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Adventures in the Eastern Provinces
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<blockquote data-quote="the Jester" data-source="post: 5010606" data-attributes="member: 1210"><p>The corrupted mudmen swarm towards our heroes, and both Sepia and Cavemouth- who have both advanced- find themselves surrounded and beset. The other two mudmen hang back and hurl gobs of mud at the others. Cavemouth roars and draws his axe, laying about with it, while Sepia fends off the incoming muddy bludgeoning, ducking under some attacks while others land solidly on her. Very quickly, she finds herself staggering on the edge of unconsciousness.</p><p></p><p>Shar lifts her holy symbol- a stylized representation of a greatsword- and utters a <em>healing word,</em> and Sepia strengthens, straightening again as Kane leaps forward, hacking about with his broadsword. Mud splatters everywhere; the mercenary barbarian shoulders his way forward, and Sepia slips back. Behind them, Shifty hurls shuriken and Shar’s bow sings, while the sound of Karl’s voice rising in the words of a spell precede a burst of ice that creates a frozen area in the mud. Two of the mudmen- one corrupted, and the other ‘normal’ (or at least as normal as a six foot man made of mud can be, anyhow) slip and fall in the icy area.</p><p></p><p>Cavemouth and Kane work well in tandem; the fighter and barbarian sweep through the near mudmen with brutal efficiency, backed up by their allies’ missile fire. The two prone mudmen struggle back to an upright position, oozing up rather than standing*, but while they do, Shifty leaps towards one of islands in the mud, hoping to close the distance and take advantage of their relative disadvantage. Unfortunately, he misses and slips into the mud, chest deep! “Oh no!” the white-haired gnome cries. “Why did I try that? It wasn’t worth it!”</p><p></p><p>Kane laughs. “Don’t worry, small one- the big one and I shall destroy these mud demons!”</p><p></p><p>“Not everything is a demon, you know,” Sepia says, firing another sling bullet at the mudmen who were caught in the <em>icy terrain.</em> A <em>scorching burst</em> hits them both again, and the one that is not corrupted explodes into pieces of clay.</p><p></p><p>From his position in the mud, Shifty throws another shuriken at the last remaining mudman, and it collapses back into the pool. The party stays on guard for a few moments to ensure that no more enemies will rise up; Shifty pulls himself onto one of the islands. Once it seems that the battle is truly over, the party returns its attention to the mud ball underneath the great Earth Mother figure. There is clearly a person in there. Cautiously, they make their way to it and begin digging the figure out. </p><p></p><p>“She’s alive,” reports Shar, “and it is definitely a female half-elf.”</p><p></p><p>“It sounds like Bylla,” says Shifty. He rubs his hands together. “Let’s get her out of here and see if we can bring her around!”</p><p></p><p>***</p><p></p><p>The woman is indeed Bylla, the wealthy landowner that the party set out to rescue. They bring her around relatively easily; she is hungry and thirsty, but other than minor effects of deprivation, in good health. She thanks them profusely for their rescue of her, and offers them a great reward if they escort her to her home in Grumbleford.</p><p></p><p>“Now <em>she</em> was worth it!” declares Shifty.</p><p></p><p>***</p><p></p><p>Grumbleford is further south than Overland, and east as well. The County Road runs between Overland and Grumbleford; the party decides that, rather than following the creek back to Overland and then taking the road, they will strike out overland, due south (Overland is several miles to the west), catch the road, follow it to the fork at Governor’s Tower and then take the south fork to Grumbleford. Accompanied by Bylla, the party makes good time. Early in the second afternoon, they find a pair of farmers tending to a small apple orchard and stop briefly. The farmers are obviously nervous at first- a well-armed party of hard-looking folk tends to trigger that kind of reaction from an unarmed, outnumbered group of peasants. Once the group shows no intention of robbing or killing them, the farmers relax and become quite friendly, telling the party that they are only about two miles from the road and giving them a jug of strong applejack.</p><p></p><p>“Have you seen anything unusual going on in these parts?” asks Shar. </p><p></p><p>“Well, there was another stranger came through yesterday,” one of the farmers replies.</p><p></p><p>“What kind of stranger?” </p><p></p><p>“He said his name was Novak. He said he was studying the Burnt Field.”** The farmer makes a warding gesture with one hand.</p><p></p><p>This definitely counts as unusual; everyone knows that Burnt Field is an unhealthy place. “I wonder why someone would do that,” muses Karl. “If we see him, we’ll have to ask.”</p><p></p><p>***</p><p></p><p>A few hours later, the party reaches the road and turns east on it. Not long after that, they come upon a man dressed in leather armor, with a scimitar at his waist, wearing a garland of leaves. He introduces himself as Novak. </p><p></p><p>“We heard that you’re investigating the Burnt Field,” says Sepia.</p><p></p><p>“Yes, this is true,” he says. “And I need some help.” He looks them over. “Frankly, I will pay well.”</p><p></p><p>“The Burnt Field is cursed,” objects Shifty. “We’ll die if we go in there.”</p><p></p><p>“Nonsense. I’ve been in there myself- though not all the way to the center.”</p><p></p><p>“Why are you going in there, anyway?” Karl asks.</p><p></p><p>“There are some objects inside that could be very dangerous in the wrong hands- and the wrong hands are looking for them.”</p><p></p><p>“That’s kind of vague,” Shifty says.</p><p></p><p>“What kind of objects?” asks Sepia.</p><p></p><p>“Crystals. As I said, I will pay well.”</p><p></p><p>“We’re already in the middle of something,” replies Shifty. “We need to return this person to her home to get paid for rescuing her.”</p><p></p><p>“How much time do you have before your enemies get these crystals?” asks Karl. “Maybe we can find you on our way back.”</p><p></p><p>“There isn’t much time,” Novak states, “but I can wait a few days. But once my agents inform me that the enemy has entered the Black Field, I must move quickly.”</p><p></p><p>“Your ‘agents’?” asks Shar. </p><p></p><p>“I am a druid. I have animal spies watching.”</p><p></p><p>“I see,” says Karl, and Shifty cuts the conversation short with a jerk of the thumb towards Bylla: “One thing at a time.”</p><p></p><p>***</p><p></p><p>At Grumbleford, Bylla lets the characters stay at her mansion for the night and pays them the handsome sum of 300 gold pieces for rescuing her. Moreover, she tells them, “I am quite fond of those mud baths. If you can show me evidence that you have driven the bullywugs back, I will pay you again- not as much, but nonetheless a considerable amount.”</p><p></p><p><em>This woman is a gold mine!</em> thinks Shifty. <em>300 gold pieces! That’s the most money I’ve ever earned in one job! I wonder how much she is willing to pay us for taking care of the rest of the bullywugs?</em></p><p></p><p>“What kind of evidence?” asks Karl.</p><p></p><p>“Maybe the chief’s head dress or something,” suggests Shar. </p><p></p><p>“Perhaps. Mostly, though, no more reports of bullywug attacks there.”</p><p></p><p>***</p><p></p><p>That night, at a tavern in town (for of all our heroes, only the bookish Karl accepted Bylla’s offer of shelter for the evening, with the others seeking out the kind of place where they can carouse and fight), Shifty tells the others, “I don’t trust that Novak guy. He’s going to betray us in the end, mark my words.”</p><p></p><p>“Why do you think that?” asks Shar.</p><p></p><p>“I don’t know. I just don’t trust him. He looks <em>too much</em> like a druid for him to actually <em>be</em> a druid.”</p><p></p><p>“That makes no sense.”</p><p></p><p>Shrug.</p><p></p><p>***</p><p></p><p>The group resupplies in town, then heads back north to meet up with Novak. They find him several hours before dark. </p><p></p><p>“How much are you paying?” demands Shifty. </p><p></p><p>“I will give each of you twenty gold if you come with me to the center so that I can take the crystals away.”</p><p></p><p>Some quick arithmetic leads those with their numbers to realize that this is over a hundred gold in total. Obviously, Burnt Field presents certain dangers- death or being cursed- but how often will such a large payment stare them in the face? Sometimes one must seize the opportunity that is presented to him or her- and this, it seems, is one of those times. </p><p></p><p>Novak passes out black armbands. “Wear these,” he commands. “This will inform my allies that you are on our side.”</p><p></p><p>“What if we don’t?” asks Kane.</p><p></p><p>“Then they might attack you. Bears, wolves, that kind of thing.”</p><p></p><p>Kane pulls his armband on. So do the rest of our heroes, with the exception of Shifty, who palms his and stuffs it in his backpack. Surreptitiously, he mutters to Sepia, “I told you this guy is bad news. Black armbands!”</p><p></p><p>Meanwhile, Karl asks Novak, “Who exactly are the people you’re trying to stop?” </p><p></p><p>“They are a renegade group of druids,” claims the druid.*** “We can expect interference from <em>their</em> agents in Burnt Field.” </p><p></p><p>“Let’s go,” Kane says, and the group begins to make its way into the burned area. It is an area of around 20 miles by 15 miles. The carbonized stubs of trees stab the sky like a field of ragged pikes. The rolling hills are covered in ash and the burnt waste of scrubs. Here and there, a mighty attempt at new growth has managed to produce a sickly mutant tuft of grass or two, but even that is sparse and weak. A few animals live in the zone around the perimeter, but once the party has advanced a few miles, they are eerily alone.</p><p></p><p>Until they are ambushed by quick successions of stones, slung from two small figures lurking above them in the burnt branches of an especially large dead tree. </p><p></p><p>Kane, in the lead, is suddenly attacked by a cat-sized drake with a stinger on its tail, which scratches the back of his hand and injects venom into him. And then a pair of wolves dart out from behind the trees.</p><p></p><p>“Kill them!” bellows Novak, and the party attacks.</p><p></p><p><em>I just know this guy is going to betray us,</em> thinks Shifty.</p><p></p><p>*...but still requiring a move action to right themselves. Hurray for cinematic description!</p><p></p><p>** Burnt Field, according to local lore, was once an area of rolling meadows, but about 35 years ago, something (supposedly) fell from the sky and burnt it. The fire went out, but nothing grew there. Several groups of people went to check it out, but none returned, and so it has come to be shunned. It is said that those who enter the Burnt Field either never return or are cursed, dying shortly after they come back.</p><p></p><p>***Pcs checked their Intuition many times during their interactions with Novak, but his superior Bluff of +10 won the day every time- the only time I rolled low for him, I rolled lower for the pcs!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="the Jester, post: 5010606, member: 1210"] The corrupted mudmen swarm towards our heroes, and both Sepia and Cavemouth- who have both advanced- find themselves surrounded and beset. The other two mudmen hang back and hurl gobs of mud at the others. Cavemouth roars and draws his axe, laying about with it, while Sepia fends off the incoming muddy bludgeoning, ducking under some attacks while others land solidly on her. Very quickly, she finds herself staggering on the edge of unconsciousness. Shar lifts her holy symbol- a stylized representation of a greatsword- and utters a [i]healing word,[/i] and Sepia strengthens, straightening again as Kane leaps forward, hacking about with his broadsword. Mud splatters everywhere; the mercenary barbarian shoulders his way forward, and Sepia slips back. Behind them, Shifty hurls shuriken and Shar’s bow sings, while the sound of Karl’s voice rising in the words of a spell precede a burst of ice that creates a frozen area in the mud. Two of the mudmen- one corrupted, and the other ‘normal’ (or at least as normal as a six foot man made of mud can be, anyhow) slip and fall in the icy area. Cavemouth and Kane work well in tandem; the fighter and barbarian sweep through the near mudmen with brutal efficiency, backed up by their allies’ missile fire. The two prone mudmen struggle back to an upright position, oozing up rather than standing*, but while they do, Shifty leaps towards one of islands in the mud, hoping to close the distance and take advantage of their relative disadvantage. Unfortunately, he misses and slips into the mud, chest deep! “Oh no!” the white-haired gnome cries. “Why did I try that? It wasn’t worth it!” Kane laughs. “Don’t worry, small one- the big one and I shall destroy these mud demons!” “Not everything is a demon, you know,” Sepia says, firing another sling bullet at the mudmen who were caught in the [i]icy terrain.[/i] A [i]scorching burst[/i] hits them both again, and the one that is not corrupted explodes into pieces of clay. From his position in the mud, Shifty throws another shuriken at the last remaining mudman, and it collapses back into the pool. The party stays on guard for a few moments to ensure that no more enemies will rise up; Shifty pulls himself onto one of the islands. Once it seems that the battle is truly over, the party returns its attention to the mud ball underneath the great Earth Mother figure. There is clearly a person in there. Cautiously, they make their way to it and begin digging the figure out. “She’s alive,” reports Shar, “and it is definitely a female half-elf.” “It sounds like Bylla,” says Shifty. He rubs his hands together. “Let’s get her out of here and see if we can bring her around!” *** The woman is indeed Bylla, the wealthy landowner that the party set out to rescue. They bring her around relatively easily; she is hungry and thirsty, but other than minor effects of deprivation, in good health. She thanks them profusely for their rescue of her, and offers them a great reward if they escort her to her home in Grumbleford. “Now [i]she[/i] was worth it!” declares Shifty. *** Grumbleford is further south than Overland, and east as well. The County Road runs between Overland and Grumbleford; the party decides that, rather than following the creek back to Overland and then taking the road, they will strike out overland, due south (Overland is several miles to the west), catch the road, follow it to the fork at Governor’s Tower and then take the south fork to Grumbleford. Accompanied by Bylla, the party makes good time. Early in the second afternoon, they find a pair of farmers tending to a small apple orchard and stop briefly. The farmers are obviously nervous at first- a well-armed party of hard-looking folk tends to trigger that kind of reaction from an unarmed, outnumbered group of peasants. Once the group shows no intention of robbing or killing them, the farmers relax and become quite friendly, telling the party that they are only about two miles from the road and giving them a jug of strong applejack. “Have you seen anything unusual going on in these parts?” asks Shar. “Well, there was another stranger came through yesterday,” one of the farmers replies. “What kind of stranger?” “He said his name was Novak. He said he was studying the Burnt Field.”** The farmer makes a warding gesture with one hand. This definitely counts as unusual; everyone knows that Burnt Field is an unhealthy place. “I wonder why someone would do that,” muses Karl. “If we see him, we’ll have to ask.” *** A few hours later, the party reaches the road and turns east on it. Not long after that, they come upon a man dressed in leather armor, with a scimitar at his waist, wearing a garland of leaves. He introduces himself as Novak. “We heard that you’re investigating the Burnt Field,” says Sepia. “Yes, this is true,” he says. “And I need some help.” He looks them over. “Frankly, I will pay well.” “The Burnt Field is cursed,” objects Shifty. “We’ll die if we go in there.” “Nonsense. I’ve been in there myself- though not all the way to the center.” “Why are you going in there, anyway?” Karl asks. “There are some objects inside that could be very dangerous in the wrong hands- and the wrong hands are looking for them.” “That’s kind of vague,” Shifty says. “What kind of objects?” asks Sepia. “Crystals. As I said, I will pay well.” “We’re already in the middle of something,” replies Shifty. “We need to return this person to her home to get paid for rescuing her.” “How much time do you have before your enemies get these crystals?” asks Karl. “Maybe we can find you on our way back.” “There isn’t much time,” Novak states, “but I can wait a few days. But once my agents inform me that the enemy has entered the Black Field, I must move quickly.” “Your ‘agents’?” asks Shar. “I am a druid. I have animal spies watching.” “I see,” says Karl, and Shifty cuts the conversation short with a jerk of the thumb towards Bylla: “One thing at a time.” *** At Grumbleford, Bylla lets the characters stay at her mansion for the night and pays them the handsome sum of 300 gold pieces for rescuing her. Moreover, she tells them, “I am quite fond of those mud baths. If you can show me evidence that you have driven the bullywugs back, I will pay you again- not as much, but nonetheless a considerable amount.” [i]This woman is a gold mine![/i] thinks Shifty. [i]300 gold pieces! That’s the most money I’ve ever earned in one job! I wonder how much she is willing to pay us for taking care of the rest of the bullywugs?[/i] “What kind of evidence?” asks Karl. “Maybe the chief’s head dress or something,” suggests Shar. “Perhaps. Mostly, though, no more reports of bullywug attacks there.” *** That night, at a tavern in town (for of all our heroes, only the bookish Karl accepted Bylla’s offer of shelter for the evening, with the others seeking out the kind of place where they can carouse and fight), Shifty tells the others, “I don’t trust that Novak guy. He’s going to betray us in the end, mark my words.” “Why do you think that?” asks Shar. “I don’t know. I just don’t trust him. He looks [i]too much[/i] like a druid for him to actually [i]be[/i] a druid.” “That makes no sense.” Shrug. *** The group resupplies in town, then heads back north to meet up with Novak. They find him several hours before dark. “How much are you paying?” demands Shifty. “I will give each of you twenty gold if you come with me to the center so that I can take the crystals away.” Some quick arithmetic leads those with their numbers to realize that this is over a hundred gold in total. Obviously, Burnt Field presents certain dangers- death or being cursed- but how often will such a large payment stare them in the face? Sometimes one must seize the opportunity that is presented to him or her- and this, it seems, is one of those times. Novak passes out black armbands. “Wear these,” he commands. “This will inform my allies that you are on our side.” “What if we don’t?” asks Kane. “Then they might attack you. Bears, wolves, that kind of thing.” Kane pulls his armband on. So do the rest of our heroes, with the exception of Shifty, who palms his and stuffs it in his backpack. Surreptitiously, he mutters to Sepia, “I told you this guy is bad news. Black armbands!” Meanwhile, Karl asks Novak, “Who exactly are the people you’re trying to stop?” “They are a renegade group of druids,” claims the druid.*** “We can expect interference from [i]their[/i] agents in Burnt Field.” “Let’s go,” Kane says, and the group begins to make its way into the burned area. It is an area of around 20 miles by 15 miles. The carbonized stubs of trees stab the sky like a field of ragged pikes. The rolling hills are covered in ash and the burnt waste of scrubs. Here and there, a mighty attempt at new growth has managed to produce a sickly mutant tuft of grass or two, but even that is sparse and weak. A few animals live in the zone around the perimeter, but once the party has advanced a few miles, they are eerily alone. Until they are ambushed by quick successions of stones, slung from two small figures lurking above them in the burnt branches of an especially large dead tree. Kane, in the lead, is suddenly attacked by a cat-sized drake with a stinger on its tail, which scratches the back of his hand and injects venom into him. And then a pair of wolves dart out from behind the trees. “Kill them!” bellows Novak, and the party attacks. [i]I just know this guy is going to betray us,[/i] thinks Shifty. *...but still requiring a move action to right themselves. Hurray for cinematic description! ** Burnt Field, according to local lore, was once an area of rolling meadows, but about 35 years ago, something (supposedly) fell from the sky and burnt it. The fire went out, but nothing grew there. Several groups of people went to check it out, but none returned, and so it has come to be shunned. It is said that those who enter the Burnt Field either never return or are cursed, dying shortly after they come back. ***Pcs checked their Intuition many times during their interactions with Novak, but his superior Bluff of +10 won the day every time- the only time I rolled low for him, I rolled lower for the pcs! [/QUOTE]
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