Session 15

Date: 12/21/2014

Attending: Jake, Justin, Joey, Dave, Chris

Absent: Aaron – vacationing in Florida

Start Time: 7:15 p.m.

End Time: 10:35 p.m.

XP awarded: 620

Game time elapsed: several hours

Enemies Defeated: 16 fungus guards, 4 giant frogs, 5 frogmen

Notes:

Game play picked up immediately, with the Knights in the room where the tusked creature had been eating the villagers. Moving out into the corridors they fought their way through the armored figures and though the maze like halls until they found the sleeping quarters the Doorwarden had presumably been leading them to originally. After barricading the door, Frumious finds a trapdoor in the floor. The knights rest and then flee down the trapdoor.

This leads them to another floor which is dark, dank, and unadorned. Moving through, the Knights fought giant frogs and frog men before finding a ladder down into a closet. Coming out of the closet they were on another floor, this one well-kept and elegant. They were in a single corridor that had a door at one end and a stair at the other, and tapestries lining the hall as before. These tapestries however seemed to tell a story.

First Tapestry: a black field with a huge row of teeth and eyes in the blackness; the hidden figure seemed to be waiting or sleeping.

Second Tapestry: A stone arch with a broken and cast down door on the ground; darkness within the arch except for the teeth and now very alert eyes. They party recognized the stonework being depicted as the ruins in the Center of Shadowmount.

Third Tapestry: depicts a many toothed quadrupedal figure obscured by darkness on a bluff overlooking the construction of a town around ruins (deduced to be Shadowmount).

Fourth Tapestry: a woodland scene with a dead beast – boar, stag, or perhaps a horse. There are deep claw marks on a tree and on a nearby stone. A heavy red colored paw with wicked claws is shown, but the creature possessing the claws has been cut out of the tapestry.

Fifth Tapestry: is another woodland scene. Lying dead on the ground is a figure in robes with a broken staff. Once again the main figure is obscured by darkness, but there is an open book on the ground in front of it and coming out of the darkness is a heavy red paw holding the book open. The eyes in the darkness seem to be looking at the book (blue binding), and the multiteethed smile is present. Sparks fly from the book.

Sixth Tapestry: the final tapestry shows the Marquis Daedalus, with no makeup on his lower face revealing his three leveled massive toothage overseeing the construction of a keep foundation.

The party examines the stair and finds it to be a spiral staircase that runs up through many levels of the keep. Going back down the tapestried hall, they open the far door (locked, picked by Fyn, trapped as well). Behind the door is a large room set up as a magical workshop and laboratory.  An argument breaks out as Fyn and Bajol want to flee immediately and Grigor wants to examine the room. Fyn and Bajol abandon Grigor and Frumious (who wants to flee but refused to leave a party member behind) and begin exploring the staircase.

Grigor and Frumious hastily search the lab, and find many disturbing things. Of note is two maps, one a 3d model, a large scrying crystal, and three book stands with books. The books seem to be a journal, a collection of scientific and magical notes relating to the experiments, and a spellbook with a blue binding that Grigor believes to be the same as in the 5^th tapestry in the hall. Grigor takes the books and tries to use the crystal. He is able to see something large, quadrupedal and reddish chuckling as it hunts through the maze level. He and Frumious then leave the lab and head for the stair.

Meanwhile, Bajol and Fyn explore, finding a new floor where many suits of the guard armor are laid out to be filled with a thick black fungus. On the same level there is a huge room with a loft window where barbed-tailed winged lizards perch on multi-tiered ledges. Per the spiral stair case the keep has the following organization (stair perspective):

Level 1 – Lab/lair

Level 2 – Frog slaves

Level 3 – Maze level

Level 4 – Fungus and flying lizards

Level 5 – Ballroom

Level 6 – unexplored

Upon reaching the fifth level, they find a massive and ornate ballroom, with several entrances. Fyn convinces Bajol (reluctantly) to go back and reunite with Grigor and Frumious, which they do at the bottom of the spiral stair. The Knights then return to the ballroom, and choosing what seems to be the main entry, run through several hallways until finding the initial front lobby of the keep, and the Doorwarden waiting for them. End Session.

Session 14

Date: 12/14/2014

Attending: Jake, Justin, Joey, Dave, Aaron, Chris

Absent: none

Start Time: 7:14 p.m.

End Time: 10:05 p.m.

XP awarded: 400

Game time elapsed: 1 day

Enemies Defeated: Doorwarden, 1 tusked humanoid

Notes:

That morning the Knights had breakfast in the Gutted Candle, where Grigor and Frumious discussed their vision from the night before and Grigor shared news from home via journal exchange with Osgood.  Leaving the Candle the party did minor shopping in the Center, mostly buying supplies and winter gear, before finally stopping in a shop labeled Ellard’s Oddities.

Ellard proved to be a hunched backed crooked necked dwarf who drooled with a raspy voice. He had a number of curious items for sale but none the party was interested in or could afford. As they walked out the door, Ellard yelled out, “See you next time Dragomir!” Since Grigor had not given his first name, much less his surname, the party promptly re-entered the shop only to find that it apparently had been abandoned for years.

The Knights left town, heading north and east on the road to Dalus Keep. Around lunch time they encountered a large stone table with stone benches on the side of the road.  Closer examination showed that the table was probably a former alter, and Feydor noted it’s resemblance to the Redcap altar from the Twisted Wood. Bajol detected evil in the area and discovered a crow spying on the group, which flew off to the west.

That evening they came to Dalus Keep. They were greeted by a diminutive figure who called herself the Doorwarden.  The Doorwarden activated an obvious illusion that made the interior seem better kept than it was, and after a brief wait in a sitting room escorted them into dinner with the Marquis.

Conversation with the Marquis was cagey and tense, and the group discovered that he had thick pancake makeup on his face. He wiped the lower half of his makeup off and they saw that the entire bottom portion of his face was three consecutive rows of teeth set within each other. He then presented two options for the Knights to secure Thomas’ release: kill Mario, the failed claimant to the Illmarian throne, or destroy an evil item (which he presented in a box) by taking it to the Silent Lady’s realm or taking it across the trackless sea and throwing it into the void beyond. The Marquis then invited them to stay the night and left.

This prompted much discussion over which of the two options to take. The party took the box without committing to either and allowed the Doorwarden to escort them to rooms. Along the way they passed a hallway where screams were heard. Frumious stopped to investigate the screams. When the Doorwarden warned him off, combat ensued, with the Doorwarden fleeing after a few rounds, screaming that the Keep would be their tomb. The party then ran to the screams where they found a large tusked humanoid cutting pieces of meat off of two chained villagers. The Knights killed the beast. End Session

Communique #3

Grigor,

My apologies for both the tardiness of this missive, and the terseness of the previous few.  It is difficult for me to discern what you would wish to hear and what would be a waste of words. You have after all been gone only three weeks at this point and are hardly far removed from the day to day life of our humble village.

You have however made specific inquiries, and it behooves me both as your pupil and your confidant to address those inquiries – particularly now that there is something to report. In addition there are some recent activities that I feel will be of interest to you. I will address your requests first.

On the matter of your “friend” Emilyn and her son I have some ill news. Emilyn’s husband Kiril fell from the roof of their Templemount home and is now paralyzed from the waist down. His injury seems to be beyond what the local healers can remedy. Kiril’s family did not take kindly to him becoming an invalid, and once the discussion of his 12 year old son being put to work to earn for the family was broached, Emilyn cut ties, packed up husband and son, and returned to Halvensprings where they now live with her family. She splits her time between caring for Kiril, and assisting Uriah Hawthorne in the bakery for a modest salary.

On the matter of the tree you came across, I feel the need to address this later in the letter as it ties in with the recent activities I mentioned.

Your brother Dorian has taken an interest in woods lore, and started accompanying your father into the Firnockt. Your father has abandoned all pretense of woodcutting, and now goes into the woods daily armed with a flail and bow. Dorian and I have struck up a friendship, and meet almost nightly at the Sleeping Dragon for drinks. He tells me that Pharun is re-training “just in case”, and needs to be ready to “take up dad’s (your grandfather Albaer’s) charge if need be”. Dorian has not been able to get any further details out of him.

On the matter of your maternal grandfather, I fear I have made little progress. Eden absolutely refuses to discuss him, and Pharun quickly changes the subject. No one else in the village seems to be aware of him other than your mother obviously having a father. Do you know if she has a maiden name? Where did your family come from prior to living in Halvenspring? Dorian believes that your sister Gwilyth knows some of this information by the way, and that it had something to do with the real reason for her leaving.

The new trade I mentioned has died down; it is still up over previous years but nowhere near what was going on two weeks ago. I confess I did not find anything suspicious about it, your concerns notwithstanding. One effect it did have was to bring people into town from Halvenstomb and Templemount as said new merchants did not press further west than our little village. For a brief moment we were the economic hub of the barony, a fact that disgruntled the visitors from Templemount to no end. It also made the Sleeping Dragon quite profitable, and you may relay to Bajol and Feydor that Porter seems to be doing an admirable job looking after their interests.

These new merchants did bring some books with them and I was able to acquire a modest set of reference books published by the Illmar University on topics arcane and supernatural. There was also a book on noteworthy legends and storied locations published by the Ornian Academy. In both cases I chose to buy them with my own funds rather than purchase them with your money (one must build one’s own library after all), but since they are fairly modern texts I assumed you would have no issue.

It is in the Ornian book that I found reference to the “Hanging Tree”. I do not know if it is what you discovered or not, but it seems to fit the description. Here is a relevant passage:

“…and none know the location of the various strongholds used during the Kindred War. One can only assume a heavy use of symbolism clouding and obscuring the truth. For example take the Hanging Tree, where some of the vilest of the Tainted forces were said to dwell. It is said that the elven hero Yellain led a force into the depths of the tree to “drive back the darkness” and “seal what was released”. The language is that of a siege, and the etymology suggests a fortress where as “sealed” and “released” suggest a box, tomb, or doorway, none of which lines up with an actual tree. Perhaps the Hang Tree refers to a tower with a tree motif? A poor translation may also be the culprit.”

I will begin researching into banshees. I think there was reference made to it in one of my new Illmarian books.

Now to address the activities of which I mentioned. First, Marc Risus started following your father into the woods. Apparently there was some sort of confrontation (Dorian was sent away) when Pharun caught Marc in this activity. This led to some tenseness for a number of days until yesterday Pharun went to the Risus farm, and then the two of them left together into the Firnockt. As of this writing they have not returned.

Next Halvenspring has acquired two new residents. An odd little fellow came in with the last round of merchants, a Halfling by the name of Salavic. He built a small shop/residence about a mile outside of town in the Firnockt where he weaves baskets and makes simple toys. He is not very sociable but seems harmless enough. There was something else about him I wanted to mention, but it escapes me at the moment.

The second new resident is a dwarf named Klaus Steelpick who of all things is building a tower across town from yours. Klaus is kindly but keeps to himself. He does not seem to have a profession of any kind, merely overseeing the building of his tower and keeping in the pavilion tent he lives in for the moment. Every evening he strolls through the town smoking a pipe, a sturdy robed figure with a walking stick, a gives friendly greeting and smiles when engaged.

Finally I was successful in casting my first spell of note yesterday, where I produced the hammerstrike effect. I am pleased with my progress and a relieved that I can do more than the simple cantrips I have thus far been able to employ.

Respectfully yours,

Osgood Hawthorne

Session 13

Date: 12/7/2014

Attending: Jake, Justin, Joey, Dave, Aaron, Chris

Absent: none

Start Time: 7:20 p.m.

End Time: 10:20 p.m.

XP awarded: 300

Game time elapsed: 3 days

Enemies Defeated: 10 Mounted Bandits

Notes:

The party had a conversation with Marcus, the dwarven smelter.  Marcus, who let them know he adventured under the name Oakcask, gave them a map of Avonhollow and sold Grigor a chest of old books. Having determined from Marcus that Thomas’ imprisonment is probably a lure, perhaps for the party, they resolved to travel more openly. Feydor asked about the tree they encountered. Marcus didn’t know about it, but took them to a fletcher named Sven who commented that it had a history going back to the Kinslayer War – a local name for the Kindred War.

The next day the party set off north to Shadowmount. Along the way they were attacked by 10 mounted bandits. They slew all but 2 who surrendered. They took their captives with them and continued. Camping for the night, they encountered a patrol from Shadowmount the next day. The soldiers recognized the Knights, and appeared to have a positive opinion of them via their deeds in song.  They found out that men in the employ of the Marquis wear red sashes as insignia. The Knights turned their prisoners over to the patrol, who hung them.

That evening the Knights arrived at Shadowmount. The road guard suggested the Gutted Candle Inn for the party which was located in the Center – the local equivalent of the town square. Heading there they found that the Center was occupied by the overgrown foundation of an old building, and off to the side the remains of a stone statue, an arm holding a broken sword, was sticking out of the ground at an odd angle.

The Gutted Candle is run by a large heavy woman named Helga and her man Hans, who were friendly and talkative. The Knights noticed that the walls and doors were very thick, and the windows barred. After eating they split into 3 rooms.

That night Grigor and Frumious (in separate rooms) were awoken by a horrific wailing. Opening the windows, they each saw a black veiled woman in a long black dress floating above the town, keening and wailing. She passed over and both Frumious and Grigor went back to sleep. The next morning the Knights gathered in Grigor’s room and he and Frumious shared what they saw. Grigor suspects it was a banshee, a type of female undead. End Session.

Journal Entry #9

Osgood,

As I write this, I am sitting in an inn in the town of Shadowmount, the last town before we arrive at Daedalus' keep.  It is a dark, dank, and dreary place, and makes the Firnokt look like a resort location.  We arrived just yesterday.  After talking with Markus we decided that perhaps the best way to approach the Marquis was to use minimal obfuscation and that this might be his way of summoning us to him for some reason.

Also I purchased a trunk full of "old illegible books" from Markus, and found quite a treasure trove of old material.  New domains, instructions on how to tap in to certain special abilities; texts similar to what was found in the ossuary on our way to the Necromancer's Tower.  I have bound them and titled them "The Waymeet Texts", and will send them to the shelves shortly.

The next morning we left for Shadowmount, after a merchant attempted to gouge us for a cart.  It is cold, and grey, and desolate here, and the isolation has bred in me a kind of sorrowful longing for home.  On our trip we were attacked by 10 or so bandits.  Bajol and Fedor, handled the bulk of the bandits, and I actually knocked out 2 horses.  That was fun.  We captured 2 of the bandits, and I think that the horses they rode on were smarter than these guys.  We bound them and took them prisoner, with the intention of turning them over to the Marquis and letting him deal out the law of the land.

On our way to the town we encountered another band of people; this time a group on patrol.  These "red sashes"  were friendly, helpful, and seemed very excited to be talking to the Knights of Mist Valley.  We shared a beer or two, and they took the prisoners off our hands.  They actually strung them up to a tree right then and there, as Frumious was giving them last rites.  One curious thing, when we said that that is probably what the Marquis would have done, one of the guards muttered that the Marquis would probably eat them.  Osgood, sometimes I get the feeling that we are riding headlong int the biggest mistake we have ever made.

Then yesterday evening, just as the sun was setting, we arrived in Shadowmount.  A strange place.  It feels like the citizens of this town are expressions of the lonely, isolated, cold, and gray landscape and reflect that in their wary glances and thick doors.  You also get the feeling that this is a town of terrorized citizens.  I assumed it was living under the shadow of the Marquis, but to my surprise it was something else entirely.

First thing I noticed was the town square is built up, over, and around something very old.  Very old.  I don't know what it is built upon.  We didn't have the time to investigate as you will soon learn.  I hope to return to it soon.  We secured lodging, and were informed by town guard that NO ONE goes out at night.  After dinner, we retired to our rooms where I resisted sleep for as long as possible.  Then, just as I was falling asleep I hear a long, low moan fill the town.  A keening sound that chilled you to the bone.  I quickly opened the shutter on my window to see a female figure in a long black dress and veil gliding over the village.  I think it was something called a Banshee.  I made a very rough sketch, as it was dark and she was moving, and am including it in this entry.  She only flew over once and I then fell back to a fitful sleep.  This morning I will ask the others if they heard it as well.

Well that is all the news I have so far.  I anxiously await news from home.  Also, if you can do some research on banshee's and ways to defeat them.  Just in case.

Until my next entry, be well, and may Omnos guide and protect us all.

Grigor

 

Undead

Frumious had first-hand insight into how a creature might possess intelligence of a sorts, yet still lack an eternal component. Some of these creatures still served the Will of Omnos, as they were integral to the mechanism of the world. Others, though, clearly served the will of something else. In this sense, they were no more substantial to the cleric than an animated broomstick in a dusty curiosities shop.

Sarath had warned his charge that there would be dark spirits who could emulate the semblance of life very convincingly. Telling them apart would require great perception. The tell-tale signs of redcaps and reavers were obvious to anyone with a sense of self-preservation, but it would not always be so easy.

Then there was the matter of that tree. Clearly, it was something terrible, something evil. But Frumious suffered from a lack of understanding. Was the tree itself a source of evil, or was it infected with something? Could it be cleansed? Could it be destroyed? He would be thinking about this for some time.

Session 12

Date: 11/30/2014

Attending: Jake, Justin, Joey, Dave, Aaron, Chris, Jack Tomas as Guest

Absent: none

Start Time: 7:15 p.m.

End Time: 10:22 p.m.

XP awarded: 450

Game time elapsed: 3 days

Enemies Defeated: 8 toughs, 1 warrior leader, 1 sorcerer, 8 reavers (undead)

Notes:

Picking up where Session 11 left off, Harv moves to open the door flanked by Feydor and Bajol. The rest of the party moves into position joined by one of the inn’s patrons, Albert J. Behrman (Jack). The rest of the patrons flee into the inn. Harv back s off, and lets Bajol open the door. A gang of 10 men led by a brawny man in half plate (warrior leader) crowd into the inn and start swinging. Conversation during the fight reveals that these men know that the party is the Knights of Mist Valley, and are attempting to build a reputation by being the guys that took them down. The fight is a long and exhausting one but with the help of Albert J., who proves to be an extremely effective fighter, the Knights prevail.

Afterwards the Knights loot the bodies and give Harv some money to cover damages. They talk with Albert J. and let him know where they are headed (Waymeet).  He tells them that the Marquis Daedalus has the road patrolled and it’s best not to draw his attention. Then Albert J. offers to lead them on a hidden trail that skirts the road and lead to Waymeet. This trail is never used because it is rumored to be haunted (Albert J. has never taken it himself but knows where it is and goes). The party agrees.

They stay the night in the Dwarf’s Pillow and head for Albert J’s trail the next day. The trail is overgrown and begins near some old ruins. They follow it for 2 days; at one point encountering some undead the Frumious is able to destroy. Then towards the end of the third day the trail leads down into a valley that is dominated by an immense twisted black tree. Bajol detects evil and is stunned. The party cautiously slips by the tree, but after passing it Fyn lights a crossbow bolt and lets fly at the tree. The blot hits but flickers out after a moment.

The party moves on and camps. Grigor communicates with Osgood through the book, and finds out that there has been an increase in traders coming through the town. That night while Bajol and Feydor are on watch Fyn is stabbed with the same crossbow bolt. Feydor rouses the party while Bajol looks for who snuck past them and sees a glimpse of a creature that he identifies as a red cap. The party continues traveling the next morning.

That day the come upon Waymeet, shortly after lunch. Looking for an inn they first reject the Stag and Chalice because the proprietor Housecarl Phillipi is arrogant and snobby, but end up rooming there (at great expense) after realizing the only other inn, The Lumpy Pillow, doesn’t have an onsite stable.

The party heads into Waymeet and finds Marcus, who is a metal smelter and dealer in stock metal. Bajol tells him that Harv had sent them and after some questioning for verification by Marcus he agrees to talk with them. End Session

Session 11

Date: 11/23/2014

Attending: Jake, Justin, Joey, Dave, Aaron, Chris

Absent: none

Start Time: 7:18 p.m.

End Time: 10:17 p.m.

XP awarded: 75

Game time elapsed: 4 days

Enemies Defeated: none

Notes:

Picking up after the burning of the dolls and mask, the party heads to the local item shop and runs into Eevor an architectural scholar from Illmar. The party finds out that a university in Illmar has been buying up all the old books and scrolls in the area (much to Grigor’s digust). Heading into the item shop the party procures an old scroll case that is mechanically locked. Fyn is able to disable the device, and they find 4 readable scraps of paper (see the Mooncrest Scroll Scraps).

The party rides out (it having finally stopped raining) the next day, and travel east on the road. They reach an intersection on the second day of riding where the road branches off to the north. At this intersection is a small troop of guards who inform the party that they cannot pass north as there is plague in Caer Wynnic. The party continues east. More of the shepherd communities line the road occasionally, and it is two more days before they reach Suncrest.

Entering Suncrest in the early evening, they have 3 options of inns: the Sheep’s Rest, the Nightingale, and the Dwarf’s Pillow. The party chooses the dwarf’s pillow, and turn their horses over to Gragnar, the dwarf on the porch. Heading in they meet Harv, the proprietor, an elderly dwarf. Bajol and Feydor remain in the inn and strike up a conversation with Harv (befriending him), and Fyn, Frumious, and Grigor explore the city before turning in.

In their conversation with Harv, Bajol and Feydor learn that the capital of Dalus Marque is Mountshadow, north of Waymeet. Dalus Keep is not actually in Mountshadow, but is higher up in the mountains. Harv tells them to talk to a dwarf in waymeet named Marcus.

The next morning the party heads out into the city. First they visit the Suncrest Cathedral and meet with Bishop Vornic.  Then Grigor finds out there is a library and eagerly goes to investigate. He is a little disappointed as the library is a new concept and only has about 30 books. None the less he pours over all of them, chatting with the librarian as he does so. Several of the books seem to have little value and are the ravings of madmen (seemingly). Two in particular catch his eye – the Anatomy of Cats by Boros, and On the Nature of the Universe by Hugh. The librarian agrees that they have little value, but felt compelled to collect them, almost against his will. Grigor consults with Kyros about this and Kyros lets drop that there are world enchantments, and this may be one of them.

The Party heads back to the Dwarf’s Pillow and has dinner in the dining room with a few other guests. One seems like an adventurer and Grigor introduces the party. Instead of engaging the “adventurer” excuses himself and exits the inn. About 30 minutes later there is a banging on the front door, and a voice says, “Open up! We’re here to make our reputations.” End Session

Journal Entry #8 -

Osgood,

I have much to tell you, and I have a new assignment for you.  The events since my last entry have been interesting to say the least.  What follows is a summary:

While dining in a tap room in Suncrest, a group of individuals decided that they needed to increase their reputation by shedding our blood.  And they would have too, had it not been for the help of a random citizen named Albert J. Behrman.  He is one of the most effective fighters I have seen.  I'm really glad he was on our side.

After the scrum that took place we were able to pad our pockets a bit, and found a few items that were enchanted.  Not the strongest enchantments I have seen, but other members of the party found them desirable.

After a discussion with Albert, we discovered he knew a shortcut to Waymeet that would keep us away from the prying eyes of Marquis Daedalus, however this shortcut was rumored to be haunted.  The group decided it was worth the risk, and we left a few days later.

The first part of the trip was uneventful, quiet, and pleasant.  We encountered a few creatures to whom death had been no respite, but Frumious quickly dispatched them with the aid of Omnos.

(As a side note, I am thinking of exploring the realm of divine magic.  To that end, keep your eyes open for books dealing with the subject.  I will send back money as soon as I can.)


The most eventful part of the journey occurred on the second day.  We dipped down into a valley with a huge, seemingly dead, tree occupying most of the area by the road.  It was black, and twisted, and covered in moss.  Bajol attempted to discern the degree of evil we were dealing with and it was strong enough to stun him for a short while.  Needless to say I was immediately fascinated and wanted to do a thorough investigation.  As we got closer the moss turned out to be very old rope, and it is not a far leap of logic to assume that this was an old hanging tree.  I could not discern whether or not it was still in use because the rest of the group had other designs on said tree, and the consensus was to move along and return to rid the valley of the threat at another time.  I did take the time to sketch the tree, and am including it in this entry.  Any research you can perform on this tree, or legends that are similar would be most helpful.




Once we were a few hundred feet past the tree, Fyn lit up a crossbow bolt and fired it into the trunk of the tree, at which point a dark sap like substance exuded from the tree and extinguished the flame.  We quickly moved out of the valley, and rode through a good portion of the night before camping.  That night there was the report of a red cap sighting, but nothing came into the camp.  What did happen is far more interesting.

In the late hours of the night, shortly before sunrise, Fyn awoke with a scream.  Upon entering his tent we found a burnt crossbow bolt embedded in his chest.  He is fine, and the wound was minor, but I am relieved that we did not stage a full assault on the tree.  Who knows what condition we would be in.  Around lunchtime today we arrived in Waymeet, which is little more that a fortified trading post.  Hopefully there might be some texts of interest for sale here, and I will send them back immediately.  We have secured a room and are off to meet a contact that Bajol found named Marcus.  I will fill you in on the details of that meeting in my next entry.

I hope you are well, and I trust your studies are coming along.  Upon my return, I look forward to seeing what progress you have made.  I read your message about increased trade in town.  I have no just cause, but that makes me very suspicious.  Why now?  And I know this will sound terribly self important, but does it have anything to do with the 5 of us leaving?  Keep your eyes open and your head low.  If you think you can cast them I can send you instructions for an alarm spell that will keep our tower safe, and you could use it on our family homes.  Please give my regards to my Mom, Dad, and Dorian.  It is hard to believe that he is the same age I was when I left Halvenspring for the first time.  I digress.  If you  have any news of Emilyn, I would love an update in your next correspondence. 

Until my next entry, be well, and may Omnos guide and protect us all.

Grigor

Mooncrest Scroll Scraps

Four separate scraps of paper are all that remain in this ancient scroll case, the bulk of which has long deteriorated into dust. The scroll case is ancient and locked with some mechanical means that is not obvious to the eye. Fortunately Fyn is able to open the case, and a careful casting of the Mending spell by Frumious repairs the scraps enough to be legible. The language however is unknown and an additional spell from Grigor is needed before the meaning is revealed...

Scrap 1

....as many know the knowledge of the Nine Words of Power are considered pinnacle of arcane ability, but what is seldom known is that there are also three Words of Power that are not arcane in nature, and the demons have their own Words in dark mimicry...

Scrap 2

 ...it all comes down to what is the definition of godhood. If it is merely that which receives worship then there are untold number of gods. If the definition is expanded to include that which can respond to prayers in obvious and "magical" means, then the list is reduced to several dozen. If however we take the stance of the Omnian monks and to be a god means to be eternally divine and unkillable then there is only one, or perhaps two if the liturgy of the dark order of...

Scrap 3

 ...the experienced knights in the Order are able to call their steeds from realms beyond, but it is said that some of the Cavaliers of Blue Mount chose instead to form bonds with their horses of this world and those horses gained...

  

Scrap 4

The Argloian Order has for centuries spoken of another world to come, just as the Ominans have preached an end to this one. Now the Omnians are all gone, and the world seems to be on the brink of destruction. The Argloians have taken all the writings they have collected and preserved to the Gravelands and the Necropolis, for their prophecies say that in the end all that will remain are tombs...

Session 10

Date: 11/16/2014

Attending: Jake, Justin, Joey, Dave, Aaron, Chris

Absent: none

Start Time: 7:30 p.m.

End Time: 10:25 p.m.

XP awarded: 125

Game time elapsed: 6 days

Enemies Defeated: none

Notes:

The party continues to travel into Avonhollow. After a day of travelling they come upon the small town of Hillview. They camp the night in the Hillview Inn, and visit a local item shop run by a gentleman named Borune. Borune sketches a rough map of Avonhollow for Bajol. That night Feydor, while on watch, witnesses a shadow come alive and confront a wicker bird that flies in the window. The party discusses this and decides that there are two unknown entities observing and/or following them.

They leave Hillview in the rain and travel north through the hills to the road Borune identified. It takes a day to get to the road, and 3 days on the road until they hit the next town. Along the way they see a series of nameless hamlets and shepherd communities that line the road. The town is far larger than any they have seen before and is called Mooncrest.

They arrive at Mooncrest in the evening and pop into the Ready Quilt Inn. Talking to the proprietor reveals that Caer Wynnic is suffering from a plague outbreak and is sealed off. In the morning they stopped to visit the local Omnian Priest, Father Argus, and asked him about the wicker things. He tells them it sound like tales of a being known as the Puppet King, who can control wicker constructs. The party goes outside the church and burns the wicker dolls and the mask Fyn kept (which was identified as the source of the voice in the dream). End Session

Session 9

Date: 11/9/2014

Attending: Jake, Justin, Joey, Dave, Aaron, Chris

Absent: none

Start Time: 7:55 p.m.

End Time: 10:10 p.m.

XP awarded: 150

Game time elapsed: 2 days

Enemies Defeated: 2 Ghouls, 3 Traps

Notes:

Having left Woodend the party headed into the rolling hills of Avonhollow. As they journeyed they noticed an unusual number of crows in the sky flying in what they decided was a searching pattern. Concerned but unable to do anything they pressed on and camped for the night.

The crows were still there in the morning, and they kept journeying on. A recent rockslide had taken the face of a hill off revealing the entrance to an ancient stone structure, and the party found it in the midafternoon. Deciding to explore, they tethered the horses and left the familiars behind to guard. They had some initial difficulty prying open the door but succeeded in opening the tomb. The outer arch was covered in runes which Grigor took a charcoal rubbing of. Fyn equipped Raskets with a torch, Frumious summoned his orb, and the party entered.

The architecture was extremely old. As the party progressed Fyn found several traps, one of which on a stair case dropped several party members into a dark pit that held two ghouls. Defeating the ghouls the party took the entirely appropriate length of time to search (1 hour to take 20). Doing so revealed a shortsword in the pit that was still in excellent condition. It was later identified as an Elven made sky metal shortsword +1. About this time Kyros communicated that he was defending the horses but it was not a problem. Continuing on they found the actual burial chamber where corpses of elven warriors lined the walls, and an elven corpse sat on a chair on the far wall with a silver circlet on his head. The party took the circlet, and exploring a partially collapsed side chamber, found 40 gp, 200 sp, and a silver mirror. Neither the circlet or the mirror proved to be magical. The circlet is similar to what a modern minor Elven noble would wear. The party exited. When they came out of the tomb they realized the crows were gone. They camped for the night. 

Fyn had a dream where he heard a voice questioning him about the events in the Dark Necromancer’s tower.  He felt that the voice was connected to the wicker gnome in Session 8. End Session.

Session 8

Date: 11/2/2014

Attending: Jake, Justin, Joey, Dave, Chris

Absent: Aaron – church commitment for his mom

Start Time: 7:15 p.m.

End Time: 10:05 p.m.

XP awarded: 200

Game time elapsed: 3 days

Notes:

Session 8 picks up after the 10 year break, with an explanation of what the party has been doing. Fyn has created a workshop where he has messed with and experimented with mechanical devices. This culminates in him building a dog shaped construct as a “pet”. Additionally, he has taken on the role of unofficial deputy to Sheriff Slignigh using stealth and subterfuge to determine the law-abiding-ness of travelers.

Grigor has built a tower and acquired an apprentice, Osgood, Frumious’ brother (see Session 7.1). He has also picked up a familiar, an arrogant pseudo-dragon named Kyros.

Frumious has become a priest and assists Father Theodore as something of an equal. He too has picked up a familiar – a ferret named Little Baskin.

Bajol and Feydor have opened a simple bar known as the Sleeping Dragon.  They are trained in martial prowess by Bajol’s father.

The party has maintained a strong friendship during these years, meeting weekly at the Sleeping Dragon to hang out. It is during one of these meetings that Nolan blows into town. He lets the party know that Thomas has been accused of treason and is being held for execution by the Marquis Daedalus. Nolan cannot take action himself as he has business in Illmar that he cannot avoid, and hopes the party will take action. He further reveals that the loosing claimant in the war of succession ten years previous, Treyvan, has set up in Goldmeadow and is garnering support but nobody know what for.

Nolan tells the party that Avonhollow is divided into 4 Marques, and Daedalus rules one in the town of Shadowmount (first given as Shadowvale, later corrected to Shadowmount). The party agrees to do what they can to save Thomas.

Knowing that his father is from Avonhollow, Bajol goes home and inquires about traveling there. He learns that the capitol of Avon Hollow, Caer Wynnic, is divided up by military rank 0which can be purchased. Your rank dictates where you can live, shop, etc… Care of the Sleeping Dragon is given over to another of Frumious’ relatives, Porter, and the party decided to head first to Woodend to purchase mounts.

They began traveling through the woods towards Woodend. That night, as they set up camp, a cloaked and hooded gnome (face showing) asked to share their fire. Bajol was immediately put off by the visitor who refused to answer any of his friendly questions. The gnome’s comments let them know that he knew who they were and about the events in the Necromancer’s Tower. He specifically asked about the Book Box and the Scrolls of Epic Legend. Grigor tried to lead the conversation into the gnome revealing who he was, but Bajol drew his sword and threatened the visitor. The gnome slumped over and when touched the cloak fell away revealing that he was a wicker mannequin with a carved wooden face. Fyn kept the face and the rest of the body was kicked into the fire. That night the party heard a steady rhythmic beat in the woods. They discovered manshaped figures made out of sticks dancing around the camp in the woods. Frumious yelled out that they had destroyed the wicker doll in the Nercomancer’s Tower and the figures fell apart and lay still.

They made Woodend the following day, only to discover that every house and every window had a crude wicker doll hanging in it. There were street vendors selling the dolls. Perturbed the party sought out the local woodcarver, a half-orc named Nunchuk, but he was unable to tell them about the carved mask that was the wicker gnome’s face, or the reason for the dolls other than they were protection charms. The Party quickly bought horses and left town. End Session.

Session 7.1

Date: Week of October 27^th, 2014

Attending: Jake, Joey & Chris separately

Game time elapsed: Occurs during 10 year lapse

Notes:

I met Joey and Chris each separately for lunch to discuss specific character developments. As one or both has not revealed at this time all details/events discussed, my notes from these meetings remain private.

Session 7

Date: 10/26/2014

Attending: Jake, Justin, Joey, Dave, Aaron, Chris

Absent: none

Start Time: 7:42 p.m.

End Time: 10:20 p.m.

XP awarded: 400

Game time elapsed: 10 years and change

Enemies Defeated: none

Notes:

In the aftermath of the tower assault, the party rests in camp. A fairly serious conversation occurs regarding what they saw and what should be shared (and what Nolan can sing about). Loot is identified and divided up:

A wand of Acid Fog with 14 charges

Bag of Component Holding

Bag of Hiding

Alerhaus’ Book Box

The Scrolls of Heroic Legend (partial set)

Karl gets word that the war is over (the Seven Vales’ candidate won) and the group begins the long trek home. After arriving home in Halvensprings the group studies the 77 Scrolls of Heroic Legend, with each choosing to study 2:

Fedor – Art of Battle, Celestial Circles

Fyn – Paths of Silence, Mechanics and Engineering

Bajol – Animal Psychology, Bulwark of Faith

Frumious – The Living and the Dead, The Art of Summoning

Grigor – Universal Thought, Weaving Creation

The party is made aware that the game advances ten years. End

Special Note on the 77 Scrolls of Heroic Legend:

They will each only get to pick 3 total “paths”, having picked 2 now.  They will only be able to advance one path beyond the first scroll.

Session 6

Date: 10/19/2014

Attending: Jake, Justin, Joey, Dave, Aaron, Chris

Absent: none

Start Time: 7:20 p.m.

End Time: 10:18 p.m.

XP awarded: 640

Game time elapsed: 3 hours

Enemies Defeated: Vespatius the Dark Necromancer, many zombies, devil creatures

Notes:

After Trevor explodes, Herbian runs to Trevor’s horse and begins collecting his spell books. Grigor follows and Herbian hands him one of Trevor’s spell books.

A quick consultation among army leadership is had and the troops are ordered forward to assault the tower. As they move into the battle field the ground shakes, a massive cauldron rises out of the ground, and zombies begin clawing out of the earth. The cauldron spews a low hanging purple fog that is animating the zombies and the fallen.  Additionally a corpse worm comes out of the tower and begins burrowing through the battle, coming up and swallowing troops.

Grigor goes with the Order of the Bright Spear who are trying to move around the battle to get to the tower. Bajol peels off from the group and charges the corpse worm, sinking his lance into it. The battle rages on and Bajol spurs his horse Zephyr towards the cauldron. He tries to jump Zephyr into the cauldron but the horse balks and falls in instead. Zephyr dissolves in the cauldron which ends the fog. No new zombies are animated after. Bajol jumps free but is confronted by the corpse worm which he manages to slay with a readied action.

Meanwhile Fedor is fighting his way to the tower and Fyn with Frumious is trying to skirt thee battle with the same destination. Fyn loses control of his horse and Frumious is thrown to the ground, severely wounding him. Frumious plays dead. Fyn and Fedor combine forces and make it to the tower. Grigor has split from the Bright Spear to help Fyn and Fedor and arrives with them, Nolan, Justarius, and Bruce in tow. They all enter the tower (several minutes after the Bright Spear).

Frumious receives minor healing from Sarath on the battle field, and then he and Bajol head into the tower. Inside they meet Zack of the Bright Spear, terribly wounded. He tells Grigor that if the Dark Necromancer cannot be destroyed, to try to get out with the partial collection of the 77 Scrolls of Heroic Legend that he too from the Bright Spear. He also passes two healing potions.

The group charges to the top of the tower to see Vespatius working some fell magic involving a gate or portal and the Company of the Bright Spear fighting for their lives against what appear to be devils. Grigor begins searching the cabinets on the walls for the Scrolls, and the rest of the party engages the devils.

At one point a mirror is unveiled in a cabinet the shows Grigor a series of images and feelings that lead him to believe that a silhouette figure made of crows is a threat, a wicker doll is a source of fear (Frumious breaks it), and a gem will help (Frumious turns it on Grigor’s orders and it summons more devils).  Grigor also manages to grab a scroll case, two bags, and a chest.

An explosion happens below (Akkan says Zack did it as a death move) and the tower begins to fall. The Dark Necromancer catches it with telekinesis, but when threatened lets it go. The surviving devils blip out, Herbian leaps out of the tower (presumably to his death), Akkan, Justarius, and Perry are dead, Vespatius is pulled through the gate, something tries to take over Grigor’s mind and fails, and the party gathers on the balcony as the top of the tower explodes. The balcony is thrown free and the party lands in front of Karl and the surviving troops as the tower and a good piece of the surrounding landscape implodes leaving a crater. End

Session 5

Date: 10/12/2014

Attending: Jake, Justin, Joey, Dave, Aaron

Absent: Chris – show opened this weekend and was too exhausted to attend

Start Time: 7:15 p.m.

End Time: 10:15 p.m.

XP awarded: 240

Game time elapsed: 5 days

Enemies Defeated: 5 thugs on horseback (20 xp each)

Notes:

The party is out for two and a half days recovering. Then Fyn rejoins them and they catch up. Fyn tells them that the Marquis is a vampire (instead of giving the specific info from Trevor – see Session 4 notes). While they are talking a soldier enters the camp and tells them that a group wishes to meet with “the Knights of Mist Valley”. The party discovers that while they were recuperating, Nolan wrote and spread a song telling of all their exploits. While the song tells the truth it frames things in such a way to suggests that the party is mightier and their accomplishments greater than they actually are. The troops consequently now hold them all in high regard.

They are introduced to the Company of the Bright Spear, and adventuring party that has been heling Trevor. They are on a quest to defeat the Dark necromancer (whom they name Vespatius). It seems that much of their adventuring casreer has been foiling Vespatius’ plots and minions culminating in this final attempt to defeat him personally (basically the final bad guy in this group’s “campaign”).  The Company of the Bright Spear once had twelve members, but now is just Akkan (wearing breastplate), Perry (wields the Bright Spear), Zack (dressed in leathers), and the wizard Herbian.

In conversation it is discovered that Akkan knew and adventured with Bajol’s dad, and the two of them fought corsairs in the Isles of Mist. After that Bajol’s dad went to Tak Nor Vel, which is when Akkan lost track of him.

Bajol has Bruce sew a battle standard (black Dragon’s head with a sword through it on a grey field) and the party goes to the quartermaster to acquisition horses and lances. The group picks up 3 horses including a huge heavy war horse named Brutus, who is assigned to Feydor by the party.

Karl lets them know they are now known as the Knights of Mist Valley (no longer Black Badger), and that they are under his direct command. Thomas, now with one arm, is assigned to lead rear guard. The Knights of Mist Valley are: Bajol, Feydor, Fyn, Frumious, Grigor, Bruce, Nolan, and Justarius. Karl sends the Knights out to find the holy hermit Sarath, and recruit him to be the expedition’s healer.

On the way to Sarath the Knights encounter 5 human mercs on horseback, resulting in the group’s first mounted combat (which they win – capturing an additional horse).

Sarath proves to be a crusty old man who agrees to help. He knows Father Theodore and thinks highly of him. The Knights and Sarath rejoin the troops, and the whole group marches to the Tower.

Upon reaching the tower they see only 50 goatmen, 50 minotaurs, and about 100 human troops (they were expecting far greater numbers). Karl and Trevor build an observation tower and hail the Dark Necromancer seeking parley. Vespatius comes out on an upper balcony and casts a spell that makes Trevor explode, and then goes back into the tower. End of Session

Session 4

Date: 10/5/2014

Attending: Jake, Justin, Joey, Chris, Aaron

Absent: Dave – grades due Monday and was behind (see special note below)

Start Time: 7:05 p.m.

End Time: 10:00 p.m.

XP awarded: 305 – 330; bring each up to 600 – leveled up at end of session reverts XP to zero

Game time elapsed: 10 days

Enemies Defeated: 3 goat men (50 xp each) in combat; untold number in story (see Notes)

Notes:

Master Shake having gotten away scot free, the party re-groups back at base camp. Thomas volunteers the group for forward scouting duty to put distance between them and Captain Narl among others. Fyn gets ill and spends the duration of this time away from the group.

While scouting they meet a gentleman named Valen dressed in an odd assortment of clothes and travelling with a walking stick. Thomas identified the poncho he wears as being a peasant style in the Kingdom of the Isles of Mist, but the wide brimmed hat as being from another region entirely. Valen chats pleasantly with the group, warns them about goatmen mercenaries up ahead, and demonstrates the magic abilities of his staff (Northern Wanderer’s Staff). He seems unconcerned with both the soldiers and the dragon and merrily continues on his way.

The group reports in, and Bajol purchases a short sword from Green stag member Colm. Striking up a conversation with the stoic Greymoorian (whose name proves to be Bruce), Bajol realizes that Bruce is quite skilled with weapons. Bajol arranges with Thomas to have Bruce and a spellcaster Kellen transferred into Black Badger. Bruce and Kellen begin instructing the party in the ways of combat and sorcery.

On their next foray into scouting they find a wooden cabin on top of a hill, manned by 3 goatmen mercs. The party slays them, and discovered that this is Meditation Shack #3 built by Abaer. There were notes and journals stored in the cabin, but the goatmen had burned them to start the fire, much to Grigor’s dismay. They interrogate and release the surviving goatman, who informs them that there are 600 goatmen mercenaries moving through the hills to join with a merc band at the base of the Dark Necromancer’s Tower.

Heading back Thomas finds a way to report directly to Karl. Karl lets the group know that he had secretly arranged for a column of 1,000 troops to reinforce them by marching through the Dragon Wastes. He sends a runner to have a portion of these troops rush to support for an attack on the goatmen.

Fyn is approached by Karl and sent to the column with orders to give to Trevor, the mage leading the troops. Fyn rides through the hills and crosses the mountains, abandoning his horse along the way, and successfully reports to Trevor. Trevor, impressed, is quite cordial with Fyn. Fyn takes the opportunity to ask Trevor about his father and the Marquis Daedalus. Trevor identifies the elder Sosyl as a “hatchet man for the crown”. As for the Marquis, he tells Fyn that the Marquis is rarely seen at court, is a political and magical power broker, and has been active for generations. He also tells Fyn that his opinion is that the Marquis is not human. (Note that this took place in a short session before Session 5 on 10/12/14 at which point Fyn was awarded xp to put him on par with the group and allow him to level up.)

Meanwhile Karl’s troops travel for days through the hills. The relief troop of 180 (the rest still marching) arrives with Trevor (and Fyn) just as they (Karl’s troops) catch the Goatmen in two adjacent valleys. Black Quad and Green Quad (and thus the party) are sent into one valley and the rest into another (including Fyn). The party’s troops head into the valley to do battle, when a huge storm cloud boils up as if from nowhere, (Bajol sees a large figure riding it – later identified by Trevor as the Dark Necromancer) and the valley fills with dense fog that limits visibility to 5 feet. The battle occurs in the fog, and Black Badger circles up on Thomas’ orders and stays still – slaying any goatmen who approach. Thomas leads a few forays into the fog, first returning with a wound Justarius, then reporting Colin dead, then not returning at all. Kellen breaks away and flees into the fog. Bruce is wounded. Suddenly a horn sounds – Karl’s group have won the day in the other valley and entered this one. The fog is lifted (dispelled by Trevor) and the party realizes (along with all of the other valley’s troops) that only Black Badger is standing on the whole field of battle. They are immediately treated as heroes by all.

Sifting through the dead they find Colin’s body and Thomas still alive but his arm shattered. The party amputates the arm and gets him to a healer. Narl is also found, trapped under bodies and wounded, and a debate occurs on whether or not to quietly kill him. The party decides to let him live and takes him to a medic. After much searching and asking no sign of Kellen is ever found. Session Ends, but party levels up to level 1 – trading in XP per instructions.

Session 3

Date: 9/27/2014

Attending: Jake, Justin, Dave, Joey, Chris, Aaron, Ben as Guest

Absent: None

Start Time: 6:55 p.m.

End Time: 10:03 p.m.

XP awarded: 100, +20 bonus to Dave

Game time elapsed: 4 days

Enemies Defeated: 3 rattle snakes (10 XP each)

Notes:

The battalion camps near the entrance of Lake Pass. Bajol moves around between groups until he is able to find someone to sell him a shortsword.  The hunters Colm and Killian have been conscripted and are in Green Stag group, along with an unnamed Greymoorian. It is revealed that a significant number of troops have irritated the Marquis Daedalus in some fashion, and that this is considered a suicide mission (but a vital one).

On the march into the pass Master Shake, continuing his attempts to escape, notices a cave opening and tries to explore it in an attempt to hide from the battalion. Within the cave (after fighting rattle snakes) the party finds an ancient scroll that appears to be from before. After much discussion and an confrontation with Thomas the group continues through the pass, but the party is divided over Master Shake’s actions.

They discover that their Captain is named Phineas and is easy to manipulate. Captain Narl does so to have the group sent out to investigate the rumors of a dragon in the area. They find an extremely large dragon that is sleeping. They head back where Thomas informs Karl that they had been sent out on such a mission, and advises that the group moves around the dragon location.

The party copies the ancient scroll, now translated to be titled On Noblity (and contain the Nobility Domain and Divine Vengeance feat). They convince Phineas to send them on patrol, and then conspire with Thomas to have master Shake leave the group, presumably to take the scroll to Father Theodore. Icabod and Murph have been reassigned to Green Quad, and Narl hints that he knows they got something out of the cave (having been told by Icabod and/or Murph). End