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The Thorns of Winter -(updated 8/1/2023)
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<blockquote data-quote="Nthal" data-source="post: 8762471" data-attributes="member: 6971069"><p><h2 style="text-align: center">A Malodorous Encounter - 9/6/2022</h2><p></p><p></p><p>The day grew a little brighter, and much colder as we followed the raven, Snave, northwards. Cold enough that when we found some shelter along a hillside, Gossamer begged to be unsummoned. I admit…I was kind of envious. But the cold had set everyone on edge. Despite Bookshelf’s successful gambit, no one acted like it was a victory. They all just wanted to get the job done.</p><p></p><p>As did I of course. I wanted a lot of things: Warmth from any source chiefly. To finish the job at hand. To go…</p><p></p><p>Home? Did I want that? Snave’s banter was so familiar, yet his vitriol towards me was a bit much. I’ve been called nasty names before, mostly by children in The Gatehouse. When I worked at <em>Fortune’s Wheel,</em> I was sometimes mistaken for being a jinkskirt, and then called worse when I wouldn’t roll with the patron. Or when they found out I was a Sensate and figured they could roll with me for free because I hadn’t had an experience with <em>them</em>. As if. Having sex with another person doesn’t qualify as a novel experience. But the novelty was certainly the names they could throw at me.</p><p></p><p>All the reasons <strong><em>not</em></strong> to go back to Sigil. And not that it mattered much, no portal, no portal key, and no way to a place that I knew did. Of course, if I did have that means, I would probably go back to the Misty Forest and see Arnara again. I left there in such a rush to help some friends in need; it wasn’t a proper goodbye. Arnara said she understood and told me that I should go. That it would be the best thing for me somehow.</p><p></p><p>But Arnara avoided talking about how it affected herself.</p><p></p><p>But she was as much out of reach as Sigil. So perhaps I should just explore the world of Eberron as best I could. It would be something to explore and experience at least—</p><p></p><p>“—There,” Snave said, and the raven landed on a nearby rock and gazed ahead of us. There in the snow, was what looked to be a squat squared off fortress. It sat on a hilltop across from us on a hill we had just scaled. But it looked almost new, and not a ruin.</p><p></p><p>“A border fort.” Doxx stated.</p><p></p><p>“Here? Isn’t this a bit out of the way of everything?” Rosa asked confused.</p><p></p><p>Doxx shook her head, “South of here is the Talenta plains, and it was proven late in the Last War, that Karrnath was vulnerable from the south.”</p><p></p><p>“From what?” Adrissa asked incredulously. “I mean the halflings on fastieths are good hunters, but they never fought Karrn—”</p><p></p><p>“—Not the Talenta halflings.” Doxx corrected. “They are dangerous, but they were more than happy to leave Karrnath be. The more distracted Karrns were, the more they were left alone. These,” Doxx gestured to the fort on the hill, “weren’t built to defend against a bunch halflings on fast lizards.”</p><p></p><p>“Then…what?” Rosa asked, confused.</p><p></p><p>Adrissa, Doxx and the two warforged looked at each other, with Doxx having the most obvious scowl, before Doxx replied, “The Valenar.”</p><p></p><p>Rosa straightened up at the words Doxx uttered and nodded in understanding, which left me confused. “What are…Valenar?”</p><p></p><p>Sage turned to look at me, “During the Last War, the nation of Cyre was always short on troops, so they spent gold to boost their fighting strength. They bought a lot of warforged, used Deneith hobgoblins, and hired regular mercenaries as well. And then they also hired the Valenar; elves from the island of Aerenal. But they followed a different tradition than the Aerens; they were following the traditions of the Tairnadal."</p><p></p><p>“The Tairnadal were skilled warriors and horse masters,” The Blade continued. “So instead of following the Undying Court, they followed the tenets that are called the "Keepers of the Past." And for them, a Tairnadal attempts to emulate heroes of the past. But more importantly, they believed…believe in proving themselves. There are no better warriors in the Five Nations.”</p><p></p><p>“But they betrayed Cyre,” Bookshelf said somberly. “They took a large chunk of it for themselves, called it Valenar claiming that the elves had rights to the territory dating back to the Dhakaani empire. And once no longer subservient to Queen Mishann, they started to fight…everyone. All of them seeking greater challenges in combat and the glory.”</p><p></p><p>“They must have vast number to be so—” I started before being cut off by Doxx.</p><p></p><p>“—No. They don’t have vast armies; just small warbands. But a single elf could boast of having the strength of a score of humans. And a small warband could wipe out regiments. So a series of forts were built; some are operational now, Fort Bones, Fort Zombie and Fort Deepdark, but there were smaller places like this one.”</p><p></p><p>I got the chills suddenly. I remembered the elves in the Misty Forest; they were skilled, and they were eager to be left alone. But I didn’t seem to remember them as blood thirsty. The thought of a small band having such a fearsome reputation that the others all reacted with such trepidation, so I asked, “Did these forts work?”</p><p></p><p>Doxx sighed, “Well it was only somewhat better than camping in the open. But the forts were fixed places. The Valenar knew where to attack, and they did. But it became boring. The armies wouldn’t come out to engage, and the Valenar weren’t keen on sieges. But after Fort Bones started to challenge them with steeds that never slept and ran all day or night, the Valenar came and razed many to the ground, including Fort Bones. But after the war…forts to the east like this one were abandoned. Deepdark started parceling the land out to settlers.” The woman sighed and looked at me with a shrug, “Maybe.”</p><p></p><p>“Well staring at it, isn’t going to help much,” Sage muttered. “Let’s head in.”</p><p></p><p>As we approached, the fort looked no less inviting than did before. The grey masonry walls were intact, with catclaws snaking up the walls, with streaks of decaying mortar behind the foliage. As we approached the gateway, I was surprised to see that the entrance that led straight into a wall, continuing onwards to the left and right. The was no sign of a gate or a drawbridge. The interior wall was much higher than the edge ways, with the rusty remains of wire on the tops. Passing through the entry way, and I turned looking at the cross section of the wall. I then realized that the exterior wall was sloped on the exterior side towards the main walls, tapering to a narrow ledge on the top no wider than the length of my foot. But something else struct me as odd. The exterior wall had no towers either, it appeared to not support anyone manning the walls at all.</p><p></p><p>Shivering, I pulled my cloak around me and stared at the edifice of stone puzzling how the construction worked, and from behind me Bookshelf spoke. “Many of the forts were experiments in design. This one’s main gate is on the opposite side. All the wall does is force horse riders between the inner and outer walls, making them easy targets, and unable to easily run away. “</p><p></p><p>“It doesn’t look very sturdy. The outer wall I mean,” I said still trying to picture it.</p><p></p><p>“The Valenar and the Talenta halflings don’t use siege equipment, so manning the outer wall was never the issue,” the slender warforged said. It was all set up to draw them in the gate and cut them down from above as the riders would circle to the entrance.”</p><p></p><p>I looked at the arrangement confused and pointed to the top of the interior wall. “Couldn’t you just…climb it?”</p><p></p><p>“Honey, horses are really poor climbers,” Rosa said smiling.</p><p></p><p>“And it didn’t matter, the Valenar still conquered it,” Bookshelf said.</p><p></p><p>“How?” I was very curious. Both walls looked intact, and there were no signs of damage anywhere.</p><p></p><p>“The Valenar poisoned the water supply,” Doxx said and spat on the ground.</p><p></p><p>“What?” Shocked didn’t describe what I felt. I had this image of warrior fighting blade to blade, or perhaps manipulation of magic. Not a low trick used by knights of the post.</p><p></p><p>“The Valenar crave challenges and victory,” Sage said. “How they achieve it doesn’t matter.”</p><p></p><p>“No,” The Blade disagreed. “It does matter. It matters to the ancestor they are tied with, and if that ancestor would poison wells….so would their kin today.”</p><p></p><p>“This is all very interesting,” Adrissa said with a droll tone. “But which way should we go?”</p><p></p><p>“That way,” Doxx and The Blade pointed in different directions, Doxx right and The Blade left. The pair stepped up to each other, and the tall lanky elf looked down at the smaller wiry old woman. “That way is the obvious choice.”</p><p></p><p>“You’re being ridiculous,” Doxx scoffed. “This way is a better choice. Look, less weeds and debris.”</p><p></p><p>I turned and looked down each way and was confused. Both seemed to have the same level of weeds, rock and rubble.</p><p></p><p>Rosa also noticed the incongruity. “Boys, I think we should keep our heads and stick together.” The two continued to stare at each other, unwilling to give ground or concede. Rosa again tried to find a path, “Look if it means that much, we can split and meet at the entrance at the other side. At least that way we can be sure we find the gem. It could be anywhere.”</p><p></p><p>“I suppose that could work,” I said dubiously. “But couldn’t we just climb the walls here?”</p><p></p><p>Doxx and The Blade looked up the side of the wall and then looked at us as the old woman spoke again, “The walls used to have spring traps and other mechanisms to deter that.”</p><p></p><p>“I am also regretful to say I am not a great climber,” Sage said with a twang of guilt on his voice.</p><p></p><p>Doxx and The Blade glared at each other for a moment before The Blade said “Adrissa,”</p><p></p><p>“Sage,” Doxx retorted.</p><p></p><p>“Bookshelf.”</p><p></p><p>“Rosa.”</p><p></p><p>“Myrai.”</p><p></p><p>“I am not sure that this is a good idea,” Bookshelf said as they shuffled over with Adrissa.</p><p></p><p>“At least you weren’t picked last,” I said.</p><p></p><p>“We’ll meet you at the bailey on the other side then,” Doxx stated, standing confidently next to Sage and Rosa.</p><p></p><p>“And we’ll be waiting for you to catch up.” The Blade responded and then turned and made their way down between the walls with Adrissa and Bookshelf. I turned to look at the others and watched as the others receded into the distance.</p><p></p><p>The causeway was a dozen paces wide and it some time to reach the far corner. The snow crunched under our feet, with lumps of weeds piercing through the surface here and there. A light breeze blew in between the walls, which was only slightly better than the open plains outside. Plodding forward we made our way the corner, where the walls met a solid round pillar. The pillar wasn’t a tower, and it was missing key portions like doors or slits for bowmen. It was a solid obstacle of granite, and like the walls, it was all to force riders to pass them by, and in that regard it failed. The Valenar killed everyone anyway.</p><p></p><p>We were probably about half the length of the down the side of the fort when I suddenly felt uneasy. I then looked at The Blade and Adrissa, and it was clear that something had put them on edge as well. Adrissa was twitching around looking at the walls and behind us with quick sharp movements, while The Blade held out his bow out, arrow notched, and watch ahead of us, his head alternating titling right and left. Holding the nocked arrow in place, he quickly tapped the side of his head with his right hand. I took a deep breath and listened.</p><p></p><p>I could barely feel the light breeze blowing past by my frozen cheek, and all I heard was the brittle rustling of weeds dusted in snow as the dried branches rubbed each other. The Blade, and Adrissa stopped and were looking up at both the interior and exterior walls. Bookshelf stood there calmly and turned around slowly also looking upwards when I heard it.</p><p></p><p>It was a scraping sound, like horn on stone. Something treading carefully I thought, with a larger sound, followed by multiple little scrapes and then silence. Then it started again and glancing around, I got the same impressions as the others; it was above us. I was trying to pin it down when the scraping stopped. Adrissa and The Blade, rushed over to the outer wall, and pointed their bows over the taller inner wall, sweeping side to side as if looking for something to fire at. Bookshelf on the other hand, moved and put its back against the inner wall and waited.</p><p></p><p>I then felt a sensation like someone had dropped a pebble in the water, and the ripple washed over me. Puzzled for a moment, I then felt all the strands with-in me vibrate as if plucked violently. The now familiar ripple washed back over me, much stronger this time. I shook my head and listened, and I grimaced. It was a pull on the weave, to bring something near, much like the one I used to force Gossamer appear. But this was much bigger akin to a thick string on a viol being plucked. My pulse quickened as the strong scent of brimstone assaulted my nostrils, followed by clattering and chittering, as horn scraped horn and clattered together. It sounded familiar somehow, but it wasn’t something recent. Nor did I recall anything like that in Faerûn during my travels, so it must had been.</p><p></p><p>Without warning, my eyes started to water, and foul taste of something rotten mixed with the smell and taste of burned nuts. Around I saw a bile-colored cloud form, and I was wracked with fits of coughing. Everything burned; my eyes, nose, and throat as tears streamed down my face in a vain attempt to wash away the irritant. I coughed again, covering my mouth with the back of my hand. When I withdrew it, I saw that not only was it covered in blood, but the exposed skin from was sweating blood as well. My knees shook as I vomited my prior meal, when I heard a pair of loud thumps on the snow.</p><p></p><p>I looked up, fighting a wave of nausea and saw what appeared to be a large bug. Its chitin was a mottled mixture of blues and mauve and it sported a pair of mandibles that clattered and clicked together. It stood in the bile like cloud, seemly unharmed and it flexed a pair of sharp claws, and in a second pair, it wielded a tripled pointed spear, made of a purplish metal I didn’t recognize. But once I took in the sight of it, and saw a second on levelling its spear at Bookshelf, I knew exactly what I was facing.</p><p></p><p>“Sodding Baator. ‘Loths,” I growled and broke into another fit of coughing, just as it thrust its weapon straight at my belly.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Session Notes:</strong></p><p></p><p>There was a lot of history that was developed around The Last War, and this was one of those sessions that really gave the world a feeling of being lived in. The Valenar, the Karrn forts like Fort Bones, and Fort Zombie.</p><p></p><p>The splitting of the party though…well you have to wonder how the other group fared. We’ll see who comes out a head soon.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Nthal, post: 8762471, member: 6971069"] [HEADING=1][CENTER]A Malodorous Encounter - 9/6/2022[/CENTER][/HEADING] The day grew a little brighter, and much colder as we followed the raven, Snave, northwards. Cold enough that when we found some shelter along a hillside, Gossamer begged to be unsummoned. I admit…I was kind of envious. But the cold had set everyone on edge. Despite Bookshelf’s successful gambit, no one acted like it was a victory. They all just wanted to get the job done. As did I of course. I wanted a lot of things: Warmth from any source chiefly. To finish the job at hand. To go… Home? Did I want that? Snave’s banter was so familiar, yet his vitriol towards me was a bit much. I’ve been called nasty names before, mostly by children in The Gatehouse. When I worked at [I]Fortune’s Wheel,[/I] I was sometimes mistaken for being a jinkskirt, and then called worse when I wouldn’t roll with the patron. Or when they found out I was a Sensate and figured they could roll with me for free because I hadn’t had an experience with [I]them[/I]. As if. Having sex with another person doesn’t qualify as a novel experience. But the novelty was certainly the names they could throw at me. All the reasons [B][I]not[/I][/B] to go back to Sigil. And not that it mattered much, no portal, no portal key, and no way to a place that I knew did. Of course, if I did have that means, I would probably go back to the Misty Forest and see Arnara again. I left there in such a rush to help some friends in need; it wasn’t a proper goodbye. Arnara said she understood and told me that I should go. That it would be the best thing for me somehow. But Arnara avoided talking about how it affected herself. But she was as much out of reach as Sigil. So perhaps I should just explore the world of Eberron as best I could. It would be something to explore and experience at least— “—There,” Snave said, and the raven landed on a nearby rock and gazed ahead of us. There in the snow, was what looked to be a squat squared off fortress. It sat on a hilltop across from us on a hill we had just scaled. But it looked almost new, and not a ruin. “A border fort.” Doxx stated. “Here? Isn’t this a bit out of the way of everything?” Rosa asked confused. Doxx shook her head, “South of here is the Talenta plains, and it was proven late in the Last War, that Karrnath was vulnerable from the south.” “From what?” Adrissa asked incredulously. “I mean the halflings on fastieths are good hunters, but they never fought Karrn—” “—Not the Talenta halflings.” Doxx corrected. “They are dangerous, but they were more than happy to leave Karrnath be. The more distracted Karrns were, the more they were left alone. These,” Doxx gestured to the fort on the hill, “weren’t built to defend against a bunch halflings on fast lizards.” “Then…what?” Rosa asked, confused. Adrissa, Doxx and the two warforged looked at each other, with Doxx having the most obvious scowl, before Doxx replied, “The Valenar.” Rosa straightened up at the words Doxx uttered and nodded in understanding, which left me confused. “What are…Valenar?” Sage turned to look at me, “During the Last War, the nation of Cyre was always short on troops, so they spent gold to boost their fighting strength. They bought a lot of warforged, used Deneith hobgoblins, and hired regular mercenaries as well. And then they also hired the Valenar; elves from the island of Aerenal. But they followed a different tradition than the Aerens; they were following the traditions of the Tairnadal." “The Tairnadal were skilled warriors and horse masters,” The Blade continued. “So instead of following the Undying Court, they followed the tenets that are called the "Keepers of the Past." And for them, a Tairnadal attempts to emulate heroes of the past. But more importantly, they believed…believe in proving themselves. There are no better warriors in the Five Nations.” “But they betrayed Cyre,” Bookshelf said somberly. “They took a large chunk of it for themselves, called it Valenar claiming that the elves had rights to the territory dating back to the Dhakaani empire. And once no longer subservient to Queen Mishann, they started to fight…everyone. All of them seeking greater challenges in combat and the glory.” “They must have vast number to be so—” I started before being cut off by Doxx. “—No. They don’t have vast armies; just small warbands. But a single elf could boast of having the strength of a score of humans. And a small warband could wipe out regiments. So a series of forts were built; some are operational now, Fort Bones, Fort Zombie and Fort Deepdark, but there were smaller places like this one.” I got the chills suddenly. I remembered the elves in the Misty Forest; they were skilled, and they were eager to be left alone. But I didn’t seem to remember them as blood thirsty. The thought of a small band having such a fearsome reputation that the others all reacted with such trepidation, so I asked, “Did these forts work?” Doxx sighed, “Well it was only somewhat better than camping in the open. But the forts were fixed places. The Valenar knew where to attack, and they did. But it became boring. The armies wouldn’t come out to engage, and the Valenar weren’t keen on sieges. But after Fort Bones started to challenge them with steeds that never slept and ran all day or night, the Valenar came and razed many to the ground, including Fort Bones. But after the war…forts to the east like this one were abandoned. Deepdark started parceling the land out to settlers.” The woman sighed and looked at me with a shrug, “Maybe.” “Well staring at it, isn’t going to help much,” Sage muttered. “Let’s head in.” As we approached, the fort looked no less inviting than did before. The grey masonry walls were intact, with catclaws snaking up the walls, with streaks of decaying mortar behind the foliage. As we approached the gateway, I was surprised to see that the entrance that led straight into a wall, continuing onwards to the left and right. The was no sign of a gate or a drawbridge. The interior wall was much higher than the edge ways, with the rusty remains of wire on the tops. Passing through the entry way, and I turned looking at the cross section of the wall. I then realized that the exterior wall was sloped on the exterior side towards the main walls, tapering to a narrow ledge on the top no wider than the length of my foot. But something else struct me as odd. The exterior wall had no towers either, it appeared to not support anyone manning the walls at all. Shivering, I pulled my cloak around me and stared at the edifice of stone puzzling how the construction worked, and from behind me Bookshelf spoke. “Many of the forts were experiments in design. This one’s main gate is on the opposite side. All the wall does is force horse riders between the inner and outer walls, making them easy targets, and unable to easily run away. “ “It doesn’t look very sturdy. The outer wall I mean,” I said still trying to picture it. “The Valenar and the Talenta halflings don’t use siege equipment, so manning the outer wall was never the issue,” the slender warforged said. It was all set up to draw them in the gate and cut them down from above as the riders would circle to the entrance.” I looked at the arrangement confused and pointed to the top of the interior wall. “Couldn’t you just…climb it?” “Honey, horses are really poor climbers,” Rosa said smiling. “And it didn’t matter, the Valenar still conquered it,” Bookshelf said. “How?” I was very curious. Both walls looked intact, and there were no signs of damage anywhere. “The Valenar poisoned the water supply,” Doxx said and spat on the ground. “What?” Shocked didn’t describe what I felt. I had this image of warrior fighting blade to blade, or perhaps manipulation of magic. Not a low trick used by knights of the post. “The Valenar crave challenges and victory,” Sage said. “How they achieve it doesn’t matter.” “No,” The Blade disagreed. “It does matter. It matters to the ancestor they are tied with, and if that ancestor would poison wells….so would their kin today.” “This is all very interesting,” Adrissa said with a droll tone. “But which way should we go?” “That way,” Doxx and The Blade pointed in different directions, Doxx right and The Blade left. The pair stepped up to each other, and the tall lanky elf looked down at the smaller wiry old woman. “That way is the obvious choice.” “You’re being ridiculous,” Doxx scoffed. “This way is a better choice. Look, less weeds and debris.” I turned and looked down each way and was confused. Both seemed to have the same level of weeds, rock and rubble. Rosa also noticed the incongruity. “Boys, I think we should keep our heads and stick together.” The two continued to stare at each other, unwilling to give ground or concede. Rosa again tried to find a path, “Look if it means that much, we can split and meet at the entrance at the other side. At least that way we can be sure we find the gem. It could be anywhere.” “I suppose that could work,” I said dubiously. “But couldn’t we just climb the walls here?” Doxx and The Blade looked up the side of the wall and then looked at us as the old woman spoke again, “The walls used to have spring traps and other mechanisms to deter that.” “I am also regretful to say I am not a great climber,” Sage said with a twang of guilt on his voice. Doxx and The Blade glared at each other for a moment before The Blade said “Adrissa,” “Sage,” Doxx retorted. “Bookshelf.” “Rosa.” “Myrai.” “I am not sure that this is a good idea,” Bookshelf said as they shuffled over with Adrissa. “At least you weren’t picked last,” I said. “We’ll meet you at the bailey on the other side then,” Doxx stated, standing confidently next to Sage and Rosa. “And we’ll be waiting for you to catch up.” The Blade responded and then turned and made their way down between the walls with Adrissa and Bookshelf. I turned to look at the others and watched as the others receded into the distance. The causeway was a dozen paces wide and it some time to reach the far corner. The snow crunched under our feet, with lumps of weeds piercing through the surface here and there. A light breeze blew in between the walls, which was only slightly better than the open plains outside. Plodding forward we made our way the corner, where the walls met a solid round pillar. The pillar wasn’t a tower, and it was missing key portions like doors or slits for bowmen. It was a solid obstacle of granite, and like the walls, it was all to force riders to pass them by, and in that regard it failed. The Valenar killed everyone anyway. We were probably about half the length of the down the side of the fort when I suddenly felt uneasy. I then looked at The Blade and Adrissa, and it was clear that something had put them on edge as well. Adrissa was twitching around looking at the walls and behind us with quick sharp movements, while The Blade held out his bow out, arrow notched, and watch ahead of us, his head alternating titling right and left. Holding the nocked arrow in place, he quickly tapped the side of his head with his right hand. I took a deep breath and listened. I could barely feel the light breeze blowing past by my frozen cheek, and all I heard was the brittle rustling of weeds dusted in snow as the dried branches rubbed each other. The Blade, and Adrissa stopped and were looking up at both the interior and exterior walls. Bookshelf stood there calmly and turned around slowly also looking upwards when I heard it. It was a scraping sound, like horn on stone. Something treading carefully I thought, with a larger sound, followed by multiple little scrapes and then silence. Then it started again and glancing around, I got the same impressions as the others; it was above us. I was trying to pin it down when the scraping stopped. Adrissa and The Blade, rushed over to the outer wall, and pointed their bows over the taller inner wall, sweeping side to side as if looking for something to fire at. Bookshelf on the other hand, moved and put its back against the inner wall and waited. I then felt a sensation like someone had dropped a pebble in the water, and the ripple washed over me. Puzzled for a moment, I then felt all the strands with-in me vibrate as if plucked violently. The now familiar ripple washed back over me, much stronger this time. I shook my head and listened, and I grimaced. It was a pull on the weave, to bring something near, much like the one I used to force Gossamer appear. But this was much bigger akin to a thick string on a viol being plucked. My pulse quickened as the strong scent of brimstone assaulted my nostrils, followed by clattering and chittering, as horn scraped horn and clattered together. It sounded familiar somehow, but it wasn’t something recent. Nor did I recall anything like that in Faerûn during my travels, so it must had been. Without warning, my eyes started to water, and foul taste of something rotten mixed with the smell and taste of burned nuts. Around I saw a bile-colored cloud form, and I was wracked with fits of coughing. Everything burned; my eyes, nose, and throat as tears streamed down my face in a vain attempt to wash away the irritant. I coughed again, covering my mouth with the back of my hand. When I withdrew it, I saw that not only was it covered in blood, but the exposed skin from was sweating blood as well. My knees shook as I vomited my prior meal, when I heard a pair of loud thumps on the snow. I looked up, fighting a wave of nausea and saw what appeared to be a large bug. Its chitin was a mottled mixture of blues and mauve and it sported a pair of mandibles that clattered and clicked together. It stood in the bile like cloud, seemly unharmed and it flexed a pair of sharp claws, and in a second pair, it wielded a tripled pointed spear, made of a purplish metal I didn’t recognize. But once I took in the sight of it, and saw a second on levelling its spear at Bookshelf, I knew exactly what I was facing. “Sodding Baator. ‘Loths,” I growled and broke into another fit of coughing, just as it thrust its weapon straight at my belly. [B]Session Notes:[/B] There was a lot of history that was developed around The Last War, and this was one of those sessions that really gave the world a feeling of being lived in. The Valenar, the Karrn forts like Fort Bones, and Fort Zombie. The splitting of the party though…well you have to wonder how the other group fared. We’ll see who comes out a head soon. [/QUOTE]
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The Thorns of Winter -(updated 8/1/2023)
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