Session/Game:        Marches 3e #13                                            Date:02/19/01

 

Campaign Date: Xar 1^st—Wap 5th

 

Characters:

Kronin, dwarf, fighter, level 8, LN  Dave Hanley

Whitefire, human rogue-1/ wizard-7, CN Charles Fleurie

            Garl  half-orc, barbarian, level 5, CN  cohort

            Louis the Herald, human, expert, level 1 N, follower

            The Amazing Dorgo, gnome, expert, level 1, N, follower

            Big Stan and Frank, human, warriors, level 1, N, follower

            Sven, human, warrior, level 1, CN, follower

            Tronk, half-orc, warrior, level 1, CN, follower

Rannos, human, fighter, level 7, CG, Bob LaForge

            Melvin of Stinktown, human, lackey, commoner-1, N, hireling

Sir Ostler, human, cleric, level 6, LN, Joe Fryer

Isaac, human, cleric, level 4, LG, Andrew Smith

Ragnar, human, rogue, level 7, CG, Shaun Sipple

 

Log:

Note:  from Xar 1^st-Xar the 30^th were “downtime” and will be recorded on a character by character basis. The actual adventure is Wap 1^st-5^th.

 

Down Time:

 

Whitefire:

After stopping to buy new clothes and visit Sir Malcolm at Old Fort, Whitefire and his new follower Louis the Herald traveled to Castle Eagle and gained an audience with Count Edmund.  Whitefire offered to “do Count Edmund a favor” and take over the fief of Blacksword.  Edmund readily agreed and created Whitefire the new Master of Blacksword and its lands (1 mile in every direction but stopping at the edge of the Old Woods).  Whitefire was helped greatly in his preparation by his new herald’s knowledge of the nobility.  After installing his followers at the Fort, Whitefire traveled to Baltburg to conduct spell research for the rest of the month.

 

Sir Ostler

Sir Ostler was hard at work, creating scrolls for 18 days and potions for 10 days.  He sold the majority of the potions to Ulrick the Alchemist in order to finance the scrolls.

 

Isaac

Isaac cleared the bodies of the Feaster Cultists from the Fort and began to gather stones for the re-fortification of Blacksword.  He also re-consecrated the chapel to Bor.

 

Rannos

Rannos polished his sword, long and hard, for 30 days.

 

Ragnar

Ragnar went to work at his new store in Baltburg, selling an accumulated pile of captured arms and armor for a tidy profit.

 

Kronin

Kronin spent several days in discussions with the Dwarf Fergar, owner of the Gray Mountains Inn in Baltburg.  He discovered that the dwarf King of the great western dwarf kingdom was looking to train new defenders to combat the Army of the Black Plague.  He also discovered that some dwarven exiles in the north were considering raising a small army to establish one or more enclaves in the Gret Berg Mountains (on the border with the Sheffings) to start the re-conquest of the lost Northern Dwarf kingdom.  Kronin also worked on restoring the caves beneath Blacksword to serve as his residence, cleaning out the Feaster filth.

 

The Adventure

Wap 1^st

The adventurers had assembled in the village of East Eagle to witness the equinoctial Procession of the Majesty of Bor.  Isaac was approached by Abbot Hook of the local monastery who had a problem.  None of the monks deemed themselves worthy to carry the sacred turnip in the procession.  Isaac also felt unworthy so he volunteered his friend Rannos to do it instead.  And sweet holy Bor was it a massive turnip!  Rannos fulfilled his holy duty, and despite interminable delays caused by the Epic Halfling Dance, he held his turnip high. 

After the Procession, the Bishop of Storm Eagle held the traditional divination but turned stark white during the ceremony.  He composed himself and hurried off.  He ordered Sir Ostler to clear and seal the village church and summoned Count Edmund to meet him inside.  Although the Count and Bishop were unwilling to speak afterwards, Whitefire used a potion of thought detection to pry the secret out of Edmund.  It seems a terrible sign had been sent by Bor (6 owls flying from the left if you can believe it) and disaster was imminent.  The Count wanted to consult the Seer of the Tower but the bishop was hesitant and the count feared no one would undertake such a dangerous task.  Whitefire and Sir Ostler agreed to do it, planning to set out after the end of the tournament the next day (to better conceal their departure).  Count Edmund sent off his principal vassals to see to the defense of their towers and villages, and Whitefire sent Louis the Herald back to Blacksword to put the rest of his followers on guard against attacks.

 

Wap 2^nd

            The next morning Rannos entered the grand tournament.  In the first round he unseated an elf-knight named Sir Bador.  In the second round he fought Sir Ulfric of Weston to draw.  Sir Ulfric called him a base-born dog.  In the third round he unseated  Sir Bill of Billings a household knight of Count Edmund.  The championship of the tournament then came down to a re-match between Sir Ulfric and Rannos.  Sir Ulfric, enraged that he had to fight a mere commoner, and Rannos upset at Sir Ulfric’s insults, agreed on a duel of blood using real weapons, fought until one or the other yielded, died or swooned.  Sir Ulfric was the easy winner, unseating Rannos early and riding him down repeatedly.  Rannos refused to yield and at last swooned form loss of blood.  Sir Ulfric claimed his horse and armor, but Count Edmund impressed at Rannos’ courage and stamina, knighted him upon his recovery.

 

Wap 3^rd

            Under cover of early morning blackness, Whitefire, Sir Rannos, Sir Ostler, Isaac, Ragnar and Garl rode from East Eagle to Dillsburg.  Kronin had failed to meet them at the tournament, so they traveled on without him.  At Dillsburg, Sir Ostler spent money freely to attract a large crowd and then enthralled them with tales of their own heroics and of the good land available for farmers at Fort Blacksword.

 

Wap 4^th

            The party travels on towards the Seer’s Tower.  At about 4:00 in the morning the party is ambushed by a group of 16 orc rogues, 12 ogres and an ogre mage.  Sir Rannos is severely wounded by a flight of arrows from the rogues and his horse bolts, carrying his unconscious body away from the fight.  Isaac, however, rides after him and saves his life.  A well-placed fireball from Whitefire kills or wounds most of the ogres and forces the ogre mage to turn invisible and flee.  Hard fighting by the rest, coupled with summoned monsters turns the battle and the humanoids are wiped out, except for a handful who fled.   Soon after the battle Kronin who had missed them by only minutes at Dillsburg overtakes the party.

            At 8:00am they reached the outside of the Seer’s retreat and Petey, Whitefire’s owl familiar, flushed out a nest of 6 gargoyles, whom the party wiped out.  After climbing to the top of the gargoyle hill, which guarded the entrance to the Seer’s fort, they all rested for 8 hours, so Whitefire could replenish his spells.

            They moved forward into the outer court of the Seer’s strange fortress and killed a menacing gorgon there.  They soon found the entrance to the inner court, but it was blocked by a yawning chasm.   Sir Ostler spotted a cave about 30 feet down the chasm and threw rocks at it.  This was very unwise.   Two small red dragons darted from the cave and tore great hunks from Sir Ostler’s body.  He collapsed spewing blood as the rest of the party leaped to the attack.  Isaac managed to drag Ostler off and heal his worst wounds, but alas Isaac himself was slain by the fire breath of the drakes.  Both dragons were slain, but the party was devastated at the loss of the good and gentle Isaac.  The chasm was at last crossed by a berserk leap by Garl and the party approached the tower.  Whitefire entered the magic circle at the tower’s base and was probed by mystic force.  At last the Seer issued forth a cryptic prophecy and warning and the party found themselves transported outside of the fortress once again.