Gnarlbottom
A massive clan of dwarves who once lorded over all of Floivin Province, but were annexed peacefully to the Eidolorn Empire during the reign of King Kleeth. Gnarlbottom dwarves dabbled in all manner of professions, and all of the other local clans are directly descended from them. Today, there are still a great number of Gnarlbottoms residing in the area. Current examples include the merchant Monch and his family, and the recent Regent-General Gurd. The PCs have also encountered a ghost in the Haunted Horrn named Chalgar. (Ex: Gurd, Monch, Ymurf)
Sub-Clans
Bellowbroth: Among the more skilled artisan families, they are legendary craftsmen of arms. Also known as the family of Anvyl Bellowbroth, a great hero who fought the White Dragon Woe in the Second War of Expansion. (Ex: Anvyl, Dronn)
Buld: A family of deep miners that was at one point severed due to some major internal dispute. About half of the Bulds drifted off into the wilderness to live as brigands and trappers. Many were killed when the Crowslode was lost in 764 ID. (Ex: Dondrys, Vigsyd)
Dourmug: Merchants of gems and raw ore with mining interests throughout the Province. They have in the past earned some ill repute for 'foul play' with other miner clans like the Bulds and Grizzlebeards.
Grizzlebeard: A lesser family of prospectors and miners, many of whom have been slain by troglodytes and other threats through the years. (Ex: Doorjamb)
Hacksore: Mercenaries and killers by trade, the Hacksore family has by this time sold their services far and wide of the Province, looking back in disgust. Rarely a Hacksore will happen by, as they still own some property in their homeland. Many now reside in Braul, outside the Empire.
Hammerbelt: Another clan of armorers and smiths, they are still relatively prominent in the Province. (Ex: Hondo)
Krennyk: A wealthy family that has produced a long line of soldiers in the Eidolorn Guard. They maintain a House in Floivin Keep. (Ex: Captain Kennel, Captain Reckon)
Ravenbeard: Locksmiths and engineers, but also known for several reputed thieves in their midst. Few if any Ravenbeards remain, one of which was a member of the Stride until the massacre of Belowtown by The Score. (Ex: Daglum)
Rifflin: An impoverished, lowborn family of dwarves who are now sparsely found in Floivin Province. Some of them occasionally gather up at the Fiery Rat tavern in the Keep, and in fact, though he dubs himself with the surname 'Falloway', the proprietor is known to be of this clan. (Ex: Flake Falloway)
Soldergard: A family of sleuths and spies who once worked beneath the Gnarlbottom clan to help dispense and misdirect their enemies. Partially responsible for the founding of 'The Stride', the thieves' guild of Floivin Keep. (Ex: Slab)
Stimmy: A common family of craftsmen and minor merchants, found often throughout the middle and lower classes of Floivin Keep and the surrounding villages, as well as abroad in Toul Tabor and Carbadi.
Stuckle: Very few survivors of this family, who were once farmers by trade. (Ex: Odd Jon)
Winch: Another of the more common descendants of the Gnarlbottom clan, but they are heavily scattered throughout the Eidolorn Empire. Generally smiths and armorers by trade.
Outsiders
The following individuals are not known to hail from any of the prominent Floivin clans.
Bulgoth: Bulgoth has referred to himself as being from the East, and certainly if the bounty hunter stalking him is any indicator, he is probably out of Toul Tabor. He doesn't speak much of his past, but has admitted to not being a native of Floivin Province. 'Bulgoth' itself might even be an assumed name, for he has committed a number of crimes abroad that he admits to.
'Flaming' Fack: An exotic red and orange haired dwarf with darkened tan skin who has taken up studies in the Arkana Arkiva. Little is known about his heritage or origin except rumors that he comes from the Sunkindle, a great desert Southwest of Sothos Karr.
Rutteneker Roy: Rutteneker himself sells frogs and other oddities on the muddy paths of the Hobfast, but the 'Roy' family is known as a solitary, small clan of fishermen living on the West Coast of Thault, in the Fox Knoll, around where the Midge Creek spills into the Fangsea. They may have at some point been related to the Gnarlbottoms, but their banner was never placed beneath them.
Tundra Wolf: According to this foul smelling, unkempt dwarf from Wintersbreath, he is not a dwarf at all, but a frost giant cursed into his current form. Supposedly there is an entire village of such folk all suffering the same fate.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Session 16 / Online Session 16 Notes (3/22/11)
Varony, Malarous 2nd, 868 ID.
As the morning presses on, wave after wave of the Blooded Lash assault the Hud Horrn through the fallen north gate. A bold group of men stand together to take the brunt of the enemy infantry, including Morn Mastiff, Ogeir the Hawk, Slab, Gortjik the smithy, Degger the baker, Luz and Lt. Rove. The first wave consists of six ogres. The second, eight bugbear shock troops. The third, 16 goblins. The fourth, a damned troll! The fifth, a goblin Captain and four elite bugbears. Meanwhile, hippogriff riders land in several spots throughout the Hud Horrn, dispatching their mounts to assail our heroes' archers and Mudgol the Undecided. It's a long, deadly engagement which the PCs and the Eidolorn Guard eventually cannot hold out against. Fortunately, in the midst of the fighting, about 50% of those straggler civilians who had decided to stay behind end up with a change of heart and flee through the south gate. Weatherby tries to grenade and fire his pistol at the onrush of assailants, from his vantage point above the town, but he proves ineffective.
Our heroes slay dozens of enemy combatants, Lt. Rove even felling the half-orc assassin that had appeared in the heat of battle. But the burden becomes too much to bear. While valiantly battling the Blooded Lash' troll and goblin captain simultaneously, Ogeir the Hawk falls. The baker Degger falls. The smithy Gortjik, once of the Skull Collar clan who swore death upon the hostiles. Lt. Rove, too, collapses. And at last, the mighty Sgt. Mastiff is brought low, after sounding a retreat to Lt. Hoary and the PCs. The bugbear elites coup de gras most of their unconscious enemies. Mudgol and Langston manage to flee out the South Gate, pursued by a hungry hippogriff that they soon dispatch. The troll moves into position, blocking the South Gate, so Slab, Luz and Doorjamb are all forced to climb the walls, which they manage under fire from bugbear troops. A sixth wave arrives, of goblins, who begin to ransack the Hud Horrn door to door, a final sweep for survivors and loot. Meanwhile, Lt. Hoary escapes over one of the parapets on the opposite wall of the PCs.
The Hud Horrn falls...
Surviving the Massacre: Doorjamb, Hroemer (?), Langston, Lt. Hoary, Luz, Mudgol, Slab, Weatherby
The Role of Dead: Bulgoth (?), Degger, Fisslakk, Gortjik, Lt. Rove, Morn Mastiff, Ogeir the Hawk, and eight more loyal soldiers of Eidolorn.
?=Precise fate unknown.
PCs: Doorjamb, Langston, Luz, Mudgol, Ogeir, Slab
As the morning presses on, wave after wave of the Blooded Lash assault the Hud Horrn through the fallen north gate. A bold group of men stand together to take the brunt of the enemy infantry, including Morn Mastiff, Ogeir the Hawk, Slab, Gortjik the smithy, Degger the baker, Luz and Lt. Rove. The first wave consists of six ogres. The second, eight bugbear shock troops. The third, 16 goblins. The fourth, a damned troll! The fifth, a goblin Captain and four elite bugbears. Meanwhile, hippogriff riders land in several spots throughout the Hud Horrn, dispatching their mounts to assail our heroes' archers and Mudgol the Undecided. It's a long, deadly engagement which the PCs and the Eidolorn Guard eventually cannot hold out against. Fortunately, in the midst of the fighting, about 50% of those straggler civilians who had decided to stay behind end up with a change of heart and flee through the south gate. Weatherby tries to grenade and fire his pistol at the onrush of assailants, from his vantage point above the town, but he proves ineffective.
Our heroes slay dozens of enemy combatants, Lt. Rove even felling the half-orc assassin that had appeared in the heat of battle. But the burden becomes too much to bear. While valiantly battling the Blooded Lash' troll and goblin captain simultaneously, Ogeir the Hawk falls. The baker Degger falls. The smithy Gortjik, once of the Skull Collar clan who swore death upon the hostiles. Lt. Rove, too, collapses. And at last, the mighty Sgt. Mastiff is brought low, after sounding a retreat to Lt. Hoary and the PCs. The bugbear elites coup de gras most of their unconscious enemies. Mudgol and Langston manage to flee out the South Gate, pursued by a hungry hippogriff that they soon dispatch. The troll moves into position, blocking the South Gate, so Slab, Luz and Doorjamb are all forced to climb the walls, which they manage under fire from bugbear troops. A sixth wave arrives, of goblins, who begin to ransack the Hud Horrn door to door, a final sweep for survivors and loot. Meanwhile, Lt. Hoary escapes over one of the parapets on the opposite wall of the PCs.
The Hud Horrn falls...
Surviving the Massacre: Doorjamb, Hroemer (?), Langston, Lt. Hoary, Luz, Mudgol, Slab, Weatherby
The Role of Dead: Bulgoth (?), Degger, Fisslakk, Gortjik, Lt. Rove, Morn Mastiff, Ogeir the Hawk, and eight more loyal soldiers of Eidolorn.
?=Precise fate unknown.
PCs: Doorjamb, Langston, Luz, Mudgol, Ogeir, Slab
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Session 15 / Online Session 15 Notes (3/20/11)
Tault, Malarous 1st, 868 ID.
Mudhol and Weatherby fire up the two man balloon and fly back towards the Hud Horrn, when they hear the beating of wardrums and the blaring of horns from the Blooded Lash encampment. Apparently, the excitement at the Haunted Horrn has prompted the force to move ahead their battle plans, and they initiate a march. A pair of hippogriffs with goblin riders assault the balloon, but are slain by Mudgol's spells and Weatherby's pistol. When Mudgol and Weatherby at last arrive, they are greeted by several soldiers including Lt. Hoary, who has arrived with Doorjamb to the fortified town as backup. Mudgol attempts to assess the threat, warning Sgt. Mastiff of the oncoming assault!
Meanwhile, Doorjamb and Fisslakk head down into the Blowback Mine to find Foreman Vigsyd and determine the location of the rest of the PCs. A miner named Baub leads them to the Foreman, who sends Velpaw along with them as a guide in 'Tunnel D'. The PCs, on the other hand, are racing back through the tunnels towards the Hud Horrn, trailed by bugbears and one pissed off dwarf. They can hear a delay behind them, sounds of a struggle (perhaps the pursuers have encountered and are dealing with the Gnarlbottom ghost), and they make it to the chasm and once again cross it. Ogeir leaves obstacles behind, flasks of oil greasing the tunnel and a tanglefoot bag near the chasm to delay the pursuers. Luz drops gold coins. Further along, after the chasm, they pass a wormlike creature in a niche and ignore it.
Mudgol is ordered to recruit anyone from the Hud Horrn who will fight to hold the town while most of the citizens evacuate. The half-orc is to focus on businesses, while Lt. Hoary handles the residences. He is unsuccessful in recruiting the baker Degger and the smith Gortjik. Below, the PCs run into one another in the tunnels. Doorjamb, Velpaw and Fisslak are warned of the pursuing force, and they set up a flaming barricade at the mouth of Tunnel D. Slab runs off to escape and warn the foreman, and Vigsyd moves to help the PCs intervene, prompting Slab. A terrible melee ensues, in which all the miners are killed, most of the PCs are knocked down, but finally the bugbears are slain. The gnoll Velpaw makes a last ditch effort to stop the dwarf Buld, transforming into a bear form and revealing his nature as a druid, but he is also killed. Langston, in a desperate suicide maneuver, fells the violent barbarian. The PCs loot the bodies, especially Buld, and claim his hide armor, double headed axe and armbands. Surviving miners arrive and gather the remains of their foreman and Velpaw, and then work to seal the mine by caving in the bottom of the stairs, and removing the platform from the lift.
The PCs are all reunited, exchanging stories with Mudgol and turning in reports to Mastiff. That night, Langston and Weatherby do some scouting by air to find that the Blooded Lash have set up a temporary camp to ready themselves for the morning. Equipment and supplies are gathered and about 80% of the population evacuates with a pair of soldiers to the south. Another is sent with a dispatch to Reckon to prepare for possible invasion of Hobfast if the Hud Horrn should fall. Some of the PCs join the night watch, and Degger, Hroemer and Gortjik all arrive to volunteer, the blacksmith delivering a punitive blow to Mudgol for not being clearer in his earlier recruitment attempt. Hroemer collects all the healing potions from the Dungeoneer's guild to help the PCs heal up for the inevitable battle...
Varony, Malarous 2nd, 868 ID.
In the morning, the clash at last begins. A cadre of ogres marches forward with an exotic looking human wizard, and despite Mudgol's valiant attempt to blind and trip them, the wizard is able to breach the gate by shifting the stone above the North portcullis. Fisslakk also tries to stop the ogres' march with a fireball, but as he's severely weakened, a strong magic missile from the red wizard kills the creature outright. The ogres march in, and a massive battle begins. Hippogriffs fly far and wide to land at the sides of the town away from the Eidolorn archers. Goblins and guards exchange arrows, the guards upon the front parapets being slain. Most of the PCs stand in the charge, facing and felling the first wave of ogres. An invisible threat arrives by hippogriff and begins to chase and assail Slab and the others. Once it attacks, a half-orc assassin is revealed, wielding poisons. The red wizard has retreated back up the Pass, and the PCs don't know what he's up to. Slab attempts to throw an orange painted grenade he found at Hosspotch Holdings, but it turns out to work only against vermin. Waves of bugbears and goblins await to pass through the gate and assault the frontline. A hippogriff engages Langston. Bulgoth is knocked out by an ogre.
Over 100 more Blooded Lash assailants await their chance at slaughter...
PCs: Doorjamb, Langston, Luz, Mudgol, Ogeir, Slab
NPCs
Baub (human male): A relatively nondescript miner in the Blowback Mine, he leads Doorjamb and Fisslak to Vigsyd's location when they're trying to track down the PCs.
Dondrys Buld (dwarf male): An incredibly muscled, stocky dwarf smothered in bluish tattoos, with long orange hair tied back. Dondrys Buld is a member of the Score, a barbarian and berzerker who fights with a double headed dwarven waraxe and strange armbands which slide around his arms. Buld is slain in the Blowback Mine by Langston in a desperate, suicide attack after felling the foreman Vigsyd (who recognized Buld and identified him as 'traitor'), the gnoll drunk druid Velpaw, and a number of other miners. Not to mention knocking out almost all of the PCs...
Gortjik (hobgoblin male): A pale green hobgoblin with a severe underbite, yellowy eyes and twisted lower fangs. Gortjik is heavily muscled and swathed in russet workman's clothes with a broad leather belt and harness on which he holds chiseling tools and a silver hammer. Gortjik is apparently an expatriate from the Skull Collar clan, and holds no love for the Blooded Lash, who he helps defend against in the Storming of the Hud Horrn.
Mudhol and Weatherby fire up the two man balloon and fly back towards the Hud Horrn, when they hear the beating of wardrums and the blaring of horns from the Blooded Lash encampment. Apparently, the excitement at the Haunted Horrn has prompted the force to move ahead their battle plans, and they initiate a march. A pair of hippogriffs with goblin riders assault the balloon, but are slain by Mudgol's spells and Weatherby's pistol. When Mudgol and Weatherby at last arrive, they are greeted by several soldiers including Lt. Hoary, who has arrived with Doorjamb to the fortified town as backup. Mudgol attempts to assess the threat, warning Sgt. Mastiff of the oncoming assault!
Meanwhile, Doorjamb and Fisslakk head down into the Blowback Mine to find Foreman Vigsyd and determine the location of the rest of the PCs. A miner named Baub leads them to the Foreman, who sends Velpaw along with them as a guide in 'Tunnel D'. The PCs, on the other hand, are racing back through the tunnels towards the Hud Horrn, trailed by bugbears and one pissed off dwarf. They can hear a delay behind them, sounds of a struggle (perhaps the pursuers have encountered and are dealing with the Gnarlbottom ghost), and they make it to the chasm and once again cross it. Ogeir leaves obstacles behind, flasks of oil greasing the tunnel and a tanglefoot bag near the chasm to delay the pursuers. Luz drops gold coins. Further along, after the chasm, they pass a wormlike creature in a niche and ignore it.
Mudgol is ordered to recruit anyone from the Hud Horrn who will fight to hold the town while most of the citizens evacuate. The half-orc is to focus on businesses, while Lt. Hoary handles the residences. He is unsuccessful in recruiting the baker Degger and the smith Gortjik. Below, the PCs run into one another in the tunnels. Doorjamb, Velpaw and Fisslak are warned of the pursuing force, and they set up a flaming barricade at the mouth of Tunnel D. Slab runs off to escape and warn the foreman, and Vigsyd moves to help the PCs intervene, prompting Slab. A terrible melee ensues, in which all the miners are killed, most of the PCs are knocked down, but finally the bugbears are slain. The gnoll Velpaw makes a last ditch effort to stop the dwarf Buld, transforming into a bear form and revealing his nature as a druid, but he is also killed. Langston, in a desperate suicide maneuver, fells the violent barbarian. The PCs loot the bodies, especially Buld, and claim his hide armor, double headed axe and armbands. Surviving miners arrive and gather the remains of their foreman and Velpaw, and then work to seal the mine by caving in the bottom of the stairs, and removing the platform from the lift.
The PCs are all reunited, exchanging stories with Mudgol and turning in reports to Mastiff. That night, Langston and Weatherby do some scouting by air to find that the Blooded Lash have set up a temporary camp to ready themselves for the morning. Equipment and supplies are gathered and about 80% of the population evacuates with a pair of soldiers to the south. Another is sent with a dispatch to Reckon to prepare for possible invasion of Hobfast if the Hud Horrn should fall. Some of the PCs join the night watch, and Degger, Hroemer and Gortjik all arrive to volunteer, the blacksmith delivering a punitive blow to Mudgol for not being clearer in his earlier recruitment attempt. Hroemer collects all the healing potions from the Dungeoneer's guild to help the PCs heal up for the inevitable battle...
Varony, Malarous 2nd, 868 ID.
In the morning, the clash at last begins. A cadre of ogres marches forward with an exotic looking human wizard, and despite Mudgol's valiant attempt to blind and trip them, the wizard is able to breach the gate by shifting the stone above the North portcullis. Fisslakk also tries to stop the ogres' march with a fireball, but as he's severely weakened, a strong magic missile from the red wizard kills the creature outright. The ogres march in, and a massive battle begins. Hippogriffs fly far and wide to land at the sides of the town away from the Eidolorn archers. Goblins and guards exchange arrows, the guards upon the front parapets being slain. Most of the PCs stand in the charge, facing and felling the first wave of ogres. An invisible threat arrives by hippogriff and begins to chase and assail Slab and the others. Once it attacks, a half-orc assassin is revealed, wielding poisons. The red wizard has retreated back up the Pass, and the PCs don't know what he's up to. Slab attempts to throw an orange painted grenade he found at Hosspotch Holdings, but it turns out to work only against vermin. Waves of bugbears and goblins await to pass through the gate and assault the frontline. A hippogriff engages Langston. Bulgoth is knocked out by an ogre.
Over 100 more Blooded Lash assailants await their chance at slaughter...
PCs: Doorjamb, Langston, Luz, Mudgol, Ogeir, Slab
NPCs
Baub (human male): A relatively nondescript miner in the Blowback Mine, he leads Doorjamb and Fisslak to Vigsyd's location when they're trying to track down the PCs.
Dondrys Buld (dwarf male): An incredibly muscled, stocky dwarf smothered in bluish tattoos, with long orange hair tied back. Dondrys Buld is a member of the Score, a barbarian and berzerker who fights with a double headed dwarven waraxe and strange armbands which slide around his arms. Buld is slain in the Blowback Mine by Langston in a desperate, suicide attack after felling the foreman Vigsyd (who recognized Buld and identified him as 'traitor'), the gnoll drunk druid Velpaw, and a number of other miners. Not to mention knocking out almost all of the PCs...
Gortjik (hobgoblin male): A pale green hobgoblin with a severe underbite, yellowy eyes and twisted lower fangs. Gortjik is heavily muscled and swathed in russet workman's clothes with a broad leather belt and harness on which he holds chiseling tools and a silver hammer. Gortjik is apparently an expatriate from the Skull Collar clan, and holds no love for the Blooded Lash, who he helps defend against in the Storming of the Hud Horrn.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Online Session 14 Notes (3/8/11)
Here is a link to a .RAR bundle which includes all the .html transcripts for AIM online sessions 1-32.
PCs: Doorjamb
NPCs
Vinstanze (human male): A pale, heavy set man with long braided beards and beaded needle tattoos all over his upper body, Vinstanze claims to be a merchant from Grand Mooring, Rothe who was working in Wintersbreath until the turmoil there. He has come south to 'trade' with the halflings of the Hosspotch. Has a bellowing voice and friendly, if arrogant disposition. Doorjamb, Fisslakk and Lt. Hoary encounter him wading naked in the Midge Creek while they are journeying to the Hud Horrn to join up with the rest of the PCs.
PCs: Doorjamb
NPCs
Vinstanze (human male): A pale, heavy set man with long braided beards and beaded needle tattoos all over his upper body, Vinstanze claims to be a merchant from Grand Mooring, Rothe who was working in Wintersbreath until the turmoil there. He has come south to 'trade' with the halflings of the Hosspotch. Has a bellowing voice and friendly, if arrogant disposition. Doorjamb, Fisslakk and Lt. Hoary encounter him wading naked in the Midge Creek while they are journeying to the Hud Horrn to join up with the rest of the PCs.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Session 14 Notes (2/25/11)
Tault, Malarous 1st, 868 ID.
After Langston's dismantling of the bone shrine, the PCs are attacked by a quartet of terrifying batlike creatures. Three appear to be giant, hungry varieties of the standard flying mammal, but the fourth has a cloak-like shape to it and numerous special abilities, which it uses to freeze Slab in place and later to create illusionary copies of itself to escape with. The PCs manage to defeat the bats, although that one gets away, and they discover a cache of old gold coins in the remains of the shrine.
Meanwhile, Mudgol is floating above the Haunted Pass in Weatherby's 2-man balloon, scouting to see if the Blooded Lash have made their move towards the Hud Horrn. They seem to remain encamped about the vast entrance to the Haunted Horrn, and Mudgol and Weatherby count possible hundreds of bugbears, goblins, and larger humanoids (ogres) below, their network of crimson dyed tents splayed out about a central stockade, where Weatherby believes his companions to be kept. The balloon lands in a hidden stone niche behind the Haunted Horrn, and Mudgol and the Professor set out on foot to find a possible secret entrance. He finds an empty, stream-like recession in the stone that leads to a rear grate entrance, quite ancient, and then a latch that partially opens it (enough to crawl inside).
Below ground, the rest of the PCS travel onwards for what seems like miles before encountering a large crevasse in the earth that separates 10' of the path, and falls father into the Earth than they can see with darkvision. A cheap, rotting rope system that must have once anchored a bridge is still hanging across, so the PCs cut them, and Bulgoth hurls them into the depths. The party comes up with a system to cross, first with a grapple hooked line and then a second rope to secure each person crossing. Despite their caution, they almost lose Fey'danor Beyd as the first line gives and he plummets to the crevasse wall below. Once he's back up, the rest cross safely and they travel on until the natural tunnels reveal dwarf craftsmanship once more...
Having avoided hippogriff eyes around the two broken towers above, Mudgol climbs beneath the grate and finds himself in some ancient refuse pit surrounded by the old, decayed bones of what look like large canines or wolves. He climbs out of the pit into the Haunted Horrn proper, a crude stone village set in a cavernous overhang. Goblins and bugbears appear to patrol the area, so he climbs to the roof of a nearby, abandoned dwelling to get a better look. He finds that there are several larger structures in the Horrn, a pair of massive towers that stretch through the ceiling, and a block-like gatehouse near the front entrance. In the middle of the town, Mudgol spies a ramp that leads into the lower levels of the stronghold, but it's heavily guarded. He sends the Professor for a closer look.
The dwarf-crafted corridors lead to an underground gatehouse haunted by a spectre named Chalgar Gnarlbottom, who warns the PCs to turn back, as his ancestral home is invaded by a number of 'strangers'. Seeing that they won't change their minds, he asks them to find the remains of his young ones, who he must put to rest in order to pass into the true afterlife. The PCs continue on until they find themselves in a 2-story stone gatehouse. Upstairs, they find strategic maps and several coded letters signed 'Klasp', all of which have only a thin layer of dust above. Ogeir senses evil figures moving about in the stronghold outside the building, and after scouting the front gate to the Blooded Lash encampment, the PCs decide to stay put for the time being. What they don't realize is that they're being watched, by a toad familiar!
A patrol of guards eventually discovers that the front door to the gatehouse has been wedged shut, and they can't open it. They send runners off, who return with a deep-voiced and lighter, snarling voiced individual who the PCs can't understand. The deeper voiced individual leaves, and suddenly the steel door to the gatehouse begins to melt down! The PCs recognize that the goblin sorcerer they have previously encountered is outside with several bugbears, and lie in ambush. A deadly battle ensues, with the sorcerer hurling a fireball into the first level of the gatehouse, which immediately kills Fey'danor Beyd, one of the bugbears, and knocks Langston unconscious. The PCs rush out to slay the other bugbear and then take on the goblin, who screams an alarm before unsuccessfully attempting to fireball himself and take out all his attackers. He is brought down finally, and Luz kills him. They remove the goblin's head and then flee back into the underground corridor, back the way they came.
Mudgol decided to disguise himself as a bugbear, and somehow manages to fool a number of the guards, and two members of the Score, as he spies on the commotion the other PCs created (through his familiar, Mudgol knows that his companions have arrived). He does not deceive one particular goblin, but murders it with a magic missile spell, before fleeing back out the rear grate entrance to Weatherby's balloon. But before he runs, he notes that the exotic looking Score member in robes has dispatched not only a troop of bugbears, but a tattooed, orange haired dwarf wielding a double headed waraxe to chase down his companions...
PCs: Langston, Luz, Mudgol, Ogeir, Slab
NPCs
Chalgar Gnarlbottom (dwarf male): Chalgar is not alive, but a spectral presence haunting the corridors that lead from the Blowback Mine to the Haunted Horrn. He's been dead for some time, and appears to have abandoned all hope, since he cannot pass to the afterlife without burying the remains of his children, which are located somewhere in the Horrn itself. He tasks the PCs with their recovery, and promises them to reveal a secret stash somewhere in the fallen dwarven stronghold.
After Langston's dismantling of the bone shrine, the PCs are attacked by a quartet of terrifying batlike creatures. Three appear to be giant, hungry varieties of the standard flying mammal, but the fourth has a cloak-like shape to it and numerous special abilities, which it uses to freeze Slab in place and later to create illusionary copies of itself to escape with. The PCs manage to defeat the bats, although that one gets away, and they discover a cache of old gold coins in the remains of the shrine.
Meanwhile, Mudgol is floating above the Haunted Pass in Weatherby's 2-man balloon, scouting to see if the Blooded Lash have made their move towards the Hud Horrn. They seem to remain encamped about the vast entrance to the Haunted Horrn, and Mudgol and Weatherby count possible hundreds of bugbears, goblins, and larger humanoids (ogres) below, their network of crimson dyed tents splayed out about a central stockade, where Weatherby believes his companions to be kept. The balloon lands in a hidden stone niche behind the Haunted Horrn, and Mudgol and the Professor set out on foot to find a possible secret entrance. He finds an empty, stream-like recession in the stone that leads to a rear grate entrance, quite ancient, and then a latch that partially opens it (enough to crawl inside).
Below ground, the rest of the PCS travel onwards for what seems like miles before encountering a large crevasse in the earth that separates 10' of the path, and falls father into the Earth than they can see with darkvision. A cheap, rotting rope system that must have once anchored a bridge is still hanging across, so the PCs cut them, and Bulgoth hurls them into the depths. The party comes up with a system to cross, first with a grapple hooked line and then a second rope to secure each person crossing. Despite their caution, they almost lose Fey'danor Beyd as the first line gives and he plummets to the crevasse wall below. Once he's back up, the rest cross safely and they travel on until the natural tunnels reveal dwarf craftsmanship once more...
Having avoided hippogriff eyes around the two broken towers above, Mudgol climbs beneath the grate and finds himself in some ancient refuse pit surrounded by the old, decayed bones of what look like large canines or wolves. He climbs out of the pit into the Haunted Horrn proper, a crude stone village set in a cavernous overhang. Goblins and bugbears appear to patrol the area, so he climbs to the roof of a nearby, abandoned dwelling to get a better look. He finds that there are several larger structures in the Horrn, a pair of massive towers that stretch through the ceiling, and a block-like gatehouse near the front entrance. In the middle of the town, Mudgol spies a ramp that leads into the lower levels of the stronghold, but it's heavily guarded. He sends the Professor for a closer look.
The dwarf-crafted corridors lead to an underground gatehouse haunted by a spectre named Chalgar Gnarlbottom, who warns the PCs to turn back, as his ancestral home is invaded by a number of 'strangers'. Seeing that they won't change their minds, he asks them to find the remains of his young ones, who he must put to rest in order to pass into the true afterlife. The PCs continue on until they find themselves in a 2-story stone gatehouse. Upstairs, they find strategic maps and several coded letters signed 'Klasp', all of which have only a thin layer of dust above. Ogeir senses evil figures moving about in the stronghold outside the building, and after scouting the front gate to the Blooded Lash encampment, the PCs decide to stay put for the time being. What they don't realize is that they're being watched, by a toad familiar!
A patrol of guards eventually discovers that the front door to the gatehouse has been wedged shut, and they can't open it. They send runners off, who return with a deep-voiced and lighter, snarling voiced individual who the PCs can't understand. The deeper voiced individual leaves, and suddenly the steel door to the gatehouse begins to melt down! The PCs recognize that the goblin sorcerer they have previously encountered is outside with several bugbears, and lie in ambush. A deadly battle ensues, with the sorcerer hurling a fireball into the first level of the gatehouse, which immediately kills Fey'danor Beyd, one of the bugbears, and knocks Langston unconscious. The PCs rush out to slay the other bugbear and then take on the goblin, who screams an alarm before unsuccessfully attempting to fireball himself and take out all his attackers. He is brought down finally, and Luz kills him. They remove the goblin's head and then flee back into the underground corridor, back the way they came.
Mudgol decided to disguise himself as a bugbear, and somehow manages to fool a number of the guards, and two members of the Score, as he spies on the commotion the other PCs created (through his familiar, Mudgol knows that his companions have arrived). He does not deceive one particular goblin, but murders it with a magic missile spell, before fleeing back out the rear grate entrance to Weatherby's balloon. But before he runs, he notes that the exotic looking Score member in robes has dispatched not only a troop of bugbears, but a tattooed, orange haired dwarf wielding a double headed waraxe to chase down his companions...
PCs: Langston, Luz, Mudgol, Ogeir, Slab
NPCs
Chalgar Gnarlbottom (dwarf male): Chalgar is not alive, but a spectral presence haunting the corridors that lead from the Blowback Mine to the Haunted Horrn. He's been dead for some time, and appears to have abandoned all hope, since he cannot pass to the afterlife without burying the remains of his children, which are located somewhere in the Horrn itself. He tasks the PCs with their recovery, and promises them to reveal a secret stash somewhere in the fallen dwarven stronghold.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Online Session 13 Notes (2/18/11)
Here is a link to a .RAR bundle which includes all the .html transcripts for AIM online sessions 1-32.
PCs: Doorjamb
PCs: Doorjamb
Friday, February 4, 2011
Session 13 Notes (2/4/11)
Aric, Clairis 31st, 868 ID.
The PCs engage the bugbear & goblin forces at their barricade of the Haunted Pass. Mudgol uses a freezing spell to slow the enemy, while the robed goblin riding a hippogriff rains fire upon the party. Several PCs are taken out of the fight, including Mudgol, as the battle shifts to close melee combat. At one point, Slab is trapped behind the goblins' barricade and knocked out by a bugbear hereafter referred to as the Dwarfgrinder. The mounted sorcerer flees the battle not long into its duration, after unleashing some dangerous spells and seeing that the battle may have turned against its forces. Once the PCs finally fell their foes, they go through their belongings and take some of the crossbows and their coins. They also notice that the bugbears and goblins have painful looking, living scars on their backs from a recent lashing.
A strange, small shadow passes above the the PCs as they return to the Hud Horrn to warn the Eidolorn guard of a potential, imminent attack. The shadow belongs to the Wintersbreath man Weatherby, who claims to have escaped the Blooded Lash that are camped out about the Haunted Horrn further up the pass. He was traveling with two 'frost giant' companions, Nonce and Franny, who have been captured by the Lash. The bugbears and goblins are also supposedly working in tandem a group of humans that are exploring the ruined stronghold, and the PCs recognize these as the members of the Score that they are tracking. Slab and Luz heckle and threaten Plex Hosspotch, a smart aleck halfling who runs the Holdings outlet in town, but no good comes of it. The PCs are ordered by Sgt. Mastiff to travel north and meet the Lash, since he has confidence they can greatly reduce their number before ever arriving at the Hud Horrn. Meanwhile, the locally stationed Guard will settle in for a defense.
Tault, Malarous 1st, 868 ID.
It is decided that Mudgol will take to the sky in Weatherby's balloon to scout the area for enemy movements and possible back or side entrances to the Haunted Horrn. The diviner might be able to blast off any hippogriffs that threaten the balloon. The PCs meet the foreman of the Blowback Mine, Vigsyd, through the drunken gnoll Velpaw. He offers them work if they'll take it, and then when pressed, tells the PCs that the Blowback has old, abandoned tunnels that lead all through the mountain, to unknown destinations. There is one in particular, 'Tunnel D' which has been boarded up since the miners are superstitious of haunts and ghosts infiltrating the mine. Vigsyd claims this tunnel leads due north below the Haunted Pass, and the PCs decide they will follow it to hopefully find a secret entrance into the Haunted Horrn.
After a short time traveling through the seemingly endless underground passage, the party discovers a massive cavern at a branching in the corridor. They find that the ceiling is full of bats and the floor covered in pools of ammonia and droppings. Once they reach the far end of the cavern, they discover a shrine of bones, some giant creature that seems part bat, part bugbear. After stirring the shrine, they cause the bats to stir up in a fury, especially four very large ones that descend upon their next meal....
PCs: Langston, Luz, Ogeir, Slab, (Mudgol played as an NPC)
NPCs
Degger (halfling ale): A severely obese halfling, he's got mighty jowls, uneven sideburns of a thick brown, and yellowed, crooked teeth beneath his pug nose. He smells of bread and sugar much like his establishment. Degger is a renowned baker and the best 'chef' in the Hud Horrn.
Dwarfgrinder (bugbear male): An adversary that proved incredibly difficult to kill during the assault on the Haunted Pass blockade. The bugbear fought with great skill, avoiding many death blows while nearly slaying the dwarf Slab. The markings on his back revealed him to be a 'seasoned' warrior of the Blooded Lash tribe. He was finally brought low by the half-elf man at arms Fey'danor Beyd.
Vigsyd (dwarf male): A stout dwarf with a bald head and pinched face, he's got only a mustache above his heavily scarred chin. He has a hollowed horn slung across his chest and pick a hammer at his belt. He seems slightly hard of hearing and has a nervous twitch at the corners of his mouth. Visgyd is the foreman of the Blowback Mine in Hud Horrn, and leads the PCs to the mysterious 'Tunnel D', which he believes will lead them below the Vernal Wall to an area near the Haunted Horrn, that they may avoid traversing the Pass above.
Weatherby (human male): A tall, wiry, bespectacled man getting on in his years, with narrow wisps of hair surrounding the crown of his skull. He speaks very politely, and is an engineer of some ingenuity, piloting a 2-man balloon after escaping from the Blooded Lash that are camped around the Haunted Horrn in the Vernal Wall. He claims to be accompanied by two 'frost giants' from a cursed tribe in Wintersbreath, his native province.
The PCs engage the bugbear & goblin forces at their barricade of the Haunted Pass. Mudgol uses a freezing spell to slow the enemy, while the robed goblin riding a hippogriff rains fire upon the party. Several PCs are taken out of the fight, including Mudgol, as the battle shifts to close melee combat. At one point, Slab is trapped behind the goblins' barricade and knocked out by a bugbear hereafter referred to as the Dwarfgrinder. The mounted sorcerer flees the battle not long into its duration, after unleashing some dangerous spells and seeing that the battle may have turned against its forces. Once the PCs finally fell their foes, they go through their belongings and take some of the crossbows and their coins. They also notice that the bugbears and goblins have painful looking, living scars on their backs from a recent lashing.
A strange, small shadow passes above the the PCs as they return to the Hud Horrn to warn the Eidolorn guard of a potential, imminent attack. The shadow belongs to the Wintersbreath man Weatherby, who claims to have escaped the Blooded Lash that are camped out about the Haunted Horrn further up the pass. He was traveling with two 'frost giant' companions, Nonce and Franny, who have been captured by the Lash. The bugbears and goblins are also supposedly working in tandem a group of humans that are exploring the ruined stronghold, and the PCs recognize these as the members of the Score that they are tracking. Slab and Luz heckle and threaten Plex Hosspotch, a smart aleck halfling who runs the Holdings outlet in town, but no good comes of it. The PCs are ordered by Sgt. Mastiff to travel north and meet the Lash, since he has confidence they can greatly reduce their number before ever arriving at the Hud Horrn. Meanwhile, the locally stationed Guard will settle in for a defense.
Tault, Malarous 1st, 868 ID.
It is decided that Mudgol will take to the sky in Weatherby's balloon to scout the area for enemy movements and possible back or side entrances to the Haunted Horrn. The diviner might be able to blast off any hippogriffs that threaten the balloon. The PCs meet the foreman of the Blowback Mine, Vigsyd, through the drunken gnoll Velpaw. He offers them work if they'll take it, and then when pressed, tells the PCs that the Blowback has old, abandoned tunnels that lead all through the mountain, to unknown destinations. There is one in particular, 'Tunnel D' which has been boarded up since the miners are superstitious of haunts and ghosts infiltrating the mine. Vigsyd claims this tunnel leads due north below the Haunted Pass, and the PCs decide they will follow it to hopefully find a secret entrance into the Haunted Horrn.
After a short time traveling through the seemingly endless underground passage, the party discovers a massive cavern at a branching in the corridor. They find that the ceiling is full of bats and the floor covered in pools of ammonia and droppings. Once they reach the far end of the cavern, they discover a shrine of bones, some giant creature that seems part bat, part bugbear. After stirring the shrine, they cause the bats to stir up in a fury, especially four very large ones that descend upon their next meal....
PCs: Langston, Luz, Ogeir, Slab, (Mudgol played as an NPC)
NPCs
Degger (halfling ale): A severely obese halfling, he's got mighty jowls, uneven sideburns of a thick brown, and yellowed, crooked teeth beneath his pug nose. He smells of bread and sugar much like his establishment. Degger is a renowned baker and the best 'chef' in the Hud Horrn.
Dwarfgrinder (bugbear male): An adversary that proved incredibly difficult to kill during the assault on the Haunted Pass blockade. The bugbear fought with great skill, avoiding many death blows while nearly slaying the dwarf Slab. The markings on his back revealed him to be a 'seasoned' warrior of the Blooded Lash tribe. He was finally brought low by the half-elf man at arms Fey'danor Beyd.
Vigsyd (dwarf male): A stout dwarf with a bald head and pinched face, he's got only a mustache above his heavily scarred chin. He has a hollowed horn slung across his chest and pick a hammer at his belt. He seems slightly hard of hearing and has a nervous twitch at the corners of his mouth. Visgyd is the foreman of the Blowback Mine in Hud Horrn, and leads the PCs to the mysterious 'Tunnel D', which he believes will lead them below the Vernal Wall to an area near the Haunted Horrn, that they may avoid traversing the Pass above.
Weatherby (human male): A tall, wiry, bespectacled man getting on in his years, with narrow wisps of hair surrounding the crown of his skull. He speaks very politely, and is an engineer of some ingenuity, piloting a 2-man balloon after escaping from the Blooded Lash that are camped around the Haunted Horrn in the Vernal Wall. He claims to be accompanied by two 'frost giants' from a cursed tribe in Wintersbreath, his native province.
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