Hi guys,
I'm just opening a thread for my PC's in my Jade Regent campaign that started this week to allow them to keep any type of campaign journals and the like throughout the course of adventure.
The party as is stands consists of:
Lobo the wandering monk with a troubled back story and an even more troubled heritage.
Kal the intrepid and witty Elven Kensai from Katapesh. Always on the look out for adventure and fortune.
Winter the Earthblooded Dwarven sorcerer who's family ties have caused him to strike it out on his own and defy tradition a bit(At least as far as a dwarf defies tradition).
Milimer the Halfling Bard who is down on his luck and struggling with writers block as he tries to compose an 'epic' that will be remembered for all time.
Auskrim, the Half Orc-Half Shoanti Barbarian, who lived with his exiled mother near Sandpoint. His mother has trained him in particularly dangerous and extreme manner in order to prepare him for the cruel and untrustworthy world he lives in.
With that said, I will turn the rest of it over to my PC's. Enjoy!
(Dark and heavy handed letters resides in a tattered, and torn piece of paper, the outside lip states simply Winter.)
To Milimer,
You asked that I answer some questions for yer epic, and I’ve heard epics about dwarves, they aren’t normally too flattering, so I decided to participate in the hopes you’ll show the world how a true dwarf acts!
I was born to a family of smiths, renown for our understanding of the earth, and metals. Some claim it runs in our blood, but I was the first born with such clear signs. My flesh was etched in brown markings that none can read, and the very earth itself seemed to pay attention when I cried. As I grew I realize I could exert some control over the earth, and this wasn’t the magic of the dwarven wizards with their books, and study, but something that seethed beneath the surface of my skin like lava hiding under a thin layer of dirt.
My problems began when I tried to use my magics in my crafting. I’d been working as an apprentice till my 40th birthday and the master smith I served saw me trying to call to the metal while I worked. We had words about the proper way to incorporate magic into the steel. He sided for traditional runes, and spells cobbled together by Minmur our clans wizard, and I claimed you used what worked for you, and that I could forge a weapon twice as good as anything the old wizard could. This caused a riff. Which is never good for an apprentice, but I showed a lot of skill, and my father wasn’t without influence. He had always supported my efforts to harness my gifts. So with the right bribe, I move from Apprentice to Journeyman, and Journey I did. Down to Sandpoint and set up a shop. I expected to be rolling in the gold soon enough, and having the resources to work further on powerful magic items. However the town had little need for weapons, and amour which sell, and I found myself only working on what I truly wished to in my spare time. I learned, but slowly, after ten years, I had to return home for another ten years to sort some family business. I have a friend, a human girl I grew up with, a woman now, named Koya who travels around sand point, and we kept in contact. She told me tales of the troubles there and I was glad I’d missed it. When things settled down Koya mentioned she might be taking a bit trip soon, so I returned and started setting up my smithy again. That’s when I meet you in the bar Mil, down on my luck, and waiting on fate and fortune to take a turn.
“Winter can you answer some questions I have? It’s for my epic! And your just laying there trying not to bleed to death so I figured you had the time.”
What do you think of our merry band of travelers?
Auskrim: Well, he’s a half orc, which means he’s half monster. When I first got an eye full of him I assumed he leaned toward monster, but he saved me life at least once since then so, I that puts him on that makes him a person, and not too shabby of one, though I wished he would do something about his teeth.
Lobo: Big even for a human, and he doesn’t talk much which pleases me a great deal. Haven’t seen many humans that don’t use weapons and armor though, that sort of pisses me off. I mean all that steel around and your just going to pummel things with flesh?
Kal: He’s a elf. Claims he got hurt real bad awhile back, and he carries an interesting blade. A scimitar of some sorts, though the make is unfamiliar, and he doesn’t use it. Uses a knife and seems to be skilled in some magics as well. Says he’s still recovering from a bad troll attack, but we’ll see.
Milimer: Well you asked me to write this stuff, so nosy, and annoying come to mind first, but I guess your what folks would consider a caring person. You always try to do what you see is right, which is alright by me, even if it does get you into more trouble than a Kalestrian brothel.
You seem to really hate goblins! Why all the hate Winter?
Not just goblins, but Orcs as well. My father use to have a real nice setup before I was born, but and raid lead by orcs took everything from him. He fled the lands of his birth and joined another settlement where I was born, but every ten years or so he gathers the family and we head back into that area an try to fight to recover our lost land. It’s bloody and I’ve lost a few cousins in the process, so there’s bad blood there. If I can smash a goblin, or an orc I consider it my good deed for the day!
What brings you to sand point Winter? We haven’t really had a chance to talk about ourselves what with all the excitement!
A human lady, but not like you might think. She’s a friend since I was but a wee lad. She’s getting on in years, and her mom asked me that if she ever decided to go on one big trip that I would keep her safe. She’s like a sister to me, and she sent a letter that said she had a proposition to make some money. I’m guess there will be travel, and gold involved, so I can fulfill my promise to her mom and hopefully make enough to create some magical weapons that will make the world take notice of me.
What the heck was that shape shifter thingy! Man he nearly killed me!
Don’t know, don’t care! It’s dead which is what I believe it should have been to start with! Maybe that will teach you to not to be so trusting of strangers.
You complain a lot! And you seem angry, why are you staying with us?
Complain a lot do I? You should meet me aunt. I respect you, Lobo for his strength, Kal for his skill, Askrum… well sounds weird talking about anything with Orc blood but for his righteousness, Mil I like your kindness, and your words in battle lift my heart, and set my blood to boiling against our enemies. So to sum up, your good people, and I’ve learn when you find good people you stick with them, through the good and the bad. And the money of course.
Winter’s Tale
In light of recent events I realize I’ll be needing to keep a journal of my recent experiences. I can’t trust the little Halfling to give my side of the story in his epic, and I also want this copied into my father’s library so my family can understand the trials and tribulations of a Journeyman Smith who dares to try out experimental techniques in the world.
It started with a letter my childhood friend Koya had sent to me. It pulled me back to Sand point, where I had originally setup my shop when I first left my mountain home. I’d been visiting my parents for a few years, when I got word that Koya was planning something, she didn’t say what, but she asked for me to show up, and it’s been 10 years or so since last we’d meet in person , so I thought to I would go. I arrived while she was on a trip, and went about repairing my old shop, but I didn’t have the capital to really start operations in earnest, so I mostly spent my time in the bar. Meet a few interesting people, and made the acquaintance of the local barkeep Ameiko. She’s got spunk, and her beer is cheap, so she’s won me over. My tale starts in the bar one evening, when I heard tale of Goblins in the swamp, and a bounty on them. I hate Goblins, and all green skins. They ran my family out of our ancestral home, and every 20 years we gather, and go on a old fashioned Greenskin hunt. Whoever kills the most gets a reward.
My ears were instantly alerted when I heard the news at the bar tonight, and I wasn’t the only one. A little Halfling by the named of Milimer, claimed to be working on an epic. An elf looking a bit banged up, he’d been recuperating from a troll attack here in sand point for awhile, called himself Kal. Lobo was the local bouncer, I’d seen him come in and demonstrate his skills to Ameiko a few weeks back, and he’d become a local fixture in the bar since then, he was a human, but his muscle looked like they belonged on a giant. The last was unfortunately a Half Orc, I’d seen him around and always crossed to the other side of the street when I saw him coming. He was a friend of Ameiko’s which just shows what poor taste she has. I tried to suggest to him as he joined us at the table, that he probably wouldn’t be interested in killing his own kind as I’d always suspected Orcs, and Goblins were cousins of sort. He didn’t take it well, almost got into a fist fight, but if I was going to setup shop to wait for Koya I needed the extra gold, and everyone else seemed okay with him for some reason.
We decided to head out to the swamp the next day, the others ran off to gather what information that they could about the swamp, and I studied my drink till late, and worried about when the half-orc would turn on us.
Winter’s Tale Entry 2
The swamp, it was wet, and cold, and full of horrible creatures, including the Half Orcs mom, but I’ll get to that in a second. I learned a lot in the swamp, who to trust, and not to trust. I learned that my these people I barely knew were good people, or could be. I learned that life outside the mountain or a safe town is more dangerous than I thought. We arrived armed with some knowledge. We knew in the swamp there lived a Halfling forester, and we heard tale of a witch woman as well. As we traveled further in we meet a farmer, who also told us of some sort of creature seen praying on the surrounding live stock, and even of reports of missing hunters.
Of these options the halfling forester seemed the safest bet and the only one that didn’t feel me with a bit of unease I’ll admit, so we traveled his shack first, thinking he would know more about the location of these goblins. We arrived at the place, and knocked and at first we got no answer. Put an ear to the door though and you can hear some movement in there. We were starting to get suspicious, which we should have been, when the door finally opened, and we see the halfling. Only problem is he looks hurt, got cuts and bites all over him. He hesitates to let us in, but when me and Lobo offer to stay outside, he quickly ushers Milimer and Kal in. I can hear um talking through the cheap wooden planks of the house, he told them his snakes he kept as pet had escaped and attacked him, and begged the little Halfling storyteller for help. He’s the trusting sort and healed him, and that’s when things started to go back. Not sure exactly what started it, but I heard crashing, and hissing, and yelps of pain. By the time I get in there, Milimer is gushing blood, and there’s some sort of creature all black and slimy in the room. I see it attack whoever it can reach, but before it can do much damage the half orc’s giant maul slams down and turns the thing into a puddle on the ground. They told me once thing had gotten settled that it was some sort of shape shifter, and in my opinion the whole incident sets the tone for how we should be handling people from here on, no more blindly trusting anyone we just run across in a swamp, but the Orc and the Halfling almost seemed proud what they tried to do the right thing. I offered them some advice on the subject but as seems to becoming apparent they just ignore me. One thing of note, this was the first time I felt a respect for our little half green skin. I’d never seen anyone hit something as hard as he smashed that creature, I was actually glad he was with us, well for a second at least.
We found the escaped snakes and tracks from where the creature had apparently climbed into the house after emerging from the lake, and upstairs we found the actual forester, I figured him for dead, but he cam crawling out of small crawl space he’d been able to hide in, and he helped us look after our wounded, given the halfling had spent all his magic on healing the injured monster right before the orc had to smash it to pieces. He also mapped out some of the area for us, showed us where the goblins were, and helped us put some rumors together to figure out where this monster the farm heard tell of might be.
After a night’s sleep we headed out, first the monster, we headed out to area of heaviest sightings and managed to pick up its trail. I almost wish we hadn’t, it turned out to be a ferocious beast. It nearly killed several us, but in the end Lobo, and Auskrim? I think that’s the half orcs name, managed to kill it. They were a good team; we were a good team I should say. I don’t like to talk of myself, I’ll say I helped, and leave it there. We took its head as proof and headed back for another night of rest with the Forester. He seemed pretty amazed by the beast head, and one of our group said it was some sort of monster that had been a problem around sand point since awhile back. Regardless it was dead, and another night’s sleep saw us leaving to take care of the goblin problem. I was eager to get to it, I hadn’t smashed a goblin in awhile and it was always a pleasure to knock the smirk, and teeth off their faces.
Winter’s Tale Entry 3
I’ve not had much time to right as late, many things have happened. The encounter with the goblins in the swamp seems like it happened years ago, and light of recent battles a footnote, but it’s also what set us on our current path.
We tracked the goblins to their village, and found much wrong there. A fire had swept a portion of the village recently, and there was what we thought signs of a fight. The place seemed abandoned at first, so we had little caution as we checked the buildings, smashing a door down we were surprised as the goblins with in to see them. The ensuing battle with the horrible green things brought most of the village down on us, and they wielded strange tools that shot fire, which I later learned where commonly used in certain celebrations to Desna. They did however prove to be impractical as weapons, though my beard did get curled by the heat of one missile; we quickly set the goblins to route. Two ran for the far hut, where we assumed there leader cowered in fear. I found a back door and attempted to sneak in, but learned they had larger versions of the small fire throwers, and I was injured quite grievously. I managed to stumble out the way I came and fell, knocking the wind out of me. By the time I recovered the goblin chieftain was slain, and we took stock of his “treasure”.
Normally you’re lucky if goblin treasure comprises of a couple pair of dirty socks, but these had stumbled upon something. A chest we learned was of minkai making, and several artifacts, and a fan, that the goblins had crudely drawn a map of the rest of the swamp. It marked an area, where we feel these treasures probably came from. Thus armed we agreed that it was too early to stop now, that we must find out more about this cave, which turned out to be much more dangerous than a handful of goblins.