The following is a player account of our adventures in the Wilderlands near the City State of the Invincible Overlord. I play Bode, a shaman from beyond the Azure Sea. Bode has a canine companion named Khan, who was born and raised in the Wilderlands. You may see the posts of other players (njorgard, Meridian, Kestrel) here and there, and the DM (Juiblex) may post as well. I edited my original post to make my account more adaptable for other groups by putting actual game notes in italics
Oh great spirits of man! I send you now the soul of my brother-in-arms, Ali Esther, who Khan tells me fought most bravely against the ogre barbarian, though Ali Esther had neither sharp fangs nor a tough hide. I raise a mug of your cola in your memory, Ali Esther, though you neglected to leave me your secret formula ere your untimely death. Though it be warm and disgustingly flat, the spirits praise your cola!
I recount now my memories of yesterday! I, Olabode Inalchuk, shaman of the far west, healer of the town known as Ashenshaft, was tasting my friend Ali Esther’s marvelous brew when a golden eagle fell from the sky and died as a man. The murmuring of the spirits echoed in the movements of the merchants, even as the governor commanded them to stay and the Otter Son commanded them to go. When Otter Son commanded me to go, I looked at his companions and had doubts, but Khan stood and then so did I.
We began the game in the village of Ashenshaft, at the height of the fall festival. Our characters started as respectable professionals (Aliester was a brewer, for example), but our standing in the community quickly plummeted after our first adventure. The people of Ashenshaft, while good of nature and kind of heart, are unfortunately governed by Celdric, a heavy-handed mouthpiece for the Invincible Overlord.
To my left marched the guardsman Gant Malose, who was brave and strong and memorable. To my right marched the guardsman whose name I do not remember, but I will call him He-Who-Falls, and he, too, was brave and strong. Ahead of me was the Otter Son, and to Khan’s left was Ali Esther. We had to run to avoid a swarm of flesh rippers, but we eventually reached the cairn of the eagle’s death.
The party consisted of a paladin (Gant), a fighter (He-Who-Falls, later Monsaram), a cleric (Ivar Ottarson, later Einarsson), a wizard (Aliester), and an OA shaman (Bode). The cairn was a ring of standing stones, and the eagle was a druid. The cairn was five miles (one hex) northeast of the village of Ashenshaft.
Ah, but there was a lot of death! Six of the eagle’s fellow cultists were clubbed down like piglets before a hungry overlord, but at least they killed one orc ere their death. The Otter Son started climbing down into the cairn, but he fell and threw up my torch. He-Who-Falls went in after Otter Son, but he went too far and too fast. I couldn’t see, so I nudged my torch into the cairn and saw orcs ready to eat Otter Son. Praise the great spirits for our victory over those orcs, and over the orcs who ambushed me later that night! Though I admit, spirits punish those stupid enough to camp outside an enemy’s lair.
Gant Malose led us deeper into the cairn, where we defeated foul lizardmen and seized their treasures. We espied the handiwork of the orcine tomb raiders, and vowed to kill them and seize what they have plundered. We were foolish enough to free a swarm of zombie halfling anklebiters, but Otter Son rebuked them most savagely and we smashed them most delightfully. We bypassed a deadly trap, and slew all those who opposed us until we were surprised by the green axeman and his ogre barbarian.
The cairn had two entrances: a shaft into the darkness, and a tunnel two levels down that led into the swamps. The first level featured stone caskets guarded by two orcs; one casket hid stairs leading down. The stairs emptied into a rough-hewn tomb with two carved passageways and one freshly dug tunnel into the swamps; the passageways were patrolled by two more orcs. The tomb featured two plundered rooms containing two troglodyte squatters each, a room containing ten pygmy zombies behind dire runes of warning, and a room with a chasm guarded by a deadly scythe trap. There were also statues of Set surrounded by coins, but we shied away from the evil.
Alas! Why must we learn humility at the hands of ogre barbarians! Though my spirit badger returned the green axeman to the smoky depths of hell from which he came, the ogre merely crawled around on the ground, lulling us into a false sense of confidence. He-Who-Falls tried to cut him, but the ogre laid him low. When I tried to approach, the ogre sent me reeling backwards. Khan tells me that Ali Esther actually took up arms against the ogre, only to be smashed into Otter Son’s arms. Ah, great cola maker! You die too young! But Gant Malose, the brave and strong and memorable guardman, ferociously slew the ogre in single combat. Ah, if I could have only seen that! Instead, I run towards the sun bearing my friend’s corpse, even as He-Who-Falls steals from a foul snake-like monstrosity.
Oh great spirits of man! If only you can teach us not to steal from foul snake-like monstrosities! Oh great spirits of man! Take now this soul, and keep him well!
Cola!
Past the chasm was a room containing the big-bad with his ogre bodyguard. Though we had five 1st level characters, we think we were facing an EL 5 duo. Momentarily incapacitating the ogre with a Grease spell, the wizard entered combat and was the first to die. Past this room, through a secret door, was a shrine containing a magical sword (stolen by Monsaram), guarded by a snake-like monstrosity (poison golem).
Oh great spirits of man! I send you now the soul of my brother-in-arms, Ali Esther, who Khan tells me fought most bravely against the ogre barbarian, though Ali Esther had neither sharp fangs nor a tough hide. I raise a mug of your cola in your memory, Ali Esther, though you neglected to leave me your secret formula ere your untimely death. Though it be warm and disgustingly flat, the spirits praise your cola!
I recount now my memories of yesterday! I, Olabode Inalchuk, shaman of the far west, healer of the town known as Ashenshaft, was tasting my friend Ali Esther’s marvelous brew when a golden eagle fell from the sky and died as a man. The murmuring of the spirits echoed in the movements of the merchants, even as the governor commanded them to stay and the Otter Son commanded them to go. When Otter Son commanded me to go, I looked at his companions and had doubts, but Khan stood and then so did I.
We began the game in the village of Ashenshaft, at the height of the fall festival. Our characters started as respectable professionals (Aliester was a brewer, for example), but our standing in the community quickly plummeted after our first adventure. The people of Ashenshaft, while good of nature and kind of heart, are unfortunately governed by Celdric, a heavy-handed mouthpiece for the Invincible Overlord.
To my left marched the guardsman Gant Malose, who was brave and strong and memorable. To my right marched the guardsman whose name I do not remember, but I will call him He-Who-Falls, and he, too, was brave and strong. Ahead of me was the Otter Son, and to Khan’s left was Ali Esther. We had to run to avoid a swarm of flesh rippers, but we eventually reached the cairn of the eagle’s death.
The party consisted of a paladin (Gant), a fighter (He-Who-Falls, later Monsaram), a cleric (Ivar Ottarson, later Einarsson), a wizard (Aliester), and an OA shaman (Bode). The cairn was a ring of standing stones, and the eagle was a druid. The cairn was five miles (one hex) northeast of the village of Ashenshaft.
Ah, but there was a lot of death! Six of the eagle’s fellow cultists were clubbed down like piglets before a hungry overlord, but at least they killed one orc ere their death. The Otter Son started climbing down into the cairn, but he fell and threw up my torch. He-Who-Falls went in after Otter Son, but he went too far and too fast. I couldn’t see, so I nudged my torch into the cairn and saw orcs ready to eat Otter Son. Praise the great spirits for our victory over those orcs, and over the orcs who ambushed me later that night! Though I admit, spirits punish those stupid enough to camp outside an enemy’s lair.
Gant Malose led us deeper into the cairn, where we defeated foul lizardmen and seized their treasures. We espied the handiwork of the orcine tomb raiders, and vowed to kill them and seize what they have plundered. We were foolish enough to free a swarm of zombie halfling anklebiters, but Otter Son rebuked them most savagely and we smashed them most delightfully. We bypassed a deadly trap, and slew all those who opposed us until we were surprised by the green axeman and his ogre barbarian.
The cairn had two entrances: a shaft into the darkness, and a tunnel two levels down that led into the swamps. The first level featured stone caskets guarded by two orcs; one casket hid stairs leading down. The stairs emptied into a rough-hewn tomb with two carved passageways and one freshly dug tunnel into the swamps; the passageways were patrolled by two more orcs. The tomb featured two plundered rooms containing two troglodyte squatters each, a room containing ten pygmy zombies behind dire runes of warning, and a room with a chasm guarded by a deadly scythe trap. There were also statues of Set surrounded by coins, but we shied away from the evil.
Alas! Why must we learn humility at the hands of ogre barbarians! Though my spirit badger returned the green axeman to the smoky depths of hell from which he came, the ogre merely crawled around on the ground, lulling us into a false sense of confidence. He-Who-Falls tried to cut him, but the ogre laid him low. When I tried to approach, the ogre sent me reeling backwards. Khan tells me that Ali Esther actually took up arms against the ogre, only to be smashed into Otter Son’s arms. Ah, great cola maker! You die too young! But Gant Malose, the brave and strong and memorable guardman, ferociously slew the ogre in single combat. Ah, if I could have only seen that! Instead, I run towards the sun bearing my friend’s corpse, even as He-Who-Falls steals from a foul snake-like monstrosity.
Oh great spirits of man! If only you can teach us not to steal from foul snake-like monstrosities! Oh great spirits of man! Take now this soul, and keep him well!
Cola!
Past the chasm was a room containing the big-bad with his ogre bodyguard. Though we had five 1st level characters, we think we were facing an EL 5 duo. Momentarily incapacitating the ogre with a Grease spell, the wizard entered combat and was the first to die. Past this room, through a secret door, was a shrine containing a magical sword (stolen by Monsaram), guarded by a snake-like monstrosity (poison golem).
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