The Ranger

Another new addition to the group, h... H... God. I'll remember his name some day.

Sure it's a bit of a quick/arty rendition but I dug it. Fuckers wearing a lion!




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The Alchemist

Sebastian, one of the latest additions to the team.



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Kreth (Quest #2)

It is effectively after the first quest was completed that the intial team broke apart.

Two members, the two that played Ethiel and Aislynn, picked up other commitments that kept them from being able to commit to the sessions.

Some time passed and I suggested that time also moved on in town ever so slightly, as I am building this as a sandbox game and enjoy having fun with it.

Ethiel, I had suggested, and Aislynn, both ended up making it into the mage academy in town. Brom dying caused a massive dissent in the team and they both ended up parting from the group after that, and forming a relationship. Gilga remained in town and started drinking a tad much.

Ethiel was also payed a visit at one point by his father, Del, who had the boy chase his raven and spellbook down using his empathic link to find them again, testing his knowledge. He advised him that the barbarian was bad news for him should he remain by his side. He then departed.





----


>> New members: Brog, Aryall.  Current team:  Gilga, Brog, Aryall, Ethiel (npc).




The campaign picks up again with Marlon rerolling a new fighter, whom he suggested was broms brother, Brog. I know.. I know. He's... also a fighter. Anyway. He comes to town hearing of his death and wishes to avenge him. So his first quest in town was tracking down Ethiel and slaying him.

markis intervened however and suggested that Ethiel join him on whatever quests come to him as penance. Ethiel accepted, played from now on by me as an npc. Aislynn, I advised, is too buried in books and studies in the academy to join the party, and is hardly touched on again until much later.

Gilga has since been attacked by a small horde of assassins from an unknown source, all of which he has slain in the center of town. This is the scene that the latest addition to the party, Aryall, is privvy to, upon her entering town. (Aryall being the paladin that Nathan rolled upon joining the team).

Aryall manages to find Gilga in his pitched tent near the brumswinkle dock, and eventually manages to convince him to aid her in helping the town and brog, promising much fighting to the barbarian.




The party had been talking with the pirates at The Mad Squid tavern and it turned out they needed to raise 10,000g to help purchase a new boat so that they could return to the Midseas, and destroy the terrifying, pale, giant kraken, the White Death!

One such adventure to help raise the money, they were advised, was to go aid a friend of Kanes, Horros, the half-orc owner of the grungy inn and tavern in the south-west slums district, name of Kreth. He had apparantly been coming in to some money troubles as of late, and was requesting assistance.

After much diligent research, the party ascertained that his issue was coming from a tavern that had only recently been erected just down the street from him in the far southern end of the slums, named 'The Fat Orc'. It was pulling all of his customers away from him, and was run by a disturbingly happy halfling named Drelgo.

The group spent a few days asking both tendors questions and snooping around, and discovered that Drelgo had an old hatred for Horros, as Horros had won ownership of Kreth during the 'Innsmonth' battle season in The Hole, besting Drelgo in the process; stealing from him a victory he has always felt should have been his. It also appeared he had been not only stealing from Kreths safe, but spreading rumors and lies about the inn to all of his customers, suggesting that it was a very unsightly and disease-ridden hole; pulling a lot of attention from Kreth, to The Fat Orc.

On finding Drelgos sword in Kreths cellar, Aryall decided to bring it straight to the source and demand answers. Not realising how insanely brazen her idea was, Brog at her side, she revealed the sword in the middle of Drelgos tavern, roaring out a burning question, 'is this your sword!?'. Her answer was met with a lot more steel than she'd requested, and a fight broke out that nearly left Brog and Aryall for dead. Slaughtering most of the rogueish patrons within, the two were left bloodied and half-dead as Drelgos barely living body was carried off by an underling. Gilga emerged toward the end of the fight and
helped to finish off the remaining enemies in the pub.

Once recuperated, the three looted the place for most of its alcohol, and all of the gold stashed in the back, which amounted to a whopping 5000g! Aryall burned the tavern to the ground once they had left the building, and the gold was handed over to the pirates. Horros was in utter joy about what he'd heard, however the fight wasn't done. A message was delivered to the team, advising that Drelgo wished to settle this dispute over the ashes of his tavern, with the three and Horros.

The following day they all slowly made their way down to the blackened area, greeted by a swathe of characters flanking the small villain, along with a massive ogre carrying a makeshift 15ft long sledgehammer. The fight was like candy to Gilga, while the rest of the party took their fair share of nicks and blows. The fight was eventually won, and Drelgo was apprehended. He now works for Horros, sweeping and cleaning Kreth daily. The party all earned a permanent tab at his bar and a free place to be down should they ever need.

aryall, steen, and brog.

^ above are the last three last members of the group prior to the rekindling of the campaign a couple weeks ago in The Nerd Cave

Aryall - the paladin

Steen - the caster/rogue

brog - the fighter.


*At present, Aryall is still a core member of the group, Steen has since disappeared, and Brog has decided to remain in Brumswinkle, starting up his local security-business, 'Brogs Boys'.

A quick rendition of the paladin with pencil.



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Location:Aryall

A Trifling Dilemma

Campaign Story Arc: "A Common Enemy"

The following entry details the first quest I ran, for the first group that started in Udossta Valshath.




Our story began as many campaigns do. A town, best with intrigue is approached by a series of adventurers,  unknowingly linked together by a thread of fate.




The players:


Brom, a half-ogre fighter from the northern continent, having escaped captivity as a gladiator, he now calls Brumswinkle his home. He is known to the locals, and has built quite the raport with the local tavern in the Upper Circle.

Gilga, the last surviving barbarian on the planet; his entire tribe burned away by an unseen menace... he now travels abroad, seeking to train and grow stronger, so that he may one day wreak vengeance upon his families murderer.

Ethiel, a young elven mage with an attitude, hailing from the west forests of Aggad'Savol. He has set out to seek adventure and ultimately find himself, and his father.

Aislinn, a beautiful changeling witch from the outskirts of Aggad'savol. She has been hearing.. voices, calling to her. She knows she must chase this destiny, unravel its meaning, and at this moment that means setting out to the town that beckons her near, Brumswinkle.







The first group met in the tavern in the Upper circle of Brumswinkle, The Golden Field. It was in this place, drinking Greldos famous Dragon Ale, that they discovered he had been robbed, and thus, their first quest began. With nothing but a shred of cloth with a strange symbol in it to go on, the group left with justice in mind.

After a large day of searching, questioning, discovering that more folk in town had lost very important items to them, and meeting some strange characters, they came across a Tengu who manned another tavern in town, The Mad Squid, alongside his captain, Kane. This Tengu, name of Barry, just happened to be in command of a captive upstairs, Tyrel. This young upstart, after much questioning and intimidation, revealed he was an initiate into a new thieves guild starting up in town. This guild was predominantly filled with young men barely of age to fight, let alone coppulate. The name of this company was 'The Shadow Wolves', and they had taken up residence underneath Brumswinkle, the entrance to which was through a cavern system that let out in the cliff just under the temple to Yondalla.

The following day, the four set out to investigate this information. They were beset upon almost immediatly upon entering the cave. A pack of flying severed heads were shrouded in the shade of the place, and Brom ran straight into them, setting the disturbing enemies on the group in seconds - they barely got out alive. In fact, due to the severe lacking of any true healing powers in the group, they were forced to reconvene back at the inn in town almost immediately after they ended the fight, to lick their wounds and rest.

Setting out another day ahead, they approached with extreme, almost disturbing caution, into and through every inch of the dark maze below the temple. Setting off the first trap they encountered and almost killing Brom, they yet again needed to rest, return when healed, and approach with somehow MORE caution. Scouring every crevace of every turn, incase it were to suddenly be set aflame or waylay the party with a mist of arrows, they were able to disable every trap they came across, and deal with all of the threats that approached. An interesting note about the creatures they found in these caves... none were rogues, and all were what seemed to be random sets of random monsters, none of which made any true sense, given the situation and nature of what they were searching for. A spider here, a burning skeleton there.. a sahuagin here, a ravenous kobold there.

None suggested that a regimented and intelligent group of rogues had set up camp within its bowels. Yet they pressed on. The team eventually came across a large room where it appeared a team of kobolds were attacking someone or something that was hiding behind some rocks. Once the situation was dissolved, they discovered they had rescued a group of 3 young boys dressed as rogues, none possibly older than 10 or 11. Named Hevy, Devy and Levy, the three thanked them immensely for their rescue, and advised that they were indeed initiates into this ludicrous fold of rogues. The party took rest in the cavern, content with their good deed and the information rewarded to them that day.

Once awake and ready, the group pressed on, their day starting with Brom immediately falling into a trap and again, nearly dying. The party were able to rescue him, however, and were barely able to heal the poor half-ogre. The pit trap was filled with rubble from a nearby landslide, and the group were then able to cross. Moving onward, they suddenly noted they were being followed by what appeared to be a helmet. assuming it was magic, brog picked it up, and placed it on Ethiels head. The helmet immediately blinded the elf, and started to crush his cranium! The halfogre ripped the headpiece off without damaging the disturbed fellow, and Gilga sliced it in half.

A couple more traps and the party came across a much more massive area.. through which they were beset upon by 4 rogues, an ape, a large scorpion, and a leprechaun. Barely managing to escape the fight intact, the group quickly took in their surroundings, noting the room had archaic statues of dwarves fighting elves, and a large runed door that seemed impenetrable and impervious to anything. They retreated back a small way and rested, before heading on and finding the rogues camp.

Under siege by bowmen and fighting across an abyss that lead to a place only the gods knew, the party crept along the cavernous subterranean camp, removing the rogues one by one. Reaching what appeared to be a room with a pool in the middle, and a large tent nearby with guards, they were very sure they had reached their goal. Attempting to coordinate a safe assault, the four removed most of the nearby rogue guards before pressing into the main chamber. It was during this last fight that they encountered a very powerful guard, a caster of some sort, and the leader of the group, flanked by more rogues that cornered off Gilga, Ethiel and Aislinn leaving brom to deal with the rest.

When the group dealt with the rogues at hand and returned to help Brom against the larger threats, they found noone. Racing to the tent, they opened it to reveal a sinister young man holding a bound and paralized half-ogre hostage with a blade barely cutting at his throat. The only way the party saw to resolve this was Ethiel casting a spell that would create a temporary sink hole in the ground beneath brog and the lad. It was a risk but one he was sure would work well. the spell was cast, catching the rogue leader unawares, he, brom and his guard all suddenly falling. The drop disarmed the leader and guard, and snapped Broms back, injuring him beyond repair.

The group, after going through the contents of the den of thieves, found every item reported stolen, and some boys who were returned to their respective homes, namely Lord Aarons son, Elian.

All items were returned to their rightful owners by the group. Gilga also noticed in the cave, a haunted area of sorts, riddled with screams and loud knockings and bangings that seemed to be focused on/around a skeleton crushed under the weight of what must have been a landslide. Taking a magical ring from the corpse only seemed to increase the power of the screams and disturbance, which pleased him. He wears his ring proudly.

My introductory Message to Players

It is to be noted that this introduction evolves/alters as the world and players progress, as events may change who/what would/could greet any potential newcomers throughout the months to come. As it stands, however, this is how it would read, were you to join my little group.

~

The story will start in the bustling, busy and extraordinary town known as Brumswinkle. Located in an area known as the Four Corners, Brumswinkle is a fairly large, trade-filled town where coin is the law, and hired mercenaries are the only guards you will find. What used to be a very modest, halfling community of traders wanting to capitalize on a crossroads and not be abused by the condescending views and rules of Terraxus, is and has now become an infamous trading post littered with thieves, hidden eyes, and secrets.

The town’s mayor is also it's rather well-known and well off blacksmith, Xannan Brumswinkle, one of two sons of its founding Halfling, the notable and late Plib Brumswinkle.

The town itself rests over and across the rolling river Veldt, south of the human-founded Capitol of the realm, Terraxus in Knightsvale and west of Kurath. There are numerous farms, rolling planes and small villages outside of and around Brumswinkle. To the west of the town, the forests of Aggad'Savol creep, within which is a hidden Elven sanctuary, known to the outside world as 'The Grove'.  The mountains in the north west are riddled with half-orc and orc camps, some at war, some at peace, none of any notable significance. Although some claim there is a hidden area deep within the mountains where they have seen even larger man-like monstrosities, and caverns that stretch down to the abyss!

As beautiful as the surrounding territory may look, however, it is not without its dangers. A group of notable power has been reported to have taken up housing within Brumswinkle over the last few months. Whispers abound as you approach the town, of a powerful paladin who leads the small team.. these… ‘saviors of Brumswinkle’. Reported to have saved the town from a rising faction of thieves, and to have recently stemmed a plague that was threatening the eastern countryside, the troop is not to be laughed about! Rumors suggest they have even bested a dragon!

You are finally at your races respective age where you are more than physically and mentally fit to pick up a sword and start carving out a name for yourself in the halls of legend! And what better a deplorable and grungy place to start than Brumswinkle!

*things your character would already know about*

 - The town you start off in is called Brumswinkle and you have travelled there seeking adventure (whatever that may mean to your character).

 - Brumswinkle is effectively the singapore of the mainland in the realm. Littered with markets both legal and illegal, it's only law is do not cross those who can afford to cross you. Bear in mind the blacksmith has made a small fortune off selling armor/weapons to adventurers for years and has hired mercs all over town. So think before you steal!

 - The town accepts those of all races and trades and does not discriminate. Who knows who and/or what you may find!

 - Of the four main taverns in Brumswinkle, the first one you find upon visiting the town is The Golden Field. Known to be the cleanest of the lot, a final homage to what was, there is bound to be some sound advice in here for you and a lead or two. you might even find a friend!

 - you have also heard murmers from the farmers on your way in to town of a group of adventurers who you may wish to meet with upon making your way in. They sound like the kind of people you want to know! 

A moderately recent portrait of the last group as their sessions slowly came winding down to an eventual close. Their stories have not finished however, and the paladin plays on. Left to right we have the beautiful and resourceful paladin, name of Aryall 'the pure', followed by Steen, the cunning and sly rogue caster hailing from the dock-side small city of North Port, and finally Brog, half-ogre fighter, blunt and powerful, brother of a fighter who died during the first groups run in my campaign, Brom 'the breaker'. 

Aryall, having lost a comrade to death, one to the town, and another to his girlfriend, can now say she has certainly seen her fair share of adventurers. She now shares her allegiance with an alchemist, a quirky wizard, a ranger, and a cleric. She has also recently accrued a fanbase, consisting of one eccentric bard lass from the north with severe ADD. 

Udossta Valshath

~
It is said that during a time of great despair and malcontent amongst the greater, old, and dead gods now centuries past, a number of great and bloody battles were fought amongst the stars.
A host of the deities, and the worlds and realms they presided over were removed and obliterated in their entirety. New suns, and orbs to court and marry them were brought into existence to replace them and continue the cycles of life, worship and of course, the documentation of both time and important happenings – tasks that most gods do not deem worthy of their title and/or power.

One such survivor of the wars, now known and referred to as The Great Catastrophe, was a Goddess known as The Spider Queen, Lolth. Wanting to start anew and craft a world consisting of her most favoured race and followers, the dark elves, she summoned all but the last reserves of her power and forged a small planet. The first, and what was meant to have been the only intelligent, sentient race to populate the orb was of course, her beloved Drow. The dark elves named the world Udossta Valshath, or ‘our palace’, a name that would forever cement and celebrate their thanks to the benevolent goddess for her gift to them.

The prosperity of the dark world was not to last, however. Being that a good portion of the gods that survived The Great Catastrophe were indeed cowards, destroyers and sadists, not unlike the history that Lolth is usually regaled with, once the world became known to them.. so too did they come to know Udossta Valshath.

When Dahak, the God of Destruction, Dragons, Evil and Treachery noticed the new, ever so peaceful and vulnerable orb, he descended upon it almost immediately. Dahak was the first of many to taint and alter the course of Udossta Valsath. Bringing with him a legion of Dragons, the deity introduced anarchy, desolation, terror and chaos to the once calm ecology of elves. The Drow were not without their own powers and defences, however, and many wars waged against the daunting and terrific might of the Dragons for Centuries – carving out massive craters, plains and scars across the continents. The eldest of scholars have maintained that this occurred roughly 7000 years after the worlds inception.

As the fighting waned and the two races licked their wounds, other Gods turned their heads to the interesting swathe of chaos and confusion. Seeing that Golarion by this point was already prospering when compared to the depressing sights on Udossta Valsath, the righteous Iomedae and the God of the Dwarves and the anvil, Torag decided they would shed some light on the world and joined forces to forge a powerful sun for it to orbit. This was an unsuspecting blight for the current surface dwellers, as much as they thought it may have been a boon – blinding the majority of those whose unfortunate sense of curiosity at the sudden glow in the sky caught them unawares in a white instantaneous flash of screams and hot agony. As the eyes of the few who hadn’t stared straight at the event adjusted to the sudden change of atmosphere, they noted that not only did they now have a day/night schedule to adapt to, but were greeted by two new races of a much friendlier, humanoid background.. Dwarves and Halflings. The introduction of a sun to the planet also allowed for easy documentation of the passing of time.  This occurred allegedly 1000 years or so after the descent of the dragons. Over the years that followed, a number of subraces also started to appear.
This period was an interesting one, as it brought with it a small number of lesser gods, who also wished to capitalise on the fresh beginnings of Lolths finest creation, and of course, probably the most fascinating change to note – the eventual creation, segregation and division of the Elven hierarchy. If the introduction of dragons to the orb wasn’t irritation enough for the Spider Queen, the tip on the proverbial burg was of course the creation of a sun, which effectively destroyed in one fell swoop, the entire point of Udossta Valsath. A pilgrimage the face of the planet would never see again took place over the course of the next few months, wherein entire cities and/or villages of the Drow packed up and departed, rendering beautiful and articulate castles and palaces into veritable ghost towns. The migration moved deep down, guided by Lolth herself, into the deepest expanse they could find, where no natural light would ever find them. There were families and in some rare cases, large populations left behind in surface-based cities and towns that opted to stay instead of move, believing the trip and ideal unnecessary, accepting change and wanting to learn from and with the new friends they had acquired above ground. These elves called themselves precisely that in front of their peers, ‘elves’, discarding the once proud and maintained title of Drow. As time waxed on, and the globe worked its cycles around their sun, even the skin tones and colours in their hair would change, as if their physical features were also letting the past slip away. A true division occurred between the Drow and the Elves, many trade missions between what once would have been considered family, or distant relatives, now breaking into heated disputes and fights, sometimes ending in tragedy. For some Elves, especially the new, the Drow are only spoken of as if speaking of legend, or fairy tales, although any elder, if asked, will sigh and recall the distant memories of what once was, and what some fear may eventually be again.
While some speak in dark corners that The Spider Queen, infuriated and distraught at the division the idiot gods had crafted amongst her pets had waged a war on the two and lost, many advise that she has simply concealed herself for now, only communing with the highest of Drow Elders in strictest secret.
As the Dwarves and Halflings settled into their surroundings and carved out places they could call their own, a number of dragons returned to the skies. Heralded by an aged, black dragon whose wings could shut out the sun for miles, Terraxus, the group played Scourge to the Fanged Coast where new ports were being erected.
Terraxus dominated the Midseas, Dragon Isands, and the entire Fanged coast for years – scorching and decimating acres and acres of farmlands to the north west and populating the once vibrant area with abysmal fog and baked marshland – transforming it into a suitable base of operations, bringing slaves and stolen riches.
Abadar, the God of Cities, Wealth, Law and Merchants saw the strife being wrecked on the people of Torag and Iomedae on this new realm and felt compelled to jump in. And so it was that the human race was brought in to Udossta Valshath. Quick to socialise, commune with their neighbours and erect industrious towns that could train and bolster the ranks of paladins and fighters across the coast, the humans rapidly integrated themselves into the lives of their kindred brethren. As their ranks grew, so did their power; Fighting sects arose, trained in specific arts and worshipping specific deities – of note, the Paladins of Eastwatch, the Bloodmyst Barbarians to the Northeast, and the Rangers of Knightsvale to the northwest.
A resounding call to arms was issued during the year 1704AC, by a human paladin adventurer, by name of Lord Aaron, to finally bring down the menace of Terraxus.

 Small armies of elves, dwarves, halflings and banded against the fiendish dragon in the coastal marshlands he’d engineered. The casualty-laden massacre went on for 3 days, the final blow being dealt by two men, Lord Aaron himself and the leader and founder of the new Barbarian Bloodmyst tribe, Axel Bloodmyst. The humans true arrogance was revealed when they celebrated the victory by erecting their Capitol city over the marsh, infusing the decapitated head of the beast with a divine magic to keep it from decaying and placing it as an elaborate mantelpiece over the doorway to their Kings hall. Advising the realm around them that it was truly the humans who wrought the destruction of Terraxus and no others, caused a huge dissent between them and their former allies. The Kingdom itself was even named after Terraxus, allowing the large breadth of the capitol walls to sit as a constant reminder to those who pass by of what happened, and whom apparently bested the beast.

Although peace has never truly found its way back to the realm, it certainly is at a much calmer state of rest as it has ever seen. There are many rumblings and stirrings, however, and more couldn’t possibly be happening behind closed doors than ever before. The introduction of a massive law banning the study and use of arcane magic arts in the kingdom of Tarraxus has pushed out hundreds and brought even harder strains to the fragile relationship the humans currently share with those around them. Paranoia and scepticism are close friends of the trade caravans and lonely walkers of the beaten paths that bridge the towns, and reports of more and more unusual beasts from all corners of the realm continue to abound.