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[RPG] Swords Against Khyber
Mar. 22nd, 2007 10:00 amChapter 4: The Starilaskur Run
Professor Namuras intends to return to Morgrave University in Sharn to translate the draconic symbols found in the fire cave underneath Blackhearth and to seek a more extended expedition into the Mournland. Before he leaves, a messenger contacts with party: Prince Oargev, the last surviving member of the Cyran royal family, wishes to meet with them in Starilaskur in Breland. So the characters accompany the professor to Aruldusk and board the lightning rail there.
En route, orc druid Gran intervenes to help the characters deal with a displacer beast, telling the party he has sought them out because of a prophetic vision. Although he wishes to urgently return to Angwar Keep (the site in his vision), Gran agrees to travel along with them to Sharn and back. They board the lightning rail at Aruldusk, Gran relates his tale to the characters, and they retire for the evening, expected to arrive in Vathirond by morning.
That night, the characters all dream of being attacked and interrogated by Karrnathi skeletons, demanding to know the whereabouts of something called “the Heart of Khyber.” They all awaken at the same time, but Vandal notices that his hand is actually bleeding from where he grabbed the skeleton’s knife! Clearly, it was more than just a dream.
In Vathirond, Achon befriends a down-on-his-luck warforged servant named Drudge and hires him to accompany the characters, prompting Vandal to ask if he intends to adopt every stray they come across (since Achon also vouched for him). Drudge quickly and eagerly throws himself into his work.
In Starilaskur, late at night, the party goes to the Inn of the Golden Gryphon to meet Prince Oargev, who is eager to engage their services as explorers and find out more about the current state of Cyre (the Mournland). They reach an initial agreement and the characters return to the lightning rail station before their coach is scheduled to continue on to Wroat and eventually Sharn. There Drudge informs them of someone waiting to talk to them: Lady Elyadren d’Cannith, a scion of House Cannith, who is also quite interested in hiring explorers willing and able to enter the Mournland. The characters say they’ll consider her offer and she suggests they visit her while they are in Sharn (as she is also returning to the city aboard the lightning rail). Will they try and play both sides for all they can get?
Game Play: The “you have a vision to seek out these characters” trick to get Mike’s new character Gran into things quickly is a bit crude, but effective, particularly since there are prophetic things going on. The adoption of Drudge (originally just intended as some “local color” in Vathirond) was unexpected, but the servile warforged valet is fun to play and have around, kind of a magical C3PO.
Other than the short fight with the displacer beast, the evening’s game was pretty much all roleplaying: meeting new characters and setting up new potential plots and relationships. We’ll see what happens when the characters pass through Wroat (the Brelish capitol) and finally reach Sharn, to say nothing of their return to the keep and further exploration of the Mournland.
Professor Namuras intends to return to Morgrave University in Sharn to translate the draconic symbols found in the fire cave underneath Blackhearth and to seek a more extended expedition into the Mournland. Before he leaves, a messenger contacts with party: Prince Oargev, the last surviving member of the Cyran royal family, wishes to meet with them in Starilaskur in Breland. So the characters accompany the professor to Aruldusk and board the lightning rail there.
En route, orc druid Gran intervenes to help the characters deal with a displacer beast, telling the party he has sought them out because of a prophetic vision. Although he wishes to urgently return to Angwar Keep (the site in his vision), Gran agrees to travel along with them to Sharn and back. They board the lightning rail at Aruldusk, Gran relates his tale to the characters, and they retire for the evening, expected to arrive in Vathirond by morning.
That night, the characters all dream of being attacked and interrogated by Karrnathi skeletons, demanding to know the whereabouts of something called “the Heart of Khyber.” They all awaken at the same time, but Vandal notices that his hand is actually bleeding from where he grabbed the skeleton’s knife! Clearly, it was more than just a dream.
In Vathirond, Achon befriends a down-on-his-luck warforged servant named Drudge and hires him to accompany the characters, prompting Vandal to ask if he intends to adopt every stray they come across (since Achon also vouched for him). Drudge quickly and eagerly throws himself into his work.
In Starilaskur, late at night, the party goes to the Inn of the Golden Gryphon to meet Prince Oargev, who is eager to engage their services as explorers and find out more about the current state of Cyre (the Mournland). They reach an initial agreement and the characters return to the lightning rail station before their coach is scheduled to continue on to Wroat and eventually Sharn. There Drudge informs them of someone waiting to talk to them: Lady Elyadren d’Cannith, a scion of House Cannith, who is also quite interested in hiring explorers willing and able to enter the Mournland. The characters say they’ll consider her offer and she suggests they visit her while they are in Sharn (as she is also returning to the city aboard the lightning rail). Will they try and play both sides for all they can get?
Game Play: The “you have a vision to seek out these characters” trick to get Mike’s new character Gran into things quickly is a bit crude, but effective, particularly since there are prophetic things going on. The adoption of Drudge (originally just intended as some “local color” in Vathirond) was unexpected, but the servile warforged valet is fun to play and have around, kind of a magical C3PO.
Other than the short fight with the displacer beast, the evening’s game was pretty much all roleplaying: meeting new characters and setting up new potential plots and relationships. We’ll see what happens when the characters pass through Wroat (the Brelish capitol) and finally reach Sharn, to say nothing of their return to the keep and further exploration of the Mournland.
