Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.
Enchanted Trinkets Complete--a hardcover book containing over 500 magic items for your D&D games!

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Goonalan" data-source="post: 4900957" data-attributes="member: 16069">The Friday KnightsSession 3- Sellswords of Fallcrest Part 3 Look out below!The Knights are-Astaroth, Human Fighter, love-struck man-mountain, Level 1Cathal, Human Fighter, devotee of Kord, Level 1.Ignaran, Human Druid, the nature nutter, Level 1.Kullervo, Human Rogue, ex-farm boy, Level 1.Rested, the Knights leave Madame Zeb's laboratory, after freeing the Tiefling and her eunuch companion, out of a door and into a courtyard- a ramshackle affair. Ignaran can see the tower from here, the tower with the dark swathe of shadow surrounding its summit, even at night, in the rain, he can see it. Kullervo however spies something else, while the Knights traverse the courtyard the young rogue makes for the angle, where two walls meet, and climbs.The remainder of the Knights back pedal, they were about to enter the dilapidated warehouse, just as Madame Zeb described; they instead stop to see what young Kullervo is up to.Kullervo climbs to a window, he spies a furze of light within, the Beggar King's Throne Room. There's something darker pressed against the glass, blocking his vision, he realises he's trying to look down into the a chamber over the shoulder of someone, not something, pressed against the glass. No time to think Kullervo punches through the window, grabs the black clad figure, and yanks him out and onto the sloped roof on which he stands.Black Shet's face registers many things - shock, horror, confusion, fear and finally pain; as he skitters backwards down the slate roof and then over the lip- he suffers no damage in the fall to his torso, or indeed limbs, as he lands head first in the courtyard.At the same time the doors to the dilapidated warehouse are shoved open and a squad of miserable looking Beggars lurch out muttering foul invocations such as, “giz 10 pee”, and “spare sum change guv'nor.” Battle is joined.Astaroth and Cathal mix it with the Beggars, Kullervo is down from the roof in a flash and all over Black Shet, while Ignaran is otherwise engaged. The shadowy mist that surrounds the far tower stretches out one dark tentacle down into the courtyard, the tentacle stretches so thin that it breaks- and a swarm of shadowy bats suddenly encompasses the combatants, it's every man for themselves, the bats are not bothered who they lunch on.Ignaran fights desperately to keep the bats at bay.The Beggars are no match for the warrior pair, it's a massacre, all eight of them are left dead. Black Shet is a whisker away from death when his screams for parley are finally heard, while the Shadow Bat Swarm is eventually sent packing- dispersed.<img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2598/3721266431_d953b408b5_o.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />Aggressive begging scales new heights.[DM Interlude Encounter #7 [573 XP = Level 2] 8x Beggar (Level 2 Minions); Shadow Bat Swarm (Level 3 Lurker) & Black Shet, Human Rogue (Level 4 Skirmisher). Save the bats the whole fight is over in seconds. Funny this 4e, the fights you think are going to be difficult often turn out not to be- sometimes terribly quickly.]Black Shet is searched, slapped and subdued- the first of the mercenaries the Knights have captured so far that's reluctant to speak. Killing in cold blood is ruled out- the Friday Knights drag their prisoner with them as they head on, they also discover on Black Shet their third, yes count them, one, two, three... +1 Dagger. [DM Interlude- Harley Stroh, what were you thinking? Only kidding.] The Knights head through the dark and dingy warehouse and then up to another loft area, and from there, via an open window, into the Beggar King's Throne Room, still dragging Black Shet along.The room is fairly opulent (that's not the right phrase- 'fairly opulent', that's like saying 'mostly perfect', gah!), there are three sentries over the far side of the chamber, although they are clearly low paid, and therefore low quality, none of them have stirred and the Knights are not famed for their stealth, save Kullervo.Also on the far side of the chamber is a low divan, complete with recumbent figure swaddled in blankets, although this figure too seems to be unmoving.Lastly on the far side of the Throne Room is a gold coffer, whoever heard of such a thing, a coffer... made of gold, atop the coffer is a crown- gem studded, more gold.Twenty feet of thickly carpeted and cushioned floor lies between the Friday Knights and the Beggar King and his treasure, it all seems a little too easy.Kullervo shoves Black Shet, now hands bound and mouth gagged, into the centre of the room- THUNK- the floor falls away, or else flops open- a trapdoor, another dull thunk is heard, then nothing.Up top still nothing has stirred.The Knights creep to the edge of the now open trapdoor, bellow is a huge cavern, looking down- twenty feet below is a metal cage, suspended from some great chain. One corner of the cage is swathed in a sticky red substance, and sprawled in the bottom of it is an unmoving Black Shet; either he's dead or he's up for an academy award. Thirty feet below the slightly swaying cage is an underground river which swells and foams.A little while later the three guards turn out to be mannequins, and the figure on the divan turns out to be an eleven year old girl called Glaffin, who misses her mum. Kullervo does the decent thing and hot foots it from the Beggar King's lair, back into the streets of Fallcrest, and delivers the much relieved urchin into the arms of the authorities, and then hot foots it back again.On his return Kullervo takes his time, checks everything, twice- and discovers all the treasure is junk. The crown's not gold, and the gems in it are paste; the chest is painted and trapped, and locked- and when he finally gets it open there are only fake gold coins inside. It seems the Beggar King possesses  a fine sense of humour, it seems the Friday Knights must press on to discover who will have the last laugh.Ropes are lashed to the cage from the beams in the room above, Kullervo fixes it all up, it's a lot easier than barn building, roping horses etc. The Knights, safely and securely, shimmy on down and into the cage, Kullervo having previously divined that the cage is part of the trap previously triggered by Black Shet. Victim or victims fall into cage, cage door slams shut and the whole mechanism descends, somehow, down to a beach he can see a good way to the north. Obviously everything is disarmed, all they need to do is play their part and see what happens.As quiet as they can the Knights get settled, the cage clangs, although not shut, and moments later lurches forwards, it descends like some great cable car.<img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2571/3726928770_d54185598e_o.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />Land ho!En route the Friday Knights spot a number of sights, they pass over a set of crude pens on the beach, within which are a handful of desperate looking individuals including, Astaroth spots, Lady Constance. Cathal clamps his hand over the big lugs mouth to prevent him from vocalising his feelings.Then voices, the Knights sight their next opponents, atop a low plateau, above the beach, a flurry of activity- a great capstan around which the chain coils- powered by some massive brute, and the welcoming committee- three large well-armed, heavily armoured Hobgoblins.The cage grounds, the Hobgoblins approach and lightning fast the Knights are in position- Astaroth is the leg up man, he flings first Kullervo, then Cathal, and then Ignaran up and out of the cage, which takes the assembled Hobgoblins by surprise.One of the monstrous humanoids breaks ranks and frees the great brute responsible for winding in the chain, a Great Ape, which soon lopes over to join the fun.The ape however is the first to fall, Astaroth launches himself out of the cage and into the creature's path, it goes very badly for the oversized monkey soon after. Two of the Hobgoblins are bloodied and broken, they surrender, the third also bloodied heads for the exit at speed, he doesn't get far. Wolfie and a thrown dagger severely impede his progress, he's killed.<img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2438/3726123151_4d7e7b5aa1_o.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />Astaroth and Cathal go bananas.[DM Interlude Encounter #8 [450 XP = Level 1] 3x Hobgoblin Slaver (Level 1 Skirmisher) &  Great Ape (Level 3 Brute)]The Hobgoblins are tied up and questioned, then dragged down to the holding pens on the shoreline and incarcerated- it seems Slavers are the new black. The Knights learn that the Beggar King has not been seen for a little while, meanwhile a group of slavers has been operating out of his underground lair. The slavers, it seems, are present in great numbers, Goblins and Hobgoblins from a tribe calling themselves the Bloodreavers; lead by a pair of Mages, an Eladrin and a Human, with a pair of Gnolls that serve as bodyguards to one of the Mages- Blackfang Gnolls apparently. A Dragonborn  mercenary who directs the slavers' attacks and the lair's defences, is also present. And maybe one other- the panicked Hobgoblins are not sure, a dark and shadowy figure; still there's plenty to be going on with.In the meantime the captured citizens of Fallcrest are set free, including Lady Constance, although also present are a couple of Beggars who were discovered drunk on watch, a dwarf tinker, an old human sage and Lady Constance's two ladies-in-waiting, who giggle and guffaw at the size of Cathal's moustache.Kissing and smooching follows, terms of endearment disguised as naked lust, Astaroth and Lady Constance are prevented from consummating their relationship by Cathal, he can do stern. Eventually the rescued slaves are packed back in the cage, with Cathal, and then are winched back under the Throne Room, there they safely ascend, or are lifted up- to freedom, promises of rewards- monetary and physical are made, the gaggle depart.Back to the serious business, the Knights head off again, through a low cavern and up some stairs, the stone passage curves around to head south, more stairs ahead to a pair of double doors, on the right hand wall a seemingly once sealed passage has been broken open- Kullervo gets to work.First the once sealed passage, investigation suggests that there was at one time a clay seal on the wall here, to keep people out, of course. Kullervo heads in and up a short flight of stairs to a small chamber which looks like some sort of ancient chapel, the room is lit by candles on the floor, in the centre of the room is the dessicated corpse of a robed human, over the far side there's something on one of the walls. The room is smoky, no hazy, no smoky, no- whatever. Kullervo has a good look around and then shuffles in a little and grabs the corpse by its legs and drags it out, back down the stairs and to the waiting Friday Knights it's a dead end, he reports.The corpse is that of a Human Mage, or so the Knights think, after all it wears a pointy hat and no one else would bother to advertise the fact they're a seven stone weakling.  Also it has a rotten backpack which contains a Ritual Book, Ignaran grins and takes it.The dead wizard is also wearing a pair of silver etched bracers, far too large for his delicate skeletal arms, Kullervo puts them away for safe keeping, then heads to the stairs and the door ahead, spotting on the way the jutting spikes of a portcullis above- clearly a trap.That's when it happens.  The doors ahead are flung open, the portcullis drops, and is set to cut Kullervo off from his companions; in the chamber ahead, illuminated by small fires, are a gang of six Goblin Archers and four Hobgoblin Slavers- the Bloodreavers, in their midst a Dragonborn Warlord swirling a greatsword above his head.And here the third session draws to a close, only two combat encounters, we play approx. five hour sessions, but there's bags of chatter and roleplay, and some great investigation. It has to be said that maptools and Skype sometimes make it a little difficult at times, lots of “what did you say?” followed by dead air, but we're getting there.The players amass 3360 XP this session between them, which is still not enough to advance any of them a level, I'm a cruel, cruel DM.And there, in three posts, I've caught up with myself, sorry folks but this new format is the future for me...</blockquote>

Verification