Thursday 28 March 2013

Chapter Fourteen - Chartram

Our heroes wake up the following morning, with Arradel curious about the magic compass.  As a rogue she has the ability to attempt to Use Magical Device, and bypass any magical protections or safeguards the compass may have in order to use it.  The group watches as she tries to find a way to manipulate the object into working.

Her attempt is successful, and she closes her eyes, and after a brief moment the group watches as part of the compass begins to glow, and points them south!  Everyone is thrilled, and they decide that they are going to follow the compass' bearings.  After travelling for some time, they decide to check to see if the compass has anything new to tell them, and Arradel once again retrieves the item from her belongings and tries to use it, only this time it doesn't go as planned, and she is knocked unconscious. After the group wakes her up they decide that until they know more about this object they should refrain from using the device.

They keep heading south, and soon they come upon some sort of checkpoint.  Two elves appear to be stationed at a guard post, and as the group approaches they wave them over.  

The laid back and peaceful nature of the elves is in full display as they heartily welcome a group of strangers onto their land.  They tell them that further down the road they will come to the town of Chartram.

Following the directions of the guards, they eventually come upon a humble elven conclave.  They are greeted by many elves as they make their way around town.  It's a breath of fresh air for them, as their experiences in town as of late have not been pleasant.

Locals tell them they can find a group of wizards on the other side of the town that might be able to give them some information on the compass.

After crossing the village, they come to large tree, with a staircase wrapping itself around it that winds all the way up to a large hut.  As they walk the stairs, and get the near the top, they gain sight over much of the forest's canopy and Arradel and Liaathvain are able to distinguish a large shape just over the mountains off in the distance.

It is the boughs of Alda'Orne, from far off in Verraway, homeland of the elves.  It is a massive tree, that is home to the elves' capital city.  They take a moment to admire the view and continue to make their way up into the cottage.

They are greeted by an elven wizard named Choska.  The group tells he and his assistants about their compass, leaving out parts of their journey that might draw suspicion from them.  The elves are fascinated with it, and will tell them they will help them uncover it's secrets, but it will take time.

The group then heads down to the local drinking spot, and while they are there enjoying themselves they learn the town has been having some problems with strange dogs as of late.  When they tell them about the worgs, the elves laugh.  They aren't concerned about a few worgs, they know how to kill them.  These ones have been different, and have been giving the town some problems.  Apparently, they've been able to teleport in and out of the town and run off with supplies.  They aren't sure how they've been able to do it, but it's become frustrating and it's upset the elves daily lives considerably.  

Knowing they are going to be here for awhile while the wizards attempt to discover the secrets of the compass, they decide to help out, and investigate this teleporting dog problem...

To Be Continued...

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Saturday 23 March 2013

Chapter Thirteen - A God's Call

Bogor and Liaathvain make their way around the city walls, looking to free up their horses from the stables.  Upon walking across the main road however, a knight on guard at the gates sees them, and starts making his way towards them.  Upon realizing who they are, he draws his sword and attacks them.

He proves to be a very worthy adversary however, and the fight lasts for longer than they both expected.  Liaathvain, concerned that she is at risk of losing her god's favour has been attempting to subdue him, rather than kill him which makes it a bit more difficult for her.  Bogor on the other hand is trying to use him as fertilizer for the grass, and as the knight succumbs to the blows of his enemies, he mutters his final words "My blood will feed the wolves," and then Bogor ends him.  It appears as if the knight was a member of the wolf cult, for his final words were very ominous.

As the two enter the stable to free the horses, Liaathvain has a change of heart, and believes the glowing light was a gift from a praying Eric, and now that the glowing has ceased, and she has the horses, she is willing to travel back with the group.

Meanwhile, Arradel and Radamyr are waiting for them to return.  They ask the fighter what kind of person Baltham was, and he doesn't tell them much besides the fact that he was a grumpy old man, and that he doesn't have any information on the magical compass.  He then takes his leave, and runs off into the night.

Arradel takes this time to confess to Radamyr that she lied to Liaathvain, and that she could find no sign that the wizard was evil.  This revelation troubles them, and they question the princess' motives.  Why would she claim that he was a man of ill repute?  Surely she would have known more about him.

Liaathvain and Bogor soon ride up, and tell them of their encounter with the evil knight.  Arradel soon suggests that rather than head back to Greyholt, they leave and travel south through the forest, until things blow over.  Liaathvain does not understand why they won't finish their mission and return to the Princess, but since there is no arguing with them she reluctantly goes with them.

Before they leave however, they hear a horrifyingly loud sound come from the Forum.  They listen closely, and they discern it is the sound of wood snapping and cracking.  There are terrible crashing noises coming from the city.  They are too far to see anything, but the fact that the sound is travelling this far suggests something terrible has just happened. The sound lasts for several minutes, and once it has quieted down, they leave.

They ride south on their horses, Snowball and Fireball, for a long time, until they reach a safe area of the forest for them to set up camp.  Liaathvain agrees to take watch first, and after an hour or so she once again experiences a vision.  This time it is Eric, and he is kneeling next to what appears to be a very small lake.  She also sees various animals in her vision, and notices a deer in particular.  The vision then fades, and she is left bewildered.  That is until she sees a deer poke it's head out from the forest.  It looks at her with curiosity then turns around and begins to walk away.  

The paladin follows it until she comes across the same body of water from her vision.  There is no sign of Eric however, and as she approaches the water, a small gust of wind blows by her, and she begins to hear a strange sound of wood snapping.  She turns around to see that the exposed trunks of nearby trees are carving expressionless faces out of their wood.  The night air warms around her, and the mouths begin to move, and a powerful voice fills her head.

She receives the message, and realizes that her god has just spoken to her.  As soon as the message is received, she returns to the camp, and is left to question the strange encounter she just had.  She smiles though, knowing her god has not abandoned her.

Chapter Twelve - The Heist Pt.3

Liaathvain sits at the base of the stairs with a look of shock on her face.  Baltham, the wizard they were only supposed to steal from, lies dead at the top of the stairs. She's heard of Paladins losing their connection to their god for committing certain acts, and she's concerned that this might be one of those cases.  

It is at this moment Arradel has come up from the secret trap door in the basement floors, and after seeing what has happened, looks towards Baltham's bodyguard.  He has ceased his hostilities realizing the one who was paying him is now dead.  Arradel tosses him some gold to keep him silent, and he has no problem with that. She then runs upstairs to search for the compass.

When she enters Baltham's room, she sees a small box in a closet, she opens it up to check for the compass, and sure enough it is in there.  However, before leaving she is curious as to why the Princess thought the wizard was of questionable character, so she decides to scan the room for anything that could be evil, or at the very least, able to be considered evil.  She's going to need Liaathvain complicit in order for their escape to go smoothly.  To her dismay, there appears to be nothing of any kind of evil in the room.  Spying a stack of wizarding books, she decides she could at least use those.

As she heads down the stairs and tells everyone that she has the compass, she tells Liaathvain that the room is full of evil things, including books on dark magic.  The lie succeeds, and Liaathvain believes her.  It's at this point that the fighter hears the sounds of guards clamouring outside, and they realize the sounds of battle, as well as a somewhat burnt through staircase have attracted the attention of many knights.  The group decides the best option to stay hidden is to head into the basement, and the fighter accompanies them.

No sooner do they all make their way down into the basement, do the knights come storming into the house.  Upon feeling a very strange chill run up their spine, Liaathvain detects evil, and to the group's shock, she detects evil coming from right above them, though knowing this doesn't help them currently.  They are very much outnumbered, and they now have only one escape route, out through the basement window.

Radamyr casts ghost sound out the window to make it sound as if there are people running away from the house, which lures the guards outside away.  They take this opportunity to squeeze out from the basement and head for the city walls not too far away.

As they go to leave though, Liaathvain suffers a strange kind of vision.  She sees Eric the Cleric, kneeling by the tree over by the town's church, praying.  Then the vision ends.  She tells the group of what just transpired, and she believes it is her god calling to her.  The church is on the other side of town, and there is a good chance the city is on alert due to the commotion they've caused.  Despite the risks Liaathvain tells them that she plans on going over there, believing her god is sending her there.  

The group strongly disagrees with this move, and after a lot of deliberation she agrees to find a safer route by travelling around the city, instead of through it.  The group finds a wide open enough area, and chooses to plant one of their Feather Tokens.  A tree grows from it, and they use the massive tree to climb over the walls.  

They manage to land somewhat safely, after which something strange happens.  Liaathvain's hands begin to glow with Divine magic.  The group doesn't have any idea what this means, but Arradel and Radamyr both having no intention of following Liaathvain on her crazy mission, tell her they'll meet her in the forest afterwards.  Bogor, not wanting her to go alone, travels with her.

The glow emanating from Liaathvain begins to travel through her whole body, and she is fully healed from their previous battle, which is good news for her, for the fight to escape the Forum is not yet over.

To Be Continued...

Friday 15 March 2013

Chapter Eleven - The Heist Pt.2


With a plan in motion all they need to do now is wait for him to show up.  Arradel stays in the Donkey for several hours while the others hide.  Sure enough, Baltham shows up, but not alone.  He has a mean looking bodyguard with him.  After the wizard has taken his fill on drinks and food, he proceeds to leave the bar, and Arradel follows him.

The other three tail her, but keep their distance.  But just as Arradel passes a side street, three Knights of Alabaster walk out, and turn towards the three adventurers, and cut them off from their friend.  Arradel notices this but continues to follow the wizard, leaving a trail of arrows drawn on dusty windows in case they need to find her.

The guards happen to be the same three that Radamyr tried to charm on his first visit to the city, and just when things start to get a bit heated between them, there's a strange green glow that starts emanating from under Radamyr's cloak.  Radamyr tries to tell them it's nothing, but something has aroused the orb's magic, and soon a brilliant green flash occurs, and they are all knocked unconscious.

Arradel has kept a safe distance and manages to tail them all the way to the wizard's home, but when the bodyguard goes to do one final check of the streets, he spots what appears to be an old woman staring at them.  He approaches Arradel, wanting to politely ask what's wrong, but he is no fool, and sees right through her disguise.

When she tries to flee, he reaches out to grab her, but only grabs the costume she was wearing, and she barely makes it away.  Forsaking her costume she bolts, giving the fighter a full view of her armour before taking off out of sight. 

The other three wake up, with dirt and sand in their mouth and when they look around, they realize they are still standing in the street, but the three knights of alabaster, are not.  The orb has sent them away somewhere.  Once again, the orb has intervened with no explanation.  

When Arradel runs into her compatriots again they all have a story to share.  They tell the rogue about what happened with the knights, and Arradel informs them that their plan may be compromised.  Realizing their group may have just given their target a head's up that something is wrong, they decide to throw caution to the wind, and try something crazy. With the sun setting after a long day of information gathering, and waiting, they decide the best course of action is to simply walk up, and knock on the front door.

Arradel leads them down the winding path to the part of town with houses built with strange angles and alleys, until they walk up the front steps and reach the front door.  Radamyr and Liaathvain stand at the entrance, and begin to knock.

When the fighter answers the door, he is immediately suspicious and asks them what it is they want, noticing Arradel puts him on his guard.  They try to reason with him, but to no avail.  They aren't offering up any reason that he would believe, and he slams the door in their face.  After repeated attempts at negotiating fail, Arradel decides to sneak around the house to look for another way in.  At this point, Radamyr brandishes a spear he had purchased, and uses it to knock on the door.

When the knocking continues even after the fighter drives a sword through the door, in attempts to send them a message, the bodyguard decides he has had enough.  He bursts open the door with his weapon drawn, and the group finds themselves in a fight for their lives.  

They are severely outmatched by this man, but by sheer stroke of luck they manage to disarm him of his greatsword, a weapon capable of inflicting a lot of damage.  Bogor begins to rage and charges the fighter.  A big struggle ensues in the house, causing a lot of noise.

Meanwhile Arradel has found  a small basement window, with a lone candle lit, and she manages to shatter it and make her way inside, entering what she believes to be a secret basement.  She gathered this by the odd staircase leading up to the floor above.  She assumes there must be a trap door at the end of it.

The fighting continues inside, and Liaathvain manages to overhear a strange chanting come from around the corner, as she goes to look up she sees Baltham, preparing to cast a spell at the top of the stairs.  Not looking to kill him, she attempts to subdue him with non-lethal attacks.  She strikes him with the flat of her blade, but he is more sturdy that she realizes.  His eyes light up, and fire forms in his hands and he sends a Fireball flying at her, and she suffers more damage in one spell than any one source from their whole adventure.  They realize they are in a seriously dangerous situation, as the fighter is also not showing signs of slowing down.  

Just as the battle looks to be turning in favour of the wizard, he offers them a deal.  If the other three leave, he will spare Liaathvain's life.  Showing that he means buisness, he immediately begins to cast another fireball.  Liaathvain cries out for the group to listen. Being left to Baltham is a risk she is willing to take.

Realizing they have a very short amount of time before Liaathvain could be killed, Bogor makes a split second decision. While raging, he charges past the fighter, and runs up the stairs wielding his battle hammer. With no signs of holding back, he raises his weapon above his head for one powerful swing. He brings it down upon the wizard, and he crumples to the floor.  

The commotion of the battle has caused a few nearby citizens to panic, and they begin calling out for guards to investigate.  With their plan having gone completely awry, they now realize they have murdered their target.

What they haven't noticed yet, are the guards that are beginning to make their way up the road.

To Be Continued...

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Thursday 14 March 2013

Chapter Ten - The Heist Pt.1

With no sign of Boro at all, the group is concerned that perhaps he died in the attack.  The reality of the situation sinks in, and they realize that this is going to be a lot trickier than perhaps they first realized.  They don't know what to expect once they enter the Forum, and to cover more ground, they decide to split up.  The first thing they need to do is find out what their target looks like, and where he lives.  Arradel and Bogor head to the stables to tie up the horses, while Radamyr and Liaathvain decide to head into town to start gathering information.

However, their search proves to be fruitless as the town seems to look at them with an air of suspicion.  They are after all, the ones who brought the Worg's head to the church. They realize Versteeg had been telling everyone about their deeds, so word had travelled fast about them, even moreso when it was no longer hope that fuelled the conversation, but rather fear.  

Radamyr wasn't doing them any favours either when he tried to intimidate a local merchant into giving him information when it was clear that the merchant was reluctant to offer any info up.  Liaathvain was not at all happy about that, but Radamyr believed it to be the only way to get information from these people, who seemed to already harbour a serious dislike for them.  They were met with a roadblock again, at the registry where Liaathvain tried to be diplomatic with the clerk when asking about Baltham by name, however the clerk seemed to be thinking with his gut, and didn't trust their intentions, and turned them away.

Arradel and Bogor seemed to get a long a little better at the stables, when a nervous stable boy was approached by the rogue.  She was able to discern that the town wasn't like it used to be since the worgs.  He tells her he still hears the howling in his head, Arradel promises they will get to the bottom of this.  When he tells her the town is on a bit of a high alert, she decides now would be a good time to use some discretion.  She heads back to Boro's and disguises herself as an old woman.  

The disguise seems to do the trick as she seems to fool the guards.  They don't give her much afterthought, and her disguise seems to take attention away from both herself, and Bogor.

They too go seeking information, and Arradel thinks it a good idea to use some of her contacts in the city, assuming they are still alive.  She heads to the apothecary where a contact named Aiden works.  He wasn't harmed in the attack, and manages to tell her that Baltham seems to enjoy a regular schedule of visiting the Donkey. Before he can give her any other info though, his partner pulls him away for something else.

The four convene at the middle of town, and decide their last course of action is to use Arradel's other contact, Denae, a bard who works primarily out of the Drunken Donkey.  All except Arradel find a place to hide, while she enters the tavern.  

They're in luck, and Denae is currently putting on a small performance.  She takes a seat near him, and when there's a break in the song she reveals herself to him, and he tells her to meet him in the back alley.

She brings over the rest of the group, and Denae tells them everything he can about the wizard, and what's been going on in the town.  He tells them to be very careful, all the guards and citizens are on the lookout for them.  They aren't going to charge them for anything, but no one trusts them.  The town seems to think their actions lead to the worg attack.  The group thinks this is entirely irrational, but Denae assures them that fear can make a lot of people think crazy things.  He tells them he was a witness to the gruesome death of a few guards, and that he wasn't the only onlooker.  This town has changed.

He tells them Baltham is due to show up that night, and it will be obvious when he comes in because the grumpy old man pays him to play the same damn song over and over that everyone seems to hate.  That's how she'll know it's him.  When he asks why they want to know about him, they tell him they can't say, which worries him, but he's willing to put his faith in Arradel.

Radamyr then pays him to craft a full version of the song "The Clumsy Cleric", which he agrees to do, and will begin working on it when he can.

To Be Continued...

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Chapter Nine - Mission Interrupted

The next day the group is brought to a small area inside part of the noble's corner.  The princess is waiting with a guard, and when she sees the group arrive, she waves him away.  

She tells the group she believes the key to preventing the wolf cult from returning to strength is to find that city once again, and use whatever power lies within to destroy it once and for all.  The problem, is finding the city, since no record of it exists.  She believes she has a way of locating it though.  She knows of a Verrawayan object known to be a Magical Compass, capable of leading whomever owns it to great sources of magical power.  She also knows it is in the possession of a rather nasty wizard, currently living in The Forum named Baltham, but that he won't part with it willingly.  They'll need to steal it.

Upon hearing they would be stealing something, Arradel's ears perk up, and she decides to join in the conversation, having recused herself from it originally on the grounds that she doesn't like Wandaella.  Her mind was quickly changing, however.  

To help them, she offers them a potion of invisibility, and gives them some gold.  She can't give them to much, for the royal treasurers are keeping an eye on the family's gold reserves, in an attempt to ward off any bribery that may arise due to the political climate in Dahldrum.  When they ask if they can have some horses for their journey, she agrees to give them two.  They thank her for her help, and head off to the stables to prepare for their journey back to The Forum.

Leading their horses across the pillar, Arradel stops by a local jewellery stall, and tries to plant the seed that they are heroes, on a quest to save the kingdom.  Bueller, the jeweller is amazed that they would risk themselves for the kingdom, and watches in awe as they make their way down the pillar.

The group rides out across the plains, passing by the farmhouse they burned to the ground after battling necromancers.  They take in the beautiful scenery of the rolling hills, but they stop when they see something strange.

A very small forest seems to have sprung up in the middle of the plains almost overnight.  They certainly didn't see this the first time they passed through the plains.  Deciding to investigate they ride over.  They tie the horses up to one of the trees, and cautiously make their way to the central area from the eastern corner.  Remaining hidden, the group spies the body of a human lying face down in the dirt, and sitting right next to him, a Kobold.  

The kobold appears to be whimpering, and crying out in pain.  Liaathvain senses evil nearby, but they inch their way closer to investigate, ready for action.  Liaathvain and Bogor head in first to try and see what has happened to the Kobold, who now seeing the two approach continues to whimper and cry out, but makes no move to try and run away.

Once they ask it if it's alright though, it lets out a loud cry, and many kobolds step out from behind the opposite treeline, including three new, tall lizards they've never seen before called Troglodytes. The trap is sprung.  

A long fight ensues, but the group manages to fight them off, even when they went after their horses. One poor kobold in particular had a rough go in the fight, and he was spared after the fight so he could be questioned.

Arradel threatens him with her dagger, and asks who that human was.  He tells them he doesn't know, but that he was tortured and used to make Feather Tokens so they could make this forest.  When asked why they would go to all this trouble, he responded by telling them because they hate their group, and wanted revenge for killing their brothers and sisters in their battle in the forest on their way to the goblin cave.  

When they ask him how they knew about them, he responds with "All Kobolds in this region know of you!" This causes the group to cheer, and be quite pleased with themselves.  When they realize that the kobold just wants to kill them, they see no further use for him.  Arradel finishes him off, and they tend to their horses.

With the help of their horses, they are able to make excellent time, and arrive at Boro's house late that night.  They make their way inside, and hope to find Boro home. However he isn't anywhere to be found.  They decide they would spend the night there, and explain their situation to him should he come home.  

They rest up, knowing that they have a mission to accomplish the next day.

To Be Continued...

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Chapter Eight - Cult of the Wolf

The next day, as our heroes are making their way through the capital city they happen to notice an eagle flying overhead.  This puts them off balance a bit, for they know what happened the last time they saw this sort of thing.  On their guard, they begin to make their way to the historian's house to meet with him and see what he came up with.  As they are walking up his street however, they hear a terrible cry.

They turn around to see Sheifle red in the face and looking mad with rage, tears flowing down his face.  He is flanked by Cypress and Jorga, who appear to be quite shaken.  Sheifle draws his mace, and charges at the group, screaming for Radamyr's blood.  He attempts to charge past Liaathvain, who manages to wrestle his weapon from him, only to have him barrel past her and brandish a dagger.  He runs up to the sorcerer, but Radamyr is able to knock the dagger from his hands.

Sheifle screams at him "HE'S DEAD, HE'S DEAD" and proceeds to land a solid punch against Radamyr.  The scene has attracted many onlookers from their windows, and some are calling for the guards.  

In an attempt to stop him from harming the sorcerer further, Bogor steps in and delivers a powerful blow with his hammer.  Upon impact, Sheifle is bloodied, and crumples to the ground.  He's alive but in terrible condition.  Responding to the cries of its citizens, a patrol of Knights arrives in time to separate the combatants.  Two drag Sheifle off for medical attention, while the rest take everyone else to holding cells, MUCH to the displeasure of Arradel, who is absolutely fuming over being carted off.  

The knights say no one is being accused of anything, they are simply holding them until they can piece together what happened.

The group is separated into cells.  Both Arradel and Liaathvain are put in one cell together, Radamyr and Cypress are sitting together, with Jorga and Bogor having their own cell each.  Jorga does not look well, as she has simply been staring at the floor and looking distant this whole time.  Realizing they have a quiet moment, they ask Jorga what happened, and what drove Sheifle to near madness.  

Without looking up, Jorga tells them that the night after they left for Greyholt, there was a terrible howling that came from outside the Forum's walls, and shortly after that, packs of Worgs came bursting in through the gates and tore their way to the church.  Many knights were killed, as well as everyone in the church, including Versteeg.  Jorga had been staying in a house that overlooked the path of terror the worgs made as they rushed through the city, and said it was monstrous.  She said it seemed as if they were targeting the church, and because the group had left the head of a dead worg there, combined with the suspicions the three already had of them, Sheifle thought perhaps they had lured them in.  She knows it's crazy, and she tells them she understands his madness, for the cleric was one of the first to walk into the church and see the terrible scene within.  Sheifle told Cypress and Jorga to come with him, and worrying about his sanity, they followed. They left shortly after the attack, knowing that their group had left for Greyholt.  

The room falls silent, and several hours pass. Cypress is off in his own little world, manipulating fire in his hands while Radamyr watches, and Arradel, still completely furious over this whole incident starts to check out the lock on her cell, until they hear the voice of a woman outside the door.  After a brief muffled conversation, the guard that was outside the door leaves, and in walks the Princess.  

She thought that when she heard guards had arrested honoured guests that it might be them, and she came to find out what was going on. She also told them that she had brought the historian so they could speak to him while they wait for their release.

The group however refused the offer, saying they did not wish to speak with him while trapped in the cell.  Wandaella was a bit baffled by this decision, and chose to sit and wait with them, wanting to be there with them when they go and speak to him. Concerned with what is happening to their kingdom, she wishes to know anything she can about the worgs.

Wandaella spent much of her time watching Cypress, and he would look back at her every once and awhile. After another hour the guards release them, and tell Cypress and Jorga where they can find Sheifle, and that he is in stable condition.  They run off to go and see him, while everyone else makes their way to the historian's.  

Upon arrival he brings them into this study, and lays out everything they left him, and asks if any of them have ever heard of the Cult of the Wolf.  They of course haven't, and he goes on to tell them that they were an ancient order of druids who worshipped wolves.  They revered them so much that they began to curse themselves with Lycanthropy, the terrifying werewolf's curse.  He also mentions that it was interesting timing, for Sir Ravenhold had been looking into the sacrifices as well, and had come to him earlier seeking counsel.  

He went on to say how the cult's ranks grew to great numbers, and soon they began to threaten all of Dahldrum.  The reigning king and military at the time could not stop them, and so the elves of Verraway stepped in to help, and were able to push them back, using a power hidden deep away within a mysterious city.  The city appears to have vanished without a trace, however, and no record remains of it.  It doesn't say what the power was that defeated them, only that it lied within this forgotten city. He goes on to say that the ritual sacrifices must be tied to bringing the cult back to power. In fact that green piece of fabric from Boro's house is actually a torn piece of a wolf cultist's cloak.   The repairs have been extensive to keep it in this condition after all these centuries.

When the party tells the princess that she'll need to tell the king, she laughs.  She knows that he won't believe it.  While he'll find the worg's behaviour strange, he's always been a sceptic.  He will surely doubt the existence of a mythic evil cult.  She believes he'll just increase patrols, and put out bounties for worgs.

Liaathvain offers the group's services, for a cost.  The group admires her cleverness, and the princess tells them she will have a mission for them tomorrow.  They will be summoned to her, and she will give them instructions.

With many questions answered, the group makes their way back to the divine district, and pays a visit to the small rest area where Sheifle is being tended.  Jorga is sitting in a corner, staring off into the distance, and Cypress is once again playing with magic.  Radamyr scribbles a simple note, and leaves it with Cypress, asking him to give it to Sheifle when he wakes up. Afterwards they decide to stop by the paladin's home to fill him in on all they had learned, but they found his home empty, with books and notes strewn about the room.  It didn't appear as if he'd been robbed, but rather that he was engrossed with his study of the evil objects.  

Further investigation into his notes would find that he believed the amulets to not only increase the vitality of the wearer, but that they were also a way of communication.  Neither of the objects are present though, and he appears to have left in a hurry.  Concerned for their friend, they head to their lodgings, and eagerly await word for their mission.

To Be Continued...



Wednesday 13 March 2013

Chapter Seven - The Council of Eight

Later that evening the group is escorted to a small building near the palace, and given a chance to freshen up with some fancier clothing before their meeting.  They are advised to leave all weapons and armour behind.  Radamyr brings the worg teeth with him, in case they could help prove their claims, and Liaathvain thinks it would be a great idea to bring the orb with them, and just to make sure it is not viewed as a weapon, Radamyr hands the orb over to her, where she holds out it in front of her, in plain sight.  

Once they're ready, they are brought inside the royal palace. As they head inside they see a very regal looking carriage, and they recognize it as the same one that was at the execution the day they all met. They are then lead to a massive meeting area.  There are eight large pillars, each rising higher than the next.  Behind each pillar sat a human.  The human sitting behind the tallest one introduces himself as King Darsaadi, the First of Eight, and head of the council.  He asks the group to explain to him everything Versteeg's letter alluded to.

They fill him in on all the information.  A couple of the eight chuckle when the subject of Worgs comes up, but their scepticism is silenced when Radamyr shows them the Worg teeth, and after they finish telling them about the evils they faced, Liaathvain feels it timely to show them the orb.  As she goes to show them, however, the orb vanishes from her hand, and mysteriously appears within Radamyr's robes.

The group is shocked as this has never happened before, and everyone is left bewildered.  They've never seen anything like it. Radamyr is amused, and decides to test out this newfound magic.  He hands the orb to Bogor, who attempts to hide it in his robes, only to have it once again, reappear in Radamyr's.  Rather than find some answers, the group is left with more questions about it than when they went in.  

The Council thanks them for the information, and that they have much to think about.  They let them know that there is a royal gala being held currently for many foreign politicians that are visiting from far away, and that they are welcome to attend.  There is a lot of political tension rising in the south of Dahldrum, and many believe a civil war may be on the horizon.  The southern parts of the large province wish to separate, feeling their needs have been neglected by much of the ruling class.  They tell them to enjoy themselves, and not to worry about the larger events in motion. They thank them for their time, and bid them goodnight.

The group heads into the party, with the exception of Liaathvain, who wants to go and visit Sir Ravenhold.  She is rather taken by him, and would like to take this opportunity to see if he needs any help studying the evil devices.  She hasn't met many paladins in her travels, and wants to learn more from him.

The remaining three scope out the party, and Radamyr and Bogor want to have some fun with the orb.  They search the room for the dumbest looking person, however neither of them do a very good job.  However, Arradel decides to scan the room for someone important they might recognize, but instead finds a man trying to scoop wine out of a dish with his hand.  She points him out to Radamyr and Bogor, and they head over to have some fun.  They perform some minor tricks with the wooden sphere, and the man has a great laugh at being fooled.  When out of nowhere, the two hear a melodious laughter emanate from the crowd, and a strikingly beautiful woman steps out towards them.  

Arradel immediately hates her.

She introduces herself as Princess Wandaella Dasaardi, daughter of King Dasaardi, and she rather enjoyed the tricks the two were playing.  When they try and fool her, however, she playfully snatches the ball out of the air with very fast reflexes.  The ball immediately reappears in Radamyr's robes.  

They talk for a brief time about their adventures, and she informs them of her opinion of the problems with the south.  She would like to see the south separate if it meant avoiding civil war.  After their short conversation, the group decides it would be a good time to head to their lodgings, and the princess offers to walk them out as she is leaving too. This is when they realize that she was the one in the carriage at the execution.  She informs them that she was there to be a royal witness to a traitor to the kingdom's punishment.  She bids them goodnight, and they all part ways.  The group retrieves their gear, and heads to a pub, thinking the royal party a bit to stiff for them.  They get a bit drunk and sing "The Clumsy Cleric", but this time the bar is a bit too packed for most people to hear them.

When Liaathvain approaches Ravenhold's study and knocks, she is surprised to see him in the state he is in.  He appears very tired, and when she glances inside his lodgings she sees it to be rather messy.  He thanks her for stopping by, and explains that he has been studying the two objects without rest since they were given to him.  He wants to better understand why they were so important, but when Liaathvain offers to help, he politely tells her not to trouble herself, and that bringing them to him was more than enough help.  He wishes her goodnight, and Liaathvain returns to the rest of the group at their humble bed in the divine district.

To Be Continued...

Tuesday 12 March 2013

Chapter Six - The Glorious City

There are many natural wonders in the world of Ambralia, one of the most exciting to behold is the Pillar, an incredibly large natural rock formation that the humans of Greyholt have used as a bridge to their city.  The human city of Greyholt is located above the magnificent sunken lake of Emberfill.  The lake is located at the bottom of an incredibly massive chasm, and the city rests atop a vast cliff face that rises out of the centre of the lake.  The only way to enter the city is by way of the Pillar, which the local denizens of town use to set up their shops and peddle their wares to the innumerable crowds of travellers moving in and out of the city. 

Our heroes have arrived after another half day of travel, and have set foot on the massive bridge.  From where they stand they can see the spires of towers and other beautiful architecture off in the distance, beyond the city's walls.

The humming of the amulets is drowned out by the sounds of the busy market place, and the group is able to breathe a sigh of relief.  The group makes their way into the city, where they stop and ask for directions.  The first thing they want to do is deliver the items to Sir Ravenhold, having grown tired of the never ending humming.  They are directed to the Divine District, home to the city's priests, clerics and paladins. They also learn that the court historian is making a special public appearance over at the library, which is fortuitous for them, but they decide that they must first complete their errand.

They arrive at the steps of a massive cathedral, and upon inquiring about the paladin, a man sitting in the front row of pews steps up and walks towards them.  The closer he gets to the two stones the quieter the humming gets, until the sound can no longer be heard.  He introduces himself as Sir Ravenhold, and simply using his holy aura, he is able to silence the evil contained within Liaathvain's bag.  She is immediately impressed.  He tells them the order to retrieve these artifacts came from the Upper Echelons of the kingdom, and that he is happy to now have them in his possession.  He is to begin studying them immediately.  After the group tells them of their adventure, he applauds them for slaying a few necromancers, and offers them some help.  If they tell the guard at the library that he sent these four, they should be able to get inside much faster.  He expects there to be quite a delay to get in.

With their delivery complete, they make their way to a fairly wealthy part of the city, where the library is located for a chance to speak with the historian.  Along the way they are approached by a nobleman, and several guards acting as a welcoming committee.  They inform the group that the Council of Eight requests their presence.  Versteeg's messenger pigeon had done it's job.  They tell them where they can be found later on that night, and that they will be escorted to the council.  They exchange information and then the group makes their way to the library.

There is a very long line, but they walk to the front and introduce themselves, and tell the guard what Ravenhold said.  The guard lets them enter ahead of everyone else, and they walk inside. The room is packed with citizens all listening very intently to what the old man is saying. 

Arradel, Radamyr and Bogor head off to look for information on Verrawayan objects while   he finishes his talk.  Liaathvain waits patiently to talk to him, and when the crowd disperses he begins to answer a few questions for people.  Seeing the opportunity, Liaathvain approaches him and produces the etching.  His curiosity is piqued, and asks to meet the rest of the party.

Meanwhile the other three are looking for any information they can on the orb that hasn't really done anything at all since the incident at the cave.  Wanting to help, Bogor offers his eyes as well, but barbarians aren't known for their literacy.  Bogor is unique in that he invested time to learn to read, while most of his kind doesn't bother.  He searches the bookshelves, and thinking he's found something, he pulls one off the shelf.  

It's got nothing to do with Verrawayan objects.  Bogor has pulled a children's book off the shelf, called "Where's Wyldemere?" A book where the reader is tasked with scouring paintings, and drawings to find the character of Wyldemere hidden somewhere amongst the scenery.

Tibbles, the historian, and Liaathvain walk over to the group and after introductions are made, the historian provides some information on the legend of Wyldemere.  But then they get down to the reason they came. Radamyr also produces the strange green cloth from his bag.  Tibbles is quite intrigued, and he promises to tell them everything he knows after he does some research.  He says he'll need a few days, but once they mention the Worgs, he stops, and tells them that this information will help narrow down what he's looking for.  He agrees to meet them tomorrow afternoon.

He also pulls out a book on Verrawayan objects for them to look at, and then heads away to begin his studies.  The group is unfortunately unable to learn anything useful about their wooden token.

After a long day, they head over to their lodgings to prepare for a meeting with the Council of Eight, the ruling order for all of Dahldrum.

To Be Continued...

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Chapter Five - The Old Chapel

The group heads out at first light to the capital city of Greyholt.  Both the strange artifact, as well as the etching from the altar are safely tucked away in Liaathvain's belongings as they make their way out the gates of the Forum and head south towards their destination. 

The plains of Dahldrum are beautiful, and the group is making good time, that is until, they hear a strange humming sound coming from inside Liaathvain's pack.  As they investigate, they see that the box holding the small artifact is the source of the noise.  It's quiet at first, but when they see a strange building on the horizon the noise begins to pick up.  It is now quite noticeable, and wanting to err on the side of caution, the group decides to deviate from their current course and avoid it, noticing the humming gets weaker the further they stray from the building.  They change their minds though, when they hear a blood curdling scream come from the direction of the structure.

Electing to investigate, they approach what appears to be a large farmhouse. It's much larger than Boro's or Stuart's, and this one has a small fence sectioning off a front yard.  Arradel opts to stay outside, and takes the important items from Liaathvain, while she and Bogor approach the front door, weapons drawn.  Radamyr casts the spell Message on the two, which allows them to whisper messages to each other even if they are not within hearing distance.  Radamyr then heads to the back of the house to investigate.

Bogor and Liaathvain explore the house, and when they enter an unusually large gathering space in the house, they begin to feel as if this building was used as some kind of church. It's then that Bogor realizes one of the sconces on the wall is different from the others, and as he manipulates it, a trap door is released behind them.  As the two warriors make their way down the stairs, Liaathvain detects evil coming from a room down the hall.  As they turn the corner they see a revolting man standing over some kind of podium.

When the two heroes realize that he is preparing to cast a spell at them, they quickly end the evil man's life.  They realize he was reading up on books filled with dark magic, and are lead to believe this man was a Necromancer, a magic using person capable of raising the dead.  Not able to find the source of the scream, they decide it is time to leave.  Radamyr once again decides it would be a good idea to burn the house down, so he heads up stairs to start a fire.

Bogor goes to meet up with Arradel, but as soon he steps foot on the front lawn, two hands come shooting up from the ground.  Bogor is quick though, and manages to avoid being grasped by the hands.  They quickly realize that there must be another necromancer nearby, for Liaathvain detects a large number of evil sources.  All but one are coming from beneath them, the other is coming from the roof.  

More zombies start to pull themselves up from the ground, and Liaathvain and Bogor engage them.  Arradel starts moving around the house with her bow drawn, looking for a chance to see the evil on the roof.  It's not long before the wizard shows himself, and when Arradel tells the group that she spots him, Bogor decides to try something reckless.

Despite the fact that a fire is beginning to start, Bogor runs up the stairs leaving a competent paladin and sorcerer to deal with the undead.  He then climbs out a bedroom window, and somehow manages to pull himself up onto the roof.  Realizing that there is a very angry dwarf barbarian facing him, the necromancer begins to cast a spell.

He doesn't even get a chance to cast it, as Bogor unleashes his full strength on him.  Now teetering on the edge of a burning house, Arradel simply needed to fire one arrow at him, which she does with skill, causing him to fall from the roof.  Liaathvain and Radamyr finish off the remaining undead, and manage to get out of the house before the fire consumes it.  

Arradel then cuts the necromancer's head off, due to her lack of assurance that he will stay dead.  Her proximity to the dark wizard however, proves useful.  The artifact she had taken in her possession is met with another humming sound, coming from around the necromancer's now removed neck.  It is an amulet, black, eerie, and most assuredly evil.  

The group is now left with not one but two annoying, buzzing trinkets, which they elect to take with them to give to Sir Ravenhold. 

The fire consumes the last vestiges of the building.  Weary, and agitated due to the constant sound coming from the objects, the group trudges onward towards Greyholt.

Night falls, and they decide it best to separate the two black amulets to minimize the buzzing to help them sleep. They need their rest for the remaining journey ahead of them.

The stars make a home for themselves in the dark sky, and the group falls asleep beneath them.

To Be Continued...

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Chapter Four - The Clumsy Cleric

The group sent Arradel around the house first to see the source of the smoke that was billowing out from behind the farmhouse.  Using stealth to walk quietly against the side of the house, she slowly made her way to the back corner of the building.  As she peered around the corner, she saw what looked like an old man standing over the fire.  Arradel gazed a bit too long though, and the old man was able to determine that he was being spied upon, and turned around in time to see the rogue.

Arradel braced for whatever evil the old man intended on throwing at her, but something happened that caught her off guard.  The old man, began to laugh at the sight of her.  A sinister, toothless haggard laughter.  Arradel inched away out of sight of the old man, and made her way back to the group.  She informed them of what they saw, and they agreed to confront this stranger in a coordinated effort.  They would be left confused though, for when they leaped out from around the house, the found only the fire pit, and slowly burning embers, and no trace of the man Arradel claimed to have witnessed.

They took this chance to assess what had happened, and they were met with a gruesome truth.  Stepping into the house they saw the farmer's family murdered, and after climbing the stairs to the upper floor, found Stuart, lying dead on the mattress, his liver removed, and a black altar right next to him.  

Liaathvain took some paper and coal, and created an etching of the runes to show Versteeg when they arrived back at the Forum.  Working together, they then threw the altar out the window.  The soft earth wasn't enough to shatter the wretched thing, so they took to smashing it with Bogor's hammer, while Radamyr decided it would be best to burn the house down, with the hopes of destroying any remaining evil inside.  

It was at this time, when the bedroom curtains began to really catch flame, and heavy smoke began to fill the air, that the three adventurers, Sheifle, Cypress and Jorga made their way back, and upon seeing the smoke decided to investigate.  The four were not pleased in any way to see them, especially now that the three assumed something suspicious had happened.  After looking inside the window and seeing the murdered family, they became incredibly suspicious that the four had done something terrible. 

A large argument ensued, and things were made worse when they found the severed animal's head, and the altar.  Believing the group had just partaken in some kind of twisted ritual themselves, Sheifle (who was creating the biggest fuss of all) threatened to turn them in.  Jorga was ready for a fight, while the ever-silent Cypress stood analyzing the situation.  

Liaathvain was able to convince them to settle down, and after a long argument, they all agreed to return to the Forum together, where they would consult Versteeg on what had transpired.

When they arrived at the church, Versteeg greeted his son and the rest of the group.  Sheifle turned over the artifact he had been sent to retrieve, and tried to accuse the group of evil doings.  Once again, Liaathvain and Arradel were able to dispel the situation with their smooth talking. 

Dejected, Sheifle headed to the back of the church to carry out his duties, while Cypress and Jorga turned and left.  Feeling bold and vindicated, Radamyr chose to express his distaste for the priest's son in front of him.  This upset him, and after repeated insults Radamyr was ejected from the church, and told he was no longer welcome there, something Radamyr didn't mind. 

Versteeg asked the group to turn over the Worg's head, to help prove to the knights that the threat of these creatures was real.  While unable to help them determine what the runes etched out on the altar meant, he did tell them that the court historian in the capital city of Greyholt would surely be able to aid them further.  He also asked them a favour, in taking the object that Sheifle retrieved with them to the capital.  A paladin by the name of Sir Ravenhold had asked the priest to acquire it for him.  The group agrees to take it with them.

Versteeg promises them that all of the town will know of their deeds, and that he will send word by messenger bird to the capital, letting them know that they can expect important visitors in the next few days. 

They head to the Donkey to celebrate their victories, and while drinking and being merry, Radamyr starts to sing a song, inspired by Sheifle.  The tune is simple, and after sometime singing it to himself, other patrons join in.  It's not performed very well, but no one really minds, and before they all head off for the night, Radamyr finds a piece of bar napkin, and writes down the lyrics, dubbing the song "The Clumsy Cleric"

To Be Continued...

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Saturday 9 March 2013

Chapter Three - Dark Tidings

Our heroes awaken after being engulfed in a deep green glow, and find themselves lying face down under the treetops of a forest. The sun is high in the sky, and the wooden orb sits lifeless, clutched within Radamyr's hand.

It would seem the strange wooden orb somehow pulled them from their cavernous prison, and released them in the same clearing where they first encountered the Kobolds.  Radamyr shows the group the orb, and then tucks it away within his robe.  Seemingly unchanged in any other way, the group counts their blessings and begin to make the trip back towards the Forum, to reunite father and son.

The return trip is a much shorter one, and they arrive at Boro's house in the late afternoon.  

Eternally grateful for them having rescued his son from certain death, he offers them a very fine piece of fabric.  It is a shade of dark green, with black images on it, and bordered by some ancient writing.  It looks quite old, and has been repaired over and over again.  They accept the gift, and they place it amongst their belongings.  They relate their tale to Boro, and they mention the worg, which is news Boro finds most disturbing.  He tells them Worgs have not been seen in a very long time, and the dark magic bringing them back to life is even worse.  

Curious as to where Eric practices being a cleric, he leads them into town, and relates to them that he studies under a very powerful being.  Eric is delightfully simple, which makes Radamyr a bit sceptical.

Eric brings them to a tree just outside of the Forum's church.  

Radamyr checks to see if the tree is magical in any way.  It isn't.  It's just a tree. Eric looks at it and smiles, and the group all rolls their eyes.

The group is met with a hearty hello from the priest of the church, named Versteeg.  The group chats for a bit, and Radamyr asks if the priest knows anything about the orb they came across.  He tells them it is surely crafted of Verrawayan wood.  Verraway is the province to the far west of Dahldrum, home of the elves.  The magnificent trees of Verraway are said to have magical wood used in the creation of powerful artifacts and items.  This was an incredibly lucky find, but he cannot tell them anything more than that.

The group heads back to Boro's where they have dinner, and rest for the night.

In the morning as the four leave, they encounter Versteeg, who is making his way up the stairs of the house.  He claims he is here to see Eric about a matter of some importance.  He passes by the group and heads inside.

Arradel decides to eavesdrop outside a kitchen window, and she learns that the priest was trying to recruit Eric for a mission, but Eric doesn't want to leave his father again so soon. Versteeg understands, and leaves.  On his way back into town he meets up with the four again, and they attempt to get some information out of him.  He is reluctant to give up much, but they manage to convince him to open a bit.  He tells them he's found a group of adventurers named Sheifle, Jorga, and Cypress to retrieve an item for him.  After revealing this information Versteeg makes his way back into town.  

Curious as always the group heads to the town registry, hoping to get more information on these three.  While the clerk doesn't have much information on Jorga, or Cypress, he does tell them that Sheifle is a cleric, who happens to be the son of Versteeg.  

With not much else to go on the group heads to the Drunken Donkey to see if they can gather information on anyone in need.  The innkeeper tells them about several farmers having problems with wolves howling in the night, and that there had be one particular farmer that came into the walls looking for help the other night.  The group takes directions on how to get to his farmhouse, and they leave the Forum hoping to aid the poor farmer.

Upon arriving at their destination they are greeted by a burly, somewhat rude man who claims that he has been hearing terrible howling coming from the nearby woods at night, and that he would reward them if they would be willing to deal with any potential dangers to he and his livestock.  The group attempts to tell him that it could be worgs, but the farmer named Stuart laughs, and tells them that worgs are just fairy tales told to keep kids out of the woods.  They are most likely just wolves or coyotes.

The group agrees to help, and decides it might be a good idea to scope out the forest beforehand.  They walk a short ways into the woods when they spy an eagle flying overhead, that seems to be taking an interest in them.  Radamyr's magical Familiar, an owl, flies up to meet it, only to have the eagle fly directly at it, knocking it from the sky. Laughter can be heard as Radamyr runs to catch the poor thing, and three silhouettes emerge from the forest.  A male elf druid, a female human fighter, and a human cleric all emerge from the woods.  These appear to be the three adventurers Versteeg spoke of, and the eagle from above happens to be the animal companion of the the druid.  

This is a very tense meeting between the two groups.  The three commissioned by the priest are a few years their junior, and clearly a bit mischievous.  Both sides exchange quips, and minor spells but before it escalates any further they decide to depart on their respective missions. 

The four travel for about an hour, until Liaathvain detects evil nearby.  A single Worg emerges, and turns to flee, but not before Arradel is able to land an arrow in it's hind quarter. The group now has a small trail of blood to follow, and it leads them to small clearing area where the Worg is just sitting.  The group has not yet been seen, which is a good thing, for a number of other worgs appear as if to come to the aid of the one that has already been wounded. There are four in total, and not wanting to take them all on at once, Radamyr is able to lead two of them away using a spell called Ghost Sound.  Believing they heard the sound of the other three travellers (now apparent rivals of the group), two of the worgs take off in the direction where the sound came from, leaving the other two behind.

With the fight now in their favour the group engages the worgs in combat.  They have the numbers advantage, but are once again met with a strange howl when the first worg falls, only to come back to life.  They decide it would be a good idea to remove the heads of the creatures upon their first death, hoping it prevents their reanimation. The tactic proves successful, which comes in handy when the other two worgs return after having heard another member of their pack howl in death.  They finish off the remaining beasts, and decide they want to have proof of their battle, so Bogor skins one and uses it's fur as a cloak, Radamyr pulls the teeth out of their muzzles, and Liaathvain wraps the head of one and places it in her bag.

Feeling a tremendous sense of accomplishment the group heads back to the farmhouse, but as they approach the house, something seems terribly wrong.  Smoke can be seen billowing from behind the house, and the front door swings loosely on it's hinges.  The air around this house is thick with evil, and our heroes brace for whatever it is they are about to find.

To Be Continued...

Friday 8 March 2013

Chapter Two - The First Howl

Radamyr led the group through the darkness of night around the rocky mountainside to the small back entrance the goblin had shown him.  It was a small entryway just big enough to climb through.  Upon peering inside they were able to determine that the room was a makeshift kitchen and their back door was used as a chimney of sorts.  They also noticed a lone goblin sitting in a chair facing away from them, Arradel saw this as an opportunity. 

Arradel climbed through first, careful this time not to stir the goblin in any way.  She got close enough to the creature that she was able to drive her dagger through him before any warning could be given.  After she had cleared the room of any other potential threats, she motioned for the rest of the party to climb through.  

After searching the room for anything that could be of some use to them they silently made their way around a winding corridor that led them to what appeared to be a large mess hall, with another corridor on the other side.  Taking a quick look around from where they stood they saw six sleeping goblins.  Some were asleep on makeshift beds, others on benches, and one was actually asleep on top of a table. All of them, however were wearing full armour with weapons by their side.  Aside from being asleep, they looked fully prepared for a fight.  Clearly they'd been on the alert since that brief encounter in the mid afternoon. After some quick deliberation, the group decided they would sneak into the room, stand above the sleeping goblins and attempt to take them out all at once. 

A sound plan, had Radamyr not tripped and knocked over a weapon rack.  This created a terribly loud crash, and immediately woke up all the goblins in the room.  

A quick battle ensued, but the group rallied and managed to clear the room of all enemies.  However, the noise from the weapon rack, combined with the sounds of battle had alerted the goblins in the next room.  Realizing they were in for another big fight, Bogor and Liaathvain blocked the threshold of the next room, seeing the strategic opportunity to prevent the fiends from overwhelming them with their numbers. There was only enough room to fit two people side by side in the hallway at a time.

The goblins in the next room didn't realize this at first, and the first small was dealt with easily.  Upon seeing they were at a disadvantage, the leaders called their fighters back.  These much larger Hobgoblins possessed a sounder knowledge of battle than their smaller brethren.

From inside they could hear the muffled cries of someone, and seeing a chance to perhaps negotiate with the creatures, Arradel asked if they would release their prisoner.  The goblins bantered back forth a bit, but responded with only "We cannot release the prisoner."

At this point, Radamyr and Bogor thought intimidating them might work, and having developed an affinity for throwing goblins, Radamyr passed the bodies of the fallen to Bogor, who proceeded to throw them at the feet of their comrades.  While this action certainly had an effect on their foes in the next room, they still refused to comply, saying only that they "cannot release the prisoner."  It was quite odd, and there didn't seem to be any clear reason for the goblins not to co-operate, or at the very least entertain the thought.  They continued to refuse, and after hearing what sounded like one of them striking their prisoner, they knew that time was of the essence, their hand was forced and they stormed the room.

As the battled raged Liaathvain made her way over to the prisoner who was chained to the wall, and began to try to and break his chain.  Bogor entered a powerful Rage state, increasing his power significantly, and goblins began to fall one by one.

It was at this point a terrible darkness came over the room, and from the shadows stepped a snarling, large jet black wolf.  This did not seem like any normal kind of wolf, and it jumped in to the fray with a terrible ferocity.  It was a powerful Worg, a magical beast that was evil in nature.

The chain on the wall gave way to the combined efforts of the prisoner and the paladin, and as soon as he was free, he grabbed his mace and used divine magic to heal Liaathvain of all damage she had endured.  They were now five heroes strong and the tides of battle quickly turned.

As terrible as this new enemy was, it could not withstand the combined efforts of the group, and it fell under Bogor's warmhammer. They turned their attention to the remaining goblins, but to their shock, the wolf's fur began to shimmer, it's once lifeless eyes began to glow red and it released a terrible howl that shook the group to their bones, and once again threatened them.

The final few goblins were killed, and once again the group turned their attention to the wolf.  Liaathvain drove her sword through the Worg, and it fell down silent once again, and it would not recover.

With the battle won, they turned to their new ally who introduced himself as Eric. Eric the Cleric, son of the blind man Boro.  While very capable, Eric was quite simple of mind, and was unable to provide them with very much information.

Upon searching the room, they found many items of interest including two Feather Tokens(Trees) which could be used to sprout a giant magical tree when planted in soil.  The chamber also housed other dark secrets.

An ominous black altar made of stone stood across the room against the wall.  Upon close inspection the group saw strange runes carved into it, and when spying a pile of charred corpses nearby, the group assumed it was used for some kind of ritual involving a sacrifice. All the bodies shared what appeared to be similar wounds. It looked as if their livers were torn from them by an animal. None of the bodies were identifiable though, for they were burned afterwards to hide any trace of who they might be.  The only telling feature was their size. One of them in particular matched the size of a dwarf.  Eric confirmed that there had been a female dwarf trapped in there with him, but she was killed before they could ever speak.  There was no way to determine if this was the body of Bogor's beloved fiancĂ©e Giltia. 

Feeling a sense of dread, Arradel pleaded with the group to leave the altar, and get out of the cave.  As if on cue, a familiar cackling laughter of Kobolds could be heard echoing down the cave from outside, followed by a terrible crashing sound.  The Kobolds had caused a small landslide, trapping the adventurers inside.

Fearing there could be something far worse lurking inside the cave Liaathvain closed her eyes and used Detect Evil to see if any other danger could be nearby, but the power from the altar overwhelmed her, and she was knocked unconscious.  Taking matters into their own hands, Radamyr and Bogor threw the altar down to the hard floor, causing it crack, and break right down the centre.  A giant wave of magic seemed to seep from the room, and Liaathvain was awoken.

Finding no way to escape their rocky prison, the adventurers were left to wonder how they were going to get out.  

Suddenly, a small green light seemed to glow from a corner of the main chamber.  It didn't seem evil, but it certainly was magical in nature.  As the group approached the light, they realized the source was a small, perfectly carved wooden orb, and as Radamyr reached out for it, the glow enveloped them, and the group blacked out.

To Be Continued...