Gather close now, my dear, and hear my tale of blood and battle. A hunter I was in my homeland, far to the north, but I have never seen the kind of bloodshed as you have here in Riddleport. Not to say that I mind so much--I was just surprised that I could have so much fun among your tribes!
It all started just a few weeks ago when I arrived in town. The wee one that travels with me, Lini, was coming here to study that blot you have in your sky. I came with her to help keep her safe. Soon after arriving, we passed a bar and gaming hall that had quite a bit of activity going on. I convinced her that it would be a good place to get a drink or three and meet a few people that might be able to tell us about the blot. She finally agreed, and we entered in the middle of some sort of gambling tournament. I went straight to the bar and ordered the first of many drinks. Before I knew it, there was a bright flash and I was blinded. It seemed that some thugs were attempting to steal the jackpot chest from the tournament! Most people fled or cowered, but I certainly will never back down from a fight—even if it is not my own. Once I regained my sight, I attacked the nearest thugs. Before long, the villains were defeated and I was being offered a job by the proprietor of the Golden Goblin, Saul Vancaskerkin. A few others had helped to defeat the thieves, including little Lini, and we were all offered jobs helping to rebuild the place.
Vancaskerkin also had us do a few side jobs for him. After the disappearance of his floor manager, we had to go to said floor manager’s home and try to track him down. The place had been ransacked, and was occupied by bums. We found out that the last time anyone had seen him, he had been on his way to make a payment to a moneylender. We went to the moneylender’s flat, strongarmed him, and figured out that he didn’t know anything.
Our next job was one near and dear to my heart—we were sent to pick up some really good booze from the docks. Even this was more fun than I had thought it would be, as there were some guys down there trying to buy it out from under us. Nobody gets between me and my drink, and I was quick to draw my massive blade. We tore them up, recovered the liquor, and returned to the Golden Goblin to rest, recover, and try a bit of our newly rescued booze.
The plot has thickened since our last meeting, love, and much has been revealed. Only a few days after defeating Zincher's thugs down at the docks, it came to pass that two bosses moved against us in tandem. On what seemed to be another ordinary night, after a pretty good take, we were all performing our normal duties. Sajan, the new floor manager, and Seltyiel, the new head of security, were cleaning the tables in the main gambling hall. Lini was outside, working on the landscaping, and I was vigilantly taste-testing the liquors at the bar to see if any had gone bad. I was only on the sixth bottle when Lini came running into the gambling hall saying that there were aggressive thugs outside. A few moments later, all of the windows were smashed inward, and several street toughs forced their way in and attacked my comrades. They began throwing Alchemist's Fire on the tables in an attempt to burn the place down, but only one gaming table went up.
Not one to miss out on the fun, I charged one of the poor saps throwing Alchemist's Fire. With a single swing, I reduced his head to a spray of red mist. His buddy looked a little nervous, and he had every reason to be. On my very next swing, my massive blade cut him in two. By that time, one of the other security guards had arrived. We used the bodies of our attackers to smother the flames on the gaming table. I heard a scream coming from the kitchen, and ran back there to see what had happened. I threw the door open and was quickly attacked by two more thugs. The fools. They hardly lasted a moment against me. There was a half-orc there as well, and he was very hard to hit. At one point in time, I raised the sword I took from a dead Frost Giant's hand to slice him in twain, only to have the point sink itself into the ceiling! I abandoned the sword, but just for a moment, as I ripped him apart with the glove I fashioned from the claw of a bear. At that time, Sajan began to yell down that there were more invaders upstairs. Three of the guards freed my sword, and I scooped it up as I began to run towards the stairs. As I was running, I almost stumbled over the body of Dalanna, one of our young serving maids. I care not when men kill each other, but when the bastards ruthlessly murdered one of my girls it sent me into a blood rage. I used my hate to propel me even faster up the stairs, skipping two or three steps with every bound. I wanted blood to follow blood. When I reached the catwalk above the gaming room, I saw five opponents. Two of them had positioned themselves to take cheap shots against me as I emerged onto the catwalk, but they both missed. I leapt to one, and ripped him in half with a single swing. My rage spurred me on to the leader, who thought he was going to kill me easily. His head left his shoulders much faster and easier than he had anticipated, I am sure! Two of the five were already dead, but I was not done yet. I leapt from the catwalk and chased the two that were fleeing into the night. They escaped me, but I left them with a warning that I hope still rings in their ears.
I am growing weary of this town of Riddleport. I came to study this blot that hangs over the city and have scarce had a chance to look up. Amiri and I seemed to be in the right place at the right time - for someone else. We found shelter and work quite quickly at the Golden Goblin after we played good samaritan (well, Amiri just loves a good fight) and helped chase away some ruffians robbing the gaming hall. That solved a few of our problems, I suppose, but created more. Vancaskerkin, the owner, promoted us right away along with two other fellows: a monk named Sorren and a fighter named Saltiel. Unwittingly we have become embroiled in his crime lord games, and an assassination attempt was made on our lives in The Boneyard by a gang of were-rats. Thanks to an elf named Kwava we were able to escape alive and given a clearer picture on this attack. I am sorely tempted to stay in the outskirts with Kwava and return to a more simple life and atmosphere. I can scarcely breathe or think in that urban environment. However, I am not one to shirk my responsibilities or leave a situation unresolved. I am sure it will be clearer when the sun rises.
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I suppose I should be used to this by now. Someone doesn't like me, so they try to kill me. Only this time time I'm not related to the assassin. I just passed it by as nothing but there was always something in Vancaskerkin's eyes that was a bit unsettling. It seems now that my hunch was correct but it does me little good now. Among the series of betrayals that is my life I've found a bit of comfort with this rabble of people. Sajan and I are old friends and traveled together to research the blot in the sky and to earn a bit of gold on the side. and then there are the other two, Lini and Amiri. Lini is a strange girl er... woman er..um... Gnome that seem as if she's disconnected from urban life, but she more than makes up for it with her connection to nature. Amiri on the other hand seems to be at home in a city or under a tree. She's unpredictable and energetic but also gauche and destructive. Her pure strength is impressive but I think with a little guidance she could be so much more.
But back to the matter at hand. Here I am sitting in the mud, brooding on the anger in my blood. Betrayal is a crime that will not go forgotten. And Saul will soon learn that no amount of gold or possesions can fix this mistake... only blood.
The next morning, I wished to take the fight to our enemies. Saul, however, was against it. He suggested that we instead reopen the Golden Goblin as quickly as possible. We spent the entire day cleaning up the place, and by the next morning it was ready for customers again.
Vancaskerkin told us that he had some new information about those who had attacked us. He said that he had uncovered a secret meeting in a place called the Boneyard, where the city disposed of all its trash. Little did we know that the trash he wished to dispose of was us. We went there to disrupt the meeting, but were ambushed by several wererats. Had it not been for the warning and intervention of an elven warrior, it might have taken a very long time for me to defeat the vermin.
The elf explained that we had been set up by Vancaskerkin, and that he was in the area chasing after rumors of rebellious elves. In exchange for our assistance in chasing down these rumors, he allowed us to rest at his campsite. Now we are going to do a bit of planning and soon we will have our vengeance against he who betrayed us.
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I am enjoying the game very much. I commend you for keeping things running well and making everything fun. No, I did not feel ripped off when I tore up the main bad guy so quickly--I kinda dig doing that. With the limping dude, you don't need to apologize. We figured out a way in story that still allowed him to move at his full movement rate. However, don't ever be afraid to let someone kill a mook more easily, as they are only there to be slain anyway.
Kudos to you sir, as I am having the time of my life in this game!!
We have returned to the Golden Goblin, and now the gambling hall is ours!
Seltyiel knows Saul better than any of us, and he said that the two most likely places for Saul to hold up would be in his office or in the basement. After a bit of brief discussion, we decided that the basement would be an easier place to defend: therefore, we thought Saul would probably be there.
Most of the group thought that stealth would be the best way to get to Saul, so we snuck up to the back door and started to discuss how to get in. While the rest of the group wasted time talking, I bashed in the back door. Within but a few seconds, I was descending the stairs to the basement. Bojask was not in his room, and it seemed that nobody was in the basement. However, as I was about to go back upstairs, I heard movement down in the arena room. I moved towards the room, drinking a potion to help shield myself from attacks as I went. As soon as I turned the corner, Bojask threw an axe at me. I easily deflected it and hit him with my massive sword. He reeled back, but did not fall. I hit him a second time, but he still did not fall. However, I could tell that his two grevious wounds had taken the fight out of him. Sajan hit him in the face, dropping him, and then twisted his neck around with a brutal crunch.
With this, I heard my other companions yelling in the hallway. I went back out and saw them battling several hired thugs. Seltyiel stepped back into a room, and I had an open lane to charge one of the thugs. I ran down the hallway screaming my challenge, but only injured myself in the process. I wound up fighting four thugs and three thieves, killing all but one who fled. I did more damage to myself than the enemies did to me!
Behind me, my companions had their hands full with Saul, his pet devil, Beyar, Hans, and another rogue. However, Lini had made friends with Bojask's pig, and was leading it in to attack the little devil. I saw an opportunity to pin Saul in, and quickly ran back up the stairs to come down at him from the other side. By the time I got back downstairs, however, Saul had dropped Sajan and Seltyiel and ran past Lini into the arena. He was dusting off the floor, and there was a trapdoor under the sand! By the time I reached him, he had thrust the key on his hand into the lock and opened the trapdoor. I quickly kicked the door shut and jumped on top of it. As he was attempting to recover his weapon, I caved his head in with a mighty chop of my sword.
Now the Golden Goblin belongs to us, but it seems we have troglodytes in the basement. Tomorrow we venture through that trapdoor and see what lies below!
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For anyone reading this journal who thinks it is strange that I did more damage to myself than anyone else did to me, I can explain. Having an effective armor class of 22 for most of the fight, I was very hard to hit. However, it seems that I have a problem with rolling a lot of 1's. Our DM has ruled that a natural 20 is an instant draw from the critical hit deck, but a natural 1 is an instant draw from the critical failure deck. Because of the large number of critical failure cards that I have become only too familiar with, I have decided that I will do anything to get the "Better Lucky Than Good" feat from the Complete Scoundrel.
I have also retired one of my d20's. Permanantly.
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It feels good to be back on my feet after being ill for several days. But it feels better to get back at that double crossing excuse for a man Saul. As i had suspected, Saul had been feeding lies to his employees about us since we left to what Saul thought was our death. Hans and Bayar were turned back to our side during the assault on the Golden Goblin.
There is however one thing that I can't understand. Why would Saul risk his life to get out through the trap door in the basement where we were instead of just going out of the front door where there was a clear shot out? There is something or someone that Saul wants in that basement besides troglodytes.
We figured out what was beneath the hatch, but were unable to do much about it. We killed a few troglodytes, and then we found a black-skinned elf. It seems that the legends of the drow are true. We fought her as best we could, but in the end she escaped us and I broke my sword. As she made her escape, we saw a star fall from the sky and blast a nearby island. We were high enough to be unaffected by the resulting tsunami, but many of the citizens of Riddleport were dragged out to sea. The Golden Goblin was not damaged, and so we are in pretty good shape--however, my sword is still broken.
So here we are now, resting in the camp of Clegg Zincher. What a strange series of events has led me here. I am happier now, though, because I got a new sword. It hurts me to kill things with it—literally—but it hurts the things I hit even more.
After fighting the dark elf in her lair and witnessing the bolt from the sky slamming into the island of Devil’s Elbow, we made the best we could from what we had. Even though the dark elf had escaped, we gained a great amount of treasure from her cavern. We were in the process of trying to sell these items or trade them for things we had more use for when we heard of a shop attempting to liquidate their entire inventory as quickly as they could. We went straight there and met Karn, a man who obviously was not the owner of the shop, selling off the shop’s stock at extremely low prices. We attempted to barter with him, but he did not have much left. However, he said that he might have a few other things to talk with us about and suggested that we meet in the office of the Golden Goblin a few hours later. Having found no replacement for my sword, we went to another shop—a weapon and armor shop called The Midnight Blade. The shopkeeper, a Quadiran, sold mostly daggers and the like, but he did have a couple of greatswords that carried with them a magnificent enchantment. Both were more than I could afford, but I had a feeling that after the meeting with Karn we would have a little more disposable wealth. I left the shop, temporarily stymied, but hopeful that one of those swords would soon be mine.
Only a few moments after we returned to the Golden Goblin, Karn arrived and began to talk business. He brought with him several choice items that he had not sold at the shop. He was interested in buying the business to use as a front for other activities, and was willing to pay fairly well. However, his eyes really lit up when we told him about the tunnel beneath the place that stretched across the river. He traded several powerful items to us in exchange for the Golden Goblin and our silence about the smuggling tunnels. Many of the items were of little or no use to us, but we were able to take them out to the market and trade them for stuff we needed. I was able to take some of the weapons and armor to The Midnight Blade and trade them for a greatsword that, when it connected with an enemy, did a small amount of damage to me and a huge amount of damage to my foe. I was also able to get a couple of rings for myself and several good items for my companions.
Lini went out into the wilderness for a day or so while the rest of us conversed with Kwava about the dark skinned elf we had found. He did not believe that the elf was really a drow, but did think that we had uncovered the renegade that he was hunting. He explained that the dark skin could be done with some sort of body paint. He said that he would report back to his masters, and that we would be hearing from him soon. Lini returned with a snow leopard at her side—a powerful ally for the small druid.
When we returned to town, we turned our focus to getting out to Devil’s Elbow. We had some revenge to serve up on the renegade elf, and we thought it would be a good way to get some extra money to pick up a little skymetal in the process. There were a couple of possible options for ways to the island: there was a fast mercenary boat available in the harbor, and there were rumors of a pirate ship anchored north of town. We decided putting our lives in the hands of pirates was a bad idea, so we went to meet with the captain of the Flying Cloud, one of the fastest ships on the ocean.
The captain of the Flying Cloud was cold to us at first, but during our meeting we heard someone messing around up on the main deck. We ran up the stairs, and were able to interrupt several thugs attempting to set the ship on fire. We quickly killed them all, with the snow leopard killing two faster than I could kill one. After this battle Captain Creesy was much more cordial to us, and even told us we could use his rowboat to approach the island.
The next day, after gathering a few supplies, we sailed out to the island. We had obtained a map of the island from the department of public works, and could easily see where we needed to land. As we neared the island, we could plainly see where the falling star had impacted. There was a huge crater, almost a mile across.
The captain was unwilling to get too close to the island, and so dropped us off in a rowboat about a mile out to sea. We had to row all the way in to a small dock area. The buildings of the dock had collapsed, and it seemed that the dock might not be too far from this same fate. As we approached, we were hailed by a dwarf of the Gasforges. He wanted nothing more than to escape the island with his few remaining companions. He told us there was no skymetal, but that if we did find anything that the Gasforges would be gracious enough to help us forge what we needed from it. He also said that there were fast, silent monsters infesting the island, and that they would lay some sort of larvae in the tongues of the dead. We allowed him and his companions to take the rowboat back out to the Flying Cloud. Captain Creesy was to return for us in three days.
During our approach to the island, we spotted several flashes of light up at the tower on the apex of the mountain. The dwarf told us that the Cyphermages were trapped there---including my dear Samaritha. We hustled up the mountain, and reached the tower in a little less than an hour. They let us inside, but everyone was injured. I gave Samaritha a potion that would help to cure her wounds, and Lini and the monk healed the others. In only a few moments, however, there was a cry from the top of the tower. Samaritha and I ran to the observation deck, and could see that there were dozens of strange creatures circling the tower. The creatures began to throw themselves at the tower and began crawling up the sides. I was able to hit several of them with my bow, but in the chaos I couldn’t target a single one and therefore was unsuccessful in killing any of them. As they mounted the tower, the massive weight of the beasts started a landslide under the foundations of the tower. It fell over onto its side and started to roll down the mountain towards the sea. I did everything in my power to keep Samaritha safe, and protected her with my own body. I was able to brace the two of us pretty well, and when the tower fell off the side of the cliff and dropped sixty feet to the water, I was able to absorb all of the damage that she would have taken.
When the strange beasts fell into the sea, the salt water melted them away like acid. As far as I can tell, these things look much like lions but are more closely akin to slugs. Gross.
Once Samaritha and a couple of the other Cyphermages were secured and healed, we discussed what to do next. I felt that finding another safe place to hold out was best, and suggested the tower on the west side of the island. However, Samaritha would hear no word of it. She insisted that we go to Zincher’s camp and beg for his protection. This course, although repugnant to me, was what the group decided on.
We were able to reach Zincher’s camp without encountering any more of the creatures, and as soon as we arrived we were ushered into his tent. He tried to be nonchalant about our arrival, but I could see the fear in his eyes. He is right to fear me—I don’t like him very much. He told us that we could stay in his camp and that he would pay us to do work for him. We could either attempt to harvest skymetal, capture one of the slug-lions, or protect the camp from attackers. And so here we are. It was easy to find an empty tent, as only a few of the original thirty or so men that Zincher brought to the island are still here. I suppose I will work for him for a while, but after Samaritha and the other Cyphermages are safely off the island, two days from now, the rules may well change.
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I rolled so much better this time! I knew my bad luck couldn't last forever. I am much happier with this last session than with the previous two.
I thought that the free-fall combat with the Akatas in the rolling tower was fun, but I do prefer the more structured, more tactical combats that include minis and mats.
I still don't like Zincher, but I think that Amiri would have Samaritha's well-being at the forefront of her mind. Once Samaritha is picked up by the Flying Cloud, Amiri might just go a little wild. That would be fun.
So far, no drow on the island. I hope we can find some soon. Maybe they all turned into lion-slugs and we can just find their camp and pick up all their stuff. Yeah, right.
How many game sessions did it take you to get to that point? My group did it in 7, but they are behind xp/levels for what the adventure recommends.
So we waited and we watched for a couple of days, and today Samaritha and the Cyphermages left Devil’s Elbow for Riddleport.
We accepted Zincher’s offer to work for him, but we had an agenda of our own. The first night in camp, we heard arguing from a nearby tent. We slipped out to listen from the shadows, and overheard Zincher and Akron heatedly arguing. We were seen by Akron, who came to our tents later that night. After a bit of discussion, he decided that we were trustworthy and confided in us that he was really a marine from Korvosa under cover in Riddleport. He told us that it was in his best interest if Zincher was kept alive, as Zincher was Akron’s best source of information about Riddleport. This put a huge crimp on my personal plans. I don’t like Zincher very much, and I have been considering for some time how Riddleport politics work. When Saul Vancaskerkin “disappeared,” we wound up the owners of the Golden Goblin. We then made a very lucrative business deal that benefited us greatly. I have been thinking about how many businesses Zincher owns, and how much I would have to gain if he were to also “disappear.” I like Akron, but his mission may get in the way of my plans.
Akron did tell us that Zincher had been acting strangely as of late, but I had observed this fact already. At this time we decided that Zincher was most likely in league with the dark elf we chased from Riddleport.
The next day we explored the island. We went to one of the lighthouses first, but found nothing but ruins and centipedes. A swarm of the bastards almost took out Seltyiel, but a few well placed bursts of flame finished off the swarm. Then we investigated the crater left by the falling star. We found very little skymetal, only about two pounds, but we were attacked by several of the slug-lions. We killed them fairly easily despite their speed. Then we went on to the other lighthouse. When we were almost there, we were approached by a small floating light. It seemed to attach itself to me, and since that moment it has been floating around me everywhere I go. We determined that it was the ghost of a willowisp. When I listen very closely, it plays music for me. We moved on to investigate the remains of the tower. The monk went inside, and Seltyiel searched the rubble around the tower. I stayed back with Lini because her snow leopard refused to approach the tower. While he was searching, the monk was attacked by the wrathful spirit of Yarris. He exuded a burst of his holy energy, and the wraith seemed angered by the occurrence. I charged up to the tower and smashed into the wraith with my magical sword. It seemed to be hurt by the attack, and retreated into the tower proper. I was able to get to it, and destroyed it with my second swing. After killing the wraith of Yarris, we found a glowing longsword and some money in the rubble inside the tower.
It was early afternoon, and so we headed back to camp. We had decided to sleep in the afternoons and do our exploring in the mornings. At night we are paid to keep watch on the camp. Samaritha watched over me as I slept. We all were waking up and getting ready for our watch as the Cyphermages were just beginning to bed down, when a cry came up from the far side of the camp. We ran out of our tents to find that several of the Void Zombies were attacking the camp. It was a short fight, but one more of Zincher’s thugs was killed in the battle. After the excitement was over, I decided to keep watch over the edge of camp where Samaritha slept. While on watch, I observed Zincher sneaking out of the camp on his own. Assuming he was going to check in with his dark elf ally, I remained hidden and marked the trail down which he crept.
This morning, we escorted Samaritha and the Cyphermages to the Flying Cloud. Now they are safely off the island, and it is no longer necessary for me to remain in Zincher’s camp. We are resting today, and tomorrow morning, just before dawn, we plan to find out exactly where Zincher went during his nocturnal wanderings.
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I had a great time playing last night. I rolled a few 1's, but they were only on initiative. I am more than happy to roll 1's on initiatives or skill checks as long as I don't roll them on my attacks.
I don't know how I am going to get through the next two weeks without playing--Stupid Thanksgiving is messing up next week's game time. Excited about messing up some drow in the next session.
The only conundrum that is bothering me right now is how to take out Zincher without messing up Akron's mission. I'm sure Amiri will come up with something, and if she doesn't she will probably just attack Zincher anyway.
Boy, I sure wish some of the other folks from this group would post more often. I'm getting lonely on this thread. ;)
Anyhoo, looking forward to next time. If Abe could figure out a way to get off work early, we could probably play longer....
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Morning came and after Amiri told me about Zincher's little walk last night and after a bit of studying his behavior I have decided that Zincher must be under some sort of mind control. I assume that the dark elf, Depora Azrinae, was behind it. It appeared that this control was preventing Zincher from revealing to us about the dark elves. This explains why he placed our tents behind his, he was sending a message to us when he went to talk to the elves by letting us see him go there.
After everyone was ready to go we headed down the barely visible trail which seemed to go towards the cliffside. after it reaced the cliffside the trail continued to go down along the cliff until it just stopped. A bit of searching revealed a door and small crack in another cliff face in front of us. when Amiri and I atempted to open the door a rune on it emitted a deafening sound and did a significant amount of damage to Amiri and myself. Amiri then moved through the door and saw one dark elf at the end of a large cavern and another elf blocking our way in about ten feet in the cave. With a yell Amiri ran in the room atempting to draw attacks from both elves and let us in easier. I moved in next but found that the first dark elf was fast enough to attack both Amiri and me. Sorren(<-Sajan),Lini's lepard, and I attacked the first elf while Amiri quickly dispached of the second. Sorren tripped the dark elf and we all kept attaking him but he was still quick for being on the ground and our progress was slow. Before Amiri could do anything else a large lizard comes out of a hallway and snapps at her and She quickly engaged it in combat. Behind the lizard was another dark elf poised to attack but when he wittnesed his pet lizard cut down by Amiri, he quickly healed the lizard then fled. Once the prone elf was taken care of Sorren and I watched the hall where the dark elf fled while Amiri and Lini checked out another room which seemed to be barricaded closed. Amiri made short work of the blocked path and her little wil-o-wisp thing wanted Amiri in that room pretty bad. I was guarding our entrance when Amiri and Lini entered the room but when she came out the wil-o-wisp was gone but Amiri's bracer was glowing and I can only assume that has something to do with it. Amiri held her bracer to her ear for a second but I don't think it made a noise.
I hope we find Depora soon, I'm quite tired of this god-forsaken island.
I love this game, so much fun, this is the first game i just cant wait to play good job dm now unlock my pendent lol ill post agin when im not sleeping
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Amiri wanted to search the dead but I suggested that we finish with the cavern first so we moved on. We heard a voice in the next room but down the hallway only found a twenty foot drop off... with a dark elf at the bottom ready to fire his crossbow at me. The voice however wasn't coming from the elf at the bottom. Sorren quickly jumped down only to find another elf at the bottom readly to strike whenever he came down. Amiri jumped across the room and attacked the elf that fired at me. Lini and I stayed up on top to provide ranged support from above. We dissposed of them and moved on to the next chamber.
Just through a small doorway was an enormous chamber that held a large pool of water and several wooden scaffolds covered with dark elves, one of which was Depora and the another was the man with the lizard. The important looking man started to throw fire from his hands at us before we could even move through the doorway. I ignored him and moved along the small beach to try and reach depora who was my target. I shot a ray of searing light at her only to see it splash off of her like water without so much as a singed hair. Sorren moved to the ladder which Depora was waiting at the top of to attack. Sorren climbed and grabbed at her feet managing to trip her. Before I could do any more a monsterous black and white beast came out of the water and the last thing I saw was teeth, lots of razer sharp teeth.
It seemed as if only seconds had passed but I awoke to lini hovering over me asking if I was okay, Sorren passed out with scroll case open and teeth marks on his side, and Amiri on the other side of the chamber sinking her greatsword into Depora's neck. there were dead elves on the scaffolding including the man who was spellcasting. I could see only one elf left so I closed on him a quickly as I could. Amiri jumped up on the scaffolds and did the same. After Lini healed Sorren, he joined us in the fight against the last dark elf. Lini had trouble climbing the ladder to the scaffolds probably due to her size so Sorren returned and grabbed her. While fighting the elf and just as Amiri lunged in to impale the elf a bolt flew right past me. I look over toward the chamber wall only to see another dark elf firing at me and laughing hystericaly. I drew my bow and told the others to find cover. Amiri joined me with her bow but before we could fire the dark elf caused the scaffolds we were standing on to collapse beneath our feet. We all swam to the nearest shore exept Lini who could stand on water thanks to her ring. No sooner were we standing on dry ground was the elf laughing and walking at us on the surface of the water. I waited for the elf to approach and attacked her as best I could but she was a difficult opponent. She quickly disarmed my beloved scimitar from me. I jumped back and attempted to burn her with a cone of fire. It was difficult enough without my sword in hand but even then the fire just brushed off of her without so much as a singed hair again. Sorren jumped into the water and grabbed at her feet and managed to trip her. Before I could do anything else I see Amiri running on the water behind the dark elf and swing at her but almost triped over herself. Amiri almost didn't notice the elf stand up and begin to float. we all swung at her but then she floated even higher. I drew a wand and caused Amiri to levitate as well so she could bring the battle to the dark elf. Just before I launched a ray of firery energy at the elf I felt compelled to not attack her, so instead i just continued to raise Amiri up to attack. I had no will to hurt the elf but apparently Amiri still had plenty of fight left in her. During the exchange of blows fourty feet above my head I realized what I was doing and fired a bolt of firery energy at the elf and hit her. Suddenly the elf dropped in front of me and I released Amiri from the spell. Amiri fell quite aways down but she didn't seem to mind the pain from the fall If it meant killing the Dark Elf. the elf tried to run but I caught her right behind her leg and cut her down. After the cavern was secure we spent several hours to search the bodies for something useful. we found many items, several of the magic, but what I found the most interesting was the journal we found with this last elf we killed. The elf's name was Shendara. She was apparently Depora's sister but for some reason harbored a great hate for Depora. Shendara was going to leave soon to Selwynvian and speak to someone she knew about something called the Armageddon Echo. That night Clegg Zincher payed us a visit and pleaded for us to keep him out of this and to not mention his involvement we agreed and he agreed to pay us when we returned to Riddleport. He offered us a ride home but we had more work to do on this island.
The next day we decided to search for some more Nockwilll (skymetal) and mabey rid this island of some more Akata. we went to the crater, found little Nockwill but found a pack of Akata. We began to attack them but the quickly fled when we had halved thier numbers. We gave chase to them and chased them all the way to a cave. We followed the Akata inside to see them runnig to various corners of this very alien looking cave. The Akata werent puttig up much of a fight when suddenly the central tree looking giant flower thing comes to life and blinds me. when I could see again, both the Akata were gone and Amiri was attacking the huge plant. I casted a spell of flaming sphere behind the creature and proceded to attack it. Sorren, Amiri, and I was attacking the beast when it lunges at Sorren and swallows him whole, but soon spits him back out, wrapped in a plant shell that seemed to be crushing him. Amiri chopps down the plant and I blasted the shell Sorren was in to free him but it seemed he needed no help to free himself. At the end of that day we headed back down to the dock to be picked up by our ride, but I've been sitting here for four days now and there i yet to be signs of a ship to pick us up. We try every day to make visible signals to the mainland but I dont know If they're working.
I'm starting to think that we should have went back with Zincher....
hey! Look who it is!
and so the adventure leads on... After rejoicing in a privet room of the sweet sheep pub one of you notice a card stuck to the middle of the table. On the front it has the ace of spades and on the other side it says "STAN". That's when that odd feeling you get, you know when another wild and dangerous adventure is creeping around the cornor, starts tingling.
Seltyiel! Look out for that giant green liz
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This is just the opportunity I need. When I died I found myself in an out of body experience, looking down upon myself... or at least what was left of myself. I was killed by a drake's ball of acid and much of me and my items were eaten by acid. moments later I started to materialize from mud and dirt! I looked towrds Lini and she was in some sort of a trance or deep prayer. She stayed in that state until my entire body had been remade, but something was different. I was taller, my ears were pointier, my eyes more keen, and my skin was more fair. I had become an elf! What is this I thought, but before I could say a thing Lini told me that I had been reincarnated into a new body. I grabbed a few scraps of clothing and told Sorren and Lini that an opportunity has befallen me that I cannot pass. I bid them farwell and departed towards Riddleport.
This new body was the perfect way to get close to my fathers, they wony even recognize me. I will infiltrate my step father's castle and he will die in his sleep if he's lucky. but first I need supplies, so I'm heading towards Riddleport to see Karn.
After returning to Riddleport and reporting about the dark elves we killed to Kwava, we were commissioned to go to Crying Leaf in the Merani forest to deliver the journals to the Shin-Rakarath. Upon the way we were attacked by three dragonlike creatures, though they were much smaller than real dragons. Amiri and Seltyiel did not survive the battle. I was able to reincarnate Seltyiel to an elven body, but he chose to abandon our mission and pursue his own.
I grieve for Amiri. We had known each other for many years, and to be able to adventure and fight alongside her was the stuff of legends. To see her in action was inspiring. We were not close confidants, but I know not of any that Amiri let know her deepest thoughts.
However my sadness at the loss of our friends, I cannot be swayed from our original goals. I cannot see the world be buried in Noqual, the stones brought down from the skies. The dark elves must not be allowed to cover the land in darkness once again. I strengthen my resolve and seek out the aid of the Shin-Rakarath.
This is fun. But I hate it when people die. I think I may once again be the sole character that makes it through the entire campaign.
I think this game is going pretty well, though staying on top of what rules have changed from 3.5 to Pathfinder is a challenge. But I am always horrible at remembering that stuff anyway.
Soren really needs to stay in the game. I think I will probably have to step up and be the mouthpiece and leader for at least a few sessions until our party gets reacclimated to the new characters. Anyway, I feel that this game is going pretty smooth, and I will try my best to stay awake!
I am Kalenoth Ferrond, son of the ruler of the Horselords of Varisia. I am noting here my travels and adventures, for I hope to one day be published in the annals of the Pathfinder Society.
My half brother Theodric and I have always had a bit of wanderlust to us. I suppose that comes from being the sons of our father. He, too, is well known for traveling far and wide. We have twenty seven other siblings that we know of, spread all across Avistan. I am, however, the only one who stands to inherit my father’s title upon his demise. I have yet to see enough of the world, and so hope that event is quite far off.
In addition to my interest in travel, I have always been fascinated by elves. There are some elves west of us, in the Mierani Forest, but those seem to be quite secretive and a bit rude. They brook no travelers to their lands, and so when I found out from my father that he had produced a bastard son in the village of Greengold, in Kyonin, I quickly gathered my things together and went to find him.
Theodric did not disappoint me. He was trained as an archer by the elves of Kyonin, and has a large grey wolf that accompanies him everywhere. He is a masterful horseman, as that was in his blood. We stayed in Kyonin for several months, and I learned much about the elves there. Theodric wished to meet his father, however, so we returned to the Uplands.
For the last two years, we have stayed in the Uplands and planned our quest to discover the world. We have grown quite close, and I have taken careful notes of my father’s dalliances in an attempt to find more of our siblings. We were soon to leave the Uplands for Riddleport and beyond when a bit of a mystery fell into our laps. I have never been one to turn down a good story, especially when I have the opportunity to become a part of it.
As we were on patrol with Windbraid, one of my father’s friends, we came across a strange encampment. There were three elves, a gnome, and a man who had skin the likes of which I had never seen before. He carried no weapons save his bare hands, and was named Soryn. The gnome, who had with her a strange pet—a snow leopard!—was attempting some sort of ritual over two fallen companions. We could see the carcasses of three Forest Drakes nearby, and surmised that two of this strange party had been killed in a battle with the deadly lizards.
The gnome, whose name was Lini, was attempting a ritual to bring back their dead companions in whatever form nature decided they should return as. The ritual succeeded on one of the group, who returned as an elf. He quickly gathered most of his belongings, excitedly said something about having the perfect disguise to kill his father, and ran off into the night. The other one, a muscular woman who appeared to be from the Lands of the Linnorm Kings, did not rise from the dead. Lini explained that the dead barbarian, Amiri, was never at peace with herself when she was alive—she was filled with a rage that sometimes consumed her. Perhaps she found her peace with death.
I attempted to parlay with one of the elves, in his native tongue, but he was quite standoffish. It had occurred to me that strangers in the company of elves of the Mierani must mean that the elves needed some sort of assistance. I offered my help in the most diplomatic way possible, but was told by the leader of the three, Karishiel, that I should mind my own business and be on my way. Lini, however, spoke up and said something cryptic about “saving the world” and asked if we would be willing to accompany her. Windbraid is far too old for this sort of thing, but Theodric and I looked at each other with smiles on our faces. Adventure at last!
And I am Theodric Greengold. I too am son to the ruler of the Velashi Horselords though I did not know it for many years. I was born to no father and I inherit no family name, I instead take my name from the village in which I was raised, Greengold. I spent my childhood amongst the traders and elves of Greengold. I dont know if it was pity or if I was part of the elves experiment but the elves taught me their ways of archery and riding, and even taught me to read and write in their native tongue. I became an adept archer over the years, especially when it comes to elves. The elves also taght me how to tame and handle wild animals which is how I found my friend for many years. She is a grey wolf who I name Naimiria after a cunning warrior in the stories my mother would tell me. Who my father was remained a mystery for much of my life as I recieved many traits from my mother. Such as my Dark hair and brown eyes. I was however, taller than most other men and had lighter skin than my mother. It wasn't very long into my adult life when a man approched me and proclaimed himself as my half-brother Kalenoth of house Ferrond. Kalenoth told me about my father and the other children he has, twenty-seven in total. I left with Kalenoth and met my father and the Horselords of Velashu. After two years of riding in the Velashi uplands, my heart yearned for adventure again, a trait that must run in the family because my brother felt the same way. We found that adventure in a pair of travelers who were on some quest to save the world. They asked us for help and we quickly agreed.
We quickly found ourselves in the village of Cryingleaf awaiting an audience with the leader of this outpost.The gnome, Lini, and the monk, Soryn, seemed to be quite offended the officer Karishiel as he was quite rude to us, but Kalenoth and I knew better than to expect hospitality from elves. One elf however who refused to give us his real name was quite the opportunist and made every attempt to make a copper piece off of us, but to no avail. I am interested to see what saving the world and the fabled cursed ones of Celwynvian have to do with each other. But first we must get our audience with the commanding officer here.
We were taken to the elven village of Cryingleaf, a place which was completely unknown to my father and the horselords. Deep in the forest we came across a large wall of thorns and briars. One of our elven guides whistled a short tune, at which time the thorns parted and we were allowed entrance to the village. It seems that this place was a sort of military encampment, where none but elves were allowed. As we were escorted through the streets, everyone stared at us. Several of the younger elves began to follow us, trying to get a closer look at our strange little group. One of those young elves was running around us like a puppy trying to nip at our heels. He kept saying that he would show us around the village and be our guide for thirty gold pieces. He has been with us ever since, but I still can’t remember his name.
The leader of Cryingleaf, Evianna, met with us only a short time after our arrival. We showed her the journals of a couple of cursed elves that Lini had brought. After examining the journals, the elves of Cryingleaf came to a strict resolution: they were going to mount a full attack on the cursed-held city of Celwynvian the following morning. As we had little else to do at the time, and because they offered us a large sum of money, we agreed to be a part of this assault.
Karishiel recommended that we stay behind and guard the elven encampment, but that was unacceptable to me. I was looking forward to seeing one of these cursed elves for myself! We were instead given the task of taking and holding an ancient library.
We attacked the library building at dawn, but it seemed as if we were expected. There were four cursed elf archers on the rooftop of the building, and they started raining arrows down upon us. Theodric was better, however, and had picked off two of them before they were able to connect a single arrow with one of our group. Unfortunately, it had been quite a while since Theodric had been in combat, and, in his excitement, he spilled his arrows all over the ground. I cast a spell that would allow all in our group to move much faster, and Soryn stopped to help Theodric retrieve his lost arrows. I began to move as quickly as I could towards the doors of the library, but I noticed a troupe of six dark skinned elves moving towards us down the street. They had noticed our combat and moved quickly to engage us. I altered my path towards the door to instead intercept the advancing dark elves. I moved up quickly and attacked the nearest one. One of the others, in the back of the column, hit me with a magical arrow that burned me with acid. A moment later, he fired a large, fiery blast into the air. I surmised that was a signal to other cursed elves to come to this location. After that, I decided that we did not have enough time to kill these elves in the traditional fashion—I flew backwards thirty feet, then unleashed a blast of fire myself. The two in the middle of the group were able to duck under the flames, but the rest of the group was incinerated. By that time Theodric had gathered his arrows and was able to snipe one of the remaining cursed elves, killing it. I killed the other with a small burst of force.
The entire group ran to the library doors and entered the structure. We were met by several giant spiders, but we killed them quickly. We opened a set of double doors to the north of us, and were instant assaulted by a half-dozen vile demons. In a frantic and disgusting battle, we were finally victorious. With the building halfway cleared, we decided to post the flag, showing the elven army that the building was ours. While Soryn ran outside to plant the flag, the young elf pup picked the locks on the double doors to the south of us. It took him several tries, but he was finally able to get us into the room. We quickly and decisively took the room, and then held the library long enough for the elven army to arrive and hold the building.
After the battle at the library, we went back to the elves’ base camp. Evianna was there, and told us that a building on the far side on Celwynvian was being used to make alchemical weapons for the dark elves. We are being tasked with taking this building, but I am almost out of spells, our group has injuries, and it seems that we do not have time to rest before this assault. I don’t like the odds, and I hope that we are not about to enter our last battle!
I write this letter to whomever should find it; I’ve come across strange things in the last months and fear my life could end before I find a remedy. I am Sorren a monk chosen by IrorI to save as many as I can from the darkness ahead, Ive lost to so far, both were great warriors and had been on the great quest of searching out and destroying the drow, It is an eleven word for the creatures we have found, A long hidden secret of the elves I fear all will have to face soon. They are dark elves their skin is dark like burnt wood or cold ash they have similar features to their brother kind but I have found they are much more chaotic. My search has led me to the village of cryingleaf,Its not a known vilige,Its hidden deep in eleven woods,Iye also come across some new companions an archer named Theodric Greengold and his friend Kalenoth Ferrond there part is still yet to be played. I have brought to journals for the elves we will soon see what they make of it. I must return to my prayers I shall Wright more when I have more time for the night is not safe for us anymore.
I am taking a quick moment to jot down the events of the past few minutes. Only a short time has passed since my last entry, but much has happened. We moved quickly to take the laboratory, and a contingent of fifteen elven warriors accompanied us. As we were moving through the streets of Celwynvian, we heard a cry for help from a nearby building, but we opted to stay on task and continue towards our objective.
When we were only a short distance from the laboratory, we were slowed by a group of drow who had taken position inside a fallen tower, blocking our progress. The elven contingent with us slowly and carefully advanced from the front while we moved around to flank our opponents. By distracting the stronger drow within the base of the tower, the elven contingent was able to kill all of the drow crossbowmen and get into position to take the tower. We left before the fight was over, confident in the abilities of our companions to finish off the drow.
We progressed to the laboratory, where there was a dumping ground of toxic materials blocking entry to the building. My half brother, Theodric, attempted to climb over a small partition and gain entry to the building by climbing down to the front door, but he was hit by a bolt of lightning that came from the ruined shell of a nearby building! We were being attacked by a terrible creature that had the body of a giant, bloated spider, the torso of a dark elf, and the face of some sort of demon. Knowing that we had to get into the laboratory quickly before the forces there had too much time to get ready for us, I made sure that my companions were going to follow me and flew into the building. When I rounded the entryway, several flasks of foul, fiery liquid were flung at me. I was able to deflect them all, however, and I landed safely in the room. There were six troglodytes and one drow female in the laboratory, and the drow had acid burns scarring her face and body. During the course of the battle, she became more and more frustrated as she attempted to hit me with her acids and fires and was unsuccessful. Eventually she cast a spell on me that confused me and made me attack myself and my half brother. Theodric, however, was able to shine as the great archer that he is: his arrows felled the drow, the drider, and a couple of the troglodytes. The rest of the party was able to finish off the other troglodytes.
As soon as the battle was over, what was left of our contingent arrived to hold the building. I wanted to stay and neutralize the dangerous chemicals of the laboratory, but an elven runner arrived with the contingent and told us of an elven captain who was trapped by drow warriors in a building nearby. He gave us a little bit of healing, and we are now off, it seems, to rescue Karishiel from the dark elves that have him trapped. I took a few seconds as the rest of the party got healed and Soren stripped the drow alchemist of all of her equipment to make this entry in my journal. We still have not rested, and I have almost no spells left. I hope this entry is not my last!