Magecraze: Chronicles of Kraeon

Game Master Chingo Chaplo

"The Drover's Dreadnoughts aren't your typical mercenary company. We fight for honor and glory. The black bull of the Drover's Dreadnoughts is already known and respected all across the Baronies. To be a Drover's Dreadnoughts is to be among the best. Our leader is Logarth Drover. He's a true man of honor and the most fearless warrior there ever was, and he always picks the righteous cause over the money."

Hum... perhaps this is rain is the way of the Holy Nature to get me on trails again...

"Humm... beforrre I accept yourrr offerrr, I need yourrr assurrrance that my companions will be worrrthy fighterrrs... in the middle of a fight, allies and enemies get a little blurrry... if I have harrrdy companions, the chance of unwanted casualties arrre smallerrr."

"The Drover's Dreadnoughts are as hardy as they come." Reevys replies.

Myrl croaks.

"I was just about to tell him, Myrl." Reevys takes another swig of his ale.

"I am not just here to recruit for the company to tell you the truth. I am also here because the murderer of my brother Fidocho is said to have last been seen here. An elven magehunter by the name of Eldren Miradanis. A mean bastard, I've heard. Carries with him a magical throwing axe. Now, I've asked around and Eldren Miradanis is supposed to be staying at a farmhouse north of here with one of his old buddies, a man named Velys Brassbuckler."

Reevys leans closer. "I'm going to kill them."

"An honorrred and just mission if yourrr brrrotherrr was not a crrriminal, if he was, then it is just stupid rrrevenge... And why arrre you telling me this? You said YOU arrre going to kill them, rrright?"

Jideon smiled... many men want revenge for something, but those that indeed try to execute it are few. Jideon avenged his kin before, but he asked no help doing so.

"My brother was no criminal! My brother was a saint! A foolish one at that. But a saint none the less. But he had gotten the craze. Melevarn's madness. I had send the best man to save him from himself. Hadar Doranis. But Eldren Miradanis got to him first."

Reevys looks down into the table saddened by the thought of his lost brother.

"I am going to kill him. But this could be your golden chance to prove yourself Saer Jideon. If you help me kill Eldren consider that you're golden ticket into the Drover's Dreadnoughts. And I'll let you have his magical axe."

"Rrright, if you say so I believe in you. I'll help you, but I must warrrn you: when the fight starrrts, keep a distance frrrom my rrreach..."

Jideon finishes his drinks and gets up.

"We leave in the morrrning, beforrre the sun shows his face."

"Good to hear. But we don't have time to wait until tomorrow. We need to get it done as soon as possible. Eldren Miradanis might be gone if we wait until tomorrow. Tonight is our best chance of getting him."

"You surrre? If is that so, we move, but you betterrr be rrright... also be warrrned that I can't prrroperrrly see orrr trrrack in this rrrain... you know wherrre to go?"

Saying this, Jideon straps his big sword at his back after putting on a big coat.

What's the outside look like? Provided that I get there.

Reevys nods. "I know the way."

About a mile north of Elbenhart you reach a farmhouse.

"I think this is the place." Reevys says. "Stand ready by the door. I'll look through the windows to make sure we've got the right place."

A few minutes later Reevys returns. "We got the right place alright. Eldren's in there. There are two other men with him. One of them must be Velys. I don't know who the third guy is."

"Is he bonded orrr something like this? If he is just talking, he is prrrobably ourrr enemy too... bats fly with bats, squirrrels hang with squirrrels and wolves hunt with wolves..."

Jideon unsheathes his big sword.

"Rrready?"

As soon as he gets Reevys confirmation, we moves as silently as he could, looking for a good point of entering or a way to hear the conversation.

Stealth: 3d6 + 4 + 3 ⇒ (5, 6, 1) + 4 + 3 = 19
Spot: 3d6 + 4 + 3 ⇒ (5, 6, 5) + 4 + 3 = 23
Listen: 3d6 + 3 ⇒ (5, 3, 2) + 3 = 13

As you reach the spot near the fallen tree on the road, you notice several more fallen trees and giant footsteps in the ground. You hear Reevys call out from the other side of the road.

"This was neither a storm nor bandits. Some sort of giant has passed through here. Let's get this tree out of the way in a hurry. We don't want to be here when whatever it was that passed through here returns."

Morys nodded.

As you and Arturos moved through to the other side of the lakeside woods and had the cave in Aeolyn Rock in front of you, you saw a large band of armed brown goblins standing ready in front of the cave. There were at least twenty of them.

"Go away humans! Or die!" The one in front, a larger goblin, a head taller than his fellows, yelled.

Outside in the street you are surrounded by almost sixty Conclave Mages and magehunters with sniffers, carriages, horses and wagons with cages on them.

"Nowhere to run. What do we do?" Raijin asked.

Logarth opened a drawer in his desk and took up a wooden box. He opened the box and offered you a cigar, then took one himself and lit it with his silver dragon lighter. He then leaned back in his armchair, took a puff on the cigar and blew up a large cloud of smoke.

"There are several guards, except for when he is out of town. Then he takes most of his guards with him and only leaves a few at the manor. Fortunately for us, he is out of town for the next week. The manor is walled, so you're going to need something to scale the walls. You can also expect locked doors and traps. I didn't know exactly where his treasury was, so I pulled some strings and obtained an architect's map of the manor. The treasury is on the second floor, next to the master bedroom."

"He is not bonded no. They're sitting around a table talking. And they're all armed."

Reevys magically unlocks a backdoor and you sneak into the house. You're in a hallway, and can hear them talking from the room on the other side of a door.

"Lots of coin to be earned, but we need more men..."

"I don't know. It sounds dangerous, Eldren."

"Since when have you ever been afraid of danger, Velys."

When the sign is made, Jideon moves stealthily, attacking at the least armored man he finds.

Stealth: 3d6 + 4 ⇒ (5, 1, 1) + 4 = 11
Attack (Greatsword), heavy attack: 3d6 + 5 - 2 ⇒ (4, 5, 3) + 5 - 2 = 15
Damage (Greatsword), heavy attack: 2d6 + 4 + 8 ⇒ (3, 6) + 4 + 8 = 21

Not sure what is the damage of the greatsword... I noticed that it is kind of based on the pathfinder weapons, but seams to have also an additional bonus... Also, is there any bonus for two handed (like 1,5 times Might)? Right now, I'm assuming a plain 2d6 damage and unmodified Might.

"Yes, I spoke to one of the patrons here who mentioned something about a well and a ruined manor that might serve as hiding places for the faelyn. I'm not sure if I'll follow through with checking them, as you should personally know how dangerous the mad can be."

She carefully spun around and allowed Raputchin to crawl down her arm and onto the ground.

"Good luck with your search, friend. Hopefully you can put the information to good use."

Fio began to creep away from the tavern, though briefly glanced back to make sure that the strange man was thoroughly occupied with mulling over her words.

Rhasan grins widely, taking the offered cigar and lighting it, sighs contentedly, puffing enormous clouds of smoke up to the ceiling.

He nods as Logarth explains the situation at the manor, commenting "Sounds like a skeleton crew then." he says, taking a pull on his cigar, "That map will come in handy, Logarth. Good thinking."

Rhasan smooths the map out onto the table, running his finger along this wall and that, murmuring to himself. "Yes, there's bound to be some little surprise waiting for me," he says with a smile, remembering something.

At Logarth's questioning look, he explains "A similar job. Empty manor, few guards. Easy to penetrate and get to the vault. I was much younger, and only a bit stupider. Got into the vault and found the owner had installed a guardian, a demon of sorts."

Taking an other puff on his cigar, he could tell that Logarth was waiting anxiously to find out what had happened.

Rhasan spread his hands out, "What else could I do? I ran!" he said, bursting out in laughter.

Losian is using diplomacy to try and entice the goblins to join him and his men. He is also going to ready (if such a thing exists in the rules) to draw his weapon and strike the first goblin who attacks him.

Diplomacy: 3d6 + 4 ⇒ (6, 5, 2) + 4 = 17

The greatsword is 2d6+2 + unmodified Might.

Reevys casts Mage Armor on himself, then makes the sign to move in. Jideon chops down one of the three men sitting around the table. Reevys goes straight for Eldren, an elf with black hair and a blue headband, stabbing him with his rapier.

Roll initiative (3d6+Agility).

A few of the men laugh forced and awkwardly at Ventus' joke. As soon as the tree is moved, you all get back on the carriage and continue your travel to Malgarav.

You soon reach the end of the woods and the town of Malgarav.

"We're here. First thing we need to do is speak with the mayor. Who'll accompany me?" Reevys asks.

"Where are you going Fionnuala? I thought you wanted to come with me?" Hadar Doranis yells after you.

Logarth almost chokes on the cigar smoke as he begins to laugh too. He then stops laughing and looks at you with a serious gaze.

"If you encounter any trouble such as guards that you can't avoid a fight with or anything like that, just get out of there and return here as quick as possible. Take this cloak. It is a magical cloak which will allow you to hide more efficiently in shadows."

He then hands you a black cloak.

Shadowblend Cloak: +4 on Stealth when hiding in shadows.

The larger goblin motioned for his kin to lower their weapons. "Treasure? What treasure?"

Initiative: 3d6 + 3 ⇒ (3, 2, 5) + 3 = 13

Rhasan chuckles along with Logarth, then matches the dwarfs seriousness at his warning, "Don't worry, Logarth" then whistles as Logarth reveals the dark cloak.

It's fabric seems to drink in the light, as Rhasan stands and flings it over his shoulders.

"How does it look?" he asks with a smile.

A few more puffs of cigars and shared laughs, and Rhasan was ready to begin his journey.

Vaulting up onto the back of the finest horse in Logarth's stables, Rhasan reaches down to clasp Logarth's outstreched hand.

"Be back before you miss me." he says with quiet confidence, his breath visible in the cool night air.

"I- I don't know, friend. I'd probably just get in your way, and my I'm not the best fighter around... Trust me, you don't want me there. Let me leave you to your good work."

Fionnuala dashed into the thick forest that surrounded the town and vanished into the undergrowth without looking back.

Raputchin was pleased.

One of the men, a large brawny man with red beard and hair, gets up from the table and draws a twohanded sword which was hanging in its sheathe on the chair he was sitting on.

He attacks you.

attack: 3d6 + 6 ⇒ (3, 2, 2) + 6 = 13 damage: 2d6 + 2 + 4 ⇒ (2, 6) + 2 + 4 = 14

The vylshalan in the black jacket with the green glowing sword steps out of the Blazing Stone behind you, accompanied by the two hooded Conclave mages.

"I'll give you one last chance to submit peacefully." he says.

Three days later you rode through the barbican of Grymsharn's Northgate. The district of Northgate was a market district and a district with many thieves. The western part of Northgate was known as the Warrens, because the buildings there were built in a way that the narrow streets were more like underground tunnels. South of the Kelpie River the District of Sharnstravos opened up with the Old Skull rising above the rest of the district in the middle, the hill with a cliff-side that resembled a skull. Many nobles' manors were built on Old Skull, overlooking Sharnstravos. One of them was the manor of Lavros Devanas.

The large goblin yelled something in goblin to some of the goblins who were still holding up their weapons and they quickly obeyed.

"Talk human! Ragalash Grimgnasher is all ears."

As you enter the town hall, a large building in the middle of Malgarav with an eerie looking bell tower rising high above the town, two guards approach you with the black raven of Malgarav on their yellow hauberks.

"Who goes there?" one of them bellows.

"Reevys and Ventus of the Drover's Dreadnoughts. We've been summoned by Mayor Stratvald."

"Caidwald, go and tell the mayor." the guard says to the other guard and he enters the building.

Soon after he returns. "The mayor is waiting for you inside in his office."

"Good." Reevys replies. "Come Ventus."

Soon after you are in the office of Mayor Stratvald.

The mayor, a fat man in green and black noble's outfit with a pelt over his shoulders and a green hat with a large blue feather in it, gets up from his chair behind his table and nods to you respectfully.

"Welcome to Malgarav. I am Cillian Stratvald."

Is it necessary to make a Willpower to resist the Rage, or Jideon can enter it voluntarily?

Attack (Greatsword, heavy attack, rage): 3d6 + 5 - 2 ⇒ (6, 6, 3) + 5 - 2 = 18
Damage (Greatsword, heavy attack, rage): 2d6 + 6 + 1d8 + 8 ⇒ (3, 4) + 6 + (1) + 8 = 22

hp 13/27, Defense 9, Damage Reduction 4