Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="WayneLigon" data-source="post: 1370371" data-attributes="member: 3649">Episode 10: The Mountains of AshThe party consists of…Vorz, male Litorian Totem Warrior (Wolf)1/Litorian3Sellik, male Verrik Mage Blade3, Verrick 1Kyran, female Verrik Iron Witch2/Mage Blade2Mont Nuyen, male Human Unbound Unfettered4Alayah, female Loresong Faen Greenbond4Na-Vilarus, male Giant Giant1, Champion of Magic1 Rizz, male kobold Expert2Cared for by Baron Cort’s healer, the group awakens the next day feeling much better and decide to take breakfast in the great hall with the others. Dogs and children run underfoot in the long hall and the group sups at the mammoth trestle table, which is scarred by generations of warriors. They meet with Ka-Rivas, Baron Cort’s seneschal, and they bend head to talk quietly about the unnatural acts of the monsters and men the barony and domain find themselves against. Ka-Rivas shows them a map of the domain controlled by Wealstone, and points out the major thrusts made by the enemy. It seems obvious after looking at reports from the faen eagle scouts that the monsters of the Crimson One aim to cut off the barony from hope of relief from the city of Wealstone by severing access to the main road. The land here is rocky, hilly, and densely forested; only the great road provides a good means of moving soldiers quickly along, not to mention wagons, supply trains and siege engines. The seneschal also has more evil news; the faen scouts have seen that the settlement around the domain’s secondary iron mine has been completely overrun; the fires are so thick they cannot tell if a town is even there any more. More messages have been dispatched, since the primary iron mine not so far from Wealstone is the cornerstone of wealth for the domain. Without the resources and riches it provides, the humans in the area will be sore pressed to survive. Vorz and others tell him to consider hiring the Black Oak company, as they seemed honorable when dealt with back in Runestone. The group separates to shop and look for needed supplies, including various stones, magical gear or alchemical supplies. The small town is lacking in most of these things, but they do find enough to restock and resupply the horses and food stores. Mont plays in the central market, singing songs of victories and heroes to raise morale of the townsfolk. After thanking the baron for his hospitality and dealing with him on buying the wagon of arms and armor looted from the bugbear merc troop, they head on their way towards the middle watchtower, Fourthmonth 1The road turns trail and trail turns track as they head towards the daunting peaks to the south and west. Their way becomes rougher as they ascend, and their passage is slow and deliberate, even with expert trackers to help them find the way and occasionally blaze new trails. At a widening of the trail, they are set upon by goblins riding upon dire wolves, and two mounted upon evil worgs. They deal with the goblins but their mounts prove difficult foes. Arrow fire from the trees also harries them, until Mont spurs his horse towards the grove, and shoots one as they turn to flee through the treetops. Questioning the goblin they allowed to live proves less than insightful, and Rizz finishes off the creature. That night, eerie shadow sprites descend on the camp and almost kill alayah. The disturbing creatures are destroyed, but it proves only prophetic to what is to come next. The next few days sees the trail through the rough forested hills switch back and forth, sometimes following streams, sometimes devolving into a mere game track. Vorz, Mont and others, though., can see the tracks that meander along it and the land surrounding it; the tracks tell a grim tale of beasts and troops both. More ettins and gobins are seen, and dealt with as well.Fourthmonth 5The party beds down for one night after a strangely quiet two days, and find they are observed by goblins. They quickly kill the creatures, then Mont climbs the huge tree they were using, and goes into their blind up top. He finds the makings of a signal fire, and other long term supplies as well. Questioning the goblins reveals that there is a stockade of the creatures established to the north and a little to the east, several miles from the now-demolished mining town. Several ogres, goblins, bugbears and other scum are assembled there, to fight for the Crimson One. And the man known as The Wolf Lord, who has joined forces with her. The Wolf Lord, indeed, now holds the watchtower the group means to clean out and liberate.The group encounters a pair of manticores, who have orders to detain or kill any who approach. The party drives them off with withering bow fire and spells, but the creatures return as the party stops for lunch, this time with riders! Again, both are driven off, and the riders killed. Now the party knows that someone, somewhere, knows they are on the track towards the watchtower. And that is proved when the group bed down from the night. Three worgs come sneaking into the camp, and when discovered all race straight for Alayah! The group is beaten off, and one wolf run in fear, taken by a spell. He comes back seconds later, only to see his comrades dead, so he takes off again. The sight of the fleeing wolf sets off Vorz, and the Litorian tracks and follows the huge wolf at full speed. Once or twice the wolf almost manages to lose him, but he always catches up and manages to put a couple arrows in it. The forested hills here are like home to Vorz, who keeps pace with the fleeing creature until it turns, too weak to fight and run  anymore. Vorz and it circle each other and verbally spar. Vorz finds out that the worgs were sent to specifically murder Alayah, because they knew she was the group’s healer. With this grim news in mind, the group gathers to confer, and then set out in the morning for the lair of the Wolf Lord. </blockquote>

Verification