A Desert Jaunt

The Party:

• Rig Bigny, Gnomish Beastmaster
  • Flit, the bat familiar
  • Clench, the Wardog War-Badger
  • Midnight, the Panther
  • Faufe Yitaw, Dogwere (Badgerwere?)
    • Rawf, Wardog familiar
    • Aroof, Wardog familiar
• Caranthir, Human Leader of Men
  • Rhea Trueheart, Elvish Nightblade
  • Lucille "Luce" Burwood, Fighter
  • Elenora Garrard, White Mage
• Gróin of Norston, Dwarven Sapper
  • Zarc, Thrassian Gladiator
  • Laurita Gomez, Priestess
• Llarm Paphyra, Elvish Polydoctorate
  • The Metal Man, construct
• Loriel Straight Arrow, Elven Ranger
  • Little Bandit, ferret

First, the party traveled to their employers, the other local lords (and lady). The journey was short and uneventful; they arrived the evening they left, in time for a large celebration. They met Lord Vincent Aldervat, a hawkish, conceited-looking man, though well-muscled; Lord Evan Elpus, a reedy fellow who had the odd habit of always standing behind people, as if hiding; Lady Christiana Vascelles, a late-middle-aged woman with a firm look of command about her; Lord Tomas Cordova, an obvious man of the earth, strong and rustic; and Lord Dunstan Kirkhill, a brawny, red-headed man with a bushy beard. After enduring several rounds of back-slapping from Lord Kirkhill and Lord Cordova, and even a thin hint of praise from Lord Aldervat, they dug in to the free food. Afterwards, thanks to some good negotiating, they managed to up their reward from 10,000 gp to 15,000 gp. Not bad for a few minutes of talking.

Lord Dracull

It's a new year, but the same ol' campaign, and it started out with a doozy! Though a few players didn't make it, there were just enough to keep everyone from dying horribly. Barely.

The Party:

• Rig Bigny, Gnomish Beastmaster
  • Flit, the bat familiar
  • Clench, the Wardog War-Badger
  • Faufe Yitaw, Dogwere (Badgerwere?)
    • Rawf, Wardog familiar
• Caranthir, Human Leader of Men
  • Rhea Trueheart, Elvish Nightblade
  • Lucille "Luce" Burwood, Fighter
  • Elenora Garrard, White Mage
• Gróin of Norston, Dwarven Sapper
  • Zarc, Thrassian Gladiator
  • ???, Priestess
• Llarm Paphyra, Elvish Polydoctorate
  • The Metal Man, construct
• Airsen Birdmaster, Airwalker (stayed at Falach a'Bhaile)
  • Erik Stein, Dwarven Vaultguard
• Loriel Straight Arrow, Elven Ranger (temporarily away)

As the group was finally leaving Falach a'Bhaile, they were stopped by a pudgy, panting gnome, who handed them a letter; they quickly read through it:

To Whom It May Concern:
We, the Undersigned Lords of the Western Plains, bid you Greetings. We require the services of an Investigative Party, one capable of protecting itself, while also discerning the Truth. We have set out Barrister to select a group of cunning and capable adventurers, such as yourselves.
Should you accept our offer, we are willing to pay handsomely: not only may you keep any goods attained during your investigation, but we are willing to invest G5,000 in your preparation, and at least double that amount upon the completion of your duties, and depending on the outcome of your efforts.
The task we set forward is this: The surreptitious investigation of Lord Dracull of the western Wild Plains. His actions have begun to disrupt the smooth political operation of land neighboring his own. Furthermore, his life has been suspiciously long, and though he has been married a number of times, he has yet to produce an heir. Several lords suspect his success has been fueled by Dark Magic. If it is found to be so, the Church would be pleased with the destruction of such a reprehensible creature - as would we all.

The letter was signed by Lord Vincent Aldervat, Lord Evan Elpus, Lady Christiana Vascelles, Lord Tomas Cordova, and Lord Dunstan Kirkhill.

Additionally, there was a second letter, and a sealed envelope. The second letter was from Lord Cordova, and read:

To Whom It May Concern:
I beseech you, whatever comes of Lord Dracull, see that no harm comes to my daughter, Lady Dracull. Please deliver the sealed letter to her; it is for her eyes only. And spare no cost in protecting my Consuela; I will gladly refund any expense you incur. Money means nothing over the safety of my family. Respectfully, Lord Cordova

Unfortunately, as Rig was reading the second letter, Caranthir tore open the envelope, realizing his mistake half way through. After some discussion, the party decided they might as well finish opening the letter, as long as it was already damaged, and hope to repair it later. The letter, written by the same hand as the second letter, read:

My Dearest Consuela,
If you can find it in your heart, please forgive me. I pray daily that no harm comes to you because of my own hot-headed, stubborn pride. I know that our last interaction ended in harsh words; I am afraid our passionate Majastan blood prevails over your mother’s clear head far too often. Nevertheless, I beseech you to trust these adventurers; I have instructed them to protect you at any cost.
Your loving father, Tomas Cordova

One-shot: Rise of the Beastmen: The Generals

Near the end of the Age of Men, mages began magically combining men, dwarves, and even elves with beasts. Generation after generation of beast-men were created. Some, like halflings, were quite peaceful, and served as farmers, or other peaceful work. Others, like goblins, were savage creatures, employed as laborers or soldiers. As the original, somewhat more lawful mages died off, their secrets were aquiered by others. The peaceful combinations were left on their own, while the more feral beast-types were combined and combined again. Though countless combinations were created, certain archtypes seemed to be the most successful: goblins, hobgoblins, bugbears, orcs, orgres, kobolds, gnolls, and so on; the beastmen known and feared today. These armies gathered materials for their masters, ransacking villages and pillaging farms. As beastmen were released or escaped, more and more wild beastmen roamed free, which meant the armies increased to fend them off, which meant more beastmen escaped, and on and on. As the second generation of creature-splicing mages died off, a third generation arose. Hungry for power, these mages has none of the restraint of their old masters. The new masters created monstrosities, horrors of necromancy and unholy power, powerful and untamed. They reached too far, and the edges of their control began to slip. But still, power-mad, they churned out beastmen...

The Three Truths

Happy New Year! Well, in this world, anyway. The world of Mor-Thir has a few months yet.

Anyway, on to the main event. As far as the story of Mareten, Mor-Thir, and beyond is concerned, there are three sets of truth: "truth", truth, and TRUTH. And what, you ask, is the difference? Well, keep reading!

"Truth"

History may never change, but the stories about it certainly do. Some stories are ancient, so old that they have lost something in translation; other stories are passed along from bard to bard, and gain a few details along the way. Still others are pieced together from ancient texts, snippets of poetry, and nigh-on-incomprehensible journals, and are more guesswork than eye-witness accounts.

While there is a note of truth in many old stories, take them with a grain of salt - if you find facts that counter an ancient story, it's likely your facts are correct. Don't dismiss the ancient tales out-of-hand, but... don't assume they are exactly accurate, either.