying to scoop wine out of a dish with his hand. She points him out to Radamyr and Bogor, and they head over to have some fun. They perform some minor tricks with the wooden sphere, and the man has a great laugh at being fooled. When out of nowhere, the two hear a melodious laughter emanate from the crowd, and a strikingly beautiful woman steps out towards them.
Arradel immediately hates her.
She introduces herself as Princess Wandaella Dasaardi, daughter of King Dasaardi, and she rather enjoyed the tricks the two were playing. When they try and fool her, however, she playfully snatches the ball out of the air with very fast reflexes. The ball immediately reappears in Radamyr's robes.
They talk for a brief time about their adventures, and she informs them of her opinion of the problems with the south. She would like to see the south separate if it meant avoiding civil war. After their short conversation, the group decides it would be a good time to head to their lodgings, and the princess offers to walk them out as she is leaving too. This is when they realize that she was the one in the carriage at the execution. She informs them that she was there to be a royal witness to a traitor to the kingdom's punishment. She bids them goodnight, and they all part ways. The group retrieves their gear, and heads to a pub, thinking the royal party a bit to stiff for them. They get a bit drunk and sing "The Clumsy Cleric", but this time the bar is a bit too packed for most people to hear them.
When Liaathvain approaches Ravenhold's study and knocks, she is surprised to see him in the state he is in. He appears very tired, and when she glances inside his lodgings she sees it to be rather messy. He thanks her for stopping by, and explains that he has been studying the two objects without rest since they were given to him. He wants to better understand why they were so important, but when Liaathvain offers to help, he politely tells her not to trouble herself, and that bringing them to him was more than enough help. He wishes her goodnight, and Liaathvain returns to the rest of the group at their humble bed in the divine district.
To Be Continued...
Tuesday 12 March 2013
Chapter Six - The Glorious City
There are many natural wonders in the world of Ambralia, one of the most exciting to behold is the Pillar, an incredibly large natural rock formation that the humans of Greyholt have used as a bridge to their city. The human city of Greyholt is located above the magnificent sunken lake of Emberfill. The lake is located at the bottom of an incredibly massive chasm, and the city rests atop a vast cliff face that rises out of the centre of the lake. The only way to enter the city is by way of the Pillar, which the local denizens of town use to set up their shops and peddle their wares to the innumerable crowds of travellers moving in and out of the city.
Our heroes have arrived after another half day of travel, and have set foot on the massive bridge. From where they stand they can see the spires of towers and other beautiful architecture off in the distance, beyond the city's walls.
The humming of the amulets is drowned out by the sounds of the busy market place, and the group is able to breathe a sigh of relief. The group makes their way into the city, where they stop and ask for directions. The first thing they want to do is deliver the items to Sir Ravenhold, having grown tired of the never ending humming. They are directed to the Divine District, home to the city's priests, clerics and paladins. They also learn that the court historian is making a special public appearance over at the library, which is fortuitous for them, but they decide that they must first complete their errand.
They arrive at the steps of a massive cathedral, and upon inquiring about the paladin, a man sitting in the front row of pews steps up and walks towards them. The closer he gets to the two stones the quieter the humming gets, until the sound can no longer be heard. He introduces himself as Sir Ravenhold, and simply using his holy aura, he is able to silence the evil contained within Liaathvain's bag. She is immediately impressed. He tells them the order to retrieve these artifacts came from the Upper Echelons of the kingdom, and that he is happy to now have them in his possession. He is to begin studying them immediately. After the group tells them of their adventure, he applauds them for slaying a few necromancers, and offers them some help. If they tell the guard at the library that he sent these four, they should be able to get inside much faster. He expects there to be quite a delay to get in.
With their delivery complete, they make their way to a fairly wealthy part of the city, where the library is located for a chance to speak with the historian. Along the way they are approached by a nobleman, and several guards acting as a welcoming committee. They inform the group that the Council of Eight requests their presence. Versteeg's messenger pigeon had done it's job. They tell them where they can be found later on that night, and that they will be escorted to the council. They exchange information and then the group makes their way to the library.
There is a very long line, but they walk to the front and introduce themselves, and tell the guard what Ravenhold said. The guard lets them enter ahead of everyone else, and they walk inside. The room is packed with citizens all listening very intently to what the old man is saying.
Arradel, Radamyr and Bogor head off to look for information on Verrawayan objects while he finishes his talk. Liaathvain waits patiently to talk to him, and when the crowd disperses he begins to answer a few questions for people. Seeing the opportunity, Liaathvain approaches him and produces the etching. His curiosity is piqued, and asks to meet the rest of the party.
Meanwhile the other three are looking for any information they can on the orb that hasn't really done anything at all since the incident at the cave. Wanting to help, Bogor offers his eyes as well, but barbarians aren't known for their literacy. Bogor is unique in that he invested time to learn to read, while most of his kind doesn't bother. He searches the bookshelves, and thinking he's found something, he pulls one off the shelf.
It's got nothing to do with Verrawayan objects. Bogor has pulled a children's book off the shelf, called "Where's Wyldemere?" A book where the reader is tasked with scouring paintings, and drawings to find the character of Wyldemere hidden somewhere amongst the scenery.
Tibbles, the historian, and Liaathvain walk over to the group and after introductions are made, the historian provides some information on the legend of Wyldemere. But then they get down to the reason they came. Radamyr also produces the strange green cloth from his bag. Tibbles is quite intrigued, and he promises to tell them everything he knows after he does some research. He says he'll need a few days, but once they mention the Worgs, he stops, and tells them that this information will help narrow down what he's looking for. He agrees to meet them tomorrow afternoon.
He also pulls out a book on Verrawayan objects for them to look at, and then heads away to begin his studies. The group is unfortunately unable to learn anything useful about their wooden token.
After a long day, they head over to their lodgings to prepare for a meeting with the Council of Eight, the ruling order for all of Dahldrum.
To Be Continued...
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Meanwhile the other three are looking for any information they can on the orb that hasn't really done anything at all since the incident at the cave. Wanting to help, Bogor offers his eyes as well, but barbarians aren't known for their literacy. Bogor is unique in that he invested time to learn to read, while most of his kind doesn't bother. He searches the bookshelves, and thinking he's found something, he pulls one off the shelf.
It's got nothing to do with Verrawayan objects. Bogor has pulled a children's book off the shelf, called "Where's Wyldemere?" A book where the reader is tasked with scouring paintings, and drawings to find the character of Wyldemere hidden somewhere amongst the scenery.
Tibbles, the historian, and Liaathvain walk over to the group and after introductions are made, the historian provides some information on the legend of Wyldemere. But then they get down to the reason they came. Radamyr also produces the strange green cloth from his bag. Tibbles is quite intrigued, and he promises to tell them everything he knows after he does some research. He says he'll need a few days, but once they mention the Worgs, he stops, and tells them that this information will help narrow down what he's looking for. He agrees to meet them tomorrow afternoon.
He also pulls out a book on Verrawayan objects for them to look at, and then heads away to begin his studies. The group is unfortunately unable to learn anything useful about their wooden token.
After a long day, they head over to their lodgings to prepare for a meeting with the Council of Eight, the ruling order for all of Dahldrum.
To Be Continued...
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