DM Darkshard's Swift Kills

[Darkshard]

~Special Import~

("The Gate is Alive" 4)

Characters Involved:
Therenil Bladewhisper

Synopsis:
Therenil Bladewhisper sought some elven wine for his employer, and having tried all the taverns in the area to no avail, he approached Perch in his shady little enclave in the docks. Perch revealed that he had a whole crate of "special import" Evereskan wine that he was willing to part with, for a price. Therenil negotiated with him, but was unable to shift the price by much and purchased the wine signicantly above market value. He nevertheless left happy. And the advice was free.

Rewards/Punishments: A crate of unique wine, some good advice. Ripped off by a few hundred coins.

[Darkshard]

~Sleeper Agent~

("The Hive Concordant" Part Four)

Characters Involved:
Natalya Vaentsoss
Herran Hymm
Mila Pricklyfingers

Synopsis:
Natalya set out from Nashkel with Herran and Mila, with Markhold as their destination. Natalya was more mysterious about her intent this time, but the others seemed too curious about the rumours to care or question her. After travelling on the road for a day or so, they came to the walled town now iconic to the Amn-Gate war. It was late in the day, so all work in the fields had stopped and most villagers were now relaxing or socialising in the cool evening air. They found a small contingent of Amnian soldiers stationed in and around the town.

They talked to soldiers and locals, learning about the current state of things and about the massacre that happened here one year ago. Everyone still vehemently blamed the Fist for the atrocity. They also learned that the local lord, Mortimer II, opened his manor courtyard in the evenings to locals and traders, so they proceeded into the town to meet him. All the while, Natalya remained alert for information pertinent to her real objective.

The group was not immediately well-received by the young lord, who was as distrustful of outsiders as most of the locals they had met. However, they took pains to agree with his many anti-Northerner opinions, so he warmed to them. He told them of the assassination of his father by Baldurian agents, and speculated motives for the massacre. In addition to getting a good layout of the town, Natalya learned what she needed to:

-There is currenty only a little over fifty locals living there
-The town is still in recovery and remains quiet and isolated
-The guard is inadequate and the town is under-defended

As night approached, the three were able to secure some local accommodation and went to sleep.

When she was sure of her security, Natalya crept out unnoticed by the others and went to work. She marked locations for teleportation circles, and made accurate drawings of the locations for Valshar. She also made a loose plan according to the layout of the town she had. She then joined the others in sleep once more, and in the morning they set out for the border once more.

At the inn in Nashkel, Natalya provided the information in a scheduled scrying report.

Rewards/Punishments: Substantial information (some of it even true), decent xp rewards to all involved.

[Darkshard]

~Breaking the Trap~

("The Coast is Alive" 6)

Characters Involved:
Andreava Windsong
Toshiro

Synopsis:
A pair nature types were bringing on the balance by cutting their way through fire giants in the Graypeak mountains. As they progressed, their keen eyes spotted a large contingent of the giants on the path ahead of them. Curiously, the giants were moving up and away from them. At that moment, they also noticed another force of giants blocking the path behind and realised they had walked into a trap. The giants held; even with their far superior force, they were taking no chances. They bombarded the trail with flaming rocks from above. Andreava and Toshiro were able to avoid the worst of it, though they were still peppered with fragments. The giant forces then closed like a vice.

Rather than attempt an escape, Andreava chose to try and break out of the trap by pushing up through the main contingent. They ran into a wall of giants there, and the force behind them soon caught up. The battle was long and bloody, and the situation seemed dire for the tree-huggers. However, with a whole lot of luck and a well-timed epic spell, they succeeded in breaking the trap. They pushed on to the outpost from which they were being bombarded, and another long and difficult battle ensued. They emerged drained and bloodied, but victorious.

Rewards/Punishments: Decent gold to both, a rare gem to Andreava. Incurred a far higher cost in consumables than they were able to recuperate from the loot.

[Darkshard]

~Hitting Walls~

("The Hive Concordant" Part Five)

Characters Involved:
CesaKyariv KanTnub
Erek Tiondur
Kar'Myr Dalharil'mtor
Naravien Xilaben
Natalya Vaentsoss
Niyenne Tremelaine
Pharaxes Morieth
Val Mor
Valshar

Synopsis:
The Seventh Circle raiding force and "guest raider" Niyenne Tremelaine gathered in Varalla's Passage following Valshar's briefing. He opened the teleportation circle to the marked area outside Markhold, and the group went through. They were met at their destination by their surface agent Natalya, and the whole group then snuck into the town outskirts using a combination of stealth and invisibility. They neutralised an Amnian solider and his guard dog, a little noisier than intended, and drew the attention of more soldiers. They too were slain, though Natalya was badly wounded in the process. A local farmer, woken by the noise, came out to investigate and was also promptly killed.

Disagreement then began amongst the group, with some members wanting to enter the house and kill any more potential witnesses, while others insisting such action ran counter to their whole objective of capturing living slaves. While they argued, a fourth soldier managed to escape them and raise the alarm. Within moments, horns blew and the town was filled with the sound of hammers on nails as the locals boarded themselves up in their homes. Soldiers woke and mobilised in the walled keep above the town, and prepared their catapult. The party had not moved far when the barage began, aiming between the houses with respectable precision.

The party then split up, one half taking up position to storm the front entrance of the fortified keep, while the other attempted to flank and find a way up the far wall. The flanking party struggled, ill-equipped for scaling walls. Finally, an arrow tied with rope found purchase in a wooden balustrade, but the noise alerted the soldiers and the rope was promptly cut. Meanwhile, a scout from the first team was spotted braving too near the entrance, and the catapult was redirected to harass them. Both teams were stalled and now at a massive disadvantage. As the soldiers on the wall began tipping boiling grease on the flanking team, Valshar signalled a total withdrawal.

The whole raiding force fell back under catapult fire. Frustrated by failure and the inability to effectively control their troops, tempers amongst the Seventh Circle officers boiled over and hostile spells were cast. It was fortunate that the whole group managed to get back through the teleportation circle before things degenerated further.

Rewards/Punishments: A small amount of xp to all for lessons learned the hard way. Temporary debuff to the one who fell, imminent consequences for mission failure.

[Darkshard]

~A Grave Indictment~

("The Gate is Alive" 5)

Characters Involved:
Craden Merrick
Ishbin Bogglethroth
Reverent da Kry

Synopsis:
Three adventurers set out to cleanse the Baldur's Gate graveyard of undead, which seemed particularly restless. After putting down many waves of the walking corpses, the three stumbled across a young girl. They talked to her for a while, wondering what she was doing in this cursed place, right up until she asked: "Do you want to see my grave?"

Sure enough, she led them to a large gravestone with the name Sarah Murdoch etched into it. Her name. They found it difficult to hold her attention, and some of their questions provoked tears and bad memories from her, but they were eventually able to deduce that she had been strangled and murdered by her uncle, who was still at large in the Gate. They set off to bring him to justice.

After talking to several citizens and a noble, they were still unable to discover his residence, but they did learn that he frequented the Helm and Cloak. Further enquiry revealed that particular inn to still be under reconstruction, but that many regular patrons had instead moved on to the Blade and Stars. Asking around there, they found Reckas Murdoch quickly.

They surrounded, and confronted him. The man panicked, turning white and fumbling most of his words, but vehemently denied everything. Captain Beluarion of the Fist happened to be there out of uniform, and the raised voices sparked his interest. However, he elected only to listen in as the three adventurers went to work. Through the intimidations of Ishbin and Reverent, and the timely diplomacy and "good cop" act of Craden, the man cracked and spilled everything. He confessed to imprisoning his niece, and then strangling her to death when she "woudn't shut up". He was immediately dragged off by the Fist, destined for the gallows.

Beluarion congratulated and thanked the adventurers, naming them local heroes and rewarding them generously. He then recommended all three sign up for the new special investigative Unit 13, a suggestion that was greeted with interest.

Ishbin and Reverent returned to the graveyard and laid Sarah's spirit to rest.

Rewards/Punishments: Decent xp and gold to all, temporary buffs to the two that returned to Sarah.

[Darkshard]

Interloper, Sleeper Agent and Hitting Walls now made public.

[Darkshard]

~Forty-Nine Percent~

("Paying Back Debt" Part One)

Characters Involved:
Achmetalok Firktag

Synopsis:
The dire financial straits of the Adventurers Guild is a poorly kept secret in some circles. Circumstances and politics have precluded the besieged company taking on many contracts, and have lost them others, including an important deal with the Nashkel Trade Emporium. The red ink has been the subject of recent correspondence between Mathius Kreesor, the current owner-operator, and Achmetalok Firktag, a potential managing partner.

The two met at the Northern Lights Inn and had a lengthy discussion about doing business together. Mathius questioned Achmetalok over previous Thayan connections, but did not seem overly concerned about them. After showing Achmetalok recent documentation on the state of the guild, Mathius made his offer: Achmetalok could buy 49% of company shares at the current (low) market value, and assume a managing role in the guild. He would, however, also therefore be personally responsible for 49% of the company debt and associated interest payments, which were substantial to say the least.

Achmetalok negotiated hard for an extra 1% to give him an equal share, but Mathius would not be moved, saying he had "made mistakes" with previous shareholding partners. In the end, he granted a slight concession: If the company performed well, Achmetalok would have the opportunity down the road to buy more shares at their current low value. For Mathius, it is a labour of love. Satisfied, Achmetalok drafted the contract, and both parties signed with the innkeeper Reis as witness to the deal. They toasted to "new opportunities", and made a point to meet again soon to hash out more specific details.

Rewards/Punishments: A guild, and the benefits that entails. Enough gold deducted to make a grown man cry, unforeseen consequences.

[Darkshard]

~Red Vendetta~

("Blood and Jealousy" Part Two)

Characters Involved:
Ghaun
L' Beldroin

Synopsis:
Ghaun and L' Beldroin were relaxing in the lair called home by the Cult of the Dragon, when they were approached by Mistress with another task. She relayed that the Red Dragon Raugarathis, whom they had worked with in the past, had contacted her and called a meeting, and dispatched the two Wearers of Purple to attend.

They were both teleported to a pocket plane derived from the elemental plane of fire, where they were met by the great Red. Raugarathis introduced his disciple, Ashalon, who then explained to the two Wearers that he needed help, that Hoihe had ruined his infiltration of a silver dragon clan, and that he needed them to identify the participants in Hoihe's ritual. He mentioned he had a plan to use the Silverstone's own disciple against them. He also pinpointed the exact location of Sarah Silverstone's lair, and expressed a hope that the Cult would murder her.

The Wearers agreed to help on both counts, and then departed.

Rewards/Punishments: A small amount of xp, potential for alliance building.

[Darkshard]

~Prisoner's Dilemma~

("The Gate is Alive" 6)

Characters Involved:
Nezoril Morthadar
Ree

Synopsis:
A man and a female hin were arrested along with Captain Tamina Hellstorm, and accused of being her accomplices. Both vehemently denied the accusation, though the circumstances did not look good for them. They were separated and taken to different offices in the Fist headquarters to be interviewed. The two Fist captains took a similar approach with each, promising lighter consequences if they confessed their allegiance but also implicated the other, who would go down hard. The captains also implied that if the other implicated them first, things would go badly for them.

However, though both refrained from defending the other - and Ree attempted to offer up other items of information - neither submitted to the dilemma. Ultimately, both were charged with the relatively light offence of unlawful use of magic in Baldur's Gate, as well as the charge of attempting to evade arrest. They were heavily fined, and sent to jail for several days.

Rewards/Punishments: Moderate xp. Hefty fines and time in jail.

[Darkshard]

~Gnasher~

("The Coast is Alive" 7)

Characters Involved:
Araaga Ninetoes
Lance Carlson

Synopsis:
Two adventurers got a little more than they bargained for when they delved into the gnoll caves in search of treasure. The defenders were numerous and they were driven back before they got very deep. However, the gnolls sprung a trap and the adventurers' exit was blocked with towering flames, forcing them to go deeper and find another route.

That was when they came across an injured dog, starved and its leg broken. With some effort, they managed to calm the animal and set its leg with a makeshift splint. A couple of healing spells later and it was able to limp along with them. It made to lead them out, but they ran into many more gnolls. The dog joined the fray, ripping out throats as it limped from victim to victim. The three managed to escape after defeating many waves of gnolls and the giant guardian.

Once they escaped, they took the dog up to Candlekeep and introduced it to the guard. The guard grew fond of the dog quickly, and offered to adopt it and train it as a guard dog for the Keep. They all agreed this was a good course, and named the fierce dog "Gnasher".

Rewards/Punishments: Decent xp to both.

[Darkshard]

~Camp Raid~

("The Hive Concordant" Part Six)

Characters Involved:
Alienor
Envil Xilaben
Ilphryssin Arkentlar
Kar'Myr Dalharil'mtor
Niyenne Tremelaine

Synopsis:
Sshamathian scouts reported a small camp in the Middledark on the periphery of the alhoon's main force. The report detailed a strong undead guard, but also gave indications that there were humanoids in the camp and that they were mostly sick and wounded; surfacers faring poorly in the harsh subterranean conditions. A small raiding force of Seventh Circle agents and their Zhent ally set out to destroy the camp, and perhaps try and capture a few slaves in the process from amongst the weakened humanoids. Ilphryssin teleported the group to the reported location and they promptly began their attack.

The group easily cleared the first camp, scattering and neutralising the undead forces. Unfortunately, the large group of fatigued and wounded orogs - who put up at best a sloppy and piecemeal defence - were all slaughtered in the excitement of battle. However, the group saw indications of another camp nearby, so they refined their strategy for slave-capture before attacking. Again they easily destroyed the undead, but this time they were careful to immobilise the orogs, which were subsequently knocked unconscious by Alienor. A few were killed in the initial confusion, but most survived and were taken captive. They roused and interrogated one - fortunately, Envil spoke their language. They learned a few things about the alhoon's troop composition and progress, but the orog was not particularly bright and it is hard so say how accurate the information is. Most importantly, they learned of the main camp nearby. Ilphryssin teleported the captured slaves to the pens in Sshamath, and the group prepared to attack the larger camp.

The camp was well-defended but the group stormed it and overcame, destroying all the undead. Their strategy now well-practiced, they chased down the scattering orogs and once again managed to capture most of them, with only a few dying early in the encounter. Once they were rounded up and successfully teleported back, the group made a fighting retreat as more undead arrived. They managed to escape before the enemy arrived in force.

The mission was a success with the enemy camp completely destroyed, and nineteen slaves captured for the illithid.

Rewards/Punishments: Moderate xp to all, slaves for the Concordant.

[Darkshard]

~Scouts and Skirmishes~

("The Hive Concordant" Part Seven)

Characters Involved:
Elgg Zhinn
Groglan Glandur
Guilhem
Kar'Myr Dalharil'mtor

Synopsis:
Seventh Circle agents Kar'Myr and Groglan received word that the alhoon's army was making slow progress through the Middledark; slow because of the unfamiliarity with the passages and the many monsters and other obstacles obstructing them. As a result, the army is relying on swarms of advance scouts to feel their way through. The two agents hired the mercenary Elgg, and the three set out to harass these scouting parties and make life (or undeath) that much more difficult for them.

It was a long journey, but as they progressed higher, they soon began to run into numerous undead and humanoid scouts. The higher they got, the stronger and more numerous the scouting parties became. They also discovered a pit that seemed to be used for summoning forth powerful shadows. With combined muscle and magic, the three proved a force to be reckoned with, but soon the skirmishes began to take their toll as spells ran dry. They were boxed in, slowly worn down by a very large scouting party, when a group of illithid sorcerers appeared and helped them swiftly finish off their attackers. The illithid had several orog thralls in tow and seemed to be here with a similar purpose. The two groups exchanged words briefly, the illithid reminding the Circle agents of their commitment. They then went their separate ways.

Exhausted from the battle, the three made camp on higher ground, at which point they were joined by Guilmer, newly appointed Magister at Arms of the Circle. Rejuvenated and bolstered, the group prepared to renew their efforts. However, Groglan, who was posted as sentry while the others rested, failed to notice another large scouting force quietly approaching. Hugely outnumbered, the four managed to use a bottleneck to effectively repel the attack. As they pushed forward through more undead, Elgg was felled, but Kar'Myr managed to rouse and protect him.

Circling back, the four passed the pit again and were set upon by powerful, towering shadows. An epic fight ensued, but the four managed to kill them all. Once more drained and unwilling to risk any similar encounters, they made good their escape from the Middledark.

They were unable to capture any slaves (it was decided logistical obstacles to their transport were too great), but they dealt some serious casualties to the alhoon's scouting forces.

Rewards/Punishments: Moderate xp to all. Temporary debuff to the one who fell.

[Darkshard]

~Shadow Pocket~

("The Hive Concordant" Part Eight)

Characters Involved:
Bloodtooth
Groglan Glandur
Kar'Myr Dalharil'mtor
Mili Zirah
Naravien Xilaben
Niyenne Tremelaine
Val Mor
Vier’Illiam Dris

Synopsis:
After being kicked out of the School of Mages for reasons too numerous to mention, a group of Seventh Circle agents and their allies decided to venture back to the Middledark and investigate the pit reported earlier by Kar'Myr and company. It was a long trip but the group still arrived energised and promptly fought their way through undead scouts to get to the pit.

Upon locating the pit, the Weave-gifted in the group recognised it as a rift of sorts, likely to a pocket plane. Some debate followed - and some experimentation with thrown objects - before some began jumping into the rift. They were indeed transported to a pocket plane, derived from the Plane of Shadow. The first ones through scouted ahead without waiting for the others, and soon took casualties to the powerful nightwalkers that awaited them.

When the party was able to regroup and gather their fallen, they pushed on, fighting through more shadows and wraiths. At the top of a hill, they discovered a large magical crystal guarded by a huge shadow guardian, which they quickly provoked to battle. Defeating it, they inspected the crystal, confirming it to be the anchor of the pocket plane. They managed to crack the crystal with searing light, and collapse the plane.

The group soon found themselves back at the pit, which was now just a pit.

Rewards/Punishments: Small amounts of xp to all. Temporary debuffs to those who fell.

[Darkshard]

~The Day of Ratification~

("The Coast is Alive" 8)

Characters Involved:
Lore Jenesen
Ylleri
(many other observers)

Synopsis:
A Flaming Fist garrison gathered in Beregost in the early hours of the morning, and assembled in ceremonial formation. Captain Meredith Silvershield commanded the unit as they stood in the town centre, facing south. A large contingent of Amnian soldiers, specially uniformed and led by Golden Legionaire Miraz Castilla, entered the town from the south, coming to a halt in the middle opposite their Baldurian counterparts.

Adventurers and passers-by gathered to watch, an eerie quiet descending over the normally rowdy crowd as the scene played out with apparent gravity. The officers stepped forward, exchanged smart salutes, and words thereafter. The words were few, but formal and obviously scripted. The Fist garrison then turned on their heels and departed from Beregost, marching north. The Amnian contingent remained.

This turn of events was greeted with some surprise and hostility from the adventurers, but mostly fatigued apathy from the locals. When one adventurer remarked "But they cannot just give your town away!", a local gazed bemusedly around at the ruined buildings and replied "What town?"

Lore and Ylleri set about talking to locals and soldiers to learn about the events that led to this, and managed to track down Captain Silvershield to get her take.

Rewards/Punishments: Small amounts of xp for the investigative RP. A border shift.

[Darkshard]

~The Last Ship~

("The Gate is Alive" 7)

Characters Involved:
Leo
Solarina DeShade
Terra Stonemender
Thalandon Astralius
Thergal Stonesmith
(many other observers)

Synopsis:
Under the warmth of the morning sun, a large column of Lords' Alliance soldiers marched north from the Lion's Way, towards Baldur's Gate. As they approached the city, the parade picked up many curious followers who tagged along with interest, trading speculations about their destination. Upon entering the city, many common folk lined the streets to see the soldiers off.

They marched down to the docks, the onlookers in tow, destined for their home in Waterdeep. They were the last soldiers, boarding the last ship. The peacekeeping mission of the Lords' Alliance is ended.

Rewards/Punishments: Small amounts of xp to everyone who saw the soldiers off at the docks and RPed afterward.