The 4th coming adventurers of the Mercenaries - Eleint 1st

Eleint 1st
H 76/L 56 – Winds out of the North at 25 mph.

Closest Patrol Today (1):
Captain Aito arrives in the evening from Silverymoon

End of the month payments, and the start of the month of Eleint (September). This is what I have everyone owing this month:

Umberto 35 gp
K’Gorsz 10
Gravaar 15
Marina 10
Delek 10

Althalus 40 gp
Panian 15
Syvgar 15
Lander 10

Kregnok 67 gp
Otihand 10
Kivon & Kalunt 18
Nadia 9
Kelser 10
Tian 10
Troy 10

Hasimir 10 gp
Leera 10

The Keep 169
Rez’Gyrk 10
Guards 69
Carpenters 15
Gardeners 8
Street Urchins 8
Bartender 6
Cook 6
Laborers 10
Store owner 7
Mason 20
Janar (rogue) 10

This is kinda the official start of 4th edition in our campaign, that will include actual sit-down adventuring sessions! In the past we’ve done XP based on your “downtime” work in making the keep a better place. Now it will be a mix of that and adventuring. We will still use this forum between adventures to take care of Rock Hammer and to progress the overall story line.

So, you’re back at the keep and Lane the Hermit walks into a courtyard where you are all standing.

Lane! Please tell us all that happened in Temel!

A weary Lane rubs the sleep from his eyes, “It is far worse than I imagined. Great forces are at play here, more that just a crazed tribe of orcs under one banner. Make no mistake about it,” Lane says as he wags his finger, “these are trying times.”

“Thar Grim-Rule and the tiefling Bezias tore that village down stone by stone looking for some items, ancient relics, from the time of the great orcish battle that took place their centuries ago. They had to get back to meet an emissary at their base. Just before they left, they kidnapped several travelers from Everlund Pass. Something about having to ‘feed’ something.”

"Lane, do you have any idea who the emissary was or who he worked for?"

“No,” replies Lane, “and therein lies my fears. Strange, and powerful forces are at play.”

(DM Note - my bad on my previous post as being under Otihand's post)

(Bastion over hear's the above convo and simply shakes his head as he tests the tension of one of Nadia's new bows in the courtyard) "Tis a shame to have lost a lady with so much promise."

Nadia pokes her head around the corner, "Uhh...I'm still here...I just....<boy this is awkward> I uh, work for the dwarf now. No hard feelings?"

DM Note - Yay! Blaine posted! Wahoo!

Lane clears his throat getting you attention once again, "I think those travelers might be saved if we act with haste. Plus this Thar needs to be put down once and for all. And we need to discover who this Emissary is and what his intentions are for the Nether Mountains."

"Just saying."

DM Note - Roy and I talked about him taking over this role in the group, so I finally made it official. Can't you just picture him as a druid, casting Wall of Thorns instead of Wall of Fog? Doesn't that sound like a Roy move?

I think that is awesome Sam. Way to keep his benevolent spirit alive :-)

"Dear Nadia, you need not fret. I am happy to see that you are still part of the family and flourishing under the guidance of my friend." Bastion clears his throat and states, "I seem to be free of all responsibilities at present. I am more than willing to assist in any reconnaissance or rescue attempt at this time.”

"Agreed, I would enjoy putting an end to Thar, but we mus save those travellers, to Everlun Pass then?"

"One moment for me to acquire some equipment and I shall be at your side Umberto."

"Please pardon Lane, but when you mentioned the kidnapped travelers, we failed to ask for further information regarding them. Are you able to tell us anything of their numbers, ages, identities, or trades?"

“I didn’t see them but I heard their voices. I heard one woman, a dwarf, a young boy, and another man who I think used to be a guard in Temel. The sounded very surprised when they entered the town so I assume they have been away for some time and not heard that Temel had been taken over by the Broken Tusks.”

“Something else,” Lane scratches his beard, “It seems like there was great talk of wrapping things up in Temel, you got the feeling like the orcs got what they came for. Not the travelers, but something else. The travelers were just guilty of bad timing. Had they come a day or two later Temel might have been devoid of orcs by then.”

"Most troubling...but if they have achieved their goals, that may give us an advantage. They may have become more comfortable in their position of 'dominance'. Lane, from your knowledge of their numbers, what is your opinion on a small strike force for rescue and assassination? Fellow Lords?"

Lane shakes his head, “I don’t know, I haven’t adventured in some time. What is a typical party size nowadays? Five? Six?”

I would certainly be interested in going!

"Hey if Althalus gets to go I want to go!"

So, I assume we have the following people going:

Umberto (Lou)
Kregnok (Wil)
Althalus (Geoff)
Bastion (Blaine)
Hasimir (Jordan)
Lozigee (MF)

Any NPCs we want to take along? You can follow this thread to find a list of all the NPCs you have.

lets go.....!

That list plus Lane seems good I'm ready to head out...

Session #1 - The group headed out along with Evan and Kevian to the former village of Temel. Along the way they were jumped by a handful of orcs from the Broken Tusks. When the heroes reached Temel they found it deserted, save for a hill giant and two orcs who were on demolition detail.

The party forced them to retreat and easily captured another long orc named Morrik. Through an interrogation (that didn’t go that well) Morrik informed them that Thar had retreated to his base in the mountains called Castle Rivenroar and that he was raising and army to carve out an empire in these Nether Mountains. Before leaving Temel, Thar ordered the capture of a handful of humans to give to the “undead horrors” that guard part of the orc’s lair. Morrik finished by drawing a map to the castle.

The map turned out false and they were lead in an encounter with some kruthik along the way.

Session #2 – Descending into Castle Rivenroar the party defeated a room of orcs and dealt with an obstacle of moving, braziers that breathed fire across the room. From here the party headed east and into the sleeping quarters of the orcs. The battle was fierce and Bastion was dropped, both literally (to -3 hit points) and, well, literally again (by falling in a pit). Kregnok was able to get to him in time to save him.

The next room contained a curtain that actually turned out to be a portal to a castle in a swamp. While studying it for a few rounds, two specters emerged from it and attacked the group.

The Von Urstadt crypt was the next room and the party fought two magma claws and two gnome skulkers. Just beyond this room they rescued their first prisoner, Sertanian. He calmly brushed off the imprisonment and when asked he told them he used to be a patrolman in the Everlund Pass. He came into some money and quit the job and moved to Everlund, but when the money ran out he considered rejoining the patrol. A young woman, Jalissa, was traveling from Everlund to Silverymoon and he decided to escort her to her destination. The orcs jumped them when they entered Temel. He also knows that Mirtala the cook is being held downstairs in a chamber near a spiral staircase with frescos on the walls. And he suspects that Kremmel is dead. Kremmel told Sertanian he was going to negotiate with the orcs the following morning.

DM Note – he is a example of a poorly written part in this adventure. None of the NPCs rescued here will fight, but in their background one of them was a former guard. Does that make any sense? After this adventure, Sertanian could certainly join the group working on the Everlund pass or something like that. Maybe he just has a broken arm right now and can’t swing a sword. Yea, let’s go with that.