Session 26 / Online Session 26 (11/23/11)

The War for Floivin Province, Part I

*This session used an experimental mass combat system rooted in standard 3.5 D&D combat rules.*

Essel, Malarous 18th, 838 ID

The PCs head back inside Flabbergast Manor and Mistlethroe shifts the wandering wizardly college to one of its Floivin Keep anchors. Within, it turns out that the Keep is on fire due to some internal acts of arson, and the foreign invaders and humanoids are just about to press their own attack on the capital of the province. Commander Doolan orders all seasoned, able bodied men who have dealt with these threats to choose a second, and then take command of a combat unit. Luz is given use of the githyanki mercenaries, and his second is Skrel. Mudgol gathers what students of the Arkana Arkiva remain in the Keep, and his second is Apprentice Letoe. Darkahn is given a group of elven refugees, and his second is Jon 'Blow', the half-elf. Slab gathers up a band of shady individuals, and his former Stride-mate Anenome to serve as his second. Langston commands a unit of archers with Pvt. Teckler 'The Tickler' as his second, and Ryit Silverhand is given a group of peasants and farmers willing to fight, with Odd Jon Stuckle chivalrously offering to be her second.

Meanwhile, Doorjamb and the Fourth Eidolorn arrive through the Westermarch pass after the massive avalanche that was set off by the Score's explosives (purchased in Waddlewinch). About 66% of the Fourth forces remain, and Pvt. Puj is made Doorjamb's second. Commander Vhelok controls the cavalry, Lt. Bergothe 'the Boar' the Fourth infantry, and Lt. Harmon Shast the Tarair conscripts. In addition, there are several smaller units including Lt. Chorus' archers, Prepostero's Wizards' Elite (with Ultremis of Traeger as his second), Captain Vrast and his Traeger conscripts (Pvt. Cresk as his second) and a group of Eleste acolytes under the guidance of Prelate Akstra of Tarair. The Fourth Eidolorn moves south to engage the Ettenhead forces at Livenoak, while from further north, Captain Hoary (Blake Bauerkroft his second) and the recently rescued Maj. Scott Morrow move their units south from Ettenhead.

The other PCs must decide whether to enter the fray from the heavily besieged keep, flanked by large masses of undead; or return with Mistlethroe to the East shore of the Udders Well, where they will be in position to battle against the Skull Collar reavers which have come out in force. Langston and Luz decide to remain at the Keep with Commander Doolan's infantry, Major Vanquo's cavalry, Belgin Hosspotch and his halfling slingers, and smaller units managed by Captains Reckon and Kennel, and Conniff of the Cathedral of Blades. Mudgol, Slab, Darkhan and Ryit decide to take on the Skull Collars. The war commences, with our heroes pressed heavily in battle! After only a few hours, Mudgol, Slab and Darkhan have had their units almost entirely obliterated by the soldiers of Ironballs, Greklik and two companies of Skull Collar worg riders...

Meanwhile, Luz wades into hordes of undead east of Floivin Keep while buggering off a raid of Blooded Lash hippogriff riders who are harassing the city from above. Langston and Major Vanquo engage a unit of massive, hulking corpses under the command of the ghost knight the PCs have previously encountered. At one point, the ghost possessed Major Vanquo, who confusingly commands his cavalry to attack Langston, but the archer survives. In the West of the Keep, Captain Reckon and Commander Doolan do their best to stand against a horde of skeletal infantry and zombies, while an ebony-skinned giant looks on. Captain Hoary and Maj. Scott Morrow are waylaid by a unit of Pinewater kobold maulers.

Hours pass, and the first decisive blow of the battle is dealt when Captain Vrast and his Traeger conscripts slaughter the Ettin B'voon and his ogres at Livenoak. Kordek the hill giant is then pressed by the Fourth Eidolorn and inevitably destroyed by lethal magic from Prepostero. The Pinewater kobolds are destroyed by Captain Hoary's unit, and they press on to meet the Fourth at Livenoak. Meanwhile, most of the PCs are scattered about the Crown Pasture, fighting or fleeing from the Skull Collars. Mistlethroe, under heavy pressure, commands the Flabbergast Manor to once again disappear, much to the dismay of Mudgol, Slab and Darkahn who are all heavily wounded by this point. Darkahn retreats into the Udders Well, swimming for his life with Jon 'Blow', while Slab leads the worg riders off through the fields in a game of cat and mouse!

The Hydra Division is brought into play under Lt. Wogg (Gusta the ogre chef his second), and they engage Lt. Harmon Shast and his conscripts on their march south. With the PCs' small units scattered to the winds, the Skull Collars organize to face the Fourth Eidolorn and Captain Hoary. Doorjamb meets some random, ill fortune on the march while Mudgol uncovers 100 gold coins from some random stash! Lt. Wogg's hydra's deal massive amounts of damage to the Fourth Eidolorn conscripts before the rest of the march can arrive. Ryit and Mudgol move into position to assist their Tarair and Traeger saviors, and a great battle begins! Ryit's forces seem to oddly increase as more commoners leap to her cause at the behest of some good, dwarf cookin!

And at Floivin Keep, Belgin Hosspotch finally enters the fray, as his near useless slingers offer some ranged cover for the ground forces. But Langston and Luz remain hard pressed against incredible odds. Reckon, Vanquo and Doolan are all taking serious damage to their units. As the Fourth Eidolorn and Skull Collars commence their hostilities, Captain Hoary orders Doorjamb and his second to run a sweep of the villages of Littlewolf, Cedarway and the entrance to the Ettenhead itself...

PCs: Darkahn, Doorjamb, Langston, Luz, Mudgol, Ryit, Slab

NPCs

B'voon (ettin male): B'voon was an ettin chief serving as one of Ettenhead's chips in the War for Floivin Province. With a legion of ogres and the hill giant Kordek's legion, he was able to capture Livenoak with little resistance, as most of the inhabitants had fled. However, once the Fourth Eidolorn arrived to help liberate the province from the combined humanoid/Vhorinyr threat, B'voon and his unit were quickly slain by a ruthless charge from the Traeger conscripts under Captain Vrast. Within an hour, B'voon's entire unit was slaughtered!

Greklik (bugbear male): A bugbear warlord who serves below Chief Chizel in the Skull Collars. He fights with his peoples' traditional morningstar and has at least a dozen trophies around his neck to showcase his experience.

Kordek (hill giant male): A hill giant brute who served as one of the Ettenhead forward chiefs in the War for Floivin Province. Kordek was serving as a mobile infantry for B'voon's stationed forces at Livenoak. After B'voon was shockingly slain by Captain Vrast and his Traeger conscripts, much of the Fourth Eidolorn forces unified to take down Kordek and his ogres.

Lt. Chorus (human female): A weathered, thirty something soldier with two matched brown braids tied into loops down the back of her head, and several scars surrounding her brown eyes. Lt. Chorus is a seasoned archer who commands a troop of ranged combatants under Commander Vhelok of the Fourth Eidolorn.

Skrel (githyanki male): A gaunt, middle aged githyanki tactician who serves as Luz' second during the War for Floivin Province.

Oh yeah, and...

Online Session 25 (11/1/11)

Here is a link to a .RAR bundle which includes all the .html transcripts for AIM online sessions 1-32.


PCs: Doorjamb

NPCs

Lt. Poorly (human male): A gaunt, drunken Eidolorn officer who works out of Wattlewinch, he's got a broken pike that he's tied back together and constantly uses to support his sloshed weight. Has a few harsh words with Doorjamb who accuses him of his shortcomings.

Pvt. Cresk (human male): A thin soldier of the Fourth Eidolorn stationed in Traeger. Wields a light crossbow and leather armor. Accompanies Lt. Grizzlebeard and Pvt. Puj to the pass at the Vernal Wall, while they scout, then he sends word back to Captain Vrash at Traeger.

Session 25 (10/28/11)

Verne, Malarous 17th, 838 ID

Slab is confronted by the gargoyle tea attendant 'Earl', who promptly attacks him for breaching the Reargarden uninvited. The dwarf takes quite a few claws to the body, but decides against retaliating, instead relying on his companions to scale the wall and pacify the gargoyle. Finally, after several attempts, Mistlethroe gets up to the wall and orders Earl to bring tea for the PCs. They decide upon a course of action, and after failing to bust the lock to the Headmaster's Office, they decide to assault the Arkiva Assembly from the front doors, with Langston, Odd Jon and Luz taking up a flanking position at another door into the hall.

The githyanki mercenaries and two members of the Score are ready and waiting for the party, and a deadly battle ensues. Due to the Astral Plane's strange features, spells are able to be hurled at a faster rate than normal. It quickly becomes a fight of spell-flinging madness, with Mudgol and Mistlethroe engaging the red wizard Melek Tha and the efreet Flaming Fack, while the rest of the PCs fight off the hardened githyanki mercs wielding two-handed swords. At one point, Mudgol is pinned by an Evard's black tentacles and cloudkill simultaneously, and just barely survives. Darkahn's new badger companion is pelted to death by hailstones from the red wizards ice storm early in the battle. Several of Mudgol's magics sent towards the Assembly dais seem to fizzle out around an unseen barrier.

The tide of the battle turns when Mistlethroe uses phantasmal killer to miraculously slay the githyanki commando, and the red wizard and efreet have both fled through magic. The Manor has been regained, and the remaining githyanki survivors lower their weapons and propose a trade with the PCs: information for their lives. Mistlethroe agrees to terms, but insists that the PCs maintain a close watch upon them; then it's decided that the Manor will pay a fee for their protection once returning to Floivin Keep. The PCs take all the spoils of the fallen githyanki, including a pile of magical protection rings, magical medium breastplates and some masterwork composite bows. Mistlethroe manages to shift the Manor twice, the second time landing at the school's original construction site on the bank of Udders Well. Emerging from the Manor, the PCs see that, to the south, the Keep is on fire...

PCs: Darkahn, Langston, Luz, Mudgol, Ryit, Slab

NPCs

Commander Kthan (githyanki male): A heavily armored and disciplined soldier who was in charge of the githyanki used to take Flabberghast Manor in the employ of the Score. He wielded a two-handed, silver sword in battle but was defeated by Mistlethroe who used a phantasmal killer to frighten the Commander to death.

Earl (gargoyle male): A petite, spiky gargoyle attendant enthralled at Flabberghast Manor who tends the Reargarden area, serving students tea and entertaining them when needed.

Flaming 'Fack' (efreeti male): Previously reported to be a dwarf in the ranks of the Arkana Arkiva, Fack was actually an efreeti in disguise, one of the more exotic members of The Score. He was defeated in the re-taking of Flabberghast Manor, but managed to escape in gaseous form out to the Astral. His current whereabouts are unknown.

Melek Tha (human male): a bald and heavily tattooed ex-patriate of Toul Tabor, Melek Tha is a prominent member of The Score who has confronted the PCs on a number of occasions using his violent magic and ram-headed, burning staff. Melek helped the Blooded Lash tribe breach the settlement of the Hud Horrn, and then also partook in the theft of Flabberghast Manor, in which he learned how to isolate the magical college in the Astral Plane and activate several of its defenses. Tha escaped once the battle went downhill, plane shifting back to (presumably) the material plane.

Online Session 24 (9/28/11)

Here is a link to a .RAR bundle which includes all the .html transcripts for AIM online sessions 1-32.


PCs: Doorjamb

NPCs

Private Norsel (human male): A soldier of the Fourth Eidolorn, he's rather clammy with bright ginger orange here muddled up under a tight-fitting cap. Norsel serves as a guard at the village of Wattlewinch on the Fogspan, and has a tendency to forget details.

Session 24 Notes (9/23/11)

Aric, Malarous 14th, 838 ID

Once the Commander's Cup tournament ends, the PCs deliberate whether they should pursue Doughboy the Dreaded after his hostility towards Luz in the 3rd round. They decide against this course, instead readying themselves for Mistlethroe's mission to rescue Flabbergast Manor. Private Doorjamb is assigned to guide the Fourth Eidolorn on their march to Floivin Province, and separated from the other PCs once more, while Darkhan begins a meditation to attract a new animal companion. The rest of the group gets to bed early, so they can shop for items on the following morning.

Tault, Malarous 15th, 838 ID

In the morning, the PCs scatter to purchase items and prepare themselves for their strange journey to the Astral Plane. Potions are in short supply, but through Mistlethroe's contacts in the Wizards Elite, they are able to pick up a number of magic armaments. Mudgol identifies the magic monacle lens that Doorjamb has traded the other PCs (in return for their Charisma ioun stone), while Darkahan is ultimately successful in summoning a new animal companion, a badger. By evening, a number of characters have had items enchanted, and they move to collect them, before settling in early.

Varony, Malarous 16th, 838 ID

Mistlethroe takes aside Luz and Mudgol to explain to them some of the 'difference' in magic on the Astral Plane. He also debriefs the PCs as fully as he can: the Deans of the Arkana Arkiva have been defeated by an invading force of githyanki slavers and mercenaries led by at least two members of The Score: a Red Wizard (whom the PCs have previously encountered at the taking of the Hud Horrn), and a traitor dwarf student named 'Flaming' Fack. Lt. Langston accosts the gnome chancellor for his lack of precise details. Mistlethroe then explains the best he can about travel through the Astral, but informs the PCs they'll need 'hands on' experience. The party then proceeds to the Wizards Elite chantry in Tarair, and Prepostero sees them off. They grasp hands and Mistlethroe uses his plane shift spell...
They all appear in a silvery, pinkish void, and it takes some time for them to become oriented with 'steering', or 'falling' in particular directions. After some experimentation, Mistlethroe produces a device that allows him to 'track' the location of Flabbergast Manor on the Astral. He doesn't tell the PCs that they are over 50 miles away...but begins to 'fall' them in the proper direction. After what seems like an eternity of travel, the PCs encounter a glowing, bright winged being, who accosts them from a distance for traveling with an 'evil' problem, which it identifies as Luz the half-orc. The PCs ignore the warning (except Mistlethroe), and move along. Later that day of travel, they encounter a series of plummeting rock structures which Odd Jon Stuckle only barely manages to avoids...the PCs cannot rest or sleep as they travel, but they also don't feel hunger or thirst.

Verne, Malarous 17th, 838 ID

Using Mistlethroe's compass, they inevitable arrive from 'above' the Flabbergast Manor, their gnome guide and Mudgol seeing the familiar shape of their school. However, Mudgol accidentally falls too 'close' to the Manor, and activates a flight of gargoyle defenders from one of the active Eye Towers. The group flies off to safety, and the gargoyles do not pursue beyond a particular one mile radius. Mistlethroe believes that the Red Wizard has figured out how to implement the Manor's defenses, so an alternate access must be found. They decide to re-approach the place from below, 'falling' towards the rock and earth base which was transported along with the Manor when it originally left the Prime Material Plane. They decide upon an approach from a stream of water that exits from a vent below the school. Mistlethroe explains that this must lead to the Bath Works.

After managing to land on the undersurface of the Manor, Slab leads a reconnaissance up into the water vent, which inevitably comes to a stone grate. Since the vent is so tight, the PCs can't just break it from their position, so after scouting the next area with Mudgol's clairvoyance sensor, Mistlethroe and Mudgol dimension door into the Bath Works to enlist the aid of the magically bound gargoyle attendant Theo. Unfortunately, he's not that strong, so it takes him some time (and a crowbar passed through by Slab) to break the grates off and allow the PCs access to the Bath Works, which are heated by magically preserved igneous rock built into the floor, and supplied endlessly by a decanter of endless water built into the Bath. Luz expressed interest in breaking open and taking the decanter, but Mistlethroe throws a shitfit about how the PCs are NOT allowed to loot anything in the Manor without his permission.

Theo tells the party that the area has been relatively quiet, and then the PCs begin to systematically comb about the nearest empty classrooms, include an alchemy lab and the unused Pact Magic class. When they arrive at the West Arborage, Darkahn is surprised by a young human student who attacks him with a bookbag. They manage to calm the girl, and get information out of her. She claims that the githyanki and the enemy wizards are located in the central offices of the Manor, and that many of the instructors have been taken as slaves by the mercenaries, flown off in a cage carried by a large red dragon. The PCs set a course to try and circle around the enemy in the Manor, but first attempt to ambush a pair of animated mail boots that are stalking through the Students Wing West. Mistlethroe takes credit. The party, led by Slab, circles to the Sparring Yard, and then Slab scales the battlement into the Reargarden, running smack into another gargoyle attendant...
PCs: Darkahn, Langston, Luz, Mudgol, Ryit, Slab

NPCs

Apprentice Letoe (human female): A rather plain but congenial young teenage girl with brown hair tied back in a bun. She's a student of the Arkana Arkiva who somehow survived the invasion on Flabbergast Manor. PCs encounter her when she surprises and attacks Darkahn in the West Arborage of the Manor. She claims most of the Deans were enslaved by githyanki and carried off somewhere by a large red dragon.

Theo (gargoyle 'male'): The bath attendant of the Flabbergast Manor, he is magically bound to the Bath Works area and cannot leave. He gets lonely sometimes, and seems to have a peculiar attraction to males...or whichever male seems to be the most comely at the time. Theo is a fairly menacing looking gargoyle, but he wears a white toga.

The Arkana Arkiva

This post will be used to provide information on the various faculty of Flabbergast Manor in Floivin Province, including the Deans and instructors.

Dargyar (dwarf male)
Position: Dean of Transmutation, Instructor (Armorcraft, Weaponcraft)
Status: slain by githyanki on the astral plane, after imprisonment at Tashek're.

Dungunny (dwarf female)
Position: Instructor (Geography, History)
Status: currently active at Flabbergast Manor.

Earl (gargoyle 'male')
Position: former attendant of the Reargarden in Flabbergast Manor
Status: destroyed on the astral plane by the githyanki of Tashek're.

Ebronios (human male)
Position: Dean of Enchantment, Instructor (Wondrous Itemcraft)
Status: currently active at Flabbergast Manor.

Edlund the Pale (human male)
Position: Master Librarian of the Greater Archives
Status: currently active at Flabbergast Manor.

'Flaming' Fack (dwarf male?)
Position: former student and member of the Arkiva
Status: a former member of The Score, destroyed by the PCs.
 
Furblas (halfling male)
Position: Dean of Abjuration, Instructor (Alchemy)
Status: currently active at Flabbergast Manor after liberation from Tashek're.

Jolly Folly Hosspotch (halfling male)
Position: former Headmaster of the Arkana Arkiva (838-842 ID)
Status: voted out and honorable discharged, traveled East for Grandmother Hosspotch; presumably still alive and well.

Koss Karn (human male)
Position: Dean of Necromancy, Instructor (Shadow Magic)
Status: currently active at Flabbergast Manor after liberation from Tashek're.

Letoe (human female)
Position: student, support staff
Status: currently active at Flabbergast Manor.

Maph Mettle (half-elf male)
Position: Dean of Illusion
Status: currently active at Flabbergast Manor.

Mistlethroe (gnome male)
Position: Chancellor of the Arkana Arkiva, Instructor (Ringcraft)
Status: currently active at Flabbergast Manor.

Mudgol the Undecided (half-orc male)
Position: former student, Attache to the Last Eidolorn under Lt. Banghorn (currently Cpt. Kennel)
Status: an active PC, Arkana Arkiva status under review.

Neveca (human female)
Position: Instructor (Nature Studies)
Status: currently active at Flabbergast Manor.

Rafael 'Aleheart' Lafferty (human male)
Position: former Headmaster of the Arkana Arkiva (842-857 ID)
Status: unknown; but presumed dead somewhere in another time.

Sarge (gargoyle 'male')
Position: attendant of the Gymnasium in Flabbergast Manor.
Status: Sarge is bound to the Gymnasium of the Flabbergast Manor.
 
Schnoo the Sorcerous (human male)
Position: former Headmaster of the Arkana Arkiva (822-837 ID)
Status: reinstated as Headmaster, replacing the missing Spurr the Meticulous.

Slurrow (human male)
Position: Dean of Divination, Instructor (Inscription/Scrolls)
Status: currently active at Flabbergast Manor after liberation from Tashek're.

Spurr the Meticulous (human male)
Position: Headmaster of the Arkana Arkiva, Instructor (General Arcana)
Status: unknown; marched to Wintersbreath with the Last Eidolorn under Regent-General Gurd Gnarlbottom.

Theo (gargoyle 'male')
Position: former attendant of the Bath Works in Flabbergast Manor
Status: destroyed on the astral plane by the githyanki of Tashek're.

Thulthoom (human male)
Position: Dean of Conjuration, Instructor (Planar Studies)
Status: currently active at Flabbergast Manor after liberation from Tashek're.

Valkenna (human female)
Position: Dean of Invocation, Instructor (Wandcraft)
Status: currently active at Flabbergast Manor after liberation from Tashek're.

Session 23 / Online Session 23 Notes (8/21/11)

Evelais (Saint's Day), Malarous 13th, 838 ID

The PCs continue on throughout the Grazelands, following the Great Westermarch Road to the city of Tarair, where they arrive in the evening. The gatehouses of the city's various districts each blaze with a tall fire, casting a great deal of light over the nightscape. Langston approaches the guards, asking for the location of Commander Vhelok, who he is told might be in a meeting currently for his fighting tournament (scheduled the following day). Langston takes Darkahn with him to find the Commander and pass on the Floivin writ, while the others travel outside the city to the Tarair Chantry of the Wizards Elite. En route, a barbarian woman from the Long North, one Ryit Silverhand takes an interest in the presence of the half-orcs, and decides to tail them. Meanwhile, Doorjamb and Mistlethroe have arrived at the Chantry's Transit room, where they are met by chancellor Prepostero, a local wizard. They decide to go in search of Mudgol at once.

It doesn't take long...as Mudgol, Slab, Luz and Odd Jon are arriving at the Chantry just as Doorjamb the pair are leaving! Odd Jon and Doorjamb embrace, old friends, and the group decides to go speak in one of the local inns, at greater length. Ryit follows the curious group, bored as she waits for the tournament the following day. She is confronted by soldiers who mock her and make unwanted advances upon the barbarian, and a duel erupts. But Ryit quickly makes short work of her oppressor's blade, and is granted access to the city. She follows the group to the Winking Barrel, in the NE district of Tarair. Langston and Darkahn have been told to wait at the Brass Archer Tap, in the SW district, when Commander Vhelok finally comes to greet them. He takes their writ, offers them the hospitality of the city and Fourth Eidolorn, but says he will need some time to think it over (at least until morning), as the tournament is taking up most of his evening plans. Langston sends for a courier boy.

Odd Jon notices Ryit enter the Winking Barrel, and nervously decides to get his 'mack' on, at the encouragement of Slab and Doorjamb, neither of whom are highly interested in the plain and admittedly fearsome looks of the barbarian. She agrees to join Odd Jon for dinner, and the PCs discuss their plans. Mistlethroe will need the PCs assistance in re-securing the Flabbergast Manor, which is currently somewhere on the Astral Plane and taken over by members of the score, including one 'Flaming' Fack and a Red Wizard, plus several mercenaries from the Astral. It is agreed that they will reconvene the day after the tournament to begin their planning and assault, once the gnome can pinpoint the castle's exact location on the other plane. The PCs all seem rather confused about what the hell he's talking about...until the courier arrives, and they all pack up to find Langston. Most of the PCs decide to stay either at the barracks or the Winking Barrel.

Aric, Malarous 14th, 838 ID

Our heroes scatter about the city on errands before meeting with Vhelok at around 10am. The Commander had asked if two of the PCs could partake in the tournament, since there are two slots open and no Last Eidolorn representatives fighting. It is agreed that Luz and Darkahn will give it their best shot. Slab visits a local jewel, Randolf, brother of 'Glimmerin' Timm' to procure a stylish alloy beard-comb and some beard-jewelry. Doorjamb tries Smallsword Abbey for curative potions, meeting Prelate Akstra. But the cost is too high. Mudgol and Mistlethroe head back to the Tarair Chantry, so Mudgol can buy some components (and a dispel magic scroll) off 'Breather' Bem. Ryit and Slab take baths. Hell, it's about time! The PCs then meet with Vhelok who informs them he will arrange a force of 600 men (archers, infantry, cavalry, and a handful of wizards and clergy) to march on Floivin Keep two days hence, as per the writ. He can spare no more. The PCs are invited to join the march, but they must decline, since Mistlethroe requires their assistance the following day.

The PCs head off to the 5th Annual Tarair Commander's Cup tournament where they will fight and bet. Several of them, including Slab, Doorjamb and Langston come out with quite a bit of extra coin in their pockets. Darkahn makes it to the second round after killing a half-ogre Treeg by accident, while Luz makes it to the third round, losing at last to one Doughboy the Dreaded, who continues to beat on the half-orc after Luz surrenders, until stopped by the Wizards Elite referees. Doughboy goes on to win the entire tournament, defeating Baxter the Mighty in the final round. Luz, Darkahn, and Doughboy will not be invited again (Luz also accidentally slew an opponent, Lt. Vapri Thel of Melethesz). The complete results are listed below:

The Fifth Annual Tarair Commander's Cup

Round the 1st:
Lt. Bergothe the Boar > Linsey Cutforth (surrender)
Ryit Silverhand > Sgt. Wim Skithers (surrender)
Darkahn Gradak > Cpt. Treeg (slain)
Baxter the Mighty > Cpt. Dash Lagarr (surrender)
Luz > Lt. Vapri Thel (slain)
Pvt. Puj > Pvt. Rigley (knockout)
Lt. Strenna Knelrave > Lt. Harmon Shast (surrender)
Doughboy the Dreaded > Smote Nightling (knockout)

Round the 2nd:
Lt. Bergothe the Boar > Ryit Silverhand (surrender)
Baxter the Mighty > Darkahn Gradak (knockout)
Luz > Pvt. Puj (knockout)
Doughboy the Dreaded > Lt. Strenna Knelrave (surrender)

Round the 3rd:
Baxter the Mighty > Lt. Bergothe the Boar (knockout)
Doughboy the Dreaded > Luz (surrender)

Final:
Doughboy the Dreaded > Baxter the Mighty (surrender)

PCs: Darkahn, Doorjamb, Langston, Luz, Mudgol, Ryit, Slab

NPCs

'Breather' Bem (human male): A hunched figure with a ghastly presence, he has severe facial damage from what appears to be acidic burns. These have caused him to blind in his left eye, skin to stretch, hair to be sparse in graying wisps, and several holes in the sides of his jaws. He constantly gasps for air through these additional orifices, while his unkempt, long nails clutch at a necklace of bone beads, and a gnarled walking stick with the head of a ram. Bem belongs to the Wizards Elite of Tarair, and specializes in trading spells and components to interested peers and students (Wizards Elite, Arkana Arkiva, and other Eidolorn magic institutions).

Captain Dash Lagarr (human male): A handsome man in his late 20s, with a perfectly kempt mane of sandy blonde hair tucked beneath his helmet, a broad smile and greenish, watery eyes. His longsword is of immense quality, with a copperish tint to the blade and an ornate pommel. He bears the symbol of Eleste both on his shield and tunic, and walks with a humble but deliberate swagger. The popular paladin, from the Second Eidolorn in Rothe, surrenders to Baxter the Mighty in the first round of the Tarair tournament.

Captain Treeg (half-ogre male): A towering brute of roughly 8 feet, this ruddy skinned titan had a series of ornate earrings and piercings dangling from his face, and a carefully oiled and braided beard which hung below his neck. His eyes were reddish-brown, and his face pocked with a large number of scars and whiskers. The greatclub he wielded is carved of fine wood and engraved with scenes of battle, and his bulk nearly bristled forth from his scale armor. Treeg was an officer of the Fourth Eidolorn, slain unintentionally by Darkahn Gradak in the first round of Vhelok's tournament.

Commander Vhelok (human male): A tall and narrow man deep in his middle years, Vhelok has a well-oiled, enormous moustache that is braided half-way down his chest. His graying-black hair is also tied back in a top-knot and an array of rings hang from it, jangling when he turns. A scar runs from his left ear up his cheek to across his forehead, and his brows appear to have been singed off, with some burn residue. He wears a suit of spiked splint mail with a regular issue halberd, scimitar and crossbow. Vhelok leads the Fourth Eidolorn out of the city of Tarair, and agrees to lead an army of 600 to help retake Floivin Province, after being approached by Lt. Langston with the official writ.

Doughboy the Dreaded (human male): Clad in the thickest suite of full plate you’ve ever seen, nicked with a number of dents, this tall and broad-shouldered man doesn’t seem as if he wants to take any chances. His helmet remains shut, and he wears a tunic with the emblem of a hearth. He carries a heavy shield and a massive, block-headed warhammer of stone and steel. His introduction to the Tarair tournament read that he was the son of a poor baker, out to prove that even the most common man can wage heroic battle. Not once throughout the tournament did he show his face, not even after defeating the other finalist Baxter the Mighty. He defeated Smote Nightling and the Violet Whisper before facing Luz in the third round, but would not accept the half-orc's surrender, taking some cheap shots at him before the Wizards Elite restrained the armored clod. He was thus disqualified (along with Luz and Darkahn) from future entry to the tournament, but regardless he went on to defeat Baxter the Mighty in the final round, and claim the 5k gold prize and key to the city.

Kliko Moss (human female): A full-figured, middle aged woman whose hair is tied back in braids, her gray-green eyes seem sad, though she bears a near constant, nagging smile. She dresses in deep olive green robes over a leather corset, and has a scar on the right side of her neck from her shoulder to ear. The same ear seems to have been mildly gnawed upon. Kliko is the barkeep and part-owner of the Brass Archer Tap in the Tarair military district. A somewhat charming woman, she is nonetheless hesitant to allow the half-orc PCs into her establishment, but relents after Luz threatens to burn it to the ground.

Linsey Cutforth (half-elf male): A girlish waif with refined, brittle elfin features, he wears a suit of fanciful leather armor worked in floral patterns, and carries a daisy between his teeth. His pale blonde hair waves in even the slightest of breezes, and he gestures with his rapier as he speaks and bows. Somewhat of a local hero in Nobbish, Cutforth is a swashbuckler and the twin brother of a renowned officer (Leanne Cutforth) in the Third Eidolorn. He travels with his bard companion Smote Nightling, dancing and entertaining. Linsey entered the Tarair tournament but was made quick work of by Lt. Bergothe 'The Boar' in the first round.

Lt. Bergothe 'The Boar' (human male): A middle-aged man of enormous jowls and bristling mutton chops, he is only barely contained by the suit of black stained half-plate he sports. Well over 300 lbs. His right eye is covered with a dark cloth patch, and his ample brown hair tied off in a series of top knots. His teeth are browning but filed off, and the threatening heavy flail he carries has a reptilian appearance with a clawed pommel. 'The Boar', an officer in the Fourth Eidolorn, fought well in the Tarair tournament, defeating Linsey Cutforth and Ryit Silverhand before suffering defeat at the hands of Baxter the Mighty.

Lt. Harmon Shast (human male): A short and sturdy middle-aged man with a bald scalp and blocky face, his splint mail is adorned with studs and ribbons of commendations for his militia service. He carries a heavy pick in his left hand, and a shield in his right with a band of cheap jewels around its border. A local officer of the Fourth Eidolorn, Shast was defeated in the first round of the Tarair tournament, by The Violet Whisper.

Lt. Strenna Knelrave (human female): A woman of 30 something summers. She draws her name from both her unusual, natural eye tint and the hair she dyes up in a fanciful bun, but there is no doubt that her cool and appraising features are strong and attractive. She wields a pair of cruel morning stars with their hafts wrapped in leather bands, and a suit of gleaming chain. Strenna is a Third Eidolorn officer of some repute from Nobbish. She defeats Lt. Harmon Shast in the first round of the Tarair tournament, but surrenders to Doughboy in the second.

Lt. Vapri Thel (human female): Wrapped in deep blue garments which cover a shapely but lithe figure, this bronze woman’s eyes glinted out from beneath her turban with a playful and seductive lightness. A pair of scimitars with jeweled hilts were slung across her back, and a water-horn by her side. Thel was an officer in the Sixth Eidlorn of Melethesz, who entered the Tarair tournament. The dervish was unfortunately slain (though not intentionally) by Luz in the first round.

Prelate Akstra (human male): A tall, spindly man knotted with wiry muscles, he wears a white shift and cloak each bearing the symbols of the clergy of Eleste. He seems rather young, perhaps in his late 20s, with blondish hair and thick, brown eyebrows above his hawk-like visage. A silver-hilted longsword hangs at either side of his belt, and he carries a basket and horn slung over his shoulder. Akstra is in charge of the Smallsword Abbey of Tarair while his superior, Bishop Blaun is off fighting in Wintersbreath with the 4th/5th/Last Eidolorn host.

Prepostero (human male): An elderly man with an excess of long, snow-white hair, and a lengthy beard braided to resemble a ladder. Through this ‘ladder’, a mottled tan and silver tamarin swings and plays. The stone faced man seems not to pay any attention, often wiping his chalky hands upon his violet and brass-trimmed robes, or adjusting his mirror-faced spectacles. Prepostero is chancellor to the Tarair Chantry of the Wizards Elite, and also responsible for the comings and goings of the local Transit Chamber (which each Wizards Elite compound maintains for fast access to their peers).

Pvt. Puj (human male): Though he sports the tunic and emblem of a Fourth Eidolorn soldier, this young man is complete unarmed, wearing little more than a peasant’s attire and a lopsided cloth hat, though he appears otherwise to be in good shape. He grins cheerfully, with a muss of brown hair that hasn’t been clipped in many months, and some stubble forming on his cheeks and chin. Puj managed to defeat his fellow solider Private Rigley in the first round of Vhelok's tournament, but was taken down instantly in the following round by Luz.

Pvt. Rigley (human male): A young man in his late teens, sporting woodsmanlike colors above his studded leather armor. His dark blonde hair is tied back in several braids that hang below the neck, and he has a number of silver piercings in his ears and brow, which accent his green eyes. He carries a finely carved longbow and a short sword tucked into his belt. Rigley is a Scout of the Fourth Eidolorn, and entered the Tarair tournament, only to be defeated by his fellow solider (and monk), Private Puj in the first round.

Sgt. Wim Skithers (human male): A seasoned veteran in his 50s, wearing a heavily abused chain shirt and a glaive with several silvered goblin skulls adorning its haft. What remains of his hair is a graying black, his skin is reddish tinted from days of training out in the sun, and his nose is scarred and broken a few times over. His left eye is slightly milky, the right a piercing greenish-brown. Skithers hails from the First Eidolorn in Carbadi. He surrenders in the first round of the Tarair tournament, surrendering to Ryit Silverhand.

Smote Nightling (halfling male): A handsome halfling with amazingly prim sideburns and greased black hair, and a ruddy face of character upon which a pug nose and glimmering brown eyes shine. He wears a decorated chain shirt and carries a skillfully worked ranseur, with a dagger tucked into his belt. Smote is an orator and singer of considerable skill, and a kindly fellow, but probably had no right entering the Tarair fighting tournament, in which he was easily brushed aside by Doughboy the Dreaded in the first round. Smote hails from Nobbish, and is known to travel with the half-elf Linsey Cutforth.