CHRONICLE VAULT 20071213, FROM THE LIBRARY OF RHAVUS THE FIEND-SAGE ...
Sunsebb 30, 595 CY
The appearance of a massive black dragon - the lizardfolk's Black Mother, Ilthane - shook the six heroes to their core. How was she involved in the corrupting of the lizardfolk eggs? Why would a black dragon be interested in an army of lizardfolk zombies covered in the mysterious green worms? Questions gnawed at them but few answered were revealed. They had recovered the unconscious bodies of Marzana the warmage and one of the Blackwall Keep soldiers, but both seemed to be suffering from some kind of illness that Duke was not able to identify. Hishka the lizardfolk shaman offered the group protection under the mangaroo tree and so, with night watches set, the companions fell into an uneasy rest after their battle with the wyrmlings of Ilthane.
The next day brought a cold northerly wind sweeping across the Mistmarsh, which unfortunately did little to dispel the unnatural fog that encapsulated the swamp for the morning hours. Argo took point and with keen eyes and the halfling survival instinct he led the heroes quickly through the cold marsh. They made excellent time and managed to reach Blackwall Keep just before night settled over the land, their speed even more impressive considering Drake was carrying the unconscious Marzana and Kong was carrying the soldier.
But something was wrong. Kaspar noted it first - the unnatural absence of nature's sounds. Things were too quiet. Argo, being in the lead, strode confidently up to the door of the keep and knocked, calling out for an answer as he did so. There was no response. With a shrug, the halfling ranger kicked open the door to reveal darkness inside. There was some kind of sound, something like a shuffling or a scratching, but his sight could not penetrate the darkness. Lighting a torch Argo revealed in a flash where the shuffling noise came from as three green worm-infested zombies lurched forward with a gurgled moan from the depths of the tower!
Acting purely on primal fear Shanks slammed the door shut. But Kong would have none of that so he pushed open the door and charged inside, his greatsword flashing in the flickering torchlight. He was, however, quickly surrounded by his three opponents but they did not slash at him. Instead it seemed like they only brushed up against him, and each one launched a series of tiny green worms onto Kong's exposed flesh. The tiny green worms began to writhe and burrow and the mighty barbarian began to panic and brush most of them off. Most of them. One of them had landed on his backside and found an opening in the small of his back and burrowed into the flesh.
The rest of the companions were suddenly gripped with a terrible icy fear that clutched their hearts, a palpable evil that emanated from the green worm zombies. Kaspar, Drake, and Shanks - their willpower broken - backed away from the tower as quickly as they could, the unnatural fear controlling their very actions.
Duke pulled a trick from his most recent druid training and cast a spell that turned his body into a living pillory of fire, hoping that the zombies were vulnerable to fire. Kong ran outside and past Duke and Argo, screaming in a mad frenzy about the worm crawling along his spine towards his brain. His spell completed the dwarf wizard/druid stepped into the keep and into the middle of the fray, his flaming body scorching the zombies around them. But it was not enough to deter them as they lurched forward and attacked, slashing at him with their gnarled claws. Severely wounded, Duke stumbled backwards out of the tower, but noted with some satisfaction that the green worms that leapt from the bodies of the zombies were incinerated instantly by his conflagration aura. Argo pulled out his magical daggers and cut one of the opponents down in a flash of whirling attacks.
Kaspar, Shanks, and Drake ran in a fear-muddled panic but within several moments they regained their composure. It was Drake who came across another one of the worm-infested zombies in the field surrounding the keep as it lurched up from where it was lying on the ground. With a might bellow he charged and cut the undead monstrosity deep, and Kaspar - with a speed only a monk could muster - ran as fast as he could and delivered a solid blow to the zombie with a chop of his fist. Under concentrated attacks the green worm zombie in the field was defeated, and seeing his companions deal such a blow to one of the undead, Kong was shaken from his panicked moment. Ignoring the constant pain of a worm crawling along his spine and to his brain, he charged into the keep and together him and Argo defeated the rest of the zombies. Shanks returned from his panic attack just in time to stomp on one of the green worms that lay dying on the ground.
The companions entered the keep to the sounds of rustling up stairs. Duke called out that if someone wasn't a zombie they should shout back. They heard a muffled response, words but difficult to make out, followed by the sound of a barricade being removed from the other side of the 2nd-floor door. The heroes braced themselves for a sneak attack but what stumbled down the stairs was not a zombie. It was a soldier, a captain judging by his rank, and he was covered in blood but appeared uninjured. He stammered, asking if the things were gone. When Duke responded in the affirmative the captain smiled crookedly and collapsed. Upon investigation the heroes found the second floor to contain two soldiers, both dead from sword wounds. Not taking any chances it was decided to burn all of the corpses a few hundred yards from the keep. With night already upon them the heroes decided to stay the night at Blackwall Keep and decide on what to do next in the morning.
Night watches were set, and during the third watch Shanks noticed something in the distance, from the west. It was a line of torches carried by people on horses. The halfling warrior hoped it was Alustan returning with the contingent of soldiers from Diamond Lake but he kept hidden until they go closer. His hopes proved correct as the soldiers and the sage arrived just before dawn at the keep. Shanks roused everyone from their rest and the soldiers were met and the situation explained. Alustan was relieved to see Marzana and determined that her illness and the other soldier from the swamp was simply a swamp-born disease that they were recovering from. The Diamond Lake soldiers listened to what had happened and congratulated the heroes on a job well done. Alustan especially was interested in hearing everything about the blight on the lizardfolk eggs, the black dragon, and the green worm zombies, and his face grew more grim with each new fact.
In the morning Marzana awoke and confirmed what the heroes had explained. The sage of Diamond Lake explained that the situation had grown more dire than they had expected - other parties must now get involved. Alustan asked the companions to take their collected notes and findings to a colleague of his, Eligos, who lived in the Free City of Greyhawk four days ride to the west. The six heroes agreed, and so they set off later that same day riding horses given to them by the captain of the soldiers. Alustan rode with them until they reached Diamond Lake (a journey of two days), during which the sage listened to the longer version of what had transpired in the swamp.
The four days passed uneventfully and everyone got much needed rest after the tough fights in the swamp and the keep. All except Kong, whose dreams were plagued by visions of green worms infesting his body and bursting from his skin. He felt something writhing in the pit of his stomach and his companions could see the visible effects of some sort of wasting disease. They needed to get to a temple and quickly and Greyhawk was the closest one.
A bitter wind blew from the north as they rode up to the Marsh Gate of Greyhawk with flakes of snow flying all around. They waited in line for an hour to pass through the gate, which was administered by a pair of Greyhawk militia inspecting travelers. The heroes were given a hard time when it came to their turn but Argo spread a little coin around (5 gp) and managed to avoid much of the bureaucracy of getting inside. They finally made into the dirty, cobbled streets of Greyhawk, the largest city in the world and the center for culture and civilization.
Argo quickly bought a map of the city from a registered Cartographer's Guild street vendor and after poring over it for a few minutes they found Eligos' home in the Garden Quarter. Also, not too far from Eligos', was the large Temple of Pelor, perfect to hopefully treat whatever was ailling the barbarian Kong. The companions made their way through the crowded streets, marveling at the exotic foods and other things that were readily available for purchase. They even came upon a parade going down the main processional complete with a caged chimera. Street urchins announced the parade heralded the coming Champions' Games to be held in the City Arena. Drake grabbed one of the flyers and discovered that the guest judges of the games were to be Loncer Amorocco the Dragonslayer and Rugrunt Garoul the Gnoll Champion from the northern kingdom of Bloodstone.
Then something went wrong. Duke noticed a thief trying to pick the lock of his wagon and at the same time the chimera managed to break free of its cage. People screamed and ran in throngs as the beast threw lightning into the crowds. Luckily the heroes managed to be there at the right time and they sprang into action - Kong and Drake charged with flashing swords, Argo launched a blistering attack with a flurry of his daggers, and Kaspar's fists kept the beast busy while Shanks whipped it with his spiked chain. The parademaster begged the heroes not to kill the beast, offering a very substantial reward for its capture alive, but the pleas fell on deaf ears - the barbarian Kong drove his sword through the creature's belly. The City Watch arrived shortly after the incident to clean up, and the parademaster wound up paying the heroes 300 gp for acting so quickly.
As the heroes made their way through Greyhawk after the chimera incident they finally came to the inner gate of the city, separating Old City from New City. Near the gate they found a man standing on a rain barrel shouting to the throngs of people, who all pretty much ignored him. As they drew closer the man - a beggar, clearly, with very little possessions to his name - shouted his apocalyptic prophecy:
"Listen to me, you children of Greyhawk, and hear the doom that builds before your blind eyes. You in your house of gold and you in your hovel of mud and even you in your mail of metal, none of you are safe from the doom, from the Age of Worms. Oh yes, it is coming. Have you not heard the dead dragons roar? Have you not smelled the rot festering under your very nose? Have you not dreamt of the worm that walks , bringing decay to all he touches? Fools, you are all fools! Your doom is upon you! The end is in sight and none of you shall be spared. Decay is the future and the future is here!"
The man had little else to impart and seemed almost oblivious to anything else, even when Shanks kicked the rain barrel from out beneath his feet. Something in the man's ranting seemed to strike a chord with the heroes, but they had little time to ponder this as Kong's stomach twisted - or rather, something in Kong's stomach twisted. They rushed to the Temple of Pelor and spoke with High Matriarch Sarana regarding the barbarian's illness. She professed ignorance towards the symptoms but vowed to try a few things. After a donation to the temple she set to work and it seemed that remove disease did the trick. Kong could no longer feel the green worm writhing in the depths of his belly.
After the stop at the Temple of Pelor they finally made it to Eligos' mansion in the Garden Quarter. They were let in by an aged elven manservant who escorted them to the parlor. After a few minutes of watiing Eligos appeared - a middle-aged man with an open red robe, cloe cut red hair and eyes that held deep wells of gray. He listened to what the companions related, nodding sagely at points. His eyebrows raised at the mention of Alustan and he seemed genuinely surprised to hear that name. He glanced over the notes and jars of green worms they had brought and expressed an interest in learning more, as well as a feeling of foreboding. Eligos agreed to research the details as much as he could but it would take at least a week. Duke volunteered to help the wizard with the research (especially when it came to the Great Library) which he was ready to accept. During their wait in Greyhawk, Eligos suggested they stay at the Crooked House in the Foreign Quarter. The innkeeper is a friend of his, a gnome named Tarquin, and would be able to offer a discount if they mentioned he sent them (by saying "knight to rook 9").
The heroes thanked Eligos and Duke promised to return in three days. They set off for the Crooked House as the afternoon waned and a fresh snowfall began to fall on the city.
Session Updates
Finally, huh? Seemed like a lot longer than three weeks since we last played. For the future, if you're going to be preoccupied on a Thursday evening please either call or email me - it makes things go so much smoother. With that in mind, Bill is working next Thursday so I was hoping to move the D&D game to another day of the week - perhaps Sunday? I need to get with Bill and figure out if any other days of the week are free. I'll send out notifications once I know for sure.
Quest Cards Completed
* Speak with Eligos in the Free City of Greyhawk
Quest Cards In Progress
* What's Ilthane Up To?
* NegotiateTreaty with Lizardfolk of Mistmarsh
XP Recap
6th-level Characters 3,500
7th-level Characters 2,750
8th-level Characters 1,750
'Till next, Game On!
"Weird" Dave Olson
Dragonfyre Gaming Association
weird.dave.dfga@gmail.com
Monday, January 7, 2008
Age of Worms Campaign Update: 11/15/2007
CHRONICLE VAULT 20071115, FROM THE LIBRARY OF RHAVUS THE FIEND-SAGE ...
Sunsebb 24, 595 CY
With the siege of Blackwall Keep broken, the five companions - Shanks, Argo, Kong, Duke, and Kaspar - set their weary eyes south into the Mistmarsh to follow the trail of the kidnapped warmage, Marzana. Before setting out into the dangerous disease-ridden swamp, however, they were greeted by a former companion of Duke and Argo's, a hulking human warrior known simply as Drake the Slayer. With the party knowing that they were heading into dangerous territory and could use an extra sword arm, Drake was invited to join them on their quest into the swamp.
The halfling ranger Argo Moleskin took the lead and caught the trail of the passing lizardfolk with ease. The late afternoon passed uneventfully save for the constant buzzing of the mosquitos and black flies. As afternoon turned to evening the reason for the Mistmarsh's name became evident. Almost without warning the wetland was engulfed in eerie pale fog, obscuring vision out beyond a stone's throw. Argo's tracking skills kept them on the right path but as night settled in it was decided for everyone's benefit to camp for the night. Duke took first watch, was relieved by Argo, and finally by Drake for last watch. The night passed - thankfully - uneventfully.
With the rise of the autumn sun the next day came more fog but Argo's tracking skills proved infallible. As morning fell into afternoon, the sharp eyes of Kaspar and Drake spotted movement in the marshland ahead of them. Clearly humanoid but other than that they could discern few details. The decision was made to continue forward with very little caution, and most were surprised by the sudden appearance of a small force of lizardfolk that literally leapt out of the swamp around them. Curiously, one of the lizardfolk kept back while his brethren fought and died to blade, chain, fist, and spell. At the end of the quick melee the lone lizardfolk threw his weapon to the ground and pleaded with the "pinkbellies" to spare his life. Quickly surrounded by the adventurers the lizardfolk hastily related (in Draconic, a language which only Duke could speak) that the Twisted Branch tribe was split, with those loyal to the current king Shukak against those who remembered the old ways and followed the wisdom of the shaman Hishak. The lizardfolk, having seen the heroes' prowess in battle, indicated that he would lead the wise shaman to them and avoid unnecessary bloodshed if they spared his life. Discussions were sparked amongst the party, but eventually it was decided to agree to these terms. The lizardfolk left to fetch the shaman and "one of the pinkbellies" they had captured and would meet them after sunset under the branches of a nearby mangaroo tree.
The party waited patiently, with Kaspar and Shanks cleverly hiding themselves in the darkness of the Mistmarsh. As the fog rolled in and the sun set they were greeted by the wise old shaman Hishak and the lizardfolk they let go carrying an unconscious guard from Blackwall Keep. Reading their good intentions, Hishak proceeded to relate the sad story of the Twisted Branch tribe ...
"Two season cycles ago, the Twisted Branch tribe suffered a terrible tragedy. The clutch of eggs bearing their young festered with writhing green worms that devoured the hatchlings and left nothing but shell and blood. The tribe was visited shortly after by the Black Mother, Ilthane, who claimed that pinkbellies from the nearby dwelling of softskins were responsible for the worm blight. This enraged the warriors of the Twisted Branch but deprived of a generation of warriors there was little they could do but gnash their teeth. The Black Mother offered to provide protection for the newest batch of eggs, and as a sign of good favor offered one of her own eggs for safekeeping by the Twisted Branch as well as sending two of her children to guard the clutch. But something was wrong, as only the Black Mother and Shukak, king of the Twisted Branch, were allowed into the egg chamber. To deny the shaman access to the growing eggs was a sacrilege to Semuanya! But little could be done, for Shukak and his chieftain, Kotabas, held sway and many warriors were angry.
Then, three sun cycles ago, Shukak claimed a group of pinkbellies had invaded the egg chamber and destroyed a number of the lizardfolk eggs! This was enough to rouse the tribe into action and most of the capable warriors marched to raze the pinkbelly border tower to the swampy floor! But some did not agree with this action and now the time has come for Shukak and Kotabas to be removed from the Twisted Branch tribe."
Hishak the shaman asked that the adventurers carry out this plan. In exchange he would return the captured pinkbellies alive and intact as well as work towards a peace in the Mistmarsh with the pinkbellies, but they had to act quickly. Seskitar, the lizardfolk whose life was spared earlier, offered to lead the heroes to the Twisted Branch lair and into the lizard king's chamber. Hishak's story seemed too incredible to believe - or maybe just incredible enough. It was decided to take the shaman up on his offer, though Kaspar expressed his disapproval with the situation by remaining hidden in the darkness of the swamp. Seskitar led the rest of the party to the lair of the Tiwsted Branch lizardfolk two hours away, and they followed him into the twisted roots of massive mangaroo trees that made up the tribal home. After passing several chambers they came at last to the throne room of Shukak, the massive lizardfolk king, and his second-in-command Kotabas, a mighty lizardfolk barbarian. The battle was brutal, with Shukak's magical trident tearing into foes and Kotabas' feral rage leaving bloody chunks of his enemies strewn about the chamber. It was a tough fight but the heroes proved victorious.
The party did not escape the battle unscathed, and during the looting of their enemies they came upon two potions of cure moderate wounds. Kong and Argo claimed them (as they were the most wounded) and Kong sucked down his without a moment’s thought. Argo’s sharp halfling eyes caught a wriggling presence in the bottom of his pink potion – a green worm, similar to the one Alustan had shared with the party back at the tower. Duke took the worm out of the healing potion and placed it quickly into one of his empty vials, but the worm clearly died within moments of leaving the liquid. All eyes turned towards Kong, who only let out a satisfying belch. Did he ingest one of the mysterious worms?
Hishka entered the chamber at that moment, thanking the heroes for their help in saving the Twisted Branch. Kaspar followed close behind. The venerable shaman then asked that they accompany him to the egg chamber as it was unlikely that it was left unguarded. The egg chamber lay beyond a submerged passage which one by one the adventurers took a deep breath and dove in. On the other side lay a clutch of lizardfolk eggs in a shallow pond, and looming over them like a leering gargoyle was a massive black egg the size of a halfling. All were surprised when hissing laughter filled the chamber followed by the sudden appearance of two young black dragons from the ceiling! Their lines of acid affected everyone and a pitched battle followed, with Kong and Drake trying to one-up each other in sheer killing power. In the end the twin black dragons fell to the combined blows of the party. Suddenly the huge black egg at the end of the chamber began to quiver and then it erupted in a mass of writhing green worms! Duke’s quick thinking sent his flaming sphere hurdling towards the mess before it could spread, and the smell from the burning green worms was like unto a skunk’s behind. It was Drake who voiced what all were thinking – Ilthane (who must be a black dragon of some age) was planning on these green worms infecting the eggs of the Twisted Branch tribe, creating an army of … whatever they created. Hishak did not like this prospect. Honoring his end of the bargain, the elder lizardfolk shaman brought forth the unconscious Marzana and thanked the heroes for their assistance.
As they left the egg chamber through the secret tunnel Ilthane used and exited out into the darkness of the Mistmarsh, Kaspar’s acute elven ears picked up the distinct sound of wings beating against the wind of the night. A wave of terror passed over the party as a massive black dragon – presumably Ilthane the Black Mother herself – swept over the Twisted Branch lair. The heroes retreated into watery cave and held their breath as fear gripped their spines like the unwelcome grasp of the grave.
Meanwhile, back in Blackwall Keep …
The stalwart Greyhawk militia stationed at Blackwall Keep were a close knit group. They didn’t see much action, as incursions from the depths of the Mistmarsh were rare since the building of the tower, but that suited most of the men just fine. Captain Keys commanded the men and all of them enjoyed a position of unending boredom if not comfort. All that changed on Sunsebb 11 when a scouting party returned to the keep bearing news of increased lizardfolk activity not too far into the swamp. Captain Keys decided to send a small scouting force deeper into the Mistmarsh to ascertain the threat, and he put Lieutenant Largo in charge of the force. They left on Sunsebb 13, and life returned to relative normality for the soldiers.
Until, eight days later, a massive force of lizardfolk erupted from the misty shadows of the marsh and assaulted Blackwall Keep. Fully half of the thirty soldiers defending the tower died in the first attack and several were kidnapped, including the keep’s resident warmage Marzana. More died as the lizardfolk sent wave after wave against the tower and the soldiers were whittled down to a force of mere seven (Captain Keys and a few peons). All hope seemed to have been lost and the brave soldiers prepared for the final assault that would end their lives. But, miraculously, a band of adventurers happened upon the keep and drove the lizardfolk away! Captain Keys knew the lizzies dragged away Marzana and several other men alive and asked that the heroes follow the retreating force into the swamp to rescue them. They agreed and left with all haste.
The day grew long and still, and Keys tried to maintain some semblance of order and duty in the wake of the horrible attack. Watches were set, and as evening descended Santos and Hammond (two peons stationed on watch) caught sight of a man stumbling out of the swamp. Horribly wounded they still identified him as Lieutenant Largo and Keys quickly had the wounded man brought inside. There, with the remaining seven soldiers gathered around, he told the tale of how he and his men were savagely attacked by a strong force of lizzies. Only he survived and thankfully some of the lizzies kept healing potions as he surely would have died without them. One of his wounds must have gotten infected, however, as he felt his strength waning, but still he managed to make his way back to Blackwall. Keys ordered Santos and Grimwald to take the wounded man downstairs to the cellar and make him comfortable while they decided upon the next course of action.
Santos and Grimwald, supporting Largo between them, carried the wounded man downstairs. No sooner had they set him down upon the cot did he begin to transform. His skin, already stretched like thin leather over his bones, grew massive pus-filled sores, and as they stood in horror they witnessed a terrible sight. Largo’s eyeballs burst, and writhing green worms erupted from the bleeding sockets and oozing sores all over his body. An inhuman screech fell from his lips as he lurched at Grimwald, clawing at him and sending green worms hopping onto the unfortunate man. Santos backed away, an action that became a full bore retreat when he witnessed Grimwald’s blade cut their former companion – and then see in the next moment the wound seal shut. Grimwald’s throat was slashed the next moment by the worm-infested zombie’s claws and he started to feast upon the fallen body.
Screaming, Santos ran to the second floor (where the rest of the soldiers were) and related what had happened in his barely understandable grasp of Common. Hammond decided right there and then that he had had enough and left fleeing into the night. Captain Keys managed to convince the rest to stay and fight the monster in the cellar and “led the way” (from the back) downstairs. They barely made it to the ground floor when they spotted Grimwald brainlessly walking into a wall. Duncan stepped forward and poked him and was immediately set upon by the zombie of Largo. Yerrel shouted a war cry to Heironeous and charged but it was too late – Duncan was cut to pieces. Santos, Walton, and Keys decided frontal assault was a bad idea and they retreated to the second floor and closed the door. One of the green worms pierced Yerrel’s flesh and crawled along his insides, wriggling towards his brain. The zombies left him alone as he ran upstairs and pounded on the door to be let in. Moments later the worm reached his brain and all sanity fled from poor Yerrel. Wisely, Santos and Walton decided NOT to open the door for their once companion (Keys was cowering in the corner in the fetal position). All they could was hope the zombies weren’t strong enough to break down their makeshift barrier …
Session Updates
Whew! Good session. Quick update – next Thursday is Thanksgiving, so no session on Thursday. But maybe on Wednesday …? Let me know what y’all think of that.
XP Recap
5th-level Characters 6,000
6th-level Characters 3,000
7th-level Characters 1,500
‘Till then, Game On!
“Weird” Dave Olson
Dragonfyre Gaming Association
weird.dave.dfga@gmail.com
Sunsebb 24, 595 CY
With the siege of Blackwall Keep broken, the five companions - Shanks, Argo, Kong, Duke, and Kaspar - set their weary eyes south into the Mistmarsh to follow the trail of the kidnapped warmage, Marzana. Before setting out into the dangerous disease-ridden swamp, however, they were greeted by a former companion of Duke and Argo's, a hulking human warrior known simply as Drake the Slayer. With the party knowing that they were heading into dangerous territory and could use an extra sword arm, Drake was invited to join them on their quest into the swamp.
The halfling ranger Argo Moleskin took the lead and caught the trail of the passing lizardfolk with ease. The late afternoon passed uneventfully save for the constant buzzing of the mosquitos and black flies. As afternoon turned to evening the reason for the Mistmarsh's name became evident. Almost without warning the wetland was engulfed in eerie pale fog, obscuring vision out beyond a stone's throw. Argo's tracking skills kept them on the right path but as night settled in it was decided for everyone's benefit to camp for the night. Duke took first watch, was relieved by Argo, and finally by Drake for last watch. The night passed - thankfully - uneventfully.
With the rise of the autumn sun the next day came more fog but Argo's tracking skills proved infallible. As morning fell into afternoon, the sharp eyes of Kaspar and Drake spotted movement in the marshland ahead of them. Clearly humanoid but other than that they could discern few details. The decision was made to continue forward with very little caution, and most were surprised by the sudden appearance of a small force of lizardfolk that literally leapt out of the swamp around them. Curiously, one of the lizardfolk kept back while his brethren fought and died to blade, chain, fist, and spell. At the end of the quick melee the lone lizardfolk threw his weapon to the ground and pleaded with the "pinkbellies" to spare his life. Quickly surrounded by the adventurers the lizardfolk hastily related (in Draconic, a language which only Duke could speak) that the Twisted Branch tribe was split, with those loyal to the current king Shukak against those who remembered the old ways and followed the wisdom of the shaman Hishak. The lizardfolk, having seen the heroes' prowess in battle, indicated that he would lead the wise shaman to them and avoid unnecessary bloodshed if they spared his life. Discussions were sparked amongst the party, but eventually it was decided to agree to these terms. The lizardfolk left to fetch the shaman and "one of the pinkbellies" they had captured and would meet them after sunset under the branches of a nearby mangaroo tree.
The party waited patiently, with Kaspar and Shanks cleverly hiding themselves in the darkness of the Mistmarsh. As the fog rolled in and the sun set they were greeted by the wise old shaman Hishak and the lizardfolk they let go carrying an unconscious guard from Blackwall Keep. Reading their good intentions, Hishak proceeded to relate the sad story of the Twisted Branch tribe ...
"Two season cycles ago, the Twisted Branch tribe suffered a terrible tragedy. The clutch of eggs bearing their young festered with writhing green worms that devoured the hatchlings and left nothing but shell and blood. The tribe was visited shortly after by the Black Mother, Ilthane, who claimed that pinkbellies from the nearby dwelling of softskins were responsible for the worm blight. This enraged the warriors of the Twisted Branch but deprived of a generation of warriors there was little they could do but gnash their teeth. The Black Mother offered to provide protection for the newest batch of eggs, and as a sign of good favor offered one of her own eggs for safekeeping by the Twisted Branch as well as sending two of her children to guard the clutch. But something was wrong, as only the Black Mother and Shukak, king of the Twisted Branch, were allowed into the egg chamber. To deny the shaman access to the growing eggs was a sacrilege to Semuanya! But little could be done, for Shukak and his chieftain, Kotabas, held sway and many warriors were angry.
Then, three sun cycles ago, Shukak claimed a group of pinkbellies had invaded the egg chamber and destroyed a number of the lizardfolk eggs! This was enough to rouse the tribe into action and most of the capable warriors marched to raze the pinkbelly border tower to the swampy floor! But some did not agree with this action and now the time has come for Shukak and Kotabas to be removed from the Twisted Branch tribe."
Hishak the shaman asked that the adventurers carry out this plan. In exchange he would return the captured pinkbellies alive and intact as well as work towards a peace in the Mistmarsh with the pinkbellies, but they had to act quickly. Seskitar, the lizardfolk whose life was spared earlier, offered to lead the heroes to the Twisted Branch lair and into the lizard king's chamber. Hishak's story seemed too incredible to believe - or maybe just incredible enough. It was decided to take the shaman up on his offer, though Kaspar expressed his disapproval with the situation by remaining hidden in the darkness of the swamp. Seskitar led the rest of the party to the lair of the Tiwsted Branch lizardfolk two hours away, and they followed him into the twisted roots of massive mangaroo trees that made up the tribal home. After passing several chambers they came at last to the throne room of Shukak, the massive lizardfolk king, and his second-in-command Kotabas, a mighty lizardfolk barbarian. The battle was brutal, with Shukak's magical trident tearing into foes and Kotabas' feral rage leaving bloody chunks of his enemies strewn about the chamber. It was a tough fight but the heroes proved victorious.
The party did not escape the battle unscathed, and during the looting of their enemies they came upon two potions of cure moderate wounds. Kong and Argo claimed them (as they were the most wounded) and Kong sucked down his without a moment’s thought. Argo’s sharp halfling eyes caught a wriggling presence in the bottom of his pink potion – a green worm, similar to the one Alustan had shared with the party back at the tower. Duke took the worm out of the healing potion and placed it quickly into one of his empty vials, but the worm clearly died within moments of leaving the liquid. All eyes turned towards Kong, who only let out a satisfying belch. Did he ingest one of the mysterious worms?
Hishka entered the chamber at that moment, thanking the heroes for their help in saving the Twisted Branch. Kaspar followed close behind. The venerable shaman then asked that they accompany him to the egg chamber as it was unlikely that it was left unguarded. The egg chamber lay beyond a submerged passage which one by one the adventurers took a deep breath and dove in. On the other side lay a clutch of lizardfolk eggs in a shallow pond, and looming over them like a leering gargoyle was a massive black egg the size of a halfling. All were surprised when hissing laughter filled the chamber followed by the sudden appearance of two young black dragons from the ceiling! Their lines of acid affected everyone and a pitched battle followed, with Kong and Drake trying to one-up each other in sheer killing power. In the end the twin black dragons fell to the combined blows of the party. Suddenly the huge black egg at the end of the chamber began to quiver and then it erupted in a mass of writhing green worms! Duke’s quick thinking sent his flaming sphere hurdling towards the mess before it could spread, and the smell from the burning green worms was like unto a skunk’s behind. It was Drake who voiced what all were thinking – Ilthane (who must be a black dragon of some age) was planning on these green worms infecting the eggs of the Twisted Branch tribe, creating an army of … whatever they created. Hishak did not like this prospect. Honoring his end of the bargain, the elder lizardfolk shaman brought forth the unconscious Marzana and thanked the heroes for their assistance.
As they left the egg chamber through the secret tunnel Ilthane used and exited out into the darkness of the Mistmarsh, Kaspar’s acute elven ears picked up the distinct sound of wings beating against the wind of the night. A wave of terror passed over the party as a massive black dragon – presumably Ilthane the Black Mother herself – swept over the Twisted Branch lair. The heroes retreated into watery cave and held their breath as fear gripped their spines like the unwelcome grasp of the grave.
Meanwhile, back in Blackwall Keep …
The stalwart Greyhawk militia stationed at Blackwall Keep were a close knit group. They didn’t see much action, as incursions from the depths of the Mistmarsh were rare since the building of the tower, but that suited most of the men just fine. Captain Keys commanded the men and all of them enjoyed a position of unending boredom if not comfort. All that changed on Sunsebb 11 when a scouting party returned to the keep bearing news of increased lizardfolk activity not too far into the swamp. Captain Keys decided to send a small scouting force deeper into the Mistmarsh to ascertain the threat, and he put Lieutenant Largo in charge of the force. They left on Sunsebb 13, and life returned to relative normality for the soldiers.
Until, eight days later, a massive force of lizardfolk erupted from the misty shadows of the marsh and assaulted Blackwall Keep. Fully half of the thirty soldiers defending the tower died in the first attack and several were kidnapped, including the keep’s resident warmage Marzana. More died as the lizardfolk sent wave after wave against the tower and the soldiers were whittled down to a force of mere seven (Captain Keys and a few peons). All hope seemed to have been lost and the brave soldiers prepared for the final assault that would end their lives. But, miraculously, a band of adventurers happened upon the keep and drove the lizardfolk away! Captain Keys knew the lizzies dragged away Marzana and several other men alive and asked that the heroes follow the retreating force into the swamp to rescue them. They agreed and left with all haste.
The day grew long and still, and Keys tried to maintain some semblance of order and duty in the wake of the horrible attack. Watches were set, and as evening descended Santos and Hammond (two peons stationed on watch) caught sight of a man stumbling out of the swamp. Horribly wounded they still identified him as Lieutenant Largo and Keys quickly had the wounded man brought inside. There, with the remaining seven soldiers gathered around, he told the tale of how he and his men were savagely attacked by a strong force of lizzies. Only he survived and thankfully some of the lizzies kept healing potions as he surely would have died without them. One of his wounds must have gotten infected, however, as he felt his strength waning, but still he managed to make his way back to Blackwall. Keys ordered Santos and Grimwald to take the wounded man downstairs to the cellar and make him comfortable while they decided upon the next course of action.
Santos and Grimwald, supporting Largo between them, carried the wounded man downstairs. No sooner had they set him down upon the cot did he begin to transform. His skin, already stretched like thin leather over his bones, grew massive pus-filled sores, and as they stood in horror they witnessed a terrible sight. Largo’s eyeballs burst, and writhing green worms erupted from the bleeding sockets and oozing sores all over his body. An inhuman screech fell from his lips as he lurched at Grimwald, clawing at him and sending green worms hopping onto the unfortunate man. Santos backed away, an action that became a full bore retreat when he witnessed Grimwald’s blade cut their former companion – and then see in the next moment the wound seal shut. Grimwald’s throat was slashed the next moment by the worm-infested zombie’s claws and he started to feast upon the fallen body.
Screaming, Santos ran to the second floor (where the rest of the soldiers were) and related what had happened in his barely understandable grasp of Common. Hammond decided right there and then that he had had enough and left fleeing into the night. Captain Keys managed to convince the rest to stay and fight the monster in the cellar and “led the way” (from the back) downstairs. They barely made it to the ground floor when they spotted Grimwald brainlessly walking into a wall. Duncan stepped forward and poked him and was immediately set upon by the zombie of Largo. Yerrel shouted a war cry to Heironeous and charged but it was too late – Duncan was cut to pieces. Santos, Walton, and Keys decided frontal assault was a bad idea and they retreated to the second floor and closed the door. One of the green worms pierced Yerrel’s flesh and crawled along his insides, wriggling towards his brain. The zombies left him alone as he ran upstairs and pounded on the door to be let in. Moments later the worm reached his brain and all sanity fled from poor Yerrel. Wisely, Santos and Walton decided NOT to open the door for their once companion (Keys was cowering in the corner in the fetal position). All they could was hope the zombies weren’t strong enough to break down their makeshift barrier …
Session Updates
Whew! Good session. Quick update – next Thursday is Thanksgiving, so no session on Thursday. But maybe on Wednesday …? Let me know what y’all think of that.
XP Recap
5th-level Characters 6,000
6th-level Characters 3,000
7th-level Characters 1,500
‘Till then, Game On!
“Weird” Dave Olson
Dragonfyre Gaming Association
weird.dave.dfga@gmail.com
Age of Worms Campaign Update: 11/8/2007
CHRONICLE VAULT 20071108, FROM THE LIBRARY OF RHAVUS THE FIEND-SAGE ...
Sunsebb 21, 595 CY
I have been given the gift of foresight, so it is within my power to see the road that lies ahead of us all. And on that road I see death, destruction, fire, doom, madness, and chaos. I see the coming age, and already it is heralded in the dark places where light shines not. The Age of Worms is upon us.
In the Cairn Hills, a tenday's ride east of the Free City of Greyhawk, stands a mysterious tower. Hidden amongst the rolling hillside it has stood for many years, unblemished and undisturbed like so many things from the past. Local legends told in taverns and bars in the halfling city of Elmshire and the mining town of Diamond Lake point to the tower as the last refuge of a powerful wizard, whose vengeful spirit still haunts the site. Several months ago, a band of stalwart adventurers heeded the call of this mysterious place and put to rest the things that dwelt within. The adventurers decided to keep the tower as their home, but over the past months only one remains from that original group. The dwarf wizard and neophyte druid known only as Duke dwells within alongside his new companion, a halfling ranger named Argo Moleskin of Elmshire.
But rumors are hard to kill, and tales of the mysterious tower's capture have not spread far. In the Free City of Greyawk, another band of would-be adventurers gathered to plunder its depths and face its denizens. This group included Kong of the North, a mighty barbarian; Shanks Dair'Rill, a skilled halfling warrior and rogue; and Kaspar Nailo, an elven monk who disclosed no personal information. The three of them set out from Greyhawk to the tower of the wizard, arriving late in the afternoon of Sunsebb 17. They were more than a little shocked to find the tower not only not inhabited by the vengeful spirit of a long-dead wizard, but instead to be the home of a dwarf spellcaster, a halfling ranger, and an ornery badger named Bacon. There was much scratching of heads as they pondered the next move, and Duke was kind enough to offer the weary band rest and a warm meal for the night at least.
As the day drew to a close and the shadows lengthened across the tomb-riddled Cairn Hills, Shanks and Kaspar heard the sound of galloping hooves and the war cries of orcs. The five of them quickly headed for the entrance to the tower (which lay through a series of caves), arriving in time to surprise a bearded old man on a horse being chased by a pack of eight orc bandits. With a mighty bellow, the barbarian Kong raised his sword high and charged, cleaving one of the orc raiders fully in half with the power of his swing. Shanks and Argo took to the shadows of the evening while the orcs advanced, growling half-threats in halting Common. Using the darkness to his advantage, Shanks managed to take out a few of the orcs using his fearsome spiked chain to deadly effectiveness. Argo utilized his natural knack and threw a pair of daggers at one of the bandits, felling him before the orc could advance on the old man. Kaspar used the power of his palms to send one of the orcs crashing to the ground, and the last orc fell shrieking, his eyesocket pierced by the perfectly thrown dagger of Argo. Few injuries were sustained, and the group quickly came to questioning their unexpected guest.
He introduced himself as Alustan, a sage from the nearby city of Diamond Lake. He was traveling north from Hardby and claimed to have been chased by the orc bandits for nearly a day. Clearly exhausted, Duke once again graciously offered a room to the old man, though only with the promise of knowledge sharing. Around the dying light of the fire, Alustan related that strange things had been happening around the Cairn Hills lately. Strange green worms had been seen in odd places, most notably in the body of nearly unkillable zombies. The old sage produced a jar with one of the dead specimens inside, telling his hosts that he was riding west to Blackwall Keep to speak with Marzana, a friend of his, regarding more reports of green worms. Blackwall Keep was built and maintained by a garrison of Greyhawk soldiers as a defense point against incursions from the Mistmarsh (there was a smiliar fort, Marsh Keep, at the southern end of the swamp). Marzana, Alustan explained, was a warmage and a good friend of his and the reports he received matched what he had been hearing and seen over the past few weeks.
But clearly the roads were not safe to travel alone. Alustan asked that the ragtag band of adventurers accompany him to Blackwall Keep as his bodyguards. He could offer little in the way of money (of which Duke and Argo wouldn't accept anyway) but promised a bit of excitement if nothing else. With little else to occupy their time now, the newly arrived companions elected to join along as well, and so the next morning the six of them (Alustan and the band of five adventurers) set out on horseback and wagonback to the west and south. The first day's journey was relatively uneventful, and all got a good feeling from Alustan as he shared stories from his hometown of Diamond Lake. They stayed the night at Shank's Rest (so named from the farmer who moved out long ago) and started bright and early the next morning. Around late afternoon all noticed the buzzing of flies and the smell of fire and blood - the signs of a battle.
Leaving their horses and caravan at the road, the group crept upon the scene of a siege. Their destination, Blackwall Keep, stood proud and defiant on a small hill, surrounding by around twenty lizardfolk. As the heroes watched, half of the lizardfolk mounted an assault against the small keep, climbing upon each other's backs and battering at the door with heavy wooden logs. The lizardfolk force seemed to have been led by a particularly large and nasty specimen, and they could see what appears to be a druid aiding the lizardfolk. It did not seem like the defenders of Blackwall Keep could hold out much longer.
Alustan informed the heroes that he would be useless in this situation, but he did have an emergency scroll of teleport available for just such an occasion. He would teleport to Diamond Lake and summon reinforcements while the heroes did what they could to break the siege. The sage spoke the words of the spell and vanished. Afterwards, things fell into motion quickly. Duke summoned the power of the ground to entangle the lizardfolk assaulting the keep's door while Kaspar moved back to a distance and used his bow to pepper the nearby group with arrows. Kong gave a bellow and charged, cutting down lizardfolk left and right with mighty swings of his greatsword. The whirling blades of Argo cut many a lizardfolk into chopped pieces while Shanks used his spiked chain to great effectiveness. The battle waned on with many injuries sustained (most notably by Shanks and Kaspar) and Kong finally dropped the lizardfolk leader. What remained of the lizardfolk force broke and ran, including the druid who had foiled Shanks' attacks. Little did the lizardfolk druid know what lay in store for him as he ran. Perhaps a momentary thought caused him to pause; perhaps he tripped on a rock and stumbled. Whatever it was, it was enough for Kong. In the depths of his inhuman barbarian rage, Kong launched his greatsword into the air missile-style and his aim was true. The massive blade pierced armor, flesh, and armor again, impaling the druid from a distance of twenty feet.
The lizardfolk force scattered, the heroes were greeted by the remaining members of the Blackwall Keep garrison. The guards pleaded with the heroes to rescue their kidnapped companions, which included their warmage Marzana. Realizing the importance of the situation and that lizardfolk eat humans, the band of heroes vowed to go after the marauding lizard people and rescue the kidnapped people. After quaffing the keep's supply of healing potions the band of five heroes set their eyes south - into the Mistmarsh.
Session Updates
This first session started off a little later than normal only because three people had to make characters. Travis should be joining us next week, but between now and then I'll work with him to get his character setup and introduced. We should be starting the session around 7pm next Thursday, and after that is the midnight screening of Beowulf. Ooh, can't wait.
I'm going to try and send this campaign update out on Fridays after the session (while everything is still fresh in my mind). Just a few things to recap that are a little different from other campaigns I've done:
* If you die and are raised, you will lose a level - no matter what spell is used to bring you back. Normal rules would apply for that (so you would start out halfway between the two levels). If you decide instead to create a new character you would still start out a level lower than your existing character, and your starting XP would be the minimum.
* Death and dying - we're using the normal -10 rules. I find that, while it is a gross oversimplification of the situation, simply going to -10 is much easier to understand for everyone involved (including myself).
XP Recap
5th-level Characters: 2,800
6th-level Characters: 2,100
7th-level Characters: 1,400
Sunsebb 21, 595 CY
I have been given the gift of foresight, so it is within my power to see the road that lies ahead of us all. And on that road I see death, destruction, fire, doom, madness, and chaos. I see the coming age, and already it is heralded in the dark places where light shines not. The Age of Worms is upon us.
In the Cairn Hills, a tenday's ride east of the Free City of Greyhawk, stands a mysterious tower. Hidden amongst the rolling hillside it has stood for many years, unblemished and undisturbed like so many things from the past. Local legends told in taverns and bars in the halfling city of Elmshire and the mining town of Diamond Lake point to the tower as the last refuge of a powerful wizard, whose vengeful spirit still haunts the site. Several months ago, a band of stalwart adventurers heeded the call of this mysterious place and put to rest the things that dwelt within. The adventurers decided to keep the tower as their home, but over the past months only one remains from that original group. The dwarf wizard and neophyte druid known only as Duke dwells within alongside his new companion, a halfling ranger named Argo Moleskin of Elmshire.
But rumors are hard to kill, and tales of the mysterious tower's capture have not spread far. In the Free City of Greyawk, another band of would-be adventurers gathered to plunder its depths and face its denizens. This group included Kong of the North, a mighty barbarian; Shanks Dair'Rill, a skilled halfling warrior and rogue; and Kaspar Nailo, an elven monk who disclosed no personal information. The three of them set out from Greyhawk to the tower of the wizard, arriving late in the afternoon of Sunsebb 17. They were more than a little shocked to find the tower not only not inhabited by the vengeful spirit of a long-dead wizard, but instead to be the home of a dwarf spellcaster, a halfling ranger, and an ornery badger named Bacon. There was much scratching of heads as they pondered the next move, and Duke was kind enough to offer the weary band rest and a warm meal for the night at least.
As the day drew to a close and the shadows lengthened across the tomb-riddled Cairn Hills, Shanks and Kaspar heard the sound of galloping hooves and the war cries of orcs. The five of them quickly headed for the entrance to the tower (which lay through a series of caves), arriving in time to surprise a bearded old man on a horse being chased by a pack of eight orc bandits. With a mighty bellow, the barbarian Kong raised his sword high and charged, cleaving one of the orc raiders fully in half with the power of his swing. Shanks and Argo took to the shadows of the evening while the orcs advanced, growling half-threats in halting Common. Using the darkness to his advantage, Shanks managed to take out a few of the orcs using his fearsome spiked chain to deadly effectiveness. Argo utilized his natural knack and threw a pair of daggers at one of the bandits, felling him before the orc could advance on the old man. Kaspar used the power of his palms to send one of the orcs crashing to the ground, and the last orc fell shrieking, his eyesocket pierced by the perfectly thrown dagger of Argo. Few injuries were sustained, and the group quickly came to questioning their unexpected guest.
He introduced himself as Alustan, a sage from the nearby city of Diamond Lake. He was traveling north from Hardby and claimed to have been chased by the orc bandits for nearly a day. Clearly exhausted, Duke once again graciously offered a room to the old man, though only with the promise of knowledge sharing. Around the dying light of the fire, Alustan related that strange things had been happening around the Cairn Hills lately. Strange green worms had been seen in odd places, most notably in the body of nearly unkillable zombies. The old sage produced a jar with one of the dead specimens inside, telling his hosts that he was riding west to Blackwall Keep to speak with Marzana, a friend of his, regarding more reports of green worms. Blackwall Keep was built and maintained by a garrison of Greyhawk soldiers as a defense point against incursions from the Mistmarsh (there was a smiliar fort, Marsh Keep, at the southern end of the swamp). Marzana, Alustan explained, was a warmage and a good friend of his and the reports he received matched what he had been hearing and seen over the past few weeks.
But clearly the roads were not safe to travel alone. Alustan asked that the ragtag band of adventurers accompany him to Blackwall Keep as his bodyguards. He could offer little in the way of money (of which Duke and Argo wouldn't accept anyway) but promised a bit of excitement if nothing else. With little else to occupy their time now, the newly arrived companions elected to join along as well, and so the next morning the six of them (Alustan and the band of five adventurers) set out on horseback and wagonback to the west and south. The first day's journey was relatively uneventful, and all got a good feeling from Alustan as he shared stories from his hometown of Diamond Lake. They stayed the night at Shank's Rest (so named from the farmer who moved out long ago) and started bright and early the next morning. Around late afternoon all noticed the buzzing of flies and the smell of fire and blood - the signs of a battle.
Leaving their horses and caravan at the road, the group crept upon the scene of a siege. Their destination, Blackwall Keep, stood proud and defiant on a small hill, surrounding by around twenty lizardfolk. As the heroes watched, half of the lizardfolk mounted an assault against the small keep, climbing upon each other's backs and battering at the door with heavy wooden logs. The lizardfolk force seemed to have been led by a particularly large and nasty specimen, and they could see what appears to be a druid aiding the lizardfolk. It did not seem like the defenders of Blackwall Keep could hold out much longer.
Alustan informed the heroes that he would be useless in this situation, but he did have an emergency scroll of teleport available for just such an occasion. He would teleport to Diamond Lake and summon reinforcements while the heroes did what they could to break the siege. The sage spoke the words of the spell and vanished. Afterwards, things fell into motion quickly. Duke summoned the power of the ground to entangle the lizardfolk assaulting the keep's door while Kaspar moved back to a distance and used his bow to pepper the nearby group with arrows. Kong gave a bellow and charged, cutting down lizardfolk left and right with mighty swings of his greatsword. The whirling blades of Argo cut many a lizardfolk into chopped pieces while Shanks used his spiked chain to great effectiveness. The battle waned on with many injuries sustained (most notably by Shanks and Kaspar) and Kong finally dropped the lizardfolk leader. What remained of the lizardfolk force broke and ran, including the druid who had foiled Shanks' attacks. Little did the lizardfolk druid know what lay in store for him as he ran. Perhaps a momentary thought caused him to pause; perhaps he tripped on a rock and stumbled. Whatever it was, it was enough for Kong. In the depths of his inhuman barbarian rage, Kong launched his greatsword into the air missile-style and his aim was true. The massive blade pierced armor, flesh, and armor again, impaling the druid from a distance of twenty feet.
The lizardfolk force scattered, the heroes were greeted by the remaining members of the Blackwall Keep garrison. The guards pleaded with the heroes to rescue their kidnapped companions, which included their warmage Marzana. Realizing the importance of the situation and that lizardfolk eat humans, the band of heroes vowed to go after the marauding lizard people and rescue the kidnapped people. After quaffing the keep's supply of healing potions the band of five heroes set their eyes south - into the Mistmarsh.
Session Updates
This first session started off a little later than normal only because three people had to make characters. Travis should be joining us next week, but between now and then I'll work with him to get his character setup and introduced. We should be starting the session around 7pm next Thursday, and after that is the midnight screening of Beowulf. Ooh, can't wait.
I'm going to try and send this campaign update out on Fridays after the session (while everything is still fresh in my mind). Just a few things to recap that are a little different from other campaigns I've done:
* If you die and are raised, you will lose a level - no matter what spell is used to bring you back. Normal rules would apply for that (so you would start out halfway between the two levels). If you decide instead to create a new character you would still start out a level lower than your existing character, and your starting XP would be the minimum.
* Death and dying - we're using the normal -10 rules. I find that, while it is a gross oversimplification of the situation, simply going to -10 is much easier to understand for everyone involved (including myself).
XP Recap
5th-level Characters: 2,800
6th-level Characters: 2,100
7th-level Characters: 1,400
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