- Ghost Wind
Player: Christopher J. Ford
Ghost Wind (Illiri: Human Sorcerer 16 / Ja'Nek: Human Cleric
3 Psion 1 / Anak "Melee" Maelstrom: Dwarf Fighter 4 / Elizabeth Archer:
Human Sorcerer 4 / Thomas Archer: Human Ranger 2) split up and did reconnaissance
throughout town using the inn as a base. Melee stabled their horses.
He then returned to the Inn where he acted as guard for the kids and
Illiri while she cast some spells. When Illiri left to investigate the
temple, Melee took up his post atop the Inn as lookout. Thomas and Elizabeth
mingled with the town kids for a while gathering information on their
parents and any strange happenings. When they returned to the Inn, Illiri
sent Thomas to take up a lookout position atop the stables. Illiri sent
Elizabeth to watch the show outside the castle and see what she could
learn about the king's location. When Liz arrived, she sent her owl
to check out the fields where the king had gone missing. The owl found
a vacant hut in the woods, but no trace of the king. Ja'Nek took up
a seat at the bar while Illiri worked the room for information. After
Illiri went upstairs to cast her scrying spell, he bought the house
a couple rounds and offered his services for healing for free. If anyone
returned to the inn with news, he would be there to hear it. Illiri
sent out two sets of prying eyes to collect information: one around
the town and castle, one toward the temple. Illiri's investigation led
her to Lisonamit near the Temple.
Learning that Lisonamit may have found the king, Illiri sent up a flare
signaling her team to be ready. Thomas reclaimed the horses and everyone
converged on the inn to await further instructions. Upon reaching the
hut, Illiri and Lisonamit were joined by Steel Order. The teams
rescued the king from the hut and brought him back to the city.
Ghost Wind survives to adventure again.
- Steel Order
Player: Wayne Edie
Steel Order (Gdarin: Human Paladin 17 / Deloth: Human Fighter
1 Cleric 6) blazed a trail to the castle and demanded entry into the
castle. He was granted an audience with Princess Mira and her husband
Ian. He escorted Bob, an informant, to the field to check out the scene
of the crime. Gdarin tried to ascertain what happened to the king's
horses. He headed to the temple and demanded the surrender of Hellea,
Thug, and his "brother" Doug. He torched the temple and headed down
river to the hut on horseback where he demanded and received the surrender
of the high priest Vorden who was then taken back to the castle for
trial. Steel Order survives
to adventure again.
- Code Red
Player: Alain D. Ackerman
Code Red (Darren: Human Fighter Master Samurai 15) Slowly made his way
through town and stabled his horse. He went to talk to the militia. Then he
headed towards the temple, went inside, and took in his surroundings. The
team decided to retire honorably from the field of battle due to necessity.
Code Red survives to adventure again.
- Nature's Vengeance
Player: Tom Leonard
Nature's Vengeance (Arwenna Silvermoon: Elf Rogue 7 / Autumn
Dreamstalker: Elf Wizard 7 / Light-Beyond-Darkness Elf Cleric 7) learned
a valuable lesson this adventure: Never go into a quest with pre-conceived
notions about where people are and what to do. Thinking the "missing
king" would be held in his very dungeons (the ultimate human insult),
Nature's Vengeance went straight to the castle to free him. The
heck with the "artifact", they wanted to free a king and get rewarded
with a (human) king's ransom.
Letting the paladin go first (so as he'd take any trouble on the way there),
they reached the castle gates only to be told to wait in line as the "house
of ill repute" opened at dusk. While waiting, they saw the Paladin be
admitted through his showing of a ring key to the guards. This, Autumn
decided, was a good time to let Nutters, her weasel familiar, out to sneak
inside and have a look around. Nutters did go inside, but was captured
before he could get a good look at things and was locked away until dusk,
when he was returned to his owners.
Upon dusk, the team went inside attempting to pass themselves off as
"entertainers" --- what human wouldn't want an "elf toy," right? They
immediately went off in search for the dungeons, thinking that was where
the missing king was kept. They reached the kitchens, where there was
a stairwell leading to the dungeons. When the guards there would not
allow access, Autumn charmed one of them. When that didn't work, Light-Beyond-Darkness
decided to make things interesting --- if you consider summoning a Celestial
Lion to wreak havoc and serve as a distraction interesting.
Upon reaching the dungeons, they found only a small "room" with three
empty cells. THIS was the dungeons? It was such a huge castle... certainly
there should have been a larger set of dungeons filled with monsters
beneath!
To make a long story short, they were not killed, mercifully. They were
merely imprisoned, stripped of all their possessions --- including Autumn's
spell book and her brand new fully-charged Wand of Magic Missiles ---
fined a lot of money for the death of one of the chefs that the Celestial
Lion had mauled, and banished from the castle. After all, the princess
wasn't going to let them off completely when they had used magic (illegal
inside the castle), caused injury (the lion has sharp claws), and were
responsible for a lot of damages. In annoyance, Autumn tried to spite
the place of ill repute... by casting Shatter on the front doors. When
that didn't work, she blasted one wall with a Lightning Bolt, just to
annoy the people inside. Finally, she followed up with a Prestidigitation
of glowing rude elf graffiti as the team left.
Ghost Wind offered to help re-outfit, and after some initial
hesitation
by Autumn (the eldest, saying "Help? From humans? How insulting."), Arwenna
convinced her ("What we take from humans, they can't use against us.") While
they did not win the ring key or slay the loathed human paladin, they did
gain wisdom (one hopes) and 3,000 gold pieces from Team Ghost Wind.
Nature's Vengeance survives to adventure again.
- Death From Afar
Player: Jon Sternfeld
Death from Afar (Tharivol Liadon: Elf Fighter 6 Wizard 1 Arcane
Archer 10 Deep Woods Sniper 1 / Sargen of Hornwood: Human Rogue 3) went
directly to the castle and blended with the clientele, including a wait
in a somewhat lengthy line. After making it into the castle with weapons
intact, the team participated in the offered activities while choosing
likely sources of information. This led to an update on the king and
the relics involved. Discovering that the Temple was a likely place
to start, the team headed there and ran into the other teams on a return
trip with the head priest and the king.
Death From Afar survives to adventure again.
- Team Fireflames
Player: Peter Farina
Fireflames (Yempo: Human Psion 5 Pyro 10 / Urik "The Serpent" Yargot:
Human Fighter 7) proceeded directly to the castle using their ring key to
demand entrance. After listening in on a conversation Steel Order was
having with the guards, they headed for the Temple by way of the large field.
The team also headed into the nasty parts of town looking for information on
houses. The team decided to retire honorably from the field of battle due to
necessity.
Team Fireflames survives to adventure again.
- Twig
Player: Vanessa Wilcox-Swarez
Twig (Lisonamit: Wood Elf Druid 16) headed into town and inquired
about the location of the temple. In a now common expression of her
talents, she sent out her woodland friends to gather more information
about the current state of affairs. This included asking the local animals
what they had seen. She found the temple and obtained an audience with
the high priest. She went out to the field to check out the scene of
the crime. Finding a trench in the ground, she inquired of the horses
in the area. She went back to the temple where she found some goats.
Before setting them free, they told her about a hut down river where
they had seen someone. She found a boat and met up with Illiri. The
two of them sailed down river to the hut. More goats were found and
let go along with some mountain lions. Illiri and Lisonamit worked together
to search the hut, block the passageways, and find king Michael. The
king was placed in a protective sphere along with Deloth to keep him
safe and returned to the city. The sphere being pushed by a bear.
Team Twig survives to adventure again.
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