Lost Caverns of Tsogcanth

[cplmac]

I am looking for a group that would like to do a game using the old 2E system. I realize that I'm located a little out of the way, so I want to make sure that potential players are aware that I can come to a more centralized location for the group to meet at. Currently, the group will be meeting in Monroeville for the game.

This campaign will include both the wilderness and cavern levels. I am looking for 6 to 8 players. Have no problem if someone wants to run two characters, but no more than that per person.

The PCs used to start will be the ones in the campaign module. They are the following:

Cathartic: human female, level 7 cleric

Ethelrede: human male, level 8 fighter

Flemin: dwarf male, level 6 fighter

Dunil: halfling female, level 9 thief

Weslocke: elf male, level 4 fighter / level 9 mage

Hockerbrecht: half-elf male, level 4 fighter/ level 4 mage / level 5 thief

Arocken: human female, level 6 ranger

Benedict: human male, level 6 cleric

With any luck, this campaign will take a very long time. There is alot of terrain to cover. There is ample opportunity for role playing when interacting with various NPCs. It's not just a hack & slash game. This could be a good campaign for a group that hasn't played before and would like to learn.

[nijineko]

in person, or online?

[tesral]

Be sure to scrape the mold off first. That is an old, old, oldy indeed.

[cplmac]

in person, or online?


This would be an in person, sitting around the table game. Sorry, I didn't specify that originally. I have never done an online game.


Be sure to scrape the mold off first. That is an old, old, oldy indeed.

I actually played this as a pc (the dwarf, Flemin), when in the Persian Gulf in 1990 & 1991.

[nijineko]

sigh. (sniff, sniff) ;D awesome. my first module was good old B2-Keep on the Borderlands.

[cplmac]

A little more info. This is not the tournament version. This is the one that has the large wilderness part added to the actual caverns. This is why there are eight characters listed. There are many opportunities for further campaigning after the actual one is completed.

[cplmac]

Although there are 8 characters listed, I would have no problem with players that would want to "run" more than one character. This will allow for gaming without needing to wait for 8 total players. Could also run party characters as NPCs if the player group would want.

[cplmac]

OK, as promised, here is the information for the first character.

Carthartic is a human, female cleric of 7th level. Age: 25 Height: 5' 8" Weight: 141 lbs. Alignment: LG XP: 82,500.

Strength: 13, Dexterity: 11, Constitution: 12, Intellitence: 10, Wisdom: 15, Charisma: 13. Hit Points: 48. She knows the Common language only.

She is wearing Chain Mail and a Ring of Protection +3. She has a sheild and a Footman's Mace +2.

Along with 14 days worth of dry rations, she has the following regular gear: Back pack, Belt pouch, Large sack, 2 Oil flasks, Silver Holy Symbol (player can state what it actually looks like), Wolfsbane, Tinder box, 3 vials of Holy Water, Wine skin, and 50 feet of Rope.

In addition to the protection ring and the mace, she has the following magical items: Spell book, an Invisibility potion, and a Spell Storing Ring that can hold 3 spells (the player can choose what 3 spells they want to have in the ring. the spells will have to be chosen from any spell from 4th level and lower.

Cathartic knows the following spells per level:
1st: Bless, Cure Light Wounds, Protection from Evil, Santuary
2nd: Silence 15' Radius, Augury
3rd: Cure Disease, Remove Curse
4th: Neutralize Poison

She has the use of a Light War Horse (Hit points: 16), Saddle, Saddle Bag, and Saddle Blanket. Lastly, she has 14 days worth of feed for the horse.

[Thoth-Amon]

Oh how i envy your group. I would do anything to play that module again. You must post links describing your adventures in said module. I droolingly await to read what you post.

Thoth-Amon

[cplmac]

Oh how i envy your group. I would do anything to play that module again. You must post links describing your adventures in said module. I droolingly await to read what you post.

Thoth-Amon

That's easy to fix. Move to this area.:D

[cplmac]

Here is the second character.

Ethelrede is a human, male fighter of 8th level. Age: 28 Height: 6' 5" Weight: 221 lbs. Alignment: CN XP: 187,500.

Strength: 16, Dexterity: 16, Constitution: 16, Inteligence: 9, Wisdom: 11, Charisma: 10. Hit Points: 88. He knows the Common language only.

He is wearing Chain Mail. He has a shield +2, Hand Axe +2, and a Dagger.

Along with 14 days worth of Dry Rations and Garlic, he has the following regular gear: Back pack, Belt pouch, Large sack, Mallet, Wooden stake, 3 Torches, 10 Spikes, Tinder Box, Whetstone, and Wine skin.

In addition to the shield and hand axe, he has the following magical items: 5 Javellins of Lighting and an Extra Healing Potion.

He has the use of a Light War Horse (Hit Points: 16), Saddle, Saddle Bag, and Saddle Blanket. Lastly, he has 14 days worth of feed for the horse.

[cplmac]

Here is the Third character.

Flemin is a dwarf, male fighter of 6th level. Age: 65 Height: 4' 6" Weight: 161 lbs. Alignment: LG XP: 48,000.

Strength: 18/66, Dexterity: 13, Constitution: 12, Intelligence: 9, Wisdom: 8, Charisma: 7. Hit Points: 54. He knows both the Dwarf and Common languages. He can identify the languages of Goblin, Kobold, and Orc, but does not understand what is being said.

He has the following racial abilities: Infravision (at a 60' sight distance), can detect sloping passages 83% of the time, detect new construction 83% of the time, detect traps 50% of the time, detect sliding or shifting walls & rooms 66% of the time, and determine approximate depth underground 50% of the time; and has a +3 adjustment to saving throws versus the effects of rods, wands, staffs, magic spells, and poison. He has a working knowledge of mining and gains a +1 advantage to hit Orcs, Half-orcs, Gobllins, and Hobgoblins.

He is wearing Plate Mail +2. He has a shield +3, Light Crossbow , 18 Bolts +2, and a Dagger.

He has 20 Platinum coins and 10 Amber gems.

In addition to 14 days worth of dry rations, he has the following regular gear: Back pack, Belt pouch, Large Sack, Whetstone, Wine skin, and 50 feet of Rope.

In addition to the Plate Mail, shield, and bolts, he also has a Potion of Speed.

He has the use of a small Light War Horse (Hit Points 14), Saddle, Saddle Bag, and Saddle Blanket. Lastly, he has 14 days worth of feed for the horse.

[Thoth-Amon]

That's easy to fix. Move to this area.:D
No wife and kid, i can move anywhere. I'm always looking for the BBD(bigger better deal).

Thoth-Amon

[cplmac]

And the fourth character.

Dunil is a halfling, female thief of 9th level. Age: 29 Height: 3' 4" Weight: 66 lbs. Alignment: LN XP: 135,000.

Strength: 11, Dexterity: 17, Constitution: 15, Intelligence: 11, Wisdom: 8, Charisma: 14, Hit Points: 54. She knows both the Halfling and Common languages and is able to use Thieve's Cant. She can identify Dwarf, Elf, Gnome, Goblin, and Orc, but does not understand what is being said.

She has the following racial abilities: Infravision (at a 60' sight distance), can detect sloping passages 75% of the time, and determine direction underground 50% of the time; has a +4 adjustment to saving throws versus rods, wands, staffs, magic spells, and poison. Gains a +1 advantage to hit when using thrown weapons and slings.

She is wearing Leather and has a Dagger +1 and a regular Dagger.

She has 3 Gold coins, 6 Silver coins, and 21 Copper coins.

In addition to 14 days worth of Dry Rations, she has the following regular gear: Back pack, Belt pouch, 2 Large sacks, a 6 foot Pole, flask of Poison, Whetstone, and a Wine skin.

In addition to the Dagger +1, she has the following magical items: Robe of Blending, Rope of Climbing, Ring of Water Walking, and a Potion of Healing.

Her Thieving Abilities to start are as follows: Pick Pockets: 80%, Open Locks: 77%, Find & Remove Traps: 65%, Move Silently: 85%, Hide in Shadows: 76%, Hear Noise: 35%, Climb Walls: 83%, Read Languages: 40%.

She has the use of a small Light War Horse (Hit Points: 14), Saddle, Saddle Bag, and Saddle Blanket. Lastly, she has 14 days worth of feed for the horse.

[cplmac]

The fifth character.

Weslocke is an Elf, male mge of 9th level and fighter of 4th level. Age: 130 Height: 5' 10" Weight: 107 lbs. Alignment: N XP: (m) 139,000: (f) 12,000.

Strength: 10, Dexterity: 14, Constitution: 12, Intelligence: 18, Wisdom: 9, Charisma: 13. Hit Points: 54. He knows the following languages: Elf, Common, Dwarf, Gnoll, Gnome, Goblin, and Hobgobllin.

He has the following racial abilities: Infravision (at a 60' sight distance), can Resist Charm and Sleep 90% of the time, can detect Secret or Concealed Doors 33% of the time. Gains a +1 to hit when using either short or long swords and when using any type of bows other than a crossbow.

He is wearing Bracers of Defense (AC 2). He has a Dancing Sword and a Dagger.

He has 8 Gold coins and 1 Fire Opal gem.

In addition to 14 days worth of Dry Rations, he has the following regular gear: Back pack, Belt pouch, Large sack, Silver mirror, a 10 foot Pole, and an Ivory Scroll Tube.

In addition to the bracers of defense and the dancing sword, he has the following magical items: Spell book, Magic Detection Wand, and a scroll with 3 spells on it (the player can choose any 3 spells from 5th level and lower to be on the scroll).

Weslocke knows the following spells:
1st. Charm Person, Light, Magic Missile.
2nd. Darkness, 15' Radius, Mirror Image, Web.
3rd. Dispell Magic, Fireball, Hold Person.
4th. Confusion, Ice Storm

He has the use of a Light War Horse (Hit Points: 16), Saddle, Saddle Bag, and Saddle Blankket. Lastly, he has 14 days feed for the horse.

[cplmac]

And the Sixth character.

Hockerbrecht is a half-elf, male Fighter of 4th level, Mage of 4th level, and Thief of 5th level. Age: 24 Height: 5' 6" Weight: 140 lbs. Alignment: LN XP: 12,000.

Strength: 16, Dexterity: 16, Constitution: 15, Intelligence: 13, Wisdom: 11, Charisma: 17. Hit Points: 40. He knows the following laguages: Common, Elf, and Gnoll; and is able to use Thieve's Cant. He can identify Gnome, Halfling, Hobgoblin, and Orc, but is not able to understand what is being said.

He has the following racial abillities: Infravision (at 38' sight distance), can Resist Charm and Sleep 30% of the time, can detect Secret or Concealed Doors 33% of the time.

He is wearing Leather. He has a Bastard sword +2 and a Dagger.

He has a gold necklace that has 3 Garnet gems on it.

In addition to 14 day worth of Dry Rations, he has the following regular gear: Back pack, Belt pouch, Large sack, a 10 foot Pole, 4 vials of Holy Water, a Steel Scroll Tube, Whetstone, and a Wine skin.

In addition to the bastard sword +2, he has the following magical items: Boots of Elvenkind, Cloak of Elvenkind, Bag of Holding, Ring of Fire Resistance, and a Scroll with the 9th level spell: Time Stop.

Hockerbrecht knows the following spells:
1st. Charm Person, Magic Missile, Shield
2nd. Mirror Image, Web

His Thieving Abilities to start are as follows: Pick Pockets: 60%, Open Locks: 47%, Find & Remove Traps: 40%, Move Silently: 40%, Hide in Shadows: 36%, Hear Noise: 20%, Climb Walls: 90%, Read Languages: 25%.

He has the use of a Light War Horse (Hit Points: 16), Saddle, Saddle Bag, Saddle Blanket. Lastly, he has 14 days worth of feed for the horse.

[cplmac]

And the seventh character,

Arocken is a human, female Ranger of 6th level. Age: 23 Height: 5' 9" Weight: 137 lbs. Alignment: CG XP: 55,500.

Strength: 17, Dexterity: 16, Constitution: 15, Intelligence: 13, Wisdom: 14, Charisma: 9. Hit Points: 60. She knows the following languages: Common, Blue Dragon, and Nixie.

She is wearing Chain Mail +2. She has a Bastard Sword +2, Long Bow, 6 Arrows +1, and20 regular arrows. She gets a +4 adjustment to hit Orcs. She is a very good tracker

She has 9 Star Rose Quartz gems.

In addition to 14 days worth of Dry Rations, she has the following regular gear: Back pack, Belt pouch, Large sack, Quiver, a 10 foot Pole, 3 vials of Holy Water, Whetstone, Wine skin, and 50 feet of Rope.

In addition to the bastard sword +2 and the arrows +1, she also has a Potion of Heroism.

She has the use of a Light War Horse (Hit Points: 16), Saddle, Saddle Bag, Saddle Blanket. Lastly, she has 14 days worth of feed for the horse.

[cplmac]

And finally, the eigth character.

Benedict is a human, male Cleric of 6th level. Age: 24 Height: 5' 11" Weight: 189 lbs. Alignment: LG. XP: 41,250.

Strength: 13, Dexterity: 11, Constitution: 13, Intelligence: 11, Wisdom: 11, Charisma: 11. Hit Points: 46. He knows the following languages: Common and Stone Giant.

He is wearing Plate Mail +1. He has a Footman's Flail.

He has 37 Gold coins.

In addition to 14 days worth of Dry Rations, he has the following regular gear: Back pack, Belt pouch, Large sack, Silver Holy Symbol (player can state what it actually looks like), 3 vials of Holy Water, 2 Candles, Tinder box, Mallet, Wine skin, and 50 feet of Rope.

In addition to the plate mail +1, he has the following magical items: Staff of Striking, a potion of Levitation, and a scroll with 3 spells on it (player can choose any spells from 3rd level or lower).

He knows the following spells:
1st. Cure Light Wounds, Detect Evil, Detect Magic, Remove Fear.
2nd. Augury, Find Traps, Silence, 15' Radius.
3rd. Dispell Magic, Prayer.

He has the use of a Light War Horse (Hit Points: 16), Saddle, Saddle Bag, and Saddle Blanket. Lastly, he has 14 days worth of feed for the horse.

[nijineko]

sniff sniff! i've always wanted to play that one. but i'm not able to move just yet.

[Thoth-Amon]

sniff sniff! i've always wanted to play that one. but i'm not able to move just yet.
If you, or anyone for that matter, ever find yourself up in the San Francisco/Oakland area. I can set up a game. Just give me notice and i will have a full party of players ready to go... including a DM expert in running said module.

Thoth-Amon

[cplmac]

It has long been rumored that somewhere deep in the Yatil mountains there is a long lost hoard of magical treasure. For as long as everyone can remember, group after group has left in search of this treasure, but nobody has ever returned. Although there is no written proof of it's existance, verbal lore of Bissel says that there is a hidden cavern that contains the fabled trove of the archmage Iggwilv.

Now the passage through the Yatils has become a journey that is not the easiest to undertake. If it weren't bad enough that rock slides can happen at anytime, the many different creatures that have been said to have been seen have basically brought trade between Bissel and Perrenland to a halt. Since Bissel has a limited amount of usable farming land, this has led to economic problems due to prices constantly rising. Talk around town is that the entrance to Iggwilv's hidden stronghold that was supposed to have been sealed has somehow been broken, and the creatures that have brought trade to a standstill are actually from the caverns that surround the entrance to the hidden treasure trove.

Things have gotten so strained that the general public in Bissel has started to make the rulers there nervous. They know that if something is not done soon, the people will rise up and use force to replace the current March of Bissel with someone of their own choosing. Not wanting to have to change his lifestyle, the Margrave has sent agents out to find those that would make a worthy group to send out and find the fabled magical trove. He believes that with it, he will be able to keep the road through the Yatils open once again.

This is where you all come in. Your party has been camped along the road that leads into the Yatil mountains for 2 days now. In late morning of the third day, the Margrave arrives with his guard. He tells you that you are to find the Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth and return with 3 particular items: Daoud's Wondrous Lanthorn, Prison of Zagig, and the Demonicon of Iggwilv.

The question is, "Do you have what it takes to find the caverns, aquire the artifacts, and make it back alive"?

[nijineko]

and the third of the three items? ^^ (wishing i was close enough to join!)

[cplmac]

Oops! Sorry about that nijineko. I was trying to watch Ghost Hunters International on the tv at the same time that I was typing up that introduction teaser.

[cplmac]

Info deleted since it was no longer relavent.

[cplmac]

deleted info that is no longer relavent.

[cplmac]

removed info that is no longer relavent.

[cplmac]

Okay, it looks like we will be getting the group together for the first time on this coming Saturday, Sept. 13th. As we progress through the game, I will post the parties progress on this thread so that those who are too far away can keep up.

[starwolf013]

I will also be posting a first person perspective of the events that unfold in this adventure on these boards. You can click below to follow the link to the thread.

Happy reading!

http://www.penandpapergames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7612

[cplmac]

Be sure to check out starwolf's first person link also. It is rather interesting.


Yes, we have kicked off the Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth campaign. Amazingly enough, there is a total of 10 of us, myself as the DM and 9 others that are each running a PC (player character). We were all set to have a total of eight people, and then the day before our first meeting, another couple wanted in too. Not wanting to turn anyone away, we immediately adapted and have one more PC than actually came with the module. This being the case, an extra character was drawn up while we were doing introductions around the table. Here is the current information for the Nineth character:

Veda is a human, female mage of 8th level. Age: 27 Height: 5' 7" Weight: 155 lbs. Alignment: . XP:112,500.

Strength: 12, Dexterity: 15, Constitution: 13, Intelligence: 17, Wisdom: 12, Charisma: 13. Hit Points: 25. She knows the following languages: Common, Elf, Dwarf, Orc, Drow, and theives cant.

She is wearing Bracers of Defense (AC 3). She has a Quarterstaff, a dagger, and 10 darts.

She has 220 Gold coins.

In addition to 14 days worth of dry rations, she has the following regular gear: 3 torches, 2 flasks of oil, back pack, belt pouch, large sack, tinder box, wine skin, 50 feet of rope, and a bar of soap.

In addition to the Bracers of Defense, she has the following magical items: Wand of Paralyzation.

She knows the following spells:
1st. Grease, Hold Portal, Magic Missile, Sleep
2nd. Mirror Image, Shatter, Web
3rd. Dispell Magic, Fireball, Wraithform
4th. Dig, Evard's Black Tentacles

She has the use of a Light War Horse (16 Hit Points), Saddle, Saddle Bags, and Saddle Blanket. Lastly, she has 14 days of feed for the horse.



After being brought together, the party was camped along the road that leads to the Yatil Mountains for 2 days. Finally on the morning of the third day, they noticed that the 20 members of the Bissel guard were breaking camp and shortly thereafter, 4 more people approached on horse. Upon stopping their horses, the rider that was very finely attired addressed the party. He introduced himself as the Margrave of the March of Bissel and due to "political considerations" that he did not go into detail about, was sending the party forth to find the three items: Daoud's Wondrous Lanthorn, Prison of Zagig, and the Demonicon of Iggwilv. They are however to keep this mission secret so he told them to tell anyone that inquires that they are here to find out what has been impeding the trade between Perrenland and Bissel. They are warned by the threat of serious punishment not to let any magical items fall into evil hands. They also will repay for the was horse, saddle, saddle bags, saddle blanket, and 14 days of feed for the horse that each one of them have been given to use to undertake this quest. There will also be a 15% tax assessed on the remainder of the money that the party has found. The money that remains, along with any other magical items and treasure is the party's payment for undertaking the quest.

A chest is brought forward and place in front of them. The Margrave tells them that His Grace, The March of Bissel, has donated these items in hopes that the party meets with success. He also hands over a vellum map which shows the most probable locations of the caverns they seek.
The only thing that the party asked was if they could have the cart that the barrels that contain all the horse feed in. The Margrave gives them the cart and the large draft horse that was pulling it. When the party had no other questions, the Margrave and all the guards left and headed back to Bissel.


As they checked the contents of the chest the party found the following items:

1. Potion of Extra Healing
2. Potion of Healing
3. A Ring
4. A Ring
5. A Wand of Magic Missiles
6. Chain Mail
7. Full Plate
8. Scimitar
9. Hand Axe
10. Mace

By using a detect magic spell they know that all 10 items are magical, but only know specifically what the 2 potions and the magic missile wand are. They all looked at the map and it was decided that the ranger would carry it. After dividing up the items, the party proceeded toward the Yatils. They traveled quite a ways before encountering anyone, however it turned out to only be a patroll that was returning to Bissel.

As they continued to twist through the S bends of the road, they eventually heard some talking ahead. Luckily there were a couple of members that were able to make out that it was the language of hobgoblin, but could not understand what was exactly being said. Because of this, they were able to have the upper hand at the meeting. Unfortunately, Hocherbrecht managed to let it be known that he was a spell caster and drew the fire upon himself. This caused him to be hit by a spear and at least a half dozen or so arrows. Weslocke did manage to put a mirror image spell on Flemin which made 6 more of the dwarf. This worked to Flemin's advantage that his opponents always ended up swinging at on of the mirror images and not himself. Ironically, the only image to get hit was actually run over by the draft horse drawn cart, since Veda sent the horse forward to crash through the hobgobins.

Thanks to a timely thrown couple of fireballs, Weslocke and Veda managed to stop the flow of more hobgoblins coming around the bend. Of course, both castings managed to stop 8 hobgoblins each, but also destroyed some items in the fire that the party could have used. One good thing that came about by the second fireball was that when the draft horse pulling the cart saw it, it slowed to a stop. Unfortunately for Hocherbrecht, he spurred his horse forward without looking in front of it and his horse fell over one of the dead hobgoblins. By the end of the fight, Weslocke was able to remember the hobgoblin word for surrender and got the last two to drop their weapons. They tried to get some information from them, but there was not that much that was usable.

After the battle ended, the party has one hobgoblin captive and have aquired the following items: 15 platinum coins, 185 gold coins, 372 copper coins, 1 black onyx gem, 9 long swords, and 2 whips, all of which was put into the cart to be carried. The dead hobgoblins were then all gathered into a pile and set ablaze in order to clean up the area.

This is where the group decided to call it an evening. Tentative plans were discussed for when to meet next. As an advertisement for the next session, the party is in for a little bit of a surprise at the begining of the next session. Stay tuned for more updates as we continue the campaign at the next game session.

[Aeval]

I still wonder how they set them ablaze.. .I thought flesh was hard to catch without a lot wood, and there is no gasoline around.. LOL...

And I WONT let them take wood, not that there is much around here.

Ewww.. that would smell really bad too... ewww....

Just picking... ;) bored and want to play more


LOL,
Aeval

[Aeval]

:biggrin: Arocken's tale starts out like many others.


Her father Yendak was a half-elf ranger. He was a tall man for his heritage, yet he moved like the wind. He had violet eyes which his daughter inherited. Yet she did not inherited his other elf-like abilities including his long ears, or silver hair. She knew that he came from the Grey elf community, yet he never told her about her grandparents, nor his heritage. It always seemed like a subject that was taboo.
Arocken's mother was a human cleric named Aracaryn. Aracaryn followed the diety Ehlonna. Aracaryn was a gorgeous beauty. She had long raven black hair that was so black that it was almost blue. She had startling green eyes. Arocken remembers that she always smelled like a spring day, comparably her father always smelled like the deep dark earth. (amazing the things that you can remember) Aracaryn always wore a green robe that seemed to float around her, Like the leaves of a tree blowing in the wind. And she had a soft calming voice, that would always sooth even the most angered of man or beast.


When Arocken was wee little, her and her family moved around a lot. Thinking back upon it, she wonders if it was not the wanderlust that her father had to have. She knows now what that feeling is like. She often has to venture just around the next turn to find out what is there. When she was nine,. Her family had finally settled down. Her mother had found them a hut down in a valley that seemed very secure, and safe from any other human influences. Actually it was many days until they would come upon a village. Which suited her family just fine. And since Arocken was not use to other human company, suited her well too.


In the morning her mother would have left already. Having left her and her pa some meal. They would eat, then he would start with her duties. Teaching her everything that he could about the wilderness. Hunting for dinner and gathering herbs and spices. Working on the hut with already fallen wood and limbs. Finding pitch to patch holes in their humble abode. It kept them very busy most of the day. By the time they got back, her mother would be there ready to teach her about writing, and all other learnings that she really didn't want to deal with. That seemed to bore her to tears. She grew so bored of it , that she really looked forward to her time with her father, and loathed the time she spent learning from her mother.
So it wasn't one day until she was 13 that she actually wondered what her mother was doing all day. She and her father had been done for hours. On their morning chores, and was. waiting for her mother. Her mother came in a disheveled state. Her hair windblown. Her dress had twigs and bits of hay in it. Yendak took it all in stride, yet Arocken from then on wanted to know where her mother went every day.
The next morning Arocken woke very early. Got dressed in the dark, and spied upon her mother that morning. Aracaryn made breakfast quickly, then got dressed into her traveling clothes. She then went out back and grabbed a bag that she filled with apples and grains and straw. Which really confused Arocken.
She followed her mother up into the hills, (hills she noted that her father never wanted her to venture to. That were off limits because it was “dangerous” if it was so dangerous why was her mother going that way?) She followed her mother deeper and deeper into the hills. Until it seemed to dip into a small meadow. The meadow was full of golden wheat blowing in the autumn wind. Sparkling in the newly rising morning sun. Amongst the wheat was a small shrine, which her mother walked to. The shire was a large river rock , rounded perfectly smooth from the water. (which Arocken noticed, a river only a few minutes from the glade).
Her mother laid down the items that she had put into her pouch. And stepped back from the shrine. She then started to sing a beautiful melody that Arocken always thought was just a lullaby.


She watched and waited. Wondering what on Oerth her mother was doing. When she heard a rustling in the woods. Her ears perked up as she looked trying to find where the noise was coming from. Her mother kept singing. Unaware of the danger. Arocken heard the thundering of hoof beats charging their way. Yet her mother did not move.
Arocken rose like a spirit and charged to her mothers side, pushing her back Just as a large white hairy beast reared up in front of her. Screaming in outrage.
She felt her mother pull her back, talking in a soothing manner. Yet it did not register, her brain frozen in surprise. There in front of her was a unicorn. A very large unicorn. She couldn't move. She couldn't talk. All she could do is stare into those azure eyes. The wisdom in those eyes. The majesty of how he stood and threw his man. Huffing hot breath upon her face. Her dagger fell from her hand as her mother pushed her aside and started talking to the Unicorn in a strange language. After talking to the unicorn her mother took her hand and led her to the outside of the field. When Arocken finally got her wits about her she heard what her mother was saying. That the reason they moved here was because of the unicorns. That she was their protector, that the goddess had led her here to do her duty. She had to protect the grace that was now 5 strong. It was then that Arocken saw there were more unicorns. A female went and nuzzled against the male that had charged her. And there were 3 younger looking ones. Another male and two females. Her mother explained how the youngest mare was sick when she first arrived. She is the bairn of the younger couple there.
“She was very ill due to many different elements. And so I healed her. Now I stay and protect them in ways that they can not protect themselves. I have rebuild their food supply. And I give them and the goddess presents every morning with my prayers. See how they fair now? See how we are now blessed. And now the Mother is to bear child.... it is a miracle... Just as now I will also bear a miracle. “
And Arocken understood. Her mother was to have another child. As was the unicorn. The goddess had blessed them both.
Arocken was very happy with the news. And her mother started taking her to pray with her in the mornings. She became very attached to the creatures. And they started to have a new respect for her. The youngest mare started to talk to her and would play games with her. Running through the field. Though the Eldest Male, the ruler of the rest. Seemed to still watch her. And keep her within his view at all times. But they both had a respect for each other. It was a very happy time. She would soon have a new sibling. She was in the woods all the time. Her father started to teacher her martial arts. It was a very exciting time. A very blessed time in her life. But like all things. It had to come to an end.


One day Arocken went on a lone journey. Since going through the change into adulthood, she needed her space now and again. She liked to go visit the young mare named Likili. Who was around the same age as she in Unicorn years. They were both going through that time in their life. And they both had much in common, being outcasts from other society. The closest Unicorn Grace other than their own was weeks away. And Beal (the main unicorn) was off looking for a suitable mate for her. It was a stressful time for the Grace. Beal's mate was soon to have child. Likili needed to find a mate. And Arocken's mother was laid up at home because of her difficult pregnancy. Thus emotions were running rampart in the Grace.
This particular morning, Arocken felt like there was something strange about the wind.. something in the air. Yet she went , did her prayers. And laid in the wheat as the unicorns went around eating and dozing with her. She dozed in the light of morning, smiling at the golden hues that surrounded her. The heat and happiness surrounded her and she fell asleep in the morning light.
She woke to screaming and terrorized sounds. With fuzzy mind she got up quickly and saw that the field was afire. She saw the mares galloping around in a frenzy. The protecting male was reared up fighting against some humanoids, but Arocken could not see what. She ran as fast as she could through the smoke, trying to save herself. She tried to calm the unicorns but they were crazed with fear. And the smoke was so thick she couldn't see what was happening. Knowing not what to do she ran as fast as her legs could carry her home. She ran and ran until she could not breath, and she ran some more. Screaming for her father as she entered the valley of her home. But as she crested the last hill she stopped dead in her tracks. Her home was in a blaze. A rush of blue-white fire. She knew that her mother could not move, that she was bed ridden. That her father had to be there with her, that he would not have left her
They were both in there. They were both in there!!! She ran to the door, smoke flaring out around it. She grabbed for the handle, and screamed as as it severly burned her hands. She quickly let go. Screaming in pain and yelling for her parents as more and more smoke poured out of the house. She fought the pain within her hands, and kicked in the door. A flare of bright blue flame burst out of the house. Throwing her back with the wave of heat. She fell back, hitting her head, and passing out into the bliss of darkness.


The next thing that she remembers is sniffing , tickling sensation upon her face. She awoke to Beal's azure eyes staring at her. Felt him, pulling upon her shirt. A Tugging that hurt, she could only moan in response. She felt him nip her hip and she jumped up... Hardly being able to see. She heard soft words of encouragement. She found herself upon his back, laying against his mane. She is not sure how she got there, but she held on tightly. Coughing as smoke invaded her lungs. She huddled against his mane, and it was all a blur of smoke and hair, and fire. Creaking, and explosions. All she could do was hold on. Her mind could only remember to hold on. Hold on..... hold on......


She awoke to a new world. A new life.. She was in the village's temple. The one and only priest, a man who was a cleric to all. His little church for the prayers of many gods and goddesses. He had healed her what he could . But she had awful burn scars upon her hands and lower arms. But that was not all that was scarred. The priest tried to treat her like a daughter. He tried to teach her where her parents had let off. But Arocken could not stay indoors. She would run off into the woods. Looking. Forever looking for any signs of the unicorns. Any sign of what had set the fire. She went to her house once. Saw its blacken shell, and could not go inside. She could not get herself to find her parents remains. It was bad enough seeing her house in such a state. She cried for days after visiting it. She went to the field of wheat. And found only blackened ruins. The fire had destroyed most of the forest. It was only a shell of what it once was. There was no sign of any of the unicorns. Just the shrine was left sitting amongst the burnt debris. Arocken found herself stumbling to the rock, tears streaming down her face. She fell to her knees. And cried and prayed to Ehlonna, asking her why. Why would she let such a thing happen. And amongst her tears she fell asleep, sleeping the night through under the blanket of the stars. She awoke with the mornings golden light shining upon her. She blinked her eyes and there before her was Beal. As majestic looking as the first time she had seen him. Yet this time he spoke to her.


“Ehlonna did not let this thing happen. Orcs did this. They destroyed your home, your life. They took my Grace from me. I can no longer feel them. Either they are dead or hidden from me. Either way, they are gone. The Grace I went looking for was no where to be found. For all I know, I am the last of my kind.”, his head fell. And for the first time Arocken thought she would see him cry,
She went to him and hugged him. And they cried together. Unicorn and human child. His tears fell upon her breast, and they ran down upon her shoulders. Sparkling against her sun kissed skin. Staining her skin in a rainbow of colors. They cried for their lost loved ones until they could cry no more.
Beal told her that she had to go back to the humans, that he could not protect her. But she made him promise to visit her.
She studied under the priest with a new fervor. She also attended real school and met real children her own age. Though she made friends. She found that she liked going to the forest more than staying in the classroom. She didn't like hanging out with all the girls who just seemed to coo and whine about boys. She always thought about Beal and wanted to be with him. And the boys were not interested in her because she always had gloves on that covered her hands and arms... And always had a wrap on that covered her neck and shoulders. Unlike the other girls. Besides any time that she would speak of human boys, Beal got cranky for some reason. Not that she wanted to talk about them much anyways. She didn't really understand them. None of them were anything like her father. Or pastor Julles. They were all very, well immature. And Bael.. well he was very mature. Knew everything about the world. Was always there when she needed him. And had saved her life.


The years went by. And she learned all she could. It came to a time where she had explored all there was to explore in the area. And she had felt that she should wander. Bael, was not happy. He did not want to leave the area. In case his Grace was still alive. They would know where he was. He could not leave. And he did not want Arocken to leave. But they both knew that she had to. Pastor Julles packed her up with as many supplies he could give her and gave her a bow and arrows that she may protect herself with. She then she traveled once again to her old home. There amongst the ruins of her old house she planted three trees. One each to represent her mother, father, and the sibling she never got to see. While planting amongst the wreckage she found no sign of remains, but she did find her fathers bastard sword. She took his sword, and now carries with her. She then went and camped in the Meadow of the Unicorns. Where she stayed for a month and a day. She replanted the wheat. And renewed the stone alter. Clearing all the weeds and debris from it. She prayed each day to Ehlonna. And worked hard to replenish the forest as much as she could, that which it could not itself. After her month and day was up. She bid Bael a tearful goodbye and was on her way, to find ... whatever there is for her to find.
In the back of her mind she thinks of what happened to her family, and wishes revenge. But she will go with where the world takes her and do what she needs to do to survive. She often thinks of Bael. When she gets to missing him she touches her breast where his tears had fallen. If looked at, there now is a tattoo of a unicorn upon her chest. There is also green , silver, and blue leaves swirling around her neck and down her shoulders. She always has leather gloves on because of the hideous burns that are still left upon her hands and arms. She does not like to show them to anyone. And since she really does not care much for human companionship anyways, she rather just stick to the woods, and her own thing. Rather stick to what she knows best. A little part inside her does wish for , companionship. But she is so awkward in social situations ,that she just does not know where to begin. So she finds herself talking to her horse a lot. Its at least close to Bael. She is still pure at heart and physically. She knows that if she ever lays with a man, that her connection to Bael will not be like it is now. That she may even loose him forever. Her mother was a Cleric of Ehlonna so she will not have the same connection as her mother did. Though she does every morning wake with the light of day and pray to Ehlonna for guidance and safe travel. And she has her symbol of her upon her chest, which she could never loose. But she knows she is no cleric, she is merely a woods child.
She has been traveling around for the past few years. Wandering endlessly, searching for answers to questions. Searching for the next nook or the next meadow, or the next pine forest. Always hoping that she will find a Grace that she could send to Bael. Or perhaps answers to a question she can barely grasp in her mind about the disaster of her family.
She had heard rumors of a Unicorn in the area, when she some how got caught up in this mission.


And now she is stuck with this group... this group of ... strange people. Perhaps this human contact will be good for her. But they seem to be very odd people. Well it should be interesting at least, Ehlonna only knows what will happen next. She was set upon this path, and she planned to follow it, come what may.




Arocken goes by the name of Aro to those who know her well. She wears browns, grays, and greens. She always has on brown leather gloves that cover her from her elbows down. She never takes them off, even to sleep. Her chest is also always covered. She has a unicorn tattooed between her breasts over her heart, and then vines twin over her breasts, up over her shoulders and part way down her arms. The vines are blue, green, and silver in color. The unicorn is white and looks strikingly like friend Bael. When she prays in the morning light, her tattoos will sparkle in the morning dew. She always has her father's bastard sword on her hip. When she is thoughtful or anxious, she will touch the pummel of her sword absentmindedly. She loves horses, and talks more to her horse than her companions. But when she does speak, it is usually for a very good reason.
She has violet eyes like her father, and black brown hair. Her skin is very tanned from being in the sun all the time. Sometimes if you look at her you will sense sadness about her. But it is only fleeting. For often she seems very determined. Determined to do whatever is needed to be done, as quickly as could be done.




Aeval

[cplmac]

As the 2nd gaming session started, the party was "tossed a bone" by the DM since when I handed back their map, I made sure that it was flipped over so that they saw the back of the paper. Much to their dismay, they realize that none of them bothered to turn the map over and notice that there was writting on it. It reads:
the horn of Iggwilv pierces the heart,
look over your shoulder before you start,
how many sorrow foolish men,
because they didn't turn back then.
Now after some initial groans, the group picks up where we left off from the previous session.

The party makes a watch roster and makes camp for their first night of the campaign. The first shift went by uneventfully. The second shift was covered by Flemin and Dunil. Dunil heard a stick snap and when she looked in that direction with her infravision, she saw a 7 foot 6 inch tall elf and a huge dog as his companion. The elf said nothing nor made any moves other than standing by an giant oak tree. Being able to see in the dark also, Flemin was able to see the elf and dog also. He was able to get his crossbow ready and had it aimed at the elf. When Dunil started to go toward the elf, he stepped behind the oak tree. As soon as the elf started moving, Flemin fired his crossbow but missed since he had no way to lead his target due to the tree. Dunil awoke Arocken and Hockerbrecht, but neither of them believed her. It didn't help that with Flemin's exageration of the elf being 18 feet tall. The rest of the night went by as uneventful as the first third did. In the morning, Arocken went over to the oak tree, but only found a single huge paw print and nothing else. Of course, Flemin was sure to "find" his crossbow bolt, which Dunil was hoping would not be found as proof that the elf was there and took it.

As they continued to proceed down the road into the Yatil Mountains, Arocken scouted ahead to be sure that the road was clear and that the hobgoblins weren't waiting up ahead for them. Much to her dismay, she spied the tall elf disappearing around the next bend in the road, and of course, she was by herself so that there was no one else to collaborate the second sighting. She rides back to the rest of the party and tells Dunil that she saw her friend from last night. Now Hockerbrecht and Weslocke think that there are three of them seeing things.

The party continues until they come to the first place on their map where they can either continue straight or turn left. They choose to go straight since there is not that far to go until that road comes to an end. As they make their decission, Dunil again hears a noise, that soon becomes audible to everyone. As the party is turning to try to fall back to a place that is easier to defend from, 3 hill giants come into view and to them the fleeing party must be weak so they think that they will have an easy time taking anything the party has of value. Since it was obvious that the giants would not have any trouble catching the group, Weslocke throws an Ice Storm spell at the advancing giants. He has it hit in front of the giants so that they step right into it, while coming down the hill. All 3 of the giants end up falling on the ice and slide up to the party. This made it nice for the party to get good attacks on them, except for poor little Dunil, who kept trying to lunge forward to stab with her dagger and jump back, but her arms just weren't quite long enough to reach to make a hit. When the third giant came sliding down the hill, it slid up to where Flemin was and sent the dwarf flying when it hit him. One of the giants managed to get a couple of hits in, but ultimately the party did defeat the giants. Each giant carried a large sack with coins in it. The first had gold coins, the second, silver coins and the third had of course, copper coins. There is a large amount of each coin and the party decided to wait and count it later.

Too be continued...

[cplmac]

Second session Part II


After defeating the 3 Hill Giants, the party was glad that they had horses to clear the dead giants out of the way of the road. Once the way was clear again, they proceded down the road to the west. As they followed their map, they eventually came to a place where another road that went south from that point. The only problem was that this road was not shown on their map. They decided to have Arocken scout it out. Hocherbrecht said that he would go along so that there wasn't just one lone person checking out something that was unknown since it was not on the map. The two of them traveled to the first turn, only to see that the road turn again up ahead. When they came around the second bend and found that the road turned yet again, they decided to go back and tell the others what they saw of the new road. The party then decided to continue along the road that they were on and would check down the new road on the way back, since they did not have that far to go to reach the ending point of the road they had been travelling.

When they found the end of the road, it actually emptied into a large open meadow that was surrounded by high rocky cliffs that did not afford another path out. As they stopped to assess this situation, a large shadow passed over them. Everyone looked up to see what caused the shadow and were surprised to see a sub adult Blue Dragon. Naturally, they were not wild about the idea of dealing with a flying creature, let alone a dragon, but Arocken, the ranger tries to speak with the dragon since she is able to speak Blue Dragon. She tells the dragon that they do not seek to harm the dragon. It responds with the reply of, "If the party gives a horse for a snack and at least 1000 gold coins, I will allow you to leave. When Arocken tries to continue to converse with it, in hopes to gain some information, the dragon takes this as a way to try cheat it out of what it feels it should be given and decides that it needs to show some force.

On the first pass, the dragon let loose with it's breath weapon. Luckily Flint was able to make his saving throw and therefore only recieved half damage. On it's second pass, the dragon took an arrow from Arocken's bow just as it was about to let go with it's lightning breath again. The arrow going through it's wing was just enough to throw it off and the second lightning breath actually just hit the ground. At this time, Weslocke cast his Mirror Image spell on himself which made 6 more images of him. Benedict stood up out of his saddle and prayed to his diety for Silence, 15 ft. radius on the dragon's head. The dragon failled to make the saving throw and from then on eventhough they could see it open it's mouth, there was never any sound with it. Benedict smiled and said, "Now we don't have to worry about it trying to cast any spells at us." As it went by, Arocken's second arrow missed. Veda stood on the cart and pulled out a wand and a thin blue ray hit the dragon. This time the dragon made its saving throw, so it was not paralized. The hesitation that this caused allowed Flemin to be able to hit it with a bolt from his crossbow, all the while yelling at the dragon to come down here and we'll see how bad you think you are. Weslocke fired off a Magic Missile spell which was cool to see 7 sets of missiles zero in on the dragon. Of course, only one set of them were real, but still gave five of them to hit the dragon. On it's third pass, the dragon went with its claws and bite attack. Luckily, only one of the claws hit for any damage, but the bite hit Weslocke for a critical wound with the natural 20. This time, Veda used her magic missile wand and scored a few points of damage. Again the dragon circled around and came in for another pass. Rather than fire another arrow, Arocken pulled out her scimatar and waited for the dragon to come by again. This time it hit one of the extra images of Weslocke, so now there were only 5 extras. Hockerbrecht hit it with Magic Missile and Arocken was fortunate to be in the right spot to get a good strike with her scimatar. As it was making its circle to come in for a fifth time, Weslocke cast Fireball at the dragon. It made for quite the site to see 6 fireballs headed for the dragon. Again, only one of them was real, but that was all it took to bring the dragon crashing to the ground. The party approached cautiously. They used Arocken's 10 foot pole from the wagon to poke at it to see if it was actually dead. When there was no response, Hockerbrecht said he was cutting off it's head to make sure. This was interrupted when Arocken found the entrance to the dragon's lair. Her, Dunil, Weslocke, and Hockerbrecht all entered with Dunil leading the way checking for traps. They eventually came to the large cavern that this young dragon used for it's lair for the last two years. In the center, there is a huge pile of coins that has all from copper to platinum in it. They found a magical Javelin, and a scroll which Weslocke took. Dunil managed to be able to pickup a jeweled cup and a silver dagger with an ivory and lapis handle. There was also 15 azurite gems, 7 jasper gems, and 4 garnet gems. Finding this huge pile of coins, the party is glad that they have the cart. After getting all of the treasure out of the lair, Hockerbrecht finished taking the head off of the dragon and it was placed in the wagon. I told Hockerbrecht that when it is put in the wagon, the hobgoblin that they have tied up in the wagon was licking its lips hungrily. They were planning on a nice feast for their evening meal since with a dead dragon, there was plenty of fresh meat to be had. It would make for a nice change from the dry rations that they have been eating.

This is where we left off for the night since we realized that it was now 1:35 AM.