Edward (lvl8)

Later that Night:

Edward fell asleep. He had a long ackward dream but a dream nonetheless.

First he saw the blue Gnomes. The were falling and waving goodbye to them. Edward waved goodbye. Then he saw that girl that always tried to propose. She was also falling and waving goodbye. Edward waved goodbye to her also. Edward walked down a lane he was familiar with and unfamilair with at the same time. He saw a road sign saying "memory lane." He kept walking down the lane peeping into houses. The first house he saw was a baby being born. That was a little vivid for Edward so he kept walking. The next house he peeped into he saw a little boy that looked a lot like what Edward looked like when he was younger playing outside in the mud and his mother coming to yell at him for getting dirty right before church.

Edward realized. This is my life. That was me being born. He ran and kept on running down the lane to see where it would end. He felt like he was running forever. He peeped into the next house. This house looked like "Dangerous Toys," his weapon shoppe. He wanted to know how he was going to die. He kept running and running until suddenly there were no more houses only trees and he ran smack dab into Rebekah. He must have woken up. But no he didn't he looked down and he was still on the road that led back to his memories. Rebekah called out to him to quit is foolish hunt for fame and money and that they needed help and it was high time he started helping his team. For some reason this made complete since to Edward.

Edward woke up all sweaty.

Rebekah (lvl 7)

“Bekah.” her father said in a voice stern, yet soft.

“Yes Daddy?”

“Remember what I taught you. It is not enough to be strong, but you must also be quick of mind and body. Out think your enemy, outlast them, out maneuver them. Those who rely on force alone are easily slow of wit and arm.”

“Yes Daddy.” she smiled.

“And Becka, always remember I love you.”

These words had run through her head countless times, but never before had they seemed more real. Standing face to face with the bastard Half-Orc who had slain her Father, claiming to be her half brother, it was time to end his charade and his life.

“I’m going to break you.” Zurik growled.

She only smiled as the half-orc charged forward with his giant great axe. A clumsy strike easily avoided, or so she thought. As Zurik pulled passed her instead of swinging the bladed end he swung a back swing with the butt of the axe catching her in the back of the head.

A flash of light and then spots began to cloud her vision. Feeling the axe swinging behind her she tumbled out of the way of a swing and raised back to her feet at a ready position. Zurik made the first move again hoping to end this quickly.

Attacking with hearts full of love and hate the two began a dance of flashing steel and cold iron. Sparks flew as the weapons connected again and again unable to find their marks. Zurik pulled back and for a moment before making a lunge at Rebekah, and in this moment the die was cast and fate decided.

“. . .always remember I love you.”

In a deafening crack of thunder the ground itself shook as Rebekah’s sword made contact with the soft underbelly of the half-orc cleaving him in two. The clumsy lunge had opened just enough of his defense for Rebekah to take the full advantage.

Dropping to her knees next to the two halves of the half-orc, she cradled her fathers sword and began to weep.

Session Summary 5 & 6

Conquest of Bloodsworn Vale (Part 1)

After seeing an ad requesting mercenaries to come help clear the wilds of the Bloodsworn Vale, the adventuring group consisting of Seren, an elf druid, Edward, the Human Ranger, Rebekkah, the Shaonti Barbarian, and Shepherd the human cleric, makes their way towards Fort Thorn.

Upon arrival, the group meets Sir Tolgrith, the likable lord of the fort. He thanks the group for coming and tells them of an ambush that has occured, killing several of his workers. The bodies were found intact, with the exception that they were each missing ears. The group agrees to check it out and see if they can discover the culprits. They make their way to the ambush site and discover tracks that lead them back to a grove of rose bushes, and a stairway leading down under the ground.

In a small underground complex, they find a group of Roseblood Sprites. After dealing with the creatures and clearing the complex, they discover that the sprites were forced to cut their ears off by their king, whose motives are unclear, and they were cutting off the ears of the workers for use in a ritual to regrow their own ears. The group kills the king and returns to the fort to inform Sir Tolgrith.

Tolgrith is pleased that this has been taken care of and tells the group about scouts having seen owlbears nearby. So far, the owlbears have not attacked, but Tolgrith is afraid they will soon. The group decides to attempt to track down these owlbears.

They go out exploring in the wilderness. They find an interesting, though empty, mountain named Pointer's Rock. They then spot a pair of owlbears roaming the woods, and ambush the two creatures. After killing them, they follow the owlbears tracks back to a cave. Inside, they kill two more owlbears, before discovering a nest in the back containing three owlbear cubs.

After a heated conversation about how to handle these cubs, the group decides, somewhat reluctantly, to take them back to the fort and take care of them, until they may release them into the wild again. However, this plan changes, when Rebekkah reveals to Sir Tolgrith that they have brought these owlbears into the camp. Tolgrith orders the group to remove the owlbears from the camp, and the group agrees.

They take the owlbears into the wilderness and search for more owlbear tracks. After following a set of tracks to another cave, the group decides they will leave the cubs for these other owlbears to look after.

Back at Fort Thorn, Sir Tolgrith tells the group about a problem the camp has been having with water pollution. The water that the fort uses comes from the river flowing north from the lake nearby. Once every month, the water becomes polluted for one day. The camp has become used to this, and keeps a stockpile of water to use on this day, but Tolgrith asks the group if they wouldn't mind checking it out for him, as the day this happens will be two days from now. The group agrees and heads towards the Mist Lake.

Seren (lvl 6)

By elf standards, Seren is relatively young at 96 years of age, but she often feels much older than her years. Witnessing the slaughter of her people and the land has aged her far beyond her years. She hopes that her people can someday rebuild their towns and return to their former glory, and she sends every spare coin she can muster to help with the cause. Although Seren prefers to remain away from people and instead lives out in the wild with the company of her wolf familiar, Kiros, she can only gain miniscule amounts of money via hunting and trapping, and she must instead turn to the town and adventuring to earn what money she can.

Seren has had Kiros since he was a pup and she is fiercely devoted to him. She is fluent in the language of animals, and her and Kiros often have long conversations on their adventures. She considers him to be her best friend, and when she is in wolf form, they often hunt together side by side.

Unnecessary bloodshed makes Seren sick, and she will never attack without being provoked in some way. Although she understands that violence is sometimes a necessary evil, it reminds her of the destruction of the war and she tries to avoid it if at all possible. She usually tries to attack only to wound or slow the target, and leaves the killing to others with a larger appetite for blood.

Rebekah (lvl 6)

Rebekah stands tall, even for a woman of her tribe. The only child of a Shaonti warrior, her mother died in child birth and with that death a new life was brought into the world. Her life was a hard one in her youth and training. Her father loved her dearly but feared she may suffer from the same frailty as her mother and vowed to make her stronger than that.

She discovered early on that it was to her advantage to rely more on her speed and agility to survive over her general endurance. Her combat almost mimicking dance, she learned the weapons of Shaonti war. Preferring the freedom of unencumbered movement she was drawn to a more barbaric way of war. Armoring herself in a more freeing chain shirt and smooth leather leggings, her heavy boots seem almost out of place. Trimmed in animal fur and feathers of the wild she seems almost the personification of the Shriikirri-Quah from whom she hails.

Rebekah wears her hair short in custom with her people, but her travels have made her a little vain as she has added some style to it. Her body is decorated in a handful of tribalistic animal tattoos. Her favorite is the hawk that decorates her back, nearly covering all of it with wings up stretched to her shoulders.

Rebekah prefers a minimalist approach when arming herself for combat, preferring to rely on sling and her fathers magically enchanted Zweilhander. Still she carried a War Razor for those moments when small arms combat seems best and a traditionally decorated tribal dagger which sees more use as a skinning tool.

Rebekah has made a living as a trapper, dealing in furs. Operating with traps made of her own design she prefers to capture without killing and only taking the lives and skins of those animals she can make a personal peace with.

A traditional Daddy’s Girl, Rebekah does not suffer nicknames. He was the only one who ever called her anything but Rebekah and the only allowed to.

-------

Smoke billowed from the open slit in the roof of the tent filling the air around it with the scent of shaonti incense and charred herbs. Marked with little more than a few primitive scratches along the front flat there was still little doubt of the one who occupied it. A crone with a deep understanding of the bones she cast and the cards which spoke as she laid them out, she held company with the world around her and here found her solace. With no claim to any existing tribe still many flocked to her when the tent erected in sight of the nomadic peoples. It was here he came looking for the one who marked him.

She smiled as he pulled back the flap and crouched low to make his way inside. It had been long since had last come to her and she knew he still had not found what he had asked for then. Dropping more dried roots into the ceremonial flame an eye was cast to this half-orc who had come to her.

His features were hard and gruff as he took in the tent. Scars marred most his body and little effort was made to cover them. It was not his way. The most prominent of these scars had taken his right eye and left unique scarring of fire and steel down to his jaw. In the open socket he his eye had been replaced by a smooth sphere of onyx on which orcish symbols of war had been crudely engraved.

With as much grace as he could command from his massive frame he sat before the old woman and slowly began to speak in guttural tones, “No games this time Jana, you know why I’m here.”

A smirk pulled at the mask of leather her face had become and the lines that crossed it raised. Reaching into a bag laying against the canvas wall she dropped a few pungent green leaves into the fire. The air crackled and the flames pulled back their ascent and clung close to the coals now.

“Of course I know why you’re here Zurik.” her voice filled the air and laid heavy on the smoke. “These past few years have not been kind to your search but have weighed heavy on your wisdom and tempered your resolve. I can see that in your face now and it pleases these old bones. Still I do not know if you are ready.”

Zurik pulled at the fire pelt tail that hung from his thigh as he looked the old woman over, making effort to choose his words more carefully than before.

“I have hunted this world of your own people these past years and left no chance to find her and still she escapes me. I do not come here to ask for your insight now, but to demand it.” his voice booming with these last words of threat and promise.

“Demand it?” she snickered, “and what would you demand of me you bastard child of shaonti and orc?”

“You know what I want Jana. I told you no games this time.”

Zurik began to toy with the butt of his axe handle and grinned through the smoke.

“And you should know by now that I do not play games, but simply act as a messenger of the spirits and Gods.”

“Then cast the bones and be done with it!”

This made Jana smile as she pulled a handful of carved and burnt bones from a pouch on her side and held them out to the half-orc. Taking them from her hands into his own he held them to his lips and blew across them. Then with one fluid movement they were cast before her and through the smoke seemed to take on a life of their own as the sailed across the tent.

Jana took a hard stare at how the bones had fallen and then a hard stare at Zurik, “Your sister sat where you sit not three moons ago.”

“Do not call her that!” he growled.

“I will call her what she is half-breed. What horrors your Father and his people laid upon your Mother and her people are of none of my concern, nor is any matter of war. She is your sister as you her brother.”

A hard silence fell heavy on the tent as Zurik ground his teeth in a cold star at Jana. Pulling together what composure he had left he closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them once more with a smile, “What was she here for?”

“Nothing different for what you yourself seek.” Jana replied as she gathered the bones back into the pouch before continuing, “All this time you’ve hunted her when in fact she too has been hunting you Zurik. Seems to run in the family.” she grinned, grinding deeper into his patience.

“Hunting me?” he snorted, “What makes the little rabbit so bold as to follow the wolf?”

“Bold words Zurik when she gave you that.” she said pointing to the scar that had taken the half-orc’s eye.

“This?” he laughed bringing a hand faintly to his face, “Luck and nothing more. She would have been crushed under my boot as he was and the sword taken rightfully as mine if it hadn’t been for shaonti arrows.”

Jana grinned.

“Where did she leave for?” he questioned.

“Oh?” Jana paused, “I never said she left.”

The breath in Zurik’s lungs turned cold as the air outside the tent began to surge with static and a great thundering boom.

“You’ve betrayed me hag!” he bellowed pulling the hand axe from his belt.

“Betrayed you!?!.” she laughed, “I’ve given you both what you wanted and now death awaits!” she cackled.

Her laughter echoing inside his head until silenced with the crack of his axe deep inside her skull. Then turning to the back of the tent, Zurik tore a hole through the canvas wall and erupted forth with rage and hatred seething.

“I’m taking more than an eye this time.” the shaonti woman spat at the half-orc.

He grinned at this as he looked over the figure that stood before him. Dwarfed by the sword she wielded, dwarfed by his own intimidating presence. Great axe firm in hand he growled,

“Rebekah.”

Mailee (lvl3)

When Mailee and Bandy were young their parents used to send them off to stay with their uncle a lot. Some times they would just send Bandy and sometimes they would just send Mailee. On this particular week they decided to just send Mailee. Mailee was young but much older than she had been the last time she went to see her Dad's brother. She was laying in bed one night and thought she heard an animal. She bolted upright in her bed, she heard it again. And again. She looked out the window at the barn that she was not allowed to go into. There was a light coming thru the top of the barn. Her uncle must be in there she thought. Mailee decided that since she was older that she should be allowed to see whats in the Barn. It couldn't be that bad could it, because her uncle was a good man. Mailee crept up to the barn and heard more animals more distinctly. She was thinking why would her uncle not let her go in a barn full of animals knowing that she loved animals. Were they dangerous? Was he trying to protect her? There was only one way to find out. She pried open the side door on the barn and saw her uncle on the other side facing away from her. It didn't look like he heard the door open. She took a step inside and heard the animals and looked up. There were many different types of animals hanging in the air in cages and the the smell hit her. Her uncle was cutting up a deer. When the animals saw her they started bleeting louder and that made her uncle look up. As he turned around Mailee could see the wall behind him There were animal insides nailed to the wall and their heads were in a bucket on the floor. Mailee screamed as her uncle hollared at her to get out of there. She composed her self and started yelling at her uncle and looking around for a ladder. Her uncle started to chase after her. She found the ladder and climbed up it. Her uncle tried to follow but once she got up it she kicked it over. She ran to a pulley and flipped it which dropped all of the cages. Most of them busted open and the animals started heading for an open door. Mailee noticed that the ladder was starting to go back up and she kicked it over again. She quickly snuck over to the other side of the loft and jumped down on some bales of hay while her uncle not noticing she jumped down had put the ladder back up and started climbing. When he got up there Mailee knocked the ladder down again so that he was stuck up top. She ran to the cages and opened them all and ran out the barn and ran back to town.

Thaelyn (lvl3)

He sat alone that night taking a table away from the from the loud drunks and tales spun by the adventurers who had come to Falcon’s Hallow in hopes of fame and fortune. It was the kind of night at the Sitting Duck that mimic’s every other night. A handful of patrons had just started a fresh game of knivesies and mig-a-mug-tug was in full swing on the other side. Had it been the kind of night that mimicked most of his own he would have been hustling some poor kid fresh off the boat in a game of cards, but this wasn’t one of those nights for him.

Thaelyn called for fifth tankard of dark wood leaf and opened the letter for the fourth time since he had came in. It was a late night call for him, but he had picked up Bailey from Andrea’s and tucked her in for the night. Making sure she was sound asleep he made his way to the Duck drown his sorrows and with any luck one more memory.

See, it wasn’t for lack of love for his daughter that Thaelyn found ways to spend so much time away as it was a love for the woman he buried beneath an old willow tree. When a man loses the one thing in this world that had completed him, the one thing that ever truly made him feel as if he was worth a damn he finds it impossible to let go. Bailey was so much like her mother that the child that filled his heart with joy also broke it every time he saw that smiling face. He couldn’t let go of what he had lost to appreciate what he had gained.

Turning the letter over once more silent tears began to roll down his cheeks and he lowered his head down to the table and closed his eyes.

“Sing Thaelyn.” he could hear in his head. Not his own inner workings, but her voice asking the same way she always had. That tender voice so filled with love.

It started as mumbles fighting through the silent sobs and slowly building until it could no longer be held in his chest. Thaelyn sat up and leaned back in his chair filling his lungs with the smoky air of the tavern he let out a haunting melody that slowly overtook it until all eyes and all ears were on him. As he continued a Bard who had been sitting at the bar contemplating his own ideals of love picked up his mandolin and began to play a haunting tune for this haunting song. It wasn’t long until “The Twins” a pair of local bards had joined in on their shawm and lyre. By now almost the entire bar had joined in, but Thaelyn continued oblivious to it all. His eyes closed, he was only thinking of the woman who wanted to hear him sing.

When he finished he laid his head back down on the table and slowly the tavern returned to their nightly revelry. Still Thaelyn only sat there and mumbled to himself until the bard who had played the mandolin walked over and placed his hand on Thaelyn’s shoulder. Raising his head halfway all he could see through the tears and the beer was the symbol of Sarenrae tattooed on his inner arm. Leaning down he slowly whispered something into his ear and with a smile returned to his stool at the bar.

Drying his eyes and wiping his face off Thaelyn dropped a couple silver coins on the table and staggered his way home. Quietly opening the door and moving his way through the house he went to his daughters room and looked in on her from the doorway. After a while had passed she rolled over in her bed and lazily opened her eyes to the figure at the door.

“Daddy?” she yawned.

“Yeah baby?” he smiled.

“What’s wrong?”

Thaelyn walked into the room and pulled the covers back up over her and then sat on the side of her bed. He closed his eyes and lifted his head towards the sky with a chuckle he thought of what seemed like Sarenrae had whispered in his ear.

“Nothings wrong, but how would you like it if your old man sang you a lullaby?”

Bailey inched closer to her Dad and curled her body under the covers around him and smiled, “I think I’d like that a lot.”

Lilith (lvl3)

"You can't heal it more?"

The two clerics stared down at the newborn infant, the elder one stopping to look at the other.

"I've done what I can. She isn't in pain," the elder one said quietly.
"But I don't have the power to regenerate, or remove any more of the scarring. This is the best we can do."

"Why?" asked the younger one, tears in his eyes. "Why would she- if she was going to abandon her anyways- why would she cause her pain like that first?"

"I don't flatter myself to think I can understand her reasons," the elder cleric told him sagely. "The child is in the arms of Desna now- with her blessing, her luck will change."

"But how can you..." the younger cleric said, trailing off and shaking his head in disgust. "How can you explain to a child, why she is....the way that she is?"

The elder cleric pulled out his handkerchief and wrapped it around the child's head, obscuring both her scarred ear and the normal one.

"She doesn't have to know. Not while she's still a child," he said sagely, allowing the baby to clutch at his finger. "No one needs to know."

The younger cleric swallowed and nodded, still trying to get over the image burned in his mind. "We should name her," he said finally.
"Something lucky, and something good. To change the child's fortune."

"The child already has a name, and I don't know that it's either lucky or good," the elder cleric told him dryly. "But it was given to her before she arrived here, and I think we owe the child to keep it.
Desna likes her servants to try and make their own luck."

The younger cleric looked at him curiously. "And what is her name?"

"Lilith."

Session Summary 3 & 4

Crown of the Kobold King (Part 2)

The group makes their way farther into the complex below the monestary. They hear fighting coming from up ahead and see Bailey, along with an unknown halfling fighting back a group of kobolds. After dispatching the kobolds, Bailey and Thaelyn are reunited.

The halfling, who says his name is Edgrin, claims to be part of an adventuring party that came to the monestary looking for treasures. The rest of his party was killed, except him and an elf friend of his. He was able to escape from the kobolds, thanks in no small part to Bailey's help, but his elf friend was taken to be prepared for sacrifice.

When Thaelyn mentions leaving, now that he has Bailey safely back again, she refuses and says that they must rescue her friends, who were taken to a well in the back of the complex. Eventually the group comes to this well, but hears the whimpering of a child down another tunnel. When they follow the sounds, they come across a giant forge, and what looks to be some sort of dwarf covered in chains and spikes and fire. They destroy the monstrosity and rescue the boy Jurin, the chubby son of local lumber baron Gavel Kreed.

The group descends into the well and into a cavern system. As soon as they are all down, draconic shouts come for a tunnel nearby and running footsteps approach. The screams of two children for help are heard. The group sees two children running towards them, Mikra and Savram, and they help defend the children against the pursuing kobolds.

After the battle, a kobold nursury is found. The group leaves the children in the room, with the halfling to watch over them. Mailee takes two of the kobold eggs and stashes them away in her bag. The group continues on down the tunnels.

In the next room, they find fourteen sleeping kobolds. Thaelyn moves quietly through the room and dispatches each one as they sleep.

Continuing on, the group reaches the throne room, where a muscular red-scaled kobold sits, one eye covered by the skull of some small unfortunate mammal, and a crown perched upon his head. He greets the group, and asks why they have come to his caves.

Thaelyn steps forward and leads negotiations. He begins to offer things from his bag in exchange for the safe return of the children. The kobold king agrees, and even offers Thaelyn the esteemed position of becoming a great sacrifice. When Thaelyn refuses, by taking one of the kobold eggs from Mailee's bag and shattering it at the feet of the king, the kobold is stunned, and negotiations are over.

The fight is short, but brutal. While the rest of the group is being held back by the king's two gaurds, Thaelyn is forced to go toe-to-toe with the muscular kobold king. At first, the fight is going good for Thaelyn, who takes a few jabs at the king's apparent clumsiness with his great-axe. Thaelyn even plays with the king a bit, slapping him across the face in battle. However, Thaelyn's self-confidence is shattered, when the king brings the greataxe down through his skull.

Angered by the loss of their friend, the rest of the group finishes off the gaurds and kills the king. Nothing could be done for Thaelyn, and there was still one child missing, so the group continues on. They arrive in the sacrificial chambers in time to see a small, wicked looking kobold bring a curved dagger through a restrained elf's chest. The child Hollin is huddled into the corner of the room, frightened badly. The group kills the kobold and takes the child back to the others.

Mailee clumsily reveals Thaelyn's death to his daughter.

We will see how this story continues in "Carnival of Tears".

Next Game:
Conquest of Bloodsworn Vale
Wednesday 11/28/2007

Mailee (lvl3)

Mialee is a religious person. She didn't used to be until after the accident. There was an accident involving her best friend Tatianna and an orc. After the accident Tati was left crippled. The priests who tried to help her thought that she would never be able to walk. They encouraged her to pray, so she did. She prayed all day long and didn't stop until nightfall. When she awoke the next morning she could feel her legs. She could walk again. Ever since Tati and Mialee have prayed everyday thanking Gozreh. Gozreh is the God of Nature. Ever since Mialee has been praying to Gozreh she has seemed to have a pretty good life. She was inspired to learn the ways of the Druids because of Gozreh also. Mialee is very happy with her beliefs but also encourages others to have their own faiths. She doesn't believe in pushing her faith on others which is why you don't see her praying in front of others very often. She inspired her parents to be more faithful to their Gods and her sister followed along in her footsteps and now prays to her god everyday. Mialee believes that if you don't pray to your god then you might have an unfortunate day. One day Mialee missed praying because she forgot about it and felt that she would have a horrible day the next day so she stayed home and prayed all day that next day. Luckily for her nothing unfortnate happed to her. Thank Gozreh.

Varak (lvl3)

Varak grew up with his parents and brother in Falcon’s Hollow all his life. Him and his father did not get a long all that much. They both seem to have a anger problem to. He really never knew what his mother did for money but he did know that she went to the Rouge Lady Inn a lot. His brother is about 8 years old and he takes care of him most of the time. His father is always at the Lumberyard and his mother was always away for long periods of time.

Varak and his brother Glen were forced to fend for themselves after his mother and father both died from the Blackscour Taint. Varak’s brother was then sent to one of the monasteries in Falcon’s Hollow. Varak would visit his brother there on the monastery grounds and he would also watch the monks there as well. Varak became so interested in it, he went to them to see if he could be trained in the martial arts.

Sometime after he began his training there, Glen came down with the every same thing that took his parents lives. With this happening, Varak then realized that he needed to find something that would cure his brother, for he didn’t want the same thing to happen to his brother that had happened to his parents.

Thaelyn (lvl3)

He wasn’t fond of installing locks, preferring to open them but they’d offered to clear his tab and Thaelyn was not one to turn down the idea of free beer even if it had already been drunk. So finishing his tankard he followed the lead of the bar tender and made his way upstairs to examine the what needed locking. In the third room on the left sat a cleric of Sarenrae and before him a chest which had obviously seen better days. Without a word Thaelyn walked over to the chest and began examining the lock and hinges of the chest with great care not to actually disturb the lid and open it.

“You must be the locksmith.” the cleric spoke a bit nervously attempting to break the silence that had filled the room.

“That’s what they call me `round these parts.” Thaelyn answered in a voice seemingly cold and calculated.

After a few more silent minutes Thaelyn stood, without moving his eyes to the cleric. His face gently twisted in quiet contemplation he raised a single finger to his lips. The cleric becoming impatient finally broke the silence, this time more agitated then nervous.

“Can you fix the lock or am I just wasting my time here?”

Thaelyn was finishing moving through the inner workings of the lock within his own mind when the cleric broke his train of thought. Agitated himself after such an interruption he retorted, “The wards have been bent and warped and the cylinder has been punctured. The lever is half gone and the latch is bent. Did someone try to bust the lock with a chisel and hammer?”

The cleric smiled at Thaelyn pleased with the knowledge the locksmith seemed to possess, “That’s not important, what I need to know is if you can fix it can you fashion a new lock?”

“Yeah, I have a few laying around at home. I’ll have to screw in a new latch and ring on both sides of your old lock though. Gonna look a might messy and.” Thaelyn replied with a hint of a grin.

“That’s fine.”

With that Thaelyn ducked out of the room and within the hour returned going straight to work on the chest. It wasn’t long until he had fastened the holds and slid the locks into place. Going over it all once more until satisfied he finally stood and handed the two keys to the cleric.

“Most excellent. . .um, I didn’t get your name.” the cleric smiled as he walked over to the chest and began going over the work.

“Might be because I didn’t give it.” Thaelyn replied in that cold voice once more.

“Ah, anyways allow me to thank you for a job well done.” he said putting out his hand.

With a bit of reluctance Thaelyn shook hands with the servant of Sarenrae when suddenly the cleric reached up and pulled the collar of his shit down over his right shoulder. Feeling his personal being violated in some way Thaelyn brought up a stiff boot and kicked the man in the stomach dropping him to his knees. Snatching up his jacket Thaelyn made for the door when the cleric started to laugh.

“I know about you Thaelyn Creed, of you and your daughter. You still bear the mark of Sarenrae on your shoulder.” the cleric managed as he slowly regained his breath.

Thaelyn stopped at the door and without turning answered, “If you know about me you know I will kill you here in this room if you so much as mention my daughter again. Now tell me why you have come. This is more than mere chance isn’t it?”

The cleric pulled himself to his feet and then back to the cushioned chair he sat in earlier before raising his hand to offer Thaelyn a seat.

“I’ll stand.” he replied seething with anger.

“Fair enough.” the cleric smiled. “Now you’re right, this is no coincidence. I was sent here to find you. See the Church of Sarenrae does not so easily let go their own. Even though it may seem the contrary, it is not everyday one of our most promising Priests in training runs off with one of our most favored clerics.”

“We did what we thought we had to.” Thaelyn interrupted.

“That, I imagine you did.” the cleric paused for a minute, “I believe you’re taking this visit the wrong way Thaelyn.”

“What other way is there for me to take it? A hound of Sarenrae tracks me down and I’m not to be defensive? Not to expect the worst and protect my daughter?” Thaelyn answered on the verge of shouting.

“You should know better actually. Father Cisco sent me, not the church itself. It is true there may have been difficulties with your union but nothing that could have been forgiven.”

With that Thaelyn grabbed the chair next to him and threw it across the room, shattering it against the wall, “There was nothing about our love that needed forgiveness!” he shouted.

“Of course not. Now I’m the one who is need of forgiveness,” his lips drawing up into a devilish grin, “for I have not chosen my word appropriately. See the man who took you in off the streets and cared for you after you ran away from home loved you the way a Father loves a Son. You were always special to him. He would have seen you take a different path and seen you stay. What I am truly here for is to give you this from Father Cisco. He would like to see you again, and the child he feels a love for already as if she was his true granddaughter.” the cleric pulled a sealed envelope from his vestments and held it out.

Slowly crossing the room Thaelyn took the letter and tucked it into his own shirt.

“Read it now, read it later. What you do is yours alone, but the old man wants you to come home.”

“Is that all?” he asked the cleric as the anger began to subside.

“Yes, and come morning I will take my leave of this town.”

“What will you tell them when you return?”

“The truth. The letter has been delivered and the rest is in your hands.”

“If only it was that simple.” Thaelyn sighed.

“Yes, it is.” the cleric smiled.

Lilith (lvl3)

Once again, circumstances seem to have thrown me together with this same strange group. I know them all, but not much better than anyone else in this town, and I'm not sure that I'd want to know them much better if given the chance. Still, there's something strangely reassuring about having companions that aren't members of my clergy.
It's as if I feel more a part of the rest of the town.

Varak is quiet more often than not, and that suits me fine. Too many people waste words and I don't always have the patience for it. If I were choosing my companions, I think I'd gladly choose someone like him. He's strong and not at all difficult to get along with.

Mailee is also usually agreeable, although she's given to spots of bizarre behavior. I'm not sure I entirely understand her. At one moment, I feel as though we are entirely on the same page, and in the next, she starts spouting off nonsense about not wanting to kill or harm something that's directly attacking us. In spite of her strangeness, I feel as if I can relate to her more than the others in our group. When she's not at her most bizarre, we seem to often see eye to eye.

And as for Thaelyn...

Thaelyn brings out a side in me I didn't know I had, and I don't like it. His drunken and dangerous antics make me want to forget whatever vows I've made to heal and smack him upside his thick skull with my mace until he starts to get an idea of what sense is. I've never seen such recklessness anywhere else, not even from beasts, and many a time in my travels with him I thought he was surely going to kill us all.

But both times we've traveled together, he's been fighting to save his daughter. I've never really met her, but I've seen her, and I recognize her for what she is. She's...she's one of my kind. A mistake, the visual proof of someone doing something that is widely forbidden.

And yet...the people around her don't seem to be repulsed. I know my sight can't be that keen, and they must recognize what she is as well, but they don't react with the sort of revulsion and disgust that I would except. It's almost as if they've accepted her in spite of what she is. And for that reason, stubborn, drunken recklessness or not, I'll continue to adventure alongside Thaelyn for as long as I can survive it. If it...he, or her...if it leads me to understanding how he got people to accept something so hideous, maybe someday, I won't feel the need to hide anymore.

Session Summary 2

Crown of the Kobold King: Part 1

Two months after the events in the last adventure, the group is brought together again by circumstance. Last week, the orphanage outside of Falcon's Hollow, Elara's Halfway House, burnt to the ground. The town guard searched the area, but there were no survivors of the blaze, and no cause for the fire was found.

After an afternoon at the local tavern, Thaelyn stops by Andrea's house to pick up his daughter. Andrea is a local teenager, who makes a copper piece here and there by babysitting local children from her parents house. Thaelyn arrives at her house to find that his daughter, Bailey, ran off with some of her friends and Andrea has been unable to find her. Thaelyn leaves angry, and storms through the streets looking for his daughter. On the way, Varak, Mailee and Lilith are brought into the search.

After badgering a group of children to tell them where his daughter went, Thaelyn gets a lead. A group of kids including his daughter has gone to the orphanage to spend the night on a dare. Thaelyn leads the rest of the group down the road to the Orphanage.

Upon arrival, they find the area empty, except for the burnt shell of the halfway house. After searching the area, they find a trapdoor in the center of the ruins. After busting through the trapdoor, and clearing the room of the swarm of spiders that occupied it, the group finds that the cellar was used as some sort of torture chamber. The dead body of Elara lies on the floor, not killed by fire, which has mostly left this cellar untouched, but by a bite of some sort on the throat. Her wedding band is missing from her finger. A pair of silver daggers and a bag full of garlic on a table in the cellar makes the group suspicious of vampires.

They carry the body of Elara from the cellar and plan to take it back to town, when Mailee spots some sort of blue fabric in the nearby woods. When she inspects it, she finds an abandoned campsite. The blue fabric was a tent that has now been shredded on the ground. There are signs of struggle everywhere, with scraps of clothing and blood littering the area. Lilith spots a few reptilian scales on the ground, and Mailee identifies them as kobold scales.

Something moves in the woods and catches Mailee's eye. She chases after it. Thaelyn is overcome by grief when he sees a scrap of his daughters dress on the ground. Mailee catches up to the figure moving in the woods, and finds that it is a young girl, scared and hungry.

The girl seems to be afraid of Mailee, but runs back to the rest of the group. Thaelyn approaches her and asks about his daughter. She tells him that a group of children were here, but they were taken by kobolds. The girl says her name is Jeva, and that she lived at the orphanage and survived when everyone else was killed. Thaelyn notices a necklace around her neck. When he asks to see it, the girl gets defensive. Thaelyn rips the necklace free and finds a wedding band hanging from the end of it. When the girl gets more defensive, and the group realizes that Mailee was carrying the garlic, Thaelyn suspects the girl of being a vampire.

His suspicions are confirmed when she knocks him to his back and attempts to tear out his throat. The group quickly comes down upon her and ties her up. She reveals what she knows about where the kobold's took the children: the dwarven monestary that the group is familiar with from their last adventure. After this information is given, Mailee puts a spear through the vampire's skull.

The group makes their way to the dwarven monestary, and then down the stairs in the back, which they last saw their friend Gurtlekep descend. At the bottom of the stairs a group of kobolds work collecting obsidian from a broken statue. After attempts to negotiate with the reptiles fail, the group is forced to chase down and kill the kobolds. Two of them remain alive long enough to tell Thaelyn that the pink-skinned younglings have been taken below through a well in the back of the complex. The group plans to make their way further into the dungeon.

Next Game: Saturday 11/17/2007
Level: 3

Thaelyn (lvl2)

It was one of those nights where the world seems at peace with itself despite what most would tell you. The heat of the midday sun had left behind a motherly warmth filling the air along with the chirps of crickets and the scent of flowers. These were the nights he came, they reminded him of her.

“Hey Anya,” he said with a smile has he placed the flowers under the willow tree. “Brought you lilies as if that’s anything new. They were your favorite after all.”

Taking a pipe from his jacket and packing it with the sweet smelling country leaf he’d bartered off a drunk earlier in the evening Thaelyn put his back against the tree and lowered himself to the ground before lighting it.

“Been having that nightmare again. One where Raelyn and I are kids again running through the woods from a pack of gnolls. We escape and Raelyn looks at me and says “Why’d you leave me?” and then he’s pulled back into the forest and all I can hear is the screams.” Thaelyn pauses, taking a long pull off the pipe before wiping a tear from his eye, “Yeah, I know what you’d say honey, “You were just kids.” but dammit we were brothers. More than that we were twins. I couldn’t go home after that.”

He lets a long silence pass as he finishes off the pipe and cleans it. Standing he places it back in his pocket and turns back to the willow tree.

“I wish you could see her. Growing up to fast for my taste to be honest. Has your eyes, your smile, your life. Reminds me so much of you. Town doesn’t give much care to her being a half elf which is good for her. Life’s been tough enough without racist idiots harassing her.”

He turns to leave but stops for a moment and lowers his head fighting back the tears, “God Anya I miss you.”

Lilith (lvl2)

Lilith has lived in the temple of Desna for as long as she can remember. The only remnant she has of her time before this is a half-missing ear and a deep, rough scar- a constant reminder of the ugliness of her heritage. As soon as she was old enough to make the choice, she began to hide the scar in any way she could, and eventually even many members of her temple forgot that she was not an ordinary human girl.

Like other children living in service of Desna, Lilith began her education of magic at a very young age. Although the temple does not teach children how to perform spells until they are of age, they make sure all children have a full knowledge of the world of magic and what is out there. Although Lilith finds the healing spells her temple has taught her very useful, she finds herself very drawn to the darker parts of magic- spells that can inflict, transform, or conceal secrets. She is determined to learn more about these spells even if her temple won't educate her themselves.

Although the clerics at Lilith's temple are like family to her, she instinctively tries to distance herself from people outside the temple. Lilith isn't always aware she is doing this, or of the reasons why. Perhaps she is afraid of finding her secret, or perhaps she is afraid there is more ugliness in her besides her heritage- something that would drive her mother to do what she is. She is somewhat quiet, cautious, and is sometimes very annoyed when she doesn't understand another person's actions or reactions.

When Lilith was younger, she tried to avoid leaving the temple of Desna whenever possible, but as an adult, she is beginning to grow more curious. She is throwing her usual caution to the wind and trying to go out and meet people and discover new things. She sometimes wonders if her mother still lives in their town, and if she has ever seen her, or if she would even recognize her. Lilith longs to learn spells that can force a person to reveal the truth, so that if she ever finds her mother, she will be able to get the truth that she feels she deserves, no matter what.

Mailee (lv2)

Mialee is strange. That's what everyone says anyway. They say that because she was born a twin. And not an ordinary twin, she was born connected to her sister. They were connected at the head. Most call it an evil birth but their mother, she calls it a special birth.

When they were born a priest decided it would be better to separate them and so he did. But ever since they were born they always felt that they knew what each other was thinking. They were not always right at times but they felt a powerful connection between themselves.

The parents of the twins Mialee and Bandy did not understand why they could sit in a room all day and not speak to each other but look as if they know everything about each other, but the twins did. Few ever speak of their birth because it brings back old memories of the "evil birth" but their family will always remember it.

The only thing that kept them from getting mocked when they were seperated was that they were Elven. The Girls were very pretty and very smart and some even looked up to them. Rumor has it that the priest that did the seperation cast out what ever evil that might have been lurking in the girls when they were born.

One thing seperated the girls. Bandy was a thinker and Mialee was a doer. Mialee was sometimes impatient when she was younger having to wait on Bandy who wanted to asses every situation that Mialee got them into. They always turned out ok. After years of exploring and getting into and out of trouble Bandy started doing more and Mialee started Thinking more. The tables had turned on the girls. Most say that they evened out well.

Session Summary 1

Session 1: November 9th, 2007



Hollow's Last Hope

The session began with our heroes waiting in line at the local doctor in hopes to get a cure for their sick relatives, or friends. Thelyn, Lillith, Mialee, and Varak went into the doctor's hut together and talked to Laurel, who was initially not very helpful. After she was convinced to divulge some information that she thought useless, the heroes took this information to heart and began searching for items to make a potion that would help the sick: Ironroot mushrooms, an herb called rat's tail, and some elder moss.

After coercing some information from a lumberjack at the local tavern, the group heads towards the Lumber Consortium Camp to find some directions as to where to find these ingredients. At the camp, they talk to a man named Millon Rhoddam, who gives them directions to an old witch's house who he thinks could have the rat's tail, and an abandoned dwarven monastary, where he has seen ironbloom mushrooms grow. Mailee knows where to find the oldest tree in the forest, where elder moss grows.

The group goes through the woods until they stumble across a fox caught in a trap. When Mailee approaches the trap to help the fox, the others notice a hobgoblin up in a tree, readying an arrow to shoot. The group is able to take him down quickly without a real fight and they leave him unconscious in the woods. Despite Thelyn's attempts to kill the fox to put it out of it's misery, Mailee and Lilith cruelly heal the fox as best they can and set it free in the forest.

At camp that night, the group is attacked by two wolves who put up a good fight before they are taken down. The groups sleeps uneasily on the ground in the shade of the woods.

The next day, the heroes arrive at the clearing where the Elder Tree is located. Upon approaching it, the group is attacked by a Tatzlwyrm: a weaker type of dragon that lives in the forests of the region. They are able to kill the beast and scrape the elder moss from the tree.

Later, they come to the witch's hut. Inside, they find the place long abandoned, but are able to find the rat's tail along with a few other valuables. The animated cauldron in the center of the hut, however, objects to them touching anything and attacks whoever picks up any items. The group is able to get the rat's tail and escape into the woods.

Eventually, the group makes it to the Dwarven Monastary. They make their way through the abandoned monestary and Thelyn discovers and befriends a kobold named Gruttlekep. The kobold is cowardly, but tells Thelyn where he can find the mushrooms they are looking for. The group finally makes it to the room where the mushrooms are growing, and finds them gaurded by a large wolf, who Gruttlekep called Graypelt. The group fights the wolf, and his two smaller companions until they are all badly injured and all looks lost.

Then, from behind the great wolf, tiny footsteps are heard and Gruttlekep is seen leading three other kobolds up from the stairs in the back of the room. The four kobolds attack the wolf with spears and javelins and Gruttlekep himself pours a potion down Thelyn's throat to revive him. Thelyn delivers a final blow through Graypelt's throat and the fight is finished. The kobolds warn the group not to return, but say they will allow them to rest for the night. They then return down the stairs.

After the group rests for the night to heal their wounds, they return to Falcon's Hollow the next day and deliver the ingredients to Laurel. She makes the potion from the collected ingredients and the potion is passed around to all the sick people remaining in town, including the heroes family. The potion works perfectly, and all the sick people are healed back to full health. The townsfolk know who delivered them from this disease and are all very grateful the the heroes.

XP Rewarded - 1250
Player Level - 2
Next Session - Crown of the Kobold King (11/14/2007)