# Corvis, City of Ghosts (A WitchFire Trilogy Story Hour)



## A2Z (Mar 19, 2002)

I've been very impressed with these adventures and decided to run them when my opportunity to DM came up. This will mark my first time DMing since high school (6 or 7 years ago) and my first time DMing 3E ever so it's a bit of a learning experience. We had our first session last Wednesday though and it went well. I'm looking forward to the next session.

Anyway, to get started I will introduce the players, who before the beginning of the adventure have never met.


*Vallan Maelstrom* - _Male Dwarven Paladin 2:_ Vallan is a follower of the 13 dwarven fathers, the creators of the dwarven race. Strong and implacable, he and Ethradan provide the party with strength and muscle.

*Ethradan* - _Male Elven Fighter 2:_ Shrouded in mystery, Ethradan is one of the rare elves of Ios. The race as a whole is shrouded in enigma and he is no exception. Claiming noble birth his reasons for leaving his homeland remain speculation, whether he fled in honor or dishonor remains to be seen. In the meantime he provides another strong sword arm to the party.

*Lincon Abayam* - _Male Human Rogue 2:_ A quick and nimble wanderer, Lincon provides the group with much needed stealth and, when the situation demands it, cover fire from his bow. Close mouthed about his past he comes to Corvis in the employ of the caravan yet he may be seeking answers in the City of Ghosts. 

*Mericus* - _Male Human Wizard 2:_ Mericus is employed as a scribe at the cathedral in Corvis. His skills may prove useful to the group from time to time.


_The Longest Night - Act One_

*Meetings*

Our story opens in the city of Fellig along the border between Cygnar and Khador. Our PC's, Vallan, Lincon and Ethradan, have each been hired individually by Gunnar Wadock, a merchant headed for Corvis. Corvis is one of the largest cities in this area and a center of trade because of its location at the junction of two major rivers. Having never met before the heroes are set to guard the small caravan on the two-week journey to Corvis.

*Ambush*

On the last leg of the journey the caravan enters Widowers Wood, a swampy fog bound forest that needs to be crossed to reach the city. Getting the wagons through the mud and muck proves somewhat difficult when Lincon notices movement in the fog. Before he can warn anyone the lead horse screams in pain. Vallan, riding on the first wagon, is all too aware of what has happened; they've been ambushed. A spike trap has killed the horse and stopped the caravan. Scanning through the fog he sees small forms converging on the wagons. Ethradan at the back of the train is suddenly assailed by a number of goblin-like creatures. Lincon takes cover between the middle wagons and watches two more of the creatures start tugging one of the chests off the wagon.

Vallan takes action; while Gunnar attempts to cut loose the dead horse he engages one of the goblins. With one swing of his mighty axe he drops one of them, only to see two more emerge from the fog.

At the rear Ethradan has his hands full as a number of the goblins converge on the packhorses tied to the last wagon. Swinging his double bladed sword he kills one of the creatures and moves in to dispatch another.

Lincon takes aim at the goblins trying to make off with one of the chests. Killing one he moves to intercept the other only to see two more emerge from the fog. Taking a couple hits he has to pull back as the goblins pull the chest in to the swamp.

Back at the front of the train Vallan is making short work of the goblins when he notices a figure in the distance. It seems to be holding some sort of contraption that is causing the dense fog. Taking aim with his bow he fires off a shot and wounds the goblin, causing him to drop the machine.

Having dispatched the goblins at the rear Ethradan move to the next wagons where more of the creatures are pulling more chests off the wagons. Managing to kill a number of them and chase the others off without getting too hurt, he moves further along the wagons, checking for more bandits.

Lincon takes a few more shots at the goblins making off with the chest, wounding another. Vallan's bow manages to kill another and, seeing their numbers dwindling the goblins quickly run off.

Gunner is ecstatic that the PC's were able to drive off the goblins, swamp gobbers he calls them, off. However they can't rest yet. Gathering up the chests that were pulled off the wagons and pulling the horse's corpse off the path they manage to get the caravan back in order. Ethradan decides to grab the machine that the goblins had been using to make fog, thinking it could be worth something. Within short order the caravan is ready and they continue on their way.

Getting out of the swamp takes the rest of the day. The PC's warily watch the shadows for another ambush however the rest of the day proceeds without incident. Finally they emerge from the swampy forest, in the distance they can see Corvis, the city of ghosts.

_(To be continued)_


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## Desdichado (Mar 19, 2002)

You all should have seen cowardly Lincoln hiding in the mud under the wagon, feverish and close to death from his pathetic exchange with the gobbers!   Ethradan had a total of five notches added to his belt from this encounter alone, and we did manage to save _all_ of the baggage in the train, something I will not fail to remind Gunnar Waddock of next time we meet.

I'm looking forward to the rest of this: this is actually only about a third or so of our session.


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## Darklone (Mar 20, 2002)

*Hmm*

Though I didn't like that module too much ... 

Nice so far. Josh, why don't you give a summary from the view of your char ?


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## Desdichado (Mar 20, 2002)

Well, I would, but all the interesting stuff happened after we arrived in town.  There, we kinda departed from the module and just wandered around town and developing our characters a bit.  I'm waiting until we get a little more up to date on what happened in the first session, then I can step in and fill out stuff from my guy's point of view.

Or, Adam, do you want me to help update here?  Second session tonight -- we're going to forget what happened before long...  I'll talk to you tonight about it.


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## A2Z (Mar 20, 2002)

*The Longest Night - Act One*

That's okay Josh, I've finaly gotten the rest done. Wow! I had no idea there'd be so much work in writing up a story hour. Well I hope someone besides myself gets some enjoyment out of this.

It's a good thing I got this done now. We play in a few hours and I really didn't want to get behind from the start. Well, here's the rest of our first session. Enjoy.


*Arrival at the Church of Morrow*

The sun is low in the sky as the caravan rides through the city gates. Gunnar has business at the Church of Morrow so he leads the train through the winding city streets and canals to the local cathedral. Arriving in the yard Gunner rushes in to the church, leaving the PC's to help the caravaners unload the chests.

Soon after Gunner exits the church with a grey haired man in the robes of a high priest of Morrow. Gunner introduces the man as Father Dumas, high priest of Corvis. He also tells the PC's that Dumas was impressed with their handling of the ambush and he would like to offer them some work. They express interest, and after they've finished unloading the churches packages from the wagons they collect their pay from Gunner. Having finished all their duties with the caravan they decide to find out how they can help the church.

Father Dumas leads them in to the church and tells them that all he can offer is room and board as pay. Having no place else to stay and having some time to waste the PC's accept. The priest then proceeds to explain his problem. It seems a number of parishioners have come to him in the past month. Each one has had the body of a family member stolen from their grave! He has been unsuccessful in enlisting the aid of the city watch with the local festival, The Longest Night, coming. Dumas believes the PC's are just what he needs to conduct a quite investigation of these events.

The PC's proceed to find out all they can from Father Dumas. Unfortunately he can't give them anything more than basic information. 

_(When I get home I will add in the information the PC's got from Dumas. I'm at work now and don't have it on me.)_

[Edit: The information the PCs receive from Father Dumas consists of the names and locations of the bodies taken.


 
The Sylva and Monsonata families had bodies taken from the northern graveyard. 
The Gadock family had a body taken from the family plot.
A member of the Sunbright family was taken from the family tomb
The Hopless and Burkett families had members stolen from the eastern boneyard just outside of the city
The Fullet family lost someone from their farm]

During the interview Ethradan notices a young girl peaking around the corner of a doorframe. She quickly disappears when noticed. When he asks Father Dumas about the girls the group finds out that she is his niece. Her mother died years ago and he has taken care of her ever since. When the PCs press him for more information on her mother's death they find him very reluctant to discuss it further. All he will say is that her death was very tragic and it is not an event he wishes to dwell on.

Having given the group all the information he has Father Dumas then leads them to their rooms in the dormitory. Before he leaves them for the night the PCs get some information on the city so they can go out for the night. Armed with this information the group heads out for (where else!?) the seediest part of town, the waterfront.

*A Night on the Town*

They arrive at the docks as the sun is setting. Most of the workers are getting off work for the night. However they are treated to the sight of Steamjacks (large mechanical golems) finishing up some of the work moving crates into the warehouses and the like.

Choosing a likely tavern they see what they can find. Ethradan pulls up his hood and follows Lincon into the tavern (elves are a less than common sight in the lands of humans). Vallan stays behind the group and sticks near the door (while dwarves are more common than elves they still a rare sight). Moving towards the bar Lincon decides to strike up conversation with some of the locals. They are less than friendly to the stranger, although, once Ethradan joins Linc at the bar and flashes a gold coin to the bar keep they seem far more attentive to the pair. They are disappointed to find that no one around here has even heard of the grave robberies and after finishing their drinks decide to leave.

On exiting the establishment they notice a group of men leaving right after them. Seeing they've been spotted the group moves down the street in the opposite direction. The sun has set by now and the PCs see lamplighters making their way dawn the streets. Asking one of them for directions to the Quad (the area of town that Father Dumas had suggested they visit) they head towards the merchants district.

It's not long before they notice the previous group from the bar shadowing their trail. Ducking into an alley the group decides to make a stand. Lincon hides in the shadow of a doorway while the other two set themselves up in the center of the alley. It's not long before the thugs show up at the mouth of the alley. They are a little surprised to see the party prepared for battle but the leader doesn't let that faze him. Pointing out that the group is outnumbered he demands they hand over their money. They refuse and the leader orders his group to charge them.

The alley is narrow and only two people abreast can fit in. The first to enter Vallan's range is cut down viciously in one blow! All of a sudden none of the men seem too anxious to close with the foreigners.

Not to be denied a prize however, the leader continues to lead the group further into the alley. No one notices Lincon in the shadows. Stepping out as the group's leader passes by he strikes with his blade, severely wounding the man.

At the same moment Ethradan attacks his nearest target. Another bandit drops! Suddenly the alley is a mass of panicking figures running for the nearest exit, the group's leader stumbling along behind them clutching his side.

Proud of themselves the group decides to let them go, "they've learned their lesson", they think to themselves. Bandaging the wounded thugs (not wanting to have dead bodies on their hands with the watch around) they leave them to their fate and head off again for the Quad.

They arrive in the merchants quarter shortly and choosing an inn they sit down for a meal. Lincon presses the serving girl for information; unfortunately she knows nothing about the grave robberies. Discouraged by the lack of information they finally head back to the church and call it a night.

_(To be continued)_


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## Desdichado (Mar 21, 2002)

Coming soon!  Ethradan is crapped on (literally) by a crazy old man!


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## A2Z (Mar 21, 2002)

I may get an update up before the end of the day, we'll see how much time I can find to work on it. We had no combat whatsoever this session. Unless of course you count the _crazy old man_. Lots of fun, though we were missing another player this time. Hopefully next week we'll have  everyone there.

I was going to post this in my first post but I'll add it now. I'm not sure how much information I can post about the setting without stepping on copyright infringment so instead of writing out an overview of the setting I'll just direct people to the Iron Kingdoms site. There's a lot of good information there if anyone wants to find out a bit about the world. I can't wait till the setting book comes out though so I can get more.


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## Desdichado (Mar 21, 2002)

*Ehtradan of House Ivellios*

OK, I didn't have time to post this last night because I was kinda tired, but here's a brief character summary of Ethradan, Scion of House Ivellios, Lord of the Northern Marches and last surviving member of the Household of Ivel, a god of the elves.

The city of Ivellios is dead.  The god Ivel is no more.  According to many, the entire race of the elves is doomed.  From out of this ruin comes Ethradan, a curious fellow who never hesitates to assert his heritage, yet speaks no other word about his history.  In truth, House Ivellios was always somewhat estranged from the rest of the world even before the crisis of the elves started.  Because of his relative young age (born much later than the beginning of the crisis) few elves would even know if he truly is the Heir of House Ivellios or merely the assistant pig-keep.  Since the city is in ruins and the inhabitants all dead, no one can really dispute his claim either.  Something happened at Ivellios other than the gradual decay of the population: something horrible that winked out the existence of the House overnight.  What that is, is anyone's guess.  Even Ethradan doesn't know (unless the knowledge is buried deep in his subconscious.)

However, it has had a profound effect on the elven lad.  He certainly can adopt the airs of a noble: in general, he is scornful and bemused by the humans he associates with in the Iron Kingdoms, and although he has a little more respect for the dwarves, he thinks them generally uncouth as well.  At times, he can be diplomatic, but he rarely has the patience for protracted politeness.  However, he takes genuine joy in tackling a foe in the mud, taking on guard duty for a caravan or doing other tasks that should be beneath him if they fit into his concept of "a worthy cause" or one that advances his self-interest.

Even more enigmatic is his reaction anytime he sees an elf.  For some unknown reason, he has an innate hostility and hatred for other members of his race, percieving them all as traitors, wastrels and pathetic.  His belief, which is still nascent in his consciousness, is that the future of the elven people is to abandon any hope of salvaging their gods or their culture and ennobling the human race.  If he ever meets a half-elf (not likely given the setting) he will be startled and delighted, for that is sorta what he envisions for the future.

There are some hints that Ethradan isn't playing with a completely full bag of dice.  He not only doesn't speak about what happened to House Ivellios, he genuinely doesn't seem to know, and he's not entirely sure of his claimed heritage.  He seems to have little regard for his own life, laughing when engaged in combat, and -- although respectful of skill and not genuinely looking to die -- willing to take on fights he know he shouldn't be able to win.  His reaction to other elves is certainly paranoid and probably partially delusional, but exactly what it is that he fears is unknown.


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## Krellic (Mar 21, 2002)

Nice to see this adventure appear on the boards, I've got it, haven't run it as yet and may not get an opportunity too soon.  I'll be interested in how it pans out - good luck!!!


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## A2Z (Mar 21, 2002)

*The Longest Night - Act One*

*The Investigation*

The next morning finds Vallan rising early and, after grabbing some breakfast he decides to get an early start on the investigation on his own. Ethradan and Lincon are both nowhere to be found this morning. Seeking out Father Dumas he finds him in his study. In order to facilitate his search Dumas suggests a guide. Taking Vallan to the library he introduces Mericus, a scribe in the employ of the church. Mericus has been in Corvis a few months now and knows the city more than well enough to guide the dwarf in his investigation. After being given a talisman marking them as being on church business, and filling Mericus in on the robberies the two decide to set off for the Northern Graveyard, the closest of the sites.

Vallan manages to find Ethradan in the church courtyard and after introducing their new comrade the three set off for the graveyard.

*The Northern Graveyard*

The trip through the city is uneventful. Arriving at the graveyard they find it pretty quite. Wandering around a bit they come to a small stone building. Nocking on the door they are greeted by the graveyard caretaker, Gum Brocker. They proceed to question him about the robberies. Unfortunately he knows very little, he can tell them only that he found the graves the next morning dug open and missing bodies. He left them the way they were until someone finally came to investigate. That was a week ago. Mericus decides to take a closer look at the graves and finds that the caskets where forced open, whether by someone on the inside or outside is hard to determine.

Asking if anyone else might have seen anything they find out that the only other person working today is a young man named Dordris who is apparently worked on the east end of the graveyard. After looking over both graves, and finding discouragingly little, they decide to talk to Dordris.

As they are walking over to the other end of the graveyard they spot a man in the armor of a city guardsman standing over a grave. Deciding to speak with him they go over and introduce themselves. It turns out he is none other that the captain of the city guard himself, Julian Helstrom. The grave is his wife's who died three years ago. Introducing themselves as agents of Father Dumas, they ask him if the watch has any information about the robberies. Unfortunately, not having the man power to spare with the coming festival, the watch hasn't done any investigating and have nothing to help the heroes. Wishing them luck the captain makes his goodbyes and leaves the group.

Finally making their way to the other end of the graveyard they find Dordris (what else?) digging a grave. After a short series of questions they find out that Dordris didn't even find out about the robberies until later the next day when he came in for work. As far as he knows Gum Broker didn't do anything to disturb the site. Finding the man less than a wealth of knowledge the party decides to move on.

On the way out they pass Gum Broker, sitting on a bench with his lunch and a bottle of… something. Making comments along the lines of "tying one on a little early isn't he?" they chat with him a few minutes before leaving the graveyard.

Standing in the street they go over their somewhat meager findings and decide to head to the bone yard, outside the eastern gate of the city.

*The Eastern Bone Yard*

Making their way out of the city and through the small collection of homes and establishments belonging to the poorer folk who cannot afford to live in the city, the group travels a mile down the road to the bone yard. They find the place a muddy collection of randomly placed graves and markers with no attendant in sight.

The bone yard is where the poorest element of Corvis bury their dead. Unable to afford fancy markers and caskets the bodies are simply wrapped in shrouds and buried in a shallow grave with whatever can be found to mark the site. Searching this site is time consuming task but after a half hour the party comes upon a muddy hole in the ground. A small stone marker reads: Ham Hopliss. They've been lucky enough to find one of the graves they were looking for. That's as far as their luck takes them though. Apart from the hole in the ground there's not much else in there besides some scraps of cloth that must have once been a burial shroud. Deciding that the bone yard is a dead end the group chooses to head back to the church and see if they can find any information on the families of the stolen bodies.

A little ways down the road they notice a man near the path. Coming up to him they see a dirty old man, one who has certainly seen better days. Mericus calls him over, hoping he may know something useful. Reluctant at first he eventually comes to them when Mericus flashes a silver coin. Attempting to get information from him proves difficult though. The man is obviously mad and he responds to their questions with answers that are far more likely fabrications then truth. Apparently he'll say anything if it means he'll be given some coin.

Frustrated with the man Ethradan grabs him by the collar and attempts to threaten him. Screaming and kicking he manages to break free. Chasing him a short distance Ethradan tackles him to the ground. Covered in mud now he pulls up the man and drags him back to the group. Both Vallan and Mericus advocate realeasing him. "Obviously he knows nothing." they argue. Ethradan's not convinced and, adopting his most terrifying demeanor attempts to intimidate the little man. Apparently the sight of a white haired elven man with a two bladed sword strapped to his back yelling at him is a little much for the old man. Screaming in terror and trying to pull free the man loses all control of his…  shall we say, faculties. Disgusted, Ethradan finally lets him go. The crazy man wastes no time getting out of there.

Not smelling very good at this point Ethradan is surprised when Mericus uses a minor spell to clean him up. Both Vallan and him were unaware that Mericus was anything more than a church scribe. As the dirt and muck fall away from Ethradan's clothing the group discuses their next stop. With the sun starting to set they decide to head back to the church and see if Father Dumas has any records on the families affected by the robberies.

Back at the church they find Father Dumas in his study again. Asked if the church would have any records on the families Father Dumas tells the group that he'll set one of the initiates to look in to it tomorrow. Tired after the long, and somewhat fruitless day, Vallan and Ethradan decide to head to bed. Mericus decides to do some research in the library. Searching through the library's tomes he tries to find out if the coming festival of the Longest Night (a lunar eclipse) might have any bearing on the grave robberies. After a few hours work he is forced to conclude that there is really nothing to support his theory. Feeling tired, he heads to bed.

_(To be continued)_


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## Tokiwong (Mar 22, 2002)

*Sweet*

I like it... I am running a similar styled steam punk game... with fantasy... though Mine is based on the Forgotten Realms... so I am intrigued with this particular set of modules...


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## A2Z (Mar 22, 2002)

Thanks for reading Tokiwong. With the investigation and all, the adventure may seem to start a little slow but it's going to pick up soon. I can't wait to get to the other adventures as well, those should be real fun.


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## A2Z (Mar 23, 2002)

_(The next morning…)_

After waking and eating, the group (without Lincon once more) decides to head to the Sunbright estate on the south side of the city in the municipal district.

*The Sunbright Estate*

Traveling to the Sunbright estate the party notices many people putting up banners and decorations in preparation of the festival. Arriving at the mansion the PCs are greeted by the family's butler. Asking for the lord of the house the group waits while the man fetches him.

Entering the foyer, Elger Sunbright proves to be less than receptive to the PCs questions. All this happened three weeks ago and he just wants to forget the whole thing. "This is a family affaire and the family will care for it's own" he says. Even this is very hard to get out of him as he does not seem to appreciate Ethradan's arrogance and claims of nobility. He tells the PCs that if their business is concluded they should leave.

As the butler leads the PCs to the door Mericus attempts to questions him. Looking over his shoulder and lowering his voice the man tells them that it was Radnor Sunbright's body that was stolen and that he died eight years ago of illness. He mentions also that the tomb was damaged in the robbery.

Standing in the street once again the group contemplates were to head next. Having the whole day ahead of them they decide to take a trip to the countryside and visit the Gadock farm.

*The Gadock Family Farm*

Heading out of the city on foot the group travels for an hour or so before getting a ride on a passing cart. Traveling faster than they would afoot it's still another hour before they arrive at the farm.

Once at the farm they find the family friendlier than the city folk and possibly even happy to have company, despite the odd appearances of Vallan and Ethradan. Farmer Gadock introduces himself as Bern as well as his wife Betilda and son Hagger. Taking the role of spokesperson for the group, Mercius question farmer Gadock. Bern Gadock's father's grave was the site robbed. Apparently the family saw nothing out of place that night. It was raining though and Bern would not have noticed any tracks around the grave. 

Finding no new information Mericus leaves his companions to talk with the Gadocks and goes to talk to the son, Hagger, who is playing in the yard. Talking to the boy and entertaining him with some small prestidigitation, Mericus asks the boy if he saw anything that night. Surprisingly the boy answers that he saw his grandfather walking away! Questioning the boy further he learns that the boy saw his grandfather and no one else.

After saying their goodbyes and leaving the farm Mericus relates his findings to the other two. Deciding that they need to find more of the living relatives they head back to the church to question Father Dumas. On the way through the east gate Ethradan argues for looking around the outer city trying to find the families of the bodies stolen from the nearby bone yard. The other two would rather see if they can narrow their search at the church and in the end win out.

*Finally! A Lead!*

Once at the church they find out that five people came to Father Dumas about the robberies in the past month. Lord Elger of the Sunbright estate, farmers Gadock and Fullet, Peles Burkett son of Senn Burkett and one more person for whom he does not have a name.

Peles Burkett lives outside the east gate and they decide to head back there to try and find him. Questioning a few of the locals in the streets doesn't seem to work so the group heads into a tavern. They ask the barkeep if he knows the man. He doesn't, but he asks his patrons if any of them know Peles. "The priest here is looking for him", he says, gesturing towards Mericus who's wearing a church cassok. A man at the bar indicates that he knows Peles and offers to show them the way.

The man leads them through the streets to a small home on a side street. Giving the man a coin Mericus thanks him and the group knocks on the door. Another man opens the door and it is quickly ascertained that he is indeed Peles Burkett. Not wasting anytime the party begins their questioning. Peles is a bitter man, he blames all his families woes on his father's ill luck. It seems the Burkett family ran in to hard times after his father acted as a juror in a trial years ago. "A witch's trial" whispers Burkett.

Very interested the party questions him further about this trial. Apparently there was a widely known trial and execution of a witch's coven ten years ago in which his father participated. "An evil and ungodly business it was" he mutters. He doesn't have any details to give them except that there was a trial, beyond that he knows nothing but vague rumors. He's certain that the witches must have cursed his father before their deaths. How else would you explain the ill luck he's suffered from?

Thanking the man for his help and giving him some coins for his trouble the group leaves the house. With the sun long set the party, feeling very pleased with themselves, heads back to the church once more.

_(To be continued)_


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## Geron Raveneye (Mar 24, 2002)

*Hmmm...*

...very nice to read about the Witchfire adventures. Have them all myself, and forming a group of players around them now...it´s nice to read through your game experiences   
Loved the way you handled the lead, by the way...nice variant of what they had in mind in the adventure   
Please go on, I love this thread


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## A2Z (Mar 25, 2002)

Thanks Geron!  I've also put together a campaign site, so if you or anyone else wants some background information on the campaign or the PCs you can check it out.

*Witchfire Trilogy Campaign Site*

Things are just starting to get interesting. This is their first lead and the next session should see a lot more action. Well, stay tuned,  our next session is this wednesday.


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## Horacio (Mar 26, 2002)

I love Wichtfire trilogy, and I asked myself why there wasn't any story hour based on it...

Your story begins very well!


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## Darklone (Mar 27, 2002)

*Yah! More!*

Like it. Hey Horacio, isn't it nice to have a storyhour where we can actually read and not only bump ?


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## Horacio (Mar 27, 2002)

*Re: Yah! More!*



			
				Darklone said:
			
		

> *Like it. Hey Horacio, isn't it nice to have a storyhour where we can actually read and not only bump ? *




Yes, it's really nice


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## A2Z (Mar 27, 2002)

Thanks guys. 

Should have an update tomorrow. I thought we'd have to cancel our game today because of yesterday's snow but it seems to have cleared up so we'll be playing tonight. Check back!


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## Desdichado (Mar 29, 2002)

*bump*

Gotta keep it on the first page, at least!


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## A2Z (Mar 29, 2002)

*A Late Night Search*

Arriving back at the church the party finds Lincon in their rooms. While Vallan and Ethradan fill him in on their findings, Mericus decides to head to his own room.

After hearing of their investigations Lincon and Ethradan decide that tonight would be a good time to sneak onto the Sunbright estate to get a look at the tomb. Sunbright was less than helpful and they both believe that there may be something to find there. Reluctantly Vallan decides to accompany them.

Making their way through the city to the Sunbright estate they see many small groups of watchmen making patrols. Thinking that they may prove a problem they decide to let Lincon sneak in to the manor yard while the other two keep a lookout. With a little help from Ethradan, Lincon makes it over the wall and drops in to the yard.

Keeping to the shadows and looking around for anyone who might be around the yard he makes his way towards the house. Searching around the manor he finally spots the tomb toward the back of the grounds. As he comes up to the tomb Lincon notices that the heavy marble door has been shattered and lies on the ground in front of the tomb.

Keeping an eye open he enter the tomb. Lighting a small lantern he looks around. The tomb consists of a small central room filled with six alcoves for the bodies. One of the alcoves has been emptied. The other five haven’t been tampered with at all. He doesn’t find anything else in the tomb and decides to check outside the tomb.

Looking around the perimeter of the mausoleum he finds many footprints, but they most likely came from members of the Sunbright estate. Continuing his search, he notices a small piece of white silk that looks to have gotten caught on one of the rose bushes surrounding the tomb. Putting the cloth in a pocket he decides to head back towards the house.

_(Lincon’s player had rolled really high when he first entered the yard however I had him make another check to make it back to the house. He rolled a 1. Things were about to get interesting.)_

Coming up to the back of the house Linc fails to notice the two men approaching him from behind. As they rush towards him he finally spots them and attempts to run. It’s too late though! Calling for the watch one of them attempts to grab him. Swinging at the man trying to hold him Linc misses. The man attempts to pull him to the ground and seeing an opening (and not afraid to fight dirty) Lincon knees him in the crotch, hard! The man falls to the ground, however the second one closes in.

Not wasting any time Linc moves in and swings at him. Taking a hit square on the chin the man stumbles back. Wasting no time Lincon runs for the wall.

Back in the street Vallan and Ethradan have heard the commotion. While Vallan stays back Ethradan climbs to the top of the wall. Once there he scans the yard for Lincon. Seeing him near the base of the wall he reaches down a hand to help him up. Scurrying up the wall Linc jumps down the other side and Ethradan follows.

It’s not over yet though. The shouts have attracted the attention of the watch. Three men appear at the end of the street! Vallan moves back against the buildings while the other two run down the street and around a corner. Seeing their targets fleeing the watch runs after them!

_(To be continued)_


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## Horacio (Mar 30, 2002)

Good update!
I like a lot your story


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## JMKilmartin (Apr 1, 2002)

A Privateer freelancer found your "Story Hour" and posted this link on an internal mail list. I'm having fun reading it and visiting your site (I sent the URL to Matt at Privateer). I really like how you're running the first module. Keep it up! Great stuff! 

J. Michael Kilmartin

PS: You should think about purchasing "Fool's Errand" and running it between one of the adventures (plug, plug)!


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## A2Z (Apr 1, 2002)

Thanks Micheal! And everyone else who's reading.  It's good to know some people are enjoying reading about our game. I'm really enjoying the trilogy so far and I can't wait to see what else Privateer Press has in store for The Iron Kingdoms. One of my players has Fool's Errand and chances are I'll probably run it. I'm also looking to incorporate some Dungeon adventures into the game.I'm really hoping to keep this game going as a long term campaign

Well, let's get back to the story shall we.

_(Back in Corvis...)_

As the three watchmen come down the street Vallan moves to meet them. Two of the watch stop in front of him while the other runs after Linc and Ethradan.

The guards ask him his business and in reply Vallan pulls out his silver holy symbol of Morrow telling the men he’s working for the church. “I heard a commotion and came to investigate he says.” The guards buy his story and tell him it’d be best if he went on his way now.

Down the other street Lincon and Ethradan have attempted to hide. The watchman however spots Ethradan and calls for backup. Seeing the guard moving towards him Ethradan moves out of his hiding spot. The watchman tells him to stop and get on the ground but the elf ignores his command.

The two other watchmen join their companion now and the three of them surround Ethradan. They attempt to get answers from him on what he was doing and where his friend disappeared. Ethradan tells them that he’s alone and didn’t do anything wrong. They call him a liar and tell him he’ll have to come with them to the jail. Ever arrogant, Ethradan tells them he’s working for Father Dumas the High Prelate and shows them his silver holy symbol telling him they can’t apprehend him as he’s on church business.

Swearing one of the men runs back around the corner to see if the dwarf’s still there. Unfortunately he’s disappeared as well. Returning to his companions they decide to take Ethradan to Father Dumas to see if he’s lying. Lincon follows the group while Vallan attempts to find his own way back.

*The Past Revealed*

Once at the church one of the watchmen goes to find the priest while the other two watch Ethradan. When Father Dumas arrives he does vouch for the elf and tells the guardsmen that he will handle the situation from here. Once the guards leave Linc comes out of hiding and together with Ethradan they explain to the Father what they've been up to. He's certainly not happy that they've been participating in B&E on church business but apart from a light reprimand he doesn't seem too angry.

Near the end of their explanations Vallan finally gets back. The three men now begin to question Father Dumas about this witch trial and try to find out whether the rest of the bodies stolen were also jurors. Dumas can only confirm that four of the names were jurors at the trial. However he has a surprising amount of information about the events surrounding the trial.

Apparently the leader of the coven was his own sister-in-law! He relates to the PCs what he knows about the trial. The activities of the coven were brought to light by a city magistrate name Ulfass Borloch, at the time a minor functionary. The proof he brought against Dumas's sister-in-law and the other four coveners couldn't be ignored. Their crimes were great and the trial progressed quickly. They were tried and sentenced to death in a matter of days. The executions themselves took place privately in at a site outside of the city and four of the witches were buried in a tomb at that site. The leader and Dumas's sister-in-law was buried in a tomb on the church grounds. She left behind a daughter whom Dumas has been taking care of since. (Alexia, the girl they saw their first day at the church.)

When asked whether he believes the witches were guilty of the crimes he replies that he does. The proof was unquestionable; they did commit the crimes.

Armed with all this new information the PCs now have many new leads to follow. However the hour is late and everyone need some rest after a long day. Agreeing to pick things up in the morning they all head to bed.

_(To be continued)_


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## A2Z (Apr 3, 2002)

*The Longest Night - Act One*

*The Fullet Family Farm*

In the morning Vallan, Linc and Ethradan gather in the kitchen to discuss their next move. They toss around the idea of checking the city records for more information on the trial as well as heading to the witches tomb in Widower's wood. Eventually however, they decide to head to the Fullet farm. This is the last name on their list and they think they may as well check it out.

While the other two finish their meal Lincon heads upstairs to see if he can find Alexia. Her mother was the leader of the coven and maybe she can shed some light on all this. After asking a servant it proves easy enough finding her rooms. Once there he nocks on the door and gets no answer. The door has a lock on the outside and Lincon figures she's not around. He decides against breaking in for now. There are too many people coming and going through the halls. Stopping one of the people going by he asks if anyone knows were Alexia might be and finds out she usually leaves during the day. Linc heads back to the kitchen and once there the group decides to head for the farm.

Once outside Vallan announces he wants to buy a mount. They must pass through the merchant's quarter to exit the city anyway so no one minds. Once there he chooses a likely stable and proceeds to ask about the stock. After a small amount of bargaining Vallan settles on a fair price and leaves the yard with his new pony in tow.

The trip to the farm takes a couple hours. Once there the three men meet the family matriarch. She lives there with her three sons and their families. It was her husband's body that was stolen from the family grave two weeks ago. Once the PCs ask she confirms that her husband was a juror in the trial. Trying to get more details doesn't lead very far. She doesn't know anything more than Father Dumas has already told them. She praises magistrate Borloch for saving the city from the evil witches. A very paranoid women, she sees witches everywhere and surrounds herself with charms designed to ward off evil spirits.

Vallan talks to one of the sons but he doesn't have any additional information either. Thanking the family the group heads back in to town.

Once at the church the group decides they should checkout the witches tomb. If someone's been stealing bodies they may go after the witches corpses, if they haven’t already. Father Dumas provides them with a map and after they locate Mericus the four of them leave the city and head to Widower's Wood.

_(This is the end of the first act. Mericus's player wasn't at this session when the group headed out to the tomb but in order to avoid a headache later I just assumed he went along with them. They didn't get very far in to the tomb before we had to stop for the night anyway. Next session; our very first dungeon crawl! Stay tuned!)_


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## Geron Raveneye (Apr 4, 2002)

*Hmmm...*

...yes, do continue, please...this is fun reading


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## PrivateerMatt (Apr 4, 2002)

I love reading this stuff! I'll add your site to our links page next time I update the site. Oh, I'll also send you a free copy of Fool's Errand -- let me know what email address I should use. It's about 1.3MB. 

Cheers,
Matt


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## Desdichado (Apr 4, 2002)

You like it, huh?  Wait until you hear about last night's adventure!  Here's a few hints:



Who remembered to look up the rules for drowning?
What's that stuff?  Give me a swig!
What does a suspected necromancer hottie keep under her bed?
Who has the worst set of dice here? (Unfortunately, it seemed to be me, at least last night...)
Where'd that **** Bork go?
The paladin is _lawful good_, right?


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## A2Z (Apr 5, 2002)

Hey Matt! I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Thanks for the offer! That's really great. You can send it to .... Thanks again. 

Here's the latest update.

_The Longest Night - Act Two_

*The Witch's Tomb*

Our four heroes head back into Widowers Wood, the swamp they passed through on their trip from Fellig. Following the map Father Dumas gave them they manage to find the tomb without any problems.

Approaching the tomb the first thing they notice is the heavy stone door lies broken on the ground. In front of the entrance lies a large stone block with a groove in the top (presumably used to behead the witches). Lighting their lantern the group heads in to the tomb.

The tomb is damp and the stone walls drip with moisture. A small stream runs down the length of the corridor to the entrance they've just entered. Moving down the corridor they pass two doors on each side of the hallway. They decide to see how far the tunnel goes before checking the doors. A little farther down they come to a portcullis that closes off the corridor. At least, it used to. The bars are broken and bent, flakes of rust lie all around the ground. Moving cautiously they continue on.

Passing another branch in the hall they come to another door. Deciding to check this one they find a fairly large room with signs that someone has been living here. Finding nothing very interesting they move back to the rooms they had passed before. Both rooms are similar and also contain signs of use. Under a loose flagstone they find a pistol wrapped in oilcloth. No one knows how to use it and it needs to be cleaned first anyway so they pack it away in a sack. In the back of the other room they find a sculpted relief from the Orgoth empire.

_(1000 years ago the Iron Kingdoms were ruled by the Orgoth empire. Anyone interested in more information should check here. The tomb that the party is investigating was once an Orgoth military outpost. The group will find many relics from the old empire throughout their exploration.)_

Thinking he just heard something Lincon turns to the group. _"Did you hear something?"_ he asks. No one else heard anything but they decide to check it out anyway.

Checking the hall they find nothing and proceed deeper in to the hill. Finding another door Lincon checks to see if he can hear anything. The sounds of someone moving around are coming from the room. The door is opened a crack as well. Unsheathing their weapons the party prepares to enter the room. Not waiting to form a plan Vallan kicks open the door and rushes into the room.

_(To be continued)_


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## A2Z (Apr 6, 2002)

*The Longest Night - Act Two*

*Dead Men Walking!*

The rest of the group rushes in to the room behind Vallan! And they’re surprised to find a single swamp gobber cowering at the back wall. He’s holding a spear and brandishing it at the heroes trying to look as frightening as possible, and not doing a very good job. The gobber pleads for them not to hurt him and he’ll show them the treasure. While Vallan and Mericus would rather get rid of him now the other two agree and begin questioning the little gobber.

Apparently his tribe has been living in the tomb for years now. His name is Bork and he was left behind when the other went hunting. He also tells the group that the treasure is guarded by three “dead men”. When they ask where they came from he says: _“witch girl make them”._

Intrigued they ask more about this witch girl. Apparently she came yesterday and was the one responsible for the broken door. She also left with four “grey women” and left the dead men behind. Speculating on who she may have been the group starts to suspect Father Dumas’ niece.

Deciding to check out the burial chamber the party tells Bork to show them to the room. This he does rather reluctantly. He was hopping he wouldn’t have to go along. A little further down the corridor they come to another door that Bork tells them is the treasure room. Preparing themselves for battle the group pushes open the door and enters the room.

There is little time to take in their surroundings, apart from the three slimy, green, skeletal shapes that begin moving towards them. Taking the lead Vallan rushes forward and takes a swing at the nearest skeleton. His axe glances off the rusty armor covering the body.

From behind the others Mericus sends a magic missile flying at another skeleton. Shards of old bone and rusty armor fly from the creature as the missile hits home. Seeing that the magic missile hurt the beast Lincon fires a shot from his bow at the same skeleton. His arrow takes the head off of the skeletons shoulder. Falling to the ground it stops moving.

While the last skeleton moves forward to attack Ethradan the other continues to trade blows with Vallan. Neither seems to be gaining the upper hand. _(Not one of the undead managed to land a hit this whole encounter. I was a little disappointed as I was hoping to put them in some danger. They are second level though and I guess I should have increasde the difficulty of the encounter. Well, there’s always next time…)_

Ethradan, with the help of Linc and Mericus manages to make short work of the second skeleton. With the now inanimate bones lying in a pile he moves to help Vallan.

Both of them together overwhelm the mindless undead and Vallan finishes it off with a powerful swing of his axe to its midsection. Neither of them is hurt at all.

With the threat gone the party is now free to examine the room. Looking around they see four caskets lying at the back of the room. Surrounding the caskets are a dozen half-burnt candles and a fine red powder marking out some unknown glyphs.

Mericus attempts to decipher the runes. Examining them closer he is able to tell that they are part of a powerful resurrection spell. The others examine the caskets. All four are empty heavy chains that once held them shut now lie broken on the ground. In front of each casket is a tarnished brass plaque that names the former occupant. The names read:

Doromia Smythe
Kellwyn Sikes
Morgan Innswood
and Aria Black

At that moment Mericus notices that Bork has gone missing. Calling his name they see his head poke around the door. Cautiously he enters the room. _“Where’s the treasure?”_ the group asks. The gobber confesses to them that he lied. He tells them that the treasure was on the bodies in the four boxes.

Vallan is furious. In a decidedly un-paladin like manner he argues to dispatch the little man now. The rest of the party manages to calm him down, however the gobber has earned his ire now and Vallan decides to keep an eye on him and his axe handy.

With that settled for now the party decides to checkout the rest of the caves. Forcing Bork to guide them they follow the winding tunnels further in to the tomb.

_(To be continued)_


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## Horacio (Apr 8, 2002)

Cool, I like a lot how you are running the adventure. 
More, please!


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## A2Z (Apr 9, 2002)

*The Longest Night - Act Two*

*Deeper into the Tomb*

Lead by the swamp gobber the party explores further into the tomb. Most of the rooms hold little of interest. In one they find a small number of silver coins dating from the old Orgoth empire but beyond that there is little else. Eventually they come to a somewhat larger room. In the middle of the room are two large rock formations and searching between the rocks Mericus finds the body of what appears to be a gobber. While he examines the body Linc searches the rest of the room and manages to find a secret door at the back of the room.

While Ethradan moves to help Linc try and open the door Mericus takes a closer look at the body. Poking out from underneath the body he notices a leather pouch. Reaching for it he's suddenly enveloped by a number of tendrils that drop from the ceiling!

Vallan, who had been keeping an eye on Bork rushes in with his bow drawn to help the mage. A couple of shots with his bow are enough to force the tendrils to loosen their grip on Mericus. Free of them he turns around and with his crossbow launches a bolt straight up. Hitting the creature dead on it drops to the ground unmoving. Making sure it's dead Mericus reaches for the pouch again.

Inside he finds some dried up meat and a vial full of liquid. Examining it closer he is able to tell that it's magical. When he takes a sip his fingers and toes tingle but beyond that he can’t tell exactly what sort of potion it is.

The commotion over, Ethradan and Linc return to trying to open the door. Suddenly they hear Vallan curse. In all the excitement Bork has run off. They convince Vallan to let him go and the three of them set to work on the door. It proves harder than they though but eventually they get it open. Following it to the end they come to another door that proves just as difficult to open. A short while later they're through the door and standing in a dense patch of swamp.

Finding little else outside they mark the spot for potential use later and make their way back into the tomb. There was a tunnel they haven't explored yet and they want to check it out before leaving.

Following the last tunnel leads them to a large sand filled cavern with small pond at the far end. Pulled up on the beach is a small canoe made of woven reeds. Peering in the boat Ethradan notices four water skins as well as a number of other items. Trying to figure out what’s in the water skins he takes a sip of the liquid, and nearly vomits up his stomach contents. Making a vexed sound the elf throws the skins against the wall of the cave and decides to try using the boat to reach the tunnel opening he had noticed at the far end of the pond.

While testing the boat’s sturdiness Lincon and the other have noticed a number of gold coins as well as a dagger at the bottom of the pool. Lincon decides to swim to the bottom and retrieve them. By this time Ethradan has begun poling his way across the pond and Lincon dives in to the water. The once calm water suddenly erupts into splashes as a large tentacle wraps around the rogue and starts dragging him to the bottom!

Leaping to action Vallan and Mericus ready their bows while Ethradan turns his boat around. With the three lobbing arrows at the beast it quickly releases Lincon who swims to the bank. Peering over the side of the boat Ethradan becomes the next target. The large tentacles burst from the water and wrap themselves around the elf. His struggling proves ineffective as he’s pulled from the small craft into the water. He begins to worry he may drown as he’s pulled farther down. However a couple more arrows from his companions and the squid ceases moving. Freed he takes a stab at the body to make sure it’s dead and then heads for the surface. _(After the fact I realized I should have imposed some sort of penalty for shooting into the water. I couldn’t find anything about that though in the PHB. I’m not sure if it would be cover or what. Oh well, it would have been nice to actually put them in a little danger this time. Three fights and not one of them took any damage. They were afraid they were going to drown though. )_

Once again Lincon dives to the bottom to search for the treasure. This time Mericus follows. After a short search Lincon manages to find the dagger while Mericus finds a number of the coins. Returning to the surface they examine their find. The coins are gold with the ancient symbol of the empire. The dagger is made of black steel and is inlaid with runes. After being examined by the mage it is shown to radiate magic. Pocketing it for now Lincon and the other decide to rest here in the secret tunnel they had found. Reasoning that they can close both ends and remain relatively safe they head back towards that cavern. The hour is late and none of them wish to travel all the way back through the swamp at night. A short while later the group sets a watch and drifts off for the night.

_(To be continued)_


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## Desdichado (Apr 9, 2002)

Actually, the squid, at least, could have been a dangerous fight.  I got bitten (but my armor saved my hide!) and both Lincoln and I were really potential drowning victims.

To add insult to injury, Adam later told me that the vials that I had tossed against the wall on the sandy side of the cave were squid repellent.  If I had tossed them in the water instead, we wouldn't even have seen that feller.


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## A2Z (Apr 10, 2002)

*The Longest Night - Act Two*

The next morning the group leaves the tunnel and heads for the entrance. At the exit they are surprised to find the entire gobber tribe in attendance. Addressing the group the leader thanks them for dispatching the ‘dead men’. Stepping to the front Ethradan mentions they also killed a large squid in another cavern. The gobbers seem impressed. In return for these acts the chief offers the group free passage through his territory. From this point on they will be known as friends to this particular tribe.

A short while later the group is on the path back to town. It’s nearing afternoon by the time they reach the church. Once there they go over their findings. They know a young girl was responsible for taking the bodies at the tomb. Apparently this person is also well versed in necromancy. The majority, if not all of the seven bodies stolen were members of the jury for the trial ten years ago. Father Dumas’ wife was leader of the coven and her daughter Alexia is now his charge.

The group has strong suspicions about young Alexia and they form a plan for the coming night. While the rest of the party keeps a watch on Lexaria Ciannor’s tomb _(her tomb is on the church grounds and is still sealed)_, Lincon will attempt to break into Alexia’s room and see what he can find.

Late that night the rogue makes his way up to the second floor of the dormitory and finds himself in front of the young girls door. The padlock is on the door again and he assumes she must not be there. Making quick work of the lock he enters the darkened room. Making sure he’s alone he lights a small lantern and proceeds to looks around. There is nothing in the room that could attach Alexia to the crimes. There is little enough of anything in the room. Preparing to leave Linc thinks to check under the bed. He finds three heavy tomes. They are old history texts written by various city priests. He notices that one of the tomes has a page marked. The marked spot has information about the catacombs under the church. They were once used to store the bodies of plague victims and since then have remained sealed.

Putting the other two books back under the bed he takes the marked one and leaves the room. Replacing the padlock he makes his way back down to the yard and his companions to tell them of what he found.

_(To be continued)_


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## uv23 (Apr 10, 2002)

Your updates are too short. Waaaahhh!


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## A2Z (Apr 11, 2002)

uv23 said:
			
		

> *Your updates are too short. Waaaahhh!  *



But they come more often.  Well... usually. We didn't play this week so no update to the story hour. I'm going to try and get the rest of the characters backgrounds up though. Josh has posted Ethradan's and I have a couple of the others at home so over the next few days I may post them. As always, stay tuned!


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## A2Z (Apr 13, 2002)

*Lincon Abayam* - _Male Human Rogue 2:_

_(Here is Lincon's background, written by his player)_

Lincon grew up in the slums of the capital.  His father abandoned the family after Linc was born and Linc has no memory of him.  His Mother was poor and worked in an inn as a cook to support her son as best she could.  She died of Tuberculin when Linc was eight years old forcing him to fend for himself in the roughest section of the big city.  He learned to keep out of sight at the slightest hint of danger.  He picked pockets and scavenged what he could from his surroundings.  He learned to work well with other urchins in the street running petty operations for mutual profit, such as distracting marks while another would lift his purse; but he generally preferred to work by himself…sharing cuts down on the haul.  

One day when he was ten Linc was working the market on market day (when else?).  He was watching the faces of the people around him, scouting out his next mark.  He had already lifted five purses and it wasn’t even Lunchtime.  Market day was great.  People were worried about getting a stall and the best price for the livestock or crafts.  Or they were haggling with the merchants, trying to get the best price for what they needed.   He noticed an attractive but hard looking young woman in her mid twenties walking through the crowd.  She was scanning the crowd intently, looking from face to face and Linc had found his mark; she was distracted probably looking for someone.  He had never seen her before.  She wasn’t a local.  She was wearing strange leather clothing he wasn’t used to seeing in his part of town or in the market.  He followed her through the crown and cased her out.  She was graceful and glided through eh crown but Linc had no trouble following her.  He stayed behind her and knew she hadn’t seen him.  When she stopped for a second and looked around Linc knew his moment was here.  When she started walking again Linc closed in when he saw a large man heading towards her.  When they bumped in the crown he would lift the purse she was hiding pretty well in the strange leather outfit.  When he reached forward to grab his prize he felt an iron grip immediately seize his wrist.  He gasped and looked up into the face of the woman.  She was smiling and held a dagger in her other hand.

-_ “You’re good…Very good!  I’ve been watching you and saw you lift at least four purses this morning.  You move well and pick your targets well.  I was afraid I wouldn’t attract your attention.  My name is Moyra.  Let me buy you lunch.  I have a proposal for you.  You’re alternative is lunch on the constabulary.”_

Linc went with her.  He’d already met the constabulary and knew he’d probably get a better deal from this stranger.  It turned out Moyra was guarding a caravan that arrived in the city that morning for market day.  She noticed him working the crowd while collecting her pay.  She was impressed by him and asked about his situation.  Moyra had been on her own since she was small too.  She was from Corvis and had a similar story to Linc’s.  She had been taken in and apprenticed by an old man who worked the docks of the city.  He had noticed Moyra breaking into the kitchen of an inn and was impressed by her skill with locks.  He offered to teach her the skills she would need to survive as a Rogue on the sole condition that they part ways when he said…and she do the same and take as an apprentice another kindred one day.  She told Linc that when she saw him she knew that today was that day.  She told Linc that life would not be easy, but that it wasn’t that easy now.   They would be together for years and he would have to do as she said without question until she told him that the time had come to part ways.  Linc thought about it for about ten seconds and agreed.  That day Linc took the mark of his teacher, who had taken the mark of her teacher and entered the exclusive Valis guild.  Others who had his mark would have similar histories to him and similarly trained.  The Tattoo on his right forearm was a mark of honor among thieves and rogues.

They spent years together and Linc learned many things from Moyra.  That you shouldn’t steal from the poor…they are like us, we come from there.  Steal from the wealthy or the belligerent.  That’s why they’re here.  Small kindnesses are the way to redemption for our kind.  We may technically break the law…but only out of necessity and not against someone whom it would truly hurt.  When you can make a small difference do it.  They can add up.  But, above all: Look out for Number One because nobody else will.  Let enlightened self-interest guide you.  It will rarely steer you wrong.

One day Moyra said goodbye to Linc.  She was heading somewhere she kept secret for a purpose she wouldn’t divulge.  They had been together nine years and had grown very close.  She said where she was going she would have to go alone, but he had learned much and would continue to develop his skills.  She said that if the gods willed it they would meet again, but not to look for her.  She reminded him of his promise to train another one day in the future when he was skilled enough to be a master, hugged him and walked away into the mist.

A Week later, Lincon received an offer to join the guard of a caravan heading to Corvis.  He felt intrigued and took the job.  He wanted to see where his Mentor had come from.


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## Horacio (Apr 15, 2002)

How do you get your players writting such nice stuff?


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## A2Z (Apr 16, 2002)

*Vallan Maelstrom* - _Male Dwarven Paladin 2:_

_(Here is Vallan's background, written by his player)_

Vallan’s family is rich in military history. All men in his family have dutifully served in the Rhullic army, mostly in leadership positions. Ranging from lieutenant to major, one ancestor was even a general in the army that helped drive away the Orgoth empire centuries ago.

Obviously family is well respected. Growing up however, Vallan never acquired an affinity for the military, finding the life stagnant and boring with no major conflicts in centuries. While his family (more so his father) was disappointed in his choice, they supported him in his wishes to work in the church and study more about the Dwarven Fathers.

Deep down, Vallan feels shame for not following in his father’s well-tread footsteps, and seeing his father daily further increased the pain of it. He decided it was in his best interests to go on a journey and trust that the Dwarven Fathers would guide him to his true destiny. He doesn’t like to talk about his family’s military history because of his shame, thus avoiding personal conversations as much as possible.


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## A2Z (Apr 17, 2002)

Game tonight! Should have an update by tomorrow. The group's getting pretty close now to uncovering the truth... or are they? Should have lots of action this session so stay tuned!


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## Horacio (Apr 17, 2002)

Waiting for the update!
I want to know...


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## Desdichado (Apr 18, 2002)

I had to miss the game; my wife got sick and couldn't handle the kids alone...

I sent you an e-mail Adam, but I got some weird error message the next day.  Not sure if you got it or not.


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## A2Z (Apr 18, 2002)

Yeah I got your email Josh. No problem. We have lost Mericus's player though. He's had to bow out of the campaign. I'm currently looking for another player. Anyway, I should have an update ready soon.


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## Spr (Apr 19, 2002)

*I read you are looking for a player*

I may be interested in joining your game. Im 27 and have played D&D for a long time. My friend who lives in Taylor may also be able to play. It would be great if you could icq me 81902313 , email me or leave a post here for me. I do have school on Wed but in ends after next week. My name is Shawn and I live in Livonia.  I read this whole post and it sounds like you guys have a very nice game going.


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## A2Z (Apr 19, 2002)

*The Longest Night - Act Two*

Hey Spr, that's great. I sent you an email.

We were short two players this session. One because, as Josh said already, his kids were sick. And another because he has to quit  the campaign. Ahh real life! Ain't it a b****! 

Fortunatly it looks like we may have a new player. And the game went on anyway with only two players. They just had to do double duty. I'm thinking of keeping Mericus on as either a DM controled NPC if I get another player or as a party hireling or follower if I don't. Vallan's player played Ethradan (I hope that's okay Josh?) and Lincon's played Mericus. I really wanted a full party for where they were heading tonight. And this way the missing characters still get XP. Only half in Mericus's case though.

Anyway, On with the story.

*There she is! Follow her!*

Returning to his companions, Lincon shows them his findings. They then discuss their next move. Obviously Alexia is involved in this in some fashion. Lincon gives the books to Mericus who hides them in his script in the library. The rest of the group decides it would be wise to alert Father Dumas to his niece’s disappearance. While Vallan, Ethradan and Mericus head off to the high priests rooms Lincon return to Alexia's to see if she returns.

Father Dumas is a little worried when the group disturbs his rest. When they tell him they searched Alexia’s rooms he’s less than pleased with them. However Mericus quickly convinces him that if Alexia’s missing she may be in trouble. Agreeing the priest asks the group to search the area for the girl.

Pausing long enough to collect Lincon from the dormitory they quickly set about searching the church buildings. They search all over the church trying to find an entrance to these catacombs. Father Dumas couldn't tell him anything useful, but they're sure that if they can find the catacombs they'll find Alexia. An hour or so later they haven't found a thing and they decide to check the tombs in the church cemetery.

Heading out to the church grounds Lincon notices a figure dressed in white entering the ground from one of the connecting bridges. It's Alexia, and she hasn't noticed them yet! Thinking to question her the group calls out her name and moves towards her. Ignoring them she turns around as if to head back in to the city. Ethradan runs after her calling her name. Once at the bridge she turns around and makes a few hand gestures. Mericus cringes, recognizing magic at work. As she completes the spell she disappears, only to reappear in the middle of the bridge. Thinking to catch her Ethradan, followed by the rest of the group, runs on to the bridge only to have the girl disappear again and reappear at the foot of the bridge.

Alexia turns and runs down the street. The group follows but by the time they reach the foot of the bridge Alexia has disappeared around a corner. They follow her again but decide to move cautiously. The corner she disappeared around leads to a small winding alley. The alley ends at a dead end and the party fears they've lost the girl. Ethradan however notices a trap door at the foot of a wall. He tries to open it but finds it sealed tightly. Mericus tells him it's sealed by magic. Nevertheless once the rest of the group pitches in they eventually force it open.

The opening leads in to a dark, cramped and slimy tunnel. A rush of water flows down the middle and the sound of a greater torrent can be heard farther down. A small set of footprints can easily be seen in the muck. Apparently they've found the girl. Following the tracks the party heads into the sewers to confront Alexia.

_(To be continued)_


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## Desdichado (Apr 19, 2002)

Spr, Livonia, for Pete's sake: I can throw a rock into Livonia from where I live!  Where were you when I was first looking for a game?   

Anyway, that's not problem if Jim plays my character.  In fact, unless you get these new folks up and running soon, I may have to have that done for a few more weeks.  I've been pretty swamped at work: we had a guy move to a new job and I've been covering most of his work in addition to my own.  I'll play it by ear, though: unless I'm specifically swamped next week, I'll still try to make it there.


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## A2Z (Apr 29, 2002)

*The Longest Night - Act Two*

Well, it took me awhile but here's the update.

*Crap! We Found Her…*

The small tunnel opens into a far larger sewer and a far greater rush of water. Vallan, having a slight phobia of water, is very uncomfortable down here. A small ledge runs along both sides of the sewer and a rickety wooden plank bridges the gap. The group decides to cross over and Ethradan wisely suggests they go one at a time. Even so, when the dwarf's turn comes the plank bends alarmingly but does manage to hold. Gathered at the other side, the group follows the flow of water. As the other direction is barred by a heavy metal grate.

A short while later they come to an area of the sewer were two opposing flows of water create a whirlpool roaring in the center of the tunnel. A small drain leads out to the north. It is far too small for anyone to have passed through. On the south side of the wall another tunnel leads to a heavy stone door. It seems to be the only exit excepting the way they came from. The door is not locked and Lincon can't hear anything on the other side so the group decides to enter.

A short hallway leads to a rather large room. One wall is covered with a tapestry and a there is a crate with papers on it in the middle of the room. That's all they have time to notice before they suddenly feel themselves bound with powerful magic! Stepping out from behind the tapestry is their quarry Alexia. She apologizes for her uncle getting them involved and warns them they're better off staying out of the whole thing.

Even bound the heroes attempt to get information from the girl. She is fairly closed mouthed about her plans but she does reveal that she believes the coven was framed and the guilty, the entire city in her eyes, must be punished. Before leaving she asks the party to give her apology to her uncle, and with that she leaves through the sewer entrance, sealing it behind here with a spell.

_(I made a bit of a mistake when they encountered Alexia. When they enter the room the characters are supposed to make a Will save to counter Alexia's hold person spell. The DC for her spell should have been 15 but in the book it's marked as 21. I'm pretty sure that's a mistake. I couldn't find any reason for it to be that high. Oh well, it's important to the story that they don't beat her here. And she is a powerful witch. If it had come to a fight she would very likely kill the whole party and I really didn't want that.)_

Left behind, unable to move the group try’s to think of a way to free themselves. Before long however, the spell seems to fade on it’s own. A short time later they’re free and in the process of searching the room. There is another exit from the room but it’s sealed with a heavy iron portcullis. Ethradan however, manages to find a secret tunnel that lead around the gate and into the catacombs.

While he was searching for this the rest of the group found some of Alexia’s possessions. Including a heavy iron key, a couple of scrolls (invisibility and lightning bolt) as well as Alexia’s notes. Which prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that she is indeed responsible for the grave robberies. The pages also contain some interesting references to an item called, the Witchfire.

After a thorough search of the room the group sets out to explore the catacombs and to hopefully find a way out of the tunnels.

*The Catacombs*

Leaving Alexia’s hideout the group wanders for a bit before coming to a locked door. Beyond the door Lincon can hear a shuffling sound. There’s defiantly something behind there. Vallan, having taken the key from the hideout decides to try it on the door. It works, the door opens and the party readies they’re weapons. Leading the rest Vallan rushes in brandishing his axe and finds himself face to face with two walking bodies with weird sigils marked on their skin. That’s all they have time too notice before battle is joined.

While Vallan, Ethradan and Linc move in for melee Mericus stands back to cover them with his spells. These walking dead prove to be far stronger than the ones from the witch’s tomb and the party takes a couple of hits before Vallan dispatches one and then Linc manages to get behind the other and finish it off. Examining the bodies they find little of any value although one of the bodies does wear a fine silver ring.

Leaving the room the party continues down the corridors. Many twists and turns later the group finale enters a domed room, well decorated with finery, inside which lies a sarcophagus. On the lid are carved the words “Temptation Begets Darkness Eternal”.

Carved into the side of the coffin is the name of the occupant. _“Father Edric Samos VII”_. Vallan suggests moving on and Ethradan and Mericus agree with him. Lincon on the other hand decides too take a closer look at the gold inlay on the tomb. Taking out his knife he begins to scratch at it, and if promptly struck blind. No clap of thunder or booming voice, one minute he can see and the next he’s walking into walls. While Ethradan and Mericus have some sympathy for him Vallan laughs and tells him it’s his own fault.

With Mericus leading Lincon, the group continues to explore the tunnels. Eventually they come to another locked door. While he may be blind at least Lincon can still listen at the door. He does so and hears movement in the room. Taking positions as before the group tries the iron key again and is pleased to see it work. Three more bodies are there to greet them. With Lincon incapacitated the fight proves a little tougher, however the party manages to overcome their opponents. Again there is little treasure to be found and the group decides to move on.

Their wandering eventually brings them to a magically lit room with a statue of a man standing on a dais. The marble dais reads, _“Exarch Ulbrecht Drang, Ascended 1042”_. _(The Ascended are kind of like saints in the Iron Kingdoms setting)_ This appears to be a shrine dedicated to the Ascendant. After looking around a bit, and after Vallan convinces Lincon to not loot the place _(apparently he hasn’t learned his lesson. He’s still blind by the way)_ they decide to move on.

The shrine leads to a hall lined with rotting doors. Peeking into one of the rooms they find it lined with alcoves that hold old bones. In one of the alcoves lies a plaque that read “PLAGUE”. Vallan remarks that these must be the catacombs that the book they took from Alexia’s room mentioned.

Moving down the hall they find that the last door is spiked shut. Listening at the door again Lincon hears movement. Unfortunately whatever’s behind the door has also heard them. It begins to pound against the door. Apparently the door was locked for a reason. Taking up positions, with Lincon at the rear they wait for it to break through the door. Eventually it does and the party is confronted with yet another body. This one however is larger and far more threatening than the others were. As the fight progresses those in the front, Vallan and Ethradan are almost overwhelmed a couple of times. Ethradan takes a serious hit but manages to keep fighting. Lincon decides to try his hand at blind fighting and makes a surprisingly good show of it. A few short rounds later the ravening skeleton is nothing but a pile of bones and the heroes are relatively none the worse for wear.

The hallway ends in a room that is split by a chasm at the base of which runs an underground river. A wooden plank bridges the gap. Instead of going on the group decides to head back and explore a tunnel they had passed by earlier. Once there they are confronted by another locked door. And, same as the other two it is unlocked by the iron key. Even after their other battles they manage to make short work of the two walking corpses that attack them. Once again nothing of value is found.

Having seen most of the catacombs there’s only one path left to the group. Heading back to the underground river they keep looking for an exit from the tunnels. Hopefully before Alexia’s plans come to fruition.

_(To be continued)_


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## Vallan Maelstrom (May 1, 2002)

*blind mice*

_blasted thief deserves his blindness, maybe this will remind him and the others all things are not for the taking..._


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## A2Z (May 2, 2002)

Played tonight! Lot of action and two new characters! Stay tuned for an update shortly.


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## Desdichado (May 2, 2002)

Lots of action is right.  I'm also starting to learn just how forgiving D&D can be.  Ehtradan isn't really a cautious guy, if you know what I mean (not that he's actively suicidal) and I've taken some pretty good punishment and kept on going.  We've got a cleric now, too, so that only makes it easier to push the boundaries a bit.

Then again, if those skellies had been using Bull Rush like we were, we might have lost half our party...


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## Rod (May 3, 2002)

...let the bodies hit the floor!! !!!!!!!!

come on people, hurry up,you got me hooked.  I may have to make a make a trip to Detroit myself. I would like to hear from more of the party if you will. 
And who are the 2 new character's.


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## Ishkrom (May 4, 2002)

Ishkrom would like nothing better than to detail you on his  situation and new found hellraising brothers. His patience is long,  ( the half-orc behind the mask believes it is inappropriate to express his view until after the DM has introduced him into the messageboards.) yet thin. ( probly tomorrow regardless if A2Z has added to this or not)


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## A2Z (May 4, 2002)

*The Longest Night - Act Two*

Alright! An update. First I will introduce the two new characters:

*Ishkrom* - _Male Half-Orc Monk 2:_ Ishkrom is a wanderer. The group meets him outside Fort Ryker being attacked by a group of Alexia’s undead. He agrees to follow them into the fort in order to fight the undead that attacked him. As the story progresses the party will hopefully learn more about this mysterious adventurer.

*Mulhulan the Red* - _Male Human Cleric of Morrow 2:_ Mulhulan is assigned as a guide to the party in Mericus’s stead. He didn’t know what he was getting into when he accepted, nevertheless his skills and abilities have already come in very handy for the group. He will prove to be a strong addition to this rag tag gang.

And now for the story;

The room with the underground river leads to a larger room. One with a door at the far end. The room itself is empty except for the two entrances. Following the exit they come to a heavy stone door that looks to have not been used in some time. Forcing the door open they are confronted with a another tunnel that slopes upward. At the top is another stone door. Opening the door they are surprised to find themselves in a tomb on the church grounds. They’ve found an exit and it conveniently leads them to the church grounds.

*A Call to Arms*

The sun is starting to rise now. The group heads to the church to alert Father Dumas to his niece’s plans. They find him in his study again. He must have been up the rest of the night worrying about Alexia. He appears stricken when they tell him of what they found. He is filed with worry about her and asks for the group to help her. _“She must be stopped”_, he says. However, he doesn’t want her harmed. There must be something they can do. Dumas then mentions that Watch Captain Julian Helstrom came by a short while earlier looking for the PCs. He asked the Father if they could be trusted and seemed to be looking for some help. He asked Dumas to send them to him when they returned.

While Vallan and Ethradan decide to see what he wanted, Mericus decides to return to his work. He’s been neglecting his duties the past few days and need to catch up. He wishes the party well and heads off. Lincon, still blind, asks Dumas for help. To his chagrin Vallan recounts their episode in the tomb to Father Dumas who seems less than pleased with Lincon’s behavior. Nevertheless he will help him. It’ll talk a little while though so he’ll have to stay behind while the other two head to the city barracks.

Before they leave, Dumas summons one of his clerics to guide them through the city in Mericus’s stead. A large man with red hair shows up and is introduced as Mulhulan to the group. Mulhulan the Red is part of the church militia and quite skilled in combat. He should be a helpful addition to the party. Without further delay the three men head out to see Helstrom.

No sooner have they crossed the bridge from the church than they here a voice calling to them from an alley. Going to investigate they find Helstrom, shrouded in a cloak, and a handful of guardsmen behind him. His first question to the PCs is whether or not he can trust them. They assure him of their good intentions and desire to help Father Dumas. The watch captain apparently judges them worthy and proceeds to tell them what he knows. He had found out about Alexia’s scheme a short while ago although it’s been difficult. His investigation has been hampered by his superiors unwillingness to aid in the investigation. This interference is apparently coming from the highest levels of the city government. The party is quick to suggest Magistrate Borloch and Helstrom agrees that he is a prime suspect. He has only a handful of men he can trust and he can’t spare any of them with the Longest Night approaching. He needs the PCs help to investigate one of Alexia’s suspected hideout’s.

One of Helstrom’s men tracked the girl to an old fort. Fort Ryker has been abandoned for some time and he suspects she may be practicing her necromancy there. He sent a couple of men to investigate but they haven’t returned. He fears the worst. The group accepts to help him and relate the previous nights events to him. _“It is as I feared.”_ He says. _“Alexia has become a powerful witch, and she has proven to be a danger to the city.”_ He asks the PCs to come to the barracks later and he will supply them for the trip. He tells them to enter by the back were he will have his men stationed. With that he and his men leave the group who return to the church to rest a bit and recover Lincon.

After spending the morning resting and relating their meeting with Helstrom to Lincon _(Who can by the way see now, all it cost him was a lecture on the evils of theft from Father Dumas)_, the group prepares to leave. Gathering their equipment Vallan, Ethradan, Lincon and their new guide Mulhulan head off to the barracks. Once there they are allowed entry by Helstrom’s men at the back entrance. They are supplied with horses and a few cure potions from the watch captain himself before being sent on their way.

The sun is high in the sky as the group makes their way out if the city and past Widower’s wood along the path to Fort Ryker.

_(To be continued)_

I should get the rest of the session up by tonight or tomorrow at the latest. That's when the party meets Ishkrom and enters the keep.


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## Ishkrom (May 6, 2002)

Ishkrom waits. And waits...... and waits.


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## Ishkrom (May 6, 2002)

Still waiting.   


And seething.


Irritated. 
Agitated.



Reverts back into butterfly meditation and has calmly refocused into lotus reverie.


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## A2Z (May 6, 2002)

*The Longest Night - Act Three*

_The Longest Night - Act Three_

*A New Companion*

The sun is starting to set as the four men reach the area in which the fort is located. Stopping a short distance away the group looks over the area. The area was a battlefield long ago and still bears the marks of war. In the field below the party can see movement although they are too far away to tell exactly what it is. As they begin moving closer they suddenly hear noises closer then the valley below. Going to investigate they come upon a lone individual surround by six skeletons.

The figure is holding his own for now but its obvious he won’t be able too keep it up for long. Moving closer to help they notice that his face is partially hidden by a leather mask. He is holding a hand axe in each hand and feinting at the skeletons while slowly withdrawing. Leaving the horses the PCs close for combat.

Seeing reinforcements the stranger ceases his withdrawal at seems ready to attack. The skeletons move quickly though. While three of them move to intercept the new arrivals the others keep harrying the masked man. Combat is joined between the man and the three skeletons!

Vallan is the first to reach the advancing undead and lands a blow on one of them. Mulhulan advances then and, calling on the might of Morrow, manages to turn five of the undead! Ethradan fells one of the retreating monsters while Lincon attempts to do the same. The stranger is still locked in combat with the remaining skeleton and, while he’s holding his own, his opponent seems to be a match. The rest of the group moves forward to help.

The skeleton proves to be a challenge, even for the five of them. A few of the group take a hit or two but the stranger manages to land the final blow and kills the beast.
After catching their breath, introductions are made. The stranger’s name is Ishkrom and he is a traveler to the area. He was passing through the area when he came across this keep. He was watching the area, trying to find out what was going on with all the undead around. The group fills him in on part of the story and after hearing it Ishkrom tells them he saw a girl arrive with four zombie-like women earlier. Confirmation that Alexia has indeed come here, if the squads of undead weren’t enough that is.

Ishkrom decides he would like to help the group, if only as pay back for this last encounter. Deciding to leave the horses in a nearby clearing the group moves down to the fields. Once they get closer they can see that the movement they had noticed earlier is actually groups of undead digging in the ground. Nearby they notice two wagons strapped to the backs of undead horses. The skeletons are loading bones dug from the ground into the wagons. Getting closer they realize these skeletons don’t seem to notice they’re presence. As they watch one of the wagons is filled and begins to make it’s way to the keep.

Ethradan comes up with a plan to ride in the back of the wagon when it leaves for the fort. Once under way they notice two more patrols of undead wearing armor the same as the first group. They aren’t noticed by them though and make it to the gates of the keep without any problem. _(I could have sprung another encounter on them now but I decided to let the dice decide. Apparently the skeletons were too far away to spot them even though they made no attempt to hide in the wagon and had decided to simply walk alongside it.)_


Almost done with this session. Next update things really get hairy!


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## Desdichado (May 6, 2002)

Missed some of the fun parts of this session though: when we walked up to Ishkrom, Ethradan rather conversationally called out to ask if he wanted any help.  Ishkrom bantered back a bit, "No, everything's great from here" kinda stuff.  When we saw the digging skeletons, we walked right up to them and they completely ignored us.  I even tried to stand in their way and they just went around me.  Then, just for fun I knocked the head off of one with a big stick, and after nothing happened we went ahead an did the same thing with the rest of them.


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## A2Z (May 8, 2002)

*The Longest Night - Act Three*

*Fort Ryker*

The wagon brings them through the large doors and into the main hall of the keep. Piles of bones lie all around and more of the worker skeletons are sorting the piles. At the back of the hall are two wooden doors. Not wanting to take any chances Ishkrom and Ethradan disposes of the skeletons, who put up no fight. “Better safe than sorry” they think.

Having taken care of the opposition the group moves towards the two doors. Listening at the one on the right they hear nothing and proceed to open the door and go through. The room is empty except for another door and a dumbwaiter in the back. Trying out the dumbwaiter they find that the mechanism is rusted and produces a loud screech. They decide it's better to leave that alone for now and instead they check out the other door. It is slightly ajar and the group goes through to the next room.

They enter a large room with a set of doors at the far end and a smaller room off to the side. Two doors lead into the smaller room, which when inspected, is seen to contain a mechanical contraption consisting of a lever and a heavy wheel. The lever is marked 'up' and 'down' and the group concludes that it probably controls the drawbridge. Ethradan checks the doors at the end of the room and confirms that they do indeed open on to the drawbridge which is currently down. After a short discussion on whether or not they should disable the mechanism, the group decides against it for now, they leave the gatehouse and cross the bridge to the keep proper.

No sooner do they reach the center of the bridge than the group feels the breeze as two arrows rush past their heads! Stuck in the open they have no place to go. Looking up they can see three figures on the stone bridge above. Drawing their bows and crossbows the group tries to take cover were they can. Vallan rushes towards the far end and one of the attackers follows him only to have the old stone of the bridge collapse beneath him! With a short scream he hits the drawbridge bellow and the heroes are forced to dodge the falling blocks. There are still two people above though and Ethradan and Lincon take their shots while the attackers are still recovering from the shock.

The arrows hit home and one of the attackers stumbles backwards. Ishkrom moves to the far end of the bridge with Vallan to try and find a better vantage point. Another arrow sails down from above and catches Ethradan in the shoulder. Hurt but still going he takes another shot and is rewarded as his target falls, apparently dead. The remaining shooter withdraws from the edge.

Ethradan doesn't want to let him get away. With Mulhulan in tow he heads back into the gatehouse to try and cut him off. Ishkrom, Vallan and Linc stay behind to watch their backs. Rushing recklessly up stairs and through doors, pausing just long enough to scan the rooms they seek a way up to the higher levels. At the end of a hall the elf throws open a door, only to be confronted with a room full of armored skeletons! He has no time to close the door before one of the undead rushes up and slashes him with a rusty sword. Ethradan stumbles back! A few seconds later Mulhulan casts a healing spell on him and then the two of the slam the door shut and run back down towards the bridge and their companions.

Back on the bridge the three left behind stare as their rash companions run through the opening yelling about an attack. As the group draws their weapons the undead rush out on to the bridge covering the exit. Running forward Ishkrom rushes the nearest skeleton, taking a hit in the process. The ten foot wide bridge makes for a precarious surface, however, and he manages to use his staff to knock the creature off. It falls silently into the ravine.

There are still five beasts left though, Mulhulan tries to turn them again but his efforts fail this time. Following Ishkroms lead Ethradan and Linc attempt to rush the skeletons they succeed in knocking another off but not without some successful hits from the undead.

Meanwhile, Vallan had entered the far end of the bridge and finds himself in a room similar to the one on the other side. Running to the drawbridge mechanism he attempts to turn the wheel and raise the bridge. The wheel is rusted though, and he is unable to move it more than a few inches.

Back on the bridge the rest of the group continues fighting the skeletons. They trade blows with the undead and manage to knock some off and to drop others with their weapons. Ethrandan and Ishkrom are taking the brunt if the assault and if not for Mulhulan would have fallen by now. Lincon dodges in and out of the melee striking with his magic dagger. Vallan emerges from the keep having been unsuccessful in raising the bridge. The battle is nearing the end now and one skeleton remains. With a final lunge the half-orc rushes it and sends it falling into the crevase below.

The threat past the group bandages their wounds while Ishkrom searches the body of the shooter that had fallen from above. Aside from his equipment he has little of value. He does notice a tattoo on the back of his hand though. A lighting bolt above an eye. None of the party recognizes this symbol though. With nothing left to do the group moves into the shelter of the keep to discuss their next move.

_(To be continued)_


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## Desdichado (May 9, 2002)

Yeah, that was lots of fun!  I felt a little like Han Solo running screaming through the Death Star until I ran right smack into a bunch of stormtroopers...


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## Ishkrom (May 11, 2002)

We finished up another session 2 days ago and did alot of action in a 8 hour span.

I need to get my background up here. Every time I try the boards are always to busy. Except for now, when I am tired, the kids are screaming, the game is on, the alarm needs to be set for overtime and I have a couple chapters to read till my next class. 



Even though Josh wasn't there, Ishkrom has begun to respect the elf the most for his courage and fighting ability. Even with his honor shows him to be less than desirable.

And as usual, we wait for our DM to post his rendition of what occured several nights ago.   Some parts were real fun. We almost lost the other human, ( that is what my half-orc calls the rouge, the cleric is known as the red human) but the dwarf came thru and slayed 6 skeletons in full armor. They were the only 2 around, with the 3 of us closer to a mile away. The dwarf really  came thru with his cleave feat. If he hadn't, Ishkrom would have had to find another money string to be pulling from.


I also won a mental victory over the elf by not being the first to ask for healing. Actually with all the fighting, I didn't even get a scratch. Which was good, because I was operating on half my total hp the entire session.

Did I mention we were blowing things up.


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## Vallan Maelstrom (May 12, 2002)

Vallan's thoughts as he sits on his cot at the church reflecting
on the past days events...

We said goodbye to Mericus, while I admired his knowledge I was weary of his handle on that magic of his -- always expecting to find myself on the receiving end of a stray bolt of lightning.. at the same time we were introduced to the redheaded human Mulholland - I know little so far of his religious aspirations, but so far he carrys himself well and provides much needed aid for those who suffer the nicks and cuts of the blade.

We also met a mysterious stranger on the road to Ft. Ryker, a large masked beast, Ishcram, who battles in a peculiar style - with his hands and feet - but occasionaly he seems to have sense enough to use a hand axe.. poor fellow probably had no one to train him in the proper use of simple and martial weapons, maybe he can learn a bit from watching me and the elf....
His scars, however, attest to the fact that he has been ample enough in battle to survive this long .. that in itself is admirable

The investigation of the Fort proved to be somewhat of a success. We were able to confirm there was in fact an army of bone people being created by that witch Alexia.  Unfortunately, we were also able to confirm that Capt. Helstrom's men had met their end as well.  We planned to use the powder kegs Helstrom had sent with us, but were undecided if we should lob
them down to where Alexia and her walking dead sisters stood or use them to destroy the bridge making it difficult for the army of bones to cross the ravine.  We decided on the latter, but we had to retrieve them from the pack-horse outside the Fort.

Myself and Lincoln volunteered to get the kegs while the others remained in hiding inside the Fort.  For a while we traveled unseen in the dark, but to my disdain we were met by a patrol of armored bones 3-1 on each of us.. I called on the dwarven fathers to grant me the power to turn them away ,
but instead the fathers granted me the power to dispatch of them with my newly acquired Battle Axe. In fact, I had to take out the whole patrol - all six of them - because they had gotten the better of Lincoln. Maybe he will learn from this that it is better to be in the gods favor than to continue living in mischief ..  I wont get my hopes up though

Ah well, I must rest now .. the Longest Night is approaching and I'm sure I'll need my energy and health.  May the Dwarven Fathers bless and watch over me.


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## A2Z (May 12, 2002)

*The Longest Night - Act Three*

*I thought this place was deserted…*

Leaving the entrance the group continues into the keep. Following the only passage, which goes on for more than one hundred feet, they finale reach a branch in the hallway. To the left the hall ends at a wooden door. Straight ahead the hall continues and there are four doors, two on each side. There are grates set into the four doors and Lincon pears into one of them. Inside is a skeleton; when it notices Lincon it begins clawing at the door. Backing away he checks the others and sees the same thing.

The group begins to ask themselves why they would be locked up. Going to the fifth door at the end of the branch the group notices that there is no grate to look through in this door. Lincon starts to listen at the door, the elf however proceeds to open the door and walk in to the room. Sitting there in the middle of the room is a large skeleton dressed in hides and wielding a large battleaxe. Around his neck is a brass torc. Seeing the door open and the elf walk in he gets up and rushes towards the door!

Ethradan is able to hold off the skeleton while Vallan and Iskrom enter the room. While the skeleton is able to land one or two shots on the attackers it proves too be no match for the five men. With Ethradan, Vallan and Ishkrom attacking it and Mulhulan and Lincon covering them from behind it’s not long before it is lying in pieces on the floor. Vallan’s eye catches the battleaxe. He can tell that it’s well crafted and decides he can make use of it. Ishkrom, who seems to have a fondness for odd items, takes the torc from around the skeleton’s neck.

Finding nothing else of value in the room the group heads back into the hall. Before moving on Vallan opens two of the doors _(I’m not sure why)_ and the party makes short work of the two skeletons that emerge. Deciding that it’s really a waste of time to let the other two out the group moves on. At the end of the hallway they come to another door. Entering the room they are greeted to the site of a half-dozen skeletons chained up to the walls. On a table in the center of the room is a brazier and a pile of notes. The skeletons stare at the heroes but are unable to do anything else. The group notices that the skeletons all have glyphs and sigils marked on their foreheads. These makings are the same as the ones they have seen in the notes they took from the catacombs. Mulhulan looks at the papers on the table. On top of them is an animated skull. Knocking it off the table he looks at the notes.

The pages also contain the sigils and glyph the group has noticed on the undead that they’ve been fighting. He decides to cast a ‘detect magic’ spell. The symbols on the paper as well as those on the skeletons begin radiating necromantic magic. Vallan’s new battleaxe, as well as Iskrom’s torc and Lincon’s dagger also prove to be magical. Finding nothing else useful in this room the group dispatches the bound undead and moves on down the hallway.

It’s not long before they come to an intersection. On one side is a door and on the other is an opening in the wall. While Lincon checks out the door, the rest of the party heads through the opening. Inside they find a large room with an earthen floor. A small pit lies in one corner and in the far wall is another large opening. Inside the pit they find the remains of Captain Helstrom’s men. The bodies are a mess. It looks like something was chewing on them.

Meanwhile Lincon is checking out the other room. Having found no traps on the door he enters the room. Inside are rows of shelves with common tools stacked on them. There doesn’t seem to be anything else there, it’s just a storeroom.

Ishkrom decides to look at the second opening. It proves to be a tunnel. Peering in he can’t see anything, however, he does manage to hear something. Calling the others he barely turns around in time to see a large and hairy shape lunging towards him! His reflexes are keen though and he manages to dodge the attack. Ethradan and Vallan run up behind him to help out. At the back of the room Mulhulan struggles to light a lamp so he can see. _(The others have lowlight or darkvision but he can’t see anything since Lincon was holding their lamp.)_ Deciding instead to cast a light spell he rushes into combat with the others.

Hearing the commotion in the other room Lincon rushes over to see his companions engaged with a hulking mass of fur and claws! It strikes viciously at the intruders wounding Ethradan enough to send him rushing for cover. As fierce as it is it soon succumbs to Vallan’s axe and Ishkrom’s fists however. Checking the tunnel for any more surprises the group gathers back in the room for a quick bit of healing.

While this is going on Lincon searches in the pit and manages to find a bit of treasure, some gems and coins. Afterwards the party decides to see were the tunnel leads. Following it to the end they find that it exits outside the keep on the far side of the ravine. Deciding this doesn’t help them right now, but marking it for future use, they head back inside.

Continuing along the hallway they had left earlier they find it ends at a staircase. The stairs wind up and exit on the battlements. Once up there the group pears over the sides into the courtyard below, and find themselves staring at an army of hundreds of undead soldiers!

_(To be continued)_


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## Ishkrom (May 13, 2002)

Ishkrom stands six feet tall and and is nearly 300 pounds. He is very muscular with grey stone skin. His eyes are black, and usualy red. He has a jet black gaotie that is at least seven inches in length and is twisted and tied at the bottom. He has the same jet black hair above his ears( think hollywood hulk hogan) and scars from a dire lion across the top of his head, chest, and back with a heavy scar tissue. Along his arms, chest and back are tatoo's of huge diamonds interlocking with one another colored red running from one arm to the other.
    Iskrom prefers to wear a leather mask across his face( think mankind or hannibal lecter). He has two canine teeth showing above his upper lip that show when he talks or smiles.( the others have been knocked out)
Ishkrom wears a black cloak that hide his 2 hand axes that are attached to his belt in the back. He carries a silver dagger in his boot and 5 crossbow bolts around his right theigh. A crossbow is flung around his shoulder. He carries a small backpack and a quarterstaff as a walking stick( he has grown sick of the staff and has gotten rid of it) Actually he prefers to use the axes and dagger as ranged attacks before he gets in close)Ishkrom has recently aquired a necklace that he now wears. ( i don't know how to desribe it, ecxept sort of like a boomerang that conforms around your neck)
   In combat Ishkrom is very unorthadox. After throwing a ax, he prefers to to use his "double red diamond attack" (charge),along with his "rolling thunder from the west" (bullrush). Always enters his "mongoose position(dodge) when melee begins, and prefers to attack with his "black lion explosion',(flurry of blows) or to use his smashing lion trust(punch), or his "elf killa sweep", ( circle kick). He has been practicing  a new defensive position, and will begin to start using it soon along with some more attacks he favors. His "rushing striped lion guard" will now set up his "torture rack", and shing wizard style attacks.( trip and disarm)

   Ishkrom didn't remember much before he came to the monestary. A strange man had taken him in as a youngster. But he barley spent a year with the wandering hermit, Ragaii. Ragaii told him if anything ever happened to him, how to get to a special sanctuary where he came from. Tell them Ragaii sent you.  And my brothers, your brothers, will take you in.   That is how I came to the monestary. the 'Order of the Wailing Soul. 
   Ragaii was begining to explain and teach so much to me. Opening my eyes to new things and possibilities. And then one day he was gone. I watched him die by the hands of two ogre's. They beat him. Made him bleed. Broke his hands and arms. Smashed his knees. Popped out his eyes. I seen a smile on his face as he left this world. I think Rayaii liked it.
   He and I belong to the 'Order of the Wailing Soul. I must admit, I was a little scared and confused at first. But the more I listened, the more we practiced, the more we meditate, it all made sense. It is the one constant that I have found in life. Perfect harmony. Life is worth living. For now anyway.
    What is it? Well that is the beauty of it. Thru suffering, pain, and watching one die can the perfect death be reached. In order to make yourself excell, you need to have the anguish of pain and know what it is like to suffer. (Suffering is one of the keys I believe. I am currently researching that aspect the most.)  I thrive to make sure sure my brother's come to their ultimate ending. I wish this for myself. I wish this for you. 
    Pain and suffering come in many sizes and forms. I am on a mission to experience and execute as many of them as I can. I have many things to learn  still. Yet, I have many things I can show you. I enjoy experiencing pain. Alot. But more than that, i enjoy hurting others. I have mostly practiced on undead and humanoids. I find that humans, regardless of what some crimes they have done, are not fond of my practices. I still practice with humans. Most are willing participants. But I have not revealed that to my new found "hell raisers". YET. 





~i did not proof read, sorry..........


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## gyn ruhmie (May 13, 2002)

*sadomasichist monk*

hand axes and daggers??!?!?!?!?  should be carrying whips and chains!!!

for christs sake wheres the red rubber ball he puts in his victims mouth?!?!  lmao  haha

it will be interesting to see where this charachter goes -- may god spare his party


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## Desdichado (May 13, 2002)

Of course you beat Ethradan on asking for healing: Ethradan's regular player wasn't there!  You've raised the bar on asking for it, though: we'll have to see who can tough it out the longest this next time.


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## Ishkrom (May 14, 2002)

2 hand axes a 1 silver dagger. ( that he has yet to use yet)

The rubber ball is in my backpack, but that is for the witch.
  I plan on seeing exactly where I can take this character within the constraints of his alignment( not a problem), and the party.(problem) I am thinking that the dwarf and the red human will have a very limited patience.  I have just arrived in a new town that I have not been in. After some rest( 2 days of laying in a pile of hay above the horse stalls) I plan on exploring my options in the city. That will also be the "Longest night" by my calculations.

  Don't just sing it elf, bring it.


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## Ishkrom (May 28, 2002)

The DM is claiming his cpu crashed. I think he is just being lazy. 

I would write more, but the last 2 times I have tried adding to this thread I have lost my post after I hit reply. Let's see.


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## A2Z (May 28, 2002)

I know I know! I'm a little behind on the updates. Eventually I will catch up. Anyway, here's the latest.

*The odds seem to be against us…*

Standing on the battlements they can observe the army without being seen. The group makes a quick count of the mass and realizes there are hundreds of the monsters gathering in the courtyard. While the others discuss what to do Lincon makes his way around the battlements to the back of the keep at the rear. There is a window set in the back wall and from the battlements he can look down into the main hall.

Below he sees Alexia, their quarry, with the four risen conveners that were taken from the witch's tomb. Together the five of them are raising more of the skeletons. In fact as he watches another of the undead rises from the ground, takes up a sword and makes it's way to the courtyard to join its brethren. He quickly makes his way back to the others to inform them of his discovery.

The party then discusses their possible actions. A number of them, thinking about the two kegs of blasting powder given to them by Helstrom, want to use them to try and kill Alexia. Still others argue that doing something like that would pretty much ensure they’re deaths. In the end it’s decided that they’ll use the kegs to destroy the drawbridge and hopefully this will delay or even stop the undead army.

The party makes their way back through the gatehouse to the entry hall. Once there they split up. Vallan and Lincon will go for the horses and the kegs, left behind earlier, while the others will stay and keep watch in the hall.

It’s not long before a wagon, drawn by an undead horse and accompanied by a couple workers and three armored skeletons enters the hall. Ishkrom, Mulhulan and Ethradan all take cover in the abandoned stalls and try to wait out the skeletons. Unfortunately one of them starts making a round of the hall. It’s only a matter of time before he finds the hidden heroes. Not wanting to wait and be discovered, Ishkrom leaps from hiding and attacks the nearest skeleton! His blow sends it staggering back and his companions rush from they’re hiding places to join him in combat. As the other two undead hurry to attack the intruders the three companions make short work of the first skeleton. A couple of rounds later the other two are laying on the ground next to the first one. While Ethradan and Ishkrom engage in some friendly boasting Mulhulan settles in to wait for the others.

While their companions are waiting in the gatehouse Lincon and Vallan are quietly making their way across the fields towards the horses. They’ve seen a couple patrols in the distance but have managed to stay hidden so far. Topping a rise their luck suddenly runs out. They come face to face with a heavily armed patrol of undead. Instead if running the two decide to attack! While Lincon draws his bow, Vallan rushes towards the nearest skeleton and, drawing on his divine power attempts to turn them. Unfortunately this doesn't work and soon enough the heroes are surrounded.

Vallan manages to hold his own fairly well, Lincon however takes a few serious hits and decides to withdraw. He manages to stay ahead of the skeleton until he stops to attack with his bow. The undead quickly rush him! Overwhelmed by their attacks Lincon falls!

Seeing his companion down Vallan attempts to turn the undead again to no avail. He's trouble now though. The undead that were previously attacking Lincon are now moving towards him! Hefting his new axe Vallan begins laying about with a holy fervor. One, two skeletons fall before the reinforcements arrive! Now there are four attackers and Vallan is starting to take some serious wounds. Undaunted he continues the fight. Pretty soon there are only two of the skeletons left and Vallan, still standing prepares to end the fight.

The skeletons manage to deliver a couple of serious hit's to Vallan before he kills one of them. Bruised and bleeding he raises his axe to finish off the last of the patrol. _(Actually they both got criticals! I had to fudge the dice though because if Vallan had died Lincon would have bled to death as well. I didn't have the heart to kill them on a random encounter.)_ The battle over finally Vallan looks over the piles of yellowed bones and rushes to his fallen comrade.

Unconscious and bleeding Lincon doesn't look too good. Vallan cures what he can with his holy power and bandages the cuts that haven't closed. His eyes opening Lincon looks around in surprise at the fallen skeletons scattered around the ground. There's no time for congratulations however, there are still patrols around and it is unlikely Vallan could repeat his previous deed if another should find them.

Moving cautiously the two make they're way back to the copse were they left the horses. Gathering the animals and the two kegs of blasting powder they head back to the keep. This time they manage to avoid anymore patrols and pretty soon they're back with their friends. While Lincon receives healing from Mulhulan the others quickly set about arranging the kegs on the drawbridge.

Once everything's in place they decide who will stay behind to light the fuses; surprisingly, Ishkrom volunteers. He's the quickest and besides, he seems to have some sort of fascination with pain. All is set, while the others wait in the courtyard Ishkrom lights the blasting powder and makes a dash for the exit. Rushing into the courtyard he leaps on the back of Ethradan's horse and the five heroes gallop through the gates as the kegs go off! A cloud of smoke and flame rises from the back of the gatehouse as the group rushes through the fields.

A number of patrols, alerted by the commotion run towards the party but with the group on horseback they have no chance of stopping them. The moon is high as the five companions ride towards Corvis to alert Helstrom of their findings.

_(To be continued)_


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## Ishkrom (May 28, 2002)

The powdered kegs were a good idea as far as lighting up the witch. I was all for it and was willing to not only roll down the window with them but light them up as well. We (I)were at second level at the time, if the the DM wasn't holding back on XP,holding us from advancing a level,I would have done it.
He also strongly hinted not to as we would all surely die. It wasn't till after we were back in town did he change his tune.
All in all, it was fun. Wait until the festival. A certain elf becomes a local wrestling hero. Almost a legend....


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