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Hard Core Adventurers- KOTS 20.06 The Cathedral of Shadows
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<blockquote data-quote="Goonalan" data-source="post: 6151912" data-attributes="member: 16069"><p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 18px">KOTS Part 14b: The story so far...</span></p><p></p><p>On the fifth day of the fourth month of the year 2012 the adventurers try to make sense of the clues they have found so far- what has happened here, in the Keep on the Shadowfell.</p><p></p><p>“Okay- starter for ten, Sir Keegan, what do we know?” Tonka begins.</p><p>“He commanded the forces in the keep.” Jimmy states.</p><p>“When?” Tonka asks.</p><p>“Century-and-a-half ago, at least, maybe 200 years…” Gokan answers.</p><p>“What else?” Tonka asks.</p><p>“Something went wrong, or bad here…” Jimmy replies.</p><p>“And?” Tonka asks again.</p><p>“He killed his wife and kids…” Jimmys starts.</p><p>“… and was tracked down and killed by his Lieutenant…” Gokan adds.</p><p>“… Kalarel.” Jimmy finishes.</p><p></p><p>“That’s right- the sage told us that back in Winterhaven, however that’s not what the skeleton said, he said he was Sir Keegan and it didn’t go down that way. He said that Kalarel’s the bad guy, the lieutenant had somehow gone bad, he was a traitor- he was very specific about that.” Tonka stops to think.</p><p></p><p>“What does it all mean? Who killed his family? What went on here? Any thoughts?”</p><p>“The skeleton could be lying- it’s undead, the enemy of life.” Jimmy states, Gokan nods.</p><p>“No.” Ramm states, simply.</p><p>“Ramm?” Tonka asks.</p><p></p><p>“The skeleton is Sir Keegan- a soldier, a commander; I’m certain.” Ramm nods his head.</p><p>“How? Why?” Tonka asks.</p><p></p><p>Again Ramm takes his time.</p><p></p><p>“He fought fair.” Ramm finally comes up with.</p><p>“Is that it?” Jimmy asks, incredulous.</p><p>“No, it’s a feeling- he came across like he was a leader- used to having people follow his orders…” Ramm trails off.</p><p></p><p>The adventurers get to thinking.</p><p></p><p>Eventually Tonka looks up.</p><p></p><p>At Sigur.</p><p></p><p>“Sigur?”</p><p>“He was telling the truth- the skeleton, Sir Keegan.” Sigur simply states.</p><p>“How do you know that?” Jimmy asks.</p><p>Gokan nods.</p><p></p><p>“Because he’s undead.” Sigur states and shrugs, as if the answer is obvious.</p><p></p><p>The other four adventurers stare at Sigur. </p><p></p><p>“Nope, I don’t get it.” Jimmy looks exasperated.</p><p>“Explain, please.” Tonka states.</p><p></p><p>“Undead, well the thinking undead, they’re what gets left behind- the anger, the hatred, unfinished business, revenge- whatever. The undead are a product of the fears and hatreds of those that died violent deaths- mostly with something left undone.” Sigur shrugs- easy.</p><p></p><p>“You’re saying…” Tonka starts.</p><p>“Sir Keegan wants his revenge, on his lieutenant- Kalarel, the traitor who let the darkness in…” Sigur adds, “… and killed his family- that’s why he spoke to us, that’s why he was confused by our presence. He thought we were the bad guys.” Sigur grins.</p><p></p><p>“It sounds right.” Ramm adds.</p><p>“It does.” Tonka states- Jimmy and Gokan nod.</p><p></p><p>“So, Sir Keegan’s wife and kids were killed by Kalarel and his men, who have been turned somehow; he fights back and ends up trapped down here with the men that stayed loyal to him. A couple of centuries later we come along and he thinks we’re with the bad guys.” Tonka surmises, to more nods.</p><p></p><p>“Which leads us to our next question- who or what lies below?” Tonka asks.</p><p></p><p>“Kalarel.” Jimmy states.</p><p>“Perhaps.” Tonka nods, “he could still be around- somehow, after all this time.”</p><p></p><p>“Do you think so- he’d be ancient.” Gokan’s not so sure.</p><p></p><p>Sigur clears his throat, “he’d be about my age”, the dwarf adds- and then grins.</p><p></p><p>The adventurers think about things some more.</p><p></p><p>“What else is below?” Tonka finally asks.</p><p>“More goblins.” Jimmy states, to more nods.</p><p>“Likely.” Tonka adds.</p><p>“Anything else?” The dragonborn goes on.</p><p></p><p>“Undead?” Jimmy volunteers.</p><p>Again more nods.</p><p></p><p>“They call this place the Keep on the Shadowfell…” Sigur states.</p><p>“Best guess, this place is linked to the Shadowfell.” The dwarf adds.</p><p></p><p>“How?” Jimmy asks.</p><p>“A portal.” Sigur simply states.</p><p>“Oh.” Jimmy’s out of his depth.</p><p></p><p>“How do we…” Jimmy starts, then stops and takes a moment to rephrase his question, “what does a portal do?”</p><p>“I have read about portals- never seen one, they’re gates, some are one-way, others two-way, some require a code, or a ritual to activate. You enter the portal and… well, I don’t quite know what happens but the next thing you know you’re somewhere else, the Shadowfell- maybe.” Tonka answers.</p><p>“That’s about it.” Sigur confirms.</p><p></p><p>“So, to recap- we wade through more goblins- probably, and undead- perhaps; we find a portal to the Shadowfell, perhaps; we go through it, and…” Tonka runs out of steam.</p><p>“Where do the cultists come in to it?” Jimmy asks.</p><p>“Good question.” Tonka replies.</p><p>“They could be through the portal.” Gokan offers.</p><p></p><p>“He said something about memories.” Gokan states, “Sir Keegan did.” The minotaur finishes his speech.</p><p>“What memories?” Jimmy asks.</p><p></p><p>The adventurers look suitably stumped, except for Tonka, the dragonborn grins.</p><p></p><p>“I think I can help with that.” Tonka states.</p><p></p><p>Tonka scrabbles in his backpack for a bit, eventually comes out with the remains of the pages he found in one of the wererat’s nests.</p><p></p><p>He places the papers down- some effort has been made to arrange some of them- fit them back together like some strange jigsaw.</p><p></p><p>“They’re from a diary, written by a woman called Magda.” Tonka states.</p><p>“Magda?” Jimmy and Sigur ask.</p><p>“She was Sir Keegan’s wife- there’s nothing in them of any interest, as far as I can make out,” Tonka adds, and then continues, “but I don’t think that’s what this is about.”</p><p></p><p>The dragonborn continues at pace, excited, “Magda and Sir Keegan had three children- a son Stephan, in his mid-teens I think; and two daughters- Rasa, I’m not sure of her age but she was the middle child; and Leesa- who I think was very young, perhaps no more than five or six.”</p><p></p><p>The chamber remains silent for a good while, while this new information is assimilated.</p><p></p><p>“I think when Sir Keegan said about memories- he meant mementos, the diary is a memento of Magda; and we’ve found a few other odd things during our travels.” Tonka states.</p><p></p><p>There’s a flurry of activity- Jimmy searches through his pack.</p><p></p><p>The halfling’s face suddenly registers surprise, and comprehension. He draws from his pack a carefully wrapped and cushioned, ornate mirror- found at the burial site in possession of Agrid the Gnome and his cohorts.</p><p></p><p>“This could have belonged to one of the girls.” Jimmy’s finishes.</p><p>“Exactly.” Tonka nods, and fetches out a necklace from inside his armour.</p><p></p><p>“And this.” The warlord states.</p><p>“I forgot about that…” Jimmy wonders.</p><p>“It’s been made for a child- and it’s ancient, like the mirror.” Sigur nods sagely.</p><p>“You did it.” Jimmy grins and grabs Tonka’s arm- gives it a squeeze.</p><p>“I think you’re right.” Sigur adds.</p><p></p><p>To silence.</p><p></p><p>[sblock=Info]</p><p></p><p>I explained previously that I often get the players to review the action during levelling up or extended rests, obviously we also do a little recap at the start of each session.</p><p></p><p>The above information came out during my questioning- I mix it up, I don’t always pointedly ask questions and demand answers, about 60-70% of the time I just get the PCs to state where they’re at and what they’re about. The Keep on the Shadowfell, or at least my version, has a modicum of plot- I guess I just wanted to make sure all of the players were on the same page, and indeed discover what page they were on.</p><p></p><p>I do this for a myriad reasons, the most obvious being I know what lies ahead and how the plot plays out- therefore I can hint if need be, or else… well, whatever is needed. Secondly it’s mad how sometimes one player has cracked it; or else, two players will have half the answer each- get the guys every now and then to state the obvious and sometimes enlightenment comes their way. This was the case with this session- as it turns out Stu, who plays Tonka, had already figured that the mirror, the necklace, and the notes were all part of something, he just didn’t know what until Sir Keegan mentioned ‘memories’, then he put it together- after I told him what the papers were.</p><p></p><p>Lastly I get the players to recap in depth because sometimes their ideas are much better than my original idea regarding the plot and what comes next. I can’t count the number of times one of these recap sessions has led to changes in the plot-line. In truth some of my more complex, and fiendish plots, have come courtesy of the players themselves. I obviously change them about a bit to suit my purpose, and to hide the fact that it was someone else’s idea- I don’t want the guys to figure this out. The other good thing about having a plot that can stand a little tinkering is the players down the line get that feeling of satisfaction (and/or despair) when something plays out more or less as they thought it would a dozen sessions or so previous. The despair comes in sometimes because the players at the time rejected the suggestion.</p><p></p><p>In short, for plots- see your players. </p><p></p><p>[/sblock]</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/40504969@N08/8045379275/" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8169/8045379275_2ef3a483b7_o.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></a></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Goonalan, post: 6151912, member: 16069"] [CENTER][SIZE="5"]KOTS Part 14b: The story so far...[/SIZE][/CENTER] On the fifth day of the fourth month of the year 2012 the adventurers try to make sense of the clues they have found so far- what has happened here, in the Keep on the Shadowfell. “Okay- starter for ten, Sir Keegan, what do we know?” Tonka begins. “He commanded the forces in the keep.” Jimmy states. “When?” Tonka asks. “Century-and-a-half ago, at least, maybe 200 years…” Gokan answers. “What else?” Tonka asks. “Something went wrong, or bad here…” Jimmy replies. “And?” Tonka asks again. “He killed his wife and kids…” Jimmys starts. “… and was tracked down and killed by his Lieutenant…” Gokan adds. “… Kalarel.” Jimmy finishes. “That’s right- the sage told us that back in Winterhaven, however that’s not what the skeleton said, he said he was Sir Keegan and it didn’t go down that way. He said that Kalarel’s the bad guy, the lieutenant had somehow gone bad, he was a traitor- he was very specific about that.” Tonka stops to think. “What does it all mean? Who killed his family? What went on here? Any thoughts?” “The skeleton could be lying- it’s undead, the enemy of life.” Jimmy states, Gokan nods. “No.” Ramm states, simply. “Ramm?” Tonka asks. “The skeleton is Sir Keegan- a soldier, a commander; I’m certain.” Ramm nods his head. “How? Why?” Tonka asks. Again Ramm takes his time. “He fought fair.” Ramm finally comes up with. “Is that it?” Jimmy asks, incredulous. “No, it’s a feeling- he came across like he was a leader- used to having people follow his orders…” Ramm trails off. The adventurers get to thinking. Eventually Tonka looks up. At Sigur. “Sigur?” “He was telling the truth- the skeleton, Sir Keegan.” Sigur simply states. “How do you know that?” Jimmy asks. Gokan nods. “Because he’s undead.” Sigur states and shrugs, as if the answer is obvious. The other four adventurers stare at Sigur. “Nope, I don’t get it.” Jimmy looks exasperated. “Explain, please.” Tonka states. “Undead, well the thinking undead, they’re what gets left behind- the anger, the hatred, unfinished business, revenge- whatever. The undead are a product of the fears and hatreds of those that died violent deaths- mostly with something left undone.” Sigur shrugs- easy. “You’re saying…” Tonka starts. “Sir Keegan wants his revenge, on his lieutenant- Kalarel, the traitor who let the darkness in…” Sigur adds, “… and killed his family- that’s why he spoke to us, that’s why he was confused by our presence. He thought we were the bad guys.” Sigur grins. “It sounds right.” Ramm adds. “It does.” Tonka states- Jimmy and Gokan nod. “So, Sir Keegan’s wife and kids were killed by Kalarel and his men, who have been turned somehow; he fights back and ends up trapped down here with the men that stayed loyal to him. A couple of centuries later we come along and he thinks we’re with the bad guys.” Tonka surmises, to more nods. “Which leads us to our next question- who or what lies below?” Tonka asks. “Kalarel.” Jimmy states. “Perhaps.” Tonka nods, “he could still be around- somehow, after all this time.” “Do you think so- he’d be ancient.” Gokan’s not so sure. Sigur clears his throat, “he’d be about my age”, the dwarf adds- and then grins. The adventurers think about things some more. “What else is below?” Tonka finally asks. “More goblins.” Jimmy states, to more nods. “Likely.” Tonka adds. “Anything else?” The dragonborn goes on. “Undead?” Jimmy volunteers. Again more nods. “They call this place the Keep on the Shadowfell…” Sigur states. “Best guess, this place is linked to the Shadowfell.” The dwarf adds. “How?” Jimmy asks. “A portal.” Sigur simply states. “Oh.” Jimmy’s out of his depth. “How do we…” Jimmy starts, then stops and takes a moment to rephrase his question, “what does a portal do?” “I have read about portals- never seen one, they’re gates, some are one-way, others two-way, some require a code, or a ritual to activate. You enter the portal and… well, I don’t quite know what happens but the next thing you know you’re somewhere else, the Shadowfell- maybe.” Tonka answers. “That’s about it.” Sigur confirms. “So, to recap- we wade through more goblins- probably, and undead- perhaps; we find a portal to the Shadowfell, perhaps; we go through it, and…” Tonka runs out of steam. “Where do the cultists come in to it?” Jimmy asks. “Good question.” Tonka replies. “They could be through the portal.” Gokan offers. “He said something about memories.” Gokan states, “Sir Keegan did.” The minotaur finishes his speech. “What memories?” Jimmy asks. The adventurers look suitably stumped, except for Tonka, the dragonborn grins. “I think I can help with that.” Tonka states. Tonka scrabbles in his backpack for a bit, eventually comes out with the remains of the pages he found in one of the wererat’s nests. He places the papers down- some effort has been made to arrange some of them- fit them back together like some strange jigsaw. “They’re from a diary, written by a woman called Magda.” Tonka states. “Magda?” Jimmy and Sigur ask. “She was Sir Keegan’s wife- there’s nothing in them of any interest, as far as I can make out,” Tonka adds, and then continues, “but I don’t think that’s what this is about.” The dragonborn continues at pace, excited, “Magda and Sir Keegan had three children- a son Stephan, in his mid-teens I think; and two daughters- Rasa, I’m not sure of her age but she was the middle child; and Leesa- who I think was very young, perhaps no more than five or six.” The chamber remains silent for a good while, while this new information is assimilated. “I think when Sir Keegan said about memories- he meant mementos, the diary is a memento of Magda; and we’ve found a few other odd things during our travels.” Tonka states. There’s a flurry of activity- Jimmy searches through his pack. The halfling’s face suddenly registers surprise, and comprehension. He draws from his pack a carefully wrapped and cushioned, ornate mirror- found at the burial site in possession of Agrid the Gnome and his cohorts. “This could have belonged to one of the girls.” Jimmy’s finishes. “Exactly.” Tonka nods, and fetches out a necklace from inside his armour. “And this.” The warlord states. “I forgot about that…” Jimmy wonders. “It’s been made for a child- and it’s ancient, like the mirror.” Sigur nods sagely. “You did it.” Jimmy grins and grabs Tonka’s arm- gives it a squeeze. “I think you’re right.” Sigur adds. To silence. [sblock=Info] I explained previously that I often get the players to review the action during levelling up or extended rests, obviously we also do a little recap at the start of each session. The above information came out during my questioning- I mix it up, I don’t always pointedly ask questions and demand answers, about 60-70% of the time I just get the PCs to state where they’re at and what they’re about. The Keep on the Shadowfell, or at least my version, has a modicum of plot- I guess I just wanted to make sure all of the players were on the same page, and indeed discover what page they were on. I do this for a myriad reasons, the most obvious being I know what lies ahead and how the plot plays out- therefore I can hint if need be, or else… well, whatever is needed. Secondly it’s mad how sometimes one player has cracked it; or else, two players will have half the answer each- get the guys every now and then to state the obvious and sometimes enlightenment comes their way. This was the case with this session- as it turns out Stu, who plays Tonka, had already figured that the mirror, the necklace, and the notes were all part of something, he just didn’t know what until Sir Keegan mentioned ‘memories’, then he put it together- after I told him what the papers were. Lastly I get the players to recap in depth because sometimes their ideas are much better than my original idea regarding the plot and what comes next. I can’t count the number of times one of these recap sessions has led to changes in the plot-line. In truth some of my more complex, and fiendish plots, have come courtesy of the players themselves. I obviously change them about a bit to suit my purpose, and to hide the fact that it was someone else’s idea- I don’t want the guys to figure this out. The other good thing about having a plot that can stand a little tinkering is the players down the line get that feeling of satisfaction (and/or despair) when something plays out more or less as they thought it would a dozen sessions or so previous. The despair comes in sometimes because the players at the time rejected the suggestion. In short, for plots- see your players. [/sblock] [CENTER][url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/40504969@N08/8045379275/][img]http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8169/8045379275_2ef3a483b7_o.png[/img][/url][/CENTER] [/QUOTE]
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