GM Nel's Kingmaker Campaign

Game Master CRobledo

Ionnia went over and cupped Norns head and smiled as she than looked at the others.

" I don't think the water will restore him, We can try though" she says as she looks to the others.

" As for the Stag Lord, Norn would want him and his Father to stand for there crimes. The others we will have to deal with later. You Paladin I know we were your enemy, but this man was an equal of your order and true to the tenets of your god, Please help us try to honor him"she says as she than rises slowly and looks to the others.

" What would Norn want, Death, Resurrection, or Rebirth?"

Mikmek... Dris calls the little kobold back after Kreston starts to send him off. ...we, haven't quite decided what's best for Norn's remains, er, what's best for Norn. I'm thinking he'd probably want to go to the temple of Erastil, in case he... in any case. And maybe there Jhod can help you maintain him, Ionnia. And the unicorn can maintain himself, although that's kind of you Ionnia.

Then she turns back to Kresten. I think for that one (Sneeg) we were promised a masterwork weapon each. I think everyone here would agree to trade that for one scroll of raise dead, with the appropriate components instead. Wouldn't we all rather have our friend back then a weapon? She gives Kreston a pleading look. Do you think Restov would agree? One loyal life instead of 6 weapons?

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (17) + 13 = 30

Kresten looks back at Drispeera after tying up Falgrim to his horse "Aye, I will take the message with me, although no promises. You have done a great service for them this day, and the Lords may feel generous. I will be back as soon as possible with the response. I will meet you at Oleg's."

"I feel that Norn is far from ready to leave this world behind," the witch states with strange certainty, and starts to look at her companions one after another while she goes on.

"Of course, Raise Dead would be a better option... But, my friends, you may not know that time is of utmost importance in such matters of life and death. We only have a few days before Norn's soul will be out of reach for the magical powers we can hope to get hands on. I don't know if a scroll from Restov can reach us in time.

We don't know if the spring at the temple is of any help at all, it's far off from Restov and not that easy to reach, so we shouldn't head there. Besides, since a god will not be bound by the limits of mortal magic, we can still go there if all other means fail.

So, again, I suggest we head to Bokken's hut as fast as possible. It's much closer to Restov, we can ride there with Kresten, and I'm sure I can create a fetish to Reincarnate Norn with Bokken's supplies."

Turning to Kresten, she says "Kresten, if you are able to bring us a scroll of Raise Dead or an even more potent spell in time, that's great and we owe you - and I for one would be more than willing to trade as much as necessary of the belongings of the late Stag Lord in exchange. But if it doesn't work out..." and she turns back to her companions once more, "we should take the option that might not be perfect, but reliable, instead of hoping for the goodwill of a god."

Dris addresses the group and Kreston Fortunately Ionnia is with us and able to cast the Gentle Repose spell. That will maintain Norn's body, er, Norn, indefinitely as we wait to hear back from Restov. Hopefully Jhod will be able to help you maintain it, so you wont have to bear that burden alone, Ionnia.

Reincarnation would be faster, and cheaper- you boys would get your shiny weapons- but its a gamble. We can't be certain what form Norn would take when he returns. I don't know that Norn would want to come back as a bugbear... or a troglodyte.

Kaeso, Bingo, you share his faith. What are your thoughts?

Thanks for mentioning Ionnia's Gentle Repose in-character. :)
The spell doesn't explicitly mention Reincarnate, but it works for that too, doesn't it?

"Ah, good, Gentle Repose does make things easier for us, assuming Restov can be convinced to send a scroll. Well, I guess getting a chance to continue your life in another body is better than not getting a chance. We can keep that in mind as a last resort."

Mornaura's face lights up as she regains confidence. Bowing down to Norn, she says, "Hang on, my friend, we will save you."

The operation Saving Private Ryan, er, Saving Paladin Norn will succeed!

My intention here is to allow as much time as anybody wants for roleplaying Norn death and resurrection, and whatever else they wish. I'm presuming Kreston is heading back the next morning, as he arrived in the evening, just after the battle. AFTER everyone's had a chance to say what they wish, Dris will go into the following...

...

...

...

By morning Dris' face has faded back to its natural blue color. As Kreston gathers up Sneeg, Dris turns to Svetlana. I presume you want to head back with Kreston? You're alright, ready to travel? They didn't hurt you?

And to Akiros, sarcastically, So, hero, you ready to give us the tour of this fleatrap? We might as well see what else is here. Got any more damsels or druids stashed away? Anyone else want to come for the tour?

...

After doing inventory of the mundane and the magical items (which we should be able to take 20 to identify, right?)

...

And, the next thing we'll have to decide is what to do with the remaining bandits that come straggling in.

To Ionnia-- I presume you want to give them a chance to redeem themselves?

I say we let the ones who say they want a shot at redemption earn it with work-- either here, or at the temple, or at Oleg's.

And then we'll have the question of what to do with the ones who don't want to redeem themselves. We could
1. Let them go, and tell them never to come back. (I think that's a bad idea, cuz nothing's to stop them from banding up and causing trouble again.)
2. Send them to Restov for trial. (I think we should follow our Charter:

The carrier of this charter should also strive against banditry and other unlawful behavior to be encountered. The punishment for unrepentant banditry ramains, as always, execution by sword or rope.

It doesn't say anything about sending them for a trial. Why prolong their suffering and ours, by expending guards and horses and food to take them somewhere else to die?

And further, since we are travelling with haste to The temple/Bokken's/Oleg's, I suggest we leave Akiros and maybe Bingo here for now, to greet any stragglers and give them the "old repent or die" choice.

Any other thoughts?

TL;DR: 1. What shall we do, where shall we go with Norn? 2. Inventory 3. What to do with repentant and unrepentant bandits?

Kaeso looked up to Norn. As a new fighter, he isn't too sure of himself, outside of combat itself. "I'd sure like to have him back. I can't think but that Erastil's got work for him.

Frustrated with the delay, and with not having Norn to rely on for advice, Kaeso finally reaches a decision. Looking down at the prone body of the Stag Lord, he growls at him: "I find you guilty. Guilty of murder, of banditry, of making hard lives harder, and of not paying the Tuskwater toll!" Then, he jams the rapier hard into his eye socket, killing the bastard.

He cleans the rapier off on the Stag Lord's cloak, and turns to Bingo: "I think this might be just the thing for you, dear friend." He hands him the blade.

After the deed is done, shaking a bit, surprised at what he has done, Kaeso looks at his friends. "Sorry. We need to open up the river, don't we? His body is the key."

Actually can't take 10 or 20 to identify items using spellcraft and detect magic but the rules, but I'll allow it for the sake of convenience. You would be able to in the next day or two to get everything anyways

On his person, Stag Lord had:
potion cure serious (2)
+1 leather armor
+1 longsowrd
+1 composite longbow (2 STR)
amulet of nat armor +1
stag's helm (stats to be posted shortly)
ring of protection +1
a single +1 Human bane arrow

Dovan has:
+1 rapier

Auchs had:
potion of cure moderate (2)
potion of lesser restoration

With Akiros' help, you scour the place and find a few other objects of value in the Stag Lord's barracks:

141 gp in coin
red garnet worth 100gp
assorted jewelry worth 145 gp

Down in the basement, where the druid was kept, is the majority of the loot, probably gathered from years of banditry!

The majority of the wealth kept here consists of mundane trade goods like pelts, furs, tobacco, iron, bronze, miscellaneous weapons and armor (none masterwork or magic), and miscellaneous adventuring gear and tools worth a combined total of 6,850 gp!

There is also a chest in here, brimming full of coins!
4,500 cp
2052 sp
894 gp
21 pp

There is a small sack nearby full of stolen jewelry, worth 2,900 gp in sell value!

The next day, at least less things seems as gloomy as the night before. Akiros is packing all the loot together in the courtyard, waiting for Ionnia to bring her card over to haul it over to Oleg's.

He approaches the group "Ladies and gent, I know that to you I am just a bandit, but know that I was once a paladin myself, years ago. Something... happened a few years back that I am not proud of, and Erastil took his blessings away from me. I blame noone but myself for that event, and my loss. I felt hallow as a paladin, so I am not suprised I lost my powers. I wandered the wilderness for some time, until I came here and met the Stag Lord. He saw potential in me as a lieutenant and in just a few months I was promoted. Over the last few weeks though, some of my conviction returned, and I realized I was making ever stupider decisions now. Basically, life as a bandit is even more hallow than life as a paladin of Erastil. Which is why I decided to help you. Free myself from these bonds. Try to find something to fight for again. I know now, neither Erastil nor banditry is my calling for sure. I would be willing to go with you, at least until Oleg's, and see what the future holds for me."

When Mornaura sees Kaeso stand shaking after he has just executed the Stag Lord, she gets up, walks over to him with a few slow steps, and puts her hand on his shoulder.

"'tis alright. You know you got every right to do it... This world is a better place without him, and , you're right about the river," the witch says softly and shows him a crooked smile.

Could we please resolve things chronologically next time? Or don't you all think that it' getting a bit chaotic right now? ;)

When Drispeera talks about ways of dealing with the bandits, Mornaura nods to her. "I haven't liked the idea of having to decide the fate of those... poor, stranded people, misled by the promises of the Stag Lord. But now that he's gone, so is the easy excuse. I agree on telling every bandit what happened here and giving them the choice between redemption through work and..." she needs to breathe deeply before she's able to continue, "and a quick death."

---

The next day, the witch listens to Akiros' speech.

"You know... I guess both Kresten and Oleg would like to have someone who can help them monitor the repentants. As you know most of them, you can surely be of great help, leading yourself and them to a better life."

Ionnia casts Gentle Repose on the body of Norn and than looks at the others and than smiled to Mornaura." I agree with you, we should allow all who choose to repent a chance to. Out here in the wilderness many a person has to make a hard decision or face death. Some of these men may have been here because they needed to eat or needed support. I believe those who joined because of this can be redeemed,and we need to give them a chance, you never know one of these bandits might become the next holy man." She than looked over the others and looked to Akiros.

"Ariko, I now you once called Erastil lord and I know he was good to you. If you have truly shown a new leaf he will take you back, if not other deities would be glad to have such a heart as yours to follow them." She says as she than giggles and looks at the others.

" As for Norn are we taking him someplace or waiting for the Rostov caravan to come back witht eh scroll" She asked as she wished not to go to Jhod and entomb Norn in the traditions of Erastil.

"Well, Kresten asked us to meet him at Oleg's. Since it'll take him a while to travel to Restov and back, and your spell grants us all the time we want, we don't need to rush there. I guess we can scout the surrounding area for remaining bandits and, what was it, fangberries, then visit Jhod and Bokken on the way north. I'd like to craft us a means of Reincarnation, just in case."

Akiros adds "Oleg's it is then. I will be there when you arrive. Best of luck with your friend. And in honesty, sorry for the trouble. Lady Ionnia, my time with Erastil is done for now, and even now I am probably about as ready to accept him back as he is to accept me. But who knows what the future holds."

Sorry Kaeso, I didn't respond. I was so... shocked by Norn's Death. But you did the right thing. Remember? He kidnapped Svetlana and was planning who knows what? He would have shown no mercy to her or any of us. And thanks for reminding us that we need to go set that ghoul at the river to rest.

Speaking of mercy, or the lack thereof, Dris whirls to face the stag lord's father, You are a druid, right? Do you know anything about who would desecrate a sacred grove? And kill a unicorn? If you can manage to be helpful we might actually give you a chance to repent She pulls out a parchment and pen for him to write his answers on. She gives him a chance to reply.

and quietly Akiros, if we offered this... man... the chance to repent, do you think he is trustworthy?

And Akiros, I'll say again, I think it's a good idea if you stay here and keep watch over any returning bandits with Bingo. And you're probably the best one to figure out if they can be trusted or not.

~~~

Later to the group:

I think Mornie's plan is a good one: Set that ghoul to rest then see if we can find those dangberries. And I would like to take Norn and the unicorn to the temple on the tiny chance that there's hope for them at the pool. And at very least Jhod should be able to help maintain Norn until we figure out how we're going to raise him.

The crazy druid takes the pen and looks at it, as if he had never seen a feather in his life before. he puts the ink on his tongue, and tastes it, making a face of disgust right after. He figures out you want him to do something to the parchment and tries the pen on it, surprised when it leaves behind some lines. "EEEHhhehehheh" he giggles somewhat maniacally. He then draws a stick figure, with long hair and a cape; then drops down the pen.

Akiros adds "Fine, fine. We will man the fort, and we will start packing up all the items we want to take back. We have enough supplies here to last weeks, so just send word when we are to transport all this to Oleg's."

Ionnia looks at Akiros and smiles."If you seek the favor of another god I am greatly willing to share the wonderous virtues of my own goddess Shelyn to you, if you wish"

Getting back to our current situation, it looks like everyone's ok with heading back to the River Crossing and then West to the unexplored hex?

Dris speaks to Akiros sharply (she's still kind of miffed he didn't succumb to her charms), Well good, you should be able to make yourself a little bit useful here. At least you can help Bingo sort out the bad bandits from the really despicable ones. And speaking of despicable she points to the druid, do you have anything good to say about him? Is there any chance he'd redeem himself? If not, you should... she makes a quick gesture across her throat. Depending how strong the insanity is that holds him (and I'm guessing its pretty strong) I may not be able to put him to sleep first. How 'bout you Mornie?

And then we're off to placate a ghoul? Why is adventuring not as glamorous as my brothers made it sound?

Ionnia laughs a Dris and than speaks."The lack of adorable adventuring gear!" She says as she than looks over to Akiros and smiles.

"Shelyn is a glorious and wonderful goddess who only wants the best for her worshippers. She respects your former lord in his functions but sees that he needs to let the world truly appreciate the beauty of what he teaches.So I ask would you like to accept my offer and come to the embrace of the Eternal Rose? I know a good man like you would be great in carrying out her will here in the rugged lands. May be a mission of atonement? I mean I know you have a heart that cares otherwise you would be dead along side the vile Stag Lord. So please consider this a chance to once again become a passionate holy powered force of good and bring to the world a message of love!"Ionnia says as she smiles at him hoping to turn this fallen paladin back into the folds of a just knight.

Lets give Akiros a worthy purpose again in redeeming the bandits and spreading a message of hope and love! The Hippy Paladin!

Diplomacy1d20 + 10 ⇒ (9) + 10 = 19

"Yeah, no offense lady, but I'm not currently seeking any god to devote myself to. I'm pretty happy being a... free agent if you will. Maybe some day, but I'm pretty happy with my current situation. Not having a "lord" mortal or divine suits me best at this point. Shelyn does seem nice though, but suits a pretty flower like you a lot better than an old rugged warrior (and now bandit) like me. One must be honestly repentant to receive an atonement and right now I am not. I left Erastil willingly and consciously."

Shall we head on up to the River Crossing?

Agreed oh fearless Dris

The party heads up to the river crossing, finding it much as they left it last time. The ford makes an easy crossing across the river.

Map updated!

Well Kaeso, let's go find that ghoul of yours, and see if he'll still trade a bandit's corpse for a shiny new toy! And, um, you know, open up the river crossing for people.

Kaeso loads the corpse of the Stag Lord onto his extra horse, and gingerly takes the helm. "I hope this thing is safe to use, but we might need that deadly aim."

Sorry--life has been busy here. I'm still in. I promise, if I'm ever out, I'll go out in a blaze of glory!

Not exactly super stylish, but Kaeso feels a slight blessing from Erastil when placing the helm on.

Now up a the river crossing, the party still ponders what to do.

Shall we just head to the spot where we saw McDrippy last time? Maybe close to his hut?

"So why are we giving into to some form of undead again?"

Oh that's right, you hadn't joined us yet.

Well, this ghoul guy was totally dripping mad at the Stag Lord (killed him maybe? i forget) So he put a curse on the rivers that nobody could cross them until the Stag Lord was dead. I think he wanted proof, or the Stag Lord's body, or something. Anyhow that's why we're dragging Mr. Dead McStinky around. Sorry, I don't mean you Norn. Ionnia's keeping you fresh as a baby's bottom. frowns in consternation. That doesn't sound right. Anyhow, I mean the other dead guy.

Since not crossing the rivers is the ghoul's thing, I've changed my mind. Maybe we should just get close and holler at him, yo?

I've just decided that speaking common well, but always getting slang and euphemisms wrong will be one of Dris' "things".

"So we are appeasing the spirit so he can pass on..or am I wrong and we are doing it to end his miserable undeath through force?" Ionnia said a little confused as she looked at Dris from her wagon.

"As for Norn I chose Springtime fresh as the scent thought being a paladin of Erastil that the smell of spring would be a good thing" She than looks back ahead letting the others guide her to the next destination

sounds like we are not stopping at this hex

The group continues east, towards the sootscale caverns en route to Nettle's Crossing.

The afternoon breeze starts to hit the group, and after travel by the river whispers are heard in the wind.

"Return the body... to the river... give him... to me..."

Ohhhh... is *that* what you were waiting for? And I thought the ghoul was at the "River Crossing" not all the way up at "Nettle's Crossing." Going back the way I'd planned is a little round the barn then. If the River Crossing is a new hex, we should probably explore it then. Not too slowly, but still explore it.

Explore Explore!!! I wanna Explore it...Is it wrong that I have images of Dora the Explorer in my head right now

@all: sorry folks, RL is requiring lots of my time and attention atm. I'll return to more frequent posting once things have settled back down.

On topic: Well, obviously Davik Nettle (the ghoul) is waiting for us at Nettle's Crossing... ;) And since he wanted to have the body flow past him and the rivers are flowing towards the lake, we have to ride all the way up. :/ So, are we still going back to Jhod from there, then head for Oleg's? Or are we taking the short route via Bokken's?

"Shut up, ghoul, we're on the way to bringing you peace already," the witch mumbles to the wind.

River crossing is not a new hex, but Davik is indeed at Nettle's crossing. The only unexplored hex north of the stag lord's fort is the gray one, north and west of the fort.

Since some folks can't post as frequently right now, why don't we go ahead from where we are with Nettles Crossing and swing back for the other hex after? Forging ahead...

Dris will take the halter of the horse bearing the stag lord, and lead it to the River. Here you go, you soggy whiner. Now you can sleep with the fishes! At least, you can stop bothering us. She starts cutting the body loose. Um, some help here?

Kaeso stops Drispeera: "Let me take care of that for you." He lifts the corpse easily off the horse and holds it over his head.

"If you want it, you can have it!" He bends his knees a bit and flings the body forward into the river.

As the body of the Stag lord hits the water, the party is on alert for what may happen. The river, flowing consistently south and west towards the lake, rushes against the corpse floating upon its waters. Yet the current is not moving the body, laying stagnant in exactly the same place that Kaeso left him.

Puzzled, the group finally sees a hand come out of the water, and grab the lifeless corpse; the body of the bandit slowly sinks into the waters. More confusing still is the fact that by Kaeso's recollection, the water this close to the bank is barely 1-2 feet deep. Yet the Stag Lord continues its deep descent into the seemingly bottomless river.

A few bubbles of air is all that remain after the body is fully submerged. But at that point, a ranseur flies out of the water almost aimed at Kaeso's head. Falling short by about 1 foot, the ranseur sticks into the ground at Kaeso's feet. Water drips from the weapon, as it would be expected. It looks very well made and balanced. Definitely a great weapon.

Ionnia breaths after wait transpired and looks at the others " Okay did anyone else find that super creepy?"

Uh, yeah. Totally. But hopefully now Mr. McCreepy will go all sleepy-time. And he's got himself a dead buddy to play with.

She whispers to Ionnia, I think what we need now is a good distraction. Quick, Kaeso, lift something else over your head. A horse? No? Ok, how 'bout that big, shiny sword thing? Whispering again, don't his biceps look great when he does that?

Ok, my nerves are all settled now. Let's go see if Davik has anything else in that hut of his. Maybe now everything won't turn to water. That is such a cool way to keep stuff safe. I've gotta figure out how he did that. To Ionnia, The last time we came here, any time we picked something up, it turned to water. Awesome, huh?

Dris looks around for a while, having Purrcy help by the power of his nose. When they settle down for the evening, Dris (and I presume Mornie) will try to do a more thorough study of the blade.

Kaeso attempts to hear what the ladies are saying:

Perception check: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 2 = 18

He blushes beet-red.

"It was creepier last time." He picks up the ranseur and tests the balance. "Hmm. Never seen one of these before. I wonder how you use it?" He looks around to make sure everyone is out of the way, and then takes a few practice swings and lunges. Before long, he looks like a veteran ranseurist.

"Could you ladies help me figure out what this thing does? I'd be much obliged."

Lean over to Dris "he is so cute when he blushes"

She than waves at Kaeso "If you want to practice later I will gladly oil you up afterwords to ease your tension"

The party camps overnight, and in the morning, looks like the decision is to check out Davik's hut?

As the party reaches old man Nettle's the cabin seems as you left it so many days ago. The door creaks in the wind, and the small bell outside swings slowly on its pendulum.

Dris will Detect Magic and Use Spellcraft on Kaeso's Ranseur:

Spellcraft: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (18) + 7 = 25

Hey Kaeso, Nice! McDrippy gave you a (+1) magical spear-sword thingy. And it looks like we can cross the river now.

Then she'll go with Purrcy to check out the hut. Slowly pushing the door open and peeking inside.
Dris Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15
Purrcy Aid Another Perception with Scent: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (10) + 5 = 15

After a heavy sigh, Mornaura declares with a slight grumble in her voice, "Spirits... His name is - was Davik Nettle. Let us make sure his determination to resist the bandits beyond death will not be forgotten."

Following Dris into the hut, she adds, "Let's see if we can use any of his belongings to secure the peace of these lands, either directly or by trading them for something helpful. I guess he would've liked that, don't you all agree? Maybe we can build a small shrine here for him later."

If it's dark in there, she casts Light on her furry bracers before searching.
Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (10) + 10 = 20
For good measure, she takes another look with Detect Magic.

Dris walks up to the cabin, and doesn't think anything is amiss. As soon as she reaches for the door, the handle turns to water in her hand. Fractions of a second later, the door follows. Then the front wall, the roof, the furniture inside and the floor. Finally, the small post outside where the bell hangs bursts into water and dissipates.

Soaked in water from standing in the porch, Purrcy shakes out all the water, getting Dris and Mornaura even more wet.

The water doesn't reform, leaving a small puddle where the hut used to stand. Mornaura's detect magic though, does ping at something in the water.

Its been a couple of days since we've heard from Mornie, so just to move things along, Dris will help her search and identify the item. Mornie still has "dibs" on it when she gets back.

When the hut splashed down to a puddle at her touch, Dris jumps back in surprise. When she recovers from the splashing from the hut and Purrcy, she gives a wide grin of appreciation. That is so awesome! I really want to learn how to do that! When Mornie begins searching for something in the remaining puddle, Dris will look over her shoulder. What's that?

Detect Magic and Spellcraft: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8 :P

It looks like the identification will need to wait for Mornie then.

~~~

Does anybody want to look at anything else here or are we ready to head back and explore that area west of the river crossing?

Looking through the water, Dris does find a pair of very fine bracers that radiate magic. They are very finely crafted, with some water motifs and encrusted with blue jewels. A seahorse is depicted on the left, while the right one has a dolphin jumping over a small boat.

Trying not to care about her wet clothes, Mornaura concentrates on the bracers for a while.

Spellcraft: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (7) + 12 = 19

"Huh, seems like we got two pretty bracers of armor here. Too bad their magic can't be combined with our mage armor spells, but at least they are permanently active. Mind if I keep them?"

---

"Well, I think we're done here. Though, now that the crossing isn't blocked by a curse anymore, we might as well explore the area south of the river."