The Cost of Victory

Madame Eva slowly drew the curtain back, letting a bit of daylight into her otherwise darkened wagon, and looked out to the road.  Outside, a group of people slowly trudged along the path leading into the small village of Hillsreach.  They carried a sack of treasure, as well as two makeshift drag carries.  As she watched them go, she realized that the carries were meant to transport the dead.

Among the survivors were a half-orc warrior, a priest bearing the ten-pointed star of the northlands and a blue-haired gnome.  The child of Hillsreach's regent was also with them.

Given the treasure and the drag carries, she would have thought them just a run-of-the-mill adventuring band.  But the presence of Abigail March meant something else.

Dame Astrid had fallen.

The significance of this development was not lost on the gypsy elder.  Astrid's daughter was now regent of Hillsreach.  For some time Eva had felt the threat of growing evil deep in the land, and she now sensed that it had just begun to spill over into the wider world.  Could this young one stand against the rising threat?  Only time would tell.

Eva rose from her small table and moved to the door.  Cracking it open, she motioned for her youngest son, Balint, who was lingering outside.

"Tell the new regent of Hillsreach that Madame Eva Meszaros requests an audience," she instructed the young man.  When he stood uncomprehendingly for too long, she waived him off, "Go, boy, go, go!"

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The parlor was emptied of furnishings save a few chairs and the table upon which the body of Dame Astrid march had been laid to rest beneath a shroud of dark silk laid over with her famed wolfskin cloak.  Madame Eva noted that a gentle repose spell had been cast to keep the knight's body temporarily free from the further ravages of death, at least until she had been mourned at the chapel of the Deep Umber by the people of Hillsreach.  She would then be interred in her family's crypt in Logash.

Villagers had come by intermittently through the day to pay their respects, but for now the only living souls now in the room were Eva and the knight's sole offspring, Abigail March.

"I am sorry for your loss, child," Eva said gently to the younger woman. "Astrid March was a just ruler of these lands, and much respected by her people."

"Thank you," she replied quietly.  "I am glad you have come, Madame Eva.  The lovari have been welcome in Hillsreach ever since I was a little girl, and that shall not change under my rule."

"You are very kind, young one.  Our understanding with your mother was fair, and of benefit to both sides.  It is because of this longstanding relationship between our people that I have come to you now."

"How so?"

"I fear that a sleeping evil is awakening in these lands.  It arises on your watch, young one, and you must be prepared."

"A sleeping evil?" she repeated. "The warriors who fought at my mother's side had come to Hillsreach wishing to speak to you about just such a thing."

"Truly? And who was it that sent them? Surely not Davin Kell?"

"Brother Markus, a priest of the Whispering Wind."

"Ah, brother Markus.  The priest would only send them to me if he could not find the answers to his questions buried somewhere in a book," she mused.  "I assume they still wish to treat with us."

"Aye, so they have said" she replied.  "They came here in part to enquire with the lovari concerning the origin and nature of several symbols the adventuters discovered.  Brother Donaghast, a member of the Order of St. Cambrace, was to intitiate the discussion with you, as he is of lovari descent."

"A traveller amongst the Redeemers?" she said.  "How interesting.  I look forward to speaking with this young man."

"I am sorry Madame Eva," she replied sadly.  "Brother Donaghast also fell during the final assault along with my mother."

So the body in the the smaller parlor she had passed on the way to meet with Abigail had been the paladin...

"Perhaps I shall speak with these adventurers, after tomorrow.  But not until then.  Now is a time for mourning the fallen, and for celebrating a life well-lived."

With that, the traveller matron rose to take her leave, keeping her further thoughts and counsel to herself.


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No one had seen the aging gypsy steal into the parlor in the small hours of the night.  She moved silently to where the paladin had been laid out on a table.  A long sheet of linen had been draped over the body.

Without a sound, Madame Eva lifted the cowl from the fallen paladin's face.

Interesting.

Examining the length of the shroud, she reached under the cloth and drew forth the Redeemer's right arm.  Marking the black raven tattooed on the back of his hand, she placed the limb back under the folds and stood back.

Szorinazi.

The tattoo was unusual.  Not that one of his blood had the mark of Raven.  It was the particular mark that stood out.

The Raven was not yet done with this one.

The traveller slipped quietly out of the room and away from the March house, to return her her clan's caravan on the edge of the village.  Preparations had to be made.

SESSION 4 - THE MARCH ABDUCTION

The party was asked by Anton Vyrlich to deliver Lord Kell's written response to the elves at their camp outside the village of Hillsreach.  As they made their way along the road to Hillsreach to deliver the letter, they came upon a brutal scene.  Dame Astrid's hunting party had been ambushed.  As they hurried to the sound of her hunting horn, they came upon the aging and badly outnumbered knight singlehandedly holding several skeletal and zombie creatures at bay as all the other members of her group lay dead around her, as well as a score of undead animals.

With their strength added to hers, they were able to overcome the last of the undead hodags and owlbears and regroup.  Dame Astrid explained that soon after heading out on a hunting trip, she and her daughter and their retainers were set upon by a small army of undead, led by what appeared to be some kind of humanoid creature they had never seen before.  They had taken Abbie off into the woods somewhere, and she must be rescued!

Astrid told them to seek out the elves while she returned to Hillsreach for the rest of her gear.  She believed the elves had information about these creatures, as the increased frequency of undead had driven the elves out of their isolation.  She would meet up with them as soon as she was prepared.  She told them to follow a series of ravines into the woods, and they would find the elven camp.

They set out to meet the elves of the Valinesti clan, and reached their campsite after an hour of travel on foot.  The treacherous ground gave way as they went, causing some of the party to fall into a ravine and take a bit of damage.

The emissaries were a high druid, Ghaelvwynne, and a ranger, Baelen.  As Moghash and Donaghast conducted the parlay, some tense words were exchanged between the half-orc and the druid, who would often look at the half-orc suspiciously as the discussion unfolded.

The elves explained that strange-looking humanoids were encroaching upon their lands and killing the creatures of the forest, which they would then raise as undead minions.  The humanoids looked vaguely like four armed goblins and tentacled hobgoblins.  One band of humanoids had ventured into the elves' sacred lands, which were taboo to enter except to bury the dead.  The elves were concerned that the humanoids might find their burial grounds and try to raise their ancestors as undead horrors.  They reached out to Lord Kell, a half-elf, for assistance, and made a promise to him in return, which they did not disclose to the party.  As Ghaelvwynne read the letter the party had delivered to her, she nodded.  The deal had been struck.

She directed the party to toward the burial grounds, and asked them to make all haste, for if the humanoids were so bold as to attack Hillsreach, they must have a base of operations- quite likely the caves where her clan's dead were interred!

The party made their way into the sacred lands and encountered zombie pegasi, an opportunistic kelpie, and eventually, an ambush party of the four-armed goblins. 

After overcoming each obstacle, they reached the caves that served the elves as their burial grounds.  Before they could enter, though, a still badly wounded Dame Astrid had caught up to them at last.  She had reached the elves, who told them where the party had gone, and she had then followed along.

As they entered, the were set upon by the remnants of the goblins that had fled their prior encounter, as well as several undead dire porcupines.  Hearing a shriek off in the darkness, Dame Astrid raced off to find her daughter.  As soon as the goblins and porcupine zombies were dealt with, the party followed after and came upon another scene of battle.

Dame Astrid was engaged in battle with the tentacled hobgoblin creature, and as the party converged on the battle, Dame Astrid was brought down by the creature.  The party quickly engaged, and after what was the most challenging fight of their adventuring careers, they defeated the tentacled aberration.  It had lashed out at all of them with poisoned tentacles and claws, wounding them badly, and even managing to slay the paladin, Donaghast, with a particularly devastating barrage of attacks.

In the aftermath of the battle, they freed Abbie of her bonds and gathered up the fallen.  The half-orc made sure that the hidden toms were intact, and they made their way back to Hillsreach.  As they passed the place of the elven camp, they took note that the elves had alreaady gone, but to where they did not know.

Upon their return to Hillsreach they began to make preparations for sending Donaghast's body to the Redeemers in Yorvik,  while Abbie began the process of transporting her mother's body to their family crypt in Logash for a proper burial.

The party then made their way back to Hannsport to report what had happened-- success, but at a great cost!

Campaign Notes #1

It seems like a good idea to post some campaign notes as we are going along. The notes will be a hotchpot of various thoughts on topics like story development, NPC’s, and so forth.

GAMEPLAY

From a gameplay perspective, the first three sessions have gone pretty well-- i.e. no one has died yet. The trash fights have been good, and the boss fights have been challenging without being overwhelming. Not every experience-gaining encounter has been a set piece combat, either. We have had one chase encounter in the village of Dark Oaks followed by an interrogation. We have also done what amounted to an obstacle course in the last session, as the players had to accompany a sleepwalking Constable Dreng through the wilderness.

I like using chases, as they give skill based characters something more to do than just make knowledge checks, or find traps. We will also expect to see more roleplaying encounters coming up now, too, as the latest story post suggests.

As promised, we have started exactly at five each night, and ended a few minutes before nine. I think that is realistic going forward, which leads into my next topic--

CHARACTER ADVANCEMENT

I think we will continue to use rapid advancement, or about 1 level gained per session. I will probably slow that down once or twice in this campaign in order to get more roleplaying in for very particular sections of the story. All said, the characters will be 12^th level when the campaign ends. At that point, if someone else is interested in DMing a new campaign (assuming anyone still wants to play) all good. I would like everyone to keep their characters somehow linked or posted to the Dark Tides facebook page so that if we ever want to revisit Dark Tides here and there, we can!

STORY

Although I know where the story starts and goes in the end, the players have the ability to alter the course of the story in between. The most recent story post is an example of setting that up. Tuan and Erick have previously provided different hooks by text or online post. As a result, we will soon encounter the lovari, and a tribe of wild elves are about to become part of the story as well.

I have a general background for the gnome and the cleric, but nothing additional. I do not expect to get much from the ranger. I know if Foose were here he’d have probably sent something as well. No one has to provide anything extra if they dont want to, though. I think the story will be interesting enough if you don’t want to have any personalization.

Unexpected News

Markus looked carefully at the sketch the adventurers had left in his care. He had in fact been staring at the parchment in the dim candle light for quite some time. When his frustration grew too great, he would switch his attention to the symbol from the defaced altar, or to the papers that had been recovered from the bugbear lair. Somewhere in these documents was the clue he was missing, the clue that would reveal the truth of the goblinoid threat.

“You seem troubled, my friend,” Mamadou Dreng said as he took a seat at the priest’s small table. The common room of he Black Kraken was quiet this evening, which was not unusual for a cold, rainy night in early spring.

“It’s this goblinoid business,” he mumbled, gesturing at the papers spread out on the table. “No matter how hard I consider these things, I have not been able to ascertain their purpose.”

Dreng laughed. “They are goblins, Markus! What other purpose do they need but to burn or to kill?”

“Yes, but I have not seen goblins acting in concert like this before. Each of the three of their wretched races are cooperating. It does not make sense.”

“Well, I do know what makes sense, we eat and we drink!” Dreng declared as Old Cobb’s daughter arrived at their table to take their order for supper.

After a hearty meal of chowder and fresh baked bread, they settled back to continue their discussion. After a while, Dreng thought he had stumbled upon a revelation.

“We should take to the field,” he suggested. “Perhaps the answers you seek still remain in the Black Edifice.”

Markus thought about Dreng’s plan for a few moments. “Maybe you’re right, my friend. We should set out as soon as possible. I have not been on an adventure since my days as a mendicant!”

“I am not sure I would call rummaging around in an empty cave an ‘adventure,’ but I am game, if you are.”

“Excellent! We shall set out at first light.”

A loud knocking at the chapel doors broke him from his thoughts. He rose from his chair by the fire and crossed from his small study into the main room of the chapel. It was getting late, and soon he would have turn in before leaving on his the journey early the next morning. When he opened the doors, he was surprised to see Magda Vyrlich, and that she had brought guests.

“Magda!” he said to her warmly in greeting, receiving a slight curtsy in return. “and visitors… Dame Astrid, is that you? And? . . . your daughter, Abigail. I apologize, I’ve not seen her in years and did not recognize her!”

The two knights nodded their heads briefly in response. Markus always appreciated the boldness of the warrior women of the north. He also noticed that Abby had reached adulthood, perhaps letting his gaze linger a moment too long.

“Priest..” her mother growled.

“Of course, of course, where are my manners?! Please, come in.”

The group passed quickly through the chapel and into Markus’ small, warmly lit study. He pulled three more chairs close to the hearth, and placed more wood onto the fire.

“Magda usually drinks brandy on cold nights such as this,” he said as he worked. “Care for a glass? Or perhaps wine, if you prefer?”

“Ale, if you have it,” Dame Astrid replied, pulling her chair closer to the flames.

“I will have brandy, m’lord,” Abby chimed in.

“You are very kind, my lady, but I am no lord, just a humble servant of the Whispering Wind.” Markus bowed to his guests and left to bring their refreshments.

“The priest is a forward sort,” Astrid grumbled.

“He is still young,” Magda replied, rubbing her hands vigorously before the hearth to work out the last of the evening chill. “And yet, he has a wisdom beyond his years.”

“And a reputation, or so the lovari say.”

Magda laughed out loud. “Why, Dame Astrid, I think the caravans must be visiting your lands far too often for you to entertain such salacious gossip! Certainly you know Markus has taken both the ministerial and monastic orders.”

The priest returned just then with a bottle of brandy and a tall mug of stout.

“What did I miss?” he asked.

“We were just discussing the lovari,” Magda replied, stifling a smile “They seem to be visiting Hillsreach quite frequently these days.”

Astrid flashed a dark look at Magda’s jest. Markus continued on, oblivious.

“Well, that may be very fortunate, indeed. The lovari are known for their affinity for the unknown. We may have need their counsel, right now.”

“How so?” Magda asked, as Markus handed her a filled glass.

“I’ve been studying the strange documents the adventurers brought back. I have reached a dead end, little more than fragments and guesses right now. In the morning, Mamadou and I will go to the Black Edifice to further investigate. Perhaps the gypsy mystics may also provide some insight into these strange markings.”

“The lovari are not a trusting sort, not with outsiders,” Astrid stated. “Who is to say they would entertain your request?”

“That is true,” he replied. After considering for a moment, he continued, “Brother Donaghast is part lovari. And a Redeemer. Which means he is also a diplomat. I think he might speak with them, if we asked, and if he and his friends accepted, of course.”

“They are good men,” Magda nodded approvingly. “They have been at the forefront in these goblin matters, and they helped Mamadou break his curse.”

Astrid also nodded in agreement. “Very well, send them to me in a week, if they will come. Another lovari caravan will have arrived at Hillsreach by then.”

“Well, then, on to the purpose for Dame Astrid’s visit to Hannsport,” Magda segued. She refilled her glass, took a sip, and began. “I wanted to discuss this with you before Dame Astrid sees Lord Kell tomorrow.”

“I must say, Magda, you certainly have my full attention.”

“We have been contacted by an emissary of the Valinesti,” the aging knight stated flatly.

It took a moment for the implication to sink in.

“The elves? Wonderful! But, how strange… the clans of the deep wood have not been seen nor heard from in a generation, at least. Why have they come? Why now?”

“I do not know. But I bring a written message to my liege lord, which is to be delivered to him directly.”

“And so the reason why we are here,” Magda followed. “You have been following these events closely-- you know goblin activity at least as far south as Dark Oaks, and now the elves have emerged. What if these things are related?”

“If you are suggesting Lord Kell be made aware of the recent activity, well, I am not sure it rises to that level. At least not yet,” he replied. “The goblin raids have stopped and we have cleansed their outposts. And the elves have not reached out to Sir Rollin, whose demesne lies nearer to theirs than Dame Astrid's. Nevertheless, I see no harm in informing him of recent events should the issue arise.”

“We are all in agreement, then,” Magda confirmed. As the purpose for their meeting had resolved, the visitors rose to take their leave.