Second Adventure Synopsis
Here is the second adventure synopsis. I want to move this ahead a bit faster and get to the IC role-playing quicker, so I'm going to try posting small synopses every other day (yeah, I know, I said this one would be shorter.)
How does that sound? I don't want us to loose too much momentum. As a newcomer to this sort of thing, is loss of momentum often a problem?
[SBLOCK]About two weeks after the defense of Fitela you find yourself at Godakin Keep (see regional map in post (
#223 ), on the border between Sterich and Keoland. You could have spent the time in many different ways: recovering from the wounds sustained in battle, protecting the fleeing refugees from Fitela, gathering information about enemy troop movements, trying to rejoin the main body of the Sterich army, attempting to protect your home, etc.
Whatever you choose, you end up at Godakin. It is the lynchpin which secures the defense of the entire region, as it sits on the confluence of the Javan and Davish rivers, controlling water access to both Sterich and Geoff. In addition to providing an inroad into both of these countries, the Javan River also forms the natural western border of Keoland, and is vital to that realm’s defense. If any serious bid is to be made to retake the lost territories, Godakin must stand.
Since your defense of the villagers the war in Sterich has only gotten worse. The giant and humanoid armies have advanced much faster than expected, pushing Earl Querchard to declare a general evacuation of all of Sterich. He was convinced that this was the only viable option by the loss of Morrard, a small keep 45 miles northwest of Istivin. The lord of that manor believed that he could withstand a siege. The giants, however, were not interested in anything of the sort. With heart-wrenching ease they scaled the walls of the keep with simple grappling hooks, while orc shamans on a nearby hillside chanted foul spells of protection. In the end, the keep was burnt to the ground, although one survivor was allowed to flee the devastation in order to give account of what had occurred. The Earl feared that the giants would have similar success in Istivin, and withdrew.
Now the Earl’s court is traveling as fast as it can down the King’s Highway towards Flen. The regular army is being used to defend the fleeing population, while the Sterich cavalry, under the command of Marshall Karri Velthundle launches hit-and-run attacks against the pursuing armies’ flanks and rear.
Upon first arriving in Godakin Keep you undergo intense scrutiny by its defenders. Refugees have been pouring over the border from Sterich for weeks, setting up makeshift camps in the shadow of the castle. All crave the defense of the keep’s strong walls, yet few can fit inside. Eventually someone who knows one of you vouches for you and you are allowed to enter.
Within the keep you find everything in an uproar. In addition to the refugees, volunteers from all over Keoland have been pouring into this part of the country, offering their swords in the defense of their neighbors. Sadly, the local baron is not the best at managing large groups of people, and many are beginning to get tired of just sitting around, waiting for orders.
Eventually you decide to take surveys of the local warriors, dividing them up by experience and specialty. Knowing that there is a large lack of good intelligence you organize and lead small scouting parties into enemy-controlled territory, and also make contact with small groups of sympathetic demi-humans and creatures who are willing to be of assistance.
Back at Godakin you start suspecting that the seneschal of the baron is more than he seems. After carefully monitoring his movements for a few weeks and using divination magic, you discover that he is secretly passing messages to a foreign power. Unable to get definite proof of this, and worried that the baron would not believe you (or worse, might be a co-conspirator) you follow the seneschal’s messages which eventually lead you to a seemingly abandoned house in a nearby boggy forest. Infiltrating the house you discover that it in fact houses a cell of agents working for the Despot Turrosh Mak, new lord of the Pomarj.
You eventually clear out this cell, discovering that the Pomarj had formed an alliance with King Galmoor of the giants, in addition to a quite nasty tribe of local goblins. The Pomarj agents were planning on taking and holding Keep Godakin from the inside, thereby cutting Sterich and Geoff from any outside assistance. In return, Galmoor was to promise certain mineral rights in the Jotens and Crystalmist mountains.
Armed with this evidence you return to the Keep, confronting the seneschal with his treachery in front of the assembled court (but not before a big battle erupts between you and those loyal to the overlord of the Pomarj.[/SBLOCK]
I've also copied the synopses to the end of the first post on this thread as a reference.