Session/Game: Marches 3e #15
Date:3/18/01
Campaign Date: Wap 10th -- Wap16th, Imperial Year 469
Characters:
Kronin, dwarf, fighter,
level 9, LN Dave Hanley
Whitefire, human rogue-1/
wizard-8, CN Charles Fleurie
Brother Frankie, cleric level 4, LN, cohort
Rannos, human fighter,
level 8, CG, Bob LaForge
Melvin of Stinktown, human, lackey, commoner-1, N,
hireling
Ragnar, human rogue level
8, CG Shaun Sipple
Ostler, human cleric level
7, LN, Joe Fryar
Angus "Mr Fabulous"
McNasty, gnome illusionist level 6, N, Dave Nelson
Log:
Wap 10th
Ragnar returns to
Blacksword after checking in on his shop.
On the return trip, he meets a fine noble gnome who goes by the monicker
of "Mr. Fabulous". "Mr.
Fabulous" puts on a big show for Ragnar, demonstrating to his newfound
friend that he is in fact, the king of the gnomes. Ragnar is unimpressed.
The two travellers arrive
at Blacksword on a sullen day for the heroes.
Ostler has returned from burying one comrade, only to find that he must
bury another. After laying Isaac's
ashes to rest near his family home in Weston, Ostler presides over a small
service over Garl's grave -- behind the barn.
"Garl was mighty. Garl was
strong. Garl was mighty and
strong. We shall miss our dear damage
magnet very much. May Bor take his soul
to paradise."
The service is interrupted
by the singing of an entire choir of gnomes.
Kronin runs out to check on the noise.
"Mr. Fabulous" has arrived in high style, with a chorus of his
"followers" and an unseen horn to announce his presence. Kronin and Ragnar both scratch their heads
and wonder at the strange little gnome.
"Mr. Fabulous" is reunited with his long-lost cousin
Dorgo. The heroes of Blacksword welcome
"Mr. Fabulous" into their group and a little celebration ensues.
Wap 11th
Sven awakens the master of
Blacksword to meet with a strange peasant named Spang. Spang warns Whitefire that the cultists of
the feaster have laid siege to his little pastoral town of Heathton. He then gives Whitefire a silver dinner fork
with an inscription on it daring the heroes to travel to Blacksword and face
the feasters. Spang mentions that the
feasters are under the command of one highlord Appetite. He begins to continue on with a warning when
unexpectedly, a gibbering mouther tears itself free from Spang’s body – killing
the poor peasant in the process.
Stunned, Whitefire backs away and starts flinging magic missiles at the
beast. After being almost completely
drained of blood, the other heroes arrive and Ostler vaporizes the beast with a
well placed ray of holy light.
The heroes decide to rest
the remainder of the day until travelling to Heathton. Brother Frankie appears at the doorstep of
Blacksword, there to fufil Bor’s duty in Whitefire’s service. Kronin and Ragnar brave the cold, wet
weather to travel to Ludwig for supplies before the journey. Rannos makes the trip for a taste of Granny
Holdbean’s stew. Ostler aids Whitefire
in his healing.
The heroes leave for Heathton
under a grey, drizzley sky. They make
it to the Monastery of the Mailed Fist before sundown. There they meet the underexcitable (but
nonetheless not humorless) Father Silfkin.
The good father takes the heroes in and listens to their stories, but
can provide none of his own concerning Heathton. He also tells the heroes the story of Sualc Atnas, the first
great war against the serpents, and the rusty chainmail gauntlet left behind
that is the relic that is the monastery’s namesake. In the night, Ragnar catches Silfkin engaged in a curious
position over Rannos while the mighty fighter sleeps, but nothing comes of the
encounter.
The heroes are greeted by
Bailiff Epler, the steward of Heathton.
He insists that the town is not besieged by feasters at all, but by one
particularly stubborn druid.
Apparently, this individual is out slaying sheep – Heathton’s chief
source of income and food. The heroes
are involved in a meeting detailing the plan to try and catch this druid in the
act. The heroes agree to the plan, but
publicly put Rannos in charge. Rannos
makes the acquaintance of the tavernmaid Brinn. Ragnar is warned by the village idiot not to eat any of the food. The heroes do just that with the exception
of Ostler who uses his holy magic to cleanse the food before eating.
That evening, the heroes
wait under cover of illusion in the middle of a flock in the cold, light, Wap
rain all night. The druid comes looking
for them, but Petey throws her off the track and she does not meet up with the
adventurers.
The heroes sleep off their
nightime sitting in the rain while Whitefire visits the pine wood to the North
looking for the druid. Despite the fact
that several wandering monsters were sorely tempted to tear the unaccompianed master
of Blacksword limb from limb, White fire returned safely to Heathton with no
success. At noon, all the characters
set off for the pine wood and contact of sorts is made with the druid. Against her better judgement, she explains
(via Petey) that the sheep are being poisoned with gibbering mouther eggs which
are then being consumed by the villagers.
After an incubation period, the villagers then have one of these
monsters growing uncontrolled within them.
At any time, the monsters can be set free by the cultists of the
feast. What’s more, in order to support
the fighting to the North, the residents of Heathton are planning on driving
their livestock to Storm Eagle for slaughter.
She refuses to work any more with the characters until they help her kill
all the sheep and the infected townsfolk.
The adventurers return to
find the townsfolk in general drowning a young girl accused of associating with
the druid. The heroes save the young
girl, and Rannos drives them all off single-handedly. The village idiot tells the adventurers that the feaster cultists
are all holed up in the sunken graveyard to the Northwest. The heroes kill Bailiff Epler in a sort of
experiment to see if the towns folk can be cured. Instead, the cure disease spell forces the gibbering mouther
inside the bailiff to tear him apart as it is stillborn.
The girl Allouette is
returned to her family who is very grateful.
The heroes see to it that those families sympathetic to the druid leave
the town and settle in Blacksword. Each
able-bodied man is promised a parcel of 25 acres.
The heroes then return to
Heathton and lie in wait disguised in the illusion of the druid-sympathizers
out in the open. They do this well into
the night until they hear the sound of sheep being killed by wolves.
The heroes follow the sound
to where the druid is doing her best to kill all the sheep and shepherds she
can. The adventurers help her, and in
doing so she tells the adventurers where the featser’s lair is – in an abandoned
mithril mine to the North.
The heroes rest for another
day, and several of the adventurers go back to the Monastery to check that all
is well there. Later, the heroes
adventure to the mine to find the cultists.
The adventurers get into the
mine with no troubles, as there is only a token defense. However, after killing the mouther monsters
they hear the village idiot arrive – only to find that it is highlord Appetite
himself – and he has brought friends!
The adventurers quickly find their hands full fighting off Luscious, the
messy eater as he spring attacks his way into the heroes. However, several well-placed fireballs, a
charmed troll, two hold person spells on Luscious, and a final charge by Rannos
all bring Appetite’s plans to an end.