In Hextor's Name (Completed 22 Oct 2004)

[Capellan]

Kull's 8th Report - Part 2

The message proved to be a plea from the village of Torlynn, requesting my assistance in relieving their town of a 'terrible curse'. It is my opinion that the most terrible curse on this land is the weak and undisciplined manner in which most people conduct themselves, but it was too much to hope that it was to this that the letter referred.

When questioned, the boy explained that the curse was one of eternal winter, which had gripped the town for over two years. He implored me to come to his village and speak to the burgomaster there.

Normally, the woes of a small village would matter little when compared to the threat of war across the whole realm, but this Torlynn lay close to the route of march of the armies heading north. If the curse went unchecked, it could cut the road for reinforcements and supply. I thus resolved to at least meet with this burgomaster, and hear his story.

Torlynn proved to be a small village, with streets of semi-frozen mud and many boarded up houses. There was almost no-one in sight - no doubt due to the snow that was falling as we arrived. Whatever the truth of rest of the tale we had come to hear, the curse was obviously real enough.

The burgomaster wore a silver monocle at his eye and was dressed in a tailored red vest, the buttons of which were strained over his waist. Obviously he was still well-fed, despite the climate and the apparent poverty of the village. It was not hard to see why the curse had gone on for so long, with such an individual in charge.

He explained that the source of the curse was believed to be the nearby ruin of a wizard's keep. The place had long been abandoned, but two years earlier, signs of habitation had been seen there. Some local trappers went to investigate, but were driven off by strange rat-men, the likes of which they had never seen. The villagers promptly hired adventurers to investigate - a policy they obviously intended to repeat, or we would not be having the conversation. The adventurers never returned, and the winter set in thereafter.

Gauging him to be a weak and ineffectual man, I warned him that only the strength and discipline of Hextor could save his village. If Torlynn wished the aid of Our Lord's followers, they would have to accept His worship, as well. In exchange for my aid, I required:

* that Hextor's church be officially established in the village, with a base of operations there
* that the village inn - currently closed - be leased to me at a reduced rate. It is my intention to re-establish this business for the use of the troops engaged in fighting to the north
* that I be given possession of the ruins of the wizard's keep, and , once the problem was resolved. I intend to reclaim this structure as I have done with the manor near Saltmarsh, and build another stronghold of Our Lord
* that a treaty be signed between Saltmarsh and Torlynn, agreeing to a mutual policy of trade and protection. The burgomaster tried to avoid this requirement, claiming that it would displease the Duke of Mellin. I pointed out that a treaty of friendship between two of the Duke's own possessions could only strengthen his rule, not harm it. When this did not overcome the man's timidity, I reminded him that the Duke had not aided his town in the past two years, and that he could accept my terms, or go back to waiting. It is a sign of the realm's lack of discipline that threats achieve more than sound reasoning.

The next morning, I led the expedition to the keep. The building itself appeared largely intact from the exterior. There were several large cracks in the walls, but these were not wide enough to allow entry. This left only one way into the keep: a door set in the middle of the southern wall.

A well-organised defence could have held that position easily, using it as a choke-point against attackers, but it the only creatures to challenge my entry were a handful of oversized rats, quickly slain. Filth and rubble littered many parts of the hall, making it clear that whatever creatures might lurk in this place, they had little strength or discipline. No watch had been set, no guards had been posted, and the most vulnerable point in the keep had been left to rot and decay as a nest for vermin.

Moving deeper into the keep, it became clear to me that a wide variety of creatures made it their lair, each carving out their own little niche of territory. In quick succession we encountered and destroyed an animated suit of armour, some sort of cube-shaped ooze monster, and some kind of undead spirit, which did not prove hostile. We also encountered a number of cold-acclimatised spiders. These arachnids had a frozen web that produced an eerie tune, which was evidently intended to make prey more docile. It did not avail them anything in the battle, and they were swiftly butchered.

By this time, I had mapped nearly a third of the keep's area, and there had not been any sign of the 'rat-men' the trappers had seen, nor of anything that might be the cause of the eternal winter afflicting Torlynn.

Then we found the key in the library.

 

[Mantreus]

From the Journal of Gnorric

The young man was called Eric. He was sent by the Burgomaster of Torlyn to find the “Saviours of Saltmarsh” to help with a “dark curse”. His village was under the curse of a permanent winter and it had been that way for the past two years apparently. I was quite interested in what sort of magic could do such a thing. He was rather melodramatic. Maybe he’s a budding bard or something?

Anyway, he gave us a lift to the village in a fairly run down carriage once he convinced us to investigate further. The carriage may have been run down, but it was pleasant to be travelling in some comfort non-the-less.

On arriving in town, it was obvious that young Eric wasn’t overstating things. There was a dirty snow drifting from the sky as we pulled up to a large house in the centre of town. We met the Burgomaster, who was a short portly man called Gustaven who seemed to have the same melodramatic streak as young Eric. He told us of an old wizards house that he believes is the source of the curse. He had sent some villagers to go and investigate, and they reported back with tales of ratmen. Then about a year ago he hired some adventurous types to free them of the curse, but they haven’t returned.

After his heartfelt and spectacular story I don’t think he was expecting the response he got from Kull. He was after kind hearted heroic types, and the poor fellow got Kull. I sort of switched off during the negotiations, but it appears that we might be getting the old wizards house as well as an interest in the local Inn. Kull prattled on about Hextor a bit and some trade with Saltmarsh or something.

Once an agreement was reached, we headed off to the old house. And old it was, it looked very run down. We entered through the front door which appeared to be the only real entrance, and were quickly attacked by some rather large rats. Will got bitten by a rat, but all the sword swinging types made quick work of them. We found some coins and a couple of old daggers amongst the garbage the rats called home.

Wills new sword was very impressive. It flickers with a magical flame that looks pretty nifty when he swings it about. I have no idea where he got it from but I believe I could work out how to do it myself with a bit of practice, and time. Never enough time in the day is there?

The next room we encountered was fascinating! Its fascination wasn’t readily apparent, but it proved most beneficial. It was a bare room with a human skull sitting on a small table in the centre of the room. The skull had a small candle in it. We searched all about the room trying to find something untoward, but nothing was apparent. Kull was the one to bite the bullet and lit the candle in the skull. Wills sword, which we had been using as a makeshift torch up to this point winked out and everything was darkness….

I awoke in a large chamber and could hear a faint voice. I concentrated on the sound and it became clearer although it didn’t appear to have an owner. This voice then spent well over three hours imparting knowledge of the arcane that I had never even considered! Things that I had been ruminating on for years suddenly became clear and the obscure became obvious. I was a wonderful time the like I doubt I will ever be able to experience again, and I was devastated to feel the voice slipping away from me, never to be heard again.

I awoke to Kull and Will standing over me with quizzical looks on their faces. Apparently I was only unconscious for a matter of moments, even though it felt like hours to me. I tried explaining what had happened to Kull; tears of joy on my face from my new found knowledge and power. He seemed almost concerned, but then quickly dismissed it as “wizardly nonsense”. Will looked at me strangely, like he hadn’t quite noticed me before. Dargim was his old surly self of course, mumbling about the little wizard being scared of the dark. I went to investigate the skull to see if I could go back to the voice, but as I drew near, it blew away to dust.

The next room we encountered contained a table with a book, and a suit of armour on a stand near the wall. I was excited by the prospect of the book, but Will got to it first.

Then the armour hit Will on the back of the head.

 

[Lela]

Sorry it's been so long between posts. SO MUCH HOMEWORK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But I've got a break now (for a few days at least). A fun little sidequest to talk about here.

Kull seems to have taken on the mantle of the entire war to the north. He also seems to be setting the area up for a Hextorian takeover, something, I admit, I've been pushing him for.

Gnorric, on the other hand, is continuing to be just as much the interesting character as Kull. I do want to ask though, Mantreus, were you tired when you wrote this? It seemed a little below your usual standard. Not that it wasn't good. Just that you're usually better. I can be more specific if you want, just ask.

 

[Mantreus]

I do want to ask though, Mantreus, were you tired when you wrote this? It seemed a little below your usual standard. Not that it wasn't good. Just that you're usually better. I can be more specific if you want, just ask.

As a matter of fact I was pretty tired. I had a hard time getting into "Gnorric Mode" I guess... thinking about work too much.

When I write this story hour, I actually sit there for a bit and put most of the real world out of my head, put all of Gnorric into my head, and then just start typing with an occassional reference to the game notes. Hence Gnorric going off on little tangents for no apparent reason.

Thanks for the input Lela, it's good to know when you're being a bit slack and that people who read it actually notice.

 

[Mathew_Freeman]

I think this story hour is one of the most interesting to read, because the characters, even at low levels, have such strong goals and ambitions. Kull Redfists assimilation of the region is going to become legend.

 

[Lela]

Thanks for the input Lela, it's good to know when you're being a bit slack and that people who read it actually notice.

I usually don't say anything but I figured you'd be fine with it. We notice. We just tend to ignore it and expect it to pick back up later.

 

[Capellan]

Kull's 8th Report - Part 3

The key was of blue crystal, and had been concealed within a strongbox, disguised as a book. The box was locked, but Dargrim has some mechanical aptitude, and was able to work the tumblers open. Given the fragile appearance of the key, I ordered the box re-sealed, so that the crystal would be protected against damage.

Further exploration revealed a room, fashioned like a tomb, containing four stone coffins. This lay not ten feet from the ancient dining hall. Any general who placed the morgue next to the mess hall would likely be lynched by his men: what kind of fool builds his own home in such fashion?

As seems inevitable when wizards and corpses combine, the room contained several undead, which were destroyed after a short battle. Gnorric's absurd enthusiasm for the study of such creatures actually proved of use in this encounter, though he is finally beginning to recognise the need for more effective battle magics. No doubt the fate of the halfling wizard Zalich, which I have described in some detail, has had an positive effect on his thinking.

Although the undead had arisen from the coffins themselves to battle us, the lid of each proved trapped. I must assume that, lurking within their sarcophagi, the creatures had had plenty of time to study the workings of the traps, allowing them to enter and leave without triggering the effects. In the event, Dargrim was able to disable some of the mechanisms, and we survived the dangers of the others with relatively little harm.

Shortly after defeating the undead, we encountered two of the 'ratmen' of whom the Burgomaster had spoken. A pair of the creatures were working in the keep's kitchen, apparently so absorbed in their activities that they had not noticed our movements in the nearby rooms. Perhaps they mistook us for others of their group. Whatever the case, they did not live long to regret their lack of alertness.

The next several rooms we explored contained nothing more dangerous than a few rats, but in time we reached a chamber where bones littered most of the floor. On the far side of the room stood a rotted bed and chair, beneath which we found a locked box. The key from the library proved to fit the lock. Within the box were some items with minor enchantments upon them, the most notable of which was a wand of curative spells.

By now, almost the entire keep had been explored, with no sign of what might be causing the continuous winter in Torlynn, nor much evidence of the ratmen: the single pair we had met so far could hardly have driven off the trappers from the town, let alone a party of adventurers. However, I did not even have to enter the final chamber of the keep to know that this was the source of the 'curse': the temperature dropped sharply as we drew close to the room, and the door that blocked entry was rimed with a heavy frost.

Beyond the door lay an alchemist's laboratory. Every inch of the floor and walls, as well as the furniture, was covered in a layer of ice. At the centre of the room was a large frozen block, in which was suspended a slender sword of silvered metal, while in the far corner stood an entire throne made of ice, on which sat a black-furred ratman, larger and more heavily scarred than the two we had earlier slain. Several more of the creatures - closer in size to those we had encountered before - were spread around the room.

I called on Hextor to guide my blows, and the battle was joined.

 

[Lela]

A blue crystal key? Wow, a whole campaign could be run on something like that.

 

[Capellan]

So is anyone else wondering when Mantreus is going to get around to updating? Maybe he thinks five kids and a promotion are an excuse not to post. Bah, I say. Bah.

Kull's update is written, but I'm giving Gnorric a few more days to catch up. I'll update on Friday, whatever happens.

 

[Mantreus]

So is anyone else wondering when Mantreus is going to get around to updating? Maybe he thinks five kids and a promotion are an excuse not to post. Bah, I say. Bah.

That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!

Update below... so nyer!