Characters:
Nigel played Kurtis, a Human Thief.
Craig played Ser Jakob Tolliver, a Human Paladin
James played Happy Gilmore, a Human Fighter
Luke played Gilius, a Dwarf Fighter
Floatey played Molly Meladrum, a Human Magic-User
Jeremy played Hawt Pantz, an Elf Fighter/Cleric
BACKGROUND:
For years, the Great Waste to the west of the Republic has been the
home of nomad raiders. Petty little tribes, both human and otherwise, have
roamed this trackless waste, raiding each other and the surrounding
settlements. For a while, the local lords easily controlled this banditry. Then
the tribes became dangerous: the raiders apparently set aside their feuds and
prepared for war. Spies reported massive armies gathering. Shortly, some of the
farthest flung towns were no longer heard from. Heeding their spies and the stories
of refugees from the west, the lords and the governor of the Republic sent out
a call for arms. Throughout the settled lands, they asked for mercenaries and
experienced men to fight the nomad foes. All manner of men answered - peasants,
mercenaries, veterans, elves, and adventurers. Among these many came your group.
You were late in arriving, for the main
army had already marched. Your party joined the rag-tag lot of reserves going
to meet them: the undesirables and unusables of those who came to fight. Along the
way there were many quarrels and disputes. Peasants fought for a dead man’s
boots; drunken mercenaries ransacked a village; men were knifed as old blood
feuds broke out.
Finally, the reserves reached a village only recently taken by the
main army. Still among the smoking ruins were the signs of nomad enemies -
humans, orcs, and other unknown creatures. The commanders halted at this place.
Now you have been camped here for several days
RECAP:
The town was Pramayama, a small town on the Asanda River. The group and the military detachment they were with had taken over the town after all the locals bar two had fled or been killed due to the fighting between the Nomadic tribes of the Sind Desert and The Republic.
Sarras, the Majordomo for Commander Denner, had recognized in the group a higher level of skill and aptitude than the rag-tag bunch of misfits and poorly trained militia that made up the majority of the 200 soldiers. As such, he had elected to give the group differing orders than the common trooper, and provided them with the title of "Guide", a term used in the Republic Army for those with exceptional skills and talents, normally adventurers like the characters who had taken up the call to arms.
As Guides, the group were not required to perform the majority of the mundane tasks or maneuvers , but as luck would have it, they were still required to perform patrols and guard duties.
With the majority of the camp out on night time exercises or foraging for food the camp was particularly quiet until just after midnight, when a commotion could be heard. Rushing to the scene, a large, dark shadowy shape could be seen battling a lone figure in plate armour, a mace in one hand and a holy symbol in the other. The menacing shape spoke with a chilling voice “Stay back, helpless beings! This one is pledged to me."
The Eater of Souls
It didn't stay the group, and the fight was joined. The defending cleric went down to a claw blow as Hawt Pantz tried to use her healing powers to save him. Ser Tolliver was struck a number of times, as the creature's chilling claws seemed to reach for his very heart, inflicting grievous injuries. But as the battle wore on, the superior numbers of the group won out, and the beast was destroyed, dissolving into a black, inky cloud of noxious gas.
The Cleric, now stabilized thanks to Hawt Pantz, identified himself as Guilliame, the last surviving member of a group of Guides that had been in the desert scouting and gathering intelligence. They were attacked by four of these creatures, identified by Molly as a Soul Eater, and though three of them were slain, the rest of Guilliame's party were also killed. The final one tracked him here.
The Master, Guilliame said, who resides in a Temple of Death beyond the Great Pass, West of the Plain of Fire was controlling the Desert Nomads and inciting them to war. This Temple of Death must be destroyed he said, and the Master slain. He handed Hawt Pantz a sealed case with a map. The eyes of the Master are everywhere, indeed, one of our own party was one of his agents.
The group took Guilliame back to their bunk, careful to avoid any watching eyes. He needed more rest as the Soul Eater caused more than physical injury, and he thus stayed with Ser Tolliver to watch over him as the group returned to their duties.
In the morning, they approached Sarras and tried to gain access to Commander Denner. Sarras wouldn't hear of it until they told him. Eventually the group relented and informed Sarras of what had happened. Sarras thought for a moment before speaking in private with the Commander himself. Finally, he returned and advised that they would be heading out to find the Temple and slay the Master, as there was nobody else to do it. They would leave in the afternoon, via boat and with steeds and supplies to get them at least partially through the desert.
Guilliame's Map
Of the two locals remaining in town, one was a traveler and guide of the region. His name was Pormas Theocrates, and he agreed to accompany the group to take them across the desert for 500 gold. This was sourced from Sarras who wrote out a letter of credit for the man. He also stated quite clearly that he would not fight, not watch and not perform anything that he deemed dangerous, he was after all not a warrior in any sense.
Finally, as preparations were nearing completion, Kurtis and Gilius decided that they wanted to speak to the other local, a known crazy-man. The man, known only as "The Mad Hermit", even though he lived in the town, was an older, emaciated man with wild eyes, messy grey hair that was streaked with grease. His breath was foul, almost as bad as his body odour, and he wore only a cloth that was wrapped around his private parts that looked almost like a soiled and very dirty nappy. He carried a small stick with him, and when questioned, he started to act irrationally, culminating in him hitting Kurtis with the stick and yelling out "Now you're blessed!".
Taking umbrage at the attack, Kurtis hit back. The punch was accurate and hard, breaking the old man's jaw and sending him spiraling to the ground as teeth flew from his now bloodied mouth. Concerned, they quickly picked up the old man and carried him through the town looking for Hawt Pantz.
The Elven Cleric looked at the Mad Hermit. "He's dead", she stated as Kurtis exclaimed that it was self-defense.
-- Game to be continued --
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