D&D 4E Running Commentary on Rel's 4e Campaign (Complete 8/2/10)
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Rel
Liquid Awesome
Yeah I made it an Elite, doubling the HPs, etc. That still makes it pretty weak vs. a party of 4. But remember that this was a critter that they would presumably fight at the end of a hard fought battle with the Trogs. Instead they fought only the "Dire Spider" and it was predictably short and one sided.
Great read, thusfar.What was up with the crayfish?
I figure that every big cave needs a pool with a giant crayfish! They (somewhat shockingly) decided to leave this one alone, which was totally fine with me. Unless they were to wander pretty far off the path then the Gnomes wouldn't run afoul of it and clearing the way for them is their current mission, not to clear every nook of the cave system.
By way of a teaser I will say that last night's session was, in my opinion, incredibly cool. Very little combat but some fairly major plot advancement and circumstances that perfectly dovetailed with the fact that they all advanced to Paragon level. It sets up the "beginning of the end" of this campaign and forthcoming events are so cool and epic that we are opting to not play next week because one of the players would have to miss the session and that would be a real shame. I'm hoping that the downtime will give me some extra time to get caught up.
Rel
Liquid Awesome
I'm guessing this campaign will top out around level 15, which is totally fine by me.
They gain a level every three sessions.
Rel
Liquid Awesome
Absolutely not. I'm not the only capable GM in our group of friends and I'm happy to let one of them take the helm for a bit and let me sit back and play.
Rel
Liquid Awesome
The party followed the foosteps that led away from the cave into the higher hills to the north. After a bit of a hike they came upon a duel between giants.
The larger of them towered some 15 feet high and was crudely dressed in untreated animal skins. It lay about with a club that was clearly no more than a broken off tree trunk. It was beset by a group of large wolves or hunting dogs while another figure, this one dressed in stitched leathers and standing about 10 feet high, hurled javelins at it. As the PC's watched, the greater giant dashed the brains from one of the dogs.
Eshik surmised that, since the smaller giant was wearing boots and the larger was barefoot, it was the tracks of the larger giant that they had followed from the cave. And that meant that it was the threat to the Gnomes should they need to pass that way. Plus it just looked meaner. They attacked it.
It was astoundingly powerful. It made short work of the other hunting hounds and turned on Astavian and Eshik who had closed within its reach while Zanne and Mialain hurled spells and arrows from afar. Most of its attacks were directed at Astavian whose Divine Challenge got its attention. But it would sometimes lay about with its tree club and strike at anybody within reach. When it struck bones broke. It was only thanks to the healing of Mialain that either of the warriors lasted the fight. The giant hunter also closed in to battle the larger giant hand to hand and their combined attacks finally brought the creature low.
Without pause the hunter pulled out a hand axe and severed the larger giant's head. Only then did he rest to catch his breath. The party stood warily to the side to make sure the hunter had no hostile intentions but he instead seemed thankful to them. Astavian and Eshik conducted some basic communications with him while Zanne and Mialain performed the Comprehend Languages ritual.
Once this easier communication was established they learned that he called his people the "Firbolg" and pointed to the slain giant and said, "Fomori". He indicated that the relation between the two races were similar to that of the Gnomes to the Spriggans: The Fomori had once been Firbolg but the Mist had twisted them into an evil mockery. The Firbolg hunted them whenever they learned that one was near.
The party explained as best they could that Gnomes would be coming. The Firbolg warrior said that they knew of the "wee folk" but had not seen any in many years. He indicated that resources were scarce and the Gnomes would not be harmed as travelers but there would be problems if they stayed long or were many in number.
The PC's asked if he knew where the Eladrin were and the Firbolg pointed further east, "Beyond the Mistvale". The party told him that they hoped the Gnomes would be able to pass through Firbolg lands and continue on to where the Eladrin lived. To this the Firbolg only replied that the Mistvale was "haunted by many Mist Demons".
As the conversation closed the hunter grimly set about the task of skinning his slain hounds. The fact that they were not buried reminded the party that resources were as scarce here as they were in their homeland. The Firbolg shared out some of the meat and also gave the party his large hunting horn, telling them that if they were confronted by any other Firbolg that this would be identify them as a friend. They parted company and the PC's headed east.
As darkness fell they discussed their service to the Gnomes and which of the rockets they should ignite. Feeling that they had destroyed any reasonable threat that could be anticipated, they decided to fire only the green rocket. It was of course possible that there could be foes that they had not encountered along the way or that the cave could be inhabited by some new menace in the time it took for the Gnomes to pack up their village and make the trek. But those were the sorts of dangers that the Gnomes should be used to in these troubled times and nothing out of the ordinary. They fired the rocket and it shot to an amazing height and exploded sending a vast shower of green sparks streaking across the sky. The PC's had never seen anything like it and it brought a smile to their faces.
That night as they camped their rest was broken by a sudden attack by a pair of large and vicious predatory cats with tentacles sprouting from their backs. The PC's soon discovered that these creatures were damnably difficult to pin down and strike as they shifted through the shadows, seldom actually being where it looked like they were. Still aching from wounds suffered by the Fomori, the raking slashes of these tentacles and vicious bites of these foes struck hard. When they were finally killed the party members were barely standing.
Astavian could sense that these were yet more natural creatures of the Feywild that had been corrupted by the encroaching Mist. Unlike the sharply steep sides of the plateaus from where they came, these rolling hills that stuck out of the Mist had no natural barriers to the predations of these Demons. As they made their way eastward that day they also climbed toward the ridgeline in the hopes that it would put them as far from such creatures as possible. This strategy worked as they suffered no further attacks before arriving at the easternmost end of the range some three days later.
Before them stood the Mistvale, a valley some dozen miles across inundated by the Mist. Beyond they could see the land rise somewhat steeply, covered in thick forest. From what the Firbolg had told them, the nearest Eladrin city lay somewhere in those woods. But for now it was once more into the Mist...
*********
So I'd originally planned to use an actual Fomorian in this encounter but I wanted something brutis and non-spellcastery. But the stats for Fomorians in the MM were not what I was after so instead I reskinned an Ogre Warhulk for the job. I did the standard decrease in HP (leaving it with 170) and increase in damage so it was hitting for 2d8+15 with that club. I also gave it a 4-5-6 recharge on the "Flail Hurricane" ability to make it better for fighting a group. It used that ability 3 or 4 times, attacking everybody within two squares. Fairly nasty.
Of course they had help from a pair of Dire Wolves and the Firbolg Hounder but the wolves were mowed down pretty early on in the fight by that Flail Hurricane. And the Hounder I had stand off and use a relatively weak ranged attack for the first couple rounds under the guise of being unsure of the party's intentions. It was very clear that the Hounder would have been screwed had it not been for the party's intervention, which was my intention for the encounter in terms of allowing some diplomacy/information exchange.
There was a brief but interesting debate about whether they should fire both rockets (indicating that the way was passable but with some identified dangers) or only the Green one. I enjoy listening to player perspectives on things like this. As indicated it was ultimately decided that the PC's couldn't make it any safer than they already had without literally holding the Gnomes little hands the whole way so it was as "safe" as it was going to get.
The night attack was of course a pair of Displacer Beasts. Those guys are the ultimate skirmishers! Their battlefield mobility and staying power were pretty great with their Displacement causing a 50% miss chance for most attacks. This plays merry hell with the economy of expendable powers like Encounter and Daily powers because you effectively end up with only about a 25% chance of any of them working. When you add in the fact that they were doing 1d6+12 with a Tentacle and 1d10+12 with a bite AND could make three attacks whenever they had Combat Advantage (which was most of the time) it was a very nasty encounter.
They ganged up on Mialain and if I recall correctly they even put her unconscious for a round until Astavian dashed in with a Lay on Hands. Eshik and Zanne did a great job of staying on top of them but they were taking a lot of Opportunity Attacks with that Threatening Reach. It was a very challenging fight and fun to run as a GM as well. I did reward them by having the tentacles be useful as ritual components as I recall.
The larger of them towered some 15 feet high and was crudely dressed in untreated animal skins. It lay about with a club that was clearly no more than a broken off tree trunk. It was beset by a group of large wolves or hunting dogs while another figure, this one dressed in stitched leathers and standing about 10 feet high, hurled javelins at it. As the PC's watched, the greater giant dashed the brains from one of the dogs.
Eshik surmised that, since the smaller giant was wearing boots and the larger was barefoot, it was the tracks of the larger giant that they had followed from the cave. And that meant that it was the threat to the Gnomes should they need to pass that way. Plus it just looked meaner. They attacked it.
It was astoundingly powerful. It made short work of the other hunting hounds and turned on Astavian and Eshik who had closed within its reach while Zanne and Mialain hurled spells and arrows from afar. Most of its attacks were directed at Astavian whose Divine Challenge got its attention. But it would sometimes lay about with its tree club and strike at anybody within reach. When it struck bones broke. It was only thanks to the healing of Mialain that either of the warriors lasted the fight. The giant hunter also closed in to battle the larger giant hand to hand and their combined attacks finally brought the creature low.
Without pause the hunter pulled out a hand axe and severed the larger giant's head. Only then did he rest to catch his breath. The party stood warily to the side to make sure the hunter had no hostile intentions but he instead seemed thankful to them. Astavian and Eshik conducted some basic communications with him while Zanne and Mialain performed the Comprehend Languages ritual.
Once this easier communication was established they learned that he called his people the "Firbolg" and pointed to the slain giant and said, "Fomori". He indicated that the relation between the two races were similar to that of the Gnomes to the Spriggans: The Fomori had once been Firbolg but the Mist had twisted them into an evil mockery. The Firbolg hunted them whenever they learned that one was near.
The party explained as best they could that Gnomes would be coming. The Firbolg warrior said that they knew of the "wee folk" but had not seen any in many years. He indicated that resources were scarce and the Gnomes would not be harmed as travelers but there would be problems if they stayed long or were many in number.
The PC's asked if he knew where the Eladrin were and the Firbolg pointed further east, "Beyond the Mistvale". The party told him that they hoped the Gnomes would be able to pass through Firbolg lands and continue on to where the Eladrin lived. To this the Firbolg only replied that the Mistvale was "haunted by many Mist Demons".
As the conversation closed the hunter grimly set about the task of skinning his slain hounds. The fact that they were not buried reminded the party that resources were as scarce here as they were in their homeland. The Firbolg shared out some of the meat and also gave the party his large hunting horn, telling them that if they were confronted by any other Firbolg that this would be identify them as a friend. They parted company and the PC's headed east.
As darkness fell they discussed their service to the Gnomes and which of the rockets they should ignite. Feeling that they had destroyed any reasonable threat that could be anticipated, they decided to fire only the green rocket. It was of course possible that there could be foes that they had not encountered along the way or that the cave could be inhabited by some new menace in the time it took for the Gnomes to pack up their village and make the trek. But those were the sorts of dangers that the Gnomes should be used to in these troubled times and nothing out of the ordinary. They fired the rocket and it shot to an amazing height and exploded sending a vast shower of green sparks streaking across the sky. The PC's had never seen anything like it and it brought a smile to their faces.
That night as they camped their rest was broken by a sudden attack by a pair of large and vicious predatory cats with tentacles sprouting from their backs. The PC's soon discovered that these creatures were damnably difficult to pin down and strike as they shifted through the shadows, seldom actually being where it looked like they were. Still aching from wounds suffered by the Fomori, the raking slashes of these tentacles and vicious bites of these foes struck hard. When they were finally killed the party members were barely standing.
Astavian could sense that these were yet more natural creatures of the Feywild that had been corrupted by the encroaching Mist. Unlike the sharply steep sides of the plateaus from where they came, these rolling hills that stuck out of the Mist had no natural barriers to the predations of these Demons. As they made their way eastward that day they also climbed toward the ridgeline in the hopes that it would put them as far from such creatures as possible. This strategy worked as they suffered no further attacks before arriving at the easternmost end of the range some three days later.
Before them stood the Mistvale, a valley some dozen miles across inundated by the Mist. Beyond they could see the land rise somewhat steeply, covered in thick forest. From what the Firbolg had told them, the nearest Eladrin city lay somewhere in those woods. But for now it was once more into the Mist...
*********
So I'd originally planned to use an actual Fomorian in this encounter but I wanted something brutis and non-spellcastery. But the stats for Fomorians in the MM were not what I was after so instead I reskinned an Ogre Warhulk for the job. I did the standard decrease in HP (leaving it with 170) and increase in damage so it was hitting for 2d8+15 with that club. I also gave it a 4-5-6 recharge on the "Flail Hurricane" ability to make it better for fighting a group. It used that ability 3 or 4 times, attacking everybody within two squares. Fairly nasty.
Of course they had help from a pair of Dire Wolves and the Firbolg Hounder but the wolves were mowed down pretty early on in the fight by that Flail Hurricane. And the Hounder I had stand off and use a relatively weak ranged attack for the first couple rounds under the guise of being unsure of the party's intentions. It was very clear that the Hounder would have been screwed had it not been for the party's intervention, which was my intention for the encounter in terms of allowing some diplomacy/information exchange.
There was a brief but interesting debate about whether they should fire both rockets (indicating that the way was passable but with some identified dangers) or only the Green one. I enjoy listening to player perspectives on things like this. As indicated it was ultimately decided that the PC's couldn't make it any safer than they already had without literally holding the Gnomes little hands the whole way so it was as "safe" as it was going to get.
The night attack was of course a pair of Displacer Beasts. Those guys are the ultimate skirmishers! Their battlefield mobility and staying power were pretty great with their Displacement causing a 50% miss chance for most attacks. This plays merry hell with the economy of expendable powers like Encounter and Daily powers because you effectively end up with only about a 25% chance of any of them working. When you add in the fact that they were doing 1d6+12 with a Tentacle and 1d10+12 with a bite AND could make three attacks whenever they had Combat Advantage (which was most of the time) it was a very nasty encounter.
They ganged up on Mialain and if I recall correctly they even put her unconscious for a round until Astavian dashed in with a Lay on Hands. Eshik and Zanne did a great job of staying on top of them but they were taking a lot of Opportunity Attacks with that Threatening Reach. It was a very challenging fight and fun to run as a GM as well. I did reward them by having the tentacles be useful as ritual components as I recall.
Rel
Liquid Awesome
The group stopped near the edge of the Mist for Zanne and Mialain to perform the Mist Milk ritual to give them some protection against its effects. Eshik decided not to use any to see if he still retained the apparent resistance to the Mist that he had evidenced since his return to life. They took a few bites of Tree of Life fruit for lunch and pushed forward cautiously into the Mistvale.
The trees gave way to a series of wide meadows near the valley floor and it was in one of these that they heard the approach of clanking, metallic noises. Out of the Mist came a group of mechanical creations similar to those they had faced in the depths of Karak Tor. Without preamble the leading construct hurled a bolt of energy at Eshik. The bolt struck the Dragonborn, bounce over to hit Zanne and she was suddenly slammed into him, whereupon both of them fell to the ground. Two other such constructs hurled thundering orbs of force at Astavian and Mialain, pushing them back. Right behind this attack rushed a group of attackers with swords for arms.
Astavian stepped in to meet these while Zanne and Eshik got to their feet. The sword-armed constructs struck hard as they charged, inflicting terrible wounds. Mialain was quick to aid the Paladin with her healing magic but they could already tell that these were dangerous foes. Eshik moved in to engage them up close while Zanne moved out of close quarters. She then called the Hunger of Hadar to engulf the enemy spellcasters.
The enemy managed to maneuver their way out of the Hunger of Hadar and Zanne allowed it to dissipate. But as it vanished it revealed a trio of large wolves bounding toward the conflict. The party exchanged worried glances, knowing that they were hard pressed already and that they could not withstand another set of attackers. To their considerable relief, the wolves began attacking the constructs, starting with the spellcasters. As they watched with surprise, one of the wolves suddenly transformed into what looked like a large Bugbear wielding a greatsword. It struck a mighty blow that hurled one of the mechanical wizards to the ground.
This turned the tide of battle and soon the party had all of the constructs down. The wolves had all transformed into Bugbear form by this point and continued to rip into the chests of the prone constructs to pull out a cyan crystal of some sort. Some of the constructs also carried bags of "spare parts" and these the Bugbears flung far into the Mist scattering them in all directions.
While this was happening, one of the Bugbears approached the party, looked at Zanne and proclaimed (in Primordial), "I see you bear the mark of The Master! Welcome!" Zanne raised an eyebrow at this but assured the party that the Wolf/Bugbears had no immediate hostile intentions toward the party.
There followed an exchange of information wherein these creatures, whom Astavian was certain by this point were Mist Demons of some stripe, told Zanne that they had been patrolling the valley and attempting to destroy these mechanical enemies that the Eladrin and Gnomes had set upon them. The constructs were sent to eliminate any and all who dwelled within the Mist. The Mist Demons had yet to gather sufficient forces to launch a direct assault on the Eladrin city but they had uncovered a weakness in their defenses.
The Mist Demon that was speaking to Zanne seemed to take it for granted that she had been sent here to aid them and offered to gather what forces he commanded and lead her to the breach that led into the Eladrin city. He said that this secret way into the city was located in a chasm not far to the south. Zanne considered before telling him that she wished to "scout things out for herself" and would send a signal to him if she required his aid. Apparently satisfied at this answer, the Bugbears all transformed back into wolves and loped away into the Mist.
Before leaving the scene of the battle, Zanne opened the chest of one of the fallen constructs and found one of the crystals that the Mist Demons had pulled from the ones they had destroyed. It reminded her of the crystal that had powered the Winged Ship they had used to escape Karak Tor. The group continued east.
They emerged from the Mist and climbed a hillside dotted with clumps of bushes. From there they could see a small fort just to the south near the edge of the Mist. They decided that if the were going to make friendly contact with the Eladrin that it was best to check in with their outer defense posts. They approached the place cautiously and were met by a party of very suspicious Gnomes. After shaky communication was established (with the Gnomes speaking Eladrin and the party speaking Elvish), and it was determined by the Gnomes that the Dragonborn were not some kind of Mist Demon, they were invited into the fort.
There the party could see that these Gnomes, led by one who was called Tinker Hobbs, were the creators of the constructs that they had battled in the valley. The PC's universally agreed that they wouldn't mention that confrontation to the Gnomes. The Gnomes were hard at work repairing these "war forged" which they proclaimed were perfect for battling the Mist Demons as they were non-living and thus immune to the warping effects of the Mist.
The party was shown an out of the way corner of the small fort where they could bed down for the night and Tinker Hobbs indicated that he would escort them to the nearby Eladrin city of Skyreach in the morning. Sometime in the night there was some commotion and the PC's asked what was going on. They were told that one of the Gnomes, a Tinker Cobble, who was supposed to be on watch at the walls had gone missing. No small amount of suspicion fell on the party and there was a lot of whispering among the Gnomes. But they'd kept a close watch on these "big folk" and none could say that they'd seen them go anywhere near the place where Tinker Cobble had been on watch at the wall.
They set off up the road to Skyreach in the morning with an escort of four well armed Gnomes in attendance. By lunchtime they were within sight of the forest that topped the rise ahead and these were without question the biggest trees that any of them had ever seen. They towered hundreds of feet above the ground. The ground itself was notable in that it was covered by a huge thicket of briars and brambles. Through this was cut the road but it was apparent that it took constant work to keep this road from being overgrown by the encroaching brambles.
Suddenly from both sides of the road there was a faint glow of magic and passages opened in the thicket revealing several Eladrin females wielding bows. Without hesitation or warning they opened fire upon the Gnomes. The party had no idea who these attackers were but since they hoped to make friendly contact with the Eladrin they were hesitant to attack them.
A pair of the Gnomes managed to isolate one of the archers and fell upon her with their knives. She was dead in moments but one of the Gnomes fell beside her, riddled with arrows. As she dropped to the ground, Mialain caught a glimpse of the symbol hanging from her neck: The twirled vines of Melora. She called to the party, "These are our friends!"
Sensing what was happening, the leader of the Gnomes stabbed Zanne from behind. She turned on him immediately and attacked and the little betrayer vanished. He appeared moments later, sinking his blade into another of the archers who fell to the ground. Astavian, Eshik and Zanne all turned their attacks on the Gnomes while Mialain plied her healing magic on the fallen Eladrin.
The party made short work of the Gnomes and left the bodies where they fell. One of the Eladrin women was dead but the other recovered quickly at the hands of Mialain. The rest of the party could see that all of them regarded Mialain with awe. They grabbed the body of their fallen sister and fled quickly into the thicket with the PC's close behind. They stopped just inside where one of the Eladrin, seemingly with considerable effort, used her magic and called for the power of Melora to weave the briars back together, concealing their passage. It was the first time Mialain had ever seen anybody else use the magic of her goddess.
Following a twisting and confusing series of tunnels through the Bramble the band of Eladrin women led the party to the remains of a building, now so entwined with vines and briars that it was part of the surrounding vegetation. As they ducked inside, the tension left the women who had led them there and the PC's could tell that this was a place of safety.
One of the Eladrin women turned to Mialain and knelt, "I am your servant, High Priestess. My name is Stormrain. The goddess told me that you would arrive in our hour of need!" Mialain stood awkwardly and then said, "Um...rise. And why is this your 'hour of need'?"
Stormrain stood and said, "Because the High Priest has been taken prisoner and is being held in the city above."
"The High Priest?" inquired Mialian.
"Yes...your brother Selerian."
********
So let's see...the constructs were a mix of Warforged Savages and Warforged Resounders. This mix was pretty devastating and meant to be an encounter that the PC's stood a very good chance of losing. This was of course because I knew they had help coming (from an unlikely source) and also to lend some credibility to the notion that the Warforged were patrolling the Mist in force against the Mist Demons.
The group that came to the party's aid were of course Barghests. Barghest Battle Lords to be exact. I wish you could have seen the look on Zanne's player's face when they addressed her. It was matched only by the look on Astavian's player's face when he realized for absolute sure that his companion for lo' these many months was in league with the Mist Demons, his sworn enemies. Zanne had some 'splainin' to do! The roleplaying here was well handled by all parties.
The roleplaying encounter with the Gnomes was pretty interesting thanks to all the suspicion on both sides. The Gnomes were the architects of the Warforged that might have killed the PC's had it not been for the timely intervention by the Mist Demons (I LOVE typing that!). And the Gnomes had never seen a Dragonborn before and it took them a while to accept that they weren't some form of Mist Demon themselves. Add to this the mysterious disappearance of Tinker Cobble in the night and there was a lot of tension in the air. I may not have done a good job of conveying that in the narrative above but it was one reason that the PC's were quick to turn on the Gnomes when attacked by the Eladrin worshippers of Melora.
Just to put that into context a bit more, you may or may not recall earlier that when the PC's recruited Llyra (an Eladrin "defector") that she said the worship of Melora had been outlawed by the Church of Corellon in the Eladrin cities of the Feywild. Mialain had also gotten word that her brother, Selerian, was considered a heretic and was wanted by the same Church of Corellon. So word of his capture and the fact that his followers didn't want the PC's, including Mialain with the symbol of Melora literally tatooed on her arm, walking right up to the front door of the place. I also note here that I'd hinted at this by having Tinker Hobbs take special notice of Mialain's tatoo.
In the fight between Eladrin and Gnomes, the Eladrin were Arcane Archers and the Gnomes were something I pulled from the Compendium called a "King's Wand". It was a short but bloody affair.
One thing that has nothing to do with any edition of D&D specifically but everything to do with good GMing technique was that I really botched something in my own notes. I'd made a margin note a while back about the Eladrin city being called "Skyreach". Llyra was supposed to mention it at some point but I don't think she ever did. When it was time for the Gnomes to drop that name, I had forgotten about the note and instead messed up by using the name for Mialain's home town, "Greenbough". So I used the wrong name most of the time the PC's were there and several times my wife (Mialain's player) said something like, "I thought Greenbough was the place where I was from?" It wasn't until recently when I was going back through my notes to write this that I got the name right.
Anyway, my point is, keep better notes than I did in that instance! Internal consistancy is your friend!
The trees gave way to a series of wide meadows near the valley floor and it was in one of these that they heard the approach of clanking, metallic noises. Out of the Mist came a group of mechanical creations similar to those they had faced in the depths of Karak Tor. Without preamble the leading construct hurled a bolt of energy at Eshik. The bolt struck the Dragonborn, bounce over to hit Zanne and she was suddenly slammed into him, whereupon both of them fell to the ground. Two other such constructs hurled thundering orbs of force at Astavian and Mialain, pushing them back. Right behind this attack rushed a group of attackers with swords for arms.
Astavian stepped in to meet these while Zanne and Eshik got to their feet. The sword-armed constructs struck hard as they charged, inflicting terrible wounds. Mialain was quick to aid the Paladin with her healing magic but they could already tell that these were dangerous foes. Eshik moved in to engage them up close while Zanne moved out of close quarters. She then called the Hunger of Hadar to engulf the enemy spellcasters.
The enemy managed to maneuver their way out of the Hunger of Hadar and Zanne allowed it to dissipate. But as it vanished it revealed a trio of large wolves bounding toward the conflict. The party exchanged worried glances, knowing that they were hard pressed already and that they could not withstand another set of attackers. To their considerable relief, the wolves began attacking the constructs, starting with the spellcasters. As they watched with surprise, one of the wolves suddenly transformed into what looked like a large Bugbear wielding a greatsword. It struck a mighty blow that hurled one of the mechanical wizards to the ground.
This turned the tide of battle and soon the party had all of the constructs down. The wolves had all transformed into Bugbear form by this point and continued to rip into the chests of the prone constructs to pull out a cyan crystal of some sort. Some of the constructs also carried bags of "spare parts" and these the Bugbears flung far into the Mist scattering them in all directions.
While this was happening, one of the Bugbears approached the party, looked at Zanne and proclaimed (in Primordial), "I see you bear the mark of The Master! Welcome!" Zanne raised an eyebrow at this but assured the party that the Wolf/Bugbears had no immediate hostile intentions toward the party.
There followed an exchange of information wherein these creatures, whom Astavian was certain by this point were Mist Demons of some stripe, told Zanne that they had been patrolling the valley and attempting to destroy these mechanical enemies that the Eladrin and Gnomes had set upon them. The constructs were sent to eliminate any and all who dwelled within the Mist. The Mist Demons had yet to gather sufficient forces to launch a direct assault on the Eladrin city but they had uncovered a weakness in their defenses.
The Mist Demon that was speaking to Zanne seemed to take it for granted that she had been sent here to aid them and offered to gather what forces he commanded and lead her to the breach that led into the Eladrin city. He said that this secret way into the city was located in a chasm not far to the south. Zanne considered before telling him that she wished to "scout things out for herself" and would send a signal to him if she required his aid. Apparently satisfied at this answer, the Bugbears all transformed back into wolves and loped away into the Mist.
Before leaving the scene of the battle, Zanne opened the chest of one of the fallen constructs and found one of the crystals that the Mist Demons had pulled from the ones they had destroyed. It reminded her of the crystal that had powered the Winged Ship they had used to escape Karak Tor. The group continued east.
They emerged from the Mist and climbed a hillside dotted with clumps of bushes. From there they could see a small fort just to the south near the edge of the Mist. They decided that if the were going to make friendly contact with the Eladrin that it was best to check in with their outer defense posts. They approached the place cautiously and were met by a party of very suspicious Gnomes. After shaky communication was established (with the Gnomes speaking Eladrin and the party speaking Elvish), and it was determined by the Gnomes that the Dragonborn were not some kind of Mist Demon, they were invited into the fort.
There the party could see that these Gnomes, led by one who was called Tinker Hobbs, were the creators of the constructs that they had battled in the valley. The PC's universally agreed that they wouldn't mention that confrontation to the Gnomes. The Gnomes were hard at work repairing these "war forged" which they proclaimed were perfect for battling the Mist Demons as they were non-living and thus immune to the warping effects of the Mist.
The party was shown an out of the way corner of the small fort where they could bed down for the night and Tinker Hobbs indicated that he would escort them to the nearby Eladrin city of Skyreach in the morning. Sometime in the night there was some commotion and the PC's asked what was going on. They were told that one of the Gnomes, a Tinker Cobble, who was supposed to be on watch at the walls had gone missing. No small amount of suspicion fell on the party and there was a lot of whispering among the Gnomes. But they'd kept a close watch on these "big folk" and none could say that they'd seen them go anywhere near the place where Tinker Cobble had been on watch at the wall.
They set off up the road to Skyreach in the morning with an escort of four well armed Gnomes in attendance. By lunchtime they were within sight of the forest that topped the rise ahead and these were without question the biggest trees that any of them had ever seen. They towered hundreds of feet above the ground. The ground itself was notable in that it was covered by a huge thicket of briars and brambles. Through this was cut the road but it was apparent that it took constant work to keep this road from being overgrown by the encroaching brambles.
Suddenly from both sides of the road there was a faint glow of magic and passages opened in the thicket revealing several Eladrin females wielding bows. Without hesitation or warning they opened fire upon the Gnomes. The party had no idea who these attackers were but since they hoped to make friendly contact with the Eladrin they were hesitant to attack them.
A pair of the Gnomes managed to isolate one of the archers and fell upon her with their knives. She was dead in moments but one of the Gnomes fell beside her, riddled with arrows. As she dropped to the ground, Mialain caught a glimpse of the symbol hanging from her neck: The twirled vines of Melora. She called to the party, "These are our friends!"
Sensing what was happening, the leader of the Gnomes stabbed Zanne from behind. She turned on him immediately and attacked and the little betrayer vanished. He appeared moments later, sinking his blade into another of the archers who fell to the ground. Astavian, Eshik and Zanne all turned their attacks on the Gnomes while Mialain plied her healing magic on the fallen Eladrin.
The party made short work of the Gnomes and left the bodies where they fell. One of the Eladrin women was dead but the other recovered quickly at the hands of Mialain. The rest of the party could see that all of them regarded Mialain with awe. They grabbed the body of their fallen sister and fled quickly into the thicket with the PC's close behind. They stopped just inside where one of the Eladrin, seemingly with considerable effort, used her magic and called for the power of Melora to weave the briars back together, concealing their passage. It was the first time Mialain had ever seen anybody else use the magic of her goddess.
Following a twisting and confusing series of tunnels through the Bramble the band of Eladrin women led the party to the remains of a building, now so entwined with vines and briars that it was part of the surrounding vegetation. As they ducked inside, the tension left the women who had led them there and the PC's could tell that this was a place of safety.
One of the Eladrin women turned to Mialain and knelt, "I am your servant, High Priestess. My name is Stormrain. The goddess told me that you would arrive in our hour of need!" Mialain stood awkwardly and then said, "Um...rise. And why is this your 'hour of need'?"
Stormrain stood and said, "Because the High Priest has been taken prisoner and is being held in the city above."
"The High Priest?" inquired Mialian.
"Yes...your brother Selerian."
********
So let's see...the constructs were a mix of Warforged Savages and Warforged Resounders. This mix was pretty devastating and meant to be an encounter that the PC's stood a very good chance of losing. This was of course because I knew they had help coming (from an unlikely source) and also to lend some credibility to the notion that the Warforged were patrolling the Mist in force against the Mist Demons.
The group that came to the party's aid were of course Barghests. Barghest Battle Lords to be exact. I wish you could have seen the look on Zanne's player's face when they addressed her. It was matched only by the look on Astavian's player's face when he realized for absolute sure that his companion for lo' these many months was in league with the Mist Demons, his sworn enemies. Zanne had some 'splainin' to do! The roleplaying here was well handled by all parties.
The roleplaying encounter with the Gnomes was pretty interesting thanks to all the suspicion on both sides. The Gnomes were the architects of the Warforged that might have killed the PC's had it not been for the timely intervention by the Mist Demons (I LOVE typing that!). And the Gnomes had never seen a Dragonborn before and it took them a while to accept that they weren't some form of Mist Demon themselves. Add to this the mysterious disappearance of Tinker Cobble in the night and there was a lot of tension in the air. I may not have done a good job of conveying that in the narrative above but it was one reason that the PC's were quick to turn on the Gnomes when attacked by the Eladrin worshippers of Melora.
Just to put that into context a bit more, you may or may not recall earlier that when the PC's recruited Llyra (an Eladrin "defector") that she said the worship of Melora had been outlawed by the Church of Corellon in the Eladrin cities of the Feywild. Mialain had also gotten word that her brother, Selerian, was considered a heretic and was wanted by the same Church of Corellon. So word of his capture and the fact that his followers didn't want the PC's, including Mialain with the symbol of Melora literally tatooed on her arm, walking right up to the front door of the place. I also note here that I'd hinted at this by having Tinker Hobbs take special notice of Mialain's tatoo.
In the fight between Eladrin and Gnomes, the Eladrin were Arcane Archers and the Gnomes were something I pulled from the Compendium called a "King's Wand". It was a short but bloody affair.
One thing that has nothing to do with any edition of D&D specifically but everything to do with good GMing technique was that I really botched something in my own notes. I'd made a margin note a while back about the Eladrin city being called "Skyreach". Llyra was supposed to mention it at some point but I don't think she ever did. When it was time for the Gnomes to drop that name, I had forgotten about the note and instead messed up by using the name for Mialain's home town, "Greenbough". So I used the wrong name most of the time the PC's were there and several times my wife (Mialain's player) said something like, "I thought Greenbough was the place where I was from?" It wasn't until recently when I was going back through my notes to write this that I got the name right.
Anyway, my point is, keep better notes than I did in that instance! Internal consistancy is your friend!
Rel
Liquid Awesome
Mialain and the rest of the party got a good deal of information from the worshipers of Melora. Once the Eladrin women got over the initial awe over being in the presence of the High Priestess, they spoke extensively about the history of their people and the current situation with Selerian.
When the Mist Cataclysm had begun to unfold they had simply been Elves, the same as Mialain. But their grandparents and great-grandparents had taken a different path and fled to the Feywild rather than await what seemed certain destruction. They were led by a being they called The Aspect of Corellon who established them in camps further east of where Skyreach now stood. They met the Gnomes who mostly lived in the hills further west and they established a peace. They had less friendly relations with the Firbolg who guarded their lands jealously and there was considerable warfare between them in the early days. Skyreach became the westernmost bastion of the Elven empire and, because of the concentration of military troops there, the capital.
The Elves thrived in the Feywild but it also changed them. Infused with its mystical properties since conception, their children were different, and the first generation of Eladrin were born. One by one their elven parents died, taking the firsthand accounts of the Mist which had engulfed their original home with them. The Eladrin continued to build their empire in relative peace with only occasional skirmishes with the Firbolg.
Then, some 40 years ago, the Mist found them. They first got word of it from the tribes of Gnomes to the west. They began to recall the tales of its power to corrupt and warp those it touched that had been passed down from their elders. They soon located the Gate through which the Mist was entering their world but they were powerless to close it without assistance from the other side. Nobody who entered the Gate ever completed the ritual from their side and none ever returned either.
It soon became apparent that they needed aid from the Mist World if the gate was to be closed. They located another Gate and managed to open that pathway across planes to arrive near the homeland of their ancestors. But the reception they got from the Elves of Enmurinon was frosty at best. The Elves regarded the Eladrin as cowards who had fled rather than face the catastrophe. Sensing that they would get little aid from the Elves, the Eladrin used their winged ships to travel the world in search of aid.
They found it in the Arcanon Confederacy. This magocracy knew more about portals than anyone else who had survived the cataclysm and they agreed to try and help the Eladrin. The first step was the opening of a large portal between their capital in Dherimin and the Eladrin city of Skyreach. This astounded the Eladrin and they felt sure that the Arcanon Confederacy mages would soon have the Mist portal sealed. In exchange the Confederacy requested the aid of the Eladrin in the form of some of their winged ships to help guard against the Sky Pirates of Zulhura in the western part of their lands. This the Eladrin gladly did.
However since that time precious little progress had been made in sealing the Mist Gate. The Arcanon Confederacy cited the fact that, prior to the Cataclysm there were hundreds if not thousands of portals scattered all over the world and any one of them could be letting the Mist into the Feywild. They had to research ancient texts about these gates and then attempt to scry upon them individually to locate the problem. In frustration further expeditions were sent through the Mist Gate but none of those returned either. The last was sent more than ten years ago.
Meanwhile the lands west of Skyreach became inundated by the Mist. The Gnomes and Firbolg suffered worst, losing their homelands and retreating to hilltops, many of which had been swamped under the Mist. Many of the Gnomes saw no other option but to abandon their homes and request shelter in the Eladrin lands. This they did but resources were becoming scarce there too with some of the lowland fields falling below the Mist and the Gnomes were considered by many Eladrin to be an unwelcome burden. They became second-class citizens and have been employed primarily in menial, dirty tasks that the Eladrin don't wish to engage in. The repair and maintenance of the Warforged was a good example of this sort of dangerous work.
Skyreach itself was changed. Fearing the coming of the Mist, the Eladrin who dwelled on the ground moved up into the trees or left to find homes further east. The nature resonance that caused the trees to reach such heights there also caused the undergrowth to grow fast, thick and tall. Now the ground beneath the city, engulfed in what was called "The Bramble", was completely impassable except for the warren of tunnels maintained by criminals or disaffected Gnomes.
It was here in these tunnels that Selerian had found a place to hide himself and his followers. He had crossed over through the Enmurninon Fey Gate that the Eladrin originally used to meet the Elves thirty years ago. Melora had sent him a vision that he was needed to rescue the Eladrin. Thus inspired he came to the Feywild and quickly found himself branded as a heretic. The Eladrin had long since become monotheistic, worshiping only Corellon, whose avatar had led them to safety from the Mist. The established church wanted no talk of the mythical Melora clouding the minds of the people at this time of crisis.
But there were some who adopted Selerian's vision. His followers, The Faithful of Melora (or sometimes The Sisterhood as they were overwhelmingly female), rallied around him, hid him from the Church of Corellon and spirited him away to Skyreach. Here his link with nature and Melora seemed strongest and they battled the Church of Corellon for the hearts and minds of the Eladrin people. But several weeks ago the Priests of Corellon moved in force upon one of their hideouts and captured Selerian. One rescue attempt by the Sisters failed, costing the lives of two of their number.
Praying for guidance, they were assured by Melora that help was on the way. They had nearly given up hope when they were approached by Tinker Cobble in the dark hours of the morning, telling them that an Elf with the Mark of Melora was being brought to the city. Fearing that Mialain would be imprisoned alongside her brother, they knew that they must intercept the Gnomes and bring her into hiding.
The question now was how would the party go about rescuing Selerian...
When the Mist Cataclysm had begun to unfold they had simply been Elves, the same as Mialain. But their grandparents and great-grandparents had taken a different path and fled to the Feywild rather than await what seemed certain destruction. They were led by a being they called The Aspect of Corellon who established them in camps further east of where Skyreach now stood. They met the Gnomes who mostly lived in the hills further west and they established a peace. They had less friendly relations with the Firbolg who guarded their lands jealously and there was considerable warfare between them in the early days. Skyreach became the westernmost bastion of the Elven empire and, because of the concentration of military troops there, the capital.
The Elves thrived in the Feywild but it also changed them. Infused with its mystical properties since conception, their children were different, and the first generation of Eladrin were born. One by one their elven parents died, taking the firsthand accounts of the Mist which had engulfed their original home with them. The Eladrin continued to build their empire in relative peace with only occasional skirmishes with the Firbolg.
Then, some 40 years ago, the Mist found them. They first got word of it from the tribes of Gnomes to the west. They began to recall the tales of its power to corrupt and warp those it touched that had been passed down from their elders. They soon located the Gate through which the Mist was entering their world but they were powerless to close it without assistance from the other side. Nobody who entered the Gate ever completed the ritual from their side and none ever returned either.
It soon became apparent that they needed aid from the Mist World if the gate was to be closed. They located another Gate and managed to open that pathway across planes to arrive near the homeland of their ancestors. But the reception they got from the Elves of Enmurinon was frosty at best. The Elves regarded the Eladrin as cowards who had fled rather than face the catastrophe. Sensing that they would get little aid from the Elves, the Eladrin used their winged ships to travel the world in search of aid.
They found it in the Arcanon Confederacy. This magocracy knew more about portals than anyone else who had survived the cataclysm and they agreed to try and help the Eladrin. The first step was the opening of a large portal between their capital in Dherimin and the Eladrin city of Skyreach. This astounded the Eladrin and they felt sure that the Arcanon Confederacy mages would soon have the Mist portal sealed. In exchange the Confederacy requested the aid of the Eladrin in the form of some of their winged ships to help guard against the Sky Pirates of Zulhura in the western part of their lands. This the Eladrin gladly did.
However since that time precious little progress had been made in sealing the Mist Gate. The Arcanon Confederacy cited the fact that, prior to the Cataclysm there were hundreds if not thousands of portals scattered all over the world and any one of them could be letting the Mist into the Feywild. They had to research ancient texts about these gates and then attempt to scry upon them individually to locate the problem. In frustration further expeditions were sent through the Mist Gate but none of those returned either. The last was sent more than ten years ago.
Meanwhile the lands west of Skyreach became inundated by the Mist. The Gnomes and Firbolg suffered worst, losing their homelands and retreating to hilltops, many of which had been swamped under the Mist. Many of the Gnomes saw no other option but to abandon their homes and request shelter in the Eladrin lands. This they did but resources were becoming scarce there too with some of the lowland fields falling below the Mist and the Gnomes were considered by many Eladrin to be an unwelcome burden. They became second-class citizens and have been employed primarily in menial, dirty tasks that the Eladrin don't wish to engage in. The repair and maintenance of the Warforged was a good example of this sort of dangerous work.
Skyreach itself was changed. Fearing the coming of the Mist, the Eladrin who dwelled on the ground moved up into the trees or left to find homes further east. The nature resonance that caused the trees to reach such heights there also caused the undergrowth to grow fast, thick and tall. Now the ground beneath the city, engulfed in what was called "The Bramble", was completely impassable except for the warren of tunnels maintained by criminals or disaffected Gnomes.
It was here in these tunnels that Selerian had found a place to hide himself and his followers. He had crossed over through the Enmurninon Fey Gate that the Eladrin originally used to meet the Elves thirty years ago. Melora had sent him a vision that he was needed to rescue the Eladrin. Thus inspired he came to the Feywild and quickly found himself branded as a heretic. The Eladrin had long since become monotheistic, worshiping only Corellon, whose avatar had led them to safety from the Mist. The established church wanted no talk of the mythical Melora clouding the minds of the people at this time of crisis.
But there were some who adopted Selerian's vision. His followers, The Faithful of Melora (or sometimes The Sisterhood as they were overwhelmingly female), rallied around him, hid him from the Church of Corellon and spirited him away to Skyreach. Here his link with nature and Melora seemed strongest and they battled the Church of Corellon for the hearts and minds of the Eladrin people. But several weeks ago the Priests of Corellon moved in force upon one of their hideouts and captured Selerian. One rescue attempt by the Sisters failed, costing the lives of two of their number.
Praying for guidance, they were assured by Melora that help was on the way. They had nearly given up hope when they were approached by Tinker Cobble in the dark hours of the morning, telling them that an Elf with the Mark of Melora was being brought to the city. Fearing that Mialain would be imprisoned alongside her brother, they knew that they must intercept the Gnomes and bring her into hiding.
The question now was how would the party go about rescuing Selerian...
