Campaign Log

Birds, 'Bolds, and a Bucket of Chum, July 2nd, 2013
Nothing says "Happy Tuesday"  like a bright sunny day, and those damn demon gulls. While I was taking my turn debarnacling PN Moon Runner, the harbor bell wrung indicating some sort of danger. In the distance it looked like a fishing boat was being attacked by the stupid red gulls that are a constant pest in the harbor. The harbor guard watch  responded quickly and put two boats in the water. I hailed one, jumped in the water and they picked me up. I was more than a little surprised that Betty was in the boat. I was even more surprised that he wasn't  still drunk. Betty's friend Jordan was in the boat as well. I didn't notice at the time but he was caring a giant bucket of chum. We rowed out to the fishing boat and were joined by a pair of young men, Bolewin and Tyverus,  from a merchant's vessel. Tyverus was a one man rowing machince and Bolewin shot magical energy all over the place.

The encounter with the birds was successful. We scared most of them off and no people died. A few were injured but Jordan was able to heal them with his priestly voodoo magic. Looking back on it, our rescue which was deemed a well executed maneuver was a comedy of errors. If someone was watching from a near by boat they would have seen, in no particular order:
 * Numerous darts and magical energies missing the stupid birds
 * Yours truly being knocked into the ocean
 * Bolewin throwing an unattached safety line to a man in the water
 * Jordan trying to sweet talk and hug the birds
 * Betty being utterly confused by a net and how it works
 * The aforementioned bucket of chum being spilt in a small boat with many people
 * A wrestling/hugging match between Jordan and a dumb bird in the pile of chum
 * Betty swinging a damn anchor on a chain over his head
 * A look of wonderment, fear and then relief when the chain was swung around and managed to do no damage to the boat or our friends in it

I supose the result was more important than the appearance because the five us (Betty, Jordan, Tyverus, Bolewin and I) were all summoned to meet with Leopold Vusuvis, the liason to the Undersecretary of Mining, Propaganda, and Dock Protection. The liason to the Undersecretary offered us 75 gp to go into the mountains and squelch a kobold tribe that was rumored to have a dragon egg. He more or less gave us no direction other than "they're in the mountains". The 75 gp were being donated by a "concerned citizen" or something along those lines. We accepted.

We traveled through the tunnel into the mountains until we came across a  mining outpost. We talked to a few dwarves, obtained a guide, found some general directions and went kobold hunting. It should be noted that:


 * Tyvanus is an awful negiotiater or just bad at math.  He quickly agreed to pay our guide roughly 5% of our earning. Seemed like  robbery to me.
 * Jordan apparently wants to save every thing.  The discussion he attempted to have with us about "relocating" the kobolds fell on deaf ears.
 * Bolewin thinks poor people are lazy.
 * Betty continues to amaze me on how easily he can procure alcohol.  He's the only guy I know who can find a beer at 9:30 in the morning 1/2 a mile underground.
 * The townspeople and the miners underground don't seems to think the kobold rumor is credible.  It makes me wonder why someone is paying us 75 gp to ferret out something that everyone thinks is false.

Our female, dwarf guide who's name I don't recall, I'll call her Stealy,  led us through caverns for two days. In the middle of the 2nd day she noticed some disturbances and I found a recent boot print. We went into battle mode and encounter a kobold guard post manned by kobolds wearing frying pans for armor. We quickly dispatched four of the five kobolds and attempted to interogate the fifth. Our inability to understand their language was a reasonable large hurdle in making that work.

We ended up making a leash for the 5th one and had him lead us farther into the caverns. After a short passage we found a large cave with shallow cavern. There were two rope and wood bridges that spanned the cavern, with a half dozen or so kobolds on the other side. The rest of the group was successful in dispatching the kobolds including some sort of warrior that had real armor  (or at least what was real armor made for some other person of a different race) while I climbed down the pit and climbed up the other side. Since Betty successful ran across the bridge, it seems like I overestimated the kobolds trap making skills.

After elimanting the cavern kobolds we found another cave passage to go down.

An Egg, Pearls, and Stupid Contract July 10, 2013
The mine-crawling group killed all but two of the kobolds. One ran away (actually i can't remember if he got away), and the other was incapacitated but later starved to death, hands still bound (actually i can't remember what happened with that one either). Most interestingly, the mine had a single-occupancy room with a human-sized bed and these kobolds actually had a big, fancy egg.

The egg was returned to the Under, Under Secretary who called on the Zoo Keeper for identification; the egg is a drake egg. While not a dragon egg, the drake will be a prized part of the Zoo's exhibits. Discoverers are welcomed to visit the zoo after-hours to keep abreast of the eggs development.

A week later, Portsmouth soldiers and sailors are called on to put down a rebellion on another island. The creates a job opportunity with Horizon Imports, one of Tyvarus's regular employers, guarding a manager in his duties around the island. The group signed the appropriate contract; first traveling to Lumbertown, where Loual calmed an angry Giant Rhinocerous Bettle that was chasing two of Lumbertown's small children. Of note in the palisaded-town, were the lack of guards and the elves, who did not have the cheery demeanor they are supposed to have.

The next stop was Horizon Import's pearl-diving camp. The group found the camp largely destoyed by Locathah, a territorial race of cave-living fish-humanoids. Sethin insisted that the contracts required the hired-guards to return the diving site to usability. The group negotiated a pay raise.

_____________________________

Things we would talk about over dinner:  (answers we found out)

1. Why did the Locatha attack now? Is someone controlling them?

''Turns out the Locatha were being manipulated by a halfling trading company. The Halflings were poisoning them and making it look like Horizon was doing it.''

2. How the hell was sleeping in that bed? It seems odd that Kobolds find a pseudodragon egg AND the peaceful loacantha attack within a week of each other. Is this connected to the rebellion on the other island?

Still a mystery.

3. What happened to the runners who left pearl town alpha?

Still a mystery.

4.  Can we get back by next Tuesday? We all ready missed one league dart night, if we don't hurry up this is going to mess up our chances to make regionals.

''We missed dart night again! We'll have to run the table now to make regionals.''

Fish, Poison, and Perils of Unfettered Capitalism - July 17, 2013
After some serious debate we decided to ignore the runners and check out the pearl diving camp. The decision to not track the runners was influenced in no small part by Jordan, Boldwin, and Tyvanus reluctance to baby sit Betty while I was gone for a day. Anyway, we procured the world's smallest map of the inlet and set off. We came upon the camp and noticed a group of four locantha foraging around it. When they saw us they immediately dove into the water and we lost track of them. Obviously, our reputation precedes us.

Unfortuneatley, the locantha must not understand the universal language of respect because they caught us unaware when they jumped out of the water and attacked us. Jordan immediately calmed one (the biggest one, too) who moved away from Jordan and immediately attacked me. Awesome.

We ended up killing two and capturing a third. One got away, we think he was some sort of inlet, water, fish shaman because he summoned a cloud of stinking swamp fog the hindered Boldwin, Jordan and Betty  for a while.

After the battle we bound the captured locatha and then played pictionary with him. He seemed to believe that the Horizon Trading Company was killing all the fish they eat. At least some of that was true because these ugly things looked malnurished.

We searched the old diving site and found an old boat and an oyster knife. Betty was particularly excited about the oyster knife. I think I know what someone iso going to get next St. Fransden Rews Day!

After freeing the locatha we headed back to Pearl Town A and asked the diving girls and Sethin a ton of questions pertaining to the fish, pollution, other companies, deforrestation, the moral consequences and environmental impact of ecological manipulation, and lunch. We pretty much picked up nothing new. We did find out that Sethin is impatient and paranoid  and that the handyman is protective of the diver girls.

After lunch we went back to the dive spot, fixed a bucket, and netted a large collection of fish. We then retired for the night in Pearl Town A. In the morning, we set off to find the locatha camp ready to present gifts of fish and a new (slightly used) net. We found them via our nose. Their cave stunk.

After some negiotiations (which was fun because like they don't really have language) which involved a crocodile attacking us, darts being chucked at us, and eyeballs being spit at us they stopped attacking. It just goes to show the old proverb, "Teach a man to fish and he'll never go hungry, give a locatha a fish and he'll probably stop trying to eat you" is pretty much true.

We got nothing out of the locatha other than they're sick and they're fish farm looks posioned. Boldewin found a vile on the ground that had: 1. what we think was poison and 2. a convienently placed Horizon Trading Decal. Boldewin also found a path leading away from the locatha cave. On a side note, I offered the locatha some derjutub berries to nourish them. They more or less refused, the leader made a kid eat one. Any culture that doesn't recognize the healing and nourishing properties of the pink and white laced derjutub berries is doomed for failure. That, and they should learn how to talk. We followed the path for awhile and came upon a workers camp set up in a clearing. A spry halfling, whose name I forget because we killed him (Thomis Featherlight), greeted us and tried to hire us away (or at least Tyvanus) from the Horizon trading company. He spent a considerable amount of time  bad mouthing the dragonborn  before they attacked us while we were bathing in the stream. We ended up defeating the halfling and his human henchmen and found a ton of evidence that pointed to the halflings poisoning the locatha's home and trying to frame the Horizon trading company. Satisfied we completed our job, we returned back to Pearl Town A and then home.

the Club and the Church - July 24-July 31, 2013
After two years apart, for at least some of our heroes, Jordan, Loual, Tyvarus and Betty were all on the docks to witnessd the crashing of a crate and the release of several fire beetles, fire-spitting insect from a far-away island: far enough away that the ship's crew members spoke with thick accents and had darker skin than they had ever before seen on a human. After sorting out the mess, saving a few insect lives and making sure the appropriate parties received blame, the four fellows received an invitation from Boldwin for lunch and an adventure.

Kira Nenthyn (1/2E F), the young half-elf half-owner of the Harmony Club, a dining club and bathhouse for Portsmouth's elite, was looking for a group of adventurers to de-Haunt the Church of the Sea-Wyrm. The group would later learn she had purchased the Church building to sell it to the Krillick family, a prominent merchant family out of Velar. [weeks later it would be learned that the revolution badly damaged the Krillick fortune]. The Church actually was haunted, an acolyte had died during the sacking of the Church during the rioting and rose as a revanant. A trap door led to a cave where smugglers were encamped; the group killed them. The harbormaster was alerted to the stolen goods in the cave. Kira's brother Yoen (1/2E M) was hanging out on the veranda when the group returned to the club,''' having converted to the Silver Flame, he preferred that the Church be newly consecrated and that the group hand over the recovered deed. The group declined his offer.'''  Boldwin and Boldwin's father gain one year trial membership to the club.

Zombies!!! nope, Bugs!!! - July 31-August 7, 2013
[/i]Everyoen screaming about zombies. The village of Runnymeade has been overrun by zombies. Answering the call to heroism, on the backs of some Boldwin-Family horses, the group rushed to save the day. Arriving near nightfall, the group was attacked by a giant beetle, though it seemed more interesting in horseflesh than a fight.

Arriving before the heroes, and setting up a defensive ring of bonfires were approximately one hundred brave souls from Portsmouth City and some of the villages beyond the mountain. Many of the city-folk were Flame'ians led by the Flameheart Gettis (H M F1?). Venturing into the village the group found not zombies, but enraged village-folk, posessed out superior strength and gone insane. Having grabbed a woman and taken her to the medical tent, Jordan found an insect in the woman's ear. Lou and Boldwin rushed back to Portsmouth city to seek counsel with the zookeeper and Ezekiel the tutor. Ezekiel recognized the now-deceased bug as a mind-affecting parasite from Khan-Three; overnight he prepared a tincture to freeze the insects for removal safe to the host.

Meanwhile, Betty, Tyvarus and Jordan managed to grab another three victims, tying them up. When Lou and Boldwin returned, the bugs were frozen, died and the people collapsed from exhaustion. Around daybreak, the chaos in the village reversed itself and the village went eerily silent. Gettis and Fror the Dwarf and his friends offered to go with the heroes into the village, the heroes declined, wishing only to risk their own flesh.

The people were no longer acting, manic, they were more like hulking aggresors, as the group found when they ventured into the village. Boldwin's continuing reconnaisance found that most of the villagers were in the two large buildings in the village: a home and a tobacco shed; a hound-like beetle spit acid in Boldwin's face. Screams were heard from the village center; four of the villagers were beating a fifth - the group rallied to save them. A wasp-humanoid, a strange upright beetle and a man with the head and feet of an insect, and also a spellcaster, emerged from the big house to back up the hulking villagers. Gettis and Fror assisted, a little. A few villagers did die, but the heroes saved thirty-five villagers.

The group gained noteriety for their heroism, Tyvarus's later speech at the town council was received warmly.

Mutton on the Menu, Griffons - August 7 & Aug 20, 2013
[the hook]   the shepherds of the hills beyond the mountain come to the Portsmouth council for helping with a griffon problem: the problem that griffons are eating their flocks,''' "In [ahem] days past, the Protectorate would have taken care of it..." The Shepherds propose that the council hire adventurers. The reply from the council reflects the majority opinion that the council has insufficient funds to furnish(ww?) such a mission, '''though the majority isn't overwhelming. The Ambassador from Samarqand retells the story of Tira Miron and her Griffin, Fellbeak: as Griffins are an important symbol for Flame'ians, he says he can call on war-veterans from Samarqand, as a show of friendship, to capture the griffons and return them to Samarqand. [maybe]: in "patriotic" response, the council comes up with some coin for adventurers.  Tyvarus spoke to the council,  "Good day, noble shepherd.  My name is Tyvarus, and I will put my sword, shield, and wits to use in ridding you of your Griffon problem." To the Ambassador, Tyvarus continues, "Good Sir/Madam.  Let my help be a small step towards the Purple Dragon Knights and those of the Silver Flame working together to bring peace and goodness to the land."

Before the Silver Flame adventurers arrived, the group [PLANNED ON HOW NOT TO GET KILLED BY THE GRIFFON[S]. DAN, WE SKIPPED THIS PLANNING SESSION] headed off. The Samarqandi Ambassador approached the party, "I would like to offer you 500gp for each "live" griffon egg...if you can wait til the boat from Samarqand arrives, I can also offer 200gp for one captured griffon, without the boat, I would have nowhere to keep a it." Lou replied, "okay, but on top of payment, I want an apology from your Freya on your mob nearly killing Betty," "though I am unfamiliar with the situation, griffons are so important a symbol that I guarantee an apology."

Headed to the retired-shephards lodge, the group learned that griffons always enjoy sheep, and especially in late summer, but this year's reaping has been worse than usual.  Up into the mountain, Lou found a natural pathway that eased the journey up. Ascending higher and higher the group came to a ruin, centuries old, with odd six-sided foundations; a group of mountain gnolls who were making camp there. The gnolls attacked with axe and bow, the group dispatched them easily. Up higher and higher a strange thundecloud appeared above the pathway, three elementals attacked the group, and were too dispatched.

Betty gave the horse a nice rub down, before coating it in a Boldwin Marchand devised poison, and the group weakened and were able to kill the Griffon. '''Lacking a place to put an adult Griffon, the group preferred killing it to handing it over to Samarqand????? The group also found a poisoned horse and a dead Griffon on the mountain peak; evidence pointed to the Griffon crashing into the mountain due to the poison.'''

Bring out your not dead yet - Aug 20
An unusual fall-time fog creates a gloomier than usual Portsmouth.  Tyvarus's brother John rushes to the Purple Dragon Knight office, "younger brother, we need an adventuring party to look into why most of the women and children in the neighborhood got really sick today." "OK, I'll get Boldwin and Jordan and we'll look into it." Tyvarus and the others calmed an angry mob that threatened the Tulk household, a dragonborn family. The mob noticed that the dragonborn were not sick, unlike their wives, mothers and children. Jordan sought to the medical care of the sick, believing that this rabid illness could result in death within a day or day-and-a-half if a cure were not found. Boldwin went to the cistern and find scratches in the plaster, tracing a path from bottom to top. Tyvarus and Mrs. Tulk conversed.

Boldwin found Betty so that Betty could climb into the cistern to investigate. He found purple residue on the inside. Boldwin identified an alchemical toxin, the ingredients of which are native to Porsmouth island. Tyvarus stayed at the cistern while the other three heroes went to the Marchand warehouse to grab herbs and spices for an anti-toxin. The streets were noticeably less-crowded than usual and those on the streets had taken to wearing masks or wet rags for protection from the disease. The click of a crossbow being fired, a bolt lands in Boldwins neck, Boldwin goes unconscious.

Portsmouth under Attack - Sep 3
While Jordan administered medical care to Boldwin, Betty chased after the attacker, a small humanoid wearing black clothing. Chasing the creature to the zoo, Betty left [something] in the unusually open gate as a proverbial breadcrumb for his allies. The zookeeper had been knocked unconscious and his keys stolen. Nik Nak the rage drake had been let out of his cage, but he stopped short of attacking when he found the familiar Betty on the zoo's main path. The zoo's pygmy hydra however, was more than interested in making a meal of Betty and Nik Nak. An armored Kobold joined the fight on the hydra's side, but was easily defeated when Boldwin and Jordan arrived. A wheelbarrow full of meat and a sleep spell ended the fight.

BLAST, an explosion at the docks.  Upon his insistence, Audin, Tyvarus and Fror rushed to the docks.  The others suantered casually toward the explosion. Later investigation would reveal that an '''alchemical bomb had been exploded beneath the spot the Church of the Silver Flame lights their nightly bonfire. Tyvarus recognized Zeal Zort, a Dragonborn ex-officer and notable criminal''' leading a group of skilled kobolds and a forest gnoll against a handful of Portsmouth guards, Gettis and the Freya amidst the mutilated and burning bodies of Flamers. Zeal used an alchemical glue bomb to escape onto a boat.

This had all been a distraction, analogous to the Protectorate's renowned triple feint, to steal arms and armor from the armory. There, the group found a map of a section of Portsmouth (near the armory) which led them to the home of Arch Tunker. Arch, a middle aged dockworker known to Betty for enjoying a pint or three after work, didn't even both to contain his contempt for being ruled by humans, referring to humans as inferior creatures more than once. While he admitted to assissting Zort, he revealed no further information.  His son however, had rather a different political bent, believing in equality of the races which he proved by talking about his halfling girlfriend. '''The group accepted his proposal to exchange the location of Zort's compound for enough money to let his father and mother leave for another island and the keeping of his father's involvement in the night's events a secret. '''

CounterAttack - Sep 17 - Oct 1
Party works to cure sickened citizens. Party assists Captain Brownbeard and the crew of the Maiden's Forefinger into port, ship damaged by collision at sea.

Brownbeard takes party to location near Zeal Zort's location. Up river, up waterfall. Camp: gnolls, kobold ninjas, alchemy laboratory, beast taskmaster, kobold guards, Zeal Zort himself. Brownbeard reveals long history with Zeal Zort. Zeal has kidnapped fishing village children thrown into river to divert party. Zeal Zort escapes via teleportation magic: he cut his left arm, a smoke dragon head issued forth and he was swallowed by the mouth, to the surprise of the surviving kobolds. Camp including only males of fighting age. Alchemical lab had poison that was used to kill griffin (via horse-meat).

the Next Step Oct 1 - Oct 15
the Samarqandi Ambassador returns from Samarqand and introduces an offer to the island of Portsmouth to join the Grand Republic, presents draft Constitution.

Ezekiel identifies island on the treasure map found by party on the mountain. Party takes Maiden's Forefinger to island. Encounters Sand Elemental on beach and great lizards in jungle interior. Desmodu (bat people) and the pirate's treasure.

Gord the Troll, Warlord of Lumbertown Oct 29
Gord the Troll am leader of Lumbertown. Big City pay Gord as am Gord keep Lumbertown safe from Orcs: they am angry and violent. Gord keep peace. '''Elf not here no more? Oh, Elf go have elf town all to elf selves, elfs is unfriendly. '''

Tell no one, shhhhh, Gord Mommy and Big Brotha are meany meanies, they make Gord go away.

Gord make friend of big wolf and little goblin men. Gord make big city pay tribute to Gord, oh, me am said that already, but Gord not apologize, Gord big and big 'uns no have apologize. Three humans come to give tribute, ahhhhhh!!! firey sword and fire spray ahhhhhh!!! Gord am dead.

''also, you made an agreement with the Elves. They would patrol the forest near Lumbertown and the logging camp to prevent orc raids in exchange for a restriction on future towns in forest via deed-like rights, and the finance of an expedition to discover elven heritage.''

The Prison Island, Pentay Nov 12 2013 & March 18 2014
[The Economic Elite of Portsmouth begins to develop a counter-strategy to the Samarqandi/Silver Flame Grand Republic. There efforts are technical, elitist and generally emotionally cold and not catching on.]

Titus Veeler Sr, the owner of a boat repair shop, accompanied by the Harbormaster, asks you to rescue his son, Titus Jr., from Pentay Island. Jr. was imprisoned for distributing pamphlets decrying the dragonborn-preferential laws. [lots of details about prison's design]. Ezekiel, the sage, also asked Boldwin to look for a former colleauge named Lenora who who guesses is imprisoned on the island.

The party rowed onto the island at night, noticing several pequliarities. The buildings on Pentay are tightly clustered, like a city, with hexaganol foundations. Above the solid foundation level, the buildings are rough patchwork of different materials and in various states of craftmanship. The wells on the island are saline. Tyvarus led the infiltration by pretending to be Dragovar envoys, but that didn't hold up, a fight ensued, and Tyvarus ended up as leader of the Marauders, one of District 4's gangs. The Marauder's butler, an old woman named Rena provided plentiful information.

Tyvarus chose to meet with the leader of the Midnight Crew, Patters Featherlight [note there are Featherlights in Portsmouth]; they agreed to exchange escape from the island for a secret path towards the Dark Flame headquarters, if necessary. The group then lept the electrified fence to enter District 4's interrogation center and grabbed the prisoner files, using one [and copies of fireball and magic missile] to make a deal with Dolman the Hammer, the leader of the Mountain Goats. Titus Jr.'s files reveal that he had joined the Dark Flames, but was informing on them to the guards.

The group then used the diversions and secrets to get to the Dark Flame's hilltop headquarters. They defeated the Dark Flames and rescued the imprisoned Titus Jr., who was surprisingly cheery given the obvious prolonged beatings he suffered  The Dark Flames had made some kind of deal with the Plane of Shadow, or some personage on the Plane of Shadow. Boldwin & Betty were able to undo the portal and prevent a terrible Shadow Creature from entering the material realm. For a minute, as the creature pushed against the portal's skin-like seal, B & B were assaulted by images of a tidal wave, of drowning, of suffocation and mass death.

With Titus Jr. in tow, the group was confronted by a few Dark Flame gangers, Rena jumped out from behind a shed and ganked two of the opponents, revealign herself to be Lenora and urging a speedy departure from the island.

Ohara Island, more of a facts on file than a campaign log, added some stuff to help clarify Mar 31, Apr 16, Apr 29 2014
The story everyone knows: "The people of Ohara Island worshipped demons to gain power to overthrow the Protectorate, they were crushed by the Protectorate." Rena's research is that the story first begins circulating two hundred years ago.

Geographic
Ohara still within territory of the Dragonborn sphere of influence. Buoys in several languages: "warning: danger".

The City on Ohara Island everything in this entry is of ongoing importance

 * the broken, enormous tree (150' diameter, beyond 1000 feet tall)
 * tree exterior blasted and burned and bashed
 * main hall
 * bronze thing on pedastal, 20' across: artwork? utilitarian device?  open trap door underneath
 * hallway; next door, also open: compulsion-to-leave magical trap
 * last room: fancy black stone tiles, writing on one side in common and elfish, bashed to small pieces, enough to fill a few wheelbarrows
 * walls empty shelves; statues: human male holding sextant, elf female holding orb
 * wood bits and paper bits cover floor; old blood stains
 * attacked by "paper golem" - yields arcane knowledge
 * Above the shelves, sort of hidden, two reliefs and space for a third.
 * swirling pattern of mermaid and enormous sea serpent
 * enormous boat and little fish, for scale.
 * [empty]


 * broken foundation stones are all that is left of the city around the tree, so little you literally stumble into it, hidden by the snowfall
 * group of zombie cows
 * siege weapon stones laying about ruins, covered in the same layer of snow

The Snowy Side
Whole island mildly radiates magic [fog over lake caused by mixing of hot and cold air] Dur and his group of pale-skinned, white haired, tauric dwarf-yaks attack those coming from the fire side of the island with bows and simple clubs. Dur thinks of tauric dwarf-yaks as dwarfs. Dur herds bison. The so called, "path of the God" sits below the skeleton of a colossal dragon; Dur's father's father came to the island with the Deity, which has to be less than 200 years given Dwarven fertility. Damage to the bones likely from battle, rather than post-mortem, head & neck missing. Later research: white haired dwarfs (not-dwarf/yaks) can be found in the far north, very cold area, on an island or islands with which the Protectorate has contact, but never a formal part.

The Blazing Side
Whole island mildly radiates magic. Scorched earth, only a few scragly bits of grass emerging from cracks in the soil. All red and orange and brown. The lifeless valley - pools of flaming liquid (like if you lit viscous gasoline on fire and it burned forever). The burning ooze. The forest of flaming leaves. The strange creatures - facially more similar to kobolds than dragonborn, but closer in size to dragonborn, thick hided and muscley, but extremely primitive, not even understanding the notion of captivity or bargaining. Built a wigwam of red dragon scales, situated near the skeleton of a colossal (red) dragon. Damage to the bones likely from battle, rather than post-mortem.

Ohara Theories April 29 2014
Boldwin:   colossal dragons' could wield colossal magic in battle and/or release colossal magic upon death..

Jordan:

Trip Home April 29 2014
Within a day of departing Ohara Island, most likely as a result of the groups presence on the forbidden island, the Blackwater was pursued by a large-class Dragovar Protector Warship. Boldwin slowed the enemy ship with a fireball and a web spell. Arriving at home, a battle group of warships flying the Silver Flame flag were anchored in Portsmouth Harbor. The players spoke to their friends and contacts at home to learn what was going on: nearby Baux Island has gone over to "The Lady of Loss", which seems a lot like "The Dark One" from Pentay Island. Titus Veler Jr. &  Kira Nentyn of the Harmony Club told Tyvarus & Boldwin that the Silver Flames are going to eradicate the evil worshipers on the island, reminding some in the group of the vision of destruction they had just witnessed on Ohara,   Both suggested that a victory at Baux would be huge propaganda for the Silver Flame and Grand Republic causes.

Jordan and the Freya agreed to hold interfaith council services.

Baux Island April 29 - May 27 2014
[Baux Island is the nearest inhabited island to Portsmouth.]  The group dressed up like the Dark Ones' Gangers and headed out ahead of the Armada to Baux Island. A dark cloud hovers permanently above the city. Sneaking in past midnight, the city was quiet except for a patrolling fiend (face like a mask, expressionles, ornately armored, but armor a part of creature's body, thick, bumpy hide of mottled red and green) - rather disconcerting Lady's Avatar. The group headed for the cemetary and Betty punched out the Keeper, Noshi, because he has a skin condition that makes him look like a werewolf.

The group headed from their to the city's Temple of the Great Dragon [Cathedral]. Priestess Ivessa (human female approx 50 yrs old), though surprised by the intrusion, was helpful with information.


 * Baux island's mines were strategically imperative to the Dragovar war effort.  The people were pretty  brutalized to keep the mines open.  Either during the war or just after worship of the 'The Lady of Loss' / 'The Mistress of Night' became popular, first underground and then out in the open.  The Lady helps worshippers deal with their suffering.  Her symbol is a black disc on a purple border.  This religion is not one of mass meetings or showy displays.  Piercings and partial-head-shaving are common.

Ivessa continues to sit-the-steps during the day, but the Great Dragon has been abandoned by Baux City's people. High Priestess Irtemara (white haired hf, 30's) was once a Priestess of the Great Dragon.

Heading out the next day, the group found crucified [accused, at least] Silver Flame spies and a city that is underpopulated, compared to the number of buildigns, but functioning, even thought the population is morose. The people wear mostly black, but in fasions ranging from mock-gentry to experimental. Boldwin learned the greeting, "May you forget your pain". The fiends, Avatars of the Lady, walk the city during the day as well, occasionally laying the whip to a citizen for no clear reason.

Boldwin & Tyvarus gathered intelligence at the Night Shift's Boutique, a high end clothier, posing as merchants from Vauxhall Island. The boutique's ownere set up Tyvarus with a well-bred young woman named Marissa. Betty made friends with Ed'gar, and the two, along with Jordan attended a performance of 'Conversations with a Vampire', a play emphasizing the bitter loneliness and emptyness of a vampire's eternal life. The [presumed] playwright, Atia Soshyn, wore heavy white makeup, perhaps intending to start a dress-like-a-vampire fashion trend. Jordan noticed an unusually significant aroma of flowers in the rear of  the audience-space.

The group headed across the river to the Museum. The grounds have a number of grotesque statues and the museums paintings feature: painting 1  painting 2 painting 3  painting 4

Below the museum floor were 'Loss Chambers' - quiet, dark rooms for contemplation. Boldwin scheduled an appointment, which was interrupted by a horrifying fiend who briefly gazed into Boldwin. The group spotted a museum employee who came in at closing, left with the other employees and locked the gate behind them. Betty picked the lock, but was attacked by the garden's gargoyles. Having made a lof of noise, the group retreated to an alley and saw an Avatar of the Lady and two guards enter. The fiend stayed behind while the city guards went for additional help.

The following morning, the group returned to the Museum grounds to talk with Priest Be'el about a meeting with the HIgh Priestess, the meeting did not go especially well, including that a museum employee was watching the group after Be'el hurried away from the group and into the Museum. Sometime tomorrow the Silver Flame Armada should arrive....or, as it turned it out, the winds were "good", and they arrived early.

The party makes its move: using a silence spell to cover the action, the group defeated the Fiends living below the museum, finding them in a large storage area for artwork not on display. Boldwin's five minute inspection found this to be traditional artworks, including a collection of mining-life-paintings.

Having gone undetected, the group walked to the High Priestess's manse - a clever story and clever fisticuffs gained the group access to the Mansion. Boldwin fireballed a decoy and a pair of shadow hounds, a timely dispel magic from Jordan and the blades and fists of Tyvarus and Betty defeated the real High Priestess, an ice-fiend and a trio of undead.

Boom - the armada has arrived and is fire-bombing the city. The four rush to the shore to signal the ships and get them to stop attacking. Jordan stops to rescue a distressed animal in a burning home, a kangaroo-fox. While Betty, ahem, stops the Baux city defensive artillery, the other three water walk to the flagship to discuss stuff. Long story short, the Silver Flame are more interested in cleansing evil than stopping, so Boldwin and Tyvarus attacked the captain, abducted him, and jumped overboard, later negotiating a cessation of the bombardment with a dozen Silver Flame officers and associated adventurers.

Lightning Island June 17, 2014
Jordan sought to bring the wayward souls of Baux island back into the loving embrace of the Great Dragon. Most of the Silver Flame'ers would head home shortly.

Investigating Dragon-Magic, the group headed to the strange Lightning Island, an island in the Dragovar area of the world (warmer part) that is surrounding by a field of lightning, like an upside-down teacup made of lightning. An elf named Siddhartha possessed a lightning-attracting, portable, device, which the group used to gain entry onto the island. A soft rain was interrupted by frequent cracks of lightning



, seeming to emanating from a cloud above the island. The group traveled to the mountain/tower/home of a Dragon-kin calling himself Ketulvasmaraj. He dined with the group, explaining, that his mother, a Great Wyrm, created the lightning field, "she did have quite the obsession with lightning, loved everything about it." He asked the PCs to let him travel off the island. Siddharth smelled duplicity, so the group doubled back toward their boat, battled and killed Ketulvasmaraj. An elemental creature known as an Immoth imprisoned on the island. The group freed him.

Everyone Loves Trade June 24, July 15, August 5
Given their mutual interest in rebuffing the expansion of the Grand Republic (Silver Flame / Samarqand Initiative), the party agreed to help Kira Nenthyn of Portsmouth and Aron Krillick of Velar constitute the Free Trade Organization. Central Islands Free Trade Agreement

The celebrity the group garnered as result of the events at Baux Island would be useful in getting the reticent Ambassador Undomiel (Elf Male) of Glade Springs to come to the meeting at the Harmony Club in Portsmouth. Outside the embasssy in Velar, the group was attacked by members of the Eldreeth Veluthin, the militant wing of the Elven Independence Club. The shot down the Elvish embassy guards, including the captain, Lordling Paelis, and then attacked the group. Feeling quite bad about the violence and racial attitudes of his kin, the Ambassador agreed to go to the meeting.

Prior to the meeting, the group set up security at the Club, including setting up a Tom Collins stand that was most useful in distracting and disarming a group of pitchfork and torch weilding farmers opposed to the Trade Agreement.

Following the Friday night party, the group attended the Saturday morning meeting. During Aron's opening remarks, Kira sent a mage-message to Betty that her brother Yoen had been kidnapped, and his kidnapper would kill Yoen if Kira did not speak out against the pact. Betty remembered that Yoen had left last night's party with a smoking hot elf maiden. The group found Yoen and the woman upstairs, only the lady was a lamia, a creature made of a swarm of beetles and other insects. The group defeated the Lamia and saved the pact, for the moment. When all looked to be going well, '''Ambassador Undomiel accused the island of Ravenhome of harboring the infamous pirate Boomie the Sly, and he could not join the pact until Boomie was brought to justice. Also, the lamia's invitation to the party was for Paelis and Joella'''.

The group took Hegan Clawstone 's, the Ravenhome representative's, boat to Ravenhome. The people of Ravenhome were shaken by the recent sinking, rather than just looting, of vessels at sea. Betty, Jordan and Syd headed to the Coral Paradise, a sailor-dive-bar, to investigate Boomie, and get a drink, thirsty and all. The group learned that Boomie the Sly ... [see Boomie entry], Larry of the Larry Pirates was very helpful, in his own way. A pair of inaffective hitmen [actually half hitwoman] tried to kill/get-to-know-better Jordan. The group headed into the swamp to find Boomie's hideaway, finding an evil lake-fey who had seduced Betty.

Boomie and his crews were attending a theatrical review and the group was welcomed as Boomie's new candies. Tyvarus acquitted himself well in his first appearance on the stage. Asked about the sinking Boomie offered to prove his innocence, of sinking ships, not of not pirating out at sea. The group joined Boomie on his flagship, the newly-named Faerie Dust, and were asked to greet the new, lucky, figurehead, which Boomie bought from fishman pi...er...sailors. 'Hey, since when are fishmen smart enough to pilot a ship? Where did they find it?'

After a storm, a fight, some repairs and some questions asked in Tensails, a small island community, and of Pallebar Nosetwitch, a senior-citizen halfling fisherman, Syd worked out that Boomie's new figurehead is a wood-ified tree-nymph, and that a Bralani from Arborea, Lord Osirion, is sinking ships in pursuit of the nymph. The group convinced Boomie to give the nymph back to Osirion, to stop the violence, and Osirion took the nymph back to Arborea, promising to contact the group via message in Tensails, when he revives Cymirae after 1000 years of being apart.

It's Not a Vacation, Wellness Island August 26
News: Paelis, the Elf-Guard-Captain of the Glade Springs Embassy in Velar was found dead; in his home's cellar, stabbed in the back. Only, he'd been dead for months and you met him more recently than that [see above section].

Brownbeard and the Maiden's Forefinger crew spent your time apart looking for Zeal Zort. They thought he might be on Wellness Island, and he hoped you would go together. Also, Kira Nenthyn of the Harmony Club was headed to Wellness to promote the Free Trade Zone as Taza, their main town, was hoping to attract people to visit the island with the discovery of a grouping of four human faces, twenty feet tall, carved into a cliff face.

While the group didn't get far with the Free Trade Zone, Taza's Governor was committed to neutrality, the group did rescue a child from '''Dragon Maw [Zeal Zort's group] kidnappers. This was the second in a series of kidnappings, the first ransom was paid by a, relatively, wealthy Dragonborn Clan Head. The opening of the cliff-face-exhibition was disrupted, ahem, by explosive entrance of a Giant Timreh Prarie Crab. The group followed its tunnel to a familiar-looking Blue Dragonspawn Burrower and a strong group of Dragon Maw warriros. '''Something I forgot, a Dragon-Maw shaped smoke should have plumed out of the hole the Crab made on its emergence.

Fishman Island Sep 8, 2015
Various friends of the group gave them good reason to travel to fishman island. Lenore, who investigates the deep past, wanted to go, but got the flu and had to stay home. Sidhartha wanted to rescue the other trapped spirits, like the nympth, but he had to coach quidditch. Greeke, a captain of the Boomie Pirates, wanted to look for treasure. And Kyra wanted to make contact to further the Trade-Group's goals and get there before the Samarqandi Alliance does.

Traveling into warming climates aboard the Maiden's Forefinger, the group repelled an attack by the Thunder Brothers.

In sight of Fishman Island, the group met with the Barry Pirates, they kidnap mermaids and sell them to Dragonborn. Barry thought he had coaxed the Forefinger into helping, but Tyvarus, Boldewin and Jordan were just playing along with Barry, and hightailed it away.

The group found a Fishman village: simple wood, coral and shell construction. A group of Fishman guards, wearing a sad imitation of Dragovar military garb, ushered the new 'Bassdoors' to the castle to meet with the King - they haven't had an official visit in years. The castle was made of stone and was definitely built by the Dragovar some time ago. It has fallen into disrepair.

The Princess, a mermaid named Shirohime, was locked in a tower to protect her from missiles thrown by a Fishman Pirate named Hody. The group tracked and dispatched Hody's gang of fishman and dragonborn.

Notes for next time, includes a small change:
 * 1) Boldewin, you know that during the Dragovar Empire time is was illegal to kidnap/keep Mermaids.  Which is why kidnapping was always the work of pirates.  You heard that rich mermaid lovers would keep them, but you never saw a mermaid.  It was illegal, but the rich & powerful could get away with it, if they kept it quiet.
 * 2) In their gratitude for saving the princess, the King's counselors offer you a kind of chewing gum that creates an air bubble.  This allows non-fishman to breathe underwater.
 * 3) You find a member of Tansui the Scavengers crew.  He'll take you to their outpost.

To the Bottom of the Sea
Jordan, Boldewin, Betty and Tyvarus took the Maiden's Forefinger (Brownbeard's ship) to one of Tansuil's scavenging outposts. Several of Tansuil's fishmen recognized Betty and called out to him by name. An octopus-fishman leapt onboard and engaged Betty in a light sparing session using the same kind of punch and kick technique that were heretofore unique to Betty. Though he has no memory of it, these fishmen taught Betty his fighting style. **also that "monk-fish" thing never occurred to me, not an attempt to be funny. This was an after-the-fact explanation of Betty's fighting style.** If Dan wants to re-arrange the facts, or what Betty now remembers, he is welcome to.

The group used the air-bubble-gum and some assistance to reach the bottom of the ocean where they crossed into the zone where fishmen fear to tread. On their way down, Tyvarus spotted a 100 foot fish, though no one else saw it in the darkness of the bottom of the sea and Boldewin felt as though they group was being watched by something outside the bubble as they mounted the deck of the Orpheus.

They found within an enormous boat, so big as to be an impossible piece of construction. Between their own insights and a talk with an undead engineer much was revealed. The giant ship matches one of the two frescoes the people of Ohara created. Tyvarus's fish might match the other. The group is now in possession of a critical piece of their world's history previously kept hidden by the Dragonborn.
 * The Orpheus, powered and armed through captured elementals and headed to wage war on Dragonborn, and thought to be invincible, was constructed by a human civilization in the time before the Dragovar Protectorate. It was sunk in an attack by Dragonborn and allied Dragons.
 * of the hundreds on board, nearly all were neatly stacked outside the vessel by the Engineer via magic. A few became undead wights.
 * The first deck (second deck - I don't know boats) was reserved for nobles, the top deck and second and third decks for sailors.
 * The technology aboard is outstanding. Superior woodworking, metallurgy and glassworks and, of course, the capture and use of numerous elementals to power a sail-less, enormous ship.
 * The hexagonal architecture found on Portsmouth and Pentay was also found on the Orpheus. The Engineer knew Pentay as a vibrant city, but did not know of a Portsmouth or Baux Island.
 * Onboard maps show that the Orpheus was part of a campaign directed toward what are now Dragovar Islands and a knowledge of, but disregard for, the Fishmen island area.
 * there's enough jewelry and previous metals on board the Orpheus and in the corpse pile for the characters to be quite wealthy, if you choose to loot.

Anything I missed?