Category: Frosts of Alenostr

Session 22 November 20, 2016

Mid-Morning, 21st Floranur, Chief Librarian Maesica’s office, Port Finnesheim

Urman sells the Illusionist spell book to the Library. First we are offered money but when we ask for tools to use against Vorigan, another sun stone is added to the offer. We agree to the deal, Zho ni keeps the second sun stone. Then Urman asks after new spells but lacks the comprehension to learn his first choices: Stinking Cloud, Knock and Mirror Image. After our visit to the library, we exit the port and visit the Druid Garden not far from the city wall.

The party is greeted by two elves armed with bows that lead us to a small clearing then into a round hut. Within we meet a female and two mail elves sitting by the central fire pit. The eldest of the three, Kelzhan invites us to sit by the fire. He explains this group of druids have converged on the Vale to investigate the Vale’s resistance to a frosting that is sweeping over Alenostr. Besides the Vale, the Elvish Enclaves in the north west also effectively resist the frosting but both locals are slowly succumbing. They know the frosting commenced over a 100 years ago at about the same time the Enchantress emerged as a leader of the Ogres to the South. The effect moves across the land in waves starting from the south and sweeping to the north. The Thane and the Urdjan knights are cooperating with the Druids and as such they are willing to help the party with their mission to cleanse the Many Mouths.

Kymil of the 6th Circle is selected to join our next foray. He arranges to meet us at the Necropolis via his own path, we only have to send word as to when we expect to arrive there. Next we negotiate the sale of the various Druidic scrolls we have. Though Kelzhan is somewhat disinterested, we sell the lot for a good deal of coin. Then the conversation moves the various item we have collected and our encounter with Alosha the witch.

Kelzhan is repulsed by our tainted seeds stating they are allied with dark spirits. We learn Nisalia, a druid that abandoned the order to study with Alosha was the druid we defeated. Seems Alosha is an foe of the southern Ogres as well as the Enchantress. Before we depart, Kelzhan warns of Alosha, he feels we should expect her to exact revenge against us for chasing her northward.

Then we retrieve our mounts from Finnesheim and head out on the western road after having a serving of blessed meal. At Just Call It Home, a small fishing village, we meet a man repairing a door. He greets us friendly and explains the door was smashed by Ogres looting the food kept within two days ago. He didn’t witness the crime but his injured son did. Zho ni heals the lad’s wounds before we follow the obvious Ogre tracks leading to the west.

Eventually we find wreckage littering a beach. Searching about the wreckage for clues, Otiben notices a cave further west in the cliff face at the edge of the shore. We collect about the cave mouth, then Otiben springs a stone trap by the cave mouth. This precipitates a deadly altercation with four shipwrecked Ogres. Half of them fall quickly and the last two yield after they are caught in Urman’s web. Before they are euthanized, they tell us they were deckhands captained by Garam Thul’Mashka (Thul – sailor). Captain Garam was commissioned by the Enchantress to raid shipping and villages in the north.

The sailors of Just Call It Home are happy to hear of our success. After a celebratory fresh fish dinner, we return to Port Finneshiem and spend the night at the Bawdy Bachelor. The next morning we visit Lady Grim at the Mariners Fort to collect a bounty for the slain Ogres. There are no other bounties or odd jobs so we follow Otiben to the market place where he asks after the costs to fashion a silk balloon. The cost is too rich for our purses so we decide to pack it up and return to Mannheim.

On our return, Otiben confers with Randolph who is pleased with Otiben’s success. The surprising death of Solbergsson-Annel has caused a mass desertion of his crew leaving he first officer stranded in Port Finnesheim. Otiben is hoping to continue his training with Randolph but is disappointed Randolph doesn’t have any assignments at this time. While arranges his things, Urman notice the messenger ring has a response. It is “Orkarhest Help”. Orkarhest is an abandoned ruin, the former capital of the Orcs that ruled all of Alonestr in the ancient past. It is believed to be in the lands of the Northmen.

We decide our next step will be another confrontation with Vorigan after Otiben completes his training.

Session 21 November 6, 2016

Freelancer’s Guild, Mannheim

There are two candidates for Zho ni’s call for henchmen, Zacharius the herbalist and Embrek Fobolsom a matured Dwarven Warrior. Embrek’s fire and spirit impresses Zho ni, the dwarf is his latest lackey. Though Otiben is intriqued by Embrek’s skills and abilities, we pass on him thinking Urman would bump heads with Zach’s agenda. We take note of his location, hoping to tap him in the future.

Before leaving Mannheim for Port Finnesheim, Batukahn helps us purchase the best Pony, Riding, light and two heavy war horses to be had. This allows us to return several on loan mounts from the Udrjan Academy. The ride to Finneshein takes most of the day so that we arrive at the city gates late in the afternoon.

In addition to our search for a method to defeat Vorigan the Vampire, Otiben has been commissioned by Randolph to meet am Odagard merchant ship captain by the name of Drahsen Solbergsson-Annel. Otiben explains to Batukahn and Zho ni that Randolph accuses Solbergsson-Annel of sealing advanced weaponry to the invading Nothmen that threaten the Vale while the Ogres are raiding from the south. Knowing only that the captain should be in Finnesheim, we first visit the piers to ascertain if his ship the Golden Griffon is present. It is and can’t be missed since it is easily the largest ship docked.

A local street youth informs us about the Griffon, her captain and crew and of other frequenters of the port. Solbergsson-Annel is an unfriendly opulent man who spends his time in the richer side of town while his crew can be found haunting the salty taverns closer to the docks. There is only a skeleton crew on the Griffon currently. Solbergsson-Annel would likely be found at the White Lilly tavern but the kids on the block never visit that part of town. Captain Vincentius Lurio of the Javelin gets an unsolicited mention, if only because he is friendlier to the local youths than the arrogant Sobergsson-Annel.

Next up is checking in at the Baudy Sailor, our former hostel. Marcus the keeper greets us and suggests we visit the White Lilly if we want to speak with ship captains. After settling the henchmen’s for a night of drink, food and carousing, Batukahn and Zho ni join Otiben to the White Lilly. The cleric and fighter have drinks at the front of the White Lilly while Otiben checks out the servant’s entrance. The staff is mostly attractive human women scantily clad. Otiben doesn’t rightly fit in with this bunch. He does hear that Solbergsson-Annel is currently being entertained by several house harlots.

While Batukahn and Zho ni have met Captain Vincentius Lurio in the bar and began speaking about getting on board the Golden Griffen the next day, Otiben has hired a room and Half-Orc harlot. His escort tells him about Sobergsson-Annel excesses, masochistic perversion and general loathing by the staff. Tipping her for her time, he slips out of his room despite her regret they weren’t more intimate. In an unoccupied room, Otiben stages a distraction by setting a bed alight then returns to the half-orc harlot to await the general alarm. In the pandemonium that ensues, Solbergsson-Annel is caught in Otiben’s grasp from behind. A phial of poison is emptied into his mouth before the drunkard knows what is happening to him. Slipping into the shadows, Otiben makes his escape out another empty room and down the wall under its window.

The three adventurers share one last drink before leaving the White Lilly for the night. Knowing Otiben has fulfilled his obligation and likely saved many Valemen fighting in the northern front, we decide to visit the Finnesheim library the next day. Marcus greets us in the morning before we visit the library. He tells of three different rumors: a Dwarven Ironside has sunken an Ogre galleon found in the local waters, some have said people and things on board it have been found on the shore north west of Finneshiem; an elven noble has gone missing months ago, putting the local elves on edge; since the Mariners are North fighting the war, burglars and cutpurses are becoming a bigger problem.

At the Library, we are introduced to Librarian Maescia a drow, who is familiar with Vampire Lore. We share what we have learned of Vorigan and the Necropolis. She cautions over reliance on mirrors and holy symbols and explains she recognizes Vorigan as a name for an ancient magician thought dead long ago. She agrees to research the Vorigan problem in the library for the sake of the Vale. She also will investigate more about the unholy statue that blinded Bryn, all she can say at this time is that it must be a symbol of a primordial deity of Death. When we speak of the rumors told by Marcus, Maescia explains the missing elf is Lady Azaria who visited Maescia a few days before her disappearance. Lady Azaria was an ambassador of the druids and her disappearance is bad news for the guards responsible for her safety. This is how we learn that Druids can be found north of the city walls, perhaps we can enlist their aid against Vorigan? She also told us that Greymantle’s Wrath was the Ironside that sunk the Ogre Galleon.

It is hoped that we can meet with the Druids and investigate the shore to the north west while Maescia conducts her research.

Session 18 September 25, 2016

Alfbrande’s suite after midnight.

Batukan and Otiben decide to explore the unknown caves along the south wall of the canyon while Urhman and Zho Ni are resting to recover their magic. Their first discovery is a large circular cave closest to Alfbrande’s abode. There is a roughly circular pool of foul stagnate water about knee high deep in the cave. Practically in the pool’s center is a stone sarcophagus. Before they can investigate further, Otiben is overcome with an uncomfortable feeling prompting him to beg the two leave the place.

They move further east along the southern wall and take a swim in the lake to explore another cave. The cave is a mostly north-south tunnel that appears hewn not natural. It ends transversed by a metal grate that is littered with debris and moss. Beyond the grate can be heard thunderous rushing water. His courage returned, Otiben swims down the tunnel to the grate to inspect what lies beyond. Batukan secures him via a life line from the cave mouth. Beyond the grate is a whirl pool draining the water away. Wanting a possible future escape route, Otiben attempts to bend the bars of the grate but fails. The two slink back to Alfbrande’s to share their findings. When we are all ready, the party returns to the Sarcophagus cave with Otiben watching from without. Lifting the lid we find inside a very old Orc corpse with a shield, mace, dagger, copper war god holy symbol and a death shroud. The corpse grabs Zho ni’s hand as he lifts the dagger then drops back in a final rest.

During the night, Alfbrande tells of his party’s caper. Over a century ago, they entered the crypt and explored down to the first level. They discovered a throne room where they were attacked by spirits. Loosing this fight, Alfbrande was the only survivor with his wife and their companions all reanimated undead. Whereas his cooperation was coerced by the promise of his wife’s heart, the other adventurers were cursed to guard within Vorigan’s crypt ever since.

Feeling little can be gained by anything else, we decide to assault Vorigan’s crypt at dawn. After dodging the patrolling giant skeleton golems, we face the elite skeleton guards posted at the crypt entrance. The fight goes mostly well but takes too long. As a giant golem nears, we rush through the crypt doors and slam it shut to avoid an unnecessary altercation.

The darkness holds many secrets. The first of note was a towering grotesque statue of some nether creature whose visage misses an eye. Bryn clambers up the statue to poor holy water in the missing orbit only to have his sight removed in his same eye. After caring to the poor lad, the statue is defiled further by adorning it with Eostaria’s blessed springs. Next we are beset by a horde of shadows in a throne room. All but two flee from Zho ni’s rebuke and are quickly felled. Feeling bold, Otiben sits upon the central throne which promptly summons an undead servant willing to do as Otiben bids. It is tasked to find items of value in the crypt. As it lumbers off, we decide to press further south…

Session 20

October 30, 2016

We went off to meet the vampire after resting overnight, healing, and memorizing new spells.

As we approached, Zho Ni turned the 6 skeletons, and then the tomb doors opened and then a large group of skeletons, followed by the undead Ogre and group of zombies. Zho Ni turned about half the skeletons, and then the vampire, Voragin, cast sleep and dropped some of us.

Urman quickly acted to wake them, and Voragin shouted stop, and the skeletons, zombies, ogre, and the bone golem behind us stopped.

Voragin tried to get us to do something, but we decided that leaving to get word of this place back to The Vale would be better than us dying and becoming unwilling undead pawns of this beast. So we used the hoop to return to the academy.

We relayed our findings about this city of undead.

We had items we found identified, then we agreed to head to Manheim in the morning.

We road to Mannheim, and after a long all day journey, we entered the gates, and went to the Thane’s castle, and repeated what we learned. All the thane can do to help is pay for our training, and direct us in ways that will help The Vale deal with its myriad enemies.

Otiben met with the spymaster and agreed to deliver some sort of message to Port Finnesheim.

Other business leads us there, such as a message that appears to be written in Elvish, we found in the tomb, learning more about the removal of the heart of the elf’s wife. Also perhaps to find more magic or others to join us to go fight the vampire and remove one threat that is so close to home.

While we trained, we sent a courier to retrieve the plate mail the dwarves made for us in thanks of our aid in lifting the siege by the northmen.

We sold the few gems we found, and Zho Ni traded his magical mace for a magical flail, a weapon he knows how to use.

After training, we made final preparations to go to Port Finnesheim.