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Snotlord
Senior Scribe
Norway
476 Posts |
 Posted - 22 Oct 2006 : 13:08:17
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The following campaign is a combination of numerous Dungeon sources, in addition Forgotten Realms sources like Serpent Kingdoms and the Shining South.
Hope you enjoy it.
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Snotlord
Senior Scribe
Norway
476 Posts |
Posted - 22 Oct 2006 : 13:08:47
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| Placeholder post for non-canon material. |
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Snotlord
Senior Scribe
Norway
476 Posts |
Posted - 22 Oct 2006 : 13:12:00
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Prelude: To Tashluta
A group of would-be adventurers gather Tashluta in the months up to Ches in the Year of Rogue Dragons.
Danilo Thann (? - present) is a promising young bard from Waterdeep. He is not related to any other Danilo Thanns, such as the impostor bard of Waterdeep or the blacksmith of Crimmor.
Dorn (? – present) is a handsome tethyrian swordsman devoted to Helm who is looking to refine his skill with the blade.
He met Dawn when he was hired as a guard by her father to protect her from the dangers of the city and possibly more sinister forces.
Kira (? – present) is a moon elf rogue who has spent years as a slave in Thay, enduring degradation and toil. Through stealth and strange innate magic abilities she escaped, she hooked up with Nadira, and now finds herself in Tashluta drinking the nights away and (to her own surprise) looking for demons apparently.
Nadira (1355 – present), a buxom fugitive shaaran princess and follower of Mielikki from the Lake of Steam region, has come to Tashluta investigating rumors of demonic activity in the region, hoping to find Prince Bozorgmehr, her family's nemesis, and in turn rescue her long lost sister Anahita (1351 – ?).
Chapter One: The Life's Bazaar
Ches, Year of Rogue Dragons
Ches 1: A half-dozen would-be adventurers are enjoying supper and several drinks in the late evening at the Dragon Song Inn in Tashluta. Kira and Nadira, at one table, are on one of their drinking sprees, while Dorn with protégées Qnirque and Dawn are enjoying a quiet supper at another table after a day at the library.
The two groups leave after last call and are about to say their goodbyes when they hear cries for help from a nearby alley.
They enter the alley and finds Laro, a young cleric of Tyr, take a beating by thugs wearing harlequin masks. The valiant Dorn tries to take charge of the situation, but the high-strung women present put an arrow in a thug's chest and slash his throat before anyone really grasp that they have walked into a fist-fight, and not a necessarily armed fight.
The now only tipsy Nadira magically heal the shreds of the thug's throat before he draws his last breath. Dawn sees a confident-looking leather-clad woman looking down at them from one of the rooftops. Qnirque keeps the second thug in check, while Kira chase the until now hidden third thug with little success. No one can stop the woman on the roof from quietly slipping away.
The cityguard soon show up and arrest the thugs for a good beating at the station. Laro is known to the guards, they seem to believe him, and the others are told to stick around for a few days in case they have any questions later.
One of the thugs seem to want to say something, but are kicked in the face by a guard. Qnirque are curious what the thug wanted to say, but get no answers, only vague hints about a new thieves' guild in the city.
The group accompanies Laro to the small Tyr shrine in Tashluta, where they meet his supervisor, the beautiful businesslike cleric Jenya Urikhas. The meddlesome quintet learn that the clerics of Tyr are investigating the disappearance of some children from an nearby orphanage and that Laro was “warned” by the thugs to drop the investigation.
Jenya is actually looking for someone to continue the investigation, as Laro clearly has hit a wall, and really is more of a scholar anyway. The quintet, especially Dorn and Kira, are interested and they agree to visit the Tyr shrine the following day to discuss it more thoroughly.
Thus ends the first session of Against the Shadow-lords of Tashluta. |
Edited by - Snotlord on 06 Mar 2007 18:06:36 |
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MerrikCale
Senior Scribe
USA
947 Posts |
Posted - 22 Oct 2006 : 17:36:41
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| is Nadira a priestess or druid? |
When hinges creak in doorless chambers and strange and frightening sounds echo through the halls, whenever candlelights flicker where the air is deathly still, that is the time when ghosts are present, practicing their terror with ghoulish delight. |
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Snotlord
Senior Scribe
Norway
476 Posts |
Posted - 22 Oct 2006 : 19:41:00
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Nadira is a ranger/favored soul actually. The player of Nadira enjoys character generation very much, and surely has some kind of game-breaking combination in mind. Harper Paragon was mentioned, but his feat selections (Snake Blood, Spellcasting Prodigy) indicate otherwise.
And, while I'm at it:
Dawn is a sorceress.
Dorn is a paladin/fighter of Helm.
Kira is a spellthief.
Qnirque is a fighter. |
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Snotlord
Senior Scribe
Norway
476 Posts |
Posted - 17 Feb 2007 : 21:44:35
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Ches 2: Dorn and Nadira show up at Tyr shrine the following morning, where Jenya introduce them to fellow swashbucklers Colbert Atilla and Danilo Thann. The adventurers are all eager to help finding the missing children.
Jenya explain that six children are missing the orphanage in the docks area, and that she fear they may have been sold as slaves or have suffered an even worse fate. She has used a magic mace in her possession to cast divination, with the following reply from Tyr:
The locks are key to finding them
Look beyond the curtain, below the sea
but beware the doors with teeth
Descend into the Malachite Hold
where precious life is bought with gold
Half a dwarf binds them, but not for long
The companions are not entirely convinced they can trust a talking mace, but remain committed to the cause. They leave the Tyr shrine.
The companions decide to start their investigation at the orphanage, where they interview the remaining children, the aging halfling mistress, the cook and the half-orc handyman. Gesthila Tashamar, the mistress of the orphanage, explain that the evening the children disappeared was uneventful and in the morning the children was gone without a trace.
Tashamar also tell them that the city guard and two half-elven followers of Shaundakul have investigated the the disappearance, but both groups has come up with nothing.
Danilo, a gifted storyteller, entertains the children while slowing making them open up the investigators, while the others search for secret entrances and hidden compartments, finding none.
They immediately suspect the half-orc Scratch, and question him thoroughly. He is not very cooperative, and has problems explaining where he has earned the 100 gold pieces in his room, but eventually opens up a bit to the diplomatic Dorn, and admits to have given information about the children to Rhivus Swifthdaggers, an inquisitive halfling, in the past.
Dorn talks to his friend Behuelneth Bethrass, a mage serving in the city guard about the missing children and the halfling rogue, but learn very little, except that the halfling has been out for a sight for several tendays.
Attilla ask around the neighborhood and at the Tyr shrine about the Shaundakul agents and Swiftdaggers, but learn very little.
Nadira and Atilla search the sewers in the area, and find a couple of curious secret doors below the docks, but no clues concerning the missing children.
Thus ends the second session of Against the Shadow-lords of Tashluta. |
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Snotlord
Senior Scribe
Norway
476 Posts |
Posted - 06 Mar 2007 : 18:00:11
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Ches 3: A new day dawns by the Shining Sea and Dorn wakes up to snakes in his bed. He is bitten and pumped full of poison before he slay the reptile. His landlord Alward Chargerblade, a fellow follower of Helm, provides some cure spells before the half-unconscious Dorn searches the neighborhood.
Dorn is convinced that the snake was put in his bed, but is not able to find any more clues about his would-be assassin. He happened to notice that an ugly, dirty toothless old chultan followed him around the neighborhood, but he too is gone when Dorn decide to talk to him.
Dorn, frustrated and still dazed from the poison, heads to the Dragonsong Inn afterwards for breakfast with his fellow investigators.
Nadira and Kira are present at Dragonsong Inn, this is where they rents rooms after all, along with the newcomer Alaric, a swordsman of some skill.
Atilla and Danilo, the newcomers last night, does not show up. Another fellow investigator that fail to appear is Dawn, who's father has put her under more reliable guard than Dorn.
None of the companions are very hungry this morning, the cook Silva's live-snakes-in-wine stew does not appeal, and they stick to wine and dry bread.
The companions decide to drop by the orphanage again now that they have a lock expert with them. Kira, the loc expert, agree that the orphanage has very good locks indeed. They talk to the mistress and learn that the locks was supplied by Ghelve, a local locksmith. The companions head for the locksmith's workshop. Alaric decide to keep watch on the outside while the other three enter the shop.
Things do not go very smoothly at Ghelve's Fine Locks. Nadira almost immediately insults Ghelve, so she and her supporter Dorn, are asked to leave by the rather touchy craftsman. Kira chooses another approach and flatters him for his workmanship. She is most curious about the curtain hanging behind locksmith's the counter.
Nadira investigates the alley while they wait for Kira to finish her chat with the locksmith, and finds bloody chains the the garbage outside. Nadira burst into the workshop, demanding an answer. The frightened craftsman tries to escape, screaming for help but are hindered by the more-or-less threatening companions. The craftsman falls on the floor, unable to to stand with his very tall boots.
Guards arrives soon arrives, finding the companions looming over the battered craftsman – a gnome in fact - on the floor. Everybody, except Kira who hid, are arrested and brought to the cityguard watchpost.
Danilo show up after having a slow start this day, and watches the guards outside the workshop.
Inside the workshop Kira start looking around, and are attacked by a troglodyte hiding in Ghelve's quarters. She kills the monster, and leave the workshop after having another look around. She believes there is a secret door somewhere, but are unable to find it.
The prisoners are released after paying a small fee, and asked to stay out of cityguard business. Nadira decides to watch the guardpost, hoping to see Ghelve leave, but with no luck. The gnomish locksmith is already released.
The other companion return to the Dragonsong Inn.
Guards arrive with the Ghelve. Ghelve searches through the workshop, before leaving the workshop in a hurry, with Danilo on his tail.
Ghelve searches the docks for something or someone, and finally finds it at the Dragonsong Inn. Ghelve ask them to come with him and finish what they started. With a dead troglodyte in his house is the children surely doomed unless they ask quickly, so its only right and proper that the companions sort out the mess they have created!
The companions, especially Nadira, don't agree with this logic, but the matter with the missing child is more important, so they agree to investigate further.
The companions enter the ruined gnome outpost below the docks in the early evening, skillfully avoid a lethal pit trap in the stairs, and soon face and defeat a trio of spellcasting troglodytes. This could prove to be more challenging than the companions hoped for!
Thus ends the third session of Against the Shadow-lords of Tashluta.
The companions delve deeper into the gnome outpost, but the advance is slow and the choice of paths are limited by very secure doors and what seems to be an intricate lock system. They have other options, narrow tunnels in the walls that appear to have been carved out new inhabitants after the gnomes disappeared from the stronghold. The companions choose to stick to the main halls for now.
They encounter more troglodytes in the forgotten but not deserted gnomish halls. It is a harrowing fight where well-placed sleep-spells almost are the end of the heroes, but they prevail and defeat the scaly humanoids.
Soon all the gnomish passages are explored, ending in locked doors, and only the dark and narrow tunnels remain. The boldest explorers - Kira and Dorn – find themselves locked in combat between a troglodyte shaman and a giant snake, while the others loiter back in the gnome halls before coming to the rescue. They slay the snake and capture a troglodyte shaman.
The companions interrogate the shaman, promising him a clean death if he lead them to the kidnapped children. It is unclear how much the captured troglodyte understand, but it keeps rambling about “Kazmohr below”, whatever that means.
The companions explore the chambers in the area with the elevator down to the second level, and they find the Ghelve's rat familiar.
They also find some hidden treasure, much due to Kira's searching skills, which is much better than her trapfinding skills. The treasure includes the Scroll of Sendral the Explorer, a set of magic bracers, some potions, some gold and a nice looking rapier with the inscription “Alvardran of Saradush, Year of the Ormserpent”.
They take the elevator down to the Malachite Fortress.
Thus ends the fourth session of Against the Shadow-lords of Tashluta.
Meanwhile, inside the Malachite Fortress, are two adventurers awaking to what seem to be a dark future. The adventurers, Tanvir and Adamir, was captured by sleep spells while investigating the case with the missing children, and now find themselves beaten and bound on the dungeon floor at the feet of a trio of hobgoblins and a pair of troglodytes.
The hall is a long with some peculiar skeleton-shaped iron cages hanging from the ceiling.
Luck favor the bold it would seem, as an opportunity for escape arise when the hobgoblins straighten up at the sound of the descending elevator.
The companions enter the Malachite Fortress and immediately face the ready hobgoblins and troglodyte waiting in the entrance hall. The moment the door opens is half the companions knocked out by troglodyte spells causing severe pain in the head, leaving the other half to fend of the hobgoblin attacks. Kira is nearly slain twice in mere seconds, and is literally drawing her last breath when brought by Nadira's timely healing spells. The two captured rangers are able to wriggle loose and help the companions, and they are together able to defeat the most of the fortress guards. One of the troglodyte shamans slipped off deeper into the complex, undoubtedly alarming the other residents.
The companions, now with changed personnel after enemy spells and unexpected reinforcements, push on after the escaped serpentfolk spellcaster.
They soon enter a large hall with several iron doors, including once which is barred from inside the hall. In the middle of the hall is a dwarf statue facing the barred door. The companions investigate superficially and press on in the direction of the most tracks.
The companions enter another hall where they fight more hobgoblins and dodge an acid pit trap, while the troglodyte shaman give them the slip and escape further into the complex. The companions follow.
The companions enter another large hall and face the troglodyte shaman, a creature looking like a fire dwarf and four chained children.
The fire dwarf – an azer – is in no mood for fighting and offers the companions the opportunity to walk away. The companions decide to talk him to death – or at the very least convince him to give up the children – and are just about to begin fighting when they are cut off when a beholder appear in their midst!
The beholder scolds Kazmohr – the azer apparently – for pushing his luck and demanding that the “special child” is handed over. The azer is hit by one of the beholder rays as a lesson.
Some confusion follow on which child is “special”, and the companions try to convince the children to follow them rather than Kazmohr or the beholder. Nadira is convinced that the beholder demanded that the special child is to be handed over to the companions. More arguments follows, while Kazmohr remain inactive, until the beholder cut the chatter short by hitting Nadira with one of his rays. Nadira's heart nearly stops and she finally shuts up.
Now everything seem to happen very quickly as the beholder picks one of the boys and disappears, while the companions seem to accept that three children is all they are going to get and make a run for it.
The companions hear the azer's angry howls and curses while the escape. Kazmohr are very much alive when they leave, but the azer seem to have decided to cut his losses and chosen to not pursue this time.
Back in Ghelve's Fine Locks they check if everybody is all right. The spellstruck companions seem to have come around and the three children seem healthy enough. Ghelve is delighted to get his rat back, and talk about leaving the city for a while.
The three children are returned to the orphange to mistress Tashamar's delight. The companions visit Jenya's Tyr shrine afterwards and receive some gold as a reward. The children recount their tale and the companions learn that there are more slaves down there and that Kazmohr's customers came from the Underdark.
Later in the evening they learn that the fourth child, the boy Therrem, have been returned to the orphanage by an unknown lady.
Thus ends the fifth session of Against the Shadow-lords of Tashluta.
Next: The City of Vines |
Edited by - Snotlord on 01 Jun 2007 21:58:50 |
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Against the Shadow-lords of Tashluta Journal
