the Kyri Chronicles - last updated 22 Oct - Page 5

**Plane Sailing** · 27th February 2002, 03:03 PM

On returning to the moathouse the cold of the month of Ironwater starts to really grip the region, and everyone is glad of the extra warm clothes they puchased before leaving Knightsbridge. As they near the rise of land before the moathouse they notice a plume of smoke rising. Dismounting and creeping towards the crest of the hill they spy over the other side a group of Ogres around a large campfire, with a humanoid figure cooked on a spit.

The ogres charge to engage them, and in a short but brutal battle the ogres are eventually killed. M'ir makes very effective use of his new ability to recall pain on the ogres, and many died with vicious bruises around their heads in addition to the deep scimitar cuts they bore. Azrin calls upon Asura to heal the wounded, and then they all investigate the remains of the camp. The poor victim seems to have been a foreign spy from Morannon sent to this area, and a map is found on him showing the location of the moathouse, an old temple across the river in Morannon and the small town of Rastor much further inside the borders of the neighbouring country.

After rest and recuperation, the party decide that they ought to return to the Moathouse dungeons and check out the remaining unexplored corridors for hidden evils. They have no problem in getting down into the tunnels, but accidentally set off a trap which seals their exit with a portcullis. They decide to worry about that later, and press on into the complex.

After a very short while they come across a very large crypt, with a musty smell and a palpable sense of evil in the air. The walls are surrounded by sarcophagus lids, and as they enter and start investigation the room is filled with deafening noise as a score of the lids are pushed aside and ghouls lurch forward into the room, ready to feed.

Trajan is paralysed by a ghoul despite his immense fortitude DMnote: You can tell that this was Crails player, right?, but when Lysander and Azrin start calling upon the holy power of Asura to turn the creatures, one after another they disappear in the midst of searing holy energy. DMnote: I completely forgot about the unhallowed nature of the crypt which gave +4 turn resistance. You win some, you lose some

**Plane Sailing** · 28th February 2002, 10:57 AM

Behind one of the sarcophagus lids is a rough-hewn tunnel, winding its way deeper into the rock. The party follow it, and wander through a series of tunnels for about half an hour before realising that they might be lost. They start marking junctions with arrows, and then as they come across the junctions *again* with barred arrows, and arrows with circles around them Dmnote: nightmare for me, annotating a tiny map! and wandering more carefully.

After another hour, and with much backtracking, they come across a strange, cold and evil chamber. The floor of the chamber is carpeted in cool mist, and in the middle of the chamber is a strange stone altar composed of black rock marbled with purple veins, and a three-sided pillar, each side of which seems to be carved with a masked Illithid like figure. A search of the pillar reveals a secret compartment containing a small drum, bells and other things.

Trajan looks across seriously at Lysander. "I DON'T think we ought to try using these things in front of this altar!"

Stowing away these items carefully, they continue attempting to find their way out of the maze. As the hours draw on they get worried as more and more of the routes that they take seem to lead back towards the altar chamber, but finally they hit upon an untried route which leads them back to the ghoul crypt. Out at last!

While checking for other exits from the moathouse they find one corridor that ends in a blank wall is actually blocked by a magical wall of stone. Finding hammers and other implements they manage to break down the wall and start off along a long, long tunnel.

They hear the sound of squawking ahead of them, and two pairs of small and evil eyes ahead of them resolve into two small cockatrices. Taking them by surprise, Trajan leaps forwards and in one smooth motion draws his scimitar and slices one of the beasts in two - a powerful exhibition of the Quickdraw focus skill which the hermit had been teaching him before he came down into civilisation. Lysander and the others quickly dispatch the other cockatrice. They note how much less of a problem the beasts are than the first time they met them with the neophyte Azrin, all those months ago!

Walking a further half a mile along this tunnel they come to a bush-covered cleft in stone, and emerge to find themselves on the other side of the river, looking back across the frozen water towards the ruined moathouse.

I wonder what will be the best way of getting the horses?

**Plane Sailing** · 1st March 2002, 10:58 AM

With no way back through the tunnels, and a bit of experimentation with old tree branches, they decide that although the ice wouldn't support horses, it will support people - One at a time they skate and slide across the frozen river, and then return to their horses. They need to set off upriver to the border keep. It would be less than days journey normally, but with snow no the ground and more falling every minute it looks like a long slog.

As hour after hour drags on, the cold is getting increasingly hard to resist. The horses in particular are suffering, and it takes all of Trajans animal handling and M'irs wilderness lore to keep them all going. Finally, the keep appears amidst the swirling snows, and with great relief the company negotiate their entry into the tower.

The next day is the second holyday of Ironwater, and Lysander, Trajan and Azrin spend the day in prayer and meditation. The group wait another day for the snows to fall, and then cross over the border into Morannon here and travel down the river to find the location of the secret door they had used three days earlier - and hopefully locate the "temple" which was marked on the map carried by the foreign spy.

Looking around the site, M'ir opens himself up to the psychic impressions which have been left in that area, and he gets a very clear vision of a tall and beautiful man exiting the secret passageway, both angry and relieved. He is seen casting charms over it, and then striding off to the North West.

Setting off through the crisp snow, they come across some frozen woodland, full of dead, bare and blackened branches reaching towards the sky. Leading their horses single file through the clearest trail, they are ambushed by a party of three hobgoblins who are defeated almost as soon as combat is engaged. They have very little of worth on them, except for some simple silver wolf-head pendants which Trajan keeps.

Pressing on into late afternoon, under the darkening skies they become aware of a great clearing in the woods ahead of them. Creeping up closer, they can make out in the centre of the clearing a partially ruined curtain wall surrounding a huge, charcoal grey temple, with arched buttresses and walls which are covered in obscene designs, gargoyles and fiendish creatures. The air here is chill not with the fresh crispness of the snow, but the dank and bone-wearying cold from beyond the grave.

While surveying the temple environment, Azrin becomes aware of a shimmering patch of air near them - not an invisible person, but the tell-tale sign of someone scrying them! After a short discussion the company decide that they can't to anything about it and so ignore it (!) while they make their plans to assault the temple DMsnote: Could I believe them happily continuing to plan when they *knew* they were being scried upon? No I couldn't! Still, it leaves them to blame for the debacle which follows...

Little_Buddha · 1st March 2002, 11:49 AM

???

Ummmmm... Could any of your players shed light on this clearly... unwise... course of action? Extenuating circumstances?

**Plane Sailing** · 1st March 2002, 05:23 PM

Regrettably none of my players frequent the ENboards - or at least if they *do* they are doing it secretly, hoping to pick up hints

They had never been the subject of scrying before, and couldn't think who would be scrying them anyway; they certainly didn't associate it with the temple or an old enemy of theirs. Heh.

**Plane Sailing** · 2nd March 2002, 12:16 AM

They are not facing the front gate of the temple, and have no intention of going directly in that way. They creep up together to a low point in the broken down wall, and start climbing up it. Everyone except Azrin and K’tan get over the wall without too much difficulty, and so they decide to press on with their investigations and let the other two catch up when they finally get over the wall (!)

DMnote: Pardon? You are going to split up and leave those two weaker characters noisly attempting to scramble over a wall while the rest of you go off scouting? O-kay

The inside courtyard of the temple has a few trails amidst the snow-covered brambles. Lysander, M’ir and Trajan follow one of the trails up towards a ruined building to the rear of the main temple. Mostly destroyed, their searches inside reveal a trapdoor into a cellar. A thin, ghostly wail issues forth.

Jumping down into the cellar they see three hobgoblins preparing to defend themselves against the other side of the floor. Two weary looking hobgoblin warriors before a wizened elderly hobgoblin female. The hobgoblins look quite badly beaten up and willing to parley, so Lysander talks to them.

Apparently two new powerful humans, a man and a woman have recently moved into the temple, crucifying the old leader and exiling this adept and her guards. The newcomers are cruel and ruthless. The man wears ochre robes and a strange holy symbol. The woman always keeps her face hidden in a deeply cowled robe - and is continually muttering about the “things from the furthest Abyss”, “the tentacles, the tentacles” and “the day is coming, the door will swing wide and then… mwahahahah”. Certainly sounds a lot like the Blessed, who escaped from Knightsbridge several months ago. As to the male priest? Just another enemy.

Meanwhile, after several noisy attempts Azrin and K’tan have finally scrabbled to the top of the broken down curtain wall. They sigh, smile at each other… and then are surrounded by a hail of flaming arrows...

**Plane Sailing** · 5th March 2002, 10:19 AM

Nearly a dozen flaming arrows are fired from near the main doorway of the temple; caught flatfooted both of them are hit several times and tumble down the outside of the wall once more. Azrin is bleeding seriously, but takes the risk of calling upon Asura to cure light wounds and he is stabilised. Azrin then proceeds to heal himself while K'tan draws upon his power to heal his own fierce wounds.

Back in the cellar, Trajan asks the hobgoblins about the significance of the wolf-head pendants - but the adept has never seen them before. It dawns upon the group that they may be scrying tokens, used by the leaders to check up on patrols that go missing. Trajan quickly buries them under a small pile of rubble.

The Adept is willing to use some of her magics to help them in an assault on the temple - she hates and fears the new leaders of the hobgoblins and longs to see them eliminated. She will cast an obscurement to fill the temple for them. Lysander accepts the deal and they leave the cellar together, making their way back round near the wall. They find a wounded and exhausted pair, and Azrin warns them of the magical flaming arrows fired at them.

As the party, now recomposed, circles around to the front entrance of the temple there is a puff of noxious green smoke and a foul, slimy and betentacled creature appears in their midst, similar to one of the summoned creatures fought in the weird bookshop back in Knightsbridge. A choking acidic miasma surrounds it, and while they attempt to hold their breath both Trajan and Lysander strike at the creature. They cleave it in two, but the powerful acids which spray out over their swords cause both of their unique weapons to corrode terribly, and become useless. Cursing, they draw secondary weapons and turn to the temple doors...

**Plane Sailing** · 6th March 2002, 11:37 AM

Goodness me, the rate of posting on the storyhour forum has increased some - it looks as if stories don't stay on the front page unless something is posted every day!

Since I've nearly caught up with the real life position of my campaign and it is run approx once a month... I'm going to have to do some hunting to find this on the boards each time

**Plane Sailing** · 7th March 2002, 12:18 PM

Preparing themselves, the party burst the doors in and their allied hobgoblin adept casts obscurement to fill the vast hall, then scurries away. Lysander, Trajan, M'ir and Azrin make their way into the obscuring mists, while K'tan secures the doorway just in case...

No sooner than they have entered than they hear strange chanting from the other end of the hall, and some more strange alienist creatures appear amongst them - the slimy tentacled creatures with sucking lamprey-like mouths which have also been seen before. Trajan is quite badly wounded by one which drains much of his strength before it can be killed.

While the party are attempting to deal with the summoned critters, suddenly into the midst of the fighting a confusion spell explodes; randomly targeted into the mist it only catches a couple of the party - but Azrin succumbs. Looking around confused he sees Trajan as one of his enemies and whips out the wand of burning hands and shoots him in the back with it, and then steps forward to attempt a stunning blow, which misses.

After a couple more rounds of confused fighting, the evil priest dispels the mists and the Blessed casts flame arrow on a group of ten prepared hobgoblin archers. The arrangement of the columns in the temple means that they cannot concentrate their fire on just one foe, so five shoot at Trajan, five at Lysander. The hobgoblins fire is astoundingly accurate, landing three hits apiece on the heroes and Lysander is even critically hit. The magic fire makes the arrows even more deadly than normal and suddenly the frontline fighters are looking to retreat. Both reduced to single-digit hit points. As one they call upon Asura to heal their wounds, and then they start moving back using the pillars as cover.

There is a laugh and a shout from the black-armoured and ochre-robed priest, who spins his cape around his head and then a cloud of webs shoot out and form over the entire entranceway of the hall, ensnaring all of the heroes. While they struggle to free themselves (except for the confused Azrin) the hobgoblins continue to take potshots at them, and the blessed starts launching magic missiles. Lysander is able to struggle free of the webs and makes his way back to the entrance, and with K'tan wonders what to do next...

Trouble for our heroes - will they escape? Tune in tomorrow for the next exciting episode!

**Plane Sailing** · 8th March 2002, 03:20 PM

Apparently the two chief villains decide to have a "sporting" competition, and the priest launches a searing light spell at Trajan, wounding him even more, while the blessed launches a pair of firebolts at M'ir - both of which hit, neither of which he manages to save against and evade... and M'irs charred body drops to the floor.

The webs are engulfed in flames, ignited by the magic spells; Trajan grapples the confused Azrin and bodily carries him out of the front door. As Lysander and K'tan prepare to recover M'irs body two groups of hobgoblin warriors appear from the wings of the hall and charge toward the door. With the entire company virtually at deaths door they decide that the only option they have is to run for it, and they escape out the main entrance and round to where their horses were tied up. Heedless of the sound, they mount up and ride for their lives out of the forest.

Meanwhile - M'ir is not actually dead.

The hobgoblins notice that he is alive but fading, so the ochre-robed priest calls upon dark forces to prevent him bleeding to death.

Captured by the hobgoblins he is placed in a cell for later interrogation and sacrifice. Recognising that he doesn't have much hope unless he escapes, M'ir uses up his "dimension slide tattoo" to appear the other side of the barred window of his small cell, and then he carefully creeps away into the night, to attempt to rejoin his friends...

DMs note: what a fiasco - routed by the Hobgoblins (with some heavy magical help). Trajan and Azrin want to go back to try and "take them", but Lysander alone seems to recognise that at the moment the company is simply unable to match the temple in a frontal assault. They decide to return to Knightsbridge to lick their wounds, recover and plan

Next game this Sunday - and they will be taking a side trek into "Of Sound Mind" by Piratecat. Will the magic rub off?

**Plane Sailing** · 11th March 2002, 10:44 PM

This is the third part of the Kyri Chronicles...

Taking a break from that well-known meatgrinder, what follows is the party adventuring through Piratecats awesome module, "Of Sound Mind".

In the Beginning

It is a two day trek through the frosty wilderness to reach the warmth and safety of the border keep, where they are welcomed back by the guards. They spend two days resting and healing there, and are astonished when M’ir appears at the gate too! Excited by his escape and a little embarrassed that they had left him there, they start to plan what to do next. Trajan wants a plan for assaulting the temple once more, but M’ir thinks they are not ready yet. It wouldn’t be possible to borrow troops from Baron Kelder, because he won’t want to provoke an international incident by marching his troops into Morannan territory, and they can’t do it on their own.

K’tan suggests that the discussions would be best held back at Mithril Manor in Knightsbridge - the one-time wizards abode may have protection against scrying, and they know that one of their biggest enemies can now spy on them. It is agreed so they set off back home, looking forward to seeing the manor, warm beds and cozy fires for the first time in weeks.

They are surprised as they draw near Knightsbridge to see that a veritable shanty town of wagons and tents have sprung up outside the town, on the near side of the stone span from which Knightsbridge draws its name. Azrin recognises that the wagons are of typically Singharese construction, but poorly insulated against the snow and fierce cold weather here on the east of the barrier range mountains. Azrin wonders aloud - what is happening back in his homeland?

Deciding that this is an issue to be tackled another day, they proceed to the gate guards, and find new men on watch, whom they don’t recognise - and who don’t recognise them either. The corporal recognises Azrin’s bald head and Singharese robes however - and tells him to be off with the rest of his rabble across the bridge. While Azrin flusters, M’irs eyes twinkle as he telempathically improves the guards feelings towards them, and Lysander turns the full force of his charm on the man. Allowing that they may, in fact, be the heroes of Knightsbridge, the guards still insist on peace-bonding their weapons before allowing them inside their town.

Tsk. You are away for a month and look what happens, eh?
The party retire to Mithril Manor, rest and unwind, then proceed down to visit Alkanar at the temple of Asura. Rebuilding work on the temple is going well, and Alkanar introduces them to another priest who is visiting them for awhile, one Stronar by name. Stronar is the chief priest up in Bellhold, a small town nestled against the barrier range, to the northwest of Knightsbridge. Renowned for the quality of its brass bells, it was clearly the place where Alkanar would order replacements from. There has been a problem however. Alkanar explains

“I’m glad to see you. We have a problem with the construction and delivery of our replacement bells. Stronar tells me that they have been having… problems up in Bellhold for the last few weeks, and the completion and delivery of our bells is being badly delayed”

He continues “As you know, the midwinter feast is only a few weeks away - and we will not be able to celebrate it satisfactorily without the bells. It is imperative that the problems are sorted out and the delivery of our bells happens on time”.

Stronar takes over “We, ah, are experiencing, ah, a spate of bad dreams, ah. More to the, ah, point, it is a never ending stream of, ah, nightmares. For weeks. Productivity has, ah, been going down dramatically..."

He looks at them meaningfully, a tall and skinny man, balding and with a long white beard. “Alkanar here, ah, tells me that you have dealt with, ah, a dream based problem right, ah, here in Knightsbridge. Is that, ah, true?”

With nods and hesitant affirmations, the party agrees. Azrin, Lysander and Trajan look at one another and nod. Their duty to the church of Asura is clear. M’ir and K’tan perhaps feel that this is a diversion from their true mission, but they hold their peace. Still, it is holyday in a couple of days and the religious members of the party feel a need to worship in a temple once more… even if it is still not completely reconstructed from the battles a month and a half ago.

With the spare time, M’ir circulates around the frosty marketplace on Markday, picking up information about Bellhold - an easy job for a Seer like him. Renown for the quality of bells, the town used to have a more sinister secret - 50 years ago it was ruled by a dragon known as Copperdeath, who used to force the humans to work in his mines and to work the copper that was found. Slain by adventurers way back then, the town is planning a big celebration in the coming summer to celebrate their 50 years of freedom from the dragon. There is so much information because there are quite a lot of well-to-do merchants who normally live in Bellhold but who seem to have moved to Knightsbridge for the present, most of them complaining of the terrible nightmares they were having back home. One person also mentions to M’ir about missing children. M’ir also purchases a masterwork spear, quickly produced for him by the local armourer.

Trajan sells frozen dire boar meat to a butchers and with the proceeds hires time at a forge in order to start re-forging one of his specialist swords. He can’t get far in two days, but makes a good start on it.

While K’tan potters around the manor and practices his magecraft, and Lysander does additional teaching duty at the temple, Azrin spends much more time in libraries - their own has grown with a few extra donations from grateful townspeople. He spends a fruitless time looking for additional information about the Cabal and the Elder Eye, but visiting the (only remaining) mystic bookshop and looking for books about dreams he finds a very interesting tome apparently written in elvish. Now, nobody has seen an elf in living memory, but Azrin knows the elvish letters even if he is not familiar with the language. He purchases the book and starts to study it in the hope of learning some elvish words and getting to grips with the book.

While at his study, Azrin receives a letter from a young man named Dalla, who wishes to meet him and his companions. Dalla claims to be on the run from the Cabal, and seeks protection (and aid) from the company who vanquished them. Intrigued, Azrin sends a reply, and suggests that Dalla presents himself to Alkanar, who will forward him after them, since Dalla is due to return to Knightsbridge after their dawn departure for Bellhold tomorrow. Azrin also forewarns Alkanar, so he can be prepared to meet this Dalla, and determine the truth of his claims. They arrange a sign and a seal which Alkanar will send on with the man if he appears genuine.

Early the next Restday, the group set off at Dawn, with the blessing of Alkanar and Stronar on them. They gallop across the stone arch and set off on the road to Bellhold...

to be continued shortly

**Piratecat** · 11th March 2002, 11:59 PM

I've got a comfy seat, popcorn, and one of those air horns for the cheering. More!

**Plane Sailing** · 12th March 2002, 12:52 PM

The company ride past the new shanty town and take the North road, past the village of Oakhurst and the forest where some of their earliest adventures took place and brave companions lost their lives. Azrin perhaps wistfully remembers the days when his life was a lot simpler than it is now, days when all he had to care about was his books…

Continuing northwards, past frosty hamlets and frozen tracks, they end their first days riding early, since Trajan remembers seeing a monolith near the road here when he first came down to Knightsbridge from his home village a few weeks ago. Southlander folklore says that the monoliths are particularly safe to camp by at night, so they set up their camp and settle down for an early night.

Azrin is on second watch, and is startled to hear the soft crunch of paws on frosty grass. Just beyond the edge of the firelight he can make out several pairs of yellow eyes watching them and the horses in the night. Wolves. He calls upon a prayer of Asura designed to weaken his foes morale, and the wolves slip a little further back into the night, but continue circling their small camp. Worried, Azrin wakes his companions.

Trajan steadies the horses, and counsels calm. Azrin wants to launch a magical attack on the wolves but M’ir has another idea. He wants to find out whether the monolith is truly a place of safety. He opens his mind to the psychic impressions in the area, and detects feelings of relief, tinged with fear. In his minds eye he can see the ghostly shapes of dozens of individuals through the years - farmers, women and children of different times and different ages, each hugging the rock and looking outwards, fearful but relieved.

“Don’t worry” M’ir says. “We are safe from the wolves here”. He lies down and goes back to sleep. Through the night watches the wolves linger, watching but never approaching into the firelight. Before the last watch the pack gives up and moves on.

**Plane Sailing** · 12th March 2002, 12:53 PM

The next day, as the company continue on towards Bellhold they hear pounding hoof beats behind them. A man and a woman on horseback pull up within hailing distance, and a raven lands on the mans shoulder.

“I am Darra” he calls out. “I have a message from Alkanar and Lysander”.

The raven takes the scroll in its beak, flies over and drops it into Azrin’s hand, before returning to its master. The message is genuine, the pair have passed all Alkanar’s tests and so they are welcomed into the company.

Darra is from the Sword Coast, down in the south east. His long blonde hair is tied back, apart from two braids hanging down by his temples. He explains that he was once involved with the Cabal, some years ago. The woman known as the Blessed had taken him under her wing with promises of understanding and control of his growing sorcerous powers. At first things had been interesting, but he had become increasingly disturbed by the way that the Blessed was taking his studies, and the studies of those others who had joined the Cabal. Shortly after moving in to the bookshop in Knightsbridge he started hearing insane mutterings and gibbering from the cupboard under the stairs, and saw a townsperson captured and sacrificed. He escaped not five days before the company assaulted the bookshop and broke the power of the Cabal in Knightsbridge.

However, not many people escape from the Blessed. She is wanting to start up another Cabal and in the last few weeks Darra has occasionally noticed the signs of someone scrying him. He is deeply concerned.

“And that is why I want to throw my lot in with the heroes of Knightsbridge”, he finishes. “You have defeated her once, you are my best chance for escaping her foul clutches. Also, I know of her powers – I can be of use to you”.

His companion, Syl, is a young woman from the neighbouring nation of Morannan. Like many of her countrywomen she has long dark hair gathered in a widows peak at the front. A grey cat rests on her lap.

Born and brought up in Morannan, she has been seeing a lot of strange humanoids around at night while she was “out walking”. On top of that, she was recently doing a job for someone when she discovered some very unsavoury goings on. Furthermore, her own life was endangered if anyone found out about what she knew, so she decided to escape across the border into Lythau, ending up in the town of Knightsbridge. She and Darra met and recognised a sort of kinship of spirit, so they started hanging out together, looking out for each other. And now she is following him, and them, to Bellhold...

**Plane Sailing** · 12th March 2002, 03:22 PM

Late afternoon, and only a few leagues to go, the frosty peak of Steeple Mountain already dominates the landscape, standing proud from the barrier range which spreads to the north and south of here. Nestled in the shadow of that mountain is Bellhold.

As they ride closer, the company see an old man just beside the road. While they approach they see him attempt to creep up on two horses which are rooting around in the frosty ground for grass. They see him and move off a dozen yards. The old mans shoulders slump, and he turns and sees the party.

“Ho there” he calls out “Can you help me? my horses escaped for the second time this week and I can’t catch them again”.

Trajan dismounts, takes the halter and with his superb animal handling skills quickly reassures and recaptures the two heavy shire horses. As he brings them back to the old man he briefly checks them for signs of mistreatment, but doesn’t find any.

“Oh thank you” wheezes the old man, who introduces himself as Othic. “I really appreciate you taking the time to help an old man. Would you care to join me for my lunch?”

Although the afternoon is wearing on, the idea of a hot meal inside from the cold is attractive, so they visit Othic’s farm, placing the runaway horses, Blaze and Broadsword next to the other horses, settling their own comfortably and joining Othic in his kitchen for bowl of warming mutton stew.

Othic is able to tell them a little more about Bellhold and its history. He is a widower, and his two sons work for Krekket – the mine and foundry owner known as “the new dragon”… but Othic can remember the days of working for Copperdeath when he was a young man. It was hard work in the mines but he still remembers the deep pleasure which he felt whenever Copperdeath made a personal appearance to his subjects. Still, all that was fifty years ago – and there is going to be a big celebration next summer to commemorate it.

People are really ‘ornery in the town at the moment, and he knows that there is lots of aggro and worry amongst the mine and foundry workers. He hears that the missing children still haven’t been found, but the local adventurers, the “Heroes of the Bell” who have dealt with goblin bands and other problems are on the case, so it is sure to be OK.

“The best inn in town is the ‘Bell and Clapper’”, Othic says as they prepare to leave. “If I were you, I’d go and stay there. Tokket the innkeeper is a son of one of the adventurers which slew Copperdeath. He’ll have some good stories to tell you”

Othic calls after them “I’ve got some business in town tomorrow – what say I meet you for breakfast at the Bell?”

“Sure!” replies Trajan, and as they ride down the road in the fading sunlight towards the town nestled under Steeple mountain he says to his friends “What a nice old man”.

I thought I'd better get to an official part of the adventure quickly, having done all the set-up and introduced the two new characters. I'll continue with the write-up shortly. At first suspicious of the old man, or suspicious that he was ill-treating his horses, they came to appreciate and like him.

What happens next?

Old One · 12th March 2002, 05:41 PM

P_S -

Ahhh...the beauty of tactics in action

! How did the players repond to their major a$$-whuppin'? I look forward to picking things up again on the far side of OSM.

I did want to say that some of the PCs are showing extreme longevity (Lysander). You're not slipping, are you?

~ Old One

**Plane Sailing** · 12th March 2002, 06:23 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Old One
Ahhh...the beauty of tactics in action

! How did the players repond to their major a$$-whuppin'? I look forward to picking things up again on the far side of OSM.

Their responses were interesting. A couple wanted to go and rest up, then come back with better tactics. Lysanders player was of the opinion that at present the party was simply not tough enough to take the temple, and they would be better following up some other avenue first. His view was the one that eventually held sway, especially after they realised that they couldn't "request" some soldiers from Baron Kelder to help them... moving an armed force across the border into Morannan would not be a politically sound move.

Two more players have joined the party, Dalla (Sor6) and Syl (Rog4/Sor2) for OSM, if they survive that adventure, it is likely that they will be back for RttToEE and a much-needed bolster to the party firepower. I may post their background info and descriptions here anyway.

Quote:

Originally posted by Old One
I did want to say that some of the PCs are showing extreme longevity (Lysander). You're not slipping, are you?

~ Old One

Slipping? How dare you sir! I've killed Crail at the moathouse, and he was the second oldest of the party

Lysander is, truly, doing very well. It is that divine favour thingy - really keeps those paladin-types alive! He is 7th level at present, most of the rest are 6th, Trajan is 5th (the replacement for Crail). The mid-level characters are slightly less fragile than the low level ones, and I'm getting better at judging what will be an exciting threat rather than a TPK.

To be honest, I'd rather they manage to stay alive now... there is investment in each character both on my behalf and on theirs. Still, if they make bad decisions, and the dice roll against them, its goodnight vienna all the same.

Of course, mysteriously obtained RBDM tactics that are generously provided may sway the odds now and then... and its a good job they ran from the temple just now

Cheers