DRAMATIS PERSONAE:
Skeef Hawkridge (Half Elf Druid 7/ Thief 6)
Goro (Half Orc Cleric 6 / Fighter 6)
Solcha (Elf Fighter 5 / Magic User 6)
Chanee (Human Paladin 4)
[Baqua Irontoes (Halfling Fighter 4 / Thief 4)]
Date/Time
Coldeven 23 (morning) to Planting 12 (mid-morning)
After weeks in Nevond Nevnend shopping, training and resting, the party is once more ready to head out on adventure. There is a general feeling that it was time for a change, to explore beyond the borders of Tenh and see more of Oerth. Skeef reminds them all of one entry in the tome "Of Fabolous Relics and Artifacts etc etc" which speak of Daoud’s Wondrous Lanthorn and Iggwilv’s lost treasures hidden in the Yatil Mountains to the West. Knowing some of the story of that Witch Queen of Perranland, his thief side longs to loot this famous lost treasure. And it look little to persuade his comrades, so on a rainy early spring day they party leaves Nevond Nevnend, traveling to the merchant city Redspan on the Artonsamay River, where they could find water passage south and west towards their destination.
Their first few days of travel were uneventful, until they reached the rolling downs to the south of the town of Stroun. There, they came upon a scene of recent battle on the slopes below a castle and village. Figures could be seen gathering up bodies and detritus from the fighting, and a dozen mounted warriors at the village edge watched the party approach. They hail the party and ride towards them, giving sign they mean no harm. The leader identifies himself as Caerwyller, Count Marshal to his liege-lord Count Oldvan of the Heithwald. The party learned from him that there had been an uprising again the Count led by a rebel Lord Darloch; what they see on the field is the fallen of the final battle. Having also learned something of the party, Caerwyller asked that they accompany him to see the Count, as he may have need of the party's service.
The Count Marshal leads the party up the slope to the castle, passing the peasants and men-at-arms gather bodies and debris from the battle field. Goro pauses occasionally to offer solace and gather info. He learns this Lord Darlock was a bit of a hot head, know to be a good man to stand in line of battle with you but prone to tempers and vengeance. He seems to have started this uprising because the Count had arrested Darloch's wife Maura on accusation of witchcraft and burned her at the stake. When they reach the castle, Count Oldvan confirms this story and the party gets no sense that he is being insincere. The Count further tells them that Darloch survived and fled the battle; scouts tracked him to the depths of the Gravemoor, a flooded fen of ancient Flann barrow mounds. His men are both tired and fearful of crossing Beory by hunting down Darloch amid tombs under the goddesses protection. Knowing the party's special 'skills', the Count asks that they hunt down the fugitive and bring him justice, either dead or alive. After some discussion, the party agrees, with Goro's orcish ears perking up at the mention of Darloch's powerful heirloom two-handed sword.
Count Oldvan provides a scout, Tayv, to lead them into the Gravemoor. They reach it late in the day; an unnaturally chill and misty bog with occasional broken barrows sinking into the muck. Their scout leads them into the mist, weaving from one dry patch of land to another. They camp for the night on a dry-ish hillock; strange lights appear in the twilight mists, but the party wisely ignores them. They continue their journey the next day, fighting off a wandering band of zombies before coming to the edge of a thick obscuring mist. Tayv points to the hill that rises in the distance above it, saying this is as far as he tracked Darloch. Their scout then retreats and leaves the party to their own devices.
Pushing through the mist, they come to the base of the hill. It is surrounded by a still black pool of water, some 40-60 yards across. The top of the hill is crowned by an old barrow. As they stand there discussing what to do, a sword wielding figure bursts out of the water and attacks. They see immediately this is Darloch, who lands (and takes) several mightily blows (and drains giant beaver Skeef's constitution) before diving back into the pool. Solcha follows, but Darloch has moves too fast and she can see no more than a foot through the dark murky water. After a futile search for a secret entrance at the base of the hill, they climb to the top (assisted by Skeef in the form of a giant eagle) and enter the tomb through a pair of broken stone slabs. The entrance chamber is lined in stone slabs with a dirt floor. Cobwebs hang thick from a vaulted ceiling, and the chamber is overlooked by carved gargoyle-like figures along the top of the walls. As Baqua and Skeef check out the door at the far end of the room, one of the figures flies down to attack and is quickly slain. The thieves certify the door as trap-free, and Gorro pushes it open ...
GAINS
None
KILLS/VICTORIES
7 zombies
1 lion-goyle
LOSSES
none
No comments:
Post a Comment