Tales of the Bard 008

Something to show

Its funny how war changes people. Old enemies become trusted allies, right and wrong are no longer definitive tools of measurement, and hope becomes a powerful motivation, almost blindingly so.

The party decides to confide in Casey to garner favour with this leader of rabble. They show him the map of Collosia newly procured and blood soaked. A vision of which tantalizes Aranel's fangs at the smell of blood on parchment. Dex decides to tell Casey of the giant task at hand, that a hint of a hint of a cure is leading them towards an unknown destination deep within the Burning Plains. This peaks Casey's interest, he and his spies saw the party fighting other blight, just hours ago. Could it be true, a cure? After 51 years of war, nay survival how could you blame a man for grasping tenaciously at any hint of a solution. Whether from a devil, or the mouth of a half elven saviour, it doesn't matter to the beast known as desperation. “Come with me” he says, “i have something i want you to see”. And so they head for New Haven, the daylight giving Casey and his band some assurance that these cursed even if they go back on their word of “no harm” they wouldn't be much of a problem.

Arriving in town the party notices goblins, many goblins walking, talking, selling and generally living among the humans. Casey explains how war makes strange bedfellows, and that the goblins earn their keep with resourcefulness and instinct. The homes of New haven, if you could call them that are are make shift tents raised into the trees by rigging that looks like it belongs on a ship, not on a camping trip. Collars of silver line the trunks of trees and everyone gets the sense that this town could disassemble and relocate in a matter of minutes if push came to shove.

Casey leads the party to his tree grouping and lowers a crate down with a quick knot slide and pulley tug. Opening the crate, he announces, “this is what i brought you hear to see”. Inside is a mass, of blight creep, contently writhing within, slowed and nonthreatening. Casey explains, “this was my son” as his head hangs in self expressed failure. “after months of being confined to this crate without food he lapsed into this cocoon for a sort of hibernation we believe” he continues. “So as you can imagine, i have a vested interest in a cure for this curse, and if there is anything I can do to help you speed you on your way to finding it, then name it now”. “I only ask that you share the answers should you find them”. To this the party can hardly say no, a man who is obviously torn by his responsibility to the people of this makeshift refugee town, and his want to come with them and find the answers first hand.

The party is given what provisions they request. A shield for Dex, some goblin made goggles for Varaxis that allows him to see as the blighted do in blight fog. Also they are gifted a small messenger Drakin named Iro, to help them contact New haven again should they move on. Finally Casey offers food, bringing about a goat to help the blight cursed party feed. Seig is unable to contain himself again ripping out the heart of the poor beast as the rest take their piece of the pie.

Casey warns the party that they should stay out of site of the Elves should they fly overhead with their large Drakin powered air skiffs, on a patrol. As they bid farewell and gods speed Casey has his men see the party to a cave for respite from the noon day's sun.

Back through the tunnel

After a short rest they decide to head back out of Old Tellion through the tunnel they came in. Cautiously the party heads back through the tunnel and Aranel notices that the creep from the other side has spread into the tunnel and is inching its way towards New Haven. Heading back through the entrance of the tunnel the party spies blight thralls wandering aimlessly around the area. A small blight bringer is spreading creep and it is recognized that the blight thralls were those that the party smote just hours earlier. Up and fully regenerated and roaming. Varaxis' presence is not noticed and the party is allowed to simply walk through and away from the mingling thralls.

Don't trust those whose feet are not bound to the soil

After some time travelling towards the maps directions the party sees something heading in their direction in the sky. Hiding(and not well in some cases) the party peaks out to see an elvish air skiff flying over head and spotting their curious bodies hardly hidden, turn their skiff sharply and begin their decent. This skiff's rune covered hull pulses and glows as it decends rapidly on the parties position. All at once 3 elves nimbly leap forward unhinging the 2 Drakin that propell the skiff from their harness' and a forth uses arcane word weavings to set the craft down. The Drakin fly straight for Seig and Jaspyr as Dex and Aranel try to reason with these Elvish zealots. They would rather burn for eternity with no sons or daughters than speak with these blighted pigs as they curse and spit in their guttural elvish tongue known far too well to Aranel.

Seig and Jaspyr are grappled by the too Drakin and flown into the air. Jaspyr defly stabs the Drakin wounding it horribly as it lets him loose to fall. Jaspyr uses his blight enhanced leaping ability to land gracefully and deftly. Seig is not so lucky as he squirms free of his captors grasp and plummets fast slamming into the ground. Seig lifts himself up as the days “work” has just begun. As the Elves volley arrows into our heroes Dex and Aranel rush for the Elves. Varaxis lets out an infernal blast, engulfing 2 of the Elves in green fire. But Varaxis is not the only one on the battlefield with magic “tricks”. The Elven Mage utters some words in the arcane tongue, drawing his hands together and touching his finger tips to one another. As he arcs them back around, the crackle of lighting dances from finger to finger ultimately being directed out towards Aranel. Aranel dodges the lightning blast but it changes directions and catches Dex off guard. Jaspyr and Seig go toe to toe with these flying lizards getting blow after blow and receiving bit and claw. A defening boom of thunder erupts from the Elven Mage, and Dex and Aranel are knocked and dazed from the intense sound. Varaxis roasts one of the Elven Hunters and Aranel and Dex drop another. Jaspyr drops his sword and draws his Glaive thrusting it deep into the mortally wounded Drakin. Blood and guts spill out as he summons the strength to lift the beast over his head as it slides down the pointy end of his weapon. Dex stabs the remaining Elven Hunter as Aranel leaps in ripping the Elves throat out with the ferocity and jagged horror of one and a half fang-tusks.

The Elven Mage runs, but where does he think he can go from here with his Drakin's dead, his protectors bleeding and burning on the ground, and the Halfelf pig running straight for him. Its not long before Dex catches, grapples and questions him. He reveals nothing and spits in Dex's face, gaining a sense of satisfaction in the face of his judges. Aranel is fed up with the questioning going no-where and goes in for a feeding as Dex forcefully stops him. One more dead end response and Dex beats this man to uncontiousness.

Tales of the Bard 007

52/1st/786ce(51-blight era)

Our weary adventurers not wanting another engagement with the Collosians this night decide to gather what they can and move on before the man that ran off into the north returns with reinforcements presumably. Finding an old map of Collosia with hand markings on it of towns and places crossed off and a large line splitting the land in two. Moving east along the river bank looking for a way into Tellion, Aranel hears the noise of beasts of burden and the faint scraping of an underground endeavour. Deciding to scout it out as he is rising over an embankment into the wood, Aranel is met by scores of men rushing at him. He runs back to his companions as he lets loose arrows bundled with falsehoods of “we do you no harm!”. Over the embankment many blight thralls rush at our party with the reckless disregard of controlled insanity.

Fresh from feeding the would be heroes receive the incoming wave of thralls like a steadfast stone breakwater. Seig and Dex quickly dispatch two of the thralls as more rush in with jumper blight thralls. Rushing down is an 8 foot tall Goliath blight champion screaming rageful comments at Aranel. Aranel and Varaxis and Jaspyr drop a few more of the unknowing thralls. Dex is then surprised by one of the blight thralls pouncing on top of him knocking him prone. Aranel backs up through the front line as the Goliath charges through. Narrowly missing Dex lying prone with a stomp of his heavy foot the Goliath strikes out in anger towards Aranel. Aranel pulls back dodging with his amazing manoeuvring abilities inciting further rage from the hapless blight champion. Varaxis pulls away un-life from the Goliath with his infernal ways, stunning him. Jaspyr and Dex seize the opportunity to cut into the blight champion with finesse and vigour. A blight thrall approaches Varaxis and is met with doom as Varaxis reaches out grabbing the once-mans face in the palm of his map hand. Searing glyphs illuminate and send beams of light through the blight thralls head as if it were not even there. The blight thrall drops having been bestrode true death by Varaxis' Magnatherian artifact. As the rest of the thralls are being cleaned up, Jaspyr unleashes a strike of his sword powerful enough to split the land in twain if it weren't for the Goliaths body getting in the way. The Argent blade cuts deep as armour buckles and breaks, bone spliters and the blight champions essence escapes him dropping him dead.

A tunnel

Investigating to see what these blight had been working on the party finds they had been fast at work digging a tunnel under the river into Tellion. Blighted giant boars had been used to haul the dirt out and makeshift tunnel supports in. The tunnel was almost finished when Aranel stumbled upon their operation. Digging the rest of the way through our party progresses cautiously through the tunnel into the lands that were once Elven. Dawn is coming and the party walks on searching for a suitable location to rest for the day as they no longer are in blighted territory. They find a little hollow out of direct sunlight to hunker down as the party discuss' an unsettling realization. “What do we do about Seig?” Dex queries the others. With is lack of hunger control, made worse by refusing to eat can he be trusted to remain in the presence of Varaxis? No is the conclusion, and tying Seig up with ropes is the short term solution the party realizes. Discussing the decision with Seig they bind him up for the day and set watch.

An old familiar face

A few hours into Varaxis' watch the encampment is suddenly surrounded by a dozen cloaked bow trained men. Keeping their distance they ask the party what they are doing here, and who they are. As the rest of the party is roused, and Seig's bindings broken and man from the back steps forth. “I remember your faces, i swore I would never forget them” An old, but well conditioned looking man, with scars to account for all the years says. “You are the ones that saved my life, all those years ago in Ostwick, i was a boy then, but you saved me, and you saved Eastbourne with the signal fires.” His name is Casey Brightholm and he is probably the only living being in all of the world that would not attack this ragged lot. The world is a funny and small place, the fates are hard at work here, that much is obvious.

Tales of the Bard 006

The Map

Seifous leads the party into his home and opens up a secret door leading down into a hidden underground stairwell. Under his estate the blight pokes through the hewn stone walls as Seifous leads them past large rooms full of gear, supplies and his personal quarters. Seifous draws close to a closed door and knocks upon it, announcing that “the guests we have been waiting for have arrived”. Opening the door the weary travellers see a strange being before them. Seig and Aranel recognize the mans species from stories and folklore tales, though none have met such a being. He stands over 6 feet with long horns and a tail sticking out from the back of his chair as he sits studying ancient runic tomes that the courteous Seifous has provided. A Teifling? “This is your map gentlemen” Seifous exclaims to reactions of distrust and confusion. Never before has a more motley band of random beings been so unaccepting of a stranger into their midst. Here they were, Human, Elf, Halfelf, and Dragonborn all metamorphasized by the blight, and they were hung up on ancient folk tales and stereotypes of the untrustworthy tieflings. Seig made an effort to accept a man as rare as he, but Aranel carries old hatrids and instantly questions the Teiflings motives.

“This is Varaxis, he has been my guest for some time, he is your map” chimed Seifous. What, who where, when, why, came out of the party in varying degree's of diplomacy and candour. Varaxis lifts up his arm to reveal a queer looking bracer. It sinks into his skin as though it were a part of him, and moving tattoos emanate from its epicentre. There are ancient runes marking it with a faint glow and a plate of shifting pieces across its surface. It doesn't seem quite metal, and not quite stone either. Very curious. As Varaxis holds his hand up and pans around the room the tattoo shifts and changes, lines scroll and pinpoint fixing on a single point as Varaxis steadies his hand facing northeasterly. “And we believe that is the location of the Magnatherian library or archive” Seifous explains. He continues to tell them about how another blight lord had Varaxis captive and was taking him to the library when they were assaulted by Orcish war priests. Seifous himself carried off poor Varaxis saving him from a horrible end and Varaxis has been his “guest” ever since.

Dress for success

Seifous offers our band gear and supplies so that they may make haste in their task. A human woman is brought in to fix some chainmail big enough for Seig to wear. As she brushes past him taking measurements he finds her scent intoxicating. Seig cannot control his urges, his eyes darken, his gizzard makes a guttural purr as he lunges for the unanticipating woman. Seifous, Dex, Aranel and Jaspyr manage to intercept Seig before he can taste that poor woman. Seig bucks and sends Aranel flying accross the room slamming hard into the hewn stone walls. Seifous wonders aloud if Seig's lack of control is contingent to his race, or is he just a weak willed individual, more animal than sentient being? The party gathers there things and parts ways with Seifous that evening, promissing to return with information.

Collosian Patrolmen

As the party travels eastward they come across the river Duindarin river as the Tellion Elves call it. Aranel recognizes this river as it borders his homeland of Tellion. Deciding to travel further down river, the party looks for a place where they could cross into the now dead treed borderlands of Tellion. Aranel spots some figures in the distance with torches and investigates, getting close he sees they are indeed Collosians, numbering 6 strong they do not seem to notice their elvish spy.

Returning to the party and reporting his findings Aranel sees a feral Seig lunging past and darting for the Collosians. Unable to control himself again. The rest of the party follows quick pursuit so as to take advantage of the frothing Dragonborn's attack. Seig bowls headlong into his prey loosing his axe to a surprised patrol of humans. With their military training the Collosians don't miss a beat forming up and flanking Seig from all sides they wail on the Dragonborn with maces and longswords as their leader positions himself for a deadly attack. Dex runs in to Seigs aid a few steps behind him, as Aranel loosens an arrow and charges in. Jaspyr, unaffected by the hunger strategically leaps into a nearby tree readying himself. As the battle progresses just before the Collosian leader can sink his silvered longsword into Seig, Jaspyr pounces from the tree sinking his claws into the chest of the unsuspecting leader binding him to the ground.

Aranel drops his bow and lunges for his first victim. Latching onto his throat as a great cat would a grazing herd beast. Aranel is intoxicated by the feeding frenzy as the life drains out of the hapless human. The battle rages on and Jaspyr maintains his prison on the Collosian leader as Varaxis has spell after spell fizzle before they can take form. Aranel flips off of his first, straight onto his second as though he has a lifetime of blood sucking training behind him, instincts take over and all he can sense is vessles of blood as he drinks.

Bearing the weight of many calculated attacks Seig falls, as does his hunger lust. Just then Varaxis makes a connection to the infernal plane and summons forth a fiery bolt that strikes the bound leader, killing another lesser man and severly burning his ally in the process. Jaspyr doesn't give into the pain as his body smolders with fire tongues kissing his blighted body as he brings down a flurry of claws that mince the newly cooked Collosian leader. Dex letting his hunger get the best of him sinks his jaws into a longswordsmans femur snapping it in twain as Dex pulls the pieces apart scattering the dying mans body on the battlefield. Aranel lunges for a third man is met by a swift swing of a mace. One of Aranels tusks is caught in the blow and shatters upon impact leaving him broken and in pain. The remaining Collosian runs into the dark as the party regroups and feeds.

Seig awakens and refuses to bear the fruit of his hasty attack and will not feed. Jaspyr strains and chooses not to feed unitl Varaxis convinces him otherwise. Varaxis doesn't wish to be fed upon next and would like his new “allies” with full bellies so long as the food is all ready there.

Tales of the Bard 005

Trustworthy Allies

Seifous returns with saddles full of fresh blood as the party decides to take him up on his offer of a safe haven for the day. As they travel towards his estate just a couple hours south of town. Seifous decides these poor souls could use some guidance and tells them of how he was once Pretor of Fendis Ren and how he had saved that town from the blight by making their “deal” and signing himself over to the blight. In return Seifous' will and mind remained intact and he was given a small fiefdom south of Fendis Ren to control.

Ambush

As the party travels and are about to learn the year they are ambushed by 2 lesser carrion crawlers. Ploughing out of the ground the entire group is completely taken aback as 4 blight thralls are swallowed whole by the emerging worms. Jaspyr the only party member with a blade, looses grip out of terror and inexperience with an argent weapon, sends it flying past one of the crawlers. Dex motivates Jaspyr to move past the worm and pick up his weapon and try anew as Seifous releases a quick flick of the wrist and a bolt of fire scores one of the great beasts. Dismounting with great grace and skill Seifous charges headlong into the Crawlers unleashing a flurry of rapier strikes mincing the carapace of the monster. As Seig attempts flanking with claw attacks, and Dex attempts using his new robust jaws, Aranels arrows let loose and fail to hit anything but trees and rocks. Luckily Seifous' entourage surround the beasts and let loose claw after claw dealing several slicing blows to the recoiling worms. Jaspyr learns the weight of his new blade just in time as Seig gets his claw stuck in between chitinous plates of the carrion crawler. As he flaps around wildly with the bucking beast Seifous delivers a rapier pinning the monster to the ground by one of his legs. One worm flees as Seifous mounts the pinned one driving his other rapier through the brain of the devourer of dead flesh.

The other white meat

As the party gathers themselves Seig is unable to contain his hunger, wildly devouring the newly felled worm that sits before him. Jaspyr and Dex to decide to partake in this unexpected bounty so they may stave off cravings for another day. The party gathers their things as well as the blight thralls that were swallowed whole by the worm and makes for the Seifous estate.

51/1st/786ce(51-blight era)

The party finally gets an answer out of Seifous that it has been 51 years since Ostwick fell, and they had been blight thralls all that time committing unspeakable acts. They arrive at his estate just before dawn and are greeted by fields of wheat untouched by the blight, and pastures of livestock. Seifous explains to them that he lives off of the livestock here and has human servants to farm them for him. Seig and Jaspyr are particularly untrusting of this information. The hero's of Ostwick, ever cautious decide to camp outside of The lavish if slightly rundown home of Seifous. Seifous needing rest also decides to retire to his chambers for the day. A morning and afternoon later Seifous meets with our party again to determine their next course of action. He reveals to them that King Romos of Proteria is the Blight King and controls much of the blight forces. However he wishes a more neutral standing in the war Seifous tends to be of too little influence and importance to warrant the Kings direct involvement in bringing him back into the fold. Seifous has attained a map to an ancient Magnatherian “library” that could hold answers as to how to control/cure the blight. He cannot trust the blight lords with this information, nor their living enemies. Perhaps these newly released Blight touched of strong will and virtue could prove useful in tracking down this information.

Tales of the Bard 004

50/1st/??? evening

To catch a thief

Is it wrong to steal to feed your family? Is it wrong to steal as a means of survival in a harsh world? As our heros explored Fendis ren, they realized that they are without money, nor decent clothing or weapons by which their very survival is linked. As Jaspyr, Dex, and Seig head through town to scare children and discover the southern gate in Fendis Ren, Aranel is tasked with no easy feat for a woodsmen by trade. You see Aranel doesn't feel comfortable among people, let alone sneaking amongst their buildings and shops and guardsmen in order to steal from them. However dire times require dire actions. Would you or I act any different in those troubling times?

As he pilfers a few clotheslines and lifts some gold from the more fortunate in town, Aranel notices a lack of silver in the local economy. Using his new found wealth Aranel attempts to purchase some new weapons from a local smithy. The smithy soon realizes he is talking to “blight touched” and reluctantly sells him his wares out of two parts fear, and one part pity.

The taste

Scurrying back to the alleys our elfin blood touched goes. Searching for more gear he stumbles upon a weary guard who is alerted to this ranger turned rogue. As he is screaming for help Aranel has no choice but to take out the guard. Using perhaps too much force on one of these gaunt fendis rendians Aranel slays the guard, spilling blood all over the ally. As the beautiful crimson elixir rolls over the slumping body of the poor guardsman, Aranel feels unbridaled urges. He hears help coming, but he cannot contain himself, his thirst must be quenched at all costs. His willpower leaving him, Aranel drinks, he drinks as though a new babe sups mothers milk for the first time. He can feel the power and essence of the consumed man coursing throughout his body. It feels good, too good. How can a simple elf come back from this divine taste? Taking as much as he can, Aranel receeds into shadow once more to wait out the heat from the local authorities.

Tobias Aerilious

Meanwhile after Seig has had his fill of scaring the local youth, Dex is approached by Tobias Aerilious. Tobias is completely enthralled with our crew asking them questions about the war, and informs our weary travellers that they can stay at the inn for free and dine on the word of the towns Pretor(mayor). Tobias is wisked away suddenly by news that some blight touched has fed on one of the local guards this night.

Open the gates....please

Once our party regroups with Aranel Dex makes his way to secure the southern gatesman to open up. This does not go over well, and it takes some quick thinking and wit from our dragonborn and Jaspyr to convince the guardsmen to let them out. As they leave Fendis Ren behind, there is a shipment of Blood barrels set outside the gate. Our heros leave the barrels behind and make way down the southern road, trying to get their bearings still. Not far from town, and man on a horse with a large entourage approaches from the south. Not wanting to stir up extra trouble the party stays the course and are met by a man who introduces himself as Seifous. Seifous brings with him his blight steed and 10 blight touched. His smooth charm and interest in the party soon reveals to him what new babes to the woods our heros truly are. He tantelizes the group with hints of information and an invitation back to his estate where they will be “safe” to spend the daylight hours. As he heads to Fendis Ren, the party agrees this would be a good course of action, if for anything but to find out what year it is.

Tales of the Bard 003

50/1st/???

Rebirth

Have you ever woken up to a nightmare? The hero's of Ostwick certainly have. Its hard to imagine your life torn away from you, everything and everyone you knew lay within the realm of the unknown. Your very being has been altered, its hard to put on those shoes and keep walking. It takes a special breed to face that kind of insanity and survive. Many didn't that day, however the gods smiled upon 4 of our hero's.

Dex roused first to the hazy sight and sounds of a battle as a newborn might. A hulking giant of a man stand before him, arm missing and dozens of trinkets adorning a network of steely chains bound about his ornately crafted black plate armour. His other arm is making up for the missing one however as he holds a soon dead man aloft in his contrasting silver armour glinting in a ray of light somehow. Silver thrusts a dagger deep into Black's chest knocking loose a trinket that Dex feels compelled to snatch up. Aranel reels as he takes in the gruesome scene. Black and green tendrils slither ever slightly all along the ground, and Aranel, as the others do, eerily feels comfort in ghastly roots known as Blight Creep. Dozens of terrible men and women and children lay nearby convoulting in the fits of realization. Some of these poor are screaming, some chewing through their own limbs, some are simply beating themselves to death. Beams of light pierce the shroud of green fog mist which our hero's can see through perfectly somehow now. The sounds of terrible thunder cracks and the clashing of hundreds if not thousands of weapons rings throughout this day. Jaspyr feels burning in his chest as he awakens. Looking down there is a longsword that has drunk his blood, does he even have blood anymore? The argent blade is pulled from his heart and he feels relief. Seig and Dex clamour up a crest of a hill to spy what sort of madness they have befallen. As they look down into a valley of life, death and undeath they stare into war. Thousands strong on both sides, men in silver charging on horseback against a monstrous foe whom the hero's feel a strange kinship with now. Massive beings, 2 storeys high sway their mighty tentacles back and forth drawing a wave of the blight creep behind them. Men with propped up metal casks lit with fire, and exploding with the sound of thunder dropping the charging masses before them. And fire, there is fire everywhere, divine and holy in nature, imbued with the light of the sun itself.

A Calculated Withdrawl

Aranel has had enough, this scene is too much and he wants answers. Approaching Black, Aranel demands to know what is going on. Black screams a terrible sound and smites Aranel with Silver's dying husk. The others quickly gather up Aranel, Seig deciding to carry his burden, they make haste for the dying wood that lay to the south of the battle. They run for hours as the sounds of battle wage on and grow fainter until finally they are gone.

The Hunger

As the party travels, they are having strange cravings. It starts as a twinge in the back of their minds, but soon enough it begins to dominate their thoughts. Blood, Bone, Flesh and Organ is what they crave, each with their own brand of horrible taste. Each of them are not without new “gifts” though. Aranel is reborn with retractable tusk like fangs perfectly suited to quench his vampiric thirst. Dex's very skin is bulked up with scales of bone and an overdeveloped jaw with immense biting strength. Seig's claws are fashioned into efficient piercing knives as his steely gaze now can see more of a man than he ever could before. And Jaspyr's legs are teaming with new found strength and spring as well as flaying claws adorning his fingertips. They all have the blackgreen tendrils writhing over their skin jutting out concentrically from their core.

Fendis Ren

As the party heads further south the blight creep is letting up. Seig decides to bask in sunlight and get out of this green fog. He is immediately dropped to his knees by the shock of it how can the sun itself bring about pain?

Along the road south they come acrossed to weary blight touched wandering aimlessly. They seem to have no interest in our hero's though. Seig decides he wants to put these poor beings out of their torment and proceeds to dismember and decapitate one of them. The other is dropped to the ground by Aranel and Jaspyr as Dex watches with indifference. After grabbing some of their salvageable clothes one of the blight touched gets back up completely regenerated and walks away, the others head lays their biting at the air.

The road completely clears of blight creep and the moon is out as the party approaches Fendis Ren. They are met at the gate by an old man, who has been cast out today on his birthday. He spins them a tale of how the town has made arrangements with the cursed to put out the old and sick in exchange for keeping their town safe from this awful war. He gladly pays this price so that his grandchildren or their children, or their children can see an end to this madness. Covering up their blight veins, the party seeks shelter within the town. The guardsman, half drunk, half asleep at his post likely doesn't check them over fully and allows them passage. After all, most bligt touched don't ask politely for entrance into their town.

Tales of the Bard 002

A businessman and an earless goblin

Abe welcomed our weary travellers back to Ostwick and offered them good work. “I need a good crew to head on down to Proteria and make sure the roads are clear of highwaymen” Little did Abe know of the coming tide. The party decides to make preperations for the road, as well as find someone to decipher their little goblin text they found. Well let me tell you, a sorry soul is a pedler who depends on a dancing earless goblin named smitty to earn his supper. Old Joe Treark was all too eager to get his goblin meal ticket to translate the note Seig had found at the highwaymen encampment. By Joe's translation the note read: “We need ~~ move ~~~~~ position, they ~~~~ been pushing ~~~ further and further, ~~~~ supplies ~~~~~~~~~ brothers and sisters ~~~ join ~~~~~~~.”. Smitty also did a nice little dance for the party seeing as they paid for him and Joe to eat like kings for the next few weeks.

Decidedly the party thought it prudent to warn the local guardsmen and do a perimeter walkabout to see if there was any goblin activity in the works. Well let me tell you, Dex and Jaspyr tried to talk some sense into Jeb Thornsvein(current head guardsmen due to the local militia's best and brightest being up north with lord Brightholm). Jeb wasn't too worried about it, goblins he said “aren't smart enough” to give Ostwick much trouble. Meanwhile Aranel, Seig and Heimdel found some goblin tracks but they were weeks old and not in great numbers.

Pull up a stool

Our intreped adventurers decide to spend the night telling stories drinking and oogling poor barmaid Molly at the Lambs Head inn. Had Molly known what was to happen that night maybe she would have taken the brazen and drunk dwarf Heimdel, up on his various, and numerous winks, leers, and offers. As Jaspyrs eyes get squintier, his slurry more apparent and his cup empty, Seig tells a tale of slavery, gladiators and rebith into religion. Aranel keeps to him self, preferring the company of his bow to that of the dozens of strangers and his new travelling companions that mill about at the Lambs Head inn. And local douchebag Lance Hoodfelt sends multiple stink eye's towards Dex, free of charge of course. All in all, a good evening for our Hero's, were the world to end tomorrow their souls would be content and full of life.

12/4th/735ce

Hero's of Ostwick

As the night turned into predawn morning Seig is awakened by the sounds of guardsmen shouting. Springing to the window Seig notes a thick fog has set in to obscure any view his window should normally portray. As the others wake some hear goblin noises among the clashes of swords shields and shouts from the guardsmen. Aranel and Heimdel rush down to the street to get a better view of events, sure enough goblins are running through the streets. The strange thing though that Aranel points out is that the fog is not of the natural world. Greenish gray in hue and a heavy musk to its scent, the very presence of this fog makes everyone uneasy. As Heimdel causes a panic with the less seasoned travellers staying at the inn, Seig makes them wet their breeches, ordering them to remain “calm” and in their rooms. The party heads out into the unknowable fog. Many goblins dart past, almost shadows on the fog, and they refuse to engage our fellowship, who wouldn't mind expanding their ear collection. Then it dawns on Heimdel first, these goblins aren't invading....they are running from something.

Thrum Thrum Thrum

Aranel hears an army sized force opproaching the blind and ill prepared sleepy town of Ostwick. As Dex is “advising” Jeb to begin an evacuation and light the 6 story hilltop signal tower, the eerie thrum thrum thrum is shatterd by the piercing screams of a young boy running towards the party. Some 20 feet away, the boy is suddenly pounced upon by what appears to be a Proterian armoured man. As the Party rushes in to help the boy they can note the gruesomely twisted features of the assaulting man. Bloodsoaked clothing, sickly skin and black tendril like veins jutting over his bare skin. Over developed jaw and claws this didn't seem so much like a man anymore. Seig was first to the abomination but Dex managed to wrest the Proterian from the boy. That boy would live another day thanks to our hero's. After 2 more Blighted Proterians join the fray the first one pounces upon Dex looking to replace his lost meal. After escaping the sickly grasp, the party fights on. Our pouncing Proterian tries one last time and as he leaps towards Dex Heimdel rings true with his trusty sap covered warhammer. The hammer swiftly knocks the jumper out of the air and crushing its spine back into the ground which it so briefly left.

As battles erupt throughout Ostwick the party sees a guardsman plummeting out of the top of the signal tower to his death. The decision to go up the tower and light it themselves weighs a heavy burden on our hero's. I suppose that is why they are the “Heros of Ostwick” in this tale, and not just “they guys that ran away” or some such.

Quickly they make their way up the tower, encountering waves blighted men, hounds and soldiers. Seig turned to use his peoples gift on the shambling masses following them up the tower. Freezing and shattering their life and limbs to tumble down the cold hard stone steps. Heimdel and Jaspyr face ravenous dogs with the same blight veins. Now no one today knows what got into the dwarf that day, if he was in the moment, stepping up to his responsibility or just the crusted sap and leaves caked onto his warhammer, but that hammer rang true, over and over again. Heimdel surely this moment was meant for you.

At the top of the signal tower a large beast of a man crouched in waiting, supping at another poor guardsmen while jumpers skittered about him for 'scraps'. Our party fought on and through to avenge that guardsmen and the dozens others that were slaughtered that day. Aranel made quick work to light the signal fire and send warning all the way to Eastbourne of their demise.

Successfull in their task, this did not come without cost. Wave after wave of blighted climbed up the tower after our Hero's. In the end however they could not fight off an entire army. Piles of the slain tumbled down the tower, and still it was not enough. In their last conscious moments the party could see the thousands of men swarming through Ostwick along with giant masses of the unknown towering over the fog. And as a last breath of hope, they could see the twinkling light off in the distance of the next signal tower being lit in response to their warning. Take some solice in that, take some pride.