The remaining troll is no match for your might and crumples easily.
You collect prisoners, as one or two of the humans are still alive, then ride back to Tatzlford.
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Kristine heals herself, while Ramses turns his aim towards the Fighter Troop, hoping to draw their confused attention. Round 4 Skaz
Smezut waits for Skaz, in case he is unable to take care of the Fighter Troop on his own. General Skaz, astride his trusty steed Varg, tear into the Fighter troop with abandon, mowing them down. When they turn to the troll... well, let's just say they've put the Trollslayer's reputation in question. Smezut, seeing his minions have taken care of his light work, delays in case he is needed for something important.
The fireball does some damage, but not as much as you would have hoped. The new fire mephits drop a troll with their scorching rays while the first group breathes fire on another, slightly wounding it (but negating its regeneration for the moment. Arcos decimates the Barbarian Troop in a flurry of fang and claw. Kristine's elemental moves forth and misses an attack on a troll.
Smezut boldly steps back and casts mirror image, 5 images. Varg and Skaz move forward, showing the trolls who's the boss. Varg missed his bite to try to trip one of them, but both of Skaz's slices cut true and land devastating blows. One troll crumples. The Fighter Troop regains momentary composure, and moves to attack and flanks Skaz and Varg. Skaz manages to deftly maneuver Varg to avoid the attacks, but suffers one of his own despite all of his protection. The Barbarian Troop moves in, drawing attacks from Smezut, Kristine, and Cat. Cat manages to capitalize on this, and bites into the fray while the other 2 miss. The barbarians manage to hit Acros through his displacement again, beating the odds. Smezut's mirror images save his life, and the barbarians sort of fumbled the attack against Cat. Ramses and Kristine are both hit as well. The wounds are mounting; Kristine may not survive another attack, though the barbarians aren't looking too well either.
Xzin's Fire Mephits manage to kill one troll and almost a second... sadly one of the targets was prone so a scorching ray actually missed. Xzin's last Fire Pony moves in to attack and misses. The ball of fury that is Arcos seriously damages the Barbarian Troop. Kristine manages to maintain her summoning spell by some weird fluke of inverse luck, and her not fire pony charges the prone troll to finish it off. The troll burns to death - it isn't pretty. Kristine then has Cat bite at the Barbarian Troop before stepping back to cast a burst of radiance. The bite is successful, but the burst of radiance merely dazzles the rampaging barbarians. Ramses's arrows sink into another troll, but his Trollslayer moniker is beginning to wane in this fight - or he's just trying not to overdo things this time.
Round 3 Smezut
The Fighter Troop continues to cluck like chickens, while the Barbarian troop moves out of the cloudkill in your main group's general direction. They manage to partially surround you, chopping with their axes. Despite being barbarians, their level of tactical unit superiority proves itself as they wound all next to them.
Smezut attempts to confuse the Barbarian Troop, but they are too busy choking to death to notice. Skaz charges forth, praying to Sarenrae to swiftly cast a defending bone. The troll bites at Varg as he barrels in, but misses. Varg chomps into the troll's leg, tripping it. Skaz swipes at it with his flaming scimitar, taking out a massive chunk and cauterizing the wound.
Much to your surprise, only one troll catches fire. Ramses focuses his shots on that one, in hopes of taking it out. He doesn't, but the troll is fairly wounded. Ramses stays put, his form becoming displaced as he rages and casts shield. One troll takes damage from the burn as they all scream in fury and surround the foul ponies of fire. Only one pony is left standing, badly injured from the onslaught. Round 2 Smezut
You hear hacking and wheezing inside the cloudkill.
There seems to be some confusion among the ranks. Who knows what will happen... With a prayer to Sarenrae, Skaz's scimitar bursts into flames and takes on a sharper appearance, while his armor looks to harden. Both he and Varg hold their ground, readying themselves against a potential charge - as charging themselves would leave them alone among the enemy. The Fighter Troop clucks like chickens, but seems incapable of much else at the moment. The Barbarian Troop, however, is not so confused. They scream and charge straight at you, axes held high. They can't quite make the distance though, so they just get close enough to let you smell their bad breath and lack of bathing.
Time being critical, you teleport to Tatzlford. You meet with founder and mayor Loy "Tanner" Rezbin, a retired ranger, and his wife, Latricia Evanore, priestess of Erastil. Their progress since you allowed them to found a city at the site of your triumphant fight against the tatzlwyrms has been exceptional. Loy informs you that his scouts have located the invasion force about a 2 day march to the west. They have already violated your borders, and even razed a farm or two along the way (lest they leave any witnesses to their march to inform on them). While Tatzlford could withstand the attack, the outlying citizens would be decimated. A force of 40 men with 6 trolls may not be an army, but would certainly be able to ravage the countryside if left to their own devices. A swift and merciless retort is the only response to such a brazen violation of Green Acres, and as it is the first, this will no doubt set the tone for other people looking to invade your lands. What is a 2 day march for troops in the field can be covered much faster by a small force, namely yourselves. While word was sent to muster your troops and have them move westward, it will take them at least a week to arrive - and that's by force marching. Your aerial units are still untested in battle, hence part of the reason the bulk of your army was conducting a training exercise. Besides, the trees here would likely dampen their abilities. This means you, as always, are the first line of defense for Green Acres. You ride forth, intercepting the invasion force in a clearing. With a mighty toot from Smezut's warhorn, the battle commences. Round 1 Smezut
Smezut
The past 9 months following the vanquishing of the lich Vordakai have been prosperous. Varnhold's lands were annexed without issue, and trade routes throughout Green Acres has greatly increased its influence with Restov. Because of this, Restov no longer provides direct support - their hands must remain clean lest the rest of Brevoy were to become suspicious of their sponsorship of the new kingdoms in the Stolen Lands. Such a strong alliance may force the hands of Restov's opponents in Brevoy; however, a strong trade relationship arouses less suspicion and benefits both Green Acres and Restov - an annoyance to Restov's opponents, but not a threat. To the west of Green Acres is the Hooktongue Slough, a marshy wetland inhabited by mostly boggards that enjoy waylaying travelers. This has caused some disruption to trade, and negatively impacted the economy of one of the other kingdoms set out to settle the Stolen Lands - Fort Drelev. While Baron Drelev has done some exploration, he has focused mostly on expanding his city. The result is that while Green Acres may be a sprawling kingdom, Fort Drelev is little more than a city-state. Part of the reasons behind this is due to the boggards cutting off trade to this part of the Stolen Lands, and the initial raids against Fort Drelev were fairly destructive. Or so the stories you have heard so far go. Expansion to the west has ever been one of your goals; however, circumstances dictated looking to the east first. Additionally, the marshy wetlands to your immediate west would have been more difficult to explore and settle in your early years; now, Green Acres possess the infrastructure, economy, and powerful leaders to make such an expansion a thing of ease. At one of your privy council meetings, General Skaz's Chief of Intelligence, elven diviner Xantar the Wise, brings an urgent matter to your attention after arriving half an hour late to the meeting. "My lords, I came as quick as I could. I was informed 3 days ago through our carrier pigeon network that a young woman arrived in Tatzlford, claiming that a small army was on the move and headed to sack our city there. Naturally, I followed up on this lead, but given lack of corroborating evidence at the time, it would have been premature to bring it to your attention. Tatzlford is well defended, and if I brought such matters to your attention every time they came up, you would no doubt be constantly chasing rumors around the countryside." Xantar continues, "This is one of those times the rumor checked out. I spoke with the woman, one Kisandra Numesti. She is the youngest daughter of Lord Terrion Numesti, a knight and aristocrat of Brevoy, and now former commander of Fort Drelev's garrison. He apparently defied Baron Drelev's orders to ally with the Tiger Clan barbarians to their northwest or allow his eldest daughter to serve as a hostage. With her father thrown in the dungeon and her elder sister now being held by the Tiger Clan, Kisandra fled to Green Acres. Apparently, she hid among the force marching towards Tatzlford until she was able to sneak away." Xantar waved at one of the guards, "I of course used my considerable divination powers to confirm that her words were truthful, then rushed her here so she could share this information with you directly. I knew you would want to speak to her yourselves... ah, here she is now.' Guards ushered in a young woman, mildly disheveled but with the regal bearing of one brought up as a minor noble's daughter. She willingly answers any question you ask, to the best of her knowledge.
Who are you?
Who’s attacking Tatzlford?
Why would Drelev attack us?
How do we know you’re not trying to trick us?
You know little of the Lord of Pitax, only that his lands are further west than Fort Drelev. What you have heard includes that Pitax has become a successful kingdom in its own right, one that might rival your own - or exceed it, if Kisandra's tales of Pitax being allied with a tribe of barbarians turns out to be true. Xantar will also be able to inform you that if you left immediately, you would be able to reach Tatzlford in time to shore up its defenses. He put the city on alert before he left, but the presence of the king would certainly bolster morale. Unfortunately, most of your army is to the east on exercises. They wouldn't be able to make it to Tatlzford in time to intercept the incoming force, but can be sent for in case you need reinforcements. Still, with a castle and its defenders, Tatlzford could hold its own against a sizable force. The issue here is that the force includes trolls, which may be able to turn the tide without the Heroes of Green Acres there to lead the charge.
With the plan set the wolves hastily fly down the passageway; along with the wind ponies they take up position next to the secret door. The rock ponies wait in the wall along the ledge where the undead stands, waiting to pop out when the attack starts.
Xzin summons up rock pony scouts, that go in and leave behind scouts at regular intervals. 6 rounds later, the response describing what they see is relayed. They tell you the dimensions of the corridor, and that there is a secret door at the end opening up into the chamber. The chamber itself is much too large for the scout that peeked his head through the wall to see in its entirety, and he decided to relay what he saw before doing anything else since there was a creature inside, appearing to be standing guard. The elemental was lucky not to give away his position. The room itself is hazardous, and the source of the toxic fumes. This wide chamber appears to have been naturally formed; its ceiling rises 25 feet and is festooned with stalactites. The stink of sulfur and tar are strong, as a huge lake of bubbling black tar dominates the chamber. From rock outcrops here and there on the walls bubble small springs of milky-looking water. The tar pool is boiling hot — each round of contact inflicts 1d6 points of fire damage, and total immersion inflicts 10d6 fire damage per round. Each round after a creature takes damage from the tar, it suffers half that amount of damage each round for 3 more rounds. A small blob of tar can be removed as a full-round action, but a creature that was immersed in it can only avoid the damage by removing the sticky tar with universal solvent. After the tar burns for 3 rounds, it cools to a thick layer that effectively reduces the creature’s Dexterity by 4 points—it takes 2d4 minutes to peel the tar off. A creature can slog through the tar each round it makes a DC 20 Strength check as a full-round action — success means the creature can move at a speed of 5 feet. The tar itself is too thick to be navigated by a swim speed, but a burrow speed works normally in it. Freedom of movement allows a creature to navigate the pool of tar with ease as if swimming in water. The pool is only 1 foot deep — below this layer, the tar is thick and vicious enough to support weight. The creature's flesh is foul and blackened, in part due to the fact that he’s been charged with guarding this room from intruders. He still wears tatters of his robes, and his jaw hangs slack where it was broken. It stands motionless on the ledge impassively watching the room and waiting with endless patience for enemies to act against. It is wielding a dagger, and does appear to the rock pony to be undead.
Time has weakened the magic here enough for Tbenox to remove the arcane lock. As he does, the stone door slowly opens to reveal a passageway leading in. You can see it continue as far as your darkvision will let you, and it absolutely reeks. The wolves all begin pawing at their noses, and you can tell that if you enter, the foul fumes that are exuding from the passageway will likely cause you to vomit if you are very lucky, and quite possibly worse.
Given your options of going in low or high, you choose high. Fly is cast upon Varg and Cat, and they ferry all of you up in one trip. Varg has to bite Mr. Flibble by the scruff of the neck, but you all make it up to the overlook in one minute. Upon arrival and dismounting, you look around not initially noticing anything. Luckily, Skaz is able to point out a door hidden behind a thick curtain of vines. The door radiates abjuration magic; Xzin is able to determine that it is an Arcane Lock spell. Smezut
Xzin quickly dispatches the two remaining monsters, as they are heavily wounded. The castle is eerily silent, save for the the cawing of crow that can be heard coming from outside. After a few moments of looking at each other think what in the hell was all that about, the council chamber doors burst open, and your guards pour in along with your privy council. Apparently they had also heard the boom and experienced the darkness, for it encompassed the entire castle. Fortunately no one outside the castle saw it, and orders have already passed to keep the occurrence quiet to avoid causing a panic among the people. No one else heard the voice though, save Rainbow Dash. She embraces the heavily drooling Xzin as Ysmenta relieves Smezut and Tbenox of the damage to their minds. Rainbow Dash explains that she had heard the voice before, when she was captured by the undead cyclops. She had thought it a delusion, brought forth by fear and lack of sustenance, but now she knows it to be real. Though the voice did not name itself this time, it did to her - Vordakai. You all remember seeing the name in some of the materials left in Varnhold by Maestro Penrod. Thus far, you haven't been able to figure out much about him, as the Maestro thought it was some form of centaur god. Rainbow Dash, when questioned previously, explained that was not the case, that it was the name of an ancient evil that lived in the mountains ages ago. Obviously the undead cyclops that held her were not Vordakai, though they very well may have been one of his minions. You pull out Maestro Penrod's notes, and compare them to other references you have in your own libraries. This takes some time, as it is fairly obscure and you have only a few leads to go with. As the days pass, you put the kingdom on high alert, not knowing when the next promised attack may come. Your research finally provides a lead, but it is contradictory to what you know. Best you can decipher is Vordakai's Tomb is located in the Tors of Levenies - but your exploration of the area was thorough and did not find anything like it. Going under the assumption magic is likely involved, you dig deeper and find a passage talking vaguely about wards against the ravages of time. Perhaps these wards also provided some proof against detection of its location. The way there now is clear though - what the centaurs refer to as the Valley of the Dead has a path that leads further up the mountain to the tomb. With the location found, you gather up necessary gear and head out, for the longer you wait the more likely an attack is to occur. Vordakai promised it would be worse, and there is no way to know if he would simply target you again, or your citizens. Perhaps he would even attack you individually; there is really no way to know. You leave the kingdom on alert in case an attack comes, and the several more powerful members of your privy council swear to defend Green Acres until your return.
You set out to the Valley of the Dead to find the way up the mountains to the tomb. You go through Varnhold Pass, cutting down on travel time but wishing you had built a road through it already to speed the journey even more. Galloping along the slopes of the Tors of Levenies, you come to the familiar site of the Valley of the Dead. Heading up, you find the graveyard in exactly the way you found it, save the path you are on continues up the mountain now - this was not the case before. Apparently Vordakai was true to his word and has given you the means to find him, and that he has powerful magics at his disposal. Winding your way up the mountains, you eventually reach a lake in the Little Sellen River. To the north, a jagged limestone cliff hems in the scene; a mighty waterfall rushes over the edge into a wide pool of black, frothing water. In the center of the black pool stands a massive, hundred-foot-tall limestone pillar of weathered stone—the last, lonely sentinel marking where the cliff’s edge once stood in an age long past. At various points on the island’s top, plumes of black smoke waft up into the sky. Limestone bluffs overlook the waterfall and the pool. Their surface is striated and pocked by years of weathering; it is crumbling in places and at some points supports creepers and other scrub foliage. Hundreds of bird nests exist in the tiny seams and nooks that dot the cliff face, and the air before the cliffs is constantly abuzz with the insects that dwell in the foliage and the wrens and starlings that feed on them. Scouting reveals a natural cleft in the side of the tower of stone creating a sort of overlook 60ft above the water. At the foot of the cliff, where the beach meets the limestone scarp, a dark opening in the stone beckons, partially obscured by creepers and dangling foliage. The Little Sellen River's average depth here is 40ft, thought the black pool around the island is much deeper, as much as 120ft.
Varg rides forward, Skaz swiftly mounting as he does so. Not knowing what these things are, but assuming that they are evil judging by their appearance and intent, he calls upon Sarenrae to bless his weapon with her holy might, and his armor to protect him from their vicious claws. Varg's teeth sink in, but shake as he might, the creature is seemingly impossible to being tripped. Skaz's plan pays off, as his holy charged scimitar cuts deeply into the creature, nearly cleaving it in twain.
You can tell the thundercall damages the monsters, but they seem unaffected by its stunning power.
The outsiders are fast, and take advantage of that and your disorientation to lash out with their claws.
With the exploration of the east complete, you work towards developing the land there. Much of it was previously worked on by the citizens of Varnhold, so that will help speed up the process. Additionally, the mountains will prevent some development. After a meeting with your privy council, you hang around in your council chambers to discuss things they aren't privy to. While this is a common thing, a not so common thing happens. Not a crossbow bolt to the chest, something far more sinister. With a loud boom, the entire room goes black. You all hear a voice, both aloud and in your heads.
You all feel a flash of pain split through you head, as if someone was looking into your very soul. It is brief, but intense.
With that, the darkness lifts. Everything is as it was, save for the 3 monsters that have appeared. Two elongated and deathly pallid arms protrude from this creature’s smoky body as it slithers silently through the air. None of you know what they are, but you're pretty sure they are outsiders of some sort. They seem to be going after the arcane spellcasters.
Round 1 Outsiders
Xzin
The fight with the Xills tested your metal much more than other encounters this side of the mountains, but you prevail with only Xzin being impregnated with eggs. As much as he demands for that information to remain with the party... yeah, it gets out. Having finished your exploration of the eastern plains, you return to Stagsfall for a brief respite and to manage your kingdom's continual progress. With the 3 manticores in tow, you are met with many scared looks until you gather up the folk and tell tales of your adventure, as you often do. When the people hear their sad story, they realize that even what they would call a monster still has feelings, and the loss of their family followed by the mercy and helpfulness of King Smezut rallies the people for the manticores. The three beasts roar in appreciation. During this, you are approached by a man. He introduces himself as Iosis Vemorelion, a local (and quite eccentric) poet. He desires to write an epic using only pens crafted from manticore quills. If they could donate some, he promises the epic to be worthy of their greatness. The manticores, amused by this request look at each other, then at the group, and each shoot a volley of quills at the man. They land in a perfect line in front of him, and the lead manticore nonchalantly begins licking her paw. When it is finished, the epic becomes quite the success. With the presence of the manticores (and the proposed breeding program to add them to your army), the epic begins the stirrings of a knightly organization, though it will be up to you to organize it. Additionally, the poet gives you a rare book of halfling poetry. It's... disgusting... but nets you a pretty penny when sold to a collector. Once you rest up and catch up on kingdom affairs, you head out to explore the Tors of Levenies. The area is much smaller, but certainly more difficult and hazardous. Being experienced adventurers, such hindrances don't do much more than slow you down a bit. Deep in the trackless reaches of the Tors of Levenies lies a large cave entrance. Within, a 50ft wide tunnel stretches 300ft into the mountain before opening into a large, vaulted chamber 140ft in diameter. Inside lie the dry bones of an adult silver dragon, but not completely intact as the bones along the right arm and wing are strangely incomplete, as if they had been melted away by a powerful acid. No sign of the skull remains either, or the dragon's horde. Your knowledge of history speaks of legends of a silver dragon named Amvarean being slain by an older black dragon named Ilthuliak, who stole the treasure.
As you travel down the tunnel, it becomes dark. This is of little issue, due to your darkvision. Those without - Kristine, Cat, and Mr. Flibble - move slowly and are guided by the others. You sneak down the tunnel until you reach the cavern at the rear. As you reach the opening, you see the form of a large sized dragon. This brilliantly colored dragon has scales, teeth, and claws made of multicolored crystal, and its wings are sheets of flexible glass. None of you have heard of such a thing, but you can tell at least that is a dragon. The dragon roars in fury, then shouts out as it looks in your direction, "Goblins! Filthy, stinking goblins in my new home! Just when I had gotten comfortable for my nap... just shut my eyes when and I feel the stomping of your little feet shaking the ground... Now you will feel my wrath!" Round 1 Tbenox....What....Smezut
Smezut
The magic seems to slip off one of them, and a second merely shakes her head. The one to the north of Tbenox is slowed. Round 2 Smezut
The Xill around the Ghost Stone begin tactically chopping down the rock ponies to clear their immediate area of foes. One barely nicks Acros. Thinking you are safe hiding in the rear, Xill appear out of the aether (or rather, the thin veil between the Material and Ethereal Planes) to surround you.
Following a rousing song and haste spell, Skaz rides up to meet the foul creatures. Calling upon Sarenrae, he infuses his weapon and armor with her holy might. Varg tears in, tripping the Xill into Skaz's oncoming slice. It is gravely wounded but not killed.
Round 1 Smezut
Smezut
The Ghost Stone A strange, gray stone monolith, its sides polished and smooth, stands at the western end of a valley. The stone is known by locals as the Ghost Stone, for at night, the air surrounding the stone within a 120ft radius glows with a soft radiance, and strange, ghostly and unnatural shapes flit and writhe through the air. The Ghost Stone itself is a spire like structure with a dull point that stands 15ft high, an ancient elven relic abandoned and forgotten. It may have once served as the foundation for a portal to the Ethereal Plane, but today it serves only to make the boundary thin. As you approach it, you hear a voice in broken common say. "You help me, yes?" When you find the source of the voice, you find it belongs to a phase spider. Though hideous, it seems nice enough, and in need of help apparently. Her name is Zzama, and she explains that several Xills have forced her from her home, and she hopes you would kill them for her. In return, she promises a "fancy chest with stuff inside" as payment. You know that Xills are the scourge of the Ethereal Plane, conquering everything in their paths with only one purpose: to perpetuate their race at the expense of others. All xills are female and capable of fertilizing their own eggs, but require living hosts to incubate these eggs, which they inject into paralyzed victims by means of a grotesque ovipositor normally kept retracted behind their mandibles. Evil and alien, the plane-shifting xills possess impressive intelligence and a totalitarian, militaristic culture all their own. Though they see most other life forms as incubators, they particularly prize phase spiders for this purpose. While Xzin may think they would be excellent additions to your army, the rest of you shove him in a bag and beat him with sticks until he decides to see the light. Also, you need him to win the attack since Xills are nasty critters.
The lead of the 3 manticores addresses you after lazily flying to the top of the burial mounds while the other two peer from behind, listening cautiously. "We are unused to seeing your kind in these lands, though we only recently came here," she says. "We keep away from the centaurs for the most part, but the humans from the north constantly send people after us since one was dumb enough to try to steal upon us in the middle of the night to steal one of our young. Their numbers and tenacity increased with each encounter; during the last we were overwhelmed. Our mate bade us to flee, but we were unable to gather our young in the confusion. When we returned, he and all of our children were slaughtered and skinned, with their carcasses laid to rot in the sun. That was some days ago..." She stands up proudly on the mound, and continues in a regal tone, "You are the first beings in this land that have not attacked us, and treated us with respect. Also, we are not overtly fond of the taste of goblin, even if food has been a bit scarce on the run. If you were to offer us a safe(r) place to live, and perhaps help us rebuild our family, we would gladly join your cause. Even help you fight the humans if they attack you (as long as you don't mind us eating a few, they are particularly tasty)."
Equestria Burial Mounds A number of 8ft high mounds of loose stones, arranged in a strange spiraling pattern with each mound connected to the ones to the left and right by a 3ft high wall of stones are located here. As you close in, the wolves grow restless as they smell something nearby. As they growl, the surprise manticore attack is ruined. Round 1 Smezut
Smezut
With things settled concerning Varnhold's situation, you push on with exploring the lands they had been chartered with, and moving in to claim the land they left behind. You begin with the northern section closer to Restov; this both secures that area for your benefactors and is easier to explore since the south is covered in mountains. Your plan is to work you way down and around the Tors of Levenies, return to manage the kingdom, then explore the mountains after. The exploration goes well, though you do find things of note along the way. In one spot you come across the rotting corpse lying dead in a shallow gulch. It's easy to find due to the circling buzzards and the wolves of the group sniffing it out. It appears that he slipped and fell into the gulch, breaking his neck. You find no sign of foul play (much to Ramses dislike; it's been too long since there was a good hanging), and it obviously wasn't a robbery given the fact his mother of pearl brooch is still on his person. This brooch must mean he is Tomin Hanvaki, the eldest son of one of the immigrant minor aristocrats from up north who moved to Green Acres in hopes of rising in station. His brother Edrist offered a substantial sum for word on Tomin, along with the return of the family jewels, following a trip to Varnhold prior to knowledge of the issues there. Seems you'll be able to collect when you get back (several times more than the value of the pearl, 30x in fact). Later, you come across the Equestria Burial Mounds. This will be dealt with in a later post. You do explore the mountains to the north, as they are less of an issue to navigate. In one of the areas, you come across some Ettercaps living there. Unfortunately for them, they thought you were simple travelers and tried to go through with their normal ambush. Too bad for them, as they are all slaughtered. Amid the clutter of bones and dried husks in their caves is a web-shrouded chest holding some loot, as well as a dead dwarf on a ledge with words engraved on his helmet reading "You can have my hammer when you pry it from my cold, dead fingers". He has a death grip on it, but nothing that would stop seasoned adventurers. Also in Equestria lands (they are cool with you exploring there and killing monsters, in case you were wondering. Just no claiming and settling) you come across a field of trapdoor spiders. Giant ones. The centaurs are happy to know you killed them, since falling into one of them accidentally would spell certain death. The spiders are really no match for your abilities. In their pits you are able to find some loot, which is nice. You know of a citizen in Stagsfall looking for spidersilk, and though normally hunting spiders don't spin webs, apparently these ones have some spider silk for you... which you will be rewarded for upon your next triumphant return to Stagsfall. You finally get a chance to check out the former Spriggan cave. The 15 room complex has been deserted and left empty since they upped and moved to Varnhold. Until of course you murdered them for doing so, they were quite happy with their new home. In the mudflats , you find high quality mud (high enough quality to count as a resource, a la Jayne's Town from Firefly). There are some mudmen there, not quite like mud elementals but sort of. They defend the high quality mud to their deaths, unable to be reasoned with. Besides the mud, you find some loot in the mud on a corpse mummified from ages ago. It wears the trappings of a Taldan Captain-General of Horse from 2 centuries ago. The Ghost Stone will be handled in a later post after the Equestria Burial Mounds. Ironstone Gully was claimed but never talked about. It contains an incredibly rich vein of iron ore.
With the zombies killed, you hear a muffled voice in one of the graves. The grave is covered with a stone slab, which is easily moved by the rock ponies. As Xzin looks inside, he sees Rainbow Dash. She sees him, and a hoof smacks him in the face as she falls unconscious. Given the sheer amount of human looking Zombies, being lead by what appeared to be some sort of Cyclops necromancer, it seems like you may have found out what happened to the citizens of Varnhold. You find a few stone tablets with the necromancer, the chiseled runes on them are similar to those you saw on the gravestones. Since they are in Cyclops, you must wait until someone can prepare a comprehend languages spell to understand them. The stone tablets are heavy, but you are able to make rubbings of them for ease of transport. You are able to load up the unconscious Rainbow Dash on to your wagon to take her back to the Equestria tribe. She stays out cold while you make your way back. Upon your triumphant return, cheers raise from the tribe and Twilight Sparkle grabs up a squirming Xzin in a tearful embrace. Centaurs grab up Rainbow Dash and carry her off to a tent. "My friends... you have saved my daughter and brought great honor to yourselves and to the tribe. Our healers will care for her, and tonight we will hold a celebration and hear stories of your heroics," she says, "Tomorrow, we will cement our friendship - both personal and between our great peoples - through the marriage of Rainbow Dash and Xzin." The party is spectacular, in a rustic tribal centaur way. Xzin is pulled aside by the male centaurs to be prepared for his wedding. The next morning, the party wakes up with massive hangovers with Xzin still indisposed. The wedding is set to take place in the late afternoon, followed by a feast. At the appointed time, Rainbow Dash arrives before Twilight Sparkle, who is officiating the ceremony. Xzin has still been kept with the male centaurs, and only arrives as the ceremony begins. In what is a juxtaposition in the way most other cultures conduct weddings, Xzin is presented much like the bride while Rainbow Dash the groom. Makes sense seeing as the Equestria tribe is matriarchal. It is a beautiful ceremony, bringing more than a few tears to your eyes. Following an exquisite feast of various plains inspired dishes (like prairie dog), Twilight Sparkle presents you with gifts to seal the friendship between your peoples. It includes the hides of the bulette you killed, along with a single egg. They tell you that it will hatch soon, and since your stories included how well you have command over ferocious beasts, that you may be able to train it to not turn into a rampaging killing machine (or at least have it be a focused one, for your army). Additionally, Rainbow Dash along with a unit of their fiercest warriors will accompany you back to Stagsfall to serve in your army. In return, they only ask that you leave their borders intact and let them live how they have done for countless generations. They will always come to your aid in time of crisis, but would like to be left alone from the expansion of civilization not their own. Lastly, their great artifact Skybolt is given to you, in hopes that you will use it to protect them when they are in danger. After the presentation of the gifts, Rainbow Dash grabs up Xzin and they ride together into the sunset. There are many catcalls from the centaurs as they do so. As in most cultures, the marriage isn't official until it has been consummated, so you can only imagine what awaits them this night. Your journey back to Stagsfall is an uneventful one. You pass through Varnhold, and other than the crows, nothing is left living. You are met at the gates of your city with much fanfare, though that is a typical thing as your people love you. All was well why you were away. You are able to take some time to go through the information located on the Cyclops necromancer. With it, and previous information provided by Maestro Penrod's notes found in Varnhold, you are able to find an answer about a cryptic note he made in one of the margins. It read "Vordakai - perhaps an Equestria centaur god?", which had made no sense at the time. You now are able to find out the name is of an ancient Iobarian cyclops necromancer who once ruled a pre-Earthfall empire in this region. When asked, Rainbow Dash grows solemn but admits the name is now unknown to her. Twilight Sparkle had told her daughter the secrets of the tribe as one day she would lead. Vorakai is a slumbering warlord from a time long ago. It is a name that inspires fear, but much of the information the centaurs had was lost when they were dispersed by Taldor's army generations ago. Rainbow Dash says the cyclops necromancer that captured her spoke only in an alien language, so she is uncertain if that was Vordakai or not. The stories she knows say that Vordakai's power was great, and if that was him, you are truly powerful heroes. You are able to find someone capable of casting speak with animals with the calico cat you found in Varnhold. Its name is Dragon, and has taken quite a liking to Varg and is often found sleeping on him. Dragon is able to tell you that his feeders left him one evening, but he was too busy eating a fish to follow. He heard some sort of new bird song when it happened, but as to what that might be, he is unable to explain. Either way, your research at this point doesn't point to where Vordakai may be, or if the cyclops you killed was him or not. You send word to Restov (telling them what they need to know, possibly leaving some of the more specific details out.) Restov is very pleased by your quick response to the issues at hand. The alliance with the centaurs will allow them to focus efforts in other regions, and they reward you for it. As to Varnhold, your working theory of the citizens being killed by a cyclops necromancer disturbs them. It doesn't explain all of the details, such as why all the people seemingly left one evening, but Restov seems to see the case as closed. Since the town was already inhabited by monsters, they direct you to take custodianship of the lands of Varnhold. You will of course have to explore and clear all of its lands and claim it as normal, but there will be some free structures you get when you do so. The caveat is that if you find any citizen of Varnhold in the future that they be allowed to return home and/or be compensated if that home is claimed. Now that you have solved the mystery of Varnhold to Restov's satisfaction, you are free to begin claiming it and the surrounding lands. That will take some effort and exploration, but may eventually shed more light on this Vordakai character you've heard of, and whether or not you killed him - or maybe just a minion.
Xzin lazily waves his hand to have Rag-mag go forth. Rag-mag mutters under his breath as he slithers up the hill. When he reaches the gate and can see past the wall, he gasps loudly, "Oh dear, well I hope I die quickly this time," as he flips Xzin an obscene gesture. "By the way 'master', there are a bunch of zombies up here. One of them is really big and only has one eye. Thought you should know." Round 1 Tbenox
Smezut
You rest up and gather your strength for what you feel is going to be a major assault. Given its name - Valley of the Dead - you can only guess that it may have undead roaming loose. The centaurs can't tell you much more than its location due to its taboo nature to them. You must rescue Rainbow Dash to secure the alliance between the Equestria tribe and Green Acres. You head out in the morning, heading to the south by southwest. Along the way you come across an ancient linnworm skeleton. The centaurs say it has been there for many, many centuries and they often pass it by and say a small prayer for good luck. Continuing on, the plains give way to hills, then the hills to the mountains that loom ever closer. The entrance to the valley is marked by a series of posts decorated with bones and skulls every 50-60ft - a wall of warnings erected by the Equestria tribe that runs along the entire entrance some 6 miles long. Beyond the warning wall of bone totems, the valley doesn't seem much different than the surrounding foothills. Yet, the further you travel toward the mountains, the more of a strange feeling of oppression grows; the wind seems oddly muted as it flows through the trees and grass, the wildlife grows quiet except for crows and vultures that seem ever present, and the unusually regular crags along the surrounding mountains seem almost to crouch in expectation of your approach. A mile past the bone totems, the first of the gravestones appear. These 6-10ft tall stone markers are badly weathered and many are partially or wholly collapsed. Each bear strange runes that Tbenox (with only minor help from the others) is able to identify as Cyclops and listing ancient names. There are thousands of gravestones in the valley, but you would suspect that the corpses beneath have rotted away long ago. At the farthest point west in the valley, where the ragged Tors of Levenies rise 300ft above the surrounding foothills, the path you have followed begins rising up to a plateau. At the top, you can see a 10ft tall stone wall with an ancient rusted gate open. Given the slope, you will have to stand in the gateway to be able to see past the wall. The smell of death is clear to you even at your distance - a smell far more fresh than the age of the site would suggest.
There is a collective gasp among the centaurs, and an almost eerie reverence comes over them. Twilight Sparkle's voice softens and she even grows somewhat apologetic, "This bow was stolen from us many moons ago by the foul Culchek tribe. Those filthy spriggans... I hope you cleansed their layer with extreme prejudice. Please, tell me the tale." As Smezut regales the captivated centaurs with their great deeds (never lying but perhaps exaggerating a bit for effect - though Varg really did gobble up 2 of them in one bite). When the story is complete, Twilight Sparkle shakes her head. "This is most disturbing," she says. "We haven't been bothered by Varnhold for some time, which was fine by us. But your description of what happened to the human town... that sounds as if the spriggans merely walked in after the people vanished. That is most disturbing, as the spriggans have no ability to do such a thing. Sure they could kill the people, but they would never have the discipline to cover things up; it's not in their nature. Perhaps if you were to investigate their lair, which is southeast of Varnhold and west of our current camp, you may learn something." Twilight Sparkle then smiles, "It would do us great honor if you were to feast with us this evening." She seems to be either ignoring or forgetting Xzin's presence during this time; fortunately something deep within his soul is preventing him from speaking out. If only that could happen more often... The centaurs lead you to a guest tent, obviously kept in the very off chance beings who sleep laying down come to visit (which is like never, but who knows). Furs are piled upon the ground, though there isn't any furniture. The tent blocks out the afternoon sun and is relatively cool. Those that are still injured are healed by centaur magic users. You have time to rest and clean up before the feast. The feast begins when the sun goes down, and involves many ritualistic horse dances around the bonfire in the middle of the camp. The feast consists of various meats from the animals hunted on the plains, to be washed down by magically created wine (yes, there is such a spell). When you have supped, the centaurs beg more stories from Smezut, who is only too happy to oblige. There are many great tales from your times in Green Acres, and how your kingdom is a place for all peoples (except gnomes, which is perfectly fine by the centaurs and gets several cheers). The few fireworks Smezut carries just in case amaze the tribe, as they have never seen such things. The centaurs share stories as well, most of which you have heard of. They are able to fill in the gaps, and tell history from their own perspective (humans are racists bastards is the overarching theme). Eventually, Twilight Sparkly grows quiet and solemn. After a moment, she apologizes for being unable to provide additional information regarding the disappearance of the people of Varnhold. "There is one place you can go where you might learn more," she says reluctantly. "There is a place to the south called the Valley of the Dead. It is taboo to us, but our traditions dictate we must watch the valley for signs of disturbance or strange awakenings. Recently, one of our tribe claimed to have seen a strange and frightful shape lumbering amid the stones there. I wonder... if those stupid humans with their insatiable curiosity and drive to expand and conquer might have entered the valley. That may be tied to why they vanished." Twilight Sparkle stops, as tears begin to well up in her eyes, "I am ashamed to ask those outside the tribe for help... but I think in this situation it is warranted. The centaur that saw something in the valley is my headstrong daughter Rainbow Dash. She confronted me to learn more of the place, but I would not satiate her curiosity. She has been missing for several days now... I fear the worst - that she entered the valley to investigate on her own." Twilight Sparkle turns to Tbenox, "You asked when you first arrived what your friend did to have earned our ire. Now it is time for that answer. Years ago, that very goblin wandered into our lands from the north. He wore that very bleached horse's skull upon his head, and was accompanied by an abomination of nature, some sort of slug with a horse's head and a pair of arms. He declared that Windbreeze had finally spoken to him and introduced him to the way of the horse." Twilight Sparkle chuckles a bit, but continues, "It seems silly, when a random goblin shows up out of nowhere and makes seemingly odd claims and still walks among us. The thing is, we have a prophecy. Our god Diomedes is fourfold: she consists of the mares Podargos the Swift, Lampon the Shining, Xanthos the Yellow, and Deinos the Terrible. The rough translation in the Common tongue of Deinos is Windbreeze. Our prophecy is that one day, a messenger of Diomedes would come, save us from our plights, and allow us to flourish as we once did. While our faith is strong, it was a bit strained by the form that was presented to us. Nevertheless, we accepted Xzin into our tribe. My daughter Rainbow Dash was smitten with him, as he had such power and love for us all. Our prayers revealed that he must be part of the tribe, both in name and in blood. He was betrothed to Rainbow Dash, set to rule by her side into an age of centaur prosperity. But just as the ceremony was about to begin, he went missing. He was supposed to wait in his tent, but when he was sent for, he was gone. All that was left was a hastily scrawled note saying 'Sorry, gotta run'. You can imagine that this left us furious. No one, NO ONE, walks out on my daughter." She continues, "The years since have seen an influx of humans in the area. Obviously we had angered Diomedes and this was our punishment. When our sacred bow was stolen by the spriggans and more recently Rainbow Dash going missing, it was almost too much for me to bare. But you, good King Smezut, have brought back our relic and my daughter's betrothed. I beg of you, please bring her back to us. The Equestria tribe and Green Acres shall become tied together by the union of Rainbow Dash and Xzin. Our respective lands will remain our own, but we will always come to aid when needed. You have my word as sacred bond - that is, as long as you can keep your friend from neglecting his duties."
Pinky Pie screams out at Tbenox's incredulousness, "How dare you speak that way, fiend!" and begins to move towards him, weapon at the ready. She is halted by a quick look from Twilight Sparkle. Twilight Sparkle blinks a few times at his audacity, and merely mutters, "Your honesty is appreciated, though speaking out like that again will land you in the same situation as your friend." "You may be unwanted guests, you are guests nonetheless. As such, you will not be harmed, that is, unless you sully the mercy we have showed you thus far by flinging high-worded insults and continuing to think of our borders as silly notions." "Now... to the matter at hand. You are to explain your presence here, not question our justified ill-will towards your friend. I suggest you do that quickly, lest my warriors grow too impatient and angered by flippancy for me to keep them from avenging insults."
The blinded bulette is easily slain, but in the moments after while you are catching your breath and trying to figure out how to skin the beasties (as their hide is fairly valuable), you hear the thundering sound of numerous hooves. You are quickly surrounded by 30 centaurs, with another 20 a bit farther back. The closer ones are female, armed with various melee weapons, while the ones farther back are male, armed with bows. You know the history of the Equestria tribe; long ago many of the males were killed in battle, following a long time of predominantly female births. The Equestria tribe is matriarchal, and all of the females are fierce warriors. They howl shrilly as the surround you, kicking up dust from the ground. They posture aggressively but do not attack, instead they seem to be gauging your response. You've also learned in your travels/studies that Sylvan is the preferred language of the Equestria tribe, but before Smezut is able to speak, one of the females points her weapon at Xzin and screams out in Sylvan, Xzin has no recollection of these centaurs specifically, though he has of course heard of mighty horse people before. At a loss and surrounded, Xzin is too flabbergasted to react. With the biggest gun all weirded out, and your other big guns reeling from the savage bulette attack only moments ago, you are in no position to mount an attack. The centaur who screamed begins to bark orders in heavily accented Common, "I, Pinky Pie, claim you as my prisoners. You shall not be harmed or accosted, but you WILL come with us without word or resistance, or I swear by the mighty horse gods, we will trample your bones into the dirt." You believe her. The Equestria war party directs you to their camp some dozen of miles away. They constantly watch and surround you, showing now openings for escape or surprise attack. When taken into the Equestria tribal camp, you are brought before the obvious leader in a central area marked by a bonfire. There are more centaurs here, all armed and all keeping a wary eye on you. Pinky Pie goes forth to speak with the leader, keeping her voice low to avoid being overheard. Then the leader speaks in Sylvan, "I am Twilight Sparkle, war-priestess and leader of the Equestria tribe. I have been told that you have ignored our borders along with a known... criminal." She seemed to mull over the word criminal, as if she couldn't think of the proper term. She is obviously infuriated by the sight of Xzin, and looking at him causes her to noticeably flinch in a mix of disgust, hate, and fury. "Pinky Pie has also told me that you managed to kill Kankerata and her mate, and that is no small feat," she goes on to say, "Those bulette have been a menace for some time, and needed to be purged for the safety of all. Even so, this does little to justify violating our borders. You are obviously not of Varnhold, as knowing those pesky human expansionists, they would likely try to attack goblins such as yourselves. Not to say we wouldn't, but the presence of... that one," she points to Xzin, "has kept you alive, for the moment. Now, speak that you may be judged. Lies will be known and not tolerated, and you would do best to keep that one quiet if you value your green hides - especially his."
The remaining bulette has no problem locating his prey, though only manages to land one of his 3 attacks.
Kristine heals her master, and the remaining bulette tries to keep glitter out of its eyes. All good for you, makes a DM wanna cry :'(
Skaz, grievously wounded, rallies to defend his king's royal squishyness from the vicious beast. Calling upon the power of his goddess (for what may be the last time), he empowers his weapon and armor in hopes to slice it up good and protect himself. Varg steps up and begins the assault, with Skaz taking full advantage of Varg getting a trip in on a particularly savage bite.
You head straight east, in hopes of finding centaurs eventually. As you get outside of Varnhold and cross into Equestria tribal lands, Ramses, Skaz, and Tbenox are able to confer and realize the ground here in the plains happens to be riddled with drifts and furrows, evidence of
It's hard to keep on your guard for hours on end, especially from burrowing enemy. There are not enough rock ponies in the world to act as your early warning system, so a quite obviously mated pair of bulettes (as opposed to behirs) fly out of the ground, getting all of their claw attacks on the front and rear goblins in the caravan. The bulette tear in to their respective targets, both landing all 4 claw attacks. Not enough to drop either Ramses or Skaz, but very close. Round 1 Ramses
Smezut
You go through the loot, and it's somehow amazing as if the spriggans kept notes on what they had before they looted Varnhold so you don't have to worry about being accused of "stealing" or silliness as such. Smezut and Ramses identify the workmanship of one the items, a composite longbow, as being similar to that of several centaur tribes. Tbenox knows this to be the fabled , a sacred ancestral relic of the Equestria Tribe to the east. You also locate a map in Maegar Varn's quarters. This map includes all of the details of the terrain of Varnhold, as well as notes about things found in various areas. Smezut
Round 6 Skaz
Basically everyone moves in where there is room. Skaz keeps watch in case enemies pop up out of nowhere in the fort or through the gate. ...and, all the things die.
Everyone stands by as Xzin solos the dungeon again. His elementals smash barred doors, and open others. Xzin summons some Lantern Ponies from the Celestial realms, and his lead Rock Pony with the big nose sticks it where it doesn't belong, as spriggans up the stairs shoot it with their crossbows. One manages to chip some dust off the tip of his nose. One spriggan does the same through the murder hole at a Lantern Pony, but since the chances of it doing damage are so remote, no dice will be wasted. A spriggan marches down the stairs, greatclub in hand. He smashes it into the nosy rock pony in its nosy nose, leaving a crater in place of its face.
Xzin acquiesces to his master's request, and his minions pound through a second door and into 2 spriggans. The do not detect any more on the ground floor; however, as they enter, they take note of the murder holes in the ceiling as a pair of bolts come raining down. One would have been a critical hit, if rock ponies had real body parts. Kristine yawns, waiting for the minions to do work. Round 5 other spriggans
Skaz also yawns, and wonders if Varg is going to need some extra fiber in his diet to pass those gnomes he ate.
Ramses moves in, and just so happens can see one of the spriggan's pinky fingers through a murder hole. Ouch, right in the pinky; he's not going to be able to pick his nose with that one anymore.
Smezut hastes the rock ponies, screaming out, "CHARGE MY MINON'S MINIONS... SHOW THEM NO MERCY... OR BETTER YET, GNOMERCY!", followed by a quick whisper to Xzin in goblin, "They might need you to translate that."
Tbenox moves in, casting shield in preparation for the bloody fight inside.
The door falls down to reveal a narrow hallway leading to the left, and some murder holes. 2 spriggans waiting there shoot the elemental in the doorway. One sort of scrapes it. Kristine moves up to provide better support if needed. Round 4 Other Spriggans
Skaz delays, allowing for time and room for the rock ponies to clear the way.
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