After a brief rest, the band of heroes set out towards Guyarde, not really knowing what to expect. Not too long ago, they themselves had dispatched with the ruling lord of Guyarde, when he and his allied Orcs had attacked Espoir. Now the prince and his son were both dead, and they were headed right towards their home town.
Several hours of riding later, nearing the time to set up camp, they spotted a group of rough-looking men on the road up ahead. They spotted a second group too, halfway hidden in the shadows from the nearby trees. As the party approached, a dwarf stepped up and ordered them to halt, declaring half-heartedly that this was a robbery, asking for their food.
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Here is what the heroes found on the scrap piece of parchment in The Black Tomb. It is assumed that this was in fact written by the “lich” encountered inside the tomb itself.
It should be noted that Draven Blacksword the warlord, currently is on a personal quest to find out what happened to the family heirloom from which his last name is derived. His family is gone and he is convinced the sword holds the key to their fate.
The Eight combined their powers through some unholy ritual that seemed at once new and ancient. They used their magic to turn my own powers against me until I was nearly destroyed. Only then did they hold off, just enough that I could speak. That was when the Paladin stepped in. I knew he was different, I sensed the blackness of his soul as he spoke. For hours he asked me about secrets of old, about the Orcs that live nearby, about the looters and intruders that have come before. About ancient secrets of death. Yet he did not seem interested in attaining the eternal life, as I have. His destiny lay along a different, far more sinister path than mine. So I pleaded and bargained, as anyone would do when faced with such a powerful enemy. And I handed him the black blade, which had only recently come into my own possession. It was a good match. The magical blade took quickly to its new master, and the Paladin stuck to his word and let me live. I fear now that the damage is too deep. My tattered soul flickers now, having weathered the divine storm of the Eight. I curse you, Krogar Shadowsting, for leaving me in this pitiful condition. Were it not for the Essence of Death, I would have fallen prey to the ghouls. They would be delighted to gnaw my old bones after having served me for centuries, ungrateful and savage beasts that they are.
Having defeated the evil cleric Malden, and gotten a bit of well-earned rest, the party decided to finish what they had begun and return to the tomb and finish their investigation. So far they had found very nothing there, to help them discover more about their enemy and find the secret temple of The Divine Order.
Further down they went, through the hole in the wall, where the finely carved out tomb became unfinished corridors. As they entered a roughly carved chamber, they encountered a group of Skeletons, soon joined by a couple of Boneshard Skeletons coming from the other side of the chamber. Making the fight difficult, was a layer of slime covering the center of the slightly rounded floor, and anyone standing or walking there could easily lose their balance. The group fought with tenacity and drive, and these bony opponents proved no match against the combined power of the heroes. read more…
| Foo Yin’s Hairtie |
|---|
| Interwoven golden strands forming an oddly elastic band. The legendary bard from the East, Foo-Yin, was known to pull this band out of his hair near the end of his performances, swooning the audience with his stunning looks as well as his great talent. Those closest by would swear they saw a faintly shimmering golden trail follow, as the hair-tie was pulled out – and that Foo-Yin’s glorious locks would wave gently for but a moment, as if carried by the softest of winds. |
| Level 3+ Item Slot: Head Power (Daily): Minor action. Gain a +1 to your first charisma-based skill check before the end of your next turn. At level 11: As above, but with a +3 modifier. At level 21: As above, but with a +5 modifier. |
I’d like to share a little more from behind the scenes. More people have started reading along (hi, everyone and thanks for reading), and some of them are gamers too, so why not share more than just the story? I’m going to start with Foo Yin’s Hairtie, the first homespun magic item I’ve put together for 4th edition D&D.
No, it’s not a fancy weapon or a mysterious orb. It’s a little golden band used to hold your hair up in a ponytail. And of course there’s a story that goes with it, beyond the one given in the flavor text. read more…
Remi was cornered, having left the group downstairs to spy on the camp up in the ruins. She had rushed in, and now she saw the hulking shape of an undead ogre, a Zombie Hulk coming at her fast. Before she could react, it had her in a tight grip. Fight as she did, she was unable to get away from the undead foe. In only a few seconds, she was put down in the middle of the camp. Facing her was the cleric Brother Malden of The Divine Order, and two of his personal guards.
“Surrender, or die.” He said.
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The heroes opened a set of double doors leading into a large, T-shaped room. Right in front of them was a small pool full of thick, red matter. Looking up towards the far end of the room, they saw four small statues depicting ancient demonic creatures. The back wall was broken away, revealing a roughly cut pasage leading down.
Sudden movement in the dark revealed a living, scimitar-drawing skeleton and what looked like the skin of a man, half-way dried and very much still moving. As they prepared themselves for battle, two more skeletons appeared as well as a thin, translucent wight with long, steel-like claws clattering against one another. A horrific battle ensued. read more…
The heroes had made it across the treacherous waters and now faced a steep cliff wall. At the top, they knew they were heading into a place of evil. An ancient tomb, known to be haunted and the destination for previous expeditions. None of which had returned. In the light of this, they pressed onwards and upwards. Melisandra cast a spell that let her jump to the top of the cliff, where she secured a rope for the others to climb. read more…
After winning the battle of Espoir, the heroes earned their freedom from the local noble and were free to once again concentrate on learning more about The Divine Order. They were sought out by Ambassador Morellius from Arathor, himself about to leave the frontier land of Corennia for home. He also brought them news from the Civilized Lands. The kingdom of Arathor had all but fallen after full war broke out between The Wizard Council and The Divine Order. With the king dead and no apparent heir to the throne, Queen Amaphina was fighting to keep the kingdom together under the strain of this war. And so, Morellius was going back to help her in any way possible. read more…
Like any other gaming group, ours has a few house rules that we play by. When I was first reading through the 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons books, it occurred to me that leveling characters would be a little slower than I would like it to be. The reason for this is largely due to my style of playing (as in not a lot of hardcore hack and slash). So I made up a couple of rules to help the player characters level up a bit faster.
Part of this is also to a) involve the players beyond showing up and rolling dice every other weekend and b) to introduce an element of competition. Let me start with the latter.
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Corennia, also known simply as The Western Lands is a frontier without large nations or civilizations. Here, petty nobles control as much territory as they can secure and patrol. They reward those who do business and offer protection on their land and busy themselves with attaining more power, while also watching their own backs against each other.
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