1st: Stolen Land: Part 1:

-Murdock, Erandual, Aurum(NPC), Abox-

                Murdock was in a small-town tavern in central Brevoy when he was awoken by his friend, Kraltos the true (a Paladin). Kraltos told Murdock he was drinking himself to death and that he needed to find an adventure. He told Murdock that Brevoy was seeking adventurers to help conquer and settle the Stolen Lands. Murdock agreed and asked Kraltos to come with him. Kraltos informed Murdock he had plans to settle in the city of Ptolus and went his own way. Meanwhile, Rand had left his elven homeland after feuding with the lords there about their policy of isolationism. Both Murdock and Rand traveled to Oleg’s trading post. This trading post exists on the southern most border of Brevoy verging on the stolen lands. It was here that the party members would meet and begin their campaign. They soon met Aurum Ironhorde, a dwarven Paladin who was also chartered to explore the Stolen Lands. So too was the Alfred Wood Band, a one-man adventuring band named Alfred Wood (a bard).

The stolen lands were a region nestled between Brevoy and the bandit kingdoms. It was a dangerous savage land that belonged to no country. Brevoy had dispatched four different parties to explore and settle four different areas comprising the stolen lands. The area the party would explore was called the green belt. The first night at Oleg’s, Oleg and his wife Svetlana explained that bandits would come every month and abuse them and demand tribute, these bandits were expected the following day. The party decided to ambush this group out on the road leading the Oleg’s. Aurum did not like the idea of a sneak attack and so he stayed behind to protect Oleg’s. The party successfully ambushed and defeated four bandits including their leader Happs Byden. They took one of the surviving bandits back to Oleg’s for interrogation. He revealed their camp had about a dozen other men and that their camp was about a day’s travel south. After this interrogation Aurum summarily executed the man for the crime of banditry. Oleg was profoundly grateful and told the party they could get room and board free for as long as they like. He also gave them some potions and worked out a nice deal for them to exchange items for an expensive bow.

               The following day, the entire party including Aurum set off to explore the Green Belt. About midway through the day the party picked up some large insect-like tracks. They discovered a Rust Monster digging a hole. They waited to see the monster pulling an armored man out of the hole. They then attacked the monster. The party fought smart and managed to kill the monster. Before the rust monster died it managed to severely damage Aurum’s axe. The armored man was revealed to be automaton golem-like creature. The party discovered a compartment on the creatures back that could process magic items to power itself. They would use potions to power this being they called Abox, but the potions would only keep the being powered for a few hours at best. Abox seemed to follow whatever commands the party gave it but often exhibited intelligent strategic thinking. Abox would now travel with the party. The party spent the night in the hole and continued their exploration of the first area the Green Belt.

               Having completed the exploration of the first area within the Green Belt the party heading back toward Oleg’s. Just before reaching Oleg’s they were attacked by two Worgs. These evil intelligent giant wolves proved quite the challenge. Rand cleverly used and entangle spell to slow the creatures down. Murdock was nearly slain but persevered to eventually destroy the Worgs. The party skinned the Worgs and headed home. Murdock wanted to track the Worg’s to their lair, but the other party members wanted to go home to Oleg’s. Back at Oleg’s Rand wanted to research more about Abox. Oleg said he knew a wise potion maker who lived as hermit in the Green Belt who might be able to help but that would have to wait. The party had successfully explored the first portion of the Green Belt and their thirst for adventure was growing quickly.

-5/12/2020----(903 XP)

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2nd: Stolen Land: Part 2:

-Murdock, Erandual, Aurum(NPC), Grepper(NPC)-

          The party was at Oleg’s preparing a return to the Greenbelt. Rand was interested in learning more about Abox and had asked Oleg for help. Oleg explain there was an old hermit/potion maker named Bokken who lived in a hut just a few miles south. While Rand spoke with Oleg, Murdock was busy drinking and socializing. He met Jhod  and his three minions. These were guards sent by Brevoy to keep the outpost safe from banditry. Jhod was cordial, if not short. He inquired about a man of specific description. This man had a blonde goatee and wore a special helmet. The party had seen no one like this. As Rand returned to rejoin his friends, an old friend of Aurum arrived. This was Grepper Greywind, a gnome sorcerer. Grepper has been given a charter and would now join the party.

          The party set out south and generally planned to methodically explore the Greenbelt by not heading south until they had explored the entire northern region. They came upon an area that was laden with traps. Murdock easily spotted these hazards and disarmed them. They soon found the bugbear who had set up these traps. Apparently, he had accidentally killed himself upon setting up his final trap. The party discerned that this bugbear was part of a bugbear tribe that was wiped out by the Brevoy army some weeks back. This one had escaped and had been trying to brave it alone out here in the wild.

          By midday, the party had arrived at Dokken the hermits house. He was friendly with the party and gave them what information he could about Abox. He suspected that Abox was a product of the ancient Azlanti empire. An Empire that had been destroyed 10,000 years ago as the result of a meteor crash. This empire had achieved a technological excellence never seen again. He deciphered the markings on Abox to mean “Omega Battledrone: Battle Zero Ten”. This battledrones were not constructs, but instead some kind of automaton humanoid creatures powered by magic. He explained that if they could “feed” Abox a permanent magic item, than Abox would work permanently. Also, the more powerful the items, the more powerful Abox would be. Dokken went to explain that he could make any potion up to 3rd level. Finally, in return for this information he asked the party if they could locate fangberries which he needed for potions. Rand tried to do this at once but failed miserably. The party abruptly left to continue their exploration of this region.

          The party was awoken very early in the morning by Willow. They had camped by a waterfall the night before. As the party emerged, they could see a group of six bandits approaching. Rand immediately attacked a battle ensued. Just as the party was getting the upper hand on the bandits, five Crucians (Crustacean-men) launched an attack from the water. In the mayhem the remaining bandits tried to escape only to run head into another adventuring party. Meanwhile, our party was caught in a terribly dangerous battle with Crucians. The battle was hard fought, but in the end the party barely prevailed. As they finished off the Crucians, another adventuring party was finishing off the bandits.

          After the battle the two adventuring parties greeted one another. The other adventuring party was the Company of the Black Banner, they consisted of Arkaydius the ranger, Davor the haf-orc cleric of war, Hulgrim the gnome sorcerer, Fawn the female elf druid and her sapling treant companion named Orn. Secretly, Fawn was Rand’s estranged girlfriend. During the encounter she asked Rand in elven not to reveal this to anyone present. Arkaydius spoke for his group and explained they were the party chartered to explore the Nomen Heights. They had apparently wandered too far west. They were based out of a small town to the east called Nivakta's Crossing. The cleric of war healed the party and the two group separated whilst wishing each other well. The party finished exploring this area and even found some fangberries which they dropped off to Bokken on their way back.

          The party explored two other regions over the next few days. During a rest period at Oleg’s they met a cleric of Erastil who asked them to keep an eye out for a lost temple of Erastil that was likely guarded by a strange bear. At one point, while traveling the road, the party encountered a threatening and hungry Thylacine (Marsupial Wolf). Rand and Murdock managed to feed and befriend the animal. The following day the party would face its greatest challenge yet. Whilst exploring the other edge of the Gnarlmarch forest they came upon an old well. From within, a Tatzlewyrm attacked. Moments late a second one of these creatures joined the fray. Tatzlewyrms are rare small dragon creatures that constrict and gas their opponents. Fortunately, the party was able to kill both these monsters. After the battle the party searched the well to find their lair and some very nice treasure.

-5/17/2020 (1097 XP)

Party Totals: (All Party members currently have 2000 XP and are 2nd level)

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3rd: Stolen Land: Part 3:

-Murdock, Eranduil, Aurum(NPC), Bat(NPC)-

               The party awoke at Olegs, Murdock went to get drunk with the mules (actual mules) while Rand was trying to set up an area in Oleg’s to write scrolls. Rand soon met Gleebow Stout of the Stout and Little Lumber company (forest gnomes). They said his name meant FoliageDwller in gnomish and were curious how safe it was to lumber in the Gnarlmarsh forest. Rand said he had not reached the forest yet but this untrue (not intentionally lying, just dumb). Soon after this Conner MacRaven, the bloodrager arrived. He was a clansman to Murdock and they drank together. Conner explained he was headed west looking for a new homeland for his people. Later Rand spoke with Grepper about the Taztlewyrm eggs. Grepper explained the eggs would hatch in three weeks. The party asked Oleg to see if he could sell the eggs. Oleg said he would ask around. There were more people at Oleg’s as of late, all asking about the Greenbelt. Many had just come from the carnival in Rostland which they said was awesome. Grepper informed the party that he had business to attend to Rostland and so  would

not be able to join them on the next expedition (secretly he wanted to go to the carnival).

               By midday the party was already on their way to explore the next location. They soon met Bat Mazgul (Half Orc Cleric of Erastil the Hunter). He had caught up to the party. He had a charter and was assigned to explore the stolen lands. He trying to catch up to his party and he thought he had finally succeeded. The problem was he had found the wrong party. He was supposed to join the party exploring the section directly west of the Greenbelt, the area referred to as the Slough. The party was heading west anyway so Bat elected to travel with them. About halfway through the day they found a clumsy boar and killed it. Late in the evening they though they saw a wolf standing very still. Soon after they found a stone polecat (larger ferret type creature). They speculated that this creature had been magically turned to stone. Soon after the party was attacked by three cockatrices. Two of the party members suffered wounds where they skin hardened. The party defeated these monsters and rested for the night. The following day Aurum found a copper ore deposit. (This was Hex A2).

               On the third day the party began the exploration of the west-most area (Hex A1). Here they found a burial cairn (grave of rocks). They debated weather they should dig it up but elected to let the dead rest. During this day they also saw what appeared to be a dragon-like creature flying overhead. By the end of the day they had reached the western border of the Greenbelt. There they found markers donated this boundary. Presumably these were set up by the party chartered to explore the Slough. The following morning the party expected Bat to proceed westward to find his party. He said he would continue with the group. This aroused suspicion in Murdock who would keep a closer eye on him. They completed the exploration of this area on day four. They encountered some herds of elk and saw some polecats. (This was Hex A1).

               Instead of returning home, the party elected to continue their exploration. They backtracked to the final northern unexplored area. They would finally enter the Gnarlmarches. Here they found countless bear traps that had been setup without proper markings. This would be hazardous

 to anyone traveling this area. The party used logs and such to set off these traps. Murdock left trail markers for anyone else who might come this way. On the sixth day the party reached a brook. As they were provisioning a large sharp stick crashed through the back of Murdock’s neck and emerged out the front. It appeared that Willow had just sneak attacked Murdock. The party was in disarray. Moments later it became clear that this was not Willow. Instead it was Twigjack, a nasty fey creature similar in appearance to a sapling treant. The creature has used logs and bark to poorly disguise itself as Willow. A second Twigjack had grabbed Willow and dragged him down a tree hole while the first Twigjack had taken Willow’s place. Rand could hear Willow crying out from a tree some meters away, but the party was under attack. While Willow battled a Twigjack inside the tree hole the party was being besieged by the second Twigjack. Before the party could even react the Twigjack that had just savaged Murdock, the creature used its Splinterspray ability to launch an onslaught of large sharp stick projectiles over the entire area. This badly wounded many of the party members and the mules. After this attack, the Trigjack disappeared into bushes. The party searched around but could not find it. A moment later the Twigjack floated downstream appearing as a log and then ambushed Arum and Bat. The party tried to respond but it was gone again. Murdock and Rand ran into the tree hole to find a large hollowed out tree lair. Inside was the second Twigjack still battling a now badly wounded Willow. The party battled with the creature, but it managed to acrobatically fly past them to escape up out of the tree. As it emerged it was killed by Aurum and Bat. There was much confusion during this battle as to how many opponents the party was facing. The party regrouped inside the tree and searched it. They found some treasure but after a few minutes decided they had to leave eventually. When they did, they were sneak attacked again by the remaining Treejack. The creature continued with a series of sneak attacks and disappearances until finally the party stuck and killed the nasty little bastard. With the creature dead the party could now access the area. While they were inside the tree the Twigjack had killed off the mules and started digging a trench from the brook to the hollow tree. A haphazard attempt to flood the tree hollow. The seventh day was uneventful as the party finished exploring the final northern area of the Greenbelt. (Hex A3).

               The party decided to explore one additional area before heading home. They traveled deeper into the Gnarlmarches (Hex B2). For the next three days they explored and mapped this area before heading home. On the tenth day they were heading home when they had to cross a swamp. They reached an island in the swamp where they found a broken chair and smashed fishing rod. A moment later, a Shambling mound emerged with a fisherman caught in his body. Murdock climbed a tree and began to fire arrows down. The creature began to entangle party members and constrict on them with its appendages. At one point Murdock was impaled through his stomach and nearly killed. After a hard-fought battle Aurum managed to fight the creature off. At this point, only Aurum and Rand were standing, and both were near death. As the creature tried to flee into the swamp Aurum was able to kill the beast. Rand was technically a participant in this combat though there is no discernable evidence of this. (this was at the edge of Hex B2). The party set up camp and rested for a whole day before returning to Oleg’s. They marked these locations on their maps and decided they would return this way to try and recover the equipment left with the dead mules and potential to search for the Shambling Mound’s lair. Marc Troutman was the fisherman who was inside the Shambling Mound. His arm was severed by one of Murdock’s swings but still her survived. Marc would travel back to Oleg’s with the party.

------5/20/2020---1,675 XP-----(All party members currently have 3,675 XP, so 2nd level)------

----------Explored Areas: A1-A6, B2 and B6-----------------------Ended on Day 20---------------

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4th: Stolen Land: Part 4:

-Murdock, Eranduil, Aurum(NPC), Bat(NPC)-

            The party took an extra day of rest back at Oleg’s. They divided up the treasure they had gotten from the Twigjack’s lair. One item was a Ring of Swimming that the party decided to use to reactivate Abox. They programmed him to protect Oleg’s trading post and to help Oleg. Under current power consumption Abox would operate for approximately two and a half years. Murdock bought some new mules and took to getting drunk with them. Rand began scribing some scrolls. Aurum arranged delivery of his tithing to his church and worked out a program with Oleg whereby those without funds could some accommodations and food as they traveled by. This generally pertained to women and children. Bat worked on the crafting of arrows and set up an archer range. Grepper was still off in Rostov, the word was now out that he did not have business there but instead went to attend the carnival.  

            The party eventually set out to resume exploring in the Gnarlmarch forest. It was difficult for Aurum not to recommend returning to the swamp of the Shambling Mound  to search for it’s lair. In event the party went on the explore the forested area just east of the swamp (Hex B3). As they explored this area they fell victim to many silly traps and shenanigans. The tricksters were eventually revealed to be a pair of fey creatures: Tyg-Tigger-Tut the Grig and Pervilash the Faerie Dragon. Pervliash explained that enjoyed playing tricks but would not hurt the party. They generally tried to chase off bandits and, in some cases, to even kill. They were responsible for the death of the sociopath trapper the party had previously encountered. The Fey creatures told the party about a temple to the south and a radish patch to the east. (This was Hex B3).

            The party traveled south and within a few days had located a lost Temple of Erastil (God of the Hunt). As promised the temple was guarded by an enormous cursed insane Grizzly bear. After the party killed the bear, it reverted into an old man and died. A curse was lifted from the Temple and it became a holy site again. The fountain would even provide healing. (This was Hex C3). The party finished exploring this region and then moved east. Here they came upon a large bandit camp. After a short discussion the party retreated. They continued to explore this area and then moved northeast to find the radish patch. (they were leaving Hex C4). As the party explored the next region, they came upon eight drunk kobolds in a radish patch. The party slaughtered them all and continued the exploration of the area (this was Hex B4).

            The party spent the next four days exploring the last two eastern plains areas (B5 & B6). In the first area they came across a large copse of tree filled with large webbings. The party left this area alone. In the next area they were awoken in the night to combat. They witnessed a pack of Blink Dogs killing a Displacer Beast. After the battle the alpha of the pack named LongTooth befriended the party. Longtooth warned of a cursed apparition that haunted a ferry area in the south. The next six days the party began exploring the hills. In these areas they found a huge tree a buried treasure and a gold mine. (Hex C5 & C6).

            For almost three weeks the party explored the southern hills areas (D4-D6, E4-E6). Rand was awoken one night to find two bandits camping under their druidic domicile. He listened to their conversation. They were taking about a ferryman named Davik Nettles who had resisted the Staglord. Eventually the Stag Lord had him brutally killed but now Nettles was some kind of undead monster. Rand let these bandits go and the party set out the next day. Eventually they came to the broken ferry area. A rope lay sprawled across a river with a bell on each shore. Murdock tried to climb across but soon the undead Nettles rose to stand on the water. Nettles proclaimed the party was not his tormentors but that they must throw the body of the Staglord in the river or die in the river themselves. The party chose not to cross the river here.

The party explored south and soon they found a huge old Sycamore tree and chose to set up their Druidic Domicile next to it. During the night some Mites tried to burn it down. In return the party burned down the Sycamore tree. After it had burned, they entered and killed many Mites, Giant Centipedes, a Whiptail Centipede, and a Master Mite riding a giant tick. Inside they found a Kobold captive named Mekmic. Mekmic explained his clan, the Sootscale clan had been at war with these mites and that his clan needed a devil statue to break a curse of his chieftain. The curse had been put there by a Kobold sorcerer who had effectively taken control of his clan. The party traveled south with this Kobold and made a trade. They traded the statue for some magic boots and gold. Afterwards the Chief Sootscale drove off the sorcerer and named the party Sootfriends. The party stayed in the Kobold’s lair to rest (a silver mine). The Kobolds built poorly made kayaks for the party. Using these boats, the party was able to explore the regions on the far side of the river.

            In the next hilled area, the party encountered a Boggard named Garuum and his pet Slurk. The party befriended the strange creature and agreed not to disturb the ruined buildings he was inhabiting. In their travels the party eventually found a shallow ford where they could cross the river without boats. West of this region they found a valley filled with fang berries. Unfortunatly there were spiderwebs present, so the party decided not to explore this area. The party had been exploring for weeks and now decided it was time to head home. On the return trip they encountered an Adherer, a terribly evil monstrosity that would attack and adhere to any flesh or weapon it touched. The party killed the monster but recognized it as Glen, formally a bandit they had defeated. They buried him. Before reaching Oleg’s, the party encountered an Assassin Vine, but Rand was able to placate the creature with his tree-singing. After forty-seven days of exploring the party returned safely to Oleg’s.

-5/25/2020 (2,359 xp)------(All party members currently have 6,034 xp and are 3rd level)

--Explored Areas: A1-A6, B1-B4, semi B5. B6. C3, C5, C6, semi C4, D4-D6, semi E4. E5, E6,

--Ended on day 67----- Current Date: Desnus (may) 5th 4714AR

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4.5: Stolen Land: Part 4.5

-Note: This is entirely an NPC party module summary

-Grepper(NPC), The Bardic Brothers(NPCs), Swiper(NPC)-

          Grepper returned from the carnival in Rostland and waited a few days for the party to return. When they did not return, he enlisted the bardic brothers Focko and Jocko to help him look for the party while simultaneously continuing to explore the Greenbelt. They first traveled southeast and battled a giant spider in area B5. They were coming across some of Murdock’s markers and so changed direction. They returned back to Oleg’s having not found the party. Over the next few weeks they made numerous incursions exploring the southwestern areas (Hexes C1-C2, D2, E2-E3). They soon met an investigator cartographer named Swiper. Swiper had been chartered by the River kingdoms city of Pitax to explore the Stolen Lands. Grepper and Swiper made an arrangement to explore together for mutual benefit. They battled some giant frogs and some boggards. They rooted out a Tazzlewyrm den and rescued a bear. They avoided entering the area of Tuskgutter the giant boar. Likewise, they avoided entering area Hex E1 because Grepper’s fey blood warned him of some terrible first world event that was occurring. After many trips and many a rendezvous with Swiper, the group would make their final return home. As they approached Oleg’s, they were ambushed by Kressle and many bandits. They nearly fought off these bandits save for the arrival of two of the Staglord’s captains. These were Dovan, the Staglord’s number two man, and Auchs, a mongoloid tortuous maniac. The bandits had apparently been sieging Oleg’s for nearly a week. Dovan was unwilling to commit all his resources to the attack and now the group was heading home having been repelled. Before they left they would leave behind a warning to the Brevoy. They tortured the party members for hours. Jocko died during the torture. When the torture was done the men were hung from a tree just south of Oleg’s on the main road. Focko succumbed to his wounds. Grepper managed to cut himself free and crawled to within eyesight of Oleg’s. Kesten Garress recovered him. His wounds were horrible and even his mind seemed gone.

 

5th: Stolen Land: Part 5:

-Murdock, Eranduil, Aurum(NPC), Bat(NPC), ABOX(NPC)-

          The party was returning to Oleg’s after their last outing into the Greenbelt. They had been gone for nearly 50 days and much had occurred in their absence. As the party approached Oleg’s they came across a large encampment that had since been abandoned. On a tree nearby two bardic adventures were hanging, having been beaten to death. When they arrived at Oleg’s they found the settlement walls were damaged and scorched by fire. ABOX was standing outside guarding the area, his body covered in dried blood and guts. ABOX was also missing an arm. The party quickly ran inside to meet with Oleg. He explained that a few days after the party had left, Grepper had returned from the carnival in Restov (he had a wonderful time). After a few days Grepper got worried and joined up with two bardic adventuring brothers and set out to find the party while simultaneously continuing to fulfill his charter. Over the next few weeks he and the bardic brothers explored many areas, most of which the party had already explored. Then about 10 days ago, the bandits in service to the Stag Lord began assaulting Oleg’s. They came in waves day after day. The settlement was tirelessly defended by ABOX as well as Kesten Garress and his three guards. The three guards were all eventually killed and Kesten was gravely wounded. ABOX was badly damaged, now missing an arm. But the fortification held.

            After a week of failing to take Oleg’s, the bandits left a final parting gift. They had captured and tortured Grepper and the bardic brothers. They were all hung from a tree. Grepper was the only one to survive, managing to cut himself loose and crawl to the settlement. A hex was cut into his back as was the word “hexplored”. Even after Grepper was physically healed, the phycological damage was so severe that Grepper could do little else than to lie in bed muttering in fear. Aurum was outraged and deeply disturbed by seeing his dear friend so badly hurt. He gathered the other party members and made them take an oath to destroy the Stag Lord, an agreement he declared as the Covenant of Castigation.

            The following day a dispatchment of men arrived from Brevoy. They were led by Magistrate Fellos. The magistrate asked the party to enter a zone of truth as he interrogated them as to their activities exploring the Greenbelt. The party passed this test of truth. The magistrate explained this was necessary as one of the other groups sent to explore the stolen lands had operated dishonestly. An adventuring party known as the Cleave Organization had simply agreed to the charter and then would go out for a few days, camp and party, and then returned with a detailed map of areas they had not explored at all. After this conversation the magistrate left leaving eight men to defend Oleg’s. The party was now planning on attacking the bandit camp they had discovered on their previous expedition. Murdock tried to gather additional forces both from the local travelers at Oleg’s and from the Brevoy guards. None of the locals would come as they now feared the Stag lord. The Brevoy guards summited a long-winded letter talking of the protocols of their mandate to operate only with Brevoy.  The party spent the following day resting while Rand created scrolls. Rand also spoke with Jhod, the cleric of Erastil that implored the characters to find the hidden temple of Erastil. Rand explained how they had killed the cursed bear and had broken the curse on the temple. In gratitude, Jhod offered free spellcasting for life.

            Finally, the party was ready to strike out against the forces of the Staglord. They made a direct line toward the bandit camp. Toward the end of the day they encountered trail markers that they ignored. Shortly after they found the creatures who had made these markings. They were odd creatures called Almiraj. They appeared as rabbits with unicorn horns. Bat explained these were strange magical beasts. The party tried to approach but did not heed the creatures dominance displays. A battle ensued and these little critters died. The following day the party arrived near the bandit camp. Murdock scouted out the area and the party made a plan. The stealthier members of the group climbed a ledge above the camp using spiderclimb and silence. They killed the bandit watchman they found at the top. They then dropped two large barrels of oil into the camp. The sound of the barrels breaking open was concealed by the silence spell. A moment later Murdock used a flaming arrow to set the area on fire. This was followed by an entangle spell from rand. The bandits began to emerge from their tents soon becoming entangled as they burned. Those not burned were receive a hailstorm of arrows from the party members on the ledge. A few moments later the other party members arrived storming through the front gate. The bandits burned and stumpled as they were caught in the crossfire.

            The party was soon starting to realize this was not the Staglord’s main camp, but some kind of outpost camp run by a lieutenant. This lieutenant was a nasty women named Kressle whom the party had heard about before. She was an evil ranger that wielded two hand axes and utilized stealth. She managed to sneak out of her tent and to climb the cliffs to get behind some of the party members. She tried to push Bat off the cliff but failed. She soon found herself trapped between Murdock and Bat. She did not last long. The remaining 4 bandits tried to escape but Aurum blocked the gate. One clever bandit managed to sneak out via the stream but was riddled with arrows, burned by a flaming sphere and eventually eaten by wolves. All of the bandits were killed. Murdock put all their heads on spikes. The party located their treasure cache which included many bottles of an expensive whiskey called Stagmaster. Apparently, this was a favored whiskey of the Staglord. The party also found a missive from the Staglord addressed to Kressle giving a description of the party members and an order to destroy them and Oleg’s outpost.

            The party returned to Oleg’s to regroup. While there, they gave Oleg’s wife her wedding ring that the bandits had taken. Oleg was very grateful. The party sold some items and purchased some new weapons. There was a great battle ahead and it was time to prepare.

           

-6/7/2020 (880 xp)------(All party members currently have 6,914 xp and are 3rd level)

--Explored Areas: A1-A6, B1-B6, C1-C6, D2, D4-D6, E2-E6,

--Ended on day 74----- Current Date: Desnus (may) 12th 4714AR

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6th: Stolen Land: Part 6:

-Murdock, Eranduil, Aurum(NPC), Bat(NPC)-

          The party had retuned to Oleg’s having destroyed the Thorn River Bandit Camp. They had assumed this camp was home to the Stag lord, but it was merely an outpost for the Stag lord’s forces. Only one of the lieutenants who had tortured Grepper was there. Her name was Kressle, and now she was dead, her head planted on a spike. The was welcomed back to Oleg’s which was now much busier than usual. Folks eager to settle in the new region were arriving all the time. Soon Connor Macraven arrived and drank with Murdock. Connor had visited the carnival in Restov and said it was amazing. Unfortunately, he had been attacked by a Worg on the road back to Oleg’s. Later this same evening three adventuring parties arrived at Oleg’s within minutes of each other. These parties were all summoned by Magistrate Fellos who arrived shortly after.

The magistrate was still dealing with the problem left by the Cleave Organization not exploring their part of the Greenbelt. Our party had explored about 80% of the Greenbelt. A second party, known as the Barony of Brutality, led by “Baron” Hannis Drelev, had explored about 80% of the Slough (the area just west of the Greenbelt). A third party, called the Company of the Black Banner, and led by Arkadyus the Ranger, had explored about 70% of the Nomen Heights (the area just east of the Greenbelt). The Black Banner had been exploring at the fastest pace of all the parties but had in recent weeks encountered massive resistance from a tribe of Centaurs, since that time they had made no progress. A group called the Cleave organization had neglected their obligation to explore the Glennebon Uplands (fast west area) and so that area remained unexplored. Restov had now decided that the Company of the Black Banner would be reassigned to explore the Glennebon Uplands due to their ability to explore so quickly. A new adventuring party called the Varnling Host and led by a semi-famous adventure named Maegar Varn would now be charted to complete the exploration of the Nomen Heights and hopefully deal with the Centaurs. Varn was friendly with everyone if not conceited. He gave the party magical suits of armor to help them with their adventures.

           The following morning the party set out for the Temple of Erastil, an area they had decided to use as a forward operating base for the remaining exploration. They arrived at the Temple and set up a base. The magical waters there still offered healing and the area remained blessed. The party had also set up a system of communication whereby Bat who was with the party could send animal messengers (as per the spell) back to Jhod the cleric who lived near Oleg’s. This way they could appraise those back home as to their progress and also learn of any issues back home they may need to return for. After fortifying the Temple the party rested.

               The next morning, they set out to explore the areas to the south-east (Hex D3). This area had been avoided by Grepper out of fear of encountering the legendary Tuskgutter, an enormous boar who had killed many an ambitious hunter. Early in the day the party came upon a hidden cave leading into a rocky outcropping in the middle of the forest. Inside they found the bodies of some bandits having been killed by something mysterious. The bandits had been trying to make this cave into an encampment of some kind, but they had been killed by something they awoke in the cave. The party followed the tunnel down to find a large mushroom chamber, beyond that was second large chamber filled with water and mushrooms. As the party proceeded, they were attacked by the creatures who laired here. These were 15-foot-long Flail Snails. These creatures nearly destroyed the party but were eventually defeated. Inside this chamber the party saw the beginnings of construction. There also found some treasure and bandit supplies. Later this day, the party came face to face with Tuskgutter. As legendary as Tuskgutter was, he was still just a boar and quickly fell to the parties combined fury. After the battle, Bat and Murdock said a prayer for the animal. That night there was a great pig roast.

               The next day the party set out to west (Hex D1). At about mid-day the party had reached the western edge of the forest. There stood a 15ft tall statue of Erastil. This statue had been part of a massive hunting lodge a very long time ago. Now, virtually all trace of that lodge was gone. The statue had fallen into disrepair. Murdock and Bat, both worshippers of Erastil, decided to repair and clean the statue. After saying a prayer, the party felt themselves blessed by Erastil. This too was a holy area that could be felt by Murdock and Bat. Now, the entire party had received a blessing, for one week, all their weapons would be keen.

               The next day the party traveled south (Hex E1). This was the area Grepper had avoided and marked as “First World Event”. Rand knew the First World likely referred to magical realm of the fey. A world that existed in the time before and later split into the Prime Material and the Shadow Plane. A strange and magical place filled with wonder and danger. About mid-day the party found what they thought was a dead horse. The entire area was devoid of all life even the song of birds. The party soon learned this was in fact a dead unicorn, his horn having been removed. The water nearby was now unholy. Murdock found tracks of a large foot and the cork from a bottle of Stag master. Rand used his spell craft to determine the Unicorn had been killed by some kind of Death Effect. Aurum told a story he had heard that the acts of some powerful fey of the first world left their victims marked in a way that repulsed life and the natural world. This truly was a First World event.

               Over the next five days the party explored all the remained areas of the southern Gnarlmarch forest (Hexes F1-F3). After this they returned to the Temple of Erastil to rest. Only the southeast corner of the Greenbelt remained unexplored now. Somewhere, down there the party expected to face the Stag lord. Their time of exploration was coming to an end, and so too might be their lives.

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-6/23/2020 (700 xp)------(All party members currently have 7,614 xp and are 3rd level)

--Explored Areas: D1, D3, E1, F1-F3    --(Only areas F4-F6 remain unexplored)

--Creatures defeated: 2 Flail Snails (CR3) and Wild Boar (CR2)

--Ended on day 84----- Current Date: Desnus (may) 22nd 4714AR

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7th: Stolen Land: Part 7:

-Murdock, Eranduil, Aurum(NPC), Bat(NPC)-

               The party was camped in the southern Green Belt. They had only three more regions to explore. They headed east and soon came upon Swiper Lightfoot. Swiper was a Kitsune (foxman) investigator with a specialty in cartography. He was currently using equipment to survey the area. The party greeted Swiper and he explained that he had a charter from Pitax (a powerful city in the River Kingdoms) to explore the Green Belt. Swiper told the party they were very close to the Stag Lord’s base of operations. Up until recently the Stag Lord had a large fort. But very recently Swiper spied the Stag Lord as the Stag Lord thrust a pointed wand into the ground and said a prayer to someone called Narassa. Moments later an ancient keep rose from the soil. The Stag Lord and his forces now used this keep as their base of operations. Swiper was concerned the Stag Lord’s forces would come and so he bid the party farewell. The party decided to explore the other two regions before dealing with the Stag Lord’s area.

               Over the next three days they explored the two south-east-most areas. During this time, they were going through some of the loot they had taken from the mushroom cave and came upon a missive. This was message from the Stag Lord to the bandit leader of the mushroom cave. The letter had orders not to attack Oleg’s again as the cost was too high. In addition, the bandits were never allowed to invade into Brevoy as this could provoke a response from the regular Brevoy army. The letter also said that the Stag Lord’s dominion was now being threatened by someone called the Wolf Lord and his adventuring party. This was in reference to the party as Murdock wore a wolf pelt.  The party explored as much of the final area they could whilst being careful to avoid the Stag Lord’s keep.

               Finally, it was time to deal with the Stag Lord and to approach his keep. First, they would need some intelligence. Rand used a spell of Insect Scout to send dragon fly spies into the keep and report back. While the party waited for these insects to return, they were attacked by a Disenchanter. Bat killed the beast with a magic arrow. The insects returned and gave Rand some very good recon information. Later that night Murdock scouted out the surrounding keep area. The party rested the day and made their plan for the following night. During the day the party was approached by a mite. The creature did not speak common, but Bat could translate some of what the creature said. It appeared this mite was named Toebreaker and had been part of a mite community destroyed by kobolds. He had for a time been held captive by the Stag Lord but had been set free by a Kobold sorcerer that had been working with the Stag Lord. Now he wanted to help the great Wolf Lord. He emulated Murdock. The party let him hang out.

               At midnight, the party approached the southern wall of the keep which had a great many trees near it. As they approached a great fog began to appear. It seemed the weather was on their side. Aurum made note that this keep was known in history, it was hundreds of years old and had been buried over time. It seemed the magic invoked by the Stag Lord had risen the keep from the depths. As the party approached the keep, they soon heard moaning. They were now besieged by zombies that had risen with the keep. The party destroyed the zombies as quietly as they could.

               The party used invisibility sphere, silence, and spider climb and then ascended the keep wall. They bypassed the three guards that were standing watch. They could now see the keep was segmented into two areas. One area had about ten newly built houses. The other area had four larger buildings made of stone. The fog was very thick in the courtyard but cleared at a height of about 20 feet. The party descended into the keep yard in the area with the houses. The first building they entered was a barracks. The party executed six bandits while they slept. Three other buildings were occupied by regular bandits, the party assassinated them too. One messy building was home to Auchs, the mongoloid captain who had done terrible things to Greper. The party surrounded his bed, but he was merely pretending to sleep as he thought this was some kind of game. It did not matter as the parties combined assault was too much for him to bear.

               In another building the party found the skulls and musical instruments of a dozen dead bards. The building next door was the home of Dovan, another captain. The party tried to sneak into the room but Dovan awoke and confronted them. He did not last long. Through the window of yet another building the party could see a large barbarian smoking a cigar in bed. The party waited for him to fall asleep but that did not happen. Aurum noticed the man had a tattoo of the symbol of the god of justice. Aurum convinced the party to give the man a chance to surrender. The was named Akiros, a former paladin who had joined up with the bandits. He had since grown disillusioned with the Stag Lord and now did not care if the party killed the Stag Lord. The party wanted to tie Akiros up, but he would not let them. Mudock leveled some threats against the barbarian who seemed game to have a combat. Eventually Akiros just told the party to leave his room and they did.

               The party next proceed to the rear keep area where the stone buildings stood. They were scouting these buildings when an Owlbear busted out of a pen and attacked. The guards above raised the alarm and started shooting arrows down into the fog. The Owlbear was powerful but after a prolonged battle the party killed it. The bandits above were yelling for reinforcements not knowing that almost everyone was dead. The party regrouped inside the Owlbear pen to heal themselves. Murdock began making his way to the next building. As the fog cleared and Murdock could see the building, he could also see its occupant. The Stag Lord was standing at the door with bow ready. A massive arrow slammed into Murdock’s. Murdock respond by charging the Stag Lord and landing a crushing blow with his sword. The other party members joined the battle, hammering away at the Stag Lord. Rand called forth a flaming sphere. The Stag Lord tried to maneuver but the party was outflanking him. Eventually the Stag Lord attempted to flee so as to reposition himself. This opened him up to opportunistic attacks. The party would make the most of this. Murdock and Bat landing impossibly powerful strikes that eviscerated the Stag Lord.

               The bandits from the wall finally arrived but quickly threw down their weapons. Akiros was there laughing at the dead Stag Lord. While the party regrouped, Akiros killed the three bandits and left the keep. There was only one building remaining. Inside the party found the Stag Lord’s father. His name was Nugrah the Decrepit, a dark druid. The party informed Nugrah that the Stag Lord was dead, and this sent him into a rage. He wild shaped into a dire Wolverine and began savaging the party. After a short battle, the druid was defeated.

               The party claimed the keep for themselves and intended to establish it as their new base of operations. The following day Akiros returned looking sweaty and tired. He explained he had nowhere else to go and asked if he could stay in the same house for a while and in return would help guard the keep. The party agreed. They took the Stag Lord’s body to the river crossing where the undead Davik Nettle’s laired. They threw the Stag Lord’s body into the river, thus breaking Davik’s curse. Davik’s spirit thanked them and moved on. Eventually the party was recalled to Oleg’s. Aurum and Bat remained at the keep while Murdock and Rand traveled to Oleg’s. Back at Oleg’s the party was greeted as heroes. There were many settlers anxious to enter the newly conquered realm. Oleg gave the party an important looking letter from Brevoy. The letter proclaimed the Green Belt as a new nation to be ruled by the party members. A friendly nation to Brevoy that Brevoy would assist in developing. The party had fulfilled their charter and tamed the savage realm of the Green Belt. They had laid low the dreaded Stag Lord and his minions. They were now Lords of a new realm.          

 

-6/24/2020 (2,679 xp)------(All party members currently have 10,293 xp and are 4th level)

--Explored Areas: F4-F6  (All areas explored)

--Creatures defeated: Disenchanter, Stag Lord, Dark Druid, Owlbear, Bandits

--Ended on day 100----- Current Date: Sarenith (June) 8th 4714AR

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Interlude: Kingdom Building:

            The party had been given the lands they explored in the Greenbelt and were now to carve out a new realm of their own. They would call this realm Stormhaven. Murdock, Rand, Aurum, and Bat would serve as lords of this realm. Together they would form the regent council. Each would serve as high regent on a rotating basis with Murdock taking the first term. The high regent would act as sole executive in matters requiring immediate decision making. Major decisions and laws would require a vote of the council, with High Regent’s vote counting as two. The party would have included Grepper on this council, but Aurum was concerned that Grepper’s condition was still too frail. In order to form a government, the party made several appointments. Some positions would be filled by the party members in addition to their duties as Regents. This was intended to be a temporary situation. These positions filled included…

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Position                  | Person   | Responsibilities

High Regent           | Murdock | Lord

Warden                  | Kesten    | Defend the realm, Command City Guard

Diplomat                | Rand       | Oversees foreign relations

Royal Executioner | ABOX      | Public Executions, Criminal deterrent via fear (impartial)

Magister                 | Bokken   | Higher learning and magic

High Priest             |Jhod         | Guide the realms religious needs and growth

Marshall                 | Murdock  | Organize patrols and enforce justice in rural and wilderness areas

General                  | Akiros      | Commands the realms armies and is a public hero

Spymaster              | Bat          | Observes the realms underworld/criminals & spies on other kingdoms

Treasurer               | Aurum     | Organizes tax collection and manages treasury

Councilor               | Grepper   | Ensures the will of the citizenry is represented

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The party spend the next five months settling their new realm. The Stag Lord’s keep was transformed into the capital city of Stormwatch. Oleg’s trading post became the town of Northgate. The temple of Erastil became the Deepwood settlement. The Sootscale caverns became Koboldune. The hidden gold mine became the Blackburrows Camp. The bandit camp by the water fall became the settlement of Stagfall. Other settlers of their own accord established the town of Taztleford where the Taztlewyrm lair was found.

The Kobold Chief Sootscale agreed to be apart of the new realm. Longtooth and his blink dog pack agreed to be a Marshall Patrol assisting Murdock. New shipments of coin and supplies would continue to flow from Brevoy. New settlers continued to arrive as well.

 

11/15/2020

 

8th: Rivers Run Red: Part 1:

-Murdock, Eranduil, Aurum (Cheese), Bat (Papo)-

               The party had spent the last five months establishing their new realm. As their capital city of Stormwatch was growing in size, concerns to began to grow about dangers from the still unexplored south. The party decided it was time to pick up their adventuring gear once more and set out to explore the savage south. After the first day of exploring they camped near a lake. In the night they were awoken by a Hydra attacking from the lake. They killed the beast.

            After another few days of exploring they awoke one morning and met with a local fishman named Arvin. He explained that he could not use his favorite hidden fishing spot because the pond there had been occupied by an enormous snapping turtle the size of a man. Arvin drew the party a map so they could see for themselves. After a day of travel the party found the hidden path that led down a rockface to a pond. There emerged a massive seven foot tall snapping turtle. The party killed it and ate it.

            The following night the party was having a terrible time sleep due to high winds. Aurum could not sleep at all. This was fortunate as he became aware of a massive giant creature patrolling overhead. The party prepared themselves and were soon attacked by a Manticore. The creature hovered above shooting its tail spikes. When this proved ineffective it began using fly-by attacks. Eventually, the party killed the monster. With the help of Murdock’s wolf, they found a massive hole in the ground hidden between dense forestry. Underneath was a lair with some treasure and many dead bodies.

            The party spent their last day exploring going even further south. They soon came upon a bubbling swap. Murdock went to pick some mushrooms and was immediately attacked by a huge, tentacled, fungus monster known as a Tendriculous. The creature paralyzed Mudock with its bite and then swallowed him. After a long and desperate battle the party managed to kill the creature and to free Murdock before the monster’s stomach acid could dissolve him entirely. This encounter was severe enough to prompt the party to return home.

 

-11/15/2020 (1,675 xp)------(All party members currently have 11,968 xp and are 4th level)

--Explored Areas: G5-G5 and H4 (Lake not explored)

--Creatures defeated: Hydra, Giant Snapping Turtle, Manticore, Tendriculous

--Ended on day 259----- Current Date: Neth (November) 17th 4714AR

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Kingdom Building:

The party started their Kingdom in Hex F4, using the Staglord’s keep as their first fort and settlement. They later annexed E5, F5, & F6.

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Current Unrest: 4

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Hex F4 (Capitol, Hills, River, Lake)

-Settlement (Stormwatch)

----Fort (Stagfall Keep) (+2 Stability, +1 Consumption, +4 Defense)

----2 Tenements

----Sawmill (+1 Stability, +1 BP)

----Tavern (+1 economy, loyalty)

----Mansion (­+1 stability)

----Town Hall (+1 economy, loyalty, stability, law)

----Houses x10

----Library (+1 economy, loyalty)

-Roads (improves overland travel speed)

-2 Farms  (-4 Consumption)

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Hex F5 (Hills)

-Empty

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Hex E5 (Hills, River)

-Sawmill (+1 Stability, +1 BP)

-Farm (-2 Consumption)

-Bridge (If you build a road in this hex, you don’t have to double the price)

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Hex E6 (Hills, River, Resource (Silver))

-Resource (Silver) (Economy +1, if build mine here, all its benefits increase by 1)

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8th: Rivers Run Red: Part 2:

-Murdock, Eranduil, Aurum (NPC), Bat (NPC)-

            The party was returning from their most recent hexploration when they came upon a woman building a stable/tavern along the road leading to Stormwatch. Her name was Rosiland Gray and she was very friendly. Connor Mckraven was drunk inside. Apparently, he had been drinking a lot lately. After a drink the party disembarked but as they left they found the remnants of a chicken coup that had been butchered by a large wolf.

            When the party reached, they keep they encountered a funeral procession. Apparently, a woman had been killed by a wild animal. As the party reached the keep, they found a very overworked Grepper. He explained that many people were seeking an audience with the small council. The party set this up for the following morning. That night, Murdock set up a trap for a wolf and waited for it to come, it never did. The next morning a procession of individuals came to see the small council.

            First up was some bishop requesting that his religion be made the state religion of the realm. Next came Magistrate Fellows from Brevoy. He had been to be Brevoy’s representative and to assist with the kingdom building. Then came Maergar Varn, the famous adventurer. Maergar was the leader of an adventuring party called the Varnling Host. His group had been hired late to explore the region just east of the Greenbelt, an area known as the Nomen Heights. His group was not yet finished exploring their entire area but Maegar was already establishing his capitol city which he would call Varnhold. He had used his leverage to get a large investment from Brevoy. When he heard the party was establishing their realm, he decided to share his resource. As such, he delivered a massive shipment of supplies to help his neighboring fledgeling kingom (10 BP). He said maybe later when they got established, they could pay it back or perhaps help Varnhold in some other matter. He wanted to establish a good relations from the start. After delivering these resources Maegar abruptly left to get back to his own realm.

            The next to approach was a fat bard named Harv Marvelous. He was a representative from the Moonlight Traveling Carnival. He wanted to bring his carnival to Stormhaven some time in the next year. He wanted the realm to provide security in exchange for a cut of the profits. The next to approach was a local community organizer named Mick Despook. He had been the leader of a group of folks who had demanded construction of a library. Now he wanted the library to have Sunday hours.

            After the council had heard from every, a sobbing woman entered the chamber with a dead child. The child had been killed the night before on the road. The party went to this location and began a track. The wolves prints soon turned to human prints but eventually the tracks became impossible to follow. That night the party set up watches in town should the werewolf strike. Sure enough, the werewolf appeared. After a moment it became clear the werewolf was Connor Mckraven. The party defeated him and took him prisoner. Aurum was bit during the encounter.

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-11/23/2020 (300 xp)------(All party members currently have 12,268 xp and are 4th level)

--Explored Areas: None

--Creatures defeated: Werewolf

--Ended on day 261----- Current Date: Neth (November) 19th 4714AR

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