Sunday, June 28, 2009

Pelastour’s Hidden Cove

  • Characters: Azla, Carn, Flannigan, Janora, Marlet, Sentalial, X-Requinn
  • NPCs: Elder Marko, Elder Kenrick, Elder Bristol, Poltur
  • Synopsis: The village elders bring the adventurers into their private quarters and divulge the secret of Chimera Cove. Long ago, a Sembian merchant financed the creation of an undead dragon turtle called the Terraken. Using an amulet to control the undead creature, the merchant attacked rival vessels in the Sea of Fallen Stars, particularly targeting Cormyrean ships. Eventually the amulet fell into the hands of the Sembian government who issued it to various captains throughout the years. A harper agent from Cormyr named Pelastour accepted the dangerous task of destroying the Terraken. With a Red Wizard of Thay, Pelastour magically created a hidden cove in the Pirate Isles to strike out from. He spent years perfecting the caves in hopes that he would eventually be the target of the Terraken, and would lure the creature into his complex where he would kill it. In the event of failure the One Who Harps crafted an intricate magical trap to keep the Terraken from ever leaving. Pelastour took his devout followers and established the village to protect the cove’s secret and told them of the ritual to lower the waters of Chimera Cove to access the hidden port. According to plan, the undead dragon turtle did target Pelastour’s ship the Scythe, and chased it into the hidden cove, destroying it and Pelastour’s treasure in a ferocious battle. Pelastour and the wizard were killed in the ensuing chase, but not before trapping the Terraken. The cove’s magic prevented any scrying, and thus prevented the Sembians from commanding the Terraken. The keeper of the amulet came to Chimera Cove but never returned after entering the hidden complex, sealing the amulet and the undead dragon turtle within the trap. The village continued to guard the secret, or “treasure”, of Chimera Cove for more than two tenyears, until Pelastour’s grandson came of age and, betraying his legacy, decided to sell the secret to a Sembian baron. After the adventurer’s presented Poltur’s letter and the items necessary to perform the ritual, the elders surmise that Poltur has indeed betrayed the village and will release the Terraken. The group agrees to stop Poltur, and if they can destroy the dragon turtle, the Plight of the Pirate Isles, they can keep whatever treasures they find. After sailing to the center of the cove and performing the ritual, they are attacked by a giant octopus but force it to flee after dismembering four of its tentacles. Poltur’s hobgoblin troops greet the party at the mouth of the now-exposed cave, mistaking them for the humans Poltur previously summoned. Inside the group is lead to a massive underground lock that houses the pristine ship the Silver Reign. Delusions of grandeur flood Flannigan’s mind as he has already mentally claimed the vessel. Standing on the ships plank a man identified as Poltur instructs the new arrivals into the ship’s hull in order to complete the ritual. Goading Flannigan into a duel, Poltur retracts into the ships hull pulling Carn and Flannigan with him. Janora and Sentalial engage the two remaining hobgoblin guards while the others scramble onto the deck of the Silver Reign. The trap is sprung as Poltur escapes, leaving them three mimics to deal with. On the deck the real threat emerges as a hellcat appears and throttles X-Requinn. The chaos continues but the newest member of the group the war mage Azla targets Poltur, catching him with a lightening bolt. From the stern of the ship a mysterious ghost manifests and silently watches the battle unfold. Poltur does a drastic escape attempt, but seconds before his escape the relentless Azla blasts Poltur again. The dashing and overconfident man’s life spews out as he topples over the rear wall of the High Port into oblivion below. The group surrounds the hellcat but not before Flannigan is pounced upon and brought to death’s door. X-Requinn revives the fallen swashbuckler, but the Hellcat retreats to the ship’s hull to finish off the trapped party members below. The battle is fierce as the hellcat blends into the magical light of the ship and disappears. But the war-hardened group is quick to gain the upper hand. Sentalial draws his holy sword and brings the devil to its knees. Begging for them to spare its life, the hellcat promises to divulge the secrets of the caves below. The paladin of Torm brings his sword down with the might of his god, splitting the devil in two equal parts, spilling blood to the hull floor. The ghost that has been observing manifests in front of the party and tells them that the situation is worse. With the death of Poltur, the magicks holding the Terraken in its trap have been released. An ancient water elemental is now free and the waters of Chimera Cove are returning. Within the hour the undead dragon turtle will be free, and without a controller, the Terraken will destroy anything and everything in its path. Pelastour says that he can guide them through his traps but there are other horrors within the cove that they must defeat to reach the dragon turtle. The amulet to control the beast is in the same oubliette that traps the Terraken. The might of the creature is too great and it is hopeless to fight it directly. Getting the amulet may be the only way to keep it from escaping, from rampaging the Sea of Fallen Stars, and from falling back into the hands of Sembia. Outside Flannigan inspects the ship but is drawn to a door built into the south wall of the High Port. A quick listen reveals stirring from within.
  • Encounters: giant octopus, three hobgoblin guards, Poltur, three mimics, hellcat
  • Achievements: performed the Ritual of Chimera Cove, defeated the giant octopus Hand of the Deep, fooled Poltur’s guards, discovered the Silver Reign, defeated the bound-devil hellcat Zasril and his minions, killed Poltur releasing the ancient water elemental commanding the waters of Chimera Cove, and received the dire warning from the ghost of Pelastour.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

The Secret of Chimera Cove

  • Characters: Carn, Flannigan, Janora, Sentalial, X-Requinn
  • NPCs: Captain D’Ja Mode, Firstmate Helmswoman Stephae, Navigator No-Thumbs Qwerty, Quartermaster Pussy Terro, Cook Seagull, Bosun Deeno, Lookout Greenboy
  • Synopsis: Captain D’Ja Mode introduces his crew of his vessel The Iron Maiden and embarks on the tenday journey to the Pirate Isles. The sailing is swift, but the horizon is ominous as the dark clouds promise stormy seas ahead. Flannigan’s promise of weather control goes overboard as the heavy weather strikes on the sixth day. The adventurers convert to deckhands as Deeno barks orders to clear the deck of ballast and non-essentials. Then the sails are taken down in lieu of raw manpower. As the ship is cleared and the deck battened down, the entire crew shifts below to use oars to power the ship through the storm. Come morning, the work is still not done. The ship’s deck is encased in ice requiring everyone to spend the morning and afternoon breaking the rigging and mast arm free from the dangerously top-heavy condition. Arriving at the Pirate Isles after the accurately predicted tenday, Qwerty daftly navigates the Spoon Waterway to the island of Telfar. The legendary Chimera Cove is on the eastside of the isle and Captain D’Ja Mode is convinced to delay his departure, waiting off-shore only until morning. The group lands just south of the cove but before any proper investigation is made, they are attacked by another group of adventurers. The battle is swift but victory is owned by the Adventurers Guild of Threshold. Looting the bodies, they find correspondence from one Poltur “the Accursed” requesting a cleric adorned with a holy symbol of Umberlee, the Bitch Queen of the Depths and 30 feet of silver line. The werebear Targas introduces himself to the party, depositing his contribution to the battle, the body of a Sembian baron. Targas relays that his village is responsible for protecting Chimera Cove, but has been sequestered by Poltur and his hobgoblin guard. Poltur, the grandson of Pelastour the founder of the village, seeks to release the “terrible treasure” of Chimera Cove for Sembian gold. Lead by Sentalial, the party impersonates the dead mercenaries and fools the hobgoblin guards into gaining entry to the village’s boathouse where the 24 villagers are held captive. Sentalial’s ruse is fleeting as the paladin leads the attack, resulting in dead and surrendered hobgoblins as well as freed villagers. Targas is accepted back into the community after a prolonged exile and the elders pull the group aside to explain the severity of the most recent events. The villagers are tasked to protect the secret of Chimera Cove, the secret that Poltur now threatens which could let the corrupt Sembia control all of the Sea of Fallen Stars and result in the deaths of hundreds if not thousands. This is the secret that the elders are entrusting the group with in hopes that they can intervene.
  • Encounters: violent winter storms of the Pirate Isles, Poltur’s mercenaries, Targas the werebear, 8 hobgoblin warriors
  • Achievements: survived sailing the Sea of Fallen Stars, discovered the elements of the ritual to lower the waters of Chimera Cove, freed the captured villagers, and restored Targas’ honor.

Monday, June 8, 2009

The Treasure of Chimera Cove

  • Characters: Bixtbie, Carn, Flannigan, Janora, Sentalial, X-Requinn
  • NPCs: Wicasa Wakan, Captain Rumjack, Captain D’Ja Mode, Teldar, Paladin of Torm Wessalen Arturia
  • Synopsis: They Call Him Carn arrives in Threshold and recruits several guild members to help him retrieve an artifact of great importance. They must travel to the Pirate Isles to the island called Telfar, home of Chimera Cove. Because to the current political turmoil in Westgate, They Call Him Carn has redirected his route to Teziir where he has heard rumors of a vessel capable of traversing the frozen Dragonmere. Departing for Teziir the group finds their journey crossing the frozen Dragon Coast long and cold, but finally reaches their destination, the wall-less city Teziir. A brief stop at Wicasa Wakan’s pottery shop yields the needed results. The man they are looking for is Captain Rumjack who’s at the Smelted Horse. Wicasa offers to sweeten the deal for They Call Him Carn’s crew. If they can derive the method Captain Rumjack uses to power his vessel, the potter will pay them 500 gold pieces. Moving to the Smelted Horse, the group finds the unmistakeable Rumjack who cannot take them to the Pirate Isles. A trip to the center of the Sea of Fallen Stars during the winter season would be suicide. But the man does offer voyage to the seasonal port city of Ice Flow, a collection of vessels and docks moored together at the edge of the iced-over Dragonmere. Surely they can find a fool there to take them east to the Pirate Isles. While enjoying the experience that is the Smelted Horse, the festivities are interrupted by three drunkards causing problems and verbally assaulting the group. The situation resolves itself as quickly as it began, and the group delivers the unconscious men to the city watch for processing. In the morning the rendezvous with Rumjack goes off without a hitch and the group experiences the magical properties of Rumjack’s vessel, the Wavecutter. Sumberged beneath the ice of the Dragonmere it is only a half-day’s journey to the port at Ice Flow. As soon as Rumjack deposits his passengers, the port is in total chaos. One of the docked ships is under attack by a massive sea worm. The captain screams to any who might listen offering a reward for the killing blow to the creature. The adventurers race onto the deck of the ship and engage the mighty serpent. Several of the combatants are snatched into the beast’s mouth as it takes successive blows. Just before it succumbs to the multitude of attacks, the quelzarn swallows Sentalial whole. Jenora slays the creature with a stealthy strike sending the sea monster plunging into the icy waters of the Sea of Fallen Stars. The group works together to cut the paladin loose, saving their comrade. Not as promised the captain of the ship comes up short for the reward monies, but Flannigan barters a trip to the island of Telfar assuring the captain that they can control the weather and thus expediting their trip. Convinced Captain D’Ja Mode introduces himself to his new sea-worthy crew.
  • Encounters: 3 Astorian thugs, quelzarn
  • Achievements: reached Ice Flow and secured a ship to take them to the Pirate Isles

Mettik’s Journal

  • Characters: Forkbeard, Janora, Krullix, Marlet & Unger, Trizoon, X-Requinn
  • NPCs: Caravan Master Adoward Moonshadow, Nerius Bootlum, Mettik
  • Synopsis: Krullix staggers into the guild hall from the wintered streets, worn from forced march. In a dire voice he ekes out that he a Janora were escorting a caravan west towards Ilipur when it was attacked. Krullix is the only one to make it back; Janora was taken along with everyone else. Trizoon gathers a rescue team including X-Requinn, Marlet and Forkbeard. Using Krullix as a guide the group prepares to depart put does some investigation regarding the caravan’s origin. Krullix says that Nerius Bootlum was using the caravan to deliver an item west, so the group goes to gather more information. Nerius says the item is an enchanted coffin to be delivered to Therhana Waveharp in Ilipur. The magical crafter says that the caravan was guided under Master Adoward Moonshadow, one known for his reputable services. The group wastes no more time and retraces Krullix’s steps back to the ambush. They follow humanoid tracks back into the hills leading to a cavern entrance, where they are attacked by guardian bugbears. The cavern entrance yields a large underground complex that uses varying platforms and rope ladders to delver further into the earth. After destroying two giant spiders, the party finds Janora hanging in the webbing and barely alive. She is healed and moves with the group to find someone who can only be the mastermind. A lone elf is hunched over a desk in a sparsely decorated chamber. With too many evil creatures already slain, the group doesn’t allow the elf to react as they launch to attack. In only seconds the scholar is killed, leaving only his journal indicating that his name was Mettik. The group expedites their withdrawal from the complex and makes for Threshold, content that one of their own has been saved from a disasterous end.
  • Encounters: three bugbears, humanoid spider creature, two giant spiders, Mettik the elven scholar
  • Achievements: destroyed the caravan attackers, killed Mettik, and saved Janora.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

The Wizards of Tendale and the Druids of Cedarspoke Summit

  • Characters: Aramir, Dorian, Forkbeard, Gallipolas, Krullix, Lazbin, Rathgillian
  • NPCs: Jebeddo, Karne, Wizards of Tendale
  • Synopsis: The adventurers consult with a revitalized Julbin Cometstrike, sage of Threshold. His hut is organized and reflects the new direction the master arcanist has taken. Interrupting his research, Rathgillian seeks assistance in restoring Lazbin’s mind. Julbin can only offer to open a portal to the inn where the Wizards of Tendale hold their summits and trade negotiations. It would seem that the Guild of Naturalists at some time in their past had interests inline with Tendale. Julbin opens the portal only after suggesting that Lazbin and Rathgillian would be a major asset should they decide to return and help the sage in a new quest. Perhaps in the future. The two move through the portal, appearing in the frozen mountains of separating the Dragon Coast from the Vilhoun Reach. Up ahead Rathgillian guides the feeble-minded wizard to the inn where the eldritch spellsword knight determines true north and very quickly leaves to find the only one he knows to cure Lazbin’s affliction, Gallipolas. An hour’s journey finds his comrades standing amidst the ruins of a heard of might stags. The group had been attacked but easily outmatched the group of outsider beasts. Deciding to camp for the night, the Defenders break out and discuss their options. In the morning the group moves north to the Wizards’ inn and stake out the location. Gallipolas and Aramir infiltrate the two-story establishment, finding only wizards, stable boys and chefs. The ninja halfling ghost-steps through the rooms killing two unsuspecting wizards before meeting up with the elf druid. The two agree to bring the others in through a back door and assault the unsuspecting wizards. With disguises, subterfuge, and pre-equipped spells the melee begins after Gallipolas poses as Lady Nerisis and is caught when one of the wizards realizes he is an imposter; he had only just left the Lady of Tendale in the other room. Their cover is blown so the invisible attackers strike, quickly decimating the unprepared denizens of the inn. Blasting their way into the guarded portion, Gallipolas’ spells bring down the guardians and the house. The once-protected lounge is now empty accept for abandoned writings of the Historian. The draconic script implicates the Defenders, but also stops abruptly as it seems his was taken in the midst of scribing. The last line simply states that the Defenders discover they must travel to Cedarspoke to retrieve the Firehill Runestones. The burning establishment is vacant of any trace of the wizards, save for the victims of the invasion, dead beneath the collapsed flooring. The Historian is gone.
  • Encounters: a herd of Rejkars, an enclave of wizards, sorcerers, and mercenary rangers
  • Achievements: regained Lazbin’s mental prowess, infiltrated the Wizards of Tendale resort in the Orsraun Mountains, lost an opportunity to procure the Historian, acquired the Historian’s writings for the day uncovering a clue to the Shadow Lord’s puzzle.