An Epic tale form another part of Kalamar XI

 The Story Continues

Let me axe you a question...

Ngithol sat in silence and watched from afar as the others busied themselves with the slain green dragon. She watched the camaraderie, their faces flush with success and their bodies relishing in the brief rest they now allowed themselves. She watched... and she envied them. The bonds they shared, the ability to peaceably talk with each other and more importantly, their full control of their own faculties.

She turned away from them to step into the shadows of the nearby trees and walked over to a goblin that lay there. She'd noticed it had survived the earlier purging and had tried to crawl away unnoticed not realizing Ngithol had been trailing behind staying a ways away from the rest of the group so as to not endanger them in combat. Two days following at a distance in the forest, two days of executing any goblins that weren't yet fully dead and brutally slaying those that stumbled upon her...two days of being alone with nothing to do between the bouts of madness induced violence but to reflect on her being a liability now.

The goblin looked at her with fear as she approached. It's mouth was gagged and it tried desperately to crawl away with little success, the cauterized stump where it's left foot had been pushing ineffectually at the ground, as blood loss and shock kept it from mustering much effort. She walked to it and addressed it in dwarven unlike any other, "You know not what your kind is do you?" The goblin gibbered unintelligibly clearly in shock or more likely just not understanding. What were the odds it'd know the language of her lands? She looked into it's eyes for a moment more hoping for some spark of recognition before she twitched her fingers and pulled on an invisible thread of power.

With a flash her great axe suddenly appeared within her hands. She kicked the goblin over so it laid on it's back and held a brief flame to the edge of the axe, heat slowly building within it. She beheld the goblin's face again and saw recognition then as it knew what she intended to do. With a deliberate and fast swing she took the goblin's right foot off before holding the hot axe blade to the stump sealing it shut. Rather than scream or struggle the goblin made the right choice and simply passed out. She disregarded that fact and continued speaking, "Murderers, thieves and kidnappers. You creatures barely alive and worthy of respect. You're nothing more than pests to be exterminated."

As she spoke she continued to vent her frustrations from the past few days upon the goblin's body. Her anger at the fact that Kalamor now had validity to his beliefs she was some sociopathic invalid and the fact that the diminutive Frug likely thought her capable of little more than mindless bloodshed with Malvus probably being of similar mindset. Such frustrations compared though to the shame and regret she felt after having nearly killed Darius, the only individual she felt able to connect with in some fashion. It'd been after striking him in the back when she first used the axe that she realized the danger it represented. How much time passed as she continued her macabre act she did not know. It could've been 10 seconds or an hour. In the end there was little left to be identified as a goblin other than meat and gristle.

With a grunt she set the remains afire and used the flames to burn the blood off her axe. She sighed as she realized she was alone again and that she likely would continue to be until she was rid of the axe.

An Epic tale from another part of Kalamar X

The Story continues 

Tribute

Two more days. Doesn't seem like a long journey, but you're not exhausted, wet, cold, hampered by wounded goblin survivors, low on supplies, and still being followed by goblin hunting parties. Yeah, the heroes are having a bad week.

As tired as they were, the party kept going as long as possible. Darius looked like he might be suffering from infection, and had slowed too much to keep pace. Malvus continued scouting, ever aware that goblins continued to harass them. When a goblin was spotted on their side of the river, the spry monk chased after, only to fall into the goblin's trap.

Te little bastard threw a rock into a stirge nest and tried to make a run for it. Unfortunately, Malvus was faster and knocked the goblin out. He was too late o avoid the stirg , however. The little bloodsuckers swarmed the party causing panic among some of the women. Jjela and Shary, however were used to stirge and fought back bravely.

Now, had stirge been their only problem, this would have been over quickly. Unfortunately the commotion drew the attention of other predators in the area. From the bushes came a rust monster, hungry for the delicious taste of paladin armor. It was ineffective at the armor, but did damage Kalamor's sword, giving way to many curses at the rotlord for sending forth such a monstrosity.

While Darius continued to tear off stirge, Frug succumbed to the swarm. Fighting through his own pain, the young servant shoved a healing potion into his friend's mouth. They were starting to take control of the situation when a loud, baritone like howl shot through the forest. Kalamor shuddered. Owlbears are somewhat common in the Fyban, but usually leave adventurers alone, focusing on easier prey. Unfortunately for the heroes, stirge wee biting at the big beast, and sending it into a frenzy. It charged Neshy and Shary, but Malvus lept in the way. The stirge continued to swarm the party, but most were either dead or moving on, having had their fill. Kalamor did his best to avoid the rust monster while the owlbear made continued strikes at the monk.

A lucky stray kick from Malvus dropped the rust monster and Frug shifted into a great bear to take on the owlbear. Between maul, bear, an spear, the owlbear was quickly slain. Most were ok, save frightening amounts of blood loss. Neshy, however succumbed to her wounds during the fight. Her sister, Shary, was saddened, but showed little remorse. Chada was so distraught from the ordeal the was nearly in a catatonic state.

Onward the heroes marched, now with one goblin in tow. When he awoke, Kalamor interrogated the goblin for information. He confirmed the goblins were preparing another assault and that they were nearby. To by the party time, Kalamor took the goblin back to his people, hoping to intimidate them into giving up, or at least give the heroes time to rest. They were less than accepting of the offer, claiming they needed the girl as tribute. Kalamor countered that the girl was their tribute and they should find whatever hole they could to avoid further punishment. The ruse seemed to work as the goblins did back off. The paladin then turned and did his best to find his friends.

A couple hours later, Frug found the passed out Kalamor, lost and exhausted in the woods. They reunited with the party and got the best rest they could hope for. Around mid-day, the party awoke, feeling better, but crestfallen to find Chada and Shary missing, along with Kalamor's sword. The party debated on whether to leave them or continue onward, but it was all empty argument. They would not abandon anyone to sacrifice or tribute.

Frug found the scent and led the party back up river to a location near where the goblins had been. The trails split after that, with one human heading south, and the other with the goblins due west. The party followed the single human and found Shary hiding in the bush. She was frightened and told the tale that they tried to leave south back to their people and were caught by the goblins. She escaped but Chada was caught. Before they could decide what to do, two wood elves approached the party. Karyion and Sarif were tracking some goblins and followed the trail to the party. They had also found a group of goblins with a prisoner. It was unlike goblins and Orc to keep prisoners for tribute. Another, more sinister threat must be out there.

They agreed to get some sleep and push out early the next day to catch the goblins and try to free Chada, again. With the elves help, The party made good time and caught up with the goblins in a clearing. Most were sleeping and Chada was see tied to a stump. The heroes attacked with abandon. In mere moments, the goblins were all but destroyed. Karyion smiled and strutted up to a goblin near the tree line and put an arrow in its eye. But before he could turn to help the heroes finish them off, a great claw snatched him into the forest and ended the elf's life.

"Where is my tribute!?", the dragon roared as he entered the clearing. It's green scales shimmering in the morning sun. Fear. Not some simple nervous twitch before a fight, but genuine fear fell upon the party. The dragon was still young, but even a young green dragon is more than a match for novice adventurers. He charged Frug, nearly killing the little guy, only saved by a transformation into a great bear. Darius helped Malvus finish off the goblins, then layed hands upon Kalamor. If they wanted to survive, they needed the paladin in fighting form. In turn, Kalamor blessed his allies, while Malvus sent flurry after flurry into the flank of the dragon. Undeterred, it continued to strike Frug, though he was needing to share attention. Darius walked forward speaking the oath of the valiant, challenging and condemning the dragon. He smote the beast repeatedly, drawing the dragons attention.

Seeing the tide turn, the dragon moved to a strategic position and let blow a mighty wave of poisonous gas. Darius fell, grasping at his throat and Frug lost his concentration, shifting back into gnome form. Malvus, too, was affected, but still standing. The dragon smiled at his handiwork, oblivious to Kalamor. His blessing chant stopped, and a wrathful scream flowed from the paladin's lips as he charged, mace in hand. The dragon turned, but too late. One final blow to the temple and the beast was vanquished.

The party assessed their situation and were mostly relieved. Of the nine, only Karyion and Shary had died. Chada was rescued and confirmed what Kalamor suspected: Chada was to be used as tribute, handed to the goblins by her own people. Well, with the dragon dead, the tribute was no longer required. Darius, awake now, eyed the dragon's scales as a good replacement for his worn set. It would take a while to skin this beast...

An Epic tale From another Part of Kalamar IX

 

The Story Continues 

It's a Dangerous Business

With the Tannarukk defeated, the party prepped for their return trip to Drhyff. By Frug's best guess, it would take two to three days to get back. They went wildly off course in fighting the orc. Laer-Thuil said her goodbyes and left Shifyrn to act as a secondary guide. Jjela was eager to reunite with her children.

The first day's hike was mostly uneventful, though the party was feeling the early stages of exhaustion. It was due to that exhaustion that both Frug and Shifyrn missed the tell-tale signs of danger when picking their campsite. When Kalamor cleared away some leaves to make a fire, he noticed a strange yellowish liquid on the ground. The liquid, once disturbed, immediately launched a pseudopod at the paladin, rising up to a height of six to seven feet. Kalamor shouted for help and the party set to deal with the ooze. Unfortunately, their shouting only alerted another group of dangerous creatures. Shifyrn spotted winged beasts gliding between the trees; easily the size of a giant eagle but with the head of a wolf. It even had stag horns jutting out from just above its eyes. "Peryton", screamed Shifyrn! It was not alone. Three of the monstrosities attacked from all sides, seeking an easy dinner of human heart. Frug shifted into the form of a giant spider and set to bringing the beasts down by catching them in webbing, while Shifyrn and Kalamor moved to defend Jjela. Darius had never seen an ochre jelly before, but it looked like something he could smash with a hammer, so he focused on it. Fortunately for him, the ooze is very susceptible to bludgeoning damage. It was quickly brought down. Despite the peryton's flight advantage, they were sorely outmatched, and most were restrained and poisoned by Frug. The third was almost successful in tearing through Kalamor's armor, but the quick thinking Jjela stuffed a goodberry in his mouth, bringing the paladin back into the fight. Malvus and Ngithol arrived back in camp with some firewood and no idea what had happened.

With the camp now secure, the party finally enjoyed a good night's rest. With the morning's arrival came prayers, a breakfast of rations and goodberries, and setting out on their trip. As they plodded along, Shifyrn and Frug pointed out telltale signs of goblin incursion, including the obvious; a desiccated corpse hung in a tree to ward off adventurers. Frug used his magic to disguise the heroes and their tracks, while Shifyrn tracked a path to the goblin village. There the party could see at least three still-living slaves. Darius and Kalamor would not suffer the goblins' continued atrocities and moved to strike. Malvus and Shifyrn kept Jjela defended while Darius and Ngithol struck out on the right flank. Darius and Frug took the left. It would have been an unremarkable battle, except for one detail. Ngithol used the axe.

As soon as the blade tasted blood, the diminutive dwarf lost herself in a berserk rage, striking out at any nearby target, regardless of friend or foe. Darius deflected blows and tried to calm her, before seeing Kalamor in need. He left the dwarf to deal with the goblins and hopefully regain herself. When the goblin warriors were dispatched, Ngithol's bloodlust dissipated and the heroes were able to free the slaves. Unfortunately, some of the goblins escaped, likely warning other hunting parties of their deed.

With goblins hot on their tail, the party approached Vullf's creek. With no bridge, they'd have to forge across with the wounded captives while the rest set up a defense. Darius chose to aid the captives and the others engaged the goblin hunters. Their leader, a shaman, brought forth dangerous magic, attempting to drown Darius with a hold person, while leveling the others with magic missiles and shocking grasp spells. Unfortunately for the shaman, magic missiles do little to slow a bear down, something Frug knew all too well. The goblins were dispatched and the party safely crossed the creek. Only two or three days until they're safely out of the forest.

An Epic tale From another Part of Kalamar VIII

 

The Story Continues

A Good Day

Ngithol listened calmly to the prospect of them engaging this...
'Tanarukk' as everyone around the town of Rurr scrabbled to get themselves out of it's way. She listened and thought back to the tomes she'd thoroughly studied and tried hard to memorize. Tomes filled with knowledge of the arcane, filled with information she had hoped might lead her home and not be the product of a drug induced scribble session some writer experienced. She ran through the steps for one of the 'simpler' spells it had contained and found herself working through it as though it were some simple mechanical design. She smiled inwardly at the feeling of the various parts of the spell slotting together becoming a greater whole. That is until she came up to the part where she always failed. The part where she, a dwarf that'd faced down angry leviathans once upon a time, felt scared. To complete the spell she'd have to open herself up to energies, energies she felt firmly were responsible for the life she now lived. She sighed as she felt herself unable/unwilling to open that door at this time and watched in her minds eye all the pieces of the spell drift away like sand held in her open hands, sand that was now being replaced by tell tale signs of another 'episode' Ngithol gritted her teeth and set about busying herself with the civilians and their evacuation, determined to not lose her composure again so soon. She knew they'd most likely misunderstand her mood and demeanor but could care less, as long as it kept the flames at bay.

-----Several instances of Surliness later-----

Blood. It always intrigued her how some claimed it held mystical properties. How it could seperate and tie together groups. How it could purportedly cause some to rise to greatness and others devolve into beasts. Beasts which now lay slain at the feet of her partners. The blood of these orcs held no promise, no reason, no explanation for their savagery or brutality. It held only their life essence, an essence twisted to violence and cruelty. An essence that seemed all too ready to abandon it's liquid prison given the chance. She thought back to the children that'd been attacked by these orcs and the fact that it was only through her group's luck and timing that they'd narrowly avoided being orphaned, a fate she'd not been so lucky to avoid as a child. She thought of the others undoubtedly not as lucky as those three, the hardship that would forcibly be placed upon countless children if her group failed in their mission. She looked up at her comrades as they set out and when she believed none were looking forced herself again through the spell she'd been stymied by countless times over the years. She paused for only a heartbeat before wrenching open the 'door' she'd been afraid of, determined to no longer let her own fear prevent her from doing all she could to protect the untold innocents.

Time seemingly stretched for a moment as adrenaline flooded her body and she closed her eyes in anticipation of the flames she knew would surely engulf her. After a few heartbeats in which the flames did not come she opened her eyes and beheld a small mote of green fire dancing languidly in her hand. Hypnotically it moved around her hand, flowing against her palm before seemingly moving to caress her fingers as she flexed them. She realized it was connected to her by a thread of power, a thread she now knew was binding it's destructive potential to her will. She looked at the orc corpse at her feet and willed more power into the spell and marveled as the mote suddenly spewed forth a bolt of flame that reduced the corpse to ash in the blink of an eye. With a thought she dismissed the thread of power and watched the mote disappear leaving her hand empty and unharmed. She hurried to catch up to her party, her mind now alive and racing to recall all the information the tome had contained. She knew she might need more than flame for the things yet to come.

-----One Dead Tanarukk later-----

Ngithol felt aches and popped a few joints as she sat down to truly try and rest for the first time in what seemed like an age. It felt like an age since she'd pushed herself hard like she had to try and keep up with her group. Combining that with the battles they'd fought and that it'd been over a day since the last proper sleep made for a really strong urge to nap. A Tanarukk dead with his axe now resting in her lap, various people saved and her now having taken steps to use the arcane. All in all a good day. She looked up at Laer-Thuil as they sat in the druidic circle, noting the elves were readying for their own departure and drug herself up and approached them.

As she neared the elves she spoke out in Fhoki, "Laer-Thuil, a moment of your time perhaps?" hoping that might prevent others from thinking she intended some social faux pas. As the elves turned she pulled a few pieces of leather parchment from underneath her chainmail, they seemed old and weathered yet she obviously took great care to preserve them. As she unfolded them, it became obvious they were covered quite thoroughly in script. One intimately familiar to Ngithol as she'd penned the original parchment years ago and had periodically added to it as time went on. The script made up a letter meant for Mebzuth if ever she found a way to get it to him and detailed much of what she'd been through and experienced. It mentioned her highs, her lows and how she'd never once found as stalwart a companion in life. All this and more was on the pages she now readied to hand to the elf, yet she was willing to risk the possibility of another seeing such a side of her if it meant finding her home.

As she proffered it to Laer-Thuil she suddenly spoke in elvish, "I know elves are a long lived race and prone to remembering things forgotten by those with shorter lives. I wonder perhaps if the script on that page might seem familiar to you or your companions in any way. If so I'd greatly appreciate any information on how you might know of it. If you do not recognize it, perhaps you could indulge me in advising me on any nearby ruins that might once have been part of a fort, one built into the side of a mountain?"

Against the Robots Episode 0ne

what happened in the session

Well the honest answer is nothing really we had just made a  some what delayed start with half the players present when the GM's internet connection went down and after around an hour of trying to work out why and fix it and failing and beginning to get rather annoyed  he decided that going to bed was in order it being after one am UK time at that point so this seemed a good choice.

However the pre game chat did come to the conclusion that we should perhaps run it at a more sociable time as we have people in a fair spread of time zones form  GMT-6 to GMT +2 all of whom have day jobs and non gaming lives which can get in the way  .

An Epic tale from another part Of Kalamar VII

The story Continues

Fall of the Tanarukk

Malvus made a quick journey toward Dryff, even dropping off the kobold on his way. He notified Elmin Hessir of the impending orcish attack. He then set out as fast as possible (for a monk, that is very fast) to rendezvous in Rurr with the party.

Meanwhile, the townsfolk of Rurr were preparing evacuation and gearing up for a retreating battle. The two elves accompanying Laer-Thuil were desperately trying to cope with the last few hours. Battidel wanted to show his bravery and courage by attempting to compare himself favorably to Darius. The young paladin, seeing the fear, shared stories of the Swift Sword to calm his nerves. Shifyrn, however, sought solace in Frug. The little druid knew burial rites, and Shifyrn's friend Tessia was not granted a burial after the assault by the orcs. They simply didn't have the time. Frug, ever the gnome of few words, did his best to ease the elf's pain.

The others prepared in their own ways: Kalamor by performing his own last rites, and Ngithol by being insensitive and surly toward all. Once affairs were in order and Malvus had arrived it was time to go. The plan was to meet the orcs and try to harass them while buying time for the townsfolk. Unfortunately for them, the orcs were much closer than expected.

In a clearing along the path, a wagon was found overturned with its mule dead. The owners lay about, one dead, another dying. The third knelt next to her brother. She was in shock and barely able to speak. With some healing and help, they saved her brother, Tannen. Yuji, the girl pleaded with the heroes to save her mother, the fourth family member, and one taken by the raiders. Ngithol confirmed the assailants were orcs, and Malvus found blood they could track. Lawr-Thuil ordered Battidel to get the young ones to safety and the party changed direction, after this advance party of orcs.

They found the orcs easily enough, and they were too proud of their murder and looting to notice the heroes creep in. Within moments, the orcs were slain, and the mother, Jjela, was rescued. She took up a sword and offered to help fight, but in truth she was in no condition to do so. As such, she offered up an old tin pendant of the old man, in hopes he would guide them in battle. Frug, meanwhile, began to wonder if the orcs intended target was Rurr at all. Nearby was a little-known druid circle; a place of power. He led the party to the circle and communed with its caretaker, a dryad named Birch. She agreed with Frug's theory, and offered to lend aid. One of her disciples, a sprite named Sprig, guided the heroes to the warband containing the Tanarukk. He was in the company of a quasit and numerous skeletons and orcs.

The battle was fierce. Both sides knew only one would win this day. No quarter would be granted. The magical axe of the Tanarukk split armor and rent flesh. It was all moot, however. The heroes fought like warriors who've accepted death. Orcs have never been so brave. When the Tanarukk was brought low by the flailing of a berserking, wild shaped Frug, the other orcs tried to break rank and run. There was no escaping the arrows and blasts from Laer-Thuil and Ngithol.

The ranger stood victorious over the dead Tanarukk, loosing arrow after arrow into its corpse; each one freezing the flesh instantly. With her quiver empty, she sighed, "It's over".

The heroes returned to the Druidic circle hoping the orcs had not yet arrived. Instead, they were met by a centaur, Karrak. He thanked the heroes and told them Birch had requested the aid of his clan, the star hooves. The orcs were dead or running at this point.

All breathed a sigh of relief and Darius returned the pendant to Jjela. They were alive and victorious. As the sun rose across the wildlands.

An Epic Tale form another part of Kalamar VI

 

 

The Story Continues

Return of the Tanarukk

The Urze was slain, but rest was not yet earned by our heroes. Due to the rain, an ogre was looking for shelter and food. He saw the cave and Kalamor and gave a disease-filled toothy grin. The ogre tossed aside the corpse of the goblin guard he'd found and went after a fresher meal. He was so outclassed.
While Kalamor dove for weapon and shield, Frug threw his cooking stick aside and charged the giant. To everyone's shock, the diminutive gnome altered form into that of a great brown bear, easily matching size with the ogre and stopping it cold in the entrance of the cave. Darius annd Ngithol moved to flank while Kalamor blessed his allies. The ogre never stood a chance.
Sleep came quickly after that, with the regular watch assignments. In the early morning, before everyone was awake, both Kalamor and Darius were focusing on their morning prayers; Kalamor down by the creek, and Darius at the mouth of the cave. It was that momentary distraction that allowed the elves to sneak up on the servant of the swift sword.
Three elves in total, all looking battle-weary, wanted to know why a group of adventurers had entered their territory, and with a kobold, no less! Kalamor and Darius explained their situation while Ngithol's flippant attitude did little to help. Their leader, Laer-Thuil, a female wood elf bearing the markings of both a ranger and the Golden Arrows, accepted their tale before requesting their aid. Her party was tracking a group of Orc through the Fyban. It had been years since any Orc dared enter the forest, and not in the numbers reported by scouts. The elves were ambushed and barely escaped with their lives. Even worse, Laer-Thuil all but confirmed the leader of these Orc was the lost Tanarukk, a demon-blooded Orc born in the blood of Orcus worshippers. He had evaded the destruction of his kin, and appears to be amassing a horde.
Darius was quick to accept the quest, and the others were but a breath behind him. Orcs are no friend of the good races. Malvus offered to earn Drhyff and finish business with the Kobolds. He would meet up with them afterward. After mending some wounds, the heroes broke camp and made haste to Rurr, a small logging outpost in the middle of the forest. It would likely be their first target. There the orcs could gain much needed weapons and food. With the elves as guides and scouts, travel was only hampered by their overall speed, and not much of that, even. Before long, the heroes encountered a group of orcs on an advance scouting mission. The very same that ambushed and killed Laer-thuil's brethren. It was only fair that they return the favor.
What a bloodbath it was. Darius and Kalamor took the advance charge, while the elves laid out suppressive fire. Laer-thuil loosed arrows from her bow that froze in mid-air before sinking deep into her targets. It was an impressive show of force. The Orc archers were routed by A shapeshifted Frug, and Ngithol kept anything from getting clean shots at both Kalamor and the elves.
With the orcs dispatched, Laer-Thuil interrogated a survivor and confirmed her suspicions about the Tanarukk and the orcs target of Rurr. Wounds forced the party to rest, but they knew their small group would still make better time than the warband. It would only be a few more hours before they reached the outpost. The people were warned and began evacuation while the party resupplied and set out to delay the warband.

An Epic tale from Another Part of Telene V

The Story Continues

The Bigger They Are

Malvus had difficulty containing his frustration as they approached the cave. He felt that his skills and training were inadequate to the recent events. Jeshela dying needlessly in the kobold tunnels, and himself being surprised and paralyzed by a monstrous spider, helpless to do anything but watched as his companions fought to save him. Nothing he had learned in the monastery had prepared him for this.

He managed to control himself enough to sneak up to the cave entrance with the rest of the group, their approach covered by Frug's magical fog. The startled goblin sentries were dispatched easily enough, though Malvus lost his spear in the fracas and had to fight unarmed. Then the Urze, the hulking bugbear leader of the goblins, lurched into the torchlight, along with his grizzled wolf companion and more goblins. "Who dare to invade cave of the Urze?!" he bellowed.

Suddenly everything snapped into focus for Malvus. He felt the energy flowing up through his body, from it's source in the earth below out to the ends of his limbs and beyond, as his masters had told him he would. He felt Ngithol standing at his side, stable and dependable. He saw from the Urze's stance as he approached that he had an old wound in his side that had never fully healed, which caused him to list slightly to one side and left a flaw in his defence.

"This cave is not yours. Leave now, and we will let you go in peace," Malvus replied calmly. Feeling at one with the earth and his companions and even his enemies, he saw no need for violence.

The bugbear laughed derisively. "Soft, puny-hand man going to get squished. I going to eat your bones!"

"Come then, and see how 'soft' my hands are." The bugbear's first swing was telegraphed, and Malvus dodged it easily. He never got a second. Malvus first strike went to the Urze's solar plexus, left unguarded by his reckless swing. As the air rushed from his body and he stooped over in shock, Malvus crushed his throat with a second strike. The bugbear crumpled to the ground, and the other goblins fled.

Ngithol also fled the cave; Malvus sensed that she wanted no company and didn't go after her. He allowed himself to celebrate the victory with his other companions, but a part of him was somberly reflecting on what had happened. He had mastered the basic forms of his fighting style years ago, but this had been the first time that he had truly felt the meaning behind them. He knew he would be much more formidable now, but that was no reason to rest easy. His next opponent might not be so careless and easily felled.

An Epic Tale form another part of Telene IV

The story Continues 

The Urze

The kobold identified himself as the alpha and offered up his conditions of surrender. They would return the child, unharmed, and leave if the party agreed to liberate their previous cave from a bugbear called Urze. The bugbear and his goblin minions had routed and killed the alpha's mate and hatchlings, and forced the remaining kobolds to evacuate and find an alternative haven.
Reluctantly, the party agreed, mostly on Kalamor and Frug's insistence. They told Brendol, the farmer, to head into town and alert Elmin Hesir of the situation and that they would return after dealing with the bugbear. One of the kobolds would stay with them as a guide (much to Frug's chagrin).
The weather Fyban was unusually quiet as they traversed the ancient paths. No far in they found the cause. A servant of the swift sword whistled along the path. He introduced himself as Darius, a Kalamaran youth on his Search. Fighting bugbears sounded fun, so he offered his great hammer in service to the party. The other reason for the silence was quickly noticed as well, when a hunting pack of mountain lions ambushed and attacked the party. They were quickly dispatched and sent running, with the dead one making a fairly tasty meal for their camp.

The kobold who failed to be a useful guide was self-named "Dragon's Blood". He wasn't particularly bright, but he did know the way to their old cave. He was fairly good at cooking up wild cat, though. And after a good nights rest, the party continued on through the day.

Malvus used his speed and stealth to scout ahead as the party followed the creek. It would have been an uneventful travel if not for one wrong turn. A giant spider dropped down from the canopy of trees and snatched up the monk, paralyzing him with poison. Because he was so far ahead, the party didn't see the signs when they arrived and were similarly assaulted. Thanks to solid armor, however, the heroes were more resistant to the spider's bites and powered through the monstrosities.



With the spiders dispatched, Malvus was freed. Frug found some other victims of the spiders and confirmed one was the tax collector. They looted the bodies of some healing potions and the tax collectors information. A reward would probably be forthcoming for confirming his death. The kobold was grateful to Darius for saving his life and, in his stupidity admitted that the alpha had lied about the death of their matron and hatchlings. This truth earned the ire of Kalamor.

Not far beyond the spiders' den, the party located the cave. A lone goblin stood watch, distracted by a trapped pixie he was torturing. The party killed the goblin and slipped into the cave quietly. The goblins inside were unprepared for a fight and caught off-guard. The party set to dispatching them quickly before the snoring Urze woke to the sounds of battle.



As the massive bugbear emerged, he laughed at the party's attempt. Calling out the monk, he drug forward with his oversized Morningstar, "soft, puny-hand man going to get squished. I going to eat your bones!" With a roar he swung the weapon at Malvus' head, only to miss as the monk struck with lightning speed. In an instant, Urze lay dead on the floor.



"Dragon's Blood" rushed forward and stabbed the dead carcass with his spear only to retreat when a dull growl of air was released as it died.

The heroes were victorious, and they found a sizable amount of coin from Urze's stash. All in all, it was a successful venture.

An Epic tale form another part of Tellene III

The Story Continues

Past in Flames

It's name was Urze and it was pretty damned big as far as Ngithol was concerned. Big, ugly and angry; angry enough that any blows from it's club would likely be fatal. Most would've felt some form of trepidation as it approached her and Malvus, Ngithol however merely felt anticipation and... nostaliga?

Shaking her head to banish the feelings she brought her focus on readying her shield and blade and watched as Malvus deftly avoided approaching beast's attack and unleashed a rapid counter attack of his own, striking with precision and undeniable effectiveness. Urze had a mere moment to contemplate what had occured before he slumped to the ground, utterly broken. Ngithol fought to not do the same as what she had seen triggered a sudden flood of memories of Mebzuth... her dear sweet Mebzuth. Then came the memories of verdant flame that seemed to always tie themselves to any thoughts of her previous life. She marshalled herself and attempted to refocus on the fight, intent on killing a goblin to distract herself and bury the memories, only to see the remaining ones already dead or fleeing.

Ngithol ignored the smiles and cheering of her... companions and hurried out of the cave, her skin suddenly feeling aflame and her vision blurring slightly as the memories came. The pain, the loss, everything she tried not to dwell on coming back in a rush. With mute fervor she strode to the nearby creek, throwing her cloak and pack aside before desperately pulling her chainmail off, all but convinced now that the flames were upon her again. It was no sooner that she got free of her armor that she immediately began wetting the bandages she was still wreathed in with creek water and relished the feeling of it smothering a fire she knew was not there. It took only a moment for the 'flames' to go away once she had started but it was a notably longer while till Ngithol successfully steadied herself.

She quickly stood, realizing how insane she must look, and retrieved her pack before sitting on a nearby rock where she began peeling off the soaked cloth wraps covering her scarred body and setting them aside, chiding herself as she realized how dirty they'd become and the fact she'd neglected to replace them sooner. She looked at the fresh wraps in her pack and decided best to let herself dry before putting them on. As she stood there wearing only some thin cloth shorts she took a moment to try and make a note of picking up an unguent from the town when they returned, anything that might help soothe her skin. An unguent and perhaps some alcohol.

An Epic tale form another part of Tellene II

The Story Continues

Time for Plan B

Ngithol stared at the dark hole in the ground and felt nothing but loss, a veritable void inside her where once she had felt so alive. She felt this void and genuinely mourned the loss she had suffered. Not the loss of the hippie half elf, who looked as lifely as a potato. Nor was it for the loss of the farmer's child, a child she was certain was already dead. Instead she keenly felt the loss of what she had once been.

It had been a while since she felt this way, having learned long ago that dwelling on such thoughts was unproductive. But she couldn't help but reflect upon there having been more kobolds than she thought there would've been and that if she were at her peak and not the wretched shell she is now they'd have all been chaff upon the wind. Their arms deflected by her platemail and their screams as she cleaved them apart with a blade that had slain countless others.

Instead all she could do was ignore the pain she felt throughout her entire body and resort to the universal 'backup plan' many of her clan had relied upon in time's of darkness. Burn Everything. She looked to the pile of flammable material she had gathered rapidly while the others finished getting out of the tunnel and threw some down into the tunnel before readying her flint. She hoped that if the fire didn't kill the kobolds it would at least by them time to seal the hole by burning the barn down.

A Company of Fools Episode Twenty Four - in brief

The battle continues 

The action this session was compacted into a brief sliced of time and encompassed the fight with the Acolyte of the Rot Lord and his Guardian Oliphant rats and its immediate aftermath.

A furious Aeltred and the Rot Lords acolyte continued to trade blows. The Acolyte is unable to land a telling blow on the half elf thwarted either by the rangers quickness on his feet or his skill fully used shield. The Ranger in his turn was thwarted by the strange mystic force which absorbed the blows from his sword in a shower of arcane sparks.  Most of the rest of the company either held back in the passage way or fought the Acolytes trained attack Oliphant rats huge mangy disease ridden beasts which fought with increasing fury as the fight continued. Around the edges of the fight the young halfing Lalia lurked plying her sling with skill for the most part and darting in to apply her dagger to any rats which where temporarily out of the fight, rendering such a state permanent.  

Siskin raised risks power and sent one of the rats fleeing with a prayer and a hand full of bone shards and it fled squeaking in fear. The young warrior Olivier was briefly taken down by a ferocious bite from the rat he was fighting but fortunately the rat was drawn to attack Telec who was playing his usual role of armoured shield to the whole company whilst groin seeker learned what to seek on the rats and he was rescued again by his friend of the journey the young healer from Neffaria, with a prayer to the care giver. At which point their other companion from the same journey the young gnome Coradog who had made his way around the fight and joined in with Aeltred and struck the Acolyte such a mighty blow that his flail struck sparks like a shooting star in the night from the Acolytes mysterious shield

A Company of Fools Episode Twenty Four A preview

Some where under the streets of the Newtown of Vayham a desperate struggle takes place in a long forgotten annex to the new drains. Here the storied Traveller Telec and hi companions both new and old  are literally locked in battle with the forces of the Rot lords champion. As above them a larger slower struggle between man and goblin continues. What will be the outcome of these struggles none now can tell for the disce are cast and only RISK yet knows how they will fall.

as the Massacre begins

The fight at the end of Episode 23 

Scale one square =3 feet

Key
Mini dice - are Oliphant rats
D6 - Acolyte of the Rot lord
Every thing else is a player character including the ones still lurking outside 
 

An Epic tale form another part of Tellene

Death and Taxes 

a company of adventurers start out- it is interesting to not that the rules set used to run this was AD&D5e rather than HackMaster 5e but it just goes to show that good background is universal

Death an Taxes

As the sun begins to set behind the Kakidela Mountains, a weary group of travelers make their way into the small farming community of Drhyff. Some may ask where they come from, but most would say it doesn’t matter. Adventurers come from everywhere and nowhere. They’re drifters, sell-swords and brigands. Filled with a wanderlust that cannot be sated otherwise, this party has joined together in search of that spark of life found on the open road and in the dungeons of antiquity.

Before we continue, let me introduce you to the party. First there’s Kalamor Aeternus, a young paladin who hopes to swear an oath to Koverr, The Pure One, should he find himself worthy. He is flanked by Jeshela Velsin, a half-elf bard just happy to be on the road. Off running ahead in the bush is Frug Timbers, a forest gnome druidic initiate. His love of the wild can be seen (and smelled) clearly. Behind Kalamor is a young brandobian monk named Malvus. His clothing marks him as a guardian of the Earth Mother. Taking up the rear a somber dwarf keeps her hood up. Ngithol is a fighter, clearly, but her eyes betray an intelligence not normally seen in the warrior caste. They are settling into the hamlet of Drhyff for the evening and hoping to find some work.

Drhyff is a small community, numbering less than 700 even accounting for the migrant seasonal workers coming in from Bynarr and the eastern towns of Thybaj. The town itself is situated on the edge of the Fyban forest, where the inhabitants get the lumber required for their log homes and buildings. The heroes, if you’re inclined to call them such, quietly find themselves a bed at the Green Gryffon inn (so named from the moss and ivy that has grown wild over the log cabin) and settle in for some cabbage stew and Tharggy sausage. Jeshela provided music for the small crowd of residents. The owner, Jish, was delighted to have such company in his inn and gave up his room to the bard as thank you. The others accepted cots in the common room; all but Malvus, that is. He was happy to sleep in the barn’s loft.

Before the party retired for the evening, however, Kalamor secured them some incoming funds from the town’s constable, Elmin Hersir. The annual census and Queen’s tax was upon them and the hersir sent by Jorjen Thane has gone missing. Elmin figures the young hersir took off with the taxes or was robbed on the road. Either way, he has no time to finish collecting and is willing to pay the party 1 gold each plus 1 silver per house. There were other rumors and mumblings of trouble that could have been profitable; a horse thief had made off with at least three horses in the last few weeks and Elmin Hersir was no closer to discovering who the culprit was. And an influx of wild dogs has been causing farmers some trouble killing chickens and terrorizing other farm animals. Both sounded like more work for less pay, so taxmen they became.

The following day the party headed south to the furthest homesteads to count heads and collect taxes. The greater portion of the day was made up of winding paths through the forest and the occasional stop at a homestead for a quick count. Most had little issue with the taxing and were easy going. They were threatened by an old Fhokki hermit, but that’s expected of a taxman’s job. No, the real troubles came when they approached the Brovnar homestead.

The Brovnar family, Brendol and Dela were immigrants from the young kingdoms, looking to start a new life in Tharggy. Until recently, they were fairly successful at getting the farm going and making some friends, including regular attendance at the sermons in the Assembly of Light church of Drhyff. No one has seen the couple or their child Granden in months.

The party approached the farm with caution, as it was eerily quiet for such a large farm. When they called out the owners, Brendol appeared looking tired and ragged as a man can. Bruises and cuts marred his arms and neck; the same for his wife, Dela. Fearing they may be hiding some truth, Frug called upon his ancient druidic teachings to charm the young housewife. She happily told Frug and the party about the mass of kobolds that invaded the farm and kidnapped her boy. They dug out tunnels underneath the barn and keep wild dogs there as guards. Ngithol heard enough and walked out to approach the barn and deal with the kobolds. Dela’s concern for her son was pointless as Ngithol was certain the boy was long since dead.

Had the party taken caution, they might have handled the dogs better. Unfortunately, Ngithol wrenched the barn door open to the sight of six wild animals ready to pounce. Clearly Tharggy wolfhounds, the beasts were a threat that had to be put down. When the party cleaned off the dust and shite from their clothing, they noticed a pile of hay stir before hearing the sound of a dinner bell or clanging pot below.

Throwing the hay aside, they found the entrance to the Kobold lair. Kalamor went first only to find the tunnel at the bottom of the ladder to be a good foot and a half shorter than his 6’4” frame could navigate. Malvus fared no better, but the others were all short enough to move about with relative ease. Frug took point and laughed at the pitiful attempt at a pit trap before leaping into a much better disguised pit trap with spikes at the bottom. Ngithol aided Frug in getting out of the pit and helped place some boards down that the kobolds likely used to cross the hole. A kobold guard jumped out to strike Ngithol, but Jeshela’s quick use of her flute put the creature down. They were free to continue, but were very aware of the alarm. They pushed on through the small tunnel until finding a larger room (Still only 5’ tall) full of Kobolds geared up for an advancing attack. Each was armed with a spear and positioned behind broken fences they stole from the Brovnars. A couple stood at the end of the hall firing arrows at the party. There was also a kobold hidden behind a dug out arrow slit in the wall, giving the party no real cover.
Kalamor went down first, attempting to defend and block the arrows with his shield, while Ngithol made for the door opposite the kobolds. Unfortunately, before she could reach the door, Malvus was also injured and the heroes realized they may need to withdraw if they wished to go on living. Frug took up a defensive point while Jeshela healed Kalamor, who in turn laid his hands upon Malvus. During the skirmish, Jeshela was brought low by arrow fire as the party began their retreat. Frug kept the kobolds from advancing with a well-placed entanglement and Malvus miraculously hit the kobold behind the arrow slit with a well-timed throwing spike. A last ditch effort by Frug killed the remaining kobolds when he lit his own entanglement on fire. There was little time to cheer, however, as Kalamor was brought low again, and the party had to drag him out of the tunnel to escape.

In the barn, while the others quickly recovered, Ngithol set to preparing some torches and readied a fire to set the barn ablaze and smoke out the kobolds. None had even fully realized Jeshela bled out during the scuffle.

Reposted with the Authors permission from the site linked in via the subtitle 

A Company of Fools Episode Twenty Three in brief

In the early hours of the morning following the briefing session the combined adventuring groups some of whom where heavily disguised as adherents of the temple of the care giver as they where wanted men and women made there way to the quarantine cordon around the Shambles and thence to down the tunnel that Lori dug into the strange underground kitchen where they sorted themselves out into an escape group who where lead into the adjacent library and an assault group who would clear the temple of the Rot lord.

The assault  group left the underground kitchen where the care givers set up a dressing station into the complex and after some tentative scouting decided to first divest themselves of the two volatile bombs they had been given to destroy the festering pits before working their way through the rest of the place.  This they managed to do over coming a cross bow trap and some sort of pit trap they never investigated this in too much detail.. Before being confronted by a small horde of shambling axe wielding skeleton. These they fended off until, the young priest of the care giver with them managed to focus his divine gift and send them off in flight as the company hacked at them.

Pushing on with haste, especially when they saw the siege crossbow had been removed form the trap.  They entered a room at the end of the passage via a hastily shut door and confronted six of the massive harbour rats and a lone humanoid figure in a ragged poncho style cloak crouched franticly cranking the heavy bow.

Having some small element of surprise the company rushed into action. the charge being lead by Aeltred who dashed through the startled rats to confront their presumed master only to find him protected by some sort of magic shield and a general fight ensued... to be continued and concluded in episode twenty four in two weeks time.

a full write up and other supporting articles should follow over the week end 

A Strange World of Random Doom - Episode 10

This week we where unexpectedly down to three players none of whom are fighters so our long suffering GM had to improvise but it was a good session none the less and we got to clash indirectly at least with our old enemy the Were Rat and discover more about the Port and its politics much of it quite unsavoury to be honest.  

Sadly no new screen shots this time as the action all took place in port after we had done our training so the map above will have to suffice as all the locations involved are on it. 

• The episode started quietly enough with the Company in Port having just finished a period of training and reflection on prior experience.
• It was supposed to be a religious or civic festival but the pall of smog which now lay over the city and the accompanying acrid rain rather put a dampener on that and all the public events where cancelled
• It had also become apparent that the supplys of fresh fruit and vegetables all of which where locally grown rather than imported had become rather low as most of the farming villages had been depopulated and the continual acid rain and smog which was worse over the main farming area which was closer to the burning coal seam which was the cause of all the smog was bad for the crops, causing them to wither or at least fail to thrive even on the few farms which did survive.
• Food was getting increasingly expensive and  every ones diet more monotonous in content, 
• That the island seemed to have moved a long way north and a long way off shore of whatever the mainland was made imported goods expensive across the board, due to the sheer distance the few long range trade ships had to go, especially as the location and tracking the movements of the isle was the monopoly of the former pirate lord who ran the city's council. 
• That the  summer was as a result of being so far north  cold  added to the gloom
• People where leaving and returning to whatever part of the mainland was nearest to the isle. 
• Then some one started collapsing buildings, at first no one noticed particularly as building collapses in a hastily built city, the whole place was built in the last ten years or so, with no building regulations are not unexpected. However the next night another one collapsed and the night after a third.
• The last was a Dwarf built building and those just don't collapse, well not without help That it was also the shop of the best weapon smith in the city  and  friend or at least an acquaintance of the company drew the companies attention.
• The company arrived to find the local dwarf community still digging its way through the rouble of a stone building which the members of the company who had visited it recalled as being a free standing fairly splendidly appointed court yard house incorporating a shop the owners house a foundry and smithy it was at least two stories high possibly three as none of the company had been much beyond the shop and forge no one was sure
• Asking round the local dwarves the company discovered the shop owner was the local dwarf clan lord and he was missing as despite clearing the rouble for some hours no body had been found. 
• The collapse had happened late in the night and had initially drawn the last few dwarves still in the local Tavern's who had heard the place come down with a crash.
• None of the first arrivals had seen any one leaving the area and none of the locals had seen any one out of the ordinary visit Fargard or behave suspiciously all where at a loss.
• It did occur to the company that the three collapses might be linked, they had no evidence but decided the hunch deserved further investigation and besides Fargard was a fine fellow who deserved better than whatever fate had befallen him.
• After some discussion the company decided to investigate the site of the first collapse which was the other side of the town 
  
  

More Session write up to follow

Session twenty two - an over view

Briefly

A Lot of this session was taken up by levelling up several characters  so very little got done in game terms but the two new players had some role playing chances  as did every one else as they appeared from under the levelling paper work Most importantly both parties or the majority of them ended up at the great hospital and had a chance to meet each other

They also collectivity learned of the deteriorating situation in Vayham from experiencing it and talking to the residents and they learned of the plan the High Priest of the caregiver had to help which was that the Original company and Siskin should clear the Rot lords temple and destroy its plague pits and also allow the Vayham company to escape the town and alert the kings forces in Crandolen or Cosdolen or those of the Duke the counts over lord  in Napilido. this would also score points for the high priest of the Caregiver in an ongoing feud he had with the high priest of the True

There where however flaws in the plan as the company leader Telec failed to persuade the High Priest of the True to release either of the two dwarves he was holding, allegedly now for their own protection or the half orc Fawlit who had been persuaded to convert as half orcs are illegal in the town, and without the protection of the true he should have been hung on entry. 

A strange world of Random Doom - episode Nine

Preamble 

In the end  I  managed to make it home in time to join in after all as there was no magic tournament and our cadre of board gamers had bought all they wanted early enough that I could make a sharp exit and leave them playing till the boss got back form his race at Donnington

the region 

On with the game

• we started at the Port - shown in purple on the map on the coast  in the gap in the mountains the and having decided that we needed to be in the swamp of Gorundy by the time all the moons where full at the same time we rode taking Relemir to hold the horses and act as camp servant.
• We also decided we had time to check on the state of more of the villages in the north lands on  on our way, this the Gnome moaned about as he was wanting to get it over with or just not liking so much time on pony back. As is traditional in the company now we ignored him. 
• We rode under overcast skies with the air full of acidic drizzle and the smell of burning low grade coal. Through untended crop fields slowly dying form neglect and the exposure to acid rain. 
• our first night out we camped not far form the lake in the dying crop lands where last time we had seen the shadows flying over head. This time the night passed without incident and we pressed on to the nearest village on the map we had taken from the bandit’s fort.
• We found the first settlement a village as far as we could tell form the little that remained of it, the one marked with the group icon a backpack had been scorched to the foundations. Investigating this revealed that it had been done by ritual magic and the ritualists or some one had gone west and perhaps north from there but we lost the trail very quickly and where unable to follow.
• After completing what investigations we could at the scorched village we had still day light and we reckoned we had the time to we should check out another settlement on the way choosing the nearest one marked within the boundaries of the woods in which the burned bandit fort stood.
• This village proved to be more intact and we sent Faz the gnome in to scout it out with the aid of Coradwin’s magic which enhanced the gnomes considerable stealth skills by rendering him silent, this also had the hilarious side effect of rendering unable to speak and gave the company the first time free of gnomish banter since they had met up. Oddly Faz found this unfunny well gnomes have odd senses of humour don’t they
• The gnome’s report suggested that the village was uninhabited but apart from one collapsed building, which radiated what the gnome felt to be evil, it was safe so it was decided that we could investigate more closely once the magic had worn off Faz.
  
  
  

  

  Naiad's Pool

• The company approached the little settlement and found it not quite uninhabited but its one inhabitant a naiad was friendly and hospitable, sadly the Gnomes lack of any residue of tact offended her and she left. However before that we found out about the fate of the villagers here they had fled after a wraith attack which the naiad had driven off because they felt unsafe even so. More about the Dryad Gorundy and her habits including her buying children of the slavers which explained something which we had seen the first time on the way to the swamp and of a blood cult which had dwelt in and possibly built the bandits fort in the first place. We also learned who had put out the fire; it was the Naiad who did not want her woods burning if it spread.
• After talking to the Naiad we investigated the rest of the village avoiding the collapsed building which Faz had reported as being in some way evil, however out new recruit was fascinated by the place and poked about in it regardless of instructions and Faz bodily dragging him away on one occasion. He appeared to stir up the lingering evil but escaped with out immediate ill effects.
• The rest of us found a crystal grotto which radiated good peace and well being and even though Faz wanted to sample the crystal incase it might be of use powering one of the infernal contraptions he is always planning
•  Having partaken of the Naiads hospitality found we needed no rest but spent the night in a warded sanctuary possibly a temple of the wayfarer or on of the other faiths that worships in the open air.
• In the Morning we rode directly to the swamp approaching from the north as we had learned that this was the easiest way in.
• On arrival at the swamp we left Relamir in charge of the horses and continued on foot through the increasingly wet and difficult going as we headed for the village of the children which was  at the centre of the swamp

Approaching the children's Village

• On reaching the vicinity of the village the majority of the company took cover as best as they where able and sent Max forward to scout out the village as we considered that the children would find him the least threatening and did not want any stand up fights with the vine lizards which we knew to be in the village with the children if we could avoid them. Most especially not in front of the children who we knew treated them like pets
• Max caused quite a stir on his arrival at the village but he didn’t scare the children and managed to report back with useful information and based on which we decided to risk all visiting the village
• This produced more information about the swamp Gorundy and the children
• In the centre of the swamp we took shelter at the warded stones and planed what to do next