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INTRODUCTION:

This is the worst part, Adarion thought to himself.

The Grey elf was saddled on the back of a silver dragon with two other elves huddled together, shoulder to shoulder with Adarion in front. He can feel their bodies behind them in a rather uncomfortable position. The saddle was meant for bringing three people as riders; comfort was not part of the design. This made the hours-long ride a bit unpleasant for the passengers who were nothing more than that, along for the one-way trip.

Adarion looked to his right. Just past the giant wings of the reptilian beast was another silver dragon carrying three others. The dragons flew so close, one could throw a knife at each other if there were any real chance of hitting. Most flying creatures preferred more distance in flight, but there was a reason for such tight formation: defense. With the riders, the dragons were vulnerable to air attack. This was why Adarion hated this part the most, he and his companions were practically helpless to defend themselves in case of battle in the skies. To provide cover were six griffon riders, the best air champions the elves had to offer. These creatures had the upper body of an eagle, and the lower body of a lion with feathered wings. Though not as large as the two dragons, their fierce temperament and equally fierce fighting prowess made them feared air combatants. Each had only one rider armed with a lance and shield, they are known as the duethilean or the Crescent Windriders. Adarion scanned everywhere to spot one of the winged beasts above him, one to each to his flanks, rear, and two in the lead. It was quite an impressive flying battle force, but combat was not the mission this time. The goal was to get to a location and back without drawing attention.

They flew at night, high above the low clouds. Despite the bitter cold of the night and the high altitudes, magical protections cast before the flight made the journey far more tolerable. They chose the night to avoid any potential encounters, as very few creatures fly this high at night. Nor would a majority of sentient creatures be out in the open at such times. The partial moon shone bright here, but at ground level, the light would be minimal, just as Adarion and his higher-ranking leaders wanted.

Adarion Lyrondreth, leader of this group, had his mind focused on about five dozen things, when his keen eyes alerted his attention to the griffon directly in front of him in the second leading position. The rider produced a hooded light that only beings flying behind him would see. That was the warning signal. Adarion turned around best he could in the restrictive multiple saddle and produced a waving motion to his buddies. Kethis Moonwhisper, and Fiavia Stargazer, reached into a sealed compartment in the large saddle and each pulled out fully enclosed helmets with clear eye pieces. Adarion looked to the other dragon and saw the others, Daelynn Ferwarden, Amuel Dreamstrider, and Claeledar Duskdancer, begin donning helmets as well. Adarion felt confident, there was no need for verbal or magical communication to ensure they were staying alert. After securing their gear and helmets, each gave a thumbs up signal, five in all while Adarion donned his head gear and submitted his own signal. Nobody was above permission and safety checks, not even the leader. The next move was to unbuckle their straps and position themselves on the edge of the dragon’s shoulders. Now comes the next part, the signal from the forward rider to jump.

Adarion looked down and saw a small break in the clouds. He looked back and saw the light flicker on a second time. At that moment, the two dragons stopped flapping their wings and glided upon the wind and their own momentum. It was time. Adarion made a downward slashing motion, and all six riders jumped off from the dragons.

The sudden rush of wind was incredible, as the six flattened out and outstretched their arms and legs for balance as they fell to the ground at frightening speeds. The clouds were rushing up fast, any attempt to judge distances were nearly impossible. Instead of panicking or spending any amount of time to think, training took over almost instantly. They used their arms and bodies to close within ranks during their descent. In seconds each member had linked up with another until all six were holding hands in a circular formation. This only took a matter of seconds, as seconds counts in performing such a dangerous maneuver. Very few beings, if any, had ever done something like this before. One false move, one miscalculation, could mean death for one or for all. By linking up together, survival through teamwork increased dramatically. In less than ten seconds after forming up, they hit the clouds. If the onrush of the fall was bad enough, the clouds were worse. The blast of vapor almost felt like a solid force. Had they not possessed the special magic and equipment to protect them at this height as falling speeds, someone may have been hurt. The clouds were thick, vision was practically impossible any further than their feet. The ground was not visible yet, the night didn’t help matters at all. All they could do is keep their hands locked together with the person on each side and rely on their training.

Suddenly, they broke past the clouds. The land was now visible, and major features were now recognizable. Below were forests, rivers, lakes, hills, mountains, and a few settlements spanning over dozens of miles in every direction. Because of the low clouds, the ground was coming up very fast the moment they were able to see. Adarion estimated through training and preparations that the team had about ten to fifteen seconds before impact once clearing the low-lying clouds in the dark hours of the night. He released his left hand and made a sweeping motion for all to see. At once, he and the others reached for their right wrists and managed to hook onto a finger on their left gloved hands a ring that was securely fastened just under the base of their thumb. When all six managed to secure a ring, the falling motion slowed down instantly. The sudden break in their freefall nearly jolted their inner organs, but the change in velocity was gentle enough not the cause injury, just surprise and perhaps a loss of breath of one wasn’t prepared for it. Instead of a free fall, the six were gently floating to the ground, rings now glowed a faint bluish tinge. Now the team slowly swung upright into crouched positions and spun around facing away from each other. Within moments, each of the members safely touched ground with no sound made except for perhaps their breathing forced from the free fall. As each team member’s feet made contact with the grassy field, they immediately removed their enclosed helmets and drew bows from their quivers.

They waited. They searched. They listened. They hid. Such tactics were necessary to ensure any trap or an ambush would not occur in their landing area within unfriendly terrain. Jumping into enemy territory was always risky, particularly in an open area. But this maneuver was best conducted in open areas for safest navigation and for security. Despite the darkness that comes with the night and the low-lying clouds, one can never be assured that any detection by someone…or SOMETHING, didn’t see their descent. The field grass, which is roughly stood almost to the hips of the short statured elves, provided an adequate form of concealment, but no cover would be available. Best tactic was to sit and wait for a few minutes to be safe.

The air cadre was not to be seen. There was no need to confirm their departure. Once the team had jumped off, the air troop would turn back to their home base, their primary mission of delivery was complete. The ground team’s mission has now begun. Only in dire consequences, such as an immediate attack, would the air troop offer any assistance. But all went according to plan. They were on their own, and it would be this way for a very long time.

Once Adarion felt their position to be secure, he began to slowly, silently, bring out each a scroll case of maps and a compass. The other five kept a stern watch for any approaching dangers. He studied their bearings and the lay of the land. This took perhaps a minute of expertise examination until their eyes met a second time. It was confirmed: they are almost precisely where they are supposed to be. From the southwest to northeast was the forest called the Narlmarches, perhaps four miles out from the nearest wall of trees directly to the south. The Narlmarches is a combination of forest and wooded swamp, considered by most to be a dangerous environment. Not seen on the ground but visible to the west during their descent was Lake Hooktongue. A few scattered groves of trees were dispersed in an otherwise grassy field with gradually short changes in elevation, good for hiding or for things that wish to be hidden. Once the navigational task was completed, Adarion tapped each of the five members and made a pyramid shape with his hands from fingertips to his thumbs as the base. At once, they formed a diamond shaped formation. Amuel Dreamstrider was at the point and began to move directly east. He is a Sylvan elf who specializes in tapping into the four basic elements of nature and harnesses the powers he tunes himself with. About thirty feet behind him diagonally was Adarion to his left, and a Grey elf, Kethelis Moonwhisper, cleric of Ketephys to his right. Behind Adarion was Fiavia Stargazer, a strong wizard who can cast several spells intuitively and consistently without additional study; while positioned behind Kethelis was Daelynn Fernwarden, another Sylvan Elf, each also about thirty feet away. Bringing up the rear was Claeledar Duskdancer, a talented Highborn Bladesinger. Six well armed, well trained and highly skilled elven warriors. There was no senseless chatter or small talk among them. They needed to be silent and stealthy, as sound could travel far distances here in the open, as the Narlmarches are untamed and dangerous.

These elves belong to a military force that represent the best the elves have to offer. The training was extreme, the selection was volunteer. Many have tried, few have passed the process and selection. These six were hand picked from a core of veterans who begged for the honor of membership to an elite group of soldiers.

All six were members of the ranks in the elven armies. Each were basic soldiers who specialize in the bow and ranger tactics. Each had to serve several years in the military and show exceptional aptitude in their skills, their leadership, and in their demeanor. Between the six of them are warriors with over two hundred years of experience. They are professionals, one of the best teams of warriors the elves of Kyonin has to offer.

These elite warriors, one team of several, are known only among themselves as the Elonalryl (Green Far-Hunters). They are on the move to conduct a highly classified mission. They are here in the Stolen Lands of the River Kingdoms to destabilize and potentially halt the human incursions into the areas. They are allowed to use whatever materials, creatures, and tactics necessary to get the job done. In addition, they are to destroy any evil beings in the area if possible. Finally, they are to find and recover any lost artifacts of elven craft to be of use to them. Almost every creature are potential enemies, and they bring ill intentions to any who are deemed an enemy. Those who stand in their way better have plenty of blessings by their gods, because the Elonalryl do not give much in the way of mercy.

THE ADVENTURE BEGINS HERE.

Alrighty folks, just about to get this started. Who's still in and are there any questions?

A good friend of mine will restart a long-paused Runelords campaign. We left off right at the start of Book 4: The Giants. I will be the only player in the threads, but I have five PC's already rolled up.

The question is: How do I create five PC profiles using my own account? There is a chance someone may join later, but that is for a different time. Worried about role play? I can easily do that alone. To give you a visual, here is what I will use:

Adarion Lyrondreth, Magus 11
Calahar Desirahnwyn, Intuitive Wizard 11
Kalynel Solenithar, Elementaleurgist 11
Silenna Nuhelreth, Ancient Lorekeeper 11
Arleyna Rhianawyth, Cleric 7 (cohort)

All elves.

Any advice to creating this?

[This thread backtracks from the storyline due to some issues.]

DM: The group is led into the Briefing Room where Captain Gaellyn Cor'etwyn and General Myrdivar Mendeliir awaits you. Once everyone has arrived, the general speaks.

"There has been some changes of late that you must be made aware of. First, one of your members, Esctancia Silvertree, will no longer be available for this mission, as something personal and dire has occurred which demands her absence. The reasons will not be explained to you, know that she is will be discharged from the Elonalryn indefinitely. Without giving much pause, he continues. "Secondly, it has been advised that you are to be sent to the Stolen Lands during dusk instead of nightfall as the terrain inside the Narlmarches is treacherous for newcomers. Therefore, we are sending you out immediately. Come with us." Without waiting for salutes or acknowledgment, the officers lead you out into the hallways.

Shortly afterwhich, the five members of the Emerald Lightning Team: Adrienne Caeletha, Celebrindal, Lidras Mitheredal, Fellorian, and Goinin Bearback enter the Enchanters Tower. Climbing up one set of stairs, the group is led into a circular room that is about 100 feet in diameter. Lining up the walls are numerous runes of power, along with weapons, books, and magical items. Directly in the center is what appears to be a summoning pentagram encircled in two lines. A solid line connects to one side of the pentagram which trails off to a smaller circle. Inside the smaller circle is a vicious looking creature that appears to be held fast by magical bindings. Three elven warriors watch the monster intently with weapons drawn and pointed at the beast. Standing at the northern apex of the summoning design is a hooded wizard with four others standing at the remaining points.

"High Mage Uthvin Theravel will teleport all five of you to the destination," the veteran general declares. "Congratulations on becoming part of the most elite combat force in all of Kyonin. Unfortunately, tonight's mission is your celebration. We understand that this is quite an unexpected surprise of being placed on a long ranged operation in almost zero notice, but such is the our way. Only one other team faced a similar scenario. Thanks to you, that team is waiting for you in the Narlmarches. They are the best of our unit, almost legendary despite being in existence for only fourteen years. Leftenant Adarion Lyrondreth is in command there, he will brief you on the details of the area far better than we can."

Captain Cor'etwyn hands Celebrindal a small case. "Inside this is a compact crystal ball. Use this for communication to us. Be sparing in use, roughly once per month on your findings and dealings in the region. You MUST prevent it's capture to anything not beloning to the Elonalryn." Once in Celebrindal's hands, he steps away and motions everyone to step into the center of the room.

"Be prepared, this mass teleportation is fairly accurate, but not foolproof. Even though you may be teleported safely, you may become under sudden attack. Prepare your weapons and spells now. Master Theravel, you may begin."

The fancy looking spell-caster begins enchanting words of power you have not heard before [Kn arcane + spellcraft]. As he does so, the evil looking monster begins to cry out in pain while pulsating at the same time. The connected line radiates and fills up the pentagram.

"If all goes well, you should be standing in a small grove of trees a few hundred yards west of the Narlmarches. Enter the woods in stealth mode, the Red Wardancers will find you soon. They will give you a code in a riddle or a story. Key in on two words: 'fire and water'. Your response should be in a sentence, using two words as well: 'spirit and brightness'. If you do not receive the proper coded words, assume to be under attack by someone or something that bodes you ill will. But keep in mind that killing everything in site is not an option as some creatures may not be evil. Good luck to you all," says the general.

Seconds later, you see the foul beasts glow a hot white and vanishes in a loud piercing shriek, a pile of ashes where it stood. A moment later, all of you are embraced in total darkness. You feel a sensation of floating emptiness as if you are falling. The complete black that surrounds you is so dark, you cannot see anything. It is incredibly cold to all of you.

As quickly as the nothingness engulfed you, it disappears. Your feel feel grounded and light comes back to your eyes. You feel coldness but now in the form of wind coming from the northwest. You are now surrounded by a small cluster of scattered trees in grass up to your knees. It is evening, very cloudy, winds are about 8 mph and constant. The temperature is roughly 45-degrees and declining. There is still light out for now.

IT IS CHAPTER TWO. THE TIME IS ON THE EVENING HOUR OF 5, ON THE THIRD DAY OF GOZRAN, 4713.

We currently have four elves in the group, but could use a few more. My original recruiting thread is "Alternate Kingmaker" There are three females, one male in the current party.

You are all assembled in a lavish room in a barracks building somewhere in Kyonin. As you are sitting, the doors behind you swing open and you stand at attention. A voice close by orders you to be seated, which you do so. The voice comes from High Lord Myrdivar Mendeliir, general of the secret Kyonin forces. A serious Highborn elf, he takes his responsibilities very seriously and demands the best from the Elonalryl (Green Far-Hunters).

General Mendeliir gets straight to the point. "I have summoned you here for a mission, one that will be a long-term task that has plenty of potentially lethal consequences. Far to our northeast is the River Kingdoms. Some of our sages have discovered that the lands were originally an ancient elven kingdom long lost and overrun by humans and lots of evil beings of every imaginable type hostile to any and all. There is a stretched out region called the Stolen Lands which had been unoccupied by any real sovereignty for centuries. This area sits between the human kingdom of Brevoy to the north, and the more settled River Kingdoms to the south. There have been many attempts to capture the Stolen Lands, none have succeeded.

"Just recently, the humans of Brevoy have offered adventuring parties to take back the land and become chapters in the governing body that is Brevoy with the successful parties as local rulers. We have discovered that two such new baronies if you will, have raised up in the area. One is situated to the far western part of the Stolen Lands, while a second one just recently emerged in the central part. As you may expect, the new baronies in the Stolen Lands have done no good to the environment and to most of the good aligned inhabitants. Though some bandits, criminals, and evil creatures have been slain or driven out; by no means has the entire area been conquered into passivity.

"We believe that there are several artifacts of elven origin there, but our main goal is to prevent these lands from being yet another aggressive human expansion. Our ultimate goal is to reclaim our lost lands for the good of the Elven people! As of now, we are not strong enough to wage a direct war against the overwhelming numbers of humans and those who support them. The people who reside in both the River Kingdoms and in Brevoy are not known for being friendly to elves.

"Your mission to do whatever you can to destabilize these new 'civilized' areas that are almost exclusively human. How you do this is up to your discretion. Once you are inserted into the area, you are on your own. You will be outnumbered, and perhaps outclassed. The new baronies will not be your only threat, as dozens of evil creatures roam the land and call the Stolen Lands home. You may eliminate them if they pose a threat to you. In addition, there are reports of fey courts located in the area. How you deal with them either as allies or otherwise is up to you. Do not expect much help from local elves, but they are there and may be of use to you.

"You are the latest warriors to have passed the grueling and demanding trials to become members of the Elonalryl. From this moment on, your unit designation is the Myazair Team (Emerald Lightning). We understand that you are new to each other and that tremendous expectations will be placed on your shoulders. However, this is what you were trained for and what you have volunteered for. We have faith in your efforts. Though you are currently undermanned, we will send more warriors out to you once they are fully indoctrinated into the ranks. Your area of responsibility is to counter the efforts of the newest barony of Kinneth, located on the eastern side of the Narlmarches. Team Malkyythel (Red Wardancers) have proceeded to the Narlmarches months ahead of you, they will meet you at your insertion zone, brief you up on current events, and hand over the area to you. We will send Team Malkyythel west to deal with the larger barony as they are the most experienced of all the teams in our group. You will be teleported out to the Stolen Lands in 24 hours. Make your preparations and begin to deploy. If you have any questions, meet Captain Gaellyn Cor'etwyn to see to your needs (he's standing next to general Mendeliir)."

Captain Cor'etwyn yells out, "On your feet!" As everyone stands at attention, General Mendeliir salutes and heads out of the room, leaving you alone with the captain.

THE ADVENTURE BEGINS

Just getting this started. We shall use this as our setting phase to launch our campaign.

In a few months, I want to launch my version of Kingmaker. The background story is that the elves had discovered that the entire area of the River Kingdoms was once an elven kingdom lost eons ago. Some of the most radical of the elves realized that using Brevoy's method of establishing a legitimate kingdom at their border made exclusively of elves will not happen. There are too few of the "people" in the region to defend the land from human invasions.

The mission: find the best possible elven warriors to destabilize the area from further human development that will corrupt the natural environment with their "urbanization." Use whatever means possible and available to make this happen. Make peace with what good aligned beings are in the area to join the fight. Secure a small area for expansion of more warriors to reinforce the first team in. Finally, avoid major combat situations as you will be alone. Once you enter the River Kingdoms, it's solo for a long time.

I'm looking for SIX PC's. The new supplement, Wardens of the Wilds from TPK publishing will be used along with whatever 3.0, 3.5, or Paizo stuff out there I would rule in. You will be given two to three free levels of the Forestere/Scout class with stats done for you. Think of this as your base infantry specialty in any modern army. From there the players will pick the next three levels in any class they wish. IT IS HIGHLY URGED TO CHOOSE A SPELLCASTER CLASS!!! A balance of arcane and divine choices is recommended. I seek players who really know how to be stealthy, diplomatic, survivalist, and know how to use elves the right way. Equipment and weapons will be provided. Think of the group as the American Green Berets.

Who wants to join in? Details and a launch date will come later. This will be a Play-by-post (PbP) game in RPG.net forums.