Sadness...

Much discussion and planning before assaulting the castle was made. The plan had flaws but was workable. Unfortunately, the plan included warning the castle of trouble by lighting fires outside and only two characters were able to get over the barrier. Galen and Thondami tried to get the drop on the bandits but the elven mage in the tower was having none of it. Thondami tried a Silence spell but the elf wasn’t sounding an alarm anymore, he went back into the castle.

   Outside, Ilyander and Eleseraskulked about but made no attempt to climb the barrier. They decided to wait at the shrine to Marthammor.

   Slowly, Thondami followed the elf. As a mist, Galen explored the third level of the castle but found no one. On the second level, he found the brigand leader, Malvira and one of her men, Bald Balonry. As Galen coalesced, the brigands knew something was amiss and readied themselves for battle. As Galen fought the two bandits, Malvira called for more of her minions and two showed up, a resting thief, Yarik, and the mage from the tower with Thondami hot on the mage’s heels. In a tense but short hallway battle, the Bald Balonry fell to Galen. With a hefty backstroke, Yarik was nearly killed but surrendered. Malvira proceeded down the stairs while the mage vanished completely.

   As Galen ran down after her, Thondami electrocuted the prisoner to near death then tied him up and brought him down after Galen and Malvira. Galen left the stairs on the first floor thinking the leader was headed to the main entrance for escape but she actually went down another level to get her trump card, Lord Harkon Justheart. As Galen explored the great hall, Thondami and Malvira met in the stairwell. Seeing this as an opportunity, Yarik quickly shed his bonds and drew a hidden dagger. Surrounded, Thondami prepared for a beating but Malvira only demanded that he let her and Lord Harkon pass. Thondami refused, so Yarik threw a tanglefoot bag at his feet, rooting him to the spot. Laughing as she passed, with a dagger to Harkon’s neck, Malvira ordered Yarik to open the main doors. Galen hearing the door being opened quickly ran over and attacked Malvira. Not felling her, Malvira cut the lord’s throat, slaying him instantly. She then ran for the door.

   Outside, Ilyander and Elesera watched the leader exit the castle and killed her just five steps outside on the drawbridge. A total accounting showed the party killed three of the brigands (Yarik was slain by Galen as Malvira fled.) Meaning Octavio and the elf mage escaped.

   With the current issue resolved, the party decide to wait for the rest of the brigands to return before leaving, in case they are called upon to defend the castle. A service for Lord Harkon Justheart was held with Thondami officiating.

   Next, the Windswept Guardians must find a stone to flesh method of helping Artemis. Choices include, a male medusa, basilisk saliva, or a powerful mage. It’s said there are basilisk dens in the Serpent Hills and to the south they may ask Artemis’ guild leader, Nimozaran the Green, about it. Both Ilyander and Thondami know that a mage will require payment and possibly a service as well.

 So leaving Jarrow's tower, the Windswept Guardians head back to Castle Justheart. As they travel, Thondami takes stock of treasure claimed in the tower, a vast amount of potions and various sorcerous items. Bringing the petrified Artemis and Jarrow’s probable foot, the group tries to formulate a plan to penetrate or circumvent the barrier at the castle. Only 5 days remain before the deadline for Lord Justheart’s ransom. Also, Mandrake’s band of brigands are due to arrive at the castle in five days as well.

   Elexa Justheart tells the heroes that the barrier goes around the castle completely except above where rain water can enter the reservoir for water storage. It also goes down approximately 15 feet to prevent sappers. She does not know how high the barrier rises. But trebuchets rarely get above it. Straining his memory, Thondami realized the barrier was an altered Force Field spell.

   Riding next to a fast flowing, 20 foot wide river, they came under fire from archers and javelins. It seems a hobgoblin patrol was there and a small skirmish ensued. The battle was over quickly but the hobgoblin leader and the human mage with them managed to escape. The hobgoblin camp remains.

Recap

 

Lawcon 2023 recap

 

The party did lengthy exploration of a “funhouse” dungeon in the town of Stoneash. They explored four levels, mapping and adding to the map carved on a table in (tavern name). This earned them accolades from the Adventurers Guild they are members of. Several PC’s also leveled and trained.

 

The party then accept an escort mission for a diplomat to aid the war effort. However, they felt compelled to investigate Ashtar’s temple while travelling. Handling that situation, the party was forced to return and report that the temple mission was completed and the hobgoblins vanquished but they lied about the what they found, the Subtle Knife, and what the hobgoblins most likely sought. The party also failed to stop many hobgoblins from escaping from the temple.

 

Arriving at Castle Justheart, they were greeted by Melvaria, a brigand that had seized the castle, threw the lord in the dungeon, and erected a barrier that prevented entry to the party. Elexa Justheart told the party of her plight (her uncle, Lord Justheart will be slain unless she can pay 10,000 gp to the brigands within a tenday). Additionally, the brigands leader, Mandrake, was broken out of jail and will be arriving soon as well.

 

Elexa tells the party that the mage Jarrow created the barrier and may know how to take it down before Mandrake arrives. The party know they will be outnumbered if Mandrake returns before time, the bulk of the band went to free him. Elexa tells the party, there are about 5 brigands in the castle and that Lord Justheart sent most of his men-at-arms to the war effort and that the only servants remaining were constructs.

 

The hobgoblin forces seek the party for the knife and the Duchy of Haran will be confused and ill prepared for what’s to come. It has been approximately 1 tenday later when the party encountered some strangers disguised as druids. The bard regaled them with tales of the party’s prowess. Unbeknownst to the Windswept Guardians, these strangers were actually looking for them. Once their identity was confirmed, the “druids” summoned the Witch-King of Myth Nathar.

 

When the Witch-King arrived, Abernathy opened a portal at random and jumped through with Thondami, the rest of the party fled. Thondami returned immediately but Abernathy chose to open another portal and step through, never to be seen again. The Witch-King boldly stepped through the portals in pursuit of his prize.

 

The next day, the party returned to their camp, gathered their gear and went on to Jarrow’s Tower. At the tower, the party discover that Jarrow was slain by a three headed dragon-kin. Looting the tower (Artemis wanted to claim it before being petryfied) the party head back to Castle Justheart trying to figure out what to do next.

Subtle Knife Lore

 

Long ago the Dragon Queen Tiamat & Arch Duke of Hell Titivilus, fought in this region. They annihilated much of the countryside in their battle, killing hundreds of folks. No one knew why the devil and Tiamat battled but it could have something to do with the Blood War. No one could stop them so an adventurer with a knife that could cut the very fabric of reality suggested that he use it to trap both beings “somewhere else”. To get rid of the beings, a portal was opened in their path of destruction.

   The adventurer did not know how to close the portals once made and therefore used the knife sparingly. Unfortunately he was killed after making the portal, incinerated by lightning and flame. It took a Cabal of Mages to close the portal, trapping the beings in another plane.  More than half the mages died in the process of closing the portal.  No one knows which plane they were trapped in and the mages took the Knife, hiding it so no one could open a portal and free the dread creatures.

 

The Subtle Knife allows you to cut reality and open stable, permanent portals. The portals go just about anywhere, most are planar portals. How to close a portal is currently unknown.  The Knife has been not seen in many decades. 

 

Dark Watch Forest

 This part of the forest is cursed and spawns hordes of undead. This curse occurred because several drow came up from the underdark on a raid and killed the unicorn guardian of this portion of the forest. Three other unicorns, the rest of the family, have not been able to enter the area and cleanse it. Various evil fey have been drawn to the area and are trying to kill the rest of the unicorns. The unicorn family consists of the unicorn's mate (a male, mature adult) and 2 young unicorns, a stallion and a filly.

   The drow have the unicorn's horn and are using it in vile rituals. They have managed to permanently darken a portion of the woods that they have made their base. Some of the evil fey have made agreements with them to guard parts of the woods.

   In a glade near a path, is a cemetery that is over 100 years old. It has remained unspoiled because it is on consecrated ground. The dead here cannot be raised and evil, extra-planar or undead creatures cannot enter the cemetery. I n a mausoleum, in this cemetery is a secret passage leading down the gnoll lair. There are a few other ways to enter this lair.

   One is a caved-in earthen area where a legendary chimera was recently released. This beast returns here every full moon to rejuvenate itself. This entry must be excavated in order to enter the gnoll lair. The entire project will take 40 man hours. This assumes experienced miners, gear and a foreman skilled in engineering. The planning itself will take 2 days. Once the entry is made, the tunnel leads to an underground pool and river that flows under the lair. There is a pit in the lair that comes in to this cavern and the river there is fast flowing.

   The second entry is near the drow base, in the darkened portion of the forest. Several red caps lair there and the entry leads to a long passage thaP enters the lair on level two.

   A third way is to enter through a non-descript cave and follow a long passage from there that eventually leads to a miles long corridor that is partially collapsed. This is the corridor that is near the gnoll lair.

5 Years later in the Dalelands

 

Devin Thunderstrike has left and gone into the underdark looking for his friend Axel Redmane.  He left before the drow established a base in the Dark Watch. 

 

          With the sacrifice of Silnare’s soul and the unicorns, Lolth was pleased and placed a permanent darkness over a 15 mile area of the forest.  The drow forces have been bolstered by reinforcements of more drow from the underdark.  Many servitor creatures also came up from below.  The good fey creatures of the forest died or have been hunted and slain.  Several plants have been warped by the evil pervading the land and evil fey have come to the Dark Watch to ply their trade.

 

          Drow now have a stronghold in the Dark Watch and an alliance with the Legendary Chimera, the Blackheart.  With these assets, the drow have begun to threaten Highmoon and many of the Dales are rallying for war. The Zhentarim of Shadowdale are not committed in this upcoming war but Archendale and Arwen Fortress have a truce to work together against the drow and the Blackheart.

 

          Barrow’s Edge was recently attacked by a large force of Zhentarim and monsters.  The outcome was complete destruction of Barrow’s Edge and the sacking of Larathian village. Four days after the dome went upelven soldiers from Arwen Fortress and several contingents of Riders of Archendale were able to penetrate the Zhentish barrier.

 

          They found that the Zhents were able to teleport out of the dome. Most of the humans of Barrow’s Edge were slain. Many of the elves and a minority of humans managed to survive in the temple of Corellon within Larathian village.

Lawcon 2022

 

Ok, so Lawcon 2022 is over. I am going to photograph some of the dungeons and post them here for you guys to see what was going on. Before I do that, here is a questionaire I would like you all to read and answer. Please reply in the comments (anonymously, if you want) or by email if you don't want anyone else to know what you think. I want to know so I can try to address any serious concerns and make the game better.

 

What did you like best?

 

What did you like least?

 

Do you think your character got the spotlight at any time?

 

If you got the spotlight, was it ok?

 

If you didn’t get the spotlight, was that ok?

 

Did your character get enough spotlight?

 

Were there any rules that really rub you wrong? Don’t complain about Thac0, these would be things like the crit table or blue book rules.

 

Was there something you wanted to do in character but didn’t get to do? Was there something you wanted to do but couldn’t do for any reason?

 

What could I, as DM, to make the game more fun for you specifically? What could I, as DM, have done to make the game more fun for the group, in general?