Jump to content
News Ticker
  • Welcome to 2021, let's hope it is better than 2020.
  • The Gloaming Light Entombed - Chronicle


    GrumpyMel
     Share

    Recommended Posts

    In the spirit of keeping this section lively and possibly drumming up some interest for the PnP Campaign I am running for several members over virtual table top and just generally providing some entertainment, I'm picking up a chronicle of that campaign I had started posting on the TEO boards.

     

    It is a homebrew campaign based generally on the Pathfinder Core ruleset in a world of my own devising. The original Chronicle on the TEO boards can be found here (http://www.theempyrean.org/teboards/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=392)

    ---------------------------------------------
    Synopsis of the Campaign (Start until Present - Part I)

    The campaign starts in late Summer of the Year 899 by reckoning of the Imperial Calendar in the central Cambrian town of  Knightsbridge. There are 5 party members, all strangers recruited to escort a merchant from Knightsbridge up the Old Imperial Highway to the northern Cambrian town of Greensward. A journey of perhaps a week's travel through long deserted lands along a little used road, as most travel of the present day between northern and central Cambria takes place by sea. The party consists of Durok, a dwarf of the Western Dwarven Holds; Corianthus, a Brundisi (human culture similar to Arabia) Tinkerer and Bard; Maleem, a human Rogue of Western Syros (one of the Brundisi home regions); Mahine, a High Elven Evoker and Hildr, a tall blonde female Vanhir (human culture similar to the Norse)  Barbarian. Each of these individuals seeks to travel North for their own reasons and traveling together as escorts offers some semblance of safety and a little bit of coin.

    The journey starts off uneventful enough until the merchant, Innis, convinces the party to take a shortcut that follows an old cart path through the Great Woods. He believes it might save them a good days travel time. As is so often the case in these sort of tales, the shortcut leads to an unfortunate turn of events. The party comes across a group of villagers who are under assault by a goblin warband and in desperate straits. Leaving Innis a good distance back in what they assume is safety, the party races forward to help the villagers. As soon as they seem to have the goblins on the run, they hear shouts for assistance from back where they left the merchant. Racing back they discover that the wagon has been ransacked and the merchant and much of his wares have been carried off by a band of orcs who had apparently been bullying the goblins to do their dirty work for them and hanging back from the battle. Upon seeing the goblins break and the opportunity to take some loot and an easy captive, the orcs availed themselves of it and swooped down upon the defenseless merchant while his escorts were busy driving away the goblins.

    The party decided to escort the villagers back to their village which was but a few miles distant as they, themselves, were injured from battle and did not think their chances of outpacing the orcs in the dark and storm-swept woods were likely. Upon reaching the village, the party discovered it was virtually under siege, not only from the orcs and goblins but also from bandits and even undead who apparently had infested a nearby barrows that the villagers used for burial. The village had only been spared destruction by the presence of a small band of Vanhir mercenaries who had managed to construct a small palisade around it and keep any of the dangers from attacking the village proper. However as the leader of the mercenaries, a warrior by the name of Aedred, explains they lack sufficient manpower to deal with any of the threats while protecting the village itself. The outlying farms lay deserted, their occupants seeking refuge within the palisade and with the fields unattended, a difficult Winter awaits the populace. Aedred suggests that the local ruler might be able to provide the party with more information about the orcs that made away with the merchant who was under their protection and agrees to introduce them as her castle lays but 1/2 mile outside the village.

    The party makes their way the short distance and discovers a fortification who's outer ramparts long ago fell into ruin. However, at its center lie an intact keep and tall tower made of some odd black stone that seems infused with spells of magic. The party gains entrance and are introduced to Lady Madeline Levalle, an attractive dark haired woman who dwells within the castle with her few retainers and rules the surrounding lands. Lady Madeline explains that her realm is small and destitute and that she lacks sufficient retainers to do more than protect the castle itself, however, if the party is willing to eliminate the 3 threats to her realm.. the orcs, the bandits and the undead, she will reward them with what coin she can muster. The party assents and Lady Madeline explains that in her father's time the Realm had been harried by a tribe of orcs who had made a lair in a warren of caves in some hills to the northeast. Her father and his men drove off that tribe but she fears the lair may have been reoccupied and that may be the source of the current humanoid raiders.

    The party gets direction to the caves from Lady Madeline.  In successive raids, interspersed with a bloody orc attack on the village, the party with some assistance from the Vanhir mercenaries manage in destroying the orc and goblin tribes who had laired there together. Unfortunately this proves too late to save the merchant Innis who perishes in the harsh captivity of the orcs.  

    The party then turns their attention to the bandits. The then turns their attention to the bandits. In doing some initial investigation of the situation, the party turns up some rather uncharacteristic behavior for bandits. The bandits seem as much interested in information gathering about the village, the castle and it's ruler as they do in thievery. Furthermore though willing to rough up people, the bandits seem to have scrupulously avoided killing anyone so far. Much of activity  
    seems to be directed by a small non-descript man in a mask with a pair of very large mastiff's. The party expresses some doubt's whether this individual is actually the bandit leader or someone else who is directing the actions of a group of bandits for some, as yet, unknown purpose. In any event, the party is able to track the bandits to an old ruined abbey some distance away from the village. There a vicious melee ensues between the party and more than a dozen bandits. The party  
    manages to slay most of the bandits including a brutal half-orc that they suspect is the real leader of the bandits. One bandit is captured and a few other bandits are escape, including most importantly the small non-descript man that seems like he may be directing the bandits activities. Upon investigating the ruined abbey the party discover what they take to be the man's room and most interestingly an old desk which appears to have been purposefully set ablaze as the man retreated. Though the desk is ruined, the fire did not completely burn through it all the way and the party is able to recover a couple of partially singed items. These are a small prayer book to the Church of the Divines, a faith dedicated to all the Aura..the Gods of Light (mostly Good aligned) and a leather pouch with a note specifying that it is to be delivered to "M.Toliver at the Broken Dragon Inn in Dyvers". Inside the pouch is a scroll which appears to be pure gibberish. The party suspects it is a cypher of some sorts but are unsuccessful in attempting to decode it. Upon interviewing the prisoner, the party learns that their initial suspicions were correct, the bandits actual leader was the half-orc and the small man was someone who was paying the bandits to work for him. The prisoner didn't seem to know exactly what the small man was after except that he  
    seemed mostly interested in information and wouldn't let the bandits kill anyone. He knew that the man's name was "Ustri" and that he mostly kept to himself with the mastiffs but didn't know much more than that. The prisoner was of the opinion that the only person who might have known more about the man was the bandit leader, who had just been slain.
     

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

       (Synopsis Part II)

    The party decides to follow up on the lead provided in the note attached to the leather bag which contained the mysterious cyphered scroll and travel to Dyvers. Dyvers is the largest city in the entire region, sitting at the confluence of 2 major rivers and a center for local trade up and down the river valleys. Because of its size the party hopes they might also be able to obtain some clerical assistance there for when they foray against the undead.

    After a few days travel, the party reaches Dyvers and set about the tasks before them. Obtaining clerical assistance for when they seek to foray against the undead proves surprisingly easy. The party discovers that Dyvers contains not one but 2 separate branches of the Church of the Divines which are rivals with one another. One branch is subordinate to the ruler of the Palentine Principates who claims the mantle of the old Imperial Throne, although this claim is not widely recognized outside his own lands. The other is that which rules the Holy See of Tyre as a theocracy and claims that the troubles which led to the downfall of the Old Empire were the Gods punishment for the hubris of the Emperors in elevating themselves to positions of near godhood. Thus they reject any claims which would seek to place a secular ruler above the authority of the Church itself. This makes the two branches bitter rivals who consider each other heretics. Yet in these northern lands of Cambria where neither Emperor nor Patriarch hold sway each must abide the others existence. The party expertly exploits this rivalry playing one off against the other with the promise of a Realm (Lady Madeline's) which is not yet represented by any Church. They are able to secure the services of one Valarion Victrix a priest and paladin of Viana from the Principates branch of the Church of the Divines for when they will sojourn against the undead.

    Tracking down leads about the information obtained from the bandits proves more frustrating. They easily discover that the Broken Dragon Inn is in a place called Rivers Edge, a lawless shanty town which lies just outside the city proper and that the Inn appears to be associated with a local crime lord called Paco who is an enigmatic figure rumored to possess magic of some sort. However, all attempts to track down the names "Ustri" or "M.Toliver" turn up blank. Within a few days of making inquiries, the party seems to have drawn attention to themselves as upon multiple occasions they note a figure watching and following them but are unsuccessful in trying to catch the figure. Perhaps even more disturbing, Hildr seems to have drawn some personal attention to herself, as on each journey into Rivers Edge she comes back with cryptic notes left on her person,  stuffed into a pocket or tied to her braids with a ribbon or strange magic sigils invisibly marking her armor. Yet no one remembers seeing anything of the sort happening while escorting her. She begins to have nightmares.

    One day the party receives a cryptic note delivered to the inn where they are staying stating that the writer of the note "has what they are looking for" and that the party should meet them at an old deserted church yard in Rivers Edge at midnight if they want to learn more. Naturally suspicious the party arranges to arrive early that night to stake out the place and discovers what looks to be preparations for an ambush with traps set in strategic places and range markers laid out in the church yard for what appears to be a firing position in the old church tower. The party decides to try to ambush the ambushers and spreads out into what they believe will be good positions from which to spring their trap. As the midnight hour approaches, several party members fall into an unnatural slumber. Only Hildr and Mahine remain conscious and Hildr feels as though she is intoxicated although she had only consumed modest amounts of alcohol hours earlier. While the two figure out what to do about their unconscious friends they start taking arrow fire from an unknown source and then note a figure slip over the church yard wall and approach the unconscious Durok. They engage while still under arrow fire and quickly dispatch the figure. Finally Hildr manages to locate the unseen archer and engages in melee but finds it difficult to land a blow. Fortunately several of Mahines spells strike true but just as the 2 believe they are getting the upper hand with a sudden flash of light the figure disappears into the darkness. A search of the slain assailant only turns up an odd tattoo on the man's left hand. Injured, the 2 manage to rouse their friends enough that the group can stumble back to their inn.
    Investigating the incident the next day with the help of a local information broker who's services the group had been using, the group turns up no information on the tattoo save that it was not likely local in origin. Startlingly though, they learn that the attack has some of the hallmarks of a feared assassin called "the Raven" who happens to be a master poisoner. The group believes that their odd slumber preceding the attack might be due to a timed poison ingested at dinner that evening. The observation of them seems to intensify and incorporate more individuals, even corrupt members of the city watch. They switch inn's and begin playing a high stakes game of cat and mouse with their watchers. There are several more attempts on their lives.

    The group decides to leave Dyvers behind in order to shake the unwanted attention. They gather up father Valarion and set off for Lady Madelines castle and thence to foray against the undead troubling the village. The morning of their departure Hildr notices that she feels slightly ill but makes little more out of it then a common cold. The group arrives at Lady Madeline's several days later without incident, though Hildr's symptoms seem to have worsened. They make the short journey to the nearby barrows which the villagers had previously used to bury their dead amid a horrific rain storm. As dusk approaches the group arrives at the barrows and discover that many of the graves have been disturbed and are quickly attacked by a large group of zombies. They make short work of the zombies and thence upon entering the main crypt are attacked by skeletons and even more zombies. Eventually they make their way down to the lowest level of the crypt and encounter a necromancer along with more undead, including several ghouls. In a bloody battle they defeat the necromancer and his minions and uncover an idol to Madu, the god of death and a book of spells bound in human skin.

    The party returns triumphantly to Lady Madeline's who thanks and rewards them. Yet Hildr's illness seems to grow more serious and it is discovered that she is not ill but rather poisoned. The party determines that they must return to Dyvers to seek a cure lest the poison eventually consume Hildr. They leave the next day and return to Dyvers where once again they find themselves hunted. They are able to contact an expert apothecary who verifies that Hildr has indeed been poisoned and explains that is a complex poison and he will need a sample of it to concoct a cure. Failing that, Hildr will fall into a wakeless sleep and eventually die.

    Hildr and Dalimar decide to return to the Broken Dragon Inn to see if they can glean any information about "The Raven" from some of the patrons there whom they had dealings with on their prior stay in the city. When the patrons shun Hildr because she has been marked for death, she breaks into a furious rage and attacks one of them then demands to see Paco or she will burn down the Inn. They wait for some time as Paco is sent for. They eventually notice what they take as Paco's entourage approaching the Inn. This appears to be a savage looking street gang of more than two dozen members, surrounding what appear like 2 large trolls in formal attire and a very odd looking man dressed in red with a blonde haired children's doll perched on his shoulder. Dalimar and Hildr change their minds and decide it better not to meet Paco under such circumstances. They rush out of the inn, but not before Hildr sets it ablaze. The figure, whom they take to be Paco, calls after them tauntingly.
    This causes Hildr to lose her temper again and she stops to take a bow shot at the doll perched atop the figure shoulder, narrowly missing it. This drives the figure into an apoplectic rage and he casts two odd looking fireballs at them, nearly incinerating Hildr and setting several buildings ablaze. They are only saved by a timely illusion cast by Corianthus who had been tailing the group in disguise.

    The next day the group try to arrange for a meeting with "the Raven" in order to try to parlay for an antidote for Hildr and to determine if it is indeed "the Raven" who has been after them or the work of an imposter, which they suspect possible. They go to see an old fortune teller in the Rivers Edge who is suspected to be "the Raven's" handler. Instead of traveling through Rivers Edge on foot, they arrange to be ferried in a small boat which was provided by a Mr. Henri Wurtenburg, a merchant acquaintance of father Valrion and dropped off at a spot on the river bank near the fortune tellers shop. In this way they hope to avoid the attention of Paco, who they fear is hunting them after the previous night's incident. The fortune teller arranges for them to meet with "the Raven" at the same church yard where they had their previous encounter and again at midnight.

    The party makes their way to the nearby church yard, camping out there all day and preparing for an ambush as best they can. They hope for the best but prepare for the worst. As midnight arrives, so do a group of a dozen men bearing torches. It is not "the Raven" but Henri Wurtenburg who introduces himself as "Maurice Toliver" and berates the group for the trouble they have caused him. As they try to bargain for a cure for Hildr, "Toliver" proceeds to question them about what they were doing in attacking the bandit hideout, why they were trying to find out information about him, what they learned and what business they had with Lady Madeline. The group answers all these questions as truthfully as possible. When Toliver finally appears satisfied with these answers, he lets out a whistle and orders the men with him to attack. These appear to be mercenary fighters and they swarm Hildr who is the most obvious target. At the very same moment a cloaked and masked figure appears in the old church tower where Dalimar and Mahine had stationed themselves with a surprise attack from behind he nearly slays both of them outright. They fight for their lives while Durok races up the tower stairs to help and Hildr tries to fend of the mercenaries as best she can. Durok manages to stun the masked figure when he arrives on scene, allowing Dalimar and Mahine to escape while Corianthus struggles for a clear bow shot. Durok struggles with the masked figure in the tower while Corianthus and Dalimar both now well hidden use bows to pick off the mercenaries swarming Hildr who is bloody but still defiant, rage keeping her on her feet. Between the arrows and Hildr's sword the fight starts to turn against the mercenaries and Toliver tries to beat a hasty retreat covered by a few of his men but he is mowed down by Dalimar's arrows and a timely spell from Mahine before he can escape the church yard. There is a bright flash of light from the church tower which temporary blinds Durok and the masked figure is suddenly nowhere to be seen. The fight ends quickly.

    In the aftermath, most of the party is barely on their feet but they take the opportunity to search Tolivers body. They find little of note save a pinky ring he was wearing, a large brass key and a tattoo on his left hand identical to the one borne by the man they had slain in their previous encounter in this church yard.

    There stands our tale. It is mid-Autumn of the year 899.
     

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Join the conversation

    You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
    Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

    Guest
    Reply to this topic...

    ×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

      Only 75 emoji are allowed.

    ×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

    ×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

    ×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

     Share

    ×
    ×
    • Create New...