Conquer Club

DM wrote:Well, it seems we will not be able to take our horses through the forest while we are tracking this Dark Dragon."the Sergeant orders all the horses to be taken to the stables and that a smaller group of soldiers enter into the forest. "Here, take our horses back to the livery and stay on alert here in the city. I will take five men with me to track down this Dark Dragon!"

The Sergeant points at five men, and gives them orders to start looking for tracks into the forest, meanwhile Cheezus the Elf has already begun his search.

DM wrote:"We are in luck, it seems that Dark Dragon must have thought he left the city unobserved and is not covering his tracks at all,"Cheezus points at a broken twig on the forest floor where a boot had stepped on it. Cheezus points out in the direction Dark Dragon has traveled and immediately the Sergeant gives a hand signal to his men to spread out and begin to flank their quarry.

Cheezus silently walks through the forest, as if the forest seems to know his every step. Alastair can't help but notice that Cheezus barely leaves any trace of his own passing and that plants and branches seem to move out of his way of their own volition. ~It must be those Warlock boots that Sheyla gave him.~Alastair thinks to himself.

The company tracks Dark Dragon for about five hours deep into the forest, then there is the sound of fighting up ahead and out of view. The men that the Sergeant sent to flank must have found something. You can hear the clang of steel on steel and cursing. Then a scream from one of the men.

"Grab him! Grab him!"the Sergeant orders,"I want him alive!"

Suddenly the company hears a scuffle and the sound of soft bodies thudding against the forest floor.

"We got him!"yells back one of the guards.

"Good work, men! Bring him to me"

As the guards appear from the foliage, they have a masked man tied up and bring him directly to the Sergeant.

"Well it seems the rabbit doesn't get far from the wolves, don't you agree...Dark Dragon?"

As the Sergeant speaks those words he rips off the leather dragon mask from the Wytch Runner.

Click image to enlarge.

The man behind the mask is fairly handsome. He has short cropped black hair and his ears are slightly pointed showing a bit of Elven heritage, Alastair recognizes him immediately as being a Half-Elf. The man has a prominent scar under his eye that runs down his cheek.

"What is your name, Githarian?"the Sergeant questions.

"Well, since you have me within your power, I guess I can tell you my name. My name is Lancing Starburrow, but you are wrong in your presumption that I am a Githarian. I am no longer a Githarian as the Dreadlord Kannith looks to enslave the whole country to his dark whims. If the people knew what I knew about the Dreadlord, they would run as far away as possible from Githar."the Half-Elf informs the Sergeant.

"And what truth is that, Dark One?"the Sergeant questions again.

"That the Dreadlord has joined the Cult of the Dead...the followers of Orcus the Demon God."

Alastair quits breathing for a second at the mention of that name, as he knows full well that it was that cult that tried to summon Orcus into the world a thousand years ago. The Shadow Wars gave birth to all types of monstrosities in the world, but finally the Cult of Orcus was vanquished by a small force of warrior magic users from Tabor and Hellsblade, led by their mighty Warlock Master Knight, Asmodian Stormshadow.

"So you are saying that you have turned over a new leaf in life, because Kannith is following some stupid imaginary demon god?"

"No, I am saying I am leaving Githar in fear of my life and soul!"Dark Dragon responds.

Then one of the Sergeant's men throws the Sergeant a backpack. The Sergeant gropes through the pack and searches it thoroughly. In it, he finds a number of bottles with strange liquids and pouches full of unusual herbs. He finds a mortar and pestle.

"I would be careful with that, if I were you, Sergeant,"Dark Dragon warns,"Those are my mixing supplies for special occasions. You may want to wash your hands thoroughly before you partake of your evening meal."

The Sergeant looks at his fingers and wonders if that is just some dark joke coming from the Half-Elf, then the sergeant pulls out a leather padded bag. He unwraps it and inside is a book. The Sergeant looks at it and opens it, but can't read a word. The language is too arcane for the untrained to understand.

"This looks like a wizard's book! Here wizard, you read this!" The Sergeant tosses the book to Alastair.

Alastair the Wizard begins to read as if his mind were a hungry wolf that hadn't been fed in a week. A couple hours go by and Alastair is able to recognize a bit of what is going on.

"Well, it seems that this Ritual Book belonged to Asmodian Stormshadow, the Warlock Knight I told you about earlier. It seems that Asmodian had a number of portals of which he could travel anywhere in the world, and perhaps other planes of existence. He could travel from Hellsblade to Nyördand in a blink of an eye and back again. One of the portals is in Norule Keep, which is an abandoned tower left over from the Shadow Wars. The forest and briar are said to be impassable and deadly!"

"So what is in this Norule Keep?"the Sergeant asks.

Alastair responds,"Well, there is a very important artifact that must be used to enter the portals and unlock magically warded barriers. The item is called simply Asmodian's Key...what it is exactly it does not say, but it is safe to assume it would be a useful tool to a Wytch or a Warlock."Alastair glances over at Sheyla.

"Hmmm, well I fail to see any importance of this to the Kingdom of Fyrsdane, but I will help you get this item and any treasure that we acquire on the way, half must be given as tribute to King Fyrsdane!"

~Hmmpf! Is this guy crazy! Me?! Give up HALF!?! What if I just kill all these guys in their sleep? Nah, better not, I'm still gonna get my cut out of this deal, but I ain't given half to some King that ain't anywhere to be seen!~Cackle thinks to himself.

"The book also talks about a great weapon that was used to vanquish The Cult Of The Dead and some type of prison that keeps some type of foul demonic being trapped...you don't suppose Kannith wants to use the portals and the key to open that prison, do you?"Alastair looks a bit frightened of the thought, for he knows the true dangers of demonic power and what it can do.

"Well, let us get some sleep tonight, let's make camp. Keep Dark Dragon tied up, I don't trust him!"then the sergeant points at Cackle,"This one should be tied up too, in my opinion, but for now my men will keep watch tonight, especially on this thief."

One of the guardsmen has a sword wound across his ribs, and Cheezus tends to it with herbs and prayer. Soon, the wound is closed and the guardsmen feels much better and listens intently on Cheezus' stories about his goddess Melora.

The company soon falls asleep...as well as the night watch (oops!)

All is peaceful and then all of a sudden there is a howl, Maximus is awoken first.

"What the...Who in the Nine Hells is supposed to be keeping watch! Fools!"Maximus looks around and sees many shadows circling the camp. "We have been surrounded by wolves of some sort! Grab your weapons!"

The Sergeant wakes up to the commotion,"Yes..yes,"the Sergeant stutters in fright,"Grab your weapons and prepare for battle!" the Sergeant draws his sword, but doesn't advance. "I will stay here and protect our prisoner."

"You are just using that as an excuse to not have to risk your life and limb fighting whatever it is that is prowling out there,"Dark Dragon insightfully states,"You might be better to undo my bonds and give me my weapons back. The more men the better right now."

"Shutup, Dark Fool! I am not letting you go!"

Meanwhile, as the company begins to set up a perimeter, amidst the growling of wolves the company can hear voices in some gargle-like language.Sheyla recognizes it, as her Father taught her parts of that language in case she ever needed to use it; and Cackle knows that language well, as he had many a crooked dealing with these little vermin. GOBLINS!

At the outer edges of the perimeter, the company sees a number of Goblins with their pet attack wolves. They are ready to pounce on the party.

safariguy5 wrote:Alastair again casts Light to try and get a better count on the number of enemies.

DM wrote:Alastair casts a Light Spell to get a better look at the situation, only to wish he didn't see what he was seeing. A band of 12 or 13 Goblins along with about 9 pet attack wolves. Not good odds at all!

The Goblins have the party completely surrounded, and the one Goblin wearing skulls and feathers is barking out some type of commands.

Sheyla can just make out a few words. Something about only leave them alive if they give you everything they got...

The Sergeant seems scared of the situation, that makes his men a little nervous and their morale is not that high.

What should the party do?

safariguy5 wrote:"We need every man we can! Cut the Dark Dragon loose and we'll settle the differences once these things are dead!"

DM wrote:As the Wizard pleads with the Sergeant of the Guard to release Dark Dragon, the arrogant Sergeant says,"I will not release the prisoner! He is too dangerous AND too valuable to risk letting go! We have ample men and weapons to take care of the threat! Now cast a spell Wizard, before we all die! And remember...I am leader here! Men...READY YOURSELVES! HOLD YOUR GROUND UNTIL THEY PROVE THEIR INTENT!"

The Guardsmen unsheathe their swords and prepare themselves for battle...

Meanwhile, Sheyla is trying to speak to the Goblins in their own tongue,"We are only passersby. Please, green ones, do not harm us, what is it that you want?"

The Goblin wearing Skulls, bones, and feathers steps forward and everything is quiet. His skin is a yellowish green and he holds a bone that has strange markings on it. The Goblin Shaman says to Sheyla,"Bah, little girl speaks Goblin? Tell your friends give all you have...you trespass here, this Goblin forest! We take all. All food, all gold, all weapons...it is owed to us! Tell friends to do, or die!"

Sheyla relays the message to the Sergeant and his men, the guardsmen look fearful now.

The Sergeant replies,"The King's Guard does not surrender nor kowtow to Goblin scum! We attack now!"

The Sergeant gives the order and his men go on the offensive and advance towards the nearest wolves and Goblins.

"Now, the rest of you! Fight for your lives and give these Goblins your cold steel! ATTACK!"

"You had better rethink releasing me, Sergeant,"Dark Dragon says calmly,"Your men will probably all die soon. I don't want to die, therefore, I am forced to help you for now. Give me back my weapons and mask, and I will show you what a WytchRunner can do in battle!"

The Sergeant smites the HalfElf on his scarred cheek with the hilt of his sword, the scar is hardened enough that Dark Dragon barely flinches and flashes a sly smirk back at the Sergeant,"Silence, Dark Scum! I am the leader! I give the orders! Do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand..."Dark Dragon replies,"that you are going to die." He states under his breath.

DM wrote:The Shaman Goblin yells at the Goblins to kill everybody and take everything. The Goblins move quickly into action, jumping into battle.

The first little Goblin jumps at Maximus and pokes him with a short sword. The sword cuts a line into Maximus' thigh, and the little thing begins to laugh with a high pitched irritating voice.

Maximus' instinctively responds to the Goblin's attack with a fiery backlash from the back of his fist. Elemental fire surges through his veins and ingnites his flesh in a sudden flash of flame and heat. Maximus swipes at the Goblin with his fist and hits the creature squarely in the chest, scorching its flesh and breaking bones at the same time. The Goblin flies through the air and lands on the ground with a thud. The Goblins dead body slides in the dust for a couple more feet while its carcass smolders and its flesh blackens and crackles with primal fire.

As Cheezus prepares his prayers to his Goddess, a Goblin rushes him and slices at his knees. Cheezus' Elven quickness proves to be too fast for the Goblin, and the Cleric moves out of the way. The little Goblin curses in its own tongue and kicks a cloud of dust in disgust.

Another Goblin sticks one of the Guards in the side, luckily the Guardsman's armor protected him from the majority of the blow, and is able to shake off the small wound.

The Wolves follow their little masters into battle and begin to surround guardsmen. The Guardsmen try to defend themselves the best they can, but the wolf pack is proving to be too much for them.

One Guard is bitten on the forearm and he is trying to get free, while the other two are jumped upon and knocked to the ground. The wolves are ganging up on them to try to tear them apart! Cries for help are heard from the two guards on the ground.

"Are you sure you don't want to rethink your decision, Sergeant?"Dark Dragon asks the Sergeant of the Guard again.

"Be quiet, you insolent worm!"the Sergeant yells at Dark Dragon and then kicks him in the ribs.

Quirk wrote:I've been working all night and I'm about to get some rest. So if my turn comes up:

Cheezus uses his bow even at close range. He would like to shoot at one of the wolves but if the minion that attacked him still poses a threat he will fire at him.

Jace22 wrote:Maximus takes a 5 foot step into flanking position and attack the wolf he flanks

DM wrote:Maximus swipes his Great Sword at the wolf that is closest to him. The attack gives the Guardsmen time to get up and defend himself. The Wolf receives a massive wound in its side from Maximus' sword and then it receives a stabbing wound in its hind quarters. The wolf yelps but is still fighting!

Meanwhile one of the Sneaky Goblins moves forward. He seems to be eying Maximus' position, but he is quite stealthy in his movements and is being unobserved for the most part as Maximus battles the wolves he is adjacent to.

Then, a proud looking goblin wearing a wolf skin head piece, throws a simple spear at one of the guards. The spear glances just in front of the guardsman's foot. The Guard looks the Goblin's way, but remains in the fight with the wolves at the moment.

Kurt Velhoff, The Sergeant of the Kings Guard, just stands there as if he is just waiting for something to come at him. His eyes are wide open and his cowardly actions are irritating to some of the party...especially to Dark Dragon, who would like nothing more than to be let loose and punch this guy in the face!

As a Goblin attacks Cheezus, Cheezus easily jumps out of the way, while at the same time he knocks his bow with an Elven arrow and fires it at a wolf just feet away from him.

He hits the wolf squarely in its hind quarters and the wolf yelps nipping at its back leg. The Goblin uses Cheezus' distraction as an opportunity to attack, but Cheezus again proves too alert and prances easily out of the way of the Goblin's sword strike.

DM wrote:Cackle is smart enough to see the real threat, he makes a swift advance towards the Goblin Shaman that is continually barking orders. The Shaman has made a small mistake...he has left himself unguarded and Cackle takes advantage of the situation. Moving quickly into striking distance, Cackle is able to attack with sudden speed that hits the Shaman off guard.

Cackle pulls a sling stone from his pouch and twirls it above his head taking quick note of any advantage he can get over his enemy. The stone flies and hits the Goblin Shaman square under its eye and glances across its nose breaking it to the side. The Shaman's nose is bleeding and his cheek is starting to swell from Cackle's shot.

"Uhg! Help me, fools!"the Shaman starts giving commands; meanwhile Cackle is quite proud of his shot and enjoys listening to the Goblin speak and curse in its own language.

Dark Dragon still remains tied to the tree and Kurt keeps the point of his sword against his neck.

"Well, Sergeant, I guess you might as well cut my throat now rather than be killed by Goblins and Wolves...it would be a more deserving death, than by the hands of green beasties."

"Silence, Murderer and Assassin...I will cut your tongue out if you speak one more word!"The Sergeant threatens again.

Of course, Dark Dragon is very stealthily trying to work his hands free from his bonds, but the Sergeant of the Guard has yet to notice as he is trying to keep an eye on his men and the battle that is ensuing.

As the guards battle wolves (and one guard is on the ground fighting for his life!) two Goblins appear behind some rocks that they are using for cover. They have Hand Crossbows and take a couple shots at a couple of the guards. One shot just whizzes by a guard's head, while the other crossbow bolt embeds itself deep in a guard's leg bringing him down to one knee in pain.

"Ah! I've been shot!"the guard screams only making the Sergeant of the Guard more nervous about their situation.

As Cackle attacks the Shaman, his faithful Thug follows just behind him and rushes to meet a very sneaky Goblin with a short sword. This Goblin is covered with Black Tattoos that look very tribal. He spits out a curse in his Goblin tongue,"Akrog!"

Brem has no idea what it means and tries to hit the Goblin with his club. The Tattooed Goblin moves easily out of Brem's way. His club attack was too slow, but Brem vows to keep trying anyway.

Then as the Shaman Goblin yells out a few commands at his Goblin Guard, he looks Cackle squarely in the eye with a jagged yellow snarl. He points his Bone Rod at Cackle and speaks a few words. A misty light of purplish energy appears around Cackle making his skin tingle.

"Something just doesn't seem right. What just happened?"Cackle speaks to himself, but other than the strange sensation and purple glowing mist, nothing seems to have happened.

As the three wolves try to tear into a guard, Sheyla decides to move in to help him,"Well, I can't use magic, but I can still use my spear!" She strikes at a wolf, but the wolf was quick enough to move out of the way; however, Sheyla notices that her attack caused the wolf to put it's tail between its leg for a second,"Ah! So you are scared! You have picked the wrong fight this day!"

safariguy5 wrote:I'll use Careful Attack on myself and cast Magic Missiles at the Shaman. If it takes an extra action to do so, I'll exert myself.

DM wrote:Alastair sees the threat of the Goblin Shaman and quickly pulls his wand from his belt. A greenish bolt of energy discharges and flies across the battle field with tremendous speed, some Goblins stand in awe of the magical spectacle as the missile whizzes past them and towards their leader.

Not prepared to meet another Magic User, the Goblin Shaman is hit in its shoulder and it yelps in pain. He begins to wonder what type of trouble his band of cutters have gotten themselves into, but he continues to give orders and the Goblins obey.

A couple of the Goblins move closer towards their Shaman leader while one is sneaky enough to slash at Cheezus and is able to just catch him on the side of his arm. Fortunately, the Cleric's Chain Mail deflected the majority of the blow, but it still stings.

Then one of the Goblins stabs a guardsman just underneath the plating on his shoulder. The Guard is already dripping blood from the wolves that are attacking him, and now he has a sword wound to boot. Not a good day for this Guard! Then the Wolves that are surrounding him all jump on him and knock him to the ground. They have grabbed the guard by both arms and a leg and are shaking their heads back and forth to try to rip the man's limbs from his body.

Another Guard by Sheyla has also been knocked to the ground and has been bitten severely by the wolves, while another guard is lucky enough to have defended himself from all three wolves attacking him. Quite amazing as the man was totally defending himself while in a prone position. The man throws some dirt and grass at the wolves and manages to stand up and ready his sword again.

CreepersWiener wrote:I apologize for this weekend, but my internet is out and I am typing this at work. I won't be able to get your game started back up until this coming weekend hopefully. Sorry.

CreepersWiener

Jace22 wrote:Maximus takes another swing at the wolf he's adjacent to, marking it with combat challenge if it survives

DM wrote:Maximus rushes in to save the poor Guard that is almost being ripped to shreds. As Maximus moves in with his Two Handed sword held high, the wolf is too busy with its prey to notice the huge Genasi advanced behind it. Maximus finds and easy mark as he slices into the wolf's hind quarters. The wolf spins around nipping at its back leg as if it had been bitten by something that is yet still there. As the wolf turns its attention away from the prone Guard, the Guardsman quickly gets to his feet and runs his sword all the way through the wolf's neck and severing it's spine. One of the wolves is now dead.

The Guard breathes heavy and gives Maximus a look of thanks as he is too tired and wounded to speak at the moment. Maximus nods towards his ally and prepares to find another enemy to attack.

The next Guardsmen that is next to Sheyla is able to get to his feet again and stab one of the wolves across one of its front legs. The wound draws blood but the wolf acts as if it didn't feel a thing. As the Guard attacks another Guard moves in to help his comrade, but the wolf was aware of the movement and is able to skulk just underneath the Guardsman's sword blow.

Another Guard is fighting a Goblin, but the Goblin easily rolls past the Guards attack. The Goblin snickers at the Guard and prepares an attack with a short sword and moves it's position for a better strike.

The other Guard that is surrounded by Wolves is able to scramble back to his feet and slice part of a wolf's ear off. The wolf shakes its head in pain and then begins to snarl at the Guard that just attacked it.

The Shaman Goblin barks orders at his band of thugs and the Goblin with the tattoos slinks quickly away from combat to guard its leader. It quickly hops to its leaders side. Meanwhile, the tougher looking Goblin with a bunch of throwing spears has picked up his position and moved a bit closer to his leader, likewise. As it settles itself in its new position, it quickly finds an opportunity to throw a javelin at Bremm. Bremm, however, is a bit too slow and the javelin sticks deep into his shoulder. Bremm grimaces in pain but does not say a word, as Thugs need to show how tough they are, otherwise, they do not get the respect they deserve on the street.

As the battle wages, Kurt the Sergeant holds a sword close to Lancing's neck, but he seems a bit distracted at the chaos that is brewing on the battlefield. He is taking count of the battle and is determining if a full out retreat is in order...however, the Sergeant plans to leave Lancing tied to the tree to be run through by the band of little monsters. Dark Dragon knows this full well.

Let the Dark Dragon join the fight!

Quirk wrote:Cheezus takes a shot at the nearest wolf.

He urges Kurt:

Let the Dark Dragon join the fight!

tzor wrote:Hmmm, let me see my options, I am ... Mr. Mediocre. I do have a good chance of slipping out of my bonds in ... let's see ... 60 combat rounds ... or I have a FLAT NO WAY CHANCE of doing it in one.

DarkDragon wrote:"I would pay attention to him, Kurt, if I were you. Releasing me is your best option at the moment."

DM wrote:Cheezus' Elven perceptions has allowed him to observe the real threat. He knows full well what a pack of wolves can do, Goblins are dangerous but only secondary to a large pack of wolves. Cheezus ignores the Goblin in front of him and turns quickly to take aim at a wolf that is adjacent to him. The shot glances across the wolves back cutting it's hide, but Cheezus has failed to make a kill shot. The wolf still persists after its prey.

Meanwhile, as Cheezus lowered his defenses to make the shot, the little Goblin steps forward and sticks the point of his short sword into Cheezus' thigh. Cheezus winces in pain and turns his attention towards the Goblin that just stabbed him. As Cheezus holds the wound on his leg, he yells at The Sergeant of the Guard to let Dark Dragon go to help with the battle. The Sergeant glances Cheezus' way as if he is starting to contemplate doing so.

Cackle reaches down to the ground and finds a nicely weighted sling stone and loads his sling. He takes careful aim at the Goblin Shaman and let's the stone fly towards its mark. The stone flies true, but before it hits the Goblin Shaman, he waves the Bone Rod through the air and the stone is deflected by some invisible force. However, the stone strikes the tougher looking Goblin with all the spears. The stone leaves a nice gash across the Warrior's forehead, and deep blackish red blood begins to ooze down the Goblin's face. Cackle impresses himself with his shot, but he is still wondering what that Shaman did to him?

The Sergeant stands with his sword pointed at Dark Dragon's neck as he remains helplessly tied to the tree. Dark Dragon sees Kurt's contemplations and tries his luck in persuading the Sergeant to let him go.

"What?...I can't trust the likes of you! You'll put a knife in my back as soon as we enter into the battle! We cannot risk a Githarian Assassin being freed!"the Sergeant refuses to cut Dark Dragon loose, but does not strike him this time as he is more interested in how the battle is coming around.

DM wrote:Two Goblins are hiding behind some boulders and are firing their crossbows at the guards. One of the guards is struck in the shoulder, while another Guard is aware enough to dodge out of the way of the whizzing projectile. Some Goblin curses can be heard coming from behind the rocks, but the Snipers remain well hidden from sight.

"I kill you, you little green BASTARDS!"Brem yells angrily as he swings with his club, hoping to splatter some Goblin brains; but the Goblin is far too quick for Brem's lumbering blow and it quickly hops behind him and sticks him in the back with its short sword. Brem yells in pain as he must fall to one knee and try to recoup his strength. The wound is severe and Brem can feel the warmth of his life's blood spilling down his back. The little Goblin begins to snicker at his dirty handy work.

As Cackle starts looking for another stone to throw, the Goblin Shaman whispers Goblin words of power and waves his Bone Rod in Cackle's direction again. A thicker purplish mist begins to form around him and obscures his vision.

"Haha! Foolish Man! You have now angered the Guardian Spirits of the Clan of Daggers! Enjoy your DEATH!"the Shaman yells at Cackle in Goblin and then begins to give orders to his Goblin allies.

"Ah! Help me! HELP ME!"a Guardsman screams as three wolves are trying to rip him apart.

"Don't worry! I might not be a trained soldier, but I am handy with a spear!"Sheyla comforts the Guardsman and swings her spear at the nearest wolf. The spear tip pokes into the wolves side, but it is deflected by a bone and doesn't deal a death blow to the savage creature.

"Damn you, Kurt! Let Lancing go so that we don't all perish!"Sheyla tries to convince the Sergeant to let Dark Dragon out of his bonds to help fight off these monsters.

"Shutup! King Fyrsdane's Guards do not take orders from Wytches! I am no WarWytch of Hellsblade, I am the King's Guard. I give the orders here, not some spear wielding Wytch!"the Sergeant replies and still refuses to free Dark Dragon.

CreepersWiener wrote:

DM wrote:The Sergeant stands with his sword pointed at Dark Dragon's neck as he remains helplessly tied to the tree. Dark Dragon sees Kurt's contemplations and tries his luck in persuading the Sergeant to let him go.

"What?...I can't trust the likes of you! You'll put a knife in my back as soon as we enter into the battle! We cannot risk a Githarian Assassin being freed!"the Sergeant refuses to cut Dark Dragon loose, but does not strike him this time as he is more interested in how the battle is coming around.

OOC wrote:I know of this great d&d site, if you guys are interested. It's called dndonlinegames.com and it is pretty fun. I'm on as silverjace, so check it out if you want