For the Good of the Order! (new title)

Arthemus · Unread post by **Arthemus** » Sat Jan 28, 2012 2:55 pm

Hey all, first time poster/16+year Palladium vet/long-time forum-lurker Arthemus here, posting about our new PFRPG 2e campaign. Feel free to leave comments/ideas/whatever.

Hadn't played for years, while waiting for everyone's lives to calm down and sync up and finally, they have. Our group consists of myself (30yo), my 14yo nephew, my friend (29yo), his 10yo daughter, another friend (27yo), and my 40yo brother who we are skyping in. Go-go technology! Our wives sit and blab girl talk while we nerd it up. 2 of them know how to play, but they don't want to right now. I've still got to do some convincing.

We are playing with fresh, level 1 characters and playing by the book with almost nothing in the way of house rules. We try to stay munchkin-proof, although our ranger is a heavy-hitter. Damn kid rolled well! We value story and character, and decision-making based on playing in-character and avoiding player knowledge.

Our campaign is set in the Western Empire, currently in Caer Itom. Our characters' lives have intertwined in easy-to-manage, yet not totally cliche ways (something better than "you all meet in the bar").

Our characters - Click link for character sheet!:
Kyle Kierjan - 5th LVL Human Wizard (my character), alias no longer necessary
Tharzak - 4th LVL Headhunter (YSJ) Ranger (my nephew)
Franko - 4th LVL Elven Water Warlock (Friend #2)
Titus - 2nd LVL Human Long Bowman (Brother) Now our GM!
Lucy - Elven Thief (Friend #1's daughter,) Quit. Hmph, kids today....
The Bard - 2nd LVL Dwarven Bard - Friend #1 & Former GM
Sir Peter of the North! - 3rd LVL Human Knight (Friend #3)!

Edited on 5/5/2013 to update current characters.

I'll expand the post to include character backgrounds.

Shawn Merrow · Unread post by **Shawn Merrow** » Sat Jan 28, 2012 6:42 pm

Welcome to the boards.

The Dark Elf · Unread post by **The Dark Elf** » Sun Jan 29, 2012 5:56 am

Welcome mate. Is the GM on the boards? Is that friend #1?

Let us know the plot (I may want to steal it) :bandit:

krate · Unread post by **krate** » Sun Jan 29, 2012 9:45 am

Welcome to the boards! Hope you post updates of your campaign.

Arthemus · Unread post by **Arthemus** » Sun Jan 29, 2012 11:09 am

So this is pretty lengthy, but here is the background I wrote up for my character, Kyle. I chose to write it as more of a profile than a narrative, but that might change. Happy reading:

Kierjan Braska is the estranged third son of House Braska, a minor noble house in the Western Empire’s Scarlet Mountains region. As non-heir of a hardy house of mountain nobles, Kierjan has recognized at an early age that he will not simply inherit all the wealth of his family, and that he will need to develop some skills to make himself an indispensible member of his house. To that end, he has taken up Wizardry, seeing himself as a valuable magician-advisor to his elder brothers, who will one day rule House Braska, and their portion of the Scarlet Mountain region.

Despite having two older brothers, as well as a number of sisters, Kierjan led a fairly lonely childhood, as his brothers were often busy being groomed for rule, and his sisters were being groomed for economically advantageous marriage. He was educated in the typical fashion for noble children, but military and economic coursework bored Kierjan, who was much more interested in tales from the local mines and stories of non-human mountain raiders and bandits.

While visiting one of his family’s mines, Kierjan became especially fascinated by the earth Warlocks who oversaw the mining operations. While inquiring about how their powers worked, Kierjan became especially put-off by the Warlocks’ cryptic answers about the mysterious bond with their elemental brethren. A thirst to understand the true workings of magic was instilled in him from that moment onward, and it only served to get him in trouble.

Determined to further his understanding of the mystic arts, Kierjan found himself drawn to the alchemist’s shops of regional capital Jomorra. A majority of the business of these shops came from facilitating the easy travel of his Kierjan’s wealthy relatives, and he made fast friends with many alchemists who put up with his inquisitive nature in return for the possibility of earning favors with the local nobility.

While on a business visit to one of Kierjan’s favorite alchemist’s shops, the alchemist suggested to Lord Braska that the boy study magic, an idea that Kierjan had never considered. The notion did not please the wealthy noble, due to the potential for accusations of the practice of black arts which could be leveled against the house should Kierjan’s mystic studies become a matter of public record. However, the damage was done. Kierjan became convinced that both his true destiny, and his path to bringing glory to his house, lay in the study of the magic arts, knowing full well that his father would expressly forbid such a dangerous education for his son.

Using one of his alchemist friends to make arrangements, Kierjan enrolled under the alias Kyle in the magic university at Caer Itom, the capital of the Western Empire. Travelling under cover of night, and using secret passages to and from his home, “Kyle” stole away from his home against his father’s will, trading the comfortable life of a noble for that of a student of magic.

Upon discovering his disappearance, House Braska levied some of their considerable resources toward finding Kierjan, to no avail. The family tried their best not to assume the worst, with no evidence to suggest foul play, and for almost a year, Lord Braska and the two heirs held on to hope that Kierjan would one day return. House Braska has issued a large reward for information regarding his location and an even larger reward for his safe return.

As the years passed on, House Braska came to consider Kierjan dead, or at least discounted the possibility that they would ever see him again. The alchemist who initially suggested that the lad study magic was questioned, but found innocent of wrong-doing and released, as making enemies with alchemists is widely considered unwise.

The combination of his lesser known and secluded family, as well as his casual (for a noble) demeanor allowed “Kyle” to hide in plain sight, completing his studies, and becoming a formidable wizard.

Arthemus · Unread post by **Arthemus** » Sun Jan 29, 2012 11:10 am

EDIT: Can I remove this double post? Mods, a little help here.

pblackcrow · Unread post by **pblackcrow** » Sun Jan 29, 2012 3:39 pm

Cool, and welcome to the board.

zyanitevp · Unread post by **zyanitevp** » Mon Jan 30, 2012 3:03 pm

Very cool- welcome to the boards! As someone who runs a game with 8 players, all over Skype, I second the go-go technology comment!

Arthemus · Unread post by **Arthemus** » Sun Feb 26, 2012 9:26 am

Sorry this has sat un-updated. More character backgrounds coming! Also synopsis of our first three gaming sessions. Just gotta re-work some of them.

Arthemus · Unread post by **Arthemus** » Sun Feb 26, 2012 11:13 am

Here is the background for Titus, the Human Long Bowman with mysterious ties to the Western Empire.

The dream was always the same. He was hanging out the window of his father’s inn, clinging for life to his father’s arms, the heat intense even out the window. In his dream, his father always said something heroic, instead of just screaming and flinging Titus to safety. Titus woke too early from the horrific vision, dreamt far too often, to find himself covered in sweat and breathing heavily. How was he to find peace?

A small measure of peace did come on the day that Titus determined the path of his life. The fire had been started by a roving band of orcish bandits on a murderous rampage through human towns on the outskirts of the region. They claimed the lives of 21 people from the town, including Titus’s family. A detachment of soldiers arrived too late to save the people, but soon enough to see some measure of justice done.

The bandits were hunted down and caught by the soldiers. Dragging many of them back to the town, they were hung publicly in the town square. Titus made his vows as he saw the bandits’ bodies swaying in the wind. He knew he would become a soldier and save and protect innocent people. The orcs hung in the square for 21 days, one for each victim of their campaign of terror. The town was never quite the same.

After the fire, Titus was taken in by his aunt and uncle. He lived him with them until his 17th birthday, the day that he could enlist in the Imperial Army. That morning, Titus packed his meager belongings, said his goodbyes to his aunt and uncle, and set out for the capital. As he turned to leave, his uncle gave him a small bag and explained to always keep the bag as it was his father's.

Titus thanked his uncle and set out on the 6-day journey. During the long hike, Titus reflected on his dreams and goals. When his parents first died, all of Titus’s anger and rage was directed at the orc bandits. As he grew and matured, he came to realize that the local lord shared equal parts of the blame. In true Western fashion, most of the taxes of the region was not invested in the realm, but instead could be found on the lord’s dinner plate. Titus took a vow that day to battle the corruption inherent to the Empire.

During initial aptitude testing, it was found that Titus had a particular gift for archery, so he was assigned to the bowmen division. His training went particularly well, and on the day that was to be his graduation and assignment, Titus was approached by a quiet man said to be visiting the training facility on official Imperial business.

gaby · Unread post by **gaby** » Sun Feb 26, 2012 2:41 pm

very good.

krate · Unread post by **krate** » Sun Feb 26, 2012 4:36 pm

Enjoying the read so far!

MaxxSterling · Mon Feb 27, 2012 12:36 pm

I applaud you for not using a bunch of house rules. In my opinion only use house rulings to clear up things that aren't spelled out in the book. I am of the belief that you play the game no matter how flawed so later you have something to reference if needed.

Arthemus · Unread post by **Arthemus** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 9:02 pm

The rules have never been that flawed, in my opinion. They work. I've never understood the big hurrah. Synopsis of gaming sessions coming soon!

Arthemus · Unread post by **Arthemus** » Sat Mar 03, 2012 11:21 am

Synopsis of gaming session: 1/7/12

Our story begins in Caer Itom, in the middle of a crowded market bazaar. Newly graduated mage Kyle and colonized headhunter Tharzak are winding their way through the crowds, when an unsuccessful attempt is made on their gold pouches. Taking the young boy aside, the two men advise the thief to choose a new profession. Their compassionate manner of dealing with the boy captures the eye of a local human merchant, Maklas.

Maklas has recently had two young men enter his shop and attempt to extort him. There are thieves guilds in town, but they tend to stay away from the lower class area where Maklas operates, as there is easier money elsewhere in the capital. Maklas cannot afford the protection money the young boys demanded, and is looking for someone willing to do a little digging. The guards are not interested in checking out these kids, who haven’t yet made themselves worthy of the guards’ attention. The pair are tasked with investigating if these boys are part of a network worth fearing, or just independent young rogues full of bravado.

Kyle and Tharzak wander the town a bit, meeting an alchemist (Regias the Sorcerer) who may have some minor tasks for them at a later date. They eventually return to Maklas and accept the task. He has says he has heard of a small group of bandits in the neighborhood, supposedly run by a prominent Orc. There are two prominent Orcs that Maklas can think of: Rot-Lips, owner of a rough-and-tumble tavern called the Rotten Apple; and Fremont, a more civilized, former ‘house Orc’ who now runs an art & self-defense school for youth called “Arts of Hands.” They first choose to visit the tavern.

The two approach the front door and are met by a gruff Troll doorman. They claim they are invited guests of the owner. When they are escorted inside, they are indeed welcomed as ‘tonight’s entertainment’ by a jeering group of patrons and an owner who thinks such foolishness could be dealt with in a light-hearted, mildly violent manner. The two demure and bolt for the door, instead choosing to lurk about the rear of the establishment. They attempt to gain entry by paying a goblin delivering rat-meat to give up his quarry, but Tharzak is not able to talk his way in effectively. Kyle attempts to create confusion, using befuddling spells on the two cooks visible through the open door. They fail to quite do the job, and the pair decide to hang it up for the night, and try the school the next day.

Kyle and Tharzak get to the school early the next morning, and find that it is easily accessible to visitors. They speak with a young minder in the storefront galleria where children and instructors sell their artwork in front of the school and in an open-air, roofed gallery. They are permitted to observe the three classrooms and spy the young pickpocket who tried to target them the day before. The young thief remains unaware of their presence. They then meet with Fremont, who initially believes Kyle is perhaps going to give a charitable donation. After getting some background from a freely-sharing Fremont (including the name of his former owner, a now ruined businessman named Omar), the topic turns to Tharzak soliciting a job from Fremont as a fighting instructor. Fremont says that the arts are the primary focus of the school. Basic self-defense is taught at the school, but Tharzak’s area of expertise is a bit too specialized. Tharzak is then offered acceptance as a student, provided he was interested in the arts.

Not getting anywhere, the pair leave the school. They notice children are not confined to the school, but leave and return in pairs or groups throughout the day. Following two young girls, they observe them pickpocketing. They also notice a dark-looking character observing the girls as well, and come to the conclusion that he is spotting for them, and that there is indeed some sort of organization of child-bandits within the school. However, they have no confirmed connection to the schools owner, Fremont, nor know the true size, reach, or disposition of the organization. They trail the spotter, and see him step into Maklus's shop. They decide to return to Maklas and present their findings thus far, and they notice an ‘off’ smell. They inquire about his goblin slave. They also inquire about the spotter, and Maklus tells them that no one has been in the shop recently. Becoming suspicious about the lies and the smell, a befuddle spell is (successfully) cast and they search the items in the storefront for the source of the smell…

Arthemus · Unread post by **Arthemus** » Sat Mar 03, 2012 11:33 am

A little background on Kyle and Tharzak:

Kyle attended the Mages College at Caer Itom tuition-free, working his way through via odd-jobs and tutoring other students. Having come from a noble background, Kyle had a head-start on many of the other students, having already learned multiple languages, as well as literacy and mathematics. His additional free time during his first several years allowed him to work to earn his keep at the school.

Tharzak, a headhunter from the Yin-Sloth Jungles, is the adopted son of two scholars that teach archaeology at the College. While on expedition to YSJ, the scholars came across a Headhunter village that had recently been devastated by Tezcats. They found a young boy wandering the remains of the village. Not willing to leave the boy to an almost-certain death, they brought him back home to the Western Empire, and raised him as their own. Not quite able to tame the wild within, Tharzak spent most of his time outside of the city, learning the ways of the strange new not-quite-jungle that was to be his new home.

Kyle and Tharzak became friends while Kyle worked as a scribe for the scholar couple, and frequently went on adventures together, both in the city and in the wilderness beyond.

Arthemus · Unread post by **Arthemus** » Sat Mar 03, 2012 2:48 pm

Synopsis 1/12/2012

After the groups’ initial investigations, the characters had all decided that the thieves they were after were indeed operating out of the ‘Arts of the Hands’ school. They decided that gentle, but direct confrontation was necessary. They bribed a young girl from the school with sweeties, and she begrudgingly confirmed that children there were a loosely organized group of thieves under Fremont. Their goal was ostensibly to more quickly gather funds, with which they would feed and clothe students at the school, most of whom were generally former slaves/indentured servants or street urchins, as well as provide for the release of others under bondage. Fremont was a former slave himself, and helping this particular clientele was the mission of the school. It just so happens that many kids coming from the streets had sticky fingers anyway, and Fremont aimed to take advantage of their habits to work toward something decent.

The group decided to confront Fremont, and offer to help legitimize his business. He did not accept or refuse, but confirmed what the group had heard, and gave some greater detail. He also stated that some of the older kids had begun to operate outside of the determined ‘safety zone’ (travelers, the extremely wealthy, and those whom Fremont believed help perpetuate social evils), and recently, two of these young men had gone missing. They decided together that something more was likely going on (given Maklas’s recent lies) and that they would investigate further, with the help of Lucy, a young and talented elven thief at the school, with a taste for sweeties.

They decided to have Lucy pickpocket Tharzak in plain sight, and see who took notice. Lucy did so and ran off to complete the scene, but was snatched into an alley by an unseen man. Giving chase, the rest of the group sees the two duck into a shed behind a business. The man threatens Lucy with grave harm should she continue stealing in these parts. The characters catch the man just as he is exiting the shed, quickly subdue him, and force him back into the shed.

Using some physical persuasion to get him to talk, the group finds out that he knows where the kids are- that there is another small group of thieves attempting to secure this neighborhood for themselves, and they don’t want the sloppy actions of the kids attracting unwanted attention. He says he will reveal the location of the two boys if they meet him in a public place later that evening, with money to help buy him swift passage out of the city (he fears retribution for blabbing). It is agreed.

They meet late at a non-descript inn, and press him for info, but do not offer the money. Instead, they offer protection. After a while, he accepts, the characters having found his compassionate side. He sells out his brother thieves, the ‘Broken Finger Gang’. They were planning an ambush at Maklas’s shop later. The kids are in the basement, guarded by all twelve other members and a devil digger.
They take the thief back to the school and hide him in the secret ‘stash area’ where they keep their stolen goods, inform Fremont of what they have learned. Fremont, two other members of the school, and the rest of the group decide it is time to engage the thieves.

Arriving at Maklas’ shop, they storm the place after an initial cloud of slumber is cast. They subdue all of the thieves on the top floor (ignoring the wretched goblin slave that Maklas keeps, as he appears frail and scared), move to the basement, annihilate the rest of the thieves and the devil digger, and corner Maklas. The two boys are bound to support beams in a dark corner. Maklas drops his weapons and surrenders…

Arthemus · Unread post by **Arthemus** » Sat Mar 03, 2012 2:56 pm

We also recruited Franko during the second session. Franko, an Elven Water Warlock, is another child of professors at the Mages College, and friends with Kyle and Tharzak. Lucy is also a permanent part of the party from now on. Titus shall join in on the next session. There is a session in between, but we got almost no playing done, save for the recruitment of Titus, and the GM, dissatisfied with the exposition of our newest adventure, scrapped the storyline that had begun. Besides our most recent session, there were three cancelled sessions due to a case of strep throat, sick kids, and schedule conflicts. Damn real life interfering with fake life!

Most recent gaming session synopsis coming soon!

Tyberius · Unread post by **Tyberius** » Wed Mar 21, 2012 3:52 pm

great job. I'm enjoying the read.

gaby · Unread post by **gaby** » Thu Aug 23, 2012 1:16 pm

Good start.

Arthemus · Unread post by **Arthemus** » Thu Aug 23, 2012 9:47 pm

Someone put 2000PPE into this to resurrect it. I guess I should write some more synopsis?

We've kept gaming, it's the longest running game we've ever ran.

krate · Unread post by **krate** » Mon Aug 27, 2012 10:04 pm

Enjoying the read. Good times!

The Dark Elf · Unread post by **The Dark Elf** » Tue Aug 28, 2012 2:58 pm

How are the kids doing? Are they enjoying it? Do the adults take over or...? Im interested.

Arthemus · Unread post by **Arthemus** » Wed Aug 29, 2012 10:14 pm

The 11-year old loses interest after about an hour. She runs away and usually does other things. We call her back when her thief skills become useful. The 14-year old is doing great. He frequently comes up with good ideas that cause the GM, my brother, and I (all very experienced gamers) to pass each other the "I can't believe *we* didn't come up with that!" look.

Gosh, I'm so far behind, I don't even know where to start. I'll just type up a more general summary and post it this weekend. There's several... branches to the campaign.

Arthemus · Unread post by **Arthemus** » Wed Aug 29, 2012 10:18 pm

As the most experienced, I do most of the talking for the party. My brother joins us via Google+, which creates something of a barrier in communication because of the open mic and girls/non-playing kids being noisy in the other room.

Arthemus · Unread post by **Arthemus** » Sun Sep 02, 2012 5:31 pm

(To catch up, I'll just attempt to post the major details of each adventure.)

For our next adventure, Regias, the alchemist we worked with previously, commissioned us to deliver an item back to its owner. The owner, a gentleman named Velton, had hired Regias to investigate and possibly destroy a pair of magic gloves. Regias had proven unable to destroy the gloves, believing them to be cursed. A price was agreed upon, and the party, now consisting of Franko, Kyle, Titus, Lucy, and Tharzak, (warlock, wizard, bowman, thief, and ranger, respectively) departed Caer Itom bound for the frontier town of Firepit.

Regias provided the party with a special lockbox to transport the gloves, and suggested the party not attempt to wear the gloves.

After a brief encounter with a hungry chimera, the party arrived in Firepit and began to inquire about Velton’s whereabouts. Unable to find him themselves, they greased some palms in the town hall to discover that someone with that name had recently purchased some property outside of the town, and had begun construction on a new residence.

The party journeyed to the property to find the place deserted and the door locked. Upon investigation of the outside grounds, Tharzak the ranger employed his tracking skills to determine that various humanoids had traveled from the new residence back to town, where the tracks became unable to be followed. When the party returned to the residence, the door was open.

Venturing inside, the party encountered what was initially believed to be a ghost. An invisible, intelligent force communicated to the party, using a book. Velton had been placed under a curse of invisibility and inaudibility by the gloves. The party discovered that Velton, a fairly unskilled thief, had learned of a great treasure from local lore: A pair of gloves belonging to a long-dead assassin with the power to turn the wearer invisible as well as render him completely silent. Velton had tracked down the lair of the dead assassin, and claimed the gloves as his own. What he didn’t know is that after spending a certain amount of time with the gloves, the condition became permanent, even when the gloves were taken off. Velton then offered the party a large portion of his (stolen) treasure if they would help him lift the curse.

The party agreed, on the condition that Velton return a large portion of his treasure once the curse was lifted. Velton revealed the location of the dead assassin’s lair, and the party made for it, hoping to find some clues as to a way to lift the curse.

After an encounter with an Imperial patrol looking for a gang of fugitive Ratlings from the capital, the party descended into the assassin’s cavern hideout. The party discovered that the ex-assassin was named Manoth, and he must have been successful, as the hideout was equipped for all manner of purposes. A torture chamber, holding cells, small library, poison lab, and more were all found in the cave.

Discovering Manoth’s journal revealed that the assassin had struck a deal with an Arch-Fiend demon to create the gloves, and had met his untimely end while attempting to wiggle out of the contract he had struck. They also discovered that to remove the permanence of the curse, the wearer of the gloves must take a humanoid life while wearing the gloves once per moon! Unwilling to kill one person per month, Velton had become the curse’s victim. Further investigation of the hideout had revealed a rivalry with a professional group of monster slayers operating out of a city known as Ignan’s Hill.

Finishing their investigation, the party decided to travel to Ignan’s Hill to speak with the group of monster slayers, particularly their Dwarven leader Rin, who was Manoth’s chief adversary during his reign of terror. Finding the headquarters of the crusaders-for-hire, the party hired the services of the group, being paid for by Velton, to track down the real name of the demon Arashkog, in an attempt to summon him and force him to release the curse on the gloves.

The dice were kind, and the crusaders chief Summoner was able to force the foul demon to release the curse on the gloves, thus ending the curse on Velton. The party had made quite the enemy of the demon, who was sure to make an appearance at a later date to exact his revenge.

scottypotty · Unread post by **scottypotty** » Mon Sep 03, 2012 4:49 pm

Wow, that's a pretty cool story, quite unique.

krate · Unread post by **krate** » Tue Sep 04, 2012 10:19 pm

Good read and good times!

Arthemus · Unread post by **Arthemus** » Sun Sep 30, 2012 7:32 pm

Synopsis: Necromancers, Unicorns, and Faeries

While on the way back to Caer Itom after their endeavors in Firepit, our party camped one night in the wilderness far away from the the road. They awoke to strange noises nearby, and when investigating, found a small make-shift cemetery being defiled by a man named Jerome. Jerome told the party that their nearby town Sapphus, a farming collective, was being held hostage by a power necromancer.

This necromancer travels the countryside, offering his skeletal minions as workers for farms, with mixed success. While helping Sapphus bring in their harvest, a valuable item was apparently stolen from the necromancer. While investigating the town, the theft, and any suspects, it was discovered that the item was very valuable indeed, a unicorn’s horn! The sorcerer had began holding hostages to ensure that the thief brought the horn back.

Several suspects had been identified – Ugly Darrell, a man considered generally untrustworthy, was the first dropped name. Also mentioned was the Manor House owned by the family that actually owned the land farmed by the Sapphus collective. This was apparently where the necromancer had holed up with his hostages.

Interviewing a little girl who had been in the manor and somehow made it out, it was discovered that the necromancer had kept faeries in a bottle to make use of their wings.

The party decided to confront the sorcerer, sending him a message via arrow-shaft to the manor door that demanded that he come out alone, leaving the hostages in the manor. Strangely enough, he agreed, and when he came out, the party promptly attacked him, forcing him to flee, adding a powerful necromancer to our list of enemies. It turned out that the faeries had stolen his horn.

The party divided up his loot, selling the unicorn horn for massive amounts of gold.

Arthemus · Unread post by **Arthemus** » Sun Sep 30, 2012 7:56 pm

Synopsis: Vernal Equinox Blues

After our necromancer ordeal, the party returned to the capital, seeking out new adventures. Regias, the alchemist we regularly deal with, contacted the party with a job. He hired us to accompany his apprentice to a ley-line nexus in the mountains during the approaching equinox.

The apprentice had some new experiments he wished to try, and he was sure that he would not be the only one who wished to make use of the heightened levels of magic energy.

The party agreed, after pressing the apprentice for more details regarding his experiments. He wished to try some work based on the notes of a legendary sorcerer who had created massive magical automatons, but these experiments were simpler, requiring only the creation of some items.

Along the way to the foothills containing the nexus, the party encountered a travelling caravan under attack by bandits. A severely injured young human proved to be a capable healer, tending the wounds of several of the caravan guards. The caravan leader asked the party to look after the young healer, known as Dunn, who had recently experienced the trauma of losing his hands and tongue! Dunn joined the party, although to this day, the details of his traumatic events remain a mystery to the rest of us.

Investigating the valley containing the nexus, the party encountered a hostile band of centaurs, who claimed the land and the nexus as their holy grounds, not allowing the party to pass. A truce was reached, although quickly broken by Franko, our water warlock. A battle ensued between the party and the centaurs’ scouting group. While victorious, several members of the party expressed their malcontent with unnecessary violence. Franko didn’t agree that the violence was unfounded, since he was the one the centaurs initially attacked.

The party encountered an earth warlock who was preparing to use the heightened energy to permanently transfer his essence to a golem he had made in order to avenge some wrong done to him.

The party was able to complete the apprentice’s task with little additional trouble, and headed back to the capital to complete the job and claim the rest of their reward.

Kyle began research into Velton’s journal to uncover additional adventure opportunities.

Arthemus · Unread post by **Arthemus** » Sun Sep 30, 2012 8:00 pm

I realize that the last two posts seem... anti-climactic. Seems like there was a problem, and we just solved it easily, but there was more to it, I just probably was so involved in the finish of each, that I didn't take adequate notes.

Arthemus · Unread post by **Arthemus** » Sun Sep 30, 2012 10:54 pm

Synopsis: ----> THIS WAY TO SECRET VAMPIRE LAIR!!! ------>

Kyle’s research into Velton’s journal reveals details about a treasure stash hidden in a temple underground in Caer Itom. The temple belonged to an order of Undead Slayers. The Order was destroyed when it was betrayed by one of its own.

The temple currently serves a priest of the Church of Light & Dark, who knows about the treasure below, but keeps the old ruined temple sealed away because of an infestation of vampires. The party, interested into the treasure below, agrees to be sealed into the tomb below, promising any holy relics would be delivered to the church.

The party investigates the temple below, finding not a mere temple, but a complete base, with barracks, library, armory, etc. The party also encounters a trio of wild vampires, slaying two of them, the other escapes by turning into mist.

While investigating the barracks, the party encounters a tectonic entity, which severely injures Kyle, placing him into an coma. The party drives off the entity, but is unable to kill it, and returns to the surface with Kyle, to rest and heal.

Soon after, the party returns to the temple, finding a secret door that leads down to a circular room, with a huge hole in the back. The hole made it abundantly clear that the temple was not sealed as the party originally though. A man (placeholder NPC for another friend who was to join us, but as of yet has proven unable) is rescued from a cage where he was being held as cattle for the vampires. Two bats fly into the room and shapeshift into vampires. It becomes quickly apparent that these are no simple feral or wild vampires, but higher up the vamp foodchain. A battle ensues, resulting in a stalemate, the vampires retreat back out of the hole in the back of the room, as the battered party returns to the surface, yet again to regroup and rest.

The party begins to look for a way to tip the scales in their favor, so they locate and hire an experienced Undead Slayer named Marsh to accompany them on their final descent into the lair. The adventurers proceed through the hole in the back of the circular room, which leads to a section of the city sewers that have had all flow diverted. They encounter homeless squatters, battle a serpent beast, and finally discover a room with two coffins and an exit to the surface. They investigate where the door leads and find a church of Vold-Tegor, the god of Vampirism.

Being around 4AM, the party knows that the two vampires should be returning to their coffins soon, and decide to set a trap for the vampires. Kyle casts Mystic Alarms on both coffins, while Franko and Kyle hatch a plan to render both vamps useless using a combination of Globe of Daylight and Circle of Rain (completely freakin’ genius if I do say so myself, and I do.) The party waits outside the room above the surface when the alarms go off.

A priest of the order of Vold-Tegor waits in the room when the party arrives, warning of a balance that exists between the number of higher-order vampires in the city, and the priesthood, which keeps the vampire problem in Caer Itom from spiraling out of control. The priest suggests that if the party destroys the two secondary vampires, more dire consequences that cannot be foreseen could result. The party warns the priest not to interfere while the two casters perform their spell combo, resulting in the staking of both vampires. The party releases the priest with the warning to stop their dark work. We seemingly had made enemies of a necromancer, arch-fiend, and a cult of vampire worshippers in only a few short gaming sessions!

But revenge for our enemies will have to wait, as my brother takes over GMing duties. More on his first session soon!

Hope these summaries are providing you some good reads and maybe some ideas. Again, this is all Dan's stuff.

Arthemus · Unread post by **Arthemus** » Sun Mar 03, 2013 7:27 pm

And another 2000PPE for another resurrection!

My brother has taken over our GMing. (My notes jokingly say "Russ took over. We all died.") Our first adventure began with the recruitment of the PCs into what I can only assume is an out-growth of The Guardians that defend the Great Library of Bletherad. Using the vast resources of the library, this Order researches the last known locations of mighty relics and dispatches groups of adventurers to retrieve them before they fall into the clutches of some "growing evil" that also seems to be stockpiling powerful magic items. Get out your Indy fedora, time to crack some whips and sand-bag some giant boulder traps!

Our party was approached in Caer Itom by a man who claimed to be some kind of relic hunter, who represented a society that would employ us and provide resources, at a cost. The deal was that the Order would forward us information regarding the locations of certain powerful magical items that they wanted found and returned. The exact item requested would be surrendered to the Order upon successful recovery. Our payment was a magical item tailored to each character's special talents (more on those later), in addition to any and all loot recovered during our expeditions. Thinking that supremely powerful items were usually accompanied by a good haul of other loot, we agreed, and entered into some kind of contract with the order, requiring a drop of blood for some unknown purpose, as well as the signing of our true names! Our liaison to the Order was to be a dwarf bard that we would meet at my family's palace.

Our new party member (played by Dan, our previous GM), is a Dwarven bard, equally fond of song and battle-axes. We do not know his name yet, we've taken to simply calling him "Bard." He appears to be descended from some long line of Dwarven scholars, for he has remarkable powers with languages, both spoken and written. Our bard carries around an ancient tome that allows him to magically communicate with the Order. This has proven useful many times both for requesting aid or information. It is the primary channel through which we receive information about the relics we are to retrieve.

The magical items the Order bestowed upon us were tailored specifically to our talents. My character (Wizard) received a necklace that acts as a PPE battery. It holds 100PPE, and is replenished by my own stores. The only drawback is that I must take all of its available energy at once. Sir Peter of the North (Knight) received a pair of enchanted gauntlets that provide defensive bonuses for the first several melees of combat, but only when we are attacked first! The gloves will not activate if we are the aggressors. Tharzak (ranger) received a necklace that allows him to summon three different animals and to control them a la Beastmaster. El Franko (water warlock) received a crown that allows him to learn extra spells as though he were one level higher.

Juce734 · Unread post by **Juce734** » Mon Mar 04, 2013 9:11 am

Arthemus wrote:And another 2000PPE for another resurrection!

My brother has taken over our GMing. (My notes jokingly say "Russ took over. We all died.") Our first adventure began with the recruitment of the PCs into what I can only assume is an out-growth of The Guardians that defend the Great Library of Bletherad. Using the vast resources of the library, this Order researches the last known locations of mighty relics and dispatches groups of adventurers to retrieve them before they fall into the clutches of some "growing evil" that also seems to be stockpiling powerful magic items. Get out your Indy fedora, time to crack some whips and sand-bag some giant boulder traps!

Our party was approached in Caer Itom by a man who claimed to be some kind of relic hunter, who represented a society that would employ us and provide resources, at a cost. The deal was that the Order would forward us information regarding the locations of certain powerful magical items that they wanted found and returned. The exact item requested would be surrendered to the Order upon successful recovery. Our payment was a magical item tailored to each character's special talents (more on those later), in addition to any and all loot recovered during our expeditions. Thinking that supremely powerful items were usually accompanied by a good haul of other loot, we agreed, and entered into some kind of contract with the order, requiring a drop of blood for some unknown purpose, as well as the signing of our true names! Our liaison to the Order was to be a dwarf bard that we would meet at my family's palace.

Our new party member (played by Dan, our previous GM), is a Dwarven bard, equally fond of song and battle-axes. We do not know his name yet, we've taken to simply calling him "Bard." He appears to be descended from some long line of Dwarven scholars, for he has remarkable powers with languages, both spoken and written. Our bard carries around an ancient tome that allows him to magically communicate with the Order. This has proven useful many times both for requesting aid or information. It is the primary channel through which we receive information about the relics we are to retrieve.

The magical items the Order bestowed upon us were tailored specifically to our talents. My character (Wizard) received a necklace that acts as a PPE battery. It holds 100PPE, and is replenished by my own stores. The only drawback is that I must take all of its available energy at once. Sir Peter of the North (Knight) received a pair of enchanted gauntlets that provide defensive bonuses for the first several melees of combat, but only when we are attacked first! The gloves will not activate if we are the aggressors. Tharzak (ranger) received a necklace that allows him to summon three different animals and to control them a la Beastmaster. El Franko (water warlock) received a crown that allows him to learn extra spells as though he were one level higher.

That sounds like a fun game to play in. Could lead down some interesting roads of adventures.

zyanitevp · Unread post by **zyanitevp** » Wed Mar 06, 2013 4:08 pm

Arthemus wrote:And another 2000PPE for another resurrection!

My brother has taken over our GMing. (My notes jokingly say "Russ took over. We all died.") Our first adventure began with the recruitment of the PCs into what I can only assume is an out-growth of The Guardians that defend the Great Library of Bletherad. Using the vast resources of the library, this Order researches the last known locations of mighty relics and dispatches groups of adventurers to retrieve them before they fall into the clutches of some "growing evil" that also seems to be stockpiling powerful magic items. Get out your Indy fedora, time to crack some whips and sand-bag some giant boulder traps!

Our party was approached in Caer Itom by a man who claimed to be some kind of relic hunter, who represented a society that would employ us and provide resources, at a cost. The deal was that the Order would forward us information regarding the locations of certain powerful magical items that they wanted found and returned. The exact item requested would be surrendered to the Order upon successful recovery. Our payment was a magical item tailored to each character's special talents (more on those later), in addition to any and all loot recovered during our expeditions. Thinking that supremely powerful items were usually accompanied by a good haul of other loot, we agreed, and entered into some kind of contract with the order, requiring a drop of blood for some unknown purpose, as well as the signing of our true names! Our liaison to the Order was to be a dwarf bard that we would meet at my family's palace.

Our new party member (played by Dan, our previous GM), is a Dwarven bard, equally fond of song and battle-axes. We do not know his name yet, we've taken to simply calling him "Bard." He appears to be descended from some long line of Dwarven scholars, for he has remarkable powers with languages, both spoken and written. Our bard carries around an ancient tome that allows him to magically communicate with the Order. This has proven useful many times both for requesting aid or information. It is the primary channel through which we receive information about the relics we are to retrieve.

The magical items the Order bestowed upon us were tailored specifically to our talents. My character (Wizard) received a necklace that acts as a PPE battery. It holds 100PPE, and is replenished by my own stores. The only drawback is that I must take all of its available energy at once. Sir Peter of the North (Knight) received a pair of enchanted gauntlets that provide defensive bonuses for the first several melees of combat, but only when we are attacked first! The gloves will not activate if we are the aggressors. Tharzak (ranger) received a necklace that allows him to summon three different animals and to control them a la Beastmaster. El Franko (water warlock) received a crown that allows him to learn extra spells as though he were one level higher.

Sounds like great fun!

Arthemus · Unread post by **Arthemus** » Sun Mar 24, 2013 4:37 pm

For our next several sessions, we were sent out on a test run for the library, and got sidetracked investigating an island kingdom. I’m going to skip this one, even though it took many sessions, because the storyline didn’t work out the way any of us, players or GM, had hoped. We ended up in the Byzantium headquarters of the Order.

For our next task, the Bard discovered a new entry in his book, instructing us to travel to the Free City of Troker in the Baalgor Wastelands. We were to contact Stronghelm, one of many pirate captains based out of Troker, and trade a map for an elven key. We were then to take the key to “The Keepers of the Forest” and earn their favor. Unlike other entries, it was not made completely clear what we are looking for. We hired a ship, and set out from Byzantium bound for Troker.

Upon reaching Troker, we were immediately presented with opportunities to join various “unions” and warned against doing work without being a member. We initially refused to join, assuring the representative that we would seek membership before taking employment. We asked around regarding Stronghelm, and learned that he was once a mighty pirate captain, but recently lost his command, and has spent more time at the bottle than the wheel lately. We were to find him at a giant bar called “The Big House” located in Troker’s Dockside District.

Tracking Stronghelm eventually led us to Troker’s Magic District, where his house is located. On the way, we encountered a crowd gathered around a tower that supposedly once belonged to a powerful mage. The locals told us legends and rumors of the tower, and the uncountable treasures held within. Crowds gather whenever someone gets the guts to venture inside, but those people are never heard from again. Drawn by the promise of wizard hoard, we briefly considered venturing inside, but were dissuaded by the seemingly high probably of violent death. We marked it on our maps and journals to possibly return later.

After following more leads, we eventually found Stronghelm, not in his house, but passed out in an alleyway. We cleaned him up a little, and he eventually seemed to remember that he was expecting someone to bring him a map. Leaving us in his living room, Stronghelm went to freshen up a bit. We quickly looked the place over, finding a variety of keys. Indentifying one as magic, we stole the key, hoping it was the one we were looking for. Stronghelm did not notice, and informed us that the key we were looking for had been gambled away to some orcs from a local village outside of Troker. Agreeing to accompany the pirate to barter back the key, we acquired some Silonars, equipped ourselves for desert survival (Circle of Rain from our water warlock is very handy!), and rode out to the orc village.

Giving Stronghelm some lead time to barter back the key, the party waited outside the village. Stronghelm eventually returned, key in hand. When asked what he had traded to get the key back, he dodged the question, making the party suspect that he may have re-obtained the key through violent means. The map detached itself from the Bard’s book, and we traded. Returning to Troker, Kierjan set off to research the Keepers of the Forest.

Arthemus · Unread post by **Arthemus** » Sun Mar 24, 2013 6:15 pm

After completing his research, Kierjan started back to the inn serving as the base of operations for the party. Along the way, he encountered a defenseless quillback being roughed up by some thugs. Too late to intervene, Kierjan tended to the quillback’s injuries using Heal Wounds, and cleaned him up. I learned that his name was Naseem, and he was an outcast from the local Thieves Guild. He had run into a streak of bad luck with his heists lately, and was being punished for being unable to pay his guild dues. Thanking me for my kindness, he told me that if I should need a favor, I could find him in the bazaar.

Kierjan’s research proved fruitful, and the party learned that the Keepers are actually the Druryops tribe, a nomadic group of scholarly Gosai. Shunned by their people for embracing pacifism, they travel the Wastelands, cataloguing and studying. Upon learning more about the tribe, the Order told us that the Keepers are looking to give out their “gifts” and urged us that their gifts must not fall into the hands of evil. We also learned that at this time of the year, the tribe can be found to the south of the Sandy Desert.

My character’s status as a mage had become common knowledge around the bazaar, no doubt thanks to the quillback I assisted earlier, and we were approached by several hawkers of phony “mystic trinkets.” Men of Magic are watched closely in Troker, as a result of King Kai’s paranoia. Thinking that now would be a good time to make ourselves scarce, we bought maps, finished equipping for desert travel, and struck out from Troker to the Rocky Desert.

Not far outside the city, we encountered a gnome on a stick! The unfortunate fellow had run afoul of a legendary assassin known as “Razorface” and for some inexplicable reason, had been spear-ified (like crucified, but less offensive to Catholics) out in the desert. We freed him and tended his wounds. He told us his name was Edlo and that we could find him traveling with the Broken Horn Tribe of Dragonmen, should we decide that he could use his assistance.

Arthemus · Unread post by **Arthemus** » Sun Mar 24, 2013 6:19 pm

I'm so proud of my promptness; the following details the play session from this morning!

After defending themselves from a marauding warband in a wagon, the party encountered an oasis about halfway between Troker and where they would turn south to follow the edge of the sandy desert. A village of Dragonmen had settled in around the oasis and the nearby cave. We approached the village under a barter agreement, and found them very hospitable. We asked about the Duryops tribe we were searching for, and received updated information on where they can usually be found this time of year. We replenished our food and water stores, trading some gemstones that we had looted from the wagon warband that had attacked us earlier.

Launching some magical investigations, we determined that the oasis was fed by a magical source. The village elder asked us not to reveal the location of the their village, which we found very strange considering it lay right on one of the more popular caravan routes. We arrived at the conclusion that the oasis also had some magical hiding properties, misdirecting those that would wish the village harm.

At night, after sharing in the tribe’s hospitality, the elder asked us to look into an item that their tribe had won in battle. From the cave, he withdrew a set of Western Empire Imperial Janissary armor! From the marks of rank, it was determined that the armor once belonged to a Colonel! The elder confided in us that his tribe was trading with an eandroth tribe, when they came under attack by a group wearing armor similar to this set. It was quickly determined that the armor contained powerful magical properties, and was quite valuable. We bartered for the armor, and warned them that they should avoid further contact with the group at almost any cost.

We speculated at great length about what an expedition from the Western Empire could be doing here, and if it were in some way connected to our very own mission. Kierjan cast Mystic Alarm on a stone, and placed it in a bag. He gave it to the village elder, instructing the elder that he should touch the stone inside if their tribe came under attack from the Westerners, and that they would ride back in the village’s defense. This seemed to please the elder, and he gifted us with a stone that he drew from the waters of the oasis. He told us that the stone would “always help us find our way back.”

Leaving the village, we rode out some way to encounter a battle in progress. A detachment of soldiers from the Wolfen Empire were dug into a defensive position and surrounded by an orcish warband. We found the battle at a stalemate, but noticed that the Wolfen were slowly being worn down. The battle would soon be decided, either by a final charge by the orcs, or a final push from the Wolfen.

The discovery of an expedition launched by a second major empire caused the party to engage in even more speculation. What could soldiers from two of the world’s great powers be doing in the same region, all at the same time as our own party? Could the two be related? Would we encounter yet more detachments from various empires and race them all to obtain the gift of the Keepers?

We debated assisting the Wolfen, but decided against it. Tharzak dispatched his bird pendant to maintain surveillance, and we continued on. After a heated battle resulting in victory over two Mologoth on the hunt, we concluded our play session for the day.

Arthemus · Unread post by **Arthemus** » Sat Mar 30, 2013 11:46 pm

Our next play session began with a gruesome scene, as our Silonar mounts ate their fill on the carcasses of the Mologoths that unsuccessfully tried to make us lunch. We continued on the trail that would lead us to the Durylops tribe, heading south and west on the edge of the sandy desert. Our ranger reported back that he had found a large pavillion tent that served as the basis of an encampment of humans.

The party scouted the encampment from atop a ridge. Sir Peter used his heraldry skills to determine that the banners that were flown belonged to the Order of Lamps, a special detachment from The Domain of Man in the Eastern Territory. This marked the third expedition backed by a major world power! Something was definitely amiss in the southern regions of the Stony Desert.
The party considered their previous encoutner with the Wolfen expedition, which was currently still engaged with an Orcish raiding party. Deciding to use the animosity that Eastern humans usually harbor for Wolfen to their advantage, the group hastily penned a note detailing the exact location of the Wolfen band, and delivered it to the encampment via magical hawk from Tharzak’s amulet. The party then swung wide around the encampment of the Order of Lamps and continued on their journey.

Next, the party stumbled upon the burnt ruin of a village of various Wastelander races. Dead quillback, eandoroth, and Gosai littered the terrible scene. Tharzak used his tracking abilities to determine that the party that had laid waste to this village originated in the same direction we were heading! A conflict seemed inevitable. He was also able to surmise that the attackers were humanoids, but larger than human. The party searched the ruined village for survivors, to no avail.

Continuing on, the heroes stumbled across the corpse of a minotaur impaled on a spear. Kierjan studied the black robes that adorned the corpse and able to identify the body as a witch of the Old Ones! Tharzak was also able to match up the tracks of whoever attacked the village with the size of the minotaur. Searching the witch, the group found three curious items: a necklace, a totem, and a black sword. The Bard appraised the sword as high quality, even though it did not show signs of enchantment.Taking the sword, we left the other items alone, as Kierjan was able to identify them as items of evil.

Our curiosity as to the witch’s fate lasted only seconds, as soon we were set upon by a roaming band of Gromek. We bested the winged monsters, severely wounding 3 and driving off the other two. The survivors told us of their victory over the minotaur witch, but were not cooperative when we tried to get other information from them. We let the desert decide their destiny and moved on.

Our final encounter for the evening was a Eandroth caravan. We offered some of the gromek’s considerable weapons in trade, but they only seemed interested in the black sword we had retrieved from the witch’s corpse. My character rolled every lore and history skill he possessed and made all of them. Upon closer inspection, I remembered a lore lesson on a sect of minotaur that had discovered some kind of pre-cursors to rune weapons. The caravan had already made a very generous offer of gems in trade for the sword. We knew they meant business when they sensed our newfound hesitation and doubled their offer. We wrote in the book to the Order for more information, and they instructed us to keep the sword if we could. Greed got the better of us and after a successful appraisal of the gemstones they we offering, we accepted their barter. Tharzak and El Franko, each possessing great wealth, decided to take pity on the poor characters (Peter, the Bard, and myself) and allowed us to split the earnings among ourselves.

We ended our session by taking a quick inventory on where our quest stood:

zyanitevp · Unread post by **zyanitevp** » Tue Apr 02, 2013 3:39 am

Arthemus wrote:The party considered their previous encoutner with the Wolfen expedition, which was currently still engaged with an Orcish raiding party. Deciding to use the animosity that Eastern humans usually harbor for Wolfen to their advantage, the group hastily penned a note detailing the exact location of the Wolfen band, and delivered it to the encampment via magical hawk from Tharzak’s amulet. [/list]

That was brilliant on the players part...

Arthemus · Unread post by **Arthemus** » Sun Apr 07, 2013 12:11 am

We continued on our path due south of the Sandy Desert, headed further into the foothills of the Baalgor Mountains. We knew that we would soon be entering territory claimed by Mt. Nimro giant nation. While camping one night, many characters began to hear strange sounds while others heard none (Savings throw against some kind of illusion, is my assumption). We investigated and found an ancient Loogaroo trapped in some kind of cage. A Mystic Energy Drain ward was inscribed on the cage and the creature inside begged us for freedom. My character scanned his aura and found high level of experience as well as the great presence of magic. We decided to move on and leave the horrific creature to his fate.

We encountered several other oddities along the way, and with military expeditions of three great powers on our heels, we dubbed them all distractions and made haste along our path. The foothills began to rise further as we went until we were funnelled into a narrow pathway blocked by the first of what is sure to be many representatives of the giant nation, a Nimro fire giant! We spoke to the giant, requesting his permission to cross their lands. We told him that we were seeking the gosai tribe. He told us they were trading inside giant borders. After some barter, we secured not only permission, but a guest pass in the form of a large coin. We were told that we should present the coin and giants would leave us unmolested.

Finally, we crossed paths the Duryops tribe on their way out of a newly constructed giant fortress. We stopped to trade and met with the elders of the tribe. We produced the elven key and told them of our long journey. The elder produced an amulet that she asked that we take turns wearing which would force us to declare our intentions. Each character took turns stating their intentions and when the tribe was satisfied, they gifted us with a heavily-warded bag. Looking inside was as if being transported to an ancient forest, for the bag contained seeds of plants that were once common in the Baalgor jungle, but totally extinct today. Many of these plants have powerful properties, and together represent an uncountable wealth.

We asked the elders to what doors the keys belonged, and they told us a tale of an elven fortress where the gosai were first summoned to this world. They told us of their desire to travel to their homeworld and said that the fortress could somehow transport them. Having completed our business transaction and after updating the Order on our progess, we warned the tribe about the three expeditions from the military powers and parted ways. Our final destination was to be the Temple of Kai in the Timiro Kingdom. After some debate about how best to proceed, we struck out east to cross the mountains into giant country.

Arthemus · Unread post by **Arthemus** » Sun May 05, 2013 7:18 pm

Our final instruction after acquiring the gift of the Keepers of the Forest was to bring the gift to the Temple of Kai in the Timiro Kingdom. Standing in the south-east section of the Wastelands, we decided to head directly east and find a way over the mountains. The journey would take us right through the giant kingdom of Mt. Nimro as well as through the entirety of the Old Kingdom before we would make it to Timiro.

As we begun our journey, Tharzak discovered an interesting inscription into one of the rock faces. It was a historical marker describing an ancient dwarf warlord named “Gruthig Knon” that lost his whole army to an elven ambush during the Elf-Dwarf war. The Bard seemed to remember some details about this legend, specifically regarding his remains of those of several of his most powerful generals and their relics lost to antiquity.

We continued on through the mountain trail, discovering a forest valley with a clearing for a large farm. We met several kobold farmhands on the outermost sections of the farm, and they directed us to a town nearby called Slavor. We failed to realize at the time that the name had significance. After trading our desert capable Silonar for some horses, we left the farm and made for the town.

Our characters noted that we had seen only kobolds in the valley so far, but none of the architecture styles matched anything resembling kobold in origin that we had ever seen. They were much more orderly and represented the best in human construction. This trend continued as we arrived in the town.

Slavor appeared at first to be a town populated entirely by the most domesticated kobolds and goblins we had ever encountered. After walking around town and speaking to a few people, we were introduced to several “administrators,” elves wearing strange headbands made of crystal. We wondered at the purpose of the headbands, but they were like nothing Kierjan or any of the other characters had seen before. The elves were very hospitable and mentioned two other settlements in this valley, as well as something called “The Fortress.”

Interested in learning more about The Fortress, the administrators gave us directions and we saddled up on our new steeds on rode towards what was apparently the central feature in this valley. We discovered a mighty fortress made of the same crystal that made up the administrators’ headbands. Kierjan ran some magical scans and found a distinct lack of magic in the area. It was almost a dead zone.

We rode up to the where a main gate should have been only to find no apparent way of entering. As we stood there for a while looking around, a doorway formed out of the solid crystal! We walked inside to find a king seated on a crystal throne. He told us his name was Kalaran, and that we were guided into the valley by the fortress itself. He spoke of the structure as though it was a living being.

King Kalaran asked us if we wished to undergo challenges that the fortress may have in store for us, and that if we succeeded, we would be “rewarded.” We accepted the challenges and were led into a plain crystal room that sealed us in. Our surroundings began to shift and twist and we were transported outside of some small farm commune consisting of several small hovels. The scene was grisly with dead farmers were strewn all about, and we heard screams from one of the hovels where the women and children had barricaded themselves. We quickly regained our bearings and made for the hovel with the women and children. It wasn’t long before we found the source of all the carnage. A raiding party of orcs, goblins, and kobolds was headed towards the hovel, accompanied by a powerful Balrog demon and a Beast Dragon! We drew our weapons and engaged the foul creatures.

kiralon · Unread post by **kiralon** » Sun May 05, 2013 8:06 pm

Good luck against the Balrog, remember to tell him he can't pass

Onwards and Upwards, remember to tell what happens.

Arthemus · Unread post by **Arthemus** » Sun May 05, 2013 9:16 pm

After an intense battle, we emerged victorious and saved the women and children. We began to get a distinct feeling that this particular challenge was aimed mostly at Sir Peter. After offering to escort the women and children to the safety of the nearest village, our surroundings began to twist and change yet again. This time we found ourselves in a dwarven village. The Bard immediately recognized this place as the home that he vowed to retake from the foul kobolds and goblins that had invaded. We quickly hid from a kobold patrol making its way towards us. This challenge proved brief, as our surroundings changed again once the Bard had made mental notes of the location and status of his pilfered home. After some discussion, the party decided that the fortress was testing the Bard to see if he still yearned to retake his home.

Upon return to the Fortress (did we ever actually go anywhere?) two pedestals containing crystal items arose from the floor. Both Sir Peter and The Bard were offered the items for completing their tasks. Sir Peter received a crystal headband, while The Bard received a pair of gloves. The King promised that the items would awaken something in them, given enough time.

Kalaran explained to us that the only people who find the valley are those the Fortress allows. All others are psionically misdirected. As his final act the king told us we were welcome in the valley anytime and offered us transport to any location. Seizing the opportunity to erase thousands of miles across the Old Kingdom, we asked if we could be transported to Arian, the city in the Timiro Kingdom where the Temple of Kai lay. We stepped back inside the crystal room and in moments were whisked away to a hill overlooking Arian.

We made our way down a hill, looking across a river to where a mighty temple was carved into a mountain. We walked through town, re-supplied, and hired the ferry to take us across the river. Climbing up to the temple, we were greeted by a titan and rahu-man standing guard outside the door. They seemed not only to be expecting us, but also to know who we were.

Inside the temple was a large main hall with tables and bookshelves sectioning off smaller meeting areas. All manner of races and even a few exotic creatures were working together, meeting in small groups pouring over books and scrolls. We wished to deliver the Gift of the Keepers quickly and asked a nearby person for the head of their Order. We were told where to find the man and we made our way to his office.

Arthemus · Unread post by **Arthemus** » Sun May 05, 2013 9:42 pm

(Sorry this sat un-updated lately. Work has been a little nuts. The following details this morning's play session.)

Inside the office waited none other than Rehim Soothsayer, the titan who had originally recruited us into the Order what seems like ages ago. We had discovered the main headquarters of The Order! We quickly delivered the bag of seeds into Rehim’s hands. We sold some of our other loot for large amounts of gold, which was placed into an Order account. We could access our money from most major cities in most major empires.

Rehim told us that the Bard’s book contained many entries on treasures to be hunted nearby, but that he also had a special mission for us if we were interested. We asked him for more information and he revealed a plot to prevent a secret transaction from occuring. He told us of skirmishes along the disputed Wolfen-Eastern territory border where Wolfen bodies were discovered with some kind of magic tattoo. He told us that this magic was not of this world and that they had discovered the source of these strange new powers.

A foreign mage with knowledge of how to create these magic tattoos was wandering the major empires selling his craft to the highest bidder with no regard for what evil purpose they might be used. The Wolfen Empire had hired him but he was drawn away by a higher bidder in the Western Empire! Rehim told us of a mole that he relied on for highly placed Western Empire military information who knew the details of the transaction between this mage and the Empire. Our mission was simple: To prevent the mage from imparting his knowledge to the decadent human empire, possibly avoiding a shift in the balance of power that could plunge the Palladium World into war! We were to meet this mole in Caer Itom, the Capital of the Empire.

The Order offered us magical transportation, but told us that the closest they could get us at present was the Regional Capital of Rallian, home of House Recurance. Kierjan shared his knowledge of the area, mainly that the noble houses there are staunch supporters of the Emperor and that the region was wealthy due it’s fine distilleries. From Rallian, we would make our way to Caer Itom and stop the transaction.

We took The Order up on their offer and were transported to Rallian. We found the town in the midst of a harvest festival. Upon further investigation, we learned that Rallian is quite the party city, known for using any excuse to throw a festival. Several more were planned for the coming weeks.

We sampled some fine ales and enjoyed ourselves before coming to the conclusion that our skill in entertainment was equal or better than the amateurs that were playing to the crowd. We began an impromtu performance with The Bard singing bawdy drinking songs and heroic ballads of the Western Empire’s glory. The rest of the party used their various talents as well, Sir Peter with dances from the Eastern Territory, El Franko accompanying on his flute, and Kierjan adding special effects with a variety of spells. Poor Tharzak, possessing no performing talents, simply manned the hat that would collect the crowd’s generous support of our fine troupe.

After a few lucky dice rolls, we were approached by some of the festivals organizers and given an opportunity to perform for the city that night at the festival’s climactic party. A large sum of money was promised, and the party quickly accepted and retreated to an inn to plan their performance. Using our diverse racial make-up to our advantage, we planned ballads of the Elf-Dwarf War, tales of glorious Emperor Itomas and his bold vision for the Western Empire, and no shortage of bawdy booze songs. Our finale was to be none other than “The Bear and the Maiden Fair”, the hit that was sweeping inns and taverns across the land. Kierjan even possessed a Metamorphosis: Animal scroll to really bring down the house.

Our performance went better than we could possibly have planned. We became the toast of Rallian and retreated for the night to sleep off our booze and count our earnings, which were quite significant.

Arthemus · Unread post by **Arthemus** » Sun Aug 04, 2013 10:07 am

We took quite the hiatus for summer and are now back at it! Here are our two most recent updates.

6/2/2013
After our performance, we were set up with Rallian’s finest horses and made our way to the capital. It felt good to be just another group of travelers after making such a spectacle of ourselves in the city. After a few brief encounters including a group of Janissaries hunting a murderous band of criminals, and a goblin raiding party setting up to ambush unsuspecting travelers, we passed through Caer Kurgas on our way to Caer Itom.

Arriving at the captial, we found the city authorities in the midst of a scourge of the undercity. The Ratling population was apparently too high and a purge seemed to be in order. We received word from The Order that our contact awaited us at The Flaming Saber Inn, a tavern that caters to the local military.

We delivered a letter to a general that we had been given back in Rallian, and were shown several bodies of the dead Wolfen adorned with the magic tattoos. We inquired about our contact, whom we still had not met and left, to make our way to the Flaming Saber Inn.

Arthemus · Unread post by **Arthemus** » Sun Aug 04, 2013 10:09 am

7/27/2013
We made our way to meet our contact, named Cuber Oztig. Our presence in the Inn drew a few stares, as we were not the usual clientele. Cuber took us to a more private section of the Inn, where he revealed why his family in particular was concerned over these magic tattoos. He comes from a clan of travelers from another world whose trademark are magic tattoos. (Atlanteans, for those playing the home game.) His clan has nothing to do with this magic, and all reports suggest that those branded with it slowly go insane.

Oztig also provided us with several leads, all of which pointed to Ophidia, the Western city in the Ophid’s Grasslands colony. Not only is Ophidia the last known location of the mage inscribing these tattoos, but an alchemist there had a hand in digging up the book that taught the mage how to make the tattoos in the first place. The last piece of information dealt with House Valepo, the noble house that rules Ophidia. One of the sons of Valepo is rumored to be a power-mad sorcerer, and Oztig is somehow sure that he has something to do with this situation.

We chartered a boat to Ophidia, and sailed around most of the Western Empire. We arrived several weeks later, our party taking in the Western architect’s dream-city for the first time. We decided that investigating the local nobility would get us nowhere quickly, so we struck out for Mileena’s alchemist shop. We were warned back in the Capital that we were not to trust this woman.

Arriving in the shop, we attempted to strike a deal with Mileena. In exchange for knowledge of a kingdom of with advanced magical item creation techniques that we had encountered earlier, we wanted to know to whom she had sold the book that she uncovered. She became very fearful and made it clear that she does not sell out her clients, particularly not *this* client. She told us that if she were to strike such a bargain, she would need to close her shop and disappear. Unable to reach an arrangement, we left.

Findind another alchemist in town, we asked about his competition, and if he could lend any of his resources towards helping us if it would mean trouble for his neighbor. He informed us that he would very much like to help ruin his ex-wife! He gave us more information about the noble that the Oztigs are sure is involved, a son of Valepo named Laedarius. We soon left with our new lead and settled in an Inn to rest for the night.

Our sleep was interrupted by a group of black armor-clad assassins in the middle of the night. After successfully defending ourselves, we kept one alive and a Words of Truth spell gave us answers. They are from an order of warriors who try and kill any that “seek the book”, referring to the book that teaches about the magic tattoos. It became apparent that we had just taken a few steps into a much more dangerous situation.

zyanitevp · Unread post by **zyanitevp** » Tue Aug 06, 2013 1:12 am

Arthemus wrote:7/27/2013
We made our way to meet our contact, named Cuber Oztig. Our presence in the Inn drew a few stares, as we were not the usual clientele. Cuber took us to a more private section of the Inn, where he revealed why his family in particular was concerned over these magic tattoos. He comes from a clan of travelers from another world whose trademark are magic tattoos. (Atlanteans, for those playing the home game.) His clan has nothing to do with this magic, and all reports suggest that those branded with it slowly go insane.

Oztig also provided us with several leads, all of which pointed to Ophidia, the Western city in the Ophid’s Grasslands colony. Not only is Ophidia the last known location of the mage inscribing these tattoos, but an alchemist there had a hand in digging up the book that taught the mage how to make the tattoos in the first place. The last piece of information dealt with House Valepo, the noble house that rules Ophidia. One of the sons of Valepo is rumored to be a power-mad sorcerer, and Oztig is somehow sure that he has something to do with this situation.

We chartered a boat to Ophidia, and sailed around most of the Western Empire. We arrived several weeks later, our party taking in the Western architect’s dream-city for the first time. We decided that investigating the local nobility would get us nowhere quickly, so we struck out for Mileena’s alchemist shop. We were warned back in the Capital that we were not to trust this woman.

Arriving in the shop, we attempted to strike a deal with Mileena. In exchange for knowledge of a kingdom of with advanced magical item creation techniques that we had encountered earlier, we wanted to know to whom she had sold the book that she uncovered. She became very fearful and made it clear that she does not sell out her clients, particularly not *this* client. She told us that if she were to strike such a bargain, she would need to close her shop and disappear. Unable to reach an arrangement, we left.

Findind another alchemist in town, we asked about his competition, and if he could lend any of his resources towards helping us if it would mean trouble for his neighbor. He informed us that he would very much like to help ruin his ex-wife! He gave us more information about the noble that the Oztigs are sure is involved, a son of Valepo named Laedarius. We soon left with our new lead and settled in an Inn to rest for the night.

Our sleep was interrupted by a group of black armor-clad assassins in the middle of the night. After successfully defending ourselves, we kept one alive and a Words of Truth spell gave us answers. They are from an order of warriors who try and kill any that “seek the book”, referring to the book that teaches about the magic tattoos. It became apparent that we had just taken a few steps into a much more dangerous situation.

Love the ex-wife angle! May steal that one...