Scales of War part 3: The Rivenroar Family Crypt 21/10/2012

From the other side of the door out of the Mushroom Pit came a cry for help. The heroes went to investigate, however Lucian trod on a Slumberspore and fell asleep. The cry came from an old woman, who turned out to be Zerriska the Crone, one of the seven people the heroes were commissioned to rescue. They freed her from the magic circle in which she was trapped, and put up with her ravings about her having ‘Dark Powers’ long enough to know that, far from being a witch, she is a skilled herbalist. The heroes suggested that she might make up a healing potion for them, and after being given the tools and materials to do it, she grudgingly agreed, though it would be some time before it was ready.

The heroes proceeded back into the Mushroom Pit and decided to see what was at the top of the holes in the ceiling. Sayer went up first to find two goblins bearing down on him. Sayer took advantage of his mobility to deal with the goblins, killing one and fooling the other into taking a fall into the Mushroom Pit. This kept Grambur busy for a little while, as it was all he could do to prevent the Goblin from escaping. Meanwhile, the fight had drawn the attention of some of the Hobgoblins who were resting in the room to the South of the corridor Sayer had found himself in. They stormed over the hole hoping to take out the Eladrin Ranger, however Oro appeared from the hole and used the Acid Arrow to burn two of the vile creatures to death. The remaining hobgoblin turned his attention to Oro, causing him some severe damage, and Oro retreated back down the hole, but this gave Sayer the opportunity to finish the fight with a well-placed arrow to the neck.

Heading North up the corridor and taking a turn to the right, the heroes found themselves in a crypt. The sarcophagi in the middle of the room looked interesting but there was no time to investigate, as some Hobgoblins were waiting there and one of them had a bow. The heroes lost no time in launching the attack; Grambur positioned himself in range of as many of the creatures as possible. Most of the hobgoblins went down rather easily but the one with the bow proved a tough opponent to beat down. It hadn’t helped that another hobgoblin had descended the wrought iron stairs at the top of the room. Oro used his cold magic to slow the hobgoblin down and deny him the use of his already limited mobility, which meant Sayer had an easier time positioning himself for the attack. Ultimately the cowardly nature of hobgoblins won the day for the heroes; when the villains tried to run, the heroes took advantage and cut them down.

Inside one sarcophagus was a substantial pile of gold and silver, and a green gem. Grambur would have quite happily taken the ‘Dwarven Share’ of more than half of it, but he soon forgot about it once he discovered that the other sarcophagus contained a Frost Axe. Grambur eagerly took the axe for his own, naming it ‘Wintersbite.’

The heroes also had a look at the altar in the room, and discovered that the Hobgoblins were using it as an altar to Bane. However, Oro realised that the altar had previously been used as an altar to Vecna, the god of forbidden knowledge. A sense of foreboding filled the heroes as they gazed at the messages written around the walls of the crypt: “Here lie the Rivenroars until the day of the Black Sun. If you seek their monument, look at the lands around you.”

Experience: 197 each

Treasure:

• 26 arrows
• 200 gold pieces
• 200 silver pieces
• A green gem worth 8 gold pieces
• Frost Axe (lv. 3) “Wintersbite”

Scales of War part 2: Descent into Rivenroar 24/10/2012

Session Log 24/10/2012

The heroes met at the Northern Bridge. The battle was long since over, but the heroes guessed there was more to the attack than met the eye and were determined to investigate. At a loss for somewhere to go, they ended up in the Moondust Temple, a small place on the South West corner of Brindol devoted to Sehanine. There they met with a Priestess called Lia, who suggested that they talk to the Town Councillor Eoffram Troyas. Realising there was nothing they could do for the town that night, the heroes found lodgings in the Avandrian Hostel and settled down for the night, at a discounted rate since the battle with the Ogre that afternoon…

A new day dawned and had nearly reached its peak when the heroes met with Councillor Troyas. Troyas explained that 7 of the town’s citizens had gone missing and were suspected to be abducted by the Hobgoblins; he was looking for help to find them. He did not offer the commission lightly, but after Grambur impressed him with his physical prowess and Lucian made some insightful remarks about proving themselves to the town council, Troyas was forced to reconsider. The deal was sealed when Oro told the councillor that the heroes had no intention of letting history repeat itself and was determined to stop the Red Hand. Troyas was satisfied that these were the people he was looking for, explained who was missing and also that some treasure had gone missing as well; certain items of little material value but of huge social value to the township.

After a visit to the Hall of Great Valour to inspect the treasure that had gone missing, the heroes learned of a hobgoblin taken prisoner. They went to investigate, and after some less-than-gentle persuasion found out some useful information: The leader of the Hobgoblins was called Sinruth, a determined young Hobgoblin looking to raise an army and start his own Fiefdom in the Elsir Vale. For now, he was calling the abandoned Castle Rivenroar home, and had most likely taken the prisoners back there to feed to the ‘Undead Horrors’ that shared the catacombs with the goblins…

The heroes headed north, and though the going was hard for the Elves, they made it to the castle surprisingly without incident. All that changed when they marched into the catacombs beneath the castle. They appeared to be in the entrance to a crypt, and two Goblinoids were standing guard. One of them triggered a curious trick; the braziers either side of the room moved along the walls and shot fire at each other; it singed Grambur’s beard. The goblins were quickly and easily dispatched, whereupon the heroes had 3 choices: Do they head for the crypt of Von Urstadt, Von Jallach, or go through the doors that apparently lead to the crypt of the Rivenroar family?

Electing to head for the Rivenroar crypt, the heroes proceeded with a lot more caution. They headed down a long set of stairs, and the only sound was their feet echoing off the flagstones. Just when they were wondering if the stairs would ever end, they came upon a door. Lucian pricked up his Elven ears and heard that… something… was asleep in the next room…

Stealth seemed the best course of action and the heroes slunk through into a room filled with Mushrooms. It came as no surprise to Veteran Treasure Hunter Grambur that the mushrooms could potentially be dangerous if they were tampered with, and Oro knew enough about them to be able to say what they were: A combination of Brown Cloudspore, White Shriekers, Grey Doomspores and Red Slumberspores. The snoring that Lucian heard came from a Rage Drake asleep guarding the only visible way out of the room, and given the Dwarf’s rarely-welcome penchant for noise, the heroes decided matters would be a lot simpler if they took advantage of it’s sleepiness and killed it. Grambur rushed the creature and between them the heroes did a lot of damage before the drake had a chance to react. However, Grambur’s relentless attack pushed the drake into a cluster of mushrooms and he set off a Slumberspore, it had little effect on the Drake but did knock Grambur out cold. Not even a mauling from the Drake could wake him up. Lucian and Oro tried to help their fallen companion by firing shot after shot at the Drake and it seemed to work as with a bloodthirsty roar it charged for the Elves. Little did it realise the path would take him across more mushrooms; whereupon he set off a Shrieker and another Slumberspore. This time, it knocked him straight out, and Lucian finished it off with a knife to the heart.

With shafts leading to the floor above, and a door leading off into another room, the adventure has only just started…

Experience: 575 each.

Scales of War part 1: Batle at the Bar 17/10/2012

Our tale begins in one of Brindol’s Taverns; Ilya’s Cardhouse. Sat around a table near to the hearth, four figures sat, drinking jovially and playing cards. Their motivations for being in a cardhouse in Brindol were kept to themselves, but their instincts allowed for the company of strangers.

Towards the middle of the afternoon, Lucian and Orodrethanthilis, the two elves, happened to look across the room to a table at the back of the card house where three men were sat around, playing cards. Of particular interest to the elves were the thirty golden pieces set on the table, and sensing the opportunity for a profit, challenged the braggarts to a game. Lucian played extremely well and Oro managed to claim some coin. Even Grambur the Dwarf Warrior managed to win a few hands, and they looked very close to cleaning the players out. Just as accusations of cheating were beginning to fly, the door burst open and some Goblinoids entered the room…

The Hobgoblins seemed intent on causing as much havoc as possible, but the elves were quicker to react and cut several of them down quite quickly. Goblin Blackblades, making use of their diminutive size, ran around the tavern setting the place on fire, including the bar and the table on which the card game was brought to such a juddering halt. For his own entertainment as much as anything else, Grambur strode straight into the fray, taking several blows but refusing to go down. Lucian and Sayer, the Eladrin Ranger, took a height advantage of the tables and sniped at the hobgoblins, and those who had the presence of mind to pay attention to Oro would have found it curiously amusing that he was doing far more damage with his quarterstaff and throwing knife than he was with his spells. The battle was over when a goblin, having backed Sayer up against a wall, failed to see Grambur coming up behind him and was subsequently chopped into two pieces, neither side very pretty.

After leaving the Tavern to a bucket line, and berating the town guards for not being much help, the heroes learned that attacks like this were happening all over the town. Sayer and Oro pricked up their elven ears at the sounds of just such another attack, and used the opportunity to tell the others to get into position. Sayer took up a vantage point on top of a Barber’s Shop, to see an Ogre pulling a wagon, carring a lit barrel of pitch and threatening to throw it at any second. Grambur took in the situation at once, attacking the Ogre head on so that he could neither proceed further or run away. Lucien, in a concealed position, took a careful aim and hit the pitch that the Ogre was carrying, causing it to explode. The fire quickly spread, injuring the Hobgoblins and the Ogre. Oro, Sayer and Grambur wore the huge beast down with their relentless attacks, but in the end it was the fire that consumed it. Grambur strode forward to finish off the Hobgoblins, killing one. The other tried to escape, but another careful shot from Lucian put paid to any hope of escape.

Exhausted from their endeavour to stay alive, the heroes learned that the town guard had driven back the Hobgoblin incursion. However, it was not lost on the heroes that many of the fallen Hobgoblins bore the mark of the Red Hand, the army that attacked Brindol 10 years ago. Somehow, they felt they hadn’t seen the last of these Hobgoblins…

Experience: 279 each

Treasure:

• 30 arrows
• 30 Gold Pieces from playing cards.