The Underlake Chronicles.

[freebfrost]

At Plane Sailing's suggestion, these are the stories from the Underlake campaign, running every other Sunday night in Hilliard, Ohio. Our group writes up journal entries for each session individually, so I'm planning on posting a variety of viewpoints as time goes on.

The current party includes the following characters:

• Sillisarra - human female druid - run by me.
• Grodix - human male ranger - run by Ben.
• Menos Aurens - human male scout - run by Dan.
• Blackjack - human male rogue - run by Marcus.

What follows is the introductory information for the campaign, which is being run by EnWorld's very own Gunter Uxbridge:

Welcome to Underlake, a sleepy little mountain town on the edge of nowhere in the shadow of the Earthton mountain range. It is the month of Maius in the Year of Battles, or 924 by the new calendar. The winter was a mild one with several spirited snowfalls, but in this region the season is mostly wet and brown. Depressing really, but the land is coming alive with the greening of the trees and the planting of crops. Folk from the outlying settlements who rarely come into the town proper during the winter are showing their faces again, and old acquaintances are being renewed with the sharing of stories and fellowship. It is a good time of year for Underlake, and the promise of prosperous days lie ahead.

Recently, a council of merchants made the month long trip to the neighboring town of Sleepy-eye taking winter trade goods and other items with them and returning with a wealth of new merchandise and foreign food stuffs for sale in their shops. The traditional festival celebrating their return was held last night, and the town was decked out in lanterns and other decorations while Abel Olengor’s band filled the air with music. Elwin Turner, the owner of the town stables, held court in his regular spot near the park gazebo and told all the news he had collected of the outside world while in Sleepy-eye. He confirmed that revenue collectors were still expected in the region next summer. The King had expanded his war against the hated Warrens, and many fear the revenuers will conscript citizens for the effort when they come through. Also, a new silver mine hit a huge payout for the dwarves about a hundred miles from Sleepy-eye and Lord Glanfield is imposing some hefty taxes on labor and material heading that way. A group of bandits were caught during the winter near the elven lands and strung up as an example, though it’s not known if they were all caught. There was other news, but it was pretty uninteresting. Who was sleeping with who in the King’s court, some head of some church in the capital died and there is infighting over who will lead them next, a spring flash flood wiped out a small village farther down river with no survivors. Oh yeah, Leland Emabe, the famed Silver Knight of Lampwick, is rumored to have gone insane last fall and slaughtered several of his servants as they slept. The citizens of Lampwick want Emabe’s head, but nothing has come of it yet. In general though, the news is nothing that really effects Underlake.

Today though, the town is shaking off its collective hangover and going back to work. The spring air is damp and chill, though the sun, gift of Pelor it is, appears to be getting serious about coming out for a while. Some townswomen are continuing the cleanup of last night and putting away the colored lanterns for the next Merchant’s Homecoming Day, a time that is several months off. Somewhere in the distance one of Father Taneb’s acolytes is tolling the bells of the temple for morning service as a few of the faithful pick their way through the littered streets to atone for any misdeeds from the previous evening or generally pay their respects. In all, it’s a typical day.

 

[freebfrost]

From the Tome of Trees...

I write these words in hopes that someday my children may better understand who I was and how my legacy came to pass.

The Great Mother willing...

It was the spring in the common year 924, and I was alone, as I had been the last three months of winter.

Comfort was gone.

I wandered the woods talking to the Children, looking for a sign - a track, a sighting, a word, anything, to let me know that she was fine. But no sign was revealed to me. Nor did the great wood itself give up the secret.

At first, I had thought she was simply gone on one of her rare excursions to the nearby Builder town of Underlake, or perhaps up near the trapper's village. And then, later, I thought it was a test for me - a test of my womanhood.

But as the days stretched into weeks and the days grew longer and warmer, I began to suspect far darker things.

I had to get more information, but that way was a dark path all its own. That would mean dealing with the Builders again. It had been years since I had to deal with their treacherous kind - with their curses and evil moods. It had been hard enough to deal with their mechanical torture devices which they used to trap and slaughter my brothers and sisters.

"O Great Mother! Please help me in this. I do not see how I can .. how I can deal with them. They do not hunt - they slaughter. And not even for food, but for "trade goods," as if such a thing had meaning in life. Please Great Mother, help me find Comfort! I beg thee..."

But for the chirping of the crickets, just emerging from their winter sleep into the budding spring, and the rustle of the wind amongst the trees - all was silence. The Great Mother would not answer my plea, and so I was forced to take up staff and with Jack at my side, set my sight towards the south where the village of Underlake and its swarming Builders lived.

The track was easy to see amongst those of the Forest - humans. Children from the size of the tracks, and heading alone towards the marshes. Mayhaps they were visiting family in the fens?

Or perhaps something more sinister was at work. The forest had its secrets too, and two children alone in the woods... They did not seem to me to be moving like lost children, and no other tracks were nearby. Surely they knew where they were going, because it was clear they weren't following anything.

Or were they?

Could a Ghost Light from the marsh even now be leading them to a slow and suffocating doom? They never strayed this far from the watery fens. At least never before. And surely the men at the marsh knew well enough to leave them alone.

But these were children from the Builder town. Maybe they didn't know their danger. And maybe the Lights were growing bold. In either case, something was wrong here.

I had just made up my mind to follow the tracks, when I heard the clumsy footsteps of men in the forest - men obviously following the trail the children had made. I planted my staff firmly in the Mother's skin, motioned Jack to sit down in front of me and waited.

We did not have to wait long.

Crashing through the brush with careless abandon - four men, one of which was obviously a trapper! This was not going well for a first encounter.

Let's see - not sure about that one - that one is obviously a warrior, and the small cute one... cute one? Why would I think that... clear your mind Sillisarra... there is work to be done here. Even if he is cute.

(slight blush)...hope they don't notice that.

It goes better than I had expected. As much as I am hesitant to help them, they have explained that they are searching for missing children (Mother help them if they were taken by a Ghost Light!), and I am certainly best qualified to help the men find them. The warrior mentioned that he would help me in my search for Comfort, so perhaps our ways are meant to be entertwined for a ways.

[LATER]

That did not go well.

Sigh.

It was a disaster.

The children were near the marsh and had been treed by two timber wolves, obviously hungry for fresh prey. I beseeched the Great Mother for her aid and 'tangled the wolves, but one got free and attacked the men. They fought back, and the wolf, as fierce as it was, was slain.

The other had been wounded by an arrow, and I set it free and attempted to warn it off, but the men slew it too. A great sadness came over me - such senseless death for such a stupid mistake.

The children were safe at least... and then. Then...

The trapper began to skin the wolves... my hand trembles even now as I write this.... and refused to stop at my command.

What else could I do Mother?

I touched Jack with my mind and he leapt forward to attack. I knew that if he got close enough fast enough he could take the trapper down without too much trouble, and then we could talk reason with the end of my staff! Would they never learn to honor and revere our Mother?

And then one of the men shot a spray of ice crystals from his hand at Jack! MAGIC!

Jack switched targets and leapt at the man, as I moved forward to deal with the trapper. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the sorcerer go down as the cute boy... ARGH..... moved in to attack us too! Were all of these violators out to destroy us? Was this all an elaborate trap? There was no way I could combat them all.

And then as quickly as it started, it was over. The sorcerer and trapper were down, the ... boy was checking on the sorcerer and I knelt to tend to the trapper's wounds as the warrior came running up from where he had been building a campsite for the children and men. I told him what had occurred, and that I would dispose of the bodies of the wolves and would return with food.

When I had completed my tasks, it was later in the night, and I moved up to talk to the warrior - Menos, his name was Menos. The men were not happy with what had happened and the warr... Menos, suggested that I not stay near the camp at this point. I gave him some Goodberries that I had created to help his friends and went out into the night to rest.

I was up before dawn and watched curiously as the men went about searching in the dirt near their camp. As they finally got ready and marched off back towards town with the children in tow, I had the chance to speak to Menos again. They had found a carved stone nearby and couldn't decipher it. Their plan was to return the children to town and return later to investigate it more. He again assured me that he would help me in my quest, so I decided to camp there until their return.

As I was gathering supplies to make a camp, I checked out the stone they had found. I had seen those runes before, but I couldn't remember where...

A crude stair trail led up a nearby cliff, and I ascended. What a great view!

Then I noticed a section of ground that was not quite right. A few minutes later I had uncovered a stone similar to the one below! And those runes again...

The same runes.

The runes from my medallion!

 

[freebfrost]

The night's breeze washes over me while I sleep in the nook of a birch tree, the furry warmth of Jack at my side gently breathing, deep and throaty as his legs twitch in a dream of chasing rabbits down through a hillside thicket. Or perhaps just running free and wild through a grassy meadow under the golden sun. There is a slight chill was in the air and the scent of jacinth and lavender wafted on the wind.

The Mother's Rebirth is upon us.

Before the sun rose I was up and walking over the plateau, my faithful companion at my side. I drifted amongst the green leaves, their fragile softness wet to the touch under my fingertips from the early morning dew. I was looking for more signs of worked stone, but my search was futile. Only the obilisk and the flat platform of worked stone were to be seen. After clearing the platform, an indentation was revealed. It just happened to mirror the shape of the obilisk's base from the cliff below. Clearly, they were each part of one whole. But try as I might, I could not see any way that my medallion was a part of this joining. Perhaps it's purpose was yet to be revealed...

A mystery.

How delightful!

But wait, maybe this all was a test after all.

Hmm. To what end?

It is obvious that I can't move this.... the Builders?

Am I supposed to work with those... those MEN?!



Ewww.

========================================== =================

I found a new friend today - Terrterratta. She's a lovely mountain bluebird, and is absolutely crazy for cedar berries! Hee! She's a cutie and I'm teaching her to keep an eye out for outsiders around the area. She was a bit frightened of Jack, but once I Spoke with them both, she was much assured that he is more bark than bite!

I've been thinking on the obilisk - I'll bet that if you look through the hole in the stone and the obilisk is in place at the top of the plateau - well, I bet it points out some place on the Earthton Mountains. Maybe a lost ruin of the dwarves or something similiar.

This feels more and more... Comfortable.

Hmm.

No signs of the Builders today - perhaps they are afraid to venture into the wood again?

Now why does a part of me feel bad at that thought?

======================================================== ===

They've returned. All except the sorcerer. That bodes well.

I must go and speak with them.

===========================================================

It has been an interesting afternoon. I was spotted by the scout - Menos - he has a strong eye to be sure, and although the men were wary, they understood the markings I had placed on the stones and shared my interest in how unusual these ruins were.

After much work and poor engineering by the men (and how they ever build a house let alone a town is beyond me), we all were able to move the obilisk up the stairs in the cliffside to the platform on top. Once we got it into place, a strange glow could be seen in the obilisk's center hole. Using the Mother's sight I could see that it was magic at work, but we braved its touch and I was vindicated. It indeed showed a location in the Earthton mountains - a notch cut into the cliffs and filled with ruined buildings?

The enchantment showed the structures in great details, as if they were just a mile away, although it was many days to the mountains from here.

Magic indeed.

I did not ever recall seeing such structures on the mountainside, nor did my Aunt ever mention this. I was nervous, but at the same time, wanted to see what these structures were.

The men felt similarly.

====================================================== =====

Travelling through the swamp. There was a settlement of Builders here - I avoided the place although the men stayed the night there. Jack and I slept comfortably by the riverside.

Lizardmen?

I admit that I have never met one, although the Books speak of them as did my Aunt. Many view them as barbaric creatures, but they are misunderstood by men, as usual. They are strong and venerate strength and hunting and honor power. But does that make them barbaric? Only to the Builders and their ilk.

Pfft!

================================================= ==========

This morning we reached the foot of the mountains, and no sign could be seen of the ruins let alone the rift in the cliff face. Menos volunteered to ascend the rock and abruptly disappeared!

Magic.

And indeed, the entire cliff seemed to be concealed from our eyes, cloaked in a spell of illusion to appear as solid rock. The obilisk had enabled us to see through the deception, and apparently once in contact with the rift, Menos was able to see it as it truly was as well. There is little for us to do but go up at this point...

===========================================================

We have been attacked.

First amongst the strange ruins by a mechanical man with whirling chains and tubes. What foul sorcery gave this thing a mockery of life?

 

[freebfrost]

It seems like ages since I wrote my thoughts in this journal - this Tome of the Trees, but in reality it has only been a few days.

After fighting the metal monstrosity, which was finally crushed into pieces under a section of wall hurled down from above by the ever-resourceful (and cute) Blackjack, we encountered some kind of reptilian beast. It was not amenable to parlay, and was unfortunately feral enough that it had to be destroyed lest it harm us. A shame. Perhaps it was something that the lizardfolk would have understood and cherished, perhaps as a guardian. I recovered some of its eggs, but do not have much hope of their surviving the journal back to the swamp - nevertheless, I shall attempt it.

There was more to the cliff dwellings than met the eye. A number of hidden rooms were found, one of which contained unliving abominations! Luckily, the cleansing purity of fire quickly put an end to their unnatural unlife.

It was the rats who told me of the secret room - hidden behind a collapsed tunnel. In it, we found a strange picture - most unnerving. It was a view of the valley as if one was looking at it from high atop a peak, yet it was painted in an underground room. For what purpose, I do not know.

It was there we saw revealed a tower of crystal that seemed to rise from a wooded area where the great swamp now lay. Who build the crystal tower and what it contained - there was no sign or description.

Perhaps it is still there?

My companions seem to think so, and it appears that the mystery continues as we are heading there now.

Comfort always told me to avoid the swamp and the horrors within. Could this be a test also? Maybe she awaits me there?

[LATER]

I have braved the town with my companions. A town priest was less than helpful and for some reason my friends wish for me to cover up my breasts? Maybe they do not appreciate the charms of a woman? I have heard of such things.

But finally I have word from my Aunt. She had left a letter with a man - Karsten Barlow, a carpenter of some skill- and a gift - a most excellent wooden stave. But of her whereabouts and the method to this madness, there is no sign.

Do I continue my search for her alone, or do I travel on with my companions? Perhaps she meant me to meet others in this way?

I wish I knew what to do next...