Session 20: The March of Ambitus grows to great hunger

in which the Kingdom's name is known and many new colonists flock to its safe borders

Year 4711 A.R.

The March of Ambitus; Gozran (April) 4711 A.R.

 

Calistril (February) 4711 A.R.

Kingdom Situation
The March of Ambitus receives two diplomatic letters. One from Pitax, the other from Gralton...
      Pitax: The leader of Pitax, Castruccio Irovetti, commends you for starting a new kingdom in the uncivilized Kamelands and wishes you the best. He also mentions that at the moment he does not consider it appropriate to send any diplomat to the March of Ambitus, but he wishes both nations will be able to cooperate and create good relations to foster civilization and trade in the area.
      Gralton: The Council of Gralton and the Governor, Lord Marnius Cherlorne, salutes the March of Ambitus and wishes you good luck in your taming of the wild Kameland and Narlmarches. They also say that they have heard rumours that you have made contact with the notorious troublemaker Achille Parsall. The man is considered to be a criminal in Gralton and has caused much destruction of property and wealth to their noble people. They request you reconsider your association with such an individual, as it would be not in the interest of an amiable relationship.

Players' Actions

Cardot: +1 bonus to Stability.
Gam'el'gar: +1 bonus to Stability
Am: explores forest hex two hexes to the west of Olegton... He finds out that the area is full of traps left unmarked by whoever left them (this is unusual, as trappers mark their traps so that people know who left them and also so that humanoids do not fall prey to them... Am decides to try to clean up the area from these nasty traps... I made him do 4 Perception checks... As they all had results of 11+ (minimal roll was 8; he has a +6 to Perception), he manages to get rid of the traps without any problem. At Olegton, Am studies the trap and finds again that some of them bear the "BO" mark, and probably are also from Breeg Orlivanch.
Kii: starts setting up a spy network... He spends 0,5BP in the process... that's all you need to know for now (he'll inform you on anything he thinks pertinent)... Treasury at 13,50BP.

Kingdom Development
Olegtown gets its first stables and vineyards are established in the Thorn River Ford.

Kingdom Event
A noble delegation approaches Olegtown in a carriage... Eliscia Greyford, a noble from Brevoy in her early 20s. She is a beautiful brunette with long hair and soft skin; she wears noble clothing, although she seems fit and quite capable of defending herself... Eliscia is accompanied by her father, the old Sir Embald of Greyford, 4 men-at-arms, a young halfling girl cook called Emilia, and a young human groom called Senna...
 

She explains you that she lost her mother shortly after her birth and that her father has been stricken by a strange illness some years ago, which most of the time makes him fall into a comatose state. Having no other siblings, she has been in charge of the Greyford household for some years already. Everything seemed fine, except that 4 months ago, her taxes to her liege were intercepted by some bandits, two months in a row. She always thought it was the scheming of a neighbouring noble, but she could not prove it. Losing two tax shipments in a row was a big blow to her finances, so she was forced to sell her land and estate and try to find greener pastures... She had heard of the March of Ambitus and was asking herself whether the Kingdom's court has need of a lady-in-waiting. 

Kii welcomed Eliscia Greyford, showed her the March's compression and emotional support. He also explained her that being a very simple nation, they had no court and noble families, and all the other stuff of the big old nations as Brevoy, but explained also that a fast growing nation needed good people enterprising and competent, and politely asked for her competencies ....

Eliscia Greyford explains that she comes from Highdelve, in the Issian side. Her family used to control mines in the Golushkin Mountains. These mines had long been coveted by other noblemen in Highdelve. One of them is a nephew of the actual main ruler of the area, a man called Darstin Garess, and she thinks he was the one responsible for robbing the taxes, because he had offered many times to buy the mines, offering ridiculously low amounts of money, but she cannot prove it. After losing the taxes, and also because of her father's sickness, she ran into financial problems and had to sell the mines to be able to survive. Eliscia felt a bit let down when politely asked about her competencies (Kii is not the best diplomat, and made his point quite bluntly), but answered that she had a good mind for numbers and she wass adept at making contacts and at conversation and knew many of the gossip of Brevoy. She was quite desperate because she needed to take care of her father and her money was running out... Kii took some time to answer and asked other leaders... Jonah had of course heard about House Garess, but not about the Greyfords, as they seemed to be a small noble family... Kesten Garess could also speak about his cousin Darstin Garess... He told he considered his cousin to be a greedy schemer and a backstabber... when pressed by Kii, he told that he had an affair with a lowborn woman named Tania, the daughter of a weaver. Darstin found out, made it public and informed his father. The father then disowned Kesten, and as a result he had to start working as a mercenary to pay for his and her maintenance... Tania died at childbirth and the son was stillborn; in his grief, Kesten decided to leave Highdelve and search for greener pastures. He thought Eliscia would be a great addition to the kingdom. Actually, while Eliscia was in Olegtown, they have seen walking together through town; it seemed they were becoming good friends. 

Pharast (March) 4711 A.R.

Kingdom Situation
Nothing out of the ordinary. After your conversation with Eliscia Greyford, you decide to hire her as an administrative expert for the mines of your Kingdoms... economical progress there seems fine.

Players' Actions

Cardot: visits the old Stag Lord fort and rolls a 13 in his Diplomacy check (total of 25). "Captain" Weasley is pleased by the visit, so the Kingdom will get a possible +3 Loyalty bonus for the next 3 months (80% change per month of applying).

Am: trains his archery skills. I rolled a 9 for him, so he does not make any special progress. He also visits Tyg-Titter-Tut and has a chat with her and Perlivash. They become quite excited when they see him and tell him that, while playing near the northwest border of the Narlmarches, a section of ground collapsed and they found a small hole with strange stones... on top of one of the stones was a quiver crackling with electricity... At the beginning they were afraid, but their curiosity overcame their fear and they decided to grab the quiver, as it could obviously be useful for one of their friends!... They don't know how it works, but the quiver looks magnificent.

Gam'el'gar and Kii: make contact with the main members of the Druid Council:

After days tracking their passage, Gam'el'Gar brought the group to the hot pools in the northwestern Narlmarches, where five obviously powerful people were discussing and conducting a ritual... an elf male, two male humans, a human female and a gnome female. 

The elf introduced himself as Aklamor and, after scolding them for bringing trouble to the forest and having taken so long to make contact with them, invited the characters to make their case.

Kii presents the case of the March of Ambitus, and says that change is a natural thing, and it can present problems, but also improve conditions... (at this, the female gnome in the Council smiles).

Tira, a female gnome somewhat affected by the Bleaching, and looking very pale, almost like a fey, dressed in the extravagant colours favoured by gnomes, including bright orange hair... She says that Nature is everchanging and that the PCs' kingdom is just a new event to which Nature will adapt.

Ilean, a feral and outspoken human male. He is dressed in rags, has a full beard and is constantly talking about the hunter-prey duality in Nature... In order not to become the prey, Nature should make war on the PCs' kingdom before they become too powerful.

Kii then said that the leaders of the March of Ambitus (specially Kii himself and Gam'el'Gar) are compromised with Nature's respect. Such a kingdom would be a more respectful ally than other possibilities that could come if the Druids help destroy the March of Ambitus.

Megalon, another human male, this time dressing as a wizard. He suspects the PCs won't be able to control the people of their Kingdom, so that they won't respect Nature's 

laws, and therefore are dangerous.

Salissa, a human female dressed with a mantle made of flowers and fruits, who thinks Nature should nurture everybody, including the "civilized" races, so long as they don't harm nature. From the beginning seems to be in favour of the PCs.

Kii finally offers to prevent destruction of the forest to the best of their possibilities, and even to create some sanctuaries in those areas of the forest that the Druids consider most sacred.

Aklamor, an elf male dressed as a ranger that seems to be the leader. He rarely speaks and scrutinizes intently anyone who approaches and talks to him. The conversation ends with Aklamor accepting a sort of alliance with the March of Ambitus, as long as there is no more wanton destruction of creatures (like the slaying of the Tatzlwyrms, he points out)... He mentions that as long as the PCs' kingdom does not provoke Nature, the Druids will try to help them.

After the conversation, the characters were invited to stay in the clearing and relax surrounded by such pristine nature. Kii had a long conversation with Tira during which he learned:

- That Breeg Orlivanch was a nasty trapper but was killed by some feys.

- That the land spirits in the Stolen Lands are very strong because the veil between Golarion and the First World is thin here. Tira thus corroborates the Wanderseekers' stories.

- That people with sufficient motivation may commune with the spirits and gain a special link with the land... Kii questions Tira about the Erastil statue in the forest, and she mentions it could be an important part in such a ritual. She also mentions that the spirit of the Narlmarches (the forest in the Stolen Lands) is the Great White Stag...

Kingdom Development
The area surrounding the old Stag Lord's fort is claimed and preparations are taken to clean the area of debris and start building what will probably become the capital of the March of Ambitus.

The Witch Hut is finished and becomes inhabited by Margarita, a Varissian coming from Whistledown.

Kingdom Event

Food Shortage.

The rush of many new colonists is taking a toll in the food the March had stored.

Consumption is doubled, adding an extra 12BPs Consumption as the March needs to buy food for your people!

A Stability roll reduced this consumption by 4, some relief also arrived from Mivon (reducing this extra consumption by 1) and from Rostland (reducing the extra consumption by 2)... The lack of any granary also found the March of Ambitus unprepared.

Olegton - Gozran 4711 A.R.

XP:
Characters are at 4th level.

Personal Loot

none

Kingdom Treasury
- 15,75BPs

Time Passed :
- 2 months.
The time now is early Gozran (April). The group is at Olegton

Session 19: A Kingdom's Harrowing

in which the Kingdom's past, present and future is harrowed by Madame Olga, a Varisian leader

Year 4711 A.R.

Abadius (January) 4711 A.R.

Kingdom Situation
- Svetlana keeps receiving complaints from the kobolds, but things in the Narlmarches appear to be quiet, as there are no more complaints of pranks on the trappers and lumberjacks working in the forest.
- A diplomat from Mivon and his entourage arrive in the area. They meet Jonah and Kii and exchange gifts. They rent a beautiful house in the center of Olegton to act as Mivon's embassy... Lord Chesswick is a strong looking warrior type, always carries a scimitar and has a love for fancy hats and boiled eggs.
- Rumors from more boggard attacks in the Hooktongue Slough swamp to the west. As a result, there's an influx of traders that decide to try to approach the River Kingdoms through the Kamelands instead of using the old swamp road...


Players' Actions
Gam'el'Gar explores a hex to the east of the Spider's Lair... He finds some strangely beautiful women bathing in a pool near a small stream that flows towards the Shrike River... They have elvish features but looked weird... They beckoned Gam'el'Gar and his group of rookie rangers to approach, but they decided to give the women a wide berth and left the area...
Am explores a hex containing the Shrike Cascade. The river Shrike plummets 15 meters over a cliff in that area, rendering the Shrike unnavigable to river traffic—although the vista of the waterfall itself is quite breathtaking. Some gnome engineers accompany Am in following trips and start investigating the area and taking measurements to help Kii decide on how to build a lock to overcome the waterfall.

Cardot travels the kingdom, talking with its people and hearing their complaints: noisy neighbors, high taxes, kobold troubles... the usual stuff... Cardot tries to assure all those he meets that the group takes its responsibility as rulers of the kingdom seriously and will defend civilization and peace in the land. (possible bonus of +2 to Loyalty and +1 to Economy for the next 3 months).

Kii contacts Liberthane to propose to start building trade stations along the Shrike River.

Kingdom Development
A new farm and roads are built in the hex to the south of Bokken's Hut... The town starts building accommodations to be used by magic users (5BP spent towards constructing a Witch's Hut)... maybe the town is able to attract some of the famous Numerian Techno-Sorceresses?

The New Kingdom - Calistril (February) 4711 A.R.

Kingdom Event
During the month, a Varisian caravan arrives near town. The characters pay the Varisians a visit to welcome them and at the same time inquire on the length of their stay. The Varisians are nomads from western Golarion; they bring with them many exotic objects and benefit commerce, but at the expense of an increase in petty criminality... The characters give Kesten Garess some extra mercenaries to help him maintain order while the caravan is in town.
Madame Olga, the leader of the caravan, thanks the welcome given to them by the people of Olegton and assures the characters that the Varisians will stay only a couple weeks, as they don't want to overstay the hospitality of the town. 

Madame Olga also turns out to be a Harrow cards reader. Tradition requires that the ones seeking a Harrowing ask themselves for one, so the characters ask her to make a reading for their kingdom. Madame Olga tells them that a Harrowing can give them a glimpse of their future, but that such a glimpse can be positive, allowing one to avert danger or find great business opportunities, or negative, influencing the person's vision of the future and his reactions to it... The characters decide to risk the Harrowing, and Madame Olga starts:


Madame Olga's Harrowing
Madame Olga tells the characters that the Harrowing will accompany them for the next year, at which time they will be able to request another Harrowing. She then pulls a card for each character:
Gam'el'Gar pulled the Forge, and Madame Olga tells him that he will survive a future trial by fire, but that he will also be beaten with great force...
Gam'el'Gar may completely negate any damage taken from one source of fire in the next year.
On the other hand, each time he receives a critical hit caused by a blunt weapon, Gam'el'Gar must pass a DC15 Fortitude check or suffer an extra increment in the critical. This will last until he suffers the effect at least once...
Am pulls the Cricket, and Madame Olga tells him that one of his musical friend has found a treasure that could be very interesting to him... Be quick to visit the friend or the item could be lost. 
Who could be Am's musical friend? 
Cardot pulls the Betrayal card, and Madame Olga tells him that he will suffer great devastation from a person whose loveliness hides an evil heart...From now on, Cardot gains a -4 penalty to all Diplomacy checks with beautiful members of the opposite sex until he discovers who will be the cause of this minor doom

Kii pulls the Vision, and Madame Olga tells him that, after meeting a strange individual, he will obtain arcane knowledge, but at the cost of a small insanity...

After meeting a strange individual, Kii may decide to gain an extra 2nd level spell he can use (also as a daily bonus spell) but he will also suffer a small insanity from that point onward...

Madame Olga then proceeds to build a Harrowing for the New Kingdom. She deals the cards face down forming a spread, then starts turning one column at a time, explaining that the left column represented the past, the middle column the present, and the right column the future.

Madame Olga's Harrow reading

The Past
In the left column, Madame Olga discovered the Foreign Trader (top), the Dance (middle) and the Juggler (bottom)... She immediately pointed her crooked finger to the Juggler card. It was an opposing match, she said, a card associated with good future events and nevertheless appeared in the space associated with evil past events, and thus its potency would be strong... The Dance was situated just on top, influenced by the presence of the Juggler... Madame Olga's eyes went suddenly blank and she croaked: 
"(pointing to the Foreign Trader) You made a pact with foreign powers that helped start your Kingdom with good auguries; (pointing to the Dancer, then to the Juggler) The Dancer sinned most grievously and the Juggler let her home fall from its delicate position in the multiverse; she seeks redemption, but she only may cause loss ..."

You saw a glimpse of a beautiful Elven Lady Ghost, dancing in a ruined keep of elven design... her dance was enthralling and you could not help but stare at her with lust... you felt a dangerous presence at your back, but were unable to turn to confront it, as you were busy contemplating the Elven Ghost... your vision then went black...

When you go back to Olegton, Oleg tells you that he has found a mistake in the accounts... you actually have 2BPs more than accounted for, as some materials sent with the original shipment from Restov were of higher quality than expected.
You will suffer a -2 penalty to your rolls when you encounter the "Dance and Juggler" encounter... You'll not have the penalty if you pass a DC18 Will save at that time.

The Present
In the central column, Madame Olga discovers the Fiend (top), the Crows (center) and the Trumpet (bottom). She explains all cards represent aggressive characters, bent on solving their problems through violence, but as none of the cards were a True or Opposite Match, their influence at this moment is diminished... Madame Olga's eyes go suddenly blank and she croaks:
"(pointing to the Fiend) you may find an unlikely ally, a fearsome creature with prodigious hunger; (pointing to the Crows, then to the Trumpet) The Crows are answering with great speed the call sounded by the Trumpet"
You fall to your knees and see a group of Trolls devouring some travelers. They have answered the call of a bulky Troll and go to him. Together, they look intently through some forest trees... Olegton can be seen in the distance, but blocking their way is a big humanoid shape, holding a club and eating prodigious amounts of food that the villagers have brought him...
As he is misaligned, the Trumpet will call less allies than he expected. The Fiend will never be a reliable ally.


The Future
In the right column, Madame Olga will discover the Snakebite (top), the Beating (center) and the Midwife (bottom). She will explain that all cards are misaligned, and furthermore they do not share a common theme, thus they will be even more difficult to interpret than what could be expected of knowing the future... Madame Olga will sleep and her dream will connect with yours...
 "(pointing to the Snakebite) You will learn much from this poisoned blade, that which does not kill you makes you stronger; (pointing to the Beating) Your Kingdom will soon be assailed by an underground danger; protect it as well as you can or it will fall to the ground; (pointing to the Midwife) beware the Halfling, as she is the bringer of pain and woe"

You will dream that you cannot stand on your feet, you try to stand up, but each time a sudden vibration forces you to go prone again...

You kingdom will suffer a great loss, at which time your characters may decide to gain some teaching from that terrible experience... the rest of the future is unclear

XP:
Characters are at 4th level.

Personal Loot

none

Kingdom Treasury
- 14,25BPs

Time Passed :
- 6 months.
The time now is early Calistril (February). The group is at Olegton

Session 18: First Months of a new Kingdom

in which the characters start taking care of their Kingdom

The first six months of a fledling kingdom
Many things have happened during the first months of the Kingdom...

The New Kingdom - Abadius (January) 4711 A.R.

Erastus (July) 4710 A.R.

Kingdom
- some lumberjacks complain to Am about strange men and women destroying their lumber camps and evicting people from the forest.
- Svetlana and Am receive complaints from citizens about the Sootscale kobolds, who say they are up to no good and should not be allowed so close to the Kingdom.
- There are rumors of people disappearing in the South Rostland Road surface… most people think bandits or kobolds are the culprits, but the fact is that the attackers leave no clue at all.
-  There are rumors that the Narlmarches are haunted, and hexes of the Kingdom neighboring the forest suffer small mishaps… milk goes sour, farm animals escape their pens, people walking in the forests see strange lights,...

Gam'el'Gar keeps contacting the Brevic rangers but with no positive result.

Am starts patrolling the South Rostland Road but finds no clues or tracks about the disappearance.

Cardot convinces Bokken to be the Magister of the Kingdom.

Kii investigates the nasty jokes in the Narlmarches. Perlivash and Tyg-Titter-Tut tell him they are not culprits but will help.

Arodus (August) 4710 A.R.

Kingdom
Good weather and no new rumors.

Gam'el'Gar and Am patrol the South Rostland Road but find no clues or tracks about the disappearance. They visit the caves where they met some strange hunchbacked men during their first exploration of the Stolen Lands but find the caves deserted.

Cardot investigates further the nasty jokes in the Narlmarches but finds nothing.

Kii visits the Sootscale kobolds and tries to reduce confrontation with kingdom citizens. He decides there is need to hire an specialist to help develop the mines.

Rova (September) 4710 A.R.

Kingdom
No more disappearances are reported in the South Rostland Road, but near the Narlmarches people still report nasty jokes and some lumberjacks lose their camps when strange men and women evict them from the forest. 
Gam'el'Gar and Am explore the hex to the east of the caves of the strange hunchbacked men.

Cardot finds that the people behind the nasty jokes are some druids that live in the heart of the Narlmarches.

Kii finds an expert miner, Ragnar Strongarm, and old acquaintance of Jonah that wishes to move to the PCs kingdom and help them develop the mines... even helping the kobolds!

Lamashan (October) 4710 A.R.

Kingdom
Party Time! Celebration of the Founding. Citizens start collecting money to build a statue to the Founders of the Kingdom... Lily Teskertin flirts with Cardot. She has heard rumors of an old elven ruin in the southern Narlmarches and would love to own an example of fine elven crafting... She would be so in debt with the gentleman that finds one such item for her!
Gam'el'Gar continues his efforts to bring Brevic rangers to the kingdom... this time he receives an answer and gets to know who to contact... his efforts start to bear fruits!

Am patrols the road. His presence soothes the travelers, but he still cannot find clear tracks of any kidnapping.

Cardot researches information on ancient elven ruins in the Narlmarches... He spends a lot of time with Lily Teskertin, long walks and fine talks, nothing more for the moment.

Kii starts writing letters to other River Kingdoms with the help of Jonah.

Neth (November) 4710 A.R.

Kingdom
Things are quiet in the Kingdom, but that is going to change! Just as some of the more respectable citizens of the new kingdom unveil a Statue of the Founders near the center of town, shrewd entrepreneurs build a Brothel in the outskirts of Olegton... the Founders do not seem worried with the added rowdiness, as the extra revenue allows them to keep the guards patrolling the town well paid.
Gam'el'Gar receives message from the Brevic rangers telling him that they will send some recruits to be trained, as at the moment they lack the manpower to do it themselves.

Am keeps patrolling the road but without finding any clue of the elusive kidnappers...

Cardot keeps researching information on ancient elven ruins in the Narlmarches and meeting Lily Teskertin.

Kii receives answers from Mivon. Mivon's rulers ask for permission to send some diplomats; Kii researches Mivon's history using the available books... (from now on, Kii receives a +2 on all Knowledge checks related to Mivon).

Kuthona (December) 4710 A.R.

Kingdom

Parts of Olegton have been overrun with slums built by a sudden rush of colonists! Petty crime is on the rise and the filth threatens to choke the point where the South Rostland Road enters Olegton.
Gam'el'Gar and Am patrol the road, this time with the help of the young ranger recruits that have arrived from Brevoy. With so many people patrolling the road, it is no wonder that things remain quiet with no new disappearance reports.

Cardot finds information on the old ancient elven kingdom of Telvurin in the Narlmarches. If there are any ruins left, they will for sure be near the source of the Murque River... There are successor territories of the Telvurin kingdom in the River Kingdoms: Sevenarches, Cordelon and Kyonin could provide more information on any Telvurin ruins, but gaining this information could cause trouble...

Kii contacts the Wanderseekers...They tell him that the veil separating the First World from Golarion is very thin in the Stolen Lands and that they are convinced that studying the area could help them understand the Gnomic illness known as the Bleaching. They also start discussing the Spirits of the Stolen Lands, legendary spirit animals that epitomize the qualities of each region; communing with them could provide immense advantages... They accept Kii's offer to build an outpost in the old Spider's Lair, some miles to the southeast of Olegton. Kii promises also to help with the costs of their expeditions, as he is interested on their findings, specially anything related to the Bleaching.

Olegton - Abadius (January) 4711 A.R.

XP:
Characters are at 4th level.

Personal Loot

none

Kingdom Treasury
- 13,75BPs


Time Passed :
- 6 months.
The time now is early Abadius (January). The group is at Olegton

Session 17: the Founding of a Kingdom

in which the characters meet their Rostland benefactors and start setting the first stones of their demesne

Trial at Oleg's
Before travelling with Lorin Kaven to Restov, the characters decided to publicly try Falgrim Sneeg and Dovan from Nisroch. They wanted to show everybody that the rule of law would be upheld in their kingdom, so they decided to have a jury of five sensible persons. Cardot would act as judge and Kii as prosecutor. They elected Oleg, Svetlana, Jonah Renton and two other persons (a trapper and a merchant that, according to Svetlana, were just persons) to act as jury, and then the trial started.


After some discussions and deliberations, Cardot sentenced Falgrim Sneeg to 200 days of hard labour in the Temple of the Elk (helping Jhod Kavken) to pay the fine that would be given to the family of the nephew of Kesten Garess, who had died when Falgrim left his group in the middle of the wilderness after falsely posing as a guide. Many people in the Trading Post voiced their displeasure, specially Kesten Garess, but Cardot thought the sentence to be just.


Dovan's trial was easier, as there were many witnesses who testified to his many crimes, and Cardot sentenced him to be hanged until dead, which was received with much joy from the public.


The following day Dovan was hanged (trappers and merchants gathered to throw him rotten vegetables) and Falgrim was sent with a group of mercenaries to the Temple of the Elk, while the characters made their preparations to accompany Lorin Kaven to Restov.


Reception at Restov
The journey to Restov was an uneventful 4 day trek following the South Rostland Road. During the trip the characters visited Fort Serenko, the last Brevic outpost in its southern frontier and home to a detachment of soldiers who patrolled the area to defend travelers and merchants from monster and bandit attacks, and Nivakta's Crossing, where they heard that a group of adventurers had defeated the fearsome centaur tribes from the Dunsward, further pacifying the southern frontier.


Restov's main features were the town hall with its beautiful gardens, a big temple to Erastil and the Academy of Fencing, the home of the famous Aldori Fencing style. Lorin Kaven took them directly to the Academy instead of to the town hall... In one of the teaching halls, the characters met Tamarie Echoes and three other groups who were presented to them in order:

• Maegar Varn, an obvious fighter type, and Caspar Morgarion, a cleric of Erastil, who the characters recognised as part of the adventurer group named The Mighty Lions, famous for having defeated the Dunsward centaur tribes. The Mighty Lions would receive the charter to colonize the Nomen Heights area.
• Baron Hannis Drelev, an adventurer type. The characters had heard that Baron Drelev had bought his noble title and good fortunes with the loot obtained with his adventuring band, the Steel Breakers. The rest of the group had retired, but Drelev seeked more adventure and was going to receive the charter to colonize the Slough area.
• A group of four adventurers called the Light Pikes of Righteousness. The leader was a Paladin of Erastil, Glober Dern; then, the Cavalier, Sir Vincent Spearing; the third member was a half-orcish woman, the Inquisitor of Erastil Zeljka; the fourth member was the Dwarf Fighter Morgrym Goblin-Slayer. The characters had heard that this was a band of zealot Erastil followers and the conversation with them was awkward and not friendly. They were going to receive the charter to colonize the Glenebon Uplands, the area closest to the kingdoms of Numeria and Pitax, traditional enemies of Brevoy.
• Tamarie herself was dressed as an Aldoran Swordmaster, although the characters had not heard of her before Lorin Kaven appeared at the outpost.

After the presentations, Tamarie commended each group on their achievements and explained that each would receive a charter to colonize the areas in the southern Brevic frontier, together with some initial resources, but that they had first to swear fealty to Brevoy if they wanted to receive such boons... Seeing no other option, the characters complied and swore the following in front of a statue of Pharasma:

After the pledge, Tamarie had some servants bring a gigantic map depicting the Stolen Lands area, described the area of influence of each group, and explained that Rostland had decided to support each of their colonization attempts with a group of colonists and supplies worth 25BPs, which they did not need to repay. She also explained that there existed the possibility, if the circumstances required it, of further help from Restov, although the groups should better refrain from asking further help if possible, and that, in any case, this future help would have to be repaid with terms to be discussed if the situation arrived.

Tamarie also offered each person in the meeting a gift from Brevoy:
Cardot received the Sacred Tankard of Saint Nesteruk.

 

 Saint Nesteruk was a boisterous half-orc sailor who enjoyed participating in drinking contests. He had never been beaten in one, until a cleric of Cayden Cailean duped him and beat him in one of the contests.

Nesteruk was very angry and waylaid the cleric with the help of some colleagues, but they were defeated soundly; the cleric took pity on Nesteruk and decided to teach him the ways of Cayden Cailean.

There are plenty of legends surrounding the tasks he set upon Nesteruk, but the most famous one was obtaining an ale recipe from a tribe of cloud giants living in the Icerime Peaks (frontier between Brevoy and Iobaria). Nesteruk had to beat one of the Giant Lords in a drinking contest to obtain access to the recipe!

 For his tasks he always used a tankard for drinking, after praying gratitude to Cayden Cailean every time he used the object. Legend says also that the tankard had many secret powers that were only revealed to a deserving follower of Cayden Cailean.

 

Kii received a Hat of Disguise and a Pearl of Power. The Hat was a gift from the Spymaster of Rostland, one he had used a couple times to check on the group. The Pearl of Power was a gift from the Wizards Association of Brevoy.
Am received several magical arrows.
Gam'el'Gar received a +1 Studded Leather suit with Light Fortification. The suit had been offered by the rangers of the Gronzi Forest, where Gam'el'Gar had spent his childhood training as a ranger. They were very happy to hear that one of their pupils had become an official of Brevoy and hoped he would take them into account if in need of workers for the new territories.

Finally, each group received a Charter detailing the lands they were requested to colonize and pacify, which in the case of the characters were the Kamelands and the Narlmarches:

The characters spent one week visiting Restov and making contacts for the future. Cardot initiated contacts with the local Cayden Caylean temple in order to hire expert brewers and experienced brewery builders, and made good advance in his dealings for the future kingdom. Kii made also good progress in his contacts with different merchants and parties interested in rebuilding the bridge at Davik Nettle's crossing. 

Finally, Gam'el'Gar tried to make contact with the rangers of the Gronzi Forest, but was completely unable to meet a single one of them (or any related person for that matter) so his week was wasted; well, he did manage to visit the best taverns in Restov...

Founding a Kingdom

During the week, the characters also discussed how to divide the work of managing their future kingdom, and there was indeed a lot to do! For the first month, they decided that Cardot would talk with the people they considered could best take the different leadership roles needed to manage the kingdom, while the rest of the group would direct the first building works.


After many days of traveling, planning and talking, the following people were chosen as leaders of the new fledgling kingdom and accepted the jobs after discussing with Cardot:
General Leaders
- Ruler: Cardot
- Spymaster: Kii
Stability Leaders
- General: Gam'el'Gar
- Grand Diplomat: Jonah Renton
- High Priest: Jhod Kavken
Economy Leaders
- Magister: Bokken (he has not yet accepted the group's proposal, so they will have to try again to convince him or find someone else for the job).
- Marshal: Kesten Garess
- Treasurer: Oleg
Loyalty Leaders
- Councilor:  Svetlana
- Royal Executioner: Akiros Ismort
- Warden: Am


The group also decided that they would start building near Oleg's Trading Post, as the road that connected it to Restov would provide a nice initial economic boost and much security. They commanded the colonists to build a Bakery, and soon the first structures were set up around the Trading Post. It was summer when the colonists started building, a perfect time to start such an enterprise... The first month went uneventfully and soon the first structure of their kingdom was up and running! The trappers and merchants at Oleg's grumbled when they were shown the Charter and told that from that moment they would have to pay some taxes to the new kingdom, but the defeat of the Stag Lord at the hands of the characters was fresh in their minds, so they reluctantly agreed to part with a bit of their riches in order to reduce the risks of losing all of it in bandit attacks.


Now, the characters lacked only one thing for their new kingdom and the future town near Oleg's Trading Post... a name!

XP:
- 400 (trial at Oleg's)
- 400 (meeting Tamarie Echoes, taking the pledge, receiving the Charter)
- 2,400 (founding a kingdom)

Total this session: 3,200XP
Total campaign: 37,875XP


Loot:
- Cardot: Sacred Tankard of Saint Nesteruk.
Characteristics: works as a +1 heavy mace in the hands of a Cleric of Cayden Cailean (2,312gp). It also gives a +4 competence bonus to all Crafting(Brew) checks made using it (+400gp), and a +4 sacred bonus to all Fortitude checks required when ingesting poisons or alcohol, if the tankard is used as the container from which the liquid is drunk (+8,000gp divided by 10 as it does not always apply= 800gp). This magical object is valued at 3,512 gp.

- Kii: Hat of Disguise (1,800gp) and a Pearl of Power, 1st level (1,000gp).
- Am:  5 arrows of Monstruous Humanoids Bane (PHB469; +2 bonus; +2d6 extra damage) and another 5 arrows of Seeking (see PHB471). Each arrow costs 40gp for a total value of 400gp.
- Gam'el'Gar:  a +1 Studded Leather suit with Light Fortification (PHB463). Total value: 2,000gp.

Kingdom Expenses (Sarenith 4710, June):
- 3BPs: Baker building
- 0,25BPs: 1 month salary for the Foolhardy Wolverines.
- Consumption: 2BPs per month.

Kingdom Income (Sarenith 4710, June): 
- 1 BP: taxes
- 2 BPs: from the Sootscale Kobold silver mines...an impressive month from the little Kobolds!
- Treasury: 24,75 Wealth BPs; 1 Labor BP.


Time Passed:
- 1,5 months.
The time now is early Erastus (July). The group is at Oleg's Trading Post.

Session 16b: The Foolhardy Wolverines

in which the characters hire a famous mercenary band and return to Oleg's Trading Post
 

Meeting the Mercenaries
As the characters approached the fort, they were stopped by some of the armed men, who asked them what their business was at the fort. When told that the characters were possible future employers, the soldiers took the group to meet their leader, "Captain" Wesley.

Wesley's tent was easy to find, as it was the best of the whole camp and had two guards at its entrance. As they approached, the characters heard giggles and laughter. They introduced themselves to the guards, who called out their presence to the occupants of the tent. A few minutes later, a middle-aged bald man sporting a big mustache came out of the tent, with a sensuous young woman of long silky black hair by his arm. He presented himself as "Captain" Wesley, leader of the Foolhardy Wolverines, and the young woman as Lily Teskertin.

"Captain" Wesley

Lily Teskertin

Cardot, who was wearing now his best tunic to impress, immediately started talking with the lady and seemed to forget the leader of the mercenaries... apparently he had missed the advantages of civilization during the long trip in the wilds. Lily Teskertin seemed to enjoy his conversation, and proved to be interested in his travels... apparently she was a bit of an scholar, and asked Cardot questions about different topics.

"Captain" Wesley did not seem bothered by Cardot's behavior (he even smiled when Cardot replied to the nicknames he used to name them by calling him every now and then as "Sergeant" Wesley) and started talking with the rest of the group. He said he had been waiting to meet the adventurers, explained that he had received an offer of employment by the Stag Lord and by a strange gnome of difficult name (Kii's cousin) and that he was interested in the offer, if the pay was good and the prospective employers worthy. Kii answered that they were tired from their exploration trip in the Narlmarches, so they agreed on meeting the following day in the fort.


The "Rushlight" Tournament
The following morning, the PCs met with the mercenary leader and some of his mercenaries. Wesley told them that before offering his service to a prospective employer, he always wanted to make sure of their worth. He had served with success in Mivon and Galt (his country of origin, and where his family and children were living), and he would not offer the support of his mercenary band to anyone, specially as it seemed the land in the area seemed empty and ready for the taking...

As he was a fan of the Rushlight Tournament that King Irovetti organized every year in Pitax, Wesley proposed each of the characters to have a small contest with some of his best men, so that he could see the material they were made of. At the beginning, the characters were not very happy to feel themselves tested by a newcomer, but Wesley and his little army could prove dangerous if left free, so they decided to comply.

Am tied in the archery contest with the Foolhardy's Sharpshooter, "Eagle Eye" Jones. Gam'el'Gar was able to beat the brawny "Big Bear" Carla at the log axing contest by a smart use of his abilities, because Carla proved to be the stronger lumberjack. Kii surprised the "Captain" by solving four riddles posed to him; specially the last one was quite devious. In the last contest, several soldiers, Am and Cardot participated in a drinking contest. After drinking 10 flagons of ale, the contestants had to run a course filled with obstacles... Am, even though he ended up quite drunk, managed to finish first, but more importantly, Cardot beat "I saw it" Jack in the race, even though he fell several times to the ground and took a bit more time than needed to clamber up a knotted rope made very slippery after so much ale...

The Archery Contest

The Fourth Riddle

All in all, everybody had much fun and "Captain" Wesley was impressed enough to offer more soldiers for the same salary. After some more negotiations, "Captain" Wesley agreed that the Foolhardy Wolverines would maintain a contingent of 35 to 40 men at all times, in exchange for 500gp per month. Most of them would stay in the fort until further notice, but they were also charged with patrolling the area where they had found the gold mine and scare away any prospectors that they saw.

That night almost everybody got quite drunk, but Dovan and the other bandit prisoners could not escape because Kii made sure they knew he would be observing them the whole night.


Back to Oleg's Trading Post
The following morning, the PCs set out with the Kobolds, some of the mercenaries and several wagons transporting the bandit prisoners, the Tatzlwyrm heads, the Stag Lord's body and part of the loot the bandits had stored in the Stag Lord's fort.

They took the opportunity to explore the area along the Shrike River as they made their way to Davik Nettle's Crossing and also spend some time meeting Chief Sootscale and supervising the kobolds' silver mine; apparently they had been making good progress and some of the kobolds had even started wearing "human" clothes, although they still were very undisciplined and their mining techniques rudimentary.

At Davik Nettle's Crossing, the characters threw the Stag Lord's body to the river. They saw the ghostly apparition of Davik embracing the corpse and felt an explosion of ectoplasmic energy course through their bodies, and an almost imperceptible sigh... then the ghost looked at them and grinned with its horrendous toothless mouth before disappearing in the river, hopefully forever... Moments later, Davik's ranseur washed up onto the shore at the characters' feet, a final gift from the ghost.

Davik Nettles

Their arrival at Oleg's was quite the event in the area. The rumor that they had defeated the Stag Lord had already reached the trading post, and many people wanted to see the adventurers who had rid the area of its banditry problem, even if only temporarily. They cheered and greeted the adventurers as heroes and many of them expressed personally their gratitude during the following hours.

Svetlana was happy to see the adventurers again, and even Oleg smiled a bit when he saw the Tatzlwyrms' heads. Kesten Garess seemed also to be lifted from his morose mood when Falgrim Sneeg descended from one of the wagons. The captured bandits were all escorted to the storage pen at Oleg's, to await trial. As they were pushed into the storage hut, most of the merchants and trappers booed them and some even threw them rotten vegetables.


An invitation by the Aldori Swordlords of Restov
Finally, an agent of Restov's swordlords, Lorin Kaven, was also waiting for them at Oleg's. He had been sent to confirm the death of the infamous bandit. After the characters showed him the head, he considered that, together with the obvious reduction in banditry attacks of the past weeks, the characters had indeed satisfactorily completed the task set to them by Restov.

He handed them the promised money reward and told them that they were expected in Restov at the Academy of Aldori Fencing in one week. There they should ask for Tamarie Echoes. He also advised them not to be too conspicuous while in Restov; there was no need to be extremely secretive, but it would be better for all those involved if the group did not attract too much attention while in Restov.


XP:
- 400 (participating in "Captain" Wesley contest)
- 400 (hiring the Foolhardy Wolverines)
- 100 (exploring the Sootscale Cavern hex)
- 100 (exploring the River Crossing hex)
- 400 (solving Davik Nettle's haunt by throwing the Stag Lord's body to the river)
- 400 (defeating the Stag Lord and reducing the banditry activity in the area)
- 400 (giving the Tatzlwyrms' heads to Oleg)
- 100 (exploring Oleg's Trading Post hex)

Total this session: 2,300XP
Total campaign: 34,675XP

Loot:
- ranseur +1 (washed ashore at Davik Nettle's Crossing after the characters threw the Stag Lord's body to the river).
- 5,000gp (reward for slaying the Stag Lord).
- 600gp (given by Oleg for the Tatzlwyrms' heads).
- A document signed by Kesten Garess offering four masterwork weapons of the characters' choice for delivering Falgrim Sneeg alive. The weapons must be ordered and collected at one of the best smith in Restov, an old friend of Kesten.


Spent:
- 500gp (1 month salary for the Foolhardy Wolverines).

Time Passed:
- 6,5 days.
The time now is 12th Desnus (May), at noon. The group is at Oleg's Trading Post.

Session 16a: The Hunt for the Tatzlwyrms

in which the group track and hunt the elusive Tatzlwyrms and meet a strange inhabitant of the Narlmarches


The Hunt for the Tatzlwyrms

Some miles to the southwest of the pit where they had found the Thylacine, Gam'el'Gar, who by now had become an expert in the Narlmarches wild forest, found some reptilian tracks. Using his reference book for tracks, he deduced that they had been left by Tatzlwyrms. According to the little information provided in the book, the creatures were related to dragons and usually built dams in rivers, in the same way as beavers do; the book also mentioned that they were fast creatures and they could breathe a mild poison once they grabbed hold of their prey.

The group followed the tracks to the Skunk river. Several sandy islets created a ford across the rive, building a natural choke point. An obviously artificial dam formed with thick piles of rubble, branches and tree trunks blocked the southern section of the river... The skeletal remains of some poor fellow laid in a cranny between several tree trunks of the dam.

The group approached the dam stealthily, and several times they almost fell victim to some devious traps -as it turned out, built by the Tatzlwyrms- that would have injured their legs (they were small potholes covered with branches and leaves). They somehow managed to get less than 20 feet from the dam when they spotted a Tatzlwyrm on the island. The creature was lying under the sun, enjoying the beautiful spring day, completely oblivious to the characters' presence.

Tatzlwyrm - taken from Kingmaker Paper Minis

The group withdrew a bit and prepared while Am (with the help of Cardot's miracles) showered the Tatzlwyrm with two well placed shots with his mighty bow. Taken by surprise, the reptile rushed towards the group but was stopped in its tracks by another volley from Am... More dangerous was a second beast that had been hiding in one of the holes of the dam and charged Kii when it detected the casting sounds of the Svirfneblin. Kii was well prepared for the attack, and this second Tatzlwyrm could not grab hold of the Magus... Between Kii and Gam'el'gar they made short notice of this other Tatzlwyrm.

As they had been able to surprise the creatures, the hunt had been easier than expected. They made camp in the area, correctly thinking that the presence of the Tatzlwyrm's lair would make it safer for the night. The skeletal remains turned out to be those of an explorer. The possessions included a map detailing the north-western border of the Narlmarches, and marked two points of interest, a Statue of Erastil just to the north of the Tatzlwyrm lair and a pond of warm waters where (according to the explorer's notes) taking a bath was a wonderful pleasure.

The Statue of Erastil
The  group then moved to the north until they reached the edge of the forest. It took them some time to find the Statue marked in the explorer's map, as it was in a secluded valley. When they found it, the group saw that it was a 15-foot-tall statue of a hunter with an elk head, partially overgrown by shrubbery and small trees at the base but towering above the surrounding shrubbery. Its head was directed towards the northwest, and in the distance the group could see the glint of the sun hitting the water of the Slough Swamp.

Erastil - taken from Rivers Run Red

Despite the obvious neglect, the site still exuded a feeling of safe and peace. The group spent some time cleaning the statue, but nothing out of the ordinary happened, although the sensation of tranquility maybe increased. Once they had marked the location of the statue in their map, they moved to the southeast, back into the brooding Narlmarches.

Garuum, the Exiled Boggard
The Narlmarches spreads across the Stolen Lands and feature craggy hills, lazy streams, deep ravines, and a great variety of trees, including oak, beech, and rushleaf. The forest has a dangerous reputation, with regular sightings of trolls, kobolds and aggressive predators.

The northwestern edge of the forest is particularly isolated, and the ground just east of the Skunk River slumps away into a soggy mire. When they found a pair of ruined stone buildings jutting from the swampy ground, the group decided to be extremely cautious, specially since they had discovered the tracks of giant frogs and of a boggard, a frog-like creature.

They waited an hour watching the buildings from the distance, trying to detect any movement from within, but when no sign of activity was detected, Cardot decided to approach the buildings while the rest covered his movement with their weapons. He called out and asked whether there was anybody in the ruins. Soon, a toad the size of an adult human appeared at the door of one of the buildings while a strange looking frog-man (a boggard) emerged from the other shouting "Truce! Truce!".

Garuum - taken from Kingmaker Paper Minis

The boggard introduced himself as Garuum, and through mimicry and his poor knowledge of Common, he made clear to Cardot that he was hungry and somehow this was his land. After giving him some food, Cardot skillfully introduced the rest of the group one by one so as not to scare the creature, and convinced Garuum to let them sleep in one of the ruined buildings. Although the area was very humid, by now the characters were seasoned travelers and they woke up the following day feeling well rested.

In the morning, Cardot used one of his miracles and duped Garuum into touching him. The creature was surprised to understand everything Cardot told him, and he started telling his story to Cardot.

"Garuum had been once a member of the boggard tribes found to the west of the Narlmarches in the Hooktongue Slough swamp. He wanted to become High Priest of Gogunta, and in order to prepare himself, he gathered and devoured several dozen of the tribe’s sacred blue dragonflies, hoping to gain great power and skill from the insects. Alas, while the feast bolstered his self-confidence, it did nothing for his battle skills. When he rode his giant toad into the center of his tribe to challenge the previous High Priest, the traitorous Sepoko laughed at him and had other members of the tribe capture Garuum. Then he sentenced him and his steed to death after a day of punishment.

Fortunately for Garuum, his guards got drunk and he could escape his bonds by using a rock to pulverize his left hand in order to tear it free from his manacle. He knew he could not go back to his tribe, because the High Priest would have him slain, so he went into the Narlmarches, in order to escape Sepoko's wrath. "

Garuum considers himself the ruler of this small section of the woods and told the characters that once he had scared away one troll. He graciously allowed the characters free passage in his lands, as they were now bound by friendship. Finally, he told them that if they helped him become High Priest and depose Sepoko, he would be eternally grateful, and all boggards would be their friends.

Back to the Fort
After securing Garuum's friendship (the boggard even brought the group a couple of smelly fish he had captured in the swamp), the group decided it was time to go back and check on the fort's situation, because the mercenaries should probably have arrived.


The trip back to the fort took them almost 2 days. By now, they were quite knowledgeable of the area and started knowing the best trails to move quickly or stealthily through the forest. When they arrived at the fort, they saw a big group of around 50-60 people had made camp at the foot of the hill. Approximately half of them were heavily armed and wore colorful sashes with an embroidered wolverine...

XP:
- 100 (exploring the Tatzlwyrm hex)
- 1,200 (hunting the Tatzlwyrms)
- 100 (exploring the Statue of Erastil hex)
- 100 (cleaning the Statue of Erastil)
- 100 (exploring the "Garuum's kingdom" hex)
- 1,200 (befriending Garuum and his pet Ubagub)

Total this session: 2,800XP
Total campaign: 32,375XP

Loot:
- 100 gp in assorted coins (approximately 50gp, 500sp).
- jewelry in backpack of dead explorer (a pewter drinking stein, a silver ring, a jade carving
of a nude female elf; StolenLands28).
- a masterwork cold iron sword.
- a watertight scroll tube with a map inside. The map describes the northwestern border of the Narlmarches (halves the time required to explore those hexes).

Spent:
- Gam'el'gar: 1 potion of Shield of Faith.

Time Passed:
- 5 days.
The time now is 5th Desnus (May), in the evening. The group is arriving at the former Stag Lord's fort.