Session/Game: Marches 3e #20              Date: June 3, 2001

 

Campaign Date:  Sau 24 – Rep 8, Imperial Year 469

 

Characters:

Kronin, dwarf, fighter-10/ dwarven defender-1, LG  Dave Hanley

Angus “Mr Fabulous” McNasty, gnome, illusionist-7, CN Dave Nelson

Sarissa Lin, human, monk, level 7, LN, Charles Tillinghast

Gabriel Leadfoot, halfling thief, level 6, NG, Mike Miller

Whitefire, human rogue-1/ wizard-9, CN Charles Fleurie

            Brother Frankie, cleric level 5, LN, cohort

Rannos, human fighter, level 10, CG, Bob LaForge

Sir Ostler, human, cleric, LN, level 8, Joe Fryar

 

Log:

Sau 24^th- Sau 29^th

Until the return of Whitefire, the situation at Blacksword deteriorated quickly.  As refugees started streaming out of the old wood, Mother Superior Gleeza commandeered a company of Imperial Border Wardens in order to round up the druidic sympathisers and ship them off to re-education monasteries within the Empire.  The soldiers hastily erected a courtroom scaffolding, and Mother Gleeza was able to try and pass sentence on quite a few elves of the old wood.  One elf refused to give up his heretical ways, and so he was burned to the death on the night of the 29^th.

 

Sau 30^th

Sir Ostler returns to Blacksword to see Gleeza’s trial in full swing.  The elves get up to the scaffold, and witnesses are called who testify about the elves’ evil and heretical ways.  One elf, Bertrum, testifies against many of his bretheren.  Bertrum speaks fluent Swerding, unlike the others, and his fealty to Bor proves to be a big help to many of the cases brought before Mother Gleeza.  Almost half of the refugees are found guilty of heresy on one level or another.  Mother Gleeza asks the accused if they would renounce the Druidic faith, and bases her sentence on the response she gets.  Of the half found guilty almost all are sent on to re-education.  A few less guilty (and more skilled) are left to do public pennance of circling Blacksword in a white robe for three days chanting, “The word of Bor is law”.

During a break, Ostler recieves a writ from the Archbishop of the Northern Marches promising him stewardship of the Old Wood until a more suitable monarch is available as well as land on which to build a monastery in his own name. 

The trial is broken up by the approach of the master of Blacksword, Whitefire.  He had received word that his manor had been commandeered by an officer of the church by a halfling adventurer, Gabriel Leadfoot.  Gabriel was lured to Blacksword by Whitefire with promises of treasures and wealth.  Once the master of Blacksword arrived home, Whitefire orders the scaffolding removed and has Mother Superior Gleeza dragged into a cell below the manor house.  If it were not for her quick wit in keeping the Imperial Border Wardens at bay, there may have been a bitter and bloody battle right there and then. 

After Rannos stops for the night on his trek to return to Blacksword, he is attacked by a quiet stranger in ceremonial battle armor tha bears the insignia of Bor.  Specifically, the armor belonged to a member of the Order of St. Guthlac, an order that was disbanded after a great inquisition swept through the Empire almost 200 years ago.  The quiet stranger defeats Rannos and then leaves him for the Imperial Border Wardens to find him before he perishes. 

The Border Wardens do their best to trade Rannos for Gleeza, but they are fooled by Mr. Fabulous.  Eventually, the heroes do let Mother Superior Gleeza go with the stipulation that she never return. 

 

Rep 1^st

            The heroes venture into the old wood to defeat the green dragon and re-settle all the elven refugees.  With information gleaned from Bertrum, they learn that the elves routinely sacrificed elven clanswomen to the dragon to appease it, but the beast was enraged when the druids recently called it without providing the beast his meal.  The heroes set a trap, which is largely unsuccessful except for two arrows shot by Gabriel Lightfoot which find their mark. 

            The heroes follow the dragon westward to the banks of a burnt-out lake.  The heroes search for the dragon high and low, only to find him once they decide to attack the one tree sitting on an island in the lake.  The tree is the dragon of course, and he attacks.  The battle goes against the heroes until Sarissa heroically jumps on the dragon’s back convincing it to take flight and leave.  The heroes are frustrated and defeated as they return to Blacksword. 

 

Rep 2^nd-7^th

            The heroes make plans and prepare for another round with the dragon. 

 

Rep 8^th

            Now that the heroes know the location of the dragon’s lair, they make better plans to storm the beast.  Sarissa and Angus change themselves into green dragons themselves in order to better resist the dragon’s breath.  Kronin and Rannos both receive haste and fly spells, and Brother Frankie casts several spells to aid the charcters in battle.  The characters rush in, and find the dragon less than prepared for them.  As Gabriel plinks away at the dragon with arrows, Kronin, Sarissa, and Rannos surround the beast while Whitefire and Angus cast an array of spells – many which are ineffective against the monster.  Kronin takes his stance as a dwarven defender, and so the dragon focuses his attacks on him.  Just as Kronin is about to fall to the dragon, Bor answers Ostler’s call and delivers death to the beast in the form of a slay living spell.  The behemoth who had almost slain both Kronin and Rannos in hand to hand combat while shrugging off spells from both Whitefire and Angus perishes from a mere touch from the chosen of Bor.