Gaming

Day 1:

Another day in Suzail started with Songammem and I out looking for some potential work. Along the way we heard some humans hollering about two knights looking for adventuring minded soldiers. That sounded just like the sort of employment we were looking for so we decided to look into it more. We also noticed two other interesting characters that seemed to be looking into the jobs and we decided to follow them as they did all the leg work for us.

The one in the lead we later found out was Sehadra, an elf cleric of Selune. She seemed like most elves except she doesn’t seem stuck up enough. She must be young. Give her a century and that will change. She was heading to meet some bloke in a tavern called the Grey Griffin when we noticed a flamboyantly clad sailor heading into the same direction. Somehow I could imagine him singing and dancing while gutting someone with his sword or maybe that’s just the overactive imagination my tutors always told me to keep to myself. I later found out his name is Markus the long knife. I like names with flair. I had Duke wait outside by the door.

They talked to some old adventurer with a tattoo across his face and he filled in some information on the potential employers. During all that Songammem tried to look as unobtrusive as a seven foot tall, twenty stone fur rug can and I flew around drinking down a drink or two. As harmless as Songammem tried to be… that fool with the bad tattoo still tried to give her trouble and made some jokes about taking my dust. Most people don’t look for trouble and when given an excuse to explain away Songammem, they look the other way but not this moron. I have to remember to introduce him to a beautiful river nymph sometime, so she can drown him. That sounds like a fun joke for someone that is mean to my friends.

But I digress back to the day… so we followed Sehadra and Markus out to the grounds were adventuring parties form and Sehara asks us to join their group. Normally Somgammem and I work as a dynamic duo but she seemed nice enough and the well dressed seaman amused me. So we joined them We have decided to call our group “Grey Griffin Adventuring Inc”.  We talked to the knights hiring adventurers and the young Lady seemed too excitable to me. After meeting Sir Oris, Knight of House Grenfell he seemed to have a much more methodical and well planned method. We felt most comfortable with him and signed up after some discussion. He was even thoughtful enough to give an advance if we needed it. Songammem and I purchased five gallons of Ale because we like to plan ahead for the important stuff. We will be hunting down Thomas Malore a renegade War Wizard and leader of the Crimson Wolves.

Character notes:

I originally planned to play my character more silly and childish but after seeing Anthony’s great slapstick performance, I decided to drop that plan. We would never get anything done if we’re both silly. I have decided to play the pixie with more of a perspective of an older child. Intelligent and serious most of the time but he still has a love of games and pranks.

I had also neglected to flesh out his knightly order more. Sir Sparrowhawk is a member of the Order of the Red Falcon. The order’s patron is the Red Knight.I figure he would see battle as a big game he wants to excel at.

http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Order_of_the_Red_Falcon
http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Red_Knight

Duke:

We ended the last game with the Winterhaven squad preparing to travel back home.

The “Free Sons of Nerath” have been living the life of regular garrison duty while in Winterhaven. The small village has reached the size of a town due to refugees fleeing the Troll Wars to the south. Surrounding the village walls thatch roofed homes have sprung up and an outer earth and wood palisade acts as an outer barrier to protect against raids from Orcs, Ogres and Goblins coming from the Cairngorm Mountains or from the Stonemarch beyond that. Luckily the Orcs haven’t entered the Nentir Vale in the numbers that once decimated the Vale since the day the a dragon moved into the mountain and effectively stopped their pillaging in large numbers around one hundred years ago. The dragon is still rumored to be sleeping in the mountain resting on a pile of treasure or at least that is how the story goes.

While on garrison duty the company has been assisting in building the palisade, digging ditches and going on patrol for raiding parties. You have even had the chance to find a new recruit. The patrols have taken the company several miles outside of Winterhaven and you all have become familiar with the rangers who patrol the foothills on the Cairngorm Montains and others who live outside of the village proper in their own steadings. The company has also been rewarded with “War Mules” that they can use as mounts or pack animals as they wish. In my setting a War Mule is a Draft Mule (combination of a large horse and donkey) that has been exposed to blood and load noises so that it will not spook in a battle. War Mules are known for strength, endurance and being easy to care for.

You have settled into life in the village. Work has become routine and regular pay and ale are nice. The company lives in an old thatched barn has small rooms partitioned off for each of you and your animals live on the other end. You wake one morning to find that Claw has been murdered in a very odd way. Someone has performed a ritual to cut off his bodies connection to the Raven Queen which has ended his ability to reanimate it. No one crosses the company and lives. After some investigation you find some kobold tracks and follow them back to the foothills but lose them along the way. You send back a message to Lord  Padraig of where you are looking and then head out to see if some of the rangers have any information to lead you in the right direction.

After heading to the nearest ranger outpost you find a young ranger named Will. Will has tells you about some kobolds they have been tracking and the potential site of the lair. The rangers have been tracking them but they haven’t had a chance to call for assistance in clearing out the cave.

So you of course charge off to kill them yourselves. The cave was easy to find you have killed the first two groups in a small grouping of caves. There are a few more caves to go before you believe your revenge is complete but after interrogating a kobold you find that they were hired by a goblin named Iron Tooth who has taken up residence in Shadowfell Keep. When you tried to question him further about the other kobolds he started biting at your ankles, at which time you stomped his head in.

So I haven’t done a game summary for a while. I figure it’s about time I do one.

So the day started out fine as you walked through the streets of the village of Whitton and came to the gate of the White Lotus Academy. At the gates you were met by Wizard Trevors who greeted you as petitioners and welcomed you to the academy. You could tell he was very insincere in his greeting. He feels petitioners are a waste of his time. Wizard Trevors shows you the dining hall, the privy and your common room. He then departs and says he will come back when the head master is available. The group is suspicious of Trevors and decides to not show the letter from Valthrun the Precient and not tell of their mission for their own safety.

After washing up from the journey the group heads to the dining hall to get a meal and to attempt to chat up some of those eating there. Fred is his normal gregarious self and starts attempting to talk with the students and guards. Shawna shares out some of her Dwarven ale and attempts to chat up the guards. The group tries to find out where the headmaster is so that they may speak to him themselves.

[What you don’t know.] You were suspicious of Trevors and Trevors was suspicious of you. While you were in the dining hall he was scrying on your location. He saw a bunch of heavily armed people trying to get the guards drunk and find where the headmaster is located.

So Wizard Trevors calls in Captain Harkness (The captain of the guard) and tells him to get absolutely everyone to arrest you. With the recent happenings in the Harkin Barony you could very well be remnants of the Iron Circle here to take the headmaster prisoner. Luckily the Captain has some soldiers (that were on the way to the Troll Wars to the south) present to augment his guards.

[Back to you guys.] So several guards show up and start escorting you away. They are joined by others along the way and once you reach an area that starts looking like a jail you have all had enough. Ket attempts to talk the Captain out of whatever they are going to do but the Captain isn’t in a listening mood. He tells Ket to be quiet and when Ket continues to plead your case Captain Harkness slams his weapon in Ket’s head. The guards came prepared and eventually are successful in capturing all of you. Among the guards is Fargrim. He ran away from Winterhaven a couple years ago and was a friend of Fred Voss.

When you all wake up you are in an infirmary as opposed to cells. One of the physicians tell you that they found the letter from Valthrun on Kitsune. He is a respected wizard and this acts as identification papers for Kitsune. He calls her a full wizard of the highest order and says he has sent her here to speak to the headmaster on his behalf. Sometime during all of this Shawna steals some Iron Arm Bands of power off of one of the physicians. You are told the charges of Assault and Resisting Arrest will be dropped.

At this point Wizard Trevors directs you to the headmasters quarters.

“The Headmaster’s Residence,” he states as he looks at the building. He leads you inside.

The interior’s wood paneling has an old, worn look that bespeaks age. Tevors leads you up a broad stairway to a landing and through the door at the top into a study that feels cramped due to the numerous bookshelves. In the center of the study, an aged man with gray hair sits with his head on his desk, snoring softly. Your guide gives you a small smile that wavers after a couple seconds, then he clears his throat. A few moments later, he steps forward and shakes the headmaster, who sits up with a start and looks at Tevors, then you, with bloodshot eyes and sticky drool on his cheek. Before Tevors can speak, the headmaster sways to his feet and yells, “Tevors!” leaning forward as though to counter the force of his voice. “Leave me! My work is urgent and my time is valuable. Begone, and take these petitioners with you!”

With a small shrug and a warning glance at you, Wizard Tevors ushers you out of the office and closes the door behind him. “I’m, uh, well. There’s a student duel due to begin any time now. I was hoping you would enjoy the demonstration and perhaps share wisdom from your practical experiences. I have some administrative duties to attend to, but I’ll have Fargrim show you the way.”

At Harrid Yard, two combatants square off against each other. Each wears the White Lotus uniform—one in the form of heavy practice armor with a dulled blade, and the other in light practice armor with a wand. Neither is older than 16. The warlock is just getting the upper hand when the practice mannequins go nuts and attack the group. The group springs into action protecting the spectators. The two combatants take a couple shots as they run through and get help.

When that fight finishes, Instructor Obrak (a dwarf) runs up, saying that a student fetched him. Instructor Tevors arrives a moment later.

Tevors is nearly breathless after his run to the practice field. “I’m . . . ” he gasps, “ . . . so incredibly sorry. Nothing like this has ever happened before. The enchantments on those practice dummies have been unchanged for at least 50 years.” Then he doubles over and breathes heavily for a minute while the dwarf that ran up just before him talks with the students.

“I’m going to be examining the records of their maintenance and then I’ll ask Instructor Westbrooke to examine the mannequins directly.” Tevors looks at you. “If you’d like to help me figure out what happened here, you could find me the book in the library that details how they were created originally. I’d send a student, but it’s likely to be in one of the more dangerous parts of the stacks.”

“If I could use your experience and knowledge any other way, I would. But both the maintenance records and the creation instructions are confidential and proprietary, and we can’t allow you to see either without permission from the headmaster who . . . who might not be forthcoming, as you saw. This is something you can do now.”

Tevors gives the group a crystal the size of a finger that, through warmth and chill, will guide them to the correct room in the Lost Secrets Library.

Several of you say, “More dangerous parts of the stacks? I hate this place!”