Win Some, Lose Some

Seachdamh 22 - Ochdamh 7, 6639; next holiday is Beastnight, 9/35

The Party:

• Rig Bigny, Gnomish Beastmaster
  • Flit, the bat familiar
  • Clench, the Wardog War-Badger
  • Midnight, the Panther
  • Noona, the Lion
  • Faufe Yitaw, Dogwere (Badgerwere?)
    • Rawf, Wardog familiar
    • Aroof, Wardog familiar
  • Llarm Paphyra, Elvish Polydoctorate
    • The Metal Man, construct
• Caranthir, Human Leader of Men
  • Rhea Trueheart, Elvish Nightblade
  • Lucille "Luce" Burwood, Fighter
  • Elenora Garrard, White Mage
  • Gimli Trollriver, Dwarven Fury
• Gróin of Norston, Dwarven Sapper
  • Laurita Gomez, Priestess
  • Herman Thorpe, Ectomancer
    • Baelnar Grimtor, Dwarven Sapper
• Quetgar, Thrassian Assassin
  • Zarc, Thrassian Gladiator
• Sorvald, Thief
• Mor Gibs, the Wonderworker
• Craydos Silverskin, the Gold Skinscribe
  • Pentzkin Singletossle Pocketspringer, gnomish beastmaster
  • Alun Tsornyl, Sylph Ranger

Wrapping up some business in the Fae lands, Craydos decided to hire a Fae of his own, a Sylph Ranger. He also began his tower - a 40' high, 20' diameter tower worth 22,500gp. Or rather, almost worth that, except Gróin opted to spend a good week and a half donating materials. Hey, what's a wizard tower that isn't made of magical rock, right? The tower itself will be finished 8/22, and the men that show up will need to roll to see if they stay on 10/22. Of course, as long as he was constructing a tower, Craydos decided to start building a dungeon, as well. Once it's complete (on 8/22), monsters will start showing up and moving in.

While he and Gróin were working on towers and dungeons, Caranthir decided to search around the city of the Summer Fae for a wish. He heard some evidence of a powerful... well, something... and finally summoned enough courage to go visit. The building he found was a strange place; it looked like a hunting cabin, just planks and animal skins, with bones and leather straps holding it all together, but it somehow managed to do all that and have towers and multiple floors, too. It had a very, very Fae feeling to it. Ducking through the animal-skin-door, he stepped into a dim, smoky room, easily 60 feet in diameter. At the far end, a blue-skinned man wearing nothing but an elaborate moose-antler headdress sat on a wood-and-bones throne. Around the campfire in the middle of the room - more of a bonfire, really - sat a dozen similarly undressed men, staring into the great flames, unstirring.

Oberon, Husband-King of the Fae, and SPOOKY-POWERFUL

Seeing them enter, the man on the throne - obviously a Fae - stood, and walked towards them. It was only then that those present realized how big this guy was... easily 12 feet tall, the man cleared the huge room in only a few steps. He greeted them, asking their names, which were provided readily. He, in turn, provided his: Oberon, Husband-King of the Fae. Not the Summer Fae, no, but all Fae. He was, in fact, the husband of both the Queen of the Winter Fae, and of the Summer Fae. Caranthir, suitably impressed, mentioned that he was looking for a map of the known world. Oberon smiled. "And would you be willing to trade for it? Perhaps... 12?"

Caranthir was a little confused. "12 gold pieces? Sure, I..."

"Ah, no. Twelve."

"Twelve... like the number?" Caranthir pulled out a sheet of parchment, and wrote the number 12 on it. "Like that?"

Oberon inclined his head. "The bargain is made."

In return, he pulled out a parchment of his own: a map. A really big map, in fact.

The World, where everything is big. Find Mor-Thir!

After handing over a few magical items for information on the world at large, the party decided it was through. Oberon, however, pointed at Sorvald. "And you. Have you anything to trade me for this bag? A... coin, perhaps?"

Sorvald shrugged. Why not? He handed the creature a random coin, but when Oberon tilted his hand towards Sorvald, Sorvald could see that it held his two-headed coin. "And is the bargain made?"

After a moment's hesitation, Sorvald shrugged again. "Sure. Why not."

When the others stepped out, he took a peek in the bag. Inside was a... kitten? Hmm.

Shopping over, it was time to visit some friends. And just in time, too; the party teleported to visit Lady Dracul, and found her armed with a sword, and holding her child. The boy looked fairly normal; there didn't seem to be anything to suggest he was anything other than a normal child. However, as Lady Dracul explained, the lords that had previously hired the party were certain this child was the product of an obscene union between human and dragon. Lord Dunstan Kirkhill and Lord Evan Elpus were already present, and Lady Christiana Vascelles and Lord Vincent Aldervat were due to arrive any day. Lady Dracul's father, Lord Tomas Cordova, was camped beside the manor, ready to provide what little assistance he could for his daughter. After a short parley with Kirkhill, it was quite obvious that the lords were willing to utterly destroy anyone who stood between them and the extermination of the "abomination" - the child.

The plan was formed: Reah and Sorvald would sneak into the camps of Kirkhill and Elpus, respectively. Reah, invisible and moving silently, crept into the tent of Lord Kirkhill. His snores echoed through the room. She checked for traps, and finding none, walked to his bed, and raised her dagger... only to realize that the lord was not in his bed! The covers were cunningly heaped over a pillow! Gritting her teeth, Reah searched the room, finally finding the lord, sleeping under his own bed, wearing full plate mail, and grasping a battleaxe in his hands. With a quick flip, Reah tilted the bed away, and slit the lord's throat. She slipped off into the night before the alarm was raised.

Meanwhile, Sorvald tip-toed (also invisibly) towards the tent of Lord Evan Elpus. Pausing outside, he could hear deep, rhythmic breathing from inside. Steeling himself, he ducked under the edge of the tent... and found himself staring at a grey dragon! Wait... grey? Those scrying on him scratched their heads. No one could remember any stories of grey dragons. How odd. Sorvald, meanwhile, heard the faintest cough behind him... as what he thought was the lord's armor revealed itself as a man in a pointy hat, wearing a robe! Sorvald quickly drew his arrow of dragon slaying, bounced it off the hide of the grey dragon, grabbed it off the ground, and noped out of the tent at high speed. By the time the wizard woke the dragon, he was on his magic carpet and headed out. The few crossbowmen that managed to get a shot off were too late, and missed.

The next morning, Kirkhill's army was in an uproar, but Elpus was on the warpath. He challenged Caranthir to a battle of champions (which was usually the way battles were decided in this area - armies were expensive to replace). Caranthir agreed, and soon, he was facing the grey dragon. Both were hastened, blessed, and variously magically protected; in an instant, they sprang at each other. Caranthir opted to slash and bite, while the other dragon breathed... stones? His breath was like a stream of gravel, blasting against Caranthir. However, in only two rounds, Caranthir destroyed the dragon. Elpus, true to his word, packed up and left, leaving the chest of battle-treasure for the victorious party.

While the party scoured the camp for additional resources, the other two lords - well, lord and lady - arrived. Their flag-bearer seemed rather more professional than that of the previous lords'; he didn't flinch when Caranthir turned into a dragon, and merely insisted that they be allowed to destroy the babe-in-arms. Refusing, Caranthir counter-offered the same terms, which were accepted: a pair of duelers, two from each side.

On the one side, Gróin and Craydos; on the other, a nautical-looking fellow, in a light (non-armor) leather jacket, and... the same mage that had the dragon! It appears that he had defected to the army of Lord Aldervat! The wizard cast some sort of protection shield on himself just before the battle. Gróin and Craydos, meanwhile, coated themselves with dust of disappearance. The battle began, and Gróin fired a cone of cold against the two. It seemed to bounce off the fighter! Craydos summoned a hydra, dropping it on the ground, and the fighter strode over to it, drawing his swords. Two quick slashes later, and the hydra was down three heads!

Gróin feather-fell to the ground, hoping to break through the wizard's defences, but the wizard blasted him with a cone of earth! The fighter, meanwhile, slashed and stabbed, destroying the hydra entirely. Gróin activated his flames, but only managed a few points of damage against the mage. Craydos fired lightning at the fighter, only to see it bounce back up against him! Luckily, he had protected himself from 1-3 level spells, and the bolt didn't hit him. Gróin, seeing that he was not long for this earth, took to his heels; the fighter, meanwhile, jogged over to the mage, who cast Fly on hi, just before Craydos zapped them both with yet more lightning. The wizard was shaken, but the fighter reflected the spell back once again. He flew to where those lightning bolts had been coming from, and with a single mighty punch, knocked Craydos out. Gróin, invisible and retreating, only made it so far... the mage cast "Find Object", and found Gróin. He directed the fighter to his position, and with two strikes, Gróin was laid out cold.

Defeated, Caranthir realized that the only way to keep the Lady and her son safe was to take them home. With Elenora using the god-staff, the party (sans Gróin and Craydos) teleported back to Caranthir's land. Gróin, once he and Craydos were (roughly) awakened, fled to the north, to the Summer Fae, and Craydos's tower. On the way, they found another of the trader's treasures - a scroll of light. Yay. Craydos did find a new friend, however - a Bluecap, who agreed to work for him.

Alun Tsornyl (Male, level 2 Elven Ranger), 15 hp, follows the Elven Ranger table, with the following differences: he has Knowledge: Fae, cannot wield steel or iron weapons (he has his own silvered blade and wooden bow), and hates the Winter Fae with a burning passion.

• XP from Encounters:
  • Lord Kirkhill, lvl 10 fighter (2250)
  • 10 HD Grey Dragon (2950)
  • Oberon (peaceful)
  • Bluecap (peaceful)
  • Earth Mage Shale Argillaceous (lvl 12; didn't lose!)
  • Monk Johnny Lightning (lvl 12; didn't lose!)
• XP from Treasure (spoils of war):
  • 1,000 gp
  • 2,000 sp (200 gp)
  • 1 opal (3,000 gp)
• Total XP: 9400
• XP for Caranthir, Gróin, Sorvald, and Craydos: 1175
• XP for Rhea, Elenora, Gimli, Laurita, Herman, Baelnar, Pentzkin, and Alun: 588
• Gold, each: 1050gp