D&D: The Warlock's Boots (NOW RECRUITING!)

[CreepersWiener]

My apologies at the moment. My mother is not doing very well at the hospital and I will be spending as much time with her this weekend as I can. I will try to get the game started again as soon as possible.

[safariguy5]

Family comes first of course. Hope your mother gets better soon. Fine job DMing imho so far.

[jonesthecurl]

Seconded on all counts.

[CreepersWiener]

Okay, folks. I am back at the moment. I need sometime to get back into the swing of things. Any questions pm me

Give me some time this week and read over our game, and then I will start posting again.

Meanwhile here is a little overview of what has happened so far:

These are the current players and their respective characters in this campaign:

Quirk: Cheezus-Elven Cleric
sackett58: Gregor Tombs-HalfOrc Fighter/Barbarian
jonesthecurl: Gorlan-Human Bard/Wizard/Rogue/Spellscarred
Jace22: Maximus Burst-Genasi (firesoul) Fighter
safariguy5: Alastair Plainstrider-HalfElf Wizard
slowreactor: Firnam-Human Rogue

Currently the Company has met Sheyla and Givran Darkwatcher who are political fugitives from the Empire of Githar across the sea. Givran Darkwatcher served on the Githarian Wytch Council and held one of the highest positions in Githar. When the King of Githar died of mysterious circumstances, that left his son, Kannith to declare himself Dread Lord of the Githarian Empire.

As Dread Lord, Kannith declared war on the neighboring country of Tabor (which was Givran's homeland). Kannith vowed to defeat the War Wytches of Hellsblade and expand the Githarian Empire. With the defeat of the Taborian War Wytches, Kannith will have increased his power one hundred fold and nothing in the world will be able to stop him.

As a former Wytch Lord of Hellsblade, Givran could not stand idly by and let Kannith destroy his mentors in Tabor. Kannith sensed Givran's treachery and immediately had him "shackled" (along with his daughter just to be safe). As Givran was waiting trial for treason, an old Moon Elf Wizard friend helped him escape and gave him a book and a pair of Elven Forest Striders (a pair of boots). The Moon Elf told Givran and his daughter that there was a magical item located in an old abandoned wizard's tower located in the forests of Nyördand, a large island country across the ocean. This item of power, the wizard thinks, might be able to remove the Githarian Mage Shackles that keep magic users from casting spells.

The Moon Elf's Ritual Book, which contains extensive notes and clues to the item's whereabouts, has been stolen by a young thief named Firnam. Firnam realized the importance of the book and that perhaps it should be returned back to the rightful owners, as the man (only known as Dark Dragon) who hired his guild to retrieve the book seemed a bit nefarious.

As Firnam returned to the tavern to return the book, the inn was waylaid by members of his guild, however, a group of heroes incredibly defeated all of them in a blink of an eye. But now Firnam, a guild thug, and his guild boss, Cackle, have been arrested and placed in the town's jail while the ritual book was confiscated as evidence.

Meanwhile, one of the guild thugs captured Givran Darkwatcher and made a speedy retreat towards the harbor. Sheyla was saved by Firnam at the last moment and is now frustrated that no one was able to save her father.

The town guards report that Givran is no where to be seen and witnesses say that he was quite possibly boarded upon a ship and that ship has already left the harbor. The guild thug that kidnapped Givran was found with his neck cut, but with no sign of Givran anywhere.

Sheyla wants her father's book back and proceeds towards the jail house to try to retrieve it. Meanwhile, there is a mysterious fire that has started in town and all the town's guards have been diverted to battle the blaze leaving Firnam, Cackle, and the Guild thug unattended at the moment in the jail house. The ritual book is locked away in a desk nearby.

The time is perfect to use the current mayhem to escape. Cackle produces a small thieves lock pick that he had hid away and begins trying to open his cell door.

[Jace22]

Maximus decides to accompany Sheyla after noticing the guards going toward the fire(figures she could use a bodyguard on this errand)

[safariguy5]

Alastair walks over to the desk and starts looking for a key. Also, I might need a list of my spells again, I don't think I have the pm anymore. Thanks and glad you're back.

[CreepersWiener]

Maximus decides to accompany Sheyla after noticing the guards going toward the fire(figures she could use a bodyguard on this errand)

As Sheyla begins to head off for the town jail to retrieve her father's book, Maximus follows close by to offer his protection. The night is a bit chilly and Sheyla is happy to feel the warmth coming from Maximus' body. One only has to stand a few feet from Maximus to feel a fiery warmth as elemental fire pumps through his Genasai veins.

Not much is known about the Genasai or how he came to meet up with Gregor Tombs the Half-Orc, but Sheyla uses the time to find out more about him.

"Maximus, you know you could have made a fine Warlock if you wanted to," Sheyla speaks to the tall Genasai admiring his strong physical form faintly illuminated by a dull glow of elemental fire. "Tell me, what brought you to Nyördand and Winterhaven?"

Maximus begins to think about his past and turns a ring on his finger as he reminisces of the past, and then begins his tale.

"Well it seems that secrets are hard kept between friends,"Maximus begins his story with a furled brow. "I am neither from Nyördand nor from any land of which you are familiar. I am Genasai, which is to say that I am made from the elements. The Genesai were humans like you a long time ago, Sheyla, but as they found ways to pass beyond this world, they created villages and cities in the midst of the Elemental Chaos, the plane of existence where Earth, Air, Water, and Fire take on forms not common to this world. For thousands of years small pockets of humans that either lived or were trapped in the Elemental Chaos took on certain elemental aspects into their very souls. Some took to water, while others to air. Some enjoyed dabbling with more than one element, but for me, I was born a Fire Soul. My people embraced the primordial source of all flame and we took the form and power of the Fire Soul Genesai.

We found our way to the legendary City Of Brass that stands on the shores of an immense ocean of fire. Though the city was built by the evilly minded Efreet, the city has taken a life of its own. Good people live their along with the bad, and even some Efreet are not as bad as others; but let it be known that that city is owned by the Efreet and high is their price for admittance."

"So, you come from the City of Brass located deep within the Elemental Chaos?" Sheyla says. "I think I've heard tale of such a city, but I only thought it to be a myth. What made you leave such a glorious city of wondrous magic and knowledge?"

Maximus fiddles with his ring a little more and speaks,"Love, Sheyla. Love. You see I spent my early years serving in the Grand Guard of the City Of Brass. I helped fight hordes of attacking demonic denizens that wished nothing more than the total destruction of our city. I was trained side by side with Genesai, Humans, Elementals, and lower classed Efreet. The Efreet Warlord that commanded our regiment noticed my fighting talents and always had me close by to aid him in any assault. However, he also had a very beautiful daughter, Izramelda.

It seems that Izramelda took to liking me, but being an Efreet, it was forbidden for her to fall in love with anyone else but an Efreet. Her father had suspicions of her love for me and issued me orders to go and fight on the Outer Rim of the Abyss. Certainly would be a death sentence for me, as wave after wave of ferocious Demons would annihilate all that stood at the Outer Rim. The Outer Rim is where the Efreet send their condemned to fight and perish.

Upon the eve of my departure, Izramelda met with me and gave me this ring." Maximus stops twirling the ring on his finger and shows it to Sheyla. The ring is made of what seems to be brass and has dark sigils inscribed around it.

"The ring is a key to a portal between this world and the City Of Brass, and the door to that portal she kept hidden and protected in her household, even from her father. The other door for the portal is in your world, across the ocean to the west in the territory known as Wars Reach."

"Yes, yes, I know of it,"Sheyla says. "Wars Reach is yet untamed and ruled by tribes of Barbarians and battle seasoned mercenaries. It is home to Orcs and other fowl beasts...not a nice place to be!"

"Yes, then you know of how far I traveled. The door to the portal dropped me off in some ancient abandoned temple. I had to fight my way through a few giant spiders before I saw the light of day. As I exited the temple I was met by a small band of mercenaries who some had thought I was a Fire God. Gregor Tombs, the Half-Orc, was among the number and shared his food with me." Maximus gets a small shiver in his spine thinking of the awful haggis that Gregor fed him.

"So, you and Gregor fought side by side in Wars Reach?" Sheyla asked.

"That we did. Our mercenary group was known as the Thornblood Mercs and we were hired to fight for those that could afford our price, which was few, as none could really afford it. So, we spent most of our time hanging around the festered city of Luskan on the coast of Wars Reach. No king, no mayor, no lord, no governor rules Luskan. Luskan is a rat haven full of thieves, pirates, assassins, and mercenaries. One day it is ruled by a foolish upstart, but by sundown he is found with a knife in his back. I can't believe Gregor called Luskan home for all those years, but, I guess, it taught him a thing or two about self preservation and the occasional need for larcenous acts."

"So, how did you and Gregor get to Nyördand and Winterhaven?" Sheyla asked inquisitively.

"Well, there was a ship looking for Mercs to explore the southern reaches. We were promised gold and jewels beyond our wildest dreams and they paid us with a few pieces of gold up front, so we thought to ourselves that the venture seemed more productive then just lying around Luskan waiting for a thief to put a blade to our throats.

As we sailed to the South, we were periled by a turbulent wind that pushed us into The Saints Teeth--a dangerous outcropping of rocks that has eaten more than one ship. Our ship was smashed to bits and Gregor and I were the soul survivors. We floated on bits of wood for a good week at sea. It really tested our endurance. We were finally picked up by a Nyördander Merchant ship that brought us up into Winterhaven. And that is how we ended up at Mr. Urlag's Inn."

Sheyla seems intrigued by Maximus and is satisfied with their conversations as they proceed to the jail house to get back her father's book.

[CreepersWiener]

Alastair walks over to the desk and starts looking for a key. Also, I might need a list of my spells again, I don't think I have the pm anymore. Thanks and glad you're back.

[Point of Order: Alastair is currently at the Dancing Goat with Sheyla, Maximus, Gregor, Gorlan, Mr. Urlag, and Cheezus. Only Firnam, Cackle, and the Guild Thug are in the jail house and have access to the desk. You may tag along with Sheyla if you like...]

[CreepersWiener]

Cackle works for a couple minutes on the jail cell lock, thinking that he might not be able to open it using such a simple thieves' pick, but just when he thought all was lost...CLICK! The cell door is open and Cackle walks free.

~Now to jimmy the desk drawer and get that damned book!~ Cackle thinks to himself and runs towards the desk looking for any approaching guards.

As Cackle reaches the desk, the Guild Thug speaks to Cackle,"Hey, Boss. Ain'tchya gonna let me out?"

Cackle freezes for a moment, knowing he doesn't have enough time to risk freeing everybody in the jailhouse. He knows that he only has enough time to save his own hide, everyone else must fend for themselves. Cackle quickly thinks of a clever lie.

"Shhh, Bremmin...not so loud. I need to get this book out of here so we can get paid, okay? When I get back to the guild, I will send some buddies of ours to spring ya loose, okay? And when you get back to the guild, we will have lots of money to spend, ale to drink, and girls to kiss!"

"Uh...okay, Boss!" Bremmin the Thug replies.

Cackle hurriedly tries to open the desk drawer...it seems to be an easier lock than what was on the cell door.

Cackle opens the desk drawer and looks upon the old book like he was looking upon his own baby.

"Oh, ain'tchya a beauty! Come along then, you have caused quite enough trouble for one day!" Cackle speaks out loud to himself as he prepares to leave the jailhouse.

[jonesthecurl]

Ug=h, give me a while to get back into this plot and character.

Incidentally, I just joined a new local live D&D group, they're great fun. I play a dubious teen with a pirate background.

[safariguy5]

In that case, I'll head over to the jailhouse to free Firnam.

[jonesthecurl]

I'll follow Sheyla at a discreet distance. I'm not convinced 100% I'm on her side yet, though we do now share some enemies at least.

[slowreactor]

hopefully it's not too late to jump back in again

Firnam notices Cackle with the book he had. Impulsively, he yelled,

"Hey boss! Listen, I know I took the book, but I did it to help you! That book is pure evil, you don't want to be near it! I took 1 look at it, and I knew it wasn't something I wanted to mess around with. If you hold onto that any longer, you won't even be able to begin to imagine what horrors will fall upon you!"

[CreepersWiener]

hopefully it's not too late to jump back in again

Firnam notices Cackle with the book he had. Impulsively, he yelled,

"Hey boss! Listen, I know I took the book, but I did it to help you! That book is pure evil, you don't want to be near it! I took 1 look at it, and I knew it wasn't something I wanted to mess around with. If you hold onto that any longer, you won't even be able to begin to imagine what horrors will fall upon you!"

Cackle pulls the Warlock's book out of the desk and looks at it as if he were studying it for any damage, then he quickly pockets the tome into a pocket located inside his thieves' cloak.

"Shutup, Firnam!" Cackle scolds. "You screwed up the 'job' and I have to fix things as usual! You can rot awhile in jail and think about your apprehensiveness towards the guild. I don't think the Black Jackal will be best suited towards you. Goodbye, Firnam, and enjoy your stay."

Cackle turns to move towards the door when a dark figure immediately appears.

The man is dressed in pitch black leather armor. The leather looks as if it were made out of scales of some type of reptile. The leather mask the man wears looks like a horned demon or dragon. Cackle's eyes open wide at the appearance of the dark figure in the jail house.

"Hello, little thief. I believe you have something of mine,"the dark figure says.

Cackle immediately recognizes his employer for the job that was screwed up. His name is Dark Dragon and he is a Wytch Runner sent from the Githarian Empire.

[*NOTE: Artwork is mine, forgive crappiness]

[CreepersWiener]

If anyone is interested in the current map of the campaign we are playing, here it is:



Your adventure and party are currently located in the town of Winterhaven located in the realm of Nyördand.

[safariguy5]

Any idea if the other players will be back? Maybe drop them a pm or something DM?

[CreepersWiener]

A closer look at Nyördand, as is common knowledge of the realm. (Maybe updated or modified as the campaign progresses)

[Quirk]

Cheezus chants a quiet prayer and keeps and eye on Sheyla.

[slowreactor]

Once Firnam sees Cackle's employer, he thinks to himself that this is one discussion he does not want to get into. He hides back in his cell and listens to the converstion that is about to start, while looking for any escape route in his cell.

[CreepersWiener]

Once Firnam sees Cackle's employer, he thinks to himself that this is one discussion he does not want to get into. He hides back in his cell and listens to the converstion that is about to start, while looking for any escape route in his cell.

As Firnam backs away in the shadows of the bars of his jail cell, he sees the Wytch Runner known as Dark Dragon step forward towards Cackle. Cackle at first seems a bit frightened of the shadowy figure, but quickly musters some false courage as not to seem like a weakling.

"Yes, Dark Dragon,"Cackle says with some confident assurance,"I have the book you have hired me to get for you, but I need to see the payment we agreed to upon its deliverance." Cackle pats his coat pocket where he has stashed away the Warlock's Book.

Dark Dragon laughs a bit in disgust at the filthy rogue and speaks to him in a clear but somewhat raspy voice,"Humpf! You dare bargain with me now after the fiasco you and your buffoon guild has caused in this small little town? You were supposed to have done a nice quiet job and returned to the Beggar's Boot Tavern with the book I sent you out to retrieve! Now word has gotten out and the town's guard are on high alert over your rampage through that tawdry inn. I followed your arrest here, but you were being watched by guards, so I started a large enough fire in the midst of town to draw almost all available souls at the moment to fight the blaze. I haven't much time before I am noticed here. Do you have any idea what the ramifications may be if anyone finds out that a Githarian is behind all this? I think you have been paid quite enough for that book, now hand it over!"

Cackle thinks to himself, not wanting to seem like a coward here. As a guild boss he has to show some backbone, especially in front of Firnam and the Guild Thug.

"Now, listen here,"Cackle begins to scold,"I have lost a number of good thieves tonight looking for this damned book! I am not handing it over to you until I get paid! Now, let's negotiate how much this book is wor....."

Cackle's sentence is immediately cut short as Firnam here's a familiar whistling noise. Firnam thinks to himself~shurikens!

Cackle is lying on the floor unconscious, much like Mr. Urlag and Sheyla were prior at the Dancing Goat Tavern. He has two stiletto-style shurikens sticking from his chest. The speed of which Cackle went down makes Firnam wonder about what was on those shurikens? Shurikens are not the most lethal of weapons, especially small ones like Dark Dragon was using. It has to be some type of knock out poison that is coated on them.

Dark Dragon quickly pulls out the book from Cackle's coat pocket and hurriedly exits the jailhouse before anyone comes back, but as he leaves the jailhouse, Shelya sees the man leaving and running out into the shadows of the night while the glow of a large town's fire illuminates the night sky.

Sheyla, Maximus, and company have entered the jailhouse.

Sheyla sees Cackle knocked out on the floor and Firnam sitting in his cell,"Firnam! What has happened here? Is my father's book here?"

[Jace22]

Maximus readies his greatsword in case any enemies are around

[safariguy5]

I walk up to the Guild thug and say,

Listen, we've had quite enough trouble with you guys already, I want some answers about who hired you and why!

[CreepersWiener]

I walk up to the Guild thug and say,

Listen, we've had quite enough trouble with you guys already, I want some answers about who hired you and why!

Yooz have to speak to Cackle, heez da guild boss, ya know? And heez sleepin' right now, just likes I should be!

[slowreactor]

Firnam, upon hearing a familiar voice, quickly goes to the front of the jail cell and relates everything he has seen and heard to the party. He then asks for their help to get him out of this jail cell, since he can't find any way out.

[jonesthecurl]

Cheezus chants a quiet prayer and keeps and eye on Sheyla.

Gorlan surreptitiously keeps an eye on Cheezus keeping an eye on Sheyla.