ARVENTINE: Map of Gallantria

Desert of Skulls Chapter 1 - Welcome to Iskandria. 

As the party sight land, their long sea voyage finally coming to an end, they spy another ship on the horizon. It quickly draws alongside and the Everessememe soldiers crewing it insist on searching the party's ship. The fail to find whatever it is they were looking for, but realise the Zhang Zhou is a graduate of the University of Mongxar and thus obliged to offer help to soldiers on the Emperor's business they requisition him for their secret mission. They refuse to let Gordon join Zhang, but do promise to return him to the small port town of Iskandria, where they suggest that the party wait in the meantime.

As the party sail into Iskandria, they see an ancient, but slightly crumbling, town. Despite a large number of berths, the docks are mostly deserted save for a single merchant vessel and a few listless dockhands. One of them informs the party that the docks are normally bustling, but recently caravans travelling along the desert road have been prevented from reaching the town by a group of 'mad northmen'. The party then make their way to Iskandria's premier eatery, Hammurabi's grill for a bite to eat. Whilst feasting on delicious grills, the enthusiastic Hammurabi asks for the party' help: a tribe of horrible lizard men have recently taken up residence by an oasis normally used by his camel and sheep herds. They are eating the normally well-treated camels indiscriminately and Hammurabi asks the party to drive them off, a task for which they will be rewarded with gold and free grills for life.

The party next visits the Caranvaners' Guild whose head, Ilu-Shuma, asks them to deal with the Northmen who have been raiding the caravans travelling into Iskandria. They are striking out of the hills surrounding the desert road and killing or taking captive the passengers and crew of any caravans that pass, leaving the cargo strangely untouched. The party agree to help and head off to the west gate, passing through the marketplace on their way.

In the market, the party encounter a mad beggar who babbles to them about elves having stolen his name, asking if they could find it if they are going into the desert. Before he can be questioned further he scarpers, terrified by the monstrous faces of Gordon and Charlie Martin. With the exception of Gordon, the part also all buy sunhats.

Their business in town concluded for the time being, the party head into the desert. They find the lizardman tribe by the oasis and are told by their shaman to go away – it's their oasis now. The draconic-speaking Strawson attempts to negotiate but fails and the party leaps into battle. After our heroes make short work of the Lizardmen's front line and artillery the shaman surrenders and agrees to lead the tribe back to the hills where they used to live.

After the battle is done, Gordon and Charlie's sharp eyes spot a figure on the edge of the hills to the north – the party is being watched. Suspecting that it was one of the Northmen that they are after, the party goes to investigate. After some disagreements over which way the tracks lead from the hill, the party decide to follow Gordon's lead. However the have spent too long deliberating and as they are walking along the bottom of a narrow ravine, bowmen appear at the top and they see a boulder being manoeuvred into position at its mouth – the party are being ambushed! Luckily Gordon manages to push the boulder back the other way before it can crush the party. The northmen seem uninterested in talking, their leader merely instructing his men to take the Goliath alive as he would make a fine meal for 'Mother Wyrm'. After a tough fight the northmen go down and on the leader's corpse the party find a crude map indicating a path through the hills.

The map leads to the party to a rune-covered cave mouth and they proceed to enter. Inside they find “Mother Wyrm” - an enormous snake that the northmen had been feeding their captives to. Faced with such obviously dangerous beast, the party dig deep into their reserves and vanquish the monster in under thirty seconds.

ARVENTINE: Chapter 2: "A Problem Most Dire(woods)"

With the party back together, the heroes prepared for the week-long trek north to the Direwoods, to uncover the true story behind the Harpers and Baba Yaga. The road north was quiet except for a few traders and farmers heading to the markets of Vos and Arventine. Passing first through the salt-flats, then across the Merildor Hills, and finally along the coast road, they arrive in sight of the dark and ominious looking Direwoods.

Suddenly, Eored had a feeling that they were being tracked. Sure enough, a band of ranger looking types surrounded them, weapons at the ready. Their leader emerged, a man in rough leathers with a bushy black beard and long black hair tied back in a topnot, Flatlander-style. He introduced himself as Brynam Riv, and demanded that the party submit to a search. Recalling her youth in Gallantria, Sarah Lachance recognised the name Riv as one of the noble houses of her home realm. By proving his association with Melora, Christophe convinced Brynam a search was not needed, and Sarah pressed the man on why a Gallantrian noble was so far from home. Brynam Riv seemed prickly, and avoided the question, simply asking her what the lost daughter of Duke Trevec Lachance was doing travelling with mercenaries out east.

After some discussion, Brynam revealed that him and his rangers were hunting a cabal of infernalist devil-worshippers that has absconded into the Direwoods. He skillfully avoided the topic of the purpose of this hunt, and instead recruited the party to aid him. Brynam told them that the Fey of the Direwoods had gone feral, and killed several of his men, impeding his search. In the hope of finding either the Harpers or Baba Yaga, the heroes agreed to search the forest. Brynam told them there was a warlock who dwelled in the forest called Igris who might be able to help them. As they departed, Brynam told them to be careful of an unknown creature who stalks the forest, known only as 'The Wolf Mother of the Woods'.

The Direwood was an eerie place, utterly devoid of any signs of wildlife. Fearing the worst, the party search around and find some Hellish symbols engraved on several trees, which soon turned into a trail deep into the forest. Soon they came to a wooded canyon where a cave entrance lay beneath. Clambering down ropes, they investigate the cave, to see it had infernal runes etched on the entrance. Creeping inside, they came to a large chamber bedecked with poisonous mushrooms with a battered and bloody door at the far end, and and a passage leading further into the cave complex. In the passage they found a moribund wilden lashed to the rocks by his own tendrils, but before they could investigate further, wild looking eladrin emerged from the ivy covered walls and attacked.

A furious battle took place, with some opportunistic hags joining in. After the rabid fey were dispatched the hags fled, and the party gathered their wits. They returned to the sleeping wilden, but as Balthazar approached him, vile Hellish runes glowed suddenly all around them, and two chain devils emerged out of the aether and attacked. With a cry of 'back devils!' the party slew them, only for a smoky, possessing devil to slip out of the wilden and take over Sarah. After a battle of wills with the devil, Sarah banished it from her mind, and the thing was slain. Free of the possession, the wilden thanked the party and told them of what had happened. He claimed that several black-cloaked humans had arrived a few days prior and performed an occult ritual on the fey-oak that lay at the heart of the cave, tearing out its heart. With the fey-oak dead, the connection to the Feywild was broken and the fey, now trapped in the Material Plane, were driven mad with rage. He feared for the fate of Igris, worrying that the eladrin had killed him in their frenzy. When asked, the wilden knew nothing of Baba Yaga or the Harpers. Gifting Eored with a fine wilden bow, he thanked the heroes once more and slunk wounded out of the cave.

Returning to investigate the door in the previous chamber, the party notice it is covered in scratches and has been busted off its hinges. Inside they found a rude living quarter with a table of alchemical ingredients bubbling away, and the savage and broken body of Igris. Upon examination, they find Igris to be recently dead, and vow to take him to be raised when the adventure is over, if at least to quiz him on the nature of the witch Baba Yaga.

Steeling themselves, they leave the body of Igris in his chambers, and head deeper into the cave to find the desecrated fey-oak. The party enter a large chamber with crevices in the floor, and strange fungus growing from the walls. At the back of the chamber they see a sorry looking oak, with a great rend in its trunk. in the center of the room is a vast creature, a mixture of a spider and a giant tick, 8 foot tall with beautiful irredescent chitin tipped with lethal looking barbs. It was an Arachonoptrix, the fabled 'Wolf Mother of the Woods', a magnificantly dangerous Feywild predator made up of two creatures: a mindless savage animal, and a psionic parasite within, working in harmony. As the Arachonoptrix lept at the party they fought back hard, avoiding it's acidic mandibles. Strange goblin-like creatures called Nilbogs crawled from the crevices to join the fight, wierd fey that heal through damage, and suffer through healing. Solving the mystery of the Nilbogs the party soon dispatched them, and eventually killed the Arachonoptrix. Landing the final blow, Sarah tore off a fragment of chitin to fashion into a helmet.

While the others recovered, Eored and Christophe approached the ruined fey-oak, and found a strange drawing pinned inside the gaping wound. (see prior post). It was a Tartarigraph, a cryptic request from infernalists to the Hells themselves, a plea that accompanies a sacrifice, in this cast the fey-oak itself. Through a commune with his god, the paladin of Melora understood that he could heal the tree, but only at great cost to himself. Eored offered to step up, but Christophe felt it was his holy duty to do this himself. Reaching into the wound, the Paladin's lifeforce bled slowly into it. As it healed, to everyones horror the wound began to hungrily close around Christophe's arm. Despite the assistance of Eored, Christophe was too slow, and his arm just below the elbow was crushed and torn off. Despite the horror of losing his limb, Christophe knew he had healed the forest, and his lost arm would become one with it, feeding it.

Wasting no time, the party quickly examine the Tartarigraph. The collection of images made no immediate sense, but they recognise three symbols: the rune of the Black Mage of Mampang, the lily of Gallantria, and the grail of house Lachance. The rest of the image a mystery, they return to gather up Igris' body and head back to Brynam Riv. The going it hard, with Christophe's ability to climb reduced by his severed limb, and the burden of carrying Igris. Suddenly they are confronted by the beginnings of radiant portals all around them, oozing the same substance they fled from in the journey from Khare. With some arcane trickery, Alain Fu managed to dismiss the portals for now, and the party pressed on. With the end of the forest approaching, they deemed their ordeal nearly over. But in the fading light, Eored noticed torchlight in the distance, a mass of torches all around them, approaching them slowly...

Tune in next time, for Chapter 3: "A Farewell to Arm".      

ARVENTINE: The Tartarigraph.

The obscure request to the Nine Hells that the party found in the desecrated Fey-Oak tree in the Direwoods:

"The Tartarigraph"

ARVENTINE: Paragon Chapter 1: "How Balthazar Beat City Hall"

Charging the portal up with their diamond reagent, the party open up a passage to Fu's tower in Arventine. However, things are never simple for our heroes. Facing some turbulence as they flew across the planes to their destination, the companions found themselves in a strange landscape: a tall white marble canyon, where a thundering wave of radiant energy flooded towards them. Darting over rubble, the party just managed to reach a dormant portal, and flee for their lives through it. They arrived back in Arventine to see Fu's butler Parp diligently greasing up the tower. The party discover to their confusion that their strange delay had kept them away from the material plane for nearly ten months, and much of Arventine had assumed they had died in now infamous 'Massacre of Khare', and the denizen of Scholar Street had their greedy eyes on his tower...

Not allowing this strange occurrence to irk them, they set about their original intention; bringing the traitorous Blind Varlet Tawni Abbas to justice. This proved problematic. Enough time had passed for Balthazar to lose his Hidden Lord status, but after an enlightening trip to the City Library, they discover he still retains the right to pursue a grievance against another Hidden Lord. The party seek out a meeting with the Hidden Lords, and after a tense negotiation surrounded by twenty of the deadly Hidden Priest Avengers, they manage to arrange a Trial of Combat against Abbas.

 With the battle laid on for tomorrow morning, the party set about reacquainting themselves with Arventine. A trip to the Golden Lamprey Inn has the companions meet with their old friend Sirius, no longer working as Tawni's gopher but instead now an influential doyen in Glipkerio's Thieves Guild. Christophe has a pleasant reunion with his girlfriend Marigold, now running a orgiastic service in the Grove of Melora. Believing this to be the will of his lady Melora, Christophe makes use of the grove's new 'service' and has a fertility statue commissioned.

As the night draws in, curiosity leads the party to strange street mystic. Claiming to be a chosen of Ioun, the mystic grants the group a tarot reading, only to divine the sentence 'YOU DID NOT DIE AT SHAREAT'. Spooked at this, she determines that the party has somehow avoided a destiny that Ioun herself had bestowed upon her. With knowledge of this 'dissonant destiny' condition, the party assume there must be some connection between this and the strange radiant light they encountered in the portal.

The morning of the Trial soon came, but Tawni was not done with his tricks. Successfully poisoning Sarah Lachance's breakfast, he managed to hamstring the party for the fight. As the party made their way to the Hidden Lord's sepulchre, Tawni had also laid on some assassins to take them out, but they were easily dispatched, and the Arventine river gained a few more bodies.

After the ceremonial pomp was completed by the Hidden Priests, Tawni's champions were introduced. A Tiefling fire mage, a minotaur arena champion, a veteran of the Brass War, a brash cleric of Erathis and an old friend - the were rat crime lord Scurrilous Gunny, scarred from fire and lusty for revenge. But the party were fighting fit, and dispatched all but Gunny and the Tiefling to the grave. Cursing Christophe's name and vowing a 'blood debt', Gunny slunk away, determined that this would not be the final time they meet...

Justice was soon to be done. Balthazar was called up to pass sentence on Tawni Abbas. As Balthazar called for the execution of Abbas, the tricksy senator activated a magical ring, and teleported away. The party wasted no time in racing to his estate to stop his escape from the city. Finding his estate servants in the process of packing pocessions into carts, the party put these carts to the flame and storm inside. There they found preparing for the road. Shocked, he fell to his knees and begged Balthazar to allow him to flee to Evaressemme, were they would never hear from him again. Full of rage, Balthazar wastes no time in running Abbas through with his blade. As the duplicitous senator bled out in disbelief at his end, the party ransacked what pocessions are left in his house. In his vault they find a portion of the Abbas fortune, a fancy shield and a curious essay on some Dawn War golems called "The Iron Four".

 With the death of Tawni Abbas, the party gain some closure on the terrible events they have been a part of. However, one issue is still bothering Fu: the Neighbourhood Watch Committee of Scholar Street wanting his tower. They roll by the estate of one of these berks, a horse trader. After some heated words, Fu ends up turning the horse trader's mind to pulp, and they make their swift exit, glad that the honourable Balthazar wasn't their to witness this. Perhaps this is not the last our heroes have seen of the Scholar Street Neighbourhood Watch Committee...

CHAPTER 1.5: "A PREVIOUS OWNER"

At a loose end, and with Sarah still recovering from her poisoning at the hands of the now dead Tawni Abbas, the party head to the Golden Lamprey to attend an "evening of food, poetry, wine and excess" event that the Temple of Corellon is laying on. The heroes party on until the wee hours, and wake up with fuzzy heads, with the tavern surprisingly serene in the morning light. Eored is gone, and they party vaguely remember him saying he wanted to attend the "Bow and Arrow Expo" going on in the Blackhand District today. Searching for breakfast, the peace is soon broken as Parp charges into the inn, shouting that something has gone terribly wrong with the tower.

As they chase across the city, Parp explains that during his daily greasing, He found a stone, rune-covered disc under the floor of the basement and when he went o grease it, the grease came alive with black, creeping veins.

As expected, the tower was a mess when the party arrived. The black misty tendrils of the Shadowfel rose off it, and the Scholar Street Neighbourhood Watch Committee stood around it, tutting and shaking their heads. Over calls of anger at the eyesore the tower had become, the party push through the crowd and into the tower. Inside, the walls are a mass of living black veins, all seemingly originating from the basement. As they descend downstairs, they encounter a raging portal, and after looking around find a diary entry from a previous occupant of the tower - a 'Cressida' - who seemingly wanted to sojourn into the dead realm of the Shadowfel. Naturally, Christophe, Balthazar and Fu bundle through the portal.

Now deep in the Shadowfel, they find themselves confronted by a gothic looking facsimile of Fu's tower. Inside they encounter Shadar'kai, a shadowy version of Parp, a strange machine and a grumpy undead butler, before ascending to the top of the tower to find Cressida. Cressida herself, mistakenly trapped in the Shadowfel, asks the party to help her and her Shadar'kai return to Arventine, in exchange for a share of the dark kingdom she will turn the city into. The boys had their fill of things from other planes wanting to set up 'dark kingdoms' on the Prime Material, and so dispatched the sorceress. Returning home, the party take the stone disc and stow it (for some reason) in the library so that Cressida can never return.  

With the Tower back to its greasy self once more and the Neighbourhood Watch placated (for now...), the party turn their attention to more serious matters. With the role of the Witch of the Direwoods - the mysterious Baba Yaga - in the machinations of the Blind Varlets still a puzzle, they prepare to return once again to the Direwoods to confront her...  

ARVENTINE: Timeline.

HISTORY OF THE ARVENTINE CAMPAIGN, IN THE YEAR 2500 A.C. (After Cataclysm)

 

14^th Febuary – 28^th June: The Brass War. The Brass Coalition, an alliance of Flatlander tribes go to war to Arventine. They are resoundly defeated.
 

1-2th July: The party find work with a local merchant, who claims his caravans have been going missing in the mountain passes. The party find a tribe of goblins led by a chieftain called King Knak, who they capture and hand in to the authorities of Brindlehowe. The local merchant explains that they will find more work to the south, in the city of Arventine. 

3-10^th July: The party arrive in Arventine, and take some dubious grave robbing job. Falling foul of the family who owned the tomb – the Thysas family – they end up caught in a conspiracy. Aided by the wealthy senator Tawni Abbas, they defeat the Thysas family and acquire the Orb of Qlippoth.

 

11-13^th July: The party investigate the Tower of Sulla, and after defeating a black dragon, Eored is branded with the Mark of Qlippoth.

 

14^th July – 7^th August: The party travel across the Southern Flatlands to Salamonis to meet with the Starlocks.

 

8-10 August: The party meet with the Starlocks and find out the truth about the Vault. After taking a job with the Mage’s Guild to recover a jewelled skull, the party track down Yaztromo to a temple of Ioun and slay him.

 

11^th August – 2^nd September: The party return to Arventine. Upon arrival, they find the city under martial law, and refusing to aid Vos.

 

25^th August: Seige of Vos begins.

 

3-5^th September: The party rescue Tawni Abbas from the prison. With the help of Glipkerio the head of Thieves Guild, the party hunt down Sapphoro and destroy him.

 

5-7^th September: The green Star of Qlippoth is visible in the sky.

 

6-8^th September: The party travel to and from the Vault of Qlippoth, retrieving the Cyrinishad from the Far Realm. They meet Castello, the drunk seacaptain.

 

9^th September: Tinve Aleaz’abaen kidnaps Orrind and takes him to Khare.

 

10-18^th September: The party travel to the Dire Wood on the behest of the Harpers.

 

19^th September: The Seige of Vos ends, Arventine is victorious.

 

19^th September – 11^th October: The party travel to Khare, by way of the perilous Shahamunti Peaks.

 

12-15^th October: The party investigate Khare, and defeat Zod the Immortal. The Eclipse begins, and the party eventually battle and defeat the Pilgrim.

 

15^th October: The Eclipse occurs above Khare. Few survive.

 

16^th October: The party enter the portal in Sapphoro’s shop to Arventine, to seek revenge on Tawni Abbas.  

 

ARVENTINE: Finale - "Alain Fu and the Clone-o-saurus"

            As the Pilgrim and his vile coterie of demons and Blind Varlets enter the Palace of Lord Azzur of Khare, a memory is stirred in the minds of Balthazar, Christophe and Alain Fu. They remember a day during the Brass War, a day blanked from their minds by Varlet magick, where they were sent to recover some missing Flatlander scouts. Following a trail of bandits through the wilderness, the young party come across a strange ritual site, where they are beset by thugs in black garb, and a strange undead spirit who they dispatch by deactivated a standing stone. From over a bluff, suddenly a horde of cultists with blindfolds emerge led by a man who they recognise now as Tawni Abbas, the sponser and friend of the party. He told the party that they would lead Alain Fu on a great adventure to retrieve the Cyrinishad and grow in power ready for his sacrifice during the Eclipse… 

            Back in Khare, the Pilgrim attempts to seduce Fu to his side one last time, explaining to him that Fu is a clone of the Pilgrim, made to take his place as the Annointed One who would bring Cyric into the world. He tells the party that Fu was once the best of the Varlets, but he went mad with the constant whispering of Cyric from the Far Realm and fled. But the Fu was not for turning. The party drew steel and charged the Pilgrim, and an epic battle broke out. While Sarah battled a Blood Demon from the darkest pits of the Abyss, Balthazar and Christophe set about dispatching a Vrock, a huge vulture-like demon. Eored and Fu focused on the Pilgrim himself, destroying the strange clones that kept an impenetrable shield over him. Just as the battle seemed to be going in the party’s favour, the Pilgrim took magical control over Christophe and made him take out the Cyrinishad. Suzzarn leapt from the shadows and snatched the book and attempted to flee the palace. Thinking fast, Sarah and Balthazar ran after him, taking him down and stopped the book from falling into Varlet hands. Battered and bloodied, the party took the fight to the Pilgrim himself, and with a swing of her feywildian axe, Sarah LaChance cut him down. 

            As silence fell over the battle, so did the sounds of demons from outside. Emerging from the Palace they saw their efforts had vanquished the Eclipse, and all that was left of Khare was lifeless rubble. As they explored the smoking ruins, Alain Fu determined that the death of his creator had bestowed upon him the power to destroy the Cyrinishad once and for all. Summoning an aspect of the ancient sorcerer Cyric, with his magics Fu obliterated his spirit and the book burst into cinders, never to threaten Allansia again. 

            After a rest and a fruitless search for onions in devasted Khare, Balthazar suggests they investigate Mount Shareat for anything they may have missed. Strangely reticent about going there, Christophe protests, but the noble dragonborn warlord heads there anyway. The mountain is quiet, but in the shadows of an ancient standing stone Balthazar finds an moribund Orrind, his feet and hands severed and his eyes and tongue removed - seemingly the work of the sadist Forkiz Geung. He is carried back to Khare, and after a quiet moment, Christophe allows the cleric to slip off to death, to finally be at peace at Melora’s side. 

With victory still swelling in their hearts, the party realised there was one final loose end in all this grim business. Tawni Abbas has betrayed them, led them on a merry dance into the hands of the Blind Varlets. After acquiring a diamond from Lord Azzur, they made their way to Sapphoro’s shop and activated the portal to Arventine. Stepping in, they steeled themselves in anticipation of justice to come…

Winterhaven – The Keep on the Shadowfell.

Winterhaven – The Keep on the Shadowfell.

The party:

Eggs Benedict – A mysterious cloaked figure wielding a huge blade, a servant of Avandra he has vowed to destroy all who would rob people of their freedom. (Hates slavers with a vengeance).

Poppin Thunderlips – A proud and stout dwarven cleric in the service of Avandra, his knowledge of healing and religious matters may be vital for the party. (Can be a touch hamfisted).

Trixie Jumblepuff – A young Halfling; beneath her unassuming appearance lies a chaotic power that she is still learning to control and wield.  (Hobbies include fashion)

Britfilta Erwater – A Wilden, has the ability to control a battle using his psionic powers (likes nature walks and learning about different cultures).    

On the road to the village  of Winterhaven our party of adventurers, seeking the fate of their mentor Douven Staul, is ambushed by a small band of kobolds, after some initial troubles they dispatchtheir foes and continue onward.  Staul had trained our adventurers well and given them their first taste of life on the road.  They had last heard from their mentor three months previously when he claimed that he had heard tale of an ancient dragon’s tomb near to the village of Winterhaven.  He was due to return some time ago and his continued absence did not bode well, our adventurers, fearing the worst set out to discover his fate. 

On arrival at the village, they find a small walled enclave surrounded by farms and thatched buildings, a fairly unassuming place.   They head to the local inn, Wrafton’s, keen to enquire about their missing friend.  The villagers are more concerned about the bands of kobolds that are frequently disrupting the local trade routes, the party is directed to the local village lord Padraig, who offers them a reward if they can find and shut down the kobold’s operation.  The party accepts hoping that this favour will foster good relations with the villagers.

Having been given directions to the potential site of the kobold lair, our adventurers set off, once again, they are set upon by a group of kobolds, accompanied by a shaman, he is carrying a small necklace which they discern to be a charm dedicated to Orcus.  After dispatching this group the party arrives at the site of a waterfall, which is teeming with the reptilian creatures.

After a frantic battle the party finds a path through the waterfall and into the lair iself, the kobolds are ready for them and wave upon wave of the creature attack the party, until finally their chief, ‘Irontooth’ steps into the fray.  After a fierce and exhausting battle he is dispatched along with his allies.  Upon his corpse the adventurers find a troubling letter, addressed from a man named Kalarel, it speaks of opening a rift that will allow the servants of Orcus to attack Winterhaven! It also speaks of a spy within the village itself. 

On returning to Winterhaven and collecting their reward they present this information to Lord Padraig, he is very concerned and directs them to speak to a man named Valthrun the Prescient, one of the village elders and a font of knowledge.  They find the sage in Wrafton’s Inn, he conveys to them a story about the rift being beneath an ancient keep not far from Winterhaven itself, however he urges the party to wait so that he can undertake some more research.  When asked about Douven Staul, Valthrun is able to tell the party that he last saw him heading to an ancient burial site south west of Winterhaven, he draws a map for the adventurers who decide to set out in the morning after resting, following the day’s ordeals.   

The next morning our party set out for the burial site, on arrival they find what appears to be a ghostly apparition, overseeing a group of workers who seem to have uncovered some sort of relic.  One of the workers, a gnome, attempts to tempt the adventurers into the pit, claiming to be a friend of Douven’s.  The party refuse to believe him and after dispatching their guard drakes into a pit, slay the remaining men and battle the gnome and the mysterious spectral apparition.  Upon dispatching the spectre the gnome cries out “Kalarel, I have failed you.”  It would seem that our adventurers had found their priest of Orcus.  Staul is found bound and gagged, upon releasing him he rewards the party with his amulet and informs them that Kalarel is attempting to open a rift to the Shadowfell, he believes that the site of this is an ancient keep nearby.  The party also discover the relic that Kalarel’s minions were seeking, an ancient mirror, although any magic it may have had appears to be spent. Douven decides that his adventuring days are over and sets off to return to his beloved wife.

On returning to Winterhaven the adventurers call upon Valthrun, who has been conducting research into the rift.  It appears that the ancient keep was built during the time of Nerath and was constructed to contain an ancient evil, a gateway between this world and the Shadowfell.  The keep was abandoned after the last Protector of the Keep, Sir Keegan, was sealed inside having been driven insane and murdering his family.  The party decide to set out for the keep as soon as possible, after speaking to some of the villagers they are warned that there are frequent goblin patrols in the area.

On arrival the party discover an entrance that appears to have been recently used, they proceed into the dungeons and discover a large amount of goblins that have taken up residence there.  After battling through several rooms the party find a goblin chieftain, Balgron the Fat, and slay him, however before doing so they interrogate him and discover a pass phrase for the next level of the keep, “and life fails in the dark.”

Whilst exploring the keep our adventurers also discover a small, damp cave that hides a vicious blue, slimelike creature. After a frenzied battle the party discover two corpses, they are carrying a letter from a Chief Krand of the Bloodreavers.  It hints that Kalarel may also be providing slaves to Duergar in an area named Thunderspire.  This news greatly upsets the party, especially Eggs and Poppin, who swear an oath to Avandra to look into this matter and fuelling their hatred for Kalarel himself.

As well as goblins the second part of the dungeon is crawling with undead zombies and skeletons, there are also evil arcane runes set into the floor in some areas, that shriek wildly and attract these necrotic denizens to the party.  After a particularly gruelling encounter which involves a seemingly endless wave of skeletons inside a chapel dedicated to Bahamut, the party stumble across a tomb and a ghostly spectre.  Realising that this is Sir Keegan, the party successfully convince him that their motives are pure.  Sir Keegan relays to them his tragic tale and asks that they seek out his children’s effects and lay them properly to rest.  He urges the party to make haste and close the rift as catastrophe will ensue otherwise. He gives Britfilta his blade, Aecris, and tells them to seek ‘Bahamut’s boon’ in the altar outside.  Upon searching the altar Trixie finds 4 silver dragon statuettes.  On exploring the area further the party discover a hidden room, which contains a magic hidden wall.  On killing the zombie residents inside they manage to solve a riddle and discover some ancient armour, they also realise that this may be a safe place to rest.

After several hours our adventurers find a stairwell leading further into the depths of the keep, upon descending they are confronted by hobgoblins who challenge them with the phrase “Shadow seeks Shadow”.  When Poppin replies with the correct password, the guards are suspicious.  One of them backs further away towards a cage containing an enormous spider.  A battle ensues and more hobgoblins appear from all sides, but the party emerges victorious. 

In another area the group are attacked by a hideous gelatinous cube, in an old tomb.  After defeating it and the two corrupted corpses that dwelt in there, they find a toy sword, a hairbrush and a small doll, amongst a pile of rags they find two medallions, indicating that these are the effects of the Keegan family.

The adventurers eventually stumble across a seemingly empty room, containing a huge statue of a warrior and two dragons, at the far end of the room are cherubic statues holding vases.  Upon setting foot inside the room the party finds itself in the centre of an elaborate trap!  The warrior swings its huge sword around, knocking people prone in its wake, whilst the dragons breathe fiery plumes towards the party..  Seeking safety, Eggs, Trixie and Britfilta hop onto the statues dais.  Poppin makes a break for the double doors on the opposite side of the room, but much to the party’s horror an impenetrable magical wall appears, trapping him.  The remaining party members eventually manage to disable the warrior and avoid the dragon breath. However Poppin is in dire trouble, the cherubic statues begin to pour a never-ending supply of water into the tiny space he occupies.  Fearing that he may drown, Poppin tries to smash the statues to pieces, doing so slows the rate of the water and in the nick of time he decapitates the last statue, destroying the magical wall and breaking the spell; he emerges gasping for breath, very damp and extremely irate.

The path through the double doors is treacherous, with ghoul like creatures and a small clay homunculus barring their way.  After negotiating this warren the group emerge into a large cathedral-like structure, where they are confronted by vampire spawn, several beserkers and a priest of Orcus.  Huge streams of blood flow from an altar down a large hole in the centre of the room.  Our heroes dispatch their foes in another savage battle and decide to scale the bloody chains that descend into the pit below.

After safely negotiating their descent the party comes face to face with Kalarel and the portion of the rift he has opened as well as several wight like creatures and skeleton sentinels.  A huge portal on the northern wall attempts to grab Britfilta and drag him into the abyss beyond.  The party battle fiercely and as they strike the killing blow, Kalarel is swept into the portal by dark shimmering tentacles.  However the rift remains open, in an attempt to close it Trixie throws the dragon statuettes, ‘Bahamut’s boon,’,inside.  This has no effect and unbeknownst to her, hinders the party’s efforts.  Eventually after calling upon his religious knowledge Poppin manages to successfully seal the rift. Deciding that they should immediately escape, the party head back to Winterhaven.  On their arrival they are greeted as true heroes and richly rewarded by Lord Padraig.  Now, they decide.... it’s time to investigate these slavers up at Thunderspire.....  

EVARRESSEMME: Update

Returning to Captain Octagon with the information that the people who had tried to imprison him are some sort of demon cultists who seem to be making a power play in Mong Xar, Sand, Mr Wong, Seraph and Jodric are introduced to two chaps who are new in town and have been taken under the captains wing – a rogue named Jaeles and a wizard called Querion. Querion begins the process of dispelling the magic ink that keeps the Captain trapped in his chamber, and after battling off a few nasty arcane beasties, the spell is broken and the Captain is free.

He’s pretty pissed off, and enlists the party to try to track down those responsible, whilst he’s busy re-establishing his organisation in the Mong Xar underworld. The party picks up their first lead at Stark’s Shop of Wonders – an arcane emporium run by an aged but powerful warlock. He makes the party a deal – if they can either collect a debt, or if it cannot be paid, meet out suitable punishment, he’ll give them some information. The party agree, and find themselves in a battle with some lunatic sea-spirit worshipping sailors and a couple of water elementals, who’ve no way of paying the debt they owe Stark for a shipment of Kua Toa roe. Victorious, Jodric suggests scuttling the cult’s temple, which is a converted ship, and Stark is well pleased with the outcome. He doesn’t know much about these demon worshippers, but he directs them to a gambling house where he knows a mercenary who has done some work for them often plays.

The party track down this mercenary, chase and kill him, and find a note on his body which mentions a meeting in Daddy Hung’s Wagon Wheel Factory, now closed down, that very night. They stake out the joint, but their efforts are thwarted when none other than the city guard themselves come to clear the area, claiming they must do so in the name of some public health emergency. The party regroup, overpower the city guards outside and enter the warehouse.

They burst into the warehouse in time to see a short, portly man trying to make his escape through the back, protected by the city guards. But they aren’t the only ones there, a group of stocky foreign mercenaries engages the party, and despite best efforts to stop the fleeing man, the party is too engaged by these mercs and the guards, and the man escapes in a carriage. Combat continues inside, where another robed man, gaunt and lean and terribly afflicted by some rotting disease has joined the combat. He eventually escapes the party, fleeing into the city night.

As the party search the warehouse, a Tiefling with one eye enters, and introduces himself as Lucien. He claims to be a member of the Dhigan Society, working for the House of the Jackal, the wing of the society that is most concerned with criminal activity. He’s been assigned to keep an eye on Captain Octagon’s activities, and when all when quiet on that front his suspicions were raised. His investigations also led his to this warehouse. When the party show him a document they found, stamped with the family seal of the Bai family, he is aghast. Sho Zan Bai was a Grand Advisor to the Emperor two hundred years previously, when it was revealed he was in league with the forces of the abyss. He, and his wife and children, were executed and his line believed to be extinct. Who could be using the Bai family seal after all these years?

Lucien suggests that the first place the party should look is the Bai mausoleum, on the outskirts of the city. Here the party find evidence that the Bai line had continued, in secret – the family tree in the mausoleum has been kept up to date over the centuries. Someone had also been expanding the tomb, and had filled it with some nasty surprises from the abyss. As Seraph and Querion began to look through some demonic tracts, Sand’s powers seemed to take on a life of their own – and just at a passage about the boon’s offered to those who make pacts with the Lady of Decay! Seraph took this as evidence that Sand was in league with demons, and expelled him from the party.

The party returned to Lucien. He was gravely troubled by the news, and said he had to consult Uncle Shin, the leader of the House of the Jackal, before deciding on the next course of action. Unfortunately, he also had bad news for the party – their two newest members, Jaeles and Querion, were drawing much renewed interest with local bounty hunters, it seems someone had tipped off the guard that they were at large in the city. Thankfully, Lucien knew a guy who could help them out.

After a scuffle with one such group of bounty hunters, one of whom decided to switch sides and, in recompense, pledge his blade to the party’s cause, the party met with Lucien’s contact and arranged a quid pro quo deal – they’d take out some smugglers who hadn’t paid off the guard and had also taken liberties with the Lieutenant’s intended, and he’d stage their deaths (conveniently, the two smugglers bear a passing resemblance to Jaeles and Querion), confirm the kill and put an end to the bounty. The party succeed in this, and return to Lucien’s safehouse, waiting to meet with him and plan their next move.

ARVENTINE: Update for 30th January 2013

The party left the House of Pale Lanterns to its apparent bloody end at the hands of the Drow bounty hunter Tinve Aleeza’baen, and ventured back down the disused sewer tunnel, discussing their next move as they travelled. Their plans however, were cut short by screams – both demonic and human alike – echoing down the tunnel from topside. Venturing up and into the courtyard of the ‘Flowers in a Cursed Land’ Brothel they were met with a grisly sight: Panicked patrons scurried all over the place, while demonic shapes flittered on rooftops overhead. The sky has turned a deep crimson colour, and above them hung a huge and terrible image of a total eclipse. It was clear that their time had run out, and the Eclipse ceremony was finally upon them.

Barging past the panicking men and women of the brothel, they stepped out into the street, only to be greeted by four figures; a tiefling brandishing a long, thin blade, a goliath barbarian, a robed man holding a wicked looking mace and a man wielding a greatsword, dressed in the outfit of a Warrior of Elemental Chaos. Each of these men had a black blindfold over their eyes. Turning to Alain Fu, they spoke of him as “brother”, and asked for his return to their side. Alain Fu, stepped forward and within a moment unleashed a spell at the men, ignoring their cryptic requests. A battle ensued, and strange demons that bore the upside heads of women were summoned, demons that seemed to excite the Cyrinishad in Christophe’s procession. All where dispatched however, as Tinve emerged from a side alley to assist.

Quickly deciding that the best course of action was to fight their way to to Lord Azzur’s palace to seek the ruler’s aid, Christophe first paid Tinve to assist them, to which she told him she would consider it. Making headway through the stricken streets of Khare, they arrived on Palace Street, only for the way to be blocked by a fierce looking goat-headed demon, and some horrifying tentacles that seemed to burst up out of the ground. Seeing off this threat, they were soon treated to a fresh terror, as the tentacles belonged to a much larger beast that was hidden beneath the ground – a Devourer, a giant ravenous demon born from the filth and gore that collects in the deepest recesses of the Abyss. Retreating from this vile creature, Alain Fu unloaded the full force of his spells into it, serving both to harm it considerably, but also to rile it up something fierce. Bursting through the wall of spells Fu had erected, the Devourer charged forth, grasping Fu in its vile talons and swallowing him whole. The rest of the party ran towards the creature, hacking away at its bulk. Knowing Alain Fu would not survive long in the belly of this monster, Eored formulated a plan. Leaping into the fray, he threw himself atop the demon, took out his Elixir of Gaseous Form and hurled into its gaping maw, losing his little finger to its teeth in the process. Within moments the huge demon dissolved to a gas and was carried away on the wind, leaving Alain Fu lying on the pavement. With no time to lose, the party gathered their wits and headed towards the Palace.  

Tinve had done her job after all, and the fierce War Troll that guarded the palace gates had been dispatched by her crossbow bolts. Disheartened by the loss, and fearing the burning acidic rain that was pouring from the sky, the remaining gate guards soon lost their resolve and fled their post. Forcing their way inside the palace, the party came face to face with Lord Azzur upon his throne, guarded by a small handful of Banite Templars. The leprous king of Khare, shaken with rage, demanded the party tell them who was responsible for all this.

Before any could answer, the doors behind them burst open, and in walked a man who could only be the famed Pilgrim, with a coterie of demons and Varlets. In answer to Azzur’s question he declared “I am!” in a thunderous tone, and removed his leather mask. All were took aback, as the face they saw was the face of Alain looking back at them…

Tune in next time for the shocking truth behind the Blind Varlets….

RULES: Alchemy Overhaul.

Here is the new Alchemy system I'll be implementing in Arventine. It's based on gathering ingredients to make potions and other fun items. I will be giving out ingredients in treasure parcels, and you can also try to skill check yourself to sourcing some on your own. Also players can do this straight away, I won't be asking for any crafting feats to be taken.
If any other DM wants to implement this into their game, bear in mind the DCs are tuned to the Arventine party, so they might need need dropping for a lower level game.

~Moss.


GATHER ALCHEMICAL INGREDIENTS

(Daily, must be trained in the skillcheck. Forage can’t be used on the same day as Gather.)
Gathering ingredients can be done anywhere, but has contextual environmental skill DCs:
Forest/cave/countryside/plains etc: DC:15
City/Town/Dungeon etc: DC:20
Desert/wasteland: DC:25
Success: Roll a d6 on the ingredient table below.

1 - Ignus 
2 - Aquae 
3 - Aether 
4 - Maga 
5 - Vitae 
6 - Mort 

These can be combined into potions, oils and powders. Preparing a potion takes an hour and the user make a Arcana or Religion check of DC:20 to successfully make the potion. If a player makes potion that fails by 5 or less on the check, he will recover/make instead one ingredient rolled off the table, but the original ingredients will be destroyed.
The basic recipes follow as such:

POTIONS
Potions can be drunk as a minor action.

HEALING
Spend a healing surge and regain 10 HP
1 x Vitae, 1 x Aether, 1 x Maga.

VITALITY
Spend a healing surge and regain 25 HP
2 x Vitae, 1 x Aether, 2 x Maga, 1 x Mort.

ANTIDOTE
Take an immediate saving throw on an ongoing effect with either the disease or poison keyword.
1 x Mort, 2 x Aquae

SWIFT
+1 bonus to your next attack roll, and +1 to your reflex until the end of your next turn.
1 x Ignus, 2 x Aether, 1 x Mort.

IRON WILL
+1 bonus to your will, until the end of your next turn.
2 x Maga, 1x Aqua.

GUTS
+1 bonus to your fortitude, until the end of your next turn.
2 x Ignus, 1 x Vitae

MUSK
+1 to your next diplomacy skill check, within 1 game day.
3 x Aether, 1 x Mort, 1 x Aquae.



OILS
Oils can be applied to melee weapons as a standard action. They last 1 hour or one encounter, whichever comes first. Oils can be applied to ammunition in the same way, but only last for one attack. Only one oil can be working on a weapon at any given time.

HANGMAN
+1 damage to humanoid creatures. (+2 at Paragon)
3 x Mort, 1 x Maga.

TOOTH
+1 damage to beasts. (+2 at Paragon)
2 x Aquae, 1 x Mort.

NECROPHAGE
+1 damage to undead. (+2 at Paragon)
2 x Vitae, 1 x Ignus

OUTSIDER
+1 damage to elementals and demons. (+2 at Paragon)
1 x Vitae, 1 x Mort, 1 x Aether.

HOLY
+1 damage to immortals. (+2 at Paragon)
1 x Aether, 1 x Mort, 1 x Ignus.

HORNET
A critical hit with this weapon causes the target to feel immense pain. They are dazed as well and any other effects (save ends).
1 x Ignus, 1 x Mort, 1 x Aether.

PYRO
Your attacks with this weapon do +1 fire damage.
2 x Ignus, 1 x Maga, 1 x Mort.

BLIZZARD
Your attacks with this weapon do +1 cold damage.
2 x Aquae, 2 x Aether.

CORPSE
Your attacks with this weapon do +1 necrotic damage.
2 x Mort, 1 x Maga, 1 x Vitae.

MELT
Your attacks with this weapon do +1 acid damage.
2 x Maga, 1 x Mort, 1 x Aquae.

WOUND
+2 to any ongoing damage that you inflict with this weapon.
1 x Vitae, 1 x Maga, 2x Aether.


POWDERS
Powders are miscellanous extras that have a variety of uses.

BASIC RITUAL COMPONENT
Provides up to 100gp worth of ritual components
1 x Aquae, 1 x Maga, 1 x Ignus.

RARE RITUAL COMPONENT
Provides up to 500gp worth of ritual components.
2 x Aquae, 3 x Maga, 1 x Ignus, 2 x Aether.

LIFE SALT
(minor) Sprinkle on a creature with negative HP, and they will immediately stabilise.
2 x Vitae, 1 x Mort, 1 x Aether.

QUICKSILVER DUST
(minor) When applied to any flesh, the quicksilver will turn into a froth if the flesh is that of a lycanthrope.
1 x Maga, 1 x Aquae.

TRUEFLESH
(minor) Will reveal a creatures true form through any enchantment up to level 20. Use on Doppelgangers, et cetera.
2 x Mort, 1 x Ignus, 2 x Maga.

PIXIE DUST
(minor) Sprinkle around you and you gain +1 bonus to Bluff and intimidate checks. Lasts one hour. Does not work when checking against Fey creatures.
1 x Vitae, 1 x Aquae, 1 x Maga.

ALCHEMIST'S FIRE
Bursts into flame when lit. Causes 2d10 fire damage. there is enough powder in each unit to occupy at most a 5 x 5 foot square.
3 x Ignus, 1 x Aether.

FREEDOM
Sprinkle on locks. +2 to thievery checks. the lock is dissolved and cannot be relocked until it is fixed or replaced.
2 x Maga, 1 x Ignus.

FLUX WAX
(standard) Coat any implement with this powder. The next attack that uses the Arcane keyword crits on a 19 or 20. 
1 x Vitae, 2 x Aether, 1 x Mort.

SCHOLAR
(Minor) Sprinkle on anything you wish to examine, and get a +2 bonus to Arcana checks.
1 x Acquae, 1 x Maga.

SUN
(standard) Ranged 10. Dex Mod +2 vs. Reflex: 1d8 +Dex radiant damage, and the target is blinded until the end of the attacker's next turn.
2 x Vitae, 1 x Ignus, 1 x Mort, 1 x Aether.

ARVENTINE: January 9th update.

As Zod flew down the hole into some sort of strange, demonic scrying ritual, Alain Fu thought he was done for. Luckily for him, seconds later, Christophe came screaming down the pit after him, planting his blade straight through the demon's skull, killing him dead. After battling some demon seers, they examined the scrying bowl on the lower level. Dropping a sacrifice of blood into the bowl, Fu summoned a smokey image of himself leading a demonic host to battle across an unnamed plain, flanked by Blind Varlets. With suspicious and concerned faces, the party finally cleared out Conrad's Point, and the treasures therein.

Upon returning to Khare, they were almost immediately confronted by Pavel Flind, the doyen of the Court of Jakob. Rather upset at the party trying to play the Court against the other gangs, Pavel demanded a substantial financial offering to 'let it slide'. Fresh from battle, the party characteristically declined the offer, and found themselves in a brawl with Flind and his swordsmen. The swordsmen, despite their skill, where soon dispatched, and Flind soon found himself dead with Sarah's axe buried in his skull. 

They soon reached Sapphoro's shop where, underneath a poster advertising Khare's Smelliest Griffon, Hanged Men doyen Bad Krum was waiting for them. Upon hearing about the demons at Conrad's Point, he told the party that demons had been reported all over the city since the Eclipse appeared in the sky. However, exuberant at the thought of Pavel Flind being dead, Krum declared Gang War, and feverishly gave the party the location of Forkiz Geung's (Orrind's kidnapper) secret domain: a decommissioned sewer underneath the Flowers In A Cursed Land brothel that could be access at midnight.

Before they went after Orrind, they had some old business to attend to. Remembering Dogbone's revelation about Suzzarn having a secret house in the river district, they set out to check it out. They arrived at small shack guarded by a nervous looking teenage streetboy. Toying with wither killing or turning him into a gas, Christophe chose to adopt his old 'drunken Lord Melchior' rountine, and tricked the lad into drinking wine laced with sleeping draught. Inside they found numerous clues that:

1) Outed Suzzarn as a potential member of the Blind Varlet cult. 
2) Spoke more of the Eclipse - a ritual to be undertaken at nearby Mount Shareat, that required the Cyrinishad, and an entity referred to as 'the Annointed One'.
3) That a doppelganger and some trickery was involved in the party's dealings with Baba Yaga in the Dire Woods. 

Leaving everything as they found it, the party crept away from the shack. On their way home, they found themselves cornered by soldiers of Bane, who dragged them to the Palace of Lord Azzur. Inside they were given an audience with Suzzarn, who turned out to be a courtier of Azzur. Suzzarn made a few veiled threats about the Cyrinishad and Shareat, and the party managed to leave unscathed. On their way out, the Banites attacked the party under Suzzarn's orders, exclaiming "Take what the paladin is carrying, take the wizard alive!" The party dispatched the soldiers and fled the scene to the brothel.

Hiding out in the brothel until midnight, the party indulged in the local product before entering the sewers to rescue Orrind. Not before long, they ran into an old friend - the Drow bounty hunter Tinve Aleaza'baen, who seemed rather jittery and troubled. After Christophe convinced her of the party's good intentions, she told them her and her men were en route to kill her master, Forkiz Geung, but they could not get past the Balhannoth, an Underdarkien beast that lived in the tunnels. The party finally took the Balhannoth out, and they and Tinve  both assailed the House of Pale Lanterns. 

In the cellar they found a beleaguered Nelson and Forkiz, who informed them that Orrind had just been sold - sickeningly to Suzzarn, supposedly as 'leverage'. Nelson and his master pleaded the party to help them flee the city, but it was an offer that fell on deaf ears, and the two were left to die at Tinve's blade. 

Now, faced with foes unknown, the party has some tough times ahead of it....