Jeremy had spent many long days preparing for the upcoming expedition, not only gathering equipment, armor, weapons, provisions, and spell components, but also practicing his combat skills and centering himself spiritually. Although his conversations with Jaikor had not fully answered his questions, and perhaps led to others, they had helped the crusader to bolster his resolve. Through meditation, prayer, and reflecting on passages in the holy canon of his faith, The Book of Penitence, Jeremy had come to a revelation: the Archpaladin had bestowed upon the priest His full, divine favor! Jeremy could fell again the Divine blessings of Heironeous, including his ability to summon forth a steed to convey him forth on his journey (editing side note: in actuality, I think this pivotal moment occurred while Jeremy was still in High Ery, just after he concluded his ‘reparations’ via admission with the Lordship and his vassals, but I don’t really think you all want me to go back and amend that…it works just as well here)! With renewed hope and great thanksgiving to Heironeous for granting him another chance at redemption, Jeremy was now ready to leave the City and repay his debt to Pelor. Inwardly, he felt that he had much to prove, to himself, to Heironeous, and to Pelor, for all his many blessings.
Shandra (priestess) assembled the team shortly thereafter: Vincent (wizard), Sir Owen (paladin), Brandis (fighter), Muamar (fighter), Kai-tel (wizard), Horatio (ranger), Jaran (priest), and Jeremy (crusader-priest). Once more she outlined the specific purpose of the religious expedition, and that it was potentially the first leg of a long journey; even if troll hearts were appropriated, there was still the case of securing werebear sweat! She reiterated that safety above all else was crucial, that no undue risks would be taken; human life was more important than the hearts themselves.
The next decision was where to look for the object of their hunt. The Gnarley Forest was a possibility, but trolls were not abundant in the woodlands. The Cairn Hills offered some promise, and Jeremy knew of a location near the Ery River where he personally had done battle with a small group of trolls. The team did not seem convinced that either location was worthwhile. The greatest probability to find the horrid creatures was to venture either into the dreadful, inhospitable Mistmarsh, an area known to harbor trolls, or trek into the rocky slopes of the towering Abbor-alz.
A great discussion ensued. Jeremy was quite adamant about trying out the area he knew harbored trolls, but the group thought too much time had passed to make it a worthwhile attempt, much to the crusader’s frustration. Ultimately, it was a combination of Vincent, Sir Owen, and Brandis who led Shandra to conclude that the swamp was their best, if most hazardous, choice. No one wanted to venture into that wretched place, so they decided to skirt the edges of the Mistmarsh in the hopes of finding tracks or evidence of troll activity. Vincent also claimed that his magic could be used to infiltrate the swamp and attempt to locate the monsters, too. If this failed, they could then make their way to the Abbor-alz, first stopping at the dwarven citadel, Greysmere, for resupplying and to leave their mounts. Of course, this was all based on the reactions of the dwarves, but, luckily, Jeremy was rather fluent with their language, and he claimed to understand their basic customs fairly well.
Shandra also stated the various roles each person would fill: she was the leader of the expedition, and all final decisions would be made by her. Sir Owen would serve as her guardian and protector on this dangerous mission as well as her aide and council. Given his vast years of experience, Brandis, too, would serve not only as their primary warrior, but also offer his advice. Inwardly, the veteran mercenary was uncomfortable taking a leadership role, but he kept his reservations to himself. Vincent was their chief magical advisor and his potent spell-working ability would prove to be critical for the success of the expedition. Too, the wizard had many practical skills beyond his expansive knowledge that would serve them well in ‘the field.’ Muamar’s martial abilities would bolster Owen’s and Brandis’ skills; too, he was bringing his trusted dogs, Reba the tracking hound, and stocky, powerful war dog, Romulus. Horatio, also a trained fighter, was primarily an archer of some skill, as well as a tracker and adept hillsman. Although he had no experience in the swamp, neither did anybody else (except for Brandis, long ago in his younger days as an active mercenary), but his other skills would prove most helpful. Like the ranger, Jaran, priest of Fharlanghn, possessed many wilderness skills as well as the Divine blessings of The Wanderer. Finally, mighty Jeremy, crusader of the Archpaladin, was a potent blend of martial and spiritual power.
-almost done! some of you may be relieved!
Last edited by Lanthorn on Fri Aug 31, 2012 6:44 am; edited 1 time in total
I like some of the emotional dilemmas the party entails. However, I think Mystic point is he does not see why their is a friendship. What or how does this party remain together when they are consistently reminded or thrown in to bouts of depression and guilt. Often this will cause a separation from the source of ones pain. Hence the concern with the parties cohesiveness.
Better. Preparing for the adventure. I can handle that.
Lanthorn wrote:
She reiterated that safety above all else was crucial, that no undue risks would be taken; human life was more important than the hearts themselves.
What? This is Greyhawk, not Buck Rogers in the 21st Century! They should have been told that they were expected to retrieve the troll hearts and werebear sweat with all haste and no excuses. Oh, and don't die. But, if you do die, make sure you have acquired the potion components and arranged for them to be delivered to the Temple of Pelor first. There. That's a more appropriate pep-talk for this genre.
SirXaris
Edit: Added the not. SX
Last edited by SirXaris on Fri Aug 31, 2012 8:35 pm; edited 1 time in total
I think Mystic('s) point is he does not see why their is a friendship. What or how does this party remain together . . . concern with the parties cohesiveness.
When people do not like each other -- not necessarily enemies -- they don't "hang out" together. Why would they adventure together? Trusting one another with their lives?
While that is not necessarily the case here, what we do have is a Jaran unable to "look Jeremy in the eye" (and he probably can't look Jeremy's sister, Shandra, "in the eye" either).
Also, we have a Shandra who is confused: First, she can't "look Jaran in the eye" because you feels a bit guilty about charming him, while at the same time "hating Jaran" for getting her brother killed.
Combine this with a Jeremy who believes that he is "incapable" and is going to get everyone killed.
In short, these people are very uncomfortable with each other -- they would not spend time with one another, adventuring. For now, the Temple of Pelor is coercing them to do so; they're repaying a debt to Pelor. But, as soon as possible, they're going to split the group.
Personally, if I were presently "with" this group, I would be looking out for #1, because I don't trust any of these people with my life.
Lanthorn wrote:
They should have been told that they were expected . . . Oh, and don't die. But, if you do die, make sure you have acquired the potion components . . . first.
Actually, they quite literally owe their lives to Pelor. Should He require them to die in His service, so be it. Even Heironeous and Fharlanghn cannot argue that point. (Jaran got a Paladin of Pelor killed, so he, too, owes a "life debt" to Pelor) So . . . maybe someone will die. Who can say?
Side note clarification, as I know how these characters are being played:
Jaran, although remorseful what happened, is now MUCH relieved at this point with Jeremy. The air is cleared, the past in the past. Both Jeremy and Jaran have an understanding now, neither begrudging the other for what occurred. The barghest united them in its actions wherein it killed Jeremy and broke Jaran's resolve. As I mentioned clearly, their friendship has held true. End of story.
Jaran's association with Shandra, though, is a bit trickier, as you noted. He has been Charmed by her, so he trusts her as a friend, though he IS ashamed about what happened in the Cairn Hills (betraying Jeremy, ultimately leading to his death and consumption).
Shandra, on the other hand, cannot fully justify her anger at Jaran, knowing he was Charmed into treachery. But, she's human, with human frailties such as emotions (too bad she's not Vulcan, then it'd be easier to reconcile). Just b/c she's a priestess doesn't mean she so easily takes the high road automatically. I applauded my player on this account. Shandra is indeed keeping Jaran at arm's length b/c she is still grappling with her inner turmoil. But...in the end, she knows she has to 'let it go' and move forward (much like what we need to do on this thread...).
FYI: Jeremy is a crusader of Heironeous. Sir Owen is the paladin of Pelor. I think some of you have crossed threads on that distinction.
About trust in the party. YES, some members don't fully trust the others. That would be expected in any group that just got together. However, they ARE united in their goal, regardless of how, or why, they are here. Trust requires time and actions to prove. I know of very few groups that automatically trust the other, hands down, no questions asked, right off the bat...
Brandis, Muamar, Horatio and Kai-tel implicitly trust each other. They also don't have any reluctance towards the others. Brandis trusts Owen (served with him before) as well as Shandra (no reason not to), and is predisposed to the rest. With his lead, the others mentioned above are likely to follow suit, as they TRUST Brandis.
Moving on,
Lanthorn
Last edited by Lanthorn on Fri Aug 31, 2012 11:05 am; edited 1 time in total
Shandra announced that the group would leave as early as possible, as they had much ground to cover in order to reach their final destination of the Dwarfwalk along the southern boundary of the Mistmarsh. Unfortunately, the weather was not cooperating, and both Jaran and Jeremy had used Divine guidance to forecast the impending weather. A severe thunderstorm had just passed through the city, and another severe system was soon to arrive. Once the weather cleared, the group would make all due haste out of the City, for it would take many days of hard riding and they wanted to arrive well before the weather turned from mild to cold. The chosen, logical route was to ride south along the High Road from Greyhawk City, stopping at Two Ford before heading east into the Plain of Greyhawk along the Neen River, and, ultimately, to the Dwarf Walk. If their hunt for trolls proved fruitless along the perimeter of the Mistmarsh, they would venture into the mountains, bound for Greysmere. For those of you with access to the City of Greyhawk or From the Ashes boxed sets can reference the route yourself as a visual aide.
That evening, everyone celebrated their last day in the comforts of civilization, not knowing if they would return…
And with that, I conclude the ‘backstory’ portion of this campaign and will soon pass the baton to the thread entitled “A Lanthorn Campaign: the Mistmarsh saga.” Beware…the threat of detailed characterization via role-play is extremely possible. Skip those parts if you like. However, for you hack-and-slash fans, there will be some of that too…later…
Now, let's get the gang rolling maybe someone can be be shredded by a troll or two. The worse part is, what happens if the trolls are looking for human heart?
Yeah, that would be evil... But as a Vampire in Brooklyn once said, "Evil is Good!"
Argon, aren't trolls always hunting for human hearts?
SirXaris, so...I guess I have to endure a two front razzing war now, eh? I better come up with something better than the Maginot Line...
Alright, dynamic duo, I will 'get to it' when I have a chance...gotta remember all that's happened over the past several weeks and jot it down first before posting.
SirXaris, so...I guess I have to endure a two front razzing war now, eh? I better come up with something better than the Maginot Line...
Yep! You stepped up to the mic on the night that Lady Xristine kicked Sir Xaris' self-righteous butt out of the house for refusing her request to 'sheath his longsword'. A friendly barbarian was happy to commiserate over a tankard or xis before you stumbled on stage. Good luck!
I will 'get to it' when I have a chance...gotta remember all that's happened over the past several weeks.
Don't touch that dial! Err, mouse! Don't touch that mouse!
Stay tuned -- err, I mean logged in -- for our regularly scheduled program! Make that post! Our regularly scheduled post! Same bat-time, same bat-channel! Err, website! Same bat-website! _________________ Mystic's web page: http://melkot.com/mysticscholar/index.html
Mystic's blog page: http://mysticscholar.blogspot.com/
I liked the emotional conflict and interplay, but then I like my heroes flawed . I wish all of my players were this involved with their motivations. I'm really enjoying this, lanthorn. Can't wait for the next part.
I wanted to address the question about the barghest and banishment to Gehenna. You can view this a few ways.
1) You could go with the view that all outer planar beings -- angels, devas, devils, demons, yugoloths, whatever -- are treated the same way when killed on the prime material plane. That said, I think it's only greater creatures of this type who are exiled, all others are reborn (or not) in a lesser form. If that's the case, and the barghest were still just a whelp who hadn't returned back to Gehenna, then it would most likely be reborn. Probably having to start all over, although it wouldn't have to wait 100 years.
2) You could say that only applies to devils and demons, which are the only creatures I remember being banished back to their home plane for a particular amount of time. I could be wrong on this, but I bet rasgon knowns. That would free the barghest to come back at full strength.
Both options could provide some interesting game-play.
Thank you for your vote of approval. I, too, stress character development (this should by now be quite obvious) and their 'humanity.' Glad someone, in addition to Argon, appreciates the depths of role-playing that my player and I infuse into our characters (applies to NPCs for this DM, too!).
As to your barghest suggestions, much appreciated as well! I will tuck that nugget away for future use.
No problem! I've always had a fascination with barghests as a monster. The introduction of them by Gygax in DRG#26 names them as a type of deodand, which is a name he adopted from creatures in Jack Vance's Dying Earth series. This is probably the origin of the demodands (gehreleths) which came later in D&D, although I think they were also the inspiration for the daemons (yugoloths). I think this based on Gygax having called bargehsts a type of deodand and placed them in Gehenna. In later published form they don't don't appear to be a type of demodand or daemon. I imagine that Gygax's thinking on the outer planes inhabitants, and even the planes themselves hadn't quite gelled yet, when he wrote the Dragon article.
I like the idea of all outer beings being sent back to their plane of existence if killed on the prime. I have used this idea before though those who have their cords severed whether on the prime or not are dead loosing all connections and ties to the outer planes. This makes Githerai and Githyanki very dangerous opponents as they have the ability to sever their opponents silver cords. Also, note that many outer beings destroyed by having their silver cords cut may reform as a lesser form, though it can take years for a reforming and in cases of the lower planar beings torturing and punishment are part of the reforming process.
I'm also in the camp with Argon, that all non-deity outer-planar beings have a difficult time coming to the Prime Material in the first place and are demoted (to one degree or another) when their soul is sent back to their plane of origin and must spend time reforming even that demoted form.
My apologies, fellas. Been caught up lately between all sorts of things, including jotting down the events of my current campaign so I don't forget! Ultimately, I intend to share all of it in my posting to come. My Mistmarsh saga is coming to a crescendo right now and likely will draw to a final conclusion...
Sorry for the delay. Just a little more time, and I will start firing off a few posts here and there on the adjoining thread.
In the meantime, SirXaris, carry the torch for me by continuing your campaign updates. You've been doing a good job thus far!
Lanthorn,
Very nice background. I like the Days of Our Lives header, because at times that how it seemed. I say that in a good way. It's hard to get players to really delve deeply into their characters like that, and what they have done is quite interesting. Man, the Barghest was tough!
Well, I look forward to the next part of the saga.
Thanks, Ragnar. Yeah, that title was a tongue-in-cheek chiding response to those who didn't care for the 'emotional' outpouring of the characters. I guess that's what happens when the DM is what one sourceguide dubs a "Righteous Role-player."
The barghest was a lot of fun to play from a truly savage perspective. I wanted this campaign to have a Gothic horror feel to it and I took some inspiration from the movie "The Wolfman" that was recently remade a few years ago. I consider it to be one of the best of its kind for Gothic horror that paid great homage to the original film of the same name. I was really hoping that barghest would reach her full adult status...and BOY! did she really come close! If she consumed at least a 3rd lvl person, she'd have had enough 'energy' to do so.
I figured that Brandis the boy (man) hero would come to the proverbial rescue, and in a way, he did. If it wasn't for that swordsman's expert skill, the barghest would've continued her depredations, and I doubt the priestess would've succeeded in slaying the monster with her lucky shot. Besides, it was Brandis's magical arrow that even granted her the chance in the first place!
I will continue this tale at some point in the future...I know that I keep saying that, but I want to get to a decent stopping place with my other campaign journal (Lost Caverns thread) before I do so. The next part of this saga picks up with my storyline about the "Mistmarsh" saga. I will likely either continue with that thread, or start a new one.
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But as a Vampire in Brooklyn once said, "Evil is Good!" 
. I wish all of my players were this involved with their motivations. I'm really enjoying this, lanthorn. Can't wait for the next part.