Sterling was not present for this session, so I NPCed Seamus in his absence. Sal rejoined the group for this session; his character has ended his association with the Black Wolves.
With Nirreh back in the group, the party put her to work right from the start, leading them through the network of spider tunnels with her +13 bonus to Nature checks. They successfully navigated the tunnels, finding themselves in a room with a fountain of black water, a number of dire rats and undead, rotten-looking beasts called corpse rats drinking and wallowing in the water. Members of the group's first party recognized this room. The rats were quickly engaged, and they made a point of boxing the party in the cramped spider tunnel. Seamus took a lot of punishment in this encounter, going through all 3 of his combat healing surges. The corpse rats attacked in swarms, which proved difficult for most of the party besides Amnon to affect with their resistance to more focused assaults like melee and ranged attacks. Before long, the rats were defeated, but not before they infected Seamus with filth fever. Between the surge lost to the fever and the 2 surges Seamus had to spend to raise his health, Seamus was left with very few surges.
DM's Note: As I did not have Seamus' number of surges as of when we ended last session available, I figured on him having 9/12 at the start of this adventure. He spent 2 getting his health back up after combat and 6 in the above encounter, leaving him with 1/12 - he was granted an additional surge by Amnon, giving him a total of 2/12 surges moving forward. Sterling - if Seamus had more surges than 9/12 in your notes as of last session's end, please let me know and we'll adjust the number he has accordingly.
The party then went about exploring the area - the room they were in only had one usable exit; there had been another, but a cave-in of large rubble had blocked it off. A flight of stairs led up, and the party took them - they emerged into a mausoleum, finding it to be morning outside. It seemed their navigation of the spider tunnels took several hours, long enough for night to pass and come back around to day again. They left the mausoleum, finding a graveyard and the barest ruins of a burnt-down shack at the south. To the southeast, they could see Cairnmoor in the distance. After some nostalgia by the members of the original party, they went about exploring - and Nirreh's exploration drew her right into the trap of a doomspinner spider. The spider drug her down into the network of spider tunnels directly below the surface of the graveyard, and the spiders proceeded to erupt from the ground and attack.
This turned out to be one of the most intense (and enjoyable) encounters thus far, with the spiders providing a solid challenge to the party. Attacking in a group of two doomspinner spiders, giant beasts that use their webbing as a prominent part of their attack, and four deathjump spiders, which the party are previously acquainted with, the monsters put Shivra and Nirreh in trouble early; Nirreh was likely saved only through the use of a well-placed cloud of darkness. One of the doomspinners and two of the deathjumps were decimated by the party - the doomspinner was particularly roughed up by a nasty combined attack from Deckard & Misha.
In the end, the party proved triumphant, at least for the moment, as they drove the spiders back into the tunnels below - tunnels which, as Nirreh had discovered, were full of zombified corpses mummified by webs and used as walking egg sacs by the nefarious spiders. Vorgym sent his lesser planar ally down to scout the tunnels, finding the spiders and a number of these "web mummies" below. With this information in hand, the party decided to head down into the hole and hunt down the spiders rather than let them escape. We stopped there, with everyone poised at the edge of one of the two holes made, ready to head down.
There will not be an extra session this Saturday again, as Traver & Sterling cannot make it, so I'll see everyone again next Wednesday! I still do not have backstories from anyone besides Traver and (technically, anyway) Jordan; please get these to me, as the sooner you do, the sooner I can weave your character's personal plotline into the greater arc of the campaign!
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Thursday, October 20, 2011
A Summary of the Dwarven Caste System
- Written by Archmage Davic Malatankion, Chief Scribe of Elanath's Tower, 12th of Harvestfall, 103 C.E.
Dwarves are peculiar among all the races of Titania for their very unusual method of determining one's lineage. Dwarven ancestry is determined via a very simple process, and parentage has something to do with it just as it does in any culture - but where dwarves differ is in the methodology they use to determine one's noble ancestry. Quite simply, any dwarf from any clan can be considered "nobility" to a certain extent - providing, of course, their hair is the right color. There are four common hair colors among dwarves, and their meanings are as follows:
- Brown, the most common hair color, is considered the "ignoble" color of the four, and dwarves with brown hair are almost always seen as commoners, serving as laborers, enlisted soldiers, and servants. Many brown-haired dwarves choose to live among the surface races rather than be relegated to such a status, and for this reason, most dwarves found in Falconia and other cities of the like are brown-haired.
- Black, the next most common color, is considered a color denoting minor nobility. Traditionally, black-haired dwarves have been peerless military leaders among their people. All black-haired dwarves are allowed to claim some percentage of ancestry from the noble Blackhammer clan, and most black-haired dwarves are groomed for lives in the military from an early age.
- Blond, the second-rarest of dwarven hair colors, is a color which denotes aristocracy and refinement. Blond-haired dwarves are known for their shrewd mercantile experience and acumen for business; as such, many blond-haired dwarves use their noble lineage to establish themselves as prominent merchants. Blond-haired dwarves can claim ancestry from the Amberforge clan, however many choose to refrain from doing so as a result of the Amberforge clan's recent history - namely, their exile from the primary dwarven seat of Kinsfort.
- Red, the rarest dwarven hair color, signifies the blood right of leadership, and is considered the most noble of any hair color for a dwarf to be born with. Although not all red-haired dwarves become great leaders, all are treated as the ancestors of kings in some respect. Red-haired dwarves count themselves among the ancestors of the legendary Redbeard clan, a noble clan which has produced many great kings of the dwarven people. Though not all dwarven rulers are red-haired, most of the greatest and oft-revered rulers have been of the Redbeard line.
- Though not technically a hair color found a birth, dwarves with white or gray hair should be mentioned here, as they are afforded their own special status. Elderly dwarves are considered to be a unique caste "outside" the system of nobility - they are revered as elders of their people, and whether their hair was brown, black, blond or red in their youth, they are all seen as equals in their later years. Most elder dwarves technically remain in their original caste, however, staying with their sons and daughters, whose responsibility it is to care for them.
As a race which bears as its most prominent physical feature the growth of a beard, it shouldn't come as a surprise that hair plays a role in determining such an integral part of their society. What is surprising, however, is the social mobility this can provide (or afflict) a member of dwarven society with. A red-haired dwarf born to brown-haired parents can often move several social stations above his parents, despite his family name; whereas a brown-haired dwarf born to blond- or red-haired parents is doomed to the life of a commoner. Though it is deeply unfortunate, many brown-haired dwarven children are killed or abandoned, as their "noble-blooded" parents would rather lose their child than face the shame of birthing a common dwarf.
Though it is not entirely unheard of, hair dyeing is severely, severely discouraged among dwarven society. A dwarf who attempts to alter his or her social status by dyeing their hair puts their life very much in danger, as those found guilty of trying to cheat the system are relegated to a "dishonored" status below that of even a commoner at best; more often, they are put to death.
As one of Titania's oldest societies, the dwarves are a race known for being steeped in tradition and history. This tradition of nobility by hair color, while perhaps idiosyncratic by all other races' standards, should no less be revered and respected, and other races would do well to be mindful of this tradition when interacting with dwarves.
Dwarves are peculiar among all the races of Titania for their very unusual method of determining one's lineage. Dwarven ancestry is determined via a very simple process, and parentage has something to do with it just as it does in any culture - but where dwarves differ is in the methodology they use to determine one's noble ancestry. Quite simply, any dwarf from any clan can be considered "nobility" to a certain extent - providing, of course, their hair is the right color. There are four common hair colors among dwarves, and their meanings are as follows:
- Brown, the most common hair color, is considered the "ignoble" color of the four, and dwarves with brown hair are almost always seen as commoners, serving as laborers, enlisted soldiers, and servants. Many brown-haired dwarves choose to live among the surface races rather than be relegated to such a status, and for this reason, most dwarves found in Falconia and other cities of the like are brown-haired.
- Black, the next most common color, is considered a color denoting minor nobility. Traditionally, black-haired dwarves have been peerless military leaders among their people. All black-haired dwarves are allowed to claim some percentage of ancestry from the noble Blackhammer clan, and most black-haired dwarves are groomed for lives in the military from an early age.
- Blond, the second-rarest of dwarven hair colors, is a color which denotes aristocracy and refinement. Blond-haired dwarves are known for their shrewd mercantile experience and acumen for business; as such, many blond-haired dwarves use their noble lineage to establish themselves as prominent merchants. Blond-haired dwarves can claim ancestry from the Amberforge clan, however many choose to refrain from doing so as a result of the Amberforge clan's recent history - namely, their exile from the primary dwarven seat of Kinsfort.
- Red, the rarest dwarven hair color, signifies the blood right of leadership, and is considered the most noble of any hair color for a dwarf to be born with. Although not all red-haired dwarves become great leaders, all are treated as the ancestors of kings in some respect. Red-haired dwarves count themselves among the ancestors of the legendary Redbeard clan, a noble clan which has produced many great kings of the dwarven people. Though not all dwarven rulers are red-haired, most of the greatest and oft-revered rulers have been of the Redbeard line.
- Though not technically a hair color found a birth, dwarves with white or gray hair should be mentioned here, as they are afforded their own special status. Elderly dwarves are considered to be a unique caste "outside" the system of nobility - they are revered as elders of their people, and whether their hair was brown, black, blond or red in their youth, they are all seen as equals in their later years. Most elder dwarves technically remain in their original caste, however, staying with their sons and daughters, whose responsibility it is to care for them.
As a race which bears as its most prominent physical feature the growth of a beard, it shouldn't come as a surprise that hair plays a role in determining such an integral part of their society. What is surprising, however, is the social mobility this can provide (or afflict) a member of dwarven society with. A red-haired dwarf born to brown-haired parents can often move several social stations above his parents, despite his family name; whereas a brown-haired dwarf born to blond- or red-haired parents is doomed to the life of a commoner. Though it is deeply unfortunate, many brown-haired dwarven children are killed or abandoned, as their "noble-blooded" parents would rather lose their child than face the shame of birthing a common dwarf.
Though it is not entirely unheard of, hair dyeing is severely, severely discouraged among dwarven society. A dwarf who attempts to alter his or her social status by dyeing their hair puts their life very much in danger, as those found guilty of trying to cheat the system are relegated to a "dishonored" status below that of even a commoner at best; more often, they are put to death.
As one of Titania's oldest societies, the dwarves are a race known for being steeped in tradition and history. This tradition of nobility by hair color, while perhaps idiosyncratic by all other races' standards, should no less be revered and respected, and other races would do well to be mindful of this tradition when interacting with dwarves.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Session #23: Playing Roles
Sal missed today's session as well; in-story, Nirreh has separated from the party for the time being to attend to issues in her homeland, the Whitebough Forest. A familiar face returned to fill her spot for the time being...but more on that later, on to the recap.
The party all received their training of choice from Marshal Rendon, and woke up the next morning to find their presence requested by him. Heading to his office, he relayed that he wanted them to check on one of his runners whom had not returned, and they had found no body of. The party agreed, and headed off in the direction the runner had been sent - north, toward the towns of Kinderwood and Cairnmoor. Conversation was in great supply during the trip, although the great majority of it was the ongoing argument between Seamus and Shivra.
The party made their first stop in the halfling town of Kinderwood. Finding it to be quite busy with all the halflings home for the winter, they headed to Kinderwood's Skippin' Stone Tavern seeking information on the runner. After a run-in with an odd little fellow in a fake beard named Ferrel, they met with the tavernkeep, Elian, to ask about the runner. Seamus joined in a drunken halfling chorus in a rousing rendition of "Gold River Down the Barnside" as Vorgym spoke with Elian, though he ended up calling Seamus over to loosen Elian's tongue with a generous purchase of ale. Elian relayed that the runner had come through seeking reinforcements for Orcbane Keep, and headed northwest to Cairnmoor upon finding that the halflings had none to provide. The party bought rooms for the night in Kinderwood, with Amnon having a fitful sleep opposite a sick fellow patron, and headed for Cairnmoor.
Upon arriving in Cairnmoor, they found that the rumors of a plague were true - bodies lay burning in mass graves outside the town's walls, and what few people still remained in the town seemed to largely be preparing to depart. The party learned that, though the zombie plague had passed, it had already done its damage, and the town seemed to most beyond saving - the guard they spoke to, himself about to set aflame a mass grave, estimated Cairnmoor would be a ghost town by next year's beginning. They were given directions to the one structure they might find their runner at, the Misty Morning Inn, and headed there accordingly.
Inside they found a half-elf with an eyepatch grilling a dwarf by the name of Smolkin. The rest of the bar sat in tense anticipation of what might happen next as the party entered. Seamus was quick to challenge the half-elf, a man by the name of Managath, and the party soon found themselves roped into an attempted Bluff check to claim that they were the Blacksword Band adventuring company assigned to the task Smolkin had been given. Their bluff was called, however, and Managath ordered his men to attack. The battle quickly turned as Managath's men were slaughtered, and those who realized their grim situation quickly enough managed to flee. Managath surrendered, and the situation was resolved, with Smolkin and Managath agreeing to officially consider this new group of adventurers the Blacksword Band, for fear of retaliation from the noble patron they had been hired by.
Smolkin explained their task - that of recovering an artifact known as the Silver Mask of Kas from the Amberforge Vault, which rumor said had been lost to the creatures of the Underdark. Additionally, Smolkin suggested the party search the area around Cairnmoor for a spider rod - a magical implement used by drow arachnomancers, one of whom was supposedly buried in the area. The party also managed to locate Rendon's lost runner, a man by the name of Leoren, who had been unable to leave Cairnmoor due to the grave injuries he had suffered outrunning the orcs he had been pursued by. Smolkin agreed to pass on the fate of Rendon's runner to him in Falconia for the party, and they agreed to recover the artifact.
It was about this time that the party head a loud crash from the back room of the Misty Morning Inn - a drow patron of the inn who had assisted the party with Managath, Malthus, recognized the sound as that of a spider, and aided the party in fighting the beasts off. They dealt with the last of them in the spider web-laden cellar, and found a tunnel leading off into the darkness. This is where the session ended.
There was a lot of good roleplaying in this session - as a result, I am going to give 20 XP as a roleplaying bonus to Seamus, Shivra, Vorgym & Amnon. That's 20 XP each, so go ahead and add it to your totals. We will not be doing an extra session this Saturday again, as not enough people can make it - I will see everyone next Wednesday!
The party all received their training of choice from Marshal Rendon, and woke up the next morning to find their presence requested by him. Heading to his office, he relayed that he wanted them to check on one of his runners whom had not returned, and they had found no body of. The party agreed, and headed off in the direction the runner had been sent - north, toward the towns of Kinderwood and Cairnmoor. Conversation was in great supply during the trip, although the great majority of it was the ongoing argument between Seamus and Shivra.
The party made their first stop in the halfling town of Kinderwood. Finding it to be quite busy with all the halflings home for the winter, they headed to Kinderwood's Skippin' Stone Tavern seeking information on the runner. After a run-in with an odd little fellow in a fake beard named Ferrel, they met with the tavernkeep, Elian, to ask about the runner. Seamus joined in a drunken halfling chorus in a rousing rendition of "Gold River Down the Barnside" as Vorgym spoke with Elian, though he ended up calling Seamus over to loosen Elian's tongue with a generous purchase of ale. Elian relayed that the runner had come through seeking reinforcements for Orcbane Keep, and headed northwest to Cairnmoor upon finding that the halflings had none to provide. The party bought rooms for the night in Kinderwood, with Amnon having a fitful sleep opposite a sick fellow patron, and headed for Cairnmoor.
Upon arriving in Cairnmoor, they found that the rumors of a plague were true - bodies lay burning in mass graves outside the town's walls, and what few people still remained in the town seemed to largely be preparing to depart. The party learned that, though the zombie plague had passed, it had already done its damage, and the town seemed to most beyond saving - the guard they spoke to, himself about to set aflame a mass grave, estimated Cairnmoor would be a ghost town by next year's beginning. They were given directions to the one structure they might find their runner at, the Misty Morning Inn, and headed there accordingly.
Inside they found a half-elf with an eyepatch grilling a dwarf by the name of Smolkin. The rest of the bar sat in tense anticipation of what might happen next as the party entered. Seamus was quick to challenge the half-elf, a man by the name of Managath, and the party soon found themselves roped into an attempted Bluff check to claim that they were the Blacksword Band adventuring company assigned to the task Smolkin had been given. Their bluff was called, however, and Managath ordered his men to attack. The battle quickly turned as Managath's men were slaughtered, and those who realized their grim situation quickly enough managed to flee. Managath surrendered, and the situation was resolved, with Smolkin and Managath agreeing to officially consider this new group of adventurers the Blacksword Band, for fear of retaliation from the noble patron they had been hired by.
Smolkin explained their task - that of recovering an artifact known as the Silver Mask of Kas from the Amberforge Vault, which rumor said had been lost to the creatures of the Underdark. Additionally, Smolkin suggested the party search the area around Cairnmoor for a spider rod - a magical implement used by drow arachnomancers, one of whom was supposedly buried in the area. The party also managed to locate Rendon's lost runner, a man by the name of Leoren, who had been unable to leave Cairnmoor due to the grave injuries he had suffered outrunning the orcs he had been pursued by. Smolkin agreed to pass on the fate of Rendon's runner to him in Falconia for the party, and they agreed to recover the artifact.
It was about this time that the party head a loud crash from the back room of the Misty Morning Inn - a drow patron of the inn who had assisted the party with Managath, Malthus, recognized the sound as that of a spider, and aided the party in fighting the beasts off. They dealt with the last of them in the spider web-laden cellar, and found a tunnel leading off into the darkness. This is where the session ended.
There was a lot of good roleplaying in this session - as a result, I am going to give 20 XP as a roleplaying bonus to Seamus, Shivra, Vorgym & Amnon. That's 20 XP each, so go ahead and add it to your totals. We will not be doing an extra session this Saturday again, as not enough people can make it - I will see everyone next Wednesday!
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Session #22: Steve vs. the Giants
Sal wasn't present for this session, as he was on a date (hopefully he used a condom) - Nirreh was put on the wall of the keep as a result.
The second wave came hard, with hyenas swarming the group. More dangerous, though, were the orc rampagers, who used their rampage ability to essentially "bladestorm" through the group, swinging their flails all over the place. The party took a loss here, with one character going into dying status. The guards holding the line had to be called up to help clear out the rest of the orcs.
With the orcs defeated, the giants finally advanced, led by four orcs riding a battle worg. The party handled the orcs rather easily - but once the giants arrived, they found themselves quickly in trouble as the giants crushed the town guards, one by one - only three managed to escape the initial assault and build a line in front of the keep gates. The party hardly escaped damage - Shivra was crit for 40 damage after carelessly drawing an opportunity attack; Seamus was knocked unconscious by a swing from a giant's massive club; Vorgym & Deckard were also taken out by attacks from the hill giants. One by one, the ballista picked off the giants until only one remained - unfortunately, only Amnon and a single guard, "Steve", remained among the allied forces (although Marshal Rendon joined the battle when the third and final ballista shot was being prepared). The highlight of the final moments of this encounter was, of course, Steve nailing the giant's 25 AC with his measly +8 crossbow attack. Oh, and the final ballista bolt splitting the giant's head like a melon as it sailed clean through.
In the end, Seamus was unconscious, Vorgym & Deckard were both dying with 2 failures, and Shivra was dead after 3 straight failures. Only Amnon remained standing, and he was one solid hit from the giant away from joining the others. 9 of the 10 guards on the battlefield had also been killed, with only Steve (Keep Guard 5, who had started the battle utterly terrified) still alive. Orc, hyena & giant corpses littered the battlefield, 4 stacked on top of eachother in many cases. Yet the party was victorious - the siege broken, the orcs routed. They shared a victorious feast all together, including Shivra, who Marshal Rendon generously resurrected (with the help of the party's intended gold piece reward, of course).
I think we all agreed this was a very fun encounter, and tense as well toward the end. The hill giant was basically a turn away from TPKing the active group by crushing Amnon into paste. In the end however, the party triumphed, taking its only loss on an ill-drawn opportunity attack which ended up critting. I opted to grant mercy (at a price, of course) to Shivra in this particular case because 1) Traver is the only one who's given me a backstory so far, and 2) the hill giants were level 13 brutes; brutes hit harder than most other monsters at standard level, but these particular brutes had an 8-level advantage over the party. Beyond this point, though, you're all on your own!
We will be looking to have an extra session on Saturday at the usual time, noon - 3 PM Pacific/2 - 5 PM Central - I don't think Sterling will be able to make it, but as we did tonight, if we are able to have everyone else present we will go ahead and play it. I have confirmation from everyone but Sal, I will post an update depending on his response.
Additionally, regarding the Grandmaster Training rewards which each member of the party will receive from training with Marshal Rendon - everyone needs to make sure they pick one from the following selection by next Wednesday at the latest, although having one chosen by Saturday would be preferable: Insight of the Vault, Climb the Giant, Advanced Delver's Training, Davros Elden's Defensive Step, Drizzt's Kick or Davros Elden's Hasty Resurgence. Note that multiple people can choose the same training - just pick one of the six listed, and you can add it to your magic items!
Edit: Finding the Grandmaster Trainings in the character builder is a bit of a hassle, as there doesn't seem to be an implemented category for them. This might be because they're not really something characters are supposed to be able to buy for themselves - anyway, in order to pick one, you will need to search for it using the "Search" button in the marketplace, the bottom option on the left. Put in the EXACT name of the training, and then you can add it.
The second wave came hard, with hyenas swarming the group. More dangerous, though, were the orc rampagers, who used their rampage ability to essentially "bladestorm" through the group, swinging their flails all over the place. The party took a loss here, with one character going into dying status. The guards holding the line had to be called up to help clear out the rest of the orcs.
With the orcs defeated, the giants finally advanced, led by four orcs riding a battle worg. The party handled the orcs rather easily - but once the giants arrived, they found themselves quickly in trouble as the giants crushed the town guards, one by one - only three managed to escape the initial assault and build a line in front of the keep gates. The party hardly escaped damage - Shivra was crit for 40 damage after carelessly drawing an opportunity attack; Seamus was knocked unconscious by a swing from a giant's massive club; Vorgym & Deckard were also taken out by attacks from the hill giants. One by one, the ballista picked off the giants until only one remained - unfortunately, only Amnon and a single guard, "Steve", remained among the allied forces (although Marshal Rendon joined the battle when the third and final ballista shot was being prepared). The highlight of the final moments of this encounter was, of course, Steve nailing the giant's 25 AC with his measly +8 crossbow attack. Oh, and the final ballista bolt splitting the giant's head like a melon as it sailed clean through.
In the end, Seamus was unconscious, Vorgym & Deckard were both dying with 2 failures, and Shivra was dead after 3 straight failures. Only Amnon remained standing, and he was one solid hit from the giant away from joining the others. 9 of the 10 guards on the battlefield had also been killed, with only Steve (Keep Guard 5, who had started the battle utterly terrified) still alive. Orc, hyena & giant corpses littered the battlefield, 4 stacked on top of eachother in many cases. Yet the party was victorious - the siege broken, the orcs routed. They shared a victorious feast all together, including Shivra, who Marshal Rendon generously resurrected (with the help of the party's intended gold piece reward, of course).
I think we all agreed this was a very fun encounter, and tense as well toward the end. The hill giant was basically a turn away from TPKing the active group by crushing Amnon into paste. In the end however, the party triumphed, taking its only loss on an ill-drawn opportunity attack which ended up critting. I opted to grant mercy (at a price, of course) to Shivra in this particular case because 1) Traver is the only one who's given me a backstory so far, and 2) the hill giants were level 13 brutes; brutes hit harder than most other monsters at standard level, but these particular brutes had an 8-level advantage over the party. Beyond this point, though, you're all on your own!
We will be looking to have an extra session on Saturday at the usual time, noon - 3 PM Pacific/2 - 5 PM Central - I don't think Sterling will be able to make it, but as we did tonight, if we are able to have everyone else present we will go ahead and play it. I have confirmation from everyone but Sal, I will post an update depending on his response.
Additionally, regarding the Grandmaster Training rewards which each member of the party will receive from training with Marshal Rendon - everyone needs to make sure they pick one from the following selection by next Wednesday at the latest, although having one chosen by Saturday would be preferable: Insight of the Vault, Climb the Giant, Advanced Delver's Training, Davros Elden's Defensive Step, Drizzt's Kick or Davros Elden's Hasty Resurgence. Note that multiple people can choose the same training - just pick one of the six listed, and you can add it to your magic items!
Edit: Finding the Grandmaster Trainings in the character builder is a bit of a hassle, as there doesn't seem to be an implemented category for them. This might be because they're not really something characters are supposed to be able to buy for themselves - anyway, in order to pick one, you will need to search for it using the "Search" button in the marketplace, the bottom option on the left. Put in the EXACT name of the training, and then you can add it.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Deckard's Backstory
Full Name: Deckard Daleborn
Gender: Male
Age: 25
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 220 lb.
Hair: Brown
Skin: Light Tan
Eyes: Hazel
Body Build: Athletic
Distinguishing Features: Carries a letter bearing his father's last wishes, covers his face with a leaf-like camouflage paint
Deckard was born in the city of Highroad to House Daleborn, a minor noble house in Highroad responsible for overseeing the maintenance of the city's beautiful parks and nature preserves. House Daleborn was unique in that it was the only human house responsible for such a task; all the others were half-elven, and indeed most of those who worked for House Daleborn were half-elves. Deckard's father was Micah Daleborn, and his mother was Caite Daleborn. His mother died giving birth to Deckard and his twin brother, Marian.
The two boys were raised to have an appreciation of nature, primarily under the care of their half-elf nanny Ieris. Deckard loved the parks, and took to the appreciation well - Marian was not so appreciative. As the boys matured, Marian became more and more ambitious, driving his father to seek greater standing. Deckard, on the other hand, became less interested in his family's dealings and more interested in the wonders of nature. Ieris trained him in the ways of the druid, and before long Deckard learned to summon an animal companion, a bear he named Misha. Deckard and his bear became a common sight around Highroad's parks and the Daleborn manor.
Deckard's life went on largely carefree until his father's health began to sour. The question began to arise in House Daleborn - which of Micah's sons would rule over the house when he passed? Most of the Daleborn servants felt Deckard held the house's duty closest at heart, but Marian, with his wild ambition, seemed to be more interested in the task. When Micah was ready to pass, he called Marian and Deckard to his side. He informed them of his decision, which was to have both sons rule the house in his absence - Marian would carry the formal title, and Deckard would see to the house's affairs. Micah provided Deckard with a letter confirming this information. Already an introverted young man, Deckard seemed to withdraw further with the passing of his father.
With no interest in the concerns of House Daleborn, Deckard kept the letter to himself and conceded rule of the house to Marian. Despite Ieris' protests, Deckard took what little belongings he wished to keep and left Highroad. He no longer had any interest in the house or its fate - he wished to see more of nature than just what he'd seen in Highroad's parks.
Deckard took to the wilds with Misha, honing his skills as a druid, living entirely apart from society on the outskirts of the Elven Wildlands. For 10 years, he lived in the forest, conversing with no one - this, combined with his introverted nature, led Deckard to become essentially mute, never speaking and communicating only through gestures and postures, as the animals he lived among did. Save for his mental link with Misha, he found little purpose for the complex expressions only words would require, though he retained his understanding of them. Deckard only returned to society when he received a letter from Ieris, carried to him by animal messenger. He learned she was in Falconia, and went to visit her - what he found when he arrived did not please him.
Ieris, he learned, had been an indentured servant to House Daleborn - legally, she was a slave, although the house had never treated her as such. With Marian becoming the house's leader, though, Ieris' position became quite tenuous. Deckard learned that she was only in Falconia because she was on her way to become a servant to House Trannyth, a formerly disgraced noble house which had only recently been returned to noble status - Marian had traded her and several others away to further his ambitious designs. Though this saddened Deckard, Ieris seemed resigned to her fate and Deckard, who had little understanding of society and its workings after his prolonged departure, had no idea how to resolve the dispute. He decided that he would return to society once more, making a living through his skills as a druid and seeking a way to free Ieris from her fate.
Shivra's Backstory
Full Name: Shivra Gen'thac
Gender: Female
Age: 16
Height: 5'6"
Hair: White
Skin: Medium Purple
Eyes: Bluish White
Body Build: Slim
Distinguishing Features: Has an enchanted slave collar around her neck & a thieves' guild tattoo on the back of her right hand depicting a dagger balanced by its tip on the surface of a gold coin
Likes: darkness/shadows, money, jewelry, the thieves' guild, Vielia (guild's leader), Cairc (guild's treasurer)
Dislikes: brightness, elves, the slave collar, Irving (guild's 2nd-in-command), being poor, complainers, working with other people
Shivra was born and raised in the Drow city of Nightshore in the Underdark. Her mother Pellanistra, father Gwylyss, and 2 older brothers Sordryn & Morennel all raised her to be stealthy and stay in the shadows so she could be trained as an assassin. However, as she trained and learned how to surprise her targets, she started to like robbing her targets, rather than just killing them. More and more she opted to rob her targets after killing them. Her family and the assassin's guild she was apprenticed to were not very pleased with this, as it violated their code - all assassins were instructed to leave their victims' valuables as a means of making sure the message that the victim was meant to be murdered was properly delivered.
At the age of 14 she became suspicious that the guild would have her killed or sold away for disobedience; her family would be no help, as the Gen'thacs were prominently known as assassins and saw her as an outcast from them. She snuck into the guild's clerical offices and found that there was an order to kill her, because the guild didn't need a money glory assassin. She quickly ran home, got together what supplies she could, and fled to Vulkannen.
Despite the awful quality of life most drow in Vulkannen found in the city's Drow Quarter, Shivra managed to do alright for herself for about 2 months by pickpocketing and burgling. For one of her burglaries, she unwittingly targeted the safehouse of a prominent thieves' guild. She was caught almost as soon as she touched the money. The guild members were impressed that she even managed to get into the safehouse, much less find and access their stash of valuables. They struck up a deal with her, allowing her to have the safehouse and the money within if she worked for them in return. She agreed and started training at the guildhouse, coming to see the guild's members as a sort of surrogate family, particularly the guild's human leader, Vielia and the guild's dwarven "banker", Cairc.
Though she'd initially been recruited with little choice, she liked the life that she had been given, being able to steal for a living and having a place to belong. Yet things became bland and boring after a couple years, so she started to take riskier jobs almost exclusively. She would up the risk further by purposely alerting guards just so she could outwit and escape them. This did not sit well with Vielia's second-in-command, Irving, seeing her careless stunts as being dangerous to the guild. Vielia and most of the rest of the guild didn't mind, however, as long as she got the job done and didn't get caught. In addition to her work, she went back to her old ways of pickpocketing and burgling in her spare time, furthering the risks she took. This ended up being her downfall, as it got her into trouble with more then just her guild - the merchant's guilds which paid the thieves' guilds protection to avoid being stolen from were being victimized by her, and they began sending assassins after her.
One day she pickpocketed a man in the street, thinking that it was just a normal traveler. Unfortunately, the man turned out to be an assassin's guild plant. He caught her attempted theft and chased her through most of the city. She eventually managed to flee into a bar, looking to disappear into a crowd. This, however, wasn't the time she should have entered the bar, as members of the merchant's guild she'd stolen from and the assassin's guild sent after her were present. The man chasing her entered the bar and pointed her out, inciting a fight. Before the fighting could be stopped, 3 members of the assassin's guild and 5 members of the merchant's guild had been badly injured. She could not hide this from her thieves' guild, and was brought before Vielia and the leaders of the guilds she'd offended. As she had since liquidated the assets she'd stolen from the merchants, she was informed that she would have to pay all of it back, in addition to what it had cost to heal those injured in the fight she'd started. She would also wear an enchanted slave collar that would prevent her from further disobeying orders or escaping her penance.
So it was that Shivra was made a slave to the guilds, doing whatever they asked of her and having no course to refuse. It soon came to pass that the guilds decided to put her to use as a mercenary, and sent her to Falconia to seek work. Irving would serve as her handler, operating out of Falconia and sending her to assist with any task that would pay. She hated the idea of having to work with others, but found herself with little choice in her new life...
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Session #21: The Siege Begins
We introduced some new characters and new players this session. Sterling plays the defender, a dwarf knight name of Seamus (that's Shay-mus) Silvershield; Jordan plays the leader, a human sentinel named Deckard, with a bear companion named Misha; Traver plays one of our strikers, a drow scout named Shivra; Andrew plays the other striker, a drow hexblade named Vorgym; Andrew's brother Phil plays one of the party's controllers, a tiefling mage named Amnon; and Sal has retained his character from the party's TPK, the party's other controller, an elf hunter named Nirreh.
The party was sort of mashed together at the request of a town crier in Falconia, looking for adventurers to reinforce the besieged Orcbane Keep. They headed east toward the river crossing, and came upon a number of dead Falconian soldiers around the burnt bridge. Suspecting a trap, they found their suspicions confirmed when orcs shot ropes tied to arrows across the river to allow their raiding party to climb across. The strategy proved less than effective, and the only real damage the orcs did to the party came from their archers. High points included a bear nimbly crossing the weakened bridge, and a rope being cut to send a pair of orcs into the freezing snowmelt water of the river below.
After dealing with the ambush, the party headed on to Orcbane Keep, and were fortunate to arrive in the midst of a lull in the siege. They met with Marshal Rendon, the famous master of the keep, known for his exploits in the Howl War against the gnolls and their demon lord leader, Yeenoghu. He gave them the task of drawing the hill giants involved in the siege within range of the keep's ballista - the keep's soldiers could deal with the orcs easily enough, even with their numbers in the 50s as opposed to the 200s, but not the massive hill giants and the boulders they besieged the keep with. The party joined the front line before the gate, and engaged the first wave of orcish forces. They managed to defeat this wave with relative ease, but now another wave approaches, with more fearsome orcs and a pack of vicious war hyenas...
We ended the session here - there were some technical issues early on, and both of the encounters described here proved to be quite complex and took up a lot of our time. Such is the case with large set pieces like this, though =) See everyone for next week's session!
The party was sort of mashed together at the request of a town crier in Falconia, looking for adventurers to reinforce the besieged Orcbane Keep. They headed east toward the river crossing, and came upon a number of dead Falconian soldiers around the burnt bridge. Suspecting a trap, they found their suspicions confirmed when orcs shot ropes tied to arrows across the river to allow their raiding party to climb across. The strategy proved less than effective, and the only real damage the orcs did to the party came from their archers. High points included a bear nimbly crossing the weakened bridge, and a rope being cut to send a pair of orcs into the freezing snowmelt water of the river below.
After dealing with the ambush, the party headed on to Orcbane Keep, and were fortunate to arrive in the midst of a lull in the siege. They met with Marshal Rendon, the famous master of the keep, known for his exploits in the Howl War against the gnolls and their demon lord leader, Yeenoghu. He gave them the task of drawing the hill giants involved in the siege within range of the keep's ballista - the keep's soldiers could deal with the orcs easily enough, even with their numbers in the 50s as opposed to the 200s, but not the massive hill giants and the boulders they besieged the keep with. The party joined the front line before the gate, and engaged the first wave of orcish forces. They managed to defeat this wave with relative ease, but now another wave approaches, with more fearsome orcs and a pack of vicious war hyenas...
We ended the session here - there were some technical issues early on, and both of the encounters described here proved to be quite complex and took up a lot of our time. Such is the case with large set pieces like this, though =) See everyone for next week's session!
Saturday, October 1, 2011
New Character Tracking Pt. 2
I will keep track of what everyone still needs to do for their new characters here. Of the steps listed, you guys need to get everything but the backstory part done by this Wednesday, October 5th if we're going to have characters ready for next session!
Andrew: Drow Hexblade (Striker)
Jordan: Human Sentinel (Leader)
Sal: Elf Hunter (Controller)
Traver: Drow Thief (Striker)
Phil: Tiefling Mage (Controller)
Sterling: Dwarf Knight (Defender)
Andrew (Vorgym, Drow Hexblade)
- Physical description of character: height, weight, age, hair color, eye color, skin color, body build (see your race's description for the averages/standards of these)
- Backstory
Jordan (Deckard, Human Sentinel)
- Choose a different language (Dwarven, Elven, Deep Speech, Draconic, Giant, Goblin, or Primordial)
- Backstory
Note for Jordan: I figured out the staff fighting issue - there is a bug with the program which causes Staff Fighting to overwrite the Summer Sentinel's class feature. I fixed this by finding a sentinel I could import which had the d12 damage dice for the staff AND the staff fighting feat. It may be an issue with the d12 boost being applied to staff IMPLEMENTS, and the Staff Fighting feat only applying to quarterstaffs. Either way, I think I've fixed it for now - only problem is that the AC doesn't show up, but that can be put on your token.
Traver (Shivra, Drow Thief)
- Backstory
Sal (Nirreh, Elf Hunter)
- Backstory (include basic summary of events of Nirreh's involvement in the story to this point; Nirreh's character has been possessed by Elaureth's spirit; she still has control but is motivated to accomplish his goal of finding out what happened to Inastara)
Phil (Amnon, Tiefling Mage)
- Backstory
Sterling (Seamus, Dwarf Knight)
- Backstory
Andrew: Drow Hexblade (Striker)
Jordan: Human Sentinel (Leader)
Sal: Elf Hunter (Controller)
Traver: Drow Thief (Striker)
Phil: Tiefling Mage (Controller)
Sterling: Dwarf Knight (Defender)
Andrew (Vorgym, Drow Hexblade)
- Physical description of character: height, weight, age, hair color, eye color, skin color, body build (see your race's description for the averages/standards of these)
- Backstory
Jordan (Deckard, Human Sentinel)
- Choose a different language (Dwarven, Elven, Deep Speech, Draconic, Giant, Goblin, or Primordial)
- Backstory
Note for Jordan: I figured out the staff fighting issue - there is a bug with the program which causes Staff Fighting to overwrite the Summer Sentinel's class feature. I fixed this by finding a sentinel I could import which had the d12 damage dice for the staff AND the staff fighting feat. It may be an issue with the d12 boost being applied to staff IMPLEMENTS, and the Staff Fighting feat only applying to quarterstaffs. Either way, I think I've fixed it for now - only problem is that the AC doesn't show up, but that can be put on your token.
Traver (Shivra, Drow Thief)
- Backstory
Sal (Nirreh, Elf Hunter)
- Backstory (include basic summary of events of Nirreh's involvement in the story to this point; Nirreh's character has been possessed by Elaureth's spirit; she still has control but is motivated to accomplish his goal of finding out what happened to Inastara)
Phil (Amnon, Tiefling Mage)
- Backstory
Sterling (Seamus, Dwarf Knight)
- Backstory
Session #20: Back to the Drawing Board
The party left Silvershade and headed for Inastara's tomb, encountering a number of dire boars along the way. They defeated them rather easily, then went on to the tomb, finding it already open. Inside the tomb, they encountered a number of ghosts - phantom warriors and wraiths. They were defeated by these ghosts, and only Nirreh managed to escape, though she felt another power pushing her to survive...
A very short recap for this session, as the party has TPK'ed. I will keep track of the development of the new party's characters for each player in the next post.
A very short recap for this session, as the party has TPK'ed. I will keep track of the development of the new party's characters for each player in the next post.
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