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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
 Posted - 01 Jan 2006 : 05:36:02
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Eleint 20th-26th, 1372 DR
After cataloging the treasure that they have recovered, the adventurers rest again in the wizard's chamber in the Jaelre undergroud complex, and upon returning to the surface, they find that a patrol of Mistledale Militia led by Saerlith have caught up with them. The militia aids them in gathering everything that they can, and they travel back south, down to the Moonsea Ride, then back into Ashabenford.
At Ashabenford, Haresk gives them claim over the dragon's horde (though Stilgar and Mourn didn't think they needed such a proclamation), and informs them that after Noristuor and Grim rallied the Militia and the Lancers, the groups found a group of what appeared to be dark elven raiders, but upon realizing that they were outnumbered and expected, the elves retreated back into the region of the woods known as the Beast Country.
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Eremite
Learned Scribe
Singapore
182 Posts |
Posted - 01 Jan 2006 : 10:35:26
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Thanks for posting, KnightErrantJR.
I've read the previous instalments over at Paizo.com. I've enjoyed reading today's update. Hope to see more soon!
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 01 Jan 2006 : 15:34:18
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| Hey, thanks again. Its been a great campaign so far, and I have some really great players. |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 27 Jan 2006 : 18:19:22
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Eleint 27th, 1372 DR
Before the sun comes up, the adventurers are awakened by a beautiful elven female that has appeared in their hallway in Meriden's rented house. She tells them that she is here to propose a business transaction, and that her associate wants to know if they would be interested.
After some verbal sparring, the newly awakened members of the group tell her to bring her employer to them directly. She does this, and a handsome man with black hair and wearing rich robes appears. It is the same man that they spoke with months ago outside of Stumphill.
Eventually, he admits that his name is Semmemon, and tells them that he wants to find some adventurers to raid his former tower in Darkhold for him, and that he would be willing to pay them well. When they hedge against only gaining treasure for such risks, Semmemon mentions that he has a book of incantations that includes a ritual that can remove fiendish taint from mortals, thus making the young girl they rescued months ago useless to Fzoul Chembryl.
Semmemon explains that of all of the children that Fzoul fathered while possesed by Xvim, he was given one to raise as his heir. Bane has told Fzoul that he can keep his heir alive to raise as he will, but only if he manages to sacrifice all of the others, of which, only the child that the adventurers saved still survives. Semmmemon wants them to make his offer to the Harpers or perhaps the Moonstars, as he is willing to give up some of his important journals of Zhentarim operations to the power groups to secure his safety from these groups.
The adventurers agree to think about this, and add that they will discuss this with any Harper contacts that they might be able to find. Semmemon tells them that he will be in touch.
Mourn wanders off without saying much to the rest of the group, and Emen searches out the people that she travelled with from Elturel. The other members of the party are summoned to Haresk's house by Neylessa Shendean.
Upon arriving at the house, they find that there is a full council session going on, and that Alok Silverspeak, Luvon Greencloak, Brongulf Ironfurrow, Chorn Stoneturner, High Priest Nerval Watchwill, and the members of the Mistledale Lancers and Militia, as well as a light skinned, silver haired elf that none of the companions recognize. All are collected to discuss the situation with Stumphill and the potential drow problems in the forest. Meriden begins to address the assembly, and Haresk eyes him carefully, warning him off of discussing the Eldreth Veluuthra.
The temple to Tyr, the dwarves of Glen, and Alok's archers are going to coordinate themselves with the Lancers and the Militia in order to help patrol the region and to share any information they may end up finding on the drow. When the visitors and delegates leave the meeting, just the councilors and the elves discuss the Eldreth Veluuthra problem. They are also introduced to Mourn's father, Kaelaern, the pale silver haired elf that they saw upon entering.
At this point, Elminster arrives at the proceedings, and probes the adventurers about the events leading up to his exile from Toril, as well as what has happened in his absense, and discusses the magic item that Haresk is looking for, as well as their trip to Silverymoon. Elminster gives them a name to look up if they end up travelling to the Lady's College. They also discuss Semmemon's arrival, and they concerns about working for him, and if the Harpers or the Moonstars would be interested in the information they gain from Semmemon. Elminster tells them that he will get back to them after he contacts his friends in the Harpers and the Moonstars.
Meriden also discusses his temple plans with Haresk. Haresk wants some assurances for the ability of the ranchers near his temple being able to take shelter there, but is fairly aloof and non-commital toward aiding with the construction of the temple. Haresk asks Meriden about progress on finding the magic item he is looking for, and Meriden tells Haresk that he will be researching this item when the adventurers travel to Silverymoon.
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 27 Jan 2006 : 18:20:25
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Eleint 28th-Highharvestide , 1372 DR
With Mourn still wandering, presumably with his father, and Emen travelling back to Elturel, Stilgar, Meriden, and Grim set out to find the Fey Crossroads that Grim has located in Rollivard's Book of Fey Crossroads, that will lead them to the Moonwood just north of Silverymoon. Before they set out on their trip, the adventurers cash in some of their gold for trade bars and platinum so that they might be able to take some of their riches with them to Silverymoon. They store the rest safely back at the White Hart Inn, under Holfast's watchful eye, and set out on their trip.
Travelling to the south, close to the Dark Road, Grim is especially careful not to get lost and wander into the Vale of Lost Voices. By the afternoon of the 28th, they are travelling through the wilderness when a massive disturbance catches their attention. A horrid creature, spherical, with a central eye and six eye stalks, floats toward them. Its hide is carved with symbols in Infernal and with holy symbols of Bane. Meriden recognizes the beast as a Gauth, a beholder-kin, and thus a creature he is sworn to destroy.
Meriden strikes the creature with the power of Helm, calling down a pillar of flame. The creature is staggered, but not killed. Stilgar charges the creature, but suddenly feels greatly weakened upon getting close to the abberation. He still manages to strike the creature, but without the power that he can normally bring to bear. The creature strikes mariden with a ray from its eyes, causing wounds to open up on his body, and fires several rays at Grim as well. Stilgar looks into the creatures central eye, and is paralysed. Grim shifts form into a bear, and Meriden falls prey to the creature's paralysing gaze. Dispite the fact that his friends are now incapacitated, Grim manages to seriously maul the beholder-kin, tearing off its eyestalks and striking a killing blow to the unholy beast.
By Eleint 30th, they reach the spot where the fey crossroads should open, and Grim calls out to Zhanghritehl, a hulking specimen of fey guardian, who demands to know what they have done in the cause of good. After recounting some of their adventures and the enemies that they have made, Zhanghritehl allows them to pass through.
The adventurers set up camp upon arriveing in the Moonwood, within a day of making the Hunter's Gate of Silverymoon.
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 27 Jan 2006 : 18:24:51
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Marpenoth 1st-3rd, 1372 DR
Grim takes some time to ask around to get the layout of the city. Stilgar feels much more at ease in Silverymoon than in other cities he has been in, thanks to the open designs and many parks and trees. Once Grim has the lay of the place, Meriden heads for the House Invincible. At the temple to Helm, Meriden introduces himself and is offered a cell within the place to stay while in Silverymoon.
Grim and Stilgar take rooms at the Golden Oak Inn, and Grim sets out to Mielikki's Glade to see if he can find out about the spellcasters he needs to seek out to learn some of the special skills that his master once told him about. Grim talks to Ladyservant Tathshandra Tyrar, who tells him that she knows of the place that he speaks of, but that he must spend the night sleeping under a sacred tree before he can be allowed to go.
Wandering through the markets and shops, Stilgar eventually ends up at the Shining Scroll, talking to the proprietress Xara Tantlor about used magic items. Stilgar, who is quite smitten with Xara's looks, asks about items that he would be interested in, and Xara brings out some items that she has mentioned that adventurers have brought back to her. Stilgar buys a greataxe that is charged with electrical energy. When asked about more equipment, Xara mentions that she has some adventuring parties that should be coming back soon with more items. When Grim comes into the shop, her psuedodragon familiar Villynik deals with him at first, and then Grim sells sells some items, including dragon parts, which upsets Villynik.
Grim asks around the area, trying to find anyone that might sell magic items that might be of aid to someone of roguish pursuits. Eventually a gnome comes calling on him, and offers him some magic items which Grim is not particularly interested in. He tells Grim that he will search around some more to see if he can find something more suitable.
Meriden has a private audience with Vigilant Master Baerim Coraddor, who has been marked with the sign of Helm. Meriden presents Coraddor with his plans for his temple and how it would benefit the community, but Meriden is intimidated with Coraddor's questions about details, and presents his case badly. While Coraddor does not dislike the young cleric of Helm, he has doubts about his ability to administer the project.
Grim spends the night under the tree in the grove, and has visions of Meilikki and Malar, and of their servants, such as the People of the Black Blood. In the morning, Tathshandra tells Grim that Meilikki has favored him, and she can open the gate to the place where he should go for training. Grim steps through, and ends up much further north in the Moonwood. Grim finds himself at the Tower of Lurue, a tower built by a worshipper of the Unicorn goddess, and inhabited by worshippers of Lurue, Mystra, and Meilikki. The place has both druids and wizards trained in steathly skills and the use of daggers in various ways to augment their natural abilities.
Grim is given an audience with Sanaraen Ladystrider, the mistress of the tower, and she tells him that he will have to make a donation to the tower, as well as complete a mission for them, since he will not be staying on at the tower as one of its defenders. She tells Grim about the running fight that those of the tower have had with the people of the Black Blood in the Moonwood, and gives him the location of a Black Blood renegade that has taken up in a small cave after his pack was destroyed. Grim agrees to search out this renegade.
Grim also discusses his book and his visions with a follower of Meilikki at the tower, and the fellow druid tells Grim that he knows of no formal agreement between Meilikki and Deneir outside of the Harpers, and that he should go to the Vault of Sages in Silverymoon to see if they could help him decipher the code in the book. Grim wants to store the book during his trip, and Borlask Fanders, the leader of the arcane spellcasters of the tower, casts a spell that opens up an extradimensional space that will only open for Grim.
Grim returns to Silverymoon to tell his allies about his mission, and Stilgar and Meriden agree to travel with him to do this.
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 27 Jan 2006 : 18:26:29
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Marpenoth 4th-9th, 1372 DR
Stilgar, Meriden, and Grim set off into the Moonwood to hunt down the renegade member of the Black Blood that the Tower of Lurue has set Grim to finding. Upon travelling for several days in the Moonwood, they come upon the site described. From the ridge, they see a man, apparently a Northman barbarian of some sort, with a camp and a small shrine with fetishes set up. He smells them from a distance, and calls them out.
The three adventurers carfully decend the ridge and engage the barbarian. He tells them that they will not hurt the Child of Malar and that they are not worthy to be in his presense. He vows that the child of his god will be protected with his last breath. All three adventurers expect the barbarian to shift into an animal form, but instead, his teeth and nails grow, but nothing else happens.
The barbarian flies into a rage, and grabs Stilgar, savaging him with his claws and teeth while crushing the life out of him. Meriden and Grim carefully position themselves around the Malarite barbarian, and after taking a savage rending, Stilgar manages to break free of the barabarians grasp. Meriden heals the badly wounded Stilgar, and the barabarian manages to make a few savage unarmed attacks agains the adventurers, but eventually, they bring him low.
Entering the small cave behind the camp of the barbarian, Grim leads, searching for traps. While he finds a greataxe that is set to fly out from the wall, he manages to fall into a spiked pit trap upon walking into the cave. Stilgar helps Grim out of the pit while Meriden, seeing what appears to be a werewolf further back in the cave, calls upon Helm to strike the creature with a pillar of flame.
Meriden heals Grim while Stilgar charges the werewolf. Stilgar manages to harm the creature, though it ignores some of the injury done to it from the axe. Stilgar is wounded by the creature, and the wounds feel horribly unatural to the barbarian. Meriden and Grim enter the fray as well, and Grim and Stilgar both incur more wounds, and those wounds also feel quite unnatural to them.
Eventually the group prevails over the werewolf, and they find a suit of leather armor that seems to shift with a shapeshifting wearer. Grim immediately claims this wonderous magic, and upon sifting through the body and the cave, dispose of the bodies and take the fetishes and symbols of Malar and the Black Blood as proof of their success.
Meriden cannot heal all of Grim and Stilgar's wounds, and upon pondering the reason, realizes that the beast was especially unholy, able to cause wounds that could not be healed outside of a consecrated area. The rest of the travel back to Silverymoon is uneventful, and Meriden manages to heal them once he returns to the House Invincible.
Grim, knowing that Meriden's audience with Coraddor did not go well, donates his old magical leather armor to the church, and also gives a donation to the temple as well. Coraddor tells Meriden that he is impressed with the quality of Meriden's associates, and that he will have another audience with Meriden about the temple.
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 27 Jan 2006 : 18:27:57
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Marpenoth 10th-Uktar 8th, 1372 DR
Grim travels to the Tower of Lurue to complete his training. Meriden has his meetings with Coraddor about the design and plans for the temple. Coraddor is told that he could have the clerics that have just completed their training in the temple as his staff. After discussing the situation further, Meriden is directed to The Senior Vigilant Engineer Ulrunder Garnim, to make sure anything that must be in a temple of Helm is included. Ulrunder says that he is too busy, but gives Meriden Raesef Illusvar, a half-elf engineer working under him, to aid him in his plans.
Stilgar tours several bars in the city as well as staying the night in a few of the parks. He spends time at the Dancing Goat, The Bright Blade Brandished, and Helmer's Wall. He runs into the gnome that was searching for magic items for Grim, and tells Stilgar that he can be found at Helmer's Wall if Grim wants to talk about merchendise.
At the Lady's College, Meriden talks to Embreadal Thuuresk, the woman he was referred to by Elminster. Embreadal decides to see if one of the Greenstone Amulets kept at the college might be able to be let go, and says that she will speak with High Mage Hornblade himself and have his representatives talk to Haresk's to see if an arrangement can be reached. She also gives Meriden a note to give to Elminster when next he sees him.
Meriden is granted a new rank, becoming Alert Watcher Meriden Greystag. Coraddor says that he will need this increased rank to be in charge of the project of building the temple, and that he may be granted the rank of Watchknight if he finds a suitable artifact or relic to place in the temple when it is built.
When Grim returns, Meriden and Stilgar go with him to Helmer's Wall to talk to the gnome, and the gnome, worried about a cleric of Helm being affiliated with the Knights in Silver, is on edge. He sells Grim a possum pouch, a magic pouch that seals to one's flesh, becoming almost seamlessly part of the wearer.
Grim goes to the Vault of Sages to have the code in his book translated. After the Deneirath inspect the book and collect their donation to the temple, Grim learns that the code says that a key lies near the fey crossroads that open into Chult, and that the Hidden Heart is located in the High Forest, unlocked by the key from Chult, and that it must not be devoured by the followers of Malar. The heart is special to Meilikki, and that unlocking its secret would make her happy, but if that is not possible, destroying it before the Malarites get it would be for the best.
Grim, Stilgar, and Meriden discuss the overland travel to the Marsh of Tun, since Grim is reluctant to take a large group of clerics through the fey crossroads. After finding a great deal of trouble along the trails leading back to the Marsh of Tun, they decide to go to the Lady's College and see if they can travel there magically.
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 27 Jan 2006 : 18:28:58
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Uktar 9th-14th, 1372 DR
The spellcasters at the Lady's College take the image of Stilgar's home from his mind and use it to teleport them to his home, the caves hidden in the Marsh of Tun. Stilgar and his companions appear in the caverns that his mother lives in. The caves, furnished with furs and fairly modern furniture and cooking accessories, is inhabited by Stilgar's mother and his two younger sisters.
Stilgar also meets his uncle, Gherusk, who chides Stilgar for using too much arcane magic. Stilgar and Gherusk discuss what his adventureing party has been doing, and what their past is, and Gherusk confides in him that he has travelled widely, and ended up meeting with a group in Anauroch, the Cultists of the Shattered Peak, that he has joined. He tells Stilgar and his companions to be watchful of the mechanations of the Shadovar. He give Stilgar a coin that allows him to speak, read, and understand Loross and High Netherese. Stilgar's mother Arnra asks Stilgar why he hasn't abducted a wife yet.
Stilgar vouches for his Cormyrean companions to the rest of the Mir, and a feast begins. Stilgar's tribe is well care for in part because of his gold returning home for his mother and sisters. The clerics from Silverymoon ask about the culture of the Tunlar of Meriden during the feast, not being used to such surroundings.
The next day, all take a vow not to reveal the location of the cave complex to anyone else, and the band begins to travel toward the mountains outside of Cormyr. The first day out, into the swamp, a huge ooze drake attacks from a sink hole in the marsh. Stilgar gets savaged by its jaws immediately, and Meriden orders the clerics under his care to fall back while they deal with the beast. Acid flows off the creatures skin and burns all of them in the fight, but eventually, after a summoned celestial owl and a few successful attacks by the adventurers, the ooze drake falls.
In the sink hole beneath the creatures body, the remains of a follower of Bane and a follower of Helm are found, along with a magical helm and sword. Meriden instructs the clerics to make a sledge to carry the body of the Helmite so that they can take it back to the new temple.
The next night, Meriden prays to Helm to allow him to speak with the dead. The Helmite tells him that he was Helm Graywood in life, and that he was dedicated to wiping out the remaining Banites after the death of their god, and that he fell shortly after the Time of Troubles. He asks only that Meriden continue his battle against Banites.
The group enters the Storm Horns, and takes cover to avoid running into a Roc that flies overhead. The continue on the pass through the mountains, and get near the ravine that leads back down to Skull Crag. While some of the clerics and the engineer wonder about the village, Meriden remembers that at one time the village had a shrine to Myrkul, and that he would rather avoid the place, and travel on to High Horn.
At night, while Stilgar is on duty, a grey skinned man with dark hair and black clothing approches the camp, and introduces himself as Ambassador Borsaelis. Stilgar calls out to Meriden and Grim, and Meriden approaches the Shadovar agent first. While Borsaelis discusses the fact that the Shadovar have figured out that it was Meriden and his friends that caused the problems between the city of Shade and Zhentil Keep, he also says that the Shadovar would be interested in obtaining any magic from the elven chronomancer that Meriden had run into, and that if they could provide the magic to the Shadovar, then all could be forgiven. While this coversation goes on, Grim walks up to the ambassador, and stabs him with the dagger that Semmemon gave them months ago. The ambassador's body implodes, and shadow bolts shoot out across the camp, nearly killing the young clerics under Meriden's charge. The ambassador's soul immediately journeys to the Fugue Plane.
In the evening, Meriden meets with a stone giant that wants to be assured of the intentions of the travellers. While Meriden doesn't make the best impression immediately, Grim manages to talk to the stone giant about his artwork and pointing out that they are not affiliated with the people in Skull Crag. The stone giant is pleased, and moves on.
A hippogriff rider flies overhead, wearing black and yellow robes. He dips down low out of the sky, and points a wand at the party. A fireball shoots down at them, and explodes, once again, nearly killing the young clerics. Meriden revives one of the clerics, and instructs him to revive another, and have that one do likewise, until all are healed. He then calls down a pillar of flame in the path of the wizard, burning him and knocking him off of the hippogriff. When the group finds his body, it and all of the items he carried are too damaged to be of much use.
Meriden casts a spell to keep Graywood's body preserved, and the group meets up with a patrol from High Horn. The whole group is set up in the caravan hostelry and tells tales to the Purple Dragon knights garrisoned at the fortress. One of the War Wizards stationed at High Horn offers to teleport the group to Arabel, since he is going there, and the group agrees, so Meriden can visit his family.
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Edited by - KnightErrantJR on 30 Jan 2006 00:49:50 |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 27 Jan 2006 : 18:45:39
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Uktar 15th-25th, 1372 DR
The group is teleported to just outside of Myrmeen Lhal's palace in Arabel. Meriden finds that the shrine to Helm has been rebuilt, and may even be expanded into a full temple, and that his former superior survived the destruction of Tilverton and is back at the shrine. He gives the new clerics instructions on the Order of He Who Watches Over Travellers.
The group leaves the city walls and travels to Meriden's family farm. Meriden's father is happy to see him, as is his mother, and he has to spend time telling stories to his younger siblings, as well as keeping Stilgar from tell stories that might be a bit too much for them to handle. Meriden tells his father that he has seen his brother with Sir Hunsilver, and fills his father in to what the band has been doing.
The group travels on toward Mistledale. After several days of travel, they find the Lancer's watchtower that marks the outer boundary of Mistledale's territory. Within a day, they stop at Pelden's Helm, and Meriden pays the innkeeper at the Man with Fire in his Hands to put up his clerics, and he instructs his clerics to aid the Lancer patrols in the area until he has further orders for them.
Upon returning to Ashabenford, Meriden pays for a room for Raesef Illusvar at the White Hart Inn, so that the half-elf will be staying close enough to help plan out the temple. Then the party returns to Meriden's rented house to rest after a long trip.
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 26 Jun 2006 : 06:55:43
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 Intermission
Just thought I would chime in and point out that we will soon be begining the final arc of this campaign. Another friend is moving soon, and as such, it just wouldn't feel right to keep this going, and I want him to be able to go out with a bang. For anyone keeping track at home, its Meriden's player, and he has put a lot of time into his character. Its been a wild two years, so the wrap up is something that should be fitting.
And very much inspired by Ed Greenwood style endings . . . |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 28 Jul 2006 : 07:34:23
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Uktar 26th-30th, 1372 DR
Meriden sends messengers with the Riders to further delineate the duties that he has outlined for the clerics, and begins to ask questions of them to aid in a special idea he has about an intelligence gathering branch of the faith, and begins to try and sort out what clerics would be better for this duty than the others.
Meriden also talks with several of the dwarven farmers from Glen that are still looking for work after the last poor growing season, and formally hires those that have stoneworking experience to aid in building the temple.
Stilgar, being relatively restless as well as eager to find out about his child when it is born, asks Meriden to use a sending to contact Lhoeriath about how she is doing. He then falls in with the scouts in the Mistledale Militia to help scour the country side of goblins and orcs.
Grim studies his book of fey crossroads, as well as the translations of the various hidden messages that the Deneirath clerics have given him, and makes plans to return to Silverymoon and the temple of Deneir when the Feast of the Moon is over. |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 28 Jul 2006 : 07:36:10
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Feast of the Moon, 1372 DR
Both Meriden and Grim participate in various religious ceremonies during this feast, blessing travelers that have returned home, those that make their living off the land and the wild, and saying prayers for the souls of those that have passed on in the last year.
Stilgar happily takes his turn with the others during the feast, recounting the deeds of great heroes of the Mir that have passed on to Tempus' halls after great feats in battle.
Meriden receives a sending from Lhoeriath telling him that the child has been born, that it is a boy, and it is very healthy. She appreciates Stilgar's interest, and has not yet named the child, but that eventually she will contact Stilgar and try to name the child and learn of any traditions that she should be aware of from that point on. |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 28 Jul 2006 : 07:37:11
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Nightal 1st 1372 DR-Tarsakh 18th 1373 DR
Despite the weather, Meriden travels back and forth to Pelden's Helm several times to give directions to his clerics during this time and to further plan for the spring season and the building to take place. He also receives a sending that tells him a cleric will be arriving from Tsurlagol that will be granting him another rank, pending examination of the preparations of the temple, and will be consecrating the site.
Upon hearing this, Naurvintha decides that Greengrass would be the perfect time for the wedding, that the cleric from Tsurlagol could perform the ceremony after Meriden receives his rank, on the consecrated grounds of the temple. Meriden agrees, and the two go to Haresk and Imbrautha to finalize plans. Imbrautha is somewhat put out due to the difficulty of getting messages out, and Haresk is more put out when he realizes that he can get invitations out if he is willing to spend gold for Noristuor to send out some magical messengers.
Although there are fewer patrols in the winter, Stilgar still busies himself by traveling with the militia and looking for wild creatures between Glen, the Sharin Freehold, Ashabenford, and Pelden's Helm. He will not send another message to Lhoeriath until she contacts him first, but is anxious to hear more about his son.
Using the fey crossroads, Grim travels back to Silverymoon and spends much time in research about Chult in the libraries of the temple of Denier. Given his shapeshifting powers, he also flies back and forth to the Tower of Lurue on the northwest edge of the Moonwood, aiding them in their patrols as well as spending more time learning about the skills he first practiced at the tower.
Early in Tarsakh the cleric from Tsurlagol arrives and begins consecrating the site, as the dwarves and Raesef get started on construction of the temple. Haresk receives notice from Sir Evast Huntsilver that he will be bringing members of Meriden's family, and various representatives from the Dalelands send either regards or plans for arriving near to the Greengrass holiday.
A sending that Meriden cast for Emen alerts her to the wedding, and despite the difficult weather, she begins to travel back from Elturel to Ashabenford. By sheer coincidence, and much to her consternation, Mourn Ninefingers manages to find her after once again slipping away from his father's watchful eye and traveling through the fey crossroads back to the Dalelands.
Wulgar Browniefriend is unfortunately unavailable, as he is currently in the Great Rift with his future father in law's business interests, but Chorn Stoneturner will be coming to Ashabenford soon to convey both Wulgar and his employer's regards for the wedding and to attend for them.
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 28 Jul 2006 : 07:38:05
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Tarsakh 19th, 1373 DR
Upon arriving in town, after sundown, Emen convinces Mourn that it would be rude to barge in on Meriden at his house, and convinces him to go with her to the White Hart Inn to stay for the evening.
When the two arrive, the common room is deserted, and upon looking behind the bar, they find that Holfast's trap door leading down to the cellars is open. Emen squeezes down the trap door, followed by Mourn, and they find two barmaids, seemingly dead.
Mourn notices dark, cold, hand shaped marks on the barmaids, and Emen notices that they are still alive. They carefully drag the waitresses bodies upstairs into the common room, and Mourn lets his hawk familiar poke around the cellars to find anything useful.
The hawk describes to Mourn that there appears to be an open vault further into the cellar, and Mourn and Emen remember that Meriden had told them that Holfast had secret chambers and vaults for hiding various things in the cellars. The two carefully make their way to the vault, and find Holfast, dragging him to safety.
Before they can get fully out of the vault, they see a skeletal figure inside, carrying the mace that the party brought back from Anauroch with them when they defeated the lich. The creature looks at them and speaks, telling them that they will pay for causing such damage to his home, and for robbing him of his speech before he could even warn them away from his temple.
The lich grabs Emen, chilling her to the bone, but not managing to paralyze the powerful half-ogre. Focusing her spiritual energy, she manages to actually damage the lich with her massive fists. Morn fires several spells at the lich, burning it with rays of intense heat.
The lich retreats and casts a spell the repulses the living, while the creature casts various spells to repair its damaged undead body, fixes the scorches and cracks in its bones. While it does this, Emen throws every cask she can find at the lich, trying to harm it from a distance.
The lich hurls a few more spells at the pair, including a spell that brings down a column of flame. Emen dodges easily out of the way, but Morn is hurt badly by this spell. The lich casts another spell to cloak itself in darkness and darting shadows, then charges Emen.
Emen has a harder time hitting the lich with the distracting shadows darting around it, but she does manage to strike it again, and resists its cold touch once more. After Emen strikes the lich and shatters many of its bones, Mourn manages to fire another spell striking the creature with magical darts of force and shattering its body. Emen carefully picks up the mace and stores it in her pack, and Emen and Mourn travel to the Temple of Tyr to explain what happened to Holfast and his waitresses, and the clerics gladly cast the proper curative spells to release them from their paralysis and heal their wounds.
Holfast gratefully gives them room and board and his eternal thanks for the rescue, and asks them to find somewhere else to dispose of the mace.
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 28 Jul 2006 : 07:38:45
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Tarsakh 20th, 1373 DR
Emen and Mourn travel to Meriden house on the outskirts of Ashabenford, and they tell him what happened the night before. Meriden discerns that the unholy mace must be the phylactery for the lich, and destroys the unholy object.
Chorn arrives in Ashabenford, and Meriden tells everyone that Heresk and his family, as well as Neylessa and several of the Mistledale Lancers and Militia, have already headed out to Pelden's Helm. Chorn decides that the best course of actions for today would be to take Meriden, Mourn, Stilgar, and Grim to the Velvet Veil for a rousing send off, while Emen quietly meditates at Meriden's home. Meriden is on his best behavior, and his catfolk friend is not in attendance this day.
After dragging Grim away from his female centaur friend at the Velvet Veil, the group repairs to Meriden's home and plans their trip to Pelden's Helm.
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 28 Jul 2006 : 07:39:33
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Tarsakh 21st-24th, 1373 DR
Meriden, Stilgar, Morn, Grim, Emen, and Chorn all set out for Pelden's Helm. While the first day of travel is uneventful, the second day, the group sees a griffon bearing a rider being chased by a green dragon and several wyverns.
Following where the griffon rider apparently went down, the adventurers are set upon by a the wyverns. The party tears into the draconic creatures, but Mourn, Emen, and Stilgar are all badly injured by the poisonous stingers of the creatures.
Despite being badly hurt Stilgar pushes on in battle, but Mourn falls back due to the poison in his veins, and Emen succumbs to the poison, and collapses, appearing to be dead.
Meriden quickly unfurls a scroll and uses its stored power to infuse Emen with the power of Helm, jolting her back to life even as she nearly separates her soul from her body.
Stilgar, Grim (practicing his ability to absorb his weapons into his claws as a bear), and Chorn manage to dispatch the rest of the wyverns, and Meriden casts a spell that fortifies Mourn against the poison in his veins. He purges Stilgar's poison, and purifies Emen as she begins to move again, and finally cleanses Mourn as well.
After healing the group of the wounds the wyverns dealt them, the adventurers continue to track the griffon and the dragon that followed it. They find a small cave, overgrown with newly formed plants, and a frothing, raging green dragon.
Meriden cast more of his divine spells to enhance the adventurers, and Mourn fires spells at the creature from a distance, and Stilgar, Chorn, Grim, and Emen manage to kill the young, but vicious, dragon, before it can do much damage. They walk past the corpse of the griffon to the cave, and within the cave they find Lhoeriath and her son. She cast a divination to find Stilgar, and came to see him, but was set upon by the enraged dragons.
The entire group rests, heals, and heads on toward Pelden's Helm.
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 28 Jul 2006 : 07:40:36
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Tarsakh 25th, 1373 DR
Meriden is surprised when he finds that not only has Sir Evast and his family come from Cormyr, but Myrmeen Lhal herself, as well as a patrol of purple dragon knights, and several War Wizards have come to Pelden's Helm. She explains that while Meriden is a fine son of Cormyr, she actually came because Mistledale helped Arabel during the poor growing season last year.
Myrmeen takes Meriden aside and tells him that she has heard of his interest in starting a branch of the church of Helm that is more interested in intelligence gathering, and she also tells him that she has contacts with the Moonstars, an organization headed by Khelben Arunsun, the Blackstaff of Waterdeep. She says that in exchange for sharing information, Khelben may aid his temple with some extra funds and contacts.
She also tells Meriden that the Harpers have used his band of adventurers as a distraction over something that happened last year. The Harpers refused to deal with Semmemon in regards to freeing his effects from Darkhold, but they did send several undercover agents into Darkhold themselves to retrieve them without Semmemon's help. They are planing on secretly using the information they found to purge the child with Xvim's essence of its dark influence, all the while allowing any in the Zhentarim to follow a trail leading to Meriden's friends.
She also tells him that Semmemon had already given this information to Khelben, and the whole thing was essentially a ruse to allow Khelben to send Semmemon elsewhere, while still making sure the Harpers got the information he wanted them to have. She then asks if Meriden wants to take Khelben up on his offer, and Meriden agrees.
At about the same time, the tressym that was Taldon Forestward arrives in Pelden's Helm, looking for Grim. His own Harper contacts have let him know that the clerics of Deneir in Silverymoon made a copy of Grim's book, and passed it onto the Harpers, and that the Harpers have secured the “heart” from Chult already and put it in a safe place. Grim is furious.
A mysterious moon elf female arrives in Pelden's Helm, and asks to speak with Meriden. The woman is Kaeldarra, the moon elf chronomancer that once sent Meriden and Wulgar into the past. She apologizes for manipulating Meriden and Wulgar, and tells him that she has had a vision from Labelas Enoreth that has made her abandon her quest to change the past, as she has seen Myth Drannor reborn. She also tells Meriden that she say into an alternate future where he was alone, unaging, unemotional, an eternal guardian tinged with sadness and resolve in the depths of his temple.
That evening, Meriden has a dream, where he sees the justicator that has appeared to him before. The justicator tells him that the greatest trials of his life are about to begin, and to be warned and vigilant.
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 28 Jul 2006 : 07:41:41
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Tarsakh 26th, 1373 DR
Meriden finds Myrmeen and tells her something bad will happen, but he doesn't know what, but to be prepared. He find Haresk and tells him the same. Soon after, dark storm clouds roll in and blot out the son, and while the sun is obscured and there is lightning, there is no rain.
Saerlith, the catfolk scout with the Militia, says that a small force of grey skinned humanoids is marching on Pelden's Helm from the east. Before they can react, several huge blue dragons fly over Pelden's Helm, as well as the strange insect-worm creatures known as veserabs.
In addition to the flyers and the marching troops, a figure in black robes on a demonic horse rides toward the group, along with the Herald of Arabel, flying a flag of truce. The rider on the nightmare proclaims that he is a duly appointed representative of the city of Shade, and that he has recruited the Herald of Arabel in order to show a proper flag of truce.
He tells Haresk and Myrmeen that he brings gifts from the city of Shade, and has the chests brought forth brimming with gold and magic. He then says that as a show of good will and in an effort to repair the damage between Shade and Cormyr, he offers these gifts, but asks a favor in return.
The Shadovar want Grim Greycastle for the murder of their diplomat, Lord Borsaelis. They also want the elven chronomancer Kaeldarra and all of her magical effects turned over to them, because all of her effects are “stolen” artifacts of ancient Netheril, and thus belong to the Shade.
Myrmeen says that she will not turn over a son of Cormyr to the likes of the Shadovar, and Haresk says that no adherent to the Dalelands Pact would turn over a Tel'Quessir to the Shadovar either. The shadovar retreats, but as he gets back to his line of troops, he kills the Herald of Arabel in a fit of rage.
Grim, in the form of a hawk, dives at the shadovar general, but strikes a magical field that repulses him. While the negotiations were going on, Mourn points out that he has noticed that something is not right about the dragons, that they somehow don't seem “authentic” to his sense.
As the shadovar troops move toward Pelden's Helm, Chorn, Stilgar, and Mourn notice shadows rising up in the ranks of the Mistledale Lancers and the Purple Dragon Knights, taking the form of Shadow Elementals.
Meriden warns the knights and the riders about the shadow elementals, and warns the War Wizards about the blue dragons. He and his friends then make sure that Haresk and his family are safe in the pavilion, and Haresk gets out the Rod of Peldan to defend his family.
Myrmeen and one of her War Wizards rides out to fight the shadovar general on the nightmare, and the War Wizards and Kaeldarra engage the shadovar wizards on the veserabs. The knights and lancers are split between the shadow elementals and the krinth troops of the shadovar, and Neylessa rallies the paladins among the lancers to take on the shadow elementals.
Before Meriden and his friends can throw in with any of the combatants, they are charged by a force that has slipped in between the other combatants. A force of werebadgers led by a werewolf in hybrid form charges the group. The werewolf demands the book from Grim, and the adventurers charge to attack the lycanthropes.
The adventurers are set upon hard by the werebadgers, and the werewolf druid calls down a pillar of flame on Grim, wounding him badly. Emen, Chorn, and Stilgar wade through the werebaders, and Meriden charges the werewolf, but is badly savaged by several of the werebadgers, their lycanthropic teeth even tearing through his armor.
The werewolf druid calls down several more columns of flame, reveling in the destruction that Malar grants him, and casts spells to bolster the stamina of allied werebadgers. After tearing through a few more of the werebadgers, when everyone is near the werewolf druid, Mourn continues to throw magic darts of force at the remaining werebadgers, and when everyone is in reach, Grim casts a spell that grants the swift strike of the serpent to all of his allies at once, and in a burst of inhuman speed, all those around the werewolf druid manage to strike him at once, negating any chance he has to defend himself.
Meriden has only a few moments to heal his allies when a dozen of the krinth shock troops charge them. Mourn falls back and rains fireballs from his wand at them as they charge the adventurers, weakening and scattering them as they get nearer. Meriden, Emen, Stilgar, and Grim take on the front ranks of the krinth, while Chorn finishes off the last of the werebadgers, and Mourn picks off some of the krinth warriors with more spells.
Before all of the krinth are dispatched, however, the largest of all of the shadow elementals appears, towering over the party. Emen and Grim are badly hurt by the chilling touch of the shadow elemental, and Stilgar has a hard time sinking his axe into the creature's supernatural form.
The krinth are routed, but the Shadow Elemental still looms, but Meriden quickly heals Emen and Grim tends to himself. Chorn's elementally enhanced weapons bite into the creature and pulse magical fire into it, and Stilgar's electrically enhanced axe bites into the creature as well finally. Meriden casts some spells to bring Helm's blessings to the group and to increase their competency, and Morn, Grim, and Meriden cast spells to damage the creature. Eventually its shadows dwindle to nothingness.
The adventurers hear a cry for help, and while Meriden heals the party members, Chorn and Stilgar charge down the ridge to respond. Varim, the Sunite paladin, and his companions are under assault from a shadow elemental, and his friend, the half-elf sorceress, seems to have fallen to the creature, and his other allies are in bad shape. Stilgar and Chorn make short work of the next elemental, already wounded by Varim's smiting ability, and they stabilize the halfling and the cleric, but the half-elf sorceress is beyond help.
After the battle, the adventurers find out that nearly all of the War Wizards have fallen, Kaeldarra is badly wounded, and many of the Riders and Knights have fallen as well, though Sir Evast and Orlass are fine, as is Meriden's famiy. Searlith has died in the fight, however.
During the battle, a shadow elemental separated Haresk and his daughters, and after he blasted it with the Rod of Peldan, they found Naurvintha, but not Raina. Mourn tracks Raina in his wolf form, and finds a note telling the adventurers to bring “the child” through the gate after dawn the next day, through the portal that is near where the not was found.
When Stilgar checks on Lhoeriath and his son in the tent, he finds that the half-elf druid has staked a female drow vampire through the heart in the defense of herself and the child. She raises an eyebrow and says to Stilgar, “she asked specifically for you . . . what kind of women have you been consorting with in my absence?”
Grim and Chorn notice a strange glint in Naurvintha's eyes, a glint of gold. They tell Meriden of this, and they realize that Naurvintha has been replaced by a Malaugrym. They attack the creature, hoping to capture it and find out what has happened to Naurvintha, and while the creature puts up a good fight and manages to spellshift away from the grasp of the half-ogre monk, they eventually batter it senseless and demand to know what is going on.
The Malaugrym says that Naurvintha is being taken as breeding stock back to the Plane of Shadows, and that the Malaugrym was to subvert Mistledale and the temple with its new identity. Before they can question it further, it manages to spellshift away again.
Meriden divines Naurvintha's location through Helm's power, and sees her being flown north toward a portal to the Plane of Shadows. While he wants to go after her, and starts making plans to that effect, he and the other adventurers decide that they must rescue Raina first, and Varim, the surviving members of his band, and several of the Lancers volunteer to ride north to try and catch the Malaugrym and Naurvintha.
When Meriden sleeps for he night, he dreams of being marked by Helm, and when he awakens, his forehead is branded with the vigilant gauntlet of Helm.
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 28 Jul 2006 : 07:42:38
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Tarsakh 27th, 1373 DR
As Kaeldarra lay dying, she gathers Meriden and the adventurers to her, telling them she will soon pass on to Arvandor. She tells Meriden that he is at the most crucial point in his life, and a great determining event will happen today. She tells Emen that she will have many students that do her much honor. She tells Mourn that he will unleash a great evil, but will learn what it is to be a hero. She tells Grim that he will be the bane of the unseelie, and she tells Chorn he will die richer than his employer. She tells Stilgar that he will defend his people from shadow, but only after they have suffered by them. Then she fade away into Arvandor, hearing the call of Labelas Enoreth to come home.
The adventurers examine the gate with one of the surviving War Wizards, and determine that it leads to an area outside of Westgate. They touch the glyph and activate the portal, and they step through in a carefully planned pattern.
There are four short, two tiered stone pillars in this area. They are near the water, and Westgate is able to be seen in the distance. Mourn sends his hawk to view the area, and it lands next to one of the carved, winged statues on top of the short pillars.
A hooded figure arrives, covered from head to toe, holding Raina's hand, and wants to know where her granddaughter is. Meriden asks who she is, and she begins to recount her origin and why the girl is special to her.
She tells Meriden that when she was younger, many centuries ago, she was a paladin that opposed a human tyrant named Bane. That tyrant tricked her into using an artifact that cursed her and cut her off from her paladin abilities, and gave her unnatural long life. She eventually tried to seduce Bane to get close to him and kill him, but instead she became pregnant with his son, Iyachtu Xvim. She hoped to raise him to be a valiant paladin, but instead, he had his father's taint, as was raised to demigod status, ruling Westgate as a king when his father became a god.
She says that she can no longer say her own name, and that she wants he granddaughter so that she can study Xvim's power in her and perhaps use it to free herself from her curse. Meriden knows from his religious history lessons that Xvim's mother has been rumored to be either a paladin or a demon, and he senses that some of what she said was true, but there were a few lies and many unspoken parts to her story. He asks to make sure Raina is alright.
She allows Meriden to examine the girl, but then asks where her granddaughter is. Meriden says that they will have to go get her, and Xvim's Mother demands to have Raina back until they come back with her granddaughter. Grim slowly places Raina on Chorn's pony and tells her to get ready to ride to the far side of the beach when he tells her to do so.
The statues on the pillars come to life as gargoyles, and one tears Mourn's hawk nearly apart, though it still lives. Stilgar and Chorn leap up the pedestals to the gargoyles, and Xvim's Mother turns invisible. Grim sends Raina away on the pony, and dives at Xvim's Mother. Meriden casts a spell that, by Helm's ever vigilant eye, purges all invisibility from the area.
The rest of the adventurers attack the gargoyles, and Xvim's Mother strikes Grim with her unholy scimitar, and further enhances the weapon with her unholy essence, nearly killing the druid-ranger. She then tries to turn invisible again, but Meriden's field is still in effect.
The gargoyles are dispatched by the other adventurers, and they close in on Xvim's Mother, slashing and battering her. She flies off and heals herself, then dives back into battle, taking several wounds again after returning to the fray.
Grim heals himself, but Xvim's Mother pronounces a horrid phrase that weakens and stuns everyone around her, but Mourn is still far enough away to keep raining burning rays of heat at her. She heals herself while the adventurers are stunned, and then casts another spell, a vicious spell that drains the fluids out of the bodies of those around her, and Grim falls.
Meriden rapidly heals Grim, and then casts a spell on himself to make himself infused with Helm's righteous fury, and heads toward the pillar that Xvim's Mother has flown off toward. Stilgar, Emen, and Chorn scale the tower to reach her, and Grim again uses the spell he used the day before to infuse his allies with the speed of the serpent, causing them all to strike Xvim's Mother before she could counter any of their attacks, and she falls.
Since the portal will not function again until the next day after sunrise, the adventurers gather Raina to them and set up camp for the evening.
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 28 Jul 2006 : 07:43:36
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Tarsakh 28th, 1373 DR
When the group returns through the portal, Neylessa and Haresk are waiting for them. Haresk seems very dejected, but hugs Raina as she comes through. Neylessa tells Meriden that when Varim's Band caught up with the Malaugrym, a flight of raging dragons showed up, and the creatures devoured all of them, adventurers, malaugrym, and Naurvintha included.
Meriden is devastated, and wanders lost the rest of the day. The cleric from Tsurlagol performs any rite for the dead that may be needed, and bodies are arranged in a caravan if they are to be buried, interred, or to have service provided elsewhere. The Cormyreans leave, and the Lancers turn away the contingents of guests from Shadowdale and Battledale that have arrived this day.
Meriden sees the vision that Kaeldarra spoke to him about, the vision of himself as an eternal guardian of his temple, an arch lich, and sees now that this may be the only destiny for him, and unfeeling guardian forever doing the will of Helm, without fear of a broken heart.
Stilgar and Lhoeriath find that they may have enough in common that they may stay together. Lhoeriath had never known her father, and was distant from most men she knew, but she has grown interested in spending time getting to know Stilgar, and perhaps even having more children with him.
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 28 Jul 2006 : 07:44:18
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Tarsakh 29th, 1373 DR
After clearing the battle scene, and helping with the dead, and making sure that the temple site is alright, the adventurers prepare to leave, although Meriden believes that he may indeed stay where he is at. The temple is all that matters now.
A strange object appears in the sky, something that looks like a giant sea shell fused with a ship, and it descends on the parade grounds outside of the temple site. Within it are Swanart and Killidaegra, the gnomish siblings. They tell the band that they have just found this part of their uncle's lost adventuring treasures, a ship that can sail the stars. But they need a crew to help them. They promise they will only be gone a little while, since they just want to see what the ship can do.
Meriden smiles grimly at them, and nods for them to go, as he walks back toward the temple. The ship lifts high into the sky, heading for the Tears of Selune.
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 28 Jul 2006 : 07:44:58
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Summer, 1374 DR (Epilogue)
When the demons, devils, and daemons commanded by the Daemonfey ravaged Mistledale and the lands around it, a contingent of the horrid creatures broke off and headed for Peldan's Helm. As the creatures neared the area, the priests of Helm gathered the inhabitants of the town and the nearby farms into the temple, and the temple held out for several tenday against the assaults of the creatures of the lower planes, until a contingent of elven warriors managed to swing through and draw the demons and devils away from the areas.
The Temple of Helm saved the lives of nearly everyone in Peldan's Helm and the nearby area during this time.
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 28 Jul 2006 : 07:47:07
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Well, if you have gotten this far, thanks for coming along for the ride. For the foreseeable future this campaign is over, and I caught A LOT of flak from some of my players (good naturedly, of course), for not beleiving in happy endings. Then again, there really aren't any endings . . . just beginings of something new.
At any rate, if you have been following this, I hope you enjoyed it. |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 06 Feb 2007 : 00:33:20
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Interlude: Nightal 30, 1371 DR
The lythari Mourn has been deemed to be possesed of natural sorcerous abilities, and his father is escorting him to the tribe's oracle, a powerful spirit of the land that often manifests as a cloud wolf. They travel to a remote region of Cormanthyr, on top of a hill open to the moonlight.
Mourn's father jokingly tells his son that he is about to assume his adult role in the tribe, and that his time skulking around the edges of human settlements spying on them is over. Despite this its clear that his father is not thrilled with Mourn's facination with humans.
Upon arriving at the peak of the hill and tranforming into theif wolf forms to call the Spirit of the Land, the cloud wolf appears, and challenges Mourn to face the future ahead of him as a lythari entrusted with the power of magic.
Mourn sees images of shadows, hellfire, demons, and devils, and he sees himself being responsible for the lives of many of his tribesfolk. He doesn't know what to make of all of it, and his head spins. He only wants to escape, so he lets out a howl and charges into the night.
Mourn's father and a few other lythari finally find him, and he is curled up in elf form, crying and saying that the Seldarine are have possesed his clothing and that the Seelie Court sings him to sleep at night. The tribal shamans rule that he is insane, try to work spells to ease his mind, but he is inconsolable for a tenday.
After this time period, Mourn sneaks away from the lythari, somewhat more lucid, but unwilling to accept his role as a tribal spellcaster or shaman. |
Edited by - KnightErrantJR on 06 Feb 2007 00:34:05 |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 06 Feb 2007 : 00:50:32
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Interlude: Chess 18-21st, 1372 DR
On the night of the full moon, Mourn leaves his companions to hunt in his wolf form all night. He is sure that eventually he will catch up with them, but reasons little due to his enjoyment of his wolf form. The next morning his father arrives, and tells Mourn that his adventure is over, and that he must return so that the shamans of the tribe can determine what is wrong with him and if he can be allowed to continue to practice magic. He tells Mourn that if he does not return home to the tribe soon, he will be branded as an exile.
Mourn begins to see the images that the Spirit of the Land showed him, and his grip on his sanity starts to fail again. He remembers his moral failing with the child in the fey crossroads, and his lack of skill with magic, and is afraid that the shamans will see these shortcomings in him, and brand him an exile, ban him from his magic, or even deem him too dangerous to live.
He prays to his spoon that he has convinced himself is an avatar of Corellon Larethian, but it doesn't respond. Then before him appears a creature he doesn't know, one that has red skin and fine clothes, and looks somewhat like a satyr. Mourn begins to wonder if the creature is a representative of the Seelie Court sent to deliver him.
The being asks Mourn what he wants most, and Mourn says that he wants to be a competent and fearsome user of magic, one that commands the respect of others, and one that is more dangerous to his foes than to himself and his friends. The being smiles and says that as long as he agrees to commit his soul to the satyr like creatures masters for all eternity, then he will grant his wish.
Mourn agrees, and the pact is sealed. Mourn feels more lucid, and more competant, and vaguely remembers his discussion with the satyr like creature. He also begins to wonder about all manner of strange magic and dangerous dark artifacts that he has never really considered before, and wonders why he never thought to study them before.
Mourn follows his father back to his tribe, and undergoes the tests of the shamans. Mourn passes these tests, but they detect soemthing otherworldly and dangerous about him, but find him much more competant and sane than before. They also sense that his destiny is intertwined with the humans he travels with, so they give him leave to return to them in time. |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 08 Feb 2007 : 21:30:06
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Late Spring 1373 DR to Early Summer 1375 DR (Stilgar, Mourn, Emen, and Grim)
The adventurers travel with Killideagra and Swanart into the expanse that the two gnomes refer to as "wildspace," and the group does their best to steer the strange vessel. Following the charts on the ship, they manage to head toward the moon, and then veer off toward the Tears of Selune to a space station known as Dragon Rock.
Upon arriving on Dragon Rock, the adventurers talk to several space farers to learn about wildspace and what is found there. After spending some time here, while the gnomes try to hire crewmen and learn more about their inherited ship, a man comes up the Emen, Mourn, Grim, and Stilgar and strikes up a conversation.
Easal Gifford, a paladin and member of a group called Code Helm, wants to know if they would be interested in aiding with raids on illithid bases on a world of Glyth. He explains the nature of illithids in space as well as generally the layout of Realmspace, the planets nearest to the world of Toril.
Mourn is excited to go, Emen feels somewhat compelled since Code Helm was founded by Helmites, Grim is guarded and thinks that Mourn is insane, and Stilgar is influenced by Lhoeriath to check in on this situation. They take the job, and tell the gnomes that they will be in touch.
Lhoeriath and the child set up shop on Code Helm's base in the Rings of Glyth, and the adventurers prepare for their assault on Glyth. The adventurers will fly past a patrol ship and check in as a slaver ship, and once the ship checks out, they will falsify a wreck, and the adventurers will head off toward one of the illithid "ranches" to investigate Code Helm's concerns.
The adventurers travel to the surface in the manner described. The party manages to evacuate the ship properly, and then travel toward the "ranch" as planned. Stilgar and Emen proceed to then entrance while Mourn and Grim use their shapechanging abilities to scout out the edges of the ranch.
At the entrance of the place Emen and Stilgar see only one guard, a strangle armored illithid that also has spiked chains affixed to its tentacles. While all members of the party have rings protecting their minds from illithid assault, the illithid seems to know where they are, though it may have just been especially perceptive. As it moves towards them, Stilgar charges the creature and Emen prepares for her attack. The illithid launches into a whirling attack with its chain flail tentacles, striking both adventurers and knocking them off guard.
The strange fighting illithid manages to pull Stilgar's axe away from him, and another tentacle reaches out and strikes Emen at a distance. Stilgar dives for his axe while Emen closes on the illithid and catches the creature in a grapple. Stilgar strikes the creature hard, sending jolts of electricity through it, but despite Emen's hold on the creature, its tentacle manages to reach out and trip Stilgar. Emen knocks the creature to the ground, and Stilgar strikes while the creature is prone. If fights with its reaching tentacles for a few more moments, but eventually Emen rips off its tentacles as Stilgar buries his axe in its chest. Using a potion of comprehend languages, Grim decides to gather some information, and approaches on of the humans on the ranch. They mention that the masters will be coming to take the most enlightened ones soon, but that they have recently changed their procedures. In the past, the enlightened ones took the most promising of the humans away to live in a city filled with the enlightened ones to give them advanced training, but now they have been returning some of the "trained" humans back to the ranch, so that they might take parters and produce children.
The returned ones say very little, except that they have been given a great gift by the enlightened ones. The female tells Grim that she didn't know when he arrived, and asks if he is one of the enlightened ones from the illithid cities. He tells her that he is just a new inhabitant of the "school" recently moved there, and she says that she hopes to mate with him soon, as she will soon be in season.
Skulking around the edge of the camp, Mourn is taken unaware by a group of savage looking humans. He uses his potion of comprehend languages, and speaks with them. They tell him that they can sense he is a magical creature, but that the "tentacled devils" rarely alter animals without causing them to change their appearance, so they wanted to be sure of what Mourn was. They tell him that they are rebels that travel this region of Glyth, and that they have hired mercenaries from beyond to aid them in their attacks. They paid them with stolen magic items from the last ranch they raided.
Grim meets up with Mourn and is surprised to find the rebels. All of them meet up with Emen and Stilgar, and they tell their companions how lightly guarded the front gate to the place was. Before any of them can react, a Spelljamming ship streaks over the horizon and starts launching exploding balista bolts at the ranch, scattering the humans. The rebels say that these are their mercenaries, but that they aren't suppose to attack yet. A cloak of shadows goes up over the whole ranch, and the rebels say that its a standard feature of the ranch that the illithids can throw up the "Shadow Cloak" when they have to arrive in large numbers. The mercenaries disembark their ship, and they appear to be wiry, yellow skinned creatures, with tight skin drawn tight over their bodies. They seem to be rounding up the humans, while waiting for something to come out and meet them. From one of the buildings on the ranch, a creature bursts out at the mercenaries. It looks like a dragon with small purple scales, and large kite like wings of flesh, but the head of the dragon has small white eyes, and where the mouth should be are long, slimy tentacles. In addition, three illithids fly out of the same building, and being to attack the mercenaries, who attack them with wild abandon.
The humans are being trampled and attacked left and right by the dragon thing, while the illithids are hurling bolts of psionic energy into the ranks of the mercenaries. The rebels charge the creature, and the adventurers follow suit. Mourn begins to fire at it with scorching rays, and Stilgar and Emen charge the beast, while Grim moves some humans out of the way of the creature. Emen tries to grapple the things head, Stilgar hacks at its body, and Mourn keeps firing spells, many of which fail to penetrate its resistance to magic. Grim jumps onto its back and absorbs his daggers into the claws that he grows as a bear. After a few more blows, the dragon thing incapacitates Stilgar and Mourn with its mental powers, but Emen and Grim manage to finish the dragon off.
The pirates are nearly routed, and more illithids show up. The rebels ask the adventurers to help round up the wounded and get them into the forests beyond the ranch. They do so, and get away from the mounting number of illithids.
The party reaches the rebel camp, and they rest for the night, the rebels stunned to have their mercenaries turn on them, apologize for what happened, and ask for some help in healing their newly freed humans, who are confused, since they believe that the illithids are enlightened teachers. The rebels say that they will have to go deeper into the forest before the illithids decide to follow them, but first they will likely pick through the mercenaries.
It takes a few tenday to reach another camp, and in the meantime, Grim finds out that rebels worship a goddess they call the Earthmother (which he knows is another name for Chauntea, and assumes is the same goddess). Some of the rebels speak common, as they have been in contact with the warriors from Code Helm. Grim has some harsh words for Code Helm in his message to them, and soon a ship arrives with another group of adventurers. These call themselves the Sisterhood of Lost Murdane, and they are working with Code Helm at the moment. They wish to go back to the ruins to find out what was going on at the ranch, as it was not being run like a standard illithid ranch.
Emen knows that Murdane was a goddess that died centuries ago, and was purported to be Helm's lover. The sisterhood informs them that she was the goddess of Reason, and that she had some followers that purportedly took to wildspace, and as such, their order has been searching wildspace for years looking into if the goddess is truly dead and gone, or if "reason" is just sleeping and may be awakened.
The combined group returns to the ranch, and the Sisterhood, with many psionic members, does its best to cloak them as they enter the ranch. They encounter a few more of the armored illithids, which the Sisterhood refers to as "bodytamers," and says that they are a form or martial artist native to illithids, who harness their psionic abilities to make them more deadly and coordinated with their physical attacks.
Several more illithids are encountered, and Emen nearly dies when she defends one of the Sisterhood from an illithid that nearly devours her brain. The Sisterhood are impressed with her, and after all are healed, they lead into the ruined buildings on the ranch, specifically the one that that dragon came from. They are attacked by somewhat feline, tentacled creatures that appear to be a cross between some kind of hunting cat and an illithid. Inside the building, the group is ambushed by a pair of huge, quivering sack like creatures segmented legs. After the ambush, many of the Sisterhood of Lost Murdane die, but the creatures are destroyed. The place is filled with broken jars and magical equipment all over the place. Eventually, the group notices tiny little purple worm like creatures, very small and slithering around. They start to slither around some of the members of the group, and swarm into them. Those who are swarmed turn on the rest of the group, and chaos ensues.
Eventually everyone except for Mourn has been covered with the parasites, and a huge creature walks out from further into the complex. The creature is a nine foot tall illithid with very long tentacles. He tells Mourn to come out and face him, and accept his fate. He tells Mourn that his fate, as all of theirs is sealed, and that he knows right where Mourn is. The large illithid then orders his companions to attack him. Mourn calls up reserves within him and manges to cast a spell to paralyze his companions, and the one remaining member of the Sisterhood of Lost Murdane that is still alive. He then casts another one that starts to wither and kill the swarms of purple creatures, and as the die, they wriggle to the next group of them and spread the "disease" to the next group. The creature picks up Mourn in its long tentacles and moves toward his brain, but Mourn turns to wolf form and begins to furiously bite and tear at the creature. It begins to take over his mind, but before Mourn is lost to the creatures mental control, he speaks the most powerful spell that has ever entered his mind, and an blast of arcane fire destroys Mourn and the powerful illithid in one massive blast.
The group gathers what is left of the lab and teleports back to the Code Helm base. The members of Code Helm explains that the last illithid they faced was an Ulitharid, a very advanced form of illithid that is held in awe by other illithids. After looking at the creatures and the notes and equipment that was salvaged, they find out that the little creatures are called nerve swimmers, and they can infest a host and make them vulnerable to control by outside forces, but these ones are modified. The nerve swimmers that the illithids were developing were undetectable when dormant, and could be activated at a certain time or at great distance, and unlike other nerve swimmers, they were working on making these ones able to mutate into an illithid tadpole, meaning that eventually they could, by remote, turn a host into an illithid over time.
Code Helm is sorry for the loss of the adventurer's companions. The members of Code Helm that have appropriate rank elevate Emen to Trusty Lady Knight Emen, and they provide her with papers to present to Toril side churches to confirm her promotion. Nearimma, the last of the Sisterhood, upon hearing that Emen has gone up in rank and that they have ties to the Church of Helm, presents Emen with the Mindsword of Murdane, an artifact of the lost goddess that she wishes to be kept safe with the Church of Helm, barring any followers of Murdane being able to keep it safe. She asks them if they will deliver the sword to Toril for her.
The adventurers stay at Code Helm's base for a while, and eventually fly back to Dragon Rock to reprovision. After a while, the gnomes end up arriving on Dragon Rock, and the adventurers set back out to Toril.
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Edited by - KnightErrantJR on 24 Feb 2007 22:36:51 |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 08 Feb 2007 : 21:34:25
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Late Spring 1374 DR to Early Summer 1375 DR
During the summer of 1374 DR, Meriden is busy with the invasion of the Daemonfey, part demon gold elves that bring with them hordes of demons and daemons, and try to take over Myth Drannor. Once in Myth Drannor, the Daemonfey enslave the devils native to the ruined city. An army of elves comprised of units from Evermeet and Evereska arrives in the Dales, and meets with Haresk Malorn, as well as Mourngrym, Randal Morn, and Lord Ilmeth of Battledale. While Meriden knows about the meeting with the Dalelands leaders and the arrival of the elves, he doesn't know about the armies of fiends until just before a combined force sweeps through Mistledale.
Meriden and his fellow clerics manage to get most of the population of Pelden's Helm into the temple and fortify them against the demon attacks. Overblade Lyrkaen from Tsurlagol manages to lock the temple down from extraplanar intrusion, and the temple's spectator dies defending the last of the retreating clerics. Meriden's sword manages to kill quite of few of the soldier demons, but he has to retreat when he the devils and daemons enter the stage. His guardian justicator buys him some time, and when they manage to fall back into the temple, Lyrkaen contacts his superiors in Tsurlagol, and they manage to send several inevitables to defend the temple.
Eventually the demons and devils fall back to Myth Drannor and aid arrives from the elven armies as well. While the demons and devils lessen after the daemonfey have been driven away, many monsters are still roaming Myth Drannor and Cormanthor in general, so Meriden aids the elves in hunting demons in the forest, and is named as a human welcome in Myth Drannor. He also sees several adventurers arrive in the ruined city to aid the elves, and meets Florin Falconhand and Dove from the Knights of Myth Drannor, as well as Fflar Starbrow, commander of Coronal Miritar's forces and Consort to the Coronal herself.
After spending a few months aiding the elven army in clearing out demons and devils, and after receiving a gift, a crossbow enspelled to harm evil creatures from other planes of existance.
Meriden heads out for Tsurlagol to obtain more funding to repair demon damaged temple and to request more priests and funds to fortify the place. He is in Tsurlagol until the spring of 1375 DR, and receives a promise for the potential for new funds, temporary staffing, and the rank of Guardian. |
Edited by - KnightErrantJR on 24 Feb 2007 22:53:25 |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 09 Feb 2007 : 00:43:04
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Interlude: Spring 1375 DR (Mourn, The Fugue Plane)
Mourn's spirit arrives on the Fugue Plane, and almost as soon as he arrives, a diabolical creature appears, and tells Mourn that he is ready to claim him. Almost as soon as this happens, a glowing, elf like being arrives, an emisary of the Seldarine, just as the first being was a representative of the Nine Hells.
The two beings argue over the fate of Mourn's soul, the devil argueing that Mourn had signed a contract to give over his soul, and the eledrin argueing that Mourn dided nobly and that he was not in his right mind when he made the pact.
Eventually an armored figure with black and white wings, wearing steel armor arrives, and says that this matter will have to be decided within Kelemvor's court of Judgement. All three travel to the Crystal Spire, and an aspect of Kelemvor awaits them in one of the audience chambers within the room.
Kelemvor's aspect reads over the contract, and the eledrin produces a kiira stone that Kelemvor's aspect touches, which then displays Mourn's life before all arrayed. The eledrin argues that clearly Mourn was not sane and could not be held to the contract. Kelemvor's aspect rules that Mourn may have been insane, but he was sane when he benefited from the pact, and that he showed that he was capable of making the pact when he nearly sold the child to the Durzagon in the fey crossroads years ago. However, he also died a heroic death.
Kelemvor rules that Mourn will have a second chance to prove where he belongs. He is to be resurrected as a hellbred, and he may try to prove his worth on Toril until death takes him again, at which point his final fate will be decided.
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 02 Mar 2007 : 05:21:08
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Mirtul, 1375 DR
Meriden finished up his business in Tsurlagol, boards a ship, and sails back to the Dalelands, at which point he begins his ride back home to the temple, not fully aware of the other events that have been going on around the region, and spending a bit of time conversing with his elven associates on the way back home.
Wulgar Browniefriend returns from the Great Rift and his work defending the merchant caravans of Brongulf Ironfurrow, and during his time in the Great Rift completes his training in the ancient dwarven dicipline of the Dwarven Defender. Wulgar and Yrend set a date for their marriage, and Wulgar decides to travel from Glen back to Ashabenford to see if his friend Meriden is there, so that he can catch up with him on events that have transpired.
Killideagra and Swanart set the adventurers down in the Marsh of Tun so that Stilgar can doll out some of the gold that he has collected in his adventuring career to his mother and his community. While Stilgar makes his way to the hidden caves of the Mir, his mother is so thrilled that he has a child that she has the tribal shaman call for a tribal meet. The shaman calls the tribe to a common meeting place, away from the hidden caves, and the available tribesfolk show up for the naming ceremony for Stilgar's child.
Lhoeriath is intrigued by Stilgar's people, and by the tribal shaman and their devotion to Silvanus, and she accepts the oath as a member of the tribe, pledging to stay with the other women and defend them with her ability, and after she takes this oath, she and Stilgar are joined in marriage. She agrees to spend time with the Mir, and the adventurers rest in the caves for a while.
After the ceremony, Grim uses the fey crossroads and his abilty to take the form of a bird to travel to the Tower of Lurue on the west side of the Moonwood. Grim has a talk with the head of the Tower, Sanaraen Ladystrider, about the Harper's learning about the quest set before him by his inheritance of Rollivard's Catalogue of Fey Crossroads. Sanaraen tells Grim that she is sorry that they allowed his secrets to get out, but that they implicitly trust the Harpers. Grim is skeptical of this, and tells her to keep his business away from Harper eyes, but holds his temper in check. He then returns to the Marsh of Tun.
After Grim returns, the adventurers say their goodbyes and set out for Ashabenford. |
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KnightErrantJR's Mistledale Campaign Journal
