Zaruthustran
The tingling means it’s working!
Last game of Saltmarsh, ever?
-z
-z
In Hextor's Name (Completed 22 Oct 2004)
Capellan
Explorer
Unless I manage to nag the DM into recommencing the campaign at a later date, it will indeed be the last session. His original, 'drain the swamp' storyline will conclude with the Dragon's death. Assuming we win, that is!
Of course, there are still many, many things out there for Kull & Co to kill and the Duke of Durham is not likely to be happy that he gave up all that suddenly useful land to us. "Against the Giants" has been mentioned as a possible continuation, and the DM just got "Fields of Blood", so realm management and mass warfare are also options. I will be nagging him - what remains to be seen is whether I will succeed!
But he did say this, way back on page 13:
Of course, there are still many, many things out there for Kull & Co to kill and the Duke of Durham is not likely to be happy that he gave up all that suddenly useful land to us. "Against the Giants" has been mentioned as a possible continuation, and the DM just got "Fields of Blood", so realm management and mass warfare are also options. I will be nagging him - what remains to be seen is whether I will succeed!
But he did say this, way back on page 13:
The Padre said:At the moment, my plans consist of 5-6 more sessions (we play about once a month or less). If at that point everyone wants to continue, I probably will. I still have the Giants Trilogy to play around with after all
It'll depend on the players really.
Last edited:
Capellan
Explorer
Kull's 16th Report - Part 1
Saltmarsh
Fourth Moon
To: Bishop-General Kartrak Visehart
Communication from Kull Redfist
Kartrak,
Let me begin by expressing my very great pride and pleasure on receiving the Church's promotion to a rank of Bishop-General. Although I do not agree that my secular rank warranted such a promotion, I will do all I can to prove worthy of it, and to advance the interests of Our Lord Hextor in this region.
I trust that the Church will understand that I have long since put the staff of the late administrator to work. They are responsible for border security, customs excise and law enforcement. Their performance thus far has been in most respects exemplary. The only infraction I have to report was in the case of a certain Inquisitor Matin, whose frequent use of excessive force led to the deaths of several prisoners before questioning could be completed. Matin claimed that he had done so because he believed to be Our Lord's Will. I sentenced him to undergo the same trials as those he had killed. Had he survived, it would have demonstrated he was correct in his interpretation of Hextor's purpose.
The purpose of this report, however, is to advise the Church of a recent visit by the Lizardfolk ambassador, and the developments that resulted from it. The ambassador had arrived to propose a treaty between his people, and the realm of the Birch Coast, which I now administer in Our Lord's name.
The lizardfolk proposal was simple enough: they requested dominion of the area of land around their stronghold, in exchange for which they would offer intelligence on a dangerous renegade of their race, whom they believed would go to war with Saltmarsh if I succeeded in my goal of draining the swamp.
As the region the ambassador requested would remain marshland even after the swamp retreated, I agreed to the request. In addition to this, however, I required them to enter into a treaty of mutual defence and trade. I will not have an independent state within the bounds of the Birch Coast, unless that state's welfare and interests are tied to that of the region as a whole.
With the negotiations at an end, we turned to the matter of the lizardfolk renegade, whom the ambassador gave the name S'Slakk. The renegade made his base at a cavern complex between the Lesser and Greater Buffalo Bone Rivers, to the west and south of the old Beacon. They estimated his followers there to number some ten thousand, about half of which were warriors: a force many times over that which could be marshalled against it.
I doubted then - and still doubt now - the accuracy of these figures. An settlement of such size could not long endure in such poor land. If this S'Slakk had the forces the ambassador gave him, he would have gone on to war long before, simply to feed his followers. That he had a formidable force, however, I was more than willing to accept. The lizardfolk are a proud people, and would not have allowed the renegade's forces to survive, had they been able to destroy them, themselves.
In addition to the main body of his army - however large it might actually be - S'Slakk was also known to have a bodyguard of elite troops, as well as a powerful advisor. Beyond the hyperbole of 'elite' and 'powerful', the ambassador could give little indication of these group's capabilities, though he indicated that S'Slakk himself was a mighty warrior.
The lizardfolk's intelligence on S'Slakk came from one of their scouts, who had been captured by the renegade, but subsequently escaped through an underwater tunnel. This tunnel apparently led deep into S'Slakk's camp. The ambassador was confident that the tunnel could be used to reach the heart of the camp, without the need to battle the main body of the renegade's army. I cannot say that I shared his confidence: S'Slakk would be a fool indeed if he was not by now aware of the means by which the lizardfolk scout had escaped.
It was also the ambassdor's belief that, were S'Slakk slain, the body of his followers would wither away into small groups, none of which could threaten the wider region of the Birch Coast. No doubt many such groups would 'wither' into the control of the local lizardfolk, a fact the ambassador admitted when I suggested as much.
After due consideration, I decided that I would strike against this S'Slakk. I had heard enough to be confident that he was a threat to the security of the Birch Coast. I did not plan to make the attack with only the ambassador's information, however. First, I would call on Our Lord Hextor for his counsel.
Saltmarsh
Fourth Moon
To: Bishop-General Kartrak Visehart
Communication from Kull Redfist
Kartrak,
Let me begin by expressing my very great pride and pleasure on receiving the Church's promotion to a rank of Bishop-General. Although I do not agree that my secular rank warranted such a promotion, I will do all I can to prove worthy of it, and to advance the interests of Our Lord Hextor in this region.
I trust that the Church will understand that I have long since put the staff of the late administrator to work. They are responsible for border security, customs excise and law enforcement. Their performance thus far has been in most respects exemplary. The only infraction I have to report was in the case of a certain Inquisitor Matin, whose frequent use of excessive force led to the deaths of several prisoners before questioning could be completed. Matin claimed that he had done so because he believed to be Our Lord's Will. I sentenced him to undergo the same trials as those he had killed. Had he survived, it would have demonstrated he was correct in his interpretation of Hextor's purpose.
The purpose of this report, however, is to advise the Church of a recent visit by the Lizardfolk ambassador, and the developments that resulted from it. The ambassador had arrived to propose a treaty between his people, and the realm of the Birch Coast, which I now administer in Our Lord's name.
The lizardfolk proposal was simple enough: they requested dominion of the area of land around their stronghold, in exchange for which they would offer intelligence on a dangerous renegade of their race, whom they believed would go to war with Saltmarsh if I succeeded in my goal of draining the swamp.
As the region the ambassador requested would remain marshland even after the swamp retreated, I agreed to the request. In addition to this, however, I required them to enter into a treaty of mutual defence and trade. I will not have an independent state within the bounds of the Birch Coast, unless that state's welfare and interests are tied to that of the region as a whole.
With the negotiations at an end, we turned to the matter of the lizardfolk renegade, whom the ambassador gave the name S'Slakk. The renegade made his base at a cavern complex between the Lesser and Greater Buffalo Bone Rivers, to the west and south of the old Beacon. They estimated his followers there to number some ten thousand, about half of which were warriors: a force many times over that which could be marshalled against it.
I doubted then - and still doubt now - the accuracy of these figures. An settlement of such size could not long endure in such poor land. If this S'Slakk had the forces the ambassador gave him, he would have gone on to war long before, simply to feed his followers. That he had a formidable force, however, I was more than willing to accept. The lizardfolk are a proud people, and would not have allowed the renegade's forces to survive, had they been able to destroy them, themselves.
In addition to the main body of his army - however large it might actually be - S'Slakk was also known to have a bodyguard of elite troops, as well as a powerful advisor. Beyond the hyperbole of 'elite' and 'powerful', the ambassador could give little indication of these group's capabilities, though he indicated that S'Slakk himself was a mighty warrior.
The lizardfolk's intelligence on S'Slakk came from one of their scouts, who had been captured by the renegade, but subsequently escaped through an underwater tunnel. This tunnel apparently led deep into S'Slakk's camp. The ambassador was confident that the tunnel could be used to reach the heart of the camp, without the need to battle the main body of the renegade's army. I cannot say that I shared his confidence: S'Slakk would be a fool indeed if he was not by now aware of the means by which the lizardfolk scout had escaped.
It was also the ambassdor's belief that, were S'Slakk slain, the body of his followers would wither away into small groups, none of which could threaten the wider region of the Birch Coast. No doubt many such groups would 'wither' into the control of the local lizardfolk, a fact the ambassador admitted when I suggested as much.
After due consideration, I decided that I would strike against this S'Slakk. I had heard enough to be confident that he was a threat to the security of the Birch Coast. I did not plan to make the attack with only the ambassador's information, however. First, I would call on Our Lord Hextor for his counsel.
Thomas Hobbes
First Post
Capellan said:
My internet was gone for a while, so I didn't get to see this when you first posted it, but just let me say:
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
OK, done now.
Capellan
Explorer
Kull's 16th Report - Part 2
I thus undertook a vigil, communing with Our Lord Hextor, that he might share his power and wisdom. It was a moment of great pride and humility for me, to finally address myself to Him, and from it I learned several important things.
First, that the information given to us by the lizardfolk was accurate: both in terms tunnel's existence, and in terms of S'Slakk's actions if the marsh were to be drained. The vigil also confirmed that S'Slakk was aware of the tunnel's existence.
With these matters addressed, I turned to the tactical considerations of the battle. I was pleased to learn that S'Slakk had no spellcasters of any kind amidst his retinue. This would no doubt present an important advantage in the upcoming battle: my forces would be bolstered with the strength of Our Lord, against which no mortal foe can stand.
I was also pleased to learn that S'Slakk had no knowledge that he would soon have to face my forces. While I did not doubt that his followers would be prepared and alert for enemies of some kind, it would be more likely that they would plan for an attack by lizardfolk forces. Furthermore, I learned that S'Slakk and all of his retinue were themselves of lizardfolk stock, and that S'Slakk himself was a mighty barbarian warrior, and the most powerful of the foes I would face.
Armed with this knowledge, I called Dargrim, Ulfgar and the wizard to my headquarters, and began to plan my strategy for the battle. I was not wholly convinced of the relative worth of the tunnel as an entrance to the camp, given that it was known to my enemy, but in the end decided that it would be my route of attack. Although S'Slakk knew of the opening, he would be unlikely to expect a serious threat to arrive from such a limited entry point. If the guards there could be overwhelmed quickly, it would present the best opportunity for a quick, decisive strike.
As I am here to pen these words, it is evident that the battle was fought and won, and S'Slakk destroyed: but it was by no means an easy battle, even with my preparations.
As soon as I led the way into the renegade's caverns, we were beset by his bodyguards: each a black-scaled lizardfolk warrior standing no less than seven feet tall. Never before had I seen creatures of such raw physical power amongst any race but that of the giants. Ulfgar and Dargrim met them in melee, while I invoked a column of divine fire from Our Lord, and the wizard followed my strike with blinding spray of golden dust.
As the guards fell, the noise of battle brought more of the enemy toward us. I had prepared for such an eventuality, however: the wizard laid down a storm of ice and hail, battering the oncoming enemy and slowing down their approach.
At that moment the battle seemed in hand, but the tides of combat are fickle: and so are the actions of fools. The wizard had brought with him his 'companion', and - having contributed little to the battle thus far - this individual took it upon himself to leave our lines. Apparently his intent was to show off his skill: if so, he did a poor job, for he was disembowelled within seconds, falling under the enemy's axes without ever landing a blow of his own.
This action opened the right flank of our line, and I forced the wizard behind me, while Dargrim struck down the creature who had killed the fool. These quick actions prevented us from being surrounded, but it was clear from the strength and numbers of my enemies that there was little prospect of a swift victory.
And then, with a bellow of rage, S'Slakk himself emerged from the wizard's dissipating ice storm.
He was a monstrous lizardfolk: near a head taller than his bodyguard, his body so lacerated from scars that his scales could barely be seen. With a second roar, even louder than the first, he threw himself toward Ulfgar, spittle drooling from his gaping jaws as he came.
Whatever the foolishness of his religious dogma, the dwarf is a doughty warrior. He swung his blade as S'Slakk charged, letting the enemy's own strength drive him upon the weapon. The sword struck S'Slakk just above the right ear, then carved down the side of his head, ripping away half of the face. The blade did not stop there: it shattered the creature's shoulder blade and drove in three of its ribs. I have never seen a finer blow, more expertly struck.
S'Slakk did not even slow in his charge.
I thus undertook a vigil, communing with Our Lord Hextor, that he might share his power and wisdom. It was a moment of great pride and humility for me, to finally address myself to Him, and from it I learned several important things.
First, that the information given to us by the lizardfolk was accurate: both in terms tunnel's existence, and in terms of S'Slakk's actions if the marsh were to be drained. The vigil also confirmed that S'Slakk was aware of the tunnel's existence.
With these matters addressed, I turned to the tactical considerations of the battle. I was pleased to learn that S'Slakk had no spellcasters of any kind amidst his retinue. This would no doubt present an important advantage in the upcoming battle: my forces would be bolstered with the strength of Our Lord, against which no mortal foe can stand.
I was also pleased to learn that S'Slakk had no knowledge that he would soon have to face my forces. While I did not doubt that his followers would be prepared and alert for enemies of some kind, it would be more likely that they would plan for an attack by lizardfolk forces. Furthermore, I learned that S'Slakk and all of his retinue were themselves of lizardfolk stock, and that S'Slakk himself was a mighty barbarian warrior, and the most powerful of the foes I would face.
Armed with this knowledge, I called Dargrim, Ulfgar and the wizard to my headquarters, and began to plan my strategy for the battle. I was not wholly convinced of the relative worth of the tunnel as an entrance to the camp, given that it was known to my enemy, but in the end decided that it would be my route of attack. Although S'Slakk knew of the opening, he would be unlikely to expect a serious threat to arrive from such a limited entry point. If the guards there could be overwhelmed quickly, it would present the best opportunity for a quick, decisive strike.
As I am here to pen these words, it is evident that the battle was fought and won, and S'Slakk destroyed: but it was by no means an easy battle, even with my preparations.
As soon as I led the way into the renegade's caverns, we were beset by his bodyguards: each a black-scaled lizardfolk warrior standing no less than seven feet tall. Never before had I seen creatures of such raw physical power amongst any race but that of the giants. Ulfgar and Dargrim met them in melee, while I invoked a column of divine fire from Our Lord, and the wizard followed my strike with blinding spray of golden dust.
As the guards fell, the noise of battle brought more of the enemy toward us. I had prepared for such an eventuality, however: the wizard laid down a storm of ice and hail, battering the oncoming enemy and slowing down their approach.
At that moment the battle seemed in hand, but the tides of combat are fickle: and so are the actions of fools. The wizard had brought with him his 'companion', and - having contributed little to the battle thus far - this individual took it upon himself to leave our lines. Apparently his intent was to show off his skill: if so, he did a poor job, for he was disembowelled within seconds, falling under the enemy's axes without ever landing a blow of his own.
This action opened the right flank of our line, and I forced the wizard behind me, while Dargrim struck down the creature who had killed the fool. These quick actions prevented us from being surrounded, but it was clear from the strength and numbers of my enemies that there was little prospect of a swift victory.
And then, with a bellow of rage, S'Slakk himself emerged from the wizard's dissipating ice storm.
He was a monstrous lizardfolk: near a head taller than his bodyguard, his body so lacerated from scars that his scales could barely be seen. With a second roar, even louder than the first, he threw himself toward Ulfgar, spittle drooling from his gaping jaws as he came.
Whatever the foolishness of his religious dogma, the dwarf is a doughty warrior. He swung his blade as S'Slakk charged, letting the enemy's own strength drive him upon the weapon. The sword struck S'Slakk just above the right ear, then carved down the side of his head, ripping away half of the face. The blade did not stop there: it shattered the creature's shoulder blade and drove in three of its ribs. I have never seen a finer blow, more expertly struck.
S'Slakk did not even slow in his charge.
Graywolf-ELM
Explorer
Yet another outstanding letter from the pithy Hectorite.
GW
GW
Zaruthustran
The tingling means it’s working!
Capellan said:
Details, please! Who was this "companion", and what was he attempting to accomplish? Was it a botched tumble roll by a rogue?
-z
