Shalafi's Dragons of Summer Flame Campaign (Inactive)

Game Master JASON RODARTE

The pleasure and Honor is mine Heroes of the Lance. Thank you for letting us in you home. he replied in Awe but trying not to show it to the man who went to the Abyss and back.

Aminah Mikku walks through the town admiring its structures. When confronted by the Sheriff she says, "Urgosh is a friend in my travels good sheriff. I assure you that he shall cause no trouble to your people. I as a cleric of Paladine will make sure of it."

At the inn she gives a respectful nod to the hosts and says, "I am thankful of your hospitality. And pleased to be at the famous Inn of the Last Home, the starting point of the Heroes of the Lance and their quest to save all of Anasalon."

Caramon replies, Thank you cleric of Paladine. If we knew then what he know now I wonder if we would have gone out through the backdoor. Goldmoon has a saying that only the gods know what will happen when an action is taken either for good or for bad. How can we help?

Some ale and your famous Spiced potatoes for now in a much lower voice so that only they can hear and a friendly chat when less eyes can hear.

You notice that a little face from the nose up is looking over the table with a huge topknot of hair. The kender is dressed in yellow and green with a copper medallion of faith.

I like to hear! I want to hear! I like stories! That's why I'm here!

As Chaucer looks around, he sees the beauty of Solace. The massive Vallenwoods, many bearing signs of attack that they felt just a few decades ago, a blink in the eye for these old trees, rose up above him like giants trying to blot out the sky. On the ground underneath, and in the trees above, the village of Solace sits, comfortable, inviting, and with a beauty all its own.

Making his way with his companions, he can't help but think, that the manners of the people of Solace don't quite fit the first glance of the quiet village amongst the treetops. But then again, he thought Urgosh would rip his arms off his body the first time he met him, so maybe their reaction wasn't one of rudeness after all. As the sheriff comes up and greets them as a group, Chaucer can't help but speak and say, "Well met, Constable. Believe me, we have no intention of harming anyone in Solace, or creating any trouble. We are travelers passing through, eager to spend some time in the famous Solace. As for Urgosh here, though he looks menacing, he can be as gentle as a kitten. Not every book should be judged by it's cover, otherwise, you might just miss a few surprises." With that, he turns and heads to the staircase leading to the Inn of the Last Home, all the while thinking, "That heartless wizard, what was his name… Gee Em? Whatever it was, I sure wish he had brought Juliette here…"

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The Inn is still in the Vallenwoods right? I feel like in the Summer of Chaos some of the town was on the ground, while some was still in the trees. Correct me if I am wrong please. Also Gee Em isn't me bitter or skulking, just having a good time with it lol.
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Walking in behind the others, he still can't miss Caramon Majere, the very same he saw just a day prior in the conclave meeting, and just a few days before that in the High Clerist's Tower. Sticking his hand out to shake Caramon's massive hand, he says, "Mr. Majere, I want to tell you what an honor it is to meet you. I grew up hearing stories of what you and your companions did from my Father. He told me of your bravery, your heroism, your honor. I hope that one day my deeds can account for a tenth of the good that you and your beautiful wife here have done for all of us." At that point, Chaucer remembers himself and what he is here for. "Listen to me, I sound like a school boy, forgive me for doting, it is just hard to imagine that I would be here, when just a few days ago I… " He stops and realizes that even that he can't say. "Well, I am sure you understand." Thankfully Urgosh, ignoring the cow calls from the back corner, orders food, remind Chaucer of his hunger and of the exquisite smell of spiced potatoes. "Absolutely, food and room for the lot of us." Looking at the kender Chaucer smiles and says, "And you little master, what is your name?"

My name good sir, I think you should know,
is Tizzlewheat Applesnow

"Tizzlewheat Applesnow huh... that is a name I am unfamiliar with. Turning to Urgosh, Chaucer asks, "What was Burpy's last name again? Speaking of which, where did he go?"

Chaucer heads with his companions to a table in the corner. He is looking forward to an evening of spiced potatoes and eventually, some conversation with one of the great Heroes of the Lance.

My friends call me Tizzy, try not to say while standing on your head because it might make you dizzy.

My name as you know is Applesnow
Now here is something I would like to know
It is rude and it is crude
for you not to tell me,
who you are as quick as can be
who you be and what you be doin'?

Animnah takes a seat at the table and orders herself a local beverage and a meal. When the Kender comes to the table she looks to the Kender and says, "Hello and well met Tizzlewheat Applesnow. I can see by the medallion you bear that you are also one in service to the Gods. I'm sure you playful Kender really love having the divine power of the heavens at your fingertips. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Aminah Mikku cleric in the service of the holy Paladine. It is a pleasure to meet you."

It is nice to meet you, Fizz's friend
as you know my name if Tizzy.
As for me I serve the Bard King
He helps me feel happy, he helps me to sing

Religion check: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 21

"Ah yes you mean Branchala, the Bards Harp, god of music and song. Very well respected by the minstrels and entertainers of the Khur. He is a rather ficke god but one with good heart and adored by many. I heard his most devoted followers are called the "Goodfellows". Would you be among their ranks by any chance?"

Chaucer smiles at the boldness of the kender. "Master Tizzy, my name is Chaucer Tarsi of Northpoint in Solamnia. Well met master bard."

My job is simple and easy to keep
I bring joy and laughter to those who weep.
Good or bad, dwarf of elf
sometimes people need to laugh at themself.

I wonder if this one is the same with the property of other like burpy

My, my a kender bard what an interesting home you have there... said urgosh as he sits

This is an inn, it is not my home
people come here as they roam.
A bard I'm not, perhaps you cant tell
sit your self down and sit a spell.

After being invited in:

I am pleased of being welcomed as kindly. Torald Othric of Griffonstone. Pleased to meet you.

After Tizzy asking for our names:

Like I said before, I'm Torald Othric of Griffonstone. Nice to meet you Tizzy.

Caramon mentions that the person that you want to talk to is upstairs in one of the guest rooms.

Chaucer leans back and sighs as he looks at the empty plate of what once was the famous spiced potatoes. They were indeed amazing, and well worth their fame. After finishing off his tankard of ale, Caramon stops by their table for a brief pause, looking ever the host checking in on his customers, he tells the companions quietly that the person they are seeking is upstairs. Chaucer smiles and says, "Thank you Master Majere, you are a gracious host. Well friends, we should probably go and put our stuff in our room before we go and explore the town."

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Sorry, I missed your update yesterday Shalafi, I am guessing I wasn't the only one, hopefully we can get rolling again.

She nods to Caramon and says, "Your aid is most appreciated Caramon Majere."

She looks to Chaucer and says, "Indeed, we should get ourselves settled in our rooms. There is plenty to see in this town of trees."

Hein ? oh right, yes indeed to the room he says

once up he doesn't really take to time to unload and goes straight to that meeting with the mysterious "friend"

You are led through a side door to another room. In the room is a middle aged woman. Hello, my name is Sara Dunstan. I understand that you need information on the Knights of Takhisis. The Knighthood has quietly recruited and trained young people from all corners of Ansalon, quickly teaching them as the Solamnics taught their squires that their honor was their lives, but (unlike the Solamnic Knights) service to Takhisis was the highest honor of all. This indoctrination, combined with Lord Ariakan's unsurpassed skills in the arts of war and designs of equipment (to this day the ordinary armor of the Knights of Solamnia is considered to be inferior to the design of Lord Ariakan, now uniform among his Knights), made them the undisputed masters of war. They also contacted dragons who had served in the Blue Dragonarmy and recruited as many of them as they could.

They have secret locations here on Ansalon, though I do not know where. Their main strong hold is in Storm's Keep, an island that is protected by Lord Ariakan's mother, the sea goddess Zeboim. It is only accessible by dragon and only chromatic dragons, mostly blues, know where it is.

She continues,
The order was founded by Lord Ariakan as the Knights of Takhisis in 370 A.C. He was guided by a vision he had received from the Queen of Darkness shortly after being released from captivity by the Solamnic Knights in 357 A.C. During his captivity, he learned the structure of the Solamnic Knighthood and copied many of their ideas into his own Knighthood. Each knight was devoted to the goals of Takhisis and a Vision of a "One World Order".

Order of the ThornThe Order of the Thorn specialize in arcane magic, as wizards or as sorcerers. They are known as the "gray robes" for the color of their robes. Unlike the black robes of Nuitari, they are not bound by the laws of the Conclave.

That they are this organized and dedicated is a concern to all the race. The only advantage everyone else had was that the dark queen's servant could be counted on to scheme against one an other for personal gain. If that is gone we have a problem this continent has never faced before.

Since we can't go to storm's end and we need to find proof of the Knight's existence do you have any idea on how we can accomplish that?

Aminah Mikku listens with a worried expression on her face. After Sara Dunstan is finished her explanation, she says, "Things appear to be far worse than I initially thought. These Dark Knights have had time to establish themselves and master their respective specialties. They certainly sound like they are organized and this "One World Order" you speak of looks to be a plot to enslave all of Anasalon. Still, I do not see a small number of knights starting a campaign of conquest on their own. The Dragons of course are potent allies but I am sure the Dark Knights will need an army if they are to enact their plan. How involved are the Nerekans in the Dark Knight operations? Surely those evil bastards are the leaders of this plot. Are the Dark Knights also getting the support of their old allies among the Draconians, Goblins and Ogres? And what of Steel Brightblade? how involved is he with these Dark Knights?"

Yes, Urgosh and Aminah, you're both right. One of the greatest advantages we had, was that we were more organized and had more cohesion than our enemies. When they adapt our strengths we will face an far more dangerous enemy.

The Dark Knights count on the fact that there is so much division. Rather than bring the races together, the War of the Lance lulled them into a sense of complacency and old hatreds rose again. Just look at what happened with the elves. They count on the fact that the knights will not believe this because Ariakan knows how smug they are.

Cleric of Paladine, they have an army. It is vast. They have allies. Draconians, minotaurs, goblinoids, ogres, all those who worship Her Dark Majesty. Ansalon is in for a world of hurt. My son, Steel, is a Knight of the Lilly, totally lost to darkness. I tried to get him to see the way of his father and thus asked his uncle and Tanis Half-Elven to take him to the High Clerists Tower. After embracing darkness he shunned me. With that she breaks down in tears that only a mother could have and truly understand.

Aminah gives an empathic look to Sara and says, "The temptations of darkness taint the best of souls. A great Khan of my people Salah-Khan gave his allegiance to Ariakas early in the War of the Lance, betraying the Khur and allowing the Dragonarmies subjugate our people. His crimes bring shame to my people even now. But nonetheless, I have faith that we will able to save Anasalon from the Dark Queen's "One World Order". We need to warn the nations and have them prepare for war. I shall not see the Khur enslaved a second time, not will I allow the Dark Knights to stamp out all that is good in the world. By the Skyfather Paladine, I will not submit to the forces of evil."

That is why we need proof and other concrete evidence to present or else it's just stories.

She nods, "Indeed. Despite my trust of this woman, mere words will not hold weight with the other factions, especially that of someone who admittingly was a part of the Dark Knights. As we cannot reach Storm Keep my suggestion would be to go to Neraka and catch the Dark Knights in the act. If they are looking to expand their ranks the Nerakans would be the first to sign on."

She looks to Sara and asks, "The Nerakans are their main recruiting pool right Sara?"

They have recruits among the dwarves, the elves, Solmanics, half-elves, minotaurs.

Chaucer listens to the story that Sara Dunstan spins with a mix of amazement, shock, and outrage. The others voice his thoughts well, it was the chaos of evil that had always given the side of good the upper hand. If somehow the Dark Queen, by means of this pseudo-knighthood had brought order and law to the chaos that is evil, then the forces of good were facing their greatest challenge yet.

Finally giving voice to the outrage and the confusion that had been swirling around the details that Sara had just given them, Chaucer begins asking questions rapidly, waiting for a quick answer, and then asking the next one immediately. Forgive me Madam Dunstan, but I have many questions, if you wouldn't mind helping me understand what we are facing I would truly appreciate it. How long have the Dark Knights been recruiting their members? Who does the recruiting? Are their specific places that they frequent, bars, taverns, docks, orphanages, street gangs? Is there a method to their recruitment? Finally giving voice to his confusion and his frustration, Chaucer begins processing this information aloud.

"Here is why I ask, and this is no way a statement of disbelief of your account, but rather, just a point in this entire thing I struggle with, but if they have amassed such structure, and if they have done it with such great numbers in such a short amount of time, surely, someone has been noticed missing. Otherwise they must have very specific recruitment procedures designed around the idea of keeping their growing numbers secret. Yet no one, no city, no government, no one has any idea what is going on. How did the mage conclaves not notice a drop in people coming to take the Tests? How did they not notice a disappearance from those within their ranks? No way this wasn't seen before, no way this is quite the shocker it seems to be. How could that be?" He practically spits out his last question and realizes that he has been rambling and he shuts his mouth, closes his eyes, bows his head and begins to rub his temples, just the way his father used to when he was getting overwhelmed with something.

After a few long, deep breaths, he opens his eyes and raises his head and says, "I am sorry, I just can't believe that a threat this large has just appeared with no warning. What did we miss?" He asks, with a hint of pleading in his voice. He shakes his head and sits back again and listens to his companions.

She nods to Sara's answer and nods "I am sure they have many allies they can draw their numbers from. But to get the proof that we need we need to capture some hard evidence to prove that this threat exists. Storm Keep is far too strong for a small group such as ourselves to infiltrate. The safest method would be to catch the Dark Knight recruiters while they are away from their stronghold. If the Dark Knights are truly the sons of Neraka and the Dark Queen then their homeland in my opinion would be the best place to search. We do not have time to waste questioning dwarves, elves and minotaurs."

Minotaur hey. Well i would be far to look into that in the Empire.

The Knights have been recruiting for at least 10 or 15 years from all around Ansalon. There are the children of Knights of Solamnia in their ranks and even former Wizards of High Sorcery. Anyone that shows an inclination to serving the Dark Queen or can be brainwashed when they are young enough to join would be a wonderful member that Ariakan would take. He often handpicks members himself, as he did with Steel, who is the son of the Blue Lady, Kitiara Uth Matar. Anyone who can be taught honor and discipline is a candidate. The Knights of the Skull and even the Thorn mages can read thoughts so they know if a candidate is legitimate in their devotion or not. Those that are not are disposed of.

This threat has been missed and is being missed because the forces of "good" have become complacent. No one wants to believe that the Knights of Solamnia can be beat. Who is going to believe the Wizards? After all, they work with Black Robes and Red Robes and White Robes. Ariakan is shrewd enough to play on people's weaknesses that they think are strengths.

These knights have none of the weaknesses of the Dragon Highlords of the past or the Dragon Armies.

And our current problem is to capture one alive it would seem.

That it would appear to be, but to get that Knight to talk might be a different matter entirely. How would you do it?

Well if we could gets our hands on a knights of some ranking that has trained in storm's end. We would just need to keep him alive. The prying of information could be magically done.

She nods to Urgosh and says, "That may be our only option. The Knights of Solamnia are against torture and would just lock the individual up in prison while he remains tight lipped about his affiliates. The mages on the other hand can get the individual to talk without doing harm to him or her. That would convince the mages at least. The Knights of Solamnia on the other hand might be dubious of a confession under magical influence however but it is a start at least."

There is also ways with divine magic to get people to talk, to a certain point of course.

Aminah says to Urgosh, "It is by the will of the Gods what spells are granted by the divine. Some may well grant the ability to bend one's will, such as the evil Hiddukel the Betrayer. A righteous cleric would never be granted such spells. Arcane magic tends to be more flexible in what can be accomplished. While I dislike the concept of forcing someone's will through magic when it is the only option available to expose a greater evil then it must be done. A Dark Knight outside of magical manipulation or torture would not expose their secrets."

This is very interesting. Wasn't this the same justification used by the last Kingpriest of Istar?

Chaucer only half listens to his companions trying to come up with some kind of plan for capturing a dark knight. "How could know one have known, how did they miss the signs, their arrogance once more shows itself." He continues to stew and dwell on his thoughts until the mention of the Kingpriest of Istar. Like a slap to the face, the mere mention of the name snaps him out of his revery, the words of the story play through his head, the one his father had told him so many times. "No! I will not be like those who let their arrogance and their divine rights overshadow all things good and right." He takes a moment to process what he has only half heard from his companions and then he begins to laugh.

"Friends, we are doing this all wrong, and what we are planning is ridiculous. Do any of you possess the magical means to pry loose the mind of a Dark Knight? I certainly don't. We swore an oath to mention to know one our mission, outside of the Reverend Daughter herself, so who would we be able to get to do that? Only Lady Crysania would be able to perform those spells, and there is no way she walks down that path. No there is an easy way to get the information we need I think." He smiles looking at the group and continues. "It would certainly require us to split up but why don't we try and get recruited by the Dark Knights? We could find a tournament somewhere not in Solomnia, and I could participate. A jaded young knight who has been scorned by the Solomnics for not measuring up to their standards sounds like the perfect candidate for the Dark Knights doesn't it? Not to mention, a minotaur could probably join its ranks with relative ease. We could bring you two in as prisoners or some such thing. The details can be worked out later, but seeing it with our own eyes is the easiest way to get the information we need."

He looks around the room after finishing his plan still smiling a bit. "Well, what do you think?"

Well i don't know about righteous and all. But if it is granted might as well use it no?

Aminah says to Chaucer "A bold plan Chaucer, but one that may be efficient at drawing out one of the recruiters. They want honorable candidates to twist to their will so we shall present one. The only problem I see is that you may have to use deception which is not up to the code of a knight. Would you be willing to violate your oaths to achieve our goal?"

As for responding to Sara's words she says, "It is a difficult choice to achieve the greater good. I respect the rule of Law and due process of a criminal for their crimes. If there was an alternative where Law and Righteousness could be upheld I would take be glad to take such an option. But if the Dark Knights are oathbound to the Dark Queen they will not willingly expose their secrets."

And yet, Daughter of Paladine, this is part of Ariakan's master plan, do the forces of good forsake their own goodness, do they compromise in order to get information. Her Dark Majesty is nefarious indeed. Though your plan has merit.

It is a difficult decission, Chaucer. I know, that you aren't an Solamnic yet. But you know, that our orders will not only judge your decissions and deeds while you will hopefully serve them in future. But your deeds of the past will be assessed before you will be permitted to perform your oath.

And before you understand me wrong. I know that sometimes the truthful and honorful way will not be comfortable. But I know how our topmost judge and I don't want you to mortgage your future which you always wanted to achieve.

Bah chaucer you seem to forget that we were just told that during recruitment the mind of the applicant is scanned with magic in order to determine if he is truthful about joining the dark knights? Do you feel lucky enough to pass that test of will ?