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Rel's Faded Glory Campaign (Thank You Old One!)
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<blockquote data-quote="Rel" data-source="post: 1014" data-attributes="member: 99"><p><strong>To War</strong></p><p></p><p>Speaks, Krase and Rhys descended the hill to locate the merchants Kyndalyn had spoken of. It didn't take them long to find the one who reportedly dealt in magical items. He turned out to be an elf who was as subtle as a carnival barker.</p><p></p><p>He carried a fair selection of low level magical scrolls, a few wands and a small selection of other items. He was also willing to purchase items that he deemed to be of potential value to himself or his other customers. After lengthy consideration, Speaks and Rhys traded him their "Amulets of Communication" for a large credit. They then spent all of this credit and the vast majority of their other available cash for a magical pearl similar, but slightly more powerful, to the one that Speaks had found in the dwarven shrine.</p><p></p><p>Speaks spent a day catching up with the various tribal shamans and brewing potions. He had hoped to speak to Orthula but was informed that she had gone with Relmar and a small group of Suevi to establish a secondary set of fortifications as a fall back position.</p><p></p><p>Rhys and Krase took the opportunity to eat as much hot food as possible. They were thankful that Speaks with Stone's magic kept them insulated from the brutal cold of the northlands but cold camp definitely had its drawbacks.</p><p></p><p>The second day after their arrival, they gathered in Kyndalyn's tent once again. They were happily informed that Ilrath would rejoin their group for their next foray into the wilderness. All of them breathed a bit easier at the notion that their stalwart friend would be travelling at their side.</p><p></p><p>Kyndalyn informed the group that his best estimates placed the orcs 6-8 days north-northwest of the fortifications. The party was to prey opportunistically on any patrols or pickets the orcs sent out and generally tasked to making the lands of the Fodor a hostile environment for the orcs to operate in. </p><p></p><p>The party bade Kyndalyn farewell and went off to find Ilrath and stock their packs with provisions for their journey. Ilrath was quickly located and seemed pleased to be venturing forth with the group from Glynden once again. He also relayed that he had been gifted with a pair of boots handed down from one of the heroes of barbarian legend (Boots of the Winterlands).</p><p></p><p>They gathered a supply of barley cakes and smoked venison (rapidly becoming the most hated foodstuffs in roleplaying history) and set out to the north. After two days of travel, the party decided they needed a "plan" for how to locate and deal with the orcish patrols they were supposed to harass (ya think?!).</p><p></p><p>They decided that they would try to find a base camp that they could range out from to strike any orcs who wandered nearby. Krase used his woodland skills to try to locate some kind of shelter. A few hours later, he found a small cave entrance in a hillside that seemed perfect for the task. He ventured inside to insure that it was unoccupied.</p><p></p><p>At first it appeared to be vacant of any inhabitants. But just as Krase was about to give the "all clear" a slight breeze turned into a whirling vortex of snow in the shape of a large snake. This "snow snake" began to slither in Krase's direction and he called for help. He drew his swords and stood ready.</p><p></p><p>Rhys arrived inside the cave just as the snake lunged at Krase. It wrapped around the young warrior and began crushing him. Krase managed to swipe at it with both of his swords. The enchanted one found purchase and sent a puff of snow into the dimly lit cave but his heirloom sword passed harmlessly through the beast. Krase cried out that only magic could hurt the creature.</p><p></p><p>Ilrath plunged into the room seeking an angle where he could attack the serpent without hurting Krase. Rhys was not so careful. Reasoning that the icy snake appeared to be a creature that thrived on cold, he drew forth his wand of <em>Burning Hands</em> and let fly at Krase and the serpent. Both were burned.</p><p></p><p>Krase hacked again with Heartneedle and more snow flew. Ilrath stepped forward and dealt the creature a blow from his axe and Rhys finished it off with a thrust from his magical rapier. As the snow settled to the cave floor, Krase appeared largely unharmed thanks to the magical protection from cold that he had been afforded by Speaks' spell.</p><p></p><p>Looking around at the small interior of the cave, the party decided that it would be well suited as their base camp. They took a few hours to clean it out while Krase recovered from the chilling effects of the ice serpent's grasp. At dark, Speaks cast a <em>Speak with Animals</em> spell to talk to Arc. He asked him to scout to the west of the cave to try and find any signs of the orcs. Arc was a bit bewildered by this new ability the Druid demonstrated but did as asked. The rest of the party settled in to get some rest.</p><p></p><p>Arc returned in the wee hours of the morning and Speaks cast the spell again. Arc told him that he had spotted a small group of Orcs mounted on what appeared to be <strong>Undead Dire Wolves</strong>. Needless to say, Arc promptly turned around and returned to the cave. This was disturbing news for all kinds of reasons but the group did their best to get back to sleep until morning.</p><p></p><p>Just before dawn, the party awakened and discussed their next course of action. Arcs scouting mission had taken around 8 hours. Considering that he moved a good deal faster than the rest of the party, it was unlikely that they would be able to reach the area where the Undead Wolf Riders ™ were seen. But that was clearly the direction that the Orc army lay in. So they headed off to the west.</p><p></p><p>They trudged through the snow all morning and into the early afternoon with no sign of any orcs. They were considering turning around when Ilrath mentioned that they were awfully close to one of the Nervii villages. Krase wanted to check out that village for any signs that the orcs might be using it for shelter. Ilrath guided them to the outskirts of the village.</p><p></p><p>Once there, Ilrath, Speaks and Rhys waited while Krase scouted around the village for tracks. Lo' and behold, he found the tracks of one to two dozen orcs leading into the village. He circled the rest of the way around and found no tracks leading out. He returned to the rest of the party and it was decided that he and Rhys would sneak up on the village to determine how many orcs were there and what they were doing.</p><p></p><p>They approached stealthily enough and from around a hundred feet away, they could see one of the orcs, complete with garishly colored feathers, standing guard between a pair of huts on the edge of the village. They could tell there was a fire in the center of the village, but couldn't see how many orcs were gathered there. They decided to shift position to get a better line of sight on the fire.</p><p></p><p>As they moved, Krase stepped on a branch and Rhys stumbled from cover into direct view of the sentry (Move Silently roll of 2 and Hide roll of 2 respectively). The orcish sentry called out and Krase and Rhys beat a hasty retreat back to the vicinity of Ilrath and Speaks. The orcs did not immediately pursue.</p><p></p><p>The party readied themselves some 250 feet to the east of the village. A few minutes later, they could see the orcs advancing toward them using the trees as cover. They couldn't tell at first how many there were, but it was well over a dozen.</p><p></p><p>As the lead group approached within 50 feet or so, Speaks cast an <em>Entangle</em> spell among them. Nearly a third of the orcs were entrapped by the grasping vines and roots of the forest. Those who escaped the clutches of nature scattered to either side of the large entangled area. Any semblance of an orderly advance was gone.</p><p></p><p>Ilrath took advantage of the confusion and charged into the midst of the orcs, killing two in one swipe of Slashbane. Meanwhile, Krase and Rhys began sniping at the orcs on the opposite side of the entanglement with their bows. This persisted for a few moments until the orcs who had escaped the vines and roots regrouped and began advancing on them, again, using the trees as cover.</p><p></p><p>Meanwhile on the other side of the entangled area, Ilrath was cutting a wide swath through the ranks of the barbarians. Any stragglers were either slain at the tip of Speaks' long spear or put down by the occasional <em>Sleep</em> spell from Rhys. Once in a while, an orc would break free from his entanglement and attempt to escape but Ilrath was quick to overtake and slay any who did so.</p><p></p><p>As the group of orcs began to charge the group of trees that Krase and Rhys had taken cover in, Rhys dropped a sleep spell into their midst. This dropped a pair of them and somewhat broke up their charge. Krase was quick to ply Heartneedle against the rest of them. In moments, the battle was over and it was a slaughter.</p><p></p><p>The only orcs that had survived were a pair that Rhys had put to sleep with his magic. They were quickly bound up and left there (Rhys, Speaks and Ilrath had no compunctions about killing them in their sleep but Krase objected strongly). The party took a few moments to police up the missile weapons the orcs carried and throw them on the fire in the village. Then, they made the return trip to their cave.</p><p></p><p><strong>NEXT: Guerillas in the Mist</strong></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Rel, post: 1014, member: 99"] [B]To War[/B] Speaks, Krase and Rhys descended the hill to locate the merchants Kyndalyn had spoken of. It didn't take them long to find the one who reportedly dealt in magical items. He turned out to be an elf who was as subtle as a carnival barker. He carried a fair selection of low level magical scrolls, a few wands and a small selection of other items. He was also willing to purchase items that he deemed to be of potential value to himself or his other customers. After lengthy consideration, Speaks and Rhys traded him their "Amulets of Communication" for a large credit. They then spent all of this credit and the vast majority of their other available cash for a magical pearl similar, but slightly more powerful, to the one that Speaks had found in the dwarven shrine. Speaks spent a day catching up with the various tribal shamans and brewing potions. He had hoped to speak to Orthula but was informed that she had gone with Relmar and a small group of Suevi to establish a secondary set of fortifications as a fall back position. Rhys and Krase took the opportunity to eat as much hot food as possible. They were thankful that Speaks with Stone's magic kept them insulated from the brutal cold of the northlands but cold camp definitely had its drawbacks. The second day after their arrival, they gathered in Kyndalyn's tent once again. They were happily informed that Ilrath would rejoin their group for their next foray into the wilderness. All of them breathed a bit easier at the notion that their stalwart friend would be travelling at their side. Kyndalyn informed the group that his best estimates placed the orcs 6-8 days north-northwest of the fortifications. The party was to prey opportunistically on any patrols or pickets the orcs sent out and generally tasked to making the lands of the Fodor a hostile environment for the orcs to operate in. The party bade Kyndalyn farewell and went off to find Ilrath and stock their packs with provisions for their journey. Ilrath was quickly located and seemed pleased to be venturing forth with the group from Glynden once again. He also relayed that he had been gifted with a pair of boots handed down from one of the heroes of barbarian legend (Boots of the Winterlands). They gathered a supply of barley cakes and smoked venison (rapidly becoming the most hated foodstuffs in roleplaying history) and set out to the north. After two days of travel, the party decided they needed a "plan" for how to locate and deal with the orcish patrols they were supposed to harass (ya think?!). They decided that they would try to find a base camp that they could range out from to strike any orcs who wandered nearby. Krase used his woodland skills to try to locate some kind of shelter. A few hours later, he found a small cave entrance in a hillside that seemed perfect for the task. He ventured inside to insure that it was unoccupied. At first it appeared to be vacant of any inhabitants. But just as Krase was about to give the "all clear" a slight breeze turned into a whirling vortex of snow in the shape of a large snake. This "snow snake" began to slither in Krase's direction and he called for help. He drew his swords and stood ready. Rhys arrived inside the cave just as the snake lunged at Krase. It wrapped around the young warrior and began crushing him. Krase managed to swipe at it with both of his swords. The enchanted one found purchase and sent a puff of snow into the dimly lit cave but his heirloom sword passed harmlessly through the beast. Krase cried out that only magic could hurt the creature. Ilrath plunged into the room seeking an angle where he could attack the serpent without hurting Krase. Rhys was not so careful. Reasoning that the icy snake appeared to be a creature that thrived on cold, he drew forth his wand of [I]Burning Hands[/I] and let fly at Krase and the serpent. Both were burned. Krase hacked again with Heartneedle and more snow flew. Ilrath stepped forward and dealt the creature a blow from his axe and Rhys finished it off with a thrust from his magical rapier. As the snow settled to the cave floor, Krase appeared largely unharmed thanks to the magical protection from cold that he had been afforded by Speaks' spell. Looking around at the small interior of the cave, the party decided that it would be well suited as their base camp. They took a few hours to clean it out while Krase recovered from the chilling effects of the ice serpent's grasp. At dark, Speaks cast a [I]Speak with Animals[/I] spell to talk to Arc. He asked him to scout to the west of the cave to try and find any signs of the orcs. Arc was a bit bewildered by this new ability the Druid demonstrated but did as asked. The rest of the party settled in to get some rest. Arc returned in the wee hours of the morning and Speaks cast the spell again. Arc told him that he had spotted a small group of Orcs mounted on what appeared to be [B]Undead Dire Wolves[/B]. Needless to say, Arc promptly turned around and returned to the cave. This was disturbing news for all kinds of reasons but the group did their best to get back to sleep until morning. Just before dawn, the party awakened and discussed their next course of action. Arcs scouting mission had taken around 8 hours. Considering that he moved a good deal faster than the rest of the party, it was unlikely that they would be able to reach the area where the Undead Wolf Riders ™ were seen. But that was clearly the direction that the Orc army lay in. So they headed off to the west. They trudged through the snow all morning and into the early afternoon with no sign of any orcs. They were considering turning around when Ilrath mentioned that they were awfully close to one of the Nervii villages. Krase wanted to check out that village for any signs that the orcs might be using it for shelter. Ilrath guided them to the outskirts of the village. Once there, Ilrath, Speaks and Rhys waited while Krase scouted around the village for tracks. Lo' and behold, he found the tracks of one to two dozen orcs leading into the village. He circled the rest of the way around and found no tracks leading out. He returned to the rest of the party and it was decided that he and Rhys would sneak up on the village to determine how many orcs were there and what they were doing. They approached stealthily enough and from around a hundred feet away, they could see one of the orcs, complete with garishly colored feathers, standing guard between a pair of huts on the edge of the village. They could tell there was a fire in the center of the village, but couldn't see how many orcs were gathered there. They decided to shift position to get a better line of sight on the fire. As they moved, Krase stepped on a branch and Rhys stumbled from cover into direct view of the sentry (Move Silently roll of 2 and Hide roll of 2 respectively). The orcish sentry called out and Krase and Rhys beat a hasty retreat back to the vicinity of Ilrath and Speaks. The orcs did not immediately pursue. The party readied themselves some 250 feet to the east of the village. A few minutes later, they could see the orcs advancing toward them using the trees as cover. They couldn't tell at first how many there were, but it was well over a dozen. As the lead group approached within 50 feet or so, Speaks cast an [I]Entangle[/I] spell among them. Nearly a third of the orcs were entrapped by the grasping vines and roots of the forest. Those who escaped the clutches of nature scattered to either side of the large entangled area. Any semblance of an orderly advance was gone. Ilrath took advantage of the confusion and charged into the midst of the orcs, killing two in one swipe of Slashbane. Meanwhile, Krase and Rhys began sniping at the orcs on the opposite side of the entanglement with their bows. This persisted for a few moments until the orcs who had escaped the vines and roots regrouped and began advancing on them, again, using the trees as cover. Meanwhile on the other side of the entangled area, Ilrath was cutting a wide swath through the ranks of the barbarians. Any stragglers were either slain at the tip of Speaks' long spear or put down by the occasional [I]Sleep[/I] spell from Rhys. Once in a while, an orc would break free from his entanglement and attempt to escape but Ilrath was quick to overtake and slay any who did so. As the group of orcs began to charge the group of trees that Krase and Rhys had taken cover in, Rhys dropped a sleep spell into their midst. This dropped a pair of them and somewhat broke up their charge. Krase was quick to ply Heartneedle against the rest of them. In moments, the battle was over and it was a slaughter. The only orcs that had survived were a pair that Rhys had put to sleep with his magic. They were quickly bound up and left there (Rhys, Speaks and Ilrath had no compunctions about killing them in their sleep but Krase objected strongly). The party took a few moments to police up the missile weapons the orcs carried and throw them on the fire in the village. Then, they made the return trip to their cave. [B]NEXT: Guerillas in the Mist[/B] [/QUOTE]
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