Gabe3e

2-3 Ches, 1357DR
[Game of September 22th, 2002]

After a long month of waiting, finally we receive our pay, Jaran thinks as she slowly runs her thumb along the length of her new finely crafted bastard sword. Worth the wait, I suppose. The sounds of the noisy tavern ebb and flow around the crowded table.

Jarl waits a moment for people to examine their weapons, then interrupts, “The town captain has asked that we investigate a mysterious upsurge in the amount of robberies taking place in Mosstone. The guard has their hands full and can’t dedicate the time to properly look into the matter.” Galeon, his short legs swinging above the tavern floor, perks up, “What are the terms of the agreement?”

“Find and neutralize the thieves, bring back the stolen property. Anything that goes unclaimed we get to keep.” Galeon beams, “That seems fair.” A plan is quickly crafted. Galeon will pretend to be a rich business man. Because he is a cleric of Waukeen, this is not far from the truth. He will go to a nearby inn and be seduced by the poor but lovely bard, Delenn. They will head to a bedroom upstairs and wait for the burglars to attack. Jaran will hide in the room to provide backup, and Jarl and Jabok will post guard outside to prevent escape.

That night, the plan is put in motion. Jaran slips into a narrow alley next to the inn and scales the wall with only the sound of her cloak brushing against the rough wood. With a quick glance in the shadowed room, she cracks open the window, slides in with eel-like grace, and takes her place in the dark corner of the closet.

Hours pass. From below, Jaran can just make out the noise of the halfling’s boasts over raucaous laughter, with the soft sibilant whisper of Delenn’s coaxing. Heart-felt toasts in the halfling’s honor are made as drinks are bought and money is shown. Jaran patiently continues to crouch, like a panther awaiting prey. Old habits die hard, they say.

Wood creaks, and two pairs of footsteps firmly make their towards the bedroom door. Light spears into the room as the door is opened, and Jaran squints at the painful change in light. Galeon trods in, looking rather incongruous with the much taller Delenn somehow clinging to his arm. Galeon whispers something into Delenn’s ear, and she giggles as she shuts the door. In the darkness they pull the clothing off each other. It seems they enjoy their roles a bit too much, as Jaran watches dispassionately, unnoticed. Jaran begins to doze lightly to the rhythmic creaking of wood.

In the dead of night, Jarl, still on guard, cries out warning. Jaran, barely making out the thin cry, leaps out the window, and Delenn and Galeon rush downstairs and out into the street, clothes awry. “Thieves attack my brother’s forge!” Jarl shouts, as he lopes down the moonlit street. The rest make quick pursuit and arrive at the forge. The high ring of steel on steel can be heard within.

Jarl rips open the door, weapon drawn, only to see Delven swing his heavy forge hammer into the thief’s head with a sickening thud. The man crumples to the ground like a rag doll. Delven stands over the body, hewn muscles twitching with adrenaline, and he looks up with a wide grin, “You always were the late one, Jarl.”

The body is thoroughly searched for clues, but, finding nothing, the group decides to track the thief’s trail back to his lair. Jabok follows the nearly invisible signs south to the edge of town. In the muddied snow outside of town, the trail becomes clearer. Weaving through the trees just off the road, it eventually plunges in the deep forest and into a wide-mouthed cave.

Jaran takes point and begins searching for traps, systematically disarming those she finds, then testing them with a long pole. Jarl follows close behind, his sword loose and ready in its sheath. Delenn, Galeon and Jabok hang back and guard the rear. After several long corridors of pit traps and pressure plates, finally a door is found. The simple lock is quickly by-passed, the door opened, and within are several kobold guards, short swords in hand. With a flash of steel and the swift flight of arrows, the kobolds drop. Jaran relieves the guards of the stolen gems they protected, and the search continues down a side passage.

After several more gouts of flame are avoided, a small dog kennel is found, opposite a similarly small chamber of kobolds. Again, the kobolds are quickly dispatched, and one kept captive for interrogation. Jaran eyes the narrow corridor warily as Jarl and Jabok question the reptilian creature, who promptly yields up information on the secret doors leading further into the depths.

Armed with this information, the doors are found, more traps avoided. Jaran’s fingers begin to ache with the intricate skill required to remove the traps. As the final door swings wide, Jarl strides through with authority and confronts two darkly clad men eating by a large pot, “By the law of Mosstone, surrender now or die by my blade!” The two rogues raise their hands high above their head, their eyes shifting nervously. Without warning, a dagger grows from Jarl’s side, clutched by a man who appears out of thin air. Jarl staggers, and a furious melee ensues. Jabok and Delenn rain death with arrows upon the foes. After brief havoc in the cramped room, the rogues stain the cold stone with their blood.

Another door looms large against the opposite wall. Galeon binds wounds and murmurs quiet prayers, healing injuries before pressing on further. Jarl then rips the door open with fury blazing in his eyes. Two daggers fly at Jarl’s head and embed themselves into the door frame with a thrumming vibration. The two master thieves dart into a side passage, and dimly the sound of arcane incantation echoes into the room. Delenn nimbly leaps after them, with Jarl, Jaran and Gaelon on her heels. With no sign of the thieves, they split up and investigate the three adjoining rooms. Jaran peers into the room at the end of the hall, then hears Delenn cry out, “One escaped into the hall. He’s flying… and invisible!” With daggers out, Jaran blindly swings her blades, hoping to catch the thief’s hiding place. Too late, she feels the light breath of a sleep spell whispering at the back of her neck. She struggles against the rising tide of sleep, but fails as she slumps to the ground. Galeon catches up, sees Jaran on the ground, the thief standing over her. Again, the thief calls out the spidery noise of magic, and Galeon falls, dazzled from a stream of scintillating color flowing in a wide sheet from the thief’s hands. Jarl enters the room, half mad with fury, and cleaves the stunned thief in two.

Delenn cries out in pain in the hall and falls, the second thief’s short sword plunged into her back, as the perpetrator floats upon the air. Jabok dashes forward and finally slays the elusive man, who abruptly crashes to the ground as the spell ends with his life.

Jaran is awakened by a brusque shake. Bleary eyed and confused, she stays her impulse to attack and sees Jarl looming above her. Gaelon sits crouched on the floor, nursing his head. Delenn and Jabok struggle into the doorway, arms weighted down with stolen goods. “I think we’re ready to go.”

As the adventurers trod slowly back towards town, weary from battle and lack of sleep, Jaran circumspectly hefts the heavy bag of gems recovered from the thieves’ lair. Pretending fatigue, she drops behind the group. Surely with such a large bounty we bring back, one gem will go unnoticed. With deft fingers, the largest gem slips from the pouch and into Jaran’s wide and heavy cloak.

Everything else is returned.

Midwinter day, 1357DR
[Game of September 8th, 2002]

Dead orcs, kobolds and rats litter the floors within the vast and now uninhabited mansion. Through the windows, fresh snow falls lightly past. Jarl steps over a corpse with disgust. Strange that beasts could infest this house so thoroughly without any townfolk noticing, he thinks. ‘We have scoured this building for an hour and have yet to find Vorbus Medora.’ He carefully cleans the blooded blade of his sword on the already gore stained carpet. ‘Perhaps these foul creatures made supper of him.’

Delenn’s gaze narrows as she peers at the bedroom wall. ‘That’s strange,’ she says, as she pushes at a slightly darkened section. The wall swings open with a squeal of protesting metal, and a shadowed narrow shaft is revealed. Delenn steps back cautiously. Jarl strides past Delenn confidently and stoops to enter the shaft. The rest quickly file behind as he heads towards the flickering light at the end.

Jarl’s eyes widen with shock as he drags his giant frame from the shaft and beholds the room. Several dripping candle stubs dimly illuminate a monstrous bone altar, reaching up with a grasping claw. A figure draped in black robes stands before it, his hands raised high above his head, clasped around a shining dagger that seems to suck the very light from the room. ‘Glorius Bhaal, accept this murder in your honor!’ A piercing scream echoes through the unholy shrine, and the dagger plunges towards the altar. The scream cuts off in a rattling gurgle.

Spurred to action, Jarl brings his sword to bear on the evil figure, ‘Prepare to meet your god in Hell.’ Slowly the man turns, and his face breaks into a sly grin. Vorbus Medora! Jarl thinks, as his sword wavers. Behind Vorbus, a slim, naked woman lay stretched across the altar, a gaping wound marring her breast. At the sight of the woman, Jarl’s resolve strengthens, and he draws his sword back for a mighty swing. The priest’s hands move quickly and with a short incantation, the room is brought to an unnatural darkness. The sword sings through empty air. Jarl carefully hones in on the near rustle of fabric and wounds the priest as he tries to scuttle away.

Delenn, Jaran and Galeon slip in through the shaft, calling out to Jarl, and Jabok wisely stops at the entrance to guard against escape. Delenn, hearing the scream and the hitching breath of the woman, stumbles along the ground towards the altar with a curative in hand.

Jarl blindly hunts the priest. Where are you, you bloody fiend!? Hearing a faint shuffle to his left, Jarl swings wildly. There’s a brief ripping of sword through cloth and a yelp. ‘You swing at a friend, Jarl. I think the man hides along the west wall,’ Galeon whispers shakily. Nodding to himself, Jarl feels along the wall and hears a muffled incantation. Jarl hears a sharp intake of breath followed close by a joyous bark from Jaran, and he quickly closes in on the noise. At the edge of the magical darkness, Jarl is afforded a brief glimpse as cold steel bites hard into the dark priest when his swing finally meets his mark. With a quiet whimper, the body crumples to the floor, dragging Jarl’s sword arm down with it.

After a brief rustling noise, Jaran’s velvet soft voice whispers, ‘He’s dead.’ From across the room, Delenn sadly voices, ‘So is the young woman.’ The two bodies are carried out of the darkness and laid out in the adjoining room.

Jarl draws near and gently closes the eyes of the woman. ‘She was… one of the women of the night. She was probably easy prey for a man with coin to spare. We must bring word of her death and Vorbus’ betrayal to the town.’ The rest nod solemnly, and even the effervescent halfling looks subdued. Covering the bodies with sheets, the party returns to the city hall. There the Lord thanks them for their hard work. Delven the blacksmith steps forward to bear hug his brother Jarl, then begins making arrangements for the party’s payment of masterwork weaponry.

A guard detail is sent to recover the bodies.

Midwinter day, 1357DR
[game of September 5th, 2002]

On the frigid day of Midwinter in the town of Mosstone, trade center of Tethyr, preparations are underway for the yearly parade. The celebration of good fortune yet to come, the ending of winter, is soon. The town is busting with people from near and far; the One-Eyed-Squeezie, the town’s most prominant Inn has not seen better business all year long.

Delenn, a young half-elven bard, wanders into the Inn. Lute in hand, she asks the barkeep if his guests need entertainment.. for a price. Old One-Eye, the barkeep, no doubt charmed by her good looks and warm eyes accepts. Music is certain to increase his sales, and one can never have too many pretty girls around.

Gaelon Silverfoot, Priest of Waukeen is delighted by Delenn’s company. Never in the service of the goddess of trade has the Goldeeye seen such a beautiful, well versed half-elf. The halfling can’t help but be the first to toss her a silver piece for her wonderful lute playing. Something tells Delenn this is not the last of Gaelon’s kind acts.

A hooded figure walks into the inn. No one recognizes her, but the barkeep is quick to warn that he doesn’t serve her kind. A young drow mage, Jaran is used to this sort of treatment. The dark elf’s eyes are warm, and allows them to be seen as she pleas with the barkeep. It’s cold outside, and she has money to spend like everyone else. She is instructed to stay out of trouble, something she’s never been good at; growing up as a half-drow has taught her many things: how to pick locks, scale walls, disarm traps, hide in shadows… and how to plant the occasional dagger in the back. She is quick to find a table off in a dark corner to sit at.

Sitting at the bar are two similiar figures, Jabok, Elven Ranger Priest of Solonor, and Kit, the half-elven ranger. Jabok attempts to carry out a conversation, but Kit is none too pleased. The ranger, already not a very social character, is offended by the elf calling him “half-human”. Jabok, a wild elf, is not concerned. He is here for the ale and perhaps a good time.

All seems well on this cold midwinter day until Delven, the local blacksmith runs in exclaiming an accusation of murder. Explaining the recent invasion of the house of Vorbus Medora, guest ribbon-cutter for the Midwinter celebrations. He offers 100 silver pieces, and a choice of a finely constructed blade to each who help his brother solve this crime, and bring back Vorbus Medora.

Jabok is first to offer his services, quickly followed by Gaelon. It takes a second mention of a prize to get Jaran, Kit and Delenn interested. They are instructed to meet a scout, Delven’s half brother Jarl, halfway to Vorbus’ estate outside of town.

The quintet sets out, ready to fight. With Jarl at their side, they proceed towards the house. However, the gates are locked; the tall walls armed with spikes. But Jaran has picked locks like this in her sleep, and she quickly opens the gate. The group sets out towards the main entrance at the top of the hill, a set of large double doors. Jaran once again defeats the lock, allowing the group into the house. Muddy tracks lead through the broken furniture, into another set of thick wodden double doors. Through the doors, stuffed heads lined the walls, heads of beasts defeated; at the end: a fresh human head. Shocked, the group decides to proceed slowly into the next room. Kit cracks the door open enough to see into the room: orcs. A nod to Jarl later, and the door swings open. The melee begins.

Jarl is the first to run in, sword in hand; but he quickly finds himself outnumbered. Jabok and Kit, both expert bowmen, block the hallway and fire. An orc screams in pain as Jabok’s sheaf arrows lodge into his body. Gaelon pulls out his sling and attempts to provide cover fire, but his bullet flies up and away, missing its target. But the fight does not last long. With Jaran moving in to provide magical support, more orcs fall to Jabok’s and Kit’s arrows. Gaelon moves in with his mace to aid Jarl, and Delenn coveres the rear. Soon only the orcs surrounding Jarl are left. With a daring maneuver, Jabok climbs on top of the table, sliding with bow in hand — and unleashes his deadly projectiles on an orc. Jarl quickly kills the last one with his broad sword.

As they settle down, and have time to look around the dark room, their torches illuminate the rest of the walls, allowing them to see more heads and several impaled human bodies. Deciding to explore the right corridor, they stumble into a second group of orcs, this one eating by a fire. Before the orcs have a chance to react, the group rushes in and unleashes a swarm of arrows. The last orc alive is quickly beheaded by Jarl’s sword.

A quick look around reveals nothing but the storage room and the back door out to the yard. Delenn is the only one to notice the strange door outline in the pantry. She informs Jaran, and as Jaran explores the room, she notices a ladder leading up to the second story. Before going up, Jarl decides to explore the door leading back towards the dinning area, uncovering a weapons display. Several masterwork weapons line the walls, and two silver daggers. Not intending to loot the house, the group decides to leave the weapons where they are, and return to the ladder. Jaran is first to climb, with Delenn following close behind. As Jaran reaches the top, Jabok climbs on — and the ladder collapses. Delenn, almost at the top, falls to the ground, severely injuring herself. But with the help of Gaelon’s healing abilities, she pushes on with the group.

Jaran investigates the top of the ladder, and determines it safe for the group to climb up. A quarter of an hour passes, and the group is safely atop the ladder. Stepping out in the hallway, they see two sets of doors, and a massive set of double wooden doors. The doors span more than fifteen feet each, and are ornately carved with various scenes and religious symbols. Once again, Delenn’s keen senses spot the presence of a secret door hidden in the corner. Not wanting to break through the front doors, the group decides to explore the secret door. Something tells them it leads into the main chamber. They enter the secret passage, and find the it strangely dead ends. They search for a door out, and have no trouble locating it.

Jabok rushes into the room, and is the first to see the enemy. A large bipedal rat creature sits on the large bed on the far side of the room: a wererat. As Jabok enters the room, the wererat’s minions rush out and attack Jabok. The rats surround him and he goes down bleeding. The group rushes into the room, with Delenn providing back cover, and Gaelon revives Jabok. Jarl and Kit flank the wererat, and Jaran moves in to use her magic against the rat minions. With a few phrases and a gesturing with her hands, Jaran summons forth a searing jet of flame from her fingertips.

Delenn knows the influence her music can have on people, and so she begins to sing a war tune. The group is immediately inspired, and seems more sure of themselves in battle.

Jabok recovers and proceeds to shoot down the rats. As he pulls back an arrow, his finger slips and the arrow flies out towards Jaran, impaling her in the back. With a silent scream, she falls to unconsciousness; the rat’s move in on the helpless mage. Kit notices the mage being torn apart by the rats, and moves in to help. He quickly binds her wounds, bringing her back from Death’s gate, and waits for the others to kill the rats. This time, Jabok’s arrows hit their intended targets, and the rats are destroyed. However, the wererat has another surprise up his sleeve. He cackles an incantation, and a second group of rats surfaces to aid him. Jabok decides to end the wererat’s chances for help; he nocks an arrow back and aims it at the wererat’s mouth. Bullseye.

Seeing that their weapons don’t seem to inflict the beast any harm, Jarl, Kit and Jabok then move in to tackle the wererat. Gaelon has an insight, and decides to run down to get the silver daggers — he remembers that silver can hurt some abominations, such as lycanthropes. As he starts to run down, Delenn offers to help. Her longer legs will undoubtably make the journey faster, and they can use all extra time they can get. With Gaelon guarding the hallway, Delenn runs down and retrieves the daggers. She hands the daggers to Jarl, and he quickly slits the wererat’s throat.

Unseen in the back, Gaelon is the first to notice the reinforcements pour into the room from the unexplored doors. He readies his sling, and hits a kobold on the head, instantly killing it. The forces are numerous, but they fall to the three trained warriors in the room. The great melee is over, and the group decides to heal and rest for a few minutes.

The mage may not live much longer, and they have yet to find Vorbus Medora.