Five Tower Keep Session 8: 09/20/2018 To Five Tower Keep and Back Again

We begin this week’s session with the player consensus to head back to Five Tower Keep so that our characters can report back and refresh their resources. We direct our characters to follow the same course back- retracing our steps; along the way our characters do identify manticores flying defensively in bordering territories. The trek takes our characters 4 days to Five Tower Keep which sets our characters arrival on day 11 during the mid-morning.

Our characters arrive to Swamplands Thorpe first where we find farmers as well as Keep guards. Workers only who seem supried to see us, (no women) they warn our characters of sporadic night raids that continue in our absence. It seems each Thorpe around Five Tower Keep experience similar skirmish attacks from orogs and their ilk.

When we finally arrive to FTK it is to much fanfare as we quickly surmise that no one expected our characters to return. Our characters set about finding quarters and after couple of hours Inskip catches up with us and engages with an arranged dinner after we clean up from our swamp travels. He seems eager and hints to having recently found something that could help us. As we prepare for dinner our characters get cleaned up and eventually arrange a meeting with a merchant from Lowport for trade. In the meantime folk will find themselves warmed up to Ginger..

Later that night we assemble for a feast of great proportions… to a standing room only audience not only in the feat hall but also who have gathered outside to hear our tale. Inskip talks himself up before giving us an opportunity to tell our tale. Mesha first produces our map and with hexagonal territory Stoutwood gives a typographical description of the area while the rest of the group describes the monsters and strange encounters.  When swamp trolls are mentioned there is an audible gasp at the hereto unknown creature. We mention manticores and their mating practices; the first-world hydra; and the drake of which skin we have brought back with us. Immediately folk jump to conclusions about the great king dragon, but before long our characters tell everyone about the giants and the hags we encountered as well as the name Gyronna.

The name Gyronna has been mentioned from a couple of sources- known as the angry hag- and is known to have a sisterhood- it is currently calling Horcton her kingdom. One of the hags we encountered seemed to know we hailed from Five Tower Keep. Both hags we encountered traveled with a giant thrall. A druid speaks up and says that the southern hags keep giants husbands. Intriguing. We end our long night of stories with the story of encountering the menagerie of animal statues and what we fear to be a medusa ahead. Our characters then bring out the relics we recovered with the hopes of trade. 

Not long after we trade an adamantite throwing axe and the magical boarspear for a wand of CMW and a wand of CLW. A dwarf priest of Torag approaches Mesha when the Battlement shield is brought forth and offers her 15k in gold bars for the item and is forced to tell the tales of how she used the item. Inskipp brings forth the high Priest of Abadar to give us 1000 gold each; Inskipp reveals the Swamp Boots he recently found for our company. 

Our characters take a total of ten days of downtime so that Maderon Wilder can scribe scrolls and the rest of the characters trade for magical items.

At the 21 day mark we return to the swampy jungle taking a parallel route just west of our original path while also giving us a territory buffer from the Swam Trolls we know about and enter the 2(second trek)H5 territory where more swampy lands begin, we spend an additional two days getting there. Day 23. West from here we notice more manticores, nevertheless after a time we fully explore 2H5 and rest for the night.

The next day we advance into 2K6 where we believe there to be a manticore lair. Our characters happen across 4 manticores and engage- killing one while driving off the other three, however one will surely die before night fall.

We are awarded our 4^th character level. :) 

Five Tower Keep Session 6 & 7: 09/12/2018 Our New Hag Friend

The giant encounter went differently than our characters expected, a high pitched female voice commanded the giant. This spooked Ginger causing Stoutwood to give chase into the deep swamp taking the Hunter and his companion the evening to catch up to the rest of the characters. When the two catch up to the rest of the characters, they find them fresh off an encounter with a first-world creature, a forest drake- the second creature our characters have encountered that shouldn’t be on this plane.

We begin at 8 am in M1- each hexagonal territory our characters have visited till now including M1 are fully explored. Stoutwood learns the characters have realized Gyronna is claiming Horcton as her own- learned after talking with the swamp witch who would not give her name. The swamp witch was not a ‘sister’ of Gyronna who also spoke of a priestess.

Our characters continue SW into M2 8 am on the 6^th day after resting most of the fifth day. Two hours in with swamp water becomes up to our waist and is slow travel. We are then surprised by a two headed ettin and the swamp witch hag. We defeat the Ettin and find a well preserved handy haversack and a total 1000 gp in gold, silver or black pearls.

After a brief coarse correction our characters are on our way to finishing exploring as the swamp hag harries us further in the day. She sets 3 giant scorpions against us but we dispatch them. Our characters fully explore M2 and an hour before sundown find the scorpoion's lair and a site to set up camp. Our night it filled with sounds of swamp dolphins, insects and worse; we are however not disturbed.

The next day (Day 7) our characters continue SW into M3 where we come across several small stone statues. About two hours into our exploration we find the ground becoming more solid and about 200 feet away a clearing presents itself- here we see figures standing. Stoutwood approaches and the general assumption given the clues is there be medusa here.

We are awarded a combat feat and pick up here as our characters faced with the possibility of a medusa. 

Five Tower Keep Session 5: 08/30/2018 Hail Hydra!

The Map of Days

We begin around noon on the third day since leaving Five Hour Keep continuing our search through K3 (reminding reader that the adjacent K4 has a swamp troll lair somewhere inside.). Eventually to the south we see three, we assume them to be manticores, flying in concentric circles in the next territory to the south- soon to be area K5 along our path. We enter said territory having fully explored K3 and also finding no major lairs in that area.

Moving SW into K5 our characters begin to map and explore. As we travel swamp trolls continue to harry us from the east. It takes us 5 hours to explore this area with most of the area very wet and in places past our ankles as we travel.

*Succeeding on a exploration check means we do not get lost now or in the future visits to an hexagonal area; survival checks indicates an awareness of dangers and surprises.

Thirty minutes into K5 we notice that we are getting closer to the flying manticores that seem to be dead center of this territory. Unexpectedly Stoutwood finds a single barefooted giant track about this time; the track seems to be heading in a NE direction. The track is no more than two days old. About an hour into our exploration the land begins to rise out of the feted water; while ahead our characters think we see a flickering or shimmering light. We take pains to safeguard our ears as we approach the soft flickering glow. We venture closer we happen across a large boulder sunken in about two feet of water with the mysterious glow is situated about ten feet above it.

Melderon attempts to touch the local ley line but falls short due to the unfamiliarity of the area- the area had an old-world connection. We get closer and we see the glow is actually a light mace hanging in the tree, swaying foliage from our approach gave the glowing mace a shimmering effect. Mesha detects magic both from the mace as well from a box in the water below and items of value in the water and scattered about. Alaric approaches closer still and discovers the rock is in fact large stone statue of a giant frog; nearby, a haphazard pile of broken life-sized statuary of various animals. Poking around Alaric also finds a magic boarspear in the water.

From the jungle emerges a hydra to give us grief. Battle! In the end Melderon uses acid splash to kill the quickly regenerating old-world monster while Alaric, Stoutwood and Drake keep the creature unconscious with strikes. There is no longer a hydra lair in K5!

In the immediate area our characters find 15 javelins of lighting, 2 beads of force (Melderon, Mesha), amulet of natural armor +2 (Drake), an adamantine throwing axe (a Horcton relic)(Stoutwood), ring of swimming (Alaric), empty type I bag of holding (Melderon), a gold necklace worth 100 gp, a silver necklace worth 30 and +1 hurtful boarspear (Alaric), +1 light mace that sheds light (has symbols of Palor the Orc god of the Sun) (Mesha). Melderon is able to discern the properties of the iron crown recovered from an orog back in Swamplands Thorpe (Stoutwood).

Crown of Forceful Strikes

Aura: faint evocation; CL: 5th

Slot: head; Price: 2,400 gp; Weight: —

Description

This sturdy iron crown is decorated with small points that take the form of miniature swords, pointing up. Three times per day as a swift action, the wearer can cause one weapon attack he makes to count as a force effect (like magic missile or spiritual weapon), except the damage done still counts as weapon damage (rather than spell damage). The crown’s power may be used three times per day.

Construction Requirements: Craft Wondrous Items, spiritual weapon; Cost: 1,200 gp.

We decide to huddle and rest in a nearby hunting shack without incident. Overnight the water level rises and at midnight the water reaches its highest point (high tide for this area is noon and midnight). We begin planning an attack with the manticores. We range out to 900 feet from the manticores and see a 300 foot risen area where we believe their lair to be. We believe there are only three, although there could be more inside the lair. We advance closer to the edge of the grassy gnoll where we find numerous discarded carcasses lying about including many humanoids. Stoutwood finds venomous spittle up in some areas as we take our places. Battle! Our characters open up with using every javelin of lightning we recovered from the hydra and our deadly dice rolling skills to defeat the venomous manticores.

We each find a masterwork and or cold iron weapon of Horcton among the carcuses and fully explore the K5 territory. Our characters continue southwest into M1 and around noon on the 4^th day since leaving Five Tower Keep we happen across a giant with bundles of javelins…

Five Tower Keep Session 4: 08/23/2018 Ecology of a Manticore

We begin this week’s session in the late afternoon, after averaging 3 map hexes each day; our travel

through K1 is also accompanied by continual signs of swamp trolls as we continue our general course SW into K2 where a change of terrain follows. Stoutwood and Ginger provide aid to each of the group during the exploration (survival or perception check) phase of our journey. It is during this exploration Stoutwood is able to sense the presence of a swamp troll within relatively close range. The further south we travel the swamp is beginning to shallow even more.

In the distant sky, Alaric will see a couple of flying creatures circling but getter steady closer. Our characters find a place to hunker down until the threat passes. At about 100 years the creatures decend to 60’- a manticore. We fight them for a while before they fly off NW toward a steadily descending sun but not before a dire warning that something will return. We then begin to look for a place to camp straight west to divert from our previous path.

We are then set upon by an advanced Manticore and after some tense moments we fell the alpha female. After the battle lions emerge, including two male dire lions who come and feast on the unusually large female manticore. This occurs throughout the night, the two other ‘sons of’ Manticores do not harry us further. K2 is explored and does not yield a manticore lair. 

We continue SW to K3 and spend the fiveish hours exploring; Stoutwood is able to see the unexplored adjacent K4 area to contain a swamp troll lair. The area in K3 proves to be more jungle with little change to the swamp quality. Eventually three trolls bum-rush us but we are able to drive off two and just kill one.

Wandering Monsters II, The Deserter

Skutt the Exile

The half-orc Skutt slipped the magical ring on a pale finger and briefly closed his eyes feeling the tingling magic take hold. The half-orc resembled a vague human but with jaundice skin but was riddled with green freckles that gave the humanoid a spotted look. Tusks jutted out from his bottom jaw. When he opened his eyes he could see a golden path before him, a trail that no one but the ring bearer could perceive.

Around him, others of his small band were tending wounds from a previous encounter with some lizardmen; all but Sneak, the group’s kobold scout. Finishing a short respite from the jungle travel Bangor was trading sword swings with his shadow brought forth from the blade, a sparing technique to keep his prowess sharp. Bangor was a large tiefling whose lineage ties Bangor to an arch-duke of Hell, which made him royalty. A fact he did not let many people forget. Meditating nearby, unfazed by Bangor’s dangerously close swordplay, was the summoner Elsa- a vile adventurous Harpy who delighted in bloodshed. Finally there was Drump, an uncomely human priest of greed and political corruption.

Looking across the jungle canopy from the top of a wide flat mesa Skutt could too make out the golden path glittering its way north east, he could still not see where the trail ended but trusted the ring and the path it showed him. A thunder clap echoed across the jungle startling a myriad colorful birds from their perch as it started to rain.

“I have found a way down the mesa,” Sneak said to Skutt in his diminutive croaked voice.

“Good,” Skutt replied. “the path before us is clearer to me up here above the boughs.”

The promise of treasure was closer now and anticipation was hastening the group’s travel but unraveling their patience.

“How soon?” Drump asked, the priest was anxious as was Elsa who took to the air with her beautiful wings. "I will not suffer any further delays." the priest finished. 

To those who it chose the magic ring revealed a path to the one’s greatest wish. For Drump it was power and to ensure undying loyalty from his underlings; for Sneak it was to be a full dragon, resplendent and terrible; Bangor wanted to inherit his birthright, a territory in Hell; Elsa also desired power as well as an ice castle to rule from; but for Skutt he wanted reclaim his homeland for his people, that in-turn would grant him power.

“This route over the mesa gives me a clear vantage of where our path lies." Skutt said menacingly and after a moment said, "I would say by the new moon we shall each have what the ring has shown us." 

The River Marshalls

Five Years Ago…Lowport

Arnil Garrod

The meeting was being held at The Bitters, an old tavern that had gone out of business the previous year.   A dozen rangers had gathered, called there by their leader and senior member Arnil Garrod.   Collectively the rangers were referred to by the locals of Lowport as the River Marshalls.  The River Marshalls had come to hear everything Arnil, or A G as they called him, had to tell them regarding his study of the Dragon King Kazzurog’s newest soldiers, creatures the Marshalls called Draconians.

“As many of us travel with an animal companions, the Draconians I have followed have anywhere from one to a half dozen small chameleon lizards they travel with.  The chameleons appear to be trained to destroy the tracks of Draconians and also seem to have the ability to mask or eliminate any scent the Draconians would leave behind.”  Worried glances between members were exchanged as Arnil provided his report.  “At our previous gathering, some theorized that some dark sorceries must have transformed lizard men from the swamps to create this new threat. I don’t believe that to be the case, although I do believe arcane ceremonies were used to create this new draconic race, I now worry and strongly suspect that the disappearance of many kobolds and wizards from our region over the last decade is behind this new threat.”

Draconians

Several discussions broke out at once as Arnil’s words faded.  The stoic ranger had expected this and allowed a few moments of discussion before continuing, “I believe that each Draconian is connected to a chromatic dragon, as the ones I’ve followed have similar skin patterns.  Some of these hulking brutes reach heights of nine feet, but the majority I’ve seen are slightly above seven feet tall.  They have exhibited both martial and arcane capabilities along with many resistances similar to their dragon patron.  In short I believe that King Kazarog is somehow using the wizards he captures to transform his kobolds into a these new creatures.  None of our members should engage these Draconians alone, for now we will practice stealth and study, learning all we can of this new threat who appear to be many in number.”

Five Tower Keep Session 3: 08/09/2018 Welcome to the Jungle

We begin this week’s session as our characters arrive to Swamplands Thorpe. Our characters quickly assess the small community which is now empty and mostly in ruin. We spend a few hours making minor repairs, scavenging, and in Stoutwood’s case gathering some sentimental items. Our search reveals that multiple groups rampaged through the Thorpe, perhaps 5-10 groups of no more than five heavily booted feet. We also find how much property was destroyed and discover five individuals who fell in defense of the thorpe. Our characters gather the deceased build a funeral pyre.

Stoutwood works with Ginger on picking up the orog’s scent to try and track the brutes early the next day. Mesha and Drake concentrate on how the groups move, how they entered the Thorpe and how these brutes are not the quiet travelers we encountered early on; but barbarians too stubborn to leave what ever was causing the exodus from Horcton. We post a watch between ourselves in a simple house after setting up some noisemakers to alarm us if there are any trespassers.

Around the midnight hour when we hear the noise of the broken crockery under heavy booted feet. Outside the small house were two horcling archers and three orogs. After combat we find the orogs carried 3 javelins, each wielded great axes, and wore half-plate piecemeal Horcton armor. They had 15 gold pieces among them. Finally one of them wore a magical heavy iron crown covered in runes. Melderon appraises it with a 13. However before long our characters return to rest. Through the night, during Drake’s shift, he hears another group pillaging the thorpe. Drake elects to remain silent and allow his companions some rest.

The next morning Stoutwood works with Ginger and hunts for food for our adventure gaining a boar in the process before leading the characters out into the un-mapped and untamed jungle. We first head SW into H1 (relative to our player map) and are able to fully explore the area after just three hours finding nothing much except an elephant carcass, complete with tusks intact. Our characters continue to follow the orog tracks and head south into H2 and on into H3; both territories we fully explore. We eventually rest and continue our exploration SE into H4 where the terrain becomes more featured and where Ginger and Stoutwood soon discover swamp troll tracks.

Our characters continue south into K1 where the terrain becomes thick jungle over swamp and as we continue Stoutwood becomes certain there is a swamp-toll lair located in this region. His suspicions are confirmed the hard way. The two swamp-trolls fight fiercely but eventually retreat from us as we learn these cowardly creatures almost never fight to the death.

Wandering Monsters

Olf pulled his great axe free with a wet sucking sound. It came with a spray of blood as well as glistening dark red clumps of whatever served as a brain for the former lizard-man. The orog Olf and his horcling team had been tracking a deserter from the hoard, his treacherous half-orc brother, for two nights when the six brutes came across the vile lizard-folk.

Olf the Orog Barbarian

Something had the lizard-folk riled up because the chieftain was scampering about inciting the other lizard-folk. Olf was convinced that it was the half-orc who must have passed near their territory that had worked them into a frenzy. Olf placed Ogg to task and commanded him to go to the lizard-folk camp and report back.

Less than an hour later the information that came back to Olf was that there was a single lizard-man chieftain- large and of great stature waving about a sword, a smaller lizard-man an acolyte; and a harem of five lizard-folk females- each one as comely as a hag. Olf and the horclings brought their weapons to the lizard-men with bloodthirsty vengeance; the orog treating this as a training exercise for the horclings.

“Olf,” Togg called out to the barbarian orog and handed him the spoils from the lizard-men’s filthy nest. Among the salvage, Olf was surprised to find was a branded exotic sword, an obvious relic from Horcton. What was his brother up to and how did this chieftain end up with such an ancient relic?

Olf wandered about the camp, stopped and looked to the sky, he guessed it would be dark in a few hours. The orog barbarian sheathed the branded sword, closed his eyes and breathed deeply of the warm jungle air trying to pick up a scent.

Around Olf his team cast the camp about and pulverized everything and anything to uselessness, he was oblivious to it all as he focused on the traces in the air.

Then the orog had it- a scent! But it was not his brother- something else. Olf looked towards where he believed the scent was originating and in the distance saw a wide flat mesa covered in thick green foliage. It was disguised among the feature-riddled jungle, hunkered down but it was obvious once you saw it. Olf thought he saw a fracture in the base of the mesa that could be a way to the top.

                                                                                                                                                 

“Ogg, gather the others. I want to make that mesa by nightfall.”

Five Tower Keep Session 2: 08/02/2018 Dunlap Thorpe Attack and Return to Five Tower Keep

We begin with our characters arriving at Dunlap Thorpe just as evening draws near. Our characters see people working the fields and being wary, mayhap they have already heard the danger about Five Tower Keep. Stoutwood hails some old fruit harvesters who recognizing us as representatives from Five Tower keep and inquire as to the nature of our visit.

The subject of the moving orog and Horcling hoard is brought up and our characters learn they were in fact seen just the night before. Melderon surmises that the in-season farms are likely under the most danger and to get everyone, farmers and the like, to the relative safety of the Thorpe and away from danger. We include a way for the local Dunlaps to signal us with fire if danger should resolve itself during the forthcoming night.

Our characters spend time escorting the farmers and their kin to Dunlap Thorpe before heading out beyond the community and to a farm we are told is in-season and is likely in danger. We come to a trio of square buildings, empty of people to hold up and observe the horde's movement. Stoutwood lights a small fire in an outside fire pit as a way to attract attention. Melderon detects a nearby ley line for power and leans the line in question is an extension of the line from Dunlap to Five Tower Keep.

Eventually we see shadowy orogs in the night; one in old masterwork half plate Horcton armor who appears to cautiously investigate the small bonfire; they don’t immediately see our characters. Eventually combat breaks out and we defeat what turned out to be orog barbarians. Among their equipment are composite longbows with 40 arrows, and three great axes; finally strapped to a chain is a light crossbow that is matched to the Horcton armor- both are magical and both are leavened. Stoutwood stores the magical crossbow and Mesha takes interest in the armor.

With this location sullied we decide to move to a different farmstead where we come across tracks and decide to follow in haste. It is by now 4ish in the morning when our character arrive to Dunlap were we find the community had been under attack. The attackers fled before the days first light.

We arrange a report to be sent to Five Tower Keep as well as a message to Golden Oaks to update those folk of the moving horde. We decide to rest and the next morning following the tracks in hopes to find camp sites.

We arrive to Golden Oaks by 10 pm. And receive a message from Five Tower Keep that the orogs and barbarian attack is worse that once believed and Swamplands Thorpe is now overrun. Our characters decide to load up all available wagons with farmers and enough food and escort them to Five Tower Keep where we eventually discover the local countryside is being plundered. 

After resting Inskipp meets with us and asks us to explore the largely unmapped areas of the jungles as we head out to look for the ruins of Horcton and what has risen there to incite these monsters.

We pick up next session as our characters arrive to Swamplands Thorpe before our delve deeper into the swamps and the ruins of Horcton beyond.

#63 The Tobacconist's Shop Claremont's Clouds

Claremont

Five Years Ago…Claremont woke from his nap with a start; his cat Byrne startled by something had leapt from his lap, the cat’s claws providing the motivation for the half-elf to awaken.  Looking up from his chair, Claremont saw two walking elves and a strange, otherworldly looking young man standing in his tobacco shop.  The husband and wife walking elves Aemesthos and Selon Gioldallel were well known to Claremont, the young man he did not yet know. 

“We are sorry to violate the sanctity of your privacy old friend but we are on a mission of mercy and have come to request a great favor” explained Aemesthos.   His wife Selon continued, “The hunters already acquired his parents, if he is discovered before he can develop his powers he’ll become a pawn between dragons.”  Claremont nodded understanding their request.   “How could I refuse those who spared me from the dungeon’s curse?”  

“Thank you friend, his name is Melderon and he was born to two wild elves, a wilder whose bloodline is obviously more exotic than elf.  We have of course trained him in several new tobacco preparations and have brought new strains for your garden..”