The Adventures of the Knights of Spellforge Keep

[Dr Midnight]

Circles and rings, dragons and kings
Weaving a charm and a spell
Blessed by the night, holy and bright
Called by the toll of the bell
-NEON KNIGHTS, Black Sabbath

This is the seventh ENboards Knights thread for this campaign tale, formerly known as the Knights of the Silver Quill.

To read the entire story up until now, click here.

Volumes I-III on the old ENboards should be back sometime...?... with reader commentary.

Volume IV (on ENboards with reader commentary) can be read here.

Volume V (on ENboards with reader commentary) can be read here.

Volume VI (on ENboards with reader commentary) can be read here.

THE CHARACTERS (at the time of the last story post):

DARTAN "THE GODLESS"
The bitter fallen paladin of Heironeous. His soul is dark but his actions speak of his bravery. He has little tolerance for activities that don't involve destroying those that oppose him. He was not heard from since the dragon's assault. He is suspected to be in hiding.

RAFFLORN SPELLFORGE
This wizard and clockwork expert is a recent addition to the party. He drew from the Deck of Many Things and won a castle, now called Spellforge Keep- the party's home base. He also won (through his own charms) the heart of Katya. The two were recently married.

JETTOK TAKLIN
A fighter and follower of Kord, Jettok is a true friend and the purest kind of dwarf- a gruff but loveable bearded companion with a drink in one hand and a greataxe in the other. He died in the assault on Accessiwal and was not recovered. He is missed.

KYLA OHANNA
A high priestess of Pelor, Kyla has earned her reputation as a good and fair cleric. She maintains a big sisterly watch over her more adventurous younger sister Katya, and rarely finds time for her own interests. She has recently become attracted to Rowan, Spellforge Keep's new guardsman.

KATYA SPELLFORGE
Rafflorn's new wife Katya is a redheaded legend in Verbobonc. Her quick wit, quicker mouth, and powerful spellcasting has made her a force to be respected. She's matured over the last year, casting off her rebellious youthful attitude for a more catious perspective.

SIR VEK MORMONT
The descendant of a traitor to Wee Jas, Vek was raised to believe in the goddess of death and magic. He became the champion of Wee Jas, and executes Her will, smirking his quiet grin all the while. His ambition is to become a powerful lich, and to continue to do Her bidding. In the last year, he has changed: he now smells "funny" and won't remove his helm...

RECENTLY:
The famous party angered the elder dragon Accessiwal, and were ruined through the wyrm's cruel works. The dragon attacked and destroyed the town they lived in, but left them unharmed, to draw the hate and ire of the townsfolk. The party separated in grief and hopelessness.

The first posts will be an interlude named "The Passing of Years", presented in several parts. The game will most likely start back up again on September the 28th.

 

[Morrow]

Yahoo! The Knights are back!

The Knights of Spellforge Keep site seems to indicate that some of the Knights won't be returning. Is that the case?

While I'm thinking of it, whatever happened to Taigiel? He's mentioned at the beginning of the battle with Acessiwal, but isn't mentioned again, either during the battle or the epilogue.



Morrow

 

[Wee Jas]

some of the Knights won't be returning.

The Knights that imply I smell funny will not be returning.

 

[Dawn]

Yes!!

The Knights are back!

 

[Dr Midnight]

Morrow-

The Knights of Spellforge Keep site seems to indicate that some of the Knights won't be returning. Is that the case?

Looks that way. Hmm...

While I'm thinking of it, whatever happened to Taigiel?

Taigiel was with them the whole time... my fault for not making certain he was there in the background. You'll hear of him soon.

story coming up in a moment....

 

[Dr Midnight]

THE PASSING OF YEARS

The midwife looked up with a smile. "It's a girl."

"Let me hold her."

The squealing infant was wrapped in swaddling cottons and passed to Katya Ohanna-Spellforge. Beside them, Rafflorn pressed his wife's forehead with a damp cloth and said "She's beautiful, Kat."

"Yes."

Kyla approached and cast her blessing upon the baby. "May Pelor's truth shine on you for all the days of your long life. Let it be proclaimed now and after that you are Kizzlorn, born of Rafflorn and Katya Spellforge to do good in the world." She gently touched a sun symbol to the girl's head, and the baptism was completed. Kyla waited a moment and said "So. the old fortune teller's prophecy came true," Kyla said . "Two boys and a girl."

Kat glanced at her and said "Let's not talk about her."

Rowan, seated nearby, muttered "Why not? Everything else she's said has come true… I say we should find her and learn more. Like-"

"Dear, I love you," Kyla interrupted, "but silence yourself. If my sister doesn't want to talk of it on her child's birthday, we won't."

Forgetting herself, Katya said "It's her fault that we've got the problems we have. If not for her, we never would have headed off to fight the damned thing."

"Shhhh," Rafflorn whispered, glaring at Kyla and Rowan. "Easy." It was an old subject, but it hurt every time it came up. The dragon Accessiwal had taken everything from them but each other… and there was no certainty he wouldn't come back to finish the job. Since the horrible razing of Verbobonc three years past, they'd fled from town to town. Each time, the dragon had come to find them and destroy their surroundings, but not them. Never them. The cruel old wyrm was taking pleasure in turning the Spellforge family into hated bringers of death wherever they went. He had made a pastime of it.

Now, in Greyhawk, they felt confident- but not sure- that Accessiwal wouldn't dare attack such a well-guarded city. This didn't spare them from the horrible whisperings their neighbors shared about how the young Spellforge upstarts would bring destruction to them on white leathern wings. It didn't spare them from the nervous compulsion to look to the sky every time they walked outside or passed a window.

That night, Rafflorn took a final look through the North door. The skies were deep blue, and the stars were beginning to shine. "See anything, Nanny?" he asked. Beside him, the massive yet gentle shield guardian he'd constructed stood, watching the heavens.

"Nan-ny see nothing," Nanny replied in an evenly-toned and modulated voice.

Raff closed the door and locked it with a spell.

"Daddy?"

Rafflorn looked at his elder son. "Yes Raelin?"

"What are you looking for?" The boy was three years old, but very bright and very curious. He wasn't quite old enough to understand that an ancient dragon was hunting them for fun. Rafflorn had taken special care to shield the children from the beast's sight. Still, Raelin had begun to guess that his father was watching for something.

Rafflorn tussled the boy's bright red hair and smiled. "Nothing, my little goblin," he lied. "Go to sleep."

He tucked Raelin in, then checked on their two-year old in the bunk below. Kyler was asleep with his thumb firmly nestled in his mouth. He was young and beautiful. Raff looked lovingly at his boys for a minute more, then walked back to the bed, where Katya lay staring sleepily at their new baby girl. Raff gently sat on the bed and kissed the baby's head, and then his wife's. Kat lay still for a moment, then spoke softly. "She'll never be safe, you know. None of them will." Her husband looked at her and didn't say anything, so she spoke again. "You know what we have to do."

"We will. Yes."

"When?"

He paused. "Not yet." He climbed under the covers. "Let's give little Kizzlorn a year of our time. If we never return, I want her to have known us."

The family slept.

More to come...

 

[Broccli_Head]

Great idea Doc to put some years on the characters before they go back to adventuring.

I hope Dartan comes back, though.

 

[Malachai_rose]

sweet

that was a very cool post, the idea of aging the pc's a few years in the layover then having them reunite gives the story an extra sense of depth, and having the dragon hound the poor Rafflorn and family is great..lol, who knew dragons were such evil bastards . Well I guess no one can acuse you of using disposable dragons in your campiagn anyways, great as always Doc, looking forward to more from Vek and the gang.

 

[Ziona]

The Knights that imply I smell funny will not be returning.

All I know is that I danced with you at my wedding, and you smelled just as funny then as you do now!
-Kat Spellforge

Seriously, though, nice job Doc! I love the backstory on Raff, Kat and their little family. Makes me look forward to playing.

 

[fenzer]

Damn it Doc, you've done it again! You suck me in like a moth to flame. I'm burning gleefully.

And, anyone who quotes Black Sabboth and Ronnie James Dio is okay in my book. I love that song. I have the album. Yes, I said album and the CD too.