A Chronicle of Ice, Luck and Honour - updated 19th December

Well, I'm all caught up now. Update whenever you're ready

Well, I'm all caught up now. Update whenever you're ready

Click to expand...

My thoughts exactly... I wanted to take a quick breather after this next quick update for everyone who has bitten the story hour bullet and decided to read this (hello there!)... in an attempt to let people catch up.

Anyway - the next segment, titled Chapter 4: The Eight Blades of Talagbar, and the following chapter make up quite a hefty chunk of roleplaying time. Suffice to say, Torious, Milo and Thalin had a jolly good time in the mines of Talagbar

But before we duck our mucky little heads into the mines, Milo must elaborate on a smudge of backstory... enjoy.

Spider.

As the three adventurers vented their frustrations to each other about being hounded out of Darmshall, Milo remained level-headed and suggested returning to the Talagbar mines. He had recently 'visited' the mines, where he was sure there were more gems like the one he owned.

Backing this claim up, Milo said the mines had only recently been revealed due to the melting of a small snow drift covering the entrance, and that they could make it there and back within a day’s light. Milo displayed the massive gem to Torious and Thalin. They immediately agreed to venture back to the mines to look for more keystones.

With a nagging (and justified) fear of ambush from Lyle Blackrock, Torious suggested leaving before dawn light so as to avoid any kind of commotion that they might cause. The three adventurers slept fitfully but rose on time to journey to the Talagbar mines.

Before they travelled, Milo dug out the map that he had made of the mines and decided to brief the other two on what to expect. His story exploded into life as Milo recounted his few hours in the haunted mines...

Interlude number Two: A Tale of Luck

Milo Whittersbane pushed the door open easily and the ornate handle came away in his hand in a shower of rust. His eyes adjusted to the half light of the small chamber. On the opposite wall was an ancient portrait of some ugly dwarf, his eyes played over the cracked surface of the picture before landing on a desk in the centre of the room.

The broken handle clattered to the floor as Milo saw what lay on the desk. Without a moments thought, he crouched into the room with cat like dexterity and clambered onto the chair near the desk.

The chair was built for a dwarf and Milo had no trouble hopping onto it in one bound and then in another he was perched on the desk. Before him lay a gem the size of his fist.

The surfaces of the gem were beautiful to look at, their colours shifted and twisted as Milo inched his way forwards. On the interior of the gem was what could only be a small phantom image of a hammer. Milo wondered if this was worth a lot. Probably.

He edged around the gem with accentuated stealth, knowing the dwarven halls he now prowled in had traps to keep would be trespassers at bay. But Milo knew this and had taken precautions, his lock pick bag lay on the ground by the door, two slender picks still sticking out of the rusted key hole.

The entrance had been the hardest and he’d worked there for almost and hour before the door had finally sprung loose. But what lay on the desk would be well worth his time. He grinned in satisfaction. The dwarves no doubt thought they would be robbed by humans, not by a halfling. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a dirty leather rag and draped it onto the gem. He reached forward with both hands to grasp it.


When Milo had explained to his estranged mother about the haunted dwarven mines that contained unheard of treasures, she had been sitting in the chicken hutch, pulling eggs from the nests that sat in a semi circle around her.
“But why Milo? You don’t need any treasure”
Mrs. Whittersbane seemed to pause for a moment, as she often did when talking to her carefree son so that she wouldn't say something that would excite him further.

“We are quite happy here. Your father and I would like you to take over the farm when we… uh…”
“I know, but there is so much treasure and we could buy so many chickens” Milo continued, almost breathless, “we could make some money from it and get a house outside of the water”

Milo looked around at the reeds that poked between the jetty planks. He shifted his meagre weight to one of his feet and the wood under him moaned back in argument. His shoulders fell as he looked further out at the trees that branched up from the murky water and reached for the birds above.

I should be up there, flying with the birds and dragons, not kept down here with the chickens. He looked back at his mother as he heard a small crash. He was surprised to see her head in her hands and little sobs bursting out, the egg basket spilled out at her feet.

Quickly hopping over to her, the planks shouted their complaints as Milo dashed over them. He ducked into the hutch, pushing the chickens out the way. They clucked and strutted out onto the jetty. Milo crouched down beside his mother and put his arm around her, she was a little smaller than he was. Milo himself only reached up to the belt line of a human guard, and he was fully grown.

She sobbed into her hands. Milo had seen his mother cry once or twice before but he was too young and he hadn’t seen her like this for years. He looked down at the fallen basket, all of the eggs, except one, were cracked or broken because of the fall.

Nevertheless he put them back in the basket and carefully laid the unbroken one on top. He looked back at his mother and realised she was talking.
“…this would happen but the lord says we must stop it and move”
“ Stop what?” Milo said quickly, attempting to catch up on the missed words.
“The chicken farm” she looked up into Milo’s eyes, “And we must move”
“But I thought you said it was okay, we could stay here until the year of the Walking Ice and then pay it again”
“I know, I know” She sniffed “the lord says we have to move then or we will be thrown out”

Milo didn’t know what to say for once. He had played as a child all his life and quarterway into his adulthood. Never worrying about life was what he did best. He looked down at the crumpled map he had brought of the mines then back at his mother. Something inside him clicked and he jutted out his chin as far as it would go. He held the pose for a few moments before his mother looked up.

“Milo?” she asked.
“Mother,” Milo paused for a moment, “I will journey to this dwarven mine and find us riches beyond belief. I will return in the year of the Walking Ice and pay this lord his money,” he turned his head the other way for dramatic affect, “or I shall kill him”
“But Milo…”
“No Mother, I have played too long and dreamt too far. I will make the Whittersbane's the greatest chicken farmers on Toril. I swear by it.”
Milo’s Mother looked up at him with tearful eyes, “May Tymora guide you”
“I will not fail you mother. I’ll bring you back more money, riches and gems than you can only dream of…”


Milo’s fingers closed around the huge gemstone. He felt a tingle run up his fingers as he touched it. It was warm to the touch. Magic, here after all this time? Milo held the gem in his hands and was staring lovingly at the strange little hammer inside when he heard the first moan echo through the dusty air. Milo tried to prick his ears up, just like his pet weasel, Isplit. Where was Isplit?

The second moan was a deal closer and shuddered with anger. Milo turned slowly to face the doorway. In the stone frame stood the ragged figure of a dwarven miner, a milky pale pick in hand. Milo could see the shadows of the doorway and retreating tunnel through his body, only shifting wisps created a visible body at all.

Milo took a step back and felt his right foot slide over the edge of the desk. No way back, he knew that. Quick, say something.
“Nice, uh, mine you have here” he glanced quickly at the gem in his hands, “Thought I might take a souvenir.”

The ghostly figure stopped as he saw the gem in Milo’s hands. He swayed for a moment as if about to fall sideways then opened his mouth to speak,
“Leave us” a voice like nails drawn across granite, “Leave the keystone”
“Keystone?” interest sparked in Milo’s mind, “Key to what?”
“Leave us!”

The Ghost heaved forwards and the pick scythed slowly through the air towards where Milo should have been. The dwarf and his weapon stumbled into and through the table as the ghost twisted to hit the leaping Milo that sailed overhead.

Milo hit the floor with momentum that carried him through the door and into the tunnel he had walked down just minutes before. He glanced right as he began to sprint, looking down the tunnel he had never ventured down and saw three more ghosts stumble from the darkness. Transparent heads yawned curses in throttled voices.

Milo didn’t stop. He lunged on ahead, his legs pumping hard towards the main room of the mine. Where was Isplit? The large doors loomed into view and the grey sheen of daylight could be seen clearly on the floor of the main room. The moaning was getting closer.

Daring a glance over his shoulder, Milo saw the ghosts not running as they would have, but floating towards him, with greater speed than he cared to think about.

Milo burst into the main room and leapt across the old rusted rail tracks that circled the room. From a pile in the corner came a little squeak of recognition and out darted the lithe brown form of Isplit. In his mouth was a small red gem. The small leather coat strapped around his long waist was dirty with dust. He quickly skidded to a halt as he saw Milo approaching.
“Run Isplit!” screamed Milo, “Ghosts!”

Isplit reared up his head for a better look but got none as Milo yanked the weasel from the floor mid run. Isplit paused to register the situation, then skirted up his master's arm and onto his shoulder.

“Where were you?” breathed Milo as he leapt another rail track.

Isplit looked bored with the question, “searching for gems if you must know,” the weasel bared his teeth in a vicious smile and produced the small red gem. “You said something of ghosts?”

Behind them the ghosts breezed into the main chamber, their number had increased to ten as far as Milo could count. He kept running, heading for the twisted tunnel ahead that he remembered as the exit.

His feet were sure and fast, stepping lightly between cracked flagstones and smashed doorways as if they were not there. Isplit whooped as the exit bobbed ahead of them. Isplit only then noticed the gem clutched in Milo’s hands.

“By all the angels and devils,” Isplit squeaked in delight. The weasel threw his gem behind them, the small stone sailing through the bodies of the ghosts that bared down on them. Isplit watched it zip through the mist that should be flesh. Isplit cocked a fur-brow, then greedily circled the huge gem twice before ducking into Milo’s jacket as a ghost leapt at them.

Milo Whittersbane vaulted the last collapsed wall and burst through the mine entrance and into the sunlight. Stumbling onto the loose stone slope of the Talagbar mines, his small halfling legs skidded from beneath him and he crashed onto his stomach. His weasel companion, Isplit, catapulted through the air, screaming in unison with Milo. The dwarven ghost behind them emitted a hoarse scream as it failed to stop, and fell into the sunlight. Its form dissolved to dust in a whispering sigh. The ancient remnants of the ghost blew over Milo’s face as he propped himself up on his elbows, the swift winds of Vaasa tugging at his clothes as he regained his breath...

* * * * *​

Milo tailed off his story. His elaborate story-telling (complete with small arcane effects, in-depth analysis and a background history of the mines) had lasted almost the entirety of the five-hour journey. He had only paused for Torious to pray in silence to Tyr at first light.

The three adventurers were more than ready to get going into the mines when they reached the massive stone doors at mid-day.

It reads very well, Spider. It's good to be able to keep up with it post by post. Looking forward to see what happens in the mines.

It reads very well, Spider. It's good to be able to keep up with it post by post. Looking forward to see what happens in the mines.

Click to expand...

Thanks very much.

The mines is the big-dungeon of the chronicle. It was great fun to play and a bundle of events happen that precede the progression of the campaign.

Anyway, I don't want to ruin what goes on. Will update next chunk tomorrow.

Please give me feedback - I love to know what you guys think!

Spider.

A Chronicle of Ice, Luck and Honour
Chapter 4: The Eight Blades of Talagbar

"Kill all three, retrieve the staff, then report back to me"

With a careful step, Milo tiptoed into the first antechamber of the Dwarven mines. He could feel the shivering, scared form of Isplit curled up in his pocket. Motioning for his companions to follow, the halfling padded carefully across the room and jutted his head around the way out, making sure there were no ghosts waiting to pounce.

With a sigh of relief he turns back to his friends, "okay so far guys. Not a sighting of those creepy undead!"

Torious stood anchored in the door, his holy symbol held before him like a duelling pistol. Thalin tapped Erifeci nervously on the cracked flagstones, his mind loaded with the trigger words of a number of get-the-hell-out-of-here spells.

Milo grinned excitedly. He loved being the brave one.

The room that the three companions stood in would probably have been some sort of guardroom when the Dwarves still mined here. It had just enough height for Torious to walk easily under and perhaps double that in width. Separating the room in two was a very thick, partially shattered pane of glass slotted between two heavy posts, one of which had collapsed to the ground.

Behind the broken glass was a quite formal setup of a desk and two chairs. It reminded Milo of the tax-office in Marsember. Thalin carefully made his way through the cracked glass and began to check over the table and chairs. Milo kept watch down the next tunnel as Torious scraped awkwardly over the jagged glass.


Lyle threw the set of keys to the floor with his remaining hand as the barkeep stammered to apologise.
"You idiot. Why couldn't you have just asked where they were staying rather than where they were going? Would it have been that damned difficult?" spat Lyle.
"I'm sorry Sir Blackrock..."

Lyle lashed the man hard across the face with the back of his hand, "Do not use my name. Say that again and I'll feed your skin to my friend's horse."

Lyle gestured out of the open tavern door. The man in red sat impatiently on a huge crimson stallion. The horse was more demon than animal. It stamped angrily.

"I'm sorry m'lord. It was a slip of the tongue."
"Then give me your tongue, if you can't control it" levelled Lyle, his lonely arm moving to his hunting belt.
"But sir, I've no more information!"
"We pay you kindly and you fail in the smallest of tasks! I ask one thing of you and you spit nothing in my hand."
"Oh please gods," the barkeep cowered backwards as Lyle withdrew a long knife.
"No gods will answer you fool. You've missed your chance."

Lyle slid onto and over the counter, quickly pinning the barkeep against the wall with his bandaged stump.
"Any last words?" Lyle cackled as he savagely plunged the knife into the barkeep's mouth.

Outside, the man in red waved away another passerby as a gargled scream shattered the night quiet.

Lyle stalked from behind the bar, a bloody pulp in his hand. A whining croak spluttered from the barkeep. Lyle pushed through the doors of the Headless Woman and cast the tongue in front of the red horse. It greedily stooped low.

"That was a touch unnecessary Lyle," sighed the man in red, "he was a good informant."
"Keep your opinions to yourself," snapped Lyle.

Lyle, using his only arm, clambered unsteadily onto a sleek black riding horse. Lyle trotted once around his companion, who turned in his saddle and handed Lyle a small leather bag.
“Kill all three, retrieve the staff, then report back to me,” said the man in red with a clipped formality, then pressed the bag firmly into Lyle’s open palm.
“Use these as you wish.”
“I’ll finish that mage myself. the Abyss itself won’t know such suffering.” hissed Lyle, his scar twitching erratically.
“No. You’ll do as instructed. Now go.” Answered the man in a commanding tone.

Without another word, the man in red gouged his boots deep into the stallion’s sides and bolted away in a cloud of dust, heading eastwards. Lyle watched him go before opening the leather pouch and looking at the contents – a handful of black onyx gems, a small scroll, two strange coins with a green mailed fist on one side and a human skull on the other, and a folded sheet with instructions on what to do.

Lyle shook the bag once, his mind deep in thought, then guided his horse slowly around. With a whisper in its ear, they cantered Northwards, towards the Talagbar mines.


“And you didn’t check this room at all?” said Torious, looking away from inspecting the thick glass pane and staring at Milo. Torious couldn't understand what the thick glass was used for.
“Well no, not really," said Milo, twitching eagerly to continue onwards, "It’s boring. There’s nothing in here.”
“You mean this boring?” said Thalin, holding a small red gem to the torchlight.
Milo looked at it once then rolled his eyes.
“They won’t get us any money at all.” Milo said matter-of-factly.

With that, he pulled open the second door wider and stepped into the corridor beyond, waving his torch like a sword. Torious and Thalin threw a wary look at each other then left what they were doing and followed the halfling.

As Thalin exited, he brushed a hanging spider web with his hand,
“Well, at least they like this place.”

"Why is it closed now?"

Milo lead the way through two or three more dusty rooms which were, Milo said, the quarters of the Dwarven miners. He assured his companions that they held absolutely nothing of interest.

However, whilst searching through a crumbled corner of what seemed to be draws of valuables (which Milo missed on his first trip), Torious smashed open the only locked drawer and withdrew a magnificently crafted pick with a head that looked like some sort of insect. Thalin informed Torious that it was the head of a Stirge, a large bloodsucking fly-monster. After a moment of concentration, Thalin confirmed that the pick was magical.

Milo pushed onwards, his companions in tow. Torious slung the pick into his belt, not really wanting to discard Justicar just yet.

Reaching the end of a long corridor, Milo darted ahead and disappeared into the darkness beyond an archway. Torious could sense the size of the chamber ahead, and felt a very faint breeze blowing over him.

Thalin pushed into the dimness of the chamber, blindly following Milo. Thalin jerked back as a strand of spider web brushed his face. Scraping the sticky web away, Thalin searched for definition to the room. He saw no walls visible beyond the meagre light. After straining to look at Milo’s tattered map in the flickering torchlight, Thalin sighed in exasperation and speaking a simple draconic verse, lit the blade of his scimitar with a brilliant glow. The entire chamber danced into visibility.

The chamber was shaped like a semi circle, with the door Thalin just entered from being opposite to three immense stone doors set into the flat edge of the chamber, all of which were closed. The floor was riddled with a matrix of rail tracks that disappeared into the thick stone of the three doors, and also into a solid wall to the mage’s left. Some kind of mine cart junction, mused Thalin.

On the right was a small ring of steps that approached a polished wooden door with a large, circular handle. Closed also.

Thalin looked up. He tensed involuntarily as he saw the chamber disappear into a mesh of huge spider webs only five or ten feet above him. The webs covered the entirety of the chambers ceiling.

Milo looked puzzled for a moment, then turned to Thalin and Torious, as the priest caught up.
“That middle door was open when I came. It was just open. Why is it closed now?” whined Milo, not sure why something in the ancient mines had changed in the short time since he had left.

Torious stood for a moment then shouted out, pointing to a large lump in the centre of the room, almost completely obscured by the railings. With a cry he leapt over a mine cart and jogged to the centre of the room. Milo bounded alongside his companion to find what new surprise he had uncovered.

Thalin, distracted with trying to look for the source of a faint breeze, saw the running forms of his companions too late.

Milo crouched next to Torious and rolled the bundle over. As it turned, Torious jumped back at the sight of a dwarf face staring back at him. After a moments shock, Torious saw that the dwarf was dead. Recovering his wits about himself, the priest looked closer at the deep stab wounds all over the dwarf body, but his fingers were caught suddenly in a dust-thin strand of web leading into the mesh above him.

The sword spider tensed its huge form as the web vibrated gently, but surely. Moving closer, the arachnid eased silently into a pouncing position and without even shaking a single strand of its web, crept above the two men and child in alien silence.

Waiting for a moment to strike, the spider followed the metalled man and child as they moved. With no more than the sound of a breath, the sword spider dropped from its hiding place. Slick black legs spread then flexed under the dull grey body as the sword spider guided all eight of its chitinous legs into the back of the metalled man.

Torious looked up at the last moment, only to see a blur of a monstrous shadow land on his back and sprawl him forwards.


There was no pain, only the sensation of something running fingers along my back, then a soft push on the spine and a wet snap as something slid through my rib cage, protruding from my chest.

There was no pain, only a hot spill onto my chest and legs as the life’s blood surged forth, quick to escape the body when it is needed most.

I looked down and saw my death; three blades of bone had tunnelled through me.

And then the blades withdrew, and there was pain. Such black pain as to swallow you completely, so utterly you can do nothing but shiver in agony. My soul was leased then, and I was taken to Elysium.

[Commercial Break]

Hello! I'd like to take this quick opportunity to point you faithful readers towards a few other story hours that could well be worth your time...

First up...

The Heroes of Icemist is the follow up to the sublime Small Beginnings story hour. Great character dynamics, good banter and a healthy dose of crazy action. A joy to read. Go there now!!!!

Second up...

Shemeska's 2nd Planescape story hour is my first foray into planescape story hours, and being guilty of not having the willpower to read through his first story hour i decided to jump on this already speedy bandwagon. Yes! I don't regret this one moment. Intrigue from the get go. A lovely example of higher level shenanigans.

Third up...

The Blade of Phoee. Well, this is a gem of a story hour that is screaming for more attention. The world building behind this campaign is wonderful, and Funeris certainly gives the characters a run for their copper pieces...

Fourth up...

Border Wars: An Introduction to the Mycab sector is another first for me as I plunge into the world of d20 modern story hours. I'm completely confused by the terminology, but loving it nonetheless. Tense, well written and some rather pacy combat sequences. Makes me think of Starship Troopers and Star Craft slapped into one. Bonus.

Fifth up...

Swashbuckling in Freeport has just started up! A heady blend of sabres, grog and dead bodies, this could turn into a real firecracker of a read. Fun, punchy and interesting from the get-go. Read read read!

Sixth and final up...

Star Wars Chasing the Stars. A star wars story hour. I know, I know. You're expecting lots of "Don't tell me the odds" crap, and some foolish Gungan genocide plague, but this is a quality slice of star wars story hour. Believable characters (shock! horror!) and some crazy sith bad guys make this a winner in my books.


Well, that's my lot I'm afraid. These are the story hours I'm focusing on at the moment. I like all the little, new story hours out there that deserve way more attention than they are getting. I'm reading heaps more, but these are the ones that jumped up and bit me.

Spider [hypothetical member of CESH - Coalition of Emerging Story Hours]

"Rise..."

[Commercial Break End]

"Get that door open Milo! Now!"

Milo reacted before Thalin and flipped backwards. In mid-air, Milo drew his crossbow and screamed for Torious to get up.

The Aasimar lay sliced in a heap beneath the bulk of the spider. A mesh of blood and bones protruded from his chainmail. His face was blank, but his scars were not yet extinguished.

With a thunderous scream of arcane words, Thalin drew on terrible sources of dark power. For a flicker of a moment, he saw the chamber fill with the souls of dead dwarves. An audience of pitted eyes stared at him, then enveloped the spider in a rush of ghostly limbs.

The sword spider moved backwards suddenly, cowering away and swiping at the air in a frenzy.

Thalin pushed forwards in a moment of bravado, stepping between the spider and his fallen companion. Milo fired a crossbow bolt into the spider's side. The halfling then threw his rucksack to the ground and fumbled for the remaining two bottles that his mother had entrusted to him.

As Thalin held back the spider with sweeps of Shard, Milo tipped one bottle into Torious’ open mouth. Then in desperation, splashed the contents of the second bottle into the gaping wound in his chest. With a squeal of delight from Milo, the potion had immediate effect and the bones that had been snapped and shattered began to realign themselves and the muscles bulged back into place.

Transfixed by this, Milo only heard Thalin after the mage had screamed twice already, “MILO! Take Torious through the side door!” shouted Thalin, still holding the spell as best he could. With a mighty grunt, Milo heaved Torious onto his back and began dragging him to the side door.

Thalin cursed as the spider sprinted across the web, causing the spell to lose some potency as Thalin had to turn to keep the spider in his field of view. With a sickening feeling, Thalin watched in defeat as the spider emerged fully from the web and dropped silently into the corridor that they had originally come in from. The spider stopped at a safe distance, its glistening eyes monitoring the mage with an alien intelligence.

“Get that door open Milo! Now!” shouted Thalin, risking a look over his shoulder at his halfling companion. Milo threw his weight into the circular door handle again, inching it closer to opening.
“I’m trying… its too heavy!” answered Milo in desperation.
With a final surge of magic, Thalin forced the spider back another few feet before dropping the spell completely, and not looking back, sprinted across the huge chamber towards Milo and Torious.

As the oppression around it suddenly died, the sword spider crept from the tunnel and seeing the man running, launched itself towards the fleeing adventurers. Landing with the skin-shredding screech of its legs, the spider scuttled forwards to recover its lost meal.

With a clatter of metal, Thalin hurled Shard to the floor and not stopping to slow, clasped the handle with both hands and using the momentum from running, spun the handle round in a whir of metal. With a combined thrust, Thalin and Milo spilt through the door and onto damp, moss-covered floor. With a scream, Milo looked back and saw the spider about to pounce. Thalin acted quickly and dragged Torious through the door as Milo began to inch the door closed again.

Thalin rolled backwards and unhitched his crossbow as the sword spider leapt, and with a smooth action released a bolt into the spider’s cluster of onyx eyes. The spider sprawled short, but suddenly jumped again as Milo forced the door closed. The thump of the spider hitting the door shocked Milo back, but he crouched up and spun the handle closed, locking the sword spider out. With a gasp of utter relief, Milo collapsed onto Torious, who promptly sat up and stared dumbly around him.

Opening his mouth to say something, Torious shut his mouth again as he realised no words could detail what he had just seen.

Breathing heavily, Thalin sat back against the lichen-coated wall and rolled his head to the side, looking down the wide corridor they now sat in.

Five small blue-skinned humanoids gaped in fear at the three invaders, and dropping their bag of fish in front of them, gargled in panic and raced back down the corridor to raise the intruder alarm…


To be continued in…

Ice, Luck and Honour
Chapter 5: The Early Wyrm Catches the Birds

As the heroes flee from the lair of aquatic goblins and fiendish birdmen, they must confront the mightiest of dangers. But the situation goes from bad to worse as Lyle tracks the heroes down, cutting off their escape.

Another new reader here ...

Actually I think I started to read this story in its earlier incarnation, but I don't remember getting very far for some reason.

Anyway, I'm now all caught up on the new version and looking forward to more.

By the way, I love Milo's ambition in life ...

I will make the Whittersbane's the greatest chicken farmers on Toril.

Click to expand...

... so just how much gold does he need to make that dream come true ...?