russianwizard
2020-04-27, 02:29 AM
After wrapping up our Spelljammer campaign (http://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?597128-Jenna-s-List), the group decided to move on to a Nordic campaign, set in the far northern land of Sterich. This is an attempt to catalogue the adventures of our most recent band of misfits into a coherent story.
Before hearing the fabulous tale, however, you must meet the cast:
Human Tempest Wizard
The resident "old man" of the group (he's 40, but prematurely grey), Leif decided to channel his anger issues into furiously learning instead of being a barbarian like his father wanted. Just your average temple librarian for most of his life, he was granted divine power by Thor as part of an elaborate practical joke on Astrid (more on that later).
Aasimar Battlemaster/War Cleric
The stereotypical Valkyrie. Astrid wandered the lands after the conclusion of the last civil war for a time, until she was visited by her "ancestral guardian" (who was definitely not Loki looking for some fun), who told her that a certain wizard in the nearby temple was actually the god Thor, cursed to take on mortal form by Odin, and that it was her divine mandate to protect him with her life.
Wood Elf Monk/Druid
After a hobgoblin attack, ravaging his town, Thanor was able to escape, headed to the nearby town of Koln for refuge. As an elf, Thanor struggles with the concept of time, and is particularly intrigued by humans and their short lifespans.
Mountain Elf Ranger
Another survivor of the recent hobgoblin attack, Brenda accompanied Thanor in his search for refuge, making her way to Koln with him. A bit dark-skinned for an elf, so there's probably some human blood mixed in there somewhere.
Eladrin Ancients Paladin
Still searching for her husband after many years, Patricia is a fierce and loyal warrior dedicated to making the world a better place for her son to grow up in.
Dvati Arcane Tricksters
Bright and charming, though lacking much in the way of common sense, these troublesome twins were kicked out of wizard school after stealing one too many pyromancy tomes. Mara is very much the brains of the bunch, while Mori functions more as the mouth.
———
Arriving in the town of Koln with a Ragesian trade caravan carrying metalwork and other trade goods, Geri was about to speak to the sheriff when a dozen orcs rode into town on night-black steeds. Also entering town were Brenda and Thanor, having just arrived, and Leif and Astrid, on an errand to pick up some goods for the local temple.
These orcs rode up to the door of the town ruler, having a short conversation at the door. The conversation was mostly inaudible, but Leif, through his raven, Muninn, was able to catch a mention of the god Eirithnal. Thinking back, he remembered that Eirithnal was an old god, a less-restrained counterpart to the modern goddess Hextor, and the god of goblins, ogres, gnolls, and all other evil things.
Having had enough of these heathens in his town, Leif started angrily stomping towards the orcs, while the sheriff warned Geri to stay out of any involvement. The orcs wheeled their horses around, and the leader proclaimed to the town that they had been spared by the grace of Hextor, and they would be back in three days to collect a sacrifice for Hextor. With that, the leader and half of the rest departed, while six orcs remained to encourage the townsfolk to provide an adequate tribute.
As soon as the leader was out of sight, Muninn landed on an orc's shoulder and delivered an electric shock courtesy of Leif. The orc, displeased, called to the others, advancing on Leif. While Astrid stepped in front of Leif to protect him, he attempted to pull the lead orc off of his horse with a crackling line of electricity, but the orc shrugged the spell off. However, with some well-placed words from across the square from Brenda, and a less-than-heartfelt apology from Leif, the orc agreed to back down on the condition that he was allowed to snap the neck of this "lightning bird." Leif agreed, grumbling about the ten gold piece toll he would have to pay Odin to get the bird back, and also backed off.
At that moment, Edgan, a librarian from the local temple of Odin, ran into town, shouting that the temple was under attack and there were still people trapped inside. Leif called for help before running off toward the temple with Astrid, and the rest of the party accompanied them, though reluctantly.
Arriving at the temple, with Leif still ranting about "these jævlig orcs in my jævlig town," the party found the door ajar, and the sounds of movement from inside suddenly ceased. Peering through the door, some party members were able to see a goblin hiding behind a pillar. The goblin, upon realizing it had been seen, fired a crossbow at Astrid, and initiative was rolled. The goblin won initiative, and fired another round at Astrid. He then fled further into the church, and the party heard a high-pitched scream from inside.
Leif then stepped into the church, past his meat shield, and triggered the readied actions of three more goblins hiding within the church. One crossbow bolt missed his armor class of 12, one was Shielded, and one sunk into his back. Unfazed, he killed one goblin and bloodied another with a Thunderwave and finished off the bloodied one with a Spiritual Weapon. Astrid then stepped into the church and bloodied the third goblin, followed by Thanor, who missed the third goblin twice. Brenda then stepped into the church and took out the third goblin with a well-placed bowshot. The only remaining goblin fired his crossbow again, stepped around a bookshelf, and hid, but you can't hide from area-of-effect spells, and a second Thunderwave finished him off, scattering books across the room.
The party then found the source of the earlier scream, a librarian named Malira, the only other survivor of the massacre in the temple. Investigating the bodies of the goblins, they were found to have wooden holy symbols of Eirithnal. Malira informed the party of an old shrine to Eirithnal near a nearby town, and the party resolved to go and tear down the temple as soon as the current situation with the orcs was solved.
This narrative style is a departure from our last log, which we kept in list form, but you can expect the same kinds of wacky, definitely-not-well-thought-out shenanigans from this party as the last. Hope y'all enjoy the story, and we should have more for you soon!
Before hearing the fabulous tale, however, you must meet the cast:
Human Tempest Wizard
The resident "old man" of the group (he's 40, but prematurely grey), Leif decided to channel his anger issues into furiously learning instead of being a barbarian like his father wanted. Just your average temple librarian for most of his life, he was granted divine power by Thor as part of an elaborate practical joke on Astrid (more on that later).
Aasimar Battlemaster/War Cleric
The stereotypical Valkyrie. Astrid wandered the lands after the conclusion of the last civil war for a time, until she was visited by her "ancestral guardian" (who was definitely not Loki looking for some fun), who told her that a certain wizard in the nearby temple was actually the god Thor, cursed to take on mortal form by Odin, and that it was her divine mandate to protect him with her life.
Wood Elf Monk/Druid
After a hobgoblin attack, ravaging his town, Thanor was able to escape, headed to the nearby town of Koln for refuge. As an elf, Thanor struggles with the concept of time, and is particularly intrigued by humans and their short lifespans.
Mountain Elf Ranger
Another survivor of the recent hobgoblin attack, Brenda accompanied Thanor in his search for refuge, making her way to Koln with him. A bit dark-skinned for an elf, so there's probably some human blood mixed in there somewhere.
Eladrin Ancients Paladin
Still searching for her husband after many years, Patricia is a fierce and loyal warrior dedicated to making the world a better place for her son to grow up in.
Dvati Arcane Tricksters
Bright and charming, though lacking much in the way of common sense, these troublesome twins were kicked out of wizard school after stealing one too many pyromancy tomes. Mara is very much the brains of the bunch, while Mori functions more as the mouth.
———
Arriving in the town of Koln with a Ragesian trade caravan carrying metalwork and other trade goods, Geri was about to speak to the sheriff when a dozen orcs rode into town on night-black steeds. Also entering town were Brenda and Thanor, having just arrived, and Leif and Astrid, on an errand to pick up some goods for the local temple.
These orcs rode up to the door of the town ruler, having a short conversation at the door. The conversation was mostly inaudible, but Leif, through his raven, Muninn, was able to catch a mention of the god Eirithnal. Thinking back, he remembered that Eirithnal was an old god, a less-restrained counterpart to the modern goddess Hextor, and the god of goblins, ogres, gnolls, and all other evil things.
Having had enough of these heathens in his town, Leif started angrily stomping towards the orcs, while the sheriff warned Geri to stay out of any involvement. The orcs wheeled their horses around, and the leader proclaimed to the town that they had been spared by the grace of Hextor, and they would be back in three days to collect a sacrifice for Hextor. With that, the leader and half of the rest departed, while six orcs remained to encourage the townsfolk to provide an adequate tribute.
As soon as the leader was out of sight, Muninn landed on an orc's shoulder and delivered an electric shock courtesy of Leif. The orc, displeased, called to the others, advancing on Leif. While Astrid stepped in front of Leif to protect him, he attempted to pull the lead orc off of his horse with a crackling line of electricity, but the orc shrugged the spell off. However, with some well-placed words from across the square from Brenda, and a less-than-heartfelt apology from Leif, the orc agreed to back down on the condition that he was allowed to snap the neck of this "lightning bird." Leif agreed, grumbling about the ten gold piece toll he would have to pay Odin to get the bird back, and also backed off.
At that moment, Edgan, a librarian from the local temple of Odin, ran into town, shouting that the temple was under attack and there were still people trapped inside. Leif called for help before running off toward the temple with Astrid, and the rest of the party accompanied them, though reluctantly.
Arriving at the temple, with Leif still ranting about "these jævlig orcs in my jævlig town," the party found the door ajar, and the sounds of movement from inside suddenly ceased. Peering through the door, some party members were able to see a goblin hiding behind a pillar. The goblin, upon realizing it had been seen, fired a crossbow at Astrid, and initiative was rolled. The goblin won initiative, and fired another round at Astrid. He then fled further into the church, and the party heard a high-pitched scream from inside.
Leif then stepped into the church, past his meat shield, and triggered the readied actions of three more goblins hiding within the church. One crossbow bolt missed his armor class of 12, one was Shielded, and one sunk into his back. Unfazed, he killed one goblin and bloodied another with a Thunderwave and finished off the bloodied one with a Spiritual Weapon. Astrid then stepped into the church and bloodied the third goblin, followed by Thanor, who missed the third goblin twice. Brenda then stepped into the church and took out the third goblin with a well-placed bowshot. The only remaining goblin fired his crossbow again, stepped around a bookshelf, and hid, but you can't hide from area-of-effect spells, and a second Thunderwave finished him off, scattering books across the room.
The party then found the source of the earlier scream, a librarian named Malira, the only other survivor of the massacre in the temple. Investigating the bodies of the goblins, they were found to have wooden holy symbols of Eirithnal. Malira informed the party of an old shrine to Eirithnal near a nearby town, and the party resolved to go and tear down the temple as soon as the current situation with the orcs was solved.
This narrative style is a departure from our last log, which we kept in list form, but you can expect the same kinds of wacky, definitely-not-well-thought-out shenanigans from this party as the last. Hope y'all enjoy the story, and we should have more for you soon!