tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3260588866410070838.post6516028700676853415..comments2023-10-31T11:35:53.848-04:00Comments on Beneath the Screen: Runelords D&D: Six Months LaterStorytellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10543093412299841092noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3260588866410070838.post-6662598765221770122008-09-05T12:02:00.000-04:002008-09-05T12:02:00.000-04:00Deanda's Thoughts..As to be expected our journey t...Deanda's Thoughts..<BR/><BR/>As to be expected our journey together has continued. Naught but six months following our previous adventures, we have been summoned by the Lord Mayor. This long, empty winter has put my mind into a strange state of repose and I am apprehensive about the adventure to come. I am out of practice.<BR/><BR><BR/><BR><BR/>The situation that has arisen is one of a far less ominous nature than I had expected when recalling our previous encounters. We, nonetheless, have undertaken this chore. I find it strange that a group so noteworthy in combat as The Black Arrows could be in any sort of trouble requiring outside help, however, that seems to be exactly the current circumstances.<BR/><BR><BR/>Following our departure from Magnimar, I had expected much more trouble from the bush. The woods were quiet. This was, as it turns, due to Slavla’s restless nature and Kraca’s friendship with the boy. These two louts had apparently been laying waste to goblin-kind across the Varisian coast. Such meaningless genocide is beyond me, but I feel as if any opposition I may have to such an act would be undeniably refuted by my comrades, hence I move on.<BR/><BR><BR/>On our trek, we did, inevitably, come across other beings. Gypsies. Oh, how long it had been since I had last seen the vibrant colors, heard the wonderful songs, and enjoyed the company of gypsy-folk. I missed it. We discussed for some time how to go about approaching them. Jaime, the fool, refused to wait for proper instruction and continued on ahead, despite my efforts to have Slavla hold him. I took matters into my own hands; these men had never met nor knew how to interact with gypsies before, I couldn’t allow them to offend them. I took one of the numerous scarves I kept in with my possessions as an offering to the elder. I was not careful in choosing, however, and soon realized what my impulse had done. I had brought them Iesha’s garb. The moment they reacted to the gift I knew Iesha was theirs, and, for there to be such recognition in their faces, she must have been important. I told them I would tell the elder exactly how we came upon this scarf and, soon, the camaraderie commenced.<BR/><BR><BR/>Meeting the elder was more of an honor than I could have ever asked for, but receiving a card from the Harrow Deck was a shock. We were outsiders, strangers to the clan, yet we were being offers something so precious. I have only twice before, in all my years traveling with gypsies, been offered a chance such as this. However, due to my devout belief that Pharasma will show me a path when the time is right, I have never before accepted such a gift.<BR/><BR><BR/>I entered the elder’s chamber and sat. I knew what I had to say and simply waited for the elder to prompt me to speak. She listened to my story. I told her of Aldern and how Iesha was smitten with this man. I told her of how Aldern killed poor Iesha and made her soul restless. I told her of how my comrades and I came upon this tale and destroyed Aldern. I told her that Iesha was now at peace. This was when the elder told me what I was being granted: two cards, one for myself, one for Iesha. I could not bring myself to reject such an offer for, though Pharasma guides me and I am sure she will show me my path, Iesha was another story. Who was I to deny the gypsy’s soul her chance to claim an honor such as this? Iesha was never given this chance in life, I was not going to take it away from her. I drew the cards. Wholeness for Iesha. Gateway for myself. I have yet to decipher what these mean, however Iesha’s seems fairly straight-forward. I have no intention of delving into the meaning of my own Harrow card; Pharasma would not approve.<BR/><BR><BR/>Upon rising the next day, the camp was cleared with little sign of ever having been used. We continued on our path. Who knows what will come of the gypsies and whether we will ever cross their paths again?<BR/><BR><BR/>We made our way to Turtleback Ferry, where we investigated the Black Arrow situation further. Soon enough, we headed out to see first-hand what exactly was going on. These woods were not quite as still as those we had traversed the past few days. Cries could be heard through them; something was in pain. We found a black bear, the poor thing, caught in a trap. My first instinct was to calm him. Strangely enough, this wasn’t very hard; as I approached, he settled. He was obviously trained; he was someone’s companion. We all struggled for a bit, attempting to get him loose, and then we heard the dogs.<BR/><BR><BR/>In a last ditch effort to get him loose, Slavla heaved apart the trap and the bear was free. It was just in time. The dogs were upon us and their master could be heard singing in the distance. No sooner had we dispatched the hounds than the gruesome ogrekin himself appeared before us. Shouting of promises of sparing our lives for the bear, this loathsome creature spoke in the crudest sense. I would bet even Slavla thought this creature unintelligent. We made quick work of him. There are more to come, I’m sure of it; I can already hear them in the distanceZeus Bobcathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07058047223931314978noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3260588866410070838.post-7301168610392150732008-09-03T11:59:00.000-04:002008-09-03T11:59:00.000-04:00The events of six months ago still linger in my mi...The events of six months ago still linger in my mind, the fight against the Skinsaw murderers and their cursed leader Xanesha the least of what haunts me. Feeling helpless in the fight against the golem, watching my strikes against it have no effect, the thought of it still makes me shudder. I did what I could do, ran to get support for our team. But alas, I could find no one and ran back to the clock tower. Upon returning to the scene of the battle and even worse feeling came over me, seeing my new companion Deanda fallen on the floor. The fact that she was an elf never concerned me, I have never understood such biases of my race, as I have seen the kindness of all good races in my travels. Seeing my companion dead brought a sense of guilt with it, even though I know I did the only thing I could have done. I hope one day she can come to forgive me, or perhaps I can prove myself honorable in her and my comrades eyes.<BR/><BR/>But I digress, these past six months have been rather enjoyable. Most of the time I traveled with the poor half-elf Slavla. I feel somewhat bad for him, as he has so much physical prowess, and so little mental... Nonetheless, I have taken a liking to him, he is honest, and good, as well as the fact I know better than crossing him and facing his self-titled "pointy stick." I have seen that pointy stick obliterate far too many goblins over these past months to ignore its power in his hands. I also have been perfecting my technique, finding these goblins as good training bags and their traps as a wonderful way to hone my reflexes.<BR/><BR/>But all good things must come to an end, as we were summoned back to Magnimar by the Lord Mayor to journey out to Fort Rannick to see what has prevented the Black Arrows, an elite ranger group, from returning messages. So, after receiving 300 gold to purchase supplies, we set out to the east.<BR/><BR/>I should mention that an elf is also accompanying us. I have gathered that she is a skilled goblin hunter, and has traveled with the party before, probably giving her more of a connection with these people than I have yet established.<BR/><BR/>Also on that point, I have noticed the watchful eye of Nakor on me quite consistently, as well as a resentment from the druid, which I guess in part I understand. But I feel Nakor is judging me and appraising my worth as an adventurer. It is slightly unnerving, as I know my talents have been useful to the party, but still I wish to find favor in all of my companions eyes, as they are my partners on my personal path to perfect myself as a dwarf.<BR/><BR/>Alas, I am again off along some rabbit trail, and let me return to the matters at hand. We encountered a band of gypsies on our way to the fort, and questioned the idea of approaching them before acting. Deanda has past history with gypsies as I gathered she traveled with them sometime before joining with the others. There were a few tense moments before the guards parted and allowed us to join in the mellow festivities. <BR/><BR/>However, the mellowness did not last long for me, as the elder of the gypsies called us to her wagon one by one and offered us a glimpse into time. I balked at first from taking a card, but sensing no malice from the old woman I drew the card Initiation from her deck. Still now I think of what it could mean, but nothing is certain in my head regarding the card.<BR/><BR/>We awoke in the morning to find the camp empty, in fact it took several moments to remember there was a camp there just the night before. We all still had our cards in hand, so it was most certainly not a dream, but it did feel like one upon waking. We continued our journey towards the fort.<BR/><BR/>We approached the small town of Turtleback Ferry in a steady rain, which has been quite persistent lately, almost unnaturally so, but I am not alarmed, one cannot control or predict the weather. Myself, Deanda and Nakor visited with Father Shreed to discuss goings on about the fort. It seems like something is going on at Rannick, as a party sent to contact them has yet to return to Turtleback. The mayor seemed hesitant to assume the worse, but the look in his eyes told what he knew was the case. We departed and prepared for our journey to the fort.<BR/><BR/>This is where we are now, me writing in preparation of the adventure ahead. The others are already asleep, but I have had a lot on my mind, and felt it best to empty my head and heart onto a piece of paper. Best to battle with a clear mind, for I fear we will have many battles on the road ahead.<BR/><BR/>Kraca the DwarfAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3260588866410070838.post-60514790226146853412008-09-03T11:58:00.000-04:002008-09-03T11:58:00.000-04:00From the Pen of Slavla:Slavla continue to very muc...From the Pen of Slavla:<BR/>Slavla continue to very much have fun with all adventurerers. Get drunk very much and kill things. Keep wanting stronger and strongest bad guys to kill with pointy stick. <BR/>Slavla met the jipsees, they nice to slavla. One with purply eyes give slavla card, slavla friend kraca say it says "possessions" and says it means "things". Maybe it means slavla will get new stronger magical pointy stick.<BR/>slavla wants more ways to kill, learnding how to jump and kill with pointy stick very nice. no inbred rednecky ogre beat me. Slavla forgets what he do in battle sometime, go into rage but heard about something better. maybe learn to do that soon.<BR/>we soon get to fort where real ogres might be at and save black arrers. was at turdy back ferry place now, the turtys looked yummy...<BR/>more rednecky inbred ogres commin (and they say they gotz dinner), only mean more blood on pointy stick and food.Slavla, The Dragon Slayerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01164378243139640498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3260588866410070838.post-66398563450885142452008-09-03T01:59:00.000-04:002008-09-03T01:59:00.000-04:00Great post Mark! Thanks for the contribution. I'll...Great post Mark! Thanks for the contribution. I'll be in touch with XP bonuses.Storytellerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10543093412299841092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3260588866410070838.post-11264266381650819892008-09-02T16:30:00.000-04:002008-09-02T16:30:00.000-04:00Might as well get to Nakor's first entry for the y...Might as well get to Nakor's first entry for the year.<BR/><BR/>It has been six months since my group slayed Xanesha and crushed the perverse group of assassins operating within Magnimar. With no leads on Malfeshnakor, it has left my group with little actual adventuring to do. To be truthful, I believe this is exactly what I needed.<BR/><BR/>My father was a powerful warrior and taught me a few things about fighting, but I had always felt that he was as limited as my brother in his lack of magical powerful. I know too well that even the most powerful of champions can be laid to waste by a single spell. However, in the Storval Plateaus I personally witnessed such powerful wizards laid to ruin without even the chance of making a magical gesture. It was already obvious that fighters were limited, but I saw more and more that wizards were as well.<BR/><BR/>That was when I found the Thassilonian tome containing the lost secrets of the Knight Phantoms. At first I approached it out of academic curiousity but the more I've been learning Thassilonian from Brodert Fink the more I realize this is what I've been looking for; A mastery of both the martial and the arcane arts. Speed, strength, magic, and discipline... this tome shall lead me to exactly what I've been looking for.<BR/><BR/>In preparation for ascending into a Knight Phantom, I've been learning more and more under the tutelage of Brodert Fink while practicing my skills with martial weapons. After seeing the Shoanti in action, I took a fancy to one weapon in particular that they call an Earth Shatter. Having seen the deadly potential of this weapon for destroying the skull of an opponent first hand, I had weapon smiths in Magnimar custom build me one. This enormous weapon can truly be viewed as a weapon of the gods themselves, making the name Mjolnir seem to fit my hammer well.<BR/><BR/>I've remained in Sandpoint for the most part, meaning that I haven't seen my brother who is still working for the guard in Magnimar, or even much of the group for that matter. I've heard that Kraca and Slavla have been entertaining themselves with slaying goblins in the region, but other than that I've held little contact with the rest.<BR/><BR/>However, it appears our services are needed once more to investigate the absence of communication with the Black Arrows. That organization is a testament of how strong discipline can even turn criminals into powerful soldiers who fight for the law. I was eager to accept and get a chance to help such and meet such a fine group.<BR/><BR/>Shalelu wished to join us and seemed sincere, but Deanda was astute in noticing that she was holding information back. I know better to have uncontrolled forces on the battlefield, so I forced the truth out of her. It was regretful to harry an ally so, but safety ensures the life of my party.<BR/><BR/>The slow journey left me tempted to summon a steed of my own and prepare ahead of them, but such splitting is obviously tactically inadvisable. We noticed a Varisian band of gypsies along the way which Deanda insisted on approaching. I found no need to but I felt compelled to accompany the druidess for her protection. We lost her once and we need not have that happen again. However, we were able to gain from the visit with some general knowledge and even a cryptic telling of the future from the elder of the group. The magic contained within those cards was powerful and undeniable. This makes their meaning all the more concerning. <BR/><BR/>Some of the meanings already seem rather obvious. Kraca receiving Initiation indicates how he is still earning himself into our group and has yet to truly join our ranks. Kiikii drawing the Self is a clear revealing how he holds his self in too high regard, still refusing to acknowledge the gods despite our travels and despite Desna's clear involvement in his life. Slavla drawing Possessions is of little surprise considering how is capable of understanding little beyond what is before him. Wholeness for the spirit of Iesha is simply that she is freed and finally whole. Deanda drawing gateway can mean many things, though I hope it is not foreshadowing another passing from this world. Lastly, I drew Standstill. I was briefly turned to stone by Xanesha, so that leads me to wonder if it is merely a reference to the past, or at least hope so. Any other musings I have on that are particularly ominous.<BR/><BR/>The gypsies are skilled in leaving little trace behind as we awoke alone that morning. When we arrived in Turtleback Ferry, I learned from an incompetent mayor that a search part was sent to Fort Rannick a week ago and never returned. We will stay the night and advance forth ourselves in the morning. Our skilled troupe of adventurers should fare better than unskilled militia carrying little better than sticks into battle.Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16386384129775464410noreply@blogger.com