Return to Restwell Keep

The adventurers who had stayed conscious by the end of the battle with the Kobold Verminpriest quickly got to work tending to the wounds of their compatriots who had fallen during the battle.  After making sure that everyone was still alive: Helja, Raven, and Taeja got around to searching the Sanctum.  The Kobold must have been attacking various travellers in and out of the scar with the amount of magical items that were found, as well as the missing cargo that Bosco had tasked them with finding.  Upon the unholy altar was a man, dead and crawling with vermin in and out of his body, behind the altar was a small tunnel that led to the outside which the adventurers used and quickly returned to Restwell Keep with the missing Cargo.

Returning the cargo to Bosco who was still upset that his merchant had gone missing and was now dead.  He then asked if those who had worked for him already would be interested in another business proposition.  Sensing that they would be, he said that he couldn't discuss it right then but asked for them to return at sundown, when it would be more conducive to talking freely.

Sundown was a ways away and after a long visit to the Chaos Scar the adventurers chose to relax a little at The Stumbling Giant.  The Stumbling Giant was full, members of the mercenary guards who kept tabs over the outer bailey filled a few tables, and most other tables were full as well, only leaving a small table for the adventuring gang.  A Halfling stood up on his seat, obviously drunk, proclaiming how powerful the elements are.  Mercenaries complained about the monotony of the job.  And a woman wearing a holy symbol of Sehanine walked in and sat down at the table with the adventurers.  She told them that her master, Benwick, would like them to join him for dinner at his apartment.  And abruptly left.

Raven chose to confront the halfling who couldn't contain his love of the elements.  The halfling was more than happy to discuss the elements with Raven, telling him that they were more powerful than the gods themselves.  Raven tried to bluff his way into getting more information out of the halfling, by saying that he was also a disciple of the elements, but the halfling called his bluff and then dejectedly sat down and went back to his ale, without continuing the fanaticism related to the elements. 

Helja had chosen to approach the bartender and ask question about the acolyte who had entered the bar and Benwick.  The bartender said that Benwick was a travelling priest who had arrived at the keep a few months ago and has quickly made himself popular with most people in the outer bailey as well as the surrounding area.  Benwick is generally regarded favorably in the keep.

Taeja thought that she could use her feminine wyles to get some information from the mercenaries.  They didn't pay much attention to her until she offered a small game of chance that would cause the loser to buy drinks for the rest of the table.  Little did the mercenaries know, Raven had stolen a few coinpurses.  Eventually it was time for the mercenaries to leave and pay their tab.  Obviously upset that their money was gone, the mercenaries quickly guarded the door and started to make a scene about getting their gold back.  Raven, trying to save his own skin, confronted the head of the group, offered to purchase him a good time in the rooms upstairs and defused the situation.  With a small prick of a poisoned shuriken, the mercenary quickly went crazy, jumped over the balcony and tried to run out the door with his friends following behind. 

By that time the sun had gone down and the group went back to Bosco to find out what the new job was.  Bosco wanted them to travel to The Crossroads, where it is said that a Tiefling by the name of Millen Silvereye ran a Black Market of goods and wanted to offer him the opportunity to expand his business into the Keep by using Bosco as a fence.  The adventurers said that they would sleep on it and get back to him.

They then travelled across the keep to Benwick's apartment.  They were quickly welcomed in and invited to seats at the table that was lavishly furnished with a fine cooked meal.  Benwick then arrived and quickly dove into his own premade plate.  He discussed how he had seen adventurers come and go to the Chaos Scar, never to return.  It was only the brave and strong who had the will to return, and with the many connections that he has in the keep he knows that the adventurers at his table fell into that group.  He needed them to search for a cult to the Elder Elemental Eye that might be gaining members in the keep.  He didn't want them killed, but only wanted information.  He couldn't offer them money but he had skills related to potions, herbs, minor magic, and as Raven asked, poisons. 

The next morning the group chose to take Bosco up on his offer and travel to the crossroads.  As soon as they got to the area that matched the description given, the adventurers found themselves confronted with a large steel tree that had cages extending from its arms, one of them filled with a human crying for his release from a few hobgoblins that stood guard.  Helja went to confront the hobgoblins who told her to get lost and that it wasn't any of her business what they were doing.  As Helja had them distracted, Raven sent his raven to the cage to try to pick the lock which it ably did.  Realizing that he could escape, the human ran into the forest, away from the adventurers and back towards the Chaos Scar.

Near the gibbet tree was a dirty shack of sorts, which was the place of business of Millen Silvereye.  The group went into the building, interupting a business transaction between Millen and a few dwarven adventurers.  The group talked their way into Millen's good graces and he finally opened up to the fact that he ran a black market and Helja was able to convince him that it would be in his best interest to make a business deal with their contact back in Restwell Keep.  Millen agreed and said that he needed to make arrangements with their boss back in Restwell.

The group made their way back to Restwell Keep.  As soon as they arrived they could tell that something wasn't right.  They heard comments such as "Grelda couldn't have done that!"  "I don't believe it."  "He got what was coming to him." and the like.  By the time they arrived at the trading store, they had to fight their way through a growing crowd.  Once they had bullied their way through, the found Bosco laying a pool of his own blood with an arrowhead shaped knife, carved with a spiral shaped rune on it, sticking in his chest.

The Adventure Begins!

Deciding they had enough information, the five travelled half a days journey south, the looming cliff walls of the Chaos Scar overtaking the sky with each step. In the middle of the road were three wagons, destroyed and still covered with vermin of multiple types and sizes; cockroaches, rats, spiders, worms, maggots, centipedes, locust. Nothing remained within the wagons and most of the wagons themselves had disappeared. After searching for a little while, avoiding the vermin as much as possible, large drag marks were discovered that led into the forest towards the Scar, the vermin around the site shouldn't be together some prey and predator to one another. During the search Sweet Pea noticed a Kobold along the tree line which quickly darted back into the forest. Ravenfeeder and Helja ran into the forest, leaving the other behind to continue the search, in the hope of cutting off the Kobold.

Raven and Helja unfortunately were not successful, breaking out of the trees and into a small meadow that laid at the foot of the tall cliffs of the Chaos Scar, just as the Kobold ran and jumped into a cave. Deciding to wait for their comrades, they tried to investigate the cave without being detected. Nothing could be seen in the cave, no light was being emitted from within and nothing could be discovered. Once the Five Guards were all together they decided to run into the cave, those who had the ability to see in low-light conditions in the front, hopefully getting the upper edge against whatever might be in the cave's entrance.

Unfortunately it wasn't the Kobolds at the entrance that deterred the attackers, it was the small tripwire that was felt upon their ankles that slowed down their progress.  As the wire snapped the cliff wall above the five gave way, boulders, rocks, and dust crashed to the ground.  Dodging just in time, the five walked away with mere scrapes and bruises.  Before being able to dust themselves off, scraping and digging came from the other side of the rockfall.  Sooner rather than later, kobolds had clawed their way through the rocks and quickly engaged the invaders of their home. 

A quick battle ensued, the kobolds throwing cages full of vermin at the adventurers as they battled back, magic and swords flying at the small draconic reptiles.  With very little difficulty the kobolds fell by the wayside, still leaving the rubble to be removed so that the adventurers could invade the cave and hopefully discover the missing merchant and goods.

Once the rubble had been moved enough to get in the cave, the entire setting had changed, instead of being a dark cave, torches had been lit and standing in the light were kobolds ready for the adventurers.  It took a moment for adventurers to make it in the cave, giving the kobolds the opportunity to attack and get ready for the small skirmish on hand.  Calling upon the raging storm of Kord, Helja ran into the battle, thundering with her warhammer.   Sweet Pea invading the kobolds minds.  Ravenfeeder answering all vermin cages with poisoned shurikens.  Taeja defending her newest allies with enforcing vigor.  And Soveliss filling each swing of his Greatsword with arcane magic.  The battle ended as soon as it had begun, the only unaccounted kobold was the one who was able to escape further down the caves.

After taking a short rest, healing any wounds that needed attending, the adventurers decided to journey farther down the cave system.  As they travelled through the unlit corridors, rocks and pebbles kicked and things crunching under foot, eventually the sounds of running could be heard echoing through the caves.  Around the corner came reinforcements, led by the kobold who had escaped from the entrance of the cave.  The narrow cave kept the battle long, only allowing a few fighters to engage each other at a single time.  With little effort the adventurers cleared the caves.

Down the caves the adventurers travelled, torches beginning to intermittenly be placed in the cave walls.  No sounds echoed through the caves except for each footsteps of the adventurers.  The caves continued to turn and curve, but one of the walls had broken and crumbled into some chamber that had been built ages before.  The floor had been tiled and the walls were clean and smooth instead of the rugged walls of the cave.  Over the floor crawled vermin of every type; cockroaches and rats, centipedes and grubs, locust, spiders, snakes.  At the back of the chamber was a solid wooden door that was closed from whatever might be behind.

Cutting a swath through the vermin, the adventurers opened the doors, unsure of whatever might be on the inside.  The room was a sanctuary to some being.  The walls were painted in words unintelligible, pictures of vermin overtaking and destroying the world.  The pedestal against the far wall was carved into vermin turning from one type to another.  And in the middle of the floor, in a circle glowing with occultic runes was a kobold encircled by vermin, joined together to the point where one began and the other ended could not be detected.  In one hand the kobold held a large book and in the other a staff.  As the adventurers entered the sanctuary, the kobold hissed unintelligibly and the turned to the adventurers and said, "Go on my pets and feast!"

From the kobold swarmed vermin, from his hands he threw a plague of locust and at his command the vermin around his feet swarmed out towards the adventurers, biting and stinging with the ferocity of the nine hells.  As the opportunity arose, he slammed his staff and book together vermin burrowed from the ground and attacked everyone who wandered in their swarm.  Helja, Sweet Pea, and Soveliss endeavored to use their powers of the arcane and divine to break the connection that the book and the kobold shared.  Ravenfeeder and Taeja worked their way into the sanctuary, taking the attack to the kobold verminpriest instead of focusing on the crawling vermin that flooded from the ground below.  The power of the tome had been destroyed and the kobold had been destroyed, but also unconscious in the sanctuary was Helja, Soveliss, and Taeja.

Welcome to the Keep!

It is a full two day journey from the city of Fallcrest to Restwell Keep, that is if the weather is fine.  The roads that link the two together is rough and rarely travelled, beset with bandits and highwaymen along most of the route.  Most merchants who choose to the journey along those roads wisely employ guards or mercenaries to accompany them, not only keeping their goods safe but themselves as well.  Gwendyn Silverstrand, an elven merchant who travels throughout the Nentir Vale and much of the broken Nerathi Empire, was travelling to Restwell Keep from Fallcrest and hired five guards to journey with him to the Keep.

Two days along the road is an opportunity for anyone unaquainted to get to know each other.  Those five guards; Helja the Dwarven Cleric, Taeja the Tiefling Fighter, Sweet Pea the Pixie Psion, Ravenfeeder the Shade Assassin, and Soveliss the Eladrin Swordmage, quickly became something more than mere aquaintances but not quite friends.  Each shared their story, or what parts they were willing to concede or possibly make up on the spot.  Within each story though was the desire for adventure, glory, and potential wealth which rumor had spread could be found in the Chaos Scar. 

Restwell Keep, the Keep on the Chaos Scar, gleamed in the early morning light as the merchant's small caravan made its way up the small rock plateau that the Keep was built upon.  It was required that Gwendyn account for all goods that he was bringing into the Keep and quickly thanked his short-term employees, paying them the agreed upon price.  At the gate proper of the Keep those five guards were required to turn over any weapons and arms larger than a dagger to Fallek, Corporal of the Guard.  The Keep buzzed with the energy of the morning; farmers trying to sell their crops off before they had to return to the their farms for the evening's workload, adventurer's gearing up to make the fateful journey into the Scar-most never to return again, and the loud sound of a heated argument coming from a makeshift store a little ways into the Keep than the main entrance.

The Five Guards, interested in the argument, made their way to the store.  The makeshift store was nothing more than a large lean-to with shelves and a counter space, it was divided in two halves by a large, canvas stained brown from the many hands that had touched it since it was put in place.  Those engaged in the heated bantering seemed to be the two proprietors of each half of the store, a man and a woman.  The customers of the two seemed not to notice, acting as if it was an everyday occurence.

Ravenfeeder quickly stepped between the two and confronted the man about his actions, encouraging him to take a breath and calm himself before anything unfortunate happened.  Realizing that the Shade was not alone the two proprietors went back to the business of their respective shops.  Still upset at the man's actions and the way that he conducted himself, Ravenfeeder prodded the man; desiring to find out why he was acting the way he was, not only in front of his own customers but to a woman as well.

Bosco Heldam introduced himself as the local trader in the Keep, trading adventuring goods with anyone brave enough to venture into the Chaos Scar.  He has been running his shop for almost a year now and Grelda Haersy, the other store's owner and local provisioner for the Keep's residents, has been nothing but antagonistic towards his business, going so far as to begin selling the same goods at a lower price than his.  And now his contact and merchant from Sarthel in the south has not arrived making it more difficult to make a profit.  Realizing an opportunity, Ravenfeeder and the Guards offered their services in finding the missing merchant and returning whatever goods might be missing.

Before heading out of the Keep the five decided to do a little investigating; Helja and Soveliss found The Stumbling Giant and lost themselves in one too many mugs of fine ale, Ravenfeeder and Taeja gained some extra knowledge about the merchant, and Sweet Pea flew overhead silently observing and listening to the myriad of information and stories that were swapped throughout the Keep.  It was discovered that the merchant travelled up from the South and subsequently had to travel along the King's Wall that was built as a division between civilization and the dangers of the Chaos Scar.  The merchant was quite punctual and always arrived when he had intended, securing enough guards as deemed appropriate for the journey.  Sweet Pea overheard farmers discussing the strange occurence of farms and farmlands being destroyed by vermin, not as a swarm of unthinking or unprovoked opportunity but as if guided and calculated.

King Makers!

Here is the log of the King Makers campaign, ran by me, DMJason.  This blog is kept in conjunction with the King Makers Wiki which should be used together to best understand the world of the King Makers.