Call to Arms - Up In Flames

[Obsidian Sea]

Where the Laviguer Road begins as an offshoot from the humble village of Outentown, there is no imminent cause for despair, though dangers abound all throughout the white-blanket wilds of Impiltur, from Beech Wood to the Rocky Downs. There is a day of short reprieve from the falling snow, but it does not thaw the treacherous, treacherous road that leads to Vlasta, and the much-further-away settlement of Laviguer. Though no word reaches Outentown and Sarshel of Vlasta and the surrounding lands, it is only wilful ignorance that tells the people of the lowlands that there is no danger to be spoken of.

Midrikaul's palisade is charred; the bridge across the bog threatens to collapse in places. A Goblin assault has taken place. The faithful of Lathander, Artemis D'Assanthe and Westin Highridge are accompanied by the Shield Dwarf, Unger mac Rotu, putting an end to the attack. The Dawnbringer encourages the hamlet's inhabitants to fall back to Vlasta but the stoic folk of Midrikaul insist that they will endure this hardship, just as they do every other. Nothing has moved them from their home before, and they will be damned if Goblins do it now. The people of the bogside hamlet are not ignorance to the risk upon their lives, however, and as the night grows deep and morale dwindles to match the coming darkness, so it is decided to sound the call for aid.

The Warswords will come, but they are a heavily-armoured retinue, and the Laviguer Road is a danger unto all who take it. The Warswords come: but will they come in time? The people of Midrikaul call for the aid of brave adventurers from Vlasta to put an end to the threat on their borders, praying that the few brave heroes that make it through the snowdrift piling up upon the Laviguer Road will be enough to fight the threat. If they are not, Midrikaul will surely fall...

//OOC: Running a DM event this evening, GMT, beginning at 7.30pm for those in the Vlasta region. Do not despair if you cannot make it; not everyone can be there every time, and this is one of my particularly short notice announcements. It will not be my final act as DM, however, so those that cannot attend tonight will have their fair share of peril to come. For those who can and would like to attend; arm yourselves, and gather your potions. Midrikaul is counting on you.

[Obsidian Sea]

Vlasta Watchscouts lie dead, and the air is filled with blood.

A brave party of adventurers ventured forth from Midrikaul that day, having consulted with the men of the hamlet as to what direction they should strike out in. Only the estimation of Hance Carshall and the pathfinding of Garvin Culdrake provided a lead for the party through the snow to find a lair fit for the treacherous Goblins that had attempted to burn Midrikaul to the ground. And so, following that direction, the Shield Dwarf, Unger mac Rotu; the Dawnguard, Westin Highridge; Jonan Mard, Trollslayer and sellsword; and Gwendolynn Highblade, the Mage, journey to meet the Goblin force that has grown so bold in the snow. The unlikely ally to this party of five is a bear, the companion of Garvin Culdrake, their Ranger. Treading south from Midrikaul and away from the edge of the bog, the party step into the mouth of darkness, and risk their lives more dearly than even they had realised. For the caves are the desired domain of Goblins, and all manner of deceit and treachery they can conduct there...

The party returns, staggered. It is Gwendolynn Highblade who returns first, her powerful magicks expended in the tunnel battles. Her report is promising: much of the Goblin force had been smashed, though it remained for her companions to resolve the rest, for magic is a difficult thing, and cannot be practiced in perpetuity. Yani Beltash thanks the Wizard for her aid, and urges her to return to Vlasta in order to rest, for his barn is an insufficient comfort for the memorising great spells the likes of which Gwendolynn has mastered.

It is the second arrival from the Goblin tunnels that tells of how the attack ended, in truth. Unger mac Rotu, wounded and fleeing, makes a burst for the safety of Midrikaul's palisade. In his wake, there is a four-legged horror, hellish and furious in pursuit of the Shield Dwarf. The watchscouts that arrived from Vlasta attempt to hold the bridge, but neither spear nor bow harms the terrible beast. The bravery of the watchscouts costs them their lives. Blood trickles into the soil of Midrikaul's hills, and commingles into the water of the bog.

It is sometime thereafter that Westin Highridge, Jonan Mard, and Garvin Culdrake return to the village. They are sorely wounded. The party takes refuge at Yani Beltash's barn, and their aid is offered to Hance Carshall, who was nearly slain luring the beast into the bog and away from the helpless folk of Midrikaul.

The party are successful: they report the death of a Goblin Mystic, and its tribe of cunning Goblins. Every Goblin is dead, but the party came to late to prevent the mystic from completing its dark ritual.

And now there is a monster in the bog. A four-legged beast that could not be imagined even in nightmares. There is blood in the air. What if the beast returns?

Midrikaul is not safe. Vlasta is not safe.

//OOC: Thank you everybody for your attendance - it was a long, but fantastic night. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did.

[Kerstman]

The company that ventured into the caves recovers in Midrikaul. They tend to their own wounds and they offer their healing supplies and skills to any physically suffering Midrikaul local. Yet to Unger there is still an important task at hand and Westin Highridge seems willing to assist the dwarf. In a weary but determined state the duo decides to return to the cave that the goblins inhabited, but only after local scouts have confirmed there has been no sighting of the unholy hound creature that caused so much distress to the village in the bog. Unger carries a stretcher that was provided to him by the villagers and once inside the cave they make a find that made Unger fall very silent earlier. Silently and solemnly the unliving remains of another dwarf are put on the stretcher in a position that is as dignified as possible. Westin would not get much of a reply at all if he would ask Unger about the dead dwarf or if he would offer his condoleances. No matter how sincere. Together they carry the remains to Midrikaul. Once they arrive, Unger asks Westin to leave him alone with the remains. He then proceeds with inspecting the possessions of his dead kinsman, especially seeking for any personal or clan runes on any items. There is no pleasure to be found in the task, but it is executed as it is duty.

[cyberjesterb]

Bors and Jerek were known to have left Sarshel. Headed along the road destined for Vlasta. They have been speaking with the Vlastan guards and Midrikaul locals about the events which took place. And have begun canvasing the marsh for this beast.

[Poisonous]

Kelda joins her old friend and her husband Jerek to Vlasta after a short delay, catching up with them a day later. She asks around with the locals about the beast, but mostly she offers her aid to any injured or those in need of comfort.

[Danuvis]

After two days of recuperation and tending to his companion's wounds, Garvin and Nanuq set out to scour the bogs and nearby forests alike, patiently and thoroughly searching for any tracks or other signs of the outlandish beast's presence with the bear's senses and the woodsman's skills combined.

Apart from plain tracks in the foliage, the woodsman hopes to stumble upon a pattern of some sort in the outlandish creature's habits, whether it is simply corpses left in its wake or something else entirely. The pair exhaust themselves in the long run, making camp several times throughout the day, and even then, their search appears to resume on the morrow as they are seen circling Midrikaul on occasion - as determined as ever to pick up a trail.

[Kerstman]

Unger takes the caravan back to Sarshel after a few days. Apparently there is other business for him to conduct. But first he makes sure that the remains of the dead dwarf have been properly cremated. While doing so he provides a sombre prayer that lasts a long time, but where the words are spoken slowly. If he learns the name and clan of the deceased kinsman they are included in this prayer. What remains as ashes is taken away on the caravan, carried in a simple and small stone urn.

[blatob]

Jonan rests in Vlasta and repairs a fence at a certain local widow's house.

[OldBear]

Westin continues to stand long hours on watch at Midrikaul. He and Hance Carshall have been trying to keep an eye on the bog for the beast. He has occasionally returned to Vlasta to obtain food and supplies so as not to drain what supplies or at Midrikaul.

[Highlander]

After her attempt at following the trail of the first goblins was thwarted by the continuing heavy snowfall, Amber joined with the ranger Aryen to venture into the mountain pass near Vlasta. In the snow, the two fought a desperate battle against a wandering ogre, the beast being finally felled by an arrow shot with an almost legendary accuracy by the ranger, enough to win the accolades of any tourney had any other than the Rocktapper been witness to it. The lure of the mountains drew Amber away from the beseiged hamlet after she had recuperated from the fight with the ogre, but she returns to aid Westin in his watch on Midrikaul, and participates in forays into the surrounding bogs to keep an eye out for further trouble. What she found in the mountains on her venture there, she keeps to herself for now.