More Adventures in Tellene - Main Tale

[EvilGinger]

A matter of Experiance - Episode XI

Episode XI – A close run thing

Awards are individual

The battle continues
Killing goblins every one in the fight          62         +0
(not Heradin or Aetlred)
Still being standing at the end of the fight      00         +5
(not Heradin Aetlred or Dvorn or Violet)
Violets charge                     10         +1
Telec continuing to Tank                10         +1
Aetlred for persuading Heradin to help          10         +1
Heradin for entering the narrow hole again       10         -2

The Aftermath
Finishing off the fallen and looting                      
(Lalia & Thans)                          10         +1
Aetlred first aid                           30         +1
Violet, first aid and healing               20         +1
Securing the sleeping cave                
(Sondan & Heradin)                  10         +1


Exploring the side complex
General exploration                  
(Telic, & Heradin)                  15         +1
General exploration
(Violet & Thans)                  10         +0
General exploration
(Lalia)                     05         +1
Lalia & the locks                  20         +1
Standing guard outside
(Sondan, Fawlit)                  05         +0
Thans & the Map                  05         +1
 
Discovering the involvement of the cult
of the Pel Brolenones cult of the Overlord with
the goblin raiders                   
 (Telec, Heradin, Thans, Lalia, Aetlred)         10         +0
Discovering the involvement of the cult
of the Pel Brolenones cult of the Overlord with
the goblin raiders          
(Violet)                            20         +2
Stealing money from the Overlords cache
(Violet, Lalia)                     00         +3
Stealing money from the Pel Brolenones cache      00         +2
(Thans)
Aeltred’s first plan with tables                     05         +1

Reaching the prisoners
Aeltred’s second plan with the tables         30         +2
Building the “table fort”
(Sondan, Lalia)                           10         +1
Killing goblins                           14         +0
The assault group
(Telec, Sondan, Thans, Dvorn, Fawlit)         10         +2
The shooting group
(Violet, Aetlred, Heradin, Lalia)            10         +1
Violets record breaking critical             10         +1
Reaching the Captives (major objective)         25         +5

General role play
All                                  20         +2
Dwarves are better award               00         +2
Lalia & Aetlred                           00         +1
Sondan being a good soldier               00         +1


Fawlit & Dvorn have leveled to second level & it looks certain that all the Pc's except for Heraldrin
 will hit third level during next session

 Ginger

[EvilGinger]

Episode XI the honour issue

The honour issue

Violet and Nyasse have left the group for now at least

Starting honour              Honour                    Averaging
                                       Awards                     effect
Aetlred    25                    39(+14)                   40 (+1)
Telic      25                     41(+16)                   42 (+1)
Lalia      26                      41 (+15)                  42 (+1)
Thans    30                     50 (+20)                   51 (+1)
Heradin    19                   27 (+8)                     28 (+1)
Fawlit      18                   32 (+14)                   33 (+1)
Sondan   18                    35 (+17)                   36 (+1)
Dvorn      18                   27 (+9)                     28 (+1)
Violet      176                 185 (+9)                   184 (-1)

Group average honour  39 at the start     53 at the end

The second group has now left the campaign area

The following are still in the area but not with the main group so I am not tracking them in such detail

honour              
D'rek           18              
Nyasse        17              
 

 Ginger

[EvilGinger]

Episode XII – Some field rest and recuperation and wyrd stuff happens Part I  

Dramatis Personae
Telec - Kalamarian Human Priest of the Wanderer
Aetlred - Half Elf Ranger
Lalia - Halfling Thief
Thans – Dwarf Fighter thief
Heradin- Dwarf Fighter mage
Dvorn the Axe- Folokkii Human Fighter
Sondan – Brandobian, Human Fighter
Fawlit – Half Ork Fighter
Violet – Half Demon Paladin of the Free

Location
The caves and encampment of the goblin raiders & the abandoned dwarf hold

Events
(the action starts directly at the end of the last session, with the company just having found the captives in the sinkhole in the cavern floor)

It proved to be the work of only a few moments to hack apart the grill work of branches the goblins had built over the large pit in which the captives had been held enough to allow access to the captives.  It took a bit longer for Sondan and Lalia to fashion a crude ladder from the scavenged timber and allow the tired hungry and half naked, all had been taken from their beds by the raiding Goblins and most wore nothing more than their under tunics, captives to escape.

 The captives where it relatively quickly became apparent unhurt, as they had largely recovered form the first days forced march and  the presence of the young Peasor a priest of the Guardian also helped with this as well as in reassuring in fearful companions that rescue was certain they just had to have faith. The captives had however not been fed much since the night of the raid, but had been tormented by the cooking smells from the goblins nightly feasts, had no bedding or much clothing to protect them from the cold and where more than a little apprehensive at the unfamiliarity of their rescuers, it latter transpired that they had hoped for and expected Perkal the leading priest of the community and Violet.

They where much reassured when they discovered Violet amongst the Company but much saddened to hear of Perkal and his fathers deaths, even though they had expected the latter when the old warrior went berserk and broke free of the goblins on the first night of their captivity.

The captives where a mixed group of forty people aged between ten and sixty years old apparently forming several families, most spoke Kalamarian or Merchants tongue’s eastern form with a smattering of Fillokki and Ranaraese. Certainly none spoke Brandobian a testament to them being isolated at the Hidden Dell. The younger ones had apparently mostly been born in the Hidden Dell with the older ones being brought here by the previous champion of the free who had established the village.  Amongst them where the noted and according, to the well travelled Telec deceased, Kalamarian historian Selemar Ku’Ato and the also accordingly to Telec deceased imperial sword smith and armourer Lakaran Tur Esamil. They had both been publically executed many years ago for truly dreadful crimes.

The armourer it seemed had claimed to have found the sword, Rovak Fen’doral from the imperial regalia but was found to be lying having produced a copy of the blade in order to be able to claim credit for the recovery of the weapon and the huge reward that the Emperor had offered for it. The figure which Telec recalls was a million pieces of gold. The historian had written several well thought of histories of ancient Kalamaria, but had come to grief when he was discovered to have had inappropriate relations with several of the imperial nieces, as it happened this was discovered shortly after the publication of a more recent history which some saw as critical of the claim to the throne and lineage of the Bakari dynasty.

The names of other elders and several of the family names where also sort of familiar to Telec, but he could not remember any details to go with his vague recall.

Having been rescued they fell into considerable discussion as to what to do next, it would seem that the population of the Hidden Dell organised itself along the principles of a participatory democracy and every one got a say in what happened, deferring generally to those amongst them who knew most about the topic at hand. Given that the company was with Violet they where more than happy to include them in this practice. Eventually it was decided that a direct escape route from the caves was best, and that they should all return to the Hidden Dell, they where not happy when they where told that this was uninhabitable not to mention indefensible and they would have to take shelter in the old holdfast until the village could be rebuilt and arrangements made for its proper defence. The older ones who had lived in the holdfast before the village was built where the least happy about the prospect of the return to doing so. The younger ones just remembered that the Holdfast was haunted by repute and whilst it was a fine place to sneak into and explore for a dare was no where they would want to live.

Then there where the cattle and other livestock to consider, thought Violet suggested that there was indoor accommodation for some of them and the old paddocks outside the Holdfast could be put back into use.  The elders in particular raised objection to this as there had never been enough space for live stock at the Holdfast in the old days and there was more live stock than they ever had when they had lived there even allowing for the amount the goblins had probably eaten. Several of the Company bought up the miserable night they had spent in the village and that there was only one place with a roof on in the whole of Hidden Dell and that being the chapel in the basement of the large house and that was Thans estimated smaller than the hole the captives had just been rescued from.

Discussion moved on to the best way to get out of the caves and back to the Dell and Violet proposed leading the people back to the Holdfast by a more westerly route, and down the cliff path near it, and sending the Company back by the direct south route as the trail by the watch tree was the only practicable route into the Dell driving large numbers of livestock. The company where not in the least happy at this plan seeing that they would be they felt little more than bait for the goblin dog riders who would no doubt give chase even if they where not already waiting in ambush on that path.

In the end there where no decisions made as to long term planning but the Company did gather up bedding from the slaughter cave as well as the priests clothes from the side complex to clothe them better against the journey and hand out the recovered goblin knives short swords and shields so as to make them look more of a threat to any goblins they might come across. Violet also handed out all of the food she had taken from the ranger’s cache but it was a very meagre amount when divided amongst the company and the released captives.

There was some grumbling from Aetlred hinting that Violet had hidden this food from the company, which was largely ignored as is, much wise or foolish he says. So as prepared as they may be they headed out the company taking point as any goblin attack was probably going to be from the front.

When the company approached the entry to the back of the mouth cave, Lalia and Thans where pressed to scout ahead. It was obvious that the sun had almost set outside the caves and it was growing quite dark outside. Lalia and Thans sneaked forward until they where about level with the entrances from the eye caves but spotted no goblins yet.  Continuing forward with even more caution neither of them saw any thing, until Thans stood on some unseen debris on the floor which crushed under his Dwarvish boot with a loud report, and both Thans and Lalia froze. It was a loud enough report that it attracted the attention of the group of goblins crouched outside the grill across the entrance. They having good enough night sight spotted Thans. The one with a bow carefully knocked an arrow drew and less carefully loosed it at Thans. It missed completely but, Thans saw no wisdom wounded as he still was of braving any more arrows and with as much dignity as he could manage scampered back out of bow shot.

Lalia who had not noticed the goblins till one shot at Thans remained hidden considering her options before deciding the best one was to also return to the company. When they both arrived back with the rest of the company there followed a discussion and it was decided to go and fetch the table fort as it was not known how many goblins they faced. Thans had seen two or perhaps three and one arrow had been loosed but at long range so the others might also have had bows just judged the long shot a waste of an arrow.  

When the Table fort had been fetched the company again split into two groups with the attack group of Thans, Lalia, Telec, Sondan Dvorn and Fawlit lugging the table with Heradin and Aetlred following in the rear with bows at the ready. Violet slipped into the shadows and made her way along the left hand side of the mouth cave an arrow knocked but not drawn.
The Goblins soon noticed the table fort lumbering forward and their one bowman loosed arrows at it as fast as he could with little effect apart form one which bouncing off the structure grazed Lalia. The goblins flighty at best become more spooked as the table fort closes in on them and when Violet who has by now moved into the perfect position loses one arrow which takes the goblin crouched to the left of the archer in the chest with sufficient force to knock him down despite glancing off the grill work on the way in the two remaining goblins decide the game is up and run quickly disappearing out of sight, before the attack team can drop the table fort and catch up with them, leaving their half dead companion to be sent on his way by Thans. With the goblins driven off the company take a breather after lugging the heavy and quite cumbersome table fort from one end of the caves to the other and prepare for the next stage.

Having had a short rest, Sondan and Aetlred are chosen to scout ahead and most particularly discover what is going on with the goblin’s dogs as they are they company believes a worse threat than the goblins themselves. Leaving the gate in the grill the pair head right towards the dogs chorale, Aetlred examines the tracks in the soft ground whilst, Sondan sword drawn holds a torch and ponders if the half ork or one other dwarves might be better at this than him as he scanned the gloom for   goblins. As they approach the chorale it is silent and there seems to be no goblin in the watch post beside it and more importantly Aetlred notices that there are a lot of fairly fresh dog tracks leaving the area heading south. He decides not to investigate this right away but to reconnoitre the dogs’ chorale and the shed at the back of it. Sondan follows warily as Aetlred his ward examines tracks and works out that there were at least fourteen dogs with five of them with riders. Aetlred decides to enter the shed, he lights a second torch form Sondan’s brand and leaving Sondan on guard outside.

Aetlred enters first forcing his torch into the soft ground just inside the door he begins to rake thought the mess of bedding and debris inside the shed, with the point of his heavy spear. Shortly metal catches metal and Aetlred spotting the cause a small disk of yellow metal bends down to investigate. He finds it’s a bronze disk broach in good condition if a bit dirty rubbing it to remove the muck he sees that there is a design on it of a radiant flame on it, in which with a little more rubbing is revealed an open gate and then fleetingly a ring of gently glowing dwarven writing and Aetlred is some where else and its very dark.

Outside Sondan hears a loud pop and looks in to find Aeltred’s newly lit torch stuck in the ground and the bedding and debris of the dogs den freshly disturbed but Aetlred gone. Sondan ever the good soldier decides to report back as this is very much beyond his pay grade.
 
(At this point the narrative splits and the two next sections actually happened at the same time.)

Sondan who is fearful of very little but understands urgency legs it back to where the rest of the company are crouched in the gate of the mouth cave where he relays what he had heard Aetlred mumble about the dogs, which was not all that much and that Aetlred has vanished.  Pushed to explain he says he just cannot, it’s suggested that as he was supposed to be looking after Aetlred this was some how his fault, Sondan bites his tongue at this but it stings what else could he do it was not something he could fight, Aetlred just vanished with a pop he adds and the company better have a look and see if they can work out what happened.

As usual there is some discussion and while the majority of the company head straight to the dog’s chorale to investigate Aeltred’s vanishing. Violet moves forward to determine where the dogs went and quickly discovers that there where fourteen dogs five of which had riders on all of which rode south as a pack at about the same time the fight around the captives prison took place. Mean while the rest of the company inspects the dog shed and finds it as Sondan said, Aeltred’s torch still stuck in the ground near the entrance illuminating the place and a couple of Aeltred’s soft boot prints showing where he stood and raked through the bedding and that he then walked forward a step or two then no more. Perhaps because he vanished at that point or perhaps because no one in the company present is enough of a tracker to pick up any step he might have made onto the disturbed bedding. They stood and starred they had Heradin look for any traces of magic, and he found none not being sufficiently talented at arcane lore even to be aware the sort of magic that had effected Aetlred existed  not to mention having no spells to divine any thing. Expected Telec to discern the actions of some divine power and he was just as much at a los as Heradin. In the end the company called out to Violet who had by this time finished working out where the dogs had gone and asked her opinion but she was equally none the wiser but she did suggest that as it was very late it might be an idea if the company took shelter some where for the night.

There is some agreement with this but no one wants to try to sleep in a cave full of goblins, even if those goblins are at least for now cowed. Eventually it is decided that the best place to shelter is the dwarf hold and Heradin suggests the abandoned inn. However no one wants to have the captives have to climb up the ropes from the kitchen cave to the sink hole above and thence through the hole in the wall to the entry stairs of the dwarf hold.

Some one points out that the sink hole in which the captives where held appears to have broken into the dwarf hold and that it might be quite possible to break through the crude wall the goblins have built to block it off. So Thans and Heradin work to loosen some stones form the wall and when they have done that Thans leaves Heradin to supervise as every one else able bodied piles in to remove the wall, those who can’t work to gather up as many of the goblins torches as they can and to move the goblin barriers across the two passages which lead further in.

Thans goes and recovers the companies precious rope from the sink hole and by the time he returns with it the wall on the east side of the prison is cleared revealing a worn version of the tribute corridor, one which seems at least to have been partially flooded in the distant past. They step into the corridor and move towards the closed stone gate at the end. Noticing as they do the decaying bodies of a number of goblins and that the globe by the door is down. Some one hisses not Elvish no Brandobian. Despite their age and the long ago ingress of water the door opens smoothly when the word friend is spoken in Dwarvish as the illusory speaker requests and they enter the tribute hall with the company in the lead. Briefly stopping to once again marvel at the wall paintings but soon broken from that reverie by an unfamiliar stench of acrid decay.




 Ginger

[EvilGinger]

Episode XII – Some field rest and recuperation and wyrd stuff happens Part II  

Dramatis Personae
Telec - Kalamarian Human Priest of the Wanderer
Aetlred - Half Elf Ranger
Lalia - Halfling Thief
Thans – Dwarf Fighter thief
Heradin- Dwarf Fighter mage
Dvorn the Axe- Folokkii Human Fighter
Sondan – Brandobian, Human Fighter
Fawlit – Half Ork Fighter
Violet – Half Demon Paladin of the Free
Nyassor- a Strange Elf
Americ - Strange human

Location
the abandoned dwarf hold

events

Aetlred became aware that he was all alone some where dark and quite empty judging by the echo, briefly he wondered where his torch was then remembered leaving it stuck in the ground in the dog shed. Aetlred cursed, where was he then as his eyes adapted to the dark he became aware he was not alone nor was it totally dark. There are others and a faint light coming from one of them who is standing half crouched presenting something which is emitting a weak but comforting light and softly incanting a prayer. At Aeltred’s feet is an elf of exceptionally powerful build that appears to be dying slowly bleeding out from half a dozen wounds. Other less recognisable items litter the floor all around most seem to be body parts of beasts the whole of Aetlred devoutly hopes never to meet. Broken gear, crushed masonry and the lower leg and foot of what Aetlred believes to be a dwarf still wearing a heavy nailed ankle boot and bloodied striped trews. Beyond the comforting light is Aetlred can see a deeper soul eating darkness.  The Darkness is closing in as the praying figure’s light very slowly fades. Aetlred wonders what to do and feeling his spear would be useless falls to trying to stop the unknown elf dying, futile as that might be with the soul eating darkness closing in and resolving into hellish geometries.  

A powerful voice speaks a single word of power and the darkness is gone as if it never was and the light flares as bright as day for an instant. Even crouched attending to the wounded elf Aetlred notices there is a new arrival in the tribute chamber of the ancient dwarf hold a tall powerfully built Dwarf in a blue tunic with yellow and crimson edging red trousers and riding boots of a similar sort to the ones Heradin wears toped off by a mustard coloured cap of the sort Alerted had only ever seen in the speaking illusionary images here and in the hold under the Meliac’s farm. The Dwarf spoke, in low Elvish thought Aetlred, very strange as he was sure he heard after echoes in another harsher tongue. The wounded elf at Aeltred’s feet groans and begins to come around and the crouching man wielding the light like a weapon turns to face the new comer.  They exchange introductions and Aetlred learns the names of those present. The Dwarf is Zildor, nothing more, no surname no title no elaborate recitation of lineage as if none of that where really needed. The Man was apparently Americ Estvaran chaplain to the Company of the Liberators of the Blight Scar and the wounded elf was Nyssarr a warrior from that company. The priest speaks as Nyssarr was too wounded saying did not know how they had come to be here as they had last been trapped in some sort of under ground cavern beset on all sides by demons. Some they had fought off but the ones made of nothing more than malevolent darkness where beyond them. He then thanks Zildor for dealing with them and asks where they are, leaving the question as to how they got there mute. Zildor nods and answers both you are a very long way from home and there is no need to thank him for dealing with a few vermin, the nonchalant way the dwarf dismissed the easy destruction of the likely end of all of them was rather alarming. All of this conversation to Aetlred seems to have been conducted in the low Elvish of his mother tongue. Aetlred decided to make a contribution and asks Zildor what the broach he found is reasoning that it was the cause of his being down here so suddenly and in the first place answers politely but some what abruptly in the typical manner of a blasted dwarf Aetlred can’t help thinking.

The broach Zildor explains is one of several that he made long ago and has only one magic to it and that it to transport the person handling it   to the nearest working gate on the king’s road. The magic is quite powerful and will do this over considerable distances regardless of any barrier, Aetlred begins to see and it crosses his mind that the broach is a perfect escape form any difficult situation. Zildor corrects him as he says there is no way of choosing which gate you go to, nor is there any guarantee that the location of the kings gate is any more safe than where he is already the broach just seeks the nearest regardless of all other considerations. Aetlred asks why every one can understand each other and seems to be specking Aeltred’s native tongue; Zildor replies that this is a function of the gate which will for a while after its use do that its part of the magic built into them

After answering that question Zildor wishes them good day as he is rather busy and came here himself for some peace and quiet to get some work done and he is gone as abruptly as he arrived

Leaving Aetlred and the two strangers together in the light of Americ’s flickering magical light. Aetlred takes charge and the strangers do not intervene to prevent him he attends to Nyassers’s wounds which are several and quite deep despite his mail and Americ who is unhurt but proves to have quite a bit of magical healing helps healing his comrade and Aetlred  who is himself quite wounded from his pervious adventures. He also offers to lead the pair of them out of the cavern but warns them that none of them will be able to understand each other after they leave the circle of the gate and its translating magic. The two strangers also having heard what Zildor said are already aware of this but have not yet grown weary of this habit of Aeltred’s. The strangers agree and follow Aetlred south down the tribute corridor to the entrance hall and begin to ascend the stairs towards the hole in the wall which leads to the sink hole and thence to the surface.

The Company soon notice the cause of the stink of rotting the platform in the middle of the room is no longer empty. Instead it is littered with rotting body parts form hideous creatures, wings and clawed legs and arms as well as a great deal of thick black blood. The only sane thing found is the left foot and calf of what was probably a dwarf also well decayed. Despite the stink several of the company stopped to investigate the remains Heradin could make little of them and his best opinion was that the wyrd magic he and Aetlred had believed the raised platform and its now slightly sparkling gems involved in when they had examined it before but beyond that his grasp of the theory of magic gave him no guide. Telec was sure that the body parts where from some sort of demon, Violet was sure he was right especially after she found a small token with some abyssal script scratched on it a name Herkarat and Lalia found a single gold coin which had been sewn in between the layers of leather of the sole of the dwarfs boot it was old and worn but very defiantly gold so she slipped it into her pouch. Eventually however the cloying stink of the rapidly rotting flesh overcame their curiosity and the investigators decided to get on with their original plan. To move to the ancient Dwarf inn and spend the night there.  Though Violet who had seen none of the dwarf hold at all before this had to suppress her with to go and explore further. The group lead by the company therefore moved on and noticing that the south door was open and for some reason they decided to go that way rather than east as they had planed.

The south corridor was as they had discovered in the Companies visit thought the ball had apparently retracted into the ceiling again, but the whispered call went round no Elvish no Brandobian. After which the company proceeded into the entry hall, and paused to look at the wall paintings there, by chance looking up Violet noticed a light flickering at the top of the stairs not a natural light to white, magic. Jumpy because of finding the evidence of the enemy in the goblin caves Violet drew an arrow knocked it and loosed it almost before any one else was aware she had seen any thing much less what. The arrow shot form her bow speeding up into the darkness towards the light bearer who it missed being aimed a little too far to the right of them striking Aetlred a glancing blow fortunately, but it still staggered the frail half elf. Nyassor ever suspicious unslung his crossbow as Americ raised his light and brightened it. Then Violet realised he mistake and lowered he bow calling up profuse apologies in broken Brandobian. Aetlred recovered enough to signal to Nyassor to lower his aim and indicate that the shot was a mistake amongst friends all be it a damniably painful one. Aetlred and his two companions descended the stairs slowly and the rest of the company waited for them arms lowered wondering who Aeltred’s new friends where.

Aeltred’s new friends put up their weapons and relaxed and looked at those they approached a score of scruffy ill armed militia types save the one in knightly mail who oddly lacked ether a helm or a shield or a weapon beyond a common walking staff, only the Tiefling ranger looked like one who truly knew her business. That said Aetlred who they some how trusted looked to be little more than an elfin child, playing at being a hero. Those behind them dressed in dirty linen tunics and rags of cloth and ill cured fur armed with long knives and humanoid bucklers had even less about them to impress. On the Other hand the company saw Aeltred’s new friends and they looked rather as if they knew the trade of adventuring and where properly equipped for it. The Human wore a simple steel helmet and a sleeveless steel scaled tunic metal over a quilted long sleeved gambeson, reinforced leather bracers and had a nasty looking mace type weapon hanging at his belt. He was booted and hung about with satchels and haversacks doubtless full of the sort of gear the company would like to have. The massively built elfish looking figure still holding a very nasty steel spanned cross bow though now not pointing it at any one looked even more warlike in his mail coat and nazeled helm with a long curved sword at his hip was also hung about with adventuring gear. He squinted grimly his outlandish eyes little more than red slits in the cold pure white light of his companions magical light. This was no doubt a cold killer and one it was to be hoped was on your side.

As the three reached the base of the stairs Violet came forward and profusely apologised to Aetlred for shooting him and offered to see to his wound but Aetlred never the most socially adept rather snubbed the apology and  said he wasn’t hurt that badly and would sort it out after he had introduced his new friends.  He did just that, relaying the whole tale of what had happened since he vanished in the dog shed and pointing out that neither of his companions spoke a language any of the company was going to understand, but the situation felt more than a little awkward even so.

In the end Telec suggested that they should carry on to the inn and in addition some one should go back and get a pig form the animal enclosure above and as no one had eaten much or properly they should organise a hog roast to cheer themselves all up. This was done and the evening ended in some festivity for all concerned even given the lack of ale or in many cases a common language eventually most of the company drifted away to sleep but not before Telec and Sondan had organised a watch to be kept in the passage near the entrance they had made form the goblin caves.

Whilst the Company and the released captives slept replete and happier than they had been for several days in the relative safety of the inn in the ancient dwarf hold Aetlred fell to dreaming.

Annual Muster officially began at noon, with the blessing of the festival by Lord Amulun Duke of Ebaran himself, ruler of Ebaran. The crowd gathered in Temple Square quieted as the aged inquisitor took the stage, clad in shining, resplendent armor. He cleared his throat, but just as he was about to speak, a bright light shone from the west, as if the sun were rising from the wrong direction. Amulun Duke of Ebaran’s shadow fell huge and distorted across the Great Temple’s facade. A moment later, the sound of a thunderous explosion ripped through the air and earth, along with a violent tremor.

To the west, the fortress known as the Great Bastion the location of Ebaran’s pale stone had vanished. In its place, a brilliant plume of red fire, lightning, and very black smoke which erupted into the heavens. A moment later, a powerful roar rent the air and was followed by a welcome sight rising from the crowd Ebaran’s greatest guardian, the ancient dragon Alakarennassamur, who had until that moment been attending the opening ceremony disguised as a human. Above, another form appeared, as nightmarish as the dragon was breathtaking. A humanoid shape three times the size of any man, with skin coated in fire and lightning, gripped a flaming sword and whip. The creature’s identity was immediately obvious: Valaxdev, the Storm King of the Blight Scar, had come to Ebaran!

As the ground continued to shake and disgorge demons into the streets, the dragon and the Demon lord clashed above. The fight was over in a few harrowing moments, as the Demon cut deep into Alakarennassamur’s body, swooping down to strike the dragon and arresting her charge. A few more blows, and the titanic duo spiraled downward toward the crowd.

The sight of the dragon smashing into the facade of the Great Temple of Ebaran one no witness would ever forget. At that moment, a titanic demon erupted at the far end of the plaza, reducing several buildings to ruins as it smashed into this world. The rift it created shot across the square opening up a great chasm, and this time there was no escape it opened below your feet, and every where the shocked attendees of the great annual muster fell  away into darkness.

Even as you fell, cruelly wounded by the Demon lord’s blade the dragon noticed your plight. Though she saw death standing over her, she seized this final chance to save a few more souls. After she uttered a few rasping words of power words and stretched out a blooded talon in your direction, you felt her magic take hold of you, slowing your plummet into the darkness as if you were feathers falling into a pit. Yet the fall remained as inexorable, and as you drifted downward into the depths, the last thing you saw was the Storm King standing before the ancient silver dragon, his sword lashing out and cleaving full through her neck. As her severed head fell, the rift above you slammed shut, and the light of the world above was gone.

At this Aetlred awoke with a mighty start and found himself in a cold sweat, the good sprits conjured by the hog roast quite gone. Around him his companions still slept, this annoyed Aetlred for no good reason and convinced he would not sleep again that night he resolved to get to the bottom of the dream or what he was sure was a dream even though it was as vivid and disturbing as if he had actually lived it.


 Ginger

[EvilGinger]

 Episode XII – Some field rest and recuperation and wyrd stuff happens Part III   

Dramatis Personae
Telec - Kalamarian Human Priest of the Wanderer
Aetlred - Half Elf Ranger
Lalia - Halfling Thief
Thans – Dwarf Fighter thief
Heradin- Dwarf Fighter mage
Dvorn the Axe- Folokkii Human Fighter
Sondan – Brandobian, Human Fighter
Fawlit – Half Ork Fighter
Violet – Half Demon Paladin of the Free
Nyassor- a Strange Elf
Americ - Strange human

Location
the abandoned dwarf hold

events

Aetlred snaffled a couple of scraps from the remains of last nights feast and came to a conclusion that the damned big dwarf knew something more about what was going on than he had told and resolved to beard him in his lair. With this determination in mind Aetlred marched down to the tribute hall, and after glancing almost apprehensively in the direction of the gate thing he turned and hammered on the carved doors to the north. Shortly he had an answer as a postern he had not even seen opened in the door and the same large dwarf told him to come in. Which some what nervously Aetlred did entering a bright clean hall beautifully decorated in the same sort of style as the dwarven houses the company had explored lit by crystal lamps and furnished like some sort of wizards study  from Aeltred’s imagination with the walls lined with shelves of books high chairs and a work table covered with scrolls and wyrd looking maps,  a writing desk and a pair of armchairs .

The Dwarf rather behaved as if he had been expecting Aetlred. Being a hospitable soul for all his apparent grumpiness and not tolerating idiots at all well, Zildor offered Aetlred a mug of good ale and a very comfortable chair and offered to answer any of the questions Aetlred might need answering. Aetlred was a bit shocked as in his mind dwarves came in two sorts the full of themselves sort, Thans, and the miserable and taciturn, Heradin.

Zildor said that the thing outside in the tribute hall was a gate on the king’s road built by his apprentice Aildor who had settled here some thirty thousand local years ago or more. When a prince of Zildor’s people had answered a cry for help from the dwarves of this realm and Aildor had gone with him. The two strangers where not from the same realm but form a place a long way away which was much beset by primal chaotic evils, Zildor believed, how they had come here in particular was not clear but Zildor suspected that some powerful magic they had used had synched in with the kings gate outside causing it to operate as if they had stepped form one active gate to another.

The creatures found in parts on the gate where the foot soldiers of that evil slain by the strangers and their missing companions and the vermin he had destroyed where a more elite soldier of that same evil. Zildor added that these elite soldiers these chaotic evil outsiders and something which had no place in this realm and that was why he had destroyed them as he did.

The  strangers where in all likely hood far to far form home ever to return at least not without magic of the power which had brought them hence and that was not something Zildor believed would be found in this realm. Zildor could be wrong as he admitted to not knowing a great deal about the details of this realm after all he said he came here form else where to be able to work in peace and quiet and the guest rooms Aildor had built where convenient for that and rather a home away form home.

The strangers did speak learnable languages, but that in the mean time it was quite possible to translate them using magic. Indeed there was a simple spell which would work in this realm to do just that and it so happened that he had a scroll of it to hand. Zildor told Aetlred that the spell could be cast once from the scroll by any one with the ability to read the language of dwarves but doing so would consume the scroll so that it would be better given to a wizard so that that individual could use it to learn the spell and so have it to hand. There where also some notes on the scroll to help in learning the spell and a couple of other spells an aspiring mage should find useful. Zildor went to the writing desk picked up a beautifully tooled leather scroll case and handed to Aetlred who had the presence of mind to clip it to his belt.
 
Aetlred asked Zildor about the dream and whist he did not understand all that much of the answer he got he did remember it in detail. The dream he had was almost certainly a true memory of the events which lead the strangers to use whatever magic they had used however it was not a memory of Aeltred’s but rather that of one of the strangers missing companions with who Aetlred had some how fused as they had appeared in the same place in the same time. Aetlred being the native here, and perhaps with the other being in the process of dying had provided the majority of the fusion but that fragments of the other would likely rise to the surface from time to time.

The conversation after that touched on several subjects the majority of which Aetlred cant now recall as he  was by this point overcome by the tiredness of the day before having had but a couple of hours sleep before the dream woke him. Aetlred did remember asking Zildor about the overlord and Zildor saying after a discussion the details of which are very vague that he, Zildor could if needed kill it, however there would be consequences and it would be better if the problem was dealt with locally Eventually the fatigue and the ale took hold Aetlred dozed off and had a rather pleasant sleep one he greatly needed, and dreamed romantically of Halflings.

Whilst Aetlred was dreaming in the Wizards very comfortable over stuffed chair the rest of the company awoke arranged itself a breakfast of oat cakes baked form the last of the fruit porridge by one of the villagers and cold cuts form the remains of the hog roast from the precious night. Then whilst the rest arranged to break camp those who where injured received magical healing and first aid from Violet, Telec and Linamar, it was some time during this activity that it became apparent that Aetlred had gone missing yet again and after some moaning the company set about to go and look for him. At around the same time Americ finished his morning prayers and tried to heal his companion Nyassor and discovered to his alarm that the powers granted to him by his Devine lord had not as he would have expected refreshed after a nights sleep and the proper meditation and prayer. He would have liked to ask his new companions about this but seeing as the old dwarf wizard had said he and his friend had no language in common with them   he could not do so. Besides by the time he had discovered the awful truth the Villagers where in the middle of breaking camp and every one of the adventuring company seemed to have gone off about some urgent business or other so all that could be done was to check Nyassor’s wounds where healing and to leave nature to take its course. Not that the grim and often silent elf would complain regardless of the hardship. Americ for the first time, since he arrived in this strange land and possibly since he had met them on the road to Ebaran regretted the absence of the annoying halfling wizard

After the company had sought Aetlred for some time and asked the guard post if he had passed that way and where told he had not. Violets and others attempts to track him failed as his rangers soft soled boots left no track any one could follow on the hard stone floors. It was noticed during the search that all the body parts scattered across the dais in the tribute room had rotted away to nothing and all that remained was a few nails from the dwarven boot.

In the end Aetlred reappeared without being found, be with a tale about going and talking with the wizard he had mentioned in his previous account of what had happened after he had disappeared. He even had a scroll case as evidence. Handing this to Heradin, who quickly opened it and found it contained a solitary spell scroll. As Heradin examined it Aetlred told him rather eagerly that the wizard wanted him to learn that. Heradin returned a rather typical skeptical look and decided that he would take a proper look at it latter.



Ginger

[EvilGinger]

Episode XII– Some field rest and recuperation and wyrd stuff happens 

all experiance awards are per character

The rescue
Getting the captives out of the pit             10         +0
Making sure the captives where as well
equipped as possible for the return to safety      10         +1
   

Planning an escape strategy
Chaotic societies are participatory democracies      10         +0
Scouting – Lalia and Thans               20         +1
Lugging the Table fort through half a mile of cave   05         +0
Seeing off the goblins at the gate            05         +0
Killing goblins                          02         +0
Scouting further – Sondan and Aetlred         10         +1   
Violet scouting after Aetlred vanished         05         +1
Sondan getting the blame for Aetlred vanishing      05         -1
Discussions of where to go next            10         +1
   
In well out of his depth
All Alone in the dark (Aetlred)                    10         -1
Some one else’s battle (Aetlred)            10         -2
Meeting Zildor (Aetlred & the strangers)         15         +0
Aetlred doing first aid                  10         +1
Aetlred taking charge   & leading the strangers out   10         +1

Back in the Dwarf Hold
Finding a new way into the dwarf hold         10         +0
Breaking down the wall (Heradin & Thans)         15         +1
Breaking down the wall (Fawlit & Dvorn)         10         +0
Breaking down the wall all others            05         +0
Exploring the dwarf hold (Violet)            05         +0
Heradin proposing the use of the dwarf inn
as a rest stop                      10         +1
Examining Strange remains in the tribute room    
Heradin                             20         +0
Telec                              15         +0
All except Aetlred                   05         +0
Shooting Aetlred (Violet)               00         -5
Meeting up with Aetlred and the strangers      05         +0
Telec proposing a Feast                     20         +2
Feasting and relaxing at the Dwarven Inn         05         +1
Getting a good nights sleep all except Aetlred      05         +1
Very bad dreams (Aetlred)               05         -1

Meetings in the night
Aetlred wanders off again               05         +0
Having the guts to wake up an Arch mage (Aetlred)   10                +1
Discussions with Zildor (Aetlred)            20         +0
Getting Zildor to assist (Aetlred)            05         +1

The wizard’s comfortable chair (Aetlred)         10         +0
Looking for Aetlred in the morning
All except Aetlred                  05         +0
Heradin reading Zildor’s scroll            10         +0

General role play
All                                 30         +2
Telec being a good priest               10         +2
Dwarves are better award (Thans)            00         +1
Lalia and Aetlred squabbling               05         +1

Aeltred & Lalia have hit level three but will not benefit at all until they get some training
Thans and Telec will level next time out & Sondon, Dvorn & Fawlit are also second level but again need training
however get back from the Goblin caves and every one will get the chance.




 Ginger

[EvilGinger]

 
Enlarged regional map





Ginger

[EvilGinger]

Episode XII


The honour issue

Starting honour              Honour                    Averaging
                                       Awards                     effect
Aetlred    40                    46(+6)                        47(+1)
Telic       42                    51(+9)                        52(+1)
Lalia       42                     48(+6)                       49(+1)
Thans     51                     60(+9)                       59(+1)
Heradin    28                    34(+6)                       35(+1)
Fawlit      33                    39(+6)                       40(+1)
Sondan    36                    42(+6)                       43(+1)
Dvorn      28                    34(+6)                       35(+1)
Violet      184                  183(-1)                     182(-1)

Average honour at start 53 average honour at the end 59

The following are still in the area but not with the main group so I am not tracking them in such detail as they are not with the company

honour              
D'rek           18              
Nyasse        17              
 
The honour of the strangers has been worked out but I am not going to list it until they become part of the group if they do.


 Ginger

[EvilGinger]

Regional Language Article part one on the Company of fools blog

http://hackmasterinburton.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-languages-of-region-and-adjacent.html

I would have posted it here as well but the table would not display & I rather lost the will to reconstruct it with Bulletin board code

 Ginger

[EvilGinger]

Second part of the regional Languages article is on the Blog follow the link in the post above

 Ginger

[EvilGinger]

Episode XIII –  part one- A victory the goblins defeated at least for now  

Dramatis Personae
Telec - Kalamarian Human Priest of the Wanderer
Aetlred - Half Elf Ranger
Lalia - Halfling Thief
Thans – Dwarf Fighter thief
Heradin- Dwarf Fighter mage
Dvorn the Axe- Fhokki Human Fighter
Sondan – Brandobian, Human Fighter
Fawlit – Half Ork Fighter
Violet – Half Demon Paladin of the Free
Nyassor- Elven, Fighter from Elsewhere
Americ – Human Cleric form Elsewhere
Liamar – Kalamarian Human Cleric of the free from the Hidden Dell
Nyasse - Kalamarian Human girl from the Hidden Dell

Location
In the caves of the goblin raiders, their camp outside and the Ancient Dwarf hold, the woods back to the Hidden Dell and the Holdfast and  A’Rakham Manor

Events
(Starting shortly after the end of the previous session) The company found itself in the morning though more rested and healed than they had been the night before in much the same situation. They and the released villagers where in the caves and safe especially if they took refuge in the dwarf hold behind the magical defense system which seemed not to like goblins as much as it did elves. However they had very limited supplies and would be trapped by the goblins that they knew still to be in the caves who whilst they where more than likely quite demoralized by the companies victories so far where still there and a potential threat. The same applied if the Company returned to the Hidden Dell especially with the villagers live stock as there was only one way to do that which was along the route the goblins had used getting them and the captives here and the company and those it had released where very aware that there where a pack of dogs and several goblins, with bows, almost certainly waiting in ambush some where along that path. The villagers alone could reach the safety of the holdfast by several routes and this was why at least in part Violet was pressing for the company to escort the animals down the only feasible path whilst she lead the villagers to the holdfast by a different route.  The general opinion of the company seemed to be that Violet was sending the company into an ambush, which she admitted she was but she was doing so in order to try to protect the lives of the villagers who where ill equipped to deal with the goblins in a fight where as the company was even if wounded from previous fights. There was something of an impasse especially when it was also pointed out rather unhelpfully that the goblins remaining in the caves could also sally forth and attack them as they left.  After some period of rather circular argument Telec suggested that they clear the caves of the remaining goblins whilst the villagers remained behind the ancient Dwarven defenses. Rather amazingly to all present given the increasing heat of the argument every one seemed to think this was a good plan and agreed.

The villager returned to the ancient dwarf inn where every one had spent the night to wait whilst the company pressed on.  The company with Violet and the two strangers then regrouped in the chamber that the captives had been held in to continue. This chamber had two as yet unexplored exits down both of which the goblins had fled when routed the previous day. Both of these headed generally north though one was to the fest of the other. The one heading almost due north seemed to be the main channel of the river which had made the caves and the other which sloped up noticeably more steeply a tributary stream.  It was quickly decided that the western exit should be checked first.  There was some discussion as to who should scout it but that ended when it was pointed out by Thans that dwarves would be better at this as he could see in the near dark. Violet omitted to say she could see in total darkness deciding she would be better set to rescue the damned fool dwarf if he should get into trouble than any other way round.



This being decided the rest to the company split to give Thans cover as well as to prevent a goblin attack from any of the other two ways in to the cave and refurbished and then relit some of the goblin torches which had burned out over night.

As normal there was some discussion as to how best to proceed but in the end it was decided that Thans was the best scout given the relative lack of light in the caves, but he was rather less than enthusiastic as in this case with all the torches blazing in the cave where the captives had been held he would be heavily back lit and an easy target therefore foe any lurking goblin with a bow. Even so he pressed on and advancing a short way up the North West exit he found that there was a torch bobbing about just out of sight round a corner. Thans returned to the rest of the company who where covering the other exits from the cave incase goblins some how managed to sneak around behind them. He reported the presence of the torch but was sent back to see if he could find out more and even by Aetlred somewhat upbraided for coming back too soon. In return Thans pointedly told Aetlred that his former complaint about him not reporting back regularly enough was the reason he had done so, so soon. With that barbed comment Thans retuned to his task. Going further up the passage this time Thans was unable to spot the carrier of the torch and would have gone further except the toe of his boot suddenly seemed to be over an edge of some sort.  

Thans took a step back and carefully searched for the edge with his foot. The hole went all the way across the passage from wall to wall and was wider than he cared to probe with his foot lest he lose his balance. Ahead the torch moved back further out of sight probably round a corner and the light dimmed.  

Thans went to fetch help and several of the others came forward with a torch at which point the true nature of the hole Tans had found was revealed. It was a shallow, about five feet deep pit blocking the passage and about five feet deep so a bit difficult for a standing jump if not a running one. However the mud and rock rubble that had been dug out of the pit had been piled in a crude low rampart on the other side of the thing such that any one taking a running jump at it would almost certainly either trip and fall forward or missing their footing on the slip and fall back into the pit they had just tried to jump over.

Thans abandoned his exploration of the north western passage; leaving it guarded by the others of the company Thans redirected his efforts to the northern one. More careful here as it was he found lit by the occasional flickering half burned out torch, but still more than enough light for even a goblin’s night sight. The passage curved slowly to the right and he passed out of the dim illumination of the torches plunging even a Dwarf into darkness exempt there where three no four spots of light ahead, they might be more torches. Thans followed the left hand wall with his hand and then just as he got close enough to see that they where indeed distant torches the passage opened out into another very large cave. Thans could see little as he scanned the cave to the left and the right slowly hardly breathing except there was breathing heavy breathing off to the left in the darkness. Thans could not see its source at first so he moved slowly so as to see if the light of the distant torches might reveal any detail. Briefly he caught a glimpse of a large hunched humanoid figure and drew back as fast as stealth would allow him.

Once he was he guessed far enough away form the hulking brute Thans quickened his pace to return to report what he had found.  The company gathered quickly and there was a discussion as to what to do next and in the end it was decided to abandon all attempts at stealth and once again use the Table fort as a mobile defense against whatever the huge hulking thing might be. There was discussion of what that might be but all that could be said for certain was that it was far bigger than any goblin they had met or heard tell of. Lugging the table fort from where it had been left at the front of the mouth cave took half the company the better part of an hour whilst the other half covered both the exits form the cave where the captive villagers had been held in case of a goblin attack. No such attack came but further time was spent by Sondan and Lalia tightening the bindings which held the thing together, repositioning the goblin shields and adding a couple torch mountings to the front.



With the Table fort in place the company split into an attack group and a shooting group again, with the mailed strangers staying at the back of the shooting group just incase the goblins being sneak as they are managed to outflank the Company every one was well aware that there might well be goblins up the passage behind the hastily dug pit. It was apparent that they had both got crossbows, something which outflanking goblins might find a salutatory surprise in its self and seemed to be able to use the curved blade and the spiked mace they carried respectively as close combat weapons. The attack group lifted the table fort and went forward putting it down just inside the room. The twisted and hideously fanged form of an ogre was immediately to be seen to the left and it charged as the table rounded the last corner its great axe swinging in lethal arcs. Across the room could be dimly seen a locked and rather professional shield wall of around a score of armoured goblins, but seemingly no archers. The attack group put the table down and readied itself to face the ogre drawing weapons and unslinging shields.  However the ogres strides was to long and before they could the heavy axe blade was in range and its first swing would have cut Sondan in half had he not swayed back causing it to miss him by a mere fraction


The ogre swing ended and reversed, the foul thing knew how to use an axe thought Dvorn a little queasily as he brought his own axe up into a fighting position. Then before the Ogres reverse swing threatened any one Telec whose weapon was easiest to ready and fast as he was safe behind Sondan swung his staff out and caught the ogre of guard, the butt of the staff striking hard into the beast’s groin. The monster doubled over and staggered hack half a step in agony. Its great axe’s swing striking the ground prematurely and thought with savage force harmlessly. Seeing the great beast discommoded Thans had the presence of mind to vault the table fort and drawing his trusty dagger ran it across the creature’s throat. There was a gout of dark blood and it fell back lifeless.  Across the room the goblins shield wall wavered there plan had gone awry. Seizing the opportunity Telec raised his staff and shouted out to them in Kalamarian that they where the next to be cut down and this wavering teetered on the edge of rout, it all rested on Akakabul, who at that crucial moment seeing all his plans in apparent ruin and only the future image of that mailed behemoth smashing him down with that staff as easily as it had the ogre also gave way to panic and the ordered shield wall became a mob of running goblins desperate to escape. The Attack group started to clamber over the edge of the table fort and Fawlit’s orkish war howl split the air. At the lead of the shooting group Lalia and Aetlred loosed one shot into the backs of the routing goblins one of whom was struck by stone or arrow, stumbled and fell briefly before rising again and following his already fled comrades into the dark tunnel beyond. Telec shouted for every one to halt and let the goblins run for now lest in blind pursuit the pursuers run heedlessly into a goblin trap.

Every one halted, drew breath and it was again over at least for now. Looking around the large cave it was soon apparent that this was where the goblins had stowed the majority of the loot form the Hidden Dell though none of the villager’s soft goods seemed to be present as there where no clothes bedding or the like just tools, farm implements and cooking pots all jumbled together in a heap. The chests where still locked and as usual Lalia fairly rushed to check both for traps and open the locks. Whist they where found not to be trapped the locks on both of them defeated her with the lock on the second breaking one of her lock picks and requiring the Village black smith to finally open it, the first fell at the second attempt but it was a bit shaming to some one who took a pride in no lock ever beating her. The chests where both found to contain only the villagers goods one containing a selection of medicines and the second the one Lalia failed to open parchment ink and book binder’s tools.

Whilst waiting for the blacksmith Lalia and Thans had looked for other traps and found a deep covered pit in the area between the torches on poles, quite possibly they where there as a reminder to the goblins that the pit was there as well as to provide the dim illumination which would aid the night sighted goblins and disadvantage those with out. This pit had been covered by a light wicker lid which had in turn been carefully covered with the mud from the cave floor so that it was to the eye very difficult to distinguish form the undisturbed floor especially if distracted as one would be mid fight. This lid would in no way even support the weight of a goblin let alone a man or a dwarf and seemed to be designed to collapse if stepped on. The pit was shear sided and a good ten feet deep with short sharpened fire hardened wooden stakes driven into its base pointing up to further injure any who fell into it. Searching the Ogres corpse the company found that its belt was decorated with a stet of some fourteen very old worn gold coins pierced and wired together probably by the goblins and its axe was interesting being the warriors attested of no unusual quality but likely of giant work, possibly originally as a hand axe or hatchet for one of the larger kinds.  Fawlit it has to be said took quite a shine to this weapon and it was decided he should have it and he was so happy tears came to his little piggy orkish eyes, people did not give him gifts and he was some what over whelmed.

Investigation on the exits quickly discovered that the one to the east narrowed to the point of impassibility with in a few feet of leaving the chamber, but that the one the goblins had routed down, apparently the main channel continued on a fair eight to ten feet floor to ceiling and a similar width. With the recent lesson of the cunningly concealed pit in mind the company explored this one gingerly. The passage turned a little east as it went north and the soft mud and silt covering the rock of the floor was marked with the boot prints of goblins running pell mell along it. There where no traps, but the passage was lit every thirty or forty feet by a guttering torch. After about three torches the passage began to narrow from its starting width to one of less than a foot thought the height remained almost the same and the passage now resembled a wide water worn crack more than a passage. The Goblin boot prints had not come this far, indeed when the company retraced its steps Aetlred noticed that the boot marks stopped just before the last torch and here they appeared to have rallied at least partly as the boot prints told the story of a milling group of goblins in the passage and that a rope end had partly obliterated the marks in the mud and silt of the tunnel floor. Looking up Thans saw a sink hole in the roof and all became clear the goblins had fled to here and then escaped further by climbing up a rope into a passage above. They boosted Lalia up through the hole with a torch and she saw more goblin boot prints and scramble marks up there but being no tracker she could add no more detail.

Thans realised that the passage that the escaping goblins had climbed into might be the same one as that which lead from the cave where the captives where. After a brief discussion and leaving a guard to stop any goblins coming back and stealing the villager’s goods form the pile in the goblin leader’s lair cave, Thans Lalia and Aetlred doubled back with Fawlit and several borrowed shovels filled in the hastily dug pit and crossing it discovered that Thans guess had been right. Further searching along this upper passage showed that the goblins had escaped onto the surface not far from the scarp of the next ridge.

There had been two groups one, had left last night and might well have been the archers who escaped from the cave the captives where held in after fleeing the fight there and the other larger group had climbed the scarp an hour or two ago and both Violet and Aetlred agreed where the booted group thought tracking them across the scree of the scarp proved rather difficult.  

Now it was apparent that the caves where clear of goblins





 Ginger

[EvilGinger]

Episode XIII part II

Dramatis Personae[/b]
Telec - Kalamarian Human Priest of the Wanderer
Aetlred - Half Elf Ranger
Lalia - Halfling Thief
Thans – Dwarf Fighter thief
Heradin- Dwarf Fighter mage
Dvorn the Axe- Fhokki Human Fighter
Sondan – Brandobian, Human Fighter
Fawlit – Half Ork Fighter
Violet – Half Demon Paladin of the Free
Nyassor- Elven, Fighter from Elsewhere
Americ – Human Cleric form Elsewhere
Liamar – Kalamarian Human Cleric of the free from the Hidden Dell
Nyasse - Kalamarian Human girl from the Hidden Dell

Location
In the caves of the goblin raiders, their camp outside and the Ancient Dwarf hold, the woods back to the Hidden Dell and the Holdfast and  A’Rakham Manor

Events



Now it was apparent that the caves where clear of goblins and would remain so at least for the moment the company returned to the problem of firs thing this morning that of getting the captives their goods and live stock back to the Dell and thence to the Holdfast without getting ambushed given that they where sure there where goblins and worse dogs in the woods along the one practical path to the destination waiting to do just that.  On consideration it was thought best to assume that they would be ambushed in the woods some where along the route and therefore best to organise so as to minimise the casualties caused by an ambush and allow a quick counter when it happened.  Being the most wood wise this task fell to Violet and Aetlred who split the company the villagers and the live stock into groups who would move through the woods far enough apart that any ambush could only target one of them, yet close enough together to allow the rest of the company especially those in adjacent groups to come to the aid of the one ambushed very quickly.

That and other needful things, such as milking the cows who where in utter agony having not been milked for days, done the whole party set off cautiously the villagers in each group paying attention to driving their live stock and the escorting company scanning the woods for clues to the location of the ambush. Going was slower than it might have otherwise been because of this and they only reached the edge of the Dell by late afternoon but despite expectations and seeing both Goblin tracks and dog spoor on route they had not been ambushed nor had they seen any goblins or their hunting dogs. Once the passed the watch tree and descended into the dell every one felt safe and they where able to reach the holdfast in early evening without any encounter with goblins nor further signs of their past presence. At the sight of the overgrown and neglected paddocks outside the Holdfast every ones spirits oddly rose.

They rose all the more when they saw Nyasse’s horse grazing in one of the paddocks outside and her having at least opened the place up and aired it ready for their arrival. It was a bit disappointing that she had not got a feast waiting for the returning hero’s but then  Thans thought she was not a dwarf and found her lack of preparedness understandable on that basis, and every one else realised that the girl could not have known that they where coming let alone at what time.  However she was able to point out where all the supplies where and had laid in a supply of fire wood for the kitchen and a modest feast was soon in the preparation. Every one except Violet ate and drank the wine the last champion had laid in and stories where told over the table in the great dining room of deeds past and of the activities of recent days. Only Nyassor and Americ where excluded form that though the former joined in with the games as much as he could given he understood none of words even with Aetlred dumb show’s questionable help. Americ was more withdrawn and sort his bed rather than face the jollity he would normally have been the life and soul of Dvorn and Aetlred duelled in telling outrageous stories though Dvorn maintained all of them where true and became a bit annoyed when challenged. Telec told some traveller’s tales all the more appreciated since they where in the native Kalamarian of most of those present and Violet told of the death of Perkal in the manner of his folk even if in Kalamarian not his native tongue. In the end a good time was had by most present.

The company having spent a quite comfortable night at the Holdfast set out in the morning carrying the rather unpleasantly smelling goblin heads and the ogre head in old sacs scrounged from the least reusable ones in the Holdfasts stocks The journey was pleasant and took the company a little more than half a day during which they saw no sign of goblins.

Coming down over the last rise into the hollow the Inn at A’Rakham sat in revealed a major change the inn building where still there but they where now surrounded by a small canvas town of traders and craftsmen who serviced or wanted to trade with the caravans heading east and the camps ordered camps of the larger mercenary groups who plied their trade guarding the caravans which crossed the Laggosa range to Kalamaria and back.

The company made quite an entrance coming in along the king’s road from the west like they owned it. This attracted quite a crowd and the crowd built up even more as the Company approached the inn at the centre of the fair, scanning this growing crowd Lalia noticed the pickpockets working them and was pleased with her self.  The company passed D’rek who was working away at the smithy assisted by two apprentices one operating the bellows and one plying him with watered ale and honey cakes. He was as most smiths are working stripped to the waist in a leather apron and that was an image even his friends would not wish to see. He waved in a jovial manner and commented that his friends all looked like they where wasting away, before turning back to alternating eating and smith work.

By the time the company had reached the inn it seemed that every one in the fair with nothing better to do and quite a lot which had was gathered to watch the spectacle. Telec took charge and spoke to the inn servants who where at first a little unhelpful but such was his confidence as the ogre slayer that he swiftly reprimanded them and sent them to fetch Maragamir the lord of the manor. Maragamir shortly returned resplendent in his lordly robes attended by his body servants and chancellor. Telec spoke to him and presented him with the sacks of goblin heads saying proudly that the offense the goblins had caused to the honour of the lord of A’Rakham had been avenged. Maragamir quickly counted the thirty severed heads and agreed that it had he gestured to his Chancellor who passed him a small leather bag of coin and announced that he had offered these men indicating the company with an expansive gesture five gold to avenge the honour of the inn, however they had done it in such fine style that he felt he would be shamed if he did not double it to ten. He then rather ostentatiously counted five more gold coins from his personal money pouch into the bag before commanding that his chancellor add an extra five to the other bags he was carrying from the money chest. This was done and all saw the wealth and the magnanimity of the lord of the A’Rakham as the open money chest contained much more than the forty five extra gold coins he was handing out indeed it was fairly brimming with coin. All that is except that is Aetlred who remembered the original offer of ten gold to each man who would avenge the honour of the Lord of A’Rakham on the night of the raid and was not going to let it go, especially as the bastard was only paying what he had said he would but was making it sound like he was paying much more than he had promised.  Aetlred therefore challenged Maragamir pointing out that ten gold coins to each of the volunteers was what was promised on the night, not five and if he wanted to reward good work as he said he should really be paying over ten Maragamir shot Aetlred a filthy look, which fortunately very few else present saw and continued handing out the purses of gold to all of them even Americ, who would normally have said something if he had not been quite so despondent about the loss of contact with his god and Nyassor who took it with a meaningless smile, not at all wishing to look a gift horse in the mouth and thought Maragamir a skinflint for expecting the company to have done what they did for so very little. Telic also noticed and decided this was the time to bring out the ogres head, this drew gasps and even ragged cheers when Maragamir had his body servants lift it up to show to the crowd and had the desired effect of resetting the mood even if it did not spur Maragamir to hand over any more coin. Maragamir said it was a fine trophy and the tale of Telec’s slaying it was a fine tale indeed and he sent one of the body servants off to fetch Voldomar the taxidermist as the ogre head needed to be presented properly. It was apparent that it was beginning to decompose even if it was no where near as stinking as the goblin heads.

Shortly the Taxidermist arrived and after some negotiation with Telec said that he would be able to boil down the Ogre head and produce a trophy skull and he would do so for the honour of working for such a brave man as Telic, this rather put Dvorn’s nose out of joint as he had almost convinced himself that he was the one who had struck down the Ogre with one blow an was preparing a good tale to tell to that end at the next opportunity. The Taxidermist also agreed to buy the goblin heads off the Company as Maragamir did not want them except as proof that his honour had been avenged. Voldomar’s apprentices took the Ogre head and the Goblin heads and Voldomar advised the company that it would take a few days to boil the flesh of the Ogre skull and make it ready for display. Then Maragamir wanting to draw the attention of the slightly thinning crowd outside the inn back to him spoke up offering the company a free meal and free drinks on the house. Fawlit lead the charge and was for the first time in his life served without a quibble by the servants of any in not to mention being allowed to sit in the common room with every one else and drink it. He downed the first and ordered a second before any one else had taken more than a sip of their first.

The meal which followed was the best the house could muster and whilst it was not of the best it went down well with mugs of small beer, as the company had eaten little half as palatable or filling since the last meal Meliac’s farm in the case of the original members and even longer for the others who had been living on the inns cheapest fare whilst waiting for a caravan to come ant them to get paid employment.

First Aetlred and then the others began hearing the word Grell in the conversations around them followed by noticing pointed glances at Nyassor and the word being applied to Nyassor by both drinkers and staff The Company collectively sensing the atmosphere in the common room beginning to grow hostile decided that it might be best if they got up and left even Fawlit, not the most perceptive or the brightest caught on to the need dispute the free ale and him being well into his second mug of it as a half ork he was no stranger to this sort of thing from others who would judge a man by his  looks and then curse him or cast stones or blows because of them.

Nyassor had sat and eaten quietly and drank as he usually did slowly had not being able to understand the conversation did not properly understand why they drank up quickly and left in a such a hurry it was as far as he was concerned just a foreign inn and he had been in lots and this one was not so different form the ones he had been in before. That Aetlred had tried to explain after they got clear of the fair in dumb show only told him that something too dangerous to deal with was about to happen and that he was some how the cause of it. Americ lost in the misery of his abandonment by his god did not even notice this.

After leaving the fair at A’Rakham in something of a hurry the Company quickly returned to the Holdfast where they found the rescued villagers had been starting the process of settling in to the place.

The original description of the Holdfast had been accurate it was eminently defensible dry and almost invisible from the outside but very cramped with fifty people living in it and the paddocks outside where too small for the number of live stock the community now had even with the damage the goblins feasting had done to the numbers and the shelters had also long fallen into disrepair having been replaced long since by the ones the goblins burnt in the village.

That said it was adequately supplied to allow the villagers to survive until they could reinstate the village and gather in the harvest which having not long bee planted had not been disturbed by the goblins and was as Violet had said a definite improvement on living in a sink hole as captives of the goblins or camping out in a village none of whose buildings had a roof to its name.

The company spent the next couple of weeks catching up on the practice of the skills they had not had a chance to do owing to the frantic pace of life. Americ took over one of the smaller animal sheds by the paddocks repaired its leaking roof and converted it into a chapel where he spent the rest of his time praying to his goddess in his  own language. He was largely left to his own devices except by Nyassor who it would appear was a worshiper of the same deity and Aetlred who between his other activities was trying to get a feel for the strangers languages and by the end of it could or felt he could manage that a bit.  Nyassor when he was not joining his comrade in prayer spent his time exploring the Dell and the surrounding area apparently trying to learn the lie of the land. Violet, Nyasse and Liamar the latter after he had recovered from the migraine which had struck him down on the night of the company’s arrival fell to various tasks along side the villagers putting the Holdfast into good order and working out how to do the much larger task of doing the same to the Village.

Heradin spent his time sitting under a tree with bill his pony grazing on the lush meadow reading and re reading Zildor’s scroll and then using the last of his precious inks to copy the spells into his spell book  



 Ginger

[EvilGinger]

Episode XIII – A victory the goblins defeated at least for now  

As ever the experience and honour awards are per individual

Formulating a Plan
Discussions of what to do                10         +0
Telec coming up with a plan & every one else agreeing   20         +1

Further into the caves
Scouting – Thans                  10         +1
Every one else                     05         +0
Dealing with the crude pit trap Thans            05         +0
Discovering the Ogre in ambush (Thans)         05         +1
Bringing forth the Table fort of Doom         05         +0
Upgrading the table fort (Sondan and Lalia)         05         +0                
Fighting the Ogre
Telec strikes a mighty blow               20         +5
Telec breaks the will of the goblin lord by words alone   50         +5
Thans finishing off the ogre whilst it was stunned      10         +1
Aetlred and Lalia for being in the fight         05         +1
Fawlit, Dvorn for being in the fight            05         +0
Sondan dodging certain death               10         +1
Slaying the Ogre                   24         +1
Defeating the Goblin Sub chief his Bodyguard and Bullies   
(Half the experience they are worth)            31         +1   


Looting the leaders lair & pushing on
Lalia and the locks                  10         -1
Lalia and Thans finding the hidden trap         10         +1
Recovering the loot from the Hidden Dell         10         +1
Scouting Thans                  10         +1
Scouting Lalia & Aetlred               5         +1
Every one else                   5         +1
Investigating the direction of the Goblins escape
Violet and Aetlred                  10         +0

The journey back to the Hidden Dell & onto the Holdfast
Preparation and counter ambush drill – Violet Aetlred   20         +1
Preparations and counter ambush drill all else)      10         +1

Events at A’Rakham manor
Making an entrance to the Fair at A’Rakham       10         +0
Lalia spotting the pickpockets working the crowd      05         +0
Aetlred arguing the deal with Lord of A’Rakham      10         +0
Thans Telec and the Taxidermist            10         +0
The flourish with the Ogres head             10         +1
Deciding to leave the in when the “Grell” comments
about Nyassor where over heard            10         -1
Getting Bill out of the stables – Heradin         10         +1

Mission objectives achieved
Getting the captives and their stuff back to safety
All the player characters                50         +1
Every on else                     25         +1
Defending the honour of A’Rakham Manor         50         +1
Every one else except  Violet                              25         +1
Clearing the caves of goblins               25         +1

Down time
(Whilst the others are training to level)
Nyassor exploring the area around Holdfast         10         +0
Americ desperately trying to commune with his god      10         -2
Violet helping to get the Holdfast up and running      10         +1
Nyasse – Liamar helping to get the Holdfast
up and running                  30         +1
Heradin trying to learn the apprentice
& journeyman spells on Zildor’s Scroll         70         +2
Transcribing all three spells into his spell book       30         +1   

General role play
All                         50         +1
Telec being a good priest               15         +2
Dwarves are better award (Thans)            00         +1
Lalia being a good thief                00         +1
Aetlred being a good ranger               00         +1

Levels all the player characters are now Third level and all but Heradin who did so only reached this level due to the downtime awards for studying Zildor’s scroll & attempting to learn the spells on it are fully trained, Heradin is only trained to level two.

All of the NPC protégés with the company except Liamar are second level and fully trained Violet is still twelfth and the Strangers fourth level  

Fame the players have not done any thing before worthy of gaining a Fame award but the return to A’Rakham and the display of goblin heads as well as the ogres has given them the beginnings of a reputation as hero’s so all of those present in A’Rakham get a Fame award of +10




 Ginger

[EvilGinger]

Episode XIII

The Honour issue



Starting honour              Honour                    Averaging
                                       Awards                     effect
Aetlred    47                      58(+11)                     58(-1)
Telic       52                      72(+20)                     71(-1)
Lalia       49                      58(+9)                       57(-1)
Thans     59                      70(+11)                     69(-1)
Heradin    35                     46(+11)                     45(-1)
Fawlit      40                     49(+9)                      48(-1)
Sondan    43                     51(+8)                      50(-1)
Dvorn      35                     43(+8)                      42(-1)
Violet      182                   186(+4)                    185(-1)
Nyassor   23                      29(+6)                      30(+1)
Americ     25                      29(+4)                      30(+1)
Nyasse     17                    18(+1)                        19(+1)
Liamar      13                    14(+1)                        15(+1)

Honour at the start of the session 22 at end of the Session 31

 Ginger

[EvilGinger]

The loot from the Goblin caves and associated rewards


Coin
280+ Copper piece equivalents in mixed coppers and trade coins of Brandobian or Cosdolen or Kalamarian mint in various conditions  recovered from the slain goblins
600 Silver pieces new and all minted in Pol Brolenon with in the last five years
14 gold pieces old and worn and made into the ogre’s belt by wiring them together
10 Gold pieces each from Maragamir lord of A’Rakham for avenging his honour all of P’Baparan mint and dated within the last ten years for a total of 100 gold as ten went back to colect the reward.

Other goods
Apart from some short bow arrows and a number of short bows of ordinary quality a lot of knives, goblin made short swords and small shields the only notable pieces of loot recovered where the Dwarf made armour and the Scroll Zildor made, the value of which no one has yet worked out but which seem to have become the possession of Telec and Heradin respectively by default almost. There is also the axe the Ogre had which Fawlit is now using as a great axe (Bardeche)

Every thing else including the live stock assorted domestic goods mostly pots and pans, farm implements and a set of master armourers and blacksmiths tools where obviously the property of the villagers from the Hidden Dell and was returned the goblin weapons where also handed over to the villagers as Violet needed in the light of events to equip a militia.


 Ginger