Our group started playing Kingmaker about a year ago. (Slow, I know, but kids, wives, and pets need attention too.) I'm doing things a little bit different in that I've been posting on Blogger as Dear Pino.
The Players:
Cane Alexson—Ranger, bumpkin, dogged, determined, and dependable. Travels with his companion, a female direwolf called Sizzles.
Lev Davidowich—A fetchling Sorcerer, natural offspring of the powerful Lebeda family, rabble rouser, and born leader.
Marquand—Inquisitor serving Erastil, and former judge attempting to make up for the years he spent defending a corrupt aristocracy in Brevoy. He is the author of these letters, which are written to his niece, Pino Jacquizz.
Kelm Taslor—An Oracle by divine acclimation.
Piea—Powerful female Barbarian from the border region of Brevoy and the River Kingdoms. Left home with a price on her head that she intends paying back in full.
Our Gamemaster is Juan Franela, proprietor of The Common Room in Bloomington, Indiana.
No spoilers in the synopsis but plenty in the blog.
The Swordlords of Aldori write up a charter allowing our heroes to settle the Green Belt, a piece of the Stolen Lands south of Brevoy. They arrive at Oleg's Trading Post ready for adventure and find it soon enough as bandits in the service of the Stag Lord, kobolds, and a crazy alchemist named Bokken give them what for.
Our heroes confront the infamous outlaw the Stag Lord and debate the difference between expedience and mercy before founding a new nation--The Peoples Union of River Kingdoms, AKA P.U.R.K.
Lowly bushes almost get the best of our heroes, who then tangle with the mighty Tuskgutter before making peace between human and fey, progress and conservation.
Our heroes meet that rarest of creatures, a lone boggard, and save his life. They then do battle with a powerful bit of lumber before befriending the beautiful Tiressia and her satyr pal Falcoas. Returning to Tuskland they take care of business, fight a werewolf, Piea gets drunk, and Cane misplaces his hand.
A chapter much about love and consequence, beer, truth, law, and the harsh way they deal with political dissent in Tuskland. “Face is red, raise the head,” the Oracle Kelm solemnly intoned. “Face is pale, raise the tail.”
Cane takes his love of animals too far, a leucrotta criticizes Piea's love life and a berserk owlbear devistates fair Tuskland. All this and Marquand being ripped in half in this week's episode of Dear Pino.
Marquand meets a queen, the group meets a madman and tussle with a quickling and grimstalker only to learn that back in Tuskland a cult of Gyronna—the hag-goddess—has made inroads into the peace of the realm.
Taking a well-earned rest after cleaning out a nest of trolls, our friends meet a mysterious talking crow named Stack-o-Lee and learn of a trouble in nearby Varnhold.
"Here she comes to save the day!" Meaning Piea arrives in the nicka to help our heroes whup bulletes and sweet talk centaurs. Returning to Tuskland by a different route, Marquand gives an orphaned kitty to Pino, but time is short.
Our little group says goodbye to Piea, puts Kelm on a shelf, and welcomes new member—the zen-archer Trask—to join them as they return over the mountains to root out the evil that has eradicated Fort Drelev.
Approaching Vordakai's tomb our lads tangle with a Soul Eater and an Elasmosaurus. They also discover that a centaur has passed this way. Sizzles haz sadz.
