Campaign Logs

A Dance with a Demon I took a breath of fresh air as I took my first steps off a ship in quite some time. I had never ridden on one before, and the firmness of the ground beneath my feet reminded me I would not be looking forward to riding one again. Even so I didn't have the slightest bit of regret when it came to coming to Haven. A colleague of mine had sent me a very disconcerting letter about a man named Harven Redoran. Then shortly after that very same colleague disappeared. Following his letter all I knew was Harven was heading to Haven with the foul intentions of selling a demonic book written in abyssal.This was absolutely something my morals would not allow to transpire unabated! Yet when I had finally arrived I was at a total loss. My head was light, and I was fading somewhat in and out from the trip. Looking around all I saw were peasants and beggars except for two strange men. I figured I had to start somewhere. Striking up conversation I quickly came to learn the names and dispositions of these two men. The first was a Tiefling by the name of Marokin. His personality was about what you would expect from one of his kind, and before we even finished our introductions he was already making obscene comments in my direction. The other though was an elven looking man by the name of Syvil. Syvil lived up to his namesake, and proved to be quite a bit more civil than his companion. Before long the two told me of the Blue Sashes, and started me off towards my first real lead. They took me to the Tipsy Mermaid which ended up being another scene entirely. This run down inn was complete with a caged woman in front of it, and an eight foot tall man named Oswald running the place. Despite it's rough exterior though the Tipsy Mermaid was a kind, and warm place to visit. It was here I was able to ask Oswald if he had any information on Harven Redoran, and before long he had a messenger bringing me a stack of ship's logs with new arrivals to the city. Before long I was buried head high in books. Immediately I began searching page after page looking for the name I had in mind. I knew that if I didn't make sure he was hunted down no one would. Luckily for me it appeared Harven wasn't the smartest of men I've ever hunted. After looking through the pages only a short while I found his name, and the location of where he was staying. He had arrived a week prior to me, and was staying at the Silver Inn. Knowing this couldn't be overlooked I immediately took my full story to Oswald looking for help on my noble quest. Luckily my beseechment was not in vain, and Oswald's goals aligned with mine. The Blue Sashes needed money, and the mage circle in town had a habit of sealing away magic artifacts. If the book was brought back he could sell it off to them for a profit. Of course I didn't fully trust these mages either, but in dire circumstances it was necessary to chose the lesser of two evils. I chose Oswald's ploy for money over the unknown intentions of Harven's patron. With that Oswald called upon others from the Blue Sashes to form a company to hunt for this book. There were of course the two men I had originally met Syvil, and Marokin. Then there were also two new faces. First was the Sharleen, the woman from the cage. While a bit of the crazy type she seemed handy enough with a sword. The other was the noble lady Aurelia who we needed to even gain entrance to the establishment we looked to visit. And so with everyone in tow we finally managed to head out looking for our mark. Unfortunately the inn itself didn't end up giving as many leads as I would have hoped. Syvil managed to do some scouting around, but the rest of us just seemed to waste time in the inn. After about an hour or so of that we eventually left the eatery, and met back up with Syvil to follow his trail. He had been tailing one of the men who he had overheard speaking of the book. Before long we were following their trail through the dead of night. Eventually it led us to a small bookshop where things got much, much worse. Deciding we needed to act Marokin, and Sharleen attempted to "persuade" the book keep to let them in. As part of the process they blew out all of the candles and gave him a chance to escape to his secret basement. From there the fugitives used the book to summon an ancient evil from the tome's foul pages. Smoke bellowed from the secret door, and before long I was coughing a lung out trying not to choke. Then I began to hear a voice all to familiar. "Lydika!" It cried my name. I looked up to see a demonic figure covered in the encroaching flames, and growing ever stronger. Limping away, I managed to get to the edge of the smoke filled house where the rest of the group pulled me out to safety. Looking onward we all saw what stood before us. A monstrously large demon, and a house burning in red flames. Without sparring a moment the creature took to attacking Sharleen, and Syvil. It was then we knew we had to muster up a counter offensive. Lest the creature slay us all. Seeing Syvil's wounds I drew upon the demon's magic, and turned the evil forces against it. I cast a protective dweamor upon Syvil protecting him from creatures derived from evil and magic. Meanwhile Syvil began casting divine rights upon the creature. Not long after Marokin, and Aurelia began casting their own suites of spells upon the beast. Finally Sharleen joined Syvil in taking point to attack the creature, somehow enveloping her sword in holy flames. Marokin's spell proved temporarily effective at holding the demon's feet back, but alas it took the chance to cast a deadly fireball upon three of us who were clustered too closely together. I let out a cry of pain as the heat singed my flesh, but somehow managed to maintain my ward upon Syvil. Right after the creature burst out of the house, and began to bear down its full weight against the holy paladin. Luckily though are combined efforts proved to be quite effective. With Syvil, and Sharleen hacking at the beast it slowly fell into disarray. Eventually Aurelia stepped up, and fired 3 missiles of pure magic into its chest. It appeared this spell was the breaking point for the creature and it burst into a cloud of angry fire beetles. The beetles hissed as the fire burnt atop their shells, and we brought our full might against them. It took, but a few more moment for the beetles to vanish into the wind, and the house fire along with them. Finally it seemed the dust had settled without a single member of the company meeting their end. Though the bulk of us were scathed. I could still feel the burns across my face, and a few other members from the company were also wounded as well. Syvil in particular seemed to have taken the brunt of the damage. Regardless he came over and used a type of healing magic on me, only to make me realize the internal wounds of the encounter. I wasn't sure what, but something changed inside of me when I drew upon that foul creature's magic. It was like a sting of fear and anger boiling underneath my veins. Yet it was a feeling that would have to wait. Our job was not yet finished. Walking into the charred remains of the house I followed the others through the secret passage that led to our villain's lair. It was even more awful then I could have imagined. Human skulls lined the floor, and an alter to all that is evil and unjust sat at the forefront of the room. The entire place felt twisted, corrupt, and inhuman. Lying empty though was a small place for a single tome; as was the room of any people outside of the party. The two had escaped down a sewer hatch with the object in hand. With a great sigh I quickly realized our chase had come to an end for the night. Across the rest of the room we did manage to find a few other interesting objects. A corrupted sword, a chest full of gold, and odd gems to either side of the alter. As the rest of the group argued over spoils I warned them against looting from this evil place. After a bit of back and forth to a more experienced mage by the name of Ulric arrived to help discern what should be done. On his advice Syvil, and I headed off with the cursed sword to Lodge of Lightbringer. The blade needed to be purified, and it seemed the rest of the goods would be safe to leave in the company's good hands. With that done we set off to get the blade purified, or contained. We met with a cleric there named Cain who quickly ushered us down to the catacombs. It was here that the remains of a few holy beings remained, and it was here that the blade was to finally be tamed. Calling down a sage by the name of Brother Oswald, Cain made quick work in getting things solved. The sage spoke of many things, and when he was finished he took the blade for purification. Opening the casket of the tomb he stabbed the sword into the body of a divine being. A great earthquake was felt in response to this action, and splatters of blood made their way about the room. It was then only after he removed the blade did its true form finally take shape. Purified, and no longer unholy it was, but a blade full of magic and wisdom. Brother Oswald then ordered the two of us to leave with the blade, and to tell no one of what had transpired. The sword would be required for the future. Finally on the way back to the company Syvil told me of the swords. He told me that they were ancient weapons crafted in The Mysts. Though even he didn't know that much about them, but he knew that they would be required to defeat the horned king. What or who the horned king was he did not know, but the fact that it was a great evil was unquestionably true. Gathering the blades was the only way to stop this evil, and as such our quest was of the utmost importance. Nodding at Syvil's words I agreed to keep our night's journey as silent as necessary. Finally the blade took on a rusted form, awaiting to show itself for a worthy wielder. It was here the night ended, but for how long the gods only know.

Very nicely done Elee

That was fast and that is long!!! ugh! However do realize that whatever you write in here will become public to everyone in haven who works for a company. So you might want to keep some of the information out :) The guy you were talking to was not Oswald but Adolfo :D 

Ah yes the first 5 paragraphs Oswald should be Adolfo but the part with the sword in the Lights tomb Cain would ask you to withhold that information he may need some time to get the trust back of some of his brothers after today.

I'll edit this to change incorrect names; but well done Elee! As for withholding information; Adolfo always sends an official version to the Privy Council; so you only need omit information that you don't want Adolfo or other Blue Sashes to know.

I'd say good job too but I haven't had time to read it and it's gone now; luckily I've got a backup copy in my email - Mwaahahaha

Log is updated here Session 13: Dance with a Demon Present: Lydika Sharleen of the Meadowlands Syvil Dernsson Marokin the Bard Aurelia Donau This session was a very strange mixture. The first part was a disaster! I note that modern players seem to have a lot of trouble with any kind of investigation scenario. In an investigation you have to take carefully planned ACTION!  This game was blighted by a lack of coherent thought; though some of this was down to Discord blowing up badly at the beginning and people missing vital information.  I am not sure how much this contributed as I didn't have much trouble. Still; most players in the early session seemed to hang back and leave the direction to others. This is not how to play in this type of game. I am awarding less XP as a result, because the the target got away, the book was not recovered, most leads were destroyed in the fire and because of a general lack of cohesion. The Demon was of course destroyed (which I did not expect; I was down for a TPK as the demon was CR5 and had 120 HP) but there was some outstanding play once we got into the fight. Battle it seems, is what our parties know how to do. Investigation; not so much! XP; 150 for all party members. 100 XP extra for Syvil for taking action, pushing the story along and standing toe to toe with a demon. 100 XP for Lydika for saving the party with protection from Evil and Good in the battle with the Demon. +1 Renown (Blue Sashes) and +1 Renown (White Horses) for all members of the Company. 100 gp for each member of the Company. unidentified treasure: 2 foulshards containing spells and 4 potions.

Session 14's log is not in the journey-book of the Blue Sashes. Is shall be posted in The Book of Isildra; I will make this book available to all but note that only Tarville, Erolith, and Syvil can know of these events in character. Any use of this information by other characters shall be deemed meta-gaming. Session 14: It all begins Anew Present: Tarville Erolith Erolith and Tarville gain 250 XP for an epic session. Tarville gains 100 XP for astounding roleplaying. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No log has been received for this session, as Zil has been called away through circumstances beyond his control. XP will therefore be posted anyway. Session 15: Balefire Present: Lydika, Cain, Meren, Syvil, Boone Taleekl All characters gain 300 XP for this session. All characters also lose 1 Renown with the Blue Sashes (+2 for gaining a ship and -3 for the Ransom). All characters lose 1 Renown with the Badgers (yes; you can have a negative Renown). Boone gains +2 Fellowship (Syren) and 1 Renown (Rebellion) for saving Syren. All characters also gain 50 gp for the destruction of a pirate vessel.

  The Answer to the Ultimate Question of Thallia, the Sithi Cult, and Everything. Participants: Sharleen Meren Reskin Syvil Cain Marokin Here I was, sitting in the Tipsy Mermaid, minding my own biscuit when Reskin comes into the room and starts talking to Syvil and Adolpho about some conspiracy, or at least that was the first word that caught my attention. And not only mine apparently. Sharleen appeared and Syvil included Cain. And wherever Reskin is, Meren is not too far. Well, anyway, we were all sitting around and talking and Reskin explained that there is someone that he needed to interrogate and that the goal was to get rid of a Sithi cult , which from my point of view is always a good idea. He just insisted that he needed some object from in there and I said that if there is a certain book, I wish to have it. That was our deal, with the rest, some agreed, some remained undecided. So off we hopped in this fancy ride Cain organized and we went to the Badger inn, the Black Tower if I am not mistaken, there supposedly this guy, who’s name by the way is Tobias Esteban , a Lieutenant of the Badgers, was hanging out. We went and had a bit of a trouble finding a good parking spot and Sharleen and I had some drinks and bought a bottle of nice booze, 50gp the thing, still whining over it…, and we were hanging out when suddenly an Esteban went in and asked Marak , the barkeep, cheerful lad I tell you, to make sure his room was locked. After that everyone else was disappearing, except Cain, who had staid with his ride anyway. Sharleen and I checked out what was going on outside and were informed that they followed the dude and he did not open to them and now they were trying to get in. Well Reskin, he is quite short tempered, you know, how shall I say… gave the door a gentle n u dge and woops it was open. Unfortunately that also alerted the whole blasted city and so we were forced to walk around and retreat to the bar, not to my distaste, I must confess. Anyway a while later I moved out again after the barkeeper had told the guards he thinks the reason for a whistling was some child’s prank. I entered into the place to hear Reskin and Meren stabbing an unarmed and defenceless chimney. There were also some guards lying around on the floor which I found a bit awkward, I mean, sleeping on duty, the guards here are lacking discipline, I have to say. When I was watching the two stabbers I saw that there was a ladder that led downstairs, however it was on this side of the chimney. So I walked around and well, what can I say, these nobles are all the same. There is always a secret switch next to the secret passage, usually some object on the wall that is decorative and has almost written on it “I am the secret switch to the passage, please activate me!”. Done that, passage revealed, the rest started joining us in after Meren managed to mindbabble them. He tends to do that from time to time… We went down and followed the way and ended up infront of another door that needed another gentle nudge by Reskin. We found some beds, a fireplace, a chest at each bed and a couple of barbarians charing us. I don’t really understand how and why, but one of these muscle crammers started fighting against the other ones. I think this was the work of Reskin or Meren, since the rest I do sort of know and I doubt it falls into their scope of abilities, but I still do not fully understand how, perhaps his patron thingy he keeps mumbling about was involved. Through this confusion we managed to survive although at some points it looked pretty dire for the two men wall Syvil and Cain. There was also apparently a witch that was assisting them and sadly we broke the bottle of booze. It will forever remain mourned. Right Sharleen darling? Anyway. We are barely done with those when a Thornblight shows up. Nasty things, I tell you. This one had used a poor guy, apparently Torrigg by the comments of my companions, as a host. Syvil uttered some words and the thing turned around. I was sure that the best way to get rid of it was to hide behind the sigil that the witch had drawn and attack it from within that barrier. However, when I was arriving there, one of the remaining barbarians was looking me in the face and so I tried to at least undo the circle of protection to force him to fight the thing. But before I could do that I was whipped and grabbed by the Thornblight and while I was certain to have sung my last song, suddenly some ranks poring out of Syvil pulled me back into safety. Still owe my wooden friend a drink for that, at least… Though he claims it was not his work but of his special friend… well without him his friend would not have been there either. At this moment I also noticed that the Reskin the brave and Meren the fast had left the place or at least stayed out of sight, avoiding the confrontation. Let’s move on. Cain had woken up one of the unconscious bodybuilders, and convinced him to join the fight. He fought well with us though his vocabulary was slightly lacking. Whereas Syvil, Cain and Sharleen were shouting to their gods to receive divine inspiration and aid, all he did utter was “Let’s dance bitch”… I am certain his dancing skills are good in battle but I’d rather not have him at a ball. Being unable to do much I insulted and cursed the beast as viscously as I could but in the end it was Cain’s hammer that struck it down. The remains of this thing were gathered, put onto the fire place and roasted till even the ashes fell apart. We started thanking Kodos , as that was the name of the dancing guy, when suddenly a fair voice reached out to me and I knew I had to run after it. Bound by another sigil there was Thallia , very much not amused but yet pleased to see me. I freed my deer little friend and showed her where the witch had gone, handed her the key to one of the chests and we left her with the unconscious guards of this establishment. By that time Reskin had returned and sneaked past us. Kobo showed us a hidden stash and we collected some books and other things and at another place some documents that will provide useful in the future at court. However, Reskin in the meantime, he went to a statue that was emitting some strange kind of energy, this was the item he had talked about and since we had agreed on it. Apparently it was some kind of avatar , if I followed their conversation correctly. What Reskin said did make sense, that his friend will use it to cure itself and anyway, it is some sort of sea thing and sea things should belong in to the sea as far as I can see, he was permitted to take it and I do really hope that his friend will eventually help us in this big battle up to come about which Syvil is constantly rambling on about. We secured this and that, among it a book that proofed the existence of the cult and the connection of the Cyder boys to the Scarlet blades and the cult. When we were going out, Thallia had already left, but not without leaving us a present. Four empty chests and a chest of a guard labelled with the word “rapist”. Poor little thingy. She also had stabbed out his eyes and killed the remaining barbarians that were not Kodos. We all promised to put in a good word for him and bid for his freedom. Reskin had already disappeared but on the way out we ran into Meren with some mercenaries. They took off some of the load of poor Sharleen who had been carrying some of the findings. When we were outside and and close to the docks we saw Reskin there holding out the object that then was picked up by some tentacles and taken into the sea. Also we found some papers on the wall with a rough sketch of Reskin asking for him to be delivered to the nearest guards. Meren went off and so Cain, Syvil, Sharleen and me returned to the Mermaid. We had a chat with Adolfo about this and that and he for sure can you tell more about this. It was already late and I was not paying that much attention to all of this but one thing has still to be added. We received news that the boat that the cultists were using to get off was sunk by some strange incident and that the guards sent into the lair we had just invaded had found dead bodies under the floor. Among them the one of the bookkeeper and the book vendor Lydika, may she rest in peace, had folloed. This is all I have to say about this, for now at least. Oh, yes, one last thing, I really need to get another bottle of this stuff they had at the badger inn…

Thanks mate; +100 XP for you for this!

You as in plural? This is a bit confusing

Think he means just you P.K.

Session 16: The Cleansing of Haven present: Erolith Jon Heron Thorgrim 150 XP per party member. 50 XP for Erolith for instigating the mission. +1 Renown (Haven) per party member. 200 gp per party member. Session 17: A Convergance of Evil Present: Syvil Meren Reskin Marokin Cain Sharleen 750 XP per character because 4 plot threads were closed or connected and some epic enemies were bested. +1 Renown (Blue Sashes or Rising Sun) for all party members. 350 gp per party member (after rewards are added from the City). +1 Renown (Haven) for all party members. Reskin is also arrested and tried for assaulting the City Watch; to be dealt with in an RP thread.

That is some epic level rewards right there. And if anyone forgot it was 250 for each person for the gold found and items auctioned. I found it very fun to auctioneer the items off. If I am ever watching a session you can just ask me to use my cart for free to lug the items and I will try to sell them at profit I would just ask for a little piece of that pie if my attempts were successful ;) Just a note on how this worked out last time we had items that would have totaled ~300gp selling normally and after auction they sold for 700gp

Cain Kelteris Marokin Sharleen Boone Jon Heron Our journey starts in the Tipsy Mermaid and our group gathering together to set off on an adventure. A new face in the group joined along with one that has not been seen for a while. Marokin had run into a sheep herder Wynn that told him of a passageway that the shepherds use to transport their beasts to and from the Vale. We met up with the man and headed to the docks and exchanged pleasantries then heading to Maladon. We made it to hunters Inn without any trouble and met with the barkeep and after some conversation they were told of the Drakon in the area and then went to bed in the night I realized that the slaves that were freed were captured after drinking at the inn so he warned the others of the situation. We bumped into Hule’s sister who told us where to find him then went on our way. Wynn guided us through some woods leading to what looked like a wall then after he spoke a few words a passage opened into a valley and we walked in and found ourselves at the doorstep of Gareth speaking to him for a moment about his debt. Once that was finished a few members of the group spotted a shadow and that turned out to be a Drakon that swooped in and took a chunk of Boon and me but not before I was able to net the Drakon sending it crashing to the ground the party surrounded it and it crashed into me twice sending him to the ground. The beast was attacked by the party and made an attempt to rend my unconscious body but Sharleen stepped in the way and cleaved its head from its shoulders. Our group set off after healing themselves and looting the Drakon, they found themselves in a large opening into a canyon. There were arrow slits and a cave entrance nearby Marokin turned invisible to scout ahead and could find nothing in the cave. But when Marokin asked me to look at my Laen glass at the entrance he found that it was a strange red color so I used my divine sense and found that there was an undead inside of the room. Against the better judgement that I offered some members looked for a switch to the door and headed inside revealing… a powerful undead. We tried to fight the creature but ultimately failed due to our exaustion from the previous fight and went to the gate and were turned away and are now awaiting a writ to enter the Vale.

A Rock and a Hard Place Participants: Sharleen Syvil Marokin Cain Von Erolith Beldak Meren So where do I even start with this shit show..I guess the beginning is one place to start. So I was sitting around in the Tipsy Mermaid drinking because that's about as much entertainment you can get there..I was also accompanied by Marokin..he's ok. Anywho after sometime of us chatting and what not we were graced with a fairly new face it had appeared to of been a Tiefling like Marokin but the one looked more..stronger I guess though then again anyone can look stronger if your walking around with a warhammer as if its a walking cane. This tiefling who would later tell us his name which is Von was looking for work, and we happened to have a spot so he was in. Cain eventually showed up as well and eventually more and more folks arrived if I had to name them all off the top of my head it would probably be Syvil, Erolith, Beldak and Meren who is always somewhere nearby. After a couple of exchanges with Adolfo me and the crew saddled up and rode off to kill some bandits and investigate a tomb that is pretty old from what I heard from my party members. As we were traveling we eventually ended up in a coast where a boat seemed to have been beached. We had a couple members of our party go and investigate with me behind to make sure there was no sort of danger nearby...though there indeed was danger..but not one I was expecting from the back of the ship I spotted massive tentacles latching on to the ship and gripping it attempting to pull the ship off the beach and sink us entirely. I acted fast and warned my friends that were currently on the ship as I leaped off the boat and landed on the beach. Though Marokin, Von and Beldak were not as quick and they were pulled out into the sea. It was hard to see the three but after a while I caught Beldak diving off the boat and swimming and the two tieflings diving off the opposite side while holding onto a barrel to keep them afloat. The ship had completely vanished underwater and then things started getting even more dangerous when the tentacles bursted out making its way toward the barrel with the two tieflings. Syvil bravely dashed toward the water and tried to assist them while Erolith sent out his familiar in the form of an raven which flew around the squid...sadly it was smacked out of the air dead. As all this was happening I took it upon myself to try and communicate with the beast before it could claim any of my companions for lunch. I informed Cain of my attempt and he began thumbing through a book containing info about squids. It took a while but I managed to call off the beast saving my friends later on Syvil's pet Jana managed to find a book of some kind..it had something to do with imperials or something along those lines but I didn't really read it much. We all decided to camp for the night all of us taking our watches, thankfully nothing came and attacked us through the night. Once we all gathered our things in the morning we all saddled up and rode towards the bandit camp. The place was much larger than I had thought...and the stairway was just as large. We all decided to travel up the stairway having the more stealthy people move ahead and the others follow from behind, I stayed next to Cain and kept him pressed against the wall due to his...anxiety as the rest moved up. During this time as we traveled up we all heard it before we saw it...large boulders were being rolled down the stairway Syvil was the furthest ahead and moved just a tad bit slow before getting hit..he was thankfully still standing but not looking good..I wish I could say the same about Beldak he took the hit pretty bad and was knocked unconscious. After some quick thinking from some of the party members Erolith managed to magically transport himself ahead of the boulder to help Beldak, Marokin actually managed to get the hell outta the way..and Cain took myself and Meren and leaped off saving us both. After a long battle of running up and down steps and avoiding bolts from crossbows or arrows from bows and an unlikely reunion with that pole arm lady who we fought on our way to Bael's Isle. We finally decided to retreat due to their tactical advantage. So in the end we truly gained little from this little adventure...but for those who venture out into Maladon the coast that we encountered the squid...there may be some amazing goods afloat just look out for squids...

Session 18: A Rock and a Hard Place Present; Sharleen Syvil Marokin Cain Von Erolith Beldak Meren 250 XP per party member for an epic attempt to storm a very nasty stronghold. +1 Renown (Iron Fists) for each member of the party, for bringing back information about the Imperial War Cog and it's message. 50 gp reward per party member for this information. Session 19: Backdoor into the Vale Present: Cain Kelteris Marokin Sharleen Boone Jon Heron 300 XP per party member and +1 Renown (Kingdom of the Vale) for slaying the Dragon and dealing fairly with the Valemen.

Session 20: Mirror Mirror Present: Erolith Ffiona Tarville 250XP per character for some epic roleplay and for facing a second Thornblight demon.

Log updates to follow tomorrow; too pushed for time now.

I will be composing the log for last session; Raos the Sunbringer

I propose that this be the log. It will await the judgement of the the party before being finally turned in to Adolfo as the Lady Aurelia had voiced concerns as to the contents and I wish for everyone to have chance to add any comments. I have written this by memory; not by recording. As part of company that numbered seven and flew under blue sash standards we took up the task of making contact with the Vale. My companions were: Keaten the Rogue, who's titles remain unknown to me, Associate of the Blue Sashes Meren Denn the Eldritch Fighter, Associate of the Blue Sashes The Wizardess Lady Aurelia of House Donau. Asssociate of the Company of the Rose The Paladin Ser Cain Immortui of House Rathaka, Associate of the Brothers of Light Sharleen the Dragon-Barbarian, Associate of the Blue Sashes Von, the Tiefling Fighter, Associate of the Blue Sashes And myself; Syvil Dernsson, former ranger of the Drell forest, now a paladin with the Blue Sashes Our goal was a simple one; yet complex in its undertaking; to get in contact with the Valesmen and to have them send food, specifically potatoes, a plant which rumour grows ever more intriguing. Ser Cain also raised the topic of a certain Goat's Pass through which we must pass ere we reach the Vale; as this was the only route allowed us by the writ given us by the Valesmen. He told of undead who could spread a blight throughout the region and asked that we destroy them. Most curious was his suggestion that we fought them not just for our own party but for someone suffering under their curse. For he made clear that a friend of ours had come to him in need and that the way forward was to destroy and cleanse these undead nightmares. There was some debate on the issue of Goat's Pass if I recall correctly; the danger not a welcoming prospect, but in the end we took Ser Cain's advice. Before we set out the Lady Aurelia arranged for a writ promising fair purchase of any food brought to Haven, and made good with the banks of Haven that gold was indeed available. As such it was decided not to take a caravan with; but rather to bring word into the Vale of a good prospect for trade. As you will come to see, this we may indeed have managed and I am ever the more grateful we did... Taking horses lent us by Adolfo, we all set forth. Making good speed we travelled up the Red River road and at Hessard's Ford I found the inspiration at last; calling on the wind to bring good news and aid it was that Escallia came to me there and she was true indeed. Written above this is the mark of secrecy used by the Sashes to signify a passage in the logs that is sensitive information and not to be shared. If one can call it good or not I am not sure; for the business I will now describe is not such that it was born of good... Not long after Escallia came to us the winds picked up, a rain starting and intensifying as a warning of what lay ahead. It was not danger; but what seemed a merchant's cart broken down on the road. Yet as we made to help the drover fled; taking a bolt from Von's crossbow in the knee and a well placed javelin which tripped him as it struck ground and became snare for his foot. Thus he fell and was taken capture. In the meantime the reason for his attempted flight became apparent; Keaten had heard a noise from one of the barrels, and finding it full, not of wine, but of a captive woman he and Cain saw her loose from bondage and healed. Such was her state that not much else could be done for her but upon inspecting the cart we found a sum of 50 or so gold coin and scrolls; all sealed with the same seal, quickly identified as that of the Badger's and if not Tobias' personal seal then that of his house; Esteban. With Escallia keeping the cart horse calm, this is indeed the very animal we brought back with us, we fully gathered what we could from the cart and deciding rain would not allow us to pass further we set on the road again. Here is the mark which signifies the ending of such a passage. Deciding that Hunter's Inn would see us late to the pass we sent Ser Cain there with our horses, the Lady Aurelia deciding to make company as she was curious of this, indeed strange, place. The rest of us attempted to find shelter out of the rain which was ever more present. Luckily aid came in the form of Hasska, a goblin with the Blue Lotus tribe and a personal friend of mine. He came out of a cave whose mouth was being studied by Aurelia before we entered, as arcane were the runes inscribed upon it. Hasska explained that these runes, as Aurelia had decrypted, indeed were wards and that they protected against the fell light and power of the Blackspire. This tower will be known to you from other accounts and I will not dwell on the matter for it does ever trouble me. We made camp here for the night and Hasska came back with game he had felled. Here is the sign for the following being an altered event; a re-telling which aims to hide some fact or other. And he was not alone, for with him came a woman of the Vale, seemingly seeking shelter here with us. She told us much of the rumoured potatoes, and some of the Vale and its governing. It seems the "king" was not such such, for he named himself "steward", hinting that his aim was not to rule almighty and alone but to guide, and to steer his people. She seemed indeed to be most happy with him and spoke of the Drornlord who had come before, to whose heights no king had ever after aspired. She told also of their capitol, and of the wall, which gate might, she guessed, be opened. If such was the case then the restriction to Goat's Pass made most sense it seemed. At morning we set forth again, now in company of the woman from the Vale. She led us on a shortcut, one used only by those of the Vale for it took ancient words, perhaps even spell, to open it. But such we reached Goat's Pass at good pace and at midday. It was here we found death. There were sings of battle; blood spilled on the ground as if by cuts and stabs. Foul was the presence here and Ser Cain urged us onwards; past a cave where he said something foul awaited. Yet it was not our deaths that awaited, but that of the guards of this pass, and worse; the death had been unmade, turning soldiers and travellers into watchdogs for a foul power which we would soon contest. I made to block the tunnel and Sharleen and Ser Cain were quick to my aid as we tried to hold back the foul creatures. Though we numbered many the position made such that we could not fight well and the ensuing melee was, frankly, a mess. However, with Sharleen felling as many as four of the seven who assailed us, with Ser Cain's powers of Sol and my healing the line held, but as we thought ourselves good the things started climbing on the walls; moving past us and into the back ranks. And such it therefore came to be that the battle grew wild and desperate; the rest fighting a retreating battle towards the line where sunlight turned shadow in the tunnel for th e creatures would not enter into the light. With such revealed the tactic would have been clear; but we in the front rank were now trapped twixt two ranks of skeletal fiends. Luckily, with the aid of the other four, of which Meren Denn proved himself, much to my surprise, to be willing to again enter the shadows to fight with us. With his timely intervention I was spared and he turned aside a blow which would surely seen me down, I managed a last healing spell for Cain and a retreat to horseback from where I sent spells down upon the melee. All through this battle our mistake, not applying the holy water to our arms, was making things difficult. Yet by help of Von, Keaten and Aurelia a barrel of such was opened and some even poured to make dangerous the ground for our foes. Such ended the skirmish with our foes vanquished; we all still alive. Knowing that more lay ahead for us we asked the woman of the Vale flee, to bring with her the writ and message of our plight, and the promise that we would cleanse this pass or fall trying. And so she left, to take paths not yet revealed to outsiders and to enter the vale. And I sent with her my lady's blessings, and a dagger, for with her went our hopes. Indeed we would see more death as Cain now urged us follow, making quick preparations we went back to the cave we had just passed and there we found a foe with which Sharleen had contested before; the shambling corpse of Raos. He had summoned up a dark cloud which blotted out the sun and allowed more undead fiends to make way towards us. And though I say shambling, for indeed it's pattern of movement was foreign, Raos was as darkness with the unnatural speed of light and his foul touch soon turned both Sharleen and Cain to frozen bodies; standing meaningless in the cave opening. Meanwhile we rest contended with and brought low an other one of the skeletal fiends. But at this I drew forth Calinaar and his wrath was such that flames licked the blade. In his light all things turned and by his powers were Sharleen again made free. And as blows were dealt left and right it was Meren Denn who finally struck the last blow; taking head from shoulders. Well was this for more skeletal fiends approached outside, but as Sharleen dumped Raos into the barrel of holy water, making unholy into what it once was, the spell broke over several of the creatures outside as they approached us and thus only four ever made battle with us outside the cave. And upon the prayer of Ser Cain the clouds broke apart; the radiant sun unmaking what has been remade and leaving only bones and dust in it's wake. So it was that we lay low the evil that held Goat's Pass. But all was not over yet, for in the tomb were likely many treasures and such was the greed of some in our own midst that had I not blocked entry to the halls behind me, some would have rushed in to claim prizes and loot without heeding warnings of cursed ground. But as the curse which had held Cain broke a shining gem appeared and came to lie in the hand of a man, carved into a sarcophagus which was now revealed as it was bathed in the light from the gem. Cain brought in the barrel of holy water and made safe before stepping towards the gem. Never before have I seen such; for in light and shining power was he enveloped as lights seemed to infuse his body, a thunderclap echoed and Cain, ever scared and banished to imprisonment in his own armour, stood now whole, free; the shining gem having embedded itself upon his maul. Thus he went about cleansing the tomb and I could finally step aside. Inside we found many things, the sarcophagus of Raos, who once brought back the light of the sun and lay now here under protection of the Erdar. And in the back; an altar of divine power. Upon it was placed a warhammer, a staff, a crown, a dagger and finally a robe. Thus Von, Aurelia, Keaten and Meren all claimed boons for themselves from this altar ere it finally split in twain. And such we took stronghold in the pass until guards of the Vale came up, and much bounty did we have for there was more than the tomb to look through and many things, if mundane, to be had. Thus we left the pass once again in hands of the Vale's Men and made our way to Haven, as did, without us then knowing, carts of food from the Kingdom of the Vale. It is these events I wished to report and I find them to be of good. The above is my official report of events on those several days, though our trials lasted only two we had a day guarding the pass and another travelling down to Haven.

Session 21: Raos the Sunbringer Present: Keaten the Rogue Meren Denn The Wizardess Lady Aurelia of House Donau The Paladin Ser Cain Immortui of House Rathaka Sharleen the Dragon-Barbarian Von, the Tiefling Fighter Syvil Dernsson, Ranger and Paladin Each member of the party recieves for their efforts: 650 XP, 500 gp (Sharleen refuses any gold and so her share is given over to the rest of the party), +2 Renown with their own Company and +2 Renown the Iron Fists. Also +1 Renown (Kingdom of the Vale) and +1 Renown (Haven). A writ also arrives at the Tipsy Mermaid to allow the Blue Sashes or Companies acting mostly under their banner, to pass through the Valewall or through Goat Pass. In addition, the GM awards Cain, Meren, Kaeten and Sharleen +50 extra XP for staying in character and eschewing material rewards in favour of RP. The GM further awards Aurelia +100 XP for writing the note that caused the Vale to open trade with Haven and +2 Fellowship (Hans Klieber) for her dealing with the situation concerning Galt and the letters.

Investigating Amber Downs, again Participants: Aicrath Ashton Dithas, accompanied by Xyah, the hawk Iloa Eddon, accompanied by Solis, the dog This was the day of my arrival to Maladon. I was 'fresh off the boat' as they say here. On the docks I met with Eddon, a tall man in a red garb who introduced himself as a wizard of sort, Iloa, a sturdy fellow and an associate of the Blue Sashes, Aicrath, a strange looking man covered in tattoos and Ashton, a child who somehow seemed to know more than he let on. As per Iloa's and Eddon's suggestion we made our way to the Tipsy Mermaid, the home base of the Blue Sashes who are the ones most newcomers to Maladon stay with until they find a place for themselves, we were told. At the tavern we met with the giant barkeep Adolfo who formally invited us to join the Company of the Blue Sashes. Me and Ashton gladly accepted his offer with Aicrath seeming less interested but not outright refusing either. Eddon inquired about a possible job to do and was informed that people were looking for someone to investigate the Amber Downs, a mine whose ore shipments to Haven had stopped unexpectedly. All of us recognizing not having much spare coin laying around decided to take on this mission. We were lended a map and a cart to help our travel and so the party left for the mainland. On our way northeast we were alerted by my hawk of something in the water nearby. At a glance it looked like a bunch of barrels stuck in a net. I was willing to take closer look, however the rest were not. Ashton, who was in charge of the map marked the location on it for possible retrieval later, by another interested party. Arriving to the opening which functions as the passage to the mines we were alerted by there being no guards or anyone else for that fact. Using Eddon's light producing spell, a sling bullet from Ashton and Xyah, my hawk familiar we scouted ahead into the darkness of the first level of the mine. Although the atmosphere there was quite bleak we faced no immediate danger in the first few rooms. Our investigations left us with the impression that the place had been abandoned in a hurry, as blood stained the floor at some spots and many daily items still lied in their place. Aircrath and others had a verbal scuffle over a tiny sum of gold left on a table in the bar after which Eddon found a book covered in blood which I recall to have been a miner's diary. There was also a storage door which was chained from the inside but not locked. After examining the door briefly Aircrath was able to remove the chain and get inside. Within the room was but ordinary mining tools and other necessities. The last way which we had still left to explore was the mining tunnel. Quite close to the entrance to the tunnel there was a seemingly collapsed side tunnel. The dog, Solis pointed us to the stone pile blocking the passage to that side tunnel after sniffing some blood on the floor. This made us suspect and soon Iloa was hacking away at the blocking rocks with a pickaxe he found in the storage room. After clearing the rocks we found the tunnel on the other side to be much more like a room than a tunnel. Aicrath was the brave one to enter first. He was surprised by two large menacing spiders which for some reason passed him by and instead focused on attacking other members of our party. I was caught in a sticky web launched by one of the buggers and Ashton suffered a poisonous sting from the other. The spiders were quickly dispatched of however and we were able to recuperate. Inside the room we found a body of a man and with little to nothing on him. At this point it was becoming clear to us why the mines were no longer operational, few would survive long in a mine inhabited by creatures such as these spiders. Knowing more was deemed desirable however and so we pressed on deeper into the mine. We used my hawk to scout one side of the mine while advancing as a group to another direction. After an unwise decision to enter a tight crevasse Iloa was jumped by some spiders. The nasty things proved no match for Eddon's fire magic or Aicrath's precise strikes. From the crevasse we managed to drag out a half dead dog. The mutt had been injected by too much poison for any of to heal it. Ashton weeped as the dog was deemed better to be euthanized on the spot rather than letting it experience a slow painful corrosion from the inside. After our scouting hawk had been shot down by something in the darkness ahead Ashton nearly fell down a cliff into and underground river. Hanging by his hands he was almost a goner but thanks to Iloa's swift reflexes he was pulled up before his strength ran out. The sounds of their struggle attracted unwanted attention to us as soon we were surrounded by a swarm of spiders. It was at this time that we realized how horrific these creatures truly were. They were capable of short distance instantaneous jumping that cannot be blocked by walls. We were certain their numbers and seemingly advanced hunting tactics would overwhelm us if we stayed so we made haste and got away. This did not happen without incident as Aicrath fell unconscious from a spider's bite. With the help of a medicine kit Ashton was able to stitch him up. Before we left Eddon wisely took some ore and other evidence with him to present to the lords in Haven.

Yahoo! I need to confer with Stephen on the exp but you'll have something tomorrow; before the session.

Session 22: Tunnels and Venom Present: Aicrath Ashton Dithas, accompanied by Xyah, the hawk Eddon, accompanied by Solis, the dog Iloa Each member of the party receives for their efforts: 210 exp, 70 gp, +1 Renown with the Blue Sashes and +1 Renown with the Miner's Guild of Haven. For the location of the lost cargo there is sadly no reward as a fisherman found and retrieved on that day a shipment of cheese and wines from the Empire, said fisherman has now retired. In addition, the GM awards Ashton Linden 50 experience for putting RP first and another 50 to Dithas Hawklight for writing the log. I also wish to thank SlothSlow as a player for not abusing meta knowledge from a test we ran of the first level of the mine, but won't give any rewards for such as it would be unfair.