Session 13: Redux (Monday, Nov 21, 2011) from Ramuh's POV

+300 xp to Ramuh

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TL;DR:

The elevator was broken. Wandering in the darkness. Dim lights to chase away the shadows.

Searching, hoping, trying to escape.

Just like before.

Endless stalking through catacombs. The only hope the blade in my hand. The air thick with smoke and death and ozone.

The rage. Vengeance. Coursing from the depths of my heart and sparking from my pupils. Binding my eyes so prevent warning prey of my approach.

Lost. The rage keeps me focused, yet blind. Despair.

As always, she gives me strength - her sultry, passionate voice soothing me:

"Keep going my love, keep going - the darkness is nothing - I'm here for you.

Call to me for your light my love. Ask of me anything... I am yours. All you need I am for you."

My vision blurs, seems less intense. We round a corner and see figures in the darkness.

Is that Vira? Hept'zar? They are gathered by an escape. An elevator.

Relief. I try to rally our hopes, I speak - but the voice is always not mine.

"Good news everybody! Our ally is here to help us!"

Was it my tutor who used to drool in such ways? My jester? Surely I could not be so enfeebled. I am still young.

Her voice offers guidance: "No my love, something is amiss... your allies are here beside us."

As always, she was right. Hept'zar and Vira moved with us, in formation. Their eyes wide with disbelief and outrage.

At least Vira's were, Hept'zar as always refused to admit kind of emotion from infecting his face.

False-Vira coldly surveyed as False-Hept'zar and some followers hacked away mindless at miners.

The poor people squealed as their humble flesh was sundered cruelly.

I remember: memories of a simpler time - of open air and horseback, a sweet voice and silken favours tied to my lance.

I would sallying forth, with shining armour and sword.

Instinct. I strode forward to protect the helpless - just as I always would. I swore an Oath.

"The innocent must be protected, by my honour this bloodshed must stop!" I proclaimed. Zacarias puffed a smokey circle - his sign of consent.

I remember: a rebirth. The enemy trying to escape me. The rage, pushing away my grief... my loss.

Fueling me. Given me strength where I should be weak. I see, as always, The Enemy trying to escape me.

We charged. I remember lessons with my father's battlemage: Always seize the wizard first.

The Falses cowered on the elevator. Tricks of the light made the steam appear red. Slowly they rose past our reach.

Most of our reach.

"Bring him to me, my beloved." I pleaded.

"At once my lord!" Her voice alight with pleasure.

The rage floods through me. She reaches from her bed, eldritch talons closing on False Hept'zar.

His body shredded. The foul beasts leapt on him, savaging his form until Colter's bloody corpse laid before me.

Tricked. Fooled. As always.

My eyes glow from white-hot anger to a sickly green as my beloved entwines me. The poison of a balrog's whip courses through my veins.

From her raising vantage point, False Vira mocks me.

Before I can strike her down, a foul spectre with chains reaches to end my life.

If only. If only it could be done as easily.

It's ghastly nails skid of my plate. Invisible mail, forced into existence by the force of my will. Forged into a form I remember being comforting long ago.

I meet what should have been it's eyes. I issue my challenge. Contempt and a declaration of intent flows from my lips. The only thing I can say with my true voice.

"You are not prepared."

Unknown to the monstrosity. My plate flows from me to encircle it, distracting it from any other foe instead of myself. Interfering with it's strikes.

Battle is joined. Undead moaning for our sweet flesh scurry around me.

Just like before.

I cannot distinguish from present and past.

I notice the potion too late. I have never experienced this alchemy before. Red smoke and heat envelop my body and crush the elevator mechanisms.

Searing pain. Fire, the tool of my hated Enemy.

These licks of flame cannot compare to the scorched scar they left on my soul.

I force the undead back with sword and fury. Zacarias and Micrin rush past me to engage the chained undead.

I watch bemused, as Zacarias and Micrin do what they do best. I protect them.

Ever a silent guardian.

Ashen cheers, his lewd and bawdy quips easing the pain from the scratches on their arms.

And we wait. And wait. And wait.

For once, Zacarias appears to notice that smoking is an unhealthy habit. He puffs as he methodically punctures every undead orifice he can reach.

The remains of Haroran lay at their feet. The true foe, once again, had escaped. I spit on the corpse.

"You. Were not prepared." I mutter.

I have long forgotten if I were referring to myself in irony.

In desperation, Micrin severed the elevator cables. The crash was the second loudest sound I have ever heard. No sign of our foe.

The frustration is overwhelming. As always, I hear her voice:

"Do not fret, my love - we shall prevail eventually as long as we are together. Do not fear, I shall never leave you... I am the only one for you. The only one, my love."

Session 16: Return, Airship Wreckage, Toad People

Present: Michael, Karen, Dennis, Mark

Nori gives ivory scroll case
1.5 bags of treasure + 75 gp = 6 horses
75 x 6 = 450 treasure XP / 5 = 90 per PC

1/2 of battle with the toad people:

5 toad people
4 humans
1 fungus mage
1 plant beast

Encumbrance

If you maintain an encumbrance record sheet, I will award an extra 50 XP per session.

A record sheet makes this really easy. There is no summing of weights or anything like that, you just count up the number of items you are carrying and use a simple formula. A few very small items (e.g., pouch, necklace, candle, wallet) don't count at all, but everything else just counts as "1 item" with the idea that sizes average out. I really like this system and have been wanting to try it out ever since I saw it.

For an example of the encumbrance sheet, check out the second page of the LotFP character sheet:

http://www.lotfp.com/RPG/uploads/pdf/CharacterSheetGrindhouse.pdf

The record sheet has several slots for you to write items in, and a few circles to calculate the encumbrance level, with the text of the relevant rules on the other side for easy reference.

I realize that some of you may not think tracking this stuff is fun, so I'm making it optional. However, I think it adds an important dimension to the game, and this particular system is really slick, so I would encourage you to try it.

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So, a quick example: leather armor (+0), 10 items (+1) => 1, Unencumbered, no penalties.

Another example: high strength (-1), plate armor (+2), pike (oversized item, +1), 9 items (+1) => 3, Heavily Encumbered, penalties apply

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If you are interested in the source, these rules are taken from the excellent Lamentations of the Flame Princess (LotFP) Weird Fantasy Role-Playing game:

http://www.lotfp.com/RPG/products/lotfp-weird-fantasy-role-playing

http://www.lotfp.com/RPG/uploads/downloads/GrindhouseRulesMagicFree.zip

The encumbrance rules can be found on pages 38 - 40 of the free rules book.

This game is basically a slightly mutated version of basic D&D. For example, it uses the traditional seven classes (cleric, dwarf, elf, fighter, halfling, magic-user, thief). It is one of the recent "retro-clones" made possible by the Open Game License that Wizards of the Coast used for D&D Third Edition.

D&D session reports XP

Base 200 plus:

• + 25 for writing in character
• + 25 for mentioning at least one awesome thing someone else did
• + 50 for an illustration, map, writing in iambic pentameter, or something similar

Thus, Zacarias earned 250 XP for the last session report.

Session 15: The Battle of Whatsiston

Sit down my friends, come and warm yourselves at the fire while I tell you the tale of The Battle of Whatsiston. Though it is a battle of legend, I remember it like it was yesterday... let me think now, so that I can be sure I get all of the details right.

Ah yes. We'd been in the mines for a week you see. Our rations were long since exhausted and for the past twelve days or so down there we'd been subsiding on lichens, poisonous mushrooms, and trickles of groundwater licked from the rock walls. The elevator had already been destroyed and there was nothing left but to climb the six hundred foot shaft unaided, as every scrap of mining gear was already looted or rusted through. Micrin went first and I second, so that if he fell I'd be able to catch him before he landed on any of the lesser climbers below, and like that we scaled the full thousand feet in just under an hour. There were some guards waiting for us at the top at one point but they fled when they saw that they couldn't stop us from coming up anyway.

So we got to the top and, not wanting to have to kill all of the guards, generously surrendered so they could put us on trial for allegedly irritating some of the townsfolk or some such nonsense that was obviously perpetrated by doppelgangers. The trial began right then and there at the top of the fifteen hundred foot mineshaft, and all of the townsfolk clustered around to hear Ashen's eloquent defense. After that I explained all about the Hep'ztar doppelganger and how I'd killed him with a knife where the sun doesn't shine, so they should just have to get the real Hep'ztar to drop his pants and show his lack of wounds down there, and that would prove our innocence. But just when the drow was about to win our freedom by showing the guard captain his pristine ass -

KRAKOW KRAKOW. Shots rang out. Fire rained down from the hillside above. RATTATATTATATTA. Ten or fifteen sharpshooters unleashed a hail of bullets. A string of explosions ripped through the buildings around us, killing many of the innocent townsfolk. Vira heroically threw herself between the gunners and the guard captain, but she was too late - his head burst like a ripe melon. They were decent marksmen, going for the face like that, but if they'd been really good - as good as me - they'd have gone for the eyes. So even though we were outnumbered at least a hundred to one, I knew we could take them. While Berrian guarded Carvax and Ramuh retrieved our gear, I vaulted up the mountainside.

"My name is Zacarias Venancio Borromeo," I shouted, drawing five daggers. "You killed the captain. Prepare to die!"

I spotted the last rays of the sun glinting off a gun and SNICK - a knife into the barrel (at two hundred feet distant, no less). It exploded in a hail of shrapnel, sending at least a dozen of the goblin gunners tumbling dead off the edge of the sheer cliff above. I picked off another few with knives in the vitals just before I finished negotiating the extensive overhang at the top of the cliff, and sprang up beside the wizard-doppelganger. Now let me tell you something, you always kill the wizard first. My uncle, Galván Leal Escudero Luna Cuellar Delgado, once didn't kill the wizard first, and he was vaporized by a lightning bolt. KRAKAKAKOW. Just like Ramuh does.

So that's why I went right for the wizard. By the time I got there the rest of the party was just arriving too, having teleported from below because they aren't as good at climbing as me, except for Micrin. So I ran toward the wizard, dodging fire from the fifty or sixty remaining gunners, and jumped off the head of Micrin's hammer as he backswung it in a reaping motion, drew my last dagger as I flew twenty feet through the air and landed it right in the wizard's throat. SHUK. Blood everywhere.

"Vengeance... shall... be..." he gasped his last breath, not finishing his sentence.

"I guess you could say... something got stuck in his throat," I concluded.

Then Berrian dropped a shroud on the dead wizard to take his soul, and, seeing our awesome martial prowess, the remaining hundred goblins ran off the edge of the cliff rather than lose their souls. Some of them ran so fast they left their skeletons behind and we set those on fire and then smashed them to bits.

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Referee Addendum

All players present.

XP:

• 3 goblins with guns: 375 XP
• 3 blazing skeletons: 600 XP
• Fire mage: 400 XP
• Keeping the sage alive: 100 XP

Session report XP for Zacarias: 250 XP

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The Known World

Click to make larger.

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Key

1. Nandel, City by the Lake, Capital of Nendalem, Seat of the Queen
2. Gates of Lask (villages and forts) & The Northern Hills
3. Gorgovine
4. Letharev Delta and wetlands
5. Lake Sound
6. Town of Vanst, on the North River
7. Town of Fairfax, on the West River
8. The Royal Road North
9. The Royal Road South
10. Urndowell Mountains
11. The Old Wall
12. Senelport City & Calmwater Bay
13. Town of Kelex on the Lake
14. Norlesh (city and mines)
15. Nomurn Hills
16. Demurn Mountains (Western Barrier Peaks)

PC Death

Officially switching to the "Hovering on Death's Door" rules for dying (from the Second Edition Dungeon Master Guide page 75, if you are curious).

• Unconscious at 0 HP
• Dead at -10
• Lose 1 HP per round if in negative territory and not stabilized

Updates for Fourth Edition:

• Dying PCs can be stabilized by a DC 15 Heal check
• Any healing magic brings a dying PC to consciousness and 1 HP

Session 14: November 28th, 2011: Computer Science Class

Our intrepid party returned to school this week for a refreshing review of the depth-first search.

First, we went into the rightmost path. We came to a room with two exits, of which we took the rightmost. From there, another room, this time with 4 exits and many goblins armed with rifles. A brief skirmish, in which we killed 2, captured 1, and 2 got away. We decided to continue down the rightmost exit.

At length, we came to a dead end. We went back up the path to the first branch, and took the next-rightmost path. And so on, until we came at last to a hellhound, which we summarily destroyed.

Our goblin prisoner, naked and frightened, managed to slip away in the skirmish, but we gave chase and, thanks to an excellent rifle-shot after a long run by our Wizard, took him down.

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Monsters slain: hellhound (300 XP) & 6 goblins (125 XP each) = 1050

Session 13: Undead Haroran, Colter Slain

Broken elevator going down.

Reached the room with the elevator going up. Discovered. Several members of the House of Five Blades (one was Colter, the other was new; both were disguised by illusion as members of the younger generation of the Circle of Orin: Colter was disguised as Hep'ztar and the other unknown NPC was disguised as Vira). They also had a shrouded undead servant on a chain. When the PCs entered the room, Colter and Friends were killing some miners just as the elevator was coming to rest.

Battle was joined. The shrouded undead turned out to be the animated corpse of the PCs former mentor Haroran, who summoned two more undead. Colter was slain relatively early on, and the other disguised NPC managed to escape up the elevator. A bubbling red potion was left in the elevator mechanism. After a while, the potion detonated, vaporizing some of the hydraulic mechanism within the elevator (and several PC wineskins), bringing the elevator to a halt.

The undead Haroran was forced into a corner and defeated after a gruelling melee.

The dwarf then managed to cut the metal cables in the elevator mechanism box, causing the platform to fall back to the chamber, along with coils of metal cable. No sign was seen of the other NPC.

Session 12: Black Staff, Stirges, Mines

Robed skeletons and mummified remains cleared.

Dead figure at bottom of pile found crouching of 4-section black staff. Staff radiated powerful demonic magic. Under figure was large metal trap door.

Inside trap door was naturally mummified human that looks like he was sealed in alive. There was also a steel box with dwarven treasure: magically obscured map, ceremonial hand-axe, 10 dwarven books (very thing stone sheets bound with mithril rings), and 300 ancient dwarven gold coins.

Party examine room and debated what to do for some time. They discovered that the staff could be disassembled into sections, and that each time a section was removed, the staff as a whole seemed to diminish in dark power. The staff sections are now carried by Berrian, Ramuh, Ashen, and Hep'ztar. The party took several sacks worth of precious metal grave goods and the dwarven books, which seemed to be particularly prized by Vira as she is a cleric of knowledge.

There was a buzzing in the outer crypt room. The party investigated and found a single stirge, which had been drinking at the blood basin. They chased it and slew it.

The party then decided that they had accomplished their brief and should return to the surface. The returned to the connection between the tomb and the mines, to discover that several miners had been killed and dragged several hundred feet away deeper into the mine. The PCs followed this passage through several rooms and ultimately came to a dead end. They also discovered a natural cavern with a fish pool down this way. The returned and the went the other way, back the way they originally came when they were escorted by the miners to the tomb. They fought off a small swarm of stirges while in this tunnel.

Monster experience: 10 stirges = 1000 XP / 6 = 166

Present: Karen, Mark, Dennis, Alex, Danny, Michael (? I think so)

Session 11: Tomb of Galvex

Present: Karen, Alex, Eric, Michael, Dennis, Danny

XP: 1000 / 6 = 166 each

Tomb of Galvex: mummified creature from the crypt, two statue creatures, two chain undead

Day 6 Undeground

I woke up early and performed my meditations to Ioun. Though it is difficult to tell morning from night in this underground maze, I try to keep to my meditation schedule. Shortly after Hep'ztar, Zacarius Venancio Boromeo and Ramuh rose and decided to investigate the door with the large block in front of it. After much effort we were able to pry up the end and put some rods under it to prop it up. This allowed Hep’ztar to create ice under the block, then Ramuh launched it out of the way. This aroused Mikren from his slumbers were he was instantly intrigued by the sword we claimed from the undead creature yesterday, claiming it from Ramuh. Too late Ashen woke and complained that he did not get the jewelled sword.

Then our group of 6 somewhat cautiously entered the chamber revealed beyond the barred door. Here is a rough sketch of the room discovered.

The room had some sort of anti magical field to it, and both Hep’ztar and Ramuh had difficulty with their spells.

Finally our exploration led to the crypt at the end of the room and after opening it we awoke a number of undead within the chamber. A large yet human like creature from the crypt both statues from the corner and another few creatures from the pile of bodies gave us a tough fight but with some fancy moves from Mikren and his new sword and as always with help from Ioun, we emerged, bruised but victorious.

Session 10: Blood Basin, Undead, Blocked Door

Conveniently three weeks to the beach! (on horseback)

Welcome to fabulous Mysterious Underground Shrine and Spa Resort! Enjoy exploring the limitless depths of the earth as it silently swallows you in darkness. Relax as the legions of the undead attend to your every whim.

After concluding your fight with the scourges of the undead, the fabulous Blood Basin atrium awaits you. The atrium has three convenient exits (the main entranceway to the rancid waterfall, the Weighted Stone Block, and the stamped-out mystery door). It also links to three separate residence rooms.

Amenities in the Blood Basin atrium:

• Your fun starts here with World Famous Blood Basin. It's filled with a dark, viscous, copper-smelling blood-like substance! Watch as its enticing presence secretly commands you to imbibe its dark essence (don't listen to warnings from your mother!)
• In the heart of the room, behind the basin, lies the impressive Large Plinth. The plinth is inscribed with unknown characters which dance like fireflies in the rain
• Fall in love with the delightful Weighted Stone Block! The stone block blocks a steel door, slightly ajar for freshness. A bouquet of outstretched hands sprout out from the door opening, as if trying to escape the deadly fun that lies inside. High five!
• In the corner lies the large steel door. Amusingly set at an angle downwards against the rest of the room, its avant-garde design is as if it were stamped out of a huge molten blob of metal. Allow its whimsical design and foreboding glyphs warp your mind in subtle and unperceptible ways!
• The doors to the residence rooms are metal doors with a barred viewing port for maximum security. Inside is decorated in the traditional Colonial/Victorian/burial tomb style; one or two sarcophaguses staged inside of a roughly octagonal-shaped room. Inside each coffin lies regional tchotchkes made of real precious metals (silver and gold), plates with wooden carvings of mouth-watering food. Bones are scattered across the floor, as if to say "Welcome home!".

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Attending players:

• Alex, Dennis, Danny, Karen, Mark, Michael

Two new members of the cast (names to be verified):

• Zucchini Bromide Bandaras - Halfling Rogue
  • A confident rogue, often overlooked because he's so damn short. Not about length, but where you put it.
• Volty McStabinFace - Swordmage
  • Christopher Llyod in a gimp suit. His electrical attacks are super effective.

The party enters the atrium (light courtesy of the mage). Zucchini stirs the blood basin with a dagger, then drops the dagger into the basin. Nothing much happens. Zucchini is compelled to drink the blood, but manages to resist after a length internal dialogue. The party examines the eastern-most room. Berrian the assassin smashes bones in a north-western room, anticipating the raising of the dead. Berrian is ambushed by two undead: a large cloaked skeletal figure wielding a large jeweled falchion(?) and another skeleton figure. Berrian suffers grave wounds and is downed. The rest of the party comes to Berrian's aid. During this time, a diaphanous red mist appears in a largish region around the blood basin.

Vira the cleric is attacked by another large undead creature. This battle, her god tires of making her so awesome all the time: she loses her Lance of Faith for the remainder of the battle. Vira does manage to perform a turn undead, stunning half of the enemies. Hepztar the mage summons his large flaming sphere Sparky. After the battle ends, Hep'ztar sends the flaming sphere towards the blood basin; large tendrils snare the sphere and draw it into the basin, snuffing out the sphere. Zucchini successfully stabilizes a downed PC with his heal skill of -1.

The jeweled falchion is taken. It is well made, but does not appear magical.

The party also investigates the other rooms, finding more of the same (coffins with tchotchkes). They also find some masonry tools (winches, levers, hammers) in the north-eastern room. They attempt to move the stone block to no effect, breaking several tools in the process. Peering inside the blocked room, they see several piece of parchment. Hep'ztar uses his magic mage hands and pulls out a document written in Infernal. Luckily, Volty knows Infernal. The document talks about a large black staff. Volty also has a feeling that a great betrayal happened here. Just a feeling.

Vira calls for an extended rest, which passes without incident. Zucchini again resists drinking the blood.

Loots and XP:

• jeweled falchion
• various precious metal tchotchkes
• 120 XP

Session 9: Flesh-Throwing Zombie

Present: Heptzar, Danny (Ashen), Dennis (Nathumbe), Eric (Mikron), Karen (Vira), Mark (Berrian), Michael (Wultgar)

After slaying the Queen bug, the party returned to the nest room, and searched for loot. There was nothing of note to find, other than a few bits of bug wing and some bug claws.

The party decided to explore the rest of the caves, and so headed back to the room with the petrified beams. We followed previously unexplored tunnels until we returned to the room with the Braziers. We followed a bug tunnel near the doors to the trap room, and after several turns and and dead ends, found a dead goblin, a couple dead bugs, and finally an opening under a stream of falling water into a large room.

Some creature (which later turned out to be undead) appeared hunched under the stream of water, wearing chains and manacles and surrounded by magical statues.

Wultgar, in his zeal to meet the Raven Queen, lowered himself on some rope, and prepared to jump into the room, when the beast ripped off some of his own flesh, and flung it, knocking Wultgar prone. Berrian vanished and appeared beside Wultgar to protect him. Several more undead creatures appeared from under debris, and the fight was on.

Noteable events from the battles: - Turn undead (Vira) is a pretty awesome skill. - The wand of lightning appears exhausted. - The statues made hitting some of the undead impossible. Once the statues were destroyed, the undead fell easily.

After the fight, we noticed the room had two sets of doors. One set lead to the trap room, and the other we have not yet explored.

XP from monsters: 84

Treasure discovered:

• 8 amethysts (eyes from panther statues)
• Bag of kruthik claws (Mikron)
• Kruthik samples (Vira and/or Heptzar; I forget)
• Corpse chains (Ashen)

Session 8: IED, Kruthik Hive Queen

Can't tell what day it is any more, been in these damned tunnels for too long. What does the sun look like? Don't remember. Air and rations are both stale. The buggers are all around. Guess if you're going to die, might as well do it underground and save 'em the trouble of digging you a hole to lie in. They'll never let us out of here alive.

The screaming felt good though. Made me feel like a warrior again, like the old days in the pits. Seemed to keep the bugs away too. Ran out of breath eventually, and stalked the tunnels in silence, just us and the dead down there. Found some bugger eggs and made a pretty good meal of 'em. Better than stale rations, if you don't think about that you're eating unborn children. But that's the way of this world, isn't it? A boot stamping on a human face, forever. A fist pounding a bugger's thorax, forever. Do they feel it too? Do they feel despair?

Things got strange. Fungus everywhere, slime, chittering (thought about tasting the fungus, but fungi are always a bit dodgier than eggs). Came back to our old fort in the depths and discovered the enemy's nest just a tunnel away. Scouted the place out and it was a deathtrap. Was suggested that we set them up the bomb using that black powder we found a while back. Was it just a few hours ago? Time loses all meaning down here.

Pressed on through the fungus, bomb in my hand and the wizard behind with his lightning-thrower. Two buggers tried to stop us but we fought 'em back and pushed through. Lobbed that bomb, gave it everything I had, and the wizard did good. Damned good. A little fire, a lot of noise, shrapnel everywhere. Wasn't much left to do after that, just a few mercy killings. Wonder if the buggers saw it that way. Guess it doesn't matter now, they're just as dead.

Queen bugger got away though, we found her tunnel. Chased her to a cavern over a lake and sent the wizard down on a rope. They traded lightning for venom but the wizard fell in the end. Went down after them then, one hell of a big bugger in the water and all us splashing down on top of her. Battle went quick after that and she sank into the murk. Never saw the bottom. They say some pools go down forever. Maybe she's still sinking.

- Wultgar

Session 7: Dead Goblins, More Kruthik, Enemy Spotted

tl;dr - extended rest, followed left wall, thorax-punching fight, found mystery scroll, tunnel leads back to original room, ends with running around screaming

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Supraesophageal ganglion(5), Subesophageal ganglion(31) (source)

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Last episode: The heroes made a dramatic entrance and barely defeat the insect creatures that lay waiting below.

This cavern contains four exits: the ceiling, two tunnels to the west, and one tunnel to the east.

The cleric attempts to anchor a rope back to the hole in the ceiling using a detached leg from the insect creature. The attempt fails, clattering against the cavern ceiling or not embedding deep enough to support a person. The party laments the lack of teleporting assassins or a clement dwarf upstairs.

The heroes talk at length about setting up camp to lick their wounds. There is concern against setting up camp against the bare rock wall, as the insect creatures are capable of burrowing through rock. Surveying the area, they find large beams of half-rotted, half-petrified wood. The remains of some tower-like foundation litter the area. The bard finds no loot. The party agrees to build a little fort and take watch. The rest lasts for ten hours and passes without incident.

The party travels through the northern-most west exit. The tunnel is coated in a mild slime which irritates the skin, but otherwise appears harmless. Travelling about eighty feet, there is a T-junction. The party decides to use the old "hand on wall" approach and sticks to the left wall.

The party approaches a small cavity with a low ceiling, perhaps sixty feet across? Something like that. In the centre were a few humanoid corpses surrounded by the insectoid creatures. The bard bravely rolls around in the slime to blend in. The party deals the first strike.

The bard leads with his abstract sonic attacks. The fighter fumbles early in the battle, his whip flying across the room from his buttery fingers. As a result, the fighter spends the majority of the battle punching thoraxes (thoraces?), eventually moving onto more obscure anatomical features as the other sites transform to mushy patches of ichor. The subesophageal ganglion was punched at one point. The warlord also joins in the fray. The cleric hangs back as support artillery, as does the mage. At one point the bard realizes he doesn't have any armour.

The battle progresses handily, our warriors handily containing and dispatching most of the enemies. One dives into the rock face and escapes. There is a sneak attack from the rear: an insect latches onto the mage, riding him for the rest of the battle like a cowboy on a frail glass bronco. The mage's numerous escape attempts fail, and his cries for help are largely ignored by the rest of the party (who are busy crushing thorax elsewhere). The insect which escaped into the rock reappears, opening up a new tunnel next to the mage.

One of the corpses reveals itself to be alive and crawls towards an exit. The bard loots the other corpses in the middle of the battle. The rest of the party turns back to the mage, as they have run out of thoraxes to pulverize. At this point the mage is losing consciousness and has used up another charge of the fulgurating wand. The mage finally escapes from the first insect and flees, confident that the fighter will intercept. Alas, the insect just jumps over and latches onto him again. With a little help from his friends, the remaining insects are dispatched.

The cavern now has six tunnel exits: two created during the battle (which end up looping on itself), one the party entered from, and three others. The corpses found were goblin-like, dressed as the goblins found at the Circle's villa. On his person are pouches: one contains gunpowder, there is also a scroll found written in unknown language. At the bottom of the scroll is a familiar seal of the House of Five Blades (or was it Swords? The one that jerk Colter is with.).

Rather than pursue the escaped corpse immediately, the party takes a ten minute break to rest. Continuing the "hand on left wall" trick, the party follows the next exit and find themselves in the first crypt room (the one with the pile-of-skulls centrepiece). A trail of blood leads to the goblin which crawled away. He is dead and pouches are ripped from his body. Footsteps are heard travelling away; the party pursues to the brazier room, but finds no one. Frustrated, the party runs screaming from one place to the next. At this point, it's kind of a blur, really.

Session 6: Berrian Trapped, Discovery of Tower Foundation

After completing the exploration of the puzzle chamber, Berrian tries to fling the eastern doors wide open but Nath'umbe steps in and they cautiously look into a pitch black stairwell. The Circle continues the exploration by taking some of the unholy fire from the braziers and cautiously going down the stairs. The corridor looked worn and much older than the previously explored caverns, though containing the same type of carvings. When we reach the bottom of the stairwell, we see a small unmarked chamber, and Nath'umbe tests the sturdiness of the floor before venturing further and is not satisfied with the results. The adventurers contemplate many options going forward, from leaping across the chamber to tossing the dwarf. Finally Berrian stealthily shifts across the distance and decides to explore the far stairwell alone. As he is doing this, the rest of the party proceeds back up the stairs to the chamber, planning to lug a statue down the stairs to test the room. Before they get to a statue, Berrian cracks open the door at the top of the stairs and both sets of stairs turn to slides and the doors slam and bolt shut.

Berrian slides down what used to be a set of stairs and falls through a trap door at the bottom chamber, just managing to cling to the trap door as he falls through. He manages to climb back up and gets hit by a falling spike from the ceiling. A little bloodied Berrian notices eyes staring at him and after a brief skirmish with a creature; he ends up back through the trap door into a pit of mechanically shifting spikes.

Meanwhile, back in the puzzle chamber, the rest of the team is trying to find a way to get back through the doors to Berrian. After unsuccessfully trying to use the puzzle tiles, and seeing if one of the reptilian tunnels will lead into the sealed chamber, the muscular Mikren, Wultgar, as well as Amex and Nath'umbe grab one of the statues to use as a battering ram against the door, causing a good size dent.

Berrian manages to leap out of the pit and onto more firm ground and uses his great stealth abilities to hide from the eyes around him. Fortunately at this point a second attempt to batter the door with a new statue breaks the poles binding the door and the stairs return to their previous state. Berrian takes advantage of this and races to safety with the rest of the group.

The Circle then decides to continue its exploration in one of the reptilian tunnels. They attach themselves together with rope and start out through the tunnel. After traveling some distance they come to a drop into a rough naturally hewn chamber. They throw down some "sun bars" and see several of the reptilian all over the chamber. Through a tough battle where Wultgar managed to block the majority of the team from the chamber by being grabbed at the mouth of the tunnel, and where he and Berrian are nearly killed, the Circle emerges victorious.

Session 5: Tile Puzzle, Imp, Magma Beasts

As the dust settled from the fight with the dog-sized insects, our intrepid party started investigating the room in which the skirmish had taken place.

Careful inspection of the room bore fruit: a flask of what is probably a healing salve hidden in a pile of bones.

Continuing to the next room, through a richly-carved door replete with Goblin iconography, over a flight of stairs and through another, different but similarly-decorated door, our heroes found a strange room: Braziers burning with unnatural fire in two corners, and a 4x5 grid of tiles on a raised dais, flanked with statues. There was a larger statue on the wall opposite the braziers; a goblin with garnet eyes and some evil magic. Each of the tiles had a symbol on it, with obvious meanings, combining which could yield a number of more complex ideas. Several of the party started stepping on tiles, which depressed with a click. After 3 had been depressed, from out of nowhere above the larger statue an Imp materialized, and with a mischievous laugh pressed a 4th tile, which caused fire beasts to appear from the braziers.

These were quickly dispatched by our heroes, but a more difficult threat soon presented itself: magma monsters rising up from the floor, doing fire damage to all who were near them. The Imp seemed able to summon more of these at will, and having the ability to turn invisible made him a tough target.

Finally, though, due in large part to heroics by the dwarf-Dwarf, all magma beasts were defeated and the Imp parted from his soul.

A few more artifacts were found in niches along the wall, and the team sat down for a well-deserved lunch break.

-- Eric

Session 4: Mikron the Dwarf, Abandoned Town, Unfriendly Elves, Reggad Mining Town

The circle is found licking their wounds after a small skirmish. Their moral down, they feel their luck can't get any worst. Fortunately they were able to protect the cargo the Queen asked them to deliver.

While stumbling towards civilization, Nath'umbe and Vira stumble across a dwarf hanging upside down on a tree. After the dwarf convinces Nath'umbe he is a good person, and that his 10 dwarven brothers were the ones the tied him up, the dwarf is let down. The party is happy to have dexterous dwarf fighter to help them in combat. Along the road they encounter a handsome Half-Elf Amex who has come to assist the party inorder to gain an audience with the Queen. After the Hep'ztar Asyt'lae and Wultgar interrigate the Bard, he is allowed to join the party. After sharing his rations with the party, the half-elf and party journey to a nearby town. About half a kilometer from the town they find a mule, who has icicles hanging from it. The dwarf is able to tame the beast and the party name it "Reckless abandonment". The ice does not appear to be magical, but the weather is unnaturally cold for this time of year.

The party discovers the town abandoned, after some searching they find ample horses and provisions to help them in their quest. The dwarf is able to find a few gold coins in his search, but no sign of life besides the horses and mule. The party feeds the horses and proceed to setup camp in the abandoned inn. They setup traps on the entrances, and the bard plays the party a wonderful ballad to raise their moral.

The next morning at dawn they head out with the horses and provisions. They come across laughter and the sound of snow hitting flesh. The assassin scouts ahead to discover more than a dozen elves playing in the snow in a valley blocking the path to the quarry. The towns people lay slain and are being slowly consumed by a frost dragon. The bard decides to try deplomacy. These elves are unfriendly, but the bard does succeed at causing the elves to leave the path, granting safe passage to the quarry. The party comes across a band of merchants that they convince to avoid the road due to the elves and dragon.

At the quarry, the party is lead to the overseer. The overseer is surprised that the queen sent him a bunch of elves, much to his displeasure. The party is able to convince the overseer they are indeed the queens aid, and not bandits. The party is informed of the mission, to investigate a mine that has claimed the lives of some miners, and mysteriously collapes. The overseer does not devoulge the prize the miners are after. The overseer's sage has a theory that the creatures are lizards of sorts. The party is granted lodgings, and immediately starts to gather information about the mining town. The dwarf is able to befriend some miners with some rounds of ale and dice at the local inn, the miners share that they have found human and goblin crypts during their excavations. The party comes across a young lad who is the local apothocry. He does not reveal any interesting information about the mine, but is granted some half-elf hair from the bard for his time.

The next day the party decent the mine. They come into a large catacomb like room, with skulls piled in the middle. Pictures on the pillars suggest that goblins who warshipped demons once rule this lair. They are immediately engaged by 8 insect like creatures that are the size of dogs. The bard is able to slay 4 of these creatures with a thunder spell. The party is able to dispatch the rest creatures with ease.

Ashen of Thornclove

My past is an open book, I was blessed with music from the Gods, and discovered this at a young age, when I tamed the local wolves that terrorized my village.  The wolves were charmed by my lute, and now they protect the village

I was told in a vision to seek the queen of Nendalem, for she needed aid.

I have been trained by the bards after my talents were discovered, my parents "sold" me to the order
being half-elf, usually meant discrimination, but because of my charm never had issue with fitting in.

The bard order of the land is full of all races, so I fit in easily.  I'm not the most dexterous of bards but my musical gifts over come my physical feats in battle.

Image

-- Danny

Session 3: Wilderness Travel, Riticorian Charity, Goblinoid Bandits

Arist's rendition of the wagon battle (not pictured: a portal summoning more monsters)

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The party journeyed forth west and eventually left the safety of the great road.

Along the way they encountered a quizzical sight, a number of traders with out of character servants and guards were distributing reserves of grain to the citizens. Nath'umbe scored some free grain.

As the intrepid adventures moved just past the great road - they encountered a similar sight, except it covered with dead goblins.

As the party moved through the wreckage to investigate - they were blindsided by fierce goblin ninjas.

The strange combination of ridiculousness of goblin ninjas, plus the no-dps party arrangement led to a very skin-of-the teeth encounter, leaving the party with no horses, stranded in the wilderness and licking their wounds.

Hep'ztar Asyt'lae

Not pictured: all the lame Circle of Orin members

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Drow wizard.

5'7". Wears a grey hooded cloak and a dull woolen-knit cap. Shoulder length silvery-white hair tied up in a pony tail. Thirty-six years old. Dark grey-blue skin and dark red eyes.
Escaped from the Underdark at a young age, when a Priest of Lolth sought to sacrifice Hep'ztar as a scapegoat for recent natural disasters which occurred.

Unable and unwilling to live a savage life by himself, he sought allies. The Circle of Orin were one of the few willing to even talk to him. His natural talents for magick was ferreted out by the head wizard, and training began. Though Hep'ztar was distrustful at first, even to this outstanding extension of goodwill, trust was built on both sides.

Hep'ztar thoroughly dislikes authority, dislikes mainstream belief systems. Shares many of the typical Drow personality traits: arrogant, cold, rebellious, ruthless, skeptical, urbane. Worships Corellone out of spite (as she opposes Lolth). Has no desire to return to the Underdark or see any of his trecherous family again.

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Photos developed while u wait

Session 2: Queen's Mission, Investigation, Leaving the City, Disgruntled Peasants, Elves & Wolves

Present: Mark (Berrian), Michael (Wultgar), Karen (Vira), Heptzar

XP: 624 / 4 = 156

Equipment gained: riding horses, provisions, official cloaks

Treasure gained: none

The PCs returned the next day to the palace, having resolved to accept the Queen's task, but also to spend a day searching the city of Nandel for clues about Haroran's disappearance before they left. They wanted to get the details of the task right away though. They were led to an adviser to the Queen rather than the Queen herself, who gave them six cloaks emblazoned with the Queen's colors (dark blue fabric with the four-tongued flame in white on the back). The things they were to take included a scroll case with a message and a small wooden box, about six inches square. They were told that they were not to read the message or look in the box, and that the adviser would know if they did. The party was also given 150 gp for expenses, and a writ for six riding horses from the royal stables. The destination of the message was located in the western foothills, and would take from 5-7 days of travel on horseback. They would need to take the Royal Road North along the river, until it separated from the river to go further North, and at that point would have to travel West on lesser-used roads.

They first talked to the city guard, who revealed that some guards were caught sleeping at their post upriver around the time of the fight during session 1. The post in question is at the border between the noble district and the mercantile district.

Further streetwise investigation about the House of Five Swords revealed that they did not have a direct presence in the city, but that people could often retain their services at a docks tavern called The Turtle's Revenge. Behind the bar, they met an urbane Goblin, whom they fenced with verbally for some time, trying to get information about the House of Five Swords. The goblin was obviously an acquaintance or agent of the Five Swords, but the PCs were unable to get a more direct meeting. They also discovered that they could probably procure soldiers for hire at an inn called The Silver Swan, which was located in a nicer part of town.

The next morning, before sunrise, a strange man of uncertain age knocked at the Circle Villa. He was dressed plainly and in slightly foreign clothes, and had a close-cropped short beard. His manner was detached. He was seeking the Circle's services to find a particular person, but he did not know exactly who this person was, and knew no identifying information. He said that he had heard that the Circle had dealt with similar tasks before, possibly implying that this might be some sort of code phrase. Unfortunately, the PCs were unable to help him right away, since they had a journey of several weeks to perform for the Realm, but he gave them the name of the inn he was staying at, and asked to be called on in one month's time. They stopped by that inn the next day before leaving the city, thinking that he might want to accompany them on the Queen's task, but they were told that no such man had ever been seen at that inn.

One the way out of the city, wearing the Queen's colors, they passed a long line of wagons lined up to enter the city (10-20). They appeared to be farmers bringing their produce to market, but few wagons were more than half full. The tax inspectors were carefully examining the wares, and collecting taxes from the farmers.

The weather remained overcast and threatening as the Circle left. About a half-day's journey West, they came to what looked like an old guard's post, or rather the ruined foundations of such. There were a group of sullen peasants standing guard, and the party heard the sounds of heavy earth moving (many shovels) some distance away, past a small hill. The peasants complained about taxes, and the absent guards, forcing them to patrol the countryside themselves to protect themselves from bandits and monstrous wolves. The PCs asked the villagers on patrol what the digging was for and were told that the villagers will burying dead from monstrous wolf attacks. They also complained of more fearsome monsters, but it was unclear if they were exaggerating. After this minor encounter, they stayed the night in a small inn.

The next day they continued on. The road was unnaturally, though not entirely, empty for this time of year. In the early evening, the PCs were set upon by a group of three elven warriors accompanied by two wolves. The PCs were victorious, but two of the three elves escaped. In addition to having some resistance to cold attacks, the PCs discovered that none of the arrows shot by the elves seemed to have arrowheads affixed to them, though they certainly seemed to do quite a bit of damage when they hit.

2 wolves 125 XP each, 1 elf scout 125 XP = 375 XP
2 elf archers escaped

Player Map

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Key

1. Nandel, City by the Lake, Capital of Nendalem, Seat of the Queen
2. Gates of Lask (villages and forts) & The Northern Hills
3. Gorgovine
4. Letharev Delta and wetlands
5. Lake Sound
6. Town of Vanst, on the North River
7. Town of Fairfax, on the West River
8. The Royal Road North
9. The Royal Road South
10. Urndowell Mountains
11. The Old Wall
12. Senelport City & Calmwater Bay
13. Town of Kelex on the Lake
14. Norlesh (city and mines)
15. Nomurn Hills
16. Demurn Mountains (Western Barrier Peaks)

The Circle of Orin

The Circle of Orin is an adventuring company in the city of Nandel, capital of Nendalem. They own a villa in the city, and also operate a small dry goods import business. The Circle earned its adventuring license from the queen by defeating a bandit lord on the eastern border of Nendalem.

The original (first generation) members of the Circle are:

• Haroran: ranger (and leader); missing
• Shaw: wizard; killed in the attack prior to Session 1
• Aldred: fighter; missing
• Navien: warlord; missing

The PCs are the second generation, students and apprentices of the original members.

Berrian

Eladrin Assassin

Wultgar

[Deceased: Ate Kruthik Eggs]

Human fighter

Wultgar was a simple labourer in Nendalem from youth into his middle years, who spent his days carrying heavy loads, drinking, brawling, and gambling. Inborn stupidity and a low income eventually left him with unsettlably large debts to some unpleasant people. Given a choice between a certain death at their hands or a probable death at the hands of another indentured debtor in pit fights, he chose the latter (a seven year contract) and discovered he had a knack for it. Within a year he had a reputation and an unusual signature fighting style - whip and gauntlet. Being good at something led to some reflection on his life, a renewed appetite for it, and at length a desire to do something of value. His opportunity arrived when one Haroran's men witnessed him fight and suspected he was destined for something better. Haroran was eventually persuaded to agree, bought out Wultgar's indenture, and set about re-civilizing him.

Now Wultgar keeps his impulses in check with frequent prayers to Erathis, and uses his skill at violence to protect his compatriots in the Circle of Orin. Although Haroran legally owns him for several more years, his loyalty goes well beyond his indenture now, and he is happy to serve the Circle. He knows that he lacks the wit to make any big decisions or navigate complex situations, and is content instead to take the role of bodyguard for the people who are better at those things.

Wultgar's earlier years of outdoor labour have left him with very dark, leathery skin almost indistinguishable from the thick leather cuirass he usually wears. He is tall, sinewy, bald, and tough as nails.

Stats

Vira

Elf cleric of Ioun.

Vira was found as a young child wandering around outside the city and taken in by a human family.

She had escaped the massacre of her family and their traveling group and the only thing found on her was a symbol of the god Vecna.

Session 1: The Circle of Orin Attacked, Meeting the Queen, The House of Five Blades

The PCs began the game out on an errand for the Circle of Orin. In addition to performing mercenary and adventuring services, the Circle also runs a minor wholesale importing business (originally owned by Navien, the Warlord member of the circle). The errand was to pick up some goods from a Riticorian merchant lord named Sark, whom the Circle has dealt with before. Unfortunately, the shipment had been delayed by unknown factors, something uncommon but not unheard of, and the PCs needed to return empty-handed to the Circle house, a villa in the southern (mercantile) district of Nendalem, built on the river.

When they came back to the house after being gone all day, they found a messenger from Queen Amavere along with two men-at-arms waiting outside. The messenger was there to see Haroran, the ranger and leader of the Circle. The messenger had been knocking on the door, but no one had answered, an odd occurrence particularly because the circle employs several servants. The PCs entered and found the interior ransacked, and several smallish humanoid corpses strewn around the vestibule. The PCs were not able to identify the exact race. After a few steps, the PCs came under attack by several more (live) humanoids of a similar origin and appearance, armed with high-quality long guns and professional-grade armor. The humanoids were accompanied by a tall man in a heavy brown cloak with a face concealed by a scarf. He fled the scene while the PCs were engaged defeating the humanoids, but it was noticed that he had a heavy greatsword strapped to his back, and used some sort of magic. He threw one of his daggers at the PCs during his escape. He left by the dock at the back of the house, and either stole or destroyed all the small boats normally docked there.

After the short battle, the PCs searched the villa, which had been thoroughly ransacked. Almost all of the pots and bottles of wine in the wine cellar had been smashed, though much of the dry goods storage was still in acceptable condition, though it had been thrown about. The mage Shaw, a first-generation member of the Circle, was found dead in the basement as well. The main office of the adventuring company had been violently torn apart, and huge gashes and score marks were found on the heavy stone walls. Much of the valuables (including the contents of a safe) were gone. After thoroughly searching the office though, the PCs located a secret door, which led to a small storage room which the intruders had been unable (it seems) to locate. The shelves of the secret room were mostly empty, though there were five items, of obvious importance to the Circle due to how they were carefully stored, which the PCs took. The five items are:

• Book, heavy leather-bound tome written in Elven, appears to be a retelling of myths
• Spyglass, leather decorated with silver and gold
• Necklace of dark red jewels joined my engraved steel tubes
• Helm, winged, made of high quality steel and decorated
• Knife, no hilt, ornamental but well balanced

They returned with the messenger to the Queen's palace (a small but opulent collection of buildings deep within the royal grounds). On the way to the palace, they left Shaw's body at a temple, hoping that the clerics would be able to call his soul back. The Queen had a task for Haroran, but settled for the PCs (the Circle had done missions for the realm before). She had a sensitive message which needed to be delivered to someone outside of Nendalem, and the task could not be done by an official messenger. While in the audience chamber of the Queen, they saw the same man that had been at their villa, though dressed in a fancier cloak, and learned that his name was Colter the Blade and that he was a member of another chartered adventuring company in the city called The House of Five Blades. The PCs accused Colter of invading their property in front of the queen, but it was just their word against Colter's, and the queen had used the services of the Five Blades in the past, so she left the adventurers to work out their differences themselves for the time being, assuming of course that it did not get in the way of the Realm's business.

The session ended with the PCs tentatively deciding to take up the Queen's task before searching for the missing Haroran.

Startup & Setting

Introduction

I borrow liberally from other fantasy settings and history and don’t claim originality for anything. I can’t give credit for everything that has influenced me, but I’m sure if you are familiar you will notice the influence of the Dragonlance and Dark Sun settings as well as uncountable other novels, stories, and video games (Final Fantasy is another big influence). We can work together to adjust the setting to accommodate whatever style of play the group desires. I hope this is enough information to begin to think about your character.

Character Creation

Your character is a member of the Circle of Orin, an adventuring company. Adventuring companies, in the city-state of Nendalem where you will begin, are semi-private organizations which are part mercenary firm and part civic militia. Such companies, to operate legally, must have a royal charter, usually granted for some service to the realm, much like a knighthood. Orin is a relatively young company, and as such has only two “generations” so far, the founding generation (led by Haroran, a human ranger) and your characters. Orin’s service to the realm was the capture of a particulary odious bandit lord who was encroaching on the eastern border of Nendalem and extracting road tolls (taxation is a prerogative of the Queen). As part of your background story, you must figure out why Haroran chose (saved? recruited?) your character, and what personal debt you have to him.

Since adventuring companies often serve as a home for outcasts, you are not limited to human characters, though Nendalem is a human kingdom. If uncertain, I would recommend selecting one of the classic Dungeons & Dragons races (human, elf, half-elf, dwarf) and classes (fighter, rogue, cleric, wizard). Please no dragonborn, they annoy me. Races and classes from other source books may be appropriate as well, but please consult with me, so that I can think about how your character will fit into the setting.

Metagaming

Though it is sometimes unrealistic, I require that the party stay together and make decisions as a group. Alternating between multiple subgroups during a session is neither time efficient nor fun for the players not currently active. Fighting between player characters is also not allowed.

Style

Campaign style varies between high-fantasy in the wilder lands to Prussian splendor in the cities. Firearms exist for flavor, follow the rules for crossbows, and can be used by any classes that can use simple ranged weapons (pistols are as hand crossbows, rifles are as crossbows). Other firearms exist, but are not common.

Conventions

Wanted board: Every city or town of even moderate size has a “wanted board” where local authorities and private citizens post post bills for services desired. Major criminals usually have rewards posted, as do merchants who need bodyguards and other services for hire. The wanted board can be a good source of discretionary quests and news.

History & Setting

Ages ago, fueled by destructive magic, war reduced many lands to ash and desert. People turned against the wizards and it became unsafe to become a magic user. The great wizards, seeing the danger to their art, formed a council and decreed that any wizard beyond the rank of apprentice would need to follow the laws of wizardry, the first of which was that magic was not to be used in the service of war. Though inexact, this convention has largely prevented the large scale magical devastation of the past wars, and over time magic has receded to the edges of society. The archmage, the highest ranking wizard on the council, primus inter pares, has served as the arbiter of magical law until the post went vacant during the rise of Anjaeral.

150 years ago an unknown elven commander named Anjaeral arose in the deep forest. Expelled by the elves for fomenting discord and strife, he gathered to himself an elite group of warriors and set about to conquer the known lands, previously hopelessly divided. Anjaeral’s empire is more of a loose confederation of tribute states which submit to having Imperial Garrisons stationed on their lands and pay taxes, but otherwise are left mostly to govern themselves. Styling himself as “The Lord of Peace” Anjaeral has also flouted the conventions against war magic, calling his mages servants of peace and putting them at the disposal of the high council of wizards to hunt down rebel sorcerers and compel them to submit to the laws of magic. Though Anjaeral’s soldiers do not openly use destructive magic, wizards do wear his standards and unsubstantiated tales circulate of great destructive magics being used once again on the field of battle. Anjaeral, being a young elf-lord, is expected to reign for hundreds if not thousands of years, assuming he is not defeated on the field of battle. This is a new experience for the world, as elves have not in the past overcome their sylvan natures to become rulers outside of their forests.

Anjaeral’s capital, however, is far away. Your story begins in the Kingdom of Nendalem, a small but populous human realm. The unruled lands of Urndach separate the kingdom of Nendalem in the West from the Principalities of Seath in the East. Both of these states are imperial tributaries and host Imperial Garrisons. Urndach is a politically unstable area where human warlords struggle for power and influence with humanoid tribes. Bordering Nendalem and Urndach to the North is Riticoria, ruled by the elusive and ancient lord Riticoris. Riticoris has ruled for hundreds of years and is now officially a rebel, as he has never submitted to Anjaeral and expelled the first Imperial Garrison sent to Riticoria 150 years ago during the unification. Riticoria is known as a rich and productive land and without Riticorian grain, Nendalem would starve. The Principalities of Seath is an oligarchy that, were it not struggling internally with itself, would almost certainly be in the ascendant over both Urndach and Nendalem. The families and princes of Seath spend almost as much effort and resources in internal power struggles as they do in competition with Nendalem to the West.