The Kalthar PCs inexplicably decided that having a giant party was just the thing to do in the middle of a quest, so they set about it. Ravenfall was about to be turned on its ear!

Orion Farmer and Presley set off for the nearby town of Haytree along with Unom Voss, while Belisarius Tordun and Horace Black went to the library to find maps or other information relevant to the expedition. Zeltais went to the barn to make some fire poi.

Bel and Horace encountered a locked (and trapped) room off the library. Horace worked the lock and the door opened to a room covered in dust, containing a desk, table, large map and several bookcases. The large map of the continent proved quite interesting, as it seemed to list several dozen Waypoints and numerous towns in a Blue Hand-controlled area to the East of Kalthar, beyond the mountains that were not marked on any of Bel’s maps.

Turning their attention to the desk, they found a spellbook with Fire Trap cast upon it (Bel cast detect magic) sitting on top. After picking the locked (and trapped…a poison needle sprang out without much force, injuring noone….Horace pocketed it.), a copy of Prim’s guide to superior botany, some journal notes written in the Ivory Lily cypher (Don’t they ever change this damned thing?!), and Horace took some very nice thieves’ tools from the bottom drawer. Before they could investigate further, Mischief announced they had company, so our heroes quickly attempted to hide. Unfortunately, they failed, with Bel knocking over a large platter of green pastry cakes (favorites of his father, Bettarus Tordun.) Bel sent Mischief out to try to act as if a bird had gotten into the manor and thus cover for Horace and he, but the bird was instantly recognized by his father’s steward, Went Rodecc. He demanded that Bel step out at once, so Bel did so, covering as best he could for Horace. Bel was told to wait downstairs in the sitting room and he went, taking a random book with him, leaving Horace to hide and wait for an opportune moment to slip away while Bel scribbled what he could recall of the map into his journals and maps using the borrowed book as a shield.

Meanwhile, out in the barn…

Zeltais busily looked about for some odd bits of junk to make into fire poi. Finding a couple of old hanging braziers or censers, he went to work. While banging away on the workbench, he encountered Tillun Garryn. He explained that he was making flaming weapons to swing around, which sent the boy running. Zeltais went back to banging away with his zero ranks in craft skills. Next, he was interrogated by Kogus Garryn at the end of a pitchfork. Again, he explained that he was making flaming weapons to swing around. Kogus was not sure what to make of this, and demanded that Zeltais disarm himself. Zeltais did, and this took quite some time. Kogus finally left, not sure what to make of this seemingly retarded and/or crazed individual, but vowing to seek out Unom Voss to be sure that this man was telling him the truth, and that he was here with Belisarius.

Meanwhile, in town…

Presley and Orion were going about telling everyone that there was a, “Party at Ravenfall, bitchezz!!!” and finally encountered Raul Treeholme, chef of Ravenfall. He was quite surprised to hear that there was going to be a party at the manor, but he was up to the task. With Orion’s help (and an ant haul spell) he was able to get all the supplies he needed back to the manor to begin the preparations. Presley continued to round up townsfolk, and, having spied Bettarus’ horse at a nearby tavern, made sure to tell everyone that the party was to be a surprise and not to tell Bettarus. He also messed with Bettarus’ saddle (disable device) to help slow old boy down a bit and give our heroes more time to pull off the caper!

Meanwhile, back in the sitting room…

Bel cooled his heels as a guard assigned by The Rodent watched. Eventually he came up with the excuse that the book he was reading was boring him to tears, and if he could pop up to the library and grab another, and that the guard could grab a snack from the kitchen. Finally having the chance, he made his way to the library to let Horace know that he could finally sneak away. Horace told him that The Rodent knew that we had entered the locked room and seemed quite upset, and that he overheard a female(?) voice speaking Anngelsh. Bel was able to piece together what was said and compare it to the History of Heroes book and translated the message as, “The son has returned.” There was a spy in their midst.

House Party!

Presley’s gonna do his stuff in our next scheduled update! Until then, enjoy this musical interlude

In the months since the last update, our heroes managed to kill a number of spiders and haul a 1200 lb chunk of rare wood through the Dark Wood, encounter an ettercap at the edge of the forest who was bent on killing a unicorn, encountered a very resistant dire boar covered in some sort of corrosive slime, and found the satyr Gavus even before the entered Kalthar.

Upon entering Kalthar,they made their way to a spendy Elvish Inn called the Drifting Leaf where they set up for the night, then made their way to the house of Tulken Eturius. There they encountered Brellyn Tusar,who made it known that he as not pleased by their presence…by vague threats against their lives. Upon meeting Tulken, Belisarius began his apprenticeship and the PCs found quarters in the basement of the Ogre’s Tusk Tavern, leaving their expensive lumber with Tulken in the meantime.

The next days were busy, as the PCs discovered that it wasn’t that much more money to open a business in Kalthar as it was to purchase rights to the marketplace. Thus, after a brief consultation with Tulken’s Accountant, the Darkwood Trading Company was born. Schemes of using the space in the marketplace as a base of operations and a place to sell adventure loot were hatched, as was a way to make money between expeditions. Belisarius made a potential trade agreement with Epon, the mayor of Igoris as a way to lower the price of the trade fee back in Igoris, and the Darkwood Trading Company served as one of the first steps to that eventual business goal. Belisarius, Kalel and Zeltais settled in, with Zeltais finding a mentor in Kaigen and fighting regularly at The Barn.

Somewhere along the way, Gavus the satyr showed up in his guise of Tylon. He coerced (charmed) the PCs into pulling a hasty rescue of the dryad Alistrana from the Blue Hands. She was being held in the basement of their temple and was to be sacrificed that night. Disguise Self potions were provided by Tulken Eturius and the PCs were given a sneak peek at his hidden basement alchemy lab, where the ever-surly Brellyn was hard at work on something or other. The PCs made their way to the temple while disguised.

There were 2 guards at the door, and a public meeting of some kind going on, so the PCs pretended to gawk at the religious artifacts in the main hall and Bel threw up a silent image of the PCs doing just that while Kalel picked the lock on the door to the basement. Then, they went downstairs while Bel stayed topside and maintained the illusion.

Finding 3 guards at the bottom of the stairs, a hasty (and bad) plan was concocted for Kalel to sneak past the guards and look for Alistrana. As Kalel wandered about and picked a lot of locks that didn’t need to be picked, and succeeded in letting a goat out of one of the cells. After entering a storeroom and opening a small box with an alarm on it, the guards figured out something was up and one came to investigate. Kalel hid and waited to ambush him. The guard, not being a complete fool, closed and locked the door with Kalel inside. Kalel decided to carefully pick the lock to get out, effectively removing him from the fight.

Meanwhile, the other 2 guards were fighting with Zeltais, and Bel ran down the stairs to enter the fray. Eventually the PCs were able to overcome the guards, rescue the dryad, and get her back up the stairs. Gavus created a diversion and the dryad was smuggled out of the temple and out of the city. The magnificent clusterfuck completed, the PCs dispersed and attempted to create viable alibis and confusion.

After a few months of training, marketplace-workin’ and other assorted downtime tasks, our heroes decided to enter in Kalthar’s Great Race, a yearly horse race around the outskirts of the city. A party of Perosians were in town for the race, and the party interacted with them briefly. Belisarius’ brother, Callegor Tordun, made a surprise visit, much to Bel’s delight. The race was an intriguing affair that Belisarius couldn’t resist joining, recognizing it as a spectacular marketing opportunity for the Trading Company, so he entered himself and Pincer in the race and put the max bid down on his horse to place, since winning seemed unlikely. There were several attempts to sabotage the race, with an attempt to mess with Pincer in the stables at Orunsk’s, a number of wolves summoned and set upon the heroes as they came home from The Barn, and at least 2 individuals trying to interfere with the race by means of a glamored tree limb and a glyph of warding located shortly before the finish line. The favored horse, Shadowrunner, won, with the Perosian horse finishing 2nd, and Pincer coming in 3rd. All in all, a very good result, with a trade agreement reached between Kalthar and the Perosians due to their being beaten in a horse race. Callegor was in town just for the race, and soon left for the Academy. He then joined Lorte Eturius and went on a patrol headed to the North where trouble has apparently been brewing (strange sounds and lights?)

To top it all off, Kalel went missing…along with half the remaining Yuirwood, all of his things and 1/3 of the finances! How will our heroes react to these and other challenges? Stay tuned, dear readers, for our next thrilling update!

After searching the old encampment with Oakitar, we found our companion, Kalel, near the river. He was still under the influence of the mushroom and was making toward the river (supposedly toxic or accursed) to drink. We stopped him just in time. We continued along the river, seeking signs of our missing companion. As we continued along, we heard worgs beginning to dog our trail. We came upon a large tree and happened to see a glint of metal high above. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a shield lodged in the tree. A first attempt to pull it out of the tree with a grappling hook and rope earned us only a broken rope for our troubles. Eventually the monk climbed the tree and pried the shield out, finding the adamantine head of a battle axe behind it! The shield was mithril and bore a dwarven rune upon its face- something that intrigued Zeltaius greatly. How long had these items been there, that the tree had grown around them and them being 20 feet off the ground?

Unfortunately, on our way back, we were stalked by worgs and made our stand near some rapids on the river (there appeared to be gold in the rapids, but we did not want to touch it, fearing the cursed waters). 2 came from our front while 2 more came from the opposite side of the river. Belisarius greased the river’s bank as the 2 prepared to jump across (it was narrow at this point…possibly 12 feet or so, and fairly quick) and one of the worgs went down on the opposite bank, the other making it across. Kalel moved forward with his rapier, and Belisarius attempted to use a blinding ray (illusionist power) which proved to be nigh-useless. Kalel was bitten and tripped, the worg atop him. Belisarius sicced his horse, Pincer, on the worg, and the combination of hooves and rapier proved too much for the worg – it died.

The other 2 worgs fell between attacks by bow, riding dog and Zeltaius’s meteor hammer. At one point he also was knocked prone, but his grappling prowess enabled him to fight the creature effectively. A man trained in the use of a flexible weapon such as a meteor hammer can both grapple and strike with it, in addition to disarming or tripping. It’s a very useful weapon, if not capable of producing grievous injuries in the manner of something like a greatsword or greataxe.

The last wolf finally recovered its footing but immediately ran when it saw that its other pack members were dead. We did not pursue.

In the fray, one of the dogs was nearly killed, but a potion brought it back around. We skinned the worgs and brought the pelts back to Igoris.

Epon was surprised to see us, and wanted a 5gp “trader’s fee” to let us back into the village. We negotiated this to 3, promising that we had plans to help make him a very rich man in future. Hopefully some of our ideas will indeed pan out and we can help him, his town and ourselves prosper.

Once back in the village, we traded the skins for some spidersilk rope and placed an order with the alchemist for some items that would help us cut down a yuirwood tree we had seen much earlier that was found in a tree infested with giant spiders. The wizard also gained 2 more spells ashe advanced in experience and power, now being able to manifest illusions with sound instead of just a visual image. This should come in handy against the spiders!

Upon awakening, Zeltaius and Belisarius found their companions missing (Brad and Adam both out)!

A search revealed no signs of struggle and little in the way of tracks, so we blundered about in search of them. We encountered a tree full of dire bats as well as one full of giant spiders and managed to avoid those, but no sign of them.

Eventually, we came across 2 goblin hunters and their riding dogs trying to bring down a leucrotta with their bows (which they eventually did) and watched them. Eventually we were noticed and moved up to parley, thereby meeting Okitarr and Durwich. They told us that our companions had most likely eaten a mushroom that causes disorientation and incredible thirst, and that they would most likely head toward the river, a very dangerous place. One of their dogs was gravely injured, so we healed it with a potion. In gratitude, they brought us back to their village, Igoris.

Igoris turned out to be quite advanced – more advanced than goblins had a reputation for being. It was supported in the branches of a giant tree, with an elevator, operated by a Blinkin. Its mayor, Epon, greeted us and allowed us to go up in the tree due to our having assisted Okitarr and his vouching for us. Epon’s bodyguard, Gorlak stood mutely by as this occurred. The dogs and horses were stabled at the base of the tree and we climbed aboard the elevator.

On the main level, we found a bustling village/trading post, with a marketplace. A wizard, Oldmann and I traded spells and a few items. A goblin alchemist, Austin Reason Powers could make and sell various alchemical items. There were also traders of more mundane goods as well as at least one church and a shaman. We feasted on Leucrotta and found it to be quite good, and then set out once more to look for our companions.

The trail to Kalthar through the Dark Wood begins just outside of Offsite, leading through fields and then light woods. The party encountered both a grizzly bear and a what was later identified as a treant in their first day out but opted not to intereact with them (particularly the grizz). As we progressed into the Dark Wood, it became apparent that this was no ordinary forest, with enormous trees reaching high above the ground, blocking most of the sunlight out with a thick canopy of branches and leaves – leaves as large as cloaks. Little underbrush and constant gloom make it dangerous to travel in, as light sources, necessary even for the eyes of the elves, can be seen from quite a distance. Even darkvision would not be overly helpful as it is so limited in range.

Our next encounter proved to be a near disaster, and it was with a vine – an assassin vine, to be precise. Kalel was dragged up a tree and choked, showing one of the nastiest attack method the vine has – it can slither up a tree, choking its victim in the process and placing it quickly out of range of many attacks. Grease spells are effective, but only if the person casting isn’t already grappled! They also appear to have the ability to animate nearby plants, entangling the feet of those in contact with the ground. This is a nuisance for those on horseback, but can be a significant hindrance to men on foot.

Our last encounter is one that of our worst moments…we attacked a small group of goblins who lived in a tree.

Having spied a campfire, we send Kalel to approach it. He saw noone there until he looked up – and saw a goblin in a tree pointing an arrow at him. He backed away and it did not fire. After returning to us and commiserating, we decided that, given what we had heard of goblins, that they would surely follow and attack us in the night. Belisarius walked to the campfire with a silent image of Kalel following…the real Kalel was to sneak around to the back of the encampment and ready his bow. Belisarius, being the only one who could speak goblin, called to the goblins to come out and parley.

One timidly did so, and came forward…we asked only to share his food and fire. After a bit of hesitation, the goblin offered some food in trade for drink…wine or ale. At this point, we attacked them, slaughtering them quickly. The food, however, had been tainted with some kind of toxin which left Belisarius seeing visions, unconscious for the time. The rest fanned out and found only a small group of goblin children cowering in the tree.

After a time, Belisarius recovered. Being the only one who could speak goblin, he attempted to lure the children out. Having just witnessed their parents and kin slaughtered by elves, they were in no way influencible, (particularly by someone who had no bluff or diplomacy skills) so we tried to dig, chop and smoke them out, having no way to reach them through the small opening of the tree. They managed to escape through a tunnel of some kind while this occurred, leaving us to ride along, unsure if we would be attacked by more goblins.

After finally leaving the Tsukai Academy, we made our way to Offsite, where we purchased more supplies for our journey. Belisarius purchased a number of scrolls, including one called “Masterwork Transformation”, which would hopefully prove of use later. The proprietor offered him a job making scrolls, but that appealed almost as much as apologizing to his father for winning the Tsukai Academy Test, so he declined (now the prospect has some appeal, as money is short and winter approaches in Kalthar, but that is a tale for another time).

Upon meeting up with the group, Belisarius was introduced to the person who would become our guide, a half-elf barbarian named Cirrus, who claimed that we could either take the road or travel with him through the Dark Wood. There were caravans leaving by the road that we could seek employment with, or try our luck in the wood. We chose the wood.

After this decision, there were fights and gambling to be done, so the wizard retired to his room (and realizes now that he should have stuck his father with the bill for those, too, along with any supplies purchased…foolish pride gets in the way of so much) to study his books and glean whatever knowledge he could of Kalthar, the Dark Wood and the journey ahead.

Kalel quickly worked his way into the position of taking bets and knowing the score on a few of the fighters…the main fight was a “ringer” from our of town, a warblade named Kaigen, who we would meet again in Kalthar. The barbarian fought and won, the monk fought Belisarius’s own brotherCallegor Tordun and lost, and the warblade defeated his opponent handily – he appears to be an expert at sundering weapons, and did so in the first round.

Money was made and lost, and Belisarius now regrets studying instead of making what amounted to easy money, as its in such short supply now. It would have been nice to see his brother one last time as well.

Belisarius decided to pay the library a visit, receiving aid from a librarian who coughed politely and left him to his own devices while he was on lunch. Books were stolen, the contents of 1 purloined, and a nice parting gift of shiny gold left for the librarian.

Belisarius’s brother Callegor Tordun was most disheartened by the news of his disownment, and leant 2 horses (including Pincer) and some gear to help with the times ahead.

Kalel went about collecting debts and dodging paying debts of his own as Zeltaius and I arranged to leave. One little prick (who’d braced Kalel in the last session) tried to run him down with several companions. An illusion of Kalel running through a barn and up the stairs to a 2nd level of the academy (a level at least partially in trees) fooled them sufficiently and let Kalel escape, grabbing one of their horses in the process, leaving only the buffoon in charge in the stableyard with Zeltaius and myself nearby. As he tried to run down Kalel, his saddle was greased, resulting in him falling off his horse.

We all rode for Offsite.

The session began with Belisarius Tordun just having led the freshman team to victory against the senior team in the Tusai Academy Test. This was both unexpected and considered not at all proper, particularly since he “cheated” by using illusions.

Lorte Eturius hauled Belisarius into his office to let him know that, while he was not displeased with the victory, that members of the board and other important sorts were disgruntled, and that he had been suspended as a result. He was to go to Kalthar and study with Tulken Eturius in the meantime, and was to go with Kalel Eturius, who was being expelled. He was also given a letter to give to Tolken.

His father, Betaris Tordun marched to his room to confront Belisarius, setting off a Magic Mouth that proceeded to scream “Thief!” 25 times. When Belisarius returned, Betaris was not in a good mood, and demanded a formal apology for his actions. Belisarius told him to get stuffed, and was disowned.

His roommate, Kalel Eturius, was busily ducking people who had bet on the freshman team and agreed to leave. By coincidence, one Zeltaius had also been expelled, having beaten up the weapons master with his meteor hammer, considered a child’s toy instead of a proper Elven weapon. Zeltaius also agreed to journey to Kalthar, having nowhere else to go.

This is an E6 world with only low level magic, it is uncommon but not rare. Magic schools and magic kingdoms exist but are rare. Potions, scrolls, wands, minor wondrous items are the most common forms of magical equipment available. Mithril is rare. Adamantine is very rare. The land is divided into several small kingdoms and states with some loose alliances and a fair amount of trade. Multiple pantheons are worshipped in this world but the gods have not made their presence known outside of granting spells to clergy in hundereds of years. Most news and information about distant lands come from the tales of travelling bards and minstrels. There are hereos whos names are sung in song, and villains whos infamous deeds are told to frighten children. In addition to the many kingdoms there are large tracts of land that are still unsettled, wild, and dangerous. There is also a well known group called the Blue Hands, they control some land and have a cult like following with temples in several cities and kingdoms throughout the realms. In some areas they are thought of as enlightened saviors and in others they are seen as ruthless thugs and extortionists or crazy cultists.

The story will begin with the characters arriving at the city of Kalthar in the state of Anterra. We will figure out your individual reasons for travelling there.

Anterra is a moderate sized realm with a population of around a million. It spans from mostly grasslands in the South to a forested area in the Northeast and runs alongside a mountain range to the West. The population is primarily human particularly to the south. The capital city Corynia lays in the southeast of the realm. It’s a monarchy ruled by King Garron the Grey Blade. An aging king who won his throne through steel, he has now grown weary and sullen in his old age. The outlying towns are governed by appointed lords and policed by marshalls sworn to impose the King’s law. Though many times frontier law is applied just as regularly. The kingdom is relatively medieval in technology with skill in castle building and arms manufacturing, but limited access to magic. There is a magic kingdom to the Southwest with strained relations with Anterra. Dangerous territories in the woods and mountains to the north seperate the state from neighboring kingdoms including an Elven kingdom to the East and a Dwarven kingdom to the Northwest.

Kalthar is a moderate sized town far to the north on the edge of Anterra no more than a days ride from the great mountains or from the deep forest. It is the main trade gateway in from the North. The city is built in great rings, creating a concentric circle. The innermost ring has a diameter of half a kilometer marked by 6 meter high reinforced pallisades designed to serve as final defense against a siege. Inside is the hub of the city; taverns, inns, stores, armories, garrison, and marketplace. The scond ring has a diameter of a kilometer marked by a 4 meter high wooden palisade known for its 4 great gates leading into the city proper. Inside is the main inhabited area of the city. Most homes and schools and official buildings are in this area. The third ring has a diameter of 2 kilometers marked by a 2 meter high wooden fence, designed to keep wildlife out. Inside is the farmland that supports the city as well as the fairgrounds where many caravans will stop and make camp. The Outermost ring of Kalthar has a diameter of 4 kilometers marked by a meter high stone fence there primarily to mark the boundaries of the towns jurisdiction. Inside this area the forest still holds some claim along the Northeast edge. There are many druids and rangers who make home in this area as well as a few large farms and grazing lands for cattle and horses. The population of the town is primarily human about 62 percent, halflings come in at 11 percent, dwarves at 8 percent, half-elves at 6 percent, and elves at 5 percent with the rest being a mixed bag of humanoids.