No apologies necessary here. Thanks for giving it a whirl - you created an enjoyable game with many memorable moments
Happy gaming!
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I'm having trouble maintaining interest with such long pauses. Ridge, Its been my experience that once a GM starts to have trouble keeping up their own enthusiasm for the campaign, its usually best to throw in the towel before you start resenting it and seeing it as a chore. If we can get back to regular posting, I'm in, but please don't feel guilty if you need to fold the game now - I'd rather that than keep limping along at the current pace.
Welcome back Anka! And great stuff - a thoroughly enjoyable read so far.
Hannarr is eager to be off. He looks over the expedition: Runt the kobold fidgeting from foot to foot; Miku the Xan, wide eyed and curious - at least that's how Hannarr interpreted him - Fungal facial features were rather hard to read; The two Skis'raal scouts, their multi-facetted eyes even harder to read than the Xan's; A dozen or so deep gnomes, their pack lizards laden down with building supplies; and of course the Dwarves. A motley crew to be sure, but one that fills him with pride and hope. He straightened new floppy, droopy gnome-style cap, and caught the sidelong look form Ulfgar at his odd choice of head gear. Counter-culture he explained. What better way to counter cultural contamination than by enforcing the viability of our host's own cultural norms by showing that we, the objects of their adoration and source of said contamination, value their indigenous garb. Hannarr explains roundly, then adds Hem, and it keeps that damned orange fungus dust out of my ears.
Well there are still four of us left - might not be a need to recruit at all.
I agree that we will have to make a decision once we are out there, based on what we find, and we cannot afford to be rash. Runt's intel, such that it is, does not give us enough to go on to do more than that. Bear in mind though that if the opportunity to free our kin does present itself and we don't take it, we are looking at almost two month before we can try again. I for one am not sure I could look those dwarves in the eye knowing I could have spared them two months of torture at the hands of the Drow.
At their next meeting, Hannarr unrolls his maps of the area on the council chamber table to propose their next sojourn. We leave with the caravan tasked to build the new trading post ( which will need a name by the way. I think Fort Diamondhart has a nice ring to it). Should take us 9-12 days to reach the site depending on the caravan speed. From there we strike out north into the the fungal jungle. We travel quickly through the areas we have already charted until we get here. He points to a spot just north of the Cave Fisher lair. At this point we say goodbye to Miku, dispatching him back to Xan with an invitation to a peace talk in Fastervault. Meanwhile we strike north to the site of Runt's mystery statue and rumors of our enslaved kin. At some point along the way, our Skis'Raall friends also depart with their own invitation. We return through this area here, expanding our knowledge of the jungle just a little bit more. Total round trip time from departing the fort until our return should be 42-45 days.
I'm ready to move on.
To Kragg's question abou leads, Hannarr points his thumb to the rambling Runt in exasperation. That's our best lead so far. But I'm hoping the Ski'raal or Xan may be able to provide something more...concrete soon. Nevertheless, HAnnarr takes Runt's scant insights to Fastervault's libraries and imposes upon the archivist there for references to a three headed statue in the fungal jungle near Rothe migration routes.
Hannarr is inclined to agree with the gnomes. In all the histories he has read, nothing good has come from interactions between dwarves and kobolds, or gnomes and kobolds, or, well, anyone and kobolds. But he needed the information trapped in the scaled little monster's head, so for now he would tow the line. Switching subjectshe answers Kragg. Yes, we made much progress with the Ski'rall and Xan, he says proudly. Both parties are wary of the drow's machinations and have agreed to a cease-fire of sorts. The next step is to arrange a summit here in Fastervault to begin forging a lasting peace. I'm glad to hear construction on our outpost has begun. That will be an important key for future exploration. Hannarr takes a day to relax in Fastervault' hot springs and scrub away two months of travel, then he is back at it - visiting with their Skis'raal and Xan guests, updating his maps and gazeteers, planning out their next expedition, and pestering Ulfgar on how the "interrogation" of Runt is going.
Well that's settled then. Lets be off. A large part of Hannarr thought they were damned fools for trusting a kobold and would have been far more comfortable bringing back to Fastervault at the end of a rope, but, he supposed that would make them little better than the drow. And, since none of his companions seemed bothered by letting the little ...runt roam freely, Hannarr kept his misgivings to himself. He kept one hand on is rapier handle for the rest of the trip though...
Hannarr was conflicted. When they had found the drow missive by the lakeside that mentioned dwarven slaves, he had felt as Dolgrin did now, wanting to charge off into the unknown on a mission of liberation. But the others had reigned him in, rightly so. I agree noble Tarnhammer. But we are low on supplies and without our full fellowship. Let us ring this... Runt, back to Fastervault, rejoin with our brothers, and then descend upon these drow like a righteous hammer.
Hannarr is similarly affected by this news. So you have escaped from the dark elves? You know where they are? He leans over to Dolgrim and whispers in Common, Though our gnomish hosts may not thank us for it, I think we must bring this creature back to Fastervault with us. We cannot waste the opportunity to learn what it knows.
Your kind rarely travel alone. Where are your fellows? Hannarr inquires, bow still levelled at the craven creature.
Hannarr, who does not speak any draconic, levels his new bow at the offending reed and plays along as best he can, trying to sound feirce. Um, yes, quite. The pteranodon.. and, oh now we're counting! 6...5...4..."
Hannarr is eager to get back to Fastervault and set into motion the next phase of their expansion.
Hannarr runs his fingers over his new bow gleefully. As they travel back, he makes sure they take time to visit, or, at least get a message to Xan informing them of the cease-fire with the Skis'Raal
Hey Anka, glad your holidays went better than expected. Also still here and patient.
Merry Christmas all!
ooh, I want a bone bow too!
Thank you. Perhaps we can rest the night here, then resupply and be on our way tomorrow. Are there any scholars or historians amongst your people who would know something of ancient Dammerhall?
Favoured class bonus: +1 HP
+1 BAB, +1 Fort
Feat: Arcane Strike Skills: 9pts ( acrobatics, perception, disable device, stealth, diplomacy, spellcraft, know: religion, dungeoneering, local) Trap Sense (Ex): At 3rd level, an archaeologist gains trap sense +1, as the rogue class feature of the same name. This bonus improves by +1 for every three levels gained after 3rd, to a maximum of +6 at 18th level.
It was a pretty awesome whammy.
oops, sorry for holding things up
Hannarr confers with his peers briefly before responding to the White Spider. It lightens our hearts to find wisdom and reason here. On behalf of ourselves and the gnomes of Fastervault, we agree to share any cattle herds found here in the fungal jungal with you. We do not have the authority to make any such agreement on behalf of the Xan, but I am confident in their commitment to peace and cooperation. I would urge a meeting representatives of your two communities to cement this friendship as soon as you are comfortable. If moderation would help, we of Damerhall would be honoured to attend Thank you again, for your foresight, and for the hospitality and trust you have shown us today. Hannarr bows deeply to the White Spider and gathers up the items he placed on the ground.
Hannarr steps forward and introduces himself and his fellows. It is a great honour to meet you, Queen of the Skis'Raal. He slowly brings forth the drow coins and the arm bands taken from the renegade spider-folk they encountered in their first days in the depths and places them on the ground before him, explaining, when our quest first brought us to this land we came across two of your people devouring defenceless Svifneblin travellers. They turned on us as well, and we slew them in outrage for their crimes. We could have let that brief and tragic encounter shape our assumption of all skis'raal we encountered, but we are dwarves. We deliberate, we investigate. We are not moved to hasty judgement. And so we found these. He gestures at the artifacts before him. Not much, but enough to make us suspect there was something other than simple banditry involved. We formed a fast friendship with those gnomes we had rescued, and helped them unmask the treachery of the drow. Here he removes his sword belt and places the web-bound rapier of the former drow ambassador next to the drow coins. Once unmasked, the drow turned to brute force, but again, with our help, the gnomes of Fastervault were able to throw back their would be oppressors. With Fastervault secure our fellowship resumed our search, which took us to the fungal jungle where we came across the Xan, who spun stories of horrific spiderfolk who terrorized their people wantonly and without provocation. Again, we could have believed these stories, but we are dwarves. Hannarr took out the drow scroll they had recovered from the river and placed it beside the rapier. But again we found clues that pointed to a different truth. We asked the Xan to speak to their prisoners. We found youe subjects to be erudite and civil, and possessed of yet another version of events that smacked of drow manipulation. The Xan are open minded and desirous of peace, and agreed to release their prisoners into our care so we might bring them home to you and perhaps uncover the treachery buried beneath all these machinations and misinformation. It is our sincerest hope that we can avert a tragic and pointless conflict between two noble and peace loving peoples, and expose the true evil threatening this region. Hannrr steps back respectfully and lets the white queen draw her own conclusions from his words and from the relics laid out in front of her.
Hannarr nods and submits to the webbing, content to take his lead from Dolgrin.
I am Dolgrin Tarnhammer, Representative of the Gnomish Town of Fasturvalt. There are Drow plots afoot, the minions of the foul serpent Ulamahaz plan on enslaving all free beings in the Azathyr. Hannarr nods and adds, We would speak to your leaders regarding this conflict between your people and the Xan. It is not is as it seems.
still here
Agreed then! Hannarr hands over the bottle of wine and scoops up the infant blind flying lizard thing. He is very pleased, knowing that act of reaching an agreement with these new skis'raal was more important long term than the terms of the agreement itself. Come, he says to the other dwarves, let us break bread with our new friends. As they prepare a camp and sit down to enjoy some wine and fresh rations, Hannarr asks the newcomers of their travels, and what they know of the drow and xan and deep gnomes, and asks them to share any stories they have of their own folk, the old dwarves of Dammarhall.
poke, poke . . .
Well, I gather these creatures are not a rarity here, but they certainly are back where we are from. How about something that is equally rare here in the fungal forest. Hannarr produces his wooden walking stick. And, since we a leaving you without your dinner, please join us for a meal. True we travel light, but we have water wine and meat to spare for new friends
Hannarr takes in the scene and moves beside Shado, whispering, Does this scene strike true to you? This isn't another fugitive like the two you were seeking is it? Put at ease by Shado's response, Hannarr's natural curiosity gets the better of him. Remarkable indeed! I have never beheld a creature like this. Would you be interested in trading for it?
Hannar holds his tongue as Ulfgar approaches the stranger, moving slowly to his left to keep the new spider-folk in his line of sight while scanning the surroundings for any other hunters.
Hmm...that's a curious sound. Shall we investigate? Ever intrigued by the new, Hannarr's feet are already moving in the direction of the cry before his companions have had a chance to answer.
I can't say I'm happy about splitting our fellowship. But Kragg, if you are set upon this course, then Ulfgar's proposal is sound. Who knows, with skis'raal, xan, dwarf and gnome all gathered under Fastervault you may do much to reach a lasting friendship between all. So Miku and one of the spider-folk shall travel with you. Our Diplomat and Warden shall go with the other skis'raal to their home. Mondar, Anka, Dolgrin; you should each choose the path to which your conscience and sense of duty guides you.
Hannarr holds his counsel until Ulfgar and Mondar speak...
Hannarr exhales softly at the thought of having to referee another difference of opinion between Dolgrin and Kragg. He leads them out of earshot of their new travelling companions and switches to the dwarven surface tongue. Kragg,I too share your desire to not overextend ourselves and build a strong centre. We have things to do back at Fastervault: continue to build the city's defences, start construction on that outpost we talked about, send scouts back up the trails the drow used to reach the city. But we are trying to avert a war here. Do you think the Skis'raal and the Xan will just leave each other alone for the several weeks it takes us to travel to Fastervault and back? I understand that we have a burden of responsibility to the gnomes, but could your conscience handle returning here only to find a field littered with corpses, victims of a conflict we could have stopped? He pauses, listening to Kragg speak of heading back on his own. I think you have the right of it. Sending a messenger back to the gnomes is the right thing to do. I fear a lone traveller would not be up to the task though, and I'll not let any of this band, here he throws a sidelong look back at Dolgrin, throw their lives away out of stubbornness. He gives Kragg a rueful grin and suggests, Perhaps our friends the Xan could get a message to Fastervault faster and with less risk than a stubborn old dwarf trudging through the muck could eh?
Hannarr tugs on his beard in thought then replies, No one is asking that of you. We will leave now and speak to the Xan about what you have said. Perhaps an accord can be reached. Peace is what all parties here want. With that said he turns and departs, eager to discuss things with the Alchemist and the Scholar.
You asked if this was a trick. The answer is that yes, it is, but not one perpetrated by the Xan. The drow weave plots here stickier than any web and drive both you peoples to war. Hannarr then reads the missive that Kragg mentioned to the skis'raal captives.
Hannarr screws up his courage and walks into the lab. He pulls out a flask of water as he approaches the cage and pushes it into the enclosure with his walking stick. I am Hannarr Diamondheart. Which among speaks for this group? he asks in undercommon. Do you require food? Medical aid?
We eat the dead and decomposed as the ritual of return, but even base animals are in such a state, so a corpse may serve us well. If you know what to look for, the Alchemist and his apprentices often like certain natural herbs and fungi for their potions.
Hannarr responds to the Sage's final question. Honour. . The essence of being a dwarf is the essence of the mountain itself - stability, unity, implacability, unyielding loyalty to one's family, clan and friends As the sage indicates the Skis'raal, he asks some more questions before they approach the prisoners - slightly appalled at the signs of inadvertent torture evident. Learned sage, what else have you learned so far of their motivations? Where were they taken? What are their crimes against your people. What had you planned to do with them once your, erm, research, was completed.
That sounds good. Our forced march here only saved us a day or so, so we can't tarry here too long if we want to arrive back at Fastervault on time. Please see what you can do about resupplying our rations too.
As the troop awakes and partakes in the offered food, Hannarr discusses the upcoming day with them. So today we meet with the captured spider people. I think we are all agreed that the best outcome here is to prevent further conflict between them and the Xan. The best way to do that seems to be to prove that the Drow are instigating the hostilities. Is there anything else that we should be questioning them on? And lets not lose sight of our goal of finding Damarhall. After this questioning, we should talk to the Alchemist again regarding our ancestral home. After they have all breakfasted and prepared, Hannarr pops his head out their door to politely inform their hosts that they are ready to meet with the Skis'raal prisoners. |