GM: KaQuag Keep
10:00 PM
Sunday November 1st (in world).
Markkus the specialist (human Ranger) and his team continued their raid of the bandit keep, seeking to defeat The Second Sons and capture or kill their leader Baric. The party consists of Orrasthym the elven Ranger, Vandrek Steelguard the dwarven Fighter, Remus the grey elf Wizard, Andessa Southpine the human Dread Necromancer, and Seric Athos the grey elf Duskblade. (Remus's player had to miss due a scheduling error delaying the game.)
Last time, the party has just regrouped except for Orras, with Andessa down but conscious. One bandit fled back up the stairs but Seric dispatched the last quickly. Markkus found a hall to the front of the keep and let Orras in as Andessa got herself back up with a spell. The whole party was in the courtyard when 5 figures appeared on the ramparts--an awuuln with an axe, Baric the leader in chainmail with a sword and whip, and 3 regular bandits with light crossbows. Baric yells to fire. The party scattered for cover. Happy to be in the fight at last, Orras fired an opening shot that downed Baric immediately, conscious but struggling. The bandits began firing at Orras and Andessa as Vandrek took cover behind his shield, soon facing down the awuuln who leapt to a roof and down to the cobbles. Markkus ran toward the boxes Seric and Andessa had used to reach the walls and Seric made his way deeper into the keep with his Dancing Lights, looking for a way up. Orras's arrows distracted the awuuln long enough for Vandrek to take him down, while Andessa exchanged crossbow bolts with the bandits. Remus held his last spell in reserve and waited for the bolts to quite down as Markkus climbed to the wall. All 3 crossbowmen missed and he hurried along the wall, using Andessa's attacks for distractions. Below, Seric, Vandrek and Orras searched for ways up.
On the wall, Baric made his way slowly inside and Markkus engaged the bandits, again yelling that they only wanted Baric. One falls unconscious to his spiked chain in melee as another drops to his knees from Andessa's bolt before himself limping after his boss. Markkus briefly fights the third before rushing after the fleeing men, pursued by the third man. With all the enemies out of sight, everyone else sought ways up, Remus guiding past the second floor. Above, Baric found time to drink a potion and get his strength back. He faced down Markkus with his whip and a longsword, using the former to disarm Markkus. Markkus drew his flail and was suddenly surrounded by Baric, the man behind him, and another man joining from Baric's side. The injured crossbowman cowers in the corner. Desperate after being stabbed in the back, Markkus struck a crushing blow to Baric's head. The remaining bandits, hearing Seric and the others approaching.
Baric's corpse yielded a key, his chainmail, a strange helm (something about it, per Seric), and a masterwork longsword (all taken up by Markkus in a sack), plus a longbow, arrows (to Orras), his whip, and some currency. The other bandits had a handful of coins and their daggers. Guided by the bandits, who claim no one else is there, the group went in search of Baric's treasure. Along the way, they spotted a claymore upon an altar decorated in Dwarven Runes. The bandits say the claymore killed a man who touched it. Vandrek says the runes read, "“When I raise this blade, so I wish this poor sinner receive eternal life.” Markkus attempts to force a bandit to touch the blade but they all try to flee and are struck down. Shrugging after finding no traps, Markkus tries to push it off the altar with a dagger but senses a strong hateful intent and the blade won't budge. Seric tries with Markkus's dagger but feels nothing, though the blade won't budge. Against Markkus's warning, he grabs it, taking a shock of damage. The altar has the iconography of Dyzan upon it, and the sword seems of dwarven make. Believing it may be safe for a dwarf smith to handle it, Vandrek steels himself and touches it, feeling no harm, so ultimately he is able to wrap it in a tapestry and carry it out. Continuing on, the party reaches Baric's room, opens it, and finds a chest with some valuables.
Now that the keep is conquered, the group searches for more of the merchant's goods, while Vandrek checks the walls for any weaknesses and Markkus locks the external doors. None seem too keen on Markkus's suggestion to throw the corpses in the bog, so they're ultimately burned outside. Seric and Andessa do ultimately find some other things, such as a smithy and a storage room with some valuables. At last they find a crate with some stolen goods, and using a donkey and cart in the keep, they set back out for town, some of them intending to put a permanent base in the keep, perhaps.
Back in town, they're rewarded the full bounty for Baric's head and the return of stolen goods, and they're also able to sell off most of the rest of their loot. Andessa keeps the chainail and Seric the longsword, while Vandrek gathered some scrap metal at the keep. They will have to pay the hedge mage 100 gp per item to identify the helm and claymore if they hope to sell and share the profits of those.
So ends the Second Sons job, completed by Markkus, Orrasthym, Vandrek Steelguard, Andessa Southpine, Seric Athos, and Remus. With aid from Aelfred the human Cleric of Aiolis and Nethri the human Wizard in locating Quag Keep.
Several party members will level and the clock returns to real time. The date is now November 8th.
Locations:
Alderfall
The Great Myre
Quag Keep (bandit hideout in the marsh)
NPCS:
"Baron" Baric Gretehead (slain leader of The Second Sons)
Casualties:
None
GM: KaThe village of Alderfall.
06:00 PM
Sunday November 1st.
Markkus the specialist (human Ranger) assembled a team to return to the bandit keep. Orrasthym the elven Ranger and Vandrek Steelguard the dwarven Fighter returned with him. They were joined by 3 new adventurers, Remus the grey elf Wizard, Andessa Southpine the human Dread Necromancer, and Seric Athos the grey elf Duskblade. Orras safely led the party back to the Great Myre, and Markkus left his new pack donkey at the edge when the party spotted 4 figures in the foggy marsh. The figures were revealed to be 3 human bandits and an Awuuln (gnoll). Markkus tried to convince the bandits to betray their leader but failed, and combat ensued. As Orras began to harry the Awuuln with arrows, Vandrek struck down the first bandit. The Awuuln countered, knocking the wind out of Vandrek with a strong hit. Markkus engaged the wolf-headed man, landing a hit, while Orras picked off another bandit with his bow. Andessa's attempt to disarm the last bandit gets her attacked and the bandit tries to flee. Remus approaches as Vandrek goes on defense. Markkus downs the Awuuln with his spiked chain, as Orras fires on the fleeing bandit and Andessa heaves a javelin. The javelin skewers him, and though several of the party try to staunch the bleeding to take him captive, all of the bandits bleed out. Markkus gives Vandrek his only healing potion, newly acquired, getting him back in fighting form in exchange for a promise of a discount on crafting.
The party approaches the keep, ultimately splitting up as they look for ways in beyond the view of two sentries atop the walls. Orras heads right, and will later distract one of the guards with an arrow but otherwise spends most of the fight circling the keep, scouting and hoping to find a way in. Vandrek, Seric and Remus circle left, encountering and killing a bog zombie. Markkus twice attempts to convince the guards on the wall that he is one of their number, managing to get one to open the door. As the others rush to join him inside, a running battle begins. Markkus manages to kill the man who let him in (earning a small blow to the head with a club), and while the expedition leader stows his pack in a side room, Seric and Andessa rush up stairs to the third floor to fight the other sentry. Markkus, Vandrek and Remus then mount a different set of stairs to the second floor.
On top of the keep, Seric and Andessa battle several bandits, with Seric landing solid blows to down two. Andessa lands damaging touch attacks and fighting the odds. The pair are forced to retreat in search of the rest of the party and Andessa is knocked unconscious before most of the party reconnects. For their part, Markkus tries to convince two bandits to reveal the location of Baric (the bandit leader), but the specialist, Vandrek and Remus retreat down the stairs after the bandits fight back and Remus kills a third bandit behind the trio. The bandits are powerless to stop them as Vandrek is a bulwark. Below, Seric battles two bandits, managing to kill one, and Marrkus arrives just in time to kill the other. All members but Orras are now in the entry hall. Several bandits are dead but two have followed the second floor trio. Markkus yells to get Andessa to safety.
The session ends mid-combat.
Locations:
Alderfall
The Great Myre
Quag Keep (bandit hideout in the marsh)
NPCS:
Casualties:
Andessa is unconscious but stable
GM: KaThe village of Alderfall.
05:00 PM
Sunday October 25th.
Markkus the specialist (human Ranger) heard from an associate about a bandit named Baric Gretehead running a troop called the Second Sons out of a keep at the meeting of the Dani and Astube rivers that feed into the Great Myre to the north. They've been hitting merchants and demanding road tolls, so a merchant has offered a bounty on Baric's head and hopes for their goods back. Markkus gathered 4 other adventurers, Aelfred the human Cleric of Aiolis, Nethri a human Wizard, Orrasthym an elven Ranger, and Vandrek Steelguard the dwarven Fighter. The quintet asked around and heard from someone who visits the nearby hamlet Orric that the fork in the river is north. The party set out, passing through the woods and stumbling across an old stone shrine to the god Dhimmas. Within, they found a trapped chest that almost killed Markkus (and had killed a pixie). Their reward was a gold bracelet (magic) and the pixie longsword (magic).
Moving along, they found the fork of the rivers (Hex 12,-1). They found a crossing on the right fork, and while the cleric, wizard and fighter held camp, the ranger and rogue scouted ahead, finding a long bridge crossing the western river. The bridge was guarded by a skeleton in platemail with a bastard sword.
Monday, October 26th.
The party approached the skeleton the next day, learning he is an intelligent undead, a death knight, essentially. He says he is Nordren, and he was cursed by a god to protect the bridge he failed to protect in life. He can only be freed by being defeated in single combat. He calls any who refuse to face him a coward. The party retreats though Orras says perhaps they'll meet again if they find a skilled warrior. The bridge will not be an escape route.
The party spotted the keep itself (Hex 12,-3) before deciding to return to town for supplies and to get their loot identified. Returning, they decided to explore a little more, and in hex (14,-1), as night fell, the party spotted a sword embedded in stone, with runes on it in some language akin to old elvish. Before they could examine it more, a vine struck from above, grappling Markkus immediately and knocking him unconscious. Next it grabbed Vandrek, hurting him. Fortunately, Aelfred was able to heal Markkus before he bled out. Orras moved around and began attacking with his longsword and short sword, buying the party time. Nethri judiciously used Grease to help Vandrek escape so Aelfred could cure him and he could take cover behind his shield. As Nethri fired crossbow bolts and Orras attacked with swords, the party backed out of the fight, but not before the vine used Entangle to nearly halt their escape.
Back in town, they found a local hedge mage who agreed to identify the two items as part of the sale price. Combined, they earned nearly 2,000 gp, and each is now about 2/3rds of the way to 2nd level.
Markkus at least intends to give another run at the keep and bandits, but who knows if someone will beat him to the punch.
Locations:
Alderfall
Bandit marsh keep
Sword in the stone
NPCS:
Nordren the undead death knight on the bridge (12,-2)
Hedge Mage in Alderfall
Casualties:
None
