9/21
The party looks at job board: sheep have gone missing the the southeast.
The party travels southeast of the city to the attack
site. They find a sheep that has been mostly eaten last week. Some claw
and bite marks are still discernible. Some clawed tracks are found in the immediate area, but
disappear to the west. A sheep goes missing or is slain every 2-3 days. [The culprit is a baby dragon. The tracks disappear as it flies away. It has also been heard crying some nights along the southern rim of the valley where its lair is.]
The party goes searching some of the
mines along the southern edge of the valley. None of the miners have seen anything, but a lone miner
has been setting traps. He says he heard something he couldn’t recognize a few
nights ago. The party continues on and say they are looking for stuff to kill. Miners
mention a raid at Feldrum’s Brewery north of town. The party
decide to venture to Feldrum’s Brewery. [The raid took place a few days ago. They already met Feldrum, the dwarf, after he followed the orcs to their cave. Dwarves don't like to wait to recover heirlooms.]
The party meets Feldrum again. They learn rumors about the old Erythnul
temple in the mountains east of the valley. The temple was flooded about 50 years
ago. [This temple was an important location to the followers of the evil god. Its existence ended in a great battle. The siege trapped the clerics & undead inside. One of the Pelor clerics attempted to summon a water elemental. The spell miscast to their fortune, opening a portal to the Elemental Plane of Water. It was only a matter of time until the temple was completely submerged.]
The party
travels to the Crack & Pick Guild to see what mines are abandoned, in hopes to find
monsters to kill. Not too much luck. Several mines are scattered about in the valley. This is a large area for mining. [The city of Forge Valley gets its name from the steel forges that are commonplace here. The several hamlets that occupy the valley bring their goods here to sell and ship outside the valley.]
While traveling though the northern slums of the city, they come across
a gnome skulking about. Squishy charms the gnome,
Nibbles. Nibbles says he’s just going to the temple of Garl Glittergold. They talk
for some time. Solaera tries to talk religion with him. Nibbles wistfully evades the topic. [The temple of Garl Glittergold is not in highest standing with the authorities. Being the god of pranks, a number of incidents have put the temple in bad standing with the local church, St. Cuthbert. More importantly, Nibbles isn't going to worship at the sacred underground temple. The temple is a front for the Raven Robbers Guild (the thieves guild).] Nibbles talks a little about
the orcs in the mountains, the gnome areas to the northwest, the dwarf areas in the north, etc. Then he politely bids good day and leaves.
Frustrated, the party goes back to their apartments [all failing their Spot rolls to see that guards are watching them.
The guards are now aware of their residence and make inquiries about how long they
are staying.] and Squishy returns to the river.
Political
Political
Jul 25, 2012
Staying to Study
9/20
All the merchants from the caravan have been taken into custody and placed under guard at the castle. Questioning commences, and a message is sent back to the Keep.
Guild members are provided barristers for defense & decent accommodations. Two merchants and four guards are implicated in the incident. The Silver Sword Guildmaster in town wants to know who was going through the records at the keep.
[The guildmaster at the keep wants to know who the inspectors were that came. He sends a message to Forge Valley.]
As dawn breaks, the Party splits up to ask about studies & apprenticeships.
Jak inquires at Erol’s Tower. Erol is the city's arcane protector and will charge 50 gp/week, the first two weeks in advance, for a 1 month-minimum apprenticeship. Benefits include the use of the lab, research materials, the prestige of Erol’s name, 2 free 1st-level spells at the end of one month, purchasing spells at 1000 gp/spell level, and Jak can call upon his mentor for an extension of his apprenticeship. Obligations include a minimum of 8 consecutive hours/week, menial upkeep in the tower, and loyalty to his mentor. [Apprenticeship ends after a level is gained.]
Mary joins the reserve guards at the castle. They do not charge a fee. The training involves 1 month of strenuous activity. The reserve guards train as levies; quick response footmen. Two days/month are formation drills and tactics. Most of the training consists of weapons practice, battle cries, and how to keep up morale.
Elf, Solaera, and Squishy enter the Temple of Gond, which offers several researchers & instructors. Scheduling lessons is the hardest part. Elf & Solaera will require 1-2 weeks to research the material they are looking for (minimum 8 hours/week in the library reading.) An additional 1-2 weeks is needed to perfect their casting ability. Since psionics is less prevalent, Squishy's research will take 1-3 weeks. The fee for using the temple libraries is 10 gp/week for Elf & Solaera and 20 gp/week for Squishy. Additional research materials can be sent for, but it will take time to bring materials from another temple. Hiring a researcher to find the material costs an additional 30 gp.
The party decide to stay in the apartments for 30 gp/mo.
All the merchants from the caravan have been taken into custody and placed under guard at the castle. Questioning commences, and a message is sent back to the Keep.
Guild members are provided barristers for defense & decent accommodations. Two merchants and four guards are implicated in the incident. The Silver Sword Guildmaster in town wants to know who was going through the records at the keep.
[The guildmaster at the keep wants to know who the inspectors were that came. He sends a message to Forge Valley.]
As dawn breaks, the Party splits up to ask about studies & apprenticeships.
Jak inquires at Erol’s Tower. Erol is the city's arcane protector and will charge 50 gp/week, the first two weeks in advance, for a 1 month-minimum apprenticeship. Benefits include the use of the lab, research materials, the prestige of Erol’s name, 2 free 1st-level spells at the end of one month, purchasing spells at 1000 gp/spell level, and Jak can call upon his mentor for an extension of his apprenticeship. Obligations include a minimum of 8 consecutive hours/week, menial upkeep in the tower, and loyalty to his mentor. [Apprenticeship ends after a level is gained.]
Mary joins the reserve guards at the castle. They do not charge a fee. The training involves 1 month of strenuous activity. The reserve guards train as levies; quick response footmen. Two days/month are formation drills and tactics. Most of the training consists of weapons practice, battle cries, and how to keep up morale.
Elf, Solaera, and Squishy enter the Temple of Gond, which offers several researchers & instructors. Scheduling lessons is the hardest part. Elf & Solaera will require 1-2 weeks to research the material they are looking for (minimum 8 hours/week in the library reading.) An additional 1-2 weeks is needed to perfect their casting ability. Since psionics is less prevalent, Squishy's research will take 1-3 weeks. The fee for using the temple libraries is 10 gp/week for Elf & Solaera and 20 gp/week for Squishy. Additional research materials can be sent for, but it will take time to bring materials from another temple. Hiring a researcher to find the material costs an additional 30 gp.
The party decide to stay in the apartments for 30 gp/mo.
Jul 19, 2012
Fleeing the Keep
9/19
In the morning, Solaera tells the Curate about the Priest of Erythnul. The Curate says it is a delicate matter with all the influence the Priest has within the keep. The Curate thanks her and blesses Solaera and Mary.
[The Curate goes to tell the Castellon about the matter.]
The Party sets out for Forge Valley. They spot 3 orcs on the way.
[The three orcs are an exiled chief and his 2 loyal followers. They stop about a hundred feet away and debate about fighting the party.]
In his anxiety, Jak shoots himself in the foot causing the orcs start laughing at him. Jak shoots again and the orcs decide to charge. Squishy blasts two of them with mind thrust. Elf evokes two magic missiles at one. Jak manages to impale one and thrust his great sword through a second. They find 74 gp and the leather armor the chief was wearing. Solaera casts cure light wounds on Jak.
Squishy eats one of their brains as they dispose of the bodies to the side of the road. Mary utilizes her claws to bury the bodies in shallow graves.
The Party continues their journey and arrives in Forge Valley just after the sun sets behind the mountains.
[Meanwhile, the Sergeant of the Watch (Drayden) is escorting the Jeweler & his party north through the pass. They come across a group of merchants that say they were robbed 3 days ago. All of their horses and 2 carts were taken. As proof, they show their guild membership badges.
Drayden turns around and gallops back to the keep. He arrives within 2 hours and asks for 2 files of cavalry and a new horse. He storms into the Guild and asks about everyone who arrived for the festival and if any discrepancies arose. The Guild master says he was just going over the material that some inspectors inquired about last night. He asks for everything to be copied and brought to the stables immediately. The commotion alerts just about everyone within the keep. The Castellon & Curate receive a message of what’s known during their meeting about the Priest of Erythnul. The Castellon approves the pursuit of the merchant impostors.
The Sergeant and 15 cavalry ride hard south towards the city of Forge Valley. Five cavalry accompany Mycran (Acolyte 1) north to tend to the robbed merchants.
The Sergeant’s troop catches the merchants 2 hours before they reach Forge Valley.]
Forge Valley
Elf & Jak go to the tower to see if they can learn some new spells. An apprentice asks them to prove their interest in the arcane. They both cast small cantrips to demonstrate their skills. The apprentice tells them to return tomorrow to negotiate an apprenticeship with his master, Erol. Otherwise, spells cost 1,400 gp/spell level to purchase.
Squishy goes to a tavern looking for an artist of the arcane. He avoids talking to a drunk, some dwarves, and the elves there. He meets a wizard that does recognize him as an illithid. Squishy asks if there is a place where he can study philosophy of the Planes. He’s told the Temple of Gond or the wizard’s tower would be the best places.
Mary and Solaera wander around town looking for temples. Four exist in town: Moradin, Garl Glittergold, Gond, and St Cuthbert.
After wandering a while, Squishy goes outside town to soak in the river.
In the morning, Solaera tells the Curate about the Priest of Erythnul. The Curate says it is a delicate matter with all the influence the Priest has within the keep. The Curate thanks her and blesses Solaera and Mary.
[The Curate goes to tell the Castellon about the matter.]
The Party sets out for Forge Valley. They spot 3 orcs on the way.
[The three orcs are an exiled chief and his 2 loyal followers. They stop about a hundred feet away and debate about fighting the party.]
In his anxiety, Jak shoots himself in the foot causing the orcs start laughing at him. Jak shoots again and the orcs decide to charge. Squishy blasts two of them with mind thrust. Elf evokes two magic missiles at one. Jak manages to impale one and thrust his great sword through a second. They find 74 gp and the leather armor the chief was wearing. Solaera casts cure light wounds on Jak.
Squishy eats one of their brains as they dispose of the bodies to the side of the road. Mary utilizes her claws to bury the bodies in shallow graves.
[Meanwhile, the Sergeant of the Watch (Drayden) is escorting the Jeweler & his party north through the pass. They come across a group of merchants that say they were robbed 3 days ago. All of their horses and 2 carts were taken. As proof, they show their guild membership badges.
Drayden turns around and gallops back to the keep. He arrives within 2 hours and asks for 2 files of cavalry and a new horse. He storms into the Guild and asks about everyone who arrived for the festival and if any discrepancies arose. The Guild master says he was just going over the material that some inspectors inquired about last night. He asks for everything to be copied and brought to the stables immediately. The commotion alerts just about everyone within the keep. The Castellon & Curate receive a message of what’s known during their meeting about the Priest of Erythnul. The Castellon approves the pursuit of the merchant impostors.
The Sergeant and 15 cavalry ride hard south towards the city of Forge Valley. Five cavalry accompany Mycran (Acolyte 1) north to tend to the robbed merchants.
The Sergeant’s troop catches the merchants 2 hours before they reach Forge Valley.]
Forge Valley
Elf & Jak go to the tower to see if they can learn some new spells. An apprentice asks them to prove their interest in the arcane. They both cast small cantrips to demonstrate their skills. The apprentice tells them to return tomorrow to negotiate an apprenticeship with his master, Erol. Otherwise, spells cost 1,400 gp/spell level to purchase.
Squishy goes to a tavern looking for an artist of the arcane. He avoids talking to a drunk, some dwarves, and the elves there. He meets a wizard that does recognize him as an illithid. Squishy asks if there is a place where he can study philosophy of the Planes. He’s told the Temple of Gond or the wizard’s tower would be the best places.
Mary and Solaera wander around town looking for temples. Four exist in town: Moradin, Garl Glittergold, Gond, and St Cuthbert.
After wandering a while, Squishy goes outside town to soak in the river.
Jul 18, 2012
The Festival Begins
9/18
The Festival
The courtyard is a buzz with excitement. Merchants and peasants have come from all over the valley. Bakers, farmers, brewers, and chefs barter for the finest local produce. Rare merchandise from Marketh, cottons, jewelry bring an array of color to the booths. Blacksmiths and bowyers show off their latest crafts for the passing mercenaries and guards.
Jak and Squishy wander the flourishing market. The jeweler buys the gold ingot from Jak for 66 gp and the necklace from Squishy for 990 gp.
Squishy finds two students of the arcane in conversation. The two casters don’t recognize him as an illithid. He joins their conversation that gravitates to talking about the Planes in general. The topic switches to the Underdark, which Squishy lectures them about at length, being thoroughly familiar. The two are quite impressed by his knowledge. He later is at a loss as the conversation switches to the Elemental Plane of Fire.
The Tournament
Jak enters in both the melee and archery competitions. Jak is knocked out of the archery competition in the first round. Mary enters the melee competition as well. Mary makes it to the finals with two knockouts. Jak wins all 4 rounds of the competition with 2 K.O.s. Elf cheers for Jak and casts dancing lights over the crowd after each victory. [For reasons of simplicity, the character just appears in place of the dire badger, Selena. Selena was a dire badger. Mary appears as a half-badger barbarian. Nobody bothered to ask about some strange enchantment that might have been put on her, removable only through an act of bravery in combat. But who cares. Random acts of magic run rampant in Dungeons & Dragons.]
Solaera roams around healing competitors. She only has to cast cure light wounds twice. The Curate leaves the competition shortly after the new Priest arrives. The new priest in town is a priest of Erythnul. He is very charismatic and hold a lot of influence in the area. He is here to keep an eye on things to come. The Curate doesn't know, but doesn't like the Priest.
After the melee an argument breaks out over who was stronger, the Sergeant of the Guard or Maug, a mercenary that didn’t compete. Bets exchange at 2:1 odds for either side. The brawl ended in a draw: Maug laid out the Sergeant with a hay maker, but quickly passed out from exhaustion. Yes, it sucks when a barbarian rage wears off.
Jak mingles with the Sergeant and other competitors. The Priest talks to the Sergeant for a short while. The Sergeant is called away suddenly to the bank by a guard.
The Captain of the Guard & Curate await his arrival and go into the bank. [While at the bank, the Priest goes to the Chapel to learn what he can about Squishy] [The Curate emerges with two prisoners and heads for the barracks.]
Wandering the Streets
Jak & Squishy conspire to go to the bank. Squishy uses his abilities to give Jak a bonus on his bluff for...a few hours. They try to charm clerk, and fail. The clerk is rather amused that they tried and plays along. The two bluff that they are new guards for the caravan. They ask about what happened. "It was just another vain attempt to rob the bank. We are quite protected here, though."
Jak & Squishy continue to look for things to get into around the town. They bluff their way into the Guild House. With a brief flurry of words they are allowed to sift through the Guild records. Jak inquires about some discrepancies on the books that pertain to two wagons that came in from the north. The clerk says they had some old paperwork that just needed a few corrections. Just a small brush up. Jak says this is inexcusable. They will be back in the morning for a full audit of the guild records.
While walking around they see the Priest heading back to his quarters. Squishy says he will meet up with Jak later. Squishy follows the Priest & casts a 24 hr charm person on him.
The Priest invites Squishy in for a chat. He has actually been meaning to talk with Squishy once he found out that he was an illithid. The evil priest divulges the main plot of Erythnul & Nerull helping each other to unite the Bendros Empire to the southwest. He invites Squishy to join the cause. Squishy says he will give an answer by tomorrow and leaves the room.
After relaying the news to everyone else, the party decides to leave for the town of Forge Valley in the morning. [The Priest goes to tavern to gather more info from soldiers.] [The Guild Master asks about this "inspection" and what entries were in question.]
The Festival
The courtyard is a buzz with excitement. Merchants and peasants have come from all over the valley. Bakers, farmers, brewers, and chefs barter for the finest local produce. Rare merchandise from Marketh, cottons, jewelry bring an array of color to the booths. Blacksmiths and bowyers show off their latest crafts for the passing mercenaries and guards.
Jak and Squishy wander the flourishing market. The jeweler buys the gold ingot from Jak for 66 gp and the necklace from Squishy for 990 gp.
Squishy finds two students of the arcane in conversation. The two casters don’t recognize him as an illithid. He joins their conversation that gravitates to talking about the Planes in general. The topic switches to the Underdark, which Squishy lectures them about at length, being thoroughly familiar. The two are quite impressed by his knowledge. He later is at a loss as the conversation switches to the Elemental Plane of Fire.
The Tournament
Jak enters in both the melee and archery competitions. Jak is knocked out of the archery competition in the first round. Mary enters the melee competition as well. Mary makes it to the finals with two knockouts. Jak wins all 4 rounds of the competition with 2 K.O.s. Elf cheers for Jak and casts dancing lights over the crowd after each victory. [For reasons of simplicity, the character just appears in place of the dire badger, Selena. Selena was a dire badger. Mary appears as a half-badger barbarian. Nobody bothered to ask about some strange enchantment that might have been put on her, removable only through an act of bravery in combat. But who cares. Random acts of magic run rampant in Dungeons & Dragons.]
Solaera roams around healing competitors. She only has to cast cure light wounds twice. The Curate leaves the competition shortly after the new Priest arrives. The new priest in town is a priest of Erythnul. He is very charismatic and hold a lot of influence in the area. He is here to keep an eye on things to come. The Curate doesn't know, but doesn't like the Priest.
After the melee an argument breaks out over who was stronger, the Sergeant of the Guard or Maug, a mercenary that didn’t compete. Bets exchange at 2:1 odds for either side. The brawl ended in a draw: Maug laid out the Sergeant with a hay maker, but quickly passed out from exhaustion. Yes, it sucks when a barbarian rage wears off.
Jak mingles with the Sergeant and other competitors. The Priest talks to the Sergeant for a short while. The Sergeant is called away suddenly to the bank by a guard.
The Captain of the Guard & Curate await his arrival and go into the bank. [While at the bank, the Priest goes to the Chapel to learn what he can about Squishy] [The Curate emerges with two prisoners and heads for the barracks.]
Wandering the Streets
Jak & Squishy conspire to go to the bank. Squishy uses his abilities to give Jak a bonus on his bluff for...a few hours. They try to charm clerk, and fail. The clerk is rather amused that they tried and plays along. The two bluff that they are new guards for the caravan. They ask about what happened. "It was just another vain attempt to rob the bank. We are quite protected here, though."
Jak & Squishy continue to look for things to get into around the town. They bluff their way into the Guild House. With a brief flurry of words they are allowed to sift through the Guild records. Jak inquires about some discrepancies on the books that pertain to two wagons that came in from the north. The clerk says they had some old paperwork that just needed a few corrections. Just a small brush up. Jak says this is inexcusable. They will be back in the morning for a full audit of the guild records.
While walking around they see the Priest heading back to his quarters. Squishy says he will meet up with Jak later. Squishy follows the Priest & casts a 24 hr charm person on him.
The Priest invites Squishy in for a chat. He has actually been meaning to talk with Squishy once he found out that he was an illithid. The evil priest divulges the main plot of Erythnul & Nerull helping each other to unite the Bendros Empire to the southwest. He invites Squishy to join the cause. Squishy says he will give an answer by tomorrow and leaves the room.
After relaying the news to everyone else, the party decides to leave for the town of Forge Valley in the morning. [The Priest goes to tavern to gather more info from soldiers.] [The Guild Master asks about this "inspection" and what entries were in question.]
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