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<blockquote data-quote="Capellan" data-source="post: 399149" data-attributes="member: 6294"><p><strong>Amberdale 0 : "An Introduction to Amberdale" by PDabble Games - Part 1</strong></p><p></p><p>The small town of Amberdale is usually a quiet and peaceful kind of place. But even the sleepiest village livens up every now and then, and in Amberdale's case the usual awakening is the Harvest Festival, a time of celebration at the end of every farming year. People flock from all over the district to attend the festivities, filling the tavern and the inn with noise and colour and celebration.</p><p></p><p>Of course, it's a natural law that any time when gold and people congregate in large amounts, there will be a certain number of undesirable elements attracted. Whether they be cunning charlatans or simple bandits, such folk can be guaranteed to be active during the festival. After all, this is the time of year when the pickings are at their richest and the town guard are at their busiest.</p><p></p><p>All of which makes Amberdale at Festival time the perfect chance to begin an adventuring career ...</p><p></p><p>And thus five prospective adventurers gather at the Birdwhistle Tavern, as so many adventurers have gathered before them.</p><p></p><p>* Padre Wolfgang Priem, Priest of St Cuthbert, a grim and pragmatic sort, with a 'take charge' attitude. The Padre travels in search of the men who murdered his parents.</p><p></p><p>* Ulfgar Torunn, a doughty Dwarf, bearing the mighty war axe of his people in one battle-scarred hand, Ulfgar has all the courage you would expect of one of his race.</p><p></p><p>* the elf who calls himself Stormstrider, an accomplished hunter from the wild lands, but erratic and prone to sudden swings from bravado to fearfulness.</p><p></p><p>* the charming but ever so slightly unsettling Mantreus, who is possessed of nimble fingers and an 'acquisitive' nature that takes full advantage of that blessing.</p><p></p><p>* the quiet but skilful swordswoman, Gabrielle, a steady and sturdy addition to any party of adventurers.</p><p></p><p>Having arrived at the tavern quite late in the day, the five are obliged to share the last free table together, and soon discover a common thirst for adventure - and, more to the point, treasure!</p><p></p><p>It seems the Gods must indeed be smiling on them, for no sooner have they agreed to band together, but a local farmer enters the tavern, and begins to move from table to table, questioning those who were seated there.</p><p></p><p>In time, he comes to the table of the five neophyte adventurers, and explains his errand: "I'm Bill Parmer. I be needin' guards for m' wagon tomorrow. Gotta make three, maybe four trips inta town, and the east road's getting' pretty dangerous of late. Some dangly little monsters are attackin' anyone that tries to come that way."</p><p></p><p>This story, perhaps inevitably, is met with a chorus of voices asking one simple question:</p><p></p><p>"What's in it for us?"</p><p></p><p>The farmer has obviously dealt with adventurers before, because he doesn't blink an eye.</p><p></p><p>"10 gold for each o' ya, plus another five gold for each of the nasty little runts ya have to kill." </p><p></p><p>There are eager nods from all at the table, followed by an agreement to reach the man's farm as early as possible the next morning.</p><p></p><p>As they had promised, the group sets out at dawn the next morning, despite the steady rain that beats down, turning the dirt road to slippery mud. The wet conditions stretch the two mile journey over a full two hours, as the new adventurers experience the glamour of wading through puddles and falling face first in the mud.</p><p></p><p>Eventually, somewhat bedraggled, they reach the home of Farmer Parmer, where they find their employer lashing the last of a load into his wagon.</p><p></p><p>"Mornin' folks." He greets them cheerfully, "I'm about ready wi' the first load. Throw your packs in the wagon an' we'll be off."</p><p></p><p>The first two trips to town progress without incident, though after four hours of Farmer Bill's slow, monotonous tales of country life, most of the would-be heroes are beginning to pray for an attack, if only because it might shut the man up.</p><p></p><p>After having lunch at the tavern, the group returns to Parmer's farmhouse for one last load of goods, consoling themselves with the thought that at least they'll pick up ten gold apiece. However, they are only halfway back to town when the horses spook at something ahead and come to a stop. Everything is quiet: blessedly, even Farmer Bill has fallen silent.</p><p></p><p>Weapons rasp from their scabbards as the group prepares for trouble.</p><p></p><p>"Ambush?" someone asks, in a hopeful tone, their mind no doubt on the extra gold that they could earn.</p><p></p><p>As if in answer, five small, reptilian humanoids with dog-like heads emerged from the woods on either side of the road, gesturing aggressively with their spears. The leader of these kobold bandits steps forward and speaks in broken Common:</p><p></p><p>"Give food. Not kill."</p><p></p><p>The party, as might be expected, responds with bravado, and battle is joined. Farmer Bill immediately leaps down into the mud and cowers under his wagon as the shouts of battle and the clash of steel rise into the air.</p><p></p><p>Raising his heavy crossbow, the Padre looses a bolt at one of the kobolds, but his shot flies wide. Moments later, Ulfgar and Gabrielle charge; strangely enough, in opposite directions to one another; each striking down one of the kobolds with their first blow.</p><p></p><p>Mantreus risks a shot into Ulfgar's melee, but his bolt travels wide as the Dwarf gives a yelp of surprise and alarm. Meanwhile, Stormstrider also joins the battle, his scimitar and sickle cutting down a third of the luckless kobolds, who are yet to even react.</p><p></p><p>At last the reptilian dogmen spring their all-but-broken trap, with two crossbow bolts whistling out of the trees, fired by hidden ambushers. One flies wide, but the second strikes deep into the Padre's side, knocking him to his knees. Moments later, both the remaining spear-wielding kobolds stab at their opponents, but each fails to hit.</p><p></p><p>With a curse, the sturdy churchman wrenches free the bolt and staggers under the cover of the wagon, his eyes searching the woods for a sign of the sniper. He quickly spots the creature, but his injury has slowed him enough that he does not have time to begin loading his heavy crossbow.</p><p></p><p>Ulfgar cuts down another kobold, but neither Gabrielle nor Stormstrider is so lucky, whilst Mantreus fruitlessly scans the woods for targets, unable to spot them despite the Padre's attempts to point them out.</p><p></p><p>Down to less than half their initial number, the kobolds break and run, disappearing amidst the trees. The young heroes have won their first battle, and earned their first treasure.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Capellan, post: 399149, member: 6294"] [b]Amberdale 0 : "An Introduction to Amberdale" by PDabble Games - Part 1[/b] The small town of Amberdale is usually a quiet and peaceful kind of place. But even the sleepiest village livens up every now and then, and in Amberdale's case the usual awakening is the Harvest Festival, a time of celebration at the end of every farming year. People flock from all over the district to attend the festivities, filling the tavern and the inn with noise and colour and celebration. Of course, it's a natural law that any time when gold and people congregate in large amounts, there will be a certain number of undesirable elements attracted. Whether they be cunning charlatans or simple bandits, such folk can be guaranteed to be active during the festival. After all, this is the time of year when the pickings are at their richest and the town guard are at their busiest. All of which makes Amberdale at Festival time the perfect chance to begin an adventuring career ... And thus five prospective adventurers gather at the Birdwhistle Tavern, as so many adventurers have gathered before them. * Padre Wolfgang Priem, Priest of St Cuthbert, a grim and pragmatic sort, with a 'take charge' attitude. The Padre travels in search of the men who murdered his parents. * Ulfgar Torunn, a doughty Dwarf, bearing the mighty war axe of his people in one battle-scarred hand, Ulfgar has all the courage you would expect of one of his race. * the elf who calls himself Stormstrider, an accomplished hunter from the wild lands, but erratic and prone to sudden swings from bravado to fearfulness. * the charming but ever so slightly unsettling Mantreus, who is possessed of nimble fingers and an 'acquisitive' nature that takes full advantage of that blessing. * the quiet but skilful swordswoman, Gabrielle, a steady and sturdy addition to any party of adventurers. Having arrived at the tavern quite late in the day, the five are obliged to share the last free table together, and soon discover a common thirst for adventure - and, more to the point, treasure! It seems the Gods must indeed be smiling on them, for no sooner have they agreed to band together, but a local farmer enters the tavern, and begins to move from table to table, questioning those who were seated there. In time, he comes to the table of the five neophyte adventurers, and explains his errand: "I'm Bill Parmer. I be needin' guards for m' wagon tomorrow. Gotta make three, maybe four trips inta town, and the east road's getting' pretty dangerous of late. Some dangly little monsters are attackin' anyone that tries to come that way." This story, perhaps inevitably, is met with a chorus of voices asking one simple question: "What's in it for us?" The farmer has obviously dealt with adventurers before, because he doesn't blink an eye. "10 gold for each o' ya, plus another five gold for each of the nasty little runts ya have to kill." There are eager nods from all at the table, followed by an agreement to reach the man's farm as early as possible the next morning. As they had promised, the group sets out at dawn the next morning, despite the steady rain that beats down, turning the dirt road to slippery mud. The wet conditions stretch the two mile journey over a full two hours, as the new adventurers experience the glamour of wading through puddles and falling face first in the mud. Eventually, somewhat bedraggled, they reach the home of Farmer Parmer, where they find their employer lashing the last of a load into his wagon. "Mornin' folks." He greets them cheerfully, "I'm about ready wi' the first load. Throw your packs in the wagon an' we'll be off." The first two trips to town progress without incident, though after four hours of Farmer Bill's slow, monotonous tales of country life, most of the would-be heroes are beginning to pray for an attack, if only because it might shut the man up. After having lunch at the tavern, the group returns to Parmer's farmhouse for one last load of goods, consoling themselves with the thought that at least they'll pick up ten gold apiece. However, they are only halfway back to town when the horses spook at something ahead and come to a stop. Everything is quiet: blessedly, even Farmer Bill has fallen silent. Weapons rasp from their scabbards as the group prepares for trouble. "Ambush?" someone asks, in a hopeful tone, their mind no doubt on the extra gold that they could earn. As if in answer, five small, reptilian humanoids with dog-like heads emerged from the woods on either side of the road, gesturing aggressively with their spears. The leader of these kobold bandits steps forward and speaks in broken Common: "Give food. Not kill." The party, as might be expected, responds with bravado, and battle is joined. Farmer Bill immediately leaps down into the mud and cowers under his wagon as the shouts of battle and the clash of steel rise into the air. Raising his heavy crossbow, the Padre looses a bolt at one of the kobolds, but his shot flies wide. Moments later, Ulfgar and Gabrielle charge; strangely enough, in opposite directions to one another; each striking down one of the kobolds with their first blow. Mantreus risks a shot into Ulfgar's melee, but his bolt travels wide as the Dwarf gives a yelp of surprise and alarm. Meanwhile, Stormstrider also joins the battle, his scimitar and sickle cutting down a third of the luckless kobolds, who are yet to even react. At last the reptilian dogmen spring their all-but-broken trap, with two crossbow bolts whistling out of the trees, fired by hidden ambushers. One flies wide, but the second strikes deep into the Padre's side, knocking him to his knees. Moments later, both the remaining spear-wielding kobolds stab at their opponents, but each fails to hit. With a curse, the sturdy churchman wrenches free the bolt and staggers under the cover of the wagon, his eyes searching the woods for a sign of the sniper. He quickly spots the creature, but his injury has slowed him enough that he does not have time to begin loading his heavy crossbow. Ulfgar cuts down another kobold, but neither Gabrielle nor Stormstrider is so lucky, whilst Mantreus fruitlessly scans the woods for targets, unable to spot them despite the Padre's attempts to point them out. Down to less than half their initial number, the kobolds break and run, disappearing amidst the trees. The young heroes have won their first battle, and earned their first treasure. [/QUOTE]
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