Campaign Logs

A Favour for a Friend

After spending a good month in the Harken Forest with my own kind, I decided it was time to return to Fallcrest to see if anything interesting had happened in my absence.

Stopping of at the Nentir Inn I met up with a group of friends, a Halfling Issac Reed, a Human Kordell Thayco, a Dragonborn Shibboleth Sequitur and a Tiefling Jovial. Kordell the Wizard insists that collectively we should be known as ‘The Red Order’, as all great adventuring parties have names.

The news is, that around the same time I set out for Harken Wood, Kordy’s mentor Douven Staul, a Gnome archaeologist, went on an expedition up near Winterhaven. As no word has come back to Fallcrest, Kordy’s getting a little anxious and wants us to help him look for Douven, on the off chance something has happened to him.

The journey from Fallcrest to Winterhaven will take us about five days, so obviously that will involve sleeping under the stars, but knowing the others they won’t enjoy it, they’re too used to city living.

We were getting close to Winterhaven, no more than a days walk away, when from the tree line, came a yipping noise, being alert, I drew my bow and nocked an arrow, spotting a kobold behind a rock, having just enough time to loose my arrow before a group of them burst out from cover.

With the ambush sprung, things got a little hairy, the little kobolds were manoeuvring quickly and often, preventing Jovial and Shibboleth from engaging on their terms, Isaac kept getting in the way of Kordy’s big spells, and I stayed back, peppering the kobolds with arrows whenever a target presented itself. In short order all bar one of the kobolds lay dead, not before getting in a few good blows, the gash in my shoulder can attest to that. Shibboleth, the kind hearted soul that he is, decided to give the remaining kobold a chance to surrender, but just as he threw down his weapon, Kordy’s magic’s overcame him.

This led to a brief argument between Shibboleth and Kordy about not killing prisoners, in my mind the kobold deserved what he got. It is a little disturbing that the kobolds would attack a heavily armed group; their normal targets are the trade caravans. Kordy and I agree that something may have got them all shaken up. Meanwhile, Isaac did his thing, that is, roll the corpses for valuables. Shibboleth and Jovial, both the religious types, the former a Cleric of Bahamut and the later a Paladin of the Raven Queen, buried the kobolds and said a quick blessing over the grave.

After our little encounter, Kordy and Issac didn’t want to sleep out in the open again, so we decided to find a barn to sleep in. After haggling with a young farmer, we paid for a night in his hayloft and a fried breakfast for the morning. Kordy and Isaac did their level best to keep everyone up all night, by first bugging the rest of us for a ‘friendly’ game of cards and when that fell on deaf ears, they bickered about whose deck to use to play each other.

Morning came and after a really good breakfast we trekked the last few miles to Winterhaven. Even though I’ve been to Winterhaven before, it still strikes me as odd to see such a small village so heavily fortified.

As is the way with things, we headed straight to the closest Inn on arrival that being the Wrafton Inn.

After ordering a round of drinks we set about trying to find out anything we could about Douven. The Innkeeper was nicely helpful, she told us that she’d last seen the Gnome a week ago when he settled his bill and left. She told us that he’d been talking to Old Elias shortly before he left.

After wetting the old mans throat, he told us what he and Douven had been talking about. There's an old local story about an old dragons lair not very far from the village. According to the legend, the dragon was either slain by a ferocious roaming beast, or maybe just died of natural causes, what ever the case; supposedly the hoard is still buried there. All nonsense of course, explained Elias, but Douven was particularly interested in the story. Maybe he knew something the rest of us don't. Whatever he found out there, Elias hasn't seen Douven for nearly a week, and is getting worried about the old gnome. After drawing us a basic map to the burial mound, Elias mentions the local wizard.

This seemed to make Kordy forget all about his mentor and he went of to find the wizard. Seeing as we were likely to be staying for a few hours I decided to report our encounter on the road to the local Militia. One of the guards, Johann, was grateful for the information and suggested I speak to the Mayor. Heading of to the Mayor residence I was told he was at the Wrafton Inn, giving an audience.

Back at the pub, the Innkeeper was kind enough to introduce me to the mayor, one Lord Paidrin. He confirmed our suspicions, that the kobolds were becoming more bold of late, and as no one wants to risk losing their caravan, trade in Winterhaven has all but dried up, this is also causing food shortages. Lord Paidrin offered a reward of 100 gold crowns if we can reduce or stop the kobold menace, plus he said that no one is likely to claim anything that the kobolds have taken, so we’re welcome to it. He gave me a map showing the area where the most recent attacks have come from.

After meeting up for lunch, we exchanged information and decided to find Douven first, and then deal with the kobolds. Course of action set we headed out toward the burial mound.

As we left Winterhaven, Isaac explained in painful detail his newest money making scheme, something about people paying us for a five percent share of their original stake, I tried not to pay him that much attention. Then as things go with us, an argument broke out, which led on to a discussion about scorpion spitting beholders, I think Kordy has big ego, his tales get bigger with every telling.

We hadn’t got far out of Winterhaven, and still bickering we miss the tale-tale signs of another kobold ambush. All that yipping is a bit of a giveaway, if you’re paying attention.

This time things were a little heavier going, looks like someone didn’t appreciate as foiling their first ambush. Our actions were pretty much as before, one day we might click and start acting together. Again Isaac annoyed Kordy by getting in the way, but by then Kordy had had enough and release his pent up anger and his magic’s, but luckily for Isaac, he saw it coming and dropped flat as it rolled over him.

With a few more scrapes and bruises we finished the smelly little buggers off, and with that looting began. I felt it prudent to take some ‘trophies’ as evidence to give the mayor and I ended up with a collection of kobold tails, much to Shibboleth’s disgust.

One of the more interesting things that turned up on the kobold wyrmpriest was a small obsidian pendant marked with the symbol of a skull with ram’s horns... the mark of the demon cult of Orcus! Jovial insisted such an artefact must be destroyed immediately, despite Isaacs objections that, icon of evil or not, the pendant was worth a lot of money. In order to appease Jovial, I fed him I line that I knew how to safely depose of it, so off I went into the woods for a few minutes to ‘do just that’ and the pendant went into my pack.

On my return, Isaac and Jovial were at each others throats; well really Jovial was chasing Issac round the road, trying to kick him. Turns out Issac, had a major slip of the tongue, snubbed the Raven Queen and when trying to apologize, calling the Raven Queen a ‘he’ not a ‘she’.

After all this excitement we decided to take a short break, if nothing else to watch the street theatre provided by Isaac and Jovial and to just take a break…

Death is NOT it's own reward

I woke inside a small building, feeling alarmed and chilled to the bone. But to my relief Shibboleth and Kordy are standing over me. They explain that I died and have been raised. I feel so weak.

Then the memories come flooding back…

…we were approaching the Kobold Lair, a large cave beneath a waterfall, under different circumstances this would be a beautiful spot. But not today, my keen eyes spot movement in the tree line, and just as I draw my bow, that now familiar yipping noise draws closer.

I moved to engage the Kobold slinger as the rest of the party finally realises we’ve been detected and start to engage the Kobold spearmen. Kordy once again summons his small fire elemental to do his bidding and roasts both Kobolds and Jovial with more fire spells.

Before longer we are in control of the field and take pause to decide our next course of action, I urge caution, we should move away from the area and catch our breath, but Kordy and his fire elemental are having none of this and recklessly enter the cave before the rest of us know what he’s doing, forcing our hand.

Shibboleth and Jovial race in after the elemental only to face a wall of Kobold Dragonshields and a hoard of spearmen. Being out of position for this renewed assault, all I can do is move forward and try and take some of the attention away from Shibboleth and Jovial. This works all to well as I now have my hands full.

Kordy moves up in support, redirecting his elemental towards the Kobolds engaging me instead of helping Shibboleth and Jovial as the sounds of battle increase and not all the cries of pain are coming from Kobolds.

After dispatching our foes, Kordy and I move inside the caves to see things go from bad to worse, not only are Shibboleth and Jovial pretty much surrounded, but reinforcements have arrived in the shape of a Wyrmpriest and a tough looking Goblin.

Just as we arrive Shibboleth takes a mighty blow and drops and Jovial has been beaten back into a corner. Kordy and I try to help, but with emotions high our aim is wide. Kordy gets in close enough to heal Shibboleth. It turns out this is to close as the Goblin chases him out of the cave and around the waterfall.

Moving closer I’m just in time to see Jovial drop from more sword thrusts. Shibboleth and I try to reach him, but his breathing stops before we can get close enough.

Thinking that Kordy has done the sensible thing and made a break for the trees, Shibboleth and I decide to join. Shibboleth wants one more go at the Wyrmpriest failing to drop the little bugger.

This gives the remaining Kobolds time to catch up with us and the plunge their swords into my chest. The last thing I see is Shibboleth running through the waterfall, good luck friend. Blackness descends.

I wake inside a small building, feeling alarmed and chilled to the bone. But to my relief Shibboleth and Kordy are standing over me. They explain that I died and have been raised but are cagey about the details. I feel so weak but it will pass. They tell me about an Orcus cult at the Keep on the Shadowfell, and we’re going there next.

The Red Order has expanded, members of The Azure League have joined up, a pair of Rogues and a pair of Warlocks, I’ll get to know them on the way to the Keep.

I need to talk to Shibboleth about the ‘visions’ I had, what was it all about, was it a death dream? The afterlife? Or something more sinister?

We'll let the brass bands play

After some last minute shopping by Kordy, who seems to what to join the rogues with their kinky leather look, we headed of to the Keep on the Shadowfell.

Our journey there was uneventful, no more Kobold ambushes; this kind of confirms the fact that we’ve either culled them completely, or enough that any remaining Kobolds are too scared to ambush travellers. Either which way, it’s all to the good for the Nentir Valley.

Approaching the ruins gave us all an ominous feeling as there was a large area in front of the keep that was devoid of life, just a desolate wasteland. Not a pretty sight. As we moved closer we saw signs of some earthworks, it looks like someone has been excavating the area as a load of rubble had been piled up and shored up with timber. This shows us a staircase cut into the bedrock ‘obviously’ Dwarven artistry.

Sometimes I really can’t begin to understand Kordy (or maybe its all Humans) as he proudly declares that he is going to scout ahead and the rest of us should say back. The young wizard isn’t the sneakiest person I know and he often misses what’s going on around him as he’s daydreaming and generally not that perceptive.

As my role in the Red Order is mostly as scout, I ‘suggested’ to Kordy, that maybe someone else would be more suited to the task. After thinking about this Kordy picks the new guy Serath (another rogue, that makes three now, I can’t help think we’re being turned into a thieves guild more than an adventuring one), to go with him.

Kordy’s exaggerated sneaking has me in a fit of the giggles and even brought a smirk to Shibboleth’s face. At least I think it was smirk, it could have been a smile, or maybe a grimace or hell he could just have been constipated for all I know, I still haven’t figured out the nuances of Dragonborn facial expressions yet. That’s one more thing to ask Shibboleth about.

Kordy and Serath head down the staircase in that order, and after a short pause, Kordy let’s out a yelp. So much for a stealthy approach. He comes back up moaning about Goblins throwing javelins at him, after a brief discussion about the room below and Kordy warning us to stay to the sides of the room, we head down and find Serath trading pot shots with a Goblin crossbower down the South corridor.

As we all begin to move into better positions to assault the Goblins, Shibboleth, disregarding Kordy’s earlier warning, heads straight across the room and falls down into the rat infested pit.

More shots are traded as I lend the strength of my bow to the conflict, just as another crossbower and javelin thrower reinforce the first Goblin.

Shibboleth pulls himself out of the pit and then gets hit by a javelin from the East corridor, the Goblins have either flanked us or more of them have heard our sneaky insertion and come to repel us.

Eventually we gain the upper hand finding out that it was a flanking manuvoer, Kordy offers the last Goblin a chance to surrender, but knowing none of us speak Goblin I put the little runt down as there’s no point keeping it alive.

As with any good adventuring party looting begins, which leads to the Serath wanting recompense from me for my raising. Well as far as I’m concerned since it was Kordy’s fool hardy actions that lead to my death and he and Issac still haven’t repaid me for saving their hides at that Goblin encampment, and getting involved with the Orcus thing was down to Kordy and his missing mentor, this is their way of calling it quits. If Serath wants his money back, he needs to speak to them.

I’m happy for people to pay for their own raises for here on out, owing the Order as necessary on an interest free basis. All treasure will be shared out equally, taking into account anything people want from the haul.

After a short rest, we scout around and find three doors, two with more stairs leading down, the Easterly one has sounds of digging coming from it and the corridor beyond the third door remains on this level. We decide to clear out this level first, as this should give us a safer area to bolt to if we get into too much trouble.

A large room opens up ahead of us, with three doors leading from it. Noise from the North doors gives us a target and we move up. The room is a torture chamber complete with Hobgoblin torturer and Goblin guards more crossbowers, and another javelin warrior. We start trading shots through the Mage Hand opened door, until the javelin warrior slams the door shut. I don’t think any of us expected it to do that.

We moved into the room under fire, a great double shot from me, drops the javelin warrior with an arrow between the eyes and opening a serious gash along the forehead of one of the crossbowers, if he hadn’t turned his head at the last second the arrow would have gone through his eye.

Shibboleth corners the Hobgoblin who proceeds to knock Shibboleth down and then soaks up and shrugs off everything we throw at him for a while until our combined assault drops him. But not before he drops Serath. Cue some pay it forward healing as Kordy prays over Shibboleth, who in turn prays over Serath.

We really do need to induct a fighter or another Paladin into the Red Order, Jovial used to hold the line and give us much needed stability and support. It’s at odd times you find yourself thinking of absent friends.

After moping up the remaining Goblins we loot the room and also find a Goblin in one of the cells. After getting it to talk sense, well with threats of “Do you speak common, or I’ll shoot you”, we busted it out, tied it up to take it with us.

We’re going back up top to rest up, ask the Goblin some questions about the keep’s lower levels, like what to expect down there a nd what the general layout is. Also we’ll get to see if anyone else from the Red Order has finished their personal business (that, of course is more important than stopping an Orcus cult/ritual/summoning thing) and joined us at the keep.