Saturday, February 18, 2012

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.

Friday, February 17, 2012

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.