Session 22 - The Undead

Session: Game Session 22 - Wednesday, Dec 17 2019 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM

The Players
Toutorix the Ranger (Sworn Sword of Lord Theon Branch)
Adfric (Sir Baldomeris) - Abscent
Phelan Duncan (The Magi)
Na'ab Selunesson Cleric of the Thousand Islands

Date
June 26, 996 Third Age Summers End

Thursday
Evening

Setting
Inside the Rune Tower

Dungeon Level

Climate
Daytime 32 degrees
Nighttime 22 degrees
Cold from the North, Cold

Heavy Snow

3 - 4' of Snow covering the plains

The adventures continue in the dungeon level and try to open the other trapped door. Our dwarven thief (Nori) tries to disarm the trap on the door but cannot.

Glori the dwarven cleric talks with Phelan and he tells him of the disappearance of the elves, and the diplomatic party who did not return when attempting to make contact. Trade had abruptly stopped a year ago between the elves and dwarves. Did the elves leave? This vacuum left has led to the rise of enemies. The dwarves are concerned, hence the repopulations of the Rune Towers. Winter is here!

The travel west down the corridors to the adjacent temple room.

As they enter Glori tells the group that an evil presence is here!

The large temple room has a mummified figure sitting upon a seat raised upon a dais. The room is lined with eight pillars and fitted with burning torches in sconces. They approach carefully.

Toutorix sees movement from the creature and joins the dwarves in a charge,

Suddenly 10 mummies come out of the rear walls and approach the rearguard of Na'ab and Phelan.

Na'ab brands his holy symbol of Selune and forces them back.

A battle ensues that is deadly for Na'ab of the Thousand Islands.

Our heroes make it out barely...

What has become of this place? What evil has taken this land?

Session 21 - Nori, Dori, and Glori

Session: Game Session 21 - Wednesday, Dec 10 2019 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM

The Players
Toutorix the Ranger (Sworn Sword of Lord Theon Branch)
Adfric (Sir Baldomeris)
Phelan Duncan (The Magi) - Abscent
Na'ab Selunesson Cleric of the Thousand Islands

Date
June 26, 996 Third Age Summers End

Thursday
Evening

Setting
Inside the Rune Tower

Climate
Daytime 32 degrees
Nighttime 22 degrees
Cold from the North, Cold

Heavy Snow

3 - 4' of Snow covering the plains

The group makes a deal with the dwarves to join them.
Glori the Cleric tells a story:
They were sent by the king of Moria to establish a connection to the rune tower. The rise of the goblins and others has forced them to venture further south to man the towers again. Their mission is to clear out the tower of enemies.
The dwarves offer to split all the treasure 50/50 if the adventures help on this mission.

June 27, 996 Third Age Summers End

Friday
Morning

After a rest and some much needed healing. They group sets out up the tower. The dwarves open a secret door that leads to the 1st floor where a Giant Winter Snake lives. They vanquish it and move on to the armory on the 3rd level.

Toutorix finds a bow sting.

The group goes to the dungeon level and disarms the explosion trap. Opening the door they find another underground boring beetle and barely finish it off.

Treasure Type C, R, S, T

Session 20 - Goblins!

Session: Game Session 20 - Wednesday, Dec 04 2019 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM

The Players
Toutorix the Ranger (Sworn Sword of Lord Theon Branch)
Adfric (Sir Baldomeris)
Phelan Duncan (The Magi)
Na'ab Selunesson Cleric of the Thousand Islands

Date
June 26, 996 Third Age Summers End

Thursday
Morning

Setting
Inside the Rune Tower

Climate
Daytime 38 degrees
Nighttime 23 degrees
Cold from the North, Cold

Heavy Snow

The group decides to head back upstairs to rest and recuperate after the explosions.
In the main ground level of the tower, they set up camp by building a cheery fire in the hearth: resting, drinking and eating for the remainder of the day.
Night comes and they setup watches.
Adfric draws the first watch.
He hears something coming up from the dungeon level.
In comes a large group of Goblins with a Cave troll.

Heroic fighting begins.
The two fighters fall in the battle, put down by the troll.
To everyone's surprise, a trio of dwarves comes in to save the day.

As things settle down, the dwarves introduce themselves as 3 brothers who have been sent from Moria to track down these goblins.

Nori, Dori, and Glori

They settle down with the heros and share some drink.

Session 19 - Under the Rune Tower

Session: Game Session 19 - Wednesday, Nov 20 2019 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM

The Players
Toutorix the Ranger (Sworn Sword of Lord Theon Branch)
Adfric (Sir Baldomeris)
Phelan Duncan (The Magi)
Na'ab Selunesson Cleric of the Thousand Islands

Date
June 26, 996 Third Age Summers End

Thursday
Morning

Setting
Inside the Rune Tower

Climate
Daytime 48 degrees
Nighttime 23 degrees
Cold from the North, Cold

Heavy Snow

The group eats breakfast and then decides to head down below.

Adfric is not doing well. The poison is from the ice spider is freezing his right hand where he was bit. He does not benefit from natural healing and is -2 on all roles.

As they explore the level below they come across a large room with  2 large earth-boring beetles. They kill the beetles and move on.
In the next room is a tomb which is guarded by a powerful undead creature. The monster tells them to leave and they obey.
At a point, they find a doorway covered with dwarfish runes that give a warning. Phelan tries to open it and a large explosion rips through the group almost killing Na'ab.
Toutorix tries again and almost kills himself.

Map of the dungeon level I under the Rune Tower

Grey - Remaining Turns on the Strength Spell
White - Remaining Turns on the Lantern Oil

Dwarves are not figments of imagination...

Paterfamilias,

They're quite obviously real, by a second order approximation.

It's the construction arts and the obsessive devotion to detail. The intense quality of work above and beyond what might normally be required. But altogether the patterns of a group of peoples that indicate they are real.

And so, where did they go?

We've moved to explore the Rune Tower, a place of stonework in the north, based upon following the depredations of a group of pig faced men around the Lake upstream of Daggerbeak. The faces are different now, we've uncovered what appear to be goblins ransacking the Rune Tower. They are different but the pattern is unchanged. Children are disappearing and I do not believe this is a coincidence.

The roots of this evil are very deep, and spread wide. I think something this vile must be an existential threat to the realm. They too are obviously real, another second order approximation.
Whether or not we return home, this matter should probably be brought to His Majesty's attention.

Long live the King! 

Phelan Duncan

Session 18 - The Big Storm

Session: Game Session 18- Wednesday, Nov 13 2019 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM

The Players
Toutorix the Ranger (Sworn Sword of Lord Theon Branch)
Adfric (Sir Baldomeris) -Absent
Phelan Duncan (The Magi)
Na'ab Selunesson Cleric of the Thousand Islands

Date
June 25, 996 Third Age Summers End

Wednesday
Afternoon

Setting
Inside the Rune Tower

Climate
Daytime 58 degrees
Nighttime 33 degrees
Breezy from the North, Cold

Light Snow at times


June 25 Wednesday

Adfric lays on the ground, shivering from the cold of the venom flowing through his veins. The group tries everything, including lighting a small fire in the staircase hallway.
Phelan and Na'ab go up to the upper floor and find an armory. They make way to the top of the tower to find a ballista. Na'ab believes he sees some large creature to the far north.
Na'ab feels the temperature drop as dark clouds roll in from the north.
Toutotix hears a loud banging sound from below. He heads down to see what it is. It sounds like a hammer banging on stone. He opens the door in front of him. Surprise!
Six goblins are standing before him.
The battle begins as the group ends up facing 25 goblins armed with spears and short swords.
Heroic fighting wins the battle.

The group ends up resting for the night. They bring the horses in from the storm.

June 26 Thursday

They group wakes up and Phelan opens a secret door in the hearth of the ground floor tower room. He finds a pair of Dwarven Bracers of Defense AC 4.
The group decides to take the stairs down to the dungeon level below.

"Why are these goblins so far from the mountains?"

Session 17 - The Rune Tower

Session: Game Session 17- Wednesday, Oct 16 2019 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM

The Players
Toutorix the Ranger (Sworn Sword of Lord Theon Branch)
Adfric (Sir Baldomeris)
Phelan Duncan (The Magi)
Na'ab Selunesson Cleric of the Thousand Islands - Absent

Date
June 24, 996 Third Age Summers End

Tuesday
Evening

Setting
30 Miles North of Farmer Wyles

Climate
Daytime 58 degrees
Nighttime 33 degrees
Breezy from the North, Cold

Light Snow at times

The north breeze carries the smell of burning flesh.

The group hears people walking from the south after the break for camp.

It is dark.

The group waits for a reaction.

One of the men pulls a crossbow and fires as the others rush forward.

They notice the larger of the 4 has a strangle waddling gait.

Toutorix falls with an arrow to the side and a blow to the chest.

The others slay the foes and the crossbowmen runs for dear life.

They are 2 men of Xax (green-skinned and a Lizardman)

Phelan heals Toutorix.

They decide it is not safe to stay here and move forward in the dark.

Phelans horse finally falls.

A couple miles north they come upon a funeral pyre. 

Dozens of smoldering men of Xax.

Heads of the green-skinned men are set on pikes around the pyre as are the weapons of the slain.

Toutorix looks for tracks and signs of what happened here.

He gathers information, listening to the ground.

Riders were here with lances and bows.

They overtook the evil men and surrounded them just before sundown the previous day.

Phelan looks through the pile for the children and finds nothing.

The group is exhausted and breaks for camp.

Jun 25, Wednesday

In the morning they wake to the bright sunlight.

A light layer of new snow stretches across the land.

They see a tower in the distance and 2 banners to the west.

Banners of House Blackwood and Flint. They appear to be set as a warning.

They travel to the tower.

At the tower they find it locked. Toutorix comes up with an idea to fell a pine tree to scale the walls. Adfric watches in amazement as the idea works. Tourtix grabs a torch and goes in a window thirty feet up. The rest of the group follows.

Inside the tower they head up the winding stairs to the top and come upon some spider webs which were as thick as a rope. They pause for a second debating what to do. Phelan is attacked by a huge white spider that is cold as winter. They kill the large beast. Adfric is hurt and poison is freezing his body.

Session 16 - Journey North

Session: Game Session 16- Wednesday, Oct 9 2019 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM

The Players
Toutorix the Ranger (Sworn Sword of Lord Theon Branch)
Adfric (Sir Baldomeris)
Phelan Duncan (The Magi)
Na'ab Selunesson Cleric of the Thousand Islands

Date
June 23, 996 Third Age Summers End

Monday
Evening

Setting
Farmer Wyles

Climate
Daytime 59 degrees
Nighttime 34 degrees
Breezy, Cloudy and Cold

The group removes the dead from the barn rafters.

They sleep in the main house in the loft.

June 24

Phelan sends out ravens.

The NPCs head to Daggerbeak

Toutorix finds tracks going north down a service road. The tracks are mixed with claws and boots. Some of the boot impressions are heavier than others.

The group takes three riding horses to head north.

Light snow

The party runs into two groups of peasants who fled the farm/

They come to a fork in the road and it looks like the persued split up.

Phelan's horse collapse.

It is dark and something approaches from the south.

"The enemy is upon us!"

Session 15 - Wyles Farm

Wyles Farm


Session: Game Session 15- Wednesday, Oct 2 2019 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM

The Players
Toutorix the Ranger (Sworn Sword of Lord Theon Branch)
Adfric (Sir Baldomeris) Played by the DM
Phelan Duncan (The Magi)
Na'ab Selunesson Cleric of the Thousand Islands

Date
June 23, 996 Third Age Summers End

Monday
Morning

Setting
On the road between farmer Otis and Wyle.

Climate
Daytime 59 degrees
Nighttime 34 degrees
Light rain


                                                                                                                                                                 

Traveling

Two hours out they meet a man and his son driving an ox cart. He is friendly and tells the group he is making his way to farmer Otis.

Four hours out it begins to rain harder. Na'ab spots 4 hooded men in rowboat up ahead. They pull to the side of the lake hidden behind a bend.

 Toutorix investigates and finds the raft abandoned and beached.
They ambush him and he goes down.
The group attacks back saving Toutorix defeating two of the green men.
Two more are out there.
After more fighting they defeat them.

6 hours in
They arrive at Wyles farm. It is completely dark and the farm is quiet. They investigate to find it deserted.

Farmer Wyles' Farm

Toutorix decides to check the barn. It is locked from the outside. They enter and find the missing people hanging from the rafters.
A few of the people are alive. One is the farmers wife. She says before she dies: "The lizardmen took the children. Oh, the children."

Phelan goes inside and sends a raven reporting the news.

What has happened to this land? Who are these green men from Xax?
And, Lizardmen?

Session 14 - The Rat Queen

The Rat Queen

Session: Game Session 14 - Wednesday, Sept 18 2019 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM

The Players
Toutorix the Ranger (Sworn Sword of Lord Theon Branch)
Adfric (Sir Baldomeris)
Phelan Duncan (The Magi)

Date
June 21, 996 Third Age Summers End 
Morning


Setting
On the river to the sea from Branch Hall

Climate

`

Daytime 60 degrees
Nighttime 34 degrees
Partly Cloudy after a light snow

The morning begins
The group sets out down the river.
They come upon a large mound and the ranger decides to investigate.
They are attacked by large rats.
After the defeat of the rats, they decide to enter the den.
Phelan is attacked and rescued by Toutorix.
They found the queen rat.
After the battle, they go inside and find some shiny coins and a potion.
They move on down the river.
During the night the ranger hears something in the woods.
He looks through his spyglass and sees a hooded humanoid figure walking away.
In the morning they find no traces of his tracks.

Farmer Otis' Mill

July 22
Head out in the morning.

Arrive at Otis' farm
Stayed the night
The drink a lot of ale and listen to the farmer's story about strange men lurking about at night.
Phelan sends a raven reporting of these men.
They say goodbye and thank you to the farmer.


July 23
Head out to Farmer Wyles house.

The path to Daggerbrook

Game Session 13 - Lady Leann

Lady Leann

Session: Game Session 13 - Wednesday, Sept 11 2019 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM

The Players
Sir Thorsten Snow
Toutorix the Ranger (Sworn Sword of Lord Theon Branch)
Adfric (Sir Baldomeris)
Phelan Duncan (The Magi)
Na'ab Selunesson Cleric of the Thousand Islands

Date
June 16, 996 Third Age Summers End
Just before dawn

Setting
On the river to the sea from Branch Hall

Climate
Daytime 59 degrees
Nighttime 33 degrees
Partly Cloudy after a light snow

The group comes upon Lady Leanns' kidnappers while Sir Thorsten Snow and Toutorix the Ranger are bound and gagged.

The battle begins and Sir Adfric defeats the three foreigners and frees the captives.

The Green-Skinned Foreigners

They make the two days march back to Branch Hall to return Lady Leann.

Sir Thorstein insists on a victory parade into the castle.

They return as heroes returning Lord Theon's niece.

Phelan is suspicious of the silver found in possession of the kidnappers as does Lord Theon. Something is on the horizon.


The group stays for two days at the castle before heading on the Kings orders.

On June 20th, dawn, they head out via raft and horse to the coast.


During the first night, the second watch, they are attacked by a group of green-skinned foreigners.

The heroes win the battle and wonder why these evil men are in this land unchecked?

Game Session 12 - The Search for Lady Leann

The Search for Lady Leann

Session: Game Session 12 - Wednesday, Sept 04 2019 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM

The Players

Sir Thorsten Snow

Toutorix the Ranger (Sworn Sword of Lord Theon Branch)

Date

June 15, 996 Third Age Summers End

Setting

Branch Hall, South of Castle Blackwood

Branch Hall`

`

Climate

Daytime 59 degrees

Nighttime 33 degrees

Partly Cloudy after a light snow

The heroes are at Branch hall and called upon by the Lord Theon Branch to look for the daughter of Sir Cerwin Branch (Castellan of Castle Blackood), Leann Branch, age 13. She went missing while playing outside of the castle grounds and is feared to be abducted.

Our heroes set out to track her down.

They come upon a fragment of her dress and marks from a rowboat in the river.

They head out with horses and press on at full speed.

They come upon the captors at the fork of the river.

Attack the 5 green-skinned men and lose the battle. Knocked unconscious.

Game Session 11 - Farewell Castle Blackwood

Farewell Castle Blackwood

Session: Game Session 11 - Wednesday, Aug 07 2019 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM

The Players

Goliath (Sellsword)

Adfric (Sir Baldomeris)

Phelan Duncan (The Magi)

Na'ab Selunesson Cleric of the Thousand Islands

In Castle Blackwood they are housed and rest.
They spend several weeks training and eating good.

Weeks later

June 15th. 996

From Castle Blackwood they head east to the forests taking the route of the river on a raft with supplies and 4 surveyors.
They travel a whole day downriver.
Camp for the night.

Goliath is slain by hyenas

Game Session 10 - Aboard the Sea Ghost

Aboard the Sea Ghost

Session: Game Session 10 - Wednesday, Jul 31 2019 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM

May 11 996 Summers End

Morning

The Players

Goliath (Sellsword)

Adfric (Sir Baldomeris)

Phelan Duncan (The Magi)

Flannigan of White Wheel (The Bard)

Na'ab Selunesson Cleric of the Thousand Islands

The takedown of the Sea Ghost

The return of Thorsten Snow

The fall of Lord Bixby

The audience with the king