Session 126: "A chance meeting in the dark?" or "Is there a sailor on board?"

8th day of Firemoot 1492 

Mission:  To Cedarspoke.

Campaign: Find Karion's missing Father

Location(s): Dawn Trader.

Present: Anor, Aramil, Bandur, Karion, Paskan

8th:

Group are disturbed at evening meal by the ringing of a bell and the crew running up on deck. The group head up on deck as a strange ship comes into view out of the dark. Karion casts dark vision on Paskan.

As the two ships close the captain shouts out they will hit. Karion castes detect evil and shouts out there is a very strong aura of evil emanating from the ship.

Anor: "Captain ready 2 grapples we intend to investigate."

The Captain reluctantly obeyed and ordered his crew to grapple the ship. Only one grapple made it but the ships inevitably come closer together. 

Karion changes into owl form and fies to the rear mast and scans the deck....nothing.

Paskan jumps the rail and falls down an unseen ladder/steps onto the deck. Bandur calmly steps across the gangway onto the other ships deck. Whilst Aramil and Anor keep watch.

Aramil crosses over and stands looking down some stairs, Paskan, now on his feet, does the same. The air starts popping on their ship as Dwarves start appearing, heavily armed and armoured and attack the crew.

Bandur: "Duergar.....evil, b....rds, kill them all!" The crew are no match for the Duergar and Anor steps forward to engage.

Then it got worse as attentions were trained on their own ship more Duergar started appearing and attacking Bandur and Aramil. Karion flew down and changed back into Elf form, Paskan charged back onto the Dawn Trader and tried to save the outclassed crew.

The duergar had 2 attack doges, big vicious creatures one with a stinger tail. Bandur went down as his hand slipped on the rail as he tried to vault back  onto the Dawn Trader.

Captain Tobias threw his axe down and surrendered ordering his crew to do the same. The leader of the Duergar called out to the group to surrender or the crew would be killed, their answer was underlined when the lifeless body of Captain Tobias hit the deck.

Bandur fought prone, fending off attacks from the dog and a Duergar. Aramil was beset by a dog and a Duergar as Karion fought the 3rd Duergar. Anor was surrounded but was holding his own, barely.

Paskan, having dispatched 1 Duergar was now trying to assist the last crew member standing.

Bandur hurled himself to his feet and his blows forced the Duergar back eventually killing him with a few well placed blows.

KArion and Aramil fought as best they could but were taking wounds.

Paskan was not fighting 2 Duergar.

Bandur, seeing the danger both Paskan and Anor were in, ran as fast as his little legs could go and prepared to jump back over onto the Dawn Trader.

Aramil and Karion were struggling.

Paskan killed the 2 Duergar facing him and charged into the ones fighting Anor.

Karion heard the incantation and muttered to himself and prayed to Silvanus but the flames from Aramil's fireball seemed to pass over him without causing harm. 

Anor: "Bandur go help Karion and Aramil".

Bandur: "This way, that way, I'm going as fast as my legs will carry me!"

With a mighty roar Bandur charged back up the way he had come and with a mighty leap landed on the other ship as the Leader teleported off the Dawn Trader and appeared back on his own ship.

Bandur laid into the leader from behind, mighty swings of his axe biting deeply into the leader.

The leader fell dead to the floor.

Paskan and Anor killed the last Duergar on the Dawn Trader and ducked for the second time as the night sky was lit up by a 2nd fireball spell from Aramil.

The last fireball killed the Duergar dog and the last Duergar. Looking around they found that only one of the crew had survived and she was badly injured.

Aramil: "This ship is on fire. We have little time to look but I think we should. Bandur and Karion look below. I'll stand by the line and cut it if the fire is endangering the Dawn Trader. This ship is to far gone to save".

Karion and Bandur headed below, they returned a short while later with 2 chests and an arm full of paperwork.

Karion: "Found this in the rear cabin, no chance to look further."

They made their way back onto the Dawn Trader. Aramil remained on the other ship, he cut the grapple and used a spell to cross the 30ft gap safely. The other ship moved away burning fiercely.

Karion used a mass heal, Paskan used a healing spell to stabilise the remaining crew member.

Bandur: "Nicely done chaps, but I fear we are in need of a sailor......anyone know one?"

Anor: "I have some rudimentary knowledge, and I've been watching the crew. I'm sure I can get us to where we want to go. First though lets drop and anchor it will slow our drift down until we can see what's around us." 

Players Notes: 

(Assuming Aramil uses Identify ?)

Treasure gained:

6 suits of Duergar Plate Armour 

6 Duergar Shields

2 Duergar Scimitars +1/+1

2 Duregar War Picks +1/+1

2 Duergar Battle Axes +1/+1

3 Duergar necklaces (shows magical aura)

Chest 1:        9,842 copper pieces

                     4,574 silver pieces

                        272 gold pieces

                            1 Bag with 11 gemstones, rough value 350 gold pieces

Chest 2:         1 Black Velvet Mask (sold)

                       2 Carved, Bone Statues (sold)

                       3 Cloth, with gold design, vestments (sold)

                       2 Copper Chalices (sold)

                       2 Gold Lockets with painted pictures of a man and woman respectively (sold)

                       1 Pair of Bone Dice (show some magic aura)

                       1 Silver Ewer (sold)

                       2 Small Gold Bracelets (sold)

                       1 Druidic Scroll of Polymorph

                       1 Potion of Giant Strength

                       5 Potions of healing (2d4+2 each)

                       1 Swans Feather (shows a strong magical aura)

Amongst the paperwork a sealed letter. When opened it is written in Undercommon, which uses the Espruar Alphabet.....used extensively by traders and Moon Elves...

When translated it reads:

'My Lord and worthy ally. We have located the person you seek. He abides in the forest of Gulthmere. However he is not as he should be, he is transformed and lacks the ability to control his rages whence the conditions are right.

We have an agent in Cedarspoke who keeps watch, should the person you seek be captured and brought before the council, they will get word to us. Until this is confirmed our agent is powerless to intercede and regain the item you desire. The person has either hid the item or has it upon him.

I am sure our agreement still holds firm and payment will be forthcoming once the item is recovered and returned to House Jaelre.

Gorgan the Slaughterer.'

Experience Points up to and including session 126:

Money up to and including session 126: (Coin only from session 126 included)

 

Session 125: "A life on the ocean wave...." or "Bloody waiting is killing me!"

 9th day of Highsun to 8th day of Firemoot 1492 

Mission:  To Cedarspoke.

Campaign: Find Karion's missing Father

Location(s): Ashabenford, Hap, Harrowdale Town (New Valar), Dawn Trader.

Present: Anor, Aramil, Bandur, Karion, Paskan

9th to 12th:

Early that morning Anor, Karion and Paskan left Hap. They were told to keep as close to the forest edge as they could as the direct route to Harrowdale Town, now called New Valar, would take them over the haunted moors of the Cold Land. 2 Hours after leaving the air shimmered and Bandur and Aramil re-joined the group.

They arrived at Harrowdale just after midday on the 12th. Asking directions to the harbour they were given directions to the Port Administration Building.

They found out that only 1 ship made the run to Cedarspoke, it's captain, Captain Tobias Wishbone of the Dawn Trader.

13th to 26th:

The Dawn Trader docked on the 26th would depart on the 30th for Cedarspoke.

Summer Solstice:

Dawn Trader docks in Scardale to load/unload stores.

1st day of Firemoot:

Dawn Trader departs Scardale.

4th:

Arrives at Yhaunn, Sembia. Group told to stay out of sight.

5th:

Depart Yhaunn.

6th to 7th:

Sail sighted on the 7th, port horizon heading south ward.

8th:

Group are disturbed at evening meal by the ringing of a bell and the crew running up on deck. The group head up on deck as a strange ship comes into view out of the dark. Karon casts dark vision on Paskan.

Players Notes:

Experience - 

Money - 

Session 124: "I'd take a Bulette for you...." or "If only I'd dodged that Bulette!"

 30th day of Palesun to 8th day of Highsun 1492 

Mission:  In search of a ship.

Campaign: Find Karion's missing Father

Location(s): Abbey of the Golden Sheaf, Shattered Stone, Hap.

Present: Anor, Karion, Paskan

30th: 

The group decided to head for Harrowdale Town to find a ship that would take them to Cedar Spoke. They would travel via Shattered Stone and Hap. Perhaps they would even have time to seek out Inialos Oakwood, if she was still in that area.                                                           Both Aramil and Bandur remained at the Abbey of the Golden Sheaf, as the remainder, Anor, Karion and Paskan made their way back to Shattered Stone. Aramil needed to conduct some more research and Bandur offered to remain with him.

1st:                                                                                                                                                  A quiet, uneventful day and night.

2nd:                                                                                                                                              They arrived at Shattered Stone in the early evening. 

3rd:                                                                                                                                      Departed Shattered Stone for Hap. An uneventful night.

4th:                                                                                                                                            An uneventful day and night.

5th:                                                                                                                                            An uneventful day and night.

6th:                                                                                                                                            An uneventful day and night. 

7th:                                                                                                                                        

Mid morning they arrived in Hap. Hap was surrounded by a newly constructed moat, Wooden palisade with nasty log spikes jutting outward from the base of the wall. They were met by the Hetman and discovered that the ranger, Inialos Oakwood, was in the house of healing. She was recovering from wounds sustained trying to kill the Bulette bothering the small town of Hap. Anor and the others decided to help out. Karion cast a quick healing prayer on Inialos before departing.

Anor and the others agreed to go after the Bulette. It had terrorised the region for too long. Inialos was able to tell them that a Bulette's favourite food was either Halfling or horse!

Karion: "I will use my powers as a druid to turn into a horse. It will attract the Bulette, then we can kill it."

Inialos: "Take care, they move under the ground and can leap great distances and have hides like plate armour."

An hour later they had set off. Karion in the form of a horse, led by Anor and Paskan. Cresting a small knoll they could see the abandoned farmlands before them. Small copses of trees between the overgrown fields. Anor spotted the tall grass to their front moving but could see no animal. Karion went forward hoping to draw the Bulette out.

The grass moved, there was no wind, the ground rippled towards Karion, a large creature burst from the ground stamping down with clawed fore feet and a vicious bite, Karion was knocked back some 10ft. The horse form had taken too much damage and Karion now stood there, back in Elf form.

Club and shield to the fore he swung at the creature but the club just bounced off the thick hide.

Anor and Paskan charged in, both swinging mighty blows. Paskan was under the effect of his ring of speed and in a blood rage. Karion suddenly transformed into the an Earth Elemental and smashed down blows into the Bulette.

Anor: "Easy peasy, nothing to it!"

Karion was bludgeoned to the ground as a fully grown Bulette landed atop of him pushing his elemental form into the ground. Karion took massive damage but luckily his elemental form saved him from dying.

Again Anor and Paskan swung mighty blows. The Bulette jumped over Anor and landed on top of him. Pinning him to the ground.

Anor managed to roll free, stand up shaking the mist from his eyes and charged toward the Bulette.

Paskan charged in and the two swung blow after blow but still the Bulette refused to go down.

Eventually Anor's blows and Paskan biting into the softer part under it's neck brought the Bulette crashing down, blood pumping out of the gaping wounds.

They healed themselves as best they could and were rewarded by a throng of villagers who had followed them singing songs of praise for the 3 brave warriors who had killed the Bulette's. Inialos was surprised they had managed to kill both of the Bulette's, a female and a calf.

Half heartedly the hetman produced the reward, 1,000 gold pieces.

Hetman: "This is all the towns savings, we have nothing left to purchase seed nor supplies. It will take time for the fields to produce crops."

Anor: "We have agreed to forego the reward if you will agree to remove the carapace hides of those two creatures and transport them to the Abbey of the Golden Sheaf in Ashabenford."

Hetman: "Of course, of course."

Inialos: "And I will see it is done and will personally escort them there once I am healed".

They decided to take the Hetman up on his offer of free hospitality to give Aramil and Bandur time to catch up, before continuing to Harrowdale. Harrowdale was still some 5 days travel to the east. Rest up, heal and restock.

8th:

Karion took the time to make a healing potion as Anor tried to impart his knowledge of attacking two opponents at once to Paskan. He was a slow learner.

Player Information:

Experience totals up to and including session 124:

Money up to and including session 124:

Expendables up to and including session 124:

Notes:
1. Whey Bread, Elven bread.

2. Normal rations.

3. Water in water skins.

4. These are group totals.