Category: Recaps

Resources purchased last session:
a Newspaper,
a Map of the Region

Beginning our Travel

The day starts with them leaving the company of Snakebite and Turbo, heading west with news of a town 3 days away and a pack of Hyenas somewhere along the way

The party decided west due to their location being surrounded by:

• West – Turbo has told them of the town to the west, 3 days travel by foot on this very unused path.
• East – Northern ranges of the elven woods of Velat
  • Not safe for those not invited.
• North & South – Open grasslands, could be anything in that direction, side quests etc.

Travel and Movement
The group learned about marching orders, travel speeds, forced marches, etc.
This march would be difficult terrain, the town would be about 35 miles (@ half speed)

Pace	Minute	Hour	Day	Effect
Fast	400 feet	4 miles	30 miles	−5 penalty to passive Wisdom (Perception) scores
Normal	300 feet	3 miles	24 miles	—
Slow	200 feet	2 miles	18 miles	Able to use stealth

Gnolls

The Hyenas of course, are a small group of 3 gnolls alongside 4 Hyenas.

Due to the speed the party was moving, the Gnolls would come across their camp in the night. As the Barbarian was sleeping on their watch, the ability to negotiate was removed, and the gnolls considered the sleeping forms to be the start of a well rounded, tasty breakfast snack.

Attacking from the trees, regular gnolls and hyenas gave a group some minor trouble before the Fang of the pack joined the fray.

Throwing Senko down repeatedly, knocking the Barbarian unconscious while standing in the fire, and driving Pallarax down to a dismal HP count, Pallarax rallied and was able to get his companions up and closed out the fight before any lives were lost.

Upon inspection, each Gnoll had the same mark tattooed on their right shoulder, using insight to decide it might be their clan mark. maybe.

On their bodies can be found a pouch of gold, with 30 or so in it.
with a small note scratched on leather, mostly unreadable due to being chewed but has a red ‘E’ at the bottom corner.

No Ears were claimed from the Gnolls.

Insight Check revealed Erinthotle has people watching for the Sennite and his friend who defeated Buv’Kah

Gained inspiration for removing a regional pest.

A River Crossing / A Fairy Fucking with you

Suddenly, the vibe was really off.
Something wasnt right.
But Pallarax can’t roll for shit, so Senko got it done.

The real path was concealed by a hallucinatory terrain, but the players can still hear the rushing of water coming from nearby, enough dicking around got everyone able to see the illusion.

When they figure it out, they heard a faint giggling nearby.

They could see a fast running part of the river, about 20ft across, that appears to have once had a rope bridge (has been sawed off, by the looks of the ropes). The river is running quite fast, and goes for some distance, not likely to be easily moved around.

Balazarass flying past

Several hours after the Gnolls, (or maybe the next day?),

Roll Perception , Over 10 sees it

Pallarax clutches a perception roll finally, seeing that flying form is far off in the distance, coming your way from the East.
Large, larger that it should be and still able to stay aloft.

You think it will be here in about 3 minutes (timer).

After 1:30: They realised it was dragon sized and started trying to find places to hide, to get ready, to pee pants, you know the drill.

As it approached, it simply… flew over, too high up to interact with.
A reminder for the party: you’re not the only story happening today.

DM: A good History check might have revealed who he was, and where he was going / coming from, but oh well.

The Faerie Grove

During the second night of travel, Pallarax will feel a “calling” from the nearby grove of trees deep in his inner chakras.
The grove is lightly lit, glinting in the darkness, and is small, maybe only 150 or so trees, you seem to recall being able to see through it earlier before darkness set it, so a pretty small grove.
Investigate shows a very weak source of white light is flicking around inside, being blocked by branches and leaves, as if flying around within.

The group joins him in walking through the arch.
DM: A wise choice, but now they will still need to learn about splitting the party and consequences that come with it another time 😇

Heading into the Wood – will they dare?

As they walk to the wood, a clear path in the grass seems to be laid out before you, flattened and ready, but still vibrant with life. Trees sway lightly in a wind you cannot feel, and little motes of light will flutter down from above, seeming to fall onto things, but never quite existing long enough to to touch or land on anything.
Arcana:These are Fae-Trails, showing the presence of the faery folk in this grove.

At the edge of the wood, before them, is an archway of branches that have grown together in this form, seeming as though it has been there as long as the stand of trees.
On the other side of the archway is the sight of an eerie view before them:

• A light without source seems to cause enough light to see shapes and basic details,
• The trees seem much sparser, each now appearing to have been tended too
  • but still natural with shrubs and such around the base
  • with small blue-white balls of light floating peacefully in the trees
• softly glowing pools of still, completely transparent water
  • showing peaceful koi doing lazy flips and spurts of casual movement.
• The animal trail before you becomes stepping stones among the grass not far beyond the arch
• Say: “As you watch, the calling pulls a little stronger in a jerk, as if to say, ‘well, come on then'”

Time to meet the Grandma of the Plain

“Stepping through the glade, an intrusive sense of peacefulness washes over you, pushing thoughts of violence and trickery from your mind. Serenity, or some similarly simulated contentedness permeates your soul, and you find your mind wandering, thinking of snacks, or even the pretty girls from the old village you left behind many miles ago.
You know something is wrong with your mind, but… you just don’t seem to be able to care…”

A wisdom save is triggered as they entered, but was failed by all.
You suddenly find yourself unable to move, or speak

“Hovering, a few meters off, appears a floating lady.
She is dressed in a green and black ball gown, and has long reddish hair that curls down past her hips. She has flawless skin, high cheekbones, and lush, full, bloody-red lips. Her eyes are golden and have vertical slits for pupils, like a cat.
She’s also less than three feet tall.”

Faerie Godmother:

“What is this, entering into mine grove? A scaly Sennite, and a follower of Mithrim walking on the Watcher’s cloak? A Tumultuos FlowWalker, and a big angry boy with a big axe…
children really, nothing more.

Unaware and unready for the changes before their puny little souls, hmm??
Well, isnt this novel, for the night of Moons waxxing.”

She hovers closer and peers at each of your unmoving stances over her thick rimmed glasses
*Stopping at Senko for just a moment extra, she raises an eyebrow before zooming off to branch high up on a nearby tree, where she makes a welcoming gesture with a hand, causing that branch

“Hmm. have a care child, find your path.
Now, why did I bother to summon you here again? I know there was a reason!”

*She floats around a little, obviously pretending pretending to think in a comical matter, “Hmmmm’s” and “Aha!”s ringing out, before she exclaims, “Ah yes, right! Of course! He wanted me to show you something” and clicks her fingers.

She disappears, in her place appearing a stone altar, flat, with a crystal ball, about 15cm across, resting upon/in it before you.
From somewhere behind it, a disembodied voice calls out “It’s simple Sennite, grasp the orb. See your past. Peek at your your future. See the truth of the past.”

And with that, you suddenly have control of your bodies and mouths again.
She wont reply to any questions, but will giggle at dumb things from above.

Times Past, Times Future, Bad Shit All Round

DM: Lore Dump below. Get a Tea/Coffee.

Your consciousness floats up, above the plains of the Antaract, some miles up.
The sun slows, stops, and reverses course as time flows backwards.
The passage speeds, the flickers of the sun zooming past becoming first a strobe, then so fast it seems to be flowing forwards again.
The plains below seemed to inhale and exhale as forests grow and shrink, disasters of flood and fire come and pass, before finally the sun slowed, and time normalized again.

“about six thousand years, give or take, if you were wondering” mentions a familiar voice. “Let’s see the start of this mess first”

Below you, a massive construction project is underway. Giants over 60ft tall are erecting artful stone buildings and archers, lithe trolls are crawling across scaffolding and framework, consulting clipboards and slide rules, and down below, Orcs are piloting machines beyond your understanding, delivering and lifting materials, carving ornate art and painting gilding of a style beyond even the high elves.

The voice returns
“These were my people, did you know? At least, in a way. We fairy-kin were in tune and connected firmly with the Races of Mekk and their pure souls.
Well, you know, till that dirty asshat showed up”.

As she said that, your vision flies to a cave, filled with demon and beast alike (even a dead cloud giant in the back) where 13 Lich Lords were each stationed at a point on an elaborate ritual circle carved into the floor, with something that was probably once part of that cloud giant or his family.
Each Lich was standing next to a familiar looking crystal…

In the center, stood a figure draped in flowing silver robes, holding a tome made from the skins of dead gods and eldritch horrors, reaching up, not just across the heavens, but also, somehow, across realities, dimensions.

Morose Fairy saying “I hate this part” echoes in your mind.

Flipping back to the construction project, the sky suddenly darkens, as a blood red planetoid screams across the sky, leaking great slicks of oily blood across the land. The Mekkians below look up and point, some at the sky as their future ends, but some few others point directly at you also.

The bloody orb hit the ground, and the Mekkians went insane, turning on each other in a bloody rage, ripping each other from limb to limb, then beating the next guys with those same limbs. It was horrific, immediate, and wholesale.

You feel the passage of thousands of years, Men, Elves, and Dwarves propagate, the loss of the Mekkians is partially recovered from, til you start to watch an undead scourge spreading out from where you hovered. Eventually, golden barriers arose to hold back the Lich Lords and the armies of the dead.

Smirking Fairy “So, Scaleborn, you know your peoples part in all this don’t you? Their Crimes? Their transgressions?”

Your vision passes again, this time to linger in the lair of a sleeping silver dragon, curled around her eggs.
As you watch, Lichs walk into the lair, seals are set to keep her asleep and each of the eggs is quietly, oh so quietly, lifted by spells and carted off.

You flicker from lair to lair, across the world, watching as every metallic dragon lair is looted of their young and unborn.

And soon you see where, yet another ritual, yet another cave, this time around a creche of dragon eggs, that, as the spell culminates, each of the eggs hatch to birth an abomination. A man-like creature, on two legs but made of dragon-parts, the Scaleborn are brought into this world.

You follow the race for the next century, watching them train into shock troops of the Empire of the Lich, the First Empire, as they broke down defense and golden wards that had held back the undeath, bringing the risk of extinction to the living.

Angry Fairy: “Your people nearly ended all of us, Freak. And you did it with a smile. Or something that passes for one” came the voice*

Your vision covers the rest of the boring world story, people of the living finding ways to overcome evil, saving the day, all that good stuff. But the time passes in real time, slowly, you’re stuck watching monotonous details, squirrels digging for nuts, people farming fields, slowly, over the decades, driving your disembodied psyche into a state.

Before she finally gives up, with a humph, and returns thing to near current time.
“Now watch, this is what I was sent to show you, the rest was just fun”

You see Buv’Kah and a cloaked figure, standing next to the Crystal you freed from him, some days before your arrival recently.
The skeletal hands coming from the sleeves of the cloaked one starts weaving spells onto the Mekkian prism.

As he did, it turns blood red, and an impatient voice emerged from it “Yess, bloodless one? Iss it done?”

The Lich flicked his wrist, and the voice cries out in pain, while the lich leans over.
“Patience Sickly one, the plan matures..”

“Oh dear, and what will that mean?”

The Fairy shows future images of marching undeath, crushing the towns and cities of today.
You can see yourself now, on the wall of Nestor, You stand with Senko, & other players (Names?) with the heroes of the city, holding, the city falls around you.

You see Future Pallarax realize something, turn to Senko and yell “This is it! The moment I saw months ago! What should I tell me?”
With Senko Screaming back as a wraith dragged the last of his life from him “Tangor! Save Tangor! Tangor was always the key!”

As the vision collapses, you hear yourself yell back “but he’s already been taken from us by then! We didn’t even-“

“Well that’s not good, is it dearie? He wanted you to see this, so now you have.”

And you are returned to the present, the fairy is there, watching you for a reaction.

If they ask, she will reveal she must also answer three questions of their choice truthfully, however she will not reveal this info unless asked.

Once she’s done with them the vista fades, and they are once more, in a cold, dark wood in the middle of the night.

The session ends here, with Rizden ahead.

Quick recap

• Found an Eldritch Horror at the bottom of a lake
• Negotiated a deal with a Spider Queen
• Met the Gardener
• Dodged 8 traps (could have been nine @-B- the Broken )
• Our new Rogue (Nameless?) stealh killed some Skeles,
• Tangor heard voices and found a Potion of Stone Giant Strength
• The encounter with Buv’Kah and the Crystal, resulting in the
  • Dramatic as hell Lightning Breath take down. +1 Inspiration for that btw

Items Found

The Cabinet on the Wall
Contains a number of magical treatises, notable entries among them are:

• Annitola’s Treatise of Spell Vortices and Why They Are BAD
• Rincewind’s Exploration of Matter Confluence Lines in the Realms of the Confederacy
• Shorewalker, by Verd of Cantos
• Absences of Light, Morrowdorn

There are also several magical scrolls,

• Speak with Dead (x2)
• Agrannazar’s Scorcher
• Protection from Good / Evil

A Journal, with “Ërinthotle” printed on the front in gold.
The first page reads: Notes on Chaos Crystals:

One ever touch them, they erode your own connection to the material plane, and if physically connected to anything living will quickly cause it jump out of phase with our universes aura.

Beyond that, there are a number of notes about how to use these crystals to summon undead from the space between the planes of reality and information on creatures that had fallen outside somehow.

However further on is far more insidious writings, or drawing forth the beasts that naturally inhabit those realms, bringing the eldritch nightmare forth into the prime plane, placing stress on Sen. There it breaks of, with the final entry hastily scrawled

"Five complete, two to go. Soon Master, so very soon."

Our session, a one-on-one for a new player, begins and ends in the same 20ft x 25ft chamber, as most of the time was spent rolling up Pallarax the Bronze.

The adventure began with Pallarax noting both a strange inconsistancy in the floor, along with a shrouded figure in the back.

After much debate and decision making, he finally, with no other moves obvious, jumped over the spot in the floor, watching it crumble where he would have stepped with mild satisfaction, before dueling two rather badly painted skeletons.

While desperately fending off the second of the undead scourge, he freed Tangor the Terrible from his bindings (Was that… giant sized…. Spider Silk? Ruh R’oh!), and goblin cheered his new friend onto victory.

Tangor, appreciating the danger his new friend took on to free him mid-battle, vowed to stay on and see the quest through as a ‘life debt’ to the Dragonborn.

We leave them now, as they inspect the entryway to the next room….

Closing out the campaign of 2015 – 2018.

DMs Note: This event was brought forward, as I made the decision to move from Adelaide. This is the final summary of the third of the last three sessions, and starts after the final battle of the campaign.
As I find the notes, I will add those sessions (as they were a lot of fun), otherwise I will do it from memory before it fades even further into obscurity.

Epilogue
As they burst through the portal, the party finds themselves in what appears to be Nestorian Legion HQ, partially given away by the sign on the opposite wall that reads roughly the below lettering, where a large black jagged scorch mark has melted diagonally across the plaque.

Nesto-ian
Le–on
He—uaters

Perhaps a shoutout to another campaign…?

You are surrounded by Tactical Tables and their orderlies that are now congested, as they try to get past these dirty great magically hovering carts that have just appeared. People are leaning over tactical tables giving orders, or supervising, speaking into strange headsets, and with others simply just moving to another, seemingly more important, place.

On the opposite wall, you can see 12 large (1×2 ft) cards of the deck, below a large sign that reads “Nestor’s Most Wanted”. Two of the cards, #3 and #11 are alight, slowly burning down from the top. #3 Reads “Magus of Blood, Maltak the Druid of the Uni” and shows Maltak in a dark and foreboding forest, backed by his hounds. #11 reads “Leper of Blood, Tom of Ran” and shows a werebear in full rage, blood spraying everywhere. As the cards burn to nothing, the other cards shift into their new rankings, leaving two holes in places #11 and #12 that are filled by “Herald of Blood” and “Fool of the Fallen”.

On the nearest tacical table to you, you see a strange, poorly lit chamber that you quickly recognize as the one you just left. In it, two figures stand, probably Uzziel and the Lich from before, as a large hand drops off a bunch of corpses and figures back onto the platform followed by the matter-of-fact words: YOU WILL SEND NO MORE.

You realise you had heard that here in Nestor, and in fact you would find in the months to come the words had been heard round the world, always in the listeners home tongue.

Uzziel gestures for the Lich to deal with the pile of bodies that the Iron Knight currently climbs from, and then opens a portal. Looking around before he steps through, his eyes meet yours, before a flash of light and the table changes to the legion red with the 1st coat of arms in the center.

“What a pleasant soul” Remarks Morrowdorn, as he reactivated the table, now look at the scene from a much wider angle from further off.

Uzziel waits for his minions, Sorrow appears and gestures to the pile. The two ascendants converse, fairly aggressively, before Uzziel seems to back down, and as they leave, several corpses are left behind, nearly all clad in Nestorian red or Dwarven blue-grey steel. As Sorrow dissipated, so to did the remaining bodies, leaving behind only pools of blood, broken arms, armor, and shattered dreams of youthful lives ended early.

Tolarion, High Magus of the 1st Legion, summed up the mood with a simple, short expletive, before slumping down into his (prestidigitated) elaborately cushioned stool, as Seviok started to snore loudly from his new location beneath the tacitcal table.

Results

Worldly ramifications

The Goblins of Kharak Sanbell, lacking leadership after Blacktooth’s demise, will sign a series of contracts with the dwarves of Skyshaft, eventually becoming a labour force of the dwarves, paid a mere pittance of Dwarven wages.

Reader sadly reports a new independent card in the deck, Mantle of Air. 💔

Nestor proclaims itself an Empire, now rightfully* ruling over the lands and peoples of three previous nations, along with a number of city states that were absorbed along the way.

Karandar is to be crowned the elected Emperor of the state, some claiming Morrowdorn bribed and intimidated the vote for the Earl of Kervic, Weilder of the Vord Blade.
Shortly before the coronation, Aloi goes into labour with their first daughter.

In the ruins of Temple square, where this all started seemingly years ago when Lengat tried to seize the throne of stone, one of the larger ruined grounds has been allocated to a temple of the lady of the Forest.
Afterwards, Erak and Carabriel (Angel of the Lady) begin his warren training.

Glouphire gains significant renown as the illusionist who kept pace with Morrowdorn, and became a recognized name in the city overnight. While waiting for his next adventure, he starts up a discrete side business of selling his illusions, beautifying shopfronts, sending apparitions to deliver bad news, and the like.

A six legged terror is seen scattering across the rooftops of Nestor each night. Sometimes a rabbit, other times it’s a crustacean looking demonic creature with dark red shell.
It’s eyes glow purple from the gloom of illusions, and the beast seems to always lurking about nearby the Temple District.

Morrowdorn, now always seen with his new staff Itoshing, installed a magical throne into the Baron Chambers, in the center of the grand hall.
Linked to what he calls a “shard of a shard of a warren, held in place by Blacktooth’s miserable excuse for a spirit”, the throne hums with energy.
The Nestorian council sports a a few ceremonial items of stature,

• a staff for the leader of the Battle Magi,
• a circlet for the High magus,
• a scepter for the High Priest
• and a cloak for the Spymaster.

Malkatar sports a new monster of a hammer, and Sevenswords now bears IceBlue, despite constant Dwarven envoys pestering him to return the ancestral to their people.

(DM: Also, if anyone was wondering, my original intention was to kill off Dvoik, Xenth and Reader, but I settled for Striker instead when you left him to die 😇 😛 )

Rewards

Artifacts of Chaos

Who got what?

• TAV’OSH’KII – Glouphire
• THE NEGOTIATOR – Rug
• SHARDGRIP – Erak
• CLANCY – 😉
• RINGS OF THE CHAOS MAKERS – One for each present at the event.
• VORDBLADE, REFORGED – Karandar
• Y’all get a level. Am I not generous?!
• You will all be offered positions in the Nestorian Hierachy now, of various levels.
• Morrowdorn has promised that “suitable rewards will find their way to you” whatever the hell that means. Probably just some bullshit wizard-speak for that translates roughly to “go find your own money, do I look like a damned bank to you?”

Next: [[Recap – 1156NR – Imperial – The Siege of Mare, on the Bilge-pump and Returning to Nestor]]

==== Illoshiara & The Vine Lord ====

The party set off across the warren of the Forest Lady, following the small, 3 eyed, glowing hare onwards into the wood.

Upon resting the party found themselves surrounded, the trees having moved during the night to form an impenetrable barrier, from which emerged a Vine Lord, who seemed to just be interested in conversing and finding out their reasons for being present. Upon learning of the Destriant among them, the Vine Lord mused about Naruniga’s return, mentioning the fight she would have ahead of her yet nothing about which side he supported.

Once he left and the trees allowed them to leave again, the party set of again, on the mounts provided by the vine lord. Little would trouble them for the rest of the journey, and they would soon reach the end of the vast forest warren.

==== Caleb and his Tree ====

Leaving Illoshiara, the party set off into the ways again, heading towards what Aloi described as “A font of pure order, one which feels strong enough to steer creation”, before being distracted by a side passage.

Within the passage, the party found whipping and cutting vines savaging them on the way, before they found themselves in Caleb’s Domin.

Before them stood a large chamber, carved out of the same root-like wall structure from the way they had come, yet these walls instead show flourishing vines, leaves and other life instead of the hard timber-like ones from before.
Within the chamber, a path leads through the blooming life on the ground, threading around 3 large Dragon Leaf trees, before heading to a massive trunk of roots at the chambers center.
The Path leads to a root-cabin built into the central trunk, the cabin a size that might suit a hill giant.

Within is Caleb himself, the Clay Golem that Finn, Erik, Rug and Co. freed from the Lair of Thanaz the Lich. He now sports little plants growing around him, and will welcomed the friendly traveler’s and offered them whatever assistance he could (Some basic healing, food and rest).

He told them that the roots he lives in are the Tree he saved from the “dead one’s house”. The Tree seeded on the clay golem as he planted it here in the ways, and it soon started to grow at a massive rate, growing this little ‘bubble’ below it. Caled tends the tree now, protecting it from hostile invaders “such as those strange blood-beings”, and helping the roots find the nutrients they seek.

Caleb is reluctant to give more information, but after they pushed him, he did guess that the tree grows in a warren above, potentially as-yet unclaimed. He also suspected that the tree has sunk a tap root into the Ordenflow, the flow of creation itself, which is probably the reason for it’s sudden growth spurts.

Caleb enhanced the Destriant’s armor to become [[Items#Caleb.27s_Blessing_-_Chain_Mail | This]], and made Karandar a grown crutch to aid in walking, but not battle.

The party left the glade feeling rested and fresh, heading for the Ordenflow.

==== Crossing the Ordenflow & a chat with Sorrow ====

The trail led the group onward, until they grew deaf from the rushing noise of the great river. The walls were growing damper and damper, and puddles were getting larger underfoot, before finally the passage opened up into a massive chasm, stretching far to the left and right. The walls of the Chasm were sheer, looking impossible to climb and while coated with the violent spray from the churning waters below.

The Chamber itself was lit with some glowing mosses at the ground level, some of which flickered as the spray hit them. A supernatural glow emanates from deep within the Ordenflow, so far down that its source can’t be identified from above (and to date no one who descended into the waters far enough to find out has come out alive again). Apart from the glow, the flow seems nothing more than a large underground river, with steep cliff-like banks that prevent access to it’s waters.

A small spar crossed the great river, barely wide enough for one to walk across, and the brave Destriant took the lead, crawling over on all fours. Just as Oromis followed, the stalactite next to Erak showed its true mimic form and set to sucking his face off. Erak learned the secret of his new armor, and launched the bloody mimic into the Orderflow.

After they crossed, a sudden cold wind filled the ways, coming from the only tunnel on this side, before quickly subsiding.
Karandar felt compelled to go that way, and as they approach the tunnel before them, a cloak appears, hanging by itself as if on an invisible person.
As they approach within 15ft, the figure speaks to them with a voice that Oromis and Karandar both recognized as Sorrow.

“I had heard rumors that Morrowdorn’s favorite pet is walking the ways, with no protection or guidance, and lo!, here you are crossing the Ordernflow, of all places.” The cloak nods towards the glowing river “Tell me Karandar, is your blood pure enough to feel the call from beneath? Do you feel the ever present pull to return to the Ever?”

Sorrow seemed almost disappointed at the negative response “Oh well, one hoped you might still harbor enough of the Ever within you, but clearly not” He paused to cough “I noticed you on the sidelines at Dr’Ang, do you understand now why I resisted your desire to release the Lord of the Dawn? He is not ready to bear the burden of two Warrens, he simply needs more time to solidify his control.”
The cloak seems to muse for a while, before gesturing down the passage behind him, then cloak falls lifelessly in the air before them “Well I won’t keep you any longer, I believe Ezum also desires a meeting with you”

As the cloak falls, it remains behind, acting as the cloak from below, Eral took it up, making it billow behind him gloriously, and they set off.

Only to find themselves fending off two Gug’s after they accidentally entered their lair.

As they wake the next morning, they find Sal gone, in her place is just a set of bloody, gnomish footprints.

”Law and Order sound”

==== The Hall of Slowly Released Information ====

A large chamber in the ways has a town, that has the shared lives of Fire, Ice and Forest daemons. The town is walled, and has a single entrance, that leads to an ancient negotiation hall. The first door leads to a small chamber, within which there are two doors, Ice & Fire.

The Ice door opened to Erak as he tried it, showing a man-sized snail, made entirely of ice, along with some Tree Sprites that are playing dice in the corner.
The Ice Snail wants the party to go to the Ice Warren, as Ezum herself needs to speak with them. They will insist that they leave as soon as they can, explaining that “The way has been opened to mortals temporarily, dally not”
3 small tree sprites who keep trying to grow on Erak when he stands still long enough. He takes them with him.

In the Fire door, two fire imps are standing in the room alone. As they approach, they hear a high pitched whine that they soon realize is the imps voices.
Seeing the humans cannot understand them, one of the imps grabs a bucket that was sitting in the corner, and douses the other one, who starts talking in a deep voice.
“Are thee here to receive the mortal flame?” he asks twice, before taking Karandar’s response of “Yes” back into the town.
The Fire Imp that stays lit followed Oromis around, poking and prodding, and taking in long sniffs next to him, each time he got close to Oromis, burning him repeatedly.

The party leave, struck by the oddity of the place, and realizing once more that the ways and warrens are alien to mankind.

==== Ezum’s Domain, Kinsh ====

The first arrive at the Wall. A series of jagged ice crystals that prevents Mortals from gaining access to the warren, has been there since before the times of the Ellenvord.

As they approach, it recedes to let them past and closes after them. The air is bitterly cold, and the metal of arms and armor start to stick to flesh and grow brittle, damaging and weakening our heroes.

Beyond the Wall, lied Ezums Warren, and waiting for them was a Frost Lord. A large muscular torso with a large heard and cloud of ice beneath him (think genie from Aladin), he welcomed them in Ezums name, introducing himself as Saaaalthorp, says he will take them to Ezum and gives them a cold resistance blessing, that works on all who are not currently devoted to another faith (Erak & Naruniga, sitting in the tree…).

Saaaalthorp is cheery, and hammers home question after question “its nice to see mortals again after so, so long, and asks what the mortal world is like now? Have the Sendare ranged south lately, and are they still such a threat? Does Ranesia still stand against the emerald threat? Has the commonwealth fallen? And what of Dwimmerhome? Do the golden pillars of Abbathor still guard the way against the Ogre-kin Mardek?”

All while talking, he is taking them onward past massive ice sculptures full of all manner of cold and icy species and races. The group occasionally recognized the race of a statue, notably a Male Elf and Female Human holding each other, seemingly in terror, later they see a large Dragonkin, that unlike any other dragon kin seen before, it has wings swept behind it. Finally, after what feels like hours, A large crystalline structure lied before them, upon which stands a sits a simple throne, formed purely of Ice.

A woman with pale, blue-white skin, wearing furs of exotic beasts (mostly all white-ish), and bearing troll-like fangs stands before the throne, probably 5 feet tall and… generally unimpressive.

“Welcome” she says moving forward “I am Ezum” and as she says her name, her eyes light up pale blue, the wind behind her seems to sharpen with intense cold, dealing 2d6 damage to all who didn’t have resistance to Ice (Erak, Destriant of warmer things). Ezums presence fills the each character making a wisdom DC 27 saving throw or gaining frightful presence. They all failed.

“I have asked for you to come to me, partly in aid to guide you back to your own plane, and also to offer some free advice, if you so wish to hear it?” She stops and waits, not offering anything, without your request.

“Excellent, wisdom has prevailed. As I have closed myself to mortals, I cannot assist without you asking first.” she pauses for a moment, before continuing.

“You need seek out the history of the blade you carry. While reforging it may become a necessity, to right the world back to Order, reforging it brings with it other complications unknown. Last time it was forged, we saw the birth of Slerikek, the Rise of the Emerald House, and Fall of Dawn. Know that the blade still remains untested against the threat it was forged to combat, as Ellenvord was disarmed before reaching the Archlich”

“Sentretta approaches a crises, of which it hasn’t seen in centuries. It seems that too many “chance happenings” are occurring simultaneously, enough that I must suspect the delicate hand of someone pulling the strings of all these events. The secrets of who and why are clouded to me, however I suspect they will show themselves as the climax approaches.”

Ezum sighs sadly for a moment, seeming to ponder for a moment, before listing world events, while ticking them off on her fingers

• Night has returned to the world, after nearly a thousand years.
• The Emerald House has crashed against Ranesia, for the first time in centuries with the largest army the world has ever seen
• The Sendare ride for Westmarch, where Striker and Sevenswords were last seen before they disappeared.
• Slerikek’s Bloodriders are moving on Tos Calos, and then the southlanders behind them.
• The undead has risen for the first time since Ellenvord’s fall, and seem fixated on his old seat of Nestor.

“Ask any questions you may have while we are together, for time is short. If you will permit, I shall fix that leg for a while for you. It will only last as long as it will remain chilled, as once it melts you will once again return to your current state.

Once you are ready, I shall send you back to the world of men and dwarves, so you may serve the purpose you need too. I will return you to where you are needed most, where you may do the most damage.”

She answered the questions she chose to, some examples:

• About Ascendancy and Godhood, of direct and non-direct actions.
• Why Terranc is twisted
• Some general world history, about the Vord blade and other things.
• Tempted Oromis to the faith
• Illuded to Karandar’s [[Sen%27s_Deck#Queen_of_All_.28Ioasha.29|”Sister”]]
• Advised Erak to get Naruinga some outside allies, but not her.

When they were ready to leave, she takes them back down off the platform, and a jagged rift of ice opens, showing a simple stone passageway beyond.

Saaaalthorp waved cheerfully as they left.

==== The Playpen ====

“As they exited the portal of Ice, they were almost immediately reminded in your times of the deep mines of Skyshaft. Every sound you make is somehow duller, as if the earth itself swallows the noise before it gets the chance to pass far, and the almost immediacy of the sticky, oppressive and exhaustive humid heat told them immediately; you’re well below the earth.

Standing in a wide hallway, probably far enough across for 3 men to fight side by side, the walls look to be cut out of the stone itself, but into a shape that resembles an above ground hallway. The floor below them was slanted towards the center, providing a small drain way that contains what seems to be a mixture of blood & offal, some dried, some fresh. The odor is not as severe as they expected, considering the substance stuck to the floor, making they suspect that it has been masked or removed.

The Screams however, were not filtered. From almost every direction they could hear the sounds of beings either in pain, probably recovering from it, or, from behind them came the unmistakable moan of thousands of un-stretched, disused undead voice boxes. 

Oromis and Erak went back to look, and found hordes and hordes of undead beings mingling below.An army the living would never be able to defend themselves against. While this was happening, Karandar had been seen by Erik the Fool, who somehow talked himself into thinking Karandar was a double agent, and showed him his cool lab, and, meeting up with the rest of the group, he took them to Dvoik. 

Thinking to show his best prize, he instead let it loose, as Karandar dishonorably backstabbed the Dwarf, who quickly teleported away. Erak scrambled to free Dvoik, with Oromis’ help once the Fool had been dispatched.

The party and Dvoik explore for a little, finding a possible way out, before finding themselve in the presence of a Lich lord, and his minions

//This is Erinthotle, 7th of 13. //

An intense and desperate battle exploded with a fireball from Oromise, and a dashing charge by the Barbarians and Erak. The party, realisingd they had to get this over as quickly as possible, smashed into the undead, knocking the minions down in the first two turns, before Erinthotle brought out his Secret Weapon, Shoggzathu.

The wall bursts open, and a massive skeleton bursts out. It’s a twisted mess of former skeletons amalgamated together, tusks from ancient mammoths, jaws and head like those of giant walking birds, coupled with its 6 legged frame and a tail with a large spiked ball on the end.

It screams it’s challenge for all to hear, and earth beneath you quivers with fear!!

As it enters, it knocks most of the items off the wall, including the portal stone.

Erak dashes forward, taking a belting, but getting the stone and getting out to Aloi, who started the mass teleport up. The others fought a desperate delaying action, ending with Oromis and Dvoik dragging out unconscious Rug and Karandar (whose temporary leg was left behind).

As the stone had entered the circle, the true armory had opened up around them, and Erak grabbed the following items:

• Manual of Iron Golems – Erak
• Flail +2 – Rugina Culinaf
• [[Items#Wings_of_Flying|Wings of Flying]] – Karandar
• Ioun Stone of Absorption – Oromis

The teleportation got them away just in time, and the players landed down in the Fortress of Mare, to find it currently under siege, and them in the middle of the orcish territory.

Entry to Santhur

Lady Alondra the Bard, entered the city of [[Santhur]] through the grand and ornate [[Fistfury]] gates. Evidence of the masterful stonework of the Dwimmer [[Dwarves]], who once crafted the gate long ago in the past, while barely visible, was the only sign that the gates themselves weren’t just carved from a single giant block of stone. The great gates were named for the royal family of the city, who now lie dead and buried, murdered by the Mad Wizard [[Nagrazzar]].

As she entered the city, [[Alondra]] found herself in a large square, trafficked with only a small members of the public and the odd wagon or carriage. To her left, a two-story building was a-blaze, and the cries of a female child of around 4-5 could be heard coming from the upstairs window. 30-50 people were gathered watching the spectacle, including a tall man clearly bearing armor beneath his cloak, who Alondra had seen noting her entrance into the city.

Fully aware of the limited time, and her species resistance to light fire, Alondra snuck off around to find a way into the house to help the child. A quick glance around the area showed the more opportune entrance to be the alley to the back of the house, and trying that. Ducking into the flickering shadows given off by the fire, she dashed down the alleyway, avoiding the gaze of all but the most astute witnesses to the blaze.

Bursting through the door, her scales on her brow flaring gold in response to the heat, she looked around for an access to the upper floor. Her heat vision bloomed from the fire, and was no use in locating the child, on serving to make her see stars. Blinking rapidly to recover some vision, she could finally make out a set of stairs to her right, and dashed up them two at a time.

Reaching the top of the stairs, she could see the child, cowering the opposite corner of one of the bedrooms directly opposite the stairs. Calling out to the human child served to only make it cry it harder, so shrugging she eased over to the child, reaching over the bed to touch it’s shoulder in comfort. Only, as her hard encountered the child, it vanished in a puff of blue illusionary smoke and paired with a devilish chuckle from the air behind her.

“You idiot ” -Devilish speech- ” Half-Dragon fuck! Who falls for that?!” the voice hissed at her, as it moved around behind her.

Recognizing the tell-tale signs of an imp, and feeling a little foolish for falling for such a simple trick, Alondra tried something a little out of the box, and cast her favorite cantrip in the direction of the Imp’s voice. A small thunderclap smashed the room, throwing the fat little, leathery winged devil against the wall behind it. The damage caused it to lose it’s concentration and drop it’s spell of invisibility. Snarling in devilish, the Imp flew into the fire of the next room, disappearing to lick to it’s wounds.

Grinning to herself, happy with the result of the encounter, Alondra assessed her situation. The stairs, now a-blaze, were not an option. Turning, she judged the distance down and decided it would ”probably” be okay, jumped.

Later That Evening

Walking along Main Way, Alondra was feeling more and more helpless and depressed, seeing the ruins of the city around her. However people are still living in this place astounded her. Everything north of Main Way was a fire scorched mess of ruins and half-collapsed buildings. Work had not commenced to rebuild the city since the siege six months past, and now she had spent some time in the city, the reason why was becoming clear. The city seemed to lack and central source of organization at all.

The Seneschal, regent of the city, was holed up in his tower leaving all bar the castle to fend for itself.
The Nestorian garrison was too small to even try leading the city to prosperity, barely large enough to defend even their own interests in the city.
The Thieves guild was in a bitter, 3-way civil war, that had boiled out into the streets multiple times in the past few weeks already.
Traders were avoiding the city now, traveling past in effort to avoid being robbed or made to pay many ”official” road tolls.
Food was scarce, and bandits ruled the wilds outside the city, preventing reclamation of local farmland.

There was much to be done.

She started to hear some chattering in something that she never expected to hear here in Santhur: Draconic. Listening for a moment, Alondra recognized the tones of kobolds whispering in the distance before one of them called out in her direction “Gold mistress, we seek a word with you.”

Shrugging in curiosity, she wandered over to hear the kobolds request. Having heard of her efforts at the entrance to the city, the matron Great Wyrm of the kobolds tribe would like to seek a boon from the Gold Mistress, if she were willing to hear her out. She pondered the offer for a few moments, before considering that she had little to lose in following the kobolds, knowing that she could probably scare them off just with a single breath of her gold ancestry, she nodded and accepted their offer, motioning for them to lead the way.

As they led her through the ruins in the northern quarter of the city, Alondra noticed that these kobolds had a strange tinge to them, almost as if they were bronze aspected, but that was unheard of! Kobolds are a chaotic race, what gain would the find worshiping a metallic dragon over a chaotic one that would happily return their patronage with boons of power. Before long, they led her to a hole that they dropped into, onto a pile of soft refuse, and found herself in the sewer.

Making their way through a few small obstacles, eventually Alondra found herself peering into a chamber filled with what she was informed was members of her companions Kobold’s enemies: another tribe of Kobold’s, this once worshiping a red dragon. These two tribes have been fighting over the sewers for months, with the reds slowly forcing the bronze kobolds back out of everything except their egg creche. Convincing her companions to trust her, she bound their hands and cast Disguise Self on herself, appearing as a red-tinged kobold, and took her ‘prisoners’ past the ambush. Her timing was lucky, for just as she moved out of the room, another 3 red kobolds came up from the same direction they just had, and started chatting to the other red ones present.

Moving on, her and her companions suffered no further encounters with the reds, and arrived at the bronze creche within another 15 minutes or so of sewer crawling. Alondra swore to herself to find a better way into the place if she needed to come back, as there was just not enough room for someone of her stature in these hallways. Entering the egg creche, what she saw was a scared tribe. One clearly on the decline. All of the children ran at the sight of the stranger entering the area, and the guards around the eggs started hissing softly as they watched her intently.

She was approached by a wise old Wyrm, clearly one of the greats, probably over 100 years of age, and the leader of the tribe. They spoke for some time, explaining the situation, and their desperation. Pushed from every area of worth in the slums by the reds, the goblins and the thieves. With little to no available food, the tribe was starving slowly, and make matters worse, the reds had stolen half of their eggs a few weeks back, removing the chance of any chance in power balances for the next 12 months.

The Great Wyrm begged Alondra to consider to help them, with finding a way to either reclaim a stable food source, or find another way to provide for her people. She also begged that she consider helping them stage some sort of rescue for their eggs, to return some hope to their tribe.

Alondra stayed for a little while with the tribe, before committing try to help them, and returned to the surface, this time facing no impediment through the tunnels.

On her solo journey through the ruins, she was started when someone spoke to her, from off to the right. Quickly reacting to defend herself, she instead found a small boy squatting on a roof above her. Probably a thief, she mused. They spoke for a while, he revealing his name as Baudus, a theif of one of the new theives guilds. His was the ”New Blood” guild, the younger members broken off, sick of following the rigid ways of old.

They faced the old Guild, an aging group of men committed to continuing the ways of old, and the Dock Gang, the thugs and bruisers of the Thieves Guild, tired of the old Guild crowed left to join the dock gangs. They were a brutal gang, and ran a protection racket that seemed to only protect the very few remaining businesses from the bruises themselves. Baudus offered Alondra a place in the guild if she were happy to try out, as a bard would be welcome in their ranks, and with a final farewell, ran off into the lengthening shadows of the dusk.

The Inn of Angry Dragons

A large, two story inn, stands on the south west corner of the Fistfury square, just outside of the shadow of the gate. The building shows some signs of scorch marks from previous conflicts, yet otherwise seemed to be in good condition and well up kept. Upon entering the establishment, Alondra saw within that there were two groups of people present within (excluding the inkeeper). One group was a man with his guards, who were chattering away in an unfamiliar tongue. The other was a couple, instantly recognized as married just due their actions and behavior towards one another. One, the man, had a large red beard and and huge mane of red hair, was smoking on a pipe and seemed to be half listening to the other, while she, dressed in robes, and scribbling on a scroll, seemed to open mindedly talk at him.

Walking over, Alondra sat at close to the fire as possible, listening to people around her and getting a feel for the room. Before long a stew and an ale arrived in front of her, and she lowered her hood, noting the reactions of the people around her to her racial features. The couple seemed interested, as thought they knew the race but never in person, the two guards seemed to size her up before returning to their chatting. The barkeep smiled and came over for a quick word, seeming quick comfortable with the Dragonborn race, probably having spent time with one in the past. She turned back to the stew in front of her, finding it to be…. interesting. The meat was…. well, it was meat. That was probably the only the attribute you would find that did not have a negative connotation. If nothing else, it felt like meat.

The Barkeep (who gave her name as Samantha Kestor) was a short, calm woman, with a short sword strapped to her right side. After long, realizing she had a Dragonborn bard under her roof, she asked if Alondra would be interested in a song for the common room. Feeling like a change, she pulled out the wooden flute and started up a song. Before long she felt the weave of the magic ensorcell her talent and start to channel through her fingers. Time seemed to slow and speed up at the same time, and physical sensations seemed to vanish.

She came back to reality at a touch from Samantha, asking if she might be done for the night, and handing her a small pouch full of 7gp 20cp that was ‘her cut for the night’. Realizing she had been playing for an hour, Alondra eased down and back to her table, to the light applause the small crowd that had gathered in the common room without her noticing. The Inn was now packed to rafters, her songs having brought in most traveling past, and bringing in patrons for the first time in months. Samantha, clearly happy with the result, offered Alondra free room and board as long as she was happy to continue performing semi regularly. Accepting the offer, Alondra headed off to bed, stew sitting uncomfortably within her. As she settled down the sleep, the last thing she remembered was committing to find a better source of food supply for the city, and soon.

==== Items Acquired in this session ====

• Small fragment of an Earth Elemental
• Shield of Telemvor reborn as the Shield of the Breaking Dawn
• Karandar and Oromis relieve Blood Oath from [[Dramatis Personae#Rarugoth|Rarugoth]]
• Karandar secures the services of two Azer for the Reforging of the Vordblade
• All three Player Characters receive a permanent +2 to their Religion Skill for aiding Terranc
• Sorrow’s Discarded Cloak (Wwsnt sure who ended up with this?)
• Oromis completed his attunement to the Shield of the Broken Dawn

====== Recap ======

[[file:Warren_of_Terranc.png|thumb]]
====Isle of Charred Tears====

As Oromis steps through the portal onto the plane of fire, he is met with an abusive heat that is the temperature at which stone melts, making him thankful for his god’s protection. Before Bello and himself was a path that leads off to the left around the mountains in the distance, snaking through the ash fields that cover every other ground surface on the isle.

Behind them is what might be called a ‘coast’, a sheer drop off showing the multiple stacked layers of dark clouds of ash below, that were occasionally broken with a glimpse of magma far, far beneath the top of the ash layer. Even more rarely see was the natural wildlife breaching through the surface of the clouds, great winged beasts that hunted smaller ones in the lower clouds.

They quickly set off down the path, hoping to get their quest complete as soon as possible and avoid any unwanted attention. Despite their best intentions, within minutes Bello was looking around, before stating “I feel Kellok’s presence concentrated here. He attempts interference in our plans. We should move quicker.”

Before they had a chance to move, Oromis and Bellow got to meet Karandar Ellenvord, Baron of Nestor, as Kellok sent him into the plane of fire, directly in their path. A very tense and awkward introduction occurred before the two parties finally began to trust each other, before Bello comments that “it is dangerous for that blade to be here, we must beware of… unforeseen consequences”. He didn’t know what would happen, but he was sure that the [[Items#Vordblade|Vordblade]] could not be a good influence on this plane and that while the Ellenvord had a reputation that had allowed him to bring the blade into their presence, his ancestors that followed were less trusted with the sword, to which Karandar snapped a quick reply about ‘New Bloodlines’. Bello then explains quickly the basic history of the sword for Oromis, to keep him enlightened, before they continued on their way.

Shortly after encountering Karandar, the party encounters a large ash storm, rolling across the Plains. Hot ash scratches their faces as it sails past at high velocities, the wind screaming in protest, drowning out all noises. All characters suffer disadvantages on perception for the duration of the storm. The characters lost next to all visibility, even dark vision. The party choose to keep moving through the storm, and were soon rewarded for their recklessness. Before his eyes, Karandar watched something invisible fly off with with one of his Hand axes and two of his Javelins, attempting to both grab and spear the the thief before it escaped. Oromis had some more success, feeling the pesky fingers on his best and slapping them away, before alerting the rest of the party to the thieves. They wisely chose not to pursue the thieving Imps into the storm, instead continuing on their journey.

Around an hour more in, a flock of fire demons pass overhead, before circling back to check out the players, watching them from high above until they enter the portal. The portal is a oval disc of purple, hanging in the air between two simple stone pillars. It feels eerie and unnatural, even on a plane foreign to them. “They are things of chaos, portals. Twisting across the dark nether, these things are invariably tainted eventually, however these have been present for centuries.” From Bello.

====Khe’Allor’ia====

As they arrive on the second isle, a human figure stands fifty paces in front of them. He is cowed on a black robe, no features visible at all, their face shrouded. He watches them for a while, and speaks after a few long minutes. Bello can identify it as a specter of death. The aura of the creature can be felt, sapping the life from all around it.

====Spectre:==== “Don’t disturb him dragon-born, he cannot aid your mission”
====Bello:==== “That is for him, and him alone to decide.” *pause * “what purpose have you here, this realm yields not to you yet.”
====Spectre:==== “I guard the realms of the living, This you must know. Beware, this fight is far beyond your Ken. Stand down, go home, and you might not see me again for a long while”

====Spectre:==== *turns to Karandar * “Baron. You have come far, knowing little. This is not even your conflict in which to intervene. Have the Darkness stand down, i will not permit him to find me, and the need for concealment grows tedious. I have little time for these distractions. “

====Spectre:==== *he nods to Oromis * “Prophet, fire guide thee. Hopefully somewhere else.”

The figure then disappear. Bello explains that the figure was a specter of Death, but actually spoke with the mouth of Sorrow, the God of death himself. Bello explains that they have worked together before in times of need, Sorrow being one of the few gods left that directly interacts with mortals.

They head to the village, Bello having confirmed for Karandar that some Azer were present there. On their way they found some signs of a fight in the ash settled on the ground, but no sign of the combatants.

====The Village====

The Village is small, with only a few scattered buildings, formed of stone that was melted, formed into place and cooled and hardened. As they approach a group are talking in the town centre, A fire Giant ([[Dramatis Personae#Rarugoth|Rarugoth]]), and winged Demon (Sssslassseran) and a young Azer (Solem). The party learnt from these three of an Earth elemental just out of town (the signs found on the side of the road) that Rarugoth was willing to pay for the removal of, along with the knowledge that the plane was decaying, and finally that the village’s Azer smith [[Dramatis Personae#Tekku|Tekku]] considered himself a ‘big deal’ in smiting.

The players chose to assist with the earth elemental problem, but first headed to the smithy, in which they were subject to Tekku’s own highly over inflated opinion of himself, while Karandar danced around getting to the point for a bit. Eventually Tekku demanded to know what the job was if he wanted his help, and upon hearing that it was the Vordblade, he finally accepted the commission, stating to let him know where and when, and he would meet them there.

Oromis, using his Dwarven ancestral talents managed to communicate with the earth Elemental ([[Dramatis Personae#Gnngdr|Gnngdr]]), eventually sending it home via the portals they took to get here. Thanking the cleric, the Elemental snapped a small part of the itself off and handed it to Oromis, without an explanation before heading ‘north’. Tragically, the Elemental found that, upon leaving the plane of Fire, the directions he was given ended and he found himself lost in the nether of the Astral Plane, searching for his home, he was thankful at least for the small steps he had made back to the Plane of Earth.

====Isle of the Dance====

As they arrive, Bello explains that this is the main population centre of the ruined Warren, with most of the natural beings to this plane gathering to live here. Each of the marked ‘Demons’ is actually a village of 1-500 occupants who have settled on the isle. At Dusk and Dawn each day, the entire population of each village treks to the centre of the isle, a great plain made of a black, smooth rock that is unblemished, spanning 200 feet wide and continuing into the distance, replacing the trail or road where it lay.

The populations each gather, each in clumps of corresponding demons, but as the dawn/dusk breaks the demons break into a dance, flowing through, against and with each other, creating a vast and breathtaking pattern among them. As they dance a pillar of twirling flame and shadow slowly starts to twist it’s way up into the air, before finally falling to the ground once more as the dance finishes.

The energy offered by the dance is the worship of Terranc by the Demons. They pray in a physical form, and if Terranc was unchained he would join with the prayer in the air about, gathering the offered prayers about himself as his daily shroud.

The party observed one such occurrence as they passed through, the Demons dejected and depressed that their prayer had failed, slowly trekked home, clearing the way for the party. A good Religion check ”may” have shown Sorrow feeding off their sadness if they could roll better 😛

====The Shatter====

As they exit the next portal, they are greeted by a broken set of isles and rubble, with the three largest being held together by some form of wooden suspension bridges that remain despite the oppressive heat. The island chain looks like it may have once been part of one single isle broken into many, perhaps by an invading god or a being of similar size and power? The ground around them is broken, ridges rising up at random interfaces and sheering straight back down, a rough path leads up, twisting through the ridges of hard sharp store into the mountains beyond. They head through to the mountains, seemingly along on the planes.

”As they cross the mountains”, they are set upon by surprise by a soldier demon (Hezrou – MM p60) that initiated the combat by latching it’s jaw onto Oromis and having a good old chew. The smell was actually the first assault, but all of our plucky heroes had the constitution of dwarves, shrugging off the effects almost immediately. They quickly found the thing to have strong resistance to all of their attacks, leading to the party to fall back in disarray, before regrouping Karandar and driving the rapid beast back, leading to it fleeing and hiding somewhere back in the rocks. The players keep a close eye out for more demons, but noticed no sign of any others for the rest of their journey. Perhaps the first one let the others know, this prey was tough!

====His Watch==== – The watch of the Avatar

As they approach the Watch, there stood a solo figure clad in a simple white shirt and light grey pants standing with his back to the players, standing at the edge of the cliff looking out and studying the distant isle.

He speaks with Bello, asking why they seek him while he watches his brother in his prison, claiming that the fortress on yonder isle is not to defend Terranc, it’s to keep him in. He mentions that he sees he sees both Terranc and Kellok’s hands in play here, along with a taint of death that follows them.

When asked about the shield, the Shade of Telem reveals that he cannot grant Oromis that boon without his brother’s freedom on the next isle. Once they are at the Fortress, they should call upon him and he will aid their efforts as best he can, but declares that if the guardian is who he thinks it may be, there is little he can do to help them. In the meantime he summoned a Paladin to aid them (Vee – Kaitlin) in their journey. They had a very odd introduction, but got amicable.

They agree and He turns back to watch the isle, ignoring further conversation.

===Guardians Isle===

They head to the next isle, and as they walk along it, all them have the feeling of being watched. Oromis uses his stone sense, determining the mountain at the center of the island to be a giant living creature, however after a rolling a Nat 1, he was unable to persuade the rest of the party of his findings. As they moved past about three quarters of the way across the isle, the Mountain did indeed wake up, and as is typical with these things, started trying to kill them.

Unlike most Giantkin, s/he does what no other giant seems to think of at these times, and sweeps their arm down horizontally across group, giving each player the choice between ducking or jumping (Athletics vs Acrobatics). Karandar, currently carrying Oromis as he hauled arse, tosses the kill-happy Hill Dwarf up & over the oncoming arm before (unsuccessfully) attempting to slide under it himself in an ‘inspirational’ moment. The players continue to flee to the bridge, as the mountain starts to fall forward onto them.

====End of the Shatter====

The last isle was just a tiny broken isle floating in the nether of fire. This isle is heavily shrouded in shadow. They could see things moving in the shadow, and occasionally could feel their passing, but couldn’t find the source of it.

As they approach the final portal, a large shadow demon coalesces in front of them, stares down at them for a moment before dispersing into a cloud of wisps as it hisses the words “Freeee our Masterrr”

====Terranc’s Muted Glory====

This island is just a single fortress built for one purpose: ====Imprisoning Terranc’s Grace====. Terranc, the Lord of the Dawn, was stripped from his Grace not long after the conclusion of the 2nd War of Existence, supposedly ambushed by once-allies who had turned on him after Ellenvord’s fall.

As they emerge onto the last isle, they’re standing around 200 meters for the walls of the fortress, a huge structure of obsidian walls, that seems to not be manned except for the 3 people standing, facing them in front of the gate, about halfway between the party and the gates. One is the figure who warned them from the other isle, standing in the centre. To his right is Azzanan, and on his left is an unknown Mage (Uzziel (OOh-Zi-El) the Twisted, Aspected to Chaos).

Bello: I think we’ve found our jailers. *touches Oromis’ shield * “Shade of Telem, we call thee to our side”

A bar of light slams down into the ground before them, and the man from the ledge earlier is now standing before the players. Sorrow has reacted with some disdain and mocking laughter as he starts walking towards them, causing Telem to stagger, who turns to quietly share a plan with them.

T: “He’s here in full! I can feel the entirety of his spirit and warren concentrated behind him, and that is something that I, in my current state, cannot withstand for more than a few moments. I will distract him as best as I can, you must get past his minions and open the cage within. “

Telem starts walking to towards Sorrow, bits of armour slowing fading in, onto his body, armouring him in resplendent full plate of a paladin, with a glowing white sword in his left hand.

For the first few rounds of battle, Sorrow and Telem duked it out, sending out massive blows that cause the earth to shake, great beams of light and spells of great darkness and death, but with Shade of Telem clearly loosing almost from the outself.

Uzziel’s first round tactic is whip a Pickled Octopus tentacle out of his robes and throw it at Oromis, casting Hunger of Hadar, Bringing the sickness of the nether forth. Azzanan on the other hand, vanishes and reappears seconds later behind Karandar, driving two knives into his shoulder blades, one missing due to hitting the Ellenvord pauldrons. The attack will threw him to ground unless after a failed STR Save. Azzanan spins and start walking straight at Bello, who drops down a little into a crouch, dropping his scepter and holding both hands out to his side, both afire with holy flame. He strains his arms and forces his two palms together, creating a massive bar of white hot fire that streaks out at the Assassin, who manages to blend into shadow and disappear right as the bar of flame would have touched him.

Azzanan shadow melded back into combat at the start of his next turn, hitting Oromis in the back this time, then melding back out again (Oromis can make a reaction attack to this). Azzanan will continued to do this until the combat ended, but repeatedly hit Bello down from 180hp to nearly 0.

After his Hunger of Hadar, Uzziel switches to desperately defending himself from Oromis and Karandar’s attentions. Using Scorching Ray and Magic Missile (Chaos) @ Level 5 against the players, he managed to get off a greater invisibility spell right at the last minute. Thinking he had teleportaled out, the players turned back to Azzanan, only to have Uzziel reappear 2 turns later and Dominate Oromis, commanding him first to heal all the enemies, before them setting him to attack the Shade of Telem. Vee, busily defending Bello, slapped out a couple of quick Sacred Flames, eventually slapping Oromis out of his trance, barely in time before he could hit the Shade of Telem.

Bellow, seeing Telem down on one knee, desperately shielding himself from waves of death of darkness. He long since stopped blocking the waves of force and is now just parrying them with what remains of his Light. Seeing the desperation of their fight, and seeing Karandar returning from trying the Vordblade on the gate to the fortress, he desperately calls out to Karandar “Your signet! Call the Darkness for aid!” before taking yet another blow from Azzanan.

Karandar got a message out, concentrating as hard as he could. From the other end his untrined mind managed to send “Sorrow… Here…” which was more than enough for the Darkness to act. As the message was accepted by Morrowdown, the signet ring flashed dark for a second, before returning to it’s normal red. Almost immediately, anyone in Morrowdorn’s circle of trusted friends of can feel a pulling sensation in their minds from him, intensely so. Intrinsically it feels like he is calling in every favor he has, all at once. Karandar was one of these.

Sorrow pauses for a moment, before worriedly declaring “No!” before the cavalry arrives. Every big Named NPC Magic User / Ally makes a showing, each arriving in a teleport stream of their element,

Characters that arrive in a semi circle behind the party.

• Morrowdorn of the Dark, first to arrive in a torment of swirling darkness that releases to show him in full battle dress, helmet on, a sword that seems to suck the light from everything around him clutched in his left hand, his right hand free.
• Xenth arrives in a pillar of water that smashed down from above, the liquid dissipating (not boiling) as it splashes against the ground. As the pillar disappears it reveals Xenth within, standing ready.
• A human warlock is next to arrive, from a tear in reality form a rift. Behind him in rift can be seen in the city of Nestor, on the western banks. A Sword of Ice at his side, hissing angrily at the heat around it, with a large leather bound book chained onto his waist, as though to prevent it from escaping him.
• Danath arrives in a bar of light similar to Telem’s, though much weaker, 4 smaller beams drop in behind him, all priests of Telemvor who are looking at Telem in shock.
• A rift tears open in the sky above, and a Bronze dragon emerges from within, roaring in challenge. The Guardian of the Isle roars back, shocking everyone and causing them to look towards it, in a tiny bit of fear.
• A massive lighting strike hits the ground, leaving any who looked blind for a few seconds, as there vision clears, Striker stands where it hit, sword and staff drawn, chest heaving, blood on his armour and weapons, looking as though he has arrived from another battle.
• Graffhand appears, rising up through the earth flanked by 4 Gold Helms of the Legion, each with dual swords that glow blue in the ashy clouds around them (The Home Guard). The ground melds and morphs out of the way as they was rise up, on a flat floor (think fallout 4 vaults entrance), to finally stand on the earth itself.
• A Forest Warden (unnamed) arrives in a cluster of vines that seems to bloom from nowhere, and then retreat, leaving the warden standing there. The retreating vines dig into the ground and start building a form that is putting itself together from the rocks behind the warden, slowly forming up into a grove guardian.
• Seviok, in a Pillar of Flame
• A Female Dragon-born arrives, Wielding [[Items#Mac_Futinaire|Mac Futinaire]], sailing down on a cloud of Air as she arrives.
• Tolarian in a pillar of Ice that creaks and cracks as it forms, before shattering outwards, the ice chunks vanishing harmlessly before harming anyone
• Several more mages that the party has never seen before, (including one that is clearly the Arch Wizard of Cantos, resplendent in his Purple robes adorned with gems and spell focuses) appearing in a mix of fire water and air, 2 druids, one veering into a Giant Black cave bear and roaring.
• The High Priestess of Ioasha appears out of nowhere, her eyes widening in fear as she lays eyes on Sorrow. She exclaims “How did I get here?!”
• Priests and significant members from other orders

As the group arrives Sorrow is mightily displeased, and can be felt gathering energy as they approach. A LOT of energy. Everyone on the other side is doing the same, but there’s combined is barely enough to match him alone.

====Morrowdorn:====

Finally, it comes to this. Sorrow, I am sent here for you, and you alone. The Balance requires you to relinquish your chair, do so, and your allies need not die on this day.

MD (via Message to party): “You do not want to be here for what comes next, I will have Tolarian get you through the gates. ” – Bello edges to the left, around Uzziel. Seeing that no one is paying him any attention now that bigger fish have arrived, he beckons the party to join him.

====Sorrow====

(Flees) “Now is not the time”, he seems to spin, his robes falling to the floor empty, as though he had never been inside them anyway. Azzanan drops into shadow, appearing briefly again behind Uzziel before grabbing his shoulder, for both of them to disappear laughing. Morrowdorn cursing before setting off in pursuit with everyone in tow.

====The Fortress====

As they approach the gate (200-250m), Tolarian pops in next to them, running along side. Gives Karandar a huge grin, before giving him shit about always getting in between ascendants and causing trouble. Tells them he’s going try to do this the easy way, and disappears again (pop!), appear at the gate ahead of them, both hands reaching out to it. In response to him, the wards on the gate start to glow, and flex, getting brighter and brighter before they finally shattering with sound of a thousand windows breaking. The Gate jumps once, slamming back into the ground, with one of the two sides slowly falling in, into the courtyard beyond. Tolarian falls to his knees exhausted, as they players pass him on the run(?), he is chanting something, nods to Karandar with a smile, and a spear of ice slams down onto him, and rears back into the sky, taking the exhausted mage with him.

The large courtyard opens into a square, about 50m x 50m, well constructed of blocks made out of the same material as the walls. In front of them stands a Sphinx, made of stone and fire, who watches them gleefully.

“Welcome Travellers, to my lair, answer my questions, if you so dare”

“The world is in a strange state, The Grave has swallowed the Dawn, muting its fire. The Sun, chained in place, watches these events angrily ploting its eventual revenge, The Grave now hides from the Night, who was now unleased by the chaining of Dawn.”

“Who is the Grave?” (Sorrow), lets them try twice. Bello helps on second guess. “

“Good, you seem to know more about the world than you look. What knows all languages that have been spoken?” (An echo)

“Last question, and with this you may pass, little morals: What is locked away behind me?” (Terranc’s Power, or Grace)

“Thank you mortals, please, go forth and release my lord.”
The Sphinx shirks back, letting you pass.

In the next room is simply just a giant barred cage, covered in runes. Within floats a cloud like shape, bouncing from side to side of the cage, looking for a way out. The shape is a mix of shadows and flames, dancing around each other, and occasionally revealing a golden ball at the center.

Bello: I cannot dispel this, it is beyond me, can you?

Oromis remmbers his Scroll of Dispell Lvl 9 and casts it.

As the dispel goes off the cage vanishes, and the ball expands a bit, seems to test that the cage is actually gone, before sounding a single gold tone that echos across the entire warren, before fading away.

Bello: “I think our mission here is complete” as Telem approaches through the gate to thank them for saving Terranc. He explains it may still take some time for the effects to work, but the Warren should now return to its natural state, and hopefully Terranc will return to the plane of fire soon to reclaim his seat in the pantheon. Telem grants Oromis use of the shield, channeling the now released Grace of Dawn to change the shield to instead be the Shield of Dawn’s Light.

Bello then portals them home, Karandar getting whisked away mid stream by Kellok, to arrive in his tent once more, mere moments having passed on their plane.

Kharak Sanbell, Home of the Goblins

The party reassembled after a day’s rest, during which Timble “Lizard Slayer” had gone out on a reconnoitre task for Blacktooth, coming back with tales of the Nogrod, a cloaked assassin, crazy Gnomes and talking felines.

Karandar witnessed Sal dragged away screaming into a portal, but was unable to help her at the time. Having no clues to where she had been dragged or why, he chose to continue his journey into the mountain instead of aimlessly searching for his companion. A Halfling ranger named Kivan had joined the party, having travelled to the area in an effort to escape a debt owed to the Nestorian Thieves Guild. The Halfling seemed to kneel a lot, but seemed a capable ally.

Timble spent some time shopping in the goblin town, before Blacktooh asked to do another reading for the party, concerned by what he saw from Timble’s reading. As the goblin king arrived, he was joined with his two Bugbear bodyguards and his apprentice shaman Kurz. Karandar draws blood with the shattered remains of the Vord blade, before drawing the cards as Blacktooth channelled his energy.

The Reading

Cards Drawn

Guidance: Sorrow
A Failed Roll

Risk: Calm
When first drawn, this card looks torn and tattered, with shreds hanging loosely. Upon a second glance though, it’s as normal as ever.

Deceiver: Slerikek
A Failed Roll

Adversary: The Giggling Terror
This drawing causes Blacktooth to start looking nervous.

Patron: Calm & Change
Stuck together, back to back
A Failed Roll

Focus: Guardian
This card shows a knife, on a grey background.

As the last card settles, a savage gust of wind blows through the Kharak, whipping the cards around and throwing all bar one around the room. The only card left on the table is Calm, returned to the tattered state it was in when first glanced. One last card flew off the deck on its own, landing on Calm perpendicularly.

Blacktooth, snarls commands at his Bugbear guards, who run off immediately in differing directions, before he turned back to the party, strokes his chin fuzz (goblin beards, amirite?) and thinks for a moment before responding:

You, all of you, stand near the centre of a great Web of deceit and potential destruction all of which is seemingly focused in northern Vestar. You have inconclusive alliances, yet the sides still have not yet been decided, even that is unclear.

You appear to have made allies and enemies far beyond your own abilities and you run the risk of being absorbed into their retinue or simply even just wiped off the game board. Your patrons are completely misaligned, at odds and ends with each other, their alliance one of pure coincidence. I know nothing that can aid you yet, your adversary is a newer card, and much of its intentions are still unclear. We shall try this again as you leave the mountain, and see if things are clearer.

Something… significant is coming between the darkness and the shadow and you seem to be central to the change that will take place. Be wary, both shadow and darkness are known for trick those they need to get them on side.

I will send Kurz with you, she is a capable healer and will assist you on the way to the dwarves. She will also show you the way out to the Gate of Skyshaft, but past that she will not be able to guide you.

Blacktooth leaves the party to get to know one another, having many things to now think about.

Delver’s Pass

A short trip, escorted by a handful of goblins leads them to the rear entrance of Kharak Sanbell. Outside a storm blew, but the goblins were quick to point out that there was nearly always snow falling on Sanbell’s northern slope, and waiting it out might take days. Start on their way down the snowy path, having a few stumbles at first, then a near miss with a stone giant, and Timbles brief encounter with the Kot Bayun, they arrive at the entrance to Delver’s Pass. A nondescript opening into the side of the hill Kurz filled the rest of the team what was ahead.
Moving into the pass, they immediately found it to be a wet, humid, and exhaustive mess inside, with a small stream flowing down the stairs they were climbing. Kurz and Karandar worked to snap some glowing quartz off a pillar for light, and the party set off in full.

‘Ware the Dead!

They soon come across a door slightly ajar in the side of the cave with the words “’Ware the Dead” scratched in the stone above it. Kurz, using detect magic, notices two slightly magical beings within, along with some small item. Timble, scouting it out, found a Spectre within that was quickly dispatched by the group, who were then hit from behind by the other magical figure, a Poltergeist. Slamming them forward into the tomb with a wave of force dealing 35 damage, he cackles and slams the door shut on them with a sly wave.

The party erupt from the tomb, expecting a fight, instead finding nothing in the passage at all. Searching the tomb, they found a worn ring of spell storing, only capable of a single lvl1 spell. Timble & Karandar, both having failed the check, gained a stack of exhaustion from the encounter, due the humidity in the passage.

Silencio!

Moving onwards and upwards, they find the tunnel opens up into a small clearing, and within can be heard something similar to blades being slapped together, along with a strange noise, almost like a hollow echoing pulse.

Timble, remembering the noise from a previous adventure long past, snuck into the clearing and ambushed the first Hook Horror he saw. Dramatically leaping with two knives out, just as Kurz dropped silence on the Hook, he landed on it’s back and driving the blades home multiple times, badly wounding the beast. Karandar then stepped up and started hacking the thing to pieces, with some further assistance from the rest of the party, before a second Hook Horror appeared, quickly demoralized by the Baron and the Ranger, leading it to flee.

Timble put some work into trying to keep a separated Hook hand, before finally acknowledging the futility of his efforts and the lack of support from his friends (aww). However, he had already accrued his 2nd stack of exhaustion. The poor little drenched mouse was starting to breathe raggedly and with an occasional wheeze.

Of Mice and Monsters

The next encounter on the path was none other than a sleeping Rock Troll, snoring louder than a small earthquake. Karandar chose to toss Timble across the gap first, leaving the mouse folk time to pick the trolls pockets before Kivan arrived as well. Timble, finding a dead Cave Mouse, decided to bring the corpse along and give it a proper burial. They made their way past the cave troll before hearing a new rumbling sound, accompanied by a sharp increase in water flowing into the cavern. During their discussion about what to do, a wall of water appeared, forcing them back towards a ledge back behind the sleeping troll. The party set off at all possible speed, arriving at the ledge just in time but finding the troll already occupying the space within.

Karandar tossed Timble up first, who seized the opportunity to drive some blades into the Troll and leap off kick it forwards, just as Kivan looped his self-knotting rope around the trolls neck and pulled with Karandar, bringing the beast fast down onto the floor. Using the troll as a stepping stone, they jumped onto the ledge just as the water swept past, taking the poor troll with it. Timble suffered most from the exertion and gained a 3rd exhaustion stack.

Aldritch Banhammer

Hours and hours later, the stairs finally gave way to a large open area, leading to a large abandoned dwarven forge suspended above a pit of magma. Exploring the area, they found a large number of runes emblazoned magically on the wall, before Timble made contact with Aldridge Banhammer, A runesmith who was left behind in the initial invasion who had been surviving on summoned food and what he could take from the orcs he killed and dropped in his lava pit afterwards.

Striking a bargain with the players, he used the Spectre dust to enhance both Karandar’s Greatsword (+1d6 Dmg, 3 Charges, Each charge allowing Karandar to do 1d10 Poison damage on an attack of his choice, regaining one charge per short rest or all for a long rest. If the target fails a DC 16 Con Save they take 1d6 Poison damage for 1d6 turns. (‘’’DM Note:’’’ You were right, I regretted it.) ) and Timbles Hand Crossbow (+2 Magical Weapon). Promising to tell the dwarves he was there, they headed off, finally arriving outside again in to the sun.
As they exit the tunnel, they are on an open clearing that looks out over the entire valley. Below them is short path that leads down the mountain for maybe 5 minutes’ walk, before it strikes out across the empty void as a tiny stone bridge. It spans the entire distance to Misty Peak, across the way, and is 10ft in diameter at it’s widest points. Misty peak is shrouded in…. mist. The top of the mountain disappearing into the cloud, along with the final parts of the span below.

Back outside

Deciding to setup for camp first, Kivan taking the first watch, he noticed a boulder flying at them just in time, getting all of them out of the way just in time. Using his ranger skills to help them stealth, they set off down the hill, hoping to get out of the target zone of the Stone Giants, successfully dodging all of the rocks, before arriving at a campsite on the face of Misty Peak, having crossed some crazy dwarven sky bridge to get there. As they arrive at Misty Peak, the Giants die down and go back to what they were doing, over the sport of the hour.

After resting for a long enough to regain all health and stats, the party sets off for the Skyway, the last obstacle between them and the mountain of Skyshaft herself. As they first set out, a monstrously large Black Dracolich flies overhead, snapping at creatures on it’s back, bellowing in pain, while the whole party suffered from dracofear.

Musing at the sight, they set off again before coming to a gap in the path, about 10ft long. Timble set off at a run to jump over, failing miserably, but showing that it was instead an illusion to show the path missing, and landed squarely on what looked like just air. Treading carefully they joined him, and set off, finding another illusion an hour or so later.

As they finally came within sight of the mountain, a black cloud seemed to come off the side of the mountain, swarming the players and mobbing them, forcing them to run for the end of the way or be overwhelmed. Charging forwards, they come to another gap in the path. Timble, expecting nothing more than another illusion jumps for it, passing through where the illusion was and sailing down to his death.

Quick thinking on his part led to him hooking his grapple into the broken path as he fell, arresting his fall. Karandar, seeing this from behind, tossed Kivan across the gap and grabbed Kurz and leapt over it himself, all while on the run. Dragging the mouse up from his dangling leash, the party continued to run for the gates, passing through them and losing the ravens behind them.

Skyshaft

Kharak Carosh lay within, a defensive keep that lay in complete ruin. The city inside the gate has been gutted and looted by successive invaders, with nothing left now but potential shelter to those who might wish to rest. The Kharak is un-gated, relying on the main gate for defence, and is built into the left wall of the chamber that the gate opens in to, with tunnels going back into the mountain for days. As the players pass through, the cross into area that would have once been only accessible to pure blooded dwarves, causing Karandar to wondering to himself if he was breaking some ancient treaty, before shrugging and continuing on anyway.

An amazing carving ran along the wall, showing the history of the storm dwarves from the dawn of time. Reading as they went, they had an odd premonition of being watch. Thinking it just a scrying, Kurz used detect magic, scaring herself when she saw twenty some greenskins standing not 20 feet away from them, invisible. One, are large ogre with a twisted metal arm, snarled and strode forward, accepting a challenge of single combat with Karandar crying “To Death!”.

An unexpected duel

The duel erupted in savage violence, neither rager holding back, nor thinking of their own defense, just trying to cut down the other. While that was taking place, Kivan and Timble, expecting the orcs to backstab them, hatched a plot to sneak around and hit the orcs the minute they did something bad. As the half-ogre started to lose his health, Karandar could see his wound’s clearing, implying the shamans to be cheating, but chose not to tell anyone.

As the baron gained the upper hand, the Ogre had had enough and ordered his men forward, triggering a response from the hidden party members. A savage fight broke out in the cave, orc and human/goblin/mouse/Halfling straining to win when survival was on the line.

A 4-man pincer

Thanks to some trick shots and nice AoE, the battle started to turn in their favour, first as the archers started to go down and then when Timble took down both shamans. One of the Shaman managed to get a summoning spell off, bringing in an Earth elemental that seemed familiar to Karandar. The Shaman died before the elemental could be put to use, and now it was freed from the shamans influence, quickly starting to squish archers, turning the tide completely in the favour of the adventurers.

Karandar, getting the crit he wanted, smashed the orcs twisted eldritch arm off it’s body, “TUHDING!” Into the floor below, and the Orcs started to flee. Knowing the shamans and their resurrection abilities were key, Timble worked on stopping the orcs take the corpses with them, Kivan quickly realising what was going on and used the card of winds to assist. The Elemental turned at the noise of the oncoming Ogre and smashed it with an arm as it fled past, throwing it against a wall 40ft away to slump down dead before saying goodbye and de-summoning.

The party was left standing among a pile of corpses, surrounded by even older bones, wandering what kind of mess they’ve gotten their selves into.

While the Baron prepared for the next part of their journey, Timble decided to accept Blacktooth’s offer to scout out the partially collapsed tunnels under the goblin settlements. Having first a reading of the deck that showed vampires, death, darkness and shadow watching his path. Heading down, he found himself in the middle of some sort of war of attrition between two tribes of Kobolds and Troglodytes. Watching the conflict, Timble chose to join the Kobolds side in the conflict (after narrowingly avoiding death from a series of traps laid by the Kobold Trapper).

Timble eradicated most of the tribe with his hand crossbow of death, before running into a cloaked figure who informed the Mousefolk that his adventure was a test, and it was time for his final one: The Nogrod! Timble hit the figure first, thinking to end the combat early, with it blending away, and the Nogrod moving on him.

Running back the way he came, Timble fled from the Nogrod and its great blade, warning his chatty pursuer as he did so. As he crossed the cavern he saw a group of three gnomes barrel past on a steam cruiser, fighting off a great tentacled beast that had wrapped itself around them.

Scrambling up the wall and slipping away, lantern half size clanking behind him, he took a blow nearly cleaving im twain. The mouse just slipped away in time as the great axe wielding monstrosity smashed against the rubble blocking the passage. As he gathered himself again in safety, he found a strange eyepatch in his possession.

[[Items#The Eye Patch]]

Baron Karandar Ellenvord,

We trust this finds you well in your journey abroad of the Holdings, however duty calls, and an attention must be brought to your attention to find measure of your vote. Within you will find the standard information packet mailed to all lords in the field or unable to attend today’s council meeting, within is contained all of the information provided to fellow sitting members before it is brought to debate upon the floor.

Azulan Fort Line

[[File:Nestorian_Fortline.PNG ]]

A number of members of the Lord Council have raised issues of the vulnerability of our primary freight and trade channels, and wish to bring it to further debate among the council.

Nestorian trade has long been delivered to other nations by mainly land routes, in part due to tradition, national alliances, and the danger of the lands to the west. As the western lands have been pacified and continue to the be settled, along with the continued development of the Delagore docks, large scale ocean trade has become a reality for the city of Nestor.

The Lord Council is concerned that if river trade along the Azule continues to accelerate in popularity, the city may find itself with a vulnerable and exposed trade artery passing through hostile territory. The Lord Council are proposing the construction of twenty two (22) river, sea and lake forts between Port Pardue and Delagore.

The forts would be manned by the Nestorian Guard, or barring that the mariners of the 3rd Legion. The fort would be designed to be resupplied by river craft via a dock, the river craft to be manned by the same organisation who operates the forts (The Lord Council would advise a “River Guard” to be trained as river trade expands anyway, to protect our interests).

The fortline is expected to cost approximately 36,000gp in total, over a period of 5 years (7,200 / year). These costs would be partially (10%) subsidised by an agreement between the Lord Council and Baron Delagore to use their personal wealth. The remainder would be financed by a reshuffling of budgetary finances, along with a 5,000gp loan from the Stone Bank. The Lord Council agrees that these costs seem excessive for a fix to a potential future problem, however they have been discussing the issue for almost a year without reaching a consensus, and such wish the Barons and counts to weigh in.

While there is a current conflict that has forced trade to divert and use the Azula river, this will only continue for the current campaign season at most, and is not the basis of this dicussion. The forts discussed within will take up to 3 years to complete fully, and will have zero impact upon the outcome of the conflict.
<br><br><br>

Argument For

Nestor lives and breathes on the back of it’s trade. If the trade stops, so does the city, and then so do the holdings. None of us are immune to this. We cannot find ourselves in a situation where the pirates of the lattice or simpleton orc marauders can bring our mighty city and the glorious holdings to their knees with simple raiding! We cannot allow this to happen, we need to make Nestor great again!

These forts would allow for river patrols, safe bulk shipping, and increased wealth for every resident of the holdings! With the new fleet setting sail to protect our ocean tread, the horizon is the literal limit for how far we can now ship Nestorian goods!

Voting For

• Duke Silvaro, Duke of Nestor<br>
• Duke Pirtarvan, Duke of the Eastern Marches<br>
• Duke Vocten, Duke of the West<br>
• Morrowdorn, Lord Mage of Nestor <br>
• Graffhand, Lord Cleric of Nestor<br>
• Tankov Silverfist, Lord Admiral of the Nestorian Fleet

Argument Against

Nestor already stands at a crossroads for her future, accused of warmongering and deception on a national scale. Building a series of military forts is only going to antagonise an already delicate situation on the global stage! Morrowdorn and his cronies won’t stop starting wars with everyone, and now we want to build bigger walls? Really? Are you that un-selfware?!

The costs are prohibitive as well, 36,000gp would be better spent on schools, development and settlement opportunities, instead we’re supposed to waste it building a series of towers along a river that we ”might” colonize, at ”some” point? Okay, sure thing Duke Silvaro!

The river traders can hire guards if it’s so dangerous! Why should we, as lords and citizens of Nestor, be paying for the traders convenience? Let them cover their own costs! If the river was truly ””’that””’ dangerous, the Lord Council should sue for peace and send the Legions to clear out the area, but I doubt you’ll see that happen!

Voting Against

• Duke Crayz Hodun, Duke of Hodun Marches
• Duchess Tirian, Duchess of the Plains
• Coril Sevenswords, Marshall of Nestor
• Tefflum Solidstack, Publicly Voted Representative