Once the group gains entrance to Draigdurroch's tower, it becomes evident that its frozen chambers hide a sinister story...
Session 8: Elemental Shards
Once the group gains entrance to Draigdurroch's tower, it becomes evident that its frozen chambers hide a sinister story...
Warming up is hard to do
We left Aygon's dwelling using a secret service door that was more comfortable to use than the entrance from which we had accessed his abode in the first place.
This time we followed what seemed to be an ancient path that led further into the icy hills. The day passed chilly and miserable as the previous one, and when we were already thinking about giving up the search, we found a big cavern in the face of a cliff. The cave showed signs of having been inhabited by a big group of Goblins, but at the moment it was deserted.
It seemed that fate was against us, but we did not want to give up so easily. We climbed the cliff where the cavern was located and, in the distance, detected the outline of what seemed to be a tower. It seemed to be far away, so we made camp in the cave. It was a damp, chilly, dreary night with the blizzard blowing outside and the sound of Adolfiel's chattering teeth constantly interrupting my meditation.
Another freezing day, another exhausting hike, but this time it seemed we had a clear goal! As we got closer to the building, it became clear that it was indeed a tower, and that it was completely encased in ice! It dominated its surroundings, built atop a low hillock, surrounded by suspicious-looking statues of wolves and mages. The ice encasing the tower was erupting from its roof, and our suspicions that the terrible weather conditions had a magical cause grew stronger.
I was so worried beholding the statues for any hint of them being magical guardians -during my studies in Fallcrest I had read many stories of wizards protecting their towers with that sort of creatures- that I was completely surprised when chunks of snow and ice took the shape of gigantic scorpions that charged us. Other pieces of snow coalesced into icy snowmen that threw balls of hard compact ice at us. It was clear that something was amiss in the tower, and that these creatures of ice had been somehow attracted by the cold emanating from it.
The battle was violent and dangerous; Streisan charged the monsters as if she had lost her mind after all the frustrations of the previous days and it was difficult for the rest to keep her pace. Only with the help of Vistra was she able to survive, but her courage and recklessness motivated the rest of us to go on and with courage, determination and lots of luck we were able to defeat the ice elementals.
After the battle, I explained to the rest my fears about the statues and we decided to topple them. Some animated and attacked us, but most of them had been shattered by the cold and gave us no trouble.
With the blizzard growing stronger, we digged the ice out of the entrance doors and entered the tower...
Scientific Notes
Well, even though the creatures we found around the tower are clearly not natural, I could not resist making a drawing of the scorpion-like ice elemental. I think I will add an extra chapter to my Ecology book, one about the different Planes of Existence and some examples of its creatures, which in some books of old are called Elementals.
This time we followed what seemed to be an ancient path that led further into the icy hills. The day passed chilly and miserable as the previous one, and when we were already thinking about giving up the search, we found a big cavern in the face of a cliff. The cave showed signs of having been inhabited by a big group of Goblins, but at the moment it was deserted.
It seemed that fate was against us, but we did not want to give up so easily. We climbed the cliff where the cavern was located and, in the distance, detected the outline of what seemed to be a tower. It seemed to be far away, so we made camp in the cave. It was a damp, chilly, dreary night with the blizzard blowing outside and the sound of Adolfiel's chattering teeth constantly interrupting my meditation.
Another freezing day, another exhausting hike, but this time it seemed we had a clear goal! As we got closer to the building, it became clear that it was indeed a tower, and that it was completely encased in ice! It dominated its surroundings, built atop a low hillock, surrounded by suspicious-looking statues of wolves and mages. The ice encasing the tower was erupting from its roof, and our suspicions that the terrible weather conditions had a magical cause grew stronger.
I was so worried beholding the statues for any hint of them being magical guardians -during my studies in Fallcrest I had read many stories of wizards protecting their towers with that sort of creatures- that I was completely surprised when chunks of snow and ice took the shape of gigantic scorpions that charged us. Other pieces of snow coalesced into icy snowmen that threw balls of hard compact ice at us. It was clear that something was amiss in the tower, and that these creatures of ice had been somehow attracted by the cold emanating from it.
The battle was violent and dangerous; Streisan charged the monsters as if she had lost her mind after all the frustrations of the previous days and it was difficult for the rest to keep her pace. Only with the help of Vistra was she able to survive, but her courage and recklessness motivated the rest of us to go on and with courage, determination and lots of luck we were able to defeat the ice elementals.
After the battle, I explained to the rest my fears about the statues and we decided to topple them. Some animated and attacked us, but most of them had been shattered by the cold and gave us no trouble.
With the blizzard growing stronger, we digged the ice out of the entrance doors and entered the tower...
Scientific Notes
Well, even though the creatures we found around the tower are clearly not natural, I could not resist making a drawing of the scorpion-like ice elemental. I think I will add an extra chapter to my Ecology book, one about the different Planes of Existence and some examples of its creatures, which in some books of old are called Elementals.
Session 7: Menace of the Icy Spire
Having convinced the strange Aygon to give them shelter for the night, the group set out to put an end t0 the Frost Goblin menace, and end up discovering a long-forgotten tower encased in ice...
On the right track?
After having spent some time in Relkingham for Ghesh's funeral, we headed towards the north. During our time in Relkingham we heard some rumours about possible ships similar to those that had attacked the elven settlement having been sighted near Marshport.
On our way north we stopped in Sylfren, so the three sisters could have some time with their mother. I have to say the trip being uneventful was a welcome relief from the adrenalin rushing charging we've had to endure in the past few days.
I must admit that the chances of completing my pilgrimage have gone to the near impossible. I have taken up a path which will allow me to spread Berronar's teachings, and I must now follow it to it's end. I spent a lot of time in Marshport at their rather small hospital, helping to heal those that require it while some of the others were gathering information. In the evenings I was filled in on what information had been gathered; hearing about the evil that was happening to the north across the mountains, about the legend of Angerplea and the Black Cry which could possibly be related to our quest to find out what had happened to the elves.
But although we gathered information, we got no further regarding to where we should go next. I decided to ask guidance from Beronnar. I received a sign, pointing me to the north. I feel the events across the Whitecap mountain range is where my presence will be required. But after having talked to the Major of Marschport, he talked about increased goblin activity in Nirnwood to the north and how it could pause increasing concern to travelers to Marshport. I was convinced by Tyrion and Sariel that clearing this issue could possibly save lives and shouldn't require that long, compared to the time it would take to travel to the Nantir Vale.
Traveling to the Nirnwood forest, we found the weather fighting against us. The cold biting through our thick winter clothing. We met a band of brigands that were easily defeated. They seemed more like misplaced souls than brigands after we had a talk to them. They had found a map of a supposed 'treasure' cove. We decided to see if we could find this location with the help of the brigands. Arriving at their camp we found it had been attacked, most of their materials and supplies looted. We followed the tracks, reaching a group of frost goblins. We managed to dispatch all but the leader who managed to flee dispite Tyrion's efforts.
We finally found the location of the map within a cave system. A solid metal slab with engravings into them saying 'death awaits you', curiosity having taken the better of us we went to investigate. This lead us into a rather diabolical system of traps, which unfortunatly, Streisan beared the brunt of their trickery. Getting dumped into filth, burned on several occasions. I did my best to protect her but the nature of the traps made this very difficult, I am thankful though she managed to survive the ordeal. The final trap was a dragon, very well crafted as it seemed a dragon from the front, although there were some quirks which tipped us off it actually wasn't. But as soon as Streisan and Tyrion managed to get behind the dragon it was clear that it was mechanical. They disabeled the dragon and we found a goblin, rather well dressed, unfortunalty without a tongue. Later we found the culprit of the trap systems, which ended up being a gnome (although we can't confirm this) who through a failed experiment ended up as a weapon able to change it's size, shape. Having a chat with him, and apologising for having invaded his home, we managed to convince him to give us accomodations while we searched for goblin threats in the region. I also managed to convince him to lend me the Draconomicon, although at this time I am unsure if I will be able to decipher it as it seems far more complex then I originally believed.
We are still going to be searching for more traces of the goblins in the area, but for now I'm happy we got comfortable accomodations, especially as it's comfortably warm.
On our way north we stopped in Sylfren, so the three sisters could have some time with their mother. I have to say the trip being uneventful was a welcome relief from the adrenalin rushing charging we've had to endure in the past few days.
I must admit that the chances of completing my pilgrimage have gone to the near impossible. I have taken up a path which will allow me to spread Berronar's teachings, and I must now follow it to it's end. I spent a lot of time in Marshport at their rather small hospital, helping to heal those that require it while some of the others were gathering information. In the evenings I was filled in on what information had been gathered; hearing about the evil that was happening to the north across the mountains, about the legend of Angerplea and the Black Cry which could possibly be related to our quest to find out what had happened to the elves.
But although we gathered information, we got no further regarding to where we should go next. I decided to ask guidance from Beronnar. I received a sign, pointing me to the north. I feel the events across the Whitecap mountain range is where my presence will be required. But after having talked to the Major of Marschport, he talked about increased goblin activity in Nirnwood to the north and how it could pause increasing concern to travelers to Marshport. I was convinced by Tyrion and Sariel that clearing this issue could possibly save lives and shouldn't require that long, compared to the time it would take to travel to the Nantir Vale.
Traveling to the Nirnwood forest, we found the weather fighting against us. The cold biting through our thick winter clothing. We met a band of brigands that were easily defeated. They seemed more like misplaced souls than brigands after we had a talk to them. They had found a map of a supposed 'treasure' cove. We decided to see if we could find this location with the help of the brigands. Arriving at their camp we found it had been attacked, most of their materials and supplies looted. We followed the tracks, reaching a group of frost goblins. We managed to dispatch all but the leader who managed to flee dispite Tyrion's efforts.
We finally found the location of the map within a cave system. A solid metal slab with engravings into them saying 'death awaits you', curiosity having taken the better of us we went to investigate. This lead us into a rather diabolical system of traps, which unfortunatly, Streisan beared the brunt of their trickery. Getting dumped into filth, burned on several occasions. I did my best to protect her but the nature of the traps made this very difficult, I am thankful though she managed to survive the ordeal. The final trap was a dragon, very well crafted as it seemed a dragon from the front, although there were some quirks which tipped us off it actually wasn't. But as soon as Streisan and Tyrion managed to get behind the dragon it was clear that it was mechanical. They disabeled the dragon and we found a goblin, rather well dressed, unfortunalty without a tongue. Later we found the culprit of the trap systems, which ended up being a gnome (although we can't confirm this) who through a failed experiment ended up as a weapon able to change it's size, shape. Having a chat with him, and apologising for having invaded his home, we managed to convince him to give us accomodations while we searched for goblin threats in the region. I also managed to convince him to lend me the Draconomicon, although at this time I am unsure if I will be able to decipher it as it seems far more complex then I originally believed.
We are still going to be searching for more traces of the goblins in the area, but for now I'm happy we got comfortable accomodations, especially as it's comfortably warm.
The Ice, the Fire and the Gnome
Getting an employment
The mayor of Marshport was impressed to see a group of Relkingham rangers offering their services. He told us there had been some complaints of Goblin raids in the north-eastern farms and roads and that he would reward us if we could do something about it.
Having nothing better to do, we did some preparations for the journey. As it will be seen, it was not enough, but everybody else was so frantic about leaving the city that they did not allow me to spend a little bit more time preparing; a pity, as I was really enjoying the scholastic atmosphere of Marshport's library.
There are two kinds of adventurers: those that rush to action and those that fill their bag of holding with useful stuff.
The Ice...
We spent the following days freezing in various meadows, hills, forests and gullies of Marshport's countryside. Even though we were well prepared for the cold, the winter was being specially harsh and the wind and snow was our constant companion.
After some days of exploring and tracking, we met a group of Elves! They acted very suspiciously and after some "talk" they were forced to give up their fishy attitude...- Streisan calls it surrendering. They had bought a map which, according to them, pointed to a treasure. When we accompanied them to their camp, we discovered it had been robbed by a group of Goblins, who we promptly tracked, battled and soundly defeated. Only the goblin boss avoided our wrath.
With nothing better to do -apart from freezing-, and not knowing for sure whether the Goblin menace was vanquished, we followed the map instructions. The map led us to a cavern complex which we navigated with great spelunking skill, to arrive to a strange-looking black plate with the words "Death awaits those who enter here" or some crappy scary phrase like that.
There are two kinds of spelunkers: those that know when to turn back, and those that don't...
Brave adventurers as we are, we disregarded the warning and tried to open the obvious door. Unexperienced as we were, it took us some hours to figure out that we only needed to push the plate.
...the Fire...
The plate was some kind of doormat, cleverly set in rails that allowed it to rotate and show different phrases "Welcome", "I'm not at home", "Trespassers will be Incinerated", "Death Awaits Intruders" and such... the smell of treasure and hidden knowledge attracted us, like Kobolds are to adventurer's swords.
Anyway, to describe it quickly, in another great show of recklessness and thoughtlessness, Streisan managed to fall in every single trap of what we considered a tomb seemed to contain, even when she was not leading the way: she got dumped into a pit of filth, burnt, crushed and more, all of which she endured with her usual stoicism and good humour (this is obviously a joke, dear diary).
There are two kinds of elves. Those that jump on the pit and those that hover over it.
After some time wandering the tunnels we came face to face with what looked like an enormous wyrm of legendary power. After some time observing the wyrm, we realised it had to be some kind of mechanical contratption, and Tyrion and Streisan could finally show their best skills and did what they are best at: destroy the machine-dragon.
...and the Gnome
It turned out that what we though was a Tomb full of treasures was the household of a gnome artisan called Aygon, fond of traps, mechanical devices and stupid jokes. And what is more, someone or something had turned him into a weapon! So he could not leave his house and had a mute Goblin servant that helped him go to the loo and read him bedside stories.
Anyway, the Gnome's house was warm, full of intelligent games, nice wine and better books, so we decided to stay and talk with him. He constantly demanded jokes from us, and though we all tried, I must say Tyrion's were the best -must have something to do with him being a Hummy and all.
In exchange of letting us stay and sleep at his home, Aygon requested our help to contact an artisan friend of his that lives between Marshport and Fort Eyrie, so that he would come and repair the dragon.
Well, and that's all for the moment; I'll start reading a couple of books I borrowed from Aygon before going to bed.
Tomorrow we'll try to find more Goblin tracks. We are going to give it a couple more days before going back to Marshport... I must not forget to put some mining stuff in the Bag of Holding, I think it would be useful.
Scientific Notes
Not that it's really my area of expertise, but I found Aygon's traps amusing and clever thought, so I asked him to sketch them for the group. I don't think anything I saw in Aygon's home can really help me with my Ecology book, although we found some interesting beetles in the cellars... bugs are great in Ecology books!
The mayor of Marshport was impressed to see a group of Relkingham rangers offering their services. He told us there had been some complaints of Goblin raids in the north-eastern farms and roads and that he would reward us if we could do something about it.
Having nothing better to do, we did some preparations for the journey. As it will be seen, it was not enough, but everybody else was so frantic about leaving the city that they did not allow me to spend a little bit more time preparing; a pity, as I was really enjoying the scholastic atmosphere of Marshport's library.
There are two kinds of adventurers: those that rush to action and those that fill their bag of holding with useful stuff.
The Ice...
We spent the following days freezing in various meadows, hills, forests and gullies of Marshport's countryside. Even though we were well prepared for the cold, the winter was being specially harsh and the wind and snow was our constant companion.
After some days of exploring and tracking, we met a group of Elves! They acted very suspiciously and after some "talk" they were forced to give up their fishy attitude...- Streisan calls it surrendering. They had bought a map which, according to them, pointed to a treasure. When we accompanied them to their camp, we discovered it had been robbed by a group of Goblins, who we promptly tracked, battled and soundly defeated. Only the goblin boss avoided our wrath.
With nothing better to do -apart from freezing-, and not knowing for sure whether the Goblin menace was vanquished, we followed the map instructions. The map led us to a cavern complex which we navigated with great spelunking skill, to arrive to a strange-looking black plate with the words "Death awaits those who enter here" or some crappy scary phrase like that.
There are two kinds of spelunkers: those that know when to turn back, and those that don't...
Brave adventurers as we are, we disregarded the warning and tried to open the obvious door. Unexperienced as we were, it took us some hours to figure out that we only needed to push the plate.
...the Fire...
The plate was some kind of doormat, cleverly set in rails that allowed it to rotate and show different phrases "Welcome", "I'm not at home", "Trespassers will be Incinerated", "Death Awaits Intruders" and such... the smell of treasure and hidden knowledge attracted us, like Kobolds are to adventurer's swords.
Anyway, to describe it quickly, in another great show of recklessness and thoughtlessness, Streisan managed to fall in every single trap of what we considered a tomb seemed to contain, even when she was not leading the way: she got dumped into a pit of filth, burnt, crushed and more, all of which she endured with her usual stoicism and good humour (this is obviously a joke, dear diary).
There are two kinds of elves. Those that jump on the pit and those that hover over it.
After some time wandering the tunnels we came face to face with what looked like an enormous wyrm of legendary power. After some time observing the wyrm, we realised it had to be some kind of mechanical contratption, and Tyrion and Streisan could finally show their best skills and did what they are best at: destroy the machine-dragon.
...and the Gnome
It turned out that what we though was a Tomb full of treasures was the household of a gnome artisan called Aygon, fond of traps, mechanical devices and stupid jokes. And what is more, someone or something had turned him into a weapon! So he could not leave his house and had a mute Goblin servant that helped him go to the loo and read him bedside stories.
Anyway, the Gnome's house was warm, full of intelligent games, nice wine and better books, so we decided to stay and talk with him. He constantly demanded jokes from us, and though we all tried, I must say Tyrion's were the best -must have something to do with him being a Hummy and all.
In exchange of letting us stay and sleep at his home, Aygon requested our help to contact an artisan friend of his that lives between Marshport and Fort Eyrie, so that he would come and repair the dragon.
Well, and that's all for the moment; I'll start reading a couple of books I borrowed from Aygon before going to bed.
Tomorrow we'll try to find more Goblin tracks. We are going to give it a couple more days before going back to Marshport... I must not forget to put some mining stuff in the Bag of Holding, I think it would be useful.
Scientific Notes
Not that it's really my area of expertise, but I found Aygon's traps amusing and clever thought, so I asked him to sketch them for the group. I don't think anything I saw in Aygon's home can really help me with my Ecology book, although we found some interesting beetles in the cellars... bugs are great in Ecology books!
Cranks, levers and wheels
For most of the time in Marshport, we went around the city trying to get information about the missing ship. Although we learned some interesting things, the trail was cold. All our information came from before the attack on our village, and not from after. They could be anywhere.
We learned from the major of the town that the north of the Whitecap Wall was under attack from evil beings and that there had been some raids on the merchants on the road to Marshport. He asked us to go investigate a little. We decided to go as it seemed that all kinds of evil were coming from that direction, even the foul weather.
The investigation was very interesting, we discovered some goblin clans and, helped by a group of elven treasure hunters, we got rid of most of them. However, their leader was very fast and it escaped before we could catch him.
While we were following his tracks, we found a cave that, after some exploration, gave us access to the most annoying place I have ever seen.
It was the household of a gnome artisan, fond of traps, mechanisms and stupid jokes.
We pushed into the corridors, piqued by curiosity and found trap after trap after trap, each more painful and humiliating than the one before.
I fell into all of them, sometimes repeatedly.
I got burnt, crushed and even sunk into a pit of filth. I was angry beyond measure, I even had to stand the jokes of my sisters, while I was going first and falling into yet another trap. How unfair can the world be?
The final joke was a stupid mechanical dragon that was so well made that it took us some minutes before realizing it was fake.
Me and Tyrion ran behind it and we destroyed the machine, giving us access to the living quarters of the gnome.
He (or it, he was a gnome trapped into a shape shifting weapon, of all things) gave us some information, proved he could be at least as talkative as my sisters and tested Tyrion's love for gaming (which I'm starting to find interesting too).
I left the gnome's cave with some lessons well learnt:
- Sometimes, your eyes can deceive you. Even a dragon can be copied.
- Gnomes are pricks, especially when they are intelligent and get bored.
- Next time we find traps, Adolfiel will go first.
We learned from the major of the town that the north of the Whitecap Wall was under attack from evil beings and that there had been some raids on the merchants on the road to Marshport. He asked us to go investigate a little. We decided to go as it seemed that all kinds of evil were coming from that direction, even the foul weather.
The investigation was very interesting, we discovered some goblin clans and, helped by a group of elven treasure hunters, we got rid of most of them. However, their leader was very fast and it escaped before we could catch him.
While we were following his tracks, we found a cave that, after some exploration, gave us access to the most annoying place I have ever seen.
It was the household of a gnome artisan, fond of traps, mechanisms and stupid jokes.
We pushed into the corridors, piqued by curiosity and found trap after trap after trap, each more painful and humiliating than the one before.
I fell into all of them, sometimes repeatedly.
I got burnt, crushed and even sunk into a pit of filth. I was angry beyond measure, I even had to stand the jokes of my sisters, while I was going first and falling into yet another trap. How unfair can the world be?
The final joke was a stupid mechanical dragon that was so well made that it took us some minutes before realizing it was fake.
Me and Tyrion ran behind it and we destroyed the machine, giving us access to the living quarters of the gnome.
He (or it, he was a gnome trapped into a shape shifting weapon, of all things) gave us some information, proved he could be at least as talkative as my sisters and tested Tyrion's love for gaming (which I'm starting to find interesting too).
I left the gnome's cave with some lessons well learnt:
- Sometimes, your eyes can deceive you. Even a dragon can be copied.
- Gnomes are pricks, especially when they are intelligent and get bored.
- Next time we find traps, Adolfiel will go first.
Am I not an elf and a brother?
Today we have had a tough day in the forest. The wind is pretty cold and the snow does not let us keep the speed we would like to. At one point, we have found the tracks of a big group of goblins (at last!). We were tracking the goblins, when suddenly, a voice comes out of some trees: two elves were blocking our way. They seemed quite nervous and hostile. At first I was happy to see two elves (I do not like the nasty smell of humans), but their aggresivity was growing fast. Some seconds afterwards, a group of elven archers was surrounding us. All of them were very nervous and did not believe we were hunting the goblins. It was pretty obvious they had somthing to hide...
The fight was fast. These archers were not very brave and after we hit their chieftain a bit hard, they decided to surrender. At this moment I realized their commander was hiding some kind of document from us so, with all my diplomacy and tenderness I took it from him. It was some kind of map, but I could not recognize the area. The elves had not heard anything of any goblins and they were very hostile to us... and they wanted to hide the map. What could that be? We told them to take us to their camp. They might have something we could find useful (food, equipment or even information they might drop in our way to the camp). However, by the time we got there, the camp had been obviously attacked and plundered. Someone (the goblins?) had taken everything and burnt the tents. However, in their escape, they have not bothered erasing their track.
We rushed after the raiders until we found them. They were very strange creatures (it is the first time I have ever seen a blue goblin!!) that were carrying all the goods of the elves. We attacked them and managed to take all the food back, but the goblin commander managed to scape.
After the fight, the elves finally believed that we were tracking the goblins and, in their conversation, they suggested that the map was leading them to a treasure (damn, no "X" showing the place in the map; anyway, we should have known) and offered us to join them in a 50% - 50% basis. After a tough negotiation, we agreed on a 70% - 30% of the treasure (yes, I know, we can also be terribly convincing if we try). Tomorrow we will go on looking for the treasure (and the goblins' liar) if this stupid snow does not kill us first.
The fight was fast. These archers were not very brave and after we hit their chieftain a bit hard, they decided to surrender. At this moment I realized their commander was hiding some kind of document from us so, with all my diplomacy and tenderness I took it from him. It was some kind of map, but I could not recognize the area. The elves had not heard anything of any goblins and they were very hostile to us... and they wanted to hide the map. What could that be? We told them to take us to their camp. They might have something we could find useful (food, equipment or even information they might drop in our way to the camp). However, by the time we got there, the camp had been obviously attacked and plundered. Someone (the goblins?) had taken everything and burnt the tents. However, in their escape, they have not bothered erasing their track.
We rushed after the raiders until we found them. They were very strange creatures (it is the first time I have ever seen a blue goblin!!) that were carrying all the goods of the elves. We attacked them and managed to take all the food back, but the goblin commander managed to scape.
After the fight, the elves finally believed that we were tracking the goblins and, in their conversation, they suggested that the map was leading them to a treasure (damn, no "X" showing the place in the map; anyway, we should have known) and offered us to join them in a 50% - 50% basis. After a tough negotiation, we agreed on a 70% - 30% of the treasure (yes, I know, we can also be terribly convincing if we try). Tomorrow we will go on looking for the treasure (and the goblins' liar) if this stupid snow does not kill us first.
Boredom in Marshport
We have been in Marshport for quite a long time and we are making little progress (if any) in our investigation. Vistra is devoting herself to healing the poor, while Sariel, Streisan, Tyrion and myself try to look for more information about the pirates that raided out town. We have asked the sailors and businessmen in town about the ship and we have heard nothing but fairy tales: some people say it is a ghost ship, others say it is cursed, some others that the captain is a daemon or something like that. Blah, blah, blah. Nothing useful. Our stay at Marshport is not only sterile in terms of information: these stupid humans are corrupting us. Tyrion has spent a small fortune gambling and my own sister Streisan has started also taking this stupid and dangerous activity. Tyrion was even interested in a greedy, lustful human female and Streisan and me had to free him from her lecherous arms (in his defense I have to admit she was really good looking). At the begining he protested a bit but I am sure he will be grateful to us one day.
To avoid all the vice present in human cities, we have decided to visit the Mayor of Marshport and, even if he had no useful information about the raiders, we offered him our services. Perhaps the town had some trouble we could fix, while we keep ourselves busy for some days and earn some money to go on in our quest. He mentioned some unimportant goblin raids coming from the north. Apparently, some farmers and travellers had been attacked by these goblins in the area close to the mountains.
So, we prepared our expedition. It was winter already (a pretty cold one, at least for a delicate lady of the forests as me), so we took all the things we needed for a journey of some days through the snow. While crossing the gate out of Marshport, I was happy again: back to the beauty of Nature, to the forests... and out of this ugly, noisy, dirty and boring city of Marshport. Hurrah!
To avoid all the vice present in human cities, we have decided to visit the Mayor of Marshport and, even if he had no useful information about the raiders, we offered him our services. Perhaps the town had some trouble we could fix, while we keep ourselves busy for some days and earn some money to go on in our quest. He mentioned some unimportant goblin raids coming from the north. Apparently, some farmers and travellers had been attacked by these goblins in the area close to the mountains.
So, we prepared our expedition. It was winter already (a pretty cold one, at least for a delicate lady of the forests as me), so we took all the things we needed for a journey of some days through the snow. While crossing the gate out of Marshport, I was happy again: back to the beauty of Nature, to the forests... and out of this ugly, noisy, dirty and boring city of Marshport. Hurrah!
Private Investigations
We only stayed two more days in Relkingham, enough to say farewell to Ghesh in a moving funeral, and to receive the gratitude of the whole city and the Caliph, as our quick action and sacrifices had saved Delornen from a terrible fate at the hands of the Vecna cultists.
We are now members of the famous Rangers of Relkingham! Although it won't heal the loss of the Paladin, I hope such an honour will help Streisan overcome her grief.
The Rangers also told us that some strange ships had been seen in the north, near Marshport. As we also had to deliver a letter to an elf in Sylfren, we thought our best bet would be travelling to the north. I was also delighted by the prospect of visiting a real town, with a real library full of interesting books, as I wanted to get the sad emotions of Ghesh's death out of my mind.
At Sylfren
After an uneventful journey of several days, we arrived at Sylfren, where we gave the letter to the elf Luboc and visited mama.
Mama was doing great and was happy to hear that we had survived the ordeal at Delornen. As things are going quite well financially, I felt obliged to give her some money to support her in this difficult times, before she is able to come back to Leavendale. I was very proud to see my sisters offering her part of the reward we received in Relkingham... Sisters' Power!
Luboc was a shoemaker and, although not particularly gifted, some of his craft caught my attention and I decided to invest part of my money in a beautiful pair of purple and green shoes. They'll fit greatly with a robe I saw in Fallcrest in my Academy days, and I hope I'll be able to glitter as much as possible the next time I visit the Academy there.
Marshport
The trip to Marshport was also uneventful. Marshport turned to be a busy medium sized town, and the weather was amazingly cold and windy. I immediately went to the main Library; as I have now some money, I paid my yearly fee to the Guild of Adventuresome Alchemists and Wizards. The fee will allow me to get free access to many libraries around the north and will make it easier to obtain components for magical rituals, I hope.
I discovered lots of interesting books and I immediately turned my attention to one about the classical art of Magic and another introductory treatise to Alchemy.
In the meantime, Streisan, Adolfiel and Tyrion searched for rumours that could lead us to the raiders that had attacked Leavendale. Ioun always preaches that real information can only be found in the towers and libraries of the sages and, as I feared, they did not find much information in the lowly dens of iniquity they visited.
Although their attitude as information seekers is commendable, I am afraid that Tyrion is leading both of my sisters to a life of gambling and lowly acquaintances. I will have to start looking for some intelligent and interesting catch for them, but with their limited capabilities of conversation, I am sure it will be a big problem.
The Black Cry and the ghost captain Angerplea
After several days of gambling and drinking, they managed to hear some rumours about a legendary ship named the Black Cry and its captain Angerplea. Some said the ship had been seen sailing north, some said it had been seen sailing south, and others said the whole thing was just a legend.
I also lost one full research day in Marshport's library, but could not dig any new information about the ghost ship.
Without knowing well how to proceed (Vistra told us her god was indicating her to move northwards, while Tyrion's sixth sense indicated him to move southwards), we decided to try our luck with Marshport's mayor... maybe chance would point us the right way...
We are now members of the famous Rangers of Relkingham! Although it won't heal the loss of the Paladin, I hope such an honour will help Streisan overcome her grief.
The Rangers also told us that some strange ships had been seen in the north, near Marshport. As we also had to deliver a letter to an elf in Sylfren, we thought our best bet would be travelling to the north. I was also delighted by the prospect of visiting a real town, with a real library full of interesting books, as I wanted to get the sad emotions of Ghesh's death out of my mind.
At Sylfren
After an uneventful journey of several days, we arrived at Sylfren, where we gave the letter to the elf Luboc and visited mama.
Mama was doing great and was happy to hear that we had survived the ordeal at Delornen. As things are going quite well financially, I felt obliged to give her some money to support her in this difficult times, before she is able to come back to Leavendale. I was very proud to see my sisters offering her part of the reward we received in Relkingham... Sisters' Power!
Luboc was a shoemaker and, although not particularly gifted, some of his craft caught my attention and I decided to invest part of my money in a beautiful pair of purple and green shoes. They'll fit greatly with a robe I saw in Fallcrest in my Academy days, and I hope I'll be able to glitter as much as possible the next time I visit the Academy there.
Marshport
The trip to Marshport was also uneventful. Marshport turned to be a busy medium sized town, and the weather was amazingly cold and windy. I immediately went to the main Library; as I have now some money, I paid my yearly fee to the Guild of Adventuresome Alchemists and Wizards. The fee will allow me to get free access to many libraries around the north and will make it easier to obtain components for magical rituals, I hope.
I discovered lots of interesting books and I immediately turned my attention to one about the classical art of Magic and another introductory treatise to Alchemy.
In the meantime, Streisan, Adolfiel and Tyrion searched for rumours that could lead us to the raiders that had attacked Leavendale. Ioun always preaches that real information can only be found in the towers and libraries of the sages and, as I feared, they did not find much information in the lowly dens of iniquity they visited.
Although their attitude as information seekers is commendable, I am afraid that Tyrion is leading both of my sisters to a life of gambling and lowly acquaintances. I will have to start looking for some intelligent and interesting catch for them, but with their limited capabilities of conversation, I am sure it will be a big problem.
The Black Cry and the ghost captain Angerplea
After several days of gambling and drinking, they managed to hear some rumours about a legendary ship named the Black Cry and its captain Angerplea. Some said the ship had been seen sailing north, some said it had been seen sailing south, and others said the whole thing was just a legend.
I also lost one full research day in Marshport's library, but could not dig any new information about the ghost ship.
Without knowing well how to proceed (Vistra told us her god was indicating her to move northwards, while Tyrion's sixth sense indicated him to move southwards), we decided to try our luck with Marshport's mayor... maybe chance would point us the right way...
Marshport
Today we have reached the city of Marshport. I do not like human cities. They are noisy, dirty and ugly. Today, we have been looking for some information regarding the raiding ship that attacked Leavendale. In the harbour and in the taberns they know that the ship was anchored in the bay, but it did not go into the port. We have found no useful information, except for the colour of the sails (brown). These humans are not very perceptive!
By the way, life in the city is terribly expensive. I hope we do not have to stay here for too long. Sariel has tried earning some money with some magical tricks, but with limited success. I think next time we should clap like real fans rather than booing her as Streisan and me did: perhaps we can get more money from the public that way.
By the way, life in the city is terribly expensive. I hope we do not have to stay here for too long. Sariel has tried earning some money with some magical tricks, but with limited success. I think next time we should clap like real fans rather than booing her as Streisan and me did: perhaps we can get more money from the public that way.
Return back home
After the big battle in Relkingham, we heard some rumours regarding the raiders that had attacked our town. Apparently some travelers had seen a similar ship in the northern city of Marshport. So, without delay, we have decided to go to this city. Fortunately, our town is in the way to Marshport, so we have stopped there to see how things are going after the attack. Gradually life is coming back to the town, but the wounds opened with the raid will take a long time to heal.
We have also visited Mum in Sylfre. She looked very happy to see us. We checked she was ok. After dinner, while I was helping her with the washing-up, I have asked her if she was worried for the future; we are not there now, she has to live in town (which is far more expensive than the life in the forest)... when we started talking she was with that typical "I'll be ok, darling" attitude of hers, but then, when I have offered her some money to help her, she has looked at the coins and then at me. Finally, she has kept the coins in her pocket. I know it's weird, but I have the feeling she was a bit disappointed.
We have also visited Mum in Sylfre. She looked very happy to see us. We checked she was ok. After dinner, while I was helping her with the washing-up, I have asked her if she was worried for the future; we are not there now, she has to live in town (which is far more expensive than the life in the forest)... when we started talking she was with that typical "I'll be ok, darling" attitude of hers, but then, when I have offered her some money to help her, she has looked at the coins and then at me. Finally, she has kept the coins in her pocket. I know it's weird, but I have the feeling she was a bit disappointed.
Pieces of the puzzle
After the battle at Relkingham, the group got some information about our lost friends. The ship that we had seen attacking our village seemed to have stopped in a harbour called Marshport, at some days riding distance.
We left Relkingham with a new member of our party, one young Relkingham ranger who asked to come with us to the north. He has not talked much yet, maybe he's shy... or maybe he would talk if my two sisters would ever stop. Sometimes even the dwarf priest looks exhausted with their chattering.
The trip to Sylfren was blissfully boring. No wild animals, no undead, just the landscape and some time to think about Gesh.
We passed through our home in Leavendale and verified that everything was safe. The village is getting back to life, but many people are missing and families have been broken. They were happy to see us, but we did not have the news they wanted to hear. We went on to Sylfren, where we found mum. She was doing fine, although she was getting tired of depending on our relatives' hospitality. I was happy to be able to help her and with the money from the three of us, she will have no problem for the time being.
After the others had gone to bed, I had the chance to have a long conversation with mum. She had seen inmediately that something was wrong and was waiting for me.
I told her everything, how I had felt the first days, the places we had visited and how my mistakes had taken me to Relkingham that day. I told her that I did not know what to do, how gilty I felt and that I was afraid of going on and hurting one of my sisters (if I ever hurt one of them, I want it to be because of MY decision, and because not some evil priest's spell).
She listened to me quietly and after I had finished she told me a story about our family.
One day as we were playing in the yard, something terrible had happened. The three of us were fighting as usual while mum was in the house and not really paying too much attention. As always, Sariel tried to boss us around because she was the oldest, and as always, we did not want to do what she wanted. However, this time Adolfiel and me decided to join together to fight against her and started beating her. She grew really afraid, felt cornered and helpless. Out of panic, she yelled and streched her arms. A blue bolt of energy rose from her fingers and struck Adolfiel, leaving her on the ground motionless.
It took some days to heal Adolfiel, but since that day she has that strange tic in the face that makes her so unpopular with boys.
The family learned that day that Sariel had a talent for magic, that she did not know how to control it and that we could be dangerous to each other, specially Sariel.
That night, it was decided that Sariel would leave us, go to the north to study magic and learn how to control her powers. The family broke apart.
I did not understand why mum was telling me this story, I knew it already.
She explained to me that for many years she had felt gilty for what had happened. She should have been there to stop us. She had felt like as she had lost a daughter because of her mistake that day, until Sariel returned. And she had finally realized that the losses of the past had bought happiness later.
She said that Gesh's death was a tragedy and that it was good that I was sad about it. But she said that I had to accept the responsibility of my acts and make sure that it never, never happened again. But I had to go on. I did not have the right to stop or act depressed, our enslaved townsfolk and my sisters needed me.
That night I did not sleep, I stayed up thinking. Mum's words did not help me feel less guilty. What she wanted me to do was to accept my mistakes and go on.
I would do it.
For the moment.
We left Relkingham with a new member of our party, one young Relkingham ranger who asked to come with us to the north. He has not talked much yet, maybe he's shy... or maybe he would talk if my two sisters would ever stop. Sometimes even the dwarf priest looks exhausted with their chattering.
The trip to Sylfren was blissfully boring. No wild animals, no undead, just the landscape and some time to think about Gesh.
We passed through our home in Leavendale and verified that everything was safe. The village is getting back to life, but many people are missing and families have been broken. They were happy to see us, but we did not have the news they wanted to hear. We went on to Sylfren, where we found mum. She was doing fine, although she was getting tired of depending on our relatives' hospitality. I was happy to be able to help her and with the money from the three of us, she will have no problem for the time being.
After the others had gone to bed, I had the chance to have a long conversation with mum. She had seen inmediately that something was wrong and was waiting for me.
I told her everything, how I had felt the first days, the places we had visited and how my mistakes had taken me to Relkingham that day. I told her that I did not know what to do, how gilty I felt and that I was afraid of going on and hurting one of my sisters (if I ever hurt one of them, I want it to be because of MY decision, and because not some evil priest's spell).
She listened to me quietly and after I had finished she told me a story about our family.
One day as we were playing in the yard, something terrible had happened. The three of us were fighting as usual while mum was in the house and not really paying too much attention. As always, Sariel tried to boss us around because she was the oldest, and as always, we did not want to do what she wanted. However, this time Adolfiel and me decided to join together to fight against her and started beating her. She grew really afraid, felt cornered and helpless. Out of panic, she yelled and streched her arms. A blue bolt of energy rose from her fingers and struck Adolfiel, leaving her on the ground motionless.
It took some days to heal Adolfiel, but since that day she has that strange tic in the face that makes her so unpopular with boys.
The family learned that day that Sariel had a talent for magic, that she did not know how to control it and that we could be dangerous to each other, specially Sariel.
That night, it was decided that Sariel would leave us, go to the north to study magic and learn how to control her powers. The family broke apart.
I did not understand why mum was telling me this story, I knew it already.
She explained to me that for many years she had felt gilty for what had happened. She should have been there to stop us. She had felt like as she had lost a daughter because of her mistake that day, until Sariel returned. And she had finally realized that the losses of the past had bought happiness later.
She said that Gesh's death was a tragedy and that it was good that I was sad about it. But she said that I had to accept the responsibility of my acts and make sure that it never, never happened again. But I had to go on. I did not have the right to stop or act depressed, our enslaved townsfolk and my sisters needed me.
That night I did not sleep, I stayed up thinking. Mum's words did not help me feel less guilty. What she wanted me to do was to accept my mistakes and go on.
I would do it.
For the moment.
The eye of the cyclone
These are dire times for our group.
After finding that the treacherous Vizier left for Relkingham, the group was left undecided. I managed to make it accept the race against time, and against all odds, to catch the Vizier before more evil doings. I am afraid none of us was prepared to fight undead atrocities as well as realising that there are things more dreadful than death itself.
I am happy to report that through sheer determination and willpower, and despite tiredness and doubt, we reached Relkingham well ahead of our best hopes...so well that we could prevent the Vizier to reach his goal.
We managed to enter the temple, through riots, undead and junkies. We had to fight against the mightiest paladin I ever saw, and in his death he took with him a truthful paladin of Erathis, Nietche. I think that none of us realised the corruption the were facing, if it could turn a paladin out of its loyal path.
But duty was calling, and true to our beliefs, we rushed in the temple fo find the Vizier bathed in the wickedness of Vecna, surrounded by undead and ready to battle. We finaly ended this madness, but in doing so, the group lost its innocence. Streisan killed Ghesh while being dominated by the Vizier.
I realise now, that even if I am surrounded by elves and dwarf, they are still children and life had still spared them. How can I explain to them that worse things can always come. That they should enjoy joy and happiness when it occurs because these memories will help them sweep away the sorrow of dire days? They are children, and that is a chance for me to lead them to adulthood.
I hope that Streisan will realise that she was not in the control of an evil priest to reach a despicable goal, but that she was guided by Erathis himself to prevent the desecration of one of his most faithful servant by being turned into Undead. I want to believe that. Because it is easier, because it is better, and because it is the only way to realise the awful truth of life: No matter what happen, you must go on. Because life does not wait for you.
I do not know whether I am a good example for them. I am enjoying everything that life throws at me to protect myself of the evil lurking in the shadows. I like to gamble, I like companionship and love, where and whenever I can find them. It sometimes look like selfishness or carelessness, but I do not want regret or sorrow when I die, and I wish everybody to feel the same way.
We nearly lost our lives in a mad gnome dungeon, and the way Streisan was throwing herself to the danger, makes me fear for her life. But I hope that she will remember that he has a greater goal that died by carelessness or grief...that hundreds of people, of her people, awaits for freedom and her dying will just destroy their hopes.
Courage my children, because worse an better thing will always happen tomorrow.
After finding that the treacherous Vizier left for Relkingham, the group was left undecided. I managed to make it accept the race against time, and against all odds, to catch the Vizier before more evil doings. I am afraid none of us was prepared to fight undead atrocities as well as realising that there are things more dreadful than death itself.
I am happy to report that through sheer determination and willpower, and despite tiredness and doubt, we reached Relkingham well ahead of our best hopes...so well that we could prevent the Vizier to reach his goal.
We managed to enter the temple, through riots, undead and junkies. We had to fight against the mightiest paladin I ever saw, and in his death he took with him a truthful paladin of Erathis, Nietche. I think that none of us realised the corruption the were facing, if it could turn a paladin out of its loyal path.
But duty was calling, and true to our beliefs, we rushed in the temple fo find the Vizier bathed in the wickedness of Vecna, surrounded by undead and ready to battle. We finaly ended this madness, but in doing so, the group lost its innocence. Streisan killed Ghesh while being dominated by the Vizier.
I realise now, that even if I am surrounded by elves and dwarf, they are still children and life had still spared them. How can I explain to them that worse things can always come. That they should enjoy joy and happiness when it occurs because these memories will help them sweep away the sorrow of dire days? They are children, and that is a chance for me to lead them to adulthood.
I hope that Streisan will realise that she was not in the control of an evil priest to reach a despicable goal, but that she was guided by Erathis himself to prevent the desecration of one of his most faithful servant by being turned into Undead. I want to believe that. Because it is easier, because it is better, and because it is the only way to realise the awful truth of life: No matter what happen, you must go on. Because life does not wait for you.
I do not know whether I am a good example for them. I am enjoying everything that life throws at me to protect myself of the evil lurking in the shadows. I like to gamble, I like companionship and love, where and whenever I can find them. It sometimes look like selfishness or carelessness, but I do not want regret or sorrow when I die, and I wish everybody to feel the same way.
We nearly lost our lives in a mad gnome dungeon, and the way Streisan was throwing herself to the danger, makes me fear for her life. But I hope that she will remember that he has a greater goal that died by carelessness or grief...that hundreds of people, of her people, awaits for freedom and her dying will just destroy their hopes.
Courage my children, because worse an better thing will always happen tomorrow.
Session 6: The Marshport Blizzard
The search for the Leavendale raiders leads the party to Marshport in the hopes of finding new clues - but the trail isn't the only thing that's getting cold...
Bitter is the flavour of victory
Today has been a strange day, one of those days when you do not know if you should be exultant or miserable (and I am not talking about those special days of the month, but about key moments in life). However, as I normally tend to be positive, I would rather start telling you, Dear Diary, that I am writting these lines before going to sleep (I have not slept in the last day and a half and I am really exhausted).
Last night, after having buried the corpses we found in Hamona, we followed our journey to Relkingham. After some hours, already at dawn, we reached the city walls. At first sight, everything seemed pretty normal, except for the fact that some horses were walking free outside the city. When we reached the gate, we asked the guards if the High Priest had arrived to the city. Apparently, he had reached the harbour not so long ago. Perhaps we were still on time, but we had to act quickly.
We rushed to the Mayor and explained him the situation. When he knew the High Priest was not obeying the Queen's orders, he immediately helped us and some of his soldiers joined us in our fight. We all went to the Temple, hoping we could stop the Edict. However, a paladin of Erathis did not let us enter the sacred building. At that moment, we heard noise and cries and a riot started in the city. Apparently many of the citizes were missing their beloved seeds and wanted to have them. After solving the small problem of "ordre public" in town, we tried to break into the Temple. However, what we found there was not what we expected.
A paladin of Erathis, indeed one of the paladins that served the High Priest, was fighting with a small party of undead against us. Soon we understood the situation: the High Priest had betrayed the sacred order of Erathis and was now a follower of evil Vecna. He had even turned the Altar to Erathis into a huge flame of obscurity. When I was about to shoot him, he used his evil powers to throw me to the flame and keep me out of the fight. Although I was trying to get free, the flame was far too powerful. However, after some efforts (and maily thanks to the help of my companions) I managed to get rid of my prison and fight back... but the battle was not evolving as I expected: my sister Streisan suddenly turned and started charging our paladin (yes, the handsome dragonborn). She made him fall and then she killed him. I could not believe my eyes: what was she doing? After that she looked confused and dizzy, while the rest of us surrounded the High Priest and made him pay for his sins.
After the fight was over, I realized that the evil High Priest (now he did not look so "High", ugh?) had cursed my sister and was controlling her movements. She felt horribly for the dramatic result of our adventure and she could not feel relief even in the fact that we had freed a whole country from the slavery of Vecna's cultists.
Myself I had a strange feeling in my stomach. Of course I was sorry for our paladin, but when we got out of the Temple, the sun was shining, the city was free and joy was in everybody's faces. When I saw the Mayor, I could not help it: I went towards him and kissed him. At the begining he was confused but then he understood the battle was over. Then, the army of Relkingham, with whom we had fought against the cultists of Vecna, decided to consider us as Members of Honour of the Rangers of Relkingham.
So, that has been my day. While I am finishing today's report, I hear people sing and dance in the street, and Streisan cry silently in her bed. Life can be complicated.
Last night, after having buried the corpses we found in Hamona, we followed our journey to Relkingham. After some hours, already at dawn, we reached the city walls. At first sight, everything seemed pretty normal, except for the fact that some horses were walking free outside the city. When we reached the gate, we asked the guards if the High Priest had arrived to the city. Apparently, he had reached the harbour not so long ago. Perhaps we were still on time, but we had to act quickly.
We rushed to the Mayor and explained him the situation. When he knew the High Priest was not obeying the Queen's orders, he immediately helped us and some of his soldiers joined us in our fight. We all went to the Temple, hoping we could stop the Edict. However, a paladin of Erathis did not let us enter the sacred building. At that moment, we heard noise and cries and a riot started in the city. Apparently many of the citizes were missing their beloved seeds and wanted to have them. After solving the small problem of "ordre public" in town, we tried to break into the Temple. However, what we found there was not what we expected.
A paladin of Erathis, indeed one of the paladins that served the High Priest, was fighting with a small party of undead against us. Soon we understood the situation: the High Priest had betrayed the sacred order of Erathis and was now a follower of evil Vecna. He had even turned the Altar to Erathis into a huge flame of obscurity. When I was about to shoot him, he used his evil powers to throw me to the flame and keep me out of the fight. Although I was trying to get free, the flame was far too powerful. However, after some efforts (and maily thanks to the help of my companions) I managed to get rid of my prison and fight back... but the battle was not evolving as I expected: my sister Streisan suddenly turned and started charging our paladin (yes, the handsome dragonborn). She made him fall and then she killed him. I could not believe my eyes: what was she doing? After that she looked confused and dizzy, while the rest of us surrounded the High Priest and made him pay for his sins.
After the fight was over, I realized that the evil High Priest (now he did not look so "High", ugh?) had cursed my sister and was controlling her movements. She felt horribly for the dramatic result of our adventure and she could not feel relief even in the fact that we had freed a whole country from the slavery of Vecna's cultists.
Myself I had a strange feeling in my stomach. Of course I was sorry for our paladin, but when we got out of the Temple, the sun was shining, the city was free and joy was in everybody's faces. When I saw the Mayor, I could not help it: I went towards him and kissed him. At the begining he was confused but then he understood the battle was over. Then, the army of Relkingham, with whom we had fought against the cultists of Vecna, decided to consider us as Members of Honour of the Rangers of Relkingham.
So, that has been my day. While I am finishing today's report, I hear people sing and dance in the street, and Streisan cry silently in her bed. Life can be complicated.
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