Rewards

After successfully aiding the fallen solar, Andor, he granted the characters present a boon. I made two for each of you. Choose one from the pair.

Bard Boon
Silver Tongue (3/day)
You are a master of saying the right thing at the right time. When trying to convince a non-hostile NPC, of something that is not contrary to the NPC’s nature, you can roll a Cha. check. Success means you convince the NPC, failure means the NPC will not do it but bears you no ill will. Critical successes or failures will be case by case.

OR

Dueling (at will)
When melee fighting with a one handed weapon and nothing in your other hand, you gain +2 to AC and +2 to damage on each hit you make.

Cleric Boon

Wrath of the Storm (twice/day)
When struck in melee, you may release the wrath of your deity to damage the creature that just hit you. The damage is 2d8 but cannot be resisted. Creatures with resistance or immunity to electricity save for half damage.

OR

Healing Strike (twice/day)
Your weapon glows with power. When you hit an opponent, it takes double weapon damage and you can heal yourself or an ally 2 hp/level. The ally must be within a 20’ of you.

Ranger Boon
Spear Plunge (3/day)
While wielding a spear in melee, you can strike an opponent that enters your threat range immediately. If the attack hits, the target must save vs paralysis minus half the damage inflicted. A failed save reduces the target to 0 Mv until the end of your next turn (the target remains just out of reach of the spear wielder).
   You may take this action out of turn, whenever the opportunity presents itself (i.e. before or after your turn if you have an attack available. This attack replaces it.)

OR

Heavy Weapon (at will)
When wielding a melee weapon in both hands, if your damage die rolls a 1 or 2 you may reroll the die but the second roll is permanent.

Henchmen Boon (permanent)
+5 max hp

The Mission

    The priest bows deeply, reverence clear in every word wearing the gold and purple of the Temple, standing and waiting for Lord Galin’s attention from training his squire.

   “My lord, your path of honor now leads to a place long lost to darkness. You are to go to the Crypt of Lathander—once a sanctuary of dawn and renewal, now defiled by a creeping evil. It is there you will find the Ritual Pool of the Morninglord, whose waters alone can restore your sacred bond with your blade.”

   She straightens, eyes shining with both dread and hope.

   “Although the task is perilous, the crypt can be redeemed. Three ancient braziers, each held in the grip of marble statues, must be rekindled with this—” she produces a worn striking stone and a rod of polished steel engraved with holy script “—to purge the unclean spirits. Once lit, no undead may cross their glow. Light all three, and the shades will falter before you.”

   “Also in the crypt stand three marble statues of Lathander. In ages past, they held radiant Seals of the Sun, now broken and missing. Find them. Return them to us that we may bless them. And acolytes can place them back in the statues’ hands, and  the entire crypt shall be sanctified by the Dawnfather’s might.”

   Her voice lowers, heavy with solemn weight:

   “Know this, noble cavalier: during this trial, you shall gain no reward* in coin or glory, no balm from priest or healer. This is not a quest for fame—but a pilgrimage of devotion. Only the light of the rising and setting sun will heal you, if you kneel before it with a true heart. Potions may serve, but divine hands will not**.”

   “Your squire may grow from this trial***, but you—this is a test of your faith, not your sword arm. Should you prevail, the Sword of Summer will once again shine with the true light of the Dawn.”

   She finishes with a whisper:

   “Only by standing alone, with nothing but your faith and your courage, can the bond be made whole.”

 

Learning of Galin’s quest, the party gather information as well.

Bardic lore (Ilyander learns)

Stories tell of a temple of Lathander, where Anon Tareek, a wielder of the Sword of Summer fought a servitor of Lathander. Anon failed in his battle at the temple. This battle made the angel evil and tainted the blade. The blade was broken as it severed the angel’s grace. The angel survived but could not leave that unholy place.

Church lore (Thondami learns)

There was a crypt with a reflecting pool that can fix magic items or enchant finely crafted items. The crypt was used to inter those faithful to Lathander. This crypt was later tainted by evil deeds from a wielder of the Sword of Summer named Anon Tareek. Anon was slain by a demon which then corrupted the site. A sacrifice of blood must be made to resanctify the pool.

*”No reward” – Galin can claim treasure during this quest if appropriate. He gains no xp.

**Clerical healing can help Galin but will negate the quest. Lathander will heal Galin at dawn and dusk for 2d10+5 if he prays while in it’s light. Potions do normal healing.

***Perrin is not restricted in this quest in any way.

The Duchy of Haran

 A few notes:

The red line is the duchy border. The purple lines split the duchy into counties run by counts. The east patchwork area is the area controlled by Galen's father, Viscount Anasazio. Those are the many lords and lands he controls for King Alexander Lioncrest I, who rules the entire duchy.

 Brown lines are roads, brown dashes are trails, and blue lines are, of course, rivers.

 

Towns/Map Legend

Map #	Direction	Town	Size	Pop	Walled
1	West	Welwyn	Village	550	Y
2	West	Hammerfast	Large Town	4500	Y
3	West	Winter Haven	Large Town	4000	Y
4	East	Stoneash	Large Town	2400	N
5	East	Fallcrest	Large Town	4700	Y
6	South	Gardmore Abbey	Keep/Village	700	P
7	South	Erages	Large City	15200	Y
8	South	Harken Township	Large Town	3000	N
9	South	Albridge	Small Town	1750	N
10	Center	Parlfrey Keep	Keep/Small Town	1900	P
11	West	Dundraville	Village	850	N
12	West	Thurmaster	Village	360	Y
13	West	Milbourne	Large Town	4860	N
14	South	Odense-Fen	Village	850	N
15	South	Shilo Pass	Large Town	3710	N
	South	Soubar	Large Town	3000	N
	South	Triel	Small Town	1600	N
16	South	Boareskyr Bridge	Keep/Large Town	3000	P
17	East	Galin’s Well	Village	703	N
	South	Hardbuckler	Hamlet	80	N
	South	Drawn Swords	Hamlet	150	Y

 

Total Population: 73,749 (30% of population live near, but outside, most towns.)

Demographics: 75% Human; 11% Dwarven; 9% Elven; 5% Other

(55311 Human; 8113 Dwarf; 6638 Elf; 3687 Other)

 

Visuals

 These were some pics of the battle

The Next Leg

After waiting at Castle Justheart for a few days, to make sure the brigands do not attack, the party leave and head to Stoneash. Their plan is to go to Fallcrest and take the statue of Artemus to his Guildmaster hoping he can cast Stone to Flesh. As the party travel across the land, they feel trepidatious. It is winter but there are even fewer normal creatures about than normal.

 

   The elven ranger, Elesara, feels that there may be a fiendish or undead increase in the land. Thondami feels the disquiet of the land but only discerns that undead eschew the daylight. Strangely, after some hours of travel, they find what appears to be a large footprint. The breadth and width of so large a foot would have been much deeper if it were a giant, Galin notes. Given the oddness, nothing happens during travel.   Speculating, the party believe the queer feeling is due to the death knight, the witch-king of Myth Nathar now roaming the land.

  

   That night Thondami has visions of shadowy creatures  attacking a small town.  He was able to identify the town as Stoneash. The party aren’t sure whether this maybe a past or future vision.  Coming to Stoneash, the party see the town had been attacked the previous night. A troop of soldiers was camped outside town as well, and they seem to be helping with the clean up efforts of the town. The leader of the soldiers is one of House Anasazio’s generals, Alura. She tells Galen everything that occurred. Galen’s man-at-arms is with the soldiers.

 

   The attack was from shadows, shadow mastiffs, and shadow fiends. The creatures came from the north and seemed coordinated. Humanoids slain by the draining power of shadows become shadows in a few hours. The corpses are being burned in the hope that it will stop them from returning as shadows. The shadows targeted dwarves after a while and it is believed that the shadows did that thinking that dwarves slain by shadows would come back as stronger than normal shadows.

 

   The monsters attacked at dusk, seeming to only wreck havoc. The shadow mastiffs caused great mayhem baying. While the shadows killed many people, turning them into more shadows. It appeared the shadow fiends were in control but that is confusing as one is a demon and the other undead. When the monsters fled at dawn, they went north into the swamp.

  

   The party decide to stay in Stoneash that night to help if another attack occurs and indeed another attack does come. The party meet Sir Darian Conan, leader of this province, Stoneash being it’s seat. Ilyander learns that Sir Conan’s mage was slain in the attack and that there are no other mages in town of power. Ilyander asks to go through the mage’s personal belongings, much to Sir Darian’s chagrin. Ilyander returns with Lord Galin to speak with Sir Darian and they are able to convince him to allow Ilyander to rummage through the dead mage’s room. After an explosive runes goes off from the mage’s spellbook, Galin pays Darian some coin for the damage.

 

   Thondami meets the dwarven leader, a priest of Moradin named Drunsk. Thondami aids Drunsk in blessing the bodies which prevents them from rising as shadows, two thirds of the dwarves of Stone ash were killed but only 25% of those returned as shadows due to the efforts of the priests and their lay clergy.

 

   During the evening, the shadows, shadow mastiffs and shadow fiends return. The party are able to save many of the townsfolk and notice a huge shadowy creature that seemed to be observing. They learn later that the huge creature was a nightwalker. As the party began defeating more and more of the shadow creatures, a shadow dragon swooped down on the group and attacked.

 

   The party were able to drive the shadow dragon off by throwing and hitting it with a stone enchanted with continual light. The nightwalker melded back into the night, taking it’s minions with it. It seemed to be observing and gathering information, not hostile.

 

   After the battle, when the party decide to leave, the dwarves all decide to head to Gardmore Abbey. One dwarven acolyte decides to follow Thondami, hoping to become a priest of Marthammor.

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 Elesera skulked 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.