The World of Telvar

The action below took place between April 9th and June 1st, 2193.

Theft-focused raids have been a longstanding problem in the Medegia region of Western Cromwell, but recently a group has abruptly started killing people, which has led Cromwell to feel it was worth of bringing them to the attention of outside bounty-hunters. “Sneak in and steal food” has turned into “sneak in and murder a whole farming family and their workers in their sleep, vanish with all their stuff”. They have been deftly avoiding engagement with actual security forces, and have been harder to spot and track. They are thought to flee into to the mountains to the southwest. Superstar! was hired by the government of Cromwell to look into these attacks and deal with the threat. With decent horses and carts, we expected the journey out to take just over a month.

Pheraguat decided to fly out to Medegia on his hippogriff for some advance scouting, actually doing this while Magic Lad was identifying items from the party’s prior encounter. He ran into someone he knew at the nearby Cromwellian military outpost (Saer Hills Depot), a “special forces” woman named “Spider”. It was noted that Jennifer Hookhill, a human fighter and Regent’s courtier, and Site Bowlength, an elven fighter/magic-user and Regent’s courtier, were about a week north of here fighting drug dealers**, and could be available for aid if needed.

[** = see also, the Ninth Telvar Open, taking place in Towlemere in the Salt Sea region of Western Cromwell, in which both of these figures appeared.]

Unfortunately, the aid was needed a little closer to home. While Pheraguat was waiting for the party to meet him in Medegia, the party got ambushed on the road halfway there, rendering his actions and most of this engaging backstory largely moot.

Continue reading "Superstar! and the Kingpin's Payout" »

Posted by Kyle MacLea at 11:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

After the Circle of Ayrless adventure, wherein Superstar defeated the Final Cut (rather brutally at that), the party returned to Depwood in June 2192 and met with its Druidic and Ranger colleagues. Treasure was divided, cash and some minor magic items were handed over to the Druids as payment for the use of some of their items in the fight against the bad guys, arrangements were made for henchmen training, and finally the topic turned to a reward for our help with the small matter of the Circle.

The Druids offered some choices:
1. The Amulet of Spiritual Strength, which gives +1 to Turning and provides 1 hp/level of the cleric. (Cleric only)
2. A folding boat (a small handheld boat which can fold out into a small row boat or a ~dozen capacity small sailing boat)
3. A Robe of Stars, which has some save effects and protection on the astral plane, as well as giving a unique weapon when the stars sewn onto the fabric can be grabbed and thrown as moderately powerful and fast missile weapons.
4. They also had a number of woodland cloaks and boots, which give ~50% bonuses to hide in shadows/move silently abilities when in woodlands or similar environs.

We also discussed the previously offered "weird familiar-like" choices (sprites, etc.) but there were essentially two options: a Wise Old Bird friend for Star (which he could not actually receive until he was 9th level) or they could offer us a chance to be introduced to a Pseudodragon. The chance of success was decent, but by no means guaranteed. If we chose the Pseudodragon the druids would consider throwing in a pair of boots and a cloak or similar.

Continue reading "Superstar! and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Horse" »

Posted by Kyle MacLea at 11:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A treasure update for Superstar! [done in late November 2007]

Continue reading "Superstar! Treasure Update [Following Summary #3]" »

Posted by Joel Green at 03:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

(Mini-party: Dwarfstar)

Party Roster:

Rangorn, 7th level half-elf woodsman, 65 hp, played by Joel
Star, 6th level human cleric, 37 hp, played by Kyle
Zippo, 3rd level dwarf fighter, 34 hp, henchman of Star
Chiaroscuro, 7th level human illusionist, 22 hp, played by Aaron
Lewis, 2nd level human ranger, 20 hp, henchman of Star (played by Alex)
Madupe Fadupe, 2nd/3rd level gnome fighter/thief, 19 hp, played by Katherine
Minerva Moonstone, 3rd level half-elf mage, 14 hp, played by Katherine
Alisan, 1st level half-elf cleric, 8 hp, henchman of Rangorn
Magic Lad, 1st level cleric/illusionist, 6 hp, henchman of Chiaro

It’s an adventure of fantastically varying proportions! See the adventures of the little guys (Dwarfstar) and then full on power of the party (Superstar!).

[Events at Alex’s house in Ithaca; Real World Sept. 29, 2007; Telvar Dates Feb. – June 2192]

It was decided that since the lower level people were close to achieving levels in many cases, the best chance to get additional power before attempting a big mission would be to run the party without its leaders through a series of mini-encounters (a trick used by the BMT party a few games back).

The party had recently decided to christen itself “Superstar” rather than the previous informal moniker “Strangorn” which had morphed into “Strangiaro” and was fast approaching having to become something like “Strangiarva” or “Strangiarvupe.” What all these names had in common is that they were significantly more than just Star. In keeping with this, we chose a name that was “above and beyond” Star—Superstar!

Continue reading "Strangorn Summary #3: Superstar! and the Circle of Ayrless!" »

Posted by Joel Green at 11:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Party Roster:

Rangorn, 7th level half-elf woodsman, 65 hp, played by Joel
Star, 6th level human Phaulkonian cleric, 37 hp, played by Kyle
Chiaro, 7th level human illusionist, 22 hp, played by Aaron
Zippo, 2nd level dwarf fighter, 21 hp, henchman of Star, played by Sir Jack
Lewis, 1st level human ranger, 15 hp, henchman of Star, played by Sir Jack
Minerva, 3rd level half-elf mage, 14 hp, played by Katherine
Madupe, 1st/2nd gnome fighter/thief, 11 hp, played by Katherine
Alisan, 1st level half-elf Phaulkonian cleric, 8 hp, henchman of Rangorn, played by Jay
Magic Lad, 1st/1st level gnome Mandred cleric/illusionist, 6 hp, henchman of Chiaro

[Events in Charlotte, 4 Feb 2006; Telvar Sep 2191-Feb 2192]

The World of the Stone Soules and the Restenford Defenders collide (slightly):

When we had last left our newly formed “Strangorn” party (name forthcoming, ideas have been proposed!), we had just begun a successful series of missions working for the Rangers out of Depwood in Petethal. Rangorn and Star are ex-Stone Soules party members who decided to found a new adventuring group that played to their strengths. Each acquired supporting henchmen, and additionally two new members joined them.

Meanwhile, back in 2185, the Restenford Defenders had just broken up. Most of the members had moved on to other parties and continued their adventures (Balinor joined the Wreckers, and later the Killer Bees and eventually the Band; Felix, Donald, and Nakumanu formed a dwarven party out of Shabrund; Cassian initially joined the Wreckers and formed her own party with Warwick after the Fane of the Winds quest). Chiaroscuro (his full false name; his real name is somewhat less grand) had been unaccountably left behind, supposedly off to some obscure training known only to Quentin and Peacemaker (Felix’s sword; Felix himself remains ignorant).

Chiaro is a truly bizarre-looking old Sarkian human: he wears a fiery red hellhound skin cloak, has a mask that is half white/half black, has glowing yellow pants (via continual light spell from Cassian recalling his original party nickname, “Sunshine Happy Pants”), and a green “lilly-pad” beret.

In mid-2186, Chiaro emerged from his training with new powers and decided to join an adventuring party. He signed up with SMART (Syndicate of Master Adventurers for the Recovery of Treasure) and although he was only 6th level and maintained only associate membership in the group, he was disproportionately useful to them as a rare illusionist. Chiaro’s other strange abilities were masked by his use of a “feather of levitation” and “mask of domination”. As Chiaro kept “using” his “magic items” he was given replacements because “surely he had used them up by now.” The SMART party trekked out to a desolate desert where nomadic tribes of barbarians roamed that could detect the presence of any water or the creation of water (magically or otherwise). The nomads would descend on those who brought water into their domain and try to kill them and claim their precious water. Here Chiaro’s many illusionary abilities were of great use, and they prevented many party deaths. Chiaro was rewarded amply for his efforts and came out with several items of interest:

Continue reading "Star/Rangorn Summary #2: More Ogre, Less Filling" »

Posted by Kyle MacLea at 12:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Party Roster:

Rangorn, 7th level half-elf woodsman, 65 hp, played by Joel
Astronomicon “Star” Phillips, 6th level human cleric, 37 hp, played by Kyle
Zippo, 2nd level dwarf fighter, 21 hp, henchman of Star
Lewis, 1st level human ranger, 15 hp, henchman of Star
Minerva, 2nd level half-elf mage, 8 hp, played by Katherine
Madupe Fadupe (“Juan-Re the Gnomish Swashbuckler”), 1st/1st level gnome fighter/thief, 8 hp, played by Katherine
Alisan, 1st level half-elf Phaulkonian cleric, 8 hp, henchwoman of Rangorn

And a new party gathered to battle evil in Petethal… merciless, unforgiving, and packed to the gills with anatomy bonuses…

A brief history of the characters:

Rangorn, a half-Cromwellian/half-elf whose family fled Cromwell due to persecution, grew up in End-of-the-Road in Dunador as a casual Nevronian. He took his anatomy lessons as a woodsman very seriously and despises evil humanoids. His archery skill was reasonably strong, and in 2177 was able to secure a position as a member of the Stone Soules adventuring party (partly through connections with Runt, Canstin’s new-at-the-time henchwoman). He adventured with the Stone Soules for 8 years (gaining nearly as many levels!) and picked up a powerful magic falchion that particularly mangled ogres. By 2185, Rangorn had become sufficiently intrigued by Alegra and the Phaulkonians in the Soules that he tossed off his casual Nevronian attitude and gave Phaulkon a shot. After the Soules broke up, Rangorn spent a few years patrolling Tan-El and was part of the Daring Dozen excursions into the City of the Gods. After the abortive Borglyn adventure (i.e., “The Game That Was Not”) and the loss of his first henchman Luke to a nest of harpies (in “Alegra’s Company Saves the Roc”), Rangorn spent a few years on a hammock in Petethal (“They Call This Work?”). He also did manage to train extensively as a scout with the Army [Scouting X 3 – Rangorn’s sixth-level feat]. In 2190, Rangorn went on the quest to liberate the Fane of the Winds, and after the group was victorious in reclaiming the shrine at the top of the mountain and rebuilding the Altar Stone, became a Warder of Phaulkon. He has tried especially hard to do Good in the cause of Phaulkon since that time. In 2191, he returned to Depwood and gained membership in the Brotherhood of Rangers to seek out and hunt evil humanoids in Petethal and for the future… who knows?

Star, a Petethalian human, joined the Stone Soules in the early days as Alegra’s henchman (the first henchman of many to come in the party’s history!), and he is a veteran of many adventures. After the Stone Soules broke up in 2185, Alegra released Star from service as her henchman. Indeed, Star had advanced as far as he could as a henchman and had overcome his initial reluctance to adventure and travel independently. As testament to this, Star spent a large block of time as a missionary among the bird-people (aaracockra) in the mountains of Shabrund.. After the Fane of the Winds was liberated, Star truly came into his own, and decided to become a full adventurer in his own right. Given the need for various combat and other skills which Star did not possess, his first thought was to join up with fellow ex-Stone Soule and Phaulkonian brother, Rangorn. Star fights with crossbows and possesses a magical heavy crossbow which is capable of great accuracy over very large distances (a bonus with his great eyesight!). He is also known to possess a few other strange and exotic powers that have served him well over the years.

Continue reading "Rangorn/Star Summary #1: Huntin’ and Killin’ with Rangorn and Star" »

Posted by Joel Green at 04:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Featuring:

Astronomicon "Star" Phillips, 6th level human cleric, played by Kyle MacLea

Rangorn, 6th level half-elf woodsman, played by Joel Green

And a cast of thousands auditioning for various parts

In Rangorn updating:

Rangorn, following the conclusion of the Fane of the Winds holy quest, returned to Depwood to meditate and train, gaining 7th level (and 9 hp!). He considered a number of future adventuring possibilities, but remains open, and stands in 2190.

In Star news:

In the aftermath of the Fane of the Winds adventure, Star returned to the city of his birth, the spawling industrial complex known as Teft, the Jewel of Petethal. He had gained a little experience in his battle against evil and contemplated the harsh reality of adventuring when most of your friends from your early career are retired, moved on to other ventures, dead, or simply not interested in adventuring with you. But Star, being the optimistic type, saw many future opportunities to work with others, especially some Phaulkonian heroes like Rangorn, again in the future. Until then, however, he needed to support himself and gain more fame and magic items (as a former henchman of Alegra, he had gained few over the years but had been given a few minor items in the recent past).

Continue reading "*Star* Summary: Some Aftermath of the Fane Quest" »

Posted by Joel Green at 06:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

~Dramatis Personae~

~The Weather Front~
Rebar, 9th level Cloud Giant fighter, Talon of Phaulkon, 91 hp, played by Rachel Smith
Brenard, 6th level Cloud Giant fighter, Talon of Phaulkon, 78 hp, NPC
Warwick, 8th level Ranger, Talon of Phaulkon, 68 hp, played by Mark Wagoner
Rangorn, 6th level half-Elven woodsman, Warder of Phaulkon, 56 hp, played by Joel
Green
Cassian, 8th level half-Elven Phaulkonian cleric, 51 hp, played by Katherine Plante
Bogomel, 5th level fighter, henchman of Cassian, Warder of Phaulkon, 47 hp, played by
Katherine Plante
Buck, 5th level fighter, 44 hp, played by Mark Wagoner
Alegra, 9th level Phaulkonian cleric, 40 hp, played by Kyle MacLea
Drew, 5th level Ranger, 40 hp, Warder of Phaulkon, played by Michael Chermside
Star, 6th level Phaulkonian cleric, 37 hp, played by Michael Chermside
Aria, 5th level Phaulkonian cleric, henchman of Alegra, 31 hp, played by Rachel Smith
Sean, 3rd level Ranger, henchman of Alegra, 29 hp, played by Kyle MacLea
Lanoi, 3rd level Phaulkonian cleric, henchman of Warwick, 19 hp, played by Mark
Wagoner
Gramaliustranstalus, bard, NPC, with input from David Chappell

~with assistance from~
Sir Konrad, 10th level paladin, 94 hp, NPC, with input from Rodger Henson
Sir Ceydric, 8th level cavalier, 65 hp, NPC, with input from Zack Hubert
Xavier, 8th level Auroran cleric, 45 hp, NPC, with input from Jack McKechnie
Eli, 9th level Elven mage, 39 hp, NPC, with input from Zack Hubert
Claude, 5th level Dwarven fighter, henchman of Eli, NPC
Snaggletooth, 6th? level Hobgoblin fighter, played by Michael Chermside
Leon, 2nd level ranger/ giant eagle, 28 hp, played by Mark Wagoner
The "wise old bird," giant owl, friend of Rebar, NPC
Tristan, 4th level druid, henchman of Warwick, played by Mark Wagoner
Binkley, cleric of Kor, NPC
Alegra's "Seasons," her 12 elite 1st-level guards, played by Kyle MacLea
Alegra's followers (staff for the Fane); Alegra's golden eagle, Guile; and Cassian's owl

[ Here is a summary of the Fane of the Winds adventure, written by Alegra Falconer,
from her perspective. If you're looking for the bardic historical document, you'll find it
elsewhere, written by Gramaliustranstalus. If you're looking for the most complete
presentation of the heart and mind of the primary Questers and the Phaulkonian Church,
you need look no further. This note is scribed on specially prepared parchment to
facilitate its preservation over time. -M ]

Continue reading "Alegra's Final Summary: The Fane of the Winds" »

Posted by Joel Green at 06:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (2)

Party Roster:

Theo, 8th level fighter, 74 hp, NPC
Rangorn, 6th level woodsman, 56 hp, played by Joel
Alegra, 9th level cleric, 40 hp, played by Kyle
Aria, 5th level cleric, 31 hp, henchman of Alegra, played by Alex
Sean, 3rd level ranger, 29 hp, henchman of Alegra (and Aria's husband),
played by Aaron
Han, 1st level woodsman, 11 hp, henchman of Rangorn, played by Katherine
Luke, 1st level woodsman/reincarnated eagle, 9 hp, henchman of Rangorn,
played by Joel

The advancement of Alegra continues!

The time: May 2187, just after the end of the Brothers' Quest with
Warwick having brought the evil cloud giants to justice, Alegra returns
home to Tan-El to deal with the rebuilding process. Things do not remain
peaceful for long

The great roc that lives in the area between Miles High, Sairt, Middle,
and Kelburn has always been a minor nuisance, not a threat to life and
limb, causing small damage and occasionally carrying off an ox or
something. Recently, however, the roc has attacked and completely
annihilated several caravans, leaving no bodies. A group of powerful
knights were sent from Kelburn to "deal with the problem" and didn't
return. As a first alternative to hiring the Daring Dozen to destroy the
roc, Alegra was contacted in the hopes of resolving the problems with the
great bird peacefully.

The druids theorized that roc had mated, or at least the pattern was
consistent with that of hatchlings. Still, no male roc had been in the
area for any length of time, and mated rocs tend to raise their young
together. The situation seemed suspicious. Was someone attempting to
frame the gigantic bird (the size of a 727)?

In order to tackle the problem, Alegra needed to determine if a fight
would be necessary. She rallied her henchmen followers and was joined by
Rangorn, fresh from the return of the Daring Dozen in the City of the
Gold. Theo stated that he would come if a fight was likely, but not
otherwise, as his duties at Tan-El keep him busy.

Continue reading "*Alegra/Rangorn* Stone Soules Sequel: Alegra's Company Saves the Roc" »

Posted by Joel Green at 06:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Party Roster:

Tobull, 8th level fighter, 103 hp, played by Kyle MacLea
Jessica, 8th level fighter, 79 hp, played by Alex Hubbard
Laire, 8th level fighter, 73 hp, played by Kyle MacLea
Nara, 8th level cleric, 64 hp, played by Katherine Plante
Gram, scholar, 56 hp, played by Kyle MacLea
Rangorn, 6th level woodsman, 56 hp, played by Joel Green
Hildebrandt, 8th level mage, 39 hp, played by Alan Turnquist
Nief, 10th level thief, 36 hp, played by Jack McKechnie
Feagol, 7th level druid, 33 hp, played by Jeff Andreou

The Daring Dozen. All seven of them stand as one. Proud noble warriors.

Abruptly aware that perhaps this Tunnel thing isn’t their cup of tea…

We pick up with a Divination cast by Nara, the 8th level Auroran cleric in the Daring Dozen. The result was that the forces of Neutral Evil are unwilling to release their hold on this location EVER.

The Dozen set out into the City of the Gods to determine the nature of various sounds and creatures we heard the last time out. First, a Speak with Dead was cast on the bodies of some adventurers we had spotted on our previous trek into the city. It should be noted that although many valuable things had been left behind, all of the magic items had been taken from the bodies. Conversation with a dead dwarf warrior revealed that the party had been hunting troglodytes and had been slaying them, when suddenly they were mysteriously attacked by the “water.” He remembered nothing after that.

Continue reading "Daring Dozen Adventure #3: Better Left Undisturbed?" »

Posted by Joel Green at 11:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Daring Dozen return in Episode Two!

Party Roster:

Tobull, 8th level fighter, 103 hp, played by Kyle MacLea
Jessica, 8th level fighter, 79 hp, played by Alex Hubbard
Laire, 8th level fighter, 73 hp, played by Kyle MacLea
Nara, 8th level cleric, 64 hp, played by Joel Green
Gram, scholar, 56 hp, played by Kyle MacLea
Rangorn, 6th level woodsman, 56 hp, played by Joel Green
Hildebrandt, 8th level mage, 39 hp, played by Sean Guarino/ Alan Turnquist
Nief, 10th level thief, 36 hp, played by Sean Guarino
Feagle, 7th level druid, 33 hp, played by Alex Hubbard

After the first panoramic view of the alien city of the Ancients, the Dozen decided to explore further. We headed down the causeway, and descended into the thick mists, reducing visibility to about 30 feet. The walkways (and for consistency, virtually everything else in the city) was built about of black stone, volcanic rock. It was noted that the water was warm and bubbly, and we could see weird shapes flying somewhere above us.

We reached the tower in the center of the lake. Thanks to Jessica’s engineering knowledge, it was decided that it was impossible to build a structure like this tower, since it was ridiculously thin for its height. About 50 feet across, it rose entirely out of the mist and high into the air.

There was some sort of window, or arrow slit, about 40 feet above us. We also noted a small hole, 1/8” thick, by 1” deep. We moved on.

Around the tower, we could travel toward the city, or toward the hillside. We decided to check out the area away from the city first. We reached an archway similar to the one that said Tan-El where we came out. Near it was a neatly stacked totem of skulls, which we believed to be dwarven (dark or not). As we approached, a huge column of black flame came out of the causeway and passed over Jessica and Tobull. Fortunately they were able to remain unlit, and merely took moderate damage and wounds. They reported that they had felt negative material energy pass over them.

It was noted that below us on the shores of the lake was a perfectly intact dock, with a perfectly intact single square sail ship.

Discouraged by the powerful trap, we turned back and headed toward the city. Suddenly, the walls loomed before us. They were 30 feet high, out of the same volcanic material. The door itself was a pair of huge single slabs of rock. On them were all sorts of scratch marks and weird runes, which were definitely not in any known language, as Nief determined.

Continue reading "Daring Dozen Summary #2: City of the Gods" »

Posted by Joel Green at 11:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Party Roster:

The Daring Dozen

Tobull, 8th level fighter, 103 hp, played by Kyle MacLea
Jessica, 8th level fighter, 75 hp, played by Alex Hubbard
Laire, 8th level fighter, 73 hp, played by Kyle MacLea
Nara, 8th level Auroran cleric, 64 hp, played by Katherine Plante
Rangorn, 6th level woodsman, 56 hp, played by Joel Green
Hildebrandt, 8th level mage, 39 hp, played by Alan Turnquist
Nief, 10th level thief, 36 hp, played by Jeremy Schichor
Feagle, 7th level druid, 33 hp, played by Jeff

and Gram, scholar, 56 hp, played by Kyle MacLea

A quick rundown of the Daring Dozen, or those remaining:

The Dozen began adventuring in 2172, right about the time Middle was
founded. They traveled to Tan-El, and in early 2173, lost 3 members to
the Sphinx in a deal gone horribly awry.

Since then they have decided to remain at no more than 12 members,
particularly in light of the Stone Soules' explosion in party size. Two
other original members were killed in separate later adventures.

The party is generally good, and quite unified. They do not have the
agenda of the Stone Soules, merely a desire for adventure and righting
wrongs.

They have replaced the 5 dead members with lower level people, ranging up
to 4th level in 2186, which is the setting of this adventure.

Xavier has already left for parts unknown by this time. Eli, Theo, and
Alegra work on the plans for the colonization of Tan-El, Eli from his
Ziggaraut. Ludo and Theo are primarily disinterested, and Theo's
conservatism weighs heavily in his opinions about the plans.

Sahrak has vanished to do something, perhaps start a travelling circus.
Raven is patrolling the forest near Tan-El for threats. The party has
essentially splintered.

Continue reading "Daring Dozen Summary #1: Dangers of the Tunnel" »

Posted by Joel Green at 11:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)