HewhoisMatt Posted August 7, 2004 Report Share Posted August 7, 2004 Re: Campaign: The Turakian Age Gotta say it sounds pretty cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Gillen Posted August 8, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 8, 2004 Session Nine SESSION NINE 7/29/04 “This was YOUR idea, Valdergast,†Lo’ma’ndra said, stacking firewood. “No, it was my idea to get to Vestria over sea and not have to take the long march over mountains. I didn’t think we’d have to settle in for winter yet.†“You didn’t think winter would be this bad,†Trogdor said. In fact it was the month of Winterfirst, and by the time the Fellowship had reached the Vestrian capital of Odyllia, it was clear that winter had come with a vengeance, with bitter winds threatening sailors and cold rains and snows freezing the countryside. From the rumors they’d heard in various cities, Khirkovy had taken advantage of their winter familiarity to advance on the province of Colgrave, even as Skarill’s Orcs made more intense raids than ever against that area. However, the storms had reached the point that not even the Khirkovians would advance any further, and everyone was settled down into winter quarters. And this now included the four adventurers. After disembarking, Lo’ma’ndra supported herself and Trogdor by working with the local church missions, while Rogar and Valdergast used their treasure to rent a small domicile within the city grounds. Valdergast had also decided that he should put his enforced leisure time to good use and enroll in the Royal Magicians’ Guild of Odyllia, in hopes of expanding his contacts and resources. At the moment he was out with Lo’ma’ndra and Trogdor getting supplies for the house. “At least it gives us some time to enjoy ourselves during the holidays,†Valdergast said. “Most of us,†Trogdor said. “Where’s Rogar?†Lo’ma’ndra said, “He said he had someone to look up in town. He’s been rather scarce here since.†Rogar had traced the Vestrian from Waldersein and needed a few days to find out where he was living after everyone on the ship disembarked. But after some time in pubs, he’d managed to determine that a certain “Merl†lived in one of the older parts of the city. A few days after the adventurers had arrived in Odyllia, Rogar had found Merl again and was in a bar listening to the man question his peers about the war news. One of the patrons said, “I’ve got family in Colgrave, and I hear that the Orc raids have gotten worse than ever. At least they don’t have as much on the Greyspan route anymore, but I don’t know how long that’ll last.†Merl asked, “What about Khirkovy?†A merchant told him, “Not even Khirkovy wants to deal with Skeld. They’re trying to take Colgrave, but that’s made it a three-way fight with them, our boys and the green skins.†Rogar pretended to sip his drink while he watched Merl get more drunk and sleepy. Eventually the man bid his leave and went off for home. Rogar tailed him. Merl went to a rental house not unlike the one the fellowship was staying at, and Rogar looked through a window to see what number key he was given by the concierge. After a small amount of time, Rogar went into the house and paid eight Coppers for a bed. Rogar then went upstairs to his room, confirming that it was two doors down from the room number of Merl. Every few minutes, Rogar checked the hallway to see if there was a light coming through Merl’s door. After two hours, Merl put the light out. Rogar then opened his room window and easily made his way over the outer wall to the window of Merl’s room. Rogar had to use his tools to open the window from the outside, confirming first that the man was, indeed, sound asleep. With soft steps, Rogar entered the guest room, seeing that Merl did at least put a bell alarm on his door knob. For some reason he must not have expected an intruder to take Rogar’s path. Rogar drew his sword from a back sheath. It was a thick, chopping blade with a hand guard over the fingers. Among the sailors Rogar grew up with, it was just a “knife.†He put the knife to Merl’s throat and tickled the man’s nose. “Eh? What—UH!†“Hi there.†“What’s the meaning of this? What have I done?†the man asked. “I need to ask the questions here,†Rogar told him. “Just who are you?†“I am no one special. I’m just a courier.†“Indeed. And I’m sure you know people. I need to know about one of them. A mage dressed in red robes, with a metal cap on his head.†Merl looked at Rogar. “How long have you been following me?†“I saw you in Waldersein talking to a man who talked to the wizard. So you must know OF him. Answer the question.†“The wizard’s name is Hrakorth the Scarlet. My contact is named Aron. Aron’s a local Thurgundian, I’m Vestrian.†“All right. So what is this wizard hiring you for?†Merl said, “He- I mean, I usually don’t speak to him directly, Aron does, but we were hired by him to keep an eye on how things are going in Thurgundia.†“Why would he need to know that?†â€I’m not sure. Hrakorth told us that he was hired to gauge the loyalty of the provinces and see which lands would rebel against the Thurgundian kingdom. Why, I don’t know.†“How does Hrakorth meet you?†Rogar asked. “I said, I don’t speak to him usually,†Merl pleaded. “And he’s a wizard; he usually doesn’t let himself be found if he doesn’t want to be. He talks to you when he wants to talk to you.†“So he’s never met you in Vestria?†Merl shook his head. “No. The only city he’s met either of us in is Waldersein.†Rogar nodded slightly. “All right then. I suppose it was worth talking to you.†He pulled the blade off the man’s throat. Then he moved back to the window. “But just to make sure-“Rogar said, reaching into his pocket- Merl flinched in his bedcovers. Rogar threw a silver piece down on the bed. “I was never here.†- A week after the four arrived in Odyllia, Valdergast had managed to complete the enrollment process at the Guild and had also agreed to take a temporary post as a teaching assistant in the arcana of Fire in exchange for further training in Wizardry. On the way from the Guild Hall back to the house, Valdergast was accosted outside by none other than Nordal. “Valdergast Arcanus! I’m so surprised to see you here!†“Really?†Valdergast said. “I’ve just enrolled at the Guild. I’m sure that was common knowledge.†“Well, I’m not sure. It’s not that you’re widely known,†Nordal said. “But where have you been? Duke Jabel didn’t know where you’d gone.†“Out on a side trip. Helping the priestess, basically.†“Ah, yes. Well then,†Nordal said, “The various nobles have been invited to stay with the King over the winter. The Duke is here in town.†“You don’t say.†â€Yes. In fact, I’ll invite you to the get-together Duke Jabel is holding at the Old Keep. I’m sure he’d be very interested in finding out what you’ve been doing.†“Oh, of course,†Valdergast said. Three days later, a retainer in Duke Jabel Duharion’s livery came to the rental house while the others were away and presented Valdergast with a formal invitation to the feast Jabel was holding on the morrow. Valdergast noticed that Nordal hadn’t mentioned Lo’ma’ndra or the others in the scroll. This was fine with Valdergast, as for one thing he wasn’t sure he wanted Nordal to know they were here. The next evening, Valdergast took his invitation to the gala at the Old Keep. As a sign of respect to the Duke, he actually showed up on time. The Keep was actually the old center of the city, where the royal family held its original palace, as opposed to the newer, grander Vesterhall. When the family moved, the ‘Old’ castle became the center of government for both the nation and the civic administration of the capital; as such it was being used for various affairs of state during the year-end festival season. Valdergast moved through large halls, passing various guests, choral singers and entertaining fools, finally making his way toward the chamber where Duke Jabel was hosting his party. The Duke himself sat at a far table raised from the floor, various nobles at either side of him. Jabel was still in the prime of his life, but quite imposing, with dark, curly hair and beard. Valdergast entered, and began snacking at a nearby table, until the Duke caught sight of him. “Valdergast! Ho there! Come on, sit with us!†“Your Grace,†Valdergast responded. He let one of the Duke’s retainers bring him over behind the crowds to the Duke’s table. To the surprise of some there, a serving boy was sent to give Valdergast a plate next to Duke Jabel himself, and Jabel gestured for the mage to sit next to him on the bench. The Duke called out, “My friends, this is Valdergast Arcanus, nephew to the great Master Mage, Frederick Arcanus.†Valdergast smiled graciously and sat next to Jabel. At which point the Duke gripped his arm firmly and whispered, “What the hell happened to you, boy?†“Ah, I had to take a side trip. I thought I’d informed the kingdom of what we were doing.†Jabel said, “How does this ‘side’ trip help us in the fight against Skarill?†Valdergast said, “In that we discovered a few things that would be of interest to the court. Like the fact that we stumbled on to the beginnings of the war.†The guests stirred over that announcement. One of the knights present called out, “What would you know of that?†Valdergast said, “We were the ones who sent out the first advance notice to the border patrol.†One of the older men by Jabel said, “It’s true, Lord. It’s only because we received a message about the Khirkovy scouts that the provinces weren’t taken completely by surprise.†Duke Jabel smiled grimly and asked Valdergast, “What else did you and your friends discover?†“Skarill’s a Giant,†Valdergast said. There was more clamor at that. The Duke asked, “So how much do you know about Skarill and how he operates?†Valdergast said, “Well, there was that stupid bitch that was chasing us around on Skarill’s orders. We defeated her and she gave us a map of the Greywards that may lead us to his stronghold. It’s quite possible that Skarill has other allies. Off to the northeast.†One of the generals Valdergast had seen once before nodded, saying, “We had thought much the same.†Valdergast concluded, “So, after that we reported to Lo’ma’ndra’s superiors in Ytheis and the High Church gave us a mission to take Skarill out.†One of the thinner, handsomer nobles- Valdergast thought he’d make a fine peer for Nordal- said, “All by yourself? The Church didn’t give you any troops?†Valdergast smiled. “They gave me Rogar the Storm.†“Huh!†“So you don’t have friends in the Church, Valdergast?†someone else asked. “I believe the idea was that attacking the mountain hold with a large force would attract too much attention,†Valdergast said. “I agree,†Duke Jabel told him. That took some of the pressure off. Then someone asked, “Where is Nordal? Wasn’t he supposed to be with Valdergast?†- The same night, Rogar had gone out, apparently trying to build his street contacts. This left Lo’ma’ndra back at the guest house with Trogdor. Naturally, she was getting bored. After a bit, she said, “I think we should go out to one of the taverns for supper.†“Good,†Trogdor said. There was a thump at their door. It was followed by a frantic pounding. The group was renting a one-floor guest home, so who ever it was came from outside. Lo’ma’ndra got up and readied her staff. Then from behind the door, she heard a man wail, “LOMANDRA, PLEASE!!†Lo’ma’ndra took a quick look out the window and saw a young blond man, who seemed seriously wounded. She said, “I’m letting him in, Trogdor. Guard the door.†She opened the door and pulled the man in. He was dressed in fine clothes, but the clothes and parts of his skin were burned and stained with some black, acidic substance. “Hurry, Trogdor, help me get him on the table.†Once they put the man on the clear dinner table, Lo’ma’ndra searched her mind and realized that this person was the illusionist that Valdergast worked with in Greyspan. Nordal. Lo’ma’ndra cleaned him off as best as possible then prepared her magic to cure his wounds. She laid hands on him and with a prayer, the burns healed almost as if they had never occurred. Nordal gasped. “Thank you. I’m sorry, but I had nowhere else I could turn… time is of the essence. He’s sending demons and skeletons after me.†The priestess asked, “Why didn’t you use your powerful spells against them, Nordal?†He shook his head. “Unfortunately, Sorcery spells are not terribly effective on the Undead.†Lo’ma’ndra heard screaming outside. She called out, “Trogdor, what do you see?†He said: “There’s Skeletons. More than six.†At about the same time, Rogar was returning from his investigations, having only confirmed what little Merl had told him about this Scarlet Mage, when he saw the little guest house on the street corner besieged. There were about ten walking skeletons surrounding the walls, apparently led by some thing. Rogar wasn’t sure how it could be described. At first glance, the monster appeared to be made from blackest ink, smearing about of its own accord. Its form was human-shaped, but it had hooves for feet and masses of greasy tentacles for fingers and hair. Parts of it shone, much like a beetle’s carapace. Rogar managed to sneak up on the monster, which seemed preoccupied with the undead minions’ attempt to flush out the inhabitants. Rogar swung his staff, smashing the demon, which staggered. It did not cry out. Rogar gazed into what passed for its face, and he wasn’t even sure it could have a voice. Lo’ma’ndra took the opportunity to raise her Shield spell and invoke the Staff of Thorns. She moved outside, Trogdor right at her side. The priestess saw the undead gathered before them, and said, “I will need a second to prepare.†“Yes†Trogdor said. As two of the Skeletons moved towards them, he cut them off, swinging his blades and cutting their bones, but doing little real damage. There were four others moving towards them and Rogar. Lo’ma’ndra looked off and saw the shadowy demon swing its limbs at Rogar, who avoided the attacks with an uncanny degree of speed. The Demon swung again, this time not as accurately, and Rogar took advantage of the opportunity to move behind the Skeletons and swing his staff. Striking with each end, he broke the skulls of two, causing them to collapse immediately. As Trogdor continued to hold off the undead with his sword, Lo’ma’ndra made a gesture in the air and cried out, “BEGONE, mockeries!†The four Skeletons immediately before them screamed as they disintegrated, blowing away on a sudden wind. However, Lo’ma’ndra could see that her power didn’t have any effect on the demon, and she could see a few more Skeletons making their way back from around the house. The Demon continued to flail at Rogar, suddenly pivoting in a new direction to attack- another Rogar! Rogar looked in astonishment as the monster was distracted by what seemed to be his twin. But he looked toward the house and he saw the blond wizard standing by the door and concentrating. Not sure how long the trick would work, Rogar flipped around his own illusionary double, using his acrobatic skills to make the stunt look both impressive and distracting. He then smashed the demon’s torso with a double-headed staff attack, and while the blows were solid, Rogar wasn’t sure how much effect they had. Lo’ma’ndra waited until the remaining Skeletons were before her, then spoke another phrase, again casting them into nothingness. Trogdor, now free to help Rogar, advanced on the Demon, swinging widely, and bouncing his sword off the creature’s hide. “I hire the worst bodyguards,†Lo’ma’ndra muttered. The Demon barely hit Trogdor with its hand, sliming him with its acid coating, causing the Drakine to growl in pain and stagger back. Rogar realized he had to make his next move count. He flipped around the Demon again, hitting with each end of the staff, scoring a hard blow with the left and bringing it down with the right. “Is it over?†Nordal asked. “Not while it’s still alive,†Rogar said. Eventually Trogdor was able to cut through the hide of the thing enough times to hack its head off and finish it for good. And as he did, the group heard slow applause. They turned and saw Valdergast walk up to them. “Well. Looks like I missed some fun.†“Yes. Just where were you?†Rogar asked. “I was at that party with Duke Jabel. Nordal invited me. In fact, Nordal, I think you need to go see the Duke. I’m sure he’d be very interested in finding out what you’ve been doing.†“Oh, no,†Nordal moaned. “I’m sorry. It just that I was attacked… I had to run for my life.†“Attacked by whom and why?†Lo’ma’ndra asked him. Nordal said, “I’d gotten one of Master Frederick’s manuals. It was something of a winter-gift… one of the treatises on magic theory that he didn’t need anymore.†The statement was intended as brag, but it seemed hollow now. “In the morning, I was approached by a wizard I’d never met before who offered payment for it. When I said I needed it, and that it was my mentor’s gift, he became cross with me and left. And before nightfall, my room was attacked by that Demon. He must have sent it after me.†“Let me guess,†Valdergast asked Nordal. “He was this arch wizard in red robes, with a shiny metal helmet, carrying a staff.†“Why yes, why?†“His name is Hrakorth,†Rogar said. “How do you know that?†Valdergast asked. “I’ve met him before.†JG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Gillen Posted August 11, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 11, 2004 Re: Campaign: The Turakian Age ALmost caught up... right now this is just the intro to last week's session. SESSION TEN- Chapter One 8/5/04 The morning after the incident with Nordal, Lo’ma’ndra got up and made the group breakfast. She asked Valdergast, “How is your mentor going to take the loss of that book?†He answered, “I think it’s Nordal’s problem now, at least after we leave town.†Trogdor said, “What if this wizard attacks again?†Rogar said, “I don’t think he was going after us in particular.†He seemed troubled at that thought, and Lo’ma’ndra wasn’t sure she wanted to press him. But she did say, “Hrakorth hasn’t shown his face to us, though.†Valdergast said, “My guess is, after screwing Nordal, he went out to smoke a cigar.†Lo’ma’ndra cornered Rogar before he went out for the day. She said, “I needed to speak with you. I have a request.†“What is it?†â€I… would be interested in training with you. Learning that staff-fighting technique of yours. It would definitely help me defend myself better.†Rogar was a bit surprised. “It would take you a while.†In fact, it took him years, and by the standards of the monks who trained him, he was still a novice. Lo’ma’ndra said, “I have the time. I am an Elf, after all. And there isn’t much else for us to do while we wait for the thaw.†“No, I suppose not,†he smiled. “Anyway,†she said, “for now I think I can just start with the defensive moves. Blocking, for instance.†Rogar nodded. “Yes, I think you already know how to hit a man where it hurts. But for the team’s sake, we should get you to where you can do it when he’s looking.†- Over the next two months, Valdergast continued his initial season of Guild training, with many of the other students impressed by his knowledge of the Fire arcana and his ability to improvise spells without ritual foci. His instructors were likewise impressed, and even Nordal wasn’t too much of a bother; the other mage had already completed his Apprentice training, and stopped at the Guild Hall every so often, but seemed too distracted to talk to Valdergast. For once. For her part, Lo’ma’ndra spent much of her afternoons between lunch and church services training with Rogar inside the house. At times, they practiced outside, but this drew something of a crowd, and Rogar insisted they go onto the grounds of Lo’ma’ndra’s church if they were going to fight it out. It wasn’t common knowledge that Rogar the Storm was in her band. The Westerlanders, with typical flair for language, named the third month in their calendar Tightbelt, and it was on the first day of the month that the team decided to set out. Valdergast suggested going towards Greyspan, which would be the final civilized spot where they could get supplies. It took almost three weeks to get there. During the time, the four tried resolving their main point of argument since leaving Ytheis: What they were going to call their company. “The name ought to have ‘Rangers’ in it,†Rogar said. â€None of us are Rangers,†Trogdor said. “It sounds good.†“The Greyspan Fellowship?†Lo’ma’ndra asked. “Why?†Valdergast said. “It is where the four of us met up, or where we met Rogar.†The Drakine said, “How about: Trogdor and His Group.†Valdergast: “No.†Rogar said, “What about ‘The Grey Rangers?†Lo’ma’ndra said, “Why ‘grey’?†Rogar said, “Well, it’s part of the area we’ve been focusing on. We met in Greyspan, which is on the Greyspark River, and we’re going toward the Greyward Mountains.†“Appropriate, I suppose,†Valdergast said. “Yes, I concur,†Lo’ma’ndra said. Trogdor nodded, eventually. Thus The Grey Rangers were named. JG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Gillen Posted August 12, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2004 Re: Campaign: The Turakian Age I am now finally caught up with recaps. This is the rest of last week's game. Now this Thursday, I *may* be getting Dustin back... and we're supposed to have a new player.... SESSION TEN- Chapter Two 8/5/04 Once the Grey Rangers got to Greyspan, Valdergast and Rogar set about buying supplies and survival gear for the mountains, while Lo’ma’ndra made a brief stop at the Cathedral, and managed to speak to one of Shalan Masdal’s clerks. She asked him, “How goes the news from the mountains?†The clerk said, “It’s been peaceful this winter. Of course, the last few months were so cold, I don’t think even Orcs would go out hunting.†“What about the village of Thelham?†“What about it?†“Do you know if the local lords have managed to reclaim the area?†The clerk shook his head. “No… it was a very small village, and most of our soldiers that could be elsewhere are helping the kingdom assemble a force to reinforce Colgrave against assault when spring thaw comes.†“So no one’s come down to check the land?†“As we understood from Sir Bernon, his force, with your assistance, managed to find the Orcs that had attacked. And you said the villagers were slaughtered to the last. There is nothing more to do for them.†“Yes,†Lo’ma’ndra nodded. “Thank you.†The next day, after changing horses, the four set out to the Greywards. Valdergast had Mertwig the owl fly ahead as a scout while they rode. The Rangers went on the road turning south of Thelham, and Mertwig signaled to Valdergast. “What is it?†the mage thought. The owl thought, “The woods are dry. Not much to eat.†The mage responded, “It’s winter.†But his owl still seemed perturbed. The four still had to ride through the wood to continue to the mountain range, so they followed Mertwig’s path. It was indeed a lifeless place. The woods were still bare, and there didn’t even seem to be the same incidental animal life that one might find in the woods. Lo’ma’ndra said, “Let me check up the hill, there.†They reached the hill. Lo’ma’ndra dismounted and looked around. She checked the branches of a small tree. Nearby a much larger tree loomed over them, and the only fresh growth that seemed to be in the area were some ugly brambles. Rogar came over and asked Lo’ma’ndra, “This isn’t just winter?†“It hasn’t snowed here in quite some time,†she said. “And the plants… they do not seem to be recovering from the winter. This tree is dead. The big one may be too.†Valdergast said, “Maybe it needs to be burned down for new growth.†Lo’ma’ndra gave him a slightly ugly look. But she started to ponder. Trogdor said, “You know this forest?†Lo’ma’ndra said, “Yes. In fact, this was the wood where Thossyryn sent me to gather plant samples. Before…†Her thought trailed off, and suddenly the priestess’ ear caught something. The bramble bush moved. In one second, the twisted plant fired a volley of thorns straight at Lo’ma’ndra as she looked at it. Rogar watched in shock as the missiles fired through her torso and out past him. Lo’ma’ndra stood in shock. She was still conscious, and she knew she was bleeding to death. It was a very peculiar feeling. Rogar grabbed her as the bramble moved again. He pulled Lo’ma’ndra behind a rock as the plant fired more thorns in his direction. One of them caught him on the arm. Trogdor moved in and hacked at the bramble bush with his swords. This did a certain amount of structural damage. And as Valdergast watched, he realized that he was also being watched from above. One branch of the elder tree lurched toward him, its ends clutching like the hand of a giant demon. Valdergast barely rolled away in time. “What the blazes is this!†he yelled. Lo’ma’ndra lay behind the rock and used her Healing spell on herself as Rogar jumped around and helped Trogdor fight the bramble. He aimed his staff toward the strange, pulpy center of the plant mass, stretching to make sure the brambles didn’t catch him. He hit hard. But it was hard to tell what damage he was doing to the plant. Trogdor continued to hack its mass away. Meanwhile, Lo’ma’ndra stood up, and invoked the Druidic spell to warp wood, focusing her attention on the great tree. [And kudos to Gary for remembering that special effect on the spell!] The trunk of the tree bent and stretched, its outer layer of bark snapping and creaking, almost seeming to form a face as it broke. But it still stood. Valdergast yelled, “That tree needs to be fried!†He immediately threw a Fireball past it to catch the tall tree at its periphery, scoring more damage against it. But the great old plant still did not fall. Lo’ma’ndra cast the wood-warping spell against it again. The trunk burst from within, and the tree collapsed on itself, giving off a cloud of foul black smoke that had nothing to do with the fire. Lo’ma’ndra looked to see that Valdergast was throwing another Fireball off in the woods. She paused before speaking to him. He said, “Before you say it, I saw another one of those damn brambles moving off fifty yards away.†“That’s all we have here?†Trogdor asked. “So it seems,†Rogar said, looking about. Lo’ma’ndra looked at the long tracks of blood on her leather vest, and cast another curative spell to fix her limbs. “Uh, I think I could use one of those,†Rogar said, smiling a bit. Lo’ma’ndra tended to Rogar’s wound, and he asked, “What are we dealing with?†The priestess said, “This forest has a cancer in it.†Valdergast said, “Yes. When the bushes attack the Druid, something’s wrong.†Lo’ma’ndra said, “Maybe you should send Mertwig to scout the boundaries of this rot.†“Already on it,†the wizard said. “I’m beginning to think Black Magic is involved, Necromancy at the very least.†Mertwig came back to Valdergast and reported that the odd feeling he got from the forest lasted until he flew a couple of miles east. Lo’ma’ndra shook her head. “Due east is Thelham. It’s as if the evil centers there.†Rogar said, “What do you want to do?†“I need to make sure.†Checking the woods, Lo’ma’ndra found only one set of tracks in the nearby area, not well concealed in the dead woods, going straight toward her adopted village. She looked back toward the others and nodded. “I don’t like this. We need to be on guard,†Rogar said. “Of course,†Lo’ma’ndra said. She came back and picked up Ubu, the young wolf cub who’d been keeping up with them, and packed him in the little side basket she’d bought for the side saddle of her new riding horse. “I need to make sure you’re safe,†she whispered. Valdergast looked to his owl, and commanded him to fly to the thicker woods east where it would be safer for him. Rogar looked through the tangled woods. “Let’s go,†he said. By the time the Grey Rangers backtracked their way toward Thelham, it was almost dusk. The clouds were just starting to break, but the land still seemed ash-grey and cold. Color returned when the group reached the outskirts of the village, but it was the faded color of old wooden wagons and painted walls, facilities that hadn’t been used in almost two seasons. The group hitched their horses at the nearest public building. As they did, Rogar noticed one of the torch sconces at the door. “What is it?†Valdergast asked him. “That’s been used,†Rogar said. “As in, recently. The ash in the sconce is still fresh.†“So someone’s still here,†Trogdor said. Lo’ma’ndra checked the ground. “There are wheel tracks still fairly deep in the mud.†Rogar said, “Any animals leading it? Because I don’t see any here.†Lo’ma’ndra shook her head. “No. It seems to have been pushed from the back by two Men.†She walked the trail a little further. “That wagon’s been parked right at the chapel entrance.†“I do NOT like this,†Valdergast said. The priestess nodded, and sighed. “Let me Bless the group before we continue. Whatever happened, the answer is in there.†The four walked toward the chapel. Rogar walked a little further behind, keeping a lookout over the rest of the field. Everyone noticed that the only other tracks that were still perceptible were several human footsteps, all leading inside the chapel. Lo’ma’ndra took a brief pause to look at the old church. It never was a strong building, but Thossyryn and the villagers had always attempted to maintain it. After less than six months, it looked to have aged decades. She pulled open the doors, which creaked noisily as she did. The light was dim, but Lo’ma’ndra’s Elven sight could compensate. Trogdor was behind her, and he seemed almost afraid to go further. She soon realized why. The signs of the Blue Gods had been removed from the altar and the far wall, replaced with a wall tapestry showing what Lo’ma’ndra recognized as an arcane symbol of Vabanek- the Scarlet God of death and Black Magic. She immediately made her prayers to create a Divine Shield. Valdergast looked in. Then he stepped back. The pews were full. Lo’ma’ndra strode in the small church, seeking to confirm what she saw. All the villagers, those with bodies still intact, had been moved into the pews, their bodies somehow preserved from natural rot yet bearing the wounds of their death. They all sat with heads bowed and clasped hands before them, as if it were any proper worship. Trogdor, steeling himself, came in to check on his mistress. Then the doors slammed behind him. Valdergast yelled, “ROGAR! Get over here!!†Lo’ma’ndra looked up at the altar in cold rage as she instinctively felt the Blessing leave her. From the back, a very thin, tall man made his appearance, dressed in black robes with red and white trim suggesting the appearance of bloody bones. He wore a shining white mask over his face, shaped to appear as a skull. He looked down on Lo’ma’ndra. “Well, then,†he said. “You must be the Priestess we didn’t catch.†He gestured, and a scarlet aura surrounded him. “I am Lo’ma’ndra. Let that be the last name on your lips as you return to your evil gods!!†Lo’ma’ndra created the Staff of Thorns and ran up to the dais, enraged. Her weapon hit, the blow largely absorbed by the evil cleric’s protection spell. And yet somehow Lo’ma’ndra also realized the Thorns weren’t as deep or as effective as usual. She called to Trogdor, “This place has been desecrated. Its evil is suppressing my power.†“Uh… that isn’t the only problem.†Trogdor moved toward her nervously as the entire congregation of corpses rose as one to look at him. Valdergast tried pulling open the front doors, only to find that they were held shut from inside. He moved to the west and threw his Fireball at one of the side doors, but the casting was faulty and the damage was minimal, by his standards at least. The evil priest made his move, murmuring some odd rhyme and touching Lo’ma’ndra. She gasped in shock as she suddenly experienced a horrible chill and fever that sapped her strength. It was now all she could do to stand up with the staff, much less wield it. Trogdor had to cut down two undead on his way to the dais. Outside, Rogar ran towards the front doors, doing a flying kick against the center of the two doors. With a crash, the old wood splintered into nothingness. Trogdor moved to defend Lo’ma’ndra from the priest, wielding both blades to push him back. One of his strikes connected, but did not draw blood. The priest drew a stiletto to defend himself, but missed Trogdor. Lo’ma’ndra weakly held up a hand against the zombies and cast them out. Her power was no longer enough to destroy the undead outright. However, the zombies, sensing her holy aura, immediately backed away, making for the doors. Rogar, seeing an imminent zombie stampede, flipped up to the scaffolding. Meanwhile, Valdergast threw another fireball, finally blowing off the side door, to his surprise creating another exit route for a shuffling crowd of animate corpses. He prepared another fireball. From his vantage point, Rogar saw Trogdor dueling with some weird spellcaster while Lo’ma’ndra hung back. Rogar threw one of his straight blades at the villain. It bounced off the scarlet aura. The priest lunged at Trogdor while casting a spell. The Drakine immediately felt fevered, although with his natural brawn he wasn’t rendered helpless- yet. Trogdor hefted blades that somehow seemed much heavier than before and swung at the priest- again doing no damage. “Enough of this,†Lo’ma’ndra thought. Straining herself, attempting to push herself against the evil aura of the place, she invoked the Tangling Vines, praying to the Blue Gods that they would hear and compensate for her lost strength. The evil priest looked below him, as from underfoot, the vines erupted out of the paneling. He was stuck fast. Rogar moved up to the dais. Valdergast came in from the side. “So where were you?†Rogar asked him. Valdergast shook his head. “Destroying zombies.†Meanwhile the priest struggled in vain against the vines. “At least he doesn’t have lotta strength,†Trogdor said. “He doesn’t look like we’re gonna get any information out of him,†Valdergast said. “Yes,†Lo’ma’ndra said. “Trogdor. I want you to kill him.†“Good. I want to,†he said. He picked up a sword with a two-handed grip and looked over the spell caster. The priest’s eyes rolled up and he stretched in his bindings. He quietly said, “I am proud to give my life in the name of Kal-Turak, the God of this Earth-“ The Drakine’s blade cut out his throat. “And now you have,†Lo’ma’ndra said. The evil man’s head fell from the vines. Lo’ma’ndra got to her knees- as much from nausea and exhaustion as anything else- and took the severed head in her hands. She pulled off the mask. It was a black-haired Elf. “Are you all right?†Trogdor asked Lo’ma’ndra. “I’ll worry about that later,†Lo’ma’ndra said. “I’ll be all right…†Trogdor muttered. Lo’ma’ndra continued to look around. They were right behind the altar that Thossyryn had used to speak from every Sunday. Lo’ma’ndra checked the interior of the altar and saw a black velvet bag. She reached for it. “What is it?†Valdergast asked. Lo’ma’ndra had Trogdor help her up. “From the feel… it can only be a person’s head.†Valdergast took the bag and put it on the altar. “Let’s see it.†He opened the bag, and found a severed Man’s head, coated with some sickly-green preservative. Lo’ma’ndra almost fainted. It was Thossyryn’s face. “Lo’ma’ndra?†Rogar said. “That… is my mentor.†She paused. “Valdergast. Check the skull with your spells.†“I think I know what you’re looking for,†he said. He used a Detect Magic spell on the head, and looked through a scroll of notes at his belt. The wizard nodded. “There’s some kind of Necromancy effect on it.†Lo’ma’ndra whispered, “I think this is it. This is the source of the corruption. He used Thossyryn’s head as a focus to poison Nature.†Valdergast nodded. “If he was a Druid, then it would be sympathetic magic.†Lo’ma’ndra began walking down from the altar, leaning heavily on her staff. Valdergast said, “If this was a priest, or some type of Necromancer, then he must have taken notes. He had correspondence, or something. I’m going to check this place to see if he’d written anything down.†Rogar said, “I’m beginning to think we killed him too early.†Valdergast caught the faraway look in Lo’ma’ndra’s eyes as she looked at the ruins of the church, and told Rogar: “And now is NOT the time to point that out.†JG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Ciaramella Posted August 12, 2004 Report Share Posted August 12, 2004 Re: Campaign: The Turakian Age Wow... James makes the game seem so very cool. I'll have to work harder to make my Lo'ma'ndra as good as his... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Gillen Posted August 12, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2004 Re: Campaign: The Turakian Age I try to make it read more "literary" than it usually plays out. JG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Ciaramella Posted August 14, 2004 Report Share Posted August 14, 2004 Re: Campaign: The Turakian Age Ok James, time to catch up... I am sure the rest of the gang here on the boards wants to see the latest as well... write, write, WRITE! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enforcer84 Posted August 14, 2004 Report Share Posted August 14, 2004 Re: Campaign: The Turakian Age Ok James' date=' time to catch up... I am sure the rest of the gang here on the boards wants to see the latest as well... write, write, WRITE! [/quote'] Yeah, lay of the City of Heroes, man! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HewhoisMatt Posted August 14, 2004 Report Share Posted August 14, 2004 Re: Campaign: The Turakian Age No, must defeat 10 more CoT, finish a TF, and earn a cape. Now where did I put that SO damage enhancment? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Ciaramella Posted August 15, 2004 Report Share Posted August 15, 2004 Re: Campaign: The Turakian Age By the way Matt, welcome to the game... it was good to have you and I hope we did not scare you off! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HewhoisMatt Posted August 15, 2004 Report Share Posted August 15, 2004 Re: Campaign: The Turakian Age I had a great time and I am so hard to scare off. I went out and got FH Grimoire II, The Mystic World, and put the puter program on order friday after work. I also wanted to tell you guys that if you have any interest in playing at my place that would be cool. I live alone but I would need some warning to get the place ready. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lrojas Posted August 15, 2004 Report Share Posted August 15, 2004 Re: Campaign: The Turakian Age To be fair' date=' the person who deserves credit for the WOT magic system is Charles Ryan. I had a little input here and there, but I actually wanted to do something significantly different. Since Charles got that particular part of the assignment, he's the one who deserves the praise. [/quote'] sorry to be dense, but since i am new, and the only WOT magic system i know is the one with the d20 book, what exactly are you guys refering to in here? is this something that is available somewhere? or is it something that came in a book that i am not aware of? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HewhoisMatt Posted August 16, 2004 Report Share Posted August 16, 2004 Re: Campaign: The Turakian Age They are talking about the magic system used in the D20 source book based on the "Wheel Of Time" fantasy series of books by Robert Jordon. It is not a Hero source book but Mr Long gets around a good bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lrojas Posted August 16, 2004 Report Share Posted August 16, 2004 Re: Campaign: The Turakian Age They are talking about the magic system used in the D20 source book based on the "Wheel Of Time" fantasy series of books by Robert Jordon. It is not a Hero source book but Mr Long gets around a good bit. cool, i have that book, indeed the magic system is betther than the Core D&D, it would be interesting seeing how would steve or some other could translate that to FH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Gillen Posted August 16, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2004 Re: Campaign: The Turakian Age I had a great time and I am so hard to scare off. I went out and got FH Grimoire II' date=' The Mystic World, and put the puter program on order friday after work. I also wanted to tell you guys that if you have any interest in playing at my place that would be cool. I live alone but I would need some warning to get the place ready.[/quote'] I'm glad. As for the invitation, it depends on whether you have more playing space than I do. If you DID, then it would be worthwhile. I was thinking of taking up Ternaugh's offer and e-mailing for 1 or 2 other players, but there really isn't enough space in my living room for more. In any case we have a SECOND dog and my niece staying with us now, so I think the others might be interested in a new HQ... JG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Ciaramella Posted August 16, 2004 Report Share Posted August 16, 2004 Re: Campaign: The Turakian Age In any case we have a SECOND dog and my niece staying with us now' date=' so I think the others might be interested in a new HQ...[/quote'] I would be... yep yep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Gillen Posted August 16, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2004 Re: Campaign: The Turakian Age No, must defeat 10 more CoT, finish a TF, and earn a cape. Now where did I put that SO damage enhancment? Hell, it was all I could do to go from midpoint of 10th level to 11th... Anyway: 8/12/04 At this point, I don’t know exactly WHAT Dustin is doing, but he isn’t living here. It’s a family matter, and I’m not prone to all the details in any event. Suffice to say he wasn’t in the game this week, and I’m not sure he’ll be back. However, we did get Matt Biggs recruited in to make a Barbarian character, and Matt seems to be a really nice guy. So we’re now back to four PCs. One door closes, another opens, I guess. I don’t think I’ll get rid of Trogdor, just in case. And these guys will need all the help they can get… SESSION ELEVEN - Chapter One The group came down from the chapel and looked around. Valdergast, still holding the bag with the head, asked Lo’ma’ndra “What do you want us to do with this?†â€I’ll take it,†she said. “If I can give it a holy burial that should end the curse on this land and life can grow here normally.†“What about the church?†Lo’ma’ndra looked back at the structure. “Please burn that down, Valdergast, and do it spectacularly.†- Since leaving his tribe on the Gorthunda Steppes, Tanaka had tried to seek work in Vestria, realizing that the Khirkovy-folk were not going to be fairly inclined toward one such as him. He’d spent the past few months working as a caravan guard, and it was good work, sometimes even enabling him to fight Orcs, but it had become a bit routine. But since finishing his last job, he’d experienced a strange dream. The dream went like this: A wolf came back to its den to find one of his cubs dead. A vulture was feasting on it. The vulture caught sight of the wolf and flew off. The wolf chased the vulture many miles. On the way he passed a forest where he saw a bear attack a mountain lion. The wolf smelled the vulture’s nest, but it had nothing save an egg. So the wolf ate the vulture’s egg in revenge. The wolf went back the way he came, and saw that the bear had chased the mountain lion to a crag. Suddenly the wolf caught sight of the vulture in the sky. It flew toward the others, and suddenly the vulture changed into a dragon. And the dragon caught the bear in its talons and the wolf and the mountain lion watched it fly away. Tanaka’s people were certainly used to the idea of mystic visions, but he was no mystic, and this made no sense to him. He’d only told one local wise-woman about the dream, and she only told him, “Go south- to the edge of the mountains.†This Tanaka did. One morning, he crossed the ‘grey spark’ river and as he rode on, he noticed that the land had somehow become more grey and dead, as if it were entering winter while the world outside were just coming into spring. He felt the need to enter the wood and investigate. He quickly noticed that there were tracks of horses and men here, where no sane man would settle. Tanaka pressed on, and found a trail. - The Grey Rangers took residence in a small building and set it up as best as possible to sleep so that Lo’ma’ndra and Trogdor could recover. Resting was difficult to say the least. During the night Valdergast and Rogar thought they heard the wolf cub whimpering. Valdergast looked and realized the sound was coming from Lo’ma’ndra. The next morning Lo’ma’ndra was well enough to take the old Druid’s head and bless the graveyard again so that Thossyryn could again receive proper rest and let the Earth recover. She returned to the makeshift home and looked at the others. Lo’ma’ndra saw Valdergast reading some of the Scarlet priest’s diaries. She asked him, “Have you found anything useful?†He shook his head with a smile, and handed her a journal. She looked at the Elvish writing and blanched. Valdergast said, “Anyone need a copy of necrophiliac poetry?†Lo’ma’ndra threw the journal into the fireplace. “More like, did this guy have any spell books?†Rogar asked. Valdergast said, “No. This guy was a priest. There’s some writing from someone else telling him that Skarill gave him the land, but that Skarill doesn’t really care so much about what happens here. The priest is to keep the writer apprised as to the status of his… ‘Experiment.’ And Skarill is apparently otherwise occupied.†â€With what?†Rogar asked. “The letter says Skarill is concentrating his force east to help invade Colgrave.†Rogar grimaced. “So he may not even BE in his fortress when we get there.†Lo’ma’ndra said, “Valdergast?†The mage appeared suddenly distracted. He said, “Mertwig’s spotted something. There’s someone riding into town.†- Tanaka soon came to a Vestrian village, or something that once looked like it. Several of the major buildings had burned down and those that stood looked like they hadn’t been occupied in months. But he immediately noticed the building with the four horses posted outside. [At this point I had the players describe their characters to each other; this also helps the reader stay updated on their descriptions.] Four people walked out of the building to see Tanaka. The first was a tall, pale-skinned man with long black hair and beard, carrying a staff, and dressed in rich red robes. Next was an exotic looking woman, also pale, with blonde hair, blue eyes, and pointed ears. She also carried a walking staff and was dressed in tasteful green and yellow robes that seemed meant to evoke a springtime motif. Directly behind her was a Drakine- Tanaka had never seen a Drakine before, but he knew from others’ descriptions that this was the only thing it could be. The lizard man was well over 6 feet tall, with long and powerful limbs, dark eyes and coppery scales, wearing a chain mail shirt and a very large sword strapped to each of his hips. The final stranger was almost 6 feet tall, tan with dark hair and eyes, dressed all in loose-fitting black clothing- vest, shirt, pants and boots- with dull metal arm guards at each wrist. The Grey Rangers saw a very unusual horseman. He seemed short but powerfully built. He was fully clothed in tough riding leathers dyed in grey and brown, a slashing sword at his belt and an exotic, crafted horse bow at his saddle. He had a dark complexion and a tough expression on his face; his hair was black, locks of it hanging from out of his fur-lined metal cap. Stranger still, he had threaded colorful beads through each of his thin mustaches and his thin beard. His brown-and-white horse was much like the man: Short, shaggy and broad. The woman spoke to Tanaka, in what he recognized as Vestrian. “Greetings, stranger. I am afraid that if you had business here, it has fallen through.†Tanaka said, “I travel wherever the trail leads me.†Rogar walked up to the horseman. He pointed to the others and said, “We should get introduced. This is Valdergast Arcanus, this is Taal Lo’ma’ndra, and this is her bodyguard, Trogdor.†Tanaka thought, ‘Tall Lomandra? She’s shorter than me.’ He nodded to the man and said, “I am Tanaka. And you are?†â€I am Rogar.†“Huhn! I had heard some things about a ‘Rogar’ in Vestria. Some things about starting nasty fights. Or wars.†Rogar shook his head. “You can’t believe every thing in a person’s reputation.†Tanaka said, “Oh yes. I try to tell the local people not to believe everything they hear about us Gorthunda. This thing that we kill and eat babies, for instance. That is ridiculous.†He looked around a little more. “Who burned down this village?†he asked. “I did,†Valdergast said. Lo’ma’ndra nodded. She said, “Actually, it was first raided by Orcs several months ago.†Tanaka snorted. “Orcs. Lousy raiders. You should never burn a village after raiding, because no one comes back.†“I burned it,†Valdergast said. “There were lots of unquiet dead around.†“Evil shamans,†Tanaka said. “Yes,†Lo’ma’ndra said, quietly. “She still hasn’t gotten over it,†Valdergast said. Tanaka announced, “I come here from the Gorthunda Steppes. I came west seeking wealth without having to marry an ugly wife.†Valdergast said, “Ah. You’re a long way from home then.†He whispered to Lo’ma’ndra, “We could always use another body…†Lo’ma’ndra nodded a little and stepped forward. Tanaka heard her utter strange words and then suddenly she was speaking to him in his language, with no accent. “I figured this would be easier for us both. We could always use additional help on our quest.†“What quest is this?†Tanaka asked. Lo’ma’ndra said, “The Orcs who destroyed this village had a leader. He is a Giant by the name of Skarill. I need to destroy him and take down his army of Orcs.†Tanaka shook his head at the thought of dealing with a Giant and an army. He counted on his fingers. “There are so many of them, and there are… five of us.†“Do these Orcs have any money?†he asked. Lo’ma’ndra smiled and said, “The potential for income is quite high.†She paused. “We must purge these mountains of Skarill’s influence.†Valdergast, able to understand the conversation because of his own magic ring, interjected, “She wants revenge.†Tanaka threw his head back and laughed. “Revenge! Now THAT I understand.†He looked at Lo’ma’ndra. “Never leave a live enemy behind,†he said. Valdergast looked at her. “SEE? Someone ascribes to my philosophy!†- JG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HewhoisMatt Posted August 17, 2004 Report Share Posted August 17, 2004 Re: Campaign: The Turakian Age Well I think I have enough room, I will just have to clean out the dining room. I will start cleaning and getting the place ready. E-mail me for directions. hewhosleeps@yahoo.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irishspy Posted August 17, 2004 Report Share Posted August 17, 2004 Re: Campaign: The Turakian Age Tanaka threw his head back and laughed. “Revenge! Now THAT I understand.†He looked at Lo’ma’ndra. “Never leave a live enemy behind,†he said. (Delurking for a bit) I think I'm going to like Tanaka. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HewhoisMatt Posted August 22, 2004 Report Share Posted August 22, 2004 Re: Campaign: The Turakian Age I hope everyone likes him. I try to rp him well with the right mind set for his background and goals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Gillen Posted August 22, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 22, 2004 Re: Campaign: The Turakian Age 8/12/04 SESSION ELEVEN - Chapter Two That day, the Grey Rangers burned down what was left of the village of Thelham, just as its people had been put to final rest. Before noon, they set out into the Greywards. Over the next day, Lo’ma’ndra used Tarastis’ map and found a mountain trail. The group rode the trail east. During this time, the four veterans and the Gorthundan became more used to each other. Tanaka noticed that Lo’ma’ndra traveled with a wolf cub, and found this to be a good omen. For their part, the others noticed that Tanaka practically never left his horse except to relieve himself, and even that he did rarely. In fact the group realized that the horse was a mare when they saw Tanaka drink its milk- straight from the ‘tap.’ The next morning, the ground became more rugged. The five riders came up a craggy hill with a thick woods to the left and the sloping hill to the right. The team ascended and without warning, large rocks were thrown down at them. Lo’ma’ndra and Valdergast were struck hard, sitting dazed in their saddles as Tanaka and Trogdor kept the horses in line. Rogar had also been hit hard but kept his senses. “That wasn’t a rockslide,†he said. “Those were aimed at us.†Rogar looked around and up the hill. What he saw defied all previous experience. Coming down the slope were five gigantic things that could not be Giants. Standing fifteen feet high, they seemed to be nothing but great mounds of hair from which arms and legs had been sculpted. Misshapen, uneven claws protruded from the limbs, the only sign that the things possessed body parts. Their shag was in tan, brown and mossy green, which Rogar realized allowed them to blend with the hill at a distance. As the creatures ambled down, Rogar jumped out of his saddle and grabbed both Lo’ma’ndra and Valdergast, pulling them behind cover. Tanaka readied his bow from on horse, while Trogdor dismounted to draw swords. Rogar jumped up with his staff and flipped in air to reach the crags and attack the lead monster, smashing it hard and causing it to stagger. Tanaka drew and fired his bow with great speed, hitting one of the monsters in back. But the shaft was so deep in fur that Tanaka couldn’t tell how bad the wound was, or even if he’d drawn blood. Trogdor followed Rogar up the hill, facing off against one of the monsters. The opponent swung its arm into Trogdor with little effect, just as Trogdor cut its fur with negligible result. Rogar dodged his foe. Meanwhile Valdergast looked up from cover. Gritting his teeth, he prepared Kheldred’s Flammifer. Casting the spell, he hit four of five monsters- all but the one on Trogdor. The hairy masses began to smolder, and batted about wildly. They made no sound, but their panic was clear. Tanaka fired another arrow into his target. And with that, the four afflicted monsters began running back up the hill. Trogdor’s foe continued to attack him, but he batted away the creature’s claw with one sword even as he slashed with his right-hand blade, finally drawing its blood. When the monsters were separated from the team, Valdergast took that opportunity to throw a Fireball at the colossal marauders. Tanaka cried out, “Ai! I need to retrieve my arrows!†Valdergast said, “Sorry. I think they’re toast now.†Rogar looked around and said, “Do we really need to kill these things?†Tanaka grunted and fired another arrow. Trogdor took advantage of his position and slashed out with both swords, cutting deep into his opponent. The Drakine grinned in satisfaction as the monster died. Valdergast threw another Fireball and the four remaining beasts collapsed. He looked at Rogar and said, “They were trying to kill us.†Rogar said, “I meant to say that we’d already driven them off.†â€Not mine,†Trogdor said. Rogar asked, “Lo’ma’ndra, are you all right?†“Yes,†the priestess said, getting up. “I managed to heal myself.†“I could use that,†Valdergast said, pointing to a growing bruise over his face. Lo’ma’ndra came over and applied her divine healing to the wizard. Valdergast told Rogar, “My point is, these creatures could have been part of Skarill’s guard.†“I can track their lair and find out,†Rogar said. Valdergast’s owl suddenly flew to him. He nodded and said, “I can have Mertwig scout and report to you.†The Shaman talks to an owl, Tanaka thought. This is most strange. After a few minutes, Mertwig returned and seemed to tell Valdergast something. The wizard told Rogar, “There’s a plateau, and beyond that a hill with a lot of bones and old weapons.†“Let’s go,†Lo’ma’ndra said. “It shouldn’t be hard for me to pick up their tracks.†“Then I can go in and investigate,†Rogar said. “Be sure that’s all you do,†Lo’ma’ndra told him. “Scout and return. Do not rescue the Princess and burn down the castle.†Rogar scowled. “That woman I found was going to be in the were-rats’ stewpot. I wasn’t going to just leave her.†Lo’ma’ndra almost said something, and caught herself. “Just… Look. I know that sometimes I have been a bitch- that I’ve been difficult to deal with. And I might have made fun of you, Rogar. But you all have become… important to me.†She paused and looked at Rogar again. “Just try to avoid dying.†Rogar smiled. “I try to avoid dying everywhere I go.†Once Lo’ma’ndra had confirmed the track, Rogar scouted ahead and saw the scene as Valdergast described it. There was a hill plateau and a worn patch of ground directly in front of a great cave entrance. Rogar saw large bones on the ground in piles. They could have been those of Men. Some of them were well-chewed, confirming at least that the monsters had teeth. Checking the mouth of the cave, Rogar found more bones, including skulls. From the almost pig-like faces and tusks, they were most likely Orcish. In the midst of the pile, something caught Rogar’s eye. He saw an amethyst set in a gold medallion. Picking it up, he saw that it was on a heavy iron chain. Deciding not to wear the thing until the wizard examined it, Rogar put it in his vest. Going back outside, Rogar looked for more treasure. However, there was only the bulk of Orcish spears, spiked clubs and similar gear, along with ripped and useless remains of armor. The weapons seemed to be of recent make, but were nothing the group really needed. Rogar returned to the others as soon as possible. “What did you find?†Lo’ma’ndra asked. “Not much, unless you count this,†Rogar said, producing the pendant. “An iron chain?†she said. “It’s rather ugly.†“Maybe it’s not intended as jewelry,†Rogar said. “It may be a magic device.†Taking his cue, Valdergast cast a detection spell on the thing. He nodded. “What is it?†Rogar asked. “Don’t know yet,†Valdergast said. “You found this in the cave?†â€With a bunch of Orc bodies.†Valdergast shook his head. “This may be something Skarill uses to track his men. I wouldn’t trust it.†“We’ll worry about it later,†Lo’ma’ndra said. “For now, let’s keep moving.†- And they walked. And they walked. The Grey Rangers went up the trail, and crossed into the mountain range, into the heights still covered with snow. The team paused to don their winter gear- except Tanaka, who seemed to be fine as he was. The five riders plowed on. It had been a full night and day when Rogar asked Lo’ma’ndra, “Does this map of yours have any marks to show us where the damn place is?†“According to the map, we should be in the valley by now! We may have passed it.†Valdergast hit his head. “Why didn’t I think of this before!†“Think of what?†Tanaka asked. Valdergast said, “The more civilized Giants are usually magical. And they usually specialize in illusions.†Rogar shook his head. “We could have been wandering for weeks and not seen it.†“It doesn’t help that we’re in the storm,†Lo’ma’ndra said. Valdergast said, “The storm is probably Skarill’s Frost Giant power. It’s not the right time of year for a blizzard to come up. I don’t think, anyway. But if he conjured it- that means he’s here.†“So if the valley is concealed by illusion, then you can detect the spell?†Lo’ma’ndra asked the wizard. “Of course,†Valdergast said. He cast an effect and gazed at the mountains in front of them. “Ah. There’s a mountain wall to the side of us that really isn’t there.†â€What’s behind it?†Rogar asked. “We need to find out.†With Mertwig as scout, Valdergast guided the team up the mountain side. As they led their horses, they came up a ridge and passed through the mountain face that the wizard had shown them to be unreal. And although the storm still blew above them, the adventurers looked beyond the illusion to see a marvelous scene of Nature. A small lake with pure blue water was below, surrounded by green and forested mountains. Directly before them and behind the lake was a great mountain peak, high and topped with ice and snow. The mountain itself seemed to be a habitation, with some balconies and windows carved out from its structure. And on either side of the peak, high walls were set in stone, with guard posts along the top, stretching out to the natural walls of the mountain range. The right wall led to an outer gate that faced a narrow mountain trail which led downward toward the lake. “We have now reached the point of no return,†Lo’ma’ndra said. “What now?†Trogdor asked. “We need to find a space for the horses; there’s no way we can take them up to the gate,†Lo’ma’ndra said. Tanaka looked nervous. “Does it seem like the walls are manned?†Rogar asked Valdergast. Valdergast nodded in communication with his familiar. “Not now.†Rogar said, “Let me see if that pendant actually does anything.†Rogar went down from the ridge through the forest, first looking to find a vale where they might be able to conceal the horses. He found a spot near enough to the lake to allow him to observe the valley while also keeping some cover. Making a mental note, he pressed on. Reaching the mountain trail, he walked up on foot a short distance. It was pretty clear that the trail was too small to be suitable for Giants. This was probably the entrance used by Orcs and other servants. After coming around the curve, he caught sight of the outer gate wall. It was a long hall that had no obvious entrance except a stone slab blocking the gate. However, Rogar quickly noticed that the slab was surrounded by an arch with various runes on it. He held the amethyst up. It shone briefly, and as it did, so did the runes, seeming to glow purple. Rogar put the thing back in his vest. He wasn’t sure how much he should chance before he got the others. Rogar came back. Valdergast said, “Mertwig caught sight of you near the gate wall.†“Yes. The pendant seems to be some kind of key for the gate. There’s a set of runes on the gate itself.†“Well, what did the runes say?†â€I don’t know, I don’t speak Rune.†Valdergast sighed. “I still don’t want to use the thing. It may let Skarill know we’re here if someone activates it.†Lo’ma’ndra asked Rogar, “What about finding a base?†“That I could do.†The group led their animals down the paths to the valley, into the woods where Rogar had found his site. Everyone dismounted. Tanaka said, “The horses will be all right here?†Lo’ma’ndra said, “Yes. We’ll have food set up for them. And they won’t need to leave if they’re well-trained. I assume yours is.†“Hm!†Valdergast said, “The main thing we need is to secure the spot so that the Giants can’t see it from across the lake.†Rogar said, “I do have a little experience in hiding items.†Lo’ma’ndra said, “Of course. And I think I can help. The Vines spell will enable me to create some barriers so that the camp can’t be seen from outside.†Using their mutual skills, Lo’ma’ndra and Rogar were able to find enough brush and cover to make sure that the site was well concealed from observation. Lo’ma’ndra picked out her things and looked at her cub. “You’ll have to stay here and help Mertwig keep watch. Sit, Ubu, sit. Good wolf.†â€Wuff!†Valdergast said, “If we’re not using the medallion, we need to secure one of those guard posts by climbing it.†Rogar looked out at the fortress and said, “Then let’s get ready.†JG [That was last week's session. Also, in this week (8/19) I *did* get Dustin back...] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Gillen Posted August 26, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 26, 2004 Re: Campaign: The Turakian Age 8/19/04 This was the climax of Lo’ma’ndra’s personal quest, and in the gaming group we actually got Dustin back- apparently Doug got the family to let him move back in. I’m still not sure what the dispute was anyway. In any case, next week Matt is letting us game at his place, which will give us more room to move around. I also think moving the game would be a good idea since I seem to be allergic to our new dog. At least until we give him a bath. On with the show: Session Twelve - Chapter One Once the group had secured the horses, they moved through the woods along the lake, toward the guard wall. Tanaka moved with a loping, bow-legged gait off his horse, and Lo’ma’ndra realized that he wouldn’t have had much experience in sneaking around. When they reached sight of the wall, the Grey Rangers looked to see that it had at least two Orcs patrolling the walkway. Valdergast said, “I guess they didn’t see us.†â€Perhaps they’re looking for a larger force,†Lo’ma’ndra said. “Or Giants,†Trogdor said. “Who can climb that wall?†Lo’ma’ndra asked. The mage and the Gorthundan stood silent. Rogar raised his hand. “I can climb,†Trogdor said. Lo’ma’ndra looked at Rogar. “You and Trogdor shall climb,†she said. “Then when the guards are dispatched, you can open the gate from inside.†Rogar and Trogdor moved up to the wall, and Rogar proceeded quickly upward. Trogdor followed. However, even with his strength, Trogdor’s armor weighted him down, and he began to slip. Rogar looked over his shoulder as the Drakine fell. Lo’ma’ndra immediately threw the Entangling Vines to create a thicket of growth under Trogdor to pad his fall. Valdergast successfully suppressed the urge to howl in laughter. Rogar looked down and motioned to Trogdor. Trogdor grunted and began another ascent. Rogar continued climbing rapidly and reached the top even as one of the Orcs heard Trogdor’s struggles and peered over the side- completely missing sight of Rogar. In that moment, Rogar drew his staff from its back sheath, ran up and smacked the guard over the skull. And then Rogar looked around to see three other Orcs manning the gate area nearby, reaching for shortbows. Realizing that Trogdor would be a target when he finished his climb, Rogar drew the guards’ attention by raising his middle fingers, then dodged their arrows as Trogdor finished getting up to the walkway. The Orcs dropped their bows and drew swords. Rogar advanced before they could close, knocking out a second foe with his quarterstaff. The other two met Trogdor halfway. Trogdor drew both swords and hit the Orc to his left. Trogdor’s right sword cut the other Orc deeply, and he staggered, finally pitching off the wall toward the other three adventurers. Rogar dropped down from the walkway to check the gate. The last Orc continued an attempt to attack Trogdor, making a sword strike that the Drakine didn’t even feel through his chainmail. Trogdor hacked at him again, and then struck thrice, finally dealing a fatal blow. By this point, Rogar had found the lever that opened the magical gate from within. Fortunately it remained simple enough for use by Orcs. In a few minutes, Lo’ma’ndra, Valdergast and Tanaka came up the trail. “Is everything all right?†Rogar asked. Valdergast replied, “Thanks for throwing that Orc over the wall. He had 13 Copper on him.†Trogdor joined them as Tanaka restrung his bow. Rogar began walking down the gate hall, and the group followed, down past the murder holes and other defenses now unmanned. The Grey Rangers walked into an entry chamber with a continued passage down and a side entrance leading to stairs down. Rogar asked, “Which way?†Valdergast facetiously asked Trogdor, “Trogdor, could you go down there and see what’s at the bottom of the stairs?†Trogdor: “No, that’s OK.†Tanaka said, “I thought that’s what thieves were for,†looking at Rogar. Trogdor then looked at Rogar and said, “Yes. Use your staff to tap the ground ahead. Then you can die and not me.†Rogar grinned. “I’m sure. Actually… I would be best suited to check ahead.†Lo’ma’ndra said, “All right. Trogdor, follow Rogar. I’ll back you up. Valdergast follows, and Tanaka can take rear and guard Valdergast.†So they went down the staircase in single file. They moved carefully with Rogar checking for wires and pressure points ahead. However, about a third of the way down, Trogdor reached a step, and it collapsed under him. He fell through instantly as the step snapped back in place again. Valdergast was the only one who understood what Trogdor yelled on the way down. Trogdor fell through a chute, managing to get to his feet as he was deposited to the lower level. He was in some empty room. From outside he could hear heavy activity, possibly men at work. And Trogdor heard a voice. It spoke to him in his own language. “Are you a Drakine?†“STOP that!†Trogdor yelled in surprise. Then he realized that he might have revealed himself. He looked around. The room opened out into a hallway. The hallway was illuminated by fire from a side chamber. Trogdor moved quietly to check this room. The chamber was a forge, about thirty feet wide and fifty feet down to an opposite entrance. Inside, eight mature-looking, well-muscled Orcs were busy at work, stoking large forges on the side wall and in the center, and hammering red-hot weapons and other implements. Not sure what was going on, Trogdor muttered, “Where are you?†The voice said, “I can’t tell where I am.†Trogdor looked around. None of the Orcs seemed to hear the other Drakine, but the voice was deep and powerful. Even over the noise of the Orcs, Trogdor felt that the voice was right next to him. “I think I’m under a forge…†On the stair, the group was shocked. “What happened?†Lo’ma’ndra asked. Valdergast shook his head. “He was a great comrade. I’m sure he’s in a better place.†â€He’s not dead!†the priestess yelled. “Why didn’t I find that pressure plate?†Rogar asked. Valdergast looked behind him. He asked, “Where’s Tanaka?†Carefully, the three walked back into the entry hall, Rogar marking Trogdor’s last step. In a minute, they saw Tanaka race in from outside, carrying a bloody Orc carcass on his shoulders. He said, “The trap only falls with enough weight on it. So I went back and got the Orc who fell.†â€That’s- rather disgusting,†Lo’ma’ndra said. “Why not just have two people stand on the step at the same time?†Rogar asked. Valdergast thought and said, “Maybe you can use the body to hold the step open while we fix a rope. Just in case we need to catch up.†Trogdor moved away from the forge. A couple seconds later he heard a loud thump. Up above, Rogar held the Orc body at the stairwell. He told Tanaka, “Get a spike and prop this thing open when I fall.†When preparations were made, Rogar had the Orc’s legs tied together with the rope and Valdergast and Lo’ma’ndra holding the other end. Rogar took the step. He began to fall with the corpse in his arms. He let go and said, “Now!†Relying on the bulk of the carcass to help Tanaka hold the pressure plate open, Rogar slid down a chute. Rogar thought that the chute was about thirty feet down, but before he realized it, he’d hit dirt. “Didn’t go as well as usual,†Rogar muttered. Then he realized that someone was walking toward him. One of the Orcs heard the the noise from behind Trogdor. Trogdor moved back to see that Rogar had fallen down the chute. The Drakine saw the Orc arm himself with a two-handed work hammer and approach Rogar’s position. Trogdor came in and cut the Orc down with a sword slash. Rogar got up to see an Orc enter the room, to be cut down a second later by Trogdor. “All right?†he asked. Trogdor said, “We’re in a forge. I think they heard you.†â€Great,†Rogar said. The two moved to the forge entrance to see seven other Orcs grab weapons. With Rogar’s staff and Trogdor’s two swords, the adventurers were barely able to stand side by side in the entrance as the Orcs attacked. Rogar struck one Orc across the torso, knocking him back. Trogdor slashed his foe once across the arm and once in the neck. Blood flowed out as the Orc died, swiftly enough to feel no pain. Tanaka, Lo’ma’ndra and Valdergast came down and Trogdor moved into the forge. Tanaka readied his bow as Rogar continued to attack, moving against another Orc and knocking him out. Trogdor moved forward, attacking another Orc workman, scoring two serious wounds. He heard the voice again. “I can feel you now- you’re in the room.†Lo’ma’ndra cast her Blessing, and one of the Orcs threw a hammer at Trogdor. It bounced off the warrior’s chest. Valdergast threw Magefire at another Orc. Tanaka fired an arrow into him, finishing him off. Rogar moved against the Orc who threw a hammer at Trogdor. His staff connected straight with the jaw, and the Orc dropped dead. Trogdor finished his foe with two more strikes as Lo’ma’ndra threw Entangling Vines on the last survivor. She stepped forward. “I can question him about Skarill,†she said. “There’s someone else here,†Trogdor said. “Who?†Valdergast asked. The Drakine paused. “Who ARE you?†he asked. “I am a powerful sword. I am being used as part of the forge.†Trogdor said, “It’s a sword under a forge.†“The Drakine is talking to himself,†Valdergast said. “No, wait,†Tanaka said. One of the large forges in the center of the room had a glowing object buried under its coals. Trogdor saw it too. It was pretty obviously a sword-shaped chunk of metal, although details were hard to make out. It actually seemed to be the source of the forge’s heat, not merely an object heated by the forge. “I’m taking it,†Trogdor said. “Wait!!†Valdergast and Lo’ma’ndra said in unison. “What?†Trogdor said. Valdergast said, “Isn’t it weird that you’re taking advice from a talking sword?†Lo’ma’ndra said, “No, it’s obviously a powerful item if it’s survived burial in a forge. But you’re going to pick that up red hot?†The sword told Trogdor, “I can promise you, when you pick me up, you will never fear the heat again.†“I can do it,†Trogdor said. He looked at the thing again. Valdergast spoke some words and held a talisman that burned up in his fingers, then touched Trogdor. “What was that?†the Drakine said. “A charm of Protection from Fire,†Valdergast said. “It should be good for a few hours.†Trogdor gripped the hilt of the blade and lifted it easily. The heat almost seemed to flow out and through him in a warm glow. And he noticed that he no longer felt the heat of the forge, although that may have been just the wizard’s spell. Trogdor looked at the sword, which now seemed to be cooled, although it still had a coppery-amber color, still seeming to radiate heat. It was a crude-looking thing by Man’s standards, a large chopping blade with several jagged edges along its length, although Trogdor had seen other Drakine weapons that were designed this way. It also had a few Drakine runes along the blade which Trogdor recognized as such even though he couldn’t read. However, Valdergast did recognize one of the runes as being the same one that wizards used in creating Protection from Fire. “What are you?†Trogdor thought. â€I was called the Red Sword by many,†it said. “I was created with the spirit of a great Drakine general, and I gave several heroes victory against our people’s foes. And we shall find victory again.†Meanwhile, Tanaka was getting his arrowhead out of the corpse while Valdergast checked the bodies for coin. Lo’ma’ndra came up to the Orc and used her powers to speak to him in his language. “How many Orcs does Skarill have here?†she asked. The workman said, “At least a hundred. There are usually more.†“Where are the others?†“Most of our forces are led by Giants. They’ve all gone out to help attack Vestria.†Lo’ma’ndra asked him, “Is Skarill here?†He nodded. â€Who else is with him?†He shrugged in his vines. “Why should I say more? You’re going to kill me anyway.†Valdergast told her, “Tell him it’s the difference between clean and quick or nice and slow.†“Yes,†Lo’ma’ndra said. “If it matters how you die.†The Orc paused. Lo’ma’ndra asked again, “Who else is with him?†“Where’s the treasure room?†Valdergast asked. The Orc said, “Gardvord is the chief’s main lieutenant. He is a Troll Enchanter. He has access to our soldiers’ treasury.†â€Is Gardvord here?†Lo’ma’ndra asked. â€Yes- he is the supervisor of the forge,†the Orc said. “Last question, where is Gardvord?†Lo’ma’ndra asked. “Past the entrances to the forge, on the upper level of the gatehouse next to the mountain wall, he has his rooms. The door is locked. We have never dared try to open it,†the Orc told her. Lo’ma’ndra stepped back. “All right then,†she said. She looked to Trogdor. Trogdor touched the Drakine sword to the vines, and the sword again became red-hot, smoldering the plant growth. Lo’ma’ndra touched Trogdor’s sword arm. “No!†she said. “He does not need to be… burned.†“Cut off the head then?†Trogdor asked. Lo’ma’ndra shrugged. “The usual.†- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Gillen Posted August 26, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 26, 2004 Re: Campaign: The Turakian Age Session Twelve - Chapter Two The group left the forge and went up the corridor that led further into the complex. Dodging random Orc patrols of the halls, they managed to reach the hall where the workman’s description indicated the Troll’s chamber. Its door was certainly large enough for a Troll, and looked to have a rather elaborate decoration, including its door knob, which seemed to be a protruding lever in a larger machine depicted on the metallic door. Rogar thought to check the door for traps, and realized that Gardvord had hooked a spring blade into the lever. He had to disconnect that and reconnect the lever before he could open the door. Rogar lit a torch and looked inside. The chamber was a rather elaborate room, and not merely because of the owner’s size. Gardvord had a Giant-size desk and large chair set up in the room, with various letters and books scattered over it. Rogar also noticed a crystal ball set up on the center of the desk. A shelf full of books was on the wall, and crude furnishings for clothes were set up next to a great bed that was largely a bale of hay packed into sewn blankets. Even that was more artistry than most greenskins displayed in their home design. “Come in, folks, we need to look around,†Rogar said. Valdergast eagerly took advantage of the opportunity, seizing the crystal ball first and finding a blanket to wrap it in. “I need to make sure Skarill isn’t using it to look at US,†he said. Rogar checked the bureaus of the desk and found a Man-sized belt and a metal flask with a rune on it. Meanwhile, Tanaka checked the bedding for treasure. “I found this,†he said, producing a thick leather bag. “What’s in it?†Trogdor asked. “Coins, many coins,†Tanaka said, putting the bag on the desk. “How many?†Lo’ma’ndra asked. The barbarian spilled some of the coinage out, producing at least a thousand silver pieces. It did not seem the bag could hold so much, and it certainly did not seem that heavy. Tanaka put his hand in to find the bottom. The others looked in wonder as he stuck his arm past the elbow into a bag that was only a foot wide and deep. “It’s all full of coins,†Tanaka smiled. “Obviously magical,†Valdergast said. “I guess now we know how Gardvord carries the treasury around.†Trogdor looked at the silver on the desk. He looked at Lo’ma’ndra and said, “Pay me now.†Lo’ma’ndra picked up two of the coins and handed them over. “There. That’s this week.†“Mmh.†“Can you detect on these other things?†Rogar asked. Valdergast checked not only the crystal ball but the bag, the belt and the potion flask. All radiated magic. “It’ll still take a while to figure out what the belt is. The potion, that’s trial and error. As for the bag, it seems to be about three feet cube in area, but it only looks like one.†“And it doesn’t weigh as much as it ought,†Tanaka said. “Well, then we can use it to carry the crystal ball and the other stuff,†the wizard said. “I also need to take Gardvord’s books and notes. Anything we can use to find out what the master plan is.†“How do we get into the mountain to find Skarill, though?†Lo’ma’ndra asked. “Most of this place isn’t Giant-sized. The Orc said this was next to the mountain wall.†“There’s always a chance that Gardvord has an escape passage,†Rogar said. Once the group had moved some of the books off the shelf for Valdergast to look at, Lo’ma’ndra and Rogar moved the shelf around. There was a slight discoloration in the stones in the middle of the wall, and it wasn’t shaped like the shelf. And it was tall enough for the Troll. “That’s the secret door?†Lo’ma’ndra asked. “That’s the heavy slab that the Troll uses for a door,†Rogar said. “Trogdor… you and Tanaka are gonna have to help me move this out of the way.†Once they did that, the five saw a dark passage extending out, apparently into nothingness. Rogar could see no torch sconces on the wall. He figured that the Troll didn’t need light to see in there. “I’m going to need a torch,†he said. “Some of us ARE Humans.†The Grey Rangers moved a long distance down the passageway, the corridor not seeming to turn. They were going straight into the mountain core. At length they reached another slab. Rogar looked it over and said, “I’m gonna need help again…†Trogdor and Rogar moved the slab out of the way. The five stepped out into further darkness, illuminated by strange phosphorescent patches of greenish moss. This illumination shone off reflective surfaces, and the adventurers realized that the stones themselves were covered in ice. They stood at a corner junction with corridors branching left and forward. Wordlessly, they decided to continue in the forward passage. In less than a minute, they saw something startling. It was a lantern beam, at a Man’s eye level. A man’s voice called out in Vestrian, “Who goes there?†The group did not respond. “I mean you no harm,†the man said. “We mean you harm, so go away,†Trogdor yelled. “Shush!†Lo’ma’ndra said. “I am sorry. As long as you are peaceful, no harm will come to you.†Even as she said this, Tanaka was taking aim to cover the stranger with his arrow. The stranger advanced as his lantern met with the group’s torches to light the scene. He was an odd sight. He had short, slightly ruffled hair and a short beard, blond going to grey, with pale skin and light blue eyes. He wore an iron collar and iron ring, with his clothing being heavy but serviceable furs over most of his body. Lo’ma’ndra asked, “What in the name of the Blue Gods are you doing here?†“I was captured fifteen years ago.†The man spoke with an unfamiliar, almost singsong accent. “Fifteen years ago,†the priestess said. “That is when Tarastis was captured.†“Tarastis.†The man’s eyes widened at the name. “What has happened to her?†“We captured her and managed to break the spell that was on her,†Lo’ma’ndra said. “She was imprisoned in magical armor and forced to do Skarill’s bidding.†The man nodded. “What happened to the armor?†Valdergast said, “We donated it to the Church.†â€The High Church has it? Skarill had been wondering what had happened to her. Amazing…†the man said. “What of you?†Tanaka asked. The stranger shook his head sadly. “I am Valin of Karelia. When our party attacked Skarill’s hold, only three of us survived. Tarastis, me and a Ranger named Thorn. And… Skarill told Tarastis that he would let us go if she would become his mate. She accepted this. But Skarill only kept his slightest word. Once he released us, he had his forces hunt us down again. Thorn was killed. I was sent to work for the Orcs in the forges.†He grimaced. “By the time Tarastis found out, she was already with child.†Valin continued. “So to get her revenge, Tarastis decided to cheat Skarill. A young human sorceress came to work with Skarill, for he sometimes works with others who are willing to take his silver. Tarastis approached the woman and asked her to take her daughter- Skarill’s baby daughter. And then Tarastis took weapons again and faced Skarill down. And he defeated her in battle, but by the time he realized what was going on, the sorceress had stolen off with his child. “And so, Skarill swore deep revenge on Tarastis. Since she would no longer serve as a wife, he decided to use her battle-skills. He worked with his hired Enchanter, Gardvord, and they made a great suit of winter armor to give her the power of ice and frost. Then he hired a Man with skill at Necromancy- Hrakorth the Scarlet Mage- and he built a special enchantment into the armor to link her soul into it. From that point on, she was no longer a woman, but a cold enforcer of Skarill’s power.†Lo’ma’ndra shook her head. Trogdor looked at Valin and said, “I’m hungry.†Lo’ma’ndra asked, “Why haven’t you tried to leave?†Valin shrugged. “After all this time? Where would I go? I am getting old; the people back home will probably think I am a coward. Or else a traitor for Skarill.†Valdergast used his detection spell on the stranger and asked, “What is the enchantment on the ring?†“It is how Skarill keeps track of me. That is also why I cannot leave.†Rogar asked, “You can’t take it off?†Valin said, “No, that is part of the magic. Someone else might be able- OW!†Valdergast moved around and waylaid the older man with his quarterstaff, whacking him about the head another time to make sure. Then he quickly put rags in his mouth and set to binding him. “What are you doing, Valdergast??†Lo’ma’ndra said. “He’s a spy!†Valdergast hissed. “This is how Skarill’s keeping track of us!†“That’s nonsense,†Lo’ma’ndra said. “Why would he lie about what he’d said?†Valin looked up at Valdergast. “MMERH!†“Hold on,†Rogar said. He reached over and took Valin’s ring off. “I take it that if Skarill is using the ring to track, then he’s going in the direction the ring is?†Valin nodded. Rogar flicked the ring down the corridor Valin had come from. “He should be safe now. IF you think we can trust him.†“Of course,†Lo’ma’ndra said. She looked down at Valin. “I apologize. We’re trying to storm a Giant’s fortress. It’s rather stressful.†“Mmhr,†Valin said. Lo’ma’ndra ungagged him. Then she pulled him up and untied the bonds. “Can you help us reach Skarill?†she asked Valin. Valin paused and said, “This is the part of the mountain where he lives. You see how big the passageways are. Go up the other passage, you will see that the center of the keep is made of pure ice. It is cold enough and packed so densely that it will never melt here. Skarill has a whole throne room made of the black ice. He may be there.†“Who else will be with him?†Rogar asked. “There is Gardvord, of course. Skarill has his Orc forces led by Giants and Ogres. Most of them are not here. He does not have them all based here in any case. They are probably attacking Colgrave. The other lieutenant commanding forces here is Skarill’s daughter. His first daughter, I mean.†Lo’ma’ndra looked at the man. She asked, “Would you be willing to help us kill him?†Valin looked back and finally nodded. “If you are willing to protect me, I will help you. I will lead you to his chamber.†“Rogar, please get that collar off him,†Lo’ma’ndra said. The rogue picked the catch and the bond of slavery fell off. “You will need protection,†Lo’ma’ndra told Valin. “Trogdor. You already have the Red Sword, so you will need to dispense with one of your blades. Give that one to Valin.†Trogdor grudgingly complied. “Are you ready?†Valin asked. They took the left passage, reaching a spiraling staircase that was carved of pure ice and therefore largely transparent. It would have been small by Giant standards, but greater than any such structure that the adventurers would have seen in a Human castle. The group climbed, with Rogar and Lo’ma’ndra following Valin’s lead, Trogdor and Valdergast moving more reluctantly. Tanaka again took the rear. As Valin had said, the ice became denser as they climbed, eventually seeming to be a form of stone in itself. Valdergast couldn’t help but feel uneasy in this atmosphere, although it wasn’t simply because of cold. Finally reaching the head of the staircase, the group looked into a great chamber, with a much larger entrance hall perpendicular to the side stair they were at. The chamber itself had to be over 120 feet long. A great white throne, inlaid with gems and ivory was set into a dais carved of black ice. Giant sized tables were set in the center, and at the farthest one by the throne, there stood a well-formed woman with white hair, pale bluish skin and fine chainmail- standing fifteen feet in height. Behind her stood a twelve-foot tall humanoid of gnarled appearance, with ram-like horns on his head. He wore golden scale mail and had large weapons and a great shield at his end of the table. The group knew that these had to be the two that Valin described. Rogar said, “All right, where’s Skarill?†Lo’ma’ndra said, “We need to attack now. As long as we dare wait, he may show himself to us.†Tanaka asked, “What direction would he be coming?†Valin said, “Where you least expect.†And “Valin†blinked, releasing the spell that shrank his body. He stretched his arms, and in one second grew to a full height of over sixteen feet tall. Skarill looked down on the Grey Rangers and sneered, “You naïve fools… I’ve led you to your doom!!†“What did I TELL you??†Valdergast yelled. Rogar reacted first. He jumped as high as he could, but realized it would be too much effort to make a called shot on the Storm Giant’s head. But before he hit the ground, he was able to make three attacks with his staff, punishing Skarill with hard shots to the torso and thighs. Tanaka drew an arrow and aimed at the Giant’s skull. Even with the size of the target, it was too high from the ground, and Tanaka missed. Trogdor used the Red Sword in his right hand and one of his other swords in the left. He struck Skarill with both, obviously wounding him. Yet the Giant did not fall. Skarill smiled grimly and backhanded Rogar, with the rogue barely able to roll with the attack. Rogar counted himself lucky that it wasn’t a harder strike. The group saw the female Giant advance with a great sword that she wielded in one hand. Gardvord the Troll had a tower shield that would have easily covered an entire Man in his left hand, with a gleaming battle axe in the right hand that would have required a two-handed grip for even Trogdor. He did not move as quickly as the woman, but he did not seem to be as eager to fight. And during all of this, the team heard a group of Orcs marching up the main corridor. Valdergast decided to head them off by throwing a Fireball into the corridor to take them all out. His casting seemed effective. It just didn’t seem to do any damage when the spell landed in the hall. A great cloud of fog came up, and at least a dozen Orcs came out of the great hall, carrying swords and dripping with steam. Between them and Skarill, they had the group pinned in the side corridor, with the only path to the central chamber being cut off by the Giantess, who moved to the side, yelling in Giantish, ordering the forces to surround the invaders. Lo’ma’ndra looked up at Skarill. She lashed out with the Staff of Thorns, spinning and hitting the Giant three times, finally swinging up to connect the staff with his groin. The chieftain hit the wall with a loud slam. Rogar yelled to Trogdor, “Take the Troll!†He then moved back to hit Skarill while the Giant was still reeling. He also hit with three staff attacks, pummeling Skarill fiercely. The leader finally slumped down, unconscious. Tanaka then took advantage of that opportunity to take another arrow and fire it point-blank into the chieftain’s head. Blood spurted from the lord’s cranium. Even then it was hard to say if the arrow killed him, but he was surely near death. The Giantess howled. Lo’ma’ndra made eye contact with her and moved forward. She got in the first blow, wounding the woman with her thorn staff. Before anyone else could move, the Troll spoke in a guttural tongue, and without warning a mountain of hard rock magically appeared around Valdergast, rendering him completely immobile- and unable to cast spells. Valdergast was rather annoyed at this. The Troll, Gardvord, advanced toward Trogdor, eyeing his blade. He muttered in Vestrian, “You have the Red Blade? Its heat served me best as a stoke for my magical forges. It will give you nothing but trouble- IF I let you live.†Trogdor gave the Troll a rude gesture with his claw. Gardvord advanced on him with his gigantic axe. Trogdor swung the Red Sword up, and barely blocked. The Giantess looked at the group with pure hatred. Lo’ma’ndra caught sight of her face: It was otherwise a quite beautiful face by the standards of Elf or Man, and she seemed to bear a little resemblance to Tarastis. Was this the daughter Skarill had by her? Or did Skarill take Tarastis because she reminded him of a now-dead wife? But then, how could Lo’ma’ndra trust anything he’d said? The Giantess swung her sword down, and she barely pushed the great sword out of the way with a sideways move of her staff, bringing the attacker’s momentum against her. Lo’ma’ndra quickly turned to Rogar and said, “Thanks for the training!†“Thank me if we live through this,†he replied. Rogar looked at Trogdor. “Trogdor! You can use that weapon to cut through his shield!†Trogdor nodded, and the Red Sword glowed again like it did when he pulled it from the forge. Trogdor sliced directly AT the Troll’s tower shield, meeting almost no resistance. The top half of the shield was shorn off in a second, with a useless hunk left in Gardvord’s hand. The Troll’s face hardened. Trogdor grinned. Tanaka fired at an Orc, wounding him, while Rogar flipped back towards Tanaka and Valdergast to take a defensive position. The Orcs continued to attack any target in reach, actually cutting Trogdor’s arm. Lo’ma’ndra was attacked by another, and she blocked with her staff. Gardvord dropped the shield and attacked again with a two-handed grip on the axe, and Trogdor blocked with his left sword. Rogar used his staff to pummel Valdergast’s earthen prison, crushing in some of the rock around him. “I felt that…†the wizard said. “I’ll try to be a bit more delicate with the rock next time,†Rogar replied. Rogar made another swift strike with the quarterstaff, this time breaking open the earth trap completely. Valdergast emerged, a bit shaken up. In the back, Tanaka wasn’t confident enough in his hand-to-hand skill to draw his sword. Trusting in his bow, he fired at another Orc, hitting and staggering the foe. Rogar, realizing that Trogdor would soon be flanked by Orcs even as Gardvord attacked, flipped around the group and leaped into the chamber. He waved at the Orcs, successfully distracting three, who tried and failed to hit the frantically dodging rogue. Gardvord decided to switch tactics, sweeping his axe blade against Valdergast to his left and Trogdor to the right. Before he could react, Valdergast was struck unconscious, his Wizard’s Shield the only thing that kept Gardvord from shedding his blood and his life. However, Trogdor caught the follow-through of the axe with the Red Sword. He moved again with his left sword to parry an Orc attacking his flank. Lo’ma’ndra gritted her teeth and made a frantic attack against the Giantess, wielding the Staff of Thorns to connect once, twice and three times, drawing the woman’s blood and almost causing her to fall. An Orc hit Lo’ma’ndra with his sword, but it bounced off her protective aura. When Rogar got a chance to respond to his attackers, he twirled his staff around to connect against all three of them, dropping them instantly. Tanaka took advantage of his speed to grab Valdergast before Gardvord could get past Trogdor. But instead of attacking, the Troll looked Trogdor in the eye and smiled. “Another time,†he said. And then Gardvord spoke a magic word and sank into the ice. Trogdor saw him descend, too quickly for him to dig through the ice layer even with his fiery sword. Trogdor saw two of the Orcs try to flank him, and attacked both, causing one to fall. However, the second foe wasn’t even cut. The Giantess saw Tanaka drag the wizard’s body behind Skarill’s bulky form. She continued attempting to hit Lo’ma’ndra with her great sword, and Lo’ma’ndra blocked again. Three more Orcs pressed an attack on Rogar, and he used his acrobatic skill to bounce and weave between them, evading their swings. Lo’ma’ndra parried another Orc attack. Meanwhile, once Tanaka had made sure Valdergast was safe, he made a “bull’s rush†attack into the Orc attacking Lo’ma’ndra, slamming that foe into another Orc and knocking them both prone. Another Orc came to help the one still attacking Trogdor. Trogdor made a great slash with the Red Sword cutting one Orc’s head clean off and knocking the second Orc back. The Giantess changed tactics, deciding to kick Lo’ma’ndra into the wall. Lo’ma’ndra knew she couldn’t block the huge foot, so she jumped directly up and back, using her staff to balance. Tanaka finally drew his sword against the Orcs nearby, wounding one. Rogar paused and made a counterattack on the Orcs against him. He grabbed his staff in his hands, but in the cold and fog, it seemed to slip in his grasp. Rogar’s first attack knocked an Orc back, and when Rogar swung up to follow through against another foe, the staff twisted and flew out of his hands. Before he could realize it, the staff went straight up and pierced the ceiling like a spear. And then Rogar realized that the center chamber was made entirely of ice. And that Valdergast’s spell, however ineffectual, had served to melt part of the corridor leading in, at the point where it opened in to support the chamber. There was a mysterious rumbling above. Lo’ma’ndra immediately recognized it for what it was. She called out, “Trogdor! Run back in here!†Neither Trogdor nor the Giantess or Orcs seemed to have noticed where the sound was coming from or what it meant. Rogar’s eyes widened in fright, and he immediately ran toward Trogdor, grabbing him by the back to push him out of the chamber and back into the entrance corridor with the rest of the party. “What’s going on?†Trogdor asked, As the center of the mountain shuddered, the ceiling of ice caved in, along with a large part of the weight it had supported, coming down straight on the young Giantess and the Orcs in the chamber with her. It took only a few seconds, and there was silence. For a moment. The Orcs still conscious tried clawing out of the slush, but with another great shudder, the weight that had come down cracked the floor of the central chamber, and the ice shelf collapsed, shearing away from the stairway hall where the Grey Rangers stood. The buried monsters sank even as more ice and rocks came down from above, afternoon sunlight straining through the hollowed-out peak of the great mountain keep. The adventurers looked out from the hall, at what had to be the largest pile of crushed ice they had ever seen. The Orcs were certainly dead. The Giantess might have survived the pressure and cold, but she was still buried. No one moved. Trogdor looked to Rogar and said, “Thank you for being such an idiot.†JG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HewhoisMatt Posted August 30, 2004 Report Share Posted August 30, 2004 Re: Campaign: The Turakian Age Ya'll gotta wait till next time we play to get another fix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nolgroth Posted August 30, 2004 Report Share Posted August 30, 2004 Re: Campaign: The Turakian Age Ya'll gotta wait till next time we play to get another fix. So. get to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.