The team of heroes left the fort in the next morning, heading for the Crypts of Hahrai Berzaiti in the Lockwood Caverns. They followed a trail from the fort to a cliffside, looking out at a wide river, and over which spanned a rope bridge. The nimble rogue, Jad, examined the bridge for traps, and found one several feet in from the start of the bridge. Investigating the thin strings connected to the trap, Jad discovered animal skin bags of blood and gore, hung from tripwires on the underside of the bridge. He disabled this first bag, but upon trying to disable the second, halfway down the bridge, it triggered. In the blink of an eye Jad was covered in rotten gore, lying prone on the unsteady rope bridge. As he made his way back to the safety of the cliffside, the others, watching him return, saw small creatures flying towards them from over his shoulder. The band of travelers was quickly swarmed by a small flock of stirges, cat-sized mosquitoes. Yul had one attach its sharp proboscis to his neck after he succeeded in landing an arrow in its side. The druid and wizard hacked the creatures off their friend with flaming and lightning attacks, while Jad's mighty crossbow finished off another that had attached to Cruckshank's throat. The team then proceeded over the rope bridge, one by one. Castlinetta fell into the river after all, but was quickly helped to shore after much coughing up of inhaled water.
Soon the small group found the end of the river, where the desolate land strangled the water's flow to a stream, then quickly to a trickle, and finally, to a dead tree. Next to the tree was the unfurnished, open entrance to a dark crypt structure. A withered, stagnant air smelled like piss and copper. Each taking a final shallow breath, the heroes stepped into the shadows of the unholy gravesite...
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Saturday, February 6, 2010
The Assault and Siege of Fort Grundetjern
The heroes followed a trail north from the village, past a quarry, and into the path of a small band of goblins and wolves. After a brief fight, with much running and sparring, the heroes were wiping their weapons clean of goblin guts.
The team arrived at the fort as night settled over the highlands peak, and with the dusk came a cold, hard rain. Spotting guards in the small fort's two front towers, the adventurers circled around to the back of the fort. There they found two unoccupied towers. They clambered up the useful grappling hook's rope-line under cover of night and stormy rain. Sneaking into the first structure inside the compound, the team surprised a lone goblin priest praying to some obscene god and whipping a lone, barely living man chained to a wall. Although they quickly killed him, the noise from the fight brought the attention of a rowdy gang of goblins, who were soon bashing down the double doors of the chapel the adventurers quickly braced themselves behind. The goblins were bottle-necked outside the chapel doors, but the heroes found themselves staggering from the onslaught of blades and arrows. They released the prisoner and provided him some weapons to help resist the goblin force. The samurai scaled the outbuilding across from the chapel and took out a goblin firing from the rooftop with a swift slice of his sword. The goblin's commander, Gaumukh the Fetid, only went down after the adventurers were able to eliminate his minions. The team was badly wounded, and one of their number was unconscious before the fight was ended. Their victory was hard won and their morale was low, but they were pleased to heal the wounds of the survivor of the goblin's takeover of the fort. This was the proud and bruised Captain Kybalian, former fort commander. He had little information to provide, but noted that the goblins had been operating in connection with an entity from farther north of the fort, in the Lockwood Caverns, near the Harhai Berzaiti crypts.
The team investigated the fort and found several rope traps in place on doorways. One harmlessly caught the wizard and hung him up by his ankle until others could cut him down. Another, spike trap, was disabled by the able rogue, Jad Feyr. Along with the goblin warchief's belonging the team found a small blade with a mystical design on it resembling a head with a dagger thrust straight up from under its jaw.
The cold night had more in store for the heroes, as the howling heard outside the walls alerted them. The team moved towards the fort's large front gate doors, to investigate scratching noises, but was attacking from above by winged, rotting creatures. As they traded blows with these unreal monsters, the fort was suddenly inundated with disembodied crawling hands, some of which opened the fort's gate for a few ravenous gravehounds. After a complicated brawl, which included a rooftop race between a spry rogue and a flying zombie, the creatures were destroyed. Some undead were killed instantly by a lucky blow to the soft, spongy brain.
Finally, the weary travelers rested before setting out the next morning to the crypts of Hahrai Berzaiti, in search of the mastermind behind these unholy creations: the necromantic cleric, Tanjisoo, an evil Minister of Szickszai.
The team arrived at the fort as night settled over the highlands peak, and with the dusk came a cold, hard rain. Spotting guards in the small fort's two front towers, the adventurers circled around to the back of the fort. There they found two unoccupied towers. They clambered up the useful grappling hook's rope-line under cover of night and stormy rain. Sneaking into the first structure inside the compound, the team surprised a lone goblin priest praying to some obscene god and whipping a lone, barely living man chained to a wall. Although they quickly killed him, the noise from the fight brought the attention of a rowdy gang of goblins, who were soon bashing down the double doors of the chapel the adventurers quickly braced themselves behind. The goblins were bottle-necked outside the chapel doors, but the heroes found themselves staggering from the onslaught of blades and arrows. They released the prisoner and provided him some weapons to help resist the goblin force. The samurai scaled the outbuilding across from the chapel and took out a goblin firing from the rooftop with a swift slice of his sword. The goblin's commander, Gaumukh the Fetid, only went down after the adventurers were able to eliminate his minions. The team was badly wounded, and one of their number was unconscious before the fight was ended. Their victory was hard won and their morale was low, but they were pleased to heal the wounds of the survivor of the goblin's takeover of the fort. This was the proud and bruised Captain Kybalian, former fort commander. He had little information to provide, but noted that the goblins had been operating in connection with an entity from farther north of the fort, in the Lockwood Caverns, near the Harhai Berzaiti crypts.
The team investigated the fort and found several rope traps in place on doorways. One harmlessly caught the wizard and hung him up by his ankle until others could cut him down. Another, spike trap, was disabled by the able rogue, Jad Feyr. Along with the goblin warchief's belonging the team found a small blade with a mystical design on it resembling a head with a dagger thrust straight up from under its jaw.
The cold night had more in store for the heroes, as the howling heard outside the walls alerted them. The team moved towards the fort's large front gate doors, to investigate scratching noises, but was attacking from above by winged, rotting creatures. As they traded blows with these unreal monsters, the fort was suddenly inundated with disembodied crawling hands, some of which opened the fort's gate for a few ravenous gravehounds. After a complicated brawl, which included a rooftop race between a spry rogue and a flying zombie, the creatures were destroyed. Some undead were killed instantly by a lucky blow to the soft, spongy brain.
Finally, the weary travelers rested before setting out the next morning to the crypts of Hahrai Berzaiti, in search of the mastermind behind these unholy creations: the necromantic cleric, Tanjisoo, an evil Minister of Szickszai.
The Big Blue Bang
Blue flames erupted from the stage, enveloping the trumpeters, podium, guards and visiting high priest from Fassjammer City.
The crowd had gathered for the town's ceremony, celebrating the upcoming wedding of royalty in the neighboring capitial. Before anyone had time to react, explosions of blue flame had killed some of the most important council-folk of Vestergaard Village, including Bloor Warksworth, the village mason and Lord Gorssel Flawinne, a prominent farmer.
Immediately afterwards, though, some heroes in the crowd saved council-folk from the Village Hall's crumbling edifice, taking cover from the quickly dying blue fire behind market-carts. The injured villagefolk included Baron Gilet Culaan (wealthy heir), Sir Tormod Kamban (Tiefling landowner, and patron of the Blessed Ones), Vamuli Ormstunga (dwarven blacksmith/stable owner), Ogilvie Whitewood (proprietor of Oglivie's Hooves) and Schmat Razum (owner of the village bank, The Oaken Chest). A barbarian stranger named Maude tried throwing a bucket of water on the flame, but was amazed to see it consume the water, as if drinking it! Finally, within moments of the terror, the blue flames died out, magically tied to some arcane spell that had run its course.
The heroes were praised and thanked for their efforts. A wizard named Castlinetta was given a brooch of two dragons clasping a person by the owner of Artichoke Gardens, the local marketplace's elven coucilwoman, Orenda Soelvi. Ormstunga gave the samurai, Yul, a magically silent grappling hook. Olfuss gave Cruckshank a bedroll that provided an improved, blessed rest.
Late into the evening of recovery, at Hanging Cloud's local brothel and gambling/opium den, The Nine-Tailed Tortoise, this same motley crew of adventures were approached by Friar Olfuss, now in charge of the village's Pelor church. He asked if they could help with a minor problem he had the day before the blue flame explosion: while returning to the village with a present of a magical ring designed for the royal couple, the Friar was attacked by flying drakes, who stole the gift. They presumably stowed it in a drake nest Olfuss believed they had established in the church's attic.
The adventures accepted the challenge, chuckling at their luck to have such an easy-sounding mission after such dire circumstances experienced in the village. The villagefolk were mourning the loss of two of their councilfolk, the local stable-owner and a banker. Here they were, climbing a rope to the unused-attic above the church. As they climbed in, however, they found that the drakes were not the only ones using this attic. The drakes had a cage built against one wall, complete with window access. As the heroes entered through the trapdoor they were set upon by several drakes. After a short fight, maneuvering around the cage door, and a large chest behind the door, the heroes gained victory. One by one these beasties were slain as they flew and dove around their heads. The dragonborn cleric, Cruckshank, climbed a chest and smote a drake while it tried eating the face of a half-elf named Yul Brenner. This same half-elf samurai dropped the final drake as it tried fleeing the scene through the cage's window. This dead drake's body fell into the street with a weight unexpected for its small size.
After the fight, upon exploration, the adventurers found a strange, torn letter from two unknown persons, apparently organizing a conspiracy of undead and goblin forces against a Fort a half day north of the village.
Before they could fully contemplate the horror soon to be visited upon the village itself, the heroes were attacked by the wererat owners of the drake coop. Again, the fight was quick and despite a close brush with rat filth fever, the heroes prevailed.
An appreciative but dull-headed Friar Olfuss was surprised to hear of the drakes and wererats using his church's attic. He was as confused as the adventurers about what schemes they had in using the drakes for some sort of flying postal service, delivering notices between conspirators. Olfuss, in his clumsy, bumbling way, informed the heroes about strange going-ons at Fort Grundetjern. Apparently the Fort had recently not rotated back its local guard upon bi-weekly post shifts. A small contingent of city guards were sent up to the Fort to determine what the problem was, but they had not been heard of for another 2 weeks. The heroes were asked to now visit the Fort and clear up any trouble.
Ofluss had no information about the author of the letter, Minister Tanjisoo, or some rival organization called True Dawn and but he was plenty nervous about evocations of the strange-sounding Death Tide cult's patron, Szickszai. Olfuss worried that this might refer to a primal evil, sentient force from beyond the veil of reality, trying to weave strands of dark, undead magic to unpleasant ends for the countryside.
The adventurers set out to the Fort...
The crowd had gathered for the town's ceremony, celebrating the upcoming wedding of royalty in the neighboring capitial. Before anyone had time to react, explosions of blue flame had killed some of the most important council-folk of Vestergaard Village, including Bloor Warksworth, the village mason and Lord Gorssel Flawinne, a prominent farmer.
Immediately afterwards, though, some heroes in the crowd saved council-folk from the Village Hall's crumbling edifice, taking cover from the quickly dying blue fire behind market-carts. The injured villagefolk included Baron Gilet Culaan (wealthy heir), Sir Tormod Kamban (Tiefling landowner, and patron of the Blessed Ones), Vamuli Ormstunga (dwarven blacksmith/stable owner), Ogilvie Whitewood (proprietor of Oglivie's Hooves) and Schmat Razum (owner of the village bank, The Oaken Chest). A barbarian stranger named Maude tried throwing a bucket of water on the flame, but was amazed to see it consume the water, as if drinking it! Finally, within moments of the terror, the blue flames died out, magically tied to some arcane spell that had run its course.
The heroes were praised and thanked for their efforts. A wizard named Castlinetta was given a brooch of two dragons clasping a person by the owner of Artichoke Gardens, the local marketplace's elven coucilwoman, Orenda Soelvi. Ormstunga gave the samurai, Yul, a magically silent grappling hook. Olfuss gave Cruckshank a bedroll that provided an improved, blessed rest.
Late into the evening of recovery, at Hanging Cloud's local brothel and gambling/opium den, The Nine-Tailed Tortoise, this same motley crew of adventures were approached by Friar Olfuss, now in charge of the village's Pelor church. He asked if they could help with a minor problem he had the day before the blue flame explosion: while returning to the village with a present of a magical ring designed for the royal couple, the Friar was attacked by flying drakes, who stole the gift. They presumably stowed it in a drake nest Olfuss believed they had established in the church's attic.
The adventures accepted the challenge, chuckling at their luck to have such an easy-sounding mission after such dire circumstances experienced in the village. The villagefolk were mourning the loss of two of their councilfolk, the local stable-owner and a banker. Here they were, climbing a rope to the unused-attic above the church. As they climbed in, however, they found that the drakes were not the only ones using this attic. The drakes had a cage built against one wall, complete with window access. As the heroes entered through the trapdoor they were set upon by several drakes. After a short fight, maneuvering around the cage door, and a large chest behind the door, the heroes gained victory. One by one these beasties were slain as they flew and dove around their heads. The dragonborn cleric, Cruckshank, climbed a chest and smote a drake while it tried eating the face of a half-elf named Yul Brenner. This same half-elf samurai dropped the final drake as it tried fleeing the scene through the cage's window. This dead drake's body fell into the street with a weight unexpected for its small size.
After the fight, upon exploration, the adventurers found a strange, torn letter from two unknown persons, apparently organizing a conspiracy of undead and goblin forces against a Fort a half day north of the village.
Before they could fully contemplate the horror soon to be visited upon the village itself, the heroes were attacked by the wererat owners of the drake coop. Again, the fight was quick and despite a close brush with rat filth fever, the heroes prevailed.
An appreciative but dull-headed Friar Olfuss was surprised to hear of the drakes and wererats using his church's attic. He was as confused as the adventurers about what schemes they had in using the drakes for some sort of flying postal service, delivering notices between conspirators. Olfuss, in his clumsy, bumbling way, informed the heroes about strange going-ons at Fort Grundetjern. Apparently the Fort had recently not rotated back its local guard upon bi-weekly post shifts. A small contingent of city guards were sent up to the Fort to determine what the problem was, but they had not been heard of for another 2 weeks. The heroes were asked to now visit the Fort and clear up any trouble.
Ofluss had no information about the author of the letter, Minister Tanjisoo, or some rival organization called True Dawn and but he was plenty nervous about evocations of the strange-sounding Death Tide cult's patron, Szickszai. Olfuss worried that this might refer to a primal evil, sentient force from beyond the veil of reality, trying to weave strands of dark, undead magic to unpleasant ends for the countryside.
The adventurers set out to the Fort...
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