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Zellic Solis
2010-04-10, 01:40 AM
I was reading 'doom riders' and thought it would be fun to do here as well. We just started a new Eberron campaign and I thought that it might be fun to publish what's happening.

Introduction


So it starts out with us making characters. Last week we drew numbers out of a hat and we had a list of three classes we could play. I drew three. My list was fighter, ranger, and warlord. I know. It sounds really restrictive but the GM really likes to keep things in the dark to start. As players we often like having 'dark secrets' from each other. So I pick fighter and pass my paper back to him. After ten minutes or so he takes me into the back room and asks me if I wouldn't mind warlord. I agree, with a catch. There's a very specific character in Eberron that I want to play as a warlord. I tell him. He laughs and agrees. This is another reason Gabe is awesome.

He is letting me play Diani ir'Wyrnarn, the crown wearer of Thrane. For those of you who don't know Eberron well, the nation of Thrane was a monarchy. Then during a big world war, Thrane turned into a theocracy with the royal family turned into figureheads. Diani is 16 years old and headstrong and seeks to reclaim the respect of the people and her throne. Taking a page of the King of Breeland, she smuggles herself out of the palace to become an adventurer. Because she is leaving on the down low, Gabe tells me that I am not going to be able to take the treasury with me. No, I get starting equipment just like everyone else. So I smuggle myself to Breeland and mail a letter to the Keeper of the Flame to let her know I wasn't kidnapped or the like.

I decide that Diani is not a tactician but she is motivational and fit enough to hold her own so commanding presence warlord. 16 str, 10 dex, 12 con, 14 int, 8 wis, and 16 cha. Lawful good alignment. Feats are scale armor and full plate armor proficiency. Skills are Diplomacy, Athletics, History, Endurance, and Intimidate. At wills Commanders strike, Furious Smash, and Wolfpack Tactics. Encounter is Guarding attack. Daily is Lead the Attack.

So Diani is on the lightning rail to Sharn when it crashes in the country side. A swarm of aberrant goblins swarm over the crash and loot everything they can while Diani and others try to get things under control. After the nasty nasty fight we take stock and learn that several women, children, and valuables were stolen. The house Orien guards refuse to leave the crashed lightning rail and the rest of the passengers. So those of us who can fight agree to help. I, of course, step up to try to organize a rescue party.

The first is a paladin of the silver flame named Tailress Whitehand. She's human. She's devoted. And it's by pure happenstance that both of us are in the same party. Well, I was the one who wanted to play the runaway reagent. So needless to say, I give an internal 'damn it'.

The second person comes along is Breight only because the old man he's travelling with threatens to turn him into a sheep. Apparently he is a human wizard or something because he doesn't wear armor. When another asks why the old man doesn't go, he plays the 'ha, I'm too old to handle adventures.' card.

The third person that joins is an shifter and I'm guessing ranger given that she has a bow. She introduces herself as T'talony and that's it.

The fourth person that joins is an elf Caidus d' Philarn. He joins expressly for the purpose of bedding myself, Tailress, and T'talony. I'm guessing rogue as he's wearing light armor. He claims his conquests are an exclusive club of dozens.

The last person is a warforged named Heyu. Yes... "hey you". He's not like other warforged. He's C3-PO... all shiny and pretty and hardly looking tough at all. I have no clue what he is but he's eager to come along if a bit jittery. Gabe has Breight make some rolls but I dunno what for.

Then comes the fateful "Who are you?" and I introduce myself as Aistaria d'Marche, a noble family in Thrane. Gabe has Breight, Tailress, and Caidus all make rolls, passes them notes, and Tailress frowns at me but doesn't say anything. Caidus makes a crude joke. Then we're off in persuit of the aberrant goblins. Who knows what comes next?



Aberrant beasties oh my. (and writing something a bit more in character)



Dear Mennel,

Well I've done it. I successfully smuggled myself out of Thrane. And you said that I'd be caught before I put a food out of Flamekeep! It wasn't so simple as getting on the lightning rail. We'd just crossed into Aundair (let me tell you that those papers you got for me were worth every gold soverign) and were on our way to Passage when the entire train crashed! Someone managed to destroy enough of the lightning rail conductor stones that we went completely off. Quite an ugly mess.

However, just when people were pulling themselves together and getting the injured out we were attacked. The creatures were... well... goblins I suppose. I've not seen goblins save for the Rukanni ambassador. They were short, green, clawed and fanged things. I'm quite glad that Tesandi insisted I focus more on my bladework (but please don't tell her I said so!).

When the fighting was over quite a few of the common passengers came forth and said their valuables and family members had been taken. This was exactly what I was looking for! Something nice and straight forward heroism! So needless to say I climbed up on a box and thrust my sword in the air and tried to rally some folks to help out. I must admit I felt a bit nervous. For a few minutes it seemed almost like I was going to be left standing up there feeling like an idiot.

Well, in some ways I wished I had. The first one to step forward was a paladin of the Flame! Her name is Tailress. Quiet sort. Focused. Dedicated. Certainly the type to have me trussed back to Flamekeep. She didn't announce herself as a noble, but I was smelling fair breeding in her demeanor and so was sure she'd identify me. Fortunately I had my visor down. It's not coming back up if I can help it!

With her besides me I managed to attract a few others. Honestly I was hoping for house Orien guards to some more uniform members. Breight is a quiet lad who only came after an old man threatened to turn him into a sheep! T'Talony is a shifter who claimed she was on a pilgrimage or journey of some sort. Taciturn and a bit rude, I must say, but she is nothing compared to Cadius! You remember that Breelish noble last year who'd proposition any woman with a pulse? Cadius is worse. He claims to be a fortune teller of some sort, but wouldn't elaborate. Finally we have a warforged who appears somewhat mentally damaged. He's definitely unlike any I've seen before.

Fortunately T'talony has some skill with outdoorsmanship. She picked up the monster's trail soon enough and we were heading towards some low hills near the derailment. About a mile away we caught up with some stragglers. Vicious creatures these were. Crudely armed but still fighting with terrifying ferocity! We successfully dispatched them. T'talony tried to terrify one into blubbering submission... I know I certainly would have given up had she snarled so at me! The creature simply laughed... laughed! And then threw itself upon her sword. Are all goblins so mad?

The half dozen or so we killed were merely a stalling tactic. We managed to reach the mouth of a mine that had been abandoned. There were more goblin guards and two dogs that appeared to be, well, skinless. I know, you told me stories of your own adventures but I have to admit I never expected transparent hounds! This battle was much more difficult and twice the monsters were reinforced with more battle fodder.

Once inside the central shaft it's clear these monsters are mad. They did not target valuables but anything and everything they put their claws on. There was a heap of assorted rubbish and smashed trade goods. Fortunately we found an iron lock box a passenger asked us to retrieve. Hopefully its worth some coin. The cave spirals down and the passage is littered with debris. The monsters have strung rope and cable in a bizarre webbing that hangs down a central shaft. At one landing we encountered their sleeping quarters and were accosted by more of the shrieking mindless fiends. Breight has proven he is some type of magician because he wields a sword meshed in glowing force that was invaluable in slaying the dozen or so fodder that charged us. I managed to keep everyone in the fight, and Tailress also staunchly engaged a larger and far more formidable monster that had been intent on killing yours truly. After the fight Caidus found a cache of coin and magic potions, though he refused initially to part with them without a kiss from myself and Tailress. I must give T'talony thanks, what she lacks in manners she makes up for in pure intimidation and prevented a scene with the elf.

That fight finished we traveled even further down. I must admit I felt some trepidation but I did not wish to abandon those poor souls to a grisly unknown fate. At the base we had to fight three of the large deformed beasts, and soon into the fight two more lunged out of the shadows. I may wear thick plate but I must say that those sneaky ones were capable of causing me severe harm, and did so. The strangest thing happened though: Cadius would frequently glare at the monsters while clutching the sides of his head and they would shriek and flail in pain. One even apparently died from his stare. Breight and Heyu seem to understand what a telepath is... I hope they can explain it better after we are finished here. The guard leader had a particularly fine spear that Heyu assured me is magical. Tailress refused to touch anything that may have shed innocent blood. I suppose it will be an acceptable weapon for now. At least I can keep some distance from the monsters!

The chamber they were guarding was some sort of excavation site. There was a large crystal dug into the center of the chamber and the dozen or so prisoners had been tied to wooden frames all around the sickly snot colored gem. Some sort of shaman or oracle was gibbering away over it to the rest of the assemblage. It seemed to be poisoning or contaminating them somehow. Needless to say, we wasted no time engaging in combat. Thank goodness for those potions! The oracle's pawns died swiftly enough, but the oracle himself was a ferocious beast! He kept shooting us with baleful green flame that robbed many of us of our strength. Fortunately Tailress seemed to keep most of his attentions on her, and I did all I could to encourage her to stay in the fight! I almost reveiled myself in the hopes she would fight on. Breight had his hands full dealing with the minions that inevitably rushed into the fray while Caidus looked at them with dirty glares.

We were victorious. We freed the prisoners, who were quite ill after being exposed to the crystal for a few hours. The shaman had some sort of enchanted armor, but I'll be damned if I'm going to wear it. He also carried a staff that was of some interest to Heyu. I myself was much more curious of the crystal. It was the length of a man's forearm and glowed with a sickly yellow green light. I felt quite disturbed being near it. It was bound to the floor so there was no means of taking it with us.

T'talony seemed quite angry by it and the goblinoid fiends. She smashed the crystal with her sword and it exploded in a cloud of glowing slivers. I don't know if she broke its enchantment but the vile light soon died and we made our way back to the train. We received a reward from the man with the lock box, grateful family members that we turned down, and the house Orien guards who were glad we had resolved the kidnappings. That night we boarded a new lightning rail to complete our journey to Passage. I entrusted this letter to the Orien crews in the hopes it would find you as swiftly as possible.

Your dearest student,
Diani Ir' Wynarn.