AAR: A Walk in the Woods

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Aegharan
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AAR: A Walk in the Woods

Post by Aegharan » Fri Mar 30, 2018 2:27 am

Mission: A Walk in the Woods
GM: Aeggy
Date: 2018-03-29
Difficulty and circle rating: Circle 2 Hard

Player Rewards:
Jik'escala: 4 TIPs, 1200 Legend, 195 Silver, Half-Price Strength Training, Kelix's Poultice
Whyr'wyndyl: 4 TIPs, 1200 Legend, 240 Silver, Half-Price Strength Training, Kelix's Poultice
Dubhan Goronoich: 1200 Legend, 320 Silver, 4 TIP, 1 Keelix' Poultice
Zhuron: 4 TIPs, 1200 Legend, 220 Silver, Half-Price Circle Training, Kelix's Poultice

Downtime Actions Available:
Dubhan:
Alchemy 7 (Rank 3, Per 7, Kit -3) : Booster Potion
Research 20 ( Rank 3, Per 7, Speed Read +6, Karma +4) If the 20sp Library Access Fee is covered, Research goes to 23.
Zhuron: Craft Armor (7)

Further Information:
The Blood Bees have returned.
Last edited by Aegharan on Fri Mar 30, 2018 11:12 am, edited 1 time in total.

ottdmk
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Re: AAR: A Walk in the Park

Post by ottdmk » Fri Mar 30, 2018 5:13 am

From the journals of Dubhan Goronich, Wizard:

Due to the continuing tensions with Sosanopa to the north-west, some colleagues of mine and I went out on patrol to see if there was anything suspicious going on. Accompanying me was Whyr'wyndyl, a Windling Warrior (yes, an uncommon Discipline for that race of Namegivers to be sure) that I had worked with before, and two new companions: Jik'escala, a T'skrang Swordmaster and Zhuron, a Troll Warrior.

It was a new experience for me. I was used to going on excursions with other spellcasters. Indeed, I was expecting Robert to come with us, but he cancelled at the last moment.

On our journeys we encountered one of the Iceclaw Moot Trolls. He was badly wounded, yet still made out for Throal to recruit help for the Moot. I managed to stabilize his injuries and he told us his story. The Blood Bees had attacked, and not for the first time. Apparently they had attacked before, and been beaten back by Throalen Adepts.

WIth Throal being two days away, we decided to accompany our guest back to the Iceclaw Moot. Along the way, we were attacked by a small force of Giant Ants while I was sleeping after my watch. This is the second time I've been attacked by Giant Ants, and I'm not fond of the experience. At least there weren't wolves this time. Amazingly, I came through the encounter completely unscathed. The same could not be said of my companions, but there were no serious injuries.

When we arrived (after some turnarounds in the forest) we were asked to try to run down some of the retreating Bees. This we did, and were nearly swarmed under. Twice I ended up with a Bee attached to me, sucking out my life's blood in truly disgusting fashion. I was extremely grateful for the martial skills of my companions, as the need to protect myself caused me to fail at my Wizardry attempts on no less then three occasions. Still, I was able to give a boost to their skills when it counted.

We were able to destroy a fair number of smaller Bees, and drove off two larger ones. To my surprise, attached to the leg of one of the Bees I discovered a bronze ring. At that point we returned to the Iceclaw Moot to recover. My astral examination showed the ring to be magical in nature. I resolved to learn more when we returned to Throal.

Upon our return I enlisted the services of a researcher at the Great Library to discover the Key Knowledges of the item I had found. He informed me that it was a Matrix Object, which powers could be unlocked by discovering its True Name. I set upon the task willingly, and was soon able to discover that this was Tamerlan's Confidence, possession of the renowned Wizard and egotist of ages past. To this day Tamerlan's spirit is associated with the ring, and must be appeased by flattery else it interfere with the ring's current wearer. Fortunately, Tamerlan did have many fine qualities despite her ego. I doubt I shall have much difficulty finding good things to say.

I will confess that my excitement over my discovery has distracted me from the larger picture. I must see if the Great Library has any resources that can explain why nature is turning against the Namegivers like this. Surely there must be an answer somewhere...

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etherial
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Re: AAR: A Walk in the Woods

Post by etherial » Fri Mar 30, 2018 4:48 pm

The Journal of Jik'escala, T'Skrang Swordswoman Extraordinaire

17 Teayu, 1422 T.H.
There is a village a few days' travel from Throal that is apparently under control of the Horrors and no one has done anything about it! The threat in question sounds a little beyond even my illustrious abilities, and so I must resign myself to damage control for the time. I gathered together some Adepts seeking adventure and we went to patrol to road to Sosonopa so that we could intercept any Namegivers, Horrors, Constructs, Creatures, or other things sent by those vile people to do harm to the rest of civilization.

20 Teayu
And intercept we did! One Wonjin, male Troll Warrior from the Iceclaw Moot was making his way to Throal to report that his people were under siege by a swarm of Blood Bees. Apparently their war with the Blood Bees had not ended with the death of the Blood Bee Queen as previously reported. Perhaps there was a new Blood Bee Queen, even more beautiful and terrible than before! We headed North-East immediately to investigate.

21 Teayu
While traveling North, we encountered a small cluster of giant red ants. Dawn had nearly arrived and I was on watch with Zhuron when I noticed a chittering noise getting closer. I nudged Dubhan awake and and a small troupe of giant red ants attacked. What is with these mountains and giant insects!? I squared off against a worker and a drone while Dubhan woke Whyr'wyndyl and Zhuran held his ground against the soldier ant. We had initially not expected Wonjin to fight as he was injured and exhausted when we found him, but he eventually was able to get up and use his Troll Flail to help harry the ants while we took them out. One escaped, however, so it made it back to its nest. Why did they attack? We may never know.

23 Teayu
Finally arriving at the Iceclaws, I introduce myself and my allies to Ixta, their leader, and I offer to render aid. She supplies us with some Kelix's Poultices in case the bee venom gets to be too much for us, and we head further into the mountains to explore.

Whyr'wyndl spotted a small cluster of Blood Bees and we quickly dispatched them but did not realize that they were just the beginning. A large swarm including two Blood Bee Warriors came down and surrounded us. Things got nasty for a while as my sword got heavier and heavier, but I just stayed on the defensive while the Wizard cast his magical aids on us, making us stronger and stronger and the Warriors slowly cranked out the damage against the Blood Bees.

The Bees had this nasty attack where they jab you with their stinger and suck out your blood like a reverse cream puff, but Zhuran's spear proved quite effective at prying their stingers out and then murdering the little buggers. We killed most of them, but, like the ants, some escaped.

30 Teayu
The Trolls aided me with my Strength Training and then we headed home.


NPCs:
Ixta, female Troll Elder
Wonjin, male Troll Warrior

PCs:
Dubhan Goronich, male Dwarf Wizard
Jik'escala, female T'Skrang Swordmaster
Whyr'wyndyl, male Windling Warrior
Zhuran, male Troll Warrior

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BattleChad
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Re: AAR: A Walk in the Woods

Post by BattleChad » Sun Apr 01, 2018 2:52 am

The Great Library of Throal thanks Jik'escala and Dubhan for their contributions.

Journal Rewards: 60 Legend Points and 86 Silver

Fortesque
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Re: AAR: A Walk in the Woods

Post by Fortesque » Mon Apr 02, 2018 2:52 am

Journal 4 - A Walk in the Woods

The Grand Bazaar is a fascinating place. So many smells to soak in, tastes to catalog, and whispers to strain against. The whispers can be the most intriguing. Whispers of Sosanopa setting up an invasion force are the hardest to ignore right now.

People speak of war impending. They must not really know what War is. Then again, why would they? War is not something that has really happened in Throal for generations, at least by most races’ standards. The royal family has done a fair job of keeping peace and politics among the houses and halls of Throal.

So Dubhan and Jik’escala and I meet at the gates of Throal to head north and check out the “trade routes” between us and Sosanopa. We’re gonna look for bandits and decide their allegiances, look for warbands and scout them out, and look for supply lines from other settlements who will lend aid to our enemy. We’re, also, gonna look for ducks. I hear they make the most mischievous sounds.

We needed a fourth for this adventure. I had heard Robert was going to come with us, but was seduced by something in the Grand Bazaar and lost track of time. So one of the others dredged up a troll. A TROLL! Of all the races and all the creatures they could have brought as our fourth… no, a troll.

At least Zhuron’s a Warrior, Garlen be praised.

Jik’escala is in charge of the map and the road this time. She appears confident with that responsibility, even when there is no road. To her credit, we only got lost once. It happened in the mountains, which all look the same, so… I can’t be too hard on her about it.

Along the road to Sosanopa, we came across an injured troll. Yes! Another one! After checking my cloak’s shadow for Vestrial, I talked with the troll in his native tongue. He tells us Iceclaw Moot is currently being besieged by large bees. That the entire clan is at risk of being wiped out if he does not find immediate help.

A quick conference with the group and we become that help. Assured danger from giant bees - or blood bees, as one of the smarter types call them - is more worthy our attention than possible danger from a town of maybe-tainted civilians. To Iceclaw Moot we go, headlong into the foulest hive of vermin I’ve ever heard of; and also the blood bees.

It takes a few days to get there (refer back to my previous statement of Jik’escala in the mountains with the map). While we travel, we are attacked by giant ants around our campfire. I am awoken by the sounds of combat at the edges of the firelight - and not by the large troll foot that nearly stepped on me while maneuvering against the ants, as some might have you believe.
Zhuron’s application of fire attack is a bit sloppy, and his water defense is abysmal. But once he realized his spear damage is optimized by air attack, the fight was all but over.

We resumed sleeping after tending to a pile of cuts and scrapes. One of the harder battles I’ve witnessed. But not the hardest we would have this trip.

Arriving at Iceclaw Moot, we stepped into a blood-soaked village. Never have I felt so self-conscious as when we saw the injured outnumbering the healthy. The children wept and the elders let them. This wasn’t a village of the raiders and bullys. This was a whimper. And I felt like a jerk.

Ixta, a village elder, came to meet us in the village center. She accepted our story of the ants that attacked us and spoke of the blood bee swarms decimating her people. She sent out a scouting party to backtrack our trail and make sure the ants weren’t rallying for a larger attack. And she asked us to go fight a swarm that has consumed others of her guard.

These trolls were people, and they needed my help. They asked for it without ridicule. I must succeed. This time, not to prove that I could, but because they had no one else.

We climbed the mountain trail where the lost scouting groups had gone before us. I was scouting a bit in front, using my wings to ascend the mountainside more directly than the others. I spotted the winged buggers. But they would not be baited to follow me into the ambush. So I led our party to theirs.

Normally, I do not reflect on the combats in my adventures. Fighting is a very personal thing. Each of us has our own relationship with the blood and the magic and the victory or defeat. I am not qualified to speak on others’ behalf about their intent or their results.

What I can say about this fight is that it was very tough. The blood we lost and the desperation in our voice after the fight told me that some of us nearly died. Maybe you would call it teamwork. Maybe it was sound tactics. Some on-lookers would most certainly say it was luck. The Passions were on our side this time.

As thanks for defeating those blood bees, Ixta and Wonjin and the others of Iceclaw Moot offered us some strength training techniques that have not spread into common use down in Throal. I think they held these techniques in secret during their time in the kaer kingdom.

I am no longer qualified to judge them for that.

For me, personally, a small sacrifice was in order. Normally the wine I share with my traveling companions, a bottle of elven fine, instead was gifted to Ixta. She could drink it, or keep it to entertain future diplomats as she sees fit.

Wine has a habit of making me forget things. And there isn’t a single detail about this experience I want to forget.

Dammit! Except that we were supposed to find a duck. I wanna know what a “quack” is!

- Whyr’wyndyl Evenflame, Warrior of the 2nd Circle.

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BattleChad
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Re: AAR: A Walk in the Woods

Post by BattleChad » Wed Apr 04, 2018 11:03 pm

The Great Library of Throal thanks Whyr’wyndyl for his contribution.

Journal Rewards: 60 Legend Points and 86 Silver

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