The Heroes of Tanar (Triple Update!!! 7-17-02!!!)

[DM with a vengence]

The following have been edited for content, humor, dialogue, and general goodness. It has been formatted to fit your message boards.

Any resemblance to persons real or fictional is entirely coincidental

All names are entirely original and if you've seen them before, the other people stole them from me .

Heroes of Tanar Introductory Flash Movie

The Heroes of Tanar

A New Friend

“Well, here we are,” Milo said as he folded his map and dismounted. “Tanar.”

“Looks like a pleasant place.” Ladinya said, surveying the large town of around 3000 souls. “Very, idyllic.”

“I think it’s a bit on the civilized side. Almost feels like I never left Crayvaenn.” Kit chimed in.

“If the monsters are already dead, we can always go on into the hinterlands around Wyn.” Nikki added.

Milo sniffed the air, “Tavern over that way.”

“How can you tell?” Kit asked, “I can’t see anything.”

“Halfling senses, if there is any beer within 100 feet, we’ll find it. Now come on, let’s go get drunk.”

The inn was called the Golden Dragon, and was identified by a gilded dragon swinging from a pole above the door. It was also identified by that indefinable mix of beer, companionship, and poor music that seemed to accompany all the bars in the world.

…Ooooohhhhh, This man had a notion
of sailing the ocean
and so he build a ship
with a sharp pointy tip…

The crowd started to boo, slamming their hands on the tables in an unruly beat. “Get, off, the, stage!”

The middle-aged elven bard on the stage back off slowly, hand reaching inside his coat in a movement that Milo instantly recognized as going for a concealed dagger. “Please, I am sure that we can come to a peaceful agreement, perhaps if I buy a round of drinks, you will let me continue to entertain you.”

“Come on, let’s get him!” Shouted a burly man.

“I gots his ears!” A large half-orc carrying a battleaxe roared, charging the hapless elf.

The elf had the dagger out in seconds, He sent it spinning across the room, hamstringing the orc and drawing a second dagger in one swift movement. “The next man who attacks me gets this one in the throat.” His voice quavered. “I swear this by Corelleon Larethian.”

The orc lay squirming on the floor, clutching his wounded leg. The men started to fan out, egging each other on.

“We have to help him.” Sir Jadael said.

“Why? What the loss of an elf, especially one that can’t even carry a tune, or for that matter, a sword.” Nikki asked.

“Please, let me handle this.” Ladinya stepped forward, rasping a few words in Draconic, her arms moving in an arcane gesture. A aura of brilliant colored light sprang into existence, tiny bolts of lightning dancing off the walls, a wind sprang up, swirling dust and loose clothing in a whirlwind around the room. Her voice echoed through the hall. “I am Ladinya of the arcane, unhand this bard, or prepare to be blasted into non-existence.” Balls of energy bounced through the room, crackling malevolently.

The display faded, leaving the bar silent except for the sound of jaws hitting the floor.

“Yes…” The shell-shocked man who had started the disruption gulped. “We’ll unhand him. In fact, he’s all yours. Please don’t hurt me!” The man ran screaming out of the tavern.

“Barmaid! 4 ales and a glass of wine for the artiste here.” Milo shouted over the crowd.

“I can’t thank you enough for saving my life.” Zeebo “Farstrider” Zanquil, elven bard told the party for the 500th time.

“Please, it was nothing.” Ladinya insisted.

“It was not! Anyway, you told me you were adventures, do you mind if I join your little group? I feel it’s about time to shake the dust of this town out of my clothes.”

“Can you fight?” Milo interjected.

“Why good sir, not only am I trained in the performing arts, but among my family I was known as a master archer and swordsman. I can work magic with my music, a simple tune can suggest your course of action for hours.”

“Let him in. We can always use another fighter.” The usually silent Sir Jadael said.

“Okay fine,” Ladinya concurred.

“Good,” Kit agreed

“Well, why not?” Nikki added.

“Okay then. Welcome to The Non-Gender Specific People in Tights.” Milo finished.

“But you aren’t wearing any tights.” Zeebo said.

“The tights are more of philosophy that a physical object.” Milo answered.

“And the philosophy would be?”

“We don’t know.”

“Aha!”

“So, what can you tell us about Tanar…”

“Way too much, my good halfling, way too much…”

 

[SoulsFury]

Pretty good, don't get the tights part but I'm waiting for more

Nik

 

[DM with a vengence]

The tights are an in joke referring to the movie Men in Tights, it makes no sense.

Now a question to my loyal reader, I have several pages of the story written up. Should I post in little bits or everything at once.

Anyway, onwards and forwards with the story!

Day on the Living Dead

Father Alhad licked his lips in a nervous gesture, “I don’t know if can trust you with this.”

“You can.” Milo chimed up, “We’re as trustworthy as an ogre is strong.”

“As trustworthy as the sea is wide.” Ladinya added.

“As trustworthy as the local temple of Pelor’s treasury is valuable.” Kit said with a smile.

“We have ghouls in the graveyard. I sent in a few of the town guard and a acolyte, and they disappeared.” Father Alhad warned. “I just hope you’re holy enough to keep your souls intact.”

The graveyard was 40' by 80' and surrounded by a 10-foot high spiked iron fence. At the rear was a large marble mausoleum. After a brief discussion, the party decided to send in Milo Bookbender. With his already high sneaking abilities enhanced by the magic of cloaks and books of Elvenkind, he made it to the door of the mausoleum like a ghost. He twisted the doorknob; it was locked, and signaled back to the party for the sorceress. Compared to Milo, she sounded like a pottery shop falling from the sky in the silence, but she still made it to the door without waking the undead. She pointed at the door, and spoke a few words, freezing the lock with a ray of frost. Milo took one of his axes, and hit the frozen lock. Nothing. He tried a few more times. Nothing. Seeing the party’s trouble, the Paladin attempted to creep up to the door and batter it down. He sounded like the top of the church tower at noon.

Five ghouls streaked out of shallow graves like lightening, jumping and leaping over graves. A pair few over the mausoleum, and bounded to a stop in front of the Paladin.
“Wazzzzzzup!” Milo screamed, his battle cry echoing off the graves, one axe already spinning towards of the ghouls. It struck a ghoul in the back, but it shook the blow off. The Ladinya, already had her Wand of Magic Missile up and waving, sending three bolts of energy at the Ghouls. Jadael was swinging his long sword wildly, catching a ghoul across the leg. The ghouls slashed at the Paladin, two claws hit, rendering the hero of light helpless. With a shout, Zeebo was running across the graves, rapier held out like a spear. He dove on a ghoul, stabbing it in the back. The rogue, Kit followed his charge, and stabbed another ghoul with her rapier. Nikki followed in with her mace, battering away at yet another ghoul. Milo had three axes in the air faster than the eye could see, and two ghouls fell with the blows, while a third staggered back. Ladinya hit and killed another ghoul with her magic missile. Zeebo and Kit missed with their swords. Nikki, remembering her training, dropped her mace and slipped her wand of cure serious wounds up, and touched the point against the ghoul. A burst of positive energy bright enough to drown out the sun blasted for a moment, and the last ghoul was nowhere to be seen. The party collected their weapons, waited for the rogue to pick the lock and Sir Jadael to regain movement, and then moved off into the crypt.

The stepped down the stairway into the crypt, it was lined with six alcoves containing caskets with the remains of dead heroes of the town. At the opposite end was an alter dedicated to Pelor, heavily desecrated. Ladinya whispered a few word, and cast detect undead. She spun in a stately circle, and said. “Undead in the second coffin on the left, third on the right, and a large group behind us, under the staircase.

The Paladin turned to look at the staircase they had walked down, and stated, “Undead behind the stairway, that’s not possible.”

“I do not lie about such matters, there are undead behind the staircase.” She stated softly.

“Pah! I do not trust your arcane magic; true power comes from Lord Heironeous. But enough, we must deal with the abominations we can reach. I shall open a coffin, and Milo will kill the evil that lies within, then we will purify the remains with holy water.”

And so they did, destroying the undead. After a few moments of searching, they found a ladderway going down into the catacombs. The party dropped through, weapons at ready.

20 feet down they hit bottom, a small room with a single corridor leading off into a larger cavern with other corridors off to the sides. They moved in, killing several more ghouls, and a ghast, but not taking any more hits. Then, they entered into a dead end room.

Sir Jadael glared about the room “I sense a great evil here.” As he spoke the last words, a dozen ghouls and a ghast with a gem for an eye burst from the soft earthen floor, surrounding the party, and blocking off the exit.

The ghast hissed, “Adventures, you have sought to rid the world of evil. Now you will become it!” He threw something down to the floor, and disappeared in cloud of smoke.

 

[Grifter86]

Nice

I like it!
You say this was from a year ago? Is this campaign still active?

 

[Breakstone]

I must say, I'm hooked. What level are the adventurers?

 

[DM with a vengence]

Wazzzzzzup!

*The adventurers are about 6th level. While this campaign has been temporarily discontinued, I've discussed restarting it with the players and they expressed some interest in continuing the game. More updates on that front later.

Wazzzzzzzzup!

The party reacted with lightning speed. Nikki drew forth her holy symbol and turned six of the foul creatures towards the side of the room. Ladinya blasted two others with a lightning bolt. Milo, Sir Jadael and Kit engaged the three near the door, killing two of them instantly. The party retreated towards the doorway, Milo taking out the last guardian. Ladinya coolly fired another bolt of lightning into three ghouls at point blank range, daring the undead to hit her. Zeebo slipped past the party and jabbed the last ghoul with his rapier, finessing the blade in classic elven style. The ghoul struck back, but Zeebo was immune to the paralysis effect. Unfortunately, the ghast that had disappeared at the beginning of the encounter dropped from the ceiling and froze Zeebo like a statue. Nikki dashed forward, her wand of cure serious wounds glowing with the forces of life, and touched it to the ghast. A nimbus of light glowed around the ghast, blinding everybody for a second, before its body disintegrated dust. Milo charged, his final axe at ready, and killed the last unturned ghoul. The rest of the party made quick work of the ghouls, and after retrieving their weapons, curing their wounds and retrieving some treasure, they exited the room.

The made it to the main room before they were jumped, 30 ghouls and two ghasts darted in to form a circle around them, hissing with an unnatural glee. Zeebo rapidly appraising the situation decided that cowardice was the only part of survival, cast Haste, Expeditious Retreat and ran for the door like every demon in the abyss was chasing him.

“Stupid elven coward!” Milo screamed as he sent three axes spinning into a ghast, killing it in seconds.

“Agreed!” Ladinya shouted over the ghouls as she moved and blasted a ghoul and a ghast with her second to last lightning bolt.

“We can take these joker on with our hands tied behind our backs!” Kit yelled back as she hit a ghoul with her crossbow.

“For Honor” Sir Jadael roared as he charged forward, smiting the second ghoul into oblivion.

Nikki held her holy symbol over her head, and blasted a half dozen ghouls with the power of Ehlonna. They scampered away into a tunnel, cowering in fear.

8 of the ghouls jumped on Sir Jadael, paralyzing him and then proceeding to flay his flesh from the bones. The other 15 ghouls charged at the rest of the party, but they all missed with their bites. Ladinya stepped to the side and fired her final lightning bolt along a row of 7 ghouls, disintegrating the undead in wave of electricity. Unfortunately, as its dying act, the nearest ghoul hit her and paralyzed her. Nikki raised her holy symbol, and drove 5 away into one of the tunnels. Milo slashed with his axe, separating a ghoul’s head from it torso. Kit dove around the back of the party, and grabbed a scroll from the paralyzed Ladinya. Milo and Nikki finished off the other two ghouls threatening the party as Kit held the scroll up, muttering, “I hope this works.”
It did. A fireball burst in the center of the remaining ghouls, killing 5 and sending 3 staggering away heavily burned. The party made quick work of the survivors, and waited for Ladinya to recover. When she did, the party moved off down the tunnels they had cleared earlier, and made quick work of the few remaining ghouls.

After recovering the body of Sir Jadael, the party left the crypts, stopping only to destroy the desecrated alter of Pelor. As they smashed the dark alter, they saw for a moment a hideous symbol of evil, three upside down pentagrams, inscribed in each other, surrounded by a circle.

 

[DM with a vengence]

The Eye of Vecna’s Little Brother.

The Eye of Vecna’s Little Brother.

“Well, I really don’t know to make of this gem you took from the eye of the ghast.” Father Alhad looked up from a large diamond to the party. He held it up in a shaft of sunlight, and the symbol of three inscribed pentagrams inside of a circle was projected on the far wall. “Obviously, this is an item of magic and evil, as our detection spells have revealed, but for the life of me I can’t figure out what it means. I’ve tried holding it, looking through it, and wearing it around my neck, but there has been no effect. There is one last experiment I’ve been meaning to try.” He rummaged through his desk and pulled out a tightly wrapped scroll with a disturbing leathery texture, handing it to Ladinya. “This is a scroll of Protection from Good, we took it from a necromancer that was here about 20 years ago. He, having no use for it, donated it to the church after he died. I have a feeling that if we channel evil forces through the gem something will happen.”

Ladinya gingerly unrolled the scroll, cleared her throat once or twice, and cast Protection from Good into the gem. A blast of multicolored energy swirled in from the walls, causing everybody to clutch at their eyes. When they open their eyes, the diamond was gone, replaced by a scintillating, scarlet eye. Tiny flecks of light danced on the walls hypnotizing everybody. As if in a trance, Milo reached for the eye. Father Alhad’s stern arm slapped down on the halfling wrist, preventing him from taking the eye. Slowly, the color faded into a single spark, and then as the spell ended, a burst of magic flashed out, blinding everybody again. When they opened their eyes, the eye was gone, and the gem was back.

“Well, that was most interesting. Oh yes, I’m very sorry about Sir Jadael, a man of honor is hard to find. I’m afraid that we don’t have the resources to raise him, but I’ve sent away to the Temple in Crayvaenn for a scroll of Raise Dead, meanwhile, we will be glad to have him in our catacombs of eternal life, among the holiest of our order. Good day, and may Pelor always be with you.”


…The heroes charged
swords a glitter
undead falling left and right
and Sir Jadael
mighty Sir Jadael
Sent the ghouls
to their eternal night…

“He sings with all the grace of those ghouls.” Kit observed, taking another swig of her beer.

Milo looked away from Zeebo “singing” on stage. “But think of the upside.”

“Which is?” Kit asked.

“We may never have to buy a drink in this place again.” Milo stated happily, wiping foam off his upper lip and considering the growing pile of tankards in front of him.

“So I woke the innkeeper’s daughter,” Milo muttered, he lifted his head towards the ceiling, bellowed. “Me axe was firs blooded in Crayvaenn” He stamped on the table unsteadily.

“Milo, come down from there, you’re drunk.” Nikki said to him, face at the exact same level even though he was standing on a table.

“So what if I’m drunk? Me axe was firs blooded in Crayvaenn! I killed a… killed a…”

“Milo, get down here this very instant!” Ladinya yelled at him.

“I ain’t comin down until I’m comin down. Me axe was firs blooded in Crayvaenn. Killed a rat for me mum. I ken still kill a rat.” He peered around, eyes locking on a point in space three feet in front of his nose. With blinding speed, he whipped an axe out of a sheath, and flung it through the empty space, skimming across the room to thud into the wall. He stumbled unsteadily on the table, looking for his rat. “Quick little bugger. But I ken still kill a rat.” He drew his axe, wound up, and fell backwards, overturning the table. “Me axe was firs blooded in Crayvaenn,” he mumbled. “My… axe… was… firs… blooded….”

“My gods! He’s asleep.” Kit declared. “Quick let’s get him to his room before he wakes up again.”

“I told him he didn’t have to drink everything they bought him.” Nikki acknowledged, “But he wouldn’t listen. Halflings never turn down free beer.”

“So which one was it, the ogre or the dire bear.” Milo grumbled into his food.

“Neither, it’s a hangover.” Kit informed him.

“No it isn’t. I know what being hungover is like, and what having something smack you in the head is like, and I can tell you that I was most certainly smacked in the head by something bigger and stronger than any human.”

“It’s hangover, you drank enough beer last night to drop a dozen men.”

“But it was free.” Milo moaned. “Halfling Rule Number 1: If it’s free, it’s yours. Halfling Rule Number 2: If it’s yours, use it. And Halfling Rule Number 3: Rules Number 1 and 2 especially apply to foodstuffs. I had no choice.”

“Fine. Whatever. But get into a new change of clothing, we’re seeing the mayor at noon.”

“Which is?”

“In 30 minutes.”

 

[Horacio]

Re: The Eye of Vecna’s Little Brother.

ROFLOL!

I love this story!

 

[DM with a vengence]

Investigate

Investigate

“So may we please see the mayor now?” Ladinya asked the woman in front of her in her most diplomatic tone of voice.
Lelanna Al’Veren glared at the party. “No, you may not see the mayor. He is a very important man, and he has better things to do than to meet with a bunch of rag-tag adventures who are barely able to kill rats.”

Milo reached down and slid an axe a few inches out of its loop. “I would like to see the mayor now, ma’am.”

Lelanna Al’Veren reappraised the situation. “All right, you, and only you, Milo Bookbender, can see the mayor. Go in through that door. Now! Don’t make me change my mind.”
Smiling sheepishly, Milo, dashed through the door.

The mayor office was well appointed; there was a wall of bookcases, and a large wall map of the Kingdom of Crayvaenn. The room was dominated by a large mahogany desk, which itself was dominated by a three foot subway sandwich. Behind all this finery, the small, thin, elderly mayor appeared almost insignificant.

“Hello. Would you like a piece of my sandwich?” The mayor smiled, and offered a good third of it to Milo.

“Well, um, sure. Halfling Rule Number 1, ya’ know.” Milo said, taking the sandwich.

“I am Rudiger Al’Veren, the mayor of this town. So you wanted to talk with me.”

“Yes.” Milo replied around a mouthful of sandwich. “I was wondering if you had any problems in this town that maybe my party and I could solve.”

“No, no, not really. Ah-ha!” Rudiger’s creased face broke into a smile. “I believe we have some ghouls in the graveyard. Speaking of ghouls in the graveyard, have you ever heard the song?
I’ve got ghouls in the graveyard,
And I don’t know what to do.
They’ve eaten everyone I know,
Even the stupid bard.
I’ve got ghouls in the graveyard…”

“We just solved that problem yesterday, sliced and diced, no survivors.”

“Hmm. Just wondering what is Halfling Rule Number 1?”
“ If it’s free, it’s your’s.”

The mayor laughed, “That’s my Mayor’s Rule Number 2.”
“And what Number 1”

“Help my friends. So what can I do for you, my friend.”

“An ale, or two, or six.”
Both men laughed.

Lelanna Al’Veren glanced at the door, then back to the three remaining member’s of the party. “Ladies, let’s get down to business. Children have been disappearing.”

“And what do you want us to do about this?” Ladinya asked.
“Find them.”

“Don’t you have your own people to do stuff like that that?” Kit blurted.

“Yes.” Lelanna stared down the rogue. “However, I feel that this matter is too sensitive to be trusted to the town guard. The louts would probably arrest a few random people, hold them in jail for a few days and then tell me that the children are gone for good, and the trail is too cold to continue pursuit. I think that you can help track down the missing children and deal with the kidnappers with… extreme prejudice. I don’t want to see those scum ever again.”

“Yes ma’am.” Kit answered sadly, “Back to law and order again.”


“So why do we have to talk to these people?” Milo asked for the third time.

“Because the mayor’s wife, and the Forces of Good, have charged us to locate the lost children, and succor them from evil. For it sayeht in Wilderness 4:27-29 ‘And thou shall look after all thine children as if they were thine most precious love, for the children are as the future, and as lambs, and deer, and mountain goats, and squid, and orangutans…” Nikki quoted from her holy texts.

“All right I get your point.” Milo grumbled. “But why can’t I go and get drunk until we have something to kill.”

“Because it would do you good to talk to real people instead of drunken louts for once.” Ladinya admonished.

“But drunken louts are people too.” Milo whined.

“Yeah, party people have rights. Just because we like to live at night and lost items mysteriously wind up in our possession doesn’t mean we don’t play an important role in society.”

“Don’t go justifying his statements, we have to stick together and present a unified front or else peewee will catch on and our plans will be exposed.” Ladinya hissed.

“Huh?” Milo shrugged.

“Quiet, we’re almost there. Let me do the talking.” Ladinya said as if nothing had happened.

 

[DM with a vengence]

Locate

Locate

Ladinya knocked on the door, which was open by a ten-year-old girl. “Hello, I’m here to speak to Mrs. Olina.”

The girl eyed the armored and beweaponed party. Milo flipped a throwing ax up and caught it. The girl swallowed and spoke. “Okay, I’ll show you in, but she hasn’t been quite right since Jymmi disappeared.”

“We’ll see her anyway.”

They were escorted through a filthy and curiously empty hovel to a bedchamber where a shrunken woman clutched a blanket around herself.

“Hello, Mrs. Olina, I’m Ladinya and these are my associates Nikki, Milo, and Kit. We’re here from Circle Mistress Al’Veren to talk about your son.”

The woman started sobbing. “He’s gone! Dead! He’s never coming back! She says she’ll find him, but she never will!”

Ladinya began stroking the destroyed woman’s cheek. “It’s okay, we’re here to help, it going to be okay, it’s going to be okay.” Ladinya looked back to the rest of the party. “Drastic measures?”

They all nodded.

Ladinya stepped back and began to swirl her arms around her in a mystic motion, the air flickering with arcane energy.

“Xul Path Tal Fer At
Nag Thul Xen Ar Tun
Rag Yub Uve Zal Xaw
Charm Person
Wiz/Sor 1, Brd 1”

The woman stopped crying, and smiled at everybody.

“Now there.” Ladinya said. “Where did Jymmi disappear?”

“He was playing down by the old mill with his friend Donnald, and he didn’t come back.” Mrs. Olina smiled wanly.

“What about Donnald?”

“He’s gone too.”

Milo looked up brightly. “What do you say? Time to kick some ass!”

The group stood looking at the ramshackle old mill, covered in mildew and leaning to one side like a man just kicked out of a tavern at closing hour.

“I say we toss in some Alchemist’s fire, them cut down whoever runs out of the building.” Milo said.

“The kids.” Nikki gently reprimanded.

“Then I say Kit and I scout it out and then call for you.”

“Sounds like a much better plan.” Ladinya interjected.

“Good, lets move.” Milo said grimly, hefting an ax.