The Pale Master and a Pale Ale

10/8

By morning, the whole camp is uneasy when one of the troll-led patrols doesn’t come back. After a second patrol reports finding the bodies, the pot boils over. Another troll walks up to the dark leader and demanded more payment to walk around with a patrol. Trolls have a reputation of resiliency to death. To kill one meant they face a powerful foe. The leader called out in a booming voice so all around could hear, “So you think you deserve a greater reward for your help, do you?” he states sarcastically. “You don’t think I…have been generous enough?” He scans the growing crowd of gnolls and bugbears. “Very well. Perhaps I have been wrong. You deserve something else.”

He turns to his dark companion and nods. The robes waft back as pale arms contort in unnatural ways. Ancient words hiss through his muttering lips. With a final syllable, his arms thrust skyward throwing back his cowl. A tower of flame erupts from the heavens, striking the troll. The troll’s cries drown under a high pitched cackle from a pale grin amidst flailing robes. The flames die away leaving a hushed crowd around the pile of ash. The pale man walks up to the remains.

“Now he no longer fears death. Does anyone here still fear the unknown? Who still doubts our cause!?” The crowd refuses to stir. Even the trees seem devoid of birdsong. “Would you retreat from an enemy you have never seen? Do not DARE to cross me. We finish this in a day. We will show these weak fools why they fear to face us here. Until then, you will find them. Make them pay with their blood.”

With enthusiastic blood cries in the air, Migi slinks off back to his hideaway. As pleasant as the death of one troll seems, he’s alarmed at the power of the forces at work. Back at his cave a small gnome waits playing with a puzzle cylinder. His five ponies tug at the nearby brush with their reigns.

“You’re late,” Migi says walking up. The gnome lifts his balding head from his fidgety hands.
“You’re one to talk. It’s a long trek for short legs,” he snaps back. “And mules are more stubborn to a rider. I ran out of carrots.”
“Is everything here?” Migi scans over the barrels atop the mules.
“Ten kegs and some coin,” he says with a wave. “The guild sends its concerns. What’s been happening up here? I thought I heard an explosion earlier.”
“Plenty. Keep a wary eye.” Migi scribbles a few words. He passes the coded note. “I don’t think I’ll be here much longer. They expect to find their prize by tomorrow. Get back as fast as you can.”
“Where’s your troublesome quarry?”
“They are keeping me above suspicion. That… and causing enough trouble to make things fairly hot here. If I know them, they’re planning another attack soon. It’d be nice to catch a few of them…in a celebratory mood. Take extra care on your way back. Their scout likes to shoot first. The gnolls have troll trackers as well.”

Migi’s contact disappears through the trees. Migi rummages through the bags and chests. He turns around, bag in hand, to find a furry face and large eyes staring at him from across the camp. Instinctively he freezes in place. “Well, what are you doing here?” Unwavering, unblinking, the eyes refuse to answer. A tail flips behind the statue-like body. “It’s dangerous for you to be wandering the wilderness alone. You never know where the next predator may be.”
Migi finishes pulling out choice items. He turns again to find his visitor has left. He cautiously scans the area. “Strange. Cats don’t occupy the high mountains.” At least he didn’t say anything that was important. Migi learned early that nothing dangerous should pass the lips, even if one seems to be alone.

Not That High

10/7

Erol pulls Jak aside. Now that Midel has returned, he and Erol are butting heads again. He is also looking for his missing dragon. Jak confesses about the dragon they found and have kept it secret for quite a while. Erol suggests it remains that way. Finding a dragon is quite fortunate. Many in the arcane arts seek dragon parts for research and spells. Intrigued, Jak walks around town listening for any rumors about dragons. A man mentions the Green Dragons while talking to a nearby merchant. Jak pauses. It takes him a moment, but Jak catches on that he’s not just talking about the species, but the guild. Midel holds a membership with them, too.

After resupplying, the party is ready to cause more havoc for the gnolls on the mountain. Squishy stays behind with his injured dragon. His own abilities have been exhausted keeping the creature's favor. The plan is to skirt far to the north and camp out north of the ridge. Seth and Baron ask if they can accompany a second time. [The Temple of St. Cuthbert sends Baron again, as their concern grows of a large army forming on either side of the city. Despite her injuries, Seth is eager to kill more gnolls.]

The long day ends amidst the high peaks of the Torrent Mountains. They make camp just north of “Not That High” ridge a few miles from the lake. The low hills give them adequate cover from the camps opposite them. They make a fire and rest before their next assault in the morning. A roving patrol picks up their tracks just south of the ambush site from yesterday. With the troll tracker on point, they wind their way to the north side of the lake.

Jak sits near the glimmering logs as the others lay down. The beastly patrol comes across the camp as Jak pokes at the flames. Aided by their darkvision, they prepare for their assault on their unaware victims. Jak’s eyes slide over the dark shadows. He spots the troll’s glimmering eyes just as arrows fly into the camp. Jak casts flare illuminating the assailants (1 troll and 6 gnolls). The gnolls quickly fall in the crossfire of arrows. The troll proves himself a hardier foe. His furious blows manage to take down party members one by one. Soleara and Baron flutter around healing their companions, denying a swift victory. In the flurry, Jak knocks Baron out by accident. Soleara, Jak, and Baron bring the troll to the ground. As the wounds slowly begin to close, Jak grabs the body and drags it over the fire.

The flames slowly lick the smoldering carcass. The rest of the night quietly passes without incident.

Escalation of Forces

10/6

Fresh with reinforcements, the party heads back out to the mountains. They march along on the northern side of the ridge. [They pass a gnoll scouting party patrolling on the south ridge.] From the ridge, the party points out their objectives. They note the considerable deforestation along the river. [Ogres are now working away along the sides of the river. By reducing the tree cover, they hope to discourage ambushes in the area.] Jak asks Seth about her past and why she despises gnolls. “The first raid I remember, I was only a small girl. Our hamlet was on the outskirts of Palosen. The war between Aritur and Bendros took most of the men from our village. I heard people screaming as the howls came closer. My mother told me to hide inside the hen house. The screaming, the howls and snarls came closer. I didn’t come out for hours. When I did, there wasn't much left. The smoke still lingered over the mutilated bodies. I found my way to my aunt’s house after that. After that day, I knew someone had to do this. Someone had to fight back. I’ll kill as many as I can, as long as I can.”

Traveling through the woods north of the dam, the party hears a scouting party of 20 gnolls. Assuming it’s just another small group; they spread out and move up for a closer look. The gnolls spot them trying to sneak up and charge. A fierce battle ensues. All would have been lost if not for the foresight of buying some healing potions. Just about the entire party drop at some point, including the dragon. When it’s all over, Jak crushes all the heads. Martin bleeds out as the two priests check their fallen comrades. Squishy finds a brain to consume as the other strip the bodies of gear.

A gnoll patrol returns with most of the mangled and melted bodies they found. A dark cloaked figure parts the crowd and examines the condition of the remains. The smashed heads upsets him. “These wounds are strange. Some of them...look as if they were completely helpless. They injuries here are from a dragon attack; a young dragon.” The gnolls describe the dragon they gave Midel. They now suspect Midel is part of the party conducting these raids. They will not risk any more large patrols. The camps will be left too vulnerable if larger parties are sent out. Patrols will be sent out with the newly arrived trolls as trackers. The gnolls send runners to their allied tribes to attack Midel’s house and the valley below. This treachery will not go unpunished.

Migi has been pickpocketing his way through the bugbear camp. His lucrative bribes keep him above suspicion, for the most part. However, the arrival of three trolls forces him to flee from his routine espionage. Trolls are tough enough to ask for anything; and dumb enough to still rat you out. He wasn’t sure withdrawing was necessary until he heard the patrols talking. Trolls will accompany the scouts and sniff out any intruders in the area. The arrival of ogres to the camp has him equally concerned. Migi returns to his exterior scouting tactics, hiding just beyond the camp. He explains that he has to go check on the incoming supplies. At night he makes camp in a small cave. With enough caltrops and tripwires surrounding his makeshift refuge, maybe nobody will bother him there.

Midel demands an audience with Erol at his tower. Midel accuses him of breaking into his house and stealing a number of items, including a dragon. Erol professes that he knows nothing about any dragon. Furthermore, he has no reason to break into Midel’s house and steal anything he wouldn’t have any use for. Erol warns him of such wild accusations. Several guards died from something Midel was supposed to control, within his own house. Such reckless negligence could be…dangerous in the eyes of the local authorities.

The party returns to Forge Valley. Seth, Baron, and Crade are rewarded 50 gp each for their aid. [Baron reports back to the Temple of St Cuthbert. The priests there grow concerned that someone is indeed trying to raise the old temple. Since they haven’t gotten any news on the growing orc numbers to the west, they still won’t commit any clerics to the east.]

Danger Beneath the Waves

10/5

 

Jack and Squishy pool their knowledge. Undead will be a major problem within the temple. For the spell to be cast, black gems need to be placed in the eye sockets. They decide to remove the heads of all their foes as a precaution. Since undead don’t die, the temple may still have dangerous inhabitants. Squishy decides to investigate first hand. Solaera casts hide from undead on Squishy.

Squishy goes underwater and explores the hidden temple. He struggles opening the door, but manages to gain entry. The remains of several skeletons lie in the main chamber. [The main chamber remained impassable during the final battle. Erythnul’s defenders refused to give up the temple. Several skeletons and undead bodies have remained here.] The upstairs chamber is filled with stale air from several more decaying bodies. [The second floor was the last bastion for the remaining people trapped inside. The high priest was here when he met his fate.] Squishy briefly looks around and goes downstairs. After closely searching he finds some sort of glyph on the door. [The glyph of warding would have been one of the last spells cast in the temple to protect the inner sanctum. The spell is actually a simple illusion to dissuade trespassers that make it this far. The clerics were out of high level glyphs and could not cast them once the lower level started flooding. Instead, they used a clever illusion. A true glyph spell is undetectable by normal means.] Squishy decides to go back, unprepared to get past such a powerful spell. Squishy is most fortunate, considering the more powerful undead guardian still lies in the chamber beyond. The guardian loyally remains with the old relic fragment.

Migi spends the day walking around the camps making good with the grunting foot soldiers. He goes tent to tent making good with every mean face he comes across. Once the back is turned, however, Migi replenished his bribery funds. Meanwhile, nothing beats a small bet with the dice. “Remember, if the boss comes by, I wasn’t here. I want him to think I’m working, not slacking off with you guys.” [wink, wink]

Migi charismatically works his way around two of the camps. Why would anyone suspect someone so obvious who walks around so boldly? However, he keeps a low profile around the main camp. At least three people know how intrusive his presence is.

Then it hits him. Each of these camps is strictly segregated from each other. What would happen if the racial tension would rise, just a little? Tension is already high from the attacks along the river. How long could this alliance last when the fire brings it to a boil? “What do you mean you didn’t get the new weapons? Well, the gnolls need all the healing potions for the patrols currently. We’re still waiting for the next supply wagon to come in. The flock of mutton was supposed to be brought here, but the gnolls insisted that it be sent to their tribe to keep. Nothing I can do. Maybe I can make it up to you guys with something.”

Lastly, Migi wanders to investigate the goblin camp. What remains of the camp is surrounded by gnoll guards. No, nothing appeals more than throwing insults and a few rocks at captive goblins. Ah, the petty race of goblins. Of all the petty rivalries, gnomes have a fierce loathing of goblins. They have no love for bugbears either, but they aren’t at the mercy of an army. What to do? Oh, what to do? The goblins glare at him with disgust. “Well, I’m going to check on the work progress. Keep up the good work.” As if they had a chance. Hmmm…What if they did?

Migi makes his way to the river. It would be too difficult to slip a dagger into the camp. Slipping one onto one of the workers at the river would be much easier. Slipping a few upon them could cause quite a ruckus, and indirectly get rid of a few. HAHAHAHA! Wow. They’ve made a few improvements down here.

The party decides to go back to town. Along the way, they will attack the dam work crew again. They spot 2 gnolls, a gnoll archer, 6 bugbears, and 8 goblins along the cold causeway. Squishy slips into the lake and approaches the dam from underwater. Facing the dam, he uses his mind blast and the fight ensues. The gnoll guards are distracted allowing most of the goblins to escape. Migi sneaks into the fight. Ralph fires volley after volley at anything scurrying along the makeshift mine. Migi dives under a bugbear body before getting shot down. As the gnolls drop, the goblins make their escape. Migi throws up his arms telling them not to shoot. Jak immediately recognizes him, redirecting Ralph’s fletching. Migi explains not to worry about the goblins. The gnolls are now in charge at the camp now. He wants Jak to send a note back to the guards. Jak tells Migi to steal as many black gems as he can.

Party returns to town to sell equipment and recruit more help. Four decide to accompany them back into the mountains. They pick up Seth (Ranger 1) who has a hatred of gnolls, Baron (Cleric 1) representing the Temple of St. Cuthbert, Crade (Sorcerer 1) who thinks the job is worthy of elves, and Martin (Fighter 1) who needs the extra money. They leave in the morning. Squishy goes to the temple to buy some potions. The town doesn’t currently have water breathing potions in stock. Oddly, they're not in high demand in the mountains. Squishy commissions for some to be made. It will be three days before the water breathing potions are finished.

Progress of Whom and Where

Thus far, the party has been a nuisance to the dark unknown forces. As Grasnaz's tribe arrives, a new order commences. As the party gains higher levels, finding a challenge for them grows more difficult. This is the solution I found.

The gnoll encampment is 200 strong. Enough now occupy the camps to allow roaming patrols. The orcs have thus far been expendable troops. Bugbears and gnolls now guard their enslaved goblins and hobgoblins. Normally such creatures do not take slaves, but gnolls hate manual labor. Time is of the essence. Some force moves against the dark leaders here. There is a higher power that drives even them.

As the campaign continues, I can only hope that they vanquish these foes before I have to find even more powerful adversaries. Pitting them up against single powerful foes lacks a proper challenge. Swarm tactics are all I can work with for now.

Migi, the Master Spy

10/4

Migi knows the orcs and hobgoblins rarely work together. Tribal cultures have fierce territorial behavior. The Guild obviously wants its investment in the city protected from a major attack. But the old abandoned Temple of Erythnul, therein lays the curiosity. What could bring them together? Something of great value, no doubt. With a sack of gems the gnome makes his way cautiously back into the mountains. His trade as a master spy is not without merit.

Sneaking around the outskirts of an orc camp is difficult. No simpler is it to approach a camp of goblins or hobgoblins. Their vision can pierce the darkness much more effectively than humans, or even gnomes. Luckily, orcs also have a passion for destructive bonfires. The blazes illuminate the camps quite well for any onlookers foolish enough to snoop. From the overlook of the ridge he sees three fires.

Migi scurries through the woods to the first encampment. Hobgoblins and goblins wander through the flickering light. Most look tired from a long day’s labor. Nothing appears too unusual about the camp. The chiefs yell from somewhere beyond the Migi’s prying eyes. The goblins seem uneasy about something though. It must be a weak alliance that brings them all here. Mistrust lingers always in such a confederacy. All it needs is a little push in the right spot.

Migi creeps further east to the next encampment. Bugbears!? Migi peers over a rock. What in Bernman’s Plane are they doing here, too? Bugbears are just as fierce as these other two races. Ah, there! A few orcs are in the camp as well. How strange. These monstrous folk barely get along with each other. What are they all doing here? There’s only one way of finding out.

Migi crawls closer to his aggressive quarry. Common scouts know the value of stealth and invisibility. Migi has devoted a great deal of study to such skills. But to master his trade, he also took extensive time to studying linguistics. Migi realized long ago that knowing what was going on is just as important when he gets close enough.

As dusk settles atop the ridges, the bugbears gather to the fire pit. Three figures emerge from the chaos. A lurching figure with gnarled hands in black robes trails in the back. His features hide under a tattered hood. The second walks tall in a darkened set of banded mail. He brandishes a morningstar as he scans the growing crowd. The third leads the other two from a large tent near the lakeside. As he raises his hand, stillness falls over the celebration.  The symbol of Erythnul, the god of slaughter, adorns his robes. He hails the faithful that have gathered. "The joining of tribes will bring great riches as our enemies fall."

Snap! Twigs behind Migi give testimony to something approaching the camp. It’s a lot of something. Crouching at the edge of camp, Migi slowly turns his head. The glittering light dances off the leaves. Then shadows give way to shining eyes hovering high off the ground. A dozen appear. No, two. Three dozen at least as low snarls mix with the rustling leaves. Gnolls: the 9-foot tall barbarians resembling a humanoid hyena. Ahead of the pack are two bugbears. Migi forces the lump back down his throat. If it weren’t for the bugbears, Migi might have been caught in the middle of a raiding party.

One bugbear approaches the camp. Migi watches as he stops short of the crowd. He circles his club in the air. The leader stops in his speech for a moment, and then makes a distinctive nod with a grimace. They’re expected. Migi makes his move. He’s so close to the camp that he stands up and waves to the new guests. The gnolls spot him as he boldly strolls towards them. “Excellent job, comrades.” He stands firm, hands on hips, surveying from side to side. “A most excellent job. You are just in time. The master is very pleased.”
“Who you, small one?” came the gruff voice. He was muffled, holding back from his typical animal fury.
Migi pulls out two gems. “I,” staring into the bugbear’s dark furry face, “am the one who pays you.” He opens his palm to the large beast. “I’m the paymaster. Didn’t they tell you we would make it worth your while coming here?” By now, three gnolls have advanced to gaze upon the tiny stones held in his small hand. Migi turns his hand over and waits for his gift to be accepted. He doesn’t wait long. “And tell me if you guys need anything. I’ll see what I can do about getting it.”
The second bugbear returns. “They ready. We are…” he stops and looks at Migi. He looks back at the bugbear, pointing to the midget with a snarl.
“Ah, the other loyal servant returns. You’ve done us well. The master also wishes to reward you,” digging back into his pouch, “for your service.” It’s amazing how far you can go with a smile and the right attitude.

The gnolls move into the camp, followed by Migi. Who would notice such a small character amongst such a large congregation? From the back he overhears the commotion. “I told you I would deliver your enemies to you, Grasnaz. Now let us see how the great Gruumsh favors our band of warriors!” A feral war cry let out followed by the clash of metal on metal. Within seconds, it ended. The single band orcs were few in numbers. The gnolls closed into camp from all sides. Hundreds of the smelly animals, drooling for orc flesh to rend. Migi stood amidst the mayhem, arms crossed. He returns glances here and there with a swift nod.

The priest praises the gruesome sight. "It’s a true tribute to Erythnul. Now it is time for them to resurrect the olden ways. The temple that was buried, we will raise again. The work on the damn must be completed soon. Let us ensure that the others know who the greater god is. Go now and ensure their servitude. The world will fear us again!” A group of gnolls and bugbears take off for the goblin encampment. Migi mingles a little. He makes sure he knows where all the chiefs’ tents are. He informs the bugbears that he will be around for any equipment needs. Then he slips off into the night to make his own base of operations.

The Goblinoids are Digging In

10/4

Solaera casts lesser restoration on Ralph, healing his poison damage. They travel back up to the ridge. Through the sparse woods they can hear the rhythmic chiseling echoing in the valley. Another smoke plume billows east of the lake. They travel down the slope towards the lake.

Just over a ¼ mile from the lake they spot creatures working in the riverbed. Ralph attempts to sneak through the trees to spot a few bugbears with the orcs. At least one is standing guard with a bow. After an amplified mind thrust the party delivers a volley of bolts into the riverbed. Four bugbears and 8 orcs turn their attention to the trees. The orcs charge after Ralph. Elf summons a monkey. The monkey pelts the orcs with branches from a treetop, distracting them long enough to whittle down the other forces. Ralph slowly retreats back to the rest of the party before he is knocked out. It turns out to be a long battle. By 4 p.m. the last orc falls. Squishy soaks in the river for an hour while Jak drags the bodies into the woods. On the map they rename the location Carnage Point.

The party travels into the woods to approach the dam from the north. (Jak is now carrying over 200 lbs. of gear over his own weight of 125 lbs. The disadvantage of being the strongest in the party is that you become the pack mule.) They spot several goblins and hobgoblins working on the dam again. The construction is slightly higher than it was before. The simplicity of the blockade remains the same. They camp out to the north of the lake where they won’t be seen. The cool wind blows lightly in the dark night. Without a camp fire, the other encampments resonate across the lake.

The party sets up camp. Squishy walks into the cold waters. He explores the bottom of the lake and spots a sunken structure on the Southern side. He returns to camp reporting what he discovered. The party figures they are trying to drain the lake. The temple will likely have undead inside. They must be after some artifact inside. Elf says that the St. Cuthbert’s forces destroyed the temple before they knew its exact purpose. The small green dragon takes the opportunity and flies around a bit.

[Dragon isn’t feeling too bad. He contemplates as he soars around the high peaks. This tentacle-faced figure seems trustworthy enough. The others don’t try to harm him. The dragon’s selfish heart wants more, though. To be tossed the odd coin after having his stash taken is an insult. He learns much of what these people do while he remains, though. He finds where to gain more glistening treasure. Perhaps he will stay a bit. He is safe here among the cloak and swords. Leaving the river for this long leaves him vulnerable without them. The lakeside is a more suitable camp for the night.]

Ralph the Rogue

10/3

Ralph decides to sneak around camp looking for loot from the fight last night. He heads back to town ahead of the rest of the party. The others grow angry that he left and take off after him. They pass an old mine on the way back and hear skittering noises coming from inside. Rather than investigate, they continue their pursuit of Ralph.

Once he reaches town, Ralph reports to the sergeant insisting that he must see the commander. He claims there is an invading orc army gathering to the west (even though he was sent to the east.) However, he will only trade his information for a fine quality composite longbow (value: 200 gp). The sergeant asks for the report first, but Ralph refuses. He says he can’t authorize such a payment but will talk to the commander.

Ralph is led into the commander’s office. The commander stoops over a table with a cartographer. Ralph reports 5 regiments of orcs and 1 regiment of goblins. Two obvious separate encampments lie in the mountains. They are sending out scout parties. The army size over 4x the town’s population. There was someone standing on a stump giving a speech and they [the orcs] were all cheering. (Bluff…fail.) The commander is far from impressed and asks for Ralph to elaborate more.
Ralph continues his story saying he could see 2 ½ - 3 regiments from the ridge. The base is forming near the lake and sending out scouting parties. The forces are still just amassing there for now. Ralph realizes that he might not be winning their confidence. He says he was in such a hurry to deliver this vital information, he needs to go pee. The commander dismisses him to relieve himself. Ralph hastily leaves. The commander turns to the sergeant and says not to hire him again.

Ralph goes back to head off the party near the river. Jak confronts him screaming. Jak shoves him, slowly edging him towards the river while yelling. Squishy hears the screaming and uses his detect thoughts ability. After reading the betrayal and hostility in Ralphs mind, Squishy perceives Ralph as an enemy. Jak grabs Ralph and tries one last time to throw him into the river. Jak slips and bumps his head on the bank. Squishy uses mind thrust on Ralph. Solaera tries to break up the fight. Mary grabs Ralph and tries dragging him into the river.

Everyone eventually calms down. They discuss what they already know: There are 2 separate parties on the bank of the lake. The orcs may be having a celebration or ritual. Could this be an invading force, though? They were sending scouts out. Jak makes it clear that Ralph is an idiot. They could have easily bought him a fine bow with their funds. Solaera casts cure light wounds on Ralph.

Jak goes into town to sell the orc gear they just got. Then the party goes to investigate the mine they passed coming back down the mountainside. Once there, they can spot something large moving around inside the mine. Elf casts ghost sound just outside the entrance trying to lure it out. Mary also fires a bolt inside to provoke something. Nothing happens. [Two Large spiders await them to get closer to the entrance (tremorsense) or come inside their cave.] Jak and Squishy approach the entrance. One spider springs out and starts attacking. The second waits for the first to clear the way. The first is quickly slain while the second grows frightened from its injuries and retreats back into the cave. The party treads into the sticky cavern and kills it.

Mary explores the cave retrieving a MW longbow, a 20 gp gem, and 16 gp from two decaying orcs inside. Ralph attempts to extract spider venom and poisons himself on a fang. Jak lights the webs inside the cave on fire. After it burns down, they set up to camp inside.

The Recommended Ralph

10/2

The party manages to lumber into town about 3-4 a. m.
Migi reports immediately to the Guild and asks for runners to help him. The journey has exhausted him. He decides to rest before continuing on today. Having short legs rarely proves advantageous when traveling with the big folk. Upon returning he requests a small crossbow, another dagger, several bags of caltrops, and some way of releasing caltrops from strings behind him as he runs. He lets the Guild handle most of the materials and assess the dam situation. An hour of paperwork proceeds and he heads to bed.

Upon awakening the party receives several notes delivered by messenger:

Jak- In the area there are 8 orcs tribes, 3 hobgoblin tribes, and 5 goblin tribes. The best map of the mountainous area can be found at The Iron Quill in the South end of town. -Migi

Solaera- {Flowers.} I regret that I will not be joining you today. I’m running errands around town for Jak. I don’t know how long it might take. -Migi

Elf- The records of the old Erythnul attack and destruction should be at the temple of St Cuthbert. Ask for Father Ben. -Migi

Migi recommends an elven scout, Ralph. [Background: Trained militia scout. A few good references are attached. He grew up with a drunken father... reputation of killing things he doesn’t like... unusual traits include taking a bite out of killed foes and spitting them out. Migi knows he’s new in town. He sends Ralph to the town watch for work.]

The town guards offer Ralph a job scouting off to the east to confirm reports of orcs & goblins massing. He tries to barter a better deal than 10 gpld/day from the sergeant of the watch. The sergeant stands firm with his offer. Ralph can barter for more with the free adventuring group he will be traveling with. He agrees and meets up with Jak and the rest of the party.

The party wakes up around 11 a.m. Ralph delivers the message to Mary. Mary travels outside to see Squishy. She bothers him for more money to buy a new heavy crossbow. He gives her the coins. Squishy decides to stay with the dragon at the river for the day to make sure it doesn’t cause any trouble.

Jak sells equipment from his fallen foes first thing. He has the stone appraised, then identifies items at the Temple of Gond for 100 gp. Jak buys a map from the cartographer for 10 gp. While shopping, Jak hears that Midel is back, reporting a break-in at his house.

The party (Jak, Elf, Solaera, Mary, Ralph) head out a little after noon. They spot some movement along the ridge and decide to skirt further to the south. They creep up on 8 orcs waiting to ambush them along the ridge. The fight ensues: throat are cut, livers eaten, corpses looted, and camp made. Over the camp fire, they discuss the previous sighting at the lake. At length, they decide to go back to town in the morning.

A bugbear scout wanders into their camp during the early hours of Elf's watch. [The bugbear was sent to scout out what had happened to the party of orcs.] Elf casts dancing lights, allowing the party to spot and attack the hairy beast. After combat, Ralph takes over the watch. He hears some percussive sounds in the stillness of the night and takes a look over the ridge. He sees three fires in the distance and assumes the worst. [The sounds he hears are goblins working away the riverbed with shovels and picks. They labor away to deepen the riverbed.]

Where the River Flows

10/1

Jak checks the job board. Rising amounts of orcs have been reported to the west. The Keep continues to ask for more scouts. For the most part, the town has grown quiet of quests. The Ravens analyze their operations since one of their master thieves now lay behind bars. The party that put him there still lingers in town. Political sway increases to secure the release of Bachas.

Midel returns reporting the vandalism that afternoon. Most of the guards have heard official reports of orcs massing to the west by now.

Squishy notices that the river has grown shallow over the last few days. He decides the party should go upriver to see what the issue is (before him and his dragon become more noticeable.) The party travels east into the mountains. After a few hours along the rocky slopes, they come across a group of 2 hobgoblins and 8 orcs hunched behind a rock formation. Migi sneaks up to scout while Squishy uses his mind blast. The combat is short-lived and one of the orcs is tied up. Squishy charms the orc and Migi proceeds with the interrogation. The orc tells of a big meeting at the “old temple.” The hobgoblins were guiding them to it. Migi waves a dagger to signal that we should probably kill him. Jak nods an approval. Everyone else walks off to leave Migi alone with the orc.  How anti-climactic. Migi feels disappointed that his audience has left him to be a mere butcher. Tricking an orc to take off his armor isn’t easy. And apparently, they don’t care. Deceitful plans are so much more interesting… “So, which village do you come from my fanged friend? Tell me more about this…big meeting. Like we said, we’re heading there, too.”

The party reaches the first ridge about seven that evening. Light vegetation flourishes further within a high depression. Two streams of smoke billow from the southeast side of the lake. After 2 more hours of following the river, they see 10 goblins constructing a dam at the edge of the lake. Migi moves around to the right flank. As the party attacks, half the goblins start to run. Only three manage to get away. Migi loses a dagger while chasing them, but overhears war cries from the nearby camp. Running back, he convinces the party that they have to leave now.

The dam looks as if built to easily be taken down. Jak examines it and takes a few swift blows to the ropes. The upper parts of the dam crumble. The party runs to the ridge and spots a group following them about a mile behind. [Eight orcs pursue them with orders to bring back their heads or not to come back at all.] The party decides to ambush their pursuers where they fought the other orcs. Solaera casts healing on the wounded while they wait. [The orcs decide to give up the pursuit because they don’t want to chase them all the way into town. They will wait on the ridge and ambush them as they approach again.] After hours on edge, the party realizes the orcs are not coming and head back to town.

[The Evil forces at work know their project has been discovered. Orcs and goblins furiously work on the riverbed. The dam has to be repaired as well. Will the orcs successfully keep the project quiet? All they need is a few more days until the others arrive...]

Deeper Deception

9/30

Jak and Squishy look over Midel’s research papers. The conjuration spells involved are ice darts (2^nd lvl), summon undead II (2^nd lvl), mage armor (1^st lvl), and true casting (divination, 1^st lvl). Jak offers the true casting spell to Erol for another spell called weapon shift. He copies the others into his spellbook. The thirst for arcane knowledge runs swiftly through the veins of true casters. Erol buys the originals for a small fortune.

Migi awakens in a soft bed. Aware that his surroundings have changed, he glances around for his gear. Solaera cheerfully enters and casts cure light wounds on him. Jak has retained Mary and Migi’s equipment for repairs...and anything of interest to him. 

After paying off the gold debt to the Temple of Moradin, Jak visits Migi at the apartments. Jak subtly tries to interrogate Migi before he returns his belongings. Jak knows Migi’s studded leather is of finer quality and wants to know more. He casts minor repairs to mend the damaged armor. At length, Jak says he wants information on the thieves’ guild in town. Naturally, Migi plays innocent. Jak insists that he’s only in this for the money. He tasks Migi to find information on the thieves’ guild for him. [Oh, the irony grows! Now Migi has an excuse to point the finger at a scapegoat somewhere. Who in town could he throw into the furnace of swift justice? He’ll hold on to this cards for a fix.] Jak believes the thieves’ guild will have a large treasure horde and is willing to split the profits.

Solaera still doesn’t trust Migi completely. She casts detect evil before meeting Migi in the hallway. Migi is a shady lad, but he’s not evil character. Her detection reveals nothing. She talks with him for a bit more. Then he asks her out to lunch for graciously healing him. She accepts, goes back in her room, and casts detect chaos. Suspicion always tends to linger with lawful good priestesses. [Migi can hear her casting and suspects something is up.] When questioned about it, she says Jak just told her to do something for him.

Mary has raise dead cast upon her body. After an unpleasant revival the clerics heal her the rest of the way up. Weapon shopping takes the next priority. With the newly acquired funds she buys a dwarven-crafted bastard sword, very fine quality.

Elf accompanies Squishy to the temple for continued research. Squishy crosses divine spells that may also be cast by the arcane. He manages to find magic weapon, endure elements, resist energy, and shatter. Each will take at least 1 week to fully research, the last taking two.

Migi reports in to the Raven Robbers Guild and buys more supplies for the next venture.

The Misadventures of Midel

The Keep lies on the Northwestern edge of the valley. Forge Valley became a centralized mining and smithy community along the trade route through the mountains.

9/25 - 9/30

Midel discovered the mines leading to his cottage long ago. He explored what he needed to find an adequate path. Knowing the draconic language of the kobolds yielded easy communication. Since the house is not that secure of a location, he takes his spellbook on ventures underground. Not only has Midel partially explored the mines, he’s used it to covertly travel south to the Ferral Woods, territory of several gnoll tribes. Trading with the gnolls isn’t forbidden, just dangerous. Why trade for items when you can pry them off dead bodies? Midel managed to barter a baby green dragon from one of the tribes by forging a dark alliance. Such a creature grants great prestige within the Green Dragon Guild once he trains it.

Controlling the beast was difficult from the start. Time constraints and research allowed the creature to grow wild and unruly. It ventures out looking for a bit of mutton to eat whenever the mood strikes it. Midel threw it a few coins whenever he returned to his small shack. It didn’t hurt to sleep with acid resistance cast on his bed, though.

The day of the duel, the enthusiastic conjurer travels into the mountains for final spell components. He returns to find the underground passage has collapsed. Matters deteriorate when orcs follow him into the mine, forcing their way into the upper levels. The orcs slaughter the kobolds. Half of the reptilians are wiped out. The other half escape to the lower levels. The kobolds plead for Midel to help and refuse to fight without him.

Weak and unprepared to ambush so many orcs, Midel declines. He aimlessly meanders through the chiseled passages. He wanders into the unexplored parts of the deeper mines. His careful plan crumbled with every step. To find a legal way to challenge Erol’s position took weeks. Frustration overwhelms him as his light spells go out one by one.

By the third day underground, his patience has worn thin. The kobolds no longer view him as a powerful magic user. He cannot convince them to help. He can’t be the only target on the elevator. There must be something else in the mine he can use. The cold darkness envelopes his hopes. The comfort of sleep eludes him on the dank stone. He wanders back and forth running his frail fingers along the walls. A few light sparks and a lantern would do wonders for his sanity. Every drop of moisture seems to echo for miles.

Five days pass. He crawls back to find the elevator shaft empty. The elevator has been secured to one of the upper floors after the party's ascent. He can’t get up. Somehow he finds his way back to the earthy tunnels of the ankheg. His tattered hands guide him with a last hope of digging his way up to the surface. The pile of rubble previously blocking his way home has been moved. Hungry, tired, and exhausted the wizard makes his way down the winding passage.

His abode lay in shambles. Smashed glass and burnt paper litter the floor. The dragon must have done most of it. Where is the dragon? “BLASTED! My notes? Where is all of my RESEARCH!? Where IS everything!!? The door is busted in. Erol! That fink! Curses upon that piss pot glamour-artist. This will not go…without vindication. He didn’t even leave me my hat. I’ll kill that illusory thief!”

The Mines under the Mountains

9/29

Jak leaves the tower at 6 the next morning only to find Migi waiting for him in the courtyard. Jak states he’s going to the guild to check the job board. The job board mentions more scouting parties are needed at the keep. Large amounts of tracks have been found crossing the northern pass. The watch suspect a growing number of orcs in the area.

The party takes Migi down to the river to meet Squishy. Squishy feels like tormenting the gnome a bit. He tries to convince Migi that he is not really a gnome. Squishy keeps insisting that he is a fish. Migi insists that he is NOT a fish. Then Squishy insinuates that he will feed Migi to a green dragon. Migi confuses this with the Green Dragon guild, until he sees the dragon.

Mary eventually tires of Squishy’s rude behavior. She gets upset and claws Squishy for taunting Migi. They discuss terms for Migi’s entering the company. Migi agrees that he must earn his worth in the party. He won’t be getting paid up front like the other group of sell-swords.

The guards request that the party travel back to Midel’s house. Elf still thinks it was wolves since he didn’t see the carnage. The party buys a few torches and sets out. They go underneath the house again to explore the labyrinth of tunnels to the North, which go nowhere. The passage to the South runs into a rock face with a small crawl space. An old mine lies on the other side. The party ventures down the right passage. The passage gradually slopes up. After a few hundred feet or so, they spot the elevator.

Grasping the ropes, Jak pulls the platform into a dark ascent. Squishy picks up the dragon and levitates. They reach the 1^st floor. Above they can hear draconic voices whispering “they’re coming up.” Squishy casts inertial armor on himself. They slowly pull up to the 2^nd floor to see 8 kobolds waiting for them. Squishy uses his mind blast. Migi manages to safely tumble all the way to the other side. He turns to see Jak cleaving through the majority of the kobolds.
The party explores the rest of the level plowing through another 6 kobolds. Migi stands by feeling rather out-matched by the party. Clutching the wall, Migi spots a hole in the roof leading to the next level. [This hole is how the kobolds managed to escape the orcs from the level above. The orcs sometimes just piss down the hole to upset them. The act sometimes results in painful injury from awaiting snipers below.] The hole is only large enough for Small characters to fit through.

Mary and Migi volunteer to climb up through the hole. The rest of the party uses the elevator to get to the next floor.

Jak, Squishy, Solaera, Elf, and the dragon go up the elevator to the 3^rd floor and see 4 orcs, 2 with bows drawn. That’s right. The four guards did notice the elevator slowly rising the last two times the party used it. Squishy causes 1 orc to cower in fear. One of the orcs runs away, terrified. After the archers are dealt with, Jak frantically tries to kill the cowering orc. However, Jack is accustomed to swinging his huge sword in the open and keeps striking the surrounding walls. The rest of the group pursues the fleeing orc down the tunnel.

Meanwhile, Mary & Migi scout around to see a group of 5 orcs in the main chamber. They quickly duck away before they are discovered. An orc comes running around the corner (from the elevator battle) and Mary charges at him. Orcs in the room hear the commotion. She waits by the door to spring at the others as they emerge. The 5 orcs come out of the room and attack Mary. Migi trips trying to attack one from behind, but nobody notices. Mary is killed outright by the onslaught. It’s not long before Migi is also spotted and taken down.

The rest of the party comes across the four remaining orcs looting their comrades’ bodies. Squishy telepathically calls for Jak. Jak bolts down the hallway. He charges in slaying the orcs. Solaera & Elf rush after to treat Mary & Migi. (Migi is at -8 hit points. What would happen if one of the guild’s top spies didn’t return on his first venture on a new assignment? I didn’t have to worry about that. J)

Jak, Squishy, and the dragon explore the rest of the level. They see daylight, and 4 orcs in a nearby chamber.  Jak brashly charges in, missteps, and sprains his ankle. The dragon follows in viciously clawing and biting. It growls as it rends the last orc to the ground.

The party pulls out with their booty. They journey back to Forge Valley above ground to raise Mary. Solaera casts cure light wounds on Migi, but he remains unconscious. Migi is put in Elf’s room until he can be healed again. Jak sells the equipment and goes with Squishy to barter a true resurrection for Mary. He decides that this will cost too much and settles for a raise dead spell. They still don’t have the funds for the spell. They manage to barter the cleric down to 4500 gold. Solaera gives her word as a cleric that they will pay back the remaining 1100 gp within one year.

Unseen and in Plain Sight

9/28

Jak reports the incident at Midel’s house to the guards and returns the armor. He says it appeared to have been an animal attack of some sort.

Mary guides 4 guards back to the hamlet to remove the bodies. Three of the guards get sick at the sight of the acid-melted bodies. One of the guards starts looking around the mess as the remains are gathered. Mary suggests that they leave immediately. The snoopy guard agrees and walks out. Hours later, they arrive back at Forge Valley.

Jak barters the ankheg shell for a dwarvencraft greatsword and a dwarvencraft set of scale mail from 2 dwarven smithies (cousins). [The smiths agree to share any profits made from selling the ankeg armor. The shell is worth at least 12,000 gp if they can sell it.] The requested masterwork armor will take about 3 weeks to complete. Jak then goes to find Erol. Erol is oddly absent from his tower. Jak suspects Erol went south to look through Midel’s house. [Jak is right, but it’s hard to find an invisible, disguised illusionist. Erol left as soon as he heard his adversary went missing. He doesn’t find anything of importance at the house. The party has already taken most of the valuable things left by the challenging wizard.]

Elf has gone missing. He can’t be found anywhere. Jak & Mary later find him bound & gagged, locked in his room. He says he was abducted last night by someone. [Elf is the strongest party member the Raven Robbers know about. The Raven Robbers interrogated him to find out as much as they could. They are primarily concerned about who the party might be working for. Satisfied that they have kept their ruthless appearance, they bound him up and put him back in his room.] Elf says they knew a lot about him and the rest of the party. Elf decides he needs another room with bigger locks.

Jak later goes to the Silver Sword Guild to ask about membership. They welcome his entry as a person of some renown that would bring credit to the guild. Jak pays for a one year membership. He learns about the barrister, Frank, who represented Bachas and the other bandits. Jak goes back to the hamlet to look for Erol. He passes some peasants along the way, but none of them look familiar. Erol disguised himself preventing Jak from recognize him.

Mary goes out hunting again with no success. When she gets back into town she runs into a plucky gnome named Migi (NPC). He’s very excited to go with the party, wherever they’re headed. [Migi works for the Raven Robbers Guild. He will do just about anything to gain their confidence. His job is to learn what the party knows and see if they are truly allies or enemies of the guild, or their enemies.] Migi also meets Jak at the tower. Jak agrees to meet with him tomorrow morning sometime. Migi works under the guise that his sole interest is in the money, which isn't totally untrue. The four mercenaries made out with a small fortune in exchange for a little boot leather.

Missing Midel the Magician

9/27

Yesterday, Midel failed to show up for the wizard's duel with Erol. A dispatch of guards were sent to fetch him, but have not returned. The guards are looking for Jak & his party to go to Midel’s house. The party accepts and travels south to the small hamlet where the wizard has been living.

The community two hours south is nearly deserted. A peasant directs them to Midel’s house. He acts overly cautious. Squishy charms him to calm him down a bit. He says the mage wanted to be left alone. The guards went into the house and didn’t come back out.

Midel owns a small 15’ x 15’ shack with obvious signs of being broken into. Inside a few papers relating to property rights litter a desk. Squishy gathers them up along with a cloak hanging by the doorway. Downstairs lay a conglomerate of research papers on conjuring. The remains of 3 guards in breastplate lie within the narrow hallway to the backroom. A small hissing green dragon ducks behind the corner. Squishy extends out his powers and charms it. The party enters, searching around the smashed laboratory. Spotting a glint of something between the two plants in the corner, our Badger takes to digging. [This angers the dragon. That’s its hoard of treasure he’s been collecting.] As she delves deeper, Badger notices a tunnel behind the dragon’s corner. She explores it a ways back until it dead ends at a recent cave in. Badger digs through the collapsed rubble to a larger tunnel heading north and south.

Jak casts light. The party journeys down the tunnel to the north for about an hour. The tunnel rumbles. Something big is coming. An ankheg hurdles towards them.  A violent flare of magic missiles, mind thrusts, and healing spells ensues. In the midst of confusion the dragon, seeing the opportunity, catches both Mary and the ankheg with its breath weapon. 'steal MY treasure will you?' When it's all over, Jak has an ankheg to shell. They decide to head back to town. They strip the guards of the remaining gear to return to the authorities.

The dragon doesn’t want to go. It sits on its hoard adamantly staying with its treasure. After Squishy digs up the coins it decides to follow him.

Are These the Bandits you're Looking for?

9/26

The party awakens early in the morning to give their statements: In the inquisition are a priest of St Cuthbert and of Moradin, 2 guild representatives (Frank, the Raven’s defense barrister and Durin, the Silver Sword's barrister), and 2 guards.
During the inverviews, nobody mentions that they burned down part of the forest.

Squishy says "We looked for the bandit leader. The bandits had harassed some of the party. We found bandit camp. Only one bandit returned while we were there. We convinced him through deception that we were his allies. We found a few traps in woods. There is also a treetop lookout that can see all the way to the Keep."
Frank: How did you know they were bandits? Is there any evidence? "The bandits admitted to being bandits."
Priest of Moradin: What are you doing here, mind-flayer?  "I’m an outcast from my own society."
Priest of St. Cuthbert: And why were you outcast? What was your crime?  "My crime is not of your concern."

Mary: "We heard about the bandits on the job board."
Durin: How did you enlist the Silver Sword mercenaries?  "Squishy paid them. He found a necklace worth a lot."

Jak: "We left to capture these bandits and clear my friend’s name. We were attacked before by them along the road."
Guard: And how exactly did you manage to bring them in so easily where others have failed? "We claimed WE were the scouting party for the bandits." [why would bandits need a scouting party?] "We also know the bandits have been in the city."
How did you manage to freeze them when we found you?  "I wasn’t the one to freeze people in place" [The priests whisper a bit to themselves. Who did then? Miscasting doesn’t have that effect, does it?]
Do you know who else preyed victim to them men?  "I don’t know of who was robbed recently."

The party is released as the trial continues into the day. Squishy goes off to study. He's found at least half the info he seeks on psionic research. He finds the butcher later to get a brain. Afterwards he sells the extra stuff he managed to get on the journey.

Jak gets the 500 gp reward from the Silver Sword guild for bringing in Bachas. The other 500 gp is posted from the guard, but will be decided after the official verdict. The reward is split 60/40 between Squishy & the rest of the party. The government always works slower when it has to give out money. Jak asks about the elf that has been lost for some time in the area.

Mary goes hunting.

The rest of the day is spent lounging. [Elf is followed by the Raven Robbers guild.]