A New Deal or The Arch of Etruscus
(you end this night on the date: Föstudagur, Águst 16 3841)
After being so rudely interrupted while trying to restore power to part of the Skedic homeworld, you arrive back in Aja over two years after you left. Tar-Um-Lok decides to stay behind to deal with the demons and help get the power grid back on line.
Gendra, the governor of Aja, has been in negotiations with Ankar regarding the sharing of runic information. Because of your rep in avoiding the Misarlon, you have become the people of choice to work for Ankar in his mission to recover runic items that have been hidden across the land. In order to protect Ankar's interest, Silus has been sent to join your party.
The first task you have been given is to obtain a rubbing of the runes found on the Arch of Etruscus. Although legends of the Western Empire claim the arch was brought to Idelstone after the first BloodMoon War, it turns out that it is a fake. What else? Oh, yes, Ulves has taken over Idelstone and claimed it for himself in the name of the monster hordes of the western slopes of the Old Kingdom. The icing on the cake: eight dwarves, members of the Ipinidaan, are tailing you.
Silus arranges a quick exit b y ship and you find yourself in Otiven in no time where, again, Silus makes arrangements for you all to act as traders bringing goods up to Udohorn. Four of the dwarven Ipinidaan have tracked you here, but do not seem to pose an immediate threat. Oki does some mind delving investigation, discovering that they have warned the Misarlon of your plans. Specifically, they have had communication with a female elf, Mirella. Oki plants some false memories in the dwarves in order to sow the seeds of discord, and it works well enough to distract the dwarves.
You arrive at Udohorn without much trouble and after some busy work, you get your rubbing of the true Arch of Etruscus. The arch itself is part of a small dwarven temple devoted to ancestral prayer. After getting what you came for, Farallon is confronted by Mirella who beseeches you all to cease and desist your pursuit of runic knowledge. She makes the claim that it is somehow a trap – a trap that the Skedic in particular have fallen into – to seek this knowledge. Perhaps the Skedic cataclysm was a self-fulfilled prophecy? And maybe the Misarlon, having failed to get you through the use of force, are trying to use a little honey, or at least confusion.
You bring the information from the arch to Ankar in Gevril. Ankar spends some time explaining his project to you and how it relates to his vision of uniting the Eastern Territories and beyond. He invites you all to attend a party he is throwing that night which will be attended by dignitaries from all over the east.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Synopsis – The Plate Delivered
We'll keep this one short.
After several uneventful days of travel you found yourselves confronted with the option of dealing with the Witch of Wickmire or facing an ambush. Cleverly you avoided confrontation, made it through the potential ambush without incident, and were then saved by the old shepherd, who scared the witch off for some reason.
The old shepherd offers you shelter for the night and explains that it is very dangerous after dark in this place. So you take him up on the offer. The shepherd's home happens to be in some old Dwarven ruins and also so happens that the shepherd is really a dragon, Tar-Um-Lok, who wishes to trade the plate for a computer. You see, he happens to see the plate as being his since he could take it from you by force if necessary. But that won't be necessary, will it? In return for your cooperation he gives you an amulet by which you may call him in the future, safe passage to Aja, and a couple of baubles. Seeing no other attractive options, you once again accept the old shepherd's offer.
Tar teleports you all to Aja (more or less). There are some negotiations after which the Skedic agree to let all of you non-Skedic inside the city provided that you help re-establish communications with the homeworld. This is an operation that goes much better than expected and opens the rift back to the Skedic homeworld. You discover that only 20 years have passed since the cataclysm back there, meaning an astonishing 200:1 time ratio between Palladium and the homeworld. Needless to say, you all jump through the rift and begin exploring the Skedic home.
A beacon leads you to some 1000 survivors huddled inside a bunker. Along with Skedic forces, you escort these survivors back through the rift to Palladium. A group of you also takes forces out to a power station in an attempt to restore power and open up communications with other groups of refugees that may exist. You deftly defeat a group of 200 lasae demons that were guarding the outer perimeter of the station and manage to get to the main entrance. And there you stand, the lift to the lower levels of the power station before you...
Other Notes: Roughly 2 years and 2.5 months have passed back in Palladium. The plate has long since been analyzed by the Skedic—I wonder what they found? For extra credit (and XP points) What is the name of the Witch of Wickmire?
After several uneventful days of travel you found yourselves confronted with the option of dealing with the Witch of Wickmire or facing an ambush. Cleverly you avoided confrontation, made it through the potential ambush without incident, and were then saved by the old shepherd, who scared the witch off for some reason.
The old shepherd offers you shelter for the night and explains that it is very dangerous after dark in this place. So you take him up on the offer. The shepherd's home happens to be in some old Dwarven ruins and also so happens that the shepherd is really a dragon, Tar-Um-Lok, who wishes to trade the plate for a computer. You see, he happens to see the plate as being his since he could take it from you by force if necessary. But that won't be necessary, will it? In return for your cooperation he gives you an amulet by which you may call him in the future, safe passage to Aja, and a couple of baubles. Seeing no other attractive options, you once again accept the old shepherd's offer.
Tar teleports you all to Aja (more or less). There are some negotiations after which the Skedic agree to let all of you non-Skedic inside the city provided that you help re-establish communications with the homeworld. This is an operation that goes much better than expected and opens the rift back to the Skedic homeworld. You discover that only 20 years have passed since the cataclysm back there, meaning an astonishing 200:1 time ratio between Palladium and the homeworld. Needless to say, you all jump through the rift and begin exploring the Skedic home.
A beacon leads you to some 1000 survivors huddled inside a bunker. Along with Skedic forces, you escort these survivors back through the rift to Palladium. A group of you also takes forces out to a power station in an attempt to restore power and open up communications with other groups of refugees that may exist. You deftly defeat a group of 200 lasae demons that were guarding the outer perimeter of the station and manage to get to the main entrance. And there you stand, the lift to the lower levels of the power station before you...
Other Notes: Roughly 2 years and 2.5 months have passed back in Palladium. The plate has long since been analyzed by the Skedic—I wonder what they found? For extra credit (and XP points) What is the name of the Witch of Wickmire?
Monday, January 12, 2009
The trek along the smuggler's road
This was originally going to be used if I was running late tonight, but I decided it might be fun to put it out there now, anyway. Just to get the juices flowing.
The old road runs south-southwest just to the north and west of the river as it leaves the Bathfells area. The river runs though a kind of trough between the base of the mountains to the west and a ridge line of hills to its east. The path meanders in and out of mountainside meadows and evergreen forest, crossing many small brooks and streams that flow into the river which make the going slow and damp. In the clearings the view over the expanse of the Western Empire's forested interior is spectacular. It is truly a vast wilderness. The mountains which rise to your west, the right-hand side of the trail, are old, rounded, and bald granite domes, although none are particularly tall. Here and there a small shrub or some tough grass has found a crack of soil to take root in, and stands as a stubborn testament to the tenacity of vegetation even in inhospitable locations.
Fimmtudagur, April 6: After six uneventful days of lonely travel along the road you catch your first sight of another human, a goat herder tending to his flock up in the mountains. He is an old man who walks slightly hunched over, leaning heavily upon his cane. He doesn't seem to care much about you travelers and hardly acknowledges your presence.
Föstudagur, April 7: In the first rays of dawn you see that a large gray hawk has come to watch you from a high tree branch above your campsite. The hawk does not depart until you have packed up and begun moving. Later, you see the same old shepherd with his goats walking up on the mountain. It is remarkable how he is able to keep pace with you all while traveling over rougher terrain. Occasionally throughout the day you spot the hawk perched in some tree or other, always watching you. By late afternoon you round a bend in the trail and can see the path out in front of you. The road goes over an impressive old bridge made of rope, wood and stone. Far beneath the bridge the river rushes through the rapids as it passes through a narrow canyon in this stretch. Just up hill from the bridge you can see the top of some stone towers behind the trees, perhaps part of an old abandoned keep or fort. Across the river and off in the distance to the southeast you see a thin column of smoke rising into the late afternoon sky, like from a small cottage chimney. The main road that leads up to the bridge runs right along a ledge in the the canyon wall for about 40 feet and really makes you think that it is the perfect place for an ambush because you could be trapped from either end and attacked by someone at the top of the cliff, 15 feet above the road.
While your observational prowess is taking this in you notice two other things: the hawk is patiently watching you from a high branch, and; from behind a some bushes on the west side (mountain-side) of the road a stunningly beautiful young woman whistles softly at you like a songbird, beckoning you all to follow her off the path as she shoots a dark look toward the narrow ledge road.
So, what are you going to do?
The old road runs south-southwest just to the north and west of the river as it leaves the Bathfells area. The river runs though a kind of trough between the base of the mountains to the west and a ridge line of hills to its east. The path meanders in and out of mountainside meadows and evergreen forest, crossing many small brooks and streams that flow into the river which make the going slow and damp. In the clearings the view over the expanse of the Western Empire's forested interior is spectacular. It is truly a vast wilderness. The mountains which rise to your west, the right-hand side of the trail, are old, rounded, and bald granite domes, although none are particularly tall. Here and there a small shrub or some tough grass has found a crack of soil to take root in, and stands as a stubborn testament to the tenacity of vegetation even in inhospitable locations.
Fimmtudagur, April 6: After six uneventful days of lonely travel along the road you catch your first sight of another human, a goat herder tending to his flock up in the mountains. He is an old man who walks slightly hunched over, leaning heavily upon his cane. He doesn't seem to care much about you travelers and hardly acknowledges your presence.
Föstudagur, April 7: In the first rays of dawn you see that a large gray hawk has come to watch you from a high tree branch above your campsite. The hawk does not depart until you have packed up and begun moving. Later, you see the same old shepherd with his goats walking up on the mountain. It is remarkable how he is able to keep pace with you all while traveling over rougher terrain. Occasionally throughout the day you spot the hawk perched in some tree or other, always watching you. By late afternoon you round a bend in the trail and can see the path out in front of you. The road goes over an impressive old bridge made of rope, wood and stone. Far beneath the bridge the river rushes through the rapids as it passes through a narrow canyon in this stretch. Just up hill from the bridge you can see the top of some stone towers behind the trees, perhaps part of an old abandoned keep or fort. Across the river and off in the distance to the southeast you see a thin column of smoke rising into the late afternoon sky, like from a small cottage chimney. The main road that leads up to the bridge runs right along a ledge in the the canyon wall for about 40 feet and really makes you think that it is the perfect place for an ambush because you could be trapped from either end and attacked by someone at the top of the cliff, 15 feet above the road.
While your observational prowess is taking this in you notice two other things: the hawk is patiently watching you from a high branch, and; from behind a some bushes on the west side (mountain-side) of the road a stunningly beautiful young woman whistles softly at you like a songbird, beckoning you all to follow her off the path as she shoots a dark look toward the narrow ledge road.
So, what are you going to do?
Rumors in Bathfells
Laugardagur, April 1
Bathfells Rumors
The local folk have told you a tale or two about what you might expect to find on your journey south along the mountain path and river. The Witch of Wickmire, a horrific old hag, apparently traps unsuspecting travellers and feeds them to her familiars. In various tales she lives in an old keep, a stalwart fort, or an ancient abandoned palace. There is also Khourag's Band, a troupe of mercenaries thieves and convicts who “patrol” the mountain road. Money and privacy is what they want and they have no problem killing anyone in cold blood to get it. Somewhere a little deeper in the forest are the ruins of Naylon, a former temple city that was devoted to the worship of demons. This is unusual because demon worship temples are very rare, while devil worship temples can be found in almost every major city, particularly in the Western Empire.
There are also some old dwarven ruins in the mountains, but they remain shrouded in mystery and are considered dangerous, although there are no specific horror stories associated with them. Perhaps it is the fear of dragons that has kept even the foolish from exploring the potential riches of these mountain ruins.
It will be a long journey to Aja. Fortunately, most of the journey will follow the river upstream so water won't be an issue. Carrying enough rations will be difficult, however.
Bathfells Rumors
The local folk have told you a tale or two about what you might expect to find on your journey south along the mountain path and river. The Witch of Wickmire, a horrific old hag, apparently traps unsuspecting travellers and feeds them to her familiars. In various tales she lives in an old keep, a stalwart fort, or an ancient abandoned palace. There is also Khourag's Band, a troupe of mercenaries thieves and convicts who “patrol” the mountain road. Money and privacy is what they want and they have no problem killing anyone in cold blood to get it. Somewhere a little deeper in the forest are the ruins of Naylon, a former temple city that was devoted to the worship of demons. This is unusual because demon worship temples are very rare, while devil worship temples can be found in almost every major city, particularly in the Western Empire.
There are also some old dwarven ruins in the mountains, but they remain shrouded in mystery and are considered dangerous, although there are no specific horror stories associated with them. Perhaps it is the fear of dragons that has kept even the foolish from exploring the potential riches of these mountain ruins.
It will be a long journey to Aja. Fortunately, most of the journey will follow the river upstream so water won't be an issue. Carrying enough rations will be difficult, however.
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