Canon Hazen has passed, the Crook of Rao is missing. Rumors began months ago, and much to the horror of the Shield and Furyondian military, they have been confirmed... fiends thought banished by the Crook are returning. The forces of Iuz are hard at work to maintain their borders, and push back the Crusade to reclaim the Shield Lands. The Ravens fly over Rookroost, and a guild taking on that name have appeared, backed supposedly by servants of Iuz himself.
Some say the Horned Ones are returning from a deep slumber beneath the Oerth to breath new life into those that once served the Society. Townships are falling once more. The balance hangs precariously...
(This should give you some basic information on the characters, and the general idea of the campaign. I tried to condense the material as much as possible. When I have time, I'll post some more.)
The party meets and begins where the Veng and Ritensa Rivers meet, due North of Critwall in the Shield Lands. Here, there is an old tower/prison used now as simply a safe haven for travelers in the region; Wayfarer’s Tower. The travelers are making their way to the fortress of Perrindur...one of few Shield controlled outposts in the Iuz occupied Shield Lands. It overlooks the Ritensa River, several miles Southwest of Delcomben. It is at Wayfarer’s Tower that some of their paths cross.
PCs: Past and Present :
D'jakkh -- D’jakkh journeys to the Shield Lands in search of six close friends from his homeland of Highfolk. A Ranger of mixed Human blood, D’jakkh comes from a long line of Giant Hunters, and seeks to live up to the name of his predecessors. Arriving in Perrindur, D’jakkh and Aethelred are intrigued to find that the clues leading to D’jakkh’s friends and Aethelred’s father may somehow be connected.
Aethelred -- Aethelred hopes to find his father, Mastrak...who was last known to be fighting with old adventuring companions in the Shield Lands. He prays he will find his father alive, or at least be able to locate his father’s journal. Quite a site to behold, Aethelred fits the Dwarven stereotype yet manages to shatter it all at the same time. Covered by tattoos, this “wild” Dwarf barbarian is oftentimes filled with the rage of Mandastu, the guardian deity of his tribe back in the Sepia Uplands. Once the party arrives in Perrindur, he immediately begins looking for his father. Finding several leads from members of the Iron Wolf mercenary company, Aethelred is eager to follow them in Perrindur.
Karotain -- Karotain wishes only to send those that murdered his wife and child to meet Nerull. Once a farmer and a refugee of Iuz’s invasion, he is quickly gaining notoriety as one of the most brutal mercenaries in the Shield Lands. He carries with him the skull of a lesser Tanar’ri, something of a trophy from the battle in which his mercenary company was almost slaughtered entirely. He is a grim individual, and dedicated to his task. A Baklunish man, and a disciplined fighter...despite his humble beginnings. Near Perrindur, party suspicions arise when a strange goat-like fiend attacks, nearly slaying Karotain and searching his body and horse for something, most likely the Tanar’ri skull. Unable to find the item, the fiend vanishes into the rainy night, ignoring the other party members. Karotain, scarcely conscious, rides off alone that very night, paranoid that the party will slay him to protect themselves. He is later slain by unknown forces in Perrindur, raised as a Death Knight, and turned against his former party.
Feldoh Raxomus -- Feldoh Raxomus is something of an enigma to the rest of the party at this point, though he certainly dabbles in the arcane. An Oeridian blooded Tiefling, originally from the city of Rookroost, Feldoh was once a member of the infamous Ravens of Rookroost, the most prominent thieves guild in the city. Funded and most likely controlled by agents of Iuz, their reach is extending rapidly over the Shield Lands, and possibly even neighboring countries. Feldoh fled Rookroost along with his longtime friend, Roscoe, to escape the wrath of the Ravens. As a traitor to the Ravens, Feldoh is certainly a marked man, and he travels with similar company. Roscoe too is wanted by the Ravens, as he is a former member of the Thorns, a rival guild in Rookroost. An experience with undead on the long trek from Rookrost to Critwall has forever changed Feldoh...a change that Roscoe and the rest of the party have yet to come to terms with.
Roscoe -- Roscoe is a young Hobniz from the small hamlet of Sunthistle, nestled in amongst the Meerin Woods not far from the Fellreev and the horrible city known as Rookroost. The sole survivor of his clans after the decimation that was Iuz’s invasion through his home, Roscoe settled in Rookroost with other clansfolk of Sunthistle. They had lost much, and vowed revenge. Discovering the city of Rookroost to be entirely under the control of its thieves guild, the Ravens, Roscoe and many others formed their own guild out of protection for their people, and as a tool to hunt down the mysterious riders that had destroyed Sunthistle. They called themselves the Thorns, in reference to their smaller size, their ability to be unexpected nuisances to the Ravens, and also in honor of the Delanev tulip, the wildflower that would bless the meadows of Sunthistle in the Spring. Roscoe met Feldoh unexpectedly. Feldoh fed Roscoe information and aided in their strikes. One night, Roscoe trailed three tall figures through Rookroost, who were actually trailing Feldoh, planning to ambush and slay him with envenomed weapons. Roscoe managed to ambush Feldoh’s would-be assailants, killing them all. Though he was injured badly, he ensured that his friend would live. He has never told Feldoh of the matter...but you know what they say about the life you save...
Roscoe’s (and Feldoh’s) days in Rookroost came to an abrupt end when the Ravens finally discovered and raided the Thorn base. Roscoe and Feldoh fled together, eventually being separated in Critwall. The other Thorns are scattered, if any survived at all. Roscoe managed to find where Feldoh had gone from Critwall, though he attracted the attention of the Ravens in doing so, not to mention leading them right to him in Perrindur.
Gehern Vermis -- Gehern Vermis was born twenty nine years ago in the farming village of Imbolc, outside Perrindur. Though his family survived as refugees, they lost everything that they owned to the hordes. His parents had not the means to support the family, let alone their five children, of which Gehern was the third. After losing two siblings to sickness, Gehern and his two remaining sisters were given unto the care of the temple of Pholtus. Impressed by the power of the priests, Gehern gave himself as an acolyte. His companions know very little of him, save that he has been generous enough to house the lot of them within his home and alchemist shop in Perrindur, whch he shares with his apparent superior Nazramohn. What organization he belongs to, is at this point unknown. A Human of undetermined blood, he is also a mage of some repute.
Aidan -- Aidan is a noble if often depressing human cleric in service to Heironeous. Stationed in Perrindur, he serves the church there in whatever way he can. Recently, he was sent to accompany his superior along with numerous other clerics and Shield guards to Delcomben to aid in its defense. The ill-fated party was attacked not far outside Delcomben by giants, undead, and a horrid winged fiend. The party lay mostly slain, the survivors scattered quickly, though most were quickly pursued and disposed of. Aidan struggles with the horror he saw in Delcomben, more specifically with a large pit which he rambles on about incessantly, driving down the spirits of the party at times. The injuries he sustained in that catastrophic battle haunt him still. His good looks are marred, as is the functionality of one of his legs. Upon his return to Perrindur he met the Aeger Claudius Ptolemy of the church of Pelor who had recently arrived in Perrindur. Much to Aidan’s horror, the church of Heironeous was little more than smoking ashes when he returned. The fortress had been besieged during his time away. He meets the others here in Perrindur, as well as spreading the ill tidings of what occured in Delcomben.
Claudius Ptolemy -- Claudius Ptolemy is an Aasimar cleric serving the light that is Pelor, following closely in the footsteps of his mother and father. You know what they say about the acorn falling near the tree...
At any rate, Claudius travels to the Shield Lands from the city of Greyhawk, both of his own accord in doing the work of the faith and finding his parents, as well as the will of the church...more specifically that of Bishop Nabonidus Kreln. He makes his way to Perrindur, as the fortress is in need of reinforcements after the recent siege that was scarcely turned away. It is here that he meets Aidan, as well as the few remaining servants of Pelor that still live after the siege destroyed the Pelorite temple. The other members of the party he meets briefly at the Black Rook tavern in Perrindur. They subsequently are offered housing by Master Vermis in his home and alchemist shop.
Bhal Ghannha -- Bhal Ghannha is a half-olven Druid, reverent to Obad-Hai. He is returning to the Traullgaunt Forest East of Perrindur with his wolverine companion, Loghan, after a 2-3 year spiritual journey. Upon returning to his beloved grove, he found the trees and his former allies dead, and little more than ashes at that. He kept the finger (all that remained) of his former mentor, Raif Oldehan as a constant reminder of why he must live as a nomad. While he knows that an old Grugach friend Gryngok Illuvidon departed before Bhal for the Fellreev and the Barrens, it is unlikely that he would grant any solace. Bhal did discover several wolflike tracks (Barghests) around the grove, and his old friend Ulthos looked as though he has been partially eaten by the beasts. Bhal and Loghan recently set out to track the beasts, likely hoping to uncover the cause of the dark fate of his grove.
Alhaster Izraloth -- It was just short of his nineteenth summer when tragedy struck his home city of Admundfort. A Human of Flannae blood, Dark under the signs of the Flan horoscope, Alhaster escaped Admundfort those many years ago on one of the few barges that fled the city. Possessed of a loathing of Demons, Alhaster was well suited to the path of the Paladin, and his earlier skills as a ranger and tracker set him apart from his peers. He travels out from Critwall to prove his worth as a squire to the Exorthim, a secret order of knights in service to Pelor who seek to initiate Alhaster into their sacred fold. He encounters the party in the township of Veros, eventually rallying them to defend the besieged hamlet from an invading force in service to Iuz, the Old One.
Originally posted by Jagermeister
. . . his wolverine companion, Loghan . . .
That's very funny!
But seriously, your campaign sounds very interesting and compelling. It's great to read about other people's campaigns.
Just wait until I make Roscoe cry. Sure, he's shot you a couple of times, but at least he saved your life, once or twice to balance it out. Maybe the Paladin will be the new victim of these mishaps...
(More to come when time permits.)
Edit: Yeah definetly not letting Paladins into parties anymore
yay roscoe
let's get the game back on track