twistdement
2014-01-06, 02:33 AM
Hey everyone. I have enjoyed reading all of your posts, they have helped me a lot. I am actually not DMing an Encounters game. I as a matter of luck started a 3.5 game set in Icewind Dale a couple of months ago. I had no idea that LotCS was coming out when I started this campaign, but when I finally heard about it I found that it would be perfect for my game and quickly adapted it. I thought it might be interesting to some of you to see a timeline of how my campaign has went down so far. You will notice from my timeline that my game was set in a completly different time, notiably 100 years in the past and at the end of winter instead of the beginning. So the Battle of Icewind Dale is fresher in the minds of the people of Ten Towns and the winter is not beginning but becoming more violent when it should be subsiding.
Players:
Captain Azurl'bal - Human Swashbuckler/Rogue
Henry the Hand - Human Rogue/Ranger
Ruckus Hammerfist - Dwarf Cleric
Brother Randale - Human Monk
Silt - Elf Druid
Sir Leandros Titus - Human Paladin
Edward Cyher (Formerly Henry the Hand) Human Wizard
Loot - Gnome Bard
Joel - NPC - Half-Elf Bard/Harper Agent
Timeline of Events Thus Far
Alturiak (February) 19, 1373
- Orc captors march the party out from beneath the Spine of the World to the eastern tundra of Icewind Dale near the Reghed Glacier.
- Barbarians from the Tribe of the Bear attack the Orc slavers and the enslaved party. The party is able to free themselves and destroy both the orcs and the barbarian raiders.
- The party loots supplies and seeks shelter in a mountain cave, but not before killing an Ice Mephit who called the cave its home.
- Wolves attack the party during the night and nearly kill Leandros.
Alturiak (February) 20, 1373
- Following Joel the Roamers advice the party sets out west for Ten Towns.
- Late in the afternoon the party is beset by ravenous ghouls, yet thanks to Ruckus' faith in Moradin they where easily turned and destroyed.
Alturiak (February) 21, 1373
- The party continued their march west to Ten Towns without incident.
Alturiak (February) 22, 1373
- The party finally arrives in Bryn Shander, the capital of Ten Towns.
- The party split up and visted the local taverns and merchants to get a feel for the town.
- Henry became friends with a woman from Amn named Bloodril who was the proprietor of a small hostel called the Snug Haven. She was being pursued by assassins and asked for help.
- Later that night the party foiled an assassination attempt on Bloodril by killing the assassins who where apparently working for the Shadow Thieves of Amn.
Alturiak (February) 23, 1373
- The party took a contract from the hunter's guild to kill a particularly vicious tundra yeti located near the Kelvin's Cairn mountain.
- The yeti was soon destroyed, but not before the vile creature rended Azrul'bal into pieces.
- The party was able to negotiate with the Temple of Tymora to resurrect the swashbuckler. This left the group not only copperless, but indebt to the temple for an additional 2000 gold pieces.
- In desperate need for cash the group took another contract from the hunter's lodge, this time for the heads of two Verbeegs or half giants.
- The Verbeegs where found near the town of Good Mead gorging themselves on the good people's livestock. A hard fault battle ensued, yet the party was victorious without any casualties this time.
- Ruckus then started acting strangely by building a fire in the sheep's pen and then succeeding to eat livestock he felt was owed to him. An angry mob including an elderly dwarven war veteran promptly knocked some sense into the crazed cleric.
Alturiak (February) 24, 1373
- Father Laak the High Priest of Tymora offered the group a quest to repay their debt. A group of Tymorian Friars went missing while they where investigating rumors of a temple of Shar (the evil goddess of Darkness). The debt would be repayed if the party found out what happened to the monks and they would be paid 5000 gold pieces extra if they completly wiped out the temple.
- After an eight hour walk the group reached Lonelywood Forest. A white rabbit sent by Tymora lead the party to the illusionary entrance to the sanctuary.
- A bullmastiff from the Plane of Shadows was quickly destroyed at the entrance.
- The party entered a pitch black tunnel and where soon ambushed by a trio of crazed monks. The party now hardened by the horrors of the Dale quickly cut the monk fanatics down.
- The group then broke into the inner sanctum of the temple at the very moment priestess of Shar where in the act of sacrificing a gnome prisoner.
- An epic battle broke out among the pews and bloodstained frescoes of the chapel. Although most of the group was drained of their strength, paralyzed, doomed, or cursed the group some how vanquished the cultist and their shadow minion.
- The gnome turned out to be Loot, a bard, and a friend of Joel the Roamer. He was quickly welcomed into the party without much question.
- A Sharian knight in full black ice armor was killed as he exited the temples kitchen while eating a piece of bread.
- A full search of the temple resulted in finding much loot and a tortured young woman from Lonelywood named Lola.
- The final area of the temple was an unworked cavern with a dark pool of water in the center. It was here that the group encountered Lord Nazeal, a shade, and emissary from the Shadovar city of Thultanthar. He was in the middle of "something" with the captured friars of Tymora. When he seen the torch light of the party he slit the throat of one of the friars and called for the shadow dragon Nyx to join him. This very young shadow dragon was intended to be a gift to the priestess of this new sanctuary.
- The shadow dragon flew thirty feet up into the center the cavern. The battle weary group at that point decided to retreat. Henry who had sneaked inside the cavern from a secret entrance decided to take a sneak attack on the shade. His shot was true, but Lord Nazeal returned the arrow with a shadowy fireball that shook the walls of the cavern. Henry soon joined the retreat.
- The temple raiders made their way to the Ramshackle in the town of Lonelywood. The Ramshackle was equal parts inn, tavern, brothel and lumber storage warehouse. The owner was a retired sawyer named DeGrootz, who graciously gave the group free room and board for returning one of his best working girls Lola.
Alturiak (February) 25, 1373
- With help from his god Moradin and a feat of great willpower Ruckus was able to beat the domination of the black ice. The crew was happy to have their friend back.
- Conversely Sir Leandros Titus succumbed to the power of his newly acquired armor made from the same evil substance. It quickly made him belligerent. Which lead to him slapping one of DeGrootz working girls and then storming out of the Ramshackle.
- The party headed out after breakfast for Bryn Shander. Excessive snowfall made the trip take 10 hours.
- The group reached Bryn Shander right on time to witness a siege by tundra yetis and verbeeg giants. Something that looked like a barbarian woman with antlers was seen in the distance sliding effortlessly around on the snow and giving orders to the invading monsters.
- A bearded wizard and a beardless dwarf who where sitting on a merchant cart blocking the gate joined in the battle with a scorching ray of fire and a twirling hammer of mithral.
- Yells from inside the town alerted the group that this siege was from all sides and they witness the citizens of town take up arms in defense.
- The group waded into the yetis, brutally cutting them down with sword and fist while the invading verbeegs where intercepted by a pack of wolves summoned by Silt the silver haired Elf.
- The crafty crew led by Captain Azrul'bal took full advantage of the lupine diversion and unleashed a volley of projectiles at the lumbering beasts.
- The siege was soon repelled. The freshly fallen snow shined bright red as scores of yetis laid before them. Fortunately only a dozen citizens laid with the beasts.
- Silk and Ruckus helped the dwarf merchant Helda Silverstream and her wizard bodyguard Edward Cypher right her overturned cart. She told them that she was a warrior and smith of Clan Battle Hammer and needed escorts to the Dwarven Valley on account of the escalating beast attacks on the road. Her people where under attack from undead in the mines and civil unrest had broke out due to the discovery of the substance known as black ice. Ruckus happily accepted her request and they made arrangements to leave within the next few days.
- A high pitched voice cried out in anguish in front of a ransacked alchemy shop. Ping Fuzzelcutter the gnome alchemist, barber, wig maker and proprietor of the shop complained loudly about paying protection money to a Luskanite named Slim the squizzy leader of a band of thugs called Ship Rethnor. Since they failed in protecting his shop he wanted his money back, and was willing to offer a life time discount at his shop for helping. Joel the Roamer said that he would investigate this Slim character and that he would meet the group at the Hooked Knucklehead at sun down.
- The Bryn Shander guards where overheard blaming the yeti attack on a barbarian spy and thief that showed up the day before. No doubt barbarian shamans where controlling the weather and wildlife of the Dale. Trying to soften them up for a bigger attack to come.
- Azrul'bal took little time to listen to any of the rabble's pleas. He was dead set on claiming his reward from the Church of Tymora, and seen the yeti marauders as nothing more then an inconvenience between him and a large sack of gold coins.
- The pirate also paid no regards to the hoarse cries of a half dead barbarian strapped to a pole in the center of the market. Luckily for the barbarian the ever curious druid stopped to hear this story. Apparently, he was Hengar of the Tribe of the Elk. He had journeyed to Bryn Shander to ask for help in his tribes battle against the Tribe of the Bear and something he called the Snow Witch. On his arrival he was quickly accused of theft by a merchant who just happened to be a wide eyed zealot of Auril.
- Azrul'bal told Father Laak of the unfortunate fate of his friars and graciously accepted a reward of 5000 gold pieces for his trouble.
- The group then spread out. Some sold items, others bought mead, but Silt convinced of the barbarians innocence lobbied for Hengar's release. Talking to a guard led to Sheriff Markam, and that lead to the Speaker of Bryn Shander, Duvessa Shane.
- A portly man in elaborate robes is overheard speaking to Duvessa Shane just as Silt arrives at the Speakers Palace. "I will do my utmost to find the one you seek, my most loved Speaker". When he notices the unkempt druid's arrival he turns his noes northward and makes his exit.
- The female Speaker had little patients for Silt's plea. She seems impatient and overburdened with her responsibilities. Silt makes her believe that letting the barbarian die would just complicate her problems and begs for his release. He also pries into what her conversation was about with the robed man. In frustration she admits that she has an unknown rival that is smearing her name and swaying public opinion against her. Wanting very much to separate herself from this nosy elf she agrees to lower Hengar's sentence from death to banishment and agrees to reward Silt if he exposes her political rival. Silt promptly frees Hengar and tells the barbarian to meet him outside town the next morning.
- The whole party reconvene at the Hooked Knucklehead at dusk. Upon their arrival the friendly serving girl Izzie tells them that Joel is upstairs in Slim's private suite and he wanted them to join him.
- Upon approaching the door to the suite Randale overhears an argument between Joel and an unknown man. "Slim you ****ing rat! I know what you are up to." Said Joel. "Shut up Joel! You no nothing you miserable little Harper." yelped the other voice. "I know that you are nothing more then a pawn of the Host Tower of the Arcane" replied Joel. "Tell it to Tymora" said the unknown man as a loud BOOM sound shook the private suite's door.
- Brother Randale slammed into the locked door blasting it off it's hinges. The lifeless corpse of Joel the Roamer laid motionless on the floor. A pool of blood surrounded the concaved opening that was once the bard's face.
- The enraged group rushed into the room and where met by a motley crew of pirates wielding scimitars. A gangley bucktoothed man stood in the back holding a smoking pistol. A red skinned hobgoblin stood to his right also holding a pistol and longsword.
- Randale somersaulted onto a poker table and unleashed a flurry of blows upon the first two goons as he deftly deflected a shot from the hobgoblin's deadly pistol.
- A vicious melee ensued. The groups new wizard unleashed a cone of fire as a magical hammer appeared behind the rogues and slammed down hard. Wolves where also summoned and Silt let loose a tanglefoot bag that nearly missed it's mark on Slim.
- Slim seeing the battle not going his way yelled " ****, cover me Maerick!" and then barreled out a window into the snow.
- During the chaos Loot the Gnome dexterously played a song of courage, and more dexterously looted a potion from his good friend Joel's haversack.
- With a flying jump kick to the temple of his head Maerick the shank was dead. The last couple of injured thugs surrendered and the battle was done
Players:
Captain Azurl'bal - Human Swashbuckler/Rogue
Henry the Hand - Human Rogue/Ranger
Ruckus Hammerfist - Dwarf Cleric
Brother Randale - Human Monk
Silt - Elf Druid
Sir Leandros Titus - Human Paladin
Edward Cyher (Formerly Henry the Hand) Human Wizard
Loot - Gnome Bard
Joel - NPC - Half-Elf Bard/Harper Agent
Timeline of Events Thus Far
Alturiak (February) 19, 1373
- Orc captors march the party out from beneath the Spine of the World to the eastern tundra of Icewind Dale near the Reghed Glacier.
- Barbarians from the Tribe of the Bear attack the Orc slavers and the enslaved party. The party is able to free themselves and destroy both the orcs and the barbarian raiders.
- The party loots supplies and seeks shelter in a mountain cave, but not before killing an Ice Mephit who called the cave its home.
- Wolves attack the party during the night and nearly kill Leandros.
Alturiak (February) 20, 1373
- Following Joel the Roamers advice the party sets out west for Ten Towns.
- Late in the afternoon the party is beset by ravenous ghouls, yet thanks to Ruckus' faith in Moradin they where easily turned and destroyed.
Alturiak (February) 21, 1373
- The party continued their march west to Ten Towns without incident.
Alturiak (February) 22, 1373
- The party finally arrives in Bryn Shander, the capital of Ten Towns.
- The party split up and visted the local taverns and merchants to get a feel for the town.
- Henry became friends with a woman from Amn named Bloodril who was the proprietor of a small hostel called the Snug Haven. She was being pursued by assassins and asked for help.
- Later that night the party foiled an assassination attempt on Bloodril by killing the assassins who where apparently working for the Shadow Thieves of Amn.
Alturiak (February) 23, 1373
- The party took a contract from the hunter's guild to kill a particularly vicious tundra yeti located near the Kelvin's Cairn mountain.
- The yeti was soon destroyed, but not before the vile creature rended Azrul'bal into pieces.
- The party was able to negotiate with the Temple of Tymora to resurrect the swashbuckler. This left the group not only copperless, but indebt to the temple for an additional 2000 gold pieces.
- In desperate need for cash the group took another contract from the hunter's lodge, this time for the heads of two Verbeegs or half giants.
- The Verbeegs where found near the town of Good Mead gorging themselves on the good people's livestock. A hard fault battle ensued, yet the party was victorious without any casualties this time.
- Ruckus then started acting strangely by building a fire in the sheep's pen and then succeeding to eat livestock he felt was owed to him. An angry mob including an elderly dwarven war veteran promptly knocked some sense into the crazed cleric.
Alturiak (February) 24, 1373
- Father Laak the High Priest of Tymora offered the group a quest to repay their debt. A group of Tymorian Friars went missing while they where investigating rumors of a temple of Shar (the evil goddess of Darkness). The debt would be repayed if the party found out what happened to the monks and they would be paid 5000 gold pieces extra if they completly wiped out the temple.
- After an eight hour walk the group reached Lonelywood Forest. A white rabbit sent by Tymora lead the party to the illusionary entrance to the sanctuary.
- A bullmastiff from the Plane of Shadows was quickly destroyed at the entrance.
- The party entered a pitch black tunnel and where soon ambushed by a trio of crazed monks. The party now hardened by the horrors of the Dale quickly cut the monk fanatics down.
- The group then broke into the inner sanctum of the temple at the very moment priestess of Shar where in the act of sacrificing a gnome prisoner.
- An epic battle broke out among the pews and bloodstained frescoes of the chapel. Although most of the group was drained of their strength, paralyzed, doomed, or cursed the group some how vanquished the cultist and their shadow minion.
- The gnome turned out to be Loot, a bard, and a friend of Joel the Roamer. He was quickly welcomed into the party without much question.
- A Sharian knight in full black ice armor was killed as he exited the temples kitchen while eating a piece of bread.
- A full search of the temple resulted in finding much loot and a tortured young woman from Lonelywood named Lola.
- The final area of the temple was an unworked cavern with a dark pool of water in the center. It was here that the group encountered Lord Nazeal, a shade, and emissary from the Shadovar city of Thultanthar. He was in the middle of "something" with the captured friars of Tymora. When he seen the torch light of the party he slit the throat of one of the friars and called for the shadow dragon Nyx to join him. This very young shadow dragon was intended to be a gift to the priestess of this new sanctuary.
- The shadow dragon flew thirty feet up into the center the cavern. The battle weary group at that point decided to retreat. Henry who had sneaked inside the cavern from a secret entrance decided to take a sneak attack on the shade. His shot was true, but Lord Nazeal returned the arrow with a shadowy fireball that shook the walls of the cavern. Henry soon joined the retreat.
- The temple raiders made their way to the Ramshackle in the town of Lonelywood. The Ramshackle was equal parts inn, tavern, brothel and lumber storage warehouse. The owner was a retired sawyer named DeGrootz, who graciously gave the group free room and board for returning one of his best working girls Lola.
Alturiak (February) 25, 1373
- With help from his god Moradin and a feat of great willpower Ruckus was able to beat the domination of the black ice. The crew was happy to have their friend back.
- Conversely Sir Leandros Titus succumbed to the power of his newly acquired armor made from the same evil substance. It quickly made him belligerent. Which lead to him slapping one of DeGrootz working girls and then storming out of the Ramshackle.
- The party headed out after breakfast for Bryn Shander. Excessive snowfall made the trip take 10 hours.
- The group reached Bryn Shander right on time to witness a siege by tundra yetis and verbeeg giants. Something that looked like a barbarian woman with antlers was seen in the distance sliding effortlessly around on the snow and giving orders to the invading monsters.
- A bearded wizard and a beardless dwarf who where sitting on a merchant cart blocking the gate joined in the battle with a scorching ray of fire and a twirling hammer of mithral.
- Yells from inside the town alerted the group that this siege was from all sides and they witness the citizens of town take up arms in defense.
- The group waded into the yetis, brutally cutting them down with sword and fist while the invading verbeegs where intercepted by a pack of wolves summoned by Silt the silver haired Elf.
- The crafty crew led by Captain Azrul'bal took full advantage of the lupine diversion and unleashed a volley of projectiles at the lumbering beasts.
- The siege was soon repelled. The freshly fallen snow shined bright red as scores of yetis laid before them. Fortunately only a dozen citizens laid with the beasts.
- Silk and Ruckus helped the dwarf merchant Helda Silverstream and her wizard bodyguard Edward Cypher right her overturned cart. She told them that she was a warrior and smith of Clan Battle Hammer and needed escorts to the Dwarven Valley on account of the escalating beast attacks on the road. Her people where under attack from undead in the mines and civil unrest had broke out due to the discovery of the substance known as black ice. Ruckus happily accepted her request and they made arrangements to leave within the next few days.
- A high pitched voice cried out in anguish in front of a ransacked alchemy shop. Ping Fuzzelcutter the gnome alchemist, barber, wig maker and proprietor of the shop complained loudly about paying protection money to a Luskanite named Slim the squizzy leader of a band of thugs called Ship Rethnor. Since they failed in protecting his shop he wanted his money back, and was willing to offer a life time discount at his shop for helping. Joel the Roamer said that he would investigate this Slim character and that he would meet the group at the Hooked Knucklehead at sun down.
- The Bryn Shander guards where overheard blaming the yeti attack on a barbarian spy and thief that showed up the day before. No doubt barbarian shamans where controlling the weather and wildlife of the Dale. Trying to soften them up for a bigger attack to come.
- Azrul'bal took little time to listen to any of the rabble's pleas. He was dead set on claiming his reward from the Church of Tymora, and seen the yeti marauders as nothing more then an inconvenience between him and a large sack of gold coins.
- The pirate also paid no regards to the hoarse cries of a half dead barbarian strapped to a pole in the center of the market. Luckily for the barbarian the ever curious druid stopped to hear this story. Apparently, he was Hengar of the Tribe of the Elk. He had journeyed to Bryn Shander to ask for help in his tribes battle against the Tribe of the Bear and something he called the Snow Witch. On his arrival he was quickly accused of theft by a merchant who just happened to be a wide eyed zealot of Auril.
- Azrul'bal told Father Laak of the unfortunate fate of his friars and graciously accepted a reward of 5000 gold pieces for his trouble.
- The group then spread out. Some sold items, others bought mead, but Silt convinced of the barbarians innocence lobbied for Hengar's release. Talking to a guard led to Sheriff Markam, and that lead to the Speaker of Bryn Shander, Duvessa Shane.
- A portly man in elaborate robes is overheard speaking to Duvessa Shane just as Silt arrives at the Speakers Palace. "I will do my utmost to find the one you seek, my most loved Speaker". When he notices the unkempt druid's arrival he turns his noes northward and makes his exit.
- The female Speaker had little patients for Silt's plea. She seems impatient and overburdened with her responsibilities. Silt makes her believe that letting the barbarian die would just complicate her problems and begs for his release. He also pries into what her conversation was about with the robed man. In frustration she admits that she has an unknown rival that is smearing her name and swaying public opinion against her. Wanting very much to separate herself from this nosy elf she agrees to lower Hengar's sentence from death to banishment and agrees to reward Silt if he exposes her political rival. Silt promptly frees Hengar and tells the barbarian to meet him outside town the next morning.
- The whole party reconvene at the Hooked Knucklehead at dusk. Upon their arrival the friendly serving girl Izzie tells them that Joel is upstairs in Slim's private suite and he wanted them to join him.
- Upon approaching the door to the suite Randale overhears an argument between Joel and an unknown man. "Slim you ****ing rat! I know what you are up to." Said Joel. "Shut up Joel! You no nothing you miserable little Harper." yelped the other voice. "I know that you are nothing more then a pawn of the Host Tower of the Arcane" replied Joel. "Tell it to Tymora" said the unknown man as a loud BOOM sound shook the private suite's door.
- Brother Randale slammed into the locked door blasting it off it's hinges. The lifeless corpse of Joel the Roamer laid motionless on the floor. A pool of blood surrounded the concaved opening that was once the bard's face.
- The enraged group rushed into the room and where met by a motley crew of pirates wielding scimitars. A gangley bucktoothed man stood in the back holding a smoking pistol. A red skinned hobgoblin stood to his right also holding a pistol and longsword.
- Randale somersaulted onto a poker table and unleashed a flurry of blows upon the first two goons as he deftly deflected a shot from the hobgoblin's deadly pistol.
- A vicious melee ensued. The groups new wizard unleashed a cone of fire as a magical hammer appeared behind the rogues and slammed down hard. Wolves where also summoned and Silt let loose a tanglefoot bag that nearly missed it's mark on Slim.
- Slim seeing the battle not going his way yelled " ****, cover me Maerick!" and then barreled out a window into the snow.
- During the chaos Loot the Gnome dexterously played a song of courage, and more dexterously looted a potion from his good friend Joel's haversack.
- With a flying jump kick to the temple of his head Maerick the shank was dead. The last couple of injured thugs surrendered and the battle was done