in which a group of Mites tries to rob the characters during the night
It was clear that the walking corpse really wanted the Stag Lord at his side, so Cardot promised him he would take care of it. The corpse told him he would regret it if he did not pursue the task, and went back to where it came, below the waters of the Shrike River.
The characters then explored the area and found, among the debris some distance down the river, a badly mangled corpse pierced by several hours. They buried the remains and prayed to Cayden Cailean so that his soul would reach the Heavenly Tavern.
Then they crossed the river and found, near the blackened remains of the burnt cottage, a ledger with entries to all the travelers that had used Davik Nettle's bridge in the past year. The last entry detailed how the Stag Lord and some of his men had offered Davik their "protection" in exchange for half of his profits, and how Davik had run them with the aid of his hounds. There were also some entrances about a woman called Constance Devine, who apparently had used the bridge regularly in the past months, and about a wine merchant from Restov who had crossed the bridge only 3 weeks before.
They then proceeded to explore and map the area. During the night, a small group of the miserable creatures known as Mites assaulted their camp. The pathetic creatures tried to rob the characters of some of their valuables but, even with the advantage of surprise, they were easily defeated by the group.
XP:
- 100 (exploring Davik Nettle's hex)
- 500 (Mite encounter)
Total this session: 600XP
Total campaign: 8745XP
Loot:
- 10 gp; found at Davik's bridge.
Time Passed:
- A bit more than 1 day.
The time now is 2nd Gozran (April), in the morning.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Session 6: Greenbelt Sightseeing
in which the characters explore most of the northern and eastern Greenbelt
Strange encounter
While exploring the woods near the Temple of the Elk, the characters meet some curious reptiles that Kii identified as Carbuncles. He established a telepathic connection with them and the Carbuncles managed to convince him to surrender all the candies and little foodstuff he was carrying as future gifts for the forest feys... Just as the carbuncles were pointing the characters towards Tuskgutter's lair, they shrieked in terror as a strange blob of light approached the pool where they were bathing and hit them with several bolts of lightning... The heroes decided to flee riding their horses and had to sacrifice one to the strange glowing creature...
Both the carbuncles and the ball of light creature are interesting mysteries that the group decided could well be worth researching.
Tuskgutter
The following day, the heroes investigated the area where Tuskgutter had been seen. Gam'el'gar followed the tracks of the boar to its lair. The boar was not in its den, so the heroes used again the bear traps found at the bandit camp to ambush the dangerous boar... Having climbed on nearby trees, the wait for the boar was sometimes unbearable and exhausting, but several hours later, the characters had the boar´s head in a saddlebag.
The "Merchant"
On their way back to Oleg´s the characters helped someone that had fallen victim to a pit trap in the forest. Rime Marner, the person in the trap, introduced himself as a merchant in need, but soon after being rescued, he confided to Cardot that he was really one of the bandits that had not been at the Thorn River Camp when the heroes captured Kressle. In exchange for not pressing charges against him and for buying some bottles of wine at a discount, Rime told them about the Stag Lord, his bandits, and the password phrase they used to recognise each other.
Back at Oleg´s
Approaching Oleg´s, the characters met Breeg Orlivanch, a grumpy hunter that lives in the western Narlmarches and that was traveling to Oleg´s to sell his last fur cargo. He was quite unfriendly with the characters and did not talk much.
In the Trading Post the characters, after showing Tuskgutter´s head, were received as small heroes by Svetlana, and even Oleg managed to smile at them. Jhod was also happy to know about the Temple of Erastil, and Kesten handed them a heavy bag of gold coins for having captured the bandits. Even more, he also gave them a new charter from the Swordlords of Restov, trusting them with the defeat of the Stag Lord:
Exploring the plains east of Oleg´s Trading Post
The characters then decided to start investigating the hills known as the Kamelands, in preparation for their approach to the Stag Lord´s Fort, and because they suspected the treasure map found in the Spider´s Lair pointed them to those hills. They also paid a second visit to Bokken, who happily gave them two of his potions after mentioning that he had not seen a single bandit in the last week.
To the east of Bokken´s Hut, the characters met a bunch of creepy hulking humanoids that followed them during their exploration of the area. Whenever the characters tried to approach them, the creatures would escape. Gam'el'gar tracked them to their lair, a filthy area of mudpools, but the characters did not understand their language, so they left some food gifts to the creatures and left before the creatures proved too aggressive.
One day later, they met a kind of midget gnome. The poor creature seemed miserable and was sobbing and crying. In Sylvan, he told Kii that he had lost his lucky coin to the filthy mites that lived to the southwest, and said he had been plagued by bad luck since he lost the coin... Indeed, a small rain cloud seemed to be following the creature... The characters promised him they would try to find his lucky coin, but convinced him that adventuring was too dangerous for him and that they did not need his help (he did not seem to understand that the heroes preferred to stay dry)... the bad luck of the creature seemed to rub a bit on the characters because the following night a horrible thunderstorm buffeted their tents and they could hardly rest.
The northern Kamelands
The heroes then finally started exploring the hills known as the Kamelands. They easily found the site marked by the treasure map found at the Spider´s Lair, and followed the Shrike River looking for a way to cross it.
After two days of exploration and river following, they reached a broken bridge with what seemed like a toll house burnt to the ground. A sign told them to ring a nearby bell to call the toll keeper... Cardot soon complied and, immediately, the group felt the temperature drop down and a rotting walking corpse raised from the river bottom and started walking on the water, ominously approaching the characters: "Where is my tormentor?" - he said- "Throw the Stag Lord´s body into the river that I may look upon his death and rejoice, or join me instead"...
XP:
- 800 (defeating Tuskgutter)
- 100 (exploring Tuskgutter lair hex)
- 400 (completing Tuskgutter quest)
- 400 (completing Wanted: Bandits quest)
- 400 (completing Temple of the Elk quest)
- 100 (exploring hex east of Bokken's Hut; found strange Large creature lair)
- 100 (exploring hex east of Spider's Nest; met leprechaun)
- 100 (exploring hex with treasure cache; found thanks to map in Spider´s Lair)
- 100 (exploring hex east of treasure cache hex).
Total this session: 2500XP
Total campaign: 8145XP
Loot:
- 6 +1 animal bane arrows; 1 master longbow (Tuskgutter quest reward).
- 4 Cheliax wine bottles, each worth around 100gp (from bandit found in a pit trap).
- 400 gp (Bandits quest reward).
- Potion of cure light wounds, potion of endure elements (Bokken reward).
- masterwork dagger, wand (not yet identified), silver ring, spellbook with identify, mage armor, reduce person, silent image and unseen servant (hidden treasure cache).
Time Passed:
- Around 10 days.
The time now is 30th Pharast (March), at noon.
Strange encounter
While exploring the woods near the Temple of the Elk, the characters meet some curious reptiles that Kii identified as Carbuncles. He established a telepathic connection with them and the Carbuncles managed to convince him to surrender all the candies and little foodstuff he was carrying as future gifts for the forest feys... Just as the carbuncles were pointing the characters towards Tuskgutter's lair, they shrieked in terror as a strange blob of light approached the pool where they were bathing and hit them with several bolts of lightning... The heroes decided to flee riding their horses and had to sacrifice one to the strange glowing creature...
Both the carbuncles and the ball of light creature are interesting mysteries that the group decided could well be worth researching.
Tuskgutter
The following day, the heroes investigated the area where Tuskgutter had been seen. Gam'el'gar followed the tracks of the boar to its lair. The boar was not in its den, so the heroes used again the bear traps found at the bandit camp to ambush the dangerous boar... Having climbed on nearby trees, the wait for the boar was sometimes unbearable and exhausting, but several hours later, the characters had the boar´s head in a saddlebag.
The "Merchant"
On their way back to Oleg´s the characters helped someone that had fallen victim to a pit trap in the forest. Rime Marner, the person in the trap, introduced himself as a merchant in need, but soon after being rescued, he confided to Cardot that he was really one of the bandits that had not been at the Thorn River Camp when the heroes captured Kressle. In exchange for not pressing charges against him and for buying some bottles of wine at a discount, Rime told them about the Stag Lord, his bandits, and the password phrase they used to recognise each other.
Back at Oleg´s
Approaching Oleg´s, the characters met Breeg Orlivanch, a grumpy hunter that lives in the western Narlmarches and that was traveling to Oleg´s to sell his last fur cargo. He was quite unfriendly with the characters and did not talk much.
In the Trading Post the characters, after showing Tuskgutter´s head, were received as small heroes by Svetlana, and even Oleg managed to smile at them. Jhod was also happy to know about the Temple of Erastil, and Kesten handed them a heavy bag of gold coins for having captured the bandits. Even more, he also gave them a new charter from the Swordlords of Restov, trusting them with the defeat of the Stag Lord:
 |
| poster created by WhoDrewThis |
Exploring the plains east of Oleg´s Trading Post
The characters then decided to start investigating the hills known as the Kamelands, in preparation for their approach to the Stag Lord´s Fort, and because they suspected the treasure map found in the Spider´s Lair pointed them to those hills. They also paid a second visit to Bokken, who happily gave them two of his potions after mentioning that he had not seen a single bandit in the last week.
To the east of Bokken´s Hut, the characters met a bunch of creepy hulking humanoids that followed them during their exploration of the area. Whenever the characters tried to approach them, the creatures would escape. Gam'el'gar tracked them to their lair, a filthy area of mudpools, but the characters did not understand their language, so they left some food gifts to the creatures and left before the creatures proved too aggressive.
One day later, they met a kind of midget gnome. The poor creature seemed miserable and was sobbing and crying. In Sylvan, he told Kii that he had lost his lucky coin to the filthy mites that lived to the southwest, and said he had been plagued by bad luck since he lost the coin... Indeed, a small rain cloud seemed to be following the creature... The characters promised him they would try to find his lucky coin, but convinced him that adventuring was too dangerous for him and that they did not need his help (he did not seem to understand that the heroes preferred to stay dry)... the bad luck of the creature seemed to rub a bit on the characters because the following night a horrible thunderstorm buffeted their tents and they could hardly rest.
The northern Kamelands
The heroes then finally started exploring the hills known as the Kamelands. They easily found the site marked by the treasure map found at the Spider´s Lair, and followed the Shrike River looking for a way to cross it.
After two days of exploration and river following, they reached a broken bridge with what seemed like a toll house burnt to the ground. A sign told them to ring a nearby bell to call the toll keeper... Cardot soon complied and, immediately, the group felt the temperature drop down and a rotting walking corpse raised from the river bottom and started walking on the water, ominously approaching the characters: "Where is my tormentor?" - he said- "Throw the Stag Lord´s body into the river that I may look upon his death and rejoice, or join me instead"...
XP:
- 800 (defeating Tuskgutter)
- 100 (exploring Tuskgutter lair hex)
- 400 (completing Tuskgutter quest)
- 400 (completing Wanted: Bandits quest)
- 400 (completing Temple of the Elk quest)
- 100 (exploring hex east of Bokken's Hut; found strange Large creature lair)
- 100 (exploring hex east of Spider's Nest; met leprechaun)
- 100 (exploring hex with treasure cache; found thanks to map in Spider´s Lair)
- 100 (exploring hex east of treasure cache hex).
Total this session: 2500XP
Total campaign: 8145XP
Loot:
- 6 +1 animal bane arrows; 1 master longbow (Tuskgutter quest reward).
- 4 Cheliax wine bottles, each worth around 100gp (from bandit found in a pit trap).
- 400 gp (Bandits quest reward).
- Potion of cure light wounds, potion of endure elements (Bokken reward).
- masterwork dagger, wand (not yet identified), silver ring, spellbook with identify, mage armor, reduce person, silent image and unseen servant (hidden treasure cache).
Time Passed:
- Around 10 days.
The time now is 30th Pharast (March), at noon.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Session 5: Battling the Bear
In which the heroes explore the Temple of the Elk and defeat its fearsome guardian.
After trying a peaceful interaction with the guardian bear, and prodded by a dream interpreted by Cardot as sent by his god Cayden Cailean, the heroes decide to fight and kill the beast as a last resort solution.
The plan is the following: the PCs will form a line defended at the flanks by the traps found at the bandit camp; Gam'el'gar will bear the brunt of the attack while the other heroes help him flanking the bear and trying to attract it to fall in one of the traps. Trapping the bear proves a risky move, as the bear is cunning enough to manoeuvre around them and Gam'el'gar almost falls victim to one of them as he hastily tries to set it up as the bear charges towards him...
For the first time in their exploration of the Greenbelt, the heroes feel death near their necks, but a brave defense by Gam´el´gar helped by Kii and Cardot and a fortunate combination of the bear fumbling a claw attack hitting itself, and a very precise double shot by Am the monk leave the guardian bear dead on the ground. The beast emits a sigh of relief surprisingly human-like as it collapses and, under the astonished view of the characters, the bear transforms first into an incredibly old human with a look of peace in his eyes, then into a skeleton that quickly crumbles to dust. Soon after the bear's death, the entire shrine seems to grow more vibrant and colorful, and the water in the pool at the entrance to the temple becomes crystal clear.
As the heroes take a rest, one questions remains unanswered: what or who was exactly the bear?
After searching the temple, the characters decide to finish exploring the area of the Narlmarches surrounding it.
XP:
- 800 (defeating the bear guardian of the Temple of the Elk)
- 100 (exploring the hex with the Temple of the Elk)
Total this session: 900XP
Total campaign: 5645XP
Loot:
None.
Time Passed:
- A full day.
The time now is 20th Pharast (March), in the evening.
After trying a peaceful interaction with the guardian bear, and prodded by a dream interpreted by Cardot as sent by his god Cayden Cailean, the heroes decide to fight and kill the beast as a last resort solution.
The plan is the following: the PCs will form a line defended at the flanks by the traps found at the bandit camp; Gam'el'gar will bear the brunt of the attack while the other heroes help him flanking the bear and trying to attract it to fall in one of the traps. Trapping the bear proves a risky move, as the bear is cunning enough to manoeuvre around them and Gam'el'gar almost falls victim to one of them as he hastily tries to set it up as the bear charges towards him...
For the first time in their exploration of the Greenbelt, the heroes feel death near their necks, but a brave defense by Gam´el´gar helped by Kii and Cardot and a fortunate combination of the bear fumbling a claw attack hitting itself, and a very precise double shot by Am the monk leave the guardian bear dead on the ground. The beast emits a sigh of relief surprisingly human-like as it collapses and, under the astonished view of the characters, the bear transforms first into an incredibly old human with a look of peace in his eyes, then into a skeleton that quickly crumbles to dust. Soon after the bear's death, the entire shrine seems to grow more vibrant and colorful, and the water in the pool at the entrance to the temple becomes crystal clear.
As the heroes take a rest, one questions remains unanswered: what or who was exactly the bear?
After searching the temple, the characters decide to finish exploring the area of the Narlmarches surrounding it.
XP:
- 800 (defeating the bear guardian of the Temple of the Elk)
- 100 (exploring the hex with the Temple of the Elk)
Total this session: 900XP
Total campaign: 5645XP
Loot:
None.
Time Passed:
- A full day.
The time now is 20th Pharast (March), in the evening.
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