Gaming

Game Summary: Police Brutality

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.

wlacademy

[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!”

Game Summary: Police Brutality Read Post »

The Iron Circle

REAVERS OF HARKENWOLD – PART 1: THE IRON CIRCLE

INTRODUCTION
We first meet our “heroes” after they have finished their last mercenary contract to the south in Moonstair. The Free Sons of Nerath have heard that mercenary company that double crossed them, The Iron Circle has traveled north. After healing up our adventurers have decided to go get some sweet revenge.

ILYANA’S PLIGHT
You arrive in Harkenwold in the middle of the day. It’s a broad, lightly settled valley between two arms of the Harken Forest. You haven’t traveled more than a mile or two into the valley before trouble appears. Rounding a bend ill the road.,you spy a pillar of smoke climbing into the clear blue sky. The source, hidden by rolling hills, is roughly a mile along a dirt track that intersects the road.

Moving closer you see human brigands and a pair of wolves surroundin8 a farmhouse. The humans all wear black cloaks with a ring device. They’re preparing pitch-soaked torches, laughing and taunting whoever’s inside. They’ve already burned a small outbuilding the source of the smoke column.

The wolves growl a warning. and the brigands face you. One of them scowls and waves his arm. “Move on, you he snarls. “This is Iron Circle business!”

From inside the farmhouse. you hear a woman’s voice shout angrily. “Business? It looks like robbery and murder to me!”

By shouting they are Iron Circle they didn’t realize they were signing their death warrants.

Brun-Hilda, Claw and Naivara charge in. Surina discovers “Confusing Mockery” and Diaerah shoots from afar. Dak-o-do performs the funeral rights for the brigands you kill.

After killing the Iron Circle members you hear the rasping sound of a heavy bolt being) drawn back, and the farmhouse door opens. A half-elfwoman of middle years steps out. She’s carrying) a battered old crossbow. Two boys of fifteen or so follow after her. The woman looks around the farm yard,frowning at the bloodshed, and sighs. “My thanks, strangers,” she says. “Those Iron Circle jackals came to rob us. I barred my door, but they said they’d burn the house down with me and my boys in it, You saved or lives-but who are you?”

You answer her question but then ask a few of your own:

Who are you?
“My name is Ilyana, and these are my sons Jarek and Jarl. This is our farm. The reavers killed my husband Karthen when they invaded the dale. My boys and I have been trying to get by ever since.”

Who attacked you?
“The Iron Circle is full of sellswords and cutthroats who seized Harkenwold over a month ago. They’ve got Baron Stockmer imprisoned in his own keep, and they’ve been plundering the land ever since. They say they’re collecting taxes, but it’s robbery, pure and simple.”

How can we help?
“The folk of Harkenwold are ready to rebel—we just need a spark to set things off. I think you should talk to old Reithann, the druid, or maybe Dar Gremath. They’ll know what needs doing. Reithann lives in the Druid’s Grove to the southwest; you can find Dar just down the road in Albridge. But go carefully.”

Where should we go?
“I would avoid Harken Village. There are too many Iron Circle soldiers there. But Albridge should be safe enough.”

Why should we help?
“Out of plain civil decency? If that won’t do, I’d wager Baron Stockmer will richly reward you if you drive away the reavers and free him.”

Good-bye.
“Take care, strangers. My boys and me’ll hide those who fell here. With luck, the Iron Circle won’t learn what happened here or about you any time soon

TAVERN BRAWL

WAYLAY THE CARAVAN

ENTRY CAVERN

DRAGONSKULL CAVERN

RAIDING PARTY

HUNTED!

THE WOODSINGER ELVES

THE STANDING STONES

WIZARD WORKSHOP

YISARN’S LAIR

The Iron Circle Read Post »

The Free Sons of Nerath

AKA… The Free Sons, Neraths long lost stepchildren.

The Free Sons were commissioned 1,300 years ago as an unconventional warfare group in the Nerath Empire. Upon the fall of Nerath Empire 1,000 years ago the group became a free mercenary group and initially was contracted to the smaller northern kingdom calling itself the Nerath Kingdom.

500 years ago The Free Sons departed the Vale after the then King executed the Companies Captain in a fit of paranoia about his power. The Free Sons then killed killed the King and departed the Vale considering their contract completed. The Kingdom of Nerath fell into infighting and further crumbled from the Empire it once was to the scattered communities of today. The Free Sons have traveled to the farthest Kingdoms south and have now traveled north again as they receive contracts.

In more recent history the Free Sons were under contract to the city of Moonstair in the Barony of Therund.They and the Iron Circle (another mercenary company) were hired by Moonstair to fight off incursions by trolls into the area. For reasons not yet understood… the Iron Circle deserted the battle field during a major battle with the trolls. The Free Sons defeated the trolls in the battle but not without great cost. Now there are only six remaining members of the Free Sons and they are on a mission to make the Iron Circle pay for their treachery.

The Free Sons are no longer under contract with Moonstair and have started following the Iron Circle north after burying the dead and healing up from wounds.

The Free Sons of Nerath Read Post »