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Misereor
Learned Scribe
164 Posts |
 Posted - 06 Jan 2015 : 14:33:41
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Fifteenth Session, The Raven and the Fiends, part 5/5
The Horde spends the first day after arriving setting up camp and putting siege engines and assult rafts in position (some assembly required).
The next morning a Hobgoblin contingent of app. 200 scouts and archers make a very visible departure towards the Western Ferry landing, complete with the tooting of horns and whatnot. As previosuly mentioned, they are the first prong of the attack (now called the Shadow of Tiamat) and are to draw off a handful of the defenders, but mostly to make them think that they are a diversion for the main attack. Actually they are a diversion for the real diversion, the second prong of attack (The Sweeping Tail of Tiamat) which consists of the aforementioned Ogre tribe. These make a less obvious departure Eastwards, in order to cross the river unnoticed, and so flank the defenders when the main assault begins.
Rather than despatching troops to the Westen Ferry, the party decides to leave Timothy the Wizard behind in case something happens back in town (the player had to cancel), and go there themselves with a small party of scouts. The Prophets plan is to have some harassing bow fire across the river and threaten a crossing if the place looks too undefended. Instead of waiting for an assault, the party commandeer at boat and make a river assault of their own.
As usual Brotor and Snooka are responsible for this turn of events, but for a change their reckless behaviour pays off. They quickly scare off the forward scouts, and as the main force approaches across completely open ground, they are subjected to withering fire from Snooka, Brotor and Nickarus. The return fire takes a toll too (with a hundred or so arrows fired each round, some are bound to hit), but with a high level cleric on hand, is isn't all that much of a problem, and after taking some 50% casualties the Hobgoblins scatter. In doing so, they fail to fullfill their mission of keeping the defenders' attention on the Western Ferry landing for more than a few hours, rather than the one or two days planned.
The DM, never having game mastered 3.5 at these levels before, then discovers that a hundred or so Hobgoblins provide a lot of experience points, even if they have lousy encounter ratings. Everyone goes up a level.
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What is dead may never die, but rises again, harder, stronger, in a later edition. |
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Misereor
Learned Scribe
164 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jan 2015 : 15:18:51
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Sixteenth Session, The case of the amazing Monty Haul
While planning the defense, the players have distinctly mentioned stationing mounted scouts along the river bank, so there is a good chance that the Ogres will be discovered before or during crossing. Having time to prepare, the DM improvises a small table of how the scouting versus crossing will play out. A low roll will indicate the Ogres suceed in crossing completely unnoticed, while a high roll will result in them being discovered by the scouts well in advance of their crossing. Everything in between indicates a delay between the crossing starting and the players finding out, along with some appropriate sounding flavor text.
The players roll a 64, and so the next morning a bloody scout drags himself into town sans mount, warning the defenders that for the last two hours, the Horde has been crossing the river a couple of miles upstream.
The party immediately charge off (this time bringing their wizard) to see what of anything can be done. Hearing Ogre bellows and command shouts from a fair distance, the party is able to spot the Ogres before they are spotted themselves, and so have time to cast preparation spells.
It is a sunny, but cold spring morning. The area along the river consists of low hills covered in young forest and brush that has just started sprouting, so visibility is not great. The party sees a handful of Ogres manning a pulley, dragging a raft back and forth across the river. The raft is fairly big, having room for four Ogres per passage. Meanwhile those who have already crossed are mustering into two squads of 10 under a lieutenant who appears to be better armed and armored than the regulars. In a small clearing they also see the biggest Ogre they have ever seen (Hogun the Destroyer, CE Ogre male Barbarian 6) talking to a Hobgoblin priest astride a Wyvern.
The players open the ball by launching magic arrows, an empowered Fireball, and a Flame Strike at the leader types. After the surprise round they win the initiative and hit the same spot with another Fireball and more arrows, killing the Cleric and Wyvern outright. The badly wounded Hogun makes a run for it, but is cut down at the river bank and topples into the water. Then the party is charged by 44 angry Ogres, as the two squads they hadn't spotted make their appearance.
At this point I pretty much figured they were dead meat, but Timothy made a superb demonstration of battlefield control using Grease spells and a Cloudkill to funnel the Ogres into a narrow frontage where he could cull their numbers with his remaining damage spells, while Snooka and Brotor cut down those who reached their line, and Nickarus picked off flankers with arrows. In the end the Ogre tribe was reduced by a third, and the remaning two thirds somewhat demoralized and stuck on the far riverbank.
Low on spells and hitpoints the players return to town for their customary heroes' welcome and celebratory drinking bout. Here they are met by a force of 50 horse archers from Glister who congratulate them on their success and join the defense. But it is to be a short interlude. An hour or so later news of the Ogre fiasco reaches the Prophet who bursts into such a fit of rage that nearby Hill Giants and even a couple of dragons nervously shuffle to the far side of the camp, even as the pitiful remains of the hapless messenger come flying out the tent opening. Trumpets then blare and drums roll as the Prophet throws caution to the wind orders an all out assault by his entire force.
A dozen fireballs are cast by Arcaniss spawn of Tiamat, and even though the range is long and the defenders spread out between archer blinds all along the river bank, more than 50 defenders are killed or maimed, and the rest of the defenders are terrified as they see the full might of the Prophets Horde coming towards them. The first little trickle of runners start towards the rear. Meanwhile the 15 assault barges that have been mentioned previously form a line to maximize the effect of their own missile blinds and proceed towards the opposite bank.
Timothy then casts a Wall of Fire which he didn't bother using against the Ogres and sets 11 of them ablaze.
DM's note: I ruled that he couldn't place the spell on a water surface, so he centered the spell on the centermost barge. Checking up on the spell it became obvious that even with small intervals between the barges, the seperate parts of the spell will continue to burn even though holes are made in the wall. Not unreasonable, but ridiculously overpowered in the actual situation, as this would indicate that all 11 barges will burn for as long as Timothy wants them to.
While still attempting to digest the consequences of this development, Timothy proceeds to further rile up the DM by composing a mocking haiku.
Wooden barges burn
All around icy waters
Clad in steel, mobs drown
A few minutes later, after having physically disciplined Timothy's insanely giggling player (who happens to be my younger brother), the DM rules that indeed most of the heavy infantry aboard the barges end up drowning or burning to death. Some are far enough from the flames to discard their armor, and they make a pitiful sight as they attempt to dogpaddle back to shore before they freeze to death. Meanwhile an Arcaniss who has memorized a fly spell is picked off by Nickarus as it tries to escape.
After making a few spotting checks for officers of the Horde, a handful of fireballs are centered on anything that looks conspicious, and Timothy is hit by two. He ducks behind an arrow blind and quickly uses a potion of invisibility to change position unseen, before the blind is obliterated by more spells. As flying monsters pass overhead and Hill Giants start wading across, the players decide to beat a retreat. A handful of defenders attempt unsuccessfully to engage the giants and are cut off. They retreat to a small hill where they make a last stand that will live in local legend. Brotor wants to go help them, but instead ends up rallying some of the regular Ilinvur guard troops and form a phalanx covering the retreat as the city burns.
Aside from losing their horses (which they didn't bother to guard, and which were consequently stolen by fleeing troops), the retreat goes smoothly. Though low on spells, Nickarus is deadly enough with a bow that passing wyverns decide to look for easier prey among more scattered grups of refugees, and here is where the session ends.
Afterwards most of an hour is pent figuring out just how many experience the party gets, but one thing is certain.
Some of the villains will need upgrading before the campaign continues.
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What is dead may never die, but rises again, harder, stronger, in a later edition. |
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Misereor
Learned Scribe
164 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jan 2015 : 14:08:48
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Seventeenth session: Run to the Hills
Snookas player get tired of his character and rolls up a human Druid of Chauntea with roots in Zhentil Keep. The ruling is made, that the new Druid is one of the Ilinvur refugees who came to town with his family, but since they died he has been looking for an excuse to join an adventuring party, and his only friend is a Brown Bear named Betsy. Snooka the NPC leaves the party. The player asks that Snooka head towards Zhentil Keep to rejoin the Legion and work on his plot to find the Legionnaires who killed his Goblin family, and some lame excuse is made up for this purpose.
The party and their merry band of refugees head towards Glister.
As night falls, the western horizon glows red from more than just the setting sun. As the party reaches the only large bridge between Ilinvur and Glister, they set about fortifying the position and ask the surviving defenders to keep going east towards Glister. However, after talking it over, they decide that their part seems to have been played out, and make a shortcut trough Thar back towards Melvaunt.
One morning on the moors of Thar, as the party is breaking camping, an Orcish female carrying a bundle of rags comes stumbling around a rock formation and runs straight into the party, but before the DM can even finish the flavor text, Brotor brutally decapitates her on the reasoning that the only good Orc is a dead Orc. The bundle of rags protests against this rough treatment by raising a deafening wail. The party have just murdered a young mother carrying her baby.
While the other players berate Brotor, they notice a party of riders closing in the distance. They seem to be a ragtag band of humans that are carrying Orcish heads on spears, as well as other grissly trophies. The players quickly quiet down the baby and hide it among their packs, and grab their weapons. As the riders arrive, the party can see that they are made up of farmers and miners carrying a mix of Orcish weapons, improvised weaponry, and human military gear. As it turns out the Orcs of Thar are on war footing, and these are the husbands and fathers of murdered families from destroyed homesteads and hamlets, out for revenge against anything that looks remotely green.
Had the Orc woman survived, she would have claimed that her tribe had nothing to do with the attacks, but the truth of the matter is left undetermined, as is often the case in the real world. Had the mater been tested with magic, her mind would be so unsettled by what she had seen, that an accurate reading was impossible. The point being that no matter what the higher truth of the matter is, things are likely to be ugly and pointless when played out before the spectators' eyes.
But I guess the players already discovered that when they found out what Brotor had done. The youngest member of the group, Snookas player, was nearly in tears and has decided to raise the Orc baby as his own. The introduction of baby barf and suspicious smelling diapers at inopportune moments now serve as comic relief and partially divert attention away from grimmer memories.
Anyway, the vigilante avengers see the dead Orc woman and after a short parlay go on their way, suspecting nothing, and the party continue on their way to Melvaunt. Yet another adventure cut short by overenthusiastic PC's.
Back in Melvaunt the party remembers that they can use Message spells to contact the Legion, and do so. After using a few spells in this way and relaying a short status report, they are ordered back to keep an eye on the Horde. Mostly to see what way it goes, but also to see if any developments can be manipulated in the Keep's favor. The Druid is kept unaware of who exactly the superior giving orders is, but once he's in deep enough, they'll let him know.
Via Phlan they make the trip all the way back to Ilinvur. On the way they discover that Hawksroost has been burnt to the ground, and that Halflings apparently are a delicacy for Ogres and other less saviory creatures. From a few terrified survivors, they hear of a monstrous Vaasan Halforc called "The Feaster" who was in charge of the culinary oriented atrocities.
Suprisingly the main strength of the Horde is still camped in Ilinvur, but the party is about to find out why. After their defense of the town, the Prophet has decided to wait a while to see if he can assassinate the party before moving forwards with his plan. Cultists infiltrating the refugees have kept the Horde appraised of the party's movements until they lost track of them on the way to Melvaunt.
Naturally the party is spotted by flying scouts, but rather than march the army out to fight them, the Prophet decides to be more economical with the lives of his troops, and gathers the Queen's Dark Guard, the Church of Tiamat's elite fighting order (consisting almost entirely of various Spawn of Tiamat; see Monster Manual IV).
The assasins group consists mostly of Blackspawn Assassins wielding Heavy Repeating Crossbows, a number of ordinary Blackspawn for muscle, and a few larger spawn that have either been charmed or trained to work alongside the ordinary Guard members. As night falls and the party is hidden away in the hills overlooking Ilinvur, the assassins (who all have darkvision) gently tighten the noose around them. Some decent spot checks allow Nickarus to spot them before they attack, and wearing only light armor, the players are able to get their gear on before combat begins. A hail of crossbow bolts open the ball, and the scene seems to be set for a long night of skirmishing to wear the party down before the big monsters are released.
The Guard has clerics on hand to heal their wounded, thus keeping casualties to a minimum, and Timothy and the Druid who can't see a thing, are unable to use their spells effectively (mocking haiku that, little brother!). The assassins have no arcane spellcasters, as the Arcaniss spawn took heavy casualties in the assualt on Ilinvur, and the Prophet is keeping them in reserve. The players cast what few light spells they have on nearby pebbles and fling them into the darkness, but the assassins simply move out of the range of illumination. Timothy then casts two Walls of Fire (after the river crossing debacle he memorized an extra one), and that changes things. Besides providing much better illumination, the fire walls also cut the battelfield into sections, making sure that the party isn't receiving fire from all sides, and are able to use boulders for cover. The assassins respond by withdrawing for a time and ready their big guns.
As the walls of fire subside, roars are heard. Four Greenspawn Razorfiends are released from their chains and charge towards the party. With the limited visibility the party is unable to get more than a single round worth of missile fire on them, before they are in melee range. Nickarus cuts down the odds by casting a Blade Barrier (told you last session was monty haul xp), leaving two of the spawns on the far side. Out of sheer frustration they charge through, taking heavy damage. Betsy the Bear and Brotor make short work of two of the fiends, while Nickarus and Timothy vaporize the other two, while the Druid heals. One of the Razorfiends scores two critical hits on Nickarus, but the Blur spell Timothy had cast on him earlier, and which had thus far been completely ineffective, negates both of them.
During the short lull which follows the combat, the party makes a run for it, and this is where the session ends.
NB. The campaign is now up to date. Next chapter will play out this sunday.
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What is dead may never die, but rises again, harder, stronger, in a later edition. |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jan 2015 : 14:49:22
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Interesting campaign - I may borrow some of this.
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
You mean Xvim, since he's impersonating his late father.  
Right from the beginning of thread...quote:
Originally posted by Misereor
Setting notes:
- There is no Shadow Magic, and the Avatar Trilogy never happened.
Bane never died. |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Edited by - Markustay on 08 Jan 2015 14:54:30 |
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Misereor
Learned Scribe
164 Posts |
Posted - 15 Jan 2015 : 14:33:34
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Eighteenth Session: Introducing the karate hottie
So what does a GM do when his players insist on confronting head on threats that are obviously beyond their ability to handle?
Maybe the new player who joined on a probationary basis can knock some smarts into them.
As dawn breaks, the party is trekking through the stony hills southeast of Ilinvur, crossbow bolts whizzing about their heads.
Their plan is to make for the bridge at Naed creek where they set up a fortified position after the last retreat from Ilinvur, and see if they can use the ravine there make a stand and drive the pursuers off long enough to lose pursuit. The players are starting to get demoralized and whine about not getting fair chance (which apparently means the trailing assassins should voluntarily break off the pursuit or attack on the players' terms rather than make maximum use of their abilities), but after being on the receiving end of a few well-placed crossbow bolts they get the hint and keep moving.
Finally the players reach the ravine and discover that someone has destroyed the bridge. (Defenders from Glister dispatched on that very mission, actually.)
At this point, the four Greenspawn Razorfiends they killed last night make a reappearance in skeletal form, courtesy of a Desecrate and a maximized Animate Dead spell, and are with some difficulty put down again. As our heroes are debating whether to try and climb the ravine or if they should follow it south, and Timothy is muttering about using his Fly spell in a rather selfish manner, a number of fireballs go off in the distance.
Enter Nickarus' new Cohort and a company of Denethelass Elves on the backs of Giant Eagle mounts, skirmishing with the Horde's aerial scouts. A couple of Manticore riders with bows are no match for half a dozen medium level spellcasters, and a short while later the Elves land near the party. Nickarus recognizes the leader of the group as one of the Denethallir he parlayed with in the Vercy Woods back in session 13. A group of younger Elves want to join the war, and the Elders have decided that Nickarus' group of adventurers provide the best opportunity for keeping them alive and out of trouble with Humans and other lesser races (The Denethelass are of the old, haughty school of Elves). For this purpose a young Elven Noble by the name of Eran Silverleaf (CG Elf male Fighter 1/Sorceror 6, Eldritch Knight 2) is to offer his services to Nickarus, and in a decade or five the Elders will decide if the arrangement is satisfying.
With a couple of Fly spells supplied by Eran, the party is able to cross the ravine and break contact with the Horde, and having lost all their supplies they head for Glister. On the way back they bump into a young monk belonging to the recently destroyed temple of Bane in Ilinvur. She is a shapely female with both fists tatooed black in imitation of the Gauntlet of Bane, and she's looking for payback (enter the new player, who found the setting interesting enough to roll up a LN Bane worshipper). After a few detection spells cast for the the purpose of willingly suspending disbelief, she is allowed to tag along.
Back in Glister the party resupplies and shares information with the surviving Ilinvur council members. Since the party has ignored all previous clues about the horde having a secret base located in Glumpen Swamp (western end of Thar), the good old method of having NPC's beat them about the head and neck with a Cluestaff of Obviousness is taken in use, and amazingly they decide to act on it this time, with only a small amount of pleading puppy eyes from the DM.
Yet another round trip to Phlan is made. At Castle Vathar the party is able to cheaply rent a boat (river traffic having all but ceased), and head upriver to Glumpen swamp. Around noon on the second day, the party comes across a small island. On the shore lies the remin of a Giant Eagle which has apparently been eaten by something bigger than itself. Heading for shore, the party is ambushed by yet another Greenspawn Razorfiend, attacking from underwater. Although somewhat bigger than the others the party have met so far, more time is spent looking up rules for underwater combat, than actually despatching the monster. Upon investigating the remains, the party discovers that it is a Denethelass mount, and in the gully of the monster, they find a hand bearing a signet ring belonging to a counsin of Eran's. A broken chain around the neck of the monster indicates that the creature was domesticated at some point in the past. Since they have also not received any loot for the last several sessions, the DM magnanimously places the monsters horde where the players can find it, and a handful of minor magical items as well as a collection of gems and coins are found before rounding off the session.
By now people who have played this rather wellknown published adventure should recognize it, in spite of my minor modifications. If that includes you, kindly keep your trap shut to avoid spoiling it for people who haven't played it. :)
<To be continued. As always, comments are welcome.>
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What is dead may never die, but rises again, harder, stronger, in a later edition. |
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combatmedic
Senior Scribe
USA
428 Posts |
Posted - 18 Jan 2015 : 05:13:48
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I like it!
I especially like your descriptions of Zhentil Keep and its society. |
YMMV= Your Mileage May Vary. I'm putting it here so I don't have to type it in every other post. :) |
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Misereor
Learned Scribe
164 Posts |
Posted - 21 Jan 2015 : 15:07:40
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Auxiliary Campaign Notes:
Ten random street scenes in Zhentil Keep.
Used to point out some of the peculiarities of Zhentish life to the players, or you can just use them as window dressing.
Keys:
Encounter description
At second glance
(GM's notes:)
Huge gates are swung shut, barring the street.
The gates are mounted on hinges mounted on stone buildings. Local lore reveals they are for isolating any quarter of the city threatened by enemies inside the city walls.
(Sembian adventurers have been detected infiltrating a warehouse in the trade quarter. Within the next 30 minutes they will be hunted down and killed, and their reanimated corpses thrown in the sewers. The city has no tolerance for foreign powers interfering in Zhentish business.)
A group of children come running down the street, a merchant in hot pursuit. Noone heads his cries to stop the thieves.
In fact, not only do some people appear to be smiling, but the merchant himself doesn't seem all that angry.
(Those orphans who are not taken in by the churches or guilds survive by stealing, much like Spartan children once did when expelled from their homes. Those who adapt and survive will one day become valuable members of society. People are not allowed to go easy on these children, but many do nevertheless.)
Two knights in heavy, black plate armor escort a cart carrying a feral beast in an metal cage.
Both knights wear the Gauntlet of Bane upon their chest. A small red imp on the shoulder of one of them is sticking out it's tongue and taunting the creature inside the cage, even as it attacks the steel bars.
(The Fists of Bane are a knighly order who acts as the Church's enforcers. They consist mainly of Blackguards. Any native of the Keep will recognize them as such and figure out that they are taking a follower of Malar the Beastlord to the Temple for execution or worse. Foreigners will have to succeed on a Knowledge; Religion DC 15 roll.)
People move out of the way as a noble Lady and her entourage of one hundred slaves pass down the street.
None of the slaves are native to the Monsea lands. They are all fit and well equipped with exotic weapons and armor.
(Obviously someone wants to show off their wealth and power.)
A pale man wearing a tattered, dark robe and a sardonic grin passes by.
An ornate ivory skull dances at the end of a silver chain around his neck, and his bare feet are apparently none the worse for wear even though there is snow on the ground.
(Nothing special. A cleric of Myrkul who casts Endure Elements every morning.)
Four city guards are dragging a shopkeeper down the street.
"But they burned my shop down! I should be getting compensated, not punished. *short pause, then pure panic* I don't wanna join the Legion!"
(Just another draftee. He didn't have the money to rebuild his shop, and was too slow in finding other employment.)
Down a side street a variety of copper and silver coins change hands as commoners engage in a contest of marksmanship.
Crossbow quarrels dot a collection of wooden boards holding the targets, live rats, suspended from their tails.
(Nothing to see here. Move along.)
A Druid of Chauntea, a Cleric of Waukeen, and a Priest of Bane are chattering amiably as they promenade across the market square.
They appear to be discussing the satisfactory state of crop yields.
(The Bane Priest is content with another year of good Zhentish fortune, the Waukeen Cleric is considering the profits, and the Druid is happy because high yields means no interference from the city in farmers' affairs.)
A city official is hanging up a note.
It says that a Thayan Tharchion will be visiting the the city, and that mockery of foreign ways and customs must therefore be kept to a minimum for the duration of his stay in the city.
(Trade treaties are being renewed. The treaty will be signed at the Black Altar, the main temple of Bane in the Keep, and the traditional location for the signing of major treaties.)
"The Sewers are breached!" The shout echoes down the street, causing a panic among pedestrians.
City guards rush to the scene, a collapsed section of street opening into a deep chasm below, their faces pale with fear.
(Zhentil Keep keep their undead in the sewers, but while this supposedly guards against infiltration from below, the undead are far from easily controlled. Only a few of the more demented priests of Myrkul ever go into the sewers, and then only to take care of the most urgent maintenance.)
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What is dead may never die, but rises again, harder, stronger, in a later edition. |
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Misereor
Learned Scribe
164 Posts |
Posted - 28 Jan 2015 : 23:20:39
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A few notes on living gods and their effect on society
One of the things I did incorporate from the Time of Troubles into my house rules, was Ao's judgement that the Gods would henceforth wax and wane along with the number and faith of their worshippers.
Given the history of various gods in FR, I suspect that this has always been the case, although somewhat more indirect in prior times. Ao's judgement upon the Gods merely seems to have made the phenomenon more noticable. Any way you choose to view it, it presents us with a new chain of cause and effect in how gods interact with the Realms and their worshippers, since gods are now in effect creatures that subsist on faith energy.
The implications are interesting, for whereas gods that are creatures independent of their followers can remain unchanging without becoming stagnant, ones that depend on their followers cannot.
Gods that exist in the Realms will be dependent on what their followers depend on. The raising of crops and families, the health and might of the kingdoms and cities in which their followers exist, wars to protect or expand their influence, religious indoctrination to keep the faith strong, and avoiding actions that could compromise their followers' loyalty.
This is bound to change the Gods, even as the gods change their followers, and paradoxically this is all done to allow the Gods to remain who they are.
Or to paraphrase Alice in Wonderland, they have to run as fast as they can, just to stay where they are.
(If Ao has a portfolio, I suspect he may be the god of practical jokes.)
In game terms, this means that a god who is interested in surviving cannot allow themselves to indulge in stupid evil/good.
Evil for evil's sake and good for goodness' sake will in effect become luxuries that a god can ill afford. Dark gods will have to moderate their excesses, and Light ones will have to become more pragmatic. Over time they will assume perspectives that seem distinctly human. And as human cultures change according to time and place, so will the Gods' role in those societies, and therefore the Gods themselves. One could even hypothesize that it would become possible for a god to split into several parts, if different groups of their followers developed outlooks that were incompatible enough. If they didn't, how else could they absorb the faith energy of those followers, if it was no longer directed at a deity who corresponded with who they actually were? Or perhaps old gods could be reborn as new gods (Aumanator/Lathander or Mystryl/Mystra) if the worldview of their followers changed dramatically over a short enough period of time. Or if the followers of a kindly god developed dark appetites or vice versa, could it change the god itself? Did Lolth create the Dark Elves, or did the Dark Elves create her?
Anyway, this was the background for the following phrase in the setting introduction:
"The Gods are not comic book villains/heroes. They are actual beings who exist in the same universe as mankind, subsisting on the faith energy they derive from their followers. This means, that even as followers become more like their gods, so do the gods become more like their followers."
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What is dead may never die, but rises again, harder, stronger, in a later edition. |
Edited by - Misereor on 28 Jan 2015 23:39:58 |
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Misereor
Learned Scribe
164 Posts |
Posted - 29 Jan 2015 : 10:16:38
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Nineteenth Session: The Raftonauts and the Golden Fleece
Party composition update.
Timothy: N Human male Wizard 11.
Progressing steadily towards the Archmage prestige class. Player specializes in ruining clever DM plots.
Nickarus: CG Elven male Cleric 12 of Shevarash.
When fully buffed, makes Robin Hood, Legolas, and Lars Andersen look like the three stooges of archery.
Brotor: CN Dwarven male Fighter 4/Barbarian 4/Ranger 4.
As bloodthirsty and rockheaded as ever. The player usually plays Elven mages, but appears to be enjoying himself immensely as a primitive hack'n'slasher.
Dooka: NG Human male Druid 10 of Chauntea.
Enjoys taking Bear shape and playing with Betsy the Bear and Ebola the Orc baby. Progressing nicely as a roleplayer.
Miriam: LN Human female Monk 10 of Bane
Specializes in grappling and looking hot. Suspect player may have unrequitted crush on Ronda Rousey.
Continuing upriver, the party eventually reaches a broad expanse of water surrounded on all sides by mangrove flats. Noticing a couple of thin smoketrails in the distance, Brotor (who is wearing a ring of frost resistance) slips into the water and sneaks forward to scout. Coming around a tree trunk, both he and a Lizardman sentry roll natural 1's on their spot checks and manage to surprise each other. Brotor then wins initiative and in a panic reaction cleaves the poor reptile in twain. After stopping to think for a few seconds, he then realizes that he might have done something stupid, so he weighs down the corpse and splashes some swamp water on the worst bloodstains on the tree trunk, before returning to the raft.
The party proceeds forward and discover a Lizardman village on a sand bank bordering the lake. At their approach the Lizardmen sound the alarm and form a primitive phalax to face the intruders, but in a rare moment of enlightenment, the players decide to talk instead of hack. With a mixture of Comprehend Languages, gesturing, and drawing in the sand with sticks, they manage to discover that the Lizardmen are here to pay worship to their new god who looks suspiciously like a Dragon and resides on the islands in the middle of the lake. After making an attempt of goodwill by trading some of their provisions for clay pots and making some worship-looking gestures, the party head for the centre of the lake. They soon discover that what they thought were small islands, are actualy the remains of tall buildings poking out of the water. Judging from the number of buildings present, it is obvious that they have stumbled upon a submerged city of some sort.
Two succesful Knowledge: History rolls by Nickarus and Timothy reveal that there is supposed to have been a an Elven city by the name of Rauvanion that once stood where Glumpen swamp now lies. Nickarus also notices that "Rau" is an Old Elvish word for "Lion", and besides an oft used metaphor for "Hunter" or "Predator". Here however, the story diverges. As far as Nickarus recalls, the city was supposed to have been involved in some kind of war with the local human tribes that lasted decades, which eventually caused it to be abandoned. According to Timothy's sources the area was guarded by a group of noble druids who lived in harmony with nature, until the local Elves decided to exterminate the lions that inhabited the area. The actual truth which the players don't get to know with a simple history roll, is that the "noble druids" were actually the heads of an invading Malar cult who believed they would be reincarnated as Lions, and managed to corrupt the local Lions as part of their religious rites. Since the Elves considered the local Snow Lion the patron animal of their city, the two sides naturally got into a scrap. This ended up lasting long enough to exhaust both sides to the point that shortly thereafter they were overrun without any trouble whatsoever by the initial feelers of the original Dark Horde. Descendants of the survivors from both sides left out the more embarrassing details of the events, as historians through the ages have been wont to do.
Approachin the city, the party notices Lion motifs carved into every building. They take fire from what appears to be an old temple tower. After cleaning out the resident Hobgoblins and discovering that they are wearing equipment that seems suspiciously familiar, the party are satisfied that they have found the secret base. Using the tower as a lookout point, they soon notice activity further inside the city, mostly consisting of a bunch of Ettins standing guard and feeding somehing inside a large stockade that has been built next to an old palace. They then clean out the palace and the Greenspawn Razorwing Brood mother (homemade creature) inside the stockade. They search the ruins and discover that someone has been using animal furs to gather gold dust from a collapsed vault. This in effect makes the furs look like they are made of gold. (Historical note: Some historians suspect that Jason's Golden Fleece may refer to sheep wool being used as a sieve in the same manner to collect gold dust from streams and rivers.)
There is no sign af any Dragon, so they set up camp and try to get some rest and replenish their spells. Miriam heads for land with the animals and Ebola, as the player had to leave early, and the party suspect that Dragon Fear might cause them undue distress. In the middle of the night the Dragon returns from it's trip to the Prophet's main camp, along with a senior Blackspawn Assassin. As the party engages the Dragon, the Assassin, who has a rather good Hide skill, manages to Sneak Attack Nickarus and almost takes him out (3 times 6d6 bonus damage plus poison will do that). A Dancing Lights cantrip takes care of the Assassin's Hide skill, and a Heal spell gets Nickarus back in fighting condition. In the meantime the Dragon and Brotor have mauled each other, and the Dragon has either spell resisted or made it's saves against everything that Timothy and Dooka have thrown at it. Eventually Timothy manages to get two fireballs though it's spell resistance, and along with a couple of arrows from Nickarus, that is enough to take it out. The assassin is mostly ignored as long as he can't sneak attack, and taken out afterwards.
The party spends the next day using Water Breathing and Endure Elements spells to find the Dragon's lair, and manage to snag some decent loot, including a magical bauble that is warded against identification spells and a letter referring to the Great Rau, whom the Prophet is apparently blackmailinging into supporting him with said bauble. The name doesn't ring a bell, so the party decides to head back to Glister to report and do some research.
End of session.
<To be continued. Comments are welcome.>
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What is dead may never die, but rises again, harder, stronger, in a later edition. |
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Misereor
Learned Scribe
164 Posts |
Posted - 09 Feb 2015 : 14:11:52
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Twentieth Session: Paws! Part 1/2
Back in Glister the party does some research.
With some bribes Nickarus and Timothy gain access to the library of the local temple of Oghma. Here they are able to discover fragments of an ancient Elvish manuscript that mention the depredations of evil Druids upon the city of Rauvanion, which inflicted many deaths and eventually caused the outlying areas of the city to be abandoned.
The fragments speak of people torn apart by Snow Lions appearing out of thin air, (renamed Ghost Lions for that very reason, as well as their ability to sneak up on unsuspecting prey in a more natural manner). Also mentioned is a Great Lion, immune to the touch of both iron and silver, responsible for the killing of many mighty warriors and spellcasters of the city.
The Dark Horde that would eventually sack Northkeep overran the entire area before the conflict could come to a climax, and all the manuscript has to say is that the Great Lion withdrew into the hills where he slept until he turned to stone.
Background info.
However, Illyrion, the Elven Druid and worshipper of Malar behind the attacks and Great Lion in question, survived the invasion by retreating into the wilderness. After his Elven prey disappeared he busied himself for a time by crafting a great temple of white granite in the shape of his feline alter ego. Eventually he would turn his attentions on the nearby tribes of Orcs, one tribe of whom eventually developed a Lion cult worshipping him (and thus Malar by proxy). In return they received Druidic assistance in terorrizing their neighbours.
In time Illyrion grew old, but rather than let him die and the hunt end, Malar transformed him into a Lich and bade him continue his bloody work for all eternity. Of course Malar never mentioned that becoming undead would take away his ability to transform into animal form, and that non-corrupted animals would avoid him like the plague. Illyrion also sometimes forgets that he is no longer a mortal Elf, and as loneliness and his brain rotting has taken it's toll, he has become steadily more eccentric over time, to the point that nowadays even his Orc worshippers only approach him when in dire need. Nevertheless he remains an enthusiastic and highly motivated individual when it comes to hunting down prey and spilling it's blood in ways too messy to describe without slapping a PG-18 rating on the adventure.
Some months ago the Prophet of Tiamat, having discerned the nature of the "Great Ghost Lion", dispatched scouts and assassins of the Dark Guard of Tiamat in order to steal his phylactery. While most of the troops in question only made a nuisance of themselves, they still managed to provoke Illyrion into leaving his lair to hunt them down. Upon returning he found his most precious heirloom missing. Although he has forgotten what it is used for, he knows that it is precious beyond reasoning and that the nature of his very soul and being is bound to it. (Which would be confirmed by a Legend Lore spell.)
Of course the bauble in question isn't actually a phylactery (Malar never made one for him) but merely a locket containing locks of his wife's and childrens' hair encased in crystal and bound in adamantine, enchanted for safety and durability. For the sake of briefness the story of Illyrion's family shall remain untold here, but the old Druid is *very* protective of this last memory of life before his fall into darkness.
<End of part 1. To be continued.>
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What is dead may never die, but rises again, harder, stronger, in a later edition. |
Edited by - Misereor on 09 Feb 2015 14:14:24 |
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Jeremy Grenemyer
Great Reader
USA
2717 Posts |
Posted - 10 Feb 2015 : 07:33:09
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"Greenspan Razorwing Brood Mother". That is a kick ass name.
I like that the players negotiated with the lizard folk. Most players hack and slash their way through everything. |
Look for me and my content at EN World (user name: sanishiver). |
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Misereor
Learned Scribe
164 Posts |
Posted - 10 Feb 2015 : 09:27:00
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quote:
Originally posted by Jeremy Grenemyer
"Greenspan Razorwing Brood Mother". That is a kick ass name.
I like that the players negotiated with the lizard folk. Most players hack and slash their way through everything.
Necessity is the mother of invention >:p
I needed to beef up the normal Greenspawn a bit, but the official entry for the creature doesn't have a HD progression chart. So I figured that it could be an old, dominant female with a high reproduction rate, bumped it up a size, and replaced the agility based feats with some that seemed more oriented to it's increased bulk and strength.
As regards negotiation, two of the players in the group are old-timers, but in 20-some years of DM'ing for them, I still haven't got a clue how they determine whether to hack or talk. I know a few buttons to push, but describing women, children, and adorable little puppies in an encounter can only be used so many times before the manipulation becomes obvious. I guess I'm just stuck with their unpredictable behaviour. :)
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What is dead may never die, but rises again, harder, stronger, in a later edition. |
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Jeremy Grenemyer
Great Reader
USA
2717 Posts |
Posted - 11 Feb 2015 : 06:29:05
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Building up monsters was one of my favorite things to do as a DM. Whether tweaking monsters or giving them lots of extra Hit Dice, it was always fun.
I think this is because the activity allowed me to exercise some of the same min/max skills I would otherwise use when creating a character. |
Look for me and my content at EN World (user name: sanishiver). |
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Misereor
Learned Scribe
164 Posts |
Posted - 12 Feb 2015 : 13:04:09
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Twentieth Session: Paws! Part 2/2
Anyway, with a bit more research, the party is able to find travelers' tales that mention a great stone lion in the Vanishing Hills region of Thar. They also mention some rather nasty wildlife claiming the lives of several travelling companions, something the party is about to ignore at their peril.
For Bane only knows what time, the party once again circle around to Phlan and head inland towards the Vanishing Hills. Unlike most of Thar, the area is moderately fertile and there are a surprising number of old trees compared to the rest of the area.
One rainy night, Dooka the Druid is on watch when he misses a spot check and is flanked by 4 Dire Snow Lions appearing out of thin air (Summon Nature's Ally VII with Augment Summoning Feat). Two of the Dire Lions roll rather well on their attacks and take him down to -8 hitpoints. The DM, bleeding heart that he is, lets the remaining two Lions attack the rest of the party.
A Mass Cure Light Wounds from Nickarus takes care of the bleeding Druid, and the Lions are quickly dispatched. Illyrion who was behind the casting has already moved on, content with listening to the screams and roars emanating from the camp of what he believes to be a party of ordinary travellers. Besides Dooka deciding that from now on he will be taking his watches in animal form, the encounter has little impact on the party.
The next morning Dooka transforms into a Hawk and goes reconnoitering, and after a few hours manages to spot the great stone lion mentioned in the library sources, and after another few hours of trekking back and forth, the party arrives at the location of the grand edifice. They soon bump into the local guardian creature who chows down on Miriam the Monk, but she is rescued from the creature's gullet after a short but intensive combat. Entering the Stone Lion, they soon discover that is a temple of some kind, however long since abandoned (by appearance at least).
They spend some time exploring, and finally, in a grand hall that appears to have been the centre of worship, they bump into a pack of Dire Snow Lions (natural ones this time, but enhanced to 15 HD), and proceed to slaughter them. This catches the attention of Illyrion who emerges from a secret door (looking like an ordinary, if old, Elf and having cast Stoneskin, Prot. from Energy (Fire), and Barkskin). He confronts the party, but in spite of a few subtle warnings that he seems quite formidable, or perhaps because of them, the party decides to hack first and use their brains later.
At this point, Illyrion, being a 16th Level Lich Druid should have wiped the floor with them, but as it happened this was the time when the player of Miriam decided to demonstrate that Monks aren't as useless as some people claim. She might not have the raw grapple modifier of some other class combinations, but she had plenty to grapple an old Elf, and the saves to deal with the negative energy emanating from him. Of course it was only at this point that the DM considered the full implications of having removed Illyrion's Shape Change ability (in return for a whopping 1 CR reduction.)
His Changestaff was able to get the Monk off him for a brief moment, but it was soon reduced to flaming bits of firewood. A desperate attempt to cast a Repel spell on himself was counterspelled by Nickarus, and suddenly things were looking bleak for the BBEG. He managed to get off a Reverse Gravity, but once again the Monk foiled him by using her prodigious Jump modifier to re-grapple him, and then it was simply a matter of avoiding rolling 6 or lower on her saves until the party could tie him down.
While his protection spells saved him from the initial onslaught, Nickarus had earlier in the fight cast a True Seeing Spell, and it eventually occurred to him that healing spells have a detrimental on undead, and thus it occurred that the casting time of two Heal spells later yet another villain was expedited to the afterlife.
While standing around, it finally occurs to the party that the bauble they have been carrying around might be a phylactery, so they next spend several minutes devising methods of destroying it, and eventually settling on bashing it to bits with Brotors magical Waraxe, denting it severely in the process.
At this point the DM, seeing his carefully laid campaign plans turning to dust and the subject of a steadily growing headache, calls off the session.
<To be continued. As always comments are welcome.>
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What is dead may never die, but rises again, harder, stronger, in a later edition. |
Edited by - Misereor on 12 Feb 2015 13:17:13 |
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Misereor
Learned Scribe
164 Posts |
Posted - 09 Mar 2015 : 10:32:48
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21st session: The line will hold.
The party returns to Melvaunt, managing to avoid hostile Orc tribes on the way. They spend a day resupplying and identifying newfound baubles, and then head for Glister again, having received a Sending requesting their presence and informing them that the Prophet's Crusade is only a few days from the city. Making good time, they manage to arrive a full day ahead of the Horde.
Glister is placed on a tongue of rock emanating from a large mountain called The Frost Widow's Peak (which happens to be sacred to the Faithful of Auril, but that's a story for another time). On the Eastern side the city is covered by a number of icy streams and slick rocks, while the Western end of the city ends at a sheer drop of almost 200 feet. The back of the city is against the monutani, so the only viable approach is a single road leading up the southern end of the 'tongue'. Walls also line the city, with the fortifications being heaviest on the southern side.
As the party enter the city, they see defenders adding wooden machiolations to the walls. A Knowledge; Engineering roll allows Brotor to notice that the preparations seem somewhat rudimentary. Upon inspecting the work more closely, an Int/Wis check is allowed, and the party discovers that said defenders reinforcing the walls all belong to various mercenary companies and private guards of various merchants and nobles rather than the city guard.
Arriving at city hall, the party is subject to some more political infighting at the Council of War.
The aggressive faction, consisting of farmers, miners, and most of the city council, wants to sally forth and engage the Horde in open field. Neither spring planting or mining can take place while the population is hiding inside the city walls, and they reason that their advantage in cavalry will allow them to make hit and run attacks, grinding away the enemy's strength, while using their mobility to stay out of serious trouble. The defensive faction consists of the merchants and most of the old noble families, as well as the survivors of Ilinvur. They reckon that anything resembling an even fight is suicide, and that everyone should stay behind the walls until the Horde either goes away or sufficient reinforcements arrive to engage them more directly. The only neutral faction consist of the local clergy who are content that they will get a good fight regardless what they do, and the Denethelass Elves who have turned up with 25 archers riding Giant Eagles, placing themselves under NiCKarus' command. As long as they can escape if things go bad, and thus preserve precious Elven blood, they are content to let the shorter lived races run the show.
The party argues in favor of staying behind the walls, but in spite of some favorable roleplaying modifiers, their diplomacy roll fails. In spite of their martial might, the party just doesn't have the experience necessary to favorably impress such a diverse audience (Low diplomacy skill all around). Throwing what can only be described as a hissy fit (in character), Brotor and Nickarus walk out of the meeting, determined to impress on the War Council, the might of the army they are facing. Using Giant Eagles, they do some aerial scouting in order to get a full count of the enemy.
Two Greater Magic Weapon spells supplies the Elven troops with +3 arrows, and outrunners of the Horde soon learn to head for cover when they see the flock aproaching. Killing a few Goblin Wolf Riders and a Manticore on the way, the party arrives at the main enemy force, where they summon a handful of air elementals to destroy siege equipment and supplies. A fireball from below kills one of the Elven Archers, and they retreat to higher altitude. On the way back Timothy takes a detour and uses his daily supply of fireballs on enemy companies too slow to scatter when he approaches.
Thoroughly satisfied with themselves, the party once again meet with the War Council and hand over their report. Deciding that Manticores, Hill Giants, and fireball casting sorcerors may provide an adequate counter to the their cavalry, the aggressive faction finally relents, and it is decided to stay behind the walls and either repel the assault, or mont raids ont he besiegers if they decide to starve the defenders out.
Of course the Prophet has no plan to mount any long siege. With the losses he has already sustained, he is content with killing as many humans as possible and thus weaken their presence in the North, rather than actually seizing territory for himself. He is now hoping that burning down Glister will provoke a general mobilization of the Hobgoblin Kingdoms, and is prepared to sacrifice his entire army to do so. Besides, he now has plenty of first hand experience in what happens when you let a high level adventuring party mount daily raids on your army. Like placing whirlwinds on your siege equipment and stampeding the pack animals for instance.
And so it ocurs that the next evening, the first assault is launched on Glister. Hill Giants carrying improvised Tower Shields made from destroyed wagons replace the catapults and start a bombardment of the walls. Even at 500' range, a wall is an easy target, unlike a Hill giant behind cover, so the walls slowly begin to crumble, much to the surprise of the defenders. The party mount a raid and kill off six of the giants along with a elite company of Hobgoblins. They are standing in a pile of corpses and starting to come under heavy arrow fire when the session ends.
<To be continued>
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What is dead may never die, but rises again, harder, stronger, in a later edition. |
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Misereor
Learned Scribe
164 Posts |
Posted - 23 Mar 2015 : 14:12:54
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22nd Session: Don't follow the crowd, let the crowd follow you.
Having filled their pockets with the possessions of the late Hill Giants and Hobgoblin elites, the party make tracks for the city gate. They take a bit of damage from arrow fire, but darkness and range keep it at acceptable levels. As they are approaching the gate, a loud rumble is heard from further down the wall. The Hill Giants at that location have been supplemented by an Earthquake spell that has knocked a 20' wide breach in the wall. Even though the party is not in line of sight of the breach, they are informed by a Telepathic Bond spell that one of the city' mages cast previously.
The party changes direction and rushes for the opening, arriving seconds ahead of the onrushing horde. They set up in the breach, where the difficult ground along with an Enlarge spell on Miriam the Monk keeps the Hobgoblin peons from simply overrunning them. A Blade Barrier cast by Nickarus is dispelled. A group of Arcane and Divine caster have set up behind a Wind Wall with readied scrolls of Dispel Magic for conuterspelling, and are Fireballing the walls on both sides of the breach to keep it clear. Luckily the onrushing Horde is blocking the line of sight to the breach itself, but nevertheless the party is sorely pressed until Timothy can cast a couple of Walls of Fire that the Horde casters are unable to dispel. The delay allow the defenders time to rush significant reinforcements to the area, where they start to set up improvised barricades behind the breach.
At the same time the dead Hill Giants at the first breach point are reanimated and resume their destruction of the walls. Once again the party rushes to the scene and put an end to the bombardment, and once again they are subjected to hails of arrows from the besieging army, this time somewhat better organized, thus causing more damage. Morale is still high however, as the main point of contention is the lack of loot on the previously defeated Giants, rather than the damage the party are taking.
Back at the breach, a local elderly couple are greatly surprised to see a naked adventurer cavorting around their garden and shouting at their Ash Tree. Dooka the Druid has decided that this would be an excellent opportunity to practice his casting of Liveoak. Meanwhile the rest of the party have once agani taken up position in the breach, and are singlehandedly holding off the enemy army, bad metaphors and all.
An assault group of Bugbear berserkers are cut to ribbons by another Blade Barrier and a Chain Lightning. An impromptu group of Goblin Wolf riders who have been temporarily issued with Bluespawn Thunderlizard mounts are mostly electrocuted by their own mounts, and regular troops who attempt to approach the breach are peppered with arrows and spells from city archers and casters who have mounted the wall, encouraged by the heroic defense and determined not to miss out on the fun. Morale is starting to sag in the besieging army.
Finally the Prophet himself and his bodyguard, made up of the remaining Hill Giants and a couple of Frost Giant brothers working as mercenaries along with whatever is left of the high level Hobgoblin officers, make their appearance. The Prophet knows that he cannot allow the party to rest and regain spells, and is taking a gamble that the party is worn down enough for him to overrun. This would allow his regular troops access to the city, where they should be sufficient to overcome the defenders in house to house combat.
The Giants are sent forward under the cover of a shower of arrows, while the Hobgoblins spend a few rounds casting preparation spells on each other. As the Giants reach the breach they Dimension Door forward and join the battle. Brotor the Dwarf survives a Destruction spell aimed at him, but falls to the blade of the Hobgoblin General Hravek Kharn. Dooka is knocked unconscious by an enraged Frost Giant who has gone berserk after witnessing the death of his brother. Timothy and Eran Silverleaf are forced to withdraw, as they are completely out of useful magic. In the end, the battle is decided by the few remaining charges in a Staff of Life the party found previously. The last remaining of the Wyrmlords, a woman known only as the Windsinger, flees back to friendly lines under cover of invisibility, and The Prophet Azarr Kull himself is forced to use his Word of Recall to escape back to his sanctuary in the Galena Mountains where he undoubtedly starts plotting his revenge.
Upon seeing their prophet's banner sway and fall, the Horde is completely demoralized and start to withdraw from the walls. A timely cavalry sally from the city gates completes the rout, and the faces of the survivors of Ilinvur are grim masks of satisfaction as they take bloody revenge for the sacking of that fair town.
The party however are spent, and for the next several days do nothing but rest and heal their wounds and revive their dead comrade.
After making a count of the dead, the city finds that it's army has taken under a hundred casualties in the battle, whereas the party alone killed over 200 Hobgoblin Elite troops, a dozen Hill Giants, the renowned Frost Giant twins, two dozen Bugbear berserkers, a herd of Bluespawn Thunderlizards, and a dozen or so highranking enemy officers, the general of the army included. To this can be added a few hundred Hobgoblin regulars killed by the other defenders, and an unknown but certainly higher number of fleeing humanoids cut down from behind by pursuing cavalry.
In appreciation for their effort, the Churches and noble families of the city gift the party with a number of valuable gifts. Along with a crapload of experince points, this makes the party very happy, and thus endeth the session.
<To be continued>
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What is dead may never die, but rises again, harder, stronger, in a later edition. |
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froglegg
Learned Scribe
317 Posts |
Posted - 01 Apr 2015 : 00:31:08
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This has been a very good read!
John |
Long live Alias and Dragonbait! Kate Novak and Jeff Grubb the Realms need you more then ever!
On my word as a sage nothing within these pages is false, but not all of it may prove to be true. - Elminster of Shadowdale
The Old Grey Box gets better with age! |
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Jeremy Grenemyer
Great Reader
USA
2717 Posts |
Posted - 01 Apr 2015 : 06:17:15
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You reanimated the giants. Awesome!
And what carnage! That battle read like something out of my Epic Realms campaign.
Good stuff and thanks for sharing. :) |
Look for me and my content at EN World (user name: sanishiver). |
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Misereor
Learned Scribe
164 Posts |
Posted - 24 Apr 2015 : 14:22:13
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Ok, I need some third party input...
I still need to type up the last two sessions, but I've been busy at work. Basically the situation is as follows.
When they left Zhentil Keep on their last mission the party was around 5-6th level. Since then events have conspired to keep them away from home for a year or so, and kept them going at an extremely high pace. However the players persevered, and the surviving party members are now 14-15th level.
When they return to the Keep their handlers are likely to be alarmed at the power increase and take immediate steps to tighten their bonds, lest they be forced to eliminate a valuable asset.
I was thinking of giving them a freehold and thus tie them to the Keep with land and subjects, but the question is how I should go about it.
- The area should be somewhere near the Keep, so the party doesn't become too independent.
- The party should remain useful when they are not out adventuring/on missions. For instance the area could be next to a potentialy hostile neighbour.
- The party is unlikely to participate in ruthless extermination of rebels/freedom fighters, so the local inhabitants should be Zhents, whether native or settlers. Or at least someone closely enough allied with the Keep to make any bid for independence unlikely.
- Ideally, the party's natural way of going about their business should increase the power of the Keep and the church of Bane, so whatever circunmstances they are placed in should be designed to encourage this.
Any ideas?
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What is dead may never die, but rises again, harder, stronger, in a later edition. |
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Misereor
Learned Scribe
164 Posts |
Posted - 11 May 2015 : 14:58:35
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Part 23: Hail the Conquering Heroes
The Church of Auril are in charge of questioning the prisoners, and after a healthy amount of interrogation, intimidation, domination, charming, and some moderate waterboarding, a Hobgoblin Officer is persuaded by the priestesses to reveal some pertinent information. It turns out that the Prophet has not murdered or enslaved the Horde's prisoners, but has rather been sacrificing them in unholy rituals at a secret location. Also, he has promised the faithful that the sacrifices will enable the Horde to be joined by legions of servants of her Dark Majesty.
With a few divination spells and various knowledge skill checks, the party are able to piece together that their antagonist is probably trying to open a portal to the Nine Hells at a former Dwarven Temple to Ashardalon, that is now sacred to the followers of Tiamat. Once again they set out for the fallen Kingdom of Barze, and arrive at the mostly deserted temple city. (Unknown to the players, due to their interference the number of prisoners has been somewhat lower than expected, so Hobgoblin civilians have been substituted.)
After fighting a rather nasty Dragon guardian the players enter the temple, and after many hours of butchering their way through the temple and killing anything that crosses their path, they finally enter the innermost sanctum, where they are able to interrupt the ritual and finally kill the Prophet in a desperate fight.
After raising Dooka the Druid and Miriam the Monk from the dead, yet another triumphant return to Glister follows. Given better time to prepare than previously, the party decide they deserve a parade, complete with military honors and young girls throwing flowers and silver pieces to the crowd, so they spend a few days arranging this as well as cuonting and identifying the various baubles they picked up in Barze. A few of the smiles at the parade are somewhat strained as the party was unable to save a single prisoner, and although the party can hardly be balmed for this, it does put a damper on things.
A short time later Blademaster Merrick, their somewhat annoyed Legion Handler, is finally able to get in touch with them and orders them to return home for debriefing and new assignments. The party perform yet another trek across Thar and to Melvaunt and catch a ship to Zhentil Keep.
Upon returning to their old barracks it is immediately noticed that they have risen somewhat in power, after a thorough but polite debriefing, they receive private quarters for themselves and their followers, and are put on 'special' duty, essentially allowing them to do whatever they want as long as they stay in the city.
The Legion upper echelons spend a week or so figuring out what to do with the party and putting plans in motion. Then the surviving three Legion members (Timothy, Brotor, and nickarus) are invited to the Keep (the actual High Keep, not the city) for an interview with a number of the city's nobles. Here they are lauded for their accomplishments and are presented with the deed to the Freehold Torland's Hold (see Session 9: "If a Tree Explodes in the Forest..." ) along with the title of "Freiherr" and chains of office. As the city would like the area developed, the party also receive a stipend of supplies and building materials. They are also placed on indefinite leave from the Legion. (Noone ever truly leaves the Legion.)
For anyone interested in Geography, Torland's Hold is on the Western side of the Stojanow River, and consists of the outrunnner of the Quivering Forest that nestles against the Ticklebelly Hills. The area is almost entirely forest, along with some grazing land that isn't really suited for agriculture. There are a number of neihboring Freeholds along the river to the south, while further to the west most of the Grass Sea consist of Public Lands that anyone can graze for a modest license fee.
The population of the entire area is about a thousand of which some 600 live in the small village situated about a mile from the river, situated next to the actual Freehold. This is a fortified mansion on a small hill, which overlooks the only bridge crossing the Stojanow for many miles in either direction. The area is very poor, especially following the conflict described in Chapter 9, and the surviving villagers make their living by woodscraft, fishing, herding, and smalltime farming. Almost all tools and clothes are manufactured locally, so the village has a very low GP and asset limit.
The party spend a few days plannning their next move and then set to work.
<To be continued.>
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What is dead may never die, but rises again, harder, stronger, in a later edition. |
Edited by - Misereor on 11 May 2015 15:00:09 |
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Misereor
Learned Scribe
164 Posts |
Posted - 12 May 2015 : 14:40:47
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The first thing the players decide is that they need a bigger population.
Nickarus being somewhat of a minor celebrity (Long ago he sponsored the Rat Alley Soup Kitchen in the Zhentil Keep slums. Don't ask.) is put in charge of public relations. Anyone willing to settle in Torland's Hold is promised a property lot, a Mule, a years tax exemption, and all the timber they can eat.
Meanwhile Dooka's player decides he is tired of playing a Druid and creates a new character. A fallen Paladin/Blackguard named Arthas Kinslayer (*sigh*). The player is introduced as a Legion officer attached to the party for the purpose of providing physical security for the site, as "someone" slaughtered the last bunch and they haven't been replaced yet. The character has leadership, so he has 30 followers who are designated as 3 squads of Legionnaires and accompanying NCO's. Nickarus who has also taken Leadership has 25 Elven Vercy woods archers and an Eldritch Knight Cohort. Brotor also takes Leadership and starts collecting a mix of outcasts that he plans on shaping into a Merchant company.
After a lot of hiring and organizing as well as the buying of several tons of supplies and the wagons to carry them, the settler caravan finally sets forth. It consists of some 50 Zhent families who are willing to take a risk to move up in the world, along with a hundred craftsmen, workers and clerks. Another recruiting drive takes place place in Phlan, and another dozen families take up the offer, mostly younger sons who are unable to purchase land of their own.
Timothy (being an expert scribe/clerk) is in charge of finances and organizational rosters.
Brotor stays in Phlan where he oversees the second recruitment drive and the construction of several large river barges, and tries to set up some trade contacts.
Nickarus and his merry Elves start scouting locations for an Elven enclave and familiarizing themselves with the area.
Miriam is appointed the official ambassador of Torland's Hold and is sent on a promotional/fact finding tour of the neighboring freeholds.
Arthas (*sigh*) sets his men to work on expanding the fortifiations with a wooden alisade and several barracks.
Other business durnig the next couple of months:
- In an effort to charm the locals (the party already killed the noble family oppressing them) they are also promised a year's tax exemption.
- Several professional prospectors are paired with locals and sent looking for anything usable.
- Warehouses and a dock are built close to the bridge across the Stojanow.
- A large clay deposit is discovered several miles up the riverbank, and a second smaller dock is built to transport it to the newly built kiln next to the primary dock.
- Several promising quarry locations are found at the northern border, and plans are made to expand the existing northern trail into a real road.
- After a few episodes with disgruntled Elves, woodcutting is erstricted to specific areas.
- A Cleric of Bane turns up wanting permission to build a temple in the new town. Nickarus objects violently and almost causes an incident with the Black Altar. In the end the party hurriedly build their own temple of Bane and so are able to tell the hopeful Cleric that he is a tad late, and that's the end of that. (Yeah, right...)
- Brotor enforces discipline among settlers who do not respect building codes. and existing insufficient building codes are improved.
- A city plan is made.
- Ingrid, the Elven maid (See Chapter 7: "T'was the Night Before Tyrantmass") wo has accompanied Nickarus int the wilderness decides that while sjhe likes trees, she prefers an at least semi-urban environment. She uses her life savings and Nickarus also invests a sum to open a tavern in to the new Dock Quarter.
- Timothy and Nickarus memorize several daily Fabrication, Wall of Stone, and Stone Shape spells to help along contruction.
- Timothy allies with alchemists and farmers to discover if there are any crops that are suited to the climate and poor soil. It is discovered (Divination spells are OP by the way) that a type of Red Bean provides excellent results.
- Although quite nutricious, it is also discovered that as Red Beans are not a staple of a Northen diet, some behaviour modification will be needed if they are to have ny luck exportni the things.
- Several young Druids of Chauntea are recruited from neighbouring villages to cast Plant Growth spells on the new agricultural land.
- Arthas (*sigh*) discovers that villagers from the neighbuoring Freeholds have been cutting lumber on the party's land, as it is the only nearby source of timber. Although initially wanting to kill them, some of his Legionnaires suggest that it may create trouble, so he settles for beating them to a pulp and issuing a few not so subtle threats that provide both his victims and his own men with fitful sleep for the next several weeks.
- The party issues credit to new farmers who have problems coming up with cash for supplies and tools. Vouchers for shares of their first harvest is accepted.
As the session comes to a close party are satisfied that they are off to a good start and begin making plans for their further adventuring careers.
They start training their Cohorts for roles as administrators and stewards, and begin to make a list of unfinished business they can take care of.
<To be continued. Comments are welcome.>
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What is dead may never die, but rises again, harder, stronger, in a later edition. |
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Marquant Volker
Learned Scribe
Greece
273 Posts |
Posted - 12 May 2015 : 15:55:51
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| Very nice storytelling, and believable concept it has a refreshing taste of "realistic" fantasy and not boring black and white (and grey) . As a fellow DM i like the fact that you include events like Tom the ranger's player bored of his PC, so you had to send him on a scouting detachment. It's interesting to see how other DMs handle everyday little obstacles (in general) |
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Misereor
Learned Scribe
164 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jun 2015 : 14:57:48
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Part 25: Settling old scores
Party Update:
Timothy: Human Male, 15th Level Wizard
Nickarus: Elf Male, 15th Level Ceric of Shevarash
Brotor Broadback: Dwarven male, Fi 4/Barb 5/Ranger 5
Miriam: Human female Monk 12 of Bane/Shadowdancer 1
Arthas (*sigh*): Paladin 9/Blackguard 3
As previously mentioned; after setting up initial construction and fixing related problems, the party sets about taking care of unfinished business.
This includes a werespider spy by the name of Anna (after Anna Chapman), who set the party up for an ambush near Ilinvur a couple of months before, which came perilously close to wiping out the party. She also had a torrid love affair with Nickarus before he found out about her 8 legs, causing no small amount of jokes to be made at his expense.
Having access to 8th level divination spells, the whereabouts of the spy is quickly determined to be in the Tower of the Fang, Palischuk, Vaasa. Doing some research, the party digs up that Palischuk is a fortress town that presently serves as the headquarters of one of several self-proclaimed "Kings of all Vaasa". They are unable to discover much aout the Tower of the Fang, as it seems to be warded against divination spells, but using mundane forms of information gathering, they establish that it is probably some sort of mage tower. Vaasa itself seems to be split between warring factions, mostly consisting of various clans of demon worshipping Half-orc berserkers.
For some reason the party decides that using magic for transport or disguise is for wimps, so they procure a wagon and a packed lunch and walk all the way to Vaasa. While passing through Barze they split a few Hobgoblin heads, and the rumour of who is passing through quickly spreads causing the land far and wide to be abandoned by it's panicked inhabitants, and so the first part of the journey proves uneventful.
Arriving in Vaasa, the party is quickly spotted by scouts of the local warlord. A few of them attempt to approach the party at a safe distance to find out who they are, but "safe" proves to be somewhat farther than they thought. After having their mounts killed and being humiliated (by a Dwarf!), they are told to go get their Warlord and all the warriors he can gather. They promptly comply, and later that afternoon some 150 mounted warriors form up for an attack on the players little column. A volley of Fireballs and Flame Strikes later, they decide that discretion is the better part of valor and withdraw, counting themseves lucky to have lost only a dozen or so warriors. Once again, word quickly spreads that a powerful group of pink skins who supposedly destroyed a Hobgoblin Army that same spring, are now attacking Vaasa for reasons unknown.
While the party passes through one abandoned villages after another, Anna's new patron decides to see what kind of individuals are looking for her.
(She made a couple of her saves, and counter divinaion was immediately begun.) The same night he Teleports into the vicinty of the party's camp and casts a few Summon Monster IX spells before teleporting away again. A few rounds later, Brotor notices 5 Colossal Centipedes making their way towards camp. He awakens his compatriots, and after a short, furious fight, the monsters are dispatched. The next evening the event is repeated this time with 2 Gargantuan Scorpions, again with the same result.
Anna's patron decides to make alternate plans, and manipulates one of the local "Kings of all Vaasa" to gather his army and destroy the party. Two days later, the road ahead of the party is blocked by 2,000 warriors. The locale is a natural bottleneck, with rocky hills on one side of the road and marsh on the other, leaving half a mile of level ground perfect for cavalry and Heavy Infantry.
In typical player fashion, the party is not only undaunted, but decide to murder the two messengers sent forward to parlay. Outraged that they were betrayed before they had a chance to betray anyone themselves, the enemy army charges in something that comes to resemble a British infantry charge at the Battle of the Somme. Prodigous use of a Wand of Fireballs and the exhaustion of most of the party's spell arsenal cuts the enemy numbers almost in half before they even get into melee range. Unknown to the players, the "King" they were up against is considered somewhat of a chump by his rivals, and had an army mostly consisting of 1st level Warriors. He promptly withdraws with the shattered remains of his force. The rest of the way to Palischuk noone bothers the party.
<To be continued>
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What is dead may never die, but rises again, harder, stronger, in a later edition. |
Edited by - Misereor on 08 Jun 2015 14:58:25 |
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Misereor
Learned Scribe
164 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jun 2015 : 14:06:57
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Session 26, Part 1/2: Palischuk Pandemonium
Behind the scenes:
The Prophet's Crusade having failed, the alliance between the followers of Tiamat and Orcus remains tentative.
Anna the werespider spy, is one of the Crusade survivors who has sought refuge with a new master in Vaasa. The players had no specific reason for hunting her down other than tying off a loose end, but Anne's new master takes notice of all their scrying attempts and assumes that they have somehow discovered a connection between the Prophet and himself/the Cult of Orcus. Attempts to dispose of the party with summoned monsters and a small army fail miserably. The party's tendency to meet challenges head on have been noted however, so a massive trap is laid.
The inner courtyard of the Temple of Orcus in Palischuk is guarded by great animated stone statues. There used to be such many statues, but a milennia of war has emptied most of the pedestals. Some were destroyed while others, ill suited to the terrain of Vaasa, sank into the mires and swamps and were lost. The three remaining statues depict idealized versions of the Barbarian and Orc predecessors whose offspring settled Vaasa, as well as the greatest statue the forefathers ever crafted, a truly Brobdingnagian idol of Orcus straddling the gate to the temple interior. These along with several senior priests and mages and the temple guards and a well planned spell selction are to destroy the party once and for all.
The play session.
As the party approaches Palischuk they notice that there are no travellers on the road. The city gates stand abandoned, and the patry once again decides against using stealth, and boldly (and rather stupidly) enter the city finding the streets deserted. They have passed through several abandoned villages on the way, but did not suspect that it would be the case in Palischuk. Making their way towards the Tower of the Fang, which is visible from many miles away, the players eventually discover that it is what appears to be an auxiliary tower of a temple complex built around a great natural rock formation in the centre of the city.
A timely attack by a bunch of "skirmishers" draw the party into hot pursuit, which eventually leads them into the previously mentioned statue guarded courtyard. The exit is promptly closed with a Wall of Stone spell whereupon the statues animate. Brotor, Miriam and Arthas (*sigh*) engage the statues in melee combat, where they quickly discover that they are severely handicapped without adamantite weapons. The statues are also immune to most magic (most golems tend to be), and within a few rounds of taking prodigous amounts of damage, they are entertaining thoughts of escape.
Anna's new employer who is masterminding the ambush and maintaining Tongues as well as a Detect Thoughts spell, notices this and although they are all under the influence of Potions of Greater Invisibility, he is able to notify his compatriots with a Telepathic Bond spell. On the next combat round, Timothy and Nickarus are hit by green rays (Dimensional Anchor) seemingly springing from the empty air of the ballustrades above the courtyard. Nickarus who is protected by a Spell Resistance spell is unaffected, but is subsequently transmuted into stone on the following round.
Eran who is not handicapped by any Dimensional Anchors takes hold of his nearest compatriots and casts a Dimensional Door. One of the casters on the balustrade attempts to counterspell with a Dispel Magic, but fails his check. Arthas is killed by a critical hit while Brotor has suffered near deadly damage. Miriam is relatively unscathed as she is able to use her Shadowdancer abilities to stay hidden in plain sight. Brotor's Cohort (a Halfling Rogue named Tiny Haystacker) is able to hide as well. Brotor runs past the idol of Orcus, barely surviving an attack of opportunity, and is able to enter the temple proper, where he discovers that the gate was unlocked because a few dozen Temple Guards were preparing to join the fray.
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What is dead may never die, but rises again, harder, stronger, in a later edition. |
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Misereor
Learned Scribe
164 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jun 2015 : 14:55:01
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Session 26, Part 2/2: Palischuk Pandemonium
Eran and Timothy, carrying the petrified Nickarus, step from their Dimensional Door into a small, deserted marketplace some 300 yards from the Temple courtyard. Luckily Timothy has a Stone to Flesh memorized and Nickarus is returned to the action. A couple of Fly and Invisibility spells later, they are returning to the battlefield. Meanwhile inside the courtyard, Tiny has used his Slippers of Spider Climb and Hat of Disguise to escape to the roof looking like a young, confused Half-Orc with a suspiciusly high pitched voice.
Inside the Temple, the Temple Guards are able to swarm and pin Brotor, but he is rescued by Miriam who is able to run past the statues and kill his subduers in a flurry of kicks and blows. The Mastermind flies down to the Gate and fires a Disintegration ray at Miriam which she which she narrowly avoids. She then stuffs Brotor's limp body in a portable hole and runs outside again, hoping for a rescue from Timothy or Eran. In the doorway she collides with the invisible Mastermind, whose Contingency spell promptly goes off, teleporting him away to a safe location and taking him out of the battle.
With a horde of guards in hot pursuit she then proceeds to run in circles in the courtyard until Tiny is able to tie one end of a rope around the nearest gargoyle and throw it into the courtyard. From time to time one of the statues is able to spot her and squashes whatever gets in the way as it lumbers off in pursuit. Eventually she is able to scurry up the rope, while the invisible Nickarus and Eran salvage the flattened remains of Arthas and Timothy provides covering fire.
With more Fly spells, the players are eventually able to make it out of the city and set up camp. Without the Mastermind to provide spells or control the statues the Temple Guards are unable to mount an effective pursuit. After resting and regaining spells and raising Arthas, they then proceed to invade the Tower of the Fang directly. A Stone Shape spells grants access to the now empty tower. After setting off a number of deadly traps, they are eventually able to find Anna, who has been placed in suspended animation by her master for the duration of the crisis. Still angry about their predicament, they simply chop off the head of their helpless victim rather than reviving and interrogating her. They then Teleport and Word of Recall back home, having created hundreds of new antagonists in their quest to elimate one that wasn't even bothering them in the first place.
Thus endeth the session...
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What is dead may never die, but rises again, harder, stronger, in a later edition. |
Edited by - Misereor on 22 Jun 2015 14:55:28 |
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Misereor
Learned Scribe
164 Posts |
Posted - 02 Jul 2015 : 14:03:56
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Musings of a Dungeon Master
So the "twist" to this campaign was to create a campaign that was not evil in and of itself, but in a setting certainly was, and to see how the players reacted.
If it was a made for TV show, the flavor could probably be described as something between Game of Thrones, Rome, and Monty Python's Life of Brian.
Last session ended up with the players brutally executing an unconscious woman that had certainly informed on them, but never actually raised a hand against them.
It seems to me that the party is finally starting to come apart at the seams. It is interesting to note, that while they were not so powerful and under strict discipline, they were not as likely to commit evil deeds. Certainly they were free to do so, but instead took care to fullfill their objectives without doing so. However, now that they are mostly free to pursue their own agendas, they seem to have lost their sense of direction and are as often as not doing stuff out of sheer expediency.
Another thing I have taken note of, is how only one character has rolled up an evil aligned character (a Blackguard no less), but when the campaign simply continued as usual without any special opportunities to abduct princesses or burn down villages arising, the player quickly adapted his playstyle to fit more closely with his compatriots, and is more or less playing his character as a Fighter in black armor. While the players have indeed started to slide, the one player who wanted to go all-out evil adjusted to the moral level exhibited by the other party members. I think that's worth noting, both from a purely human perspective and as the GM portraying the Lawful Evil Tyranny that has centuries of expertise manipulating it's subjects, allies, and enemies alike.
It will be interesting to see what happens when things start to heat up.
The party recently refused a request by the Black Altar to build a new Temple to Bane in their town. The players played the part of reluctantly rejecting, as they already had plans of their own for raising such a temple, and provisionally promoted Arthas (*sigh*) the Blackguard to the role of Priest. This was equally provisionally accepted, but since then the players have done nothing, but instead taken off on a trek to Vasaa for the purpose of hack'n'slashing, and this has been noted. Nickarus is also making plans for converting the local population to the worship of Chauntea witout bothereing to inform the two Bane worshippers in the party. So I'm thinking that the best case scenario is the Unholy Inquisition and possibly a Legion assassination team on standby paying a visit sometime in the near future.
Also Nickarus' player seems to have missed that the Zhentish population is actually quite devout in their worship of Bane, and simply assumes that they're ripe for conversion. In fact they are as likely to convert as a bunch of Carthagenians would be to convert from the worship of Bhaal to Jupiter. Disastrous as this may prove for his character, I'm quite willing to put it down to his character being an Elf with only a few years experience with Zhents, and so simply having misjudged the situation (he hasn't bothered to share his plans with anyone nor seek any advice). Furthermore it will be interesting to see if he does any further moral sliding when his subjects prove less cooperative than expected, or if he discovers a smarter way of going about it.
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What is dead may never die, but rises again, harder, stronger, in a later edition. |
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Misereor
Learned Scribe
164 Posts |
Posted - 12 Aug 2015 : 11:59:58
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Chapter 27: For thou art crunchy and taste great with ketchup
Safely back home, the party members spend a few weeks making fascinating new discoveries while ruling their domain.
The focus for this session is that followers are more than just stats on a piece of paper. Many players tend to use Cohorts and Followers like they were combat enhancing magical items, instead of people capable of independent thought.
For instance, the players discover that while a penal legion creates excellent killers, they tend to be somewhat less effective as officers of the peace. Accusations of corruption and violence reach a level that is unacceptable even for a Zhentish town, and the Legionnaire contingent are assigned to external security (where they mostly hassle non-residents and the local wildlife) while a regular citizens militia is formed for internal security.
They also discover that Phlan takes a dim view of their bulk purchases of furs for the purpose of controlling the market. That trade used to go through Phlan, but the new harbor the players built makes it easier for trappers and hunters to sell their goods further upriver, and Tiny Haystacker (Brotor Broadback's Cohort and chief officer of the Broadback Trading Coster) grabbed the opportunity when he saw it, unaware of the political ramifications.
What they do not discover is that Nickarus, who has started his campaign to subvert the faith of Bane, is oblivious to the fact that he is creating dissent and disrespect for their rule among the majority of the inhabitants who are traditional Zhents. All the regular inhabitants obviously notice, but even those few that have the ear of the rest of the party assume that Nickarus is acting with their assent and are fearful to make an enemy of him. Thus the other players are actually the only ones who are oblivious to the fact. The faith of Bane is not however, and while they have not yet acted, they are keeping an eye on things in order to capitalize on any opportunity or crisis that may arise.
In short: The rule of a domain is a full time occupation, or at the very least requires hiring the right people.
As the players are grappling with these problems, a Mysterious Stranger(tm) requests an audience with the party.
He is a magician of some sort who needs a bunch of Dragon eggs for his experiments. He also knows of a source, but is unable to deal with the guardian creatures watching over the eggs. Thus, having heard of the party's accomplishments, he proposes the party retrieve said eggs for a payment of 2000 gold pieces per egg. The party immediately accept, are given a map showing an obscure valley on the northern side of the Dragonspine Mountains, and once again set off on new adventures.
A few days later the party are searching the valley in question and high on the mountainside they discover an entrance to an old temple decorated with Draconic carvings and statues. Inside they discover a rogue element of the church of Tiamat (refugees from the recent war) who have set up a dragon hatchery overseen by a "Dragon Lord" who happens to be a prisoner with an affinity for all kinds of Dragons.
After butchering the hapless Tiamites and releasing the "Dragon Lord", the party are impressed with his selfless devotion to Dragonkind and let him keep the hatchery. As payment for releasing him, they take charge of dead eggs, since the Mysterious Stranger(tm) forgot to mention that he wanted live eggs.
Back in Kirsvald the Mysterious Stranger(tm) turns out to be Nickarus' new character, a Cleric who is looking for a key to a legendary Dragon Hoard. He is visibly upset that the party has brought him dead eggs, but after being threatened with bodily and magical harm if he reneges on the deal, he consents to pay what is owed. In spite of this setback, he persuades the party to join him on a quest to find the parts necessary for the key. These are a cuple of minr artifacts known as the Eggs of Bahamut and Tiamat, and a handful of (live) Dragon eggs for powering the ritual (yes, that would indeed make it blood magic) that opens the portal to the hoard.
DM's note: Nickarus' player is finding it hard to play his character as written, so he is trying out a new character on a trial basis.
Once again the party sets off on an epic quest.
The first part of the journey goes to the Dragon hatchery, where the players intend to pick up a few eggs, regardless what deal they made earlier. They don't make it all the way though, as it turns out that Miriam the Monk had secretly returned to the hatchery, murdered the Dragon Lord and stolen all the eggs, planning to sell them to the Mysterious Stranger(tm) whom she thought was a quest NPC. Everyone has a good laugh about this. (Sometimes they scare me...)
The second part of the journey goes to a remote locality in northern Anauroch known as "The Boneyard". The place is an ancient Dragon graveyard that has been subjected to the rigors of a few dozen milennia of erosion. For a party that averages 14th level, the journey is pretty much uneventful, and so the party arrives at a shadowy valley that has a noticable necromantic aura and huge bones sticking out of the ground.
Here the party encounter a type of monsters known as Cadaver Collectors (mostly because Huge Stone Golems were such a success a few sessions ago, and these guys have similar immunities), as well as Gigantic Skeletal Dragons that are randomly animated from time to time. Finally they make it to the centre of the valley where a Stonehenge-ish area is the site of the Egg of Tiamat. After losing a couple of levels each to level draining guardian monsters, the players eventually triumph and are able to cart off their trophy, a large egg covered with crystalline scales radiating all the chromatic colors (well, D&D chromatic anyway) in a spectacular display.
The players then prepare for the next stage of their journey, which will for the first time take them to the southern kingdoms of Cormyr and Sembia. Meanwhile the DM starts preparing encounters based on cultural differences and hatred of Zhents. Should be more interesting than a romp through an empty desert.
<To be continued>
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What is dead may never die, but rises again, harder, stronger, in a later edition. |
Edited by - Misereor on 12 Aug 2015 12:01:02 |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6646 Posts |
Posted - 13 Aug 2015 : 00:18:33
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Very entertaining read. Keep 'em coming. I like the political intrigue surrounding "ruling a domain". Seems very real.
-- George Krashos |
"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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Misereor
Learned Scribe
164 Posts |
Posted - 19 Aug 2015 : 15:00:21
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quote:
Originally posted by George Krashos
Very entertaining read. Keep 'em coming. I like the political intrigue surrounding "ruling a domain". Seems very real.
I'll give out a few more domain specific details then :)
The player character have had an unfortunate tendency to leave their domain for several weeks at a time, without leaving adequate replacements in their place. (True, the DM hasn't pointed it out to them, but it is the sort of thing they should be aware of without prompting.)
The official payroll only consists of a master builder, a handfull of scribes, and three platoons of Legionnaires. The players have also just set up the framework for a citizens militia, but in their absence, you just know that there is going to be trouble between them and the Legionnaires.
The players have a buffer though, since the citizens are mostly Zhents, and therefore have a healthy respect (if not outright fear) for authority, and have been keeping their peace for the time being.
But I intend to hammer home, that like all rulers the players need to know and get along with their people if they intend to have any success in ruling them.
Hooks:
Militia and Legion
I'm thinking a tavern brawl (local militia business) that ends in a stabbing, and the culprit being apprehended outside town by the Legionnaires, leading to a few heads being broken. It turns out the stabbing victim was the cousin of one of the militia members, but the culprit's sister is being wooed by a Legionnaire sergeant. The players have to pick up the pieces, preferably without becoming unpopular with either party.
Elf Bane
Nickarus' Elven followers are suddenly finding themselves rather unpopular. Since these are old school High Elf types, their demeanor was never widely appreciated in the first place. However, since Nikcarus started his campaign to put Chauntea in place as the most resected God of the community, prizes are suddenly being raised, or goods unavailable. People spit at them in the street, and lone Elves are well advised to stay out of dark alleys or taverns filled with drunken Zhents.
Getting stakes ready for the non-believers
One of Nickarus' brilliant ideas which he withheld from the other players, was that he intended to sabotage the building of the new Temple of Bane the party is sponsoring. His intention was to use magic to make the place seem haunted. Obviously it never occurred to him, that not only is there a chance that Banites will see it as a sign of their God's displeasure, but also a very real possibility that the local Cleric of Bane will quite deliberately do everything in his power to make it seem as though the haunting is the fault of the Elves, not giving a hoot what the actual reason is. (Taking advantage of events as they unfold, as mentioned in last chapter, by riding the wave of popular opinion, and at the same time discrediting someone he considers an enemy.)
Besides this, if the players keep neglecting their duties, it will leave a power vacuum that one or more someones is certain to try and fill. I haven't decided yet if it to be locals or strangers, but I'll work something out.
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What is dead may never die, but rises again, harder, stronger, in a later edition. |
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Misereor
Learned Scribe
164 Posts |
Posted - 11 Sep 2015 : 15:06:22
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Chapter 28: Of Mice and Mortals.
Party Update:
Timothy. Human Male Wizard 15.
Nickarus. Elven Male Cleric 15 of Shevarash. On hiatus, and substituted by...
Harod the Kind. Human Male Cleric 12 of unknown God.
Brotor Broadback. Dwarf Male Fighter 4, Ranger 5, Barbarian 5
Miriam Blackfist. Human Female Monk 12, Shadowdancer 2.
Arthas Kinslayer (*sigh*). Fallen Paladin 9, Blackguard 4.
Returning home, the players deal with a number of problems that have arisen in their absence.
A minor diplomatic crisis with Phlan is averted with a tax brak on Phlanite goods being shipped through the new port the players built.
Transporting heavy goods by water is much easier than carting them by road, so there is a strong case for shipping Phlanite ore by river. Meanwhile Timothy is semi-successful in persuading a majority of the High Council of Phlan, that the growth of Torland's Hold need not diminish Phlan, but could rather be an asset for both parties.
Off stage the Phlanites, being long time neighbours of Zhentil Keep, immediately start devoting resources to discovering how the players are planning to screw them over, even though the players don't actually have any plans to do so. Of course this deployment of intelligence assets (or their medieval equivalent) is noticed by various other parties, who also start taking an interest just in case. The players are blissfully oblivious to what they have set in motion, as they have yet to establish any spy networks of their own.
The players then devote their time and energy to planning how to aquire the Egg of Bahamut.
Donning brilliant diguises as a bunch of merchants and their guards, the players follow the caravan routes through the Dalelands and into Cormyr via Tilverton. The players, having little experience with pleasant cities, are surprised by Arabel, and spend a couple of days taking in the sights before setting out again.
Following Harod's map, the players then leave Arabel and strike into the northernmost reaches of the King's Forest. They quickly discover, that while Zhents may be a common sight along the major trade routes, they are quite rare in the pastoral outback and wilderness areas of Cormyr.
At the very first inn they are the subject of many unfriendly stares by the locals, and eventually a sergeant of the local Purple Dragon garrison apporaches them to discover more about them. Harod the Kind then subjects him to a colorful and varied collection of threats to his physical wellbeing, which makes him withdraw. Harod waits until he closes the door behind him, then follows. As he open the door, he sees the Sergeant in the process of ordering two locals to get reinforcements before confronting the party, and murders all three of them on the spot. Inside the inn, Arthas strikes down two locals who try to intervene while the rest of the party are busy being dumbstruck, though after a few seconds, Brotor eventually decides it's time to saddle the horses.
So the party takes off through the gathering darkness (in more than one sense) with a small lead over the Purple Dragons who are bound to pursue them. However, later that same night the party the party hear the sound of combat a couple of miles behind them, indicating that their pursuers have run into something capable of challenging several dozens of Cormyr's finest, and so are able to increase their lead substantially.
Late the next day, the party's progress is barred by a couple of Knights in shining plate who ask them as to their business in the realm of the Lady of Silver. As it turns out, they have wandered into a one of the more excentric baronies in Cormyr, ruled by an order of Paladins devoted to a mysterious silver maiden (whom the party take all of two minutes figuring out is probably a Dragon in human form). Guessing that their auras have probably already been read, they make up a story about being a group of cursed adventurers who are on an epic quest to redeem themselves in the eyes of the gods.
With a couple of Diplomacy checks, the Knights are convinced that the party should probably be taken to the castle for further interrogation. At the castle, which just so happens to be located at the X on the map, Miriam takes the lead and with some fancy footwork is able to dodge a couple of truth detection spells without incriminating herself or the other players. The pary are invited for dinner, and everything is going well until the Silver Lady after whom the order is named arrives, when Harod inexplicably starts insulting her to such a degree, that the Paladin seated ne0xt to him completely loses it and attempts to stab him in the face.
Unsure just what the hell is going on, and if their newest member is entirely sane, Timothy explains to the outraged assembly that this is part of their curse. Nevertheless, the Paladin in question refuses to apologize and demands Harod's head on a silver platter (actually not a pun). The party are able to make a case for facestabbing without prior warning being somewhat dishonorable conduct, and after some bickering back and forth, it is decided that a duel is in order. It is also stipulated that the loser, if he survives, is to serve the winner as a squire for a year and a day, that he may learn proper manners.
As the duel starts, the DM mentions that the Paladin is casting spells. This should be an obvious sign that face stabbing Harod did not cost him his Paladin powers, thus indicating what kind of individual he is, but the players fail to notice the significance. And so it transpires that Harod has a new squire. Timothy who has been getting more and more annoyed by the new member then announces that he wants no part in their quest, and teleports home. (Out of Character he confided that he was shocked. Nickarus' player was always the party's moral compass, and now his character was kicking puppies and stealing lollypops. His character status is yet to be determined, as the campaign is coming to an end anyway.)
Having outstayed their welcome, the party is invited to vacate the premises, and this they do without any protests, but the same night they are back with invisibility and silence spells, invading the castle and confronting the Silver Lady, who much to noones surprise turns out to be a Silver Dragon, and shortly thereafter a dead Silver Dragon. Without the power of their Draconic liege, the remaining Paladins are no match for the party, and are butchered to a man. The party finish off by looting and burning down the castle, but for reasons unknown take great care to spare any servants and peasants. I'm not quite sure if they were annoyed by the Paladins' attitude, or if they were actually trying to roleplay a set of characters who have lived their entire lives knowing that they would be burnt at the stake if any Paladins ever got their hands on them and happened to figure out who they were. In the end, I'm not entirely sure the players knew themselves.
And that is how the session ends, with the characters busily gathering all the loot into a great pile, backlit by the castle sized funeral pyre of a Draconic Baroness.
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What is dead may never die, but rises again, harder, stronger, in a later edition. |
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Campaign Notes: Zhentil Keep, Resurrection
