Part I: Beyond the Arkati: The Summoner
Phoenatos 5110 ( August 2010 )
* During
Frontier Days, Mirayam appears in Wehnimer's Landing, alone and without
memories beyond two years ago. She claimed to be from Ubl, in the small
territory of Allace in the Turamzzyrian Empire, where she was
discovered by an elderly couple who took her in.
* Local
citizens hear a cry near Town Square Central and rush into a dark alley,
where Mirayam has been beaten up by some thugs. Two rogues are killed,
but one escapes with Mirayam's journal.
Imaerasta 5110 ( September 2010 )
*
Thrayzar, an orc assassin shows up in Wehnimer's Landing. He is
discovered on the streets, and is attacked by some local militia men,
all of whom the orc kills.
* The orc Thrayzar later finds
Mirayam's lost journal and uses it to negotiate a meeting with her.
Some locals organize the meeting, the orc sniffs Mirayam, drops the
journal, and then slips into the shadows.
* The interim mayor,
the Chatelaine Chambeli announces that Lord Grishom Stone has purchased
the old Cholgar's Bathhouse in an attempt to rebuild it and erase the
dark taint that existed there before.
* Mirayam, after
befriending many locals, is offered a job by Chambeli in the museum. A
woman named Bridonna is also announced as the new curator of the museum.
* Albright, a red-robed summoner appears in town and begins making demands that Mirayam be handed over.
*
The town council of Wehnimer's Landing votes, and by the majority's
decision, they agree to hand over Mirayam. Unfortunately the girl
Mirayam had gone missing.
* Believing the town to be deceiving
him, Albright opens up dozens of red portals in town and around the
environs, and armies of constructs and golems invade over the course of a
week.
* Councilman Walkar Wellington defies the will of the
council and fights with local heroes against Albright's minions.
Finally with some more political backing, Walkar is able to convince a
few council members to agree to revoke their original agreement on
Mirayam's fate. The council then votes to challenge Albright and fight
him, even though Mirayam is still missing.
Jastatos 5110 ( October 2010 )
*
Councilman Walkar Wellington, along with the aid of local defenders,
orchestrates the illusion of an exchange with Albright, with all
intentions of staging an ambush. Albright, believing the city intended
to hand over Mirayam, foolishly meets with them in the forest. Albright
is killed by a defender and many of his seedy allies are dispatched as
well.
* The red portals in the sky above Wehnimer's Landing do
not go away, but instead begin to slowly expand. Mindless golems
continue to drop from them into the streets.
* The seer
Kailashandra appears in Wehnimer's Landing, tired and worse for wear.
Some locals find her in a trance and when she awakes she tells them the
vision she had, of a group of red-robed summoners called the Arcane
Eyes, who performed a dark ritual to create a sentient urnon golem. The
ritual involved the mass execution of dozens and dozens of women, whose
spirits were imbued into the urnon. The urnon came to life and took
the form of a featureless woman, killing two summoners before escaping
into the night. The golem would later take on the form of Mirayam years
later, and arrived in Wehnimer's Landing. The seer noted that in her
vision, the main summoner's face was unclear, but she caught sight of
his dark sea blue eyes before she was thrown from her trance.
*
The orc Thrayzar meets with some local heroes and offers them Mirayam,
who he said he had found and kept hidden because he feared what Albright
would do to her. It was then learned that Thrayzar was originally
hired by the summoners to hunt down Mirayam, but when he learned more of
the summoner's evil nature, he abandoned them and sought to protect the
girl. In exchange, the orc asked that the heroes plead with the local
authorities to pardon him for his crimes in murdering local militia.
*
Mirayam's body had become unstable, her eyes and flesh constantly
reshaping as the chaotic nature of urnon began to return. The heroes
told her of her past and creation, and of the threats still facing their
town. Seeking to protect the people who so willingly took her in and
fought to defend her, Mirayam sacrificed the remainder of her magical
force to close the red portals above Wehnimer's Landing. The exertion
robbed her of any last shred of stability, and she crumbled into pieces
of urnon, many of which were retrieved by the heroes present.
Eoantos 5110 ( November 2010 )
* Bandits began to strike outside of Wehnimer's Landing, some making it inside the town.
* In response to the bandit activity, the town council increased the militia patrols.
* A memorial statue in Mirayam's likeness was erected in Town Square, Northwest. ( It has a loresong!)
*
The Mayoral Elections were announced, with the candidates being the
Chatelaine Chambeli Malatina, Tykel Rone, Lord Grishom Stone, Councilman
Walkar Wellington and Councilman Barnom Slim.
* Plague begins
to effect denizens of Wehnimer's Landing, the witch Raznel, another
red-robed summoner, is thought to be the culprit.
* The bandits are discovered to have been hired by the summoners.
* The local merchant guild endorses Grishom Stone for Mayor.
*
Bandits began to appear to be suffering from the plague, or even
carrying it into town. Unrest forms among their ranks and some of them
turn on their summoner employers. As the bandit threat begins to die
down, the town council begins to hand out magical rods, imbued with
Undisease, to help people fight the still spreading plague.
* Tykel Rone cites lack of funds and drops out of Mayoral race.
* Days later, Grishom Stone drops out of Mayoral race, giving vague reasoning for his actions. Some speculate blackmail.
*
In a battle in the streets of Wehnimer's, Raznel summons hordes of
undead, as local defenders fight on, pressing them back. Raznel is
slain numerous times, but her body breaks into bugs and reforms again
and again. Finally the heroes use the Undisease rods and wave them at
Raznel, and she begins to fall apart and crumble into a pile of scorched
bugs. The plague is instantly lifted.
* Mayoral Debates are held between Chambeli, Walkar and Barnom.
*
The election results are announced and Walkar Wellington is elected
the new Mayor of Wehnimer's Landing. He is sworn into office. Days
later, he publicly hangs known allies of the summoners.
*
Chambeli decides to travel after losing the election and sets sail for
Brisker's Cove. A week later her ship is reported destroyed at sea and
no survivors found.
Eorgaen 5110 ( December 2010 )
*
Mayor Walkar pardoned the orc Thrayzar, and praised his efforts in
helping the city after turning on the summoners. It was also rumored
that the Mayor secretly hired the orc to hunt down known allies of the
summoners.
* Acting on information given them, town officials
inspect Chambeli's residence, finding where she had stashed away some
red robes and blackened silver eye medallion matching ones the summoners
had worn. With Chambeli lost at sea, officials could only speculate
that she may have been involved with the summoners.
* Grishom Stone attended a ball in Wehnimer's Landing, with a woman named Odilia, supposedly a cartographer from Ta'Illistim.
*
Days later, Odilia is found by some local heroes in the street and was
suffering from a stomach wound and claiming Grishom Stone tried to kill
her.
* Grishom Stone is arrested.
* Representatives
from Ta'Illistim met with Mayor Walkar and the town council, addressing
concerns about Odilia and Grishom Stone behind closed doors. There was
no love lost between the two governments.
* In Ta'Illistim,
local citizens found the body of a woman, who later is discovered to be
the real Odilia. After days in jail, Grishom Stone is freed and the
fake Odilia is captured and escorted by a convoy of the Sapphire Guard
back to Ta'Illistim for trial.
* While en route to Ta'Illistim,
the convoy is ambushed and destroyed by a fiery aerial assault. The
soldiers are killed and Odilia is nowhere to be found.
Lormesta 5111 ( January 2011 )
* New renovations are announced for the Wehnimer's Landing Museum, funded primarily by Lord Grishom Stone.
*
Some heroes traveled to River's Rest and struck a deal with a
landlocked pirate named Thanden, who had found and enslaved Chambeli and
intended to sell her. He had made some currently unknown demands, and
the heroes temporarily returned to Wehnimer's Landing in an effort to
accommodate them.
* Meanwhile, invasions of golems, gargoyles,
constructs and even some demons began to hit both Wehnimer's Landing
and River's Rest on and off for days.
* A goblin appeared in
Wehnimer's Landing, with extraordinary mastery of the common tongue,
asking many citizens for the whereabouts of the orc Thrayzar.
Reportedly, the goblin was worried that something bad had happened as
the orc had gone missing longer than usual.
* A troll scout was seen near Wehnimer's that same evening, but killed rather quickly.
*
Some heroes traveled back to River's Rest, where invasions of
constructs and golems picked up, as forces from both Wehnimer's and the
Rest fought them off. Amidst the chaos it is said a few of the heroes
met with the pirate captain Thanden, made their exchange, and set off
back to Wehnimer's with a physically broken and mentally unstable
Chambeli in tow.
* Spouting insane ramblings, Chambeli was
escorted back to Wehnimer's Landing, where witnesses account that the
orc Thrayzar appeared from out of nowhere, ran his sword through her
gut, and then dragged her off into the shadows.
* Two days
later, a nearby citizen alerted everyone to the corpse of Chambeli
outside of Moot Hall. Shreds of clothing hung loosely to her broken
body, and her head had been cut off and was missing. Local militia
removed the body from the streets.
Fashanos 5111 ( February 2011 )
*
Grishom Stone holds a public unveiling of the new bathhouse, the Stone
Baths. At the end of the tour, he is murdered by a blind adventurer
Vylina who claims to have attacked him out of insanity. A priest
resurrects Grishom, and the adventurer is banished from town.
*
Claiming to seek fairness, Grishom convinced the town council to revoke
the adventurer's banishment, if the blind woman would be subjected to
some initial observations by some hired clerics and healers, to ensure
she was safe to be free. The deal was made, the banishment revoked, the
observation complete and Vylina walking free.
* A red-robed
summoner arrived to warn the Silver Gryphons that there is power Beyond
the Arkati, and that they respect their order and give them the civility
of a warning, to not stand in their way.
* Rumors circulate
that the pirate Thanden, from River's Rest, arrived in Wehnimer's
Landing looking to collect his reward for handing over Chambeli. The
reward he was "promised" was a small fortune to retire, the Drake
Vanguard's ship, and sanctuary within the town. He arranges an upcoming
meeting with Mayor Walkar.
* Over the course of several months,
many women had reported hearing a ghostly woman's voice, whispering to
them at night and warning them of a deadly man and the siren's song. It
was eventually discovered the spirit was named Madelyne Cross, and when
some heroes tried to further communicate with her, she came forward and
possessed the adventurer Riend, turning her eyes from violet to hunter
green. It was later learned from Madelyne that her father is Elithain
Cross, a man suspected to be involved with the summoners in some way,
but is in hiding.
* Albert the Hearthstone Doorman, informed
some of the heroes that the public believes Mayor Walkar to be sick, but
that in truth he had the pirate Thanden captured and escorted him,
along with some hired mercenaries, to Mestanir. The pirate was a wanted
man in the Empire and Walkar had hoped to gain some favor in trying to
learn some information about the leader of the summoners, whether it was
a mysterious man named Elithain Cross who may be hiding in Mestanir, or
to confirm his own suspicions of it being Grishom Stone.
*
Grishom Stone gathered some local adventurers on the porch of
Hearthstone and informs them that he originally lied to them when he
said he did not know of Elithain Cross, and that he was a rival of his
father's, ages ago, when they were among the noble court of Mestanir. He
told the heroes that he believes Elithain was responsible for the death
of his father, Sebasation Stone, and that he had never met Madelyne.
*
Days later, rumors reached Wehnimer's Landing that there has been
attacks in Mestanir, the invaders fitting the descriptions of the same
constructs and golems that had previously attacked Wehnimer's and
River's Rest.
* Within the week, red portals opened in Upper
Trollfang and lead to Mestanir. Hordes of golems, constructs, gargoyles
and demons poured out of them and wage battle against both Mestanir and
Wehnimer's Landing.
* One night in Wehnimer's Landing, citizens
reported of being attacked by ethereal women specters, all sobbing as
they try to kill the living. They all eerily shouted and warned those
looking on to "Kill Him, Kill Stone!" The specters are eventually
dispatched, but meanwhile battle still rages around the portals from
Trollfang to Mestanir.
* Hordes of golems and demons made their
way to the gates of Wehnimer's Landing, and members of the Dreadnaught
Alliance traveled from the east to help the defenders of the west. In an
attempt to send their forces back home, golems and constructs attack
Ta'Illistim, but the ploy failed.
Charlatos 5111 ( March 2011 )
*
It is publically learned that Mayor Walkar is not sick, but is indeed
missing after he traveled to Mestanir. Many tried to search him out
while battling demons and golems in both lands.
* Lord Grishom
Stone offered highly enchanted weapons to the Knights of Mestanir, to
help them better fight the demons that appear.
* The battle
within Mestanir raged on for weeks and many brave adventurers from all
over Elanthia arrived to aid the Mestanir knights in their war. When
many of the heroes died, a red-robed summoner arrived among the chaos,
and was reported to have been dragging them to safety. Many heroes were
confused, wondering if there was a turncoat among their enemies.
*
The dwarven Marshal of Wehnimer's Landing, Khylon Oakspear, organized a
group of heroes to push into Mestanir to fight back the demons and
constructs, while trying to find Mayor Walkar. Their mission went on for
a grueling hour or more before they finally discover the Mayor, who was
forced into hiding in Mestanir as some of the creatures had been
looking for him. Mayor Walkar was safely escorted back to Wehnimer's
Landing, but the fighting still continued.
* Defenders reported
seeing a black-haired woman appear from the shadows in Mestanir, blowing
off the limbs of Mestanir knights and meteor swarming adventurers as
they arrive to help. Eye witnesses claimed she looked exactly like the
fake Odilia who showed up in Wehnimer's months ago, and went missing
from the envoy back to Ta'Illistim.
* It was discovered by some
heroes that Thrayzar, the orc, had been captured by the summoners and
tortured, tormented, and then finally broken into submission. Such
control was explained as to why Thrayzar had previously hunted down and
killed Chambeli for the summoners, before she was able to reveal more
information. In the end, the adventurer Greganth was able to arrange the
release of Thrayzar, and the removal of his thrall.
* The orc
Thrayzar, physically disfigured and mentally scarred, told the heroes he
would return to his people to ensure them he was still alive, but he
would eventually return. He spoke of a black-haired woman who tortured
him and he recalled smelling ink on her fingers. He vowed to see the day
of her demise.
* Days later, Hendorian and Vornavian troops
arrived in Mestanir and with their added support, the demonic and golem
hordes were able to be pushed back significantly. As such, the final
waves moved out into Trollfang and marched on Wehnimer's Landing, having
little where else to go.
* While the attacks in Mestanir
lessened, defenders rallied to the aid of Wehnimer's Landing and fought
to push back the demons, constructs and golems. Citizens claimed that
the "fake" Odilia was then spotted within the walls, meteor swarming
Town Square and killing many innocent people and healers and clerics.
Shortly after, Thrayzar the orc was seen, seemingly tracking someone and
so many heroes followed him.
* The orc finally tracked Odilia
to the town barracks, where she was found blowing off the limbs of
militiamen. The adventurer Soullslayur was able to kill Odilia, and
everyone surrounded her corpse while her spirit shouted in protest. She
begged to someone unseen to spare her lover for her failure. Deep
shadows arrived along the ground and Odilia's body burst into flames,
leaving behind her scorched red robes, her runestaff and some burnt
parchment that had barely survived. The parchment were letters written
from a man named Nysorm, to a woman named Arleasta, who was in fact the
woman pretending to be Odilia. Nysorm's letters warned of Arleasta's
further involvement with the nameless leader of the summoners, and that
they had nowhere else to go now, and begged for her to leave with him.
The letters also revealed it was Nysorm who was the red-robed summoner
who had been dragging dead heroes to safety.
* After
Arleasta/Odilia's death, the portals in Upper Trollfang closed and the
straggling invaders left behind were finished off. Some Mestanir knights
were also left behind, and shelter and food were provided for them by
the Mayor until they returned to Mestanir a week later.
* The
orc Thrayzar left to seek out his people and possibly arrange for them
to move to a new location, as he fears his recent involvement may expose
his hidden settlement to the summoners, or his old nemesis, the troll
Drangell.
* With the conflict seemingly over, Baron Chydenar of
Mestanir and Mayor Walkar of Wehnimer's Landing gave public statements,
thanking each side in their efforts to work together to overcome their
shared enemy, to honor those who fought and died, and to swear their
commitment to seeing the summoners and their minions finally destroyed.
*
In an attempt to help Riend be freed of her possession of the ghost
Madelyne, Grishom Stone offered to contact some of his connections in a
plan to create some kind of potion to expel the entity. Riend agreed to
try, as many others' attempts have failed, and gave Grishom a vial of
her blood. Later, citizens witnessed the spirit of Madelyne emerge in a
fit of rage that the blood was given and was later calmed by those
present.
* Mayor Walkar held an Honor Celebration in Wehnimer's,
where he thanked many during the recent months of conflict and wanted
to publically honor a few individuals who had been helping him since
Mirayam first appeared the summer before. Greganth, Seomanthe, Fremie,
Cyrroc, Karibeth, Soullslayur, Allanano, Svardin and Riend were named
Defenders of Wehnimer's Landing. Sir Cryheart and Sir Tebon were
presented with specially crafted signet rings and accepted roles as
advisors to the Mayor. The Mayor went on to banish Demyse, Maetriks,
Anru and Shalaora, for their roles in helping the summoners, labeling
them Outlaws of Wehnimer's Landing. The Mayor thanked the groups of the
Silver Gryphons, the Drake Vanguards, the Dreadnaught Alliance and the
Order of the Azure Sun for their help in recent conflicts, and would be
commissioning a plaque in their honor.
Olaesta 5111 ( April 2011 )
*
One night, early in the month, an explosion was seen in the sky over
East Ring Road. Heroes rushed across the bridge to find a warehouse on
fire, with an elven corpse outside of it. The corpse's face is nearly
melted off, with shards of glass stuck in his burnt hands. A planar
shift rune book was found on the body, with various rune locations set
around town or in other cities. The heroes soon discovered a horde of
blood red globules that appeared and attacked them, quickly followed by
two colossal blood golems. The golems and globules were eventually
killed off and the elven body, later discovered to be Athseld, an
apprentice alchemist, was carted off by town guards. The entire incident
was written off by local officials as a failed magical experiment.
*
A ceremony was announced in Mestanir, where Baron Chydenar praised
citizens of Mestanir, thanked Mayor Walkar for his support and commended
the heroics of the people of Wehnimer's Landing. The Baron also went on
to honor Grishom Stone for his aid to the knights and labeled him the
Hero of Mestanir.
Ivastaen 5111 ( May 2011 )
*
A silver-eyed dark troll hunter was seen outside Wehnimer's Landing and
was quickly dispatched. The creature left behind a stained bone ring
and a crystallized orc heart talisman. (Both had loresongs revealing
information about Drangell, and the summoners working with the trolls)
*
The ghostly spirit of Madelyne, who is rumored to be Grishom Stone's
first victim, appeared to heroes upon the steps of Hearthstone Manor. An
ethereal fog arrived with the ghost and displayed the haunting scene of
Madelyne and Grishom's romantic involvement and engagement and
ultimately Madelyne's death. A second ethereal scene displayed Grishom
Stone as seducing and killing women with black hair and green eyes, many
times over. The ghostly images ended with Grishom shown in a red
summoner's robes and creating the urnon golem Mirayam. When the heroes
later confronted Grishom, he denied everything and claimed the ghost of
Madelyne was using illusions to deceive everyone.
* The next
day, Councilman Barnom Slim approached many heroes who had witnessed the
ghostly interaction and warned them against speaking ill about Grishom
Stone, who was viewed as the Hero of Mestanir. The councilman cautioned
against purposely doing anything that might jeopardize the quick
friendship growing between Mestanir and Wehnimer's Landing.
*
Outlaws of Wehnimer's Landing, including the Ta'Mori and other dark
allies, were reported to have been gathered by the summoners and
transported to a scorched forest where a crumbling stone fortress
awaited. Fighting through elven ghosts and walls of fire, the villains
eventually reached a door covered in runes. Once the proper sequence was
solved, the door was opened and Drangell, the unstoppable troll
commander was set free.
* At the same time as Drangell was being
freed, Thrayzar the orc gathered some heroes near Hearthstone and told
them he had found a red portal outside of town that led to Drangell's
prison and was worried people were trying to free him. The heroes
arrived at the fortress and overcame the same obstacles, but had arrived
too late. The rune prison was empty except for a piece of parchment,
mocking the heroes' tardiness. The heroes barely escaped as the fortress
collapsed around them.
* Worried a war with Commander Drangell
was imminent, Mayor Walkar provided supplies and wooden foundations and
the citizens of Wehnimer's spent countless hours cutting logs and
building archery towers outside of town to help in the event of a troll
invasion.
* A gnome merchant named Eeny arrived in town,
claiming to sell magical trinkets that would help protect people from
trolls. He even raffled off a trollbane khopesh. Two weeks later he
would be exposed as a fraud when his trinkets did not work, but he
managed to escape town with all of his profits shortly before his wagon
was destroyed by angry citizens.
* With Mayor Walkar's approval,
two orc encampments were setup near Voln where many orc women, children
and some warriors were residing. The Mayor offered the town's
protection to the orcs until Thrayzar could find a new location for his
people and could safely move them. Many citizens openly questioned the
Mayor and one commoner named Colson went so far as to accuse the Mayor
of being insane.
* The orc demon hunter Omlor arrived in
Wehnimer's Landing, greeting a few citizens and began his scouting
routines, prepared to help in the event of demons.
* Days later,
the goblin Stiletto, who is Thrayzar's right hand man, arrived in town
and told a gathered crowd the true origin of Thrayzar and Drangell and
that they were once a human and giantman respectively. He told the story
of how they once worked as assassins for the Empire and on their
fateful last mission were cursed by a witch upon her death and turned
into an orc and troll. Thrayzar had used his curse to try to help
civilize some monster races, while Drangell used his curse to try to
spread destruction.
* Golems and constructs attacked the gates
of Wehnimer's Landing while a wall of shadows appeared outside of Moot
Hall and the Barracks. Witnesses later claimed that the Ta'Mori and
other allies of the summoners were teleported inside of Moot Hall where
they killed five council members, those who were most loyal to Mayor
Walkar. The villains then magically appeared inside the barracks and
began to slaughter militia men. The heroes stopped the invasion of
golems and soon rushed to the barracks, where they eventually dispelled
the wall of shadows, but not before dozens and dozens of soldiers had
been murdered and the villains escaped.
* Griffins were spotted
flying high above Wehnimer's Landing. The creatures eventually dropped
backpacks full of orc, human, halfling and dwarven body parts.
*
Days later, a dark storm arrived above Wehnimer's Landing and shadowy
troll wraiths appeared inside the walls, snatching up children and
disappearing into the darkness. Hours later, the bodies of children were
impaled on wooden stakes outside of town and bodies of children were
left in the streets. Heroes gathered and along with militia men began to
remove the stakes and carry off the corpses. Before the night was over,
more children corpses appeared inside of translucent red cocoons which
magically floated high above the town. The eerie cries of ghostly
children began to intermittently wail at all hours.
* The
following day, some of the red cocoons burst open and winged blood red
fiends came forth, attacking the town but eventually being killed
themselves.
* Mitokh the Tehir hunter led some heroes to the
Badlands where they discovered the remaining kidnapped children, who
were still alive! The heroes fought off some shadow trolls and escaped
back to town with the children. In response to the attacks, the house of
White Haven offered sanctuary to the women and children of Wehnimer's
Landing, and wagons of innocent citizens were escorted to the relative
safety of Icemule Trace.
* Akhash the Tehir spiritcaller arrived
in town after he was sent a message by some of the heroes to come
quickly. Akhash investigated the cocoons and a few days later was able
to magically dispel them before anymore fiends were hatched. The wailing
cries of the ghostly children faded away.
* Catapults appeared
along the old Mine Road and launched boulders and fiery globules into
town, weakening the defenders before the first wave of trolls appeared
and began their invasion of Wehnimer's Landing. Griffins began to drop
boulders on townspeople from the sky, while shadow trolls appeared out
of nowhere, clawing at people as they tried to fight or flee. Boulders
from catapults continued to rain down on the town while griffins would
snatch up women from the streets, carrying them off into the distance.
*
Some of Thrayzar's clan, orc warriors and assassins joined the heroes
of Wehnimer's Landing and help in fighting the pockets of trolls that
appeared in the town's surrounding environs.
* Days later, more
red cocoons were reported to have been found in the graveyard along the
Coastal Cliffs. Meanwhile, a wave of siege engines was rolled up into
Upper Trollfang and Lower Dragonsclaw outside of town. The heroes
branched off into two groups, some fighting waves of trolls and
destroying siege towers and catapults, while the other group going to
the graveyard and breaking the cocoons while fighting off shadow golems
and shadow troll wraiths. At the graveyard, once the cocoons were
destroyed, a shadow troll general appeared but was eventually killed.
After the general's defeat, shadow trolls were no longer spotted.
*
An orc warrior was found in Upper Trollfang, stumbling about and dying
from a vicious stomach wound. He offered up his trollbane maul to the
heroes present and told them to keep the fight going. The orc then
collapsed and died.
* The troll commander Drangell himself
arrived with a wave of trolls outside of town. Drangell was easily
killed but begin to rapidly heal and rise back to his feet. He left a
swath of corpses before he was killed again and then dragged off by some
troll warriors, presumably so he could heal and return.
* The
Tehir tipped off the heroes about a griffin hatchery their scout had
discovered down a narrow trail in Thanatoph. The heroes mounted a large
assault and attacked the griffin hatchery, destroying dozens and dozens
of egg nests and killing another one of Drangell's troll generals. As a
result, the griffin attacks from the sky slowed and eventually
disappeared altogether.
Lumnea 5111 ( June 2011 )
*
Thrayzar returned and gathered many of the town's defenders and asked
them to come with him to his outpost. He told them the trolls had
discovered it and were now attacking and he sought help to finish
escorting all of his people out safely. The heroes went to the outpost
and fought off trolls and blood maggots while Stiletto helped some orc
and goblin women and children escape through a tunnel below the base.
Drangell's third troll general led the attack on the outpost and he
dropped an orcbane weapon upon his death. Once all of the innocents were
saved, the heroes fled the fortress and Stiletto ensured it was
destroyed and it exploded in a fiery inferno which also killed off
dozens of trolls.
* Large shimmering red portals appeared above
Wehnimer's Landing and packs of horned blood red vathors dropped out of
them, all of which moved about the streets leaving piles of corpses
behind. The demons were eventually killed, but the portals remained open
and demons continued to drop from them over the course of three days.
*
Akhash the Tehir spiritcaller believed he could perform a ritual to use
his warding magic to close the red portals and block the summoner's
from opening more portals into town. In order to achieve his goal,
Akhash must enhance his own power with a powerful nearby spirit. After
much research and debate, Akhash informed the heroes that the spirit of
Estrion, the lord of Darkstone Castle would have the best chance of
communicating with. Mayor Walkar and Akhash met with many heroes present
and discussed the details of the ritual and any possible negative
outcome. Walkar approved of the ritual and Akhash went into Darkstone
Castle where he later reported he created a pact with Estrion, who would
help Akhash put wards around the town in exchange for Akhash's oath to
kill Sheru. The dark pact between Estrion and Akhash was formed and
after a successful ritual, the red portals in town were closed. The
heroes, with Akhash's aid, also sealed up the catacombs to prevent
trolls from coming up into the streets.
* Lord Grishom Stone
announced the arrival of one of his supply ships, filled with logs, and
all of the ballista towers in town were fully stocked with arrows to
help in the defense of Wehnimer's Landing.
* Trolls continued to
besiege the town daily, their armies forming along the Coastal Cliffs,
the old Mine Road, Lower Dragonsclaw and Upper Trollfang. Drangell
appeared again and left even more bodies behind and tried to provoke the
defenders, welcoming their attacks. He is attacked and killed numerous
times, but heals quickly and began to grow in both size and strength.
Eventually the heroes surrounded him and would not attack him and began
to try to talk to him, to warn him of the summoner's using him. Once
Drangell stopped attacking and seemingly began to listen, a column of
shadows appeared and engulfed him.
* A new wave of demons
attacked the town and Omlor the orc demon hunter arrived and helped in
the fight. After a horde of demons were killed, two vathors soared down
from the sky and snatched up Omlor, disappearing with him into the
darkness. The heroes formed a search party and not long after a red
portal appeared near them and they were greeted by a shadowy voice who
told them he was a rogue summoner. The heroes headed through the portal
and found a dark, eerie clearing which led to a blood-soaked ritual
site. Along the shadowy trail, the heroes found the mutilated body parts
of Omlor, along with his demonbane scythe. After fighting through
hordes of dark trolls, blood golems and demons, the heroes destroyed
some magical stones jutting up from the ground which allowed them access
to a dark altar, which the summoners had used to bring forth demons.
The bodies of women were piled around the altar. Once the altar was
destroyed, the spirits of ghostly women appeared and attacked, but were
eventually released into peace.
* After the dark altar was
destroyed, demons stopped attacking the town and cargo ships from
Vornavis arrived with further aid and weapons. Knights and infantrymen
from Mestanir arrived shortly after, helping to fight the trolls outside
of town.
* A large number of siege engines appeared again in
Upper Trollfang, accompanied by some kobold carpenters who seemed to
have escaped from somewhere nearby. Heroes and defenders break into
groups and scour the nearby area in search of Drangell's siege camp.
After an hour of fighting trolls and searching, the heroes locate a
hidden trail to the siege camp and began to destroy a vast amount of
siege engines, while killing trolls and kobolds. The fighting escalates
as troll soldiers and champions arrive to defend the camp, along with
Drangell's last general. The general is finally killed and drops his
prized orcbane weapon and the heroes set about destroying the entire
camp, buildings and siege engines alike. Drangell is nowhere to be
found.
* Akhash and the heroes theorized on ways to break
Drangell's curse, since attacking him only made him stronger. Akhash
revealed a possible way to break the curse, but he needed items tied to
the curse itself and trolls. Thrayzar offered his longsword, which was
used to kill the witch that created the curse. The heroes collected
troll blood, hides and body parts. Akhash and Xanith forged a magical
blade using all of the components that had been collected. The heroes
also presented some crystallized flame shards from Drangell's original
prison, which Akhash said they would use to help pin him temporarily to
perform the ritual.
* The following evening Drangell led a
massive wave of trolls and they broke through the gates and swarmed the
streets. Defenders fought off the trolls while a large crowd of heroes
surrounded Drangell outside the bathhouse. Drangell's waraxe was
disarmed and people kept tackling him or pinning him down with insect
swarms. The flame shards were stuck into his limbs and he thrashed about
on the ground while Akhash, using the newly forged magical blade, began
to cut the air around Drangell which slowly pulled back the curse.
Drangell's body changed and shifted and he gradually reverted back to
his giantman form. Mayor Walkar and Marshal Khylon, along with a number
of dwarven sentinels were also present and arrested Drangell, dragging
him off to be imprisoned and interrogated.
* With Drangell
defeated and no more generals alive, the troll army began to break up
and scatter. The defenders of Wehnimer's Landing and Knights of Mestanir
continued their fight against the trolls who eventually retreated,
dispersing in all directions and were no longer an organized threat. The
town and people of Wehnimer's Landing celebrated their victory and
thanked their allies far and wide.
* Drangell remained a
captive in Wehnimer's Landing, being tucked away in a secret location
within the prison. Mayor Walkar made an arrangement with Akhash the
spiritcaller to place magical wards on Drangell's prison that would
prevent the summoners from easily reaching him. Interrogations were
expected to continue until Drangell offered up any important information
regarding the summoners, often referred to as the Arcane Eyes.
Phoenatos 5111 ( August 2011 )
*
Local citizens began to voice their anger and distrust of Mayor Walkar,
citing many issues from his alliances with orcs and allowing them near
town, or even his recent tactics of associating with the spirit of
Estrion to help protect the town from the summoners. Some even
questioned him because of his old ties to Jantalar and the reasoning
behind the death of his father.
* Throughout many nights,
flashes of white light appeared above Wehnimer's Landing and powerful
granite golems fell from the clouds and into the streets. They killed a
number of people and began handling their corpses, searching for
something.
* Colson, an aging huntsman and citizen of Wehnimer's
Landing, began to stir up anger among fellow townspeople over Mayor
Walkar. Colson's son was once a member of the town militia who was
murdered by the orc assassin named Thrayzar over a year ago. The orc had
helped the town on many other occasions and even though Mayor Walkar
pardoned the orc of his crimes, Colson blamed him even more for his
son's tragic end. Colson, along with a number of other angry citizens,
met with the town council to discuss a petition being formed to remove
Mayor Walkar from office.
* At the docks in Wehnimer's, one of
Grishom Stone's merchant ships was attacked by thieves, the ship
destroyed and some crates stolen. Days later, the re-opening of the
Landing Museum was delayed.
* A petition was formed and setup
outside of Moot Hall where townspeople could sign their names if they
wished to remove Mayor Walkar from power.
* A counter-petition
was formed days later outside of Thrak's Inn where townspeople could
sign their names in support of keeping Mayor Walkar in office.
* Urnon-eyed golems appeared in town, killing more people and searching their bodies for something.
* The petition to remove Mayor Walkar failed to gain the required amount of signatures and the town council removed it.
*
Colson's anti-mayor movement shaped into a group of angry citizens
calling themselves the Landing Liberators. They held a number of
meetings in the basement of Tykel's Weapon Shop and handed out protest
signs and bracers with their new group's insignia. In addition, a
number of anti-mayor signs were put up around town in heavily populated
areas.
* In response to the protests, Mayor Walkar and supporters handed out pro-mayor pins and put up some signs in support of him.
*
A massive black storm arrived at Wehnimer's Landing, and tormented
faces appeared within the dark clouds. The tortured faces began to cry
drops of blood which landed in the town and soaked into the ground.
Soon after blood red deathworms erupted from the ground, killing people
all over town before being dispatched.
* A wagon is ambushed
outside of town and many locals rushed to investigate. They found a
broken coffer full of gems common in Ta'Illistim and a case filled with
serpent-hilted daggers. Some bandits were still present and killed,
many of them wearing golden pins that claimed they were supporters of
Mayor Walkar. Another box was discovered near the wagon and it was
empty except for a few pieces of broken glass and an oily substance
staining an inside corner. The town marshal Khylon arrived with dwarven
sentinels to take the coffers away to have the substance investigated.
*
Days later, the Archmage Krylonna announces that the substance found in
the ambushed wagon was the residue of the deadly poison Luukosian
Deathwort and the majority of it had been stolen. Mayor Walkar tried to
calm the town's population and assure them that everyone was safe and
continued to drum up support for Frontier Days.
* Another
massive storm arrived in Wehnimer's Landing and rained down fiery
globules that formed into fire elementals when they landed. The flame
creatures killed a number of citizens all the while destructive meteors
showered the town. The storm eventually dispersed and the fire
creatures were killed.
* Wehnimer's Landing Frontier Days kicked
off with two weeks full of events hosted by local organizations and a
number of services offered by merchants. During the two week
celebration, groups of disgruntled citizens continued to voice their
growing anger with Mayor Walkar, marching in the streets with their
signs and recruiting new members to the Landing Liberators.
* Wehnimer's Landing Museum was re-opened and the new renovations were revealed!
Imaerasta 5111 ( September 2011 )
*
On the final evening of Frontier Days, Lord Grishom Stone gathered a
crowd along North Ring Road to select a number of townspeople for his
merchant services. After an hour or so of working, an ex-militia member
named Vaurus appeared within the crowd, activated a magical crimson
glass orb and tossed it to the ground. Vaurus ran off before the orb
exploded, killing over fifty people in the street.
* The
uprising against Mayor Walkar escalated into violence and chaos as angry
citizens took to the streets, attacking people and setting fire to
buildings around town. Local officials made buckets of water available
in the East Tower, Thrak's Inn and Moot Hall and many heroes rushed to
help put out the fires.
* Mayor Walkar held a meeting with many
heroes and defenders in his office. During the meeting, a red-robed
summoner named Nysorm appeared. Nysorm once worked with Grishom, but
recently broke all loyalty to him after his lover, Arleasta, the woman
who had once posed as Odilia, was used and killed because of Grishom.
*
During the meeting with Mayor Walkar and many heroes, Nysorm informed
those present of the history of Grishom Stone and that his father was
killed by a man named Elithain Cross, who was also a summoner. They
both belonged to a group called the Arcane Eyes who secretly operated
within the shadows of Mestanir. The Arcane Eyes worshipped Koar, but
Grishom's father, Sabasation, believed that Arkati were nothing but over
glorified servants. Such thought made Sabasation a heretic. Elithain
could not safely and openly oppose Grishom's father and so he had his
daughter Madelyne seduce Grishom. Months later, when Madelyne was
accepted and Grishom fell in love with her, she ambushed Sabasation in a
field of sirenflowers outside their home and killed him. Grishom
witnessed the murder and rushed to confront Madelyne, wrestling the
dagger from her grip before killing her with it. Nysorm went on to
inform the heroes that the Arcane Eyes faced open war between factions
supportive of Elithain Cross, and those now loyal to Grishom Stone
because of the murder. Before any magical war could be waged, the
armies of Jantalar invaded with their Mandis Crystals, sending the
Arcane Eyes scattering all over Elanith. Nysorm explained that Elithain
Cross was believed dead, but was in fact hiding from Grishom. Nysorm
let Mayor Walkar and the heroes know that he would seek out Elithain to
hopefully help them finally put an end to Grishom Stone.
* Mobs
of angry citizens continued to attack people in town at night, lightning
more buildings on fire and smearing blood on the statue of Mirayam in
Town Square North West. A blood-stained rock was thrown through the
window of Mayor Walkar's office and fire arrows were fired in, igniting
the room on fire. Even the words "Die Walkar Die" were smeared in blood
on the entrance of Moot Hall. Local heroes eventually put out the
fires and helped dwarven sentinels push back the angry mobs.
* A
group of dwarven sentinels descended upon Tykel's Weapon Shop and broke
up a meeting of the Landing Liberators. Many heroes and defenders of
the town joined the sentinels in arresting some of the protesters and
killing some. Tykel threatened to close up his shop, but Councilman
Juramis convinced him to keep it open.
* In response to the
growing uprising against Mayor Walkar and their own dislike for him, the
local merchants Dakris and Kilron closed up the Furrier and Pawnshop,
citing they would not re-open until Walkar was out of office.
*
Vaurus, the ex-militiaman and member of the Landing Liberators,
continued to set off many crimson orbs in town, blowing up citizens in
populated places like taverns, town square, outside the bank, etc. A
few other angry townspeople mysteriously came across more crimson orbs
and began setting them off as well.
* Mayor Walkar issued a bounty for the killing or capture of Vaurus.
*
Within a few days after the bounty being announced, Vaurus was
apprehended on the second floor of Moot Hall after trying to blow up the
Mayor's office. He was webbed and stunned before someone finally shot
an arrow into his head. As the gathered heroes tried to interrogate
him, his body was consumed in flames.
* Lord Grishom Stone convinced Dakris to re-open the furrier, for the best interest of the people of Wehnimer's Landing.
*
Colson met with people in the Mayor's Office and apologized for the
violence going on. Colson explained that his son would never have
wanted to see the uprising turn violent and that he was ashamed that the
Landing Liberators split into separate groups of brutal thugs. After
being convinced by some of the heroes, Colson took off his Landing
Liberator bracer and tossed it to the floor. He promised he would try
to work with people to stop the violence in the town.
* The
violence only escalated as large groups of protesters flooded the
streets, setting more buildings on fire as bandits attacked people
outside of town. Mayor Walkar himself soon joined the heroes in the
forest as they cut down bandits who were trying to set the archery
towers on fire. Mayor Walkar then went into a berserker rage and ran
into town, killing more bandits and even some of the citizen protesters
who were trying to attack him and others. Some heroes begged for Walkar
to stop attacking, while many others joined him to defend themselves
and others. Walkar's rage subsided outside of Moot Hall and he was then
told by others that Colson sought to speak with him about ending the
violence. The mayor said he would find him and try to put a stop to it
all. The mayor stormed off looking for Colson.
* Thirty minutes
later, the fires in town had been put out and the mobs of angry citizens
had been pushed back by heroes and militiamen. It was then that
townspeople saw a body fly out of the mayor's window and landed in the
street outside of Moot Hall. The corpse was that of Colson, who had a
jagged axe wound in his chest and a series of black veins around the
wound. Guards and heroes rushed into Moot Hall to find the mayor's
office locked. The guards broke down the door to find Mayor Walkar
passed out drunk on the floor, his axe lying next to him and covered in
blood and an oily substance. Walkar woke up, tried to escape but was
tackled by guards and his weapon confiscated. The heroes looked on in
surprise as the mayor was dragged off to jail.
* The archmage
Krylonna announced that the substance found on Walkar's axe was
Luukosian Deathwort and that it having been used in killing Colson had
prevented him from being ressurected.
* Two days after Walkar's
imprisonment, a group of masked individuals broke into the town prison,
incapacitated and killed some of the guards and freed the mayor. The
town marshal, Khylon, was later arrested by the town council on suspect
of organizing the prison break. Rumors suggested Walkar escaped into
Upper Trollfang where allies helped him make it safely away from
Wehnimer's Landing.
* In the absence of their elected mayor, who
had now become a wanted criminal, the town council named Barnom Slim as
Interim Mayor and promoted Lord Juramis to Head of the Town Council.
*
The town riots died down and order had seemingly returned to the town.
With Mayor Walkar gone, Kilron finally re-opened the pawnshop. As his
first act of order as Interim Mayor, Barnom Slim officially declared
Walkar, along with his orc ally Thrayzar, criminals of Wehnimer's
Landing, wanted dead or alive. The town council went on to threaten that
anyone caught associating with or aiding these criminals would be dealt
with swiftly and without mercy.
Jastatos 5111 ( October 2011 )
*
Huge chunks of rocks occasionally fell from the sky, landing throughout
Lower Dragonsclaw and Upper Trollfang. Red veins seemed to be growing
along the rocks surfaces. Once the town's defenders had located the
rocks and battered them, they'd crumble apart releasing powerful
constructs that eventually were killed.
* A large wall of bones
was erected in the hills, blocking people from traveling to Ronan's
Shrine, a place some believed safe from the scrying of the summoners.
After hours of fighting creatures and battling the poisonous wall, the
heroes were able to destroy it.
* A huge cloud appeared above
Wehnimer's Landing and split into swarms of red-eyed black wasps that
began draining spirit and blood from victims within the town. For over a
week the wasp swarms continued until a huge writhing blood wasp nest
was located on the Boulder near Dragonsclaw. The nest was eventually
destroyed by local heroes and defenders, but then three blood demons
erupted from its remains and slaughtered many before being defeated.
*
Interim Mayor Barnon Slim made a public announcement reminding
Wehnimer's Landing that their real enemy was a man known as Elithain
Cross and that he was the true leader of the summoners, despite the many
rumors surrounding Grishom Stone.
* Days later, Interim Mayor
Slim gathered a crowd outside of Moot Hall and announced that the
mercenaries hired by Walkar were fired along with any militia members
loyal to the ex-mayor. The only guards that remained were ones who had
sworn loyalty to Barnom Slim.
* Townspeople had gathered to watch
as Barnom Slim confronted the Tehir Spiritcaller named Akhash in the
street outside Moot Hall. Barnom demanded that Akhash remove his wards
that were protecting the town, citing that the town council did not
trust his magic and did not want to rely on it. Akhash and Raokh boldly
denied Barnom's wishes and said the wards would remain to protect the
townspeople and walked away. Barnom stormed into Moot Hall, uttering
threats and insults.
Eoantos 5111 ( November 2011 )
* Red-eyed black bats began to show up in swarms and attack Wehnimer's Landing, draining blood from townspeople.
*
A woman, named Elisyia went missing in town. Her father Drendan, a
local blacksmith, joined a search party with some heroes to find her but
they had no luck.
* Days later, two bone pillars appeared in the
environs around Wehnimer's Landing. One was found in Upper Trollfang
while another was spotted along the Coastal Cliffs. Heroes reported
watching the bone pillars periodically shift, reaching to the sky like a
giant skeletal finger. With prolonged exposure, the pillars had began
to drain people's blood who were nearby.
* Interim Mayor Barnom
Slim suddenly declared that urnon was illegal in Wehnimer's Landing and
that even if someone was suspect of possessing it, they could be
arrested and searched. Any collected urnon would then be safely stored
by town officials until the threat of the summoners was over.
*
Some local heroes gathered outside of Grishom's office in the Bathhouse
and tried to break down the door, claiming to the authorities that he
had urnon inside. Councilman Juramis arrived and broke up the crowd and
told them he'd speak with Grishom and see about investigating his
office.
* A day later Grishom Stone met with the spiritcaller
Akhash and informed him that he was nearing completion of a possible way
to free the ghost of Madelyne from Riend. Akhash offered his help in
the process and was later warned by the heroes that he was being used,
but assured them he would be careful. That same evening, the heroes
demanded Grishom show them his office and when he did and they found no
urnon, they accused him of moving it.
* Councilman Juramis and
Interim Mayor Slim publically met with the Silver Gryphons outside Moot
Hall along with other townspeople and local heroes. Slim accused the
Knights of conspiring to kill them and found some letters in Sir Brinn's
coat that indicated him and the Order were involved in an assassination
plot. The Knights Cryheart and Brinn were then publically executed and
an investigation was ordered into the Gryphon's land and membership.
*
Some local heroes and defenders of the town held a funeral for justice,
carrying an empty coffin around town and singing dirges of a time when
Wehnimer's Landing was free of tyranny.
* Earl Jovery of Hendor
released a stern warning to Wehnimer's Landing stating that he would
send imperial forces to the town if rumors of the Knights being
persecuted were true. He gave the interim mayor Slim fourteen days to
respond or soldiers would be dispatched.
* Helga brought a bunch
of citizens and heroes to the back alley behind her bar where she
handed out anti-Slim and anti-Juramis signs for part of the new
resistance group forming. Many of the resistance members also wore red
neckerchiefs with the words, "Sons of Thrayzar" on them, using the name
of the orc who helped Mirayam so long ago and was an now an enemy of the
summoners.
* Larton, the local locksmith, met up with a crowd
of angry townspeople outside of Moot Hall where he handed out piñatas
that looked like Councilman Juramis. Later Barnom Slim showed up and
warned the protestors that they had five minutes to leave or he'd arrest
them. Guards showed up and began to arrest the citizens, throwing
dozens of people in jail. Inside the jail cell, shadow golems and fire
elementals appeared, killing people while they were locked up.
Eventually Barnom went and unlocked the jail cell so the prisoners could
be rescued and the golems dispatched. That same night the heroes
created an effigy of Barnom Slim at the Bonfire on the Festival of Frost
grounds and set it on fire before guards tore it down.
*Barnom
Slim met with the Drakes Vanguard at their courtyard and demanded that
their organization make a public oath to him and the town council, in
light of the Gryphons being under investigation for conspiracy. The
Drakes refused and Barnom warned them of their mistake before storming
off.
* One of Helga's barmaids, Salaendra, went missing. Helga
claimed to a group of heroes that she hadn't showed up in two days for
work. The heroes fanned out and formed search parties but she was never
recovered. Hours later a third bone pillar appeared on the Glatoph,
presumably linked to the disappearance of another woman.
*
Interim Mayor Slim and the corrupt militia arrived at the Gryphon's
Holding and closed it down until their investigation could be finished.
Slim made a bold statement, mocking the Earl of Hendor and told him that
they would do all they deemed fit to protect the leaders of Wehnimer's
Landing. Barnom Slim then went on to threaten other organizations,
demanding similar oaths of loyalty as he had asked from the Drakes. The
Black Wolves tried to negotiate with Barnom and help prevent too much
disruption within the city.
* Nysorm, the rogue summoner, met
with the local heroes and the Tehir Raokh and led them through a portal
to the Dragonspine Mountains, to an area he believed Elithain Cross had
been hiding. The heroes fought through the ruins of an old frozen
library, battling ice creatures. They came across magical sigils in the
wall, that once properly activated, led them beneath the library into a
room full of obsidian scrying pools and the man they were looking for.
Elithain greeted the heroes and told them he was not yet ready to
confront Grishom and that he sought a powerful scepter that would grant
him the ability to defeat him. Elithain vanished soon after allies of
Grishom showed up in the library.
* The next day Elithain arrived
on the Hearthstone steps and told the heroes about the true source of
Grishom's power, that it came from a demonic island that kept him
immortal. In order to defeat both Grishom and the island, Elithain
needed the scepter he spoke of so that he could sever the dark link
between both. Elithain told those gathered that he would continue his
search for the item and that he would call upon them when he needed
their help to retrieve it. Once Elithain's presence near town became
known, demons and golems soon invaded and Elithain disappeared.
*
While engaged in conversation about Grishom and Barnom with local
citizens on the porch, Councilman Juramis is stalked and attacked before
he eventually disappeared. Many believed the Councilman was gone for
good.
* Grishom Stone and Bridonna, the museum's director were seen walking around town enjoying the snow-filled night.
*
Dyhne, a prominent merchant is killed near Wehnimer's Landing after his
wagon is burned and many of his rare metals stolen by bandits. The
heroes blamed Grishom Stone, who then publically questioned Barnom Slim
as interim mayor for allowing such crimes to occur.
* Tykel's
niece, Kalie, is reported missing. Tykel shouts angrily on the amulet
and calls heroes to him to help search for her. He instantly blames
Grishom Stone. The heroes are slightly confused since all of the other
missing women had black hair and green eyes, but Kalie had black hair
and blue eyes. Some speculate that the abductor is getting desperate.
Hours later, a fourth bone pillar appeared along the Mine Road.
Eorgaen 5111 ( December 2011 )
*
Grishom Stone made a few appearances at the Silvergate and Gryphon's
winter galas, dancing with a number of women and trying to charm them
while ignoring glares from many in the crowd. That night Bridonna
claimed to some party-goers that she believed Grishom was an innocent
and wonderful man and that one day she'd get him to marry her.
*
Kailashandra, the Seer, arrived in Wehnimer's Landing with her guardian
Magala, who was later attacked and killed by an urnon-eyed golem. The
golem returned for Kailashandra but the heroes came to her rescue,
killing the creature and then listened to the seer's visions of Grishom,
involving his past, the present and the future.
* The fifth and final bone pillar appeared in the Wooded Hills in Lower Dragonsclaw.
*
An invasion of bats, golems and death maggots attacked the town. During
part of the attack, the heroes spotted a burly man escaping from moot
hall with a large sack. Later they found Barnom Slim trying to sneak
into Moot Hall and confronted him, denounced him as their leader and
said that even Grishom Stone was losing patience with him. Barnon seemed
to get rather nervous then used a smoke sphere to disappear from the
angry crowd.
*Nysorm appeared to the heroes at Hearthstone and
provided the means for them to remotely spy on the ritual being
performed by Grishom and Akhash to free Riend of being possessed by
Madelyne. Councilman Juramis returned, much to everyone's surprise and
told those gathered that he had went into hiding because he wanted to
try to find out who was trying to kill him. The councilman was urged to
watch the ritual. During the ritual, Grishom had Riend drink a potion he
had concocted using her own blood. Once she fell unconscious, Akhash
used his mastery of the spirits to magically begin to separate the ghost
of Madelyne from Riend's body. Once the spirit was freed, it tried to
attack Grishom but realized it was immobilized. Grishom revealed his
true nature to everyone as he withdrew his rune-etched dagger and
absorbed the spirit of Madelyne into it. While Akhash and Riend were
still unconscious, Grishom moved over to sacrifice Riend but magical
wards Akhash had placed around her prevented him from his attack.
Grishom then disappeared just as the others woke up. Back at
Hearthstone, Juramis deeply regretted ever trusting Grishom and
apologized to the heroes and told them that he then knew the truth of
Stone and would work against him.
* Reports came in that Barnom
Slim fled Wehnimer's Landing and stole from the town's treasury. Rumors
indicated that he escaped to River's Rest. The corrupt militia, who had
been put in place by the evil interim mayor resigned, once they learned
their funding was gone.
* Councilman Juramis gathered citizens
and local heroes at the Temple Graveyard, where the bard Arpelli
loresang to the tombstone of Colson, which revealed Grishom's role in
his murder and the framing of Mayor Walkar. Juramis declared Grishom an
outlaw of the town and publically encouraged Walkar to come out of
hiding and return to his rightful elected position in Wehnimer's
Landing.
* Waves of golems and demons attacked Wehnimer's
Landing, flooding the forest and north gate. During the battle Walkar
was seen among the fray, killing demons as he made his way back into
town. After the invasion was stopped, Mayor Walkar unlocked his old
office and got caught up from the heroes for awhile before turning in
for the night. Walkar's attire was torn and weathered, except for a
polished crimson breastplate he wore that would sometimes glow.
*
Mayor Walkar and Akhash gathered the heroes at Hearthstone and then
proceeded to the Stone Baths in town, where Akhash dispelled the magical
wards keeping Grishom's office locked. Once inside, the heroes found
that they could enter the shadows in the corner of the room and teleport
to a dungeon beneath the bathhouse. In the dungeon was an obsidian
scrying pool and a few other trinkets and books, among them a tome on
the art of blood magic.
* A terrible storm moved over Wehnimer's
Landing, bringing with it rain and red lightning. Golems appeared in
Upper Trollfang as the defenders of the town rushed out to battle them.
During the storm, beams of red light burst from the five bone pillars
and shot up into the sky, disappearing into the storm clouds. In an
ear-splitting sound, Akhash's wards that protected the town appeared in
the air and suddenly shattered. Meanwhile, in town, women reported
hearing voices and seeing the image of a handsome man calling for them
to follow him. Many resisted the enchantment, but dozens and dozens of
women became enthralled and shambled into the town's museum. Once the
golems were killed outside of town, the local heroes rushed to the
museum but were too late as Grishom Stone had opened up a portal inside
and led nearly a hundred women through it, to his island where he would
later sacrifice them.
* With Akhash's wards now broken by
Grishom's magic, the spiritcaller was able to decipher the origin of the
attack. With that information, he informed Elithain Cross of the
location of the summoner's island. Using his power, Elithain opened a
shimmering red portal along the Coastal Cliffs near town, a gateway that
led to the shores of Glaoveln. From there the heroes were able to swim
to Erythro island, the living, demonic island that was powering Grishom
Stone. The island was full of monstrosities, all creations of the island
and Grishom. For weeks the heroes led attacks against the minions of
the summoner, weakening his numbers.
* Huge churning pools of
blood appeared in the Lower Dragonsclaw and Upper Trollfang, one or two
even showing up inside of Wehnimer's Landing. Defenders and citizens of
the town inspected the pools to find fleshy forms struggling to rise out
of them. Finally countless flesh golems began to rise out of the blood
pools, each one resembling the build and face of Grishom Stone. After
two nights of fighting Grishom doppelganger golems, demons and fire
elementals, Elithain Cross was able to destroy the pools of blood and
prevent their return.
Lormesta 5112 ( January 2012 )
*
Nysorm gathered the heroes once more at Hearthstone, informing them
that Elithain had finally located the scepter he needed to defeat
Grishom. Joining with the heroes, Nysorm opened a portal to an area
referred to as the Den of Ash, where they battled against fiery ogre,
giants and elementals before finding an onyx-capped scepter within a
pillar of flame. Using water magic to finally dispel the fire, the
adventurer Ravashaak grabbed the scepter and the heroes returned to
town. During their raid, many of the fire creatures escaped through the
portal and attacked town but were finally defeated. When Nysorm asked
for the scepter, Ravashaak demanded Elithain come for it himself.
Elithain appeared and after much negotiation the scepter was handed
over, as Elithain gave more details of the plans to stop Grishom. It was
believed that Grishom would soon be trying to complete his ritual to
create a sentient urnon golem and that they needed to wait until that
moment in his time of weakness to strike.
* An onslaught of
demons and a variety of golems invaded Wehnimer's Landing, flooding the
forests and streets of the town as defenders and local heroes rose up to
fight them. Shortly after the invasion began, Mayor Walkar and
Councilman Juramis gathered a large group of heroes and led an attack on
Erythro Island. Elithain Cross met them on the island and reported that
the creatures on the island had begun dwindling, an indicating that its
power was being consolidated for Grishom's ritual. Traveling to the
stomach of the island within the blood caverns, Elithain produced a
black orb that had been inscribed with sigils from the spiritcaller
Akhash. The orb was designed to siphon spirit energy and channel it.
Elithain explained that he would need to drain people's spirit to use
the orb and that later he would need the heroes' help to weaken Grishom.
Elithain then used the orb to reveal a shadowy portal that led into a
hall of urnon, where the heroes destroyed four urnon golems that had
luckily not yet been activated yet. Each golem dropped a shard of blood
red urnon. The heroes then ambushed Grishom in his ritual chamber,
catching him during a moment of weakness during his sacrament, in front
of a block of urnon. Elithain's orb exploded into a sphere of white
light, which the heroes then willed their energy to attack Grishom,
weakening him and burning his flesh. Once fully weakened, Elithain
magically stilled the room, silencing everyone as he moved into the
summoning circle with Grishom. Activating his onyx scepter, Elithain
magically turned Grishom into stone. Double crossing the heroes,
Elithain then took Grishom's ritual dagger, which held the spirit of his
daughter Madelyne Cross and hundreds of other women, and thrust it into
the slab of urnon, completing Grishom's ritual for him. The urnon
shifted and came to life, taking the form of Madelyne and bowing to her
new master. Elithain gloated to the heroes before teleporting away,
taking his new urnon golem with him. Left to fend for themselves, the
heroes destroyed the statue of Grishom Stone, shattering it into chunks
of rock and two crystallized blue eyeballs which they took. The
adventurers then pressed on into the pit of the island, destroying four
large arteries while they fought against blood golems. Finally having
reached the island's heart, the heroes fought against demons, golems and
maggots as they victoriously destroyed the life blood of the demonic
land. Erythro Island began to decay and collapse around them as the
heroes fled for their lives, swimming back to Glaoveln before escaping
through the portal back to Wehnimer's Landing.
* The heroes
escaped the red portal just in time as it exploded in a blast of light
that lit up the night sky and sent quakes rippling across Wehnimer's
Landing and its environs. Having finally defeated Grishom Stone and his
demonic island, the heroes returned to town with Mayor Walkar and
Councilman Juramis. Suddenly exhausted, Walkar collapsed outside of Moot
Hall, his breastplate glowing with a red light. The mayor thanked the
heroes for their endless efforts and help over the last two years and
that Wehnimer's Landing had finally defeated their enemy once and for
all, despite the cost of playing into the hands of another villain.
Part II: Star of Khar'ta
May 2012:
• A speck of blue-green light appeared in
the sky above Wehnimer's Landing, twinkling periodically throughout the
night for over a week. Eventually, the light grew in size and fell
from the sky, creating a giant crater along the Coastal Cliffs near town
and sending quakes throughout the area. Local adventures rushed to the
site of the crater, where they found a gnome crawling out of the broken
earth, carrying a glowing green crystal orb. The gnome, a resident of
Grawood farm named Murley, claimed to have seen the light fall from the
sky and curiosity drove him into the crater. Soon, Mayor Walkar arrived
along with some militia guards, who confiscated the orb from Murley,
declaring it should be examined by the town's arch mage and museum
curator.
• After much examination and research, the museum
curator Glethad, and the arch mage Pherantyr, determined that the orb
that fell from the sky was an ancient historical relic, that held many
meanings to a handful of different cultures. The elves believed the
item to be called the Eye of Ta'Ashrim, possessing the souls of fallen
Ashrim who were entrapped during the final days of the war against the
Faendryl. The humans of the coastal territories within the Turamzzyrian
Empire called it the Gale Stone, believing its powers once destroyed
the island of Kezmon. The krolvin called it the Star of Khar'ta,
believing it was part of the essence of their sea god, and an omen for
their conquests. The artifact was then put up on display in Wehnimer's
museum, where a number of protective wards were established by the arch
mage Pherantyr. Only the mage or the curator possessed the knowledge to
deactivate the runes.
• Mayor Walkar informs the town that
Murley, the gnome who originally discovered the artifact, was given
compensation for his "donation" to the museum and was said to be
returning to Grawood farm.
• The Argent Mirror of Ta'Illistim,
hearing reports of the relic being discovered, dispatched an envoy of
scholars and members of her Sapphire Guard, led by the Loremaster Caylio
to Wehnimer's Landing to examine the artifact. She stated that if the
relic was indeed discovered to be the Eye of Ta'Ashrim, that it should
be handed over to the Elven Houses.
• A ship, the Dirty Knave,
docks in Wehnimer's Landing, flying the banners of Seareach and
Brisker's Cove. Its captain is Thanden, an ex-pirate who was once
handed over to the Turamzzyrian Empire by Mayor Walkar for being an
imperial fugitive. Somewhere along the way, Thanden claimed to have
been reformed and now worked as a merchant out of Brisker's Cove, merely
showing up for business. Not wishing to upset alliances within the
Empire, Mayor Walkar allowed Thanden to remain in town, but warned him
that no trouble would be tolerated.
• Loremaster Caylio and his
Illistim scholar envoy arrived in Wehnimer's Landing and were set up
with quarters by the town's officials. They were freely allowed to
examine and study the artifact inside the museum, while both members of
the Wehnimer's militia, and the Sapphire Guard provided security at all
times.
• The merchant Juramis arrived in Wehnimer's Landing,
offering aid to Mayor Walkar and the townspeople. He set about trying
to gather information regarding Thanden and his mysterious benefactor,
and how he came to going from a fugitive pirate to a merchant captain.
• Reports came in that krolvin warships were seen a few days away from Wehnimer's Landing.
•
Murley, the gnome who discover the orb, was spotted in the Landing
museum, his eyes glowing green and seemingly crazy, obsessed with the
artifact and demanding it be returned to him. He was later seen
abducted by a cloaked figure, and his body found hours later in the
museum's basement, his hands cut off. Glethad, the museum curator,
informed the adventurer's that whoever killed Murley believed that by
cutting off his hands, it would sever the bond he had formed with the
artifact.
• Some of Thanden's crew were spotted drinking heavily
and being abrasive around town. When Thanden was confronted by local
adventurers about the possibility of him wanting the orb, he said he'd
never want such a powerful trinket, as it only welcomed trouble to
follow.
• Row boats appear along the Black Sands near Wehnimer's
Landing, as a number of krolvin scouts make their way to town, before
being quickly defeated. Over the next week, war ships, carracks and
galleons arrive on the beach as waves of krolvin invade the Black Sands
and occasionally making their way to Wehnimer's. Each time the krolvin
invasions are beaten back, and their ships along the beaches destroyed.
•
The Illistim scholars conclude that the relic is indeed what they call
the Eye of Ta'Ashrim and Loremaster Caylio prepares a report that is
dispatched to the Argent Mirror, for further instruction. That same
night, a new wave of war ships arrive on the beach and hordes of krolvin
invade the town, fighting towards the direction of the museum. During
the chaos, a few adventurers decided to stay with the green orb to
protect it, but soon found themselves trapped upstairs by a wall of
fire, unable to get help as cloaked figures appeared and killed them.
Within the smoke from the fire, the cloaked figures returned with
Glethad and forced him to de-activate the runes protecting the orb.
Once he did, the mysterious figures stole the orb and kidnapped the
curator.
• After the orb went missing, Mayor Walkar was unsure
of who was responsible, between the krolvin, the ex-pirate, and the
elves. The mayor ordered Caylio and the Illistim scholars and guards
arrested until they can be interrogated regarding the theft. The mayor
also learned a member of the Sapphire Guard had already left town, en
route to Illistim with a message to the Mirror. Local heroes came to
the mayor's aid and tracked down the soldier on the Glatoph, subduing
him before the militia arrived to drag him back to town.
• The
adventurer's sought out the docks for Thanden, but his ship had set sail
right after the orb went missing. The town officials sent a few ships
in pursuit, and warned their allies that he would be considered a
fugitive and wanted for questioning.
• Days later, another wave
of krolvin warships reached the Black Sands, and they concentrated their
efforts along the beach and also within town, dividing the Landing's
defenders. Eventually waves of krolvin made their way into town and
stormed the city's prison, slaughtering the members of the Sapphire
Guard that were being held, and captured the scholars, taking them back
to their ships, presumably for questioning regarding the orb's
whereabouts. Fortunately, Loremaster Caylio was held in a separate
location from his envoy, and was unable to be located by the krolvin.
•
The Argent Mirror of Ta'Illistim released a scathing declaration
against Mayor Walkar, discussing her anger over the capture of her
envoy, which led to some of them being killed or abducted by krolvin.
She demanded Caylio's freedom and repair of their uneasy alliance.
•
Caylio was released from imprisonment, and immediately set home for
Ta'Illistim. The next day, the bodies of the elven scholars that the
krolvin kidnapped washed up on shore near Wehnimer's Landing, no longer
needed by their captors. That same day, Mayor Walkar sent an apology to
the Argent Mirror, in hopes of maintaining their alliance, despite his
mistakes.
June 2012:
• The arch
mage Pherantyr created crystal obelisks along the Black Sands near
Wehnimer's Landing, each imbued with magical energy that would help
defend against the krolvin warships if they returned.
• Mayor
Walkar announced that he believes Thanden may have headed for Teras,
since the Empire's lore on the relic states it may be of dwarven origin.
As such, the krolvin may also be chasing him.
• Juramis was
able to gather some information about Thanden, that he had been pardoned
and hired by a wealthy noble in Brisker's Cove to retrieve the
artifact. His information came at a cost though, as someone did not
appreciate his investigation and set fire to all of his warehouses,
property, and many of his ships. Using his remaining ship, Juramis set
off for Teras to warn the Isle that krolvin and Thanden may be coming.
•
Days later, Thanden arrived on Teras, his ship pulling into the West
Docks. He claimed to be on the island for business, and letting his men
enjoy some of their great dwarven ales.
• While on Teras, a number of dwarven workers around town were abducted.
•
Juramis was attacked on Teras by bandits, presumably hired by Thanden's
benefactor who wished to silence him. Juramis also informed the heroes
that it was rumored that Thanden was supposed to return to Brisker's
Cove, but never did, in fact keeping the orb away from even his own
master, hoping to somehow use it himself.
• Eventually the
krolvin fleet arrived on Teras Isle, their war ships sailing up to the
Greymist beach. For days, waves of krolvin swarmed the Greymist, and
many times breached the town of Kharam-Dzu, searching for their
artifact, the Star of Khar'ta.
• With the krolvin presence now on
the island, Thanden's crew revealed their true intentions and the
"captain's" pirates began raids on the town, abducting dwarven
adventurers and trying to extract blood from them. While local heroes
investigated Thanden's ship, they heard a loud thud from below the cargo
hold, which was sealed off by a locked hatch. After days of suffering
raids from the pirates, and their feras weapons, the heroes were able to
break open the hatch, rescuing the Landing museum curator, Glethad.
Thanden's ship, the Dirty Knave, had been set on fire by the heroes and
its mysterious combustible supplies within the cargo bay caused the
vessel to finally explode into a fiery inferno.
• It was then
revealed that Thanden had been pardoned by a prominent figure in
Seareach and hired to travel to Wehnimer's Landing to steal the green
orb. After he had stolen it, the pirate did not return to the Empire,
but instead decided to try to activate the orb's powers himself, using
dwarven blood, and then take ownership of the item. Glethad, the
curator, even said that dwarven blood would not likely activate the
artifact, as it was some kind of sentient creation that thrived on
chaos.
• The krolvin invasions began to grow in size on Teras, as
wave after wave flooded the streets of Kharam-Dzu. With his crew dead
and his ship destroyed, Thanden ran out of time, unable to properly gain
control of the orb. He tried desperately to flee before the krolvin
found him, but he was cornered in the center of town by the local
heroes, who killed him, a ranger named Hoy dealing the final blow.
Amidst the chaos, krolvin warriors snatched up Thanden's corpse and
dragged it off.
• The heroes then proceeded to the Greymist
beach, destroying more krolvin ships, but many of their vessels sailed
away. A short time later, Thanden's corpse was found outside the gates
of Kharam'Dzu, his body savagely mutilated, and his hands torn off. The
krolvin fleet had left Teras Isle, their destination unknown.
•
Days later, Glethad arrived in the center of Kharam-Dzu, having spent
the last few days resting and healing. He thanked the local adventurers
for their help in his rescue, and warned that due to the krolvin's
belief about the Star of Khar'ta, that they would likely return to
Wehnimer's Landing, seeing the town as an omen for their next great
conquest. Glethad then set back for Wehnimer's Landing, to pass the
same warning to the town's mayor.
July 2012:
•
The heroes and defenders of Wehnimer's Landing prepare for the
possibility of an attack from the krolvin, now in possession of the Star
of Khar'ta.
• Snow begins to fall in Wehnimer's Landing and its
surroundings, soon accompanied by arctic cold rains. It is believed the
Star of Khar'ta is being used to weaken the town and create a more
hospitable environment for the krolvins before they invaded. In
addition, crops suffered in nearby farms, hindering the town's supplies
while ships and merchants began to turn away from Wehnimer's, unable to
safely brave the raging storm growing in Darkstone Bay.
•
Pherantyr created a magical talisman that was handed out to many local
townspeople and defenders, its powers being able to inform the wearer
when the Star of Khar'ta was near. While it provided no additional
defenses against the krolvin, just the forewarning of Krentuk's arrival
was an added benefit.
• The white obelisks along the Black
Sands, that Pherantyr had created to help defend against krolvin along
the beach, were soon neutralized and encased in magical ice.
•
Days later, icy fog rolled across the town from Darkstone Bay as the sky
was darkened by storm clouds. The forms of krolvin galleons appeared
from out of the mist, sailing up to the North Dock as well as the Black
Sands outside of town. A part of Krentuk's armada had arrived, and the
war had finally begun.
• Not being content to remain on the
defense, many heroes and local defenders found themselves braving the
icy temperate of Darkstone Bay by swimming up to the main krolvin ships,
often boarding them to help fight against the krolvin. The four common
ships boarded were Lalk Renqua (The Blue Skin), D'ton Criga (The Fester
Thorn), Pritzkra Burzka (The Dark Corpse) and V'Koort Etka (The Sea
Pig).
• The town began to see the effects of the arctic weather,
as many buildings in town, including the Moot Hall and Bank, were
nearly concealed in frost and ice. From time to time, chunks of
bluish-green ice would fall from the storm clouds, shaping into
elementals once they hit the ground and tore paths of devastation
through the town. On a number of occasions, large walls of ice would
form outside of prominent shops and even both town gates, making it more
difficult to escape town as krolvin armies flooded the streets.
•
For many days, local militiamen were found encased in ice all over
town. It took the work of many town heroes and defenders to safely
break them out.
• The war continued in the streets of Wehnimer's
for many weeks, as new waves of krolvin warships would arrive at the
docks, and the presence of the blue-skinned creatures constant in many
pockets of the town. The very streets became dangerous, as war galleys
fired flaming catapults into the town, or fired off ballista bolts.
Even the weather had grown dangerous, many suffering from cold snaps,
lightning bolts from above, even back-breaking wind.
• Heroes
continued to form groups on a nightly basis to help defend the town,
Mayor Walkar and Juramis sometimes among them. One evening, they
encountered a powerful shaman who arrived on the North Docks and had
summoned a giant arctic crab that proved quite difficult to kill, but in
the end was defeated, along with the shaman. The war continued to rage
on, with no end of krolvin ships in sight.
• Krentuk himself,
the warlord of the krolvin and now dubbed the Czag'Herndrok, or
starbringer, would often arrive in town, displaying the might of the
Star of Khar'ta. He became almost impossible to hit, as the orb created
a wall of air around him, that would deflect strikes back on his
attackers. In addition, the orb was used to hurl people through the
air, scattering them about, or unleashing a torrent of green elemental
energy to blast his opponents.
• Many townspeople soon found
themselves captives of the krolvin, as for many weeks the krolvin would
track down people in town, throw nets over them and drag them off to the
slave pens in one of their ships. Many heroes eventually escaped the
depths of the ship prisons, but countless other townspeople were not so
fortunate.
• New waves of krolvin began to arrive in town, many
of them stronger and more powerful than those before. Stormcrows,
bloodmasters, and slashers spread destruction throughout the city
whenever they would arrive, often requiring many heroes to band together
just to dispatch a few of them. Eventually the arrival of zealots and
legionnaires, fiercely dedicated to Khar'ta arrived as well, many of
their eyes even glowing green. It had become apparent that the orb had
begun to transform both Krentuk and many of his followers, consuming
them with blind zealotry.
• A cloaked, hunched over figure drew
people's attention to the narrow alley be Tykel's weapon shop. When
many heroes and defenders arrived, the figure revealed himself to be a
half-krolvin named Falzcrow, whose father was the Bloodfist Kragnack,
and just happened to be Krentuk's brother. Falzcrow informed the heroes
that he wished to arrange a meeting between them and Kragnack, and that
his father had wished to help them against Krentuk, but of course to
his own gain. The heroes agreed to meet, and Kragnack met them in the
stronghold of the Drakes Vanguard, where Falzcrow had to translate for
his father. Kragnack explained that Krentuk's expansion was folly, and
that not all the krolvin on Glaoveln blindly followed him and his orb,
and that he would gladly attack Krentuk's stronghold on their home
island, which would likely divert or even divide some of his forces. In
exchange, Kragnack demanded weapons to help his attack, and also that
the town's leaders safely escort his son away from the town, as he would
be killed by Krentuk if he was discovered. Kragnack and Falzcrow left,
giving the heroes a day to contact their leader and discuss any terms.
•
The next day, the heroes explained the situation to Mayor Walkar, who
agreed he would meet with Kragnack, but he would not be offering any
weapons. But he would ensure protection for his son. With another
translator present, the half-krolvin Gondain, the mayor and a number of
heroes met with Kragnack and Falzcrow. The mayor explained that he
would ensure Falzcrow's safety, but provide no weapons to Kragnack, and
that anyone who did would be punished, despite many people present
arguing that they'd offer up weapons to help. Soon after, town guards
arrived and apprehended Falzcrow, roughly taking him away. The mayor
then warned Kragnack that Falzcrow would remain in his protection to
ensure the attack on Krentuk's stronghold happened, and that it was not
some ploy to trick them. If the attack was successful, Falzcrow would
be released back to his father. Many grew angry with Walkar, declaring
Wehnimer's was not about taking hostages to get their way. The mayor
said he had to do what needed to be done to ensure the town's protection
and stormed off.
• One night, a small umber-shrouded ship was
seen moving through Darkstone Bay, narrowly avoiding krolvin warships as
it arrived near the shore outside of town. The ship was named The Fall
of the West, captained by the halfling pirate Parlay, who was once a
member of the Spitfire crew. Parlay claimed he had no choice but to
stop nearby because of the storms, but he was more than happy to help
where he could against the krolvin.
• The next night, Captain
Parlay led a group of heroes back into Darkstone Bay where they were
able to locate and board Krentuk's flagship, the Gzadmor gno Prozd (The
Pain of Night.) There the heroes were met with a number of krolvin
slashers, bloodmasters, stormcrows, and even some Khar'ta zealots.
Krentuk himself appeared, using the Star of Khar'ta to kill nearly
everyone on the ship. The heroes eventually returned to life, many
rescuing each other as they all made their way safely back to town.
Days later, Parlay's ship suffered some damage and had to return to the
shore outside of town, but promised to help in the next battle.
•
Reports came in that the Bloodfist Kragnack's attack against Krentuk's
stronghold on Glaoveln was successful. The stronghold was left almost
defenseless, so the assault was won over night. When word reached
Krentuk's fleet, many of them set sail back for home, most of them
claiming new allegiance to Kragnack and abandoning the war against
Wehnimer's Landing. It was rumored that Kragnack was still equipped
with weapons, despite the mayor's stern warning of treason. As a result
of Kragnack dividing his brother's forces, Krentuk's presence began to
weaken in the Landing.
• Slender, cloaked figures began
appearing in town, moving among the shadows and sometimes seen killing
some of the krolvin invaders. Onyx rose clasps were seen on their
cloaks, indicating they were likely Nalfein. Days later, a Nalfein
named Zyndur appeared in the center of town, seeking Mayor Walkar. The
mayor and a number of local defenders met with the elf, who offered his
people's help against their enemies, because they were all equipped with
krolvinbane longswords. In exchange for helping the Landing, Zyndur
asked that if Krentuk is killed, that the artifact be given over to him.
Mayor Walkar conferred with the heroes present, who were mostly wary
of any deal with Zyndur, but in the end Walkar agreed to hand the relic
over to the Nalfein, in exchange for their help. But in addition, the
mayor demanded some krolvinbane weapons for those present. Many
accepted the black-bladed longswords, but some refused, wishing not to
wield any kind of weapon forged using blood magic. Zyndur warned Walkar
that he knew the nature of humans, and that if he intended to not carry
through on his end of the bargain, there would be a price to pay.
•
The archmage Pherantyr announced a break through with the talismans he
had created. He was able to manipulate some of the Star of Khar'ta's
energy in the area and infuse the items with a magical immunity. Those
wearing the talismans were still vulnerable to the harsh weather, but no
longer could Krentuk attack them with lightning or use the wind to hurl
them about. Because of the recent development of the talisman's
powers, and many people now equipped with krolvinbane weapons, Mayor
Walkar announced his intentions to soon launch an assault on Krentuk's
ship.
• A day later, Mayor Walkar summoned the town's defenders
to his office, where he told them that he intended to lead them all into
Darkstone Bay to destroy some of the krolvin's main ships. Over a year
ago, Grishom Stone once provided crimson orbs to a disgruntled
militiaman named Vaurus, who used them throughout town and caused them
to explode, killing large crowds of people. After Grishom was killed,
much of his property was confiscated, and due to someone's suggestion,
Walkar went looking for any leftover crimson orbs. Having found some,
Walkar had the archmage Pherantyr tweak them slightly to effect only the
krolvin. So the mayor handed out an orb to every hero present and they
made their way out into Darkstone Bay, soon boarding the Lalk Renqua.
They battled a number of krolvin before using some of the spheres to
destroy parts of the ship, setting it on fire. They escaped just in
time as the Lalk Renqua erupted in flames, eventually sinking. Having
some crimson orbs leftover, the heroes made their way to the V'koort
Etka, where they fought more krolvin before finally burning and sinking
the ship. The mayor informed those present that because of their
victories, the pirate Parlay would now have an easier time sailing his
ship to attack Krentuk, and that the final assault would happen the next
night.
• The next evening, over one hundred adventurer's made
their way to Parlay's ship, the Fall of the West, outside of town.
Captain Parlay had them board the ship and he set sail into Darkstone
Bay, avoiding krolvin ships and navigating through the raging storm to
finally reach Krentuk's flagship, the Gzadmor gno Prozd. Parlay
informed the heroes that once they boarded Krentuk's ship, he would have
to turn his own ship around and return to town, as the storm was
getting too bad for him to remain. The defenders bravely pressed on,
boarding Krentuk's ship and fighting a number of krolvin that swarmed
along the deck. All around the boat, the storm assaulted them, waves
crashing about as the heroes locked in combat with the krolvin. A
handful of Nalfein swordsmen also appeared on the ship, but most of them
were killed by the krolvin. All during the fighting, they could see the
glow of the Star of Khar'ta nearby and hear the mocking laughter and
barking of Krentuk. Soon, the Czag'Herndrok himself was lured out onto
the deck, where the heroes surrounded him and unleashed an onslaught of
spells and other attacks. The krolvin warlord was killed a number of
times, but each time the Star of Khar'ta's powers resurrected him.
Finally, realizing their normal spells and weapons were useless, the
heroes unsheathed their krolvinbane weapons and moved in, unaffected by
the orb's powers. Vividarium struck the final blow, cutting down
Krentuk with the black-bladed longsword. Krentuk's corpse twitched
violently on the ground, his eyes growing cold and black as the green
orb burned away his fingers and hands, rising up into the sky above the
ship. The Star of Khar'ta expanded quickly in size, as the clouds above
began to shrink inward towards it. The waves of Darkstone Bay grew in
size and the entire sky turned into a wild tempest of ice, rain and
wind. The heroes tried to escape the ship, but soon the wind rushed
over them, pinning them helplessly to the upper deck. The green orb had
grown massive in size, viewable from all areas in and around Wehnimer's
Landing. Moments later, the orb exploded in a blast of brilliant
light, tearing every krolvin ship in the bay, including the Gzadmor gno
Prozd and dragging the heroes underwater. The defenders found
themselves trapped in the murkiness of Darkstone Bay, struggling as the
waters tossed them about. Minutes later, everyone found themselves
pulled from the waters and washed up on shore in a variety of locations
along the bay. Everyone bore witness to the stormy skies quickly
subsiding as a torrent of green specks of light showered down from the
sky like emerald rain, presumably the remains of the Star of Khar'ta.
•
A few days later, Parlay's ship returned to Wehnimer's, arriving at the
North Dock, looking battered and in desperate need of repair. Captain
Parlay informed the heroes that his crew would be staying in town for a
month, as they repair the ship and he lets his men rest and enjoy
themselves. In addition, he intends to sell some wares and do some
merchant work during the upcoming Frontier Days festival.
• Mayor
Walkar met many heroes outside of Moot Hall, where he thanked them all
for their tireless efforts in defending the town and its people. He
expressed his appreciation for all of the blood and sweat spilled, and
for every single spell and blade used to protect Wehnimer's Landing. It
was said that Falzcrow, the half-krolvin son of Kragnack would be
released and would likely be escorted to Icemule, where he desired to
go. The mayor also informed everyone that the museum curator Glethad
was also freed from his self-requested confinement, now that the Star of
Khar'ta was gone and presumably its hold over him as well. The curator
was said to be resting at the time and would likely have more to share
on the artifact and his experience in the near future. The mayor then
apologized to everyone for his questionable behavior lately, and that
despite whether people always agreed with him, every action he took was
in the town's best interest. He then explained briefly that in the
battle against Grishom Stone, he almost died if not for the intervention
of the villain Elithain Cross, who kept him alive with the magical
crimson breastplate he now wears. Many asked Walkar if the armor would
ever make it so he was not in control of his own actions, to which he
politely sidestepped answering. It was then Zyndur, the Nalfein elf
showed up and had a few curt remarks to make. While the relic had been
destroyed, Zyndur reminded those present that it was his krolvinbane
weapons that ensured their victory and in essence saved their town. He
then told Mayor Walkar that he would call upon him someday for a favor,
and if his demand was not met, then he would extract a price, a cost
that the mayor had no desire to discuss openly. Zyndur then slipped
back into the shadows. Mayor Walkar once more thanked everyone for
their efforts and help and all rejoiced as much of the ice around town
finally began to melt away
Part III: All the Lich King's Men
Eorgaen, 5112 - (December, 2012)
* A fire was spotted near the
docks in Wehnimer’s Landing, and the adventurers went to investigate,
only to find that the fishing shop, Guttin’ Goods was engulfed in
flames. The heroes were able to form a bucket brigade and put out the
fires. Inside the shop, the half-krolvin owner Cutlass thanked the
heroes for their help and was then questioned about who might have done
this. Originally, in the panic of the fire, the shopkeeper had cursed
about some birds, but when asked to clarify, he said he never mentioned
any form of avian. He also suspected the fire was likely caused by some
hooligans with anti-krolvin sentiments and then clammed up.
*
That same night as the shop fire, strange ghostly white lights appeared
in the night above Wehnimer’s Landing, eventually moving through the sky
and descending on the Black Sands. An eerie voice echoed across the
heavens, commanding the beasts of the bay to rise and be reborn. When
the adventurers went to investigate, they found hordes of undead krolvin
rising up out of Darkstone Bay and swarming the beach. After some
initial fighting, a white fog rolled across the beach and the krolvin
zombies disengaged the heroes and wandered into the mist, disappearing
altogether.
* Adventurers heard commotion outside of Tykel’s
Arms, and stormed inside. They found broken glass, and some bricks
smeared with blood, in the image of a rook. Tykel was very angry and
told the heroes present that a week or so ago, some cloaked thugs came
into his shop and offered him a lucrative deal to help smuggle things
through his shop’s tunnel access, but he had refused them. The broken
glass and blood were clearly a warning. Tykel described his attackers
as shadowy figures with deep hoods, and only a greyish-black beak
showing beneath the cowl. He was not certain if they were monster or
man. Then suddenly, a beaked figure appeared outside of Tykel’s window,
and then darted off. The heroes chased after the figure, but lost him.
In their search of the town and the catacombs, they discovered a new
series of tunnels beneath the town, dubbed the Burrow Way. The new
network of caverns was explored and determined to have access to many
shops within the town, as well as a few exit locations outside of town.
*
The adventurer Puptilian was lured into an alleyway by the Brotherhood
of Rooks, where he was told to deliver a message to the town and its
mayor. They claimed that the town was now theirs, and they would
protect it, and not to try to stop them. Then, three shadowy figures
with grey beaks stepped out of the darkness, pecked Puptilian with their
beaks to death, then left him to be rescued and deliver his message.
*
Ghostly lights appeared in the night again, this time descending upon
the graveyard near Lorminstra’s Temple in Wehnimer’s Landing. Once more,
a dark voice called for the fallen to rise and meet him. Local
adventurers went to the graveyard to find it swarming with undead
ghouls, zombies, phantoms and more. The heroes fought hard, working
tirelessly to release the undead, but were soon overwhelmed by the power
of some of the spirits and many died, their bodies trapped within the
graveyard and making any rescue attempts difficult. It was then Mayor
Walkar showed up, his “magical” breastplate flashing with crimson light
as he waded into the horde of undead, dispatching many of them before he
dragged dozens of heroes to safety. At the end of the conflict, white
fog appeared once more, swallowing up the remaining undead and then
fading away.
* Plumes of smoke were seen in the Upper Trollfang
and some adventurers went to discover a caravan of wagons had been set
on fire, with only burnt husks, a few bodies, and one survivor
remaining. All of the supplies were stolen and were believed to include
wheat, metal and precious gems. Etched on the wheel of one of the
burned wagons, was the tiny image of a red rook. The lone survivor, a
tinker gnome named Jankus, was questioned by the heroes. He explained
that they were traveling from Solhaven and were ambushed, his friends
killed and their supplies taken. The gnome also had a number of gears
and trinkets that had gone missing. The heroes offered to help Jankus
get set up in town as he was looking to settle somewhere and begin
merchanting. He later received accommodations from Mayor Walkar for his
troubles, as the mayor wished to welcome new business and merchants to
town.
* Ghostly lights appeared in the sky, this time descending
upon the Wehntoph, where local heroes rushed to fight off hordes of
undead pumas, trolls, ogres and minotaurs. The conflict raged on for a
while, before white fog once more arrived and engulfed the undead,
fading away along with them.
*
The adventurer Arpelli and many townspeople organized a ritual in the
town graveyard to bless the ground and try to put back to rest some of
the dead that had been awakened. The adventurer Godefroy, a priest of
Koar, led the service as many gathered in the graveyard. After the
ceremony, they proceeded to go to the fishing shop and Tykel’s arms,
trying to bless the shops against whatever might also be behind the
Brotherhood of Rooks. The Rooks did not take too kindly to their
meddling in what they called their shops, so shadowy figures kidnapped
Godefroy. The Rooks then informed Godefroy he was wasting his time
blessing shops, that they were not connected to the undead menace, and
that the Rooks had come to restore order, but to obtain true rule with
fear first, then obedience. Godefroy was then pecked to death from the
razor-sharp beaks of the shadowy figures and left to be discovered in
the Burrow Way.
*
Mayor Walkar held a town hall meeting in Moot Hall, where many
citizens, adventurers and even local merchants were in attendance.
Walkar tried to ensure the public that he was having the increase of
criminal activity investigated and these thugs calling themselves the
Brotherhood of Rooks will be brought to justice and cannot successful
strong-arm the town into submission. A reward was announced to soon be
offered for information regarding their leader. After fielding a number
of questions from people in attendance, the doors were suddenly shut
from the outside and the windows boarded up. From among the crowd,
three shadowy figures with grey beaks sprung seemingly from out of
nowhere and then escaped through a secret entrance into the catacombs.
The heroes pursued, but were left to discover only a message written in
blood. It was a warning, that the Rooks had all of the power, could
have killed them all, but did not.
* Part of a new tunnel, still
incomplete, was discovered in the Burrow Way, leading many to speculate
that the Rooks intend to expand.
* Throughout the entire month,
dark visions continued to torment people as they would see images of
gnarled bodies hanging from withered trees, or corpses littered along
streets, or even an undead king roaming in the darkness with a crown of
bones.
* The town marshal Khylon mobilized some militia members
and some local heroes and goes on a raid through the Burrow Way tunnels.
They are encountered by a number of bandits and arrows from murder
holes, but eventually discover a Rook’s Nest near the tunnel exit to
Upper Trollfang. Inside they kill a number of recruits and other
bandits and rogues before the hidden lair is finally cleared out.
Inside of the hideout they find some maps of the layout of the town
prison, moot hall, and a construction plan for expanding the current
Burrow Way. There is also a manifest detailing some imports into town,
originating from Brisker’s Cove in the County of Seareach.
*
After the attack on the Rook’s Nest, a small child approached the
adventurer Seomanthe at the Hearthstone Steps. The child asked her
about the orphanage she was trying to make and wanted her to follow him.
Once Seomanthe was at the Temple, away from onlookers, the child
darted away. Just then, three Rooks ambushed her and dragged her into
darkness, dumping her into a cell hidden somewhere. During the town
hall meeting, Seomanthe and her husband Greganth had threatened to smoke
out the Burrow Way. So the Rooks instead held her prisoner as they set
fire to House Aspis, the home of her officership. Local heroes rushed
to the aid of Aspis and put out the fires before much damage could be
done. The Rooks warned Seomanthe and others not to come against them
again, then pecked her to death and left her to be found in the
underground tunnels.
*
For the final time, more ghostly lights appeared above Wehnimer’s
Landing, this time descending on the old Mine Road near the town.
There, heroes battled undead thraks, goblins, miners, death worms and
ghoulish spiders. As with all of the previous encounters with the
undead, the white fog eventually arrived as the zombie creatures
disappeared within it.
* The adventurer Meureii was kidnapped by
some Rooks and subdued and left on an icy cliff on the Glatoph as a
diversion. As local heroes rushed out to the Glacier, a ship exploded
at the North Dock in town, sending a fiery ball of flames and smoke into
the sky. When the heroes finally rushed to the docks they found the
husk of a burnt ship, a scorched chest full of melted lockpicks, and a
flame-seared body. Discovered on the chest was the small red etching of
a rook. Larton, the town’s local locksmith showed up shortly after,
claiming the ship had carried a lot of supplies for his shop. He
explained how the Brotherhood of Rooks had tried to sell him monthly
protection for his ship, and if their fee was not met, they would
extract their revenge. Larton had refused twice, so his business
suffered. He was almost ready to give in and pay the fee to the Rooks,
but the adventurers present convinced him otherwise.
*
Shadowy figures were seen moving through the streets of Wehnimer’s one
night, so a number of militia soldiers and adventurers began to patrol.
Within minutes, a wave of young bandits, seeming to be recruits in the
Brotherhood of Rooks, began to attack townspeople. The attack was
eventually beat back, but Kaedra discovers a bag on one of the dead
bandits. In the bag is a parchment listing names of new recruits, none
of them recognized by the public except Arpelli! The town marshal
Khylon explained that he was sure she is being framed, but needed to
take her away for questioning as part of his job. For her own
protection and witness, Arpelli asks Sir Cryheart to go with her.
Khylon took them both to the Council Chambers inside Moot Hall, where he
began to question her about why the Rooks might be targeting her.
Moments later, three cloaked figures leapt out of the shadows, subdued
both Arpelli and Cryheart, then dragged Khylon off. As a parting gift,
the shadowy figures surrounded Arpelli and Cryheart and pecked them to
death with their razor-sharp beaks before disappearing. Both Arpelli and
Cryheart were later recovered and healed by fellow adventurers.
* A message in blood was left on the wall of Moot Hall that reads, “We have your dwarf. The Rooks’ Ransom comes soon.”
*
A series of massive quakes shook Wehnimer’s Landing and the surrounding
area. Cracks formed along the cobblestone streets, which drove
adventurers down into the Burrow Way to explore. There, they found a
pile of rubble in the newly added tunnel had been cleared away, but at
the expense of the blackened and scorched bodies of bandits scattered
nearby. The tunnel was discovered to lead into pitch darkness, unable
to be lit up by torch or magic. A number of adventurers pressed into
the darkness, navigating through blindly before coming out into a
massive cavern that led to some black iron gates. Beyond the gates they
encountered a small city full of undead, from ghouls to spirits, to
zombies and death knights. It was soon realized that the town was a
dark macabre version of Wehnimer’s and the ruler was identified by the
grotesque statue in the center of the undead city. The master of the
recent undead menace proved to be Barnom Slim, who had now ascended into
the form of a lich and dubbed himself a King. Barnom was once a
councilman of Wehnimer’s, who allied himself with Grishom Stone, and
later a Luukosian Cult in River’s Rest before vanishing. During the
Lich King’s initial encounter with the heroes, only threats and insults
were shared and Barnom later explained that one day they would all serve
in his new kingdom and that many would do so by choice, and that
becoming living dead was the only way to protect them from the shadows
that were gathering at the edges of the world.
* During a second
encounter with Barnom down in Lich’s Landing, many heroes came to talk
to the self-proclaimed undead king. Barnom answered many questions
about his plans, but refused to go into specifics on the shadowy threat
he was offering to protect everyone from, but warned it would feed on
flesh, blood and souls. After quite a bit of communication between the
Lich King and adventurers present, Kerl tried to attack Barnom but was
unsuccessful. The lich then encased Kerl in ice until he froze and
died, then reanimated his corpse to kill dozens of other adventurers
present. The onslaught continued until the few survivors escaped and
the Lich King retired to his citadel.
* Three dwarven fingers were pinned to the door of Moot Hall, along with
a message smeared in blood that read, “Drangell for your Dwarf.” Mayor
Walkar then made an announcement claiming the town would not give in to
the Brotherhood of Rooks’ demands. Furthermore, if Khylon the dwarf
marshal was not returned, Walkar promised to hunt down every last member
of the Rooks and their families and slaughter them.
*
Barnom Slim held audience outside of his citadel in Lich’s Landing,
where he informed many adventurers gathered that he intends to visit the
Elven Nations soon, to extend his offer of salvation to the Elven
Houses. At that time he also accepted his first follower, Cruxophim and
carved a glowing red claw-shaped mark into his flesh as a badge of
service. He, and all who came to willingly serve Barnom Slim later,
acquired the label of Lichborn.
* A woman’s scream alerted the
townspeople to a burly giantman’s corpse outside of Aznell’s Armory. The
giant’s throat had been cut from ear to ear, and his entrails spilled
out onto the ground. The merchant Aznell soon discovered the body as
well and informed the adventurers that it was his apprentice Amos, who
the Rooks had killed because Aznell refused to pay their protection
fees. At the end of the night, Aznell announced he had lost faith in
Mayor Walkar and would be giving into the Rooks’ demands.
* The
same evening Aznell’s apprenticed was murdered, the adventurers went to
tell Mayor Walkar what happened. In a rage, Walkar decided he would try
to kill Drangell so the Rooks could never get him released. Walkar
grabbed a crossbow, and those gathered had followed him down to
Drangell’s cell, where the prisoner taunted the mayor into shooting
three bolts at him. Drangell fell to the ground, supposedly dead, but
then moments later his wounds healed up and he rose to his feet, leading
evidence to the fact that his old curse of not being able to die hadn’t
left him. Walkar then tossed his crossbow to the ground and stormed
off, Drangell’s mocking laughter echoing as he left.
*
Adventurers continued to have dark visions, of a robed figure with a
crown of bones, decaying knights with fiery eyes, militia men hanging
from a gnarled black tree, etc.
* Additional guards, the few the
town had to spare, were set up to protect a few local shops such as
Tykel’s and Larton’s, who had refused to cooperate with the Rooks and
feared further endangerment because of it.
* A small group of
adventurers staged an ambush on a Rook, capturing him and interrogating
him. After the Rook is killed, his possessions are acquired and it is
learned the mysterious “birdmen” use magical masks to give them their
appearance, and rely heavily on other items that allow them to summon
darkness, go invisible, and move silently.
*
The Lich King, Barnom Slim and an envoy of undead knights and banshees
and other minions visited the Elven Nations, making their first stop at
Ta’Vaalor. They were greeted at the Amaranth Bridge and when Barnom
made his offer of an alliance, he was flat out rejected by Qalinor, the
Steward of Ta’Vaalor. The elves said they would never forget the undead
wars. The Lich King did not take kindly to such rejection, and so
commanded his subjects to attack the fortress city, before he was
finally driven back and forced to retreat.
*
During the conflict with the Lich King and Ta’Vaalor, two Legionnaires,
Yinh and Yangh broke their vows and took an oath of loyalty to serve
Barnom. They were branded with glowing claw-shaped marks on their flesh
and expelled forever from the Legionnaires.
*
Meanwhile, back in the west, while Barnom was off visiting the elves,
Mayor Walkar and the Grandmaster of the local Voln sect launched an
attack on Lich’s Landing, with a small army of voln warriors taking to
the dark city to begin an ongoing battle to release the undead within
it.
*Vordilian,
Champion of the Order of Voln, arrived in Wehnimer’s Landing to meet
with fellow members of the Order. He denounced Barnom Slim and his
followers and vowed to lead the fight against the abomination of Lich’s
Landing.
*
The Brotherhood of Rooks’ called Mayor Walkar’s bluff, and instead of
releasing Khylon, they cut out one of his eyes and nailed it to the door
of Moot Hall, along with a message that read, “Give us Drangell, or
your dwarf dies next. Fight our existence, and our wings will darken
your sky.”
* The Lich King was spotted standing outside of his
citadel and using his powers to slain a number of Voln warriors trying
to attack his city. Many gathered to converse with the lich, and two
more stepped forward to join him. Semiera and Xoryl were given the
lich’s mark and publically declared their loyalty to the lich king.
*
In the Lower Dragonsclaw forest, trees began to sway and finally wither
into black, gnarled shells. Parts of the forest died away, replaced by
a bleak landscape filled with murky black pools that poisoned anyone
who got too close. Undead roamed the forest for a bit, and while they
were eventually defeated, parts of the forest remained in decay.
*
In one of the many encounters with the Lich King and some adventurers,
Barnom fought off a few attackers, and then proceeded to inform those
gathered about his plans, the danger of the shadows, that their real
enemy is Elithain Cross, and the salvation the Lich King is offering.
*
Barnom Slim led an invasion in the Lower Dragonsclaw, as more of the
grasslands and forest decay. The Lich King said he would continue to
attack until the Order of Voln ceases to invade his kingdom. At the end
of the invasion, Bellaja swore an oath to the Lich King, receiving a
claw-shaped mark.
* Councilman Stephos DeArchon, the
representive of the local Merchant’s Guild, met with Mayor Walkar and
some local adventurers to inform them that many of the town’s
shopkeepers have lost hope in stopping the Rooks and have decided to pay
for their protection contracts.
*
Vordilian, the Champion of Voln, led another assault on Lich’s Landing
and informed the adventurers present that they would need to try to
locate the Lich King’s phylactery to destroy it, otherwise they could
never defeat Barnom permanently
*
Jankus, the gnome tinkerer, was found quite flustered inside town. He
informed the adventurers that while he was searching about Lich’s
Landing for his stolen inventory ( that he had lost a month before ), he
stumbled upon a black ora signet ring. As soon as he touched it, he
experienced a vision that showed how Barnom Slim came to become a lich.
*
During yet another encounter in Lich’s Landing with some adventurers,
Barnom Slim recruited two others to his cause. Raincail and Dayko, in
front of others, declared their fealty to the Lich King and received his
mark.
* Dakris, the furrier was found outside of Moot Hall and
informed the adventurers that while he was out trapping, he stumbled
upon a secret hideout in a cave in Danjirland. After he had spotted a
burly man with a crossbow inside, he hurried back to town. Dakris led
the group to the cave, but then said he couldn’t follow, for fear of
retribution or harm. The adventurers stormed the cave, found the
hideout and battled with some bandits and birdmen of the Rooks. After a
bloody conflict, a torture chamber was located and Khylon was
discovered! The dwarf marshal was beaten, bloodied, missing fingers and
an eye and quite shaken. He was returned to the safety of town where
militia members helped escort him off for the night.
*
Kastrel requested, and was granted, an interview with the Lich King.
Barnom and Kastrel met outside of the citadel in Lich’s Landing, where
others were allowed to also gather to hear and observe. Benches formed
of bones and muscle, and tattered pillows were provided for those in
attendance, for their sitting pleasures.
*
Vordilian, the Champion of Voln, gathered many, many adventurers and
led a massive attack on the Lich’s Citadel. Shortly after the offensive
was launched, Barnom Slim appeared. The conflict found both heroes and
villains facing off before the lich’s throne, and Barnom was killed a
countless number of times, but kept resurrecting himself after each
attempt. During the conflict, Barnom cursed Vordilian and dark tendrils
eventually consumed the Champion, devouring his flesh and soul! Because
of the repeated attacks, The Lich King had grown angry and then
slaughtered many people present, and then led an invasion of crypt
spiders, deathworms, etc. After a lot of deaths on both sides, the
heroes finally pushed back the invasion and Barnom retreated once more.
But before the Lich King fled, he issued a warning that he was now
Wehnimer’s Landing greatest threat.
*
Some prison guards reported to town officials that Cruxophim, Barnom’s
first follower, had spoken with Drangell down in his prison, but the
conversation was not overheard. Mayor Walkar confronted Cruxophim in
the streets, and a number of adventurers had gathered. Cruxophim was
eventually convinced to reveal that the Lich King had offered an
alliance to Drangell and his Brotherhood of Rooks, and that Drangell had
accepted the offer.
*
The town was alerted when the ground began to tremble, from all over
town, to as far as Upper Trollfang. A number of townsfolk reported
bandits and Rooks attacking people in the streets, and soon fires
erupted outside of the bank. While a group of adventurers helped to
fight off the bandits and put out the fires, another group raced off to
Drangell’s prison, worried it might all be a diversion. Their instincts
were correct, for they discovered a number of prison guards murdered
and Drangell laughing inside his cell. But then the floor of shook,
cracked and collapsed as the cell holding Drangell disappeared in a
cloud of dust and smoke. A huge hole in the ground was all the
remained. The adventurers leapt into the hole, finding themselves in a
dark tunnel that directly led to the Lich’s Landing, where Barnom Slim
later taunted them about having freed Drangell.
*
In the beginning, there had been speculation that the Lich King and his
undead were somehow connected to the Brotherhood of Rooks. While an
early association was revealed to be false, recent events have changed
and Wehnimer’s Landing has found itself faced with two enemies, Barnom
and Drangell, now joined together in their mutual hatred for the town.
The heroes defeated the Lich King Barnom Slim, who warned them against
the shadows and named it Althedeus before he burst apart. Drangell
helped the heroes defeat the Lich King, in exchange for a pardon from
Mayor Walkar and claimed to no longer lead the Rooks. Before a crowd of
townspeople, Walkar fell over in agony, the flesh of his right arm
peeling away to bone and never healing since then.
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