Wednesday, August 3. 2005Nalathisor: Conversations with an Orc
The five of us left NewKeep, and headed towards the Northwest of the lands. After about half a day's journey we came across a man sitting on the side of the road next to a wagon. No sooner had the old man finished telling us that he was attacked by orcs who had taken his wife, than Jackle fired an arrow off into the trees. Apparently he had seen a foot dangling from the trees. His proficiency with the bow helped him land a fatal blow as after he fired his arrow, and orc dropped dead to the ground.
However, in true Jackle fashion, he didn't bother to see the exact layout of the situation, as 3 more orcs jumped out. Poor Thelonius was surrounded with an orc on either side of him. In front of the monk was what seemed like the leader of the orcs. He was holding a dagger to the throat of a woman, we could only assume was the man's wife. Soon all our weapons were drawn. The orc began muttering something, and being versed in the language of the Orcs was able to translate. He told us to put our weapons down or the woman dies. I attempted to strike up a conversation but he kept insisting on us putting our weapons down. I attempted to get my compatriots to lower their weapons, as the current situation was not good for the woman being held hostage. Jackle was resistant to put his bow down, but in the common tongue I told him not to worry, that he was the fastest draw among any of us. Apparently I was too loud, as the orc than muttered, in common, "I speak common". I really should stick to using Elven or Draconic between Jackle and I. I continued a conversation with the orc leader trying to keep him distracted. Thelonius and I seemed to be on the same page though, as while I was conversing with the leader, the monk quickly was able to sneak up and disarm the leader, freeing the old lady. Jackle immediately fired his bow, and watched as his arrow found it's final resting place, embedded deep through the throat of the main orc. The other orcs were finished in short order, although the monk did suffer some wounds. It appears that he was early in his training, as he tends to throw his punches rather wildly. Sometimes doing nothing more than cooling his enemy off with a slight breeze. We took care of the old man, Thomas, and his wife. That night during camp, some of the remarks Llan and Jackle made, caused me to think they know more now than they did before. I decided to get Llan alone and find out what he knew. During our conversation Llan, told me about the steps he took to track down his father. How he sent a letter to him, so they could meet in NewKeep and he could confront him. I offically welcomed him to the family. Truthfully he's always felt like family to me, ever since he was young. Llan truly seemed interested in getting to know his father. I figured I'd not ruin his happiness now with the sad news of his mother. Jackle on the other hand, wasn't taking this whole father thing serious. But then again what would I expect. After all he wasn't there while he grew up. He just sired the boy and left. We camped for the night, before continuing the 10 day journey to GladeKeep. Tuesday, August 2. 2005Rath: Icthin and Ulek
Veya told us an interesting tale tonight, as we gathered around the campfire and ate a delcious confection that Maxwell prepared known as "brownies". (Perhaps the fairie-like beings are a primary ingredient? It would certainly explain the delicious taste!)
I shall attempt to record as accurately as I can the story Veya related, as something tells me this information may be vital to our party's survival.
An interesting tale, but I do hope she and her master are wrong. The last thing we need at this point is planar troubles. Tuesday, August 2. 2005Nalathisor: A Quest Begins
The night at the residence gave my brother and I some time to catch up. Afterall we hadn't seen each other since he was in Hillydale 25 or so years previous. If it weren't for that visit back then, this trip may not have been needed. The more things change, the more they stay the same apparently. He hasn't changed all that much, his mission in life still seems to be that he doesn't really have a mission in life. He still just prefers to wander the land, and spread his love around to any willing and able bar wench. But he's still my brother and it's good to see him again.
I managed to get him to accompany me on my quest. He thought it would be good to be together again, just like old times when we travelled together, before I settled down. He never knew why I chose to settle down at that point. He wouldn't understand. Continue reading "Nalathisor: A Quest Begins" Monday, August 1. 2005Urfengar: Treasure Hunt
While I've spent most of our time here in Brindenford puttering around my room, working on Kitya's club, some of the others had a little adventure out in the druid's new forest. Apparently one of the villains from Ossington (a bard named Cuckoo) made an appearance. My companions made quick work of him. While I would have liked to participate in the fight, the fact that he won't be bothering us in the future makes up for it. It might even send a message to his boss.
Earl Blackthorne sent a messenger requesting our presence shortly after the incident with the Cuckoo. The king of this land has died, leaving no heirs, and the earl needs to be at the conference of nobles which will decide the successor. Blackthorne feels that the man best suited for the job is going to need a little oil to get the wheels of politics rolling in his favor, so he asked if we wouldn't be willing to run after a dragon hoard for him. I don't particularly enjoy human politics, but the thought of what kind of wealth might lie at the end of this quest was enough to perk my interest. The others seemed to believe that the land would benefit from being ruled by men like the earl, so we agreed to search for the treasure. The earl warned us that rival factions would try to impede us, and sure enough, on our way to meet the fellow with the treasure map, a bunch of roughs with black armbands decided to try their luck with us. After making quick work of that encounter, we tracked down the man holding the key to this little errand. He seems a nice enough sort, but our man in red somehow beat us to him. The earl's friend re-drew the map from his memory as best he could, and we're to set out in search of the treasure and Thelonious' murderer in the morning. One other thing of interest happened today. We met a junior Planeswalker in the common room of the Inn where we met the Earl's friend. Her master had been slain by the Man in Red, and she was stranded here. We told her to tag along, since any spells I have that might return her to Toril weren't a sure thing. Monday, August 1. 2005Rath: Outside Looking In
For 3 nights, I watched as my new dwarven friend alternately stared into the fire and fumbled with quill and parchment, his face flickering from sorrow, to guilt, to rage. On the fourth night, I could watch silently no longer.
"I'm making a record of our travels." came the gruff reply to my query. Something in his face or in his voice told me the story his words could not: he was trying to find some way to deal with the death of his young charge, and friend, the monk Thelonious. The more I've looked around the camp, the more I've begun to realize how deeply some members of this party have felt the pain of our recent losses. Of course I feel badly about what happened to young Llan, who was so obviously the moral center of this extended "family". And watching what happened to the monk. . .well, to have done that to Thelonious from what must have been a great distance indicates that our foes have a level of power at their command that, frankly, terrifies me. Personally, I have a hard time feeling that close of a bond with anyone...whether that is a result of my odd parentage, or just a trait of my personality, I cannot be sure, but my friends have always been few. I follow the path of the Wolf, and few share my interests. My perviously solitary journeys were made alone because I couldn't find anyone like-minded enough, and it's better to go alone than with people one wearies of soon. However, of later, I have begun to find myself fascinated by Kitya's dedication to the Way of the Forest. I've always done things alone because I never found people who cared about the things I've cared for enough to suffer the attendant hardships, but now I find that my passion for the natural ways is outstripped by the wild-eyed fanaticism of a druid. Pondering these thoughts, I turned to the newest member of our little band, the half-elven wizardess named Veya. She named herself a planeswalker, or rather, one-time apprentice to such. I had never before heard of anyone of less power than my grandfather travelling the planes, and the idea intruiges me. Now we're told that there is a good possibility that the Dragon Horde our leige-lord has sent us in search of lies on a plane other than our own. I find myself excited and perhaps a little worried at the prospect of leaping into a magical gate that when I have little to no idea what our destination is. The gates that we have already seen open before our eyes are mysterious enough for my liking. It is true that I can be happy alone, and I've often preferred solitude to the constant bickering of human civilization. But I look forward to the end of our journey because I take with me people with whom I feel a rare bond of friendship, and a real friend is never an intrusion. Monday, August 1. 2005Nalathisor: Prophetic Poetry
We didn't get long to rest, as Llan soo woke Jackle and I to let us know that the etting had been periodically sticking his head out of the ruings. Sure enough after watching for a few moments the ettin stuck his head out of the ruins. He also motioned for us to approach, and then motioned for us to do it quietly. Apprehensive, yet intrigued we approached the ruins. The ettin asked us to come in, but told us to be quiet as his other head, Muck, was sleeping.
He then went on to tell us that his name was Krym. He was a cleric of Heironeous, and was one of the three adventurers who sought out the evil sorceror, Stonydyalus. During the battle they had managed to defeat the wizard, but not before the other adventurers were slain and he had been turned into an ettin. Unfortunately the other head was the one who had the most control, and was the one responsible for the atrocities wrought on the town. The only clues that Krym had for resolving his situation was a poem. Two heads have we, but born with one. Suddenly we could hear the townspeople approaching. Llan went to look and see what was going on while Jackle and I tried to solve the riddle. We were able to come to the following conclusions. The six-armed king was referring to Hextor, the brother of Heironeous. We were also able to find out from Krym that as a cleric for Heironeous he tended to be overzealous, and would assault other priests who would disagree with him. This fit nicely with the poem. We knew, however, that this information would do nothing to appease the mob growing outside, that Llan was dealing with. Jackle decided to search the upper level of the ruins and was able to find a scroll. After some nifty jumping and leaping about he was able to grab the scroll and passed it down to me. I quickly opened the scroll and noticed it was a polymorph spell. I recited the incantation on the scroll and watched as Krym was restored to human form. The three of us then joined Llan outside and explained the situation. With everything resolved we headed back to town. I figured I'd stay at the same residence as Jackle that night. This would give us a chance to catch up. Besides it felt good to be back in action together. I could also try and find out exactly how much he knew about Llan, and their relationship to one another. In the morning I would see if I could get Jackle and Llan to accompany as I searched for her body, and for those responsible. However, I figured I'd wait to let them know the full details of who we were searching for. Monday, August 1. 2005A Mournful Journey
--From the Journal of the Rogue Wizard Nalathisor
Why did I leave? If I had just stayed, I wouldn't have needed to make this trip. Finally though I made it to Newkeep where I'd be able to find him. No sooner had I entered the town though, then I saw some all too familiar equipment out on a horse. Why was my brother Jackle there? Was it only be a coincindence that he was there? Did they know each other? Did Jackle know that he is a father? Although I do use that term loosely, sire is more accurate. The residence he was staying at seemed to be asleep so I decided to explore the town a bit. Continue reading "A Mournful Journey" Thursday, July 28. 2005Urfengar's Travels
As we reached the outskirts of Brindenford, we came upon Nalathisor waiting by the side of the road. I hadn't yet met him at this time - only heard about him from. . .from the others. He looked rather haggard and ran up to Jackle demanding to know where Llan was.
Upon learning of Llan's death, Nalathisor's face went through a flurry of emotions, and he started up a shouting match with Jackle. He named his brother a coward, then reached into a pouch, pulled out a scroll, and began to chant. Jackle attempted to disrupt the spell by firing an arrow at his brother, but before any of the rest of us could react, the elven warrior was morphed into a rooster. Nalathisor rode off into the busy streets ahead as we stared, stunned at his actions. I finally regathered my wits and dispelled the crazy elf's magic, restoring his brother to a slightly less animalistic state. We rode into town hoping to find the elven trickster, but the guards said they had no idea where Nalathisor had gone. I suspected the guards had been paid to keep their silence, since the rest of the party was recognized on sight by many of the townspeople. We were interrupted on our way to a local tavern by a messenger from the local baron asking us to meet with him at his palace. After some discussion, we agreed to follow the man and find out what the baron wanted. Continue reading "Urfengar's Travels" Wednesday, July 27. 2005Urfengar: Dwarven Revenge
My good friends' son is dead. A young man I helped rear is gone from this world, and I could do nothing as a madman destroyed him before my eyes. I lack the words to describe the horror, the outrage that shook me as I realized that Thelonious was beyond my help. Never have I been so close to a traveling companion and been unable to heal his wounds.
Alas, there was no time for mourning. Lieutenants of the madman were nearby and needed to be dealt with. My new companions helped me carry Thelonious the Blue's body back to town. Upon nearing the center of the village, we could see a large crowd had gathered. It appeared that the entire town was in the main square beneath the tower where the foul evildoers lived. I suppose it stands to reason that the sorcerer who killed Thelonious would have warned his followers, but the craven absurdity to use the entire town as a shield was shocking. We did our best to approach the tower without harming the townsfolk (who very recently had been inhabitants of the local forest), but our efforts were in vain as a fireball came floating down from the top of the tower. Trained as we are in the arts of combat, my companions and I avoided the worst of the flames. The villagers were not so fortunate. I attempted to assault the tower, calling on Moradin to grant me the ability to walk on air, but before I could reach striking distance, one of the knaves on the tower dispelled my god's magic. The battle raged on as I attempted to scale the building through more mundane means. Magicks were cast back and forth, and the tower was set ablaze as the caitiffs began to flee. Of the three, one had fallen in battle, one took flight in the form of a vrock, and the third opened up a portal to avoid our wrath. Unwilling to see any information about our opponents be destroyed in the flames, I called on Moradin once again, asking him to flood the tower with water. As we searched the building, we found but one clue: a piece of paper with the madman's name written on it. Tyeladil Ilmueweke or somesuch. He'll rue the day. The village was in shambles. It appeared that all the villagers had died in the battle. Pity that. I suppose the elves will be able to live in peace now. There was little reason nor inclination for us to remain in Ossington, so we decided to return to Brindenford and await the return of Nalathisor. Monday, July 25. 2005
Urfengar: Dwarven Purgatory - ... Posted by The Mad Giggler
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22:09Comments (0) Trackbacks (0) Urfengar: Dwarven Purgatory - Curtain Call
I've kind of rushed through the first two entries in this new journal, but the adventures weren't really mine to tell in the first place. However, we're approaching the part of the story where I started adventuring with this ragtag band.
You see, after Thelonious and Llan's companions saved Brindenford, they had started to earn a bit of a name for themselves. The baron gave them little brooches to signify their status in the city, but he also took Nalathisor aside and asked him if the party wouldn't be willing to help some of his fellow countrymen out in the land of Ossington. Being a good sort of fellow, the elf passed on the information to his friends who gladly agreed to check things out. Nalathisor then let the group know that he wouldn't be accompanying them but instead needed to ride on ahead because of that pressing business he'd been trying to tend to for some time. Thelonious told him that he'd like to journey with him as far as Khazdor (where, of course, he found me.) As I previously recorded here, I told Thelonious' parents that I'd journey with and keep an eye on him. Moradin did not find me in his favor on that day, else he might have warned me to keep the young lad at home. Continue reading "Urfengar: Dwarven Purgatory - Curtain Call" Saturday, July 23. 2005
Urfengar: Dwarven Purgatory Part 2 Posted by The Mad Giggler
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Thelonious went on to recount his group's adventures saying that after the craven departure of the orcish hordes, the town of GladeKeep was overjoyed and celebrated their saviors with what few resources they had left (apparently some of the orcs managed to attack the town while Thelonious and company were stalking the hill giant.) As the business Nalathisor knew of was still pressiing, the adventurers decided to head out of town the next morning. However, on their way out of the city gates, a young halfing came pelting up on a steed worthy of his stature. He seemed to know Kitya (the druid) and told her that she was needed in distant Brindenford. The young paladin informed the group that his god required his services there as well, so the party agreed to accompany the lass and her small companion.
Upon reaching Brindenford without incident, Thelonious went with Llan to the local shrine of Heironeous while the rest of the group attempted to find lodgings. Llan was assigned a paladin's quest by his god, so Thelonious offered his support, which the half-elf gladly accepted. At this point in the story, my young friend grew quiet. Seeing that he didn't want to be pressed on the particulars of this holy quest, I asked him what his friends had done while he was off with Llan. He told me that upon completing Heironeous' task and returning to the city, the locals informed Llan and Thelonious that their friends were locked in combat on top of the local baron's keep. I've heard a bit of the story from those that were there, and it seems there had been all sorts of mad things going on. Wererats were running around in gangs infecting people, strange sorcerors were warping reality in some bookstore, and at some point, the local priests of Pelor were booted from their temple while a portal to one of the Nine Hells was opened up. Somehow, an Aasimar ranger, a human druid, a halfling rogue, an elven wizard-rogue, a half-elven wizardess, and an elven basher were able to put a stop to it. I know, it sounds like the beginning to some terrible halfling joke. Anyway, Thelonious and Llan arrived on the scene with a bunch of local holy men just as the mind flayer that had been running things turned tail and fled the battle. The baron had been under its control and was unsurprisingly confused as to what all these people were doing on his balcony. After the priests of Pelor smoothed things over with him, the baron threw a big party for his rescuers. Thelonious commented at this point, that it seemed like the group was going to be making a habit of saving towns as they passed through them. Friday, July 22. 2005Rage: A Wolf's Eye View
Growl roaw bark bark sniff wag.
Awoooooh! Ruff sniff sniff grrr *pant*. Wag, wag paw-ground bark, barkbark-bark woof roaw. Woof bark woof paw-ground roaw roaw wag woof snort woof bark woof roaw paw-ground snort. Woof woof roaw snort bark roaw roaw woof bark bark roaw snort bark paw-ground wag, paw-ground bark paw-ground woof snort snort wag bark roaw roaw bark woof woof wag. Woof, awooooh! Friday, July 22. 2005Max's diary
Settle down, they said. Find yourself a nice barwench somewhere, they said. Raise a family of miniature Maxwells. they said. No, I said. The road is calling. Adventuring is the life for me. And I set off on my own, no worries or cares in the world. One of the biggest mistakes I've ever made.
So then I bumped into Kitya, mere days from my outset, and was sort of adopted into her traveling group. (Alright, alright. I'm sure they wanted me to leave, but I wouldn't.) We've been traipsing around this gods-forsaken country side for weeks now. There isn't any decent cover. The locals refer to the brush lining the roads as 'forest', but real forests have trees and plant life so thick you can't see the sky from 'neath them. Of course, all this boring wandering is occuring after we destroyed a bone daemon, after Rath slept with that forest creature girl, after I got attacked by all sorts of nasties in that horrible barrow, and after we made some serious enemies. Me, I prefer the low life. Quiet life. Life where I don't have to worry every night if people in black armbands or certain druids I've pissed off in the last down are coming after me. At first, I didn't know why Kit thought these guys were so great. I mean, the group is nice and all, but they've nothing on the Family. It's a wonder she doesn't get homesick. Maybe she does. Personally, I miss Bella the most. She was a great friend, although she never seemed to understand that I wasn't interested in sharing a bed with a female half-orc. I miss her anecdotes and wild accusations. Now, however, I don't think I'd ever leave the group. Not for a million gold pieces. I'm sort of stuck with them anyhow. They'd all be lost without my help, the way they stomp around the forests, riding horses everywhere they go. It's almost like they want to draw attention to themselves. And that dwarf! I don't think you could get him to be quiet for all of Moradin's treasures. Then again, dwarves are definately not known for their lightfootedness. Of course, my prowess and obvious skill aren't the only things keeping me with them all. I'm not sure, but...I think I might be falling for one of them. Ah, it's terrible. I've never felt this way before in all my life. But, I have to admit to myself, magic-users have always drawn my attention. I just hope no one suspects. Thursday, July 21. 2005
Urfengar: Dwarven Purgatory part 1 Posted by The Mad Giggler
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20:32Comments (0) Trackbacks (0) Urfengar: Dwarven Purgatory part 1
I wish I had thought to keep a journal before this, because I cannot remember how many days it has been since I saw Thelonious drop dead right before my eyes. I promised his parents I'd keep him safe. It was more than a little disconcerting to see him suddenly stiffen up, start pronouncing doom on the group in a very odd voice, then collapse on the ground dead. The fact that he was beyond my help before his knees even started to buckle has been no comfort whatsoever. Although I am young by my people's standards, I worked alongside little Blue's parents for a number of years and watched him grow into his skills bit by bit. Before the place burnt down, I'd talked with his instructors at the monastery, and they said he was very promising.
Thelonious told me he left the ruins of the monastery to go spread the word of St. Cuthbert. Some time later, he passed through town. Having grown tired of the never-ending bickering between the human leaders and the dwarven council that runs things in this corner of the land, I agreed to accompany Thelonious back to meet up with the party with which he'd been adventuring. As we made our way, he recounted his adventures, starting with the story of GladeKeep's stunning escape from sure destruction. As Thelonious told it, he met up with a half-elven bard/paladin (a strange combination of skills indeed) named Llan; Llan's father and uncle, an Elven fighter and Elven wizard/rogue respectfully; and a half-elven Wizardess named Azraiel. I told him I'd heard of groups comprised of stranger companions but generally preferred a little diversity myself. They all met up in some little village called NewKeep where an ettin had been causing enormous - erm - terrible problems. On their way to some business the wizard/rogue (name of Nalathisor) knew about, they encountered roves of wandering orcs bent on slaughtering any and all travelers. As is common among their kind, the foul beasts hadn't planned on encountering folks that could defend themselves. After rescuing some rangers, the five raced the orcs to GladeKeep with the survivors. There they learned that an army of orcs was advancing on the city with a hill giant directing them. They also encountered a human druid named Kitya and a powerful sorcerer dressed in red that seems bent on messing with Llan and his family. Kitya joined the party, bringing along her fox companion, Vanya, much to Jackle's delight (Jackle being the name of Llan's father). It turns out the sorcerer was in league with the hill giant, but Thelonious and his companions were unable to apprehend to villainous filth before he left the city. So they were left to defend the city with only the help of a handful of local militia. Heironeous (the paladin's god) took pity on them and showed them the way to disperse the advancing army was as easy as chopping of its head - the hill giant's head that is. As they sought a way through the orcish hordes, Thelonious and company stumbled upon a strange, human-ish looking ranger. Rath, as his name turned out to be, led them through to the hill giant's tent. After a battle only made even through the intervention of the gods, the seven adventurers watched the orcs flee in disarray while Jackle help up the giant's head for all to see. Monday, July 11. 2005D&D Nights in the near future
This Monday night, Danny Lasko will probably be attending our campaign to see if he would be interested in taking over as full-time DM. Of course, it's also going to depend on the group dynamic (i.e., "What everyone else thinks"), but I'm not attached to being the DM in any fashion. I also think it's a good idea to have other people ready to step in and DM in case the current DM can't make it, and I see no reason we should have to sacrifice members of the party to have a DM.
Additionally, this weekend I will be picking my family up from So. Utah. As much as I enjoy D&D, I'll only have my family up here with me for 2 weeks, so I will not be playing on the 18th or the 25th. Sorry. :'( |
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