Karl Green
First Post
Reminder of stuff from Part 1 - After returning to Minaryn Castle, the heroes stay over and rest and do some research. The magical items recovered...
dull black Full-Plate Armor +2 (worth 5,650gp)
Ruby ring of Protection +2 (worth 8,000gp)
Flail (one-handed) +1 flaming (worth 8,308gp)
Selling the Full-Plate and the Flail to a friend of the Dame Messalina in Harby for 6979gp. Verrick keeps the Ring of Protection (update your character )
The ledger was written in code, but Verrick was able to break part of it eventually. It seems that it was mostly about buying and selling of "items" that you all suspect were slaves. They mostly dealt with someone called 'Gor'Thrall' but there is little other worth-while information in it (no locations, just dates, numbers. It seems the operations was going on for a couple of months now, and that as many as a hundred people were sold to this Gor'Thrall).
The journals were written in Draconic, and are also in some bit of code that Verrick figured out. make them out…
1. The dark priest's name was on Marlus dar'Moth
2. He talks a lot about "my dark lord that slumbers in the mountains, asleep on a bed of gems". This seems to be his god, but no one has ever heard of said god before. No are there any references with the Dame library.
3. He refers to his master within the order who taught him the ways of the 'drake of the earth' and who sent him out to acquire slaves and subjects for 'sacrifice' (there is no mention of this masters name but he is referred to often).
4. He talks about the Six as the 'lords that have been reborn to rule'. His master is one of these 'Six' and seems to lead them (at least Marlus thinks so). In another passage, you also find reference to these people as the 'Lords of the throne of Pomarj.
5. The other members are not really talked about much although he seems to hold two in rather low regard. The first of these is a member of those 'cursed red monks' and the other is tainted by Orc-blood.
6. It also talks about the 'raiders of the yellow sail' will be a force for the world for fear. These raiders where to meet them somewhere in the Blight Desert it was to pick up the villagers that they grabbed. It never gives a location but he names the place 'the Hidden Bay' and something about the 'Caves of Shadows'.
Verrick also did some research into the dark wizard and with talking with Lorien (and what he say when he shot the mage), it takes a while but is has a strong suspicion that the wizard was really an Ogre Magi. There are legends of one operating in and around the Mist Swamps and the western Blight Desert for the last 100 years… could this be the same one? He is referred to as 'terror of children' and the 'dark of winter'. He call sign as it were, is living frozen dead bodies, killing for sport and pleasure.
---
It has now been almost four weeks sense the fight against the slavers and the party is well rested and ready to move on. But with out any clues as to were to go, they have been mostly helping out the children from the raid and talking with passing peddlers and traders and others who have stopped in and around Harby and the Castle.
There have been a few rumors or raids on the Wolly Bay, by ships that bear the 'yellow sail'. Many years ago this was the sign of the Slave Lords ships and people are nervous about it. Shipping is slipping and the lords of Greyhawk have been offer rewards for any information about these raiders.
The Wild Coast is of course in chaos. Orc raiders have been probing the free cities throughout the region and past the Buffer Zone between it and the Highmark lands of Greyhawk, and refugees are heading north. It is said that the Orc Warlord, Turrosh Mak, is again looking to expand his borders to quite the unrest of bored war bands within the Pomarj.
Other rumors suggest that Rary the Traitor, one time member of the Circle of Eight, has united the nomads of the Bright Desert and that he is pushing his borders out. Slavers have also appeared in this area, and that maybe this is where they have originated. There are reports of refugees appearing at Storm Keep, fleeing these raiders, but no one seems to have seen any of these slavers.
Another set of rumors that peak the character's interests come from some sailors that Defrel talked with in one of the main inns of Harby only a week ago… it seems that there is a new cult taking up residence in the some of the free cities of the western Wild Coast. Calling themselves the 'Cult of the Earth Dragon' they worship something called the 'Dragon of Earth'. They have been taking over abandoned churches of those left by fleeing refugees, and seem to have come up out of no where. They have lots of money though and many sailors now pay homage to this cult. The sailors that Defrel spoke were not members, nor did they know any members personally, but one claims to have seen a new church in Safeton. "…and it had an evil look to it, iffin' ye ask me. Taws not natural that's what it was… Few years ago, they was just another dragon cult, but they be everywhere."
Recently Bernaldo Broavos, the older paladin that Philo meet on the first day of the festive, has return to the castle with some disturbing news. He had followed rumors of the dark wizard and has heard that bugbear and hobgoblin raiders set upon a small caravan of lumber traders out of the Gnarley Forest. They were lead by a black clad wizard who killed most of the guard with a blast of cold that froze them where they stood. This happened on the North Route road, south of Crossford (a small town on the other side of the Selintan River, near 'One Ford'). He says that Patrols out of the Bright Tower Keep have been increasing running afoul of these bandits and that they don't have the man power to slow them down, much less stop them.
"I would say to ye, good heroes of the land, that if ye wish to find these fiends of the dark powers that I suggest ye start there. Mayhaps if ye present yer-selves to the Captain of ty keep, one Perchan Mayness, and lend yer services to him, ye could very well find the villains and put a stop to their inferiors inspired raids. I could provide ye letters of presentation, as I did serve with Captain Mayness's father many years ago. He was a good and just man, and I am confident that his son. Of course the politics of these times make the situation at the Tower somewhat complex. The lords of Greyhawk are nominally in charge there, but Captain Mayness reports directly to the 'Gynarch' the lady rules of Harby. These two powers do not always see eye-to-eye, and it has caused tension. I fear that it is also helped create a weakness that these raiders do exploit…"
Now up to you what or where your characters want to go next. 'Lorien' is out until next week so I will NPC until his player returns
dull black Full-Plate Armor +2 (worth 5,650gp)
Ruby ring of Protection +2 (worth 8,000gp)
Flail (one-handed) +1 flaming (worth 8,308gp)
Selling the Full-Plate and the Flail to a friend of the Dame Messalina in Harby for 6979gp. Verrick keeps the Ring of Protection (update your character )
The ledger was written in code, but Verrick was able to break part of it eventually. It seems that it was mostly about buying and selling of "items" that you all suspect were slaves. They mostly dealt with someone called 'Gor'Thrall' but there is little other worth-while information in it (no locations, just dates, numbers. It seems the operations was going on for a couple of months now, and that as many as a hundred people were sold to this Gor'Thrall).
The journals were written in Draconic, and are also in some bit of code that Verrick figured out. make them out…
1. The dark priest's name was on Marlus dar'Moth
2. He talks a lot about "my dark lord that slumbers in the mountains, asleep on a bed of gems". This seems to be his god, but no one has ever heard of said god before. No are there any references with the Dame library.
3. He refers to his master within the order who taught him the ways of the 'drake of the earth' and who sent him out to acquire slaves and subjects for 'sacrifice' (there is no mention of this masters name but he is referred to often).
4. He talks about the Six as the 'lords that have been reborn to rule'. His master is one of these 'Six' and seems to lead them (at least Marlus thinks so). In another passage, you also find reference to these people as the 'Lords of the throne of Pomarj.
5. The other members are not really talked about much although he seems to hold two in rather low regard. The first of these is a member of those 'cursed red monks' and the other is tainted by Orc-blood.
6. It also talks about the 'raiders of the yellow sail' will be a force for the world for fear. These raiders where to meet them somewhere in the Blight Desert it was to pick up the villagers that they grabbed. It never gives a location but he names the place 'the Hidden Bay' and something about the 'Caves of Shadows'.
Verrick also did some research into the dark wizard and with talking with Lorien (and what he say when he shot the mage), it takes a while but is has a strong suspicion that the wizard was really an Ogre Magi. There are legends of one operating in and around the Mist Swamps and the western Blight Desert for the last 100 years… could this be the same one? He is referred to as 'terror of children' and the 'dark of winter'. He call sign as it were, is living frozen dead bodies, killing for sport and pleasure.
---
It has now been almost four weeks sense the fight against the slavers and the party is well rested and ready to move on. But with out any clues as to were to go, they have been mostly helping out the children from the raid and talking with passing peddlers and traders and others who have stopped in and around Harby and the Castle.
There have been a few rumors or raids on the Wolly Bay, by ships that bear the 'yellow sail'. Many years ago this was the sign of the Slave Lords ships and people are nervous about it. Shipping is slipping and the lords of Greyhawk have been offer rewards for any information about these raiders.
The Wild Coast is of course in chaos. Orc raiders have been probing the free cities throughout the region and past the Buffer Zone between it and the Highmark lands of Greyhawk, and refugees are heading north. It is said that the Orc Warlord, Turrosh Mak, is again looking to expand his borders to quite the unrest of bored war bands within the Pomarj.
Other rumors suggest that Rary the Traitor, one time member of the Circle of Eight, has united the nomads of the Bright Desert and that he is pushing his borders out. Slavers have also appeared in this area, and that maybe this is where they have originated. There are reports of refugees appearing at Storm Keep, fleeing these raiders, but no one seems to have seen any of these slavers.
Another set of rumors that peak the character's interests come from some sailors that Defrel talked with in one of the main inns of Harby only a week ago… it seems that there is a new cult taking up residence in the some of the free cities of the western Wild Coast. Calling themselves the 'Cult of the Earth Dragon' they worship something called the 'Dragon of Earth'. They have been taking over abandoned churches of those left by fleeing refugees, and seem to have come up out of no where. They have lots of money though and many sailors now pay homage to this cult. The sailors that Defrel spoke were not members, nor did they know any members personally, but one claims to have seen a new church in Safeton. "…and it had an evil look to it, iffin' ye ask me. Taws not natural that's what it was… Few years ago, they was just another dragon cult, but they be everywhere."
Recently Bernaldo Broavos, the older paladin that Philo meet on the first day of the festive, has return to the castle with some disturbing news. He had followed rumors of the dark wizard and has heard that bugbear and hobgoblin raiders set upon a small caravan of lumber traders out of the Gnarley Forest. They were lead by a black clad wizard who killed most of the guard with a blast of cold that froze them where they stood. This happened on the North Route road, south of Crossford (a small town on the other side of the Selintan River, near 'One Ford'). He says that Patrols out of the Bright Tower Keep have been increasing running afoul of these bandits and that they don't have the man power to slow them down, much less stop them.
"I would say to ye, good heroes of the land, that if ye wish to find these fiends of the dark powers that I suggest ye start there. Mayhaps if ye present yer-selves to the Captain of ty keep, one Perchan Mayness, and lend yer services to him, ye could very well find the villains and put a stop to their inferiors inspired raids. I could provide ye letters of presentation, as I did serve with Captain Mayness's father many years ago. He was a good and just man, and I am confident that his son. Of course the politics of these times make the situation at the Tower somewhat complex. The lords of Greyhawk are nominally in charge there, but Captain Mayness reports directly to the 'Gynarch' the lady rules of Harby. These two powers do not always see eye-to-eye, and it has caused tension. I fear that it is also helped create a weakness that these raiders do exploit…"
Now up to you what or where your characters want to go next. 'Lorien' is out until next week so I will NPC until his player returns