Started a new campaign this week titled ‘No Heroes’

Four adventurers origins became known through the adventurous method of character creation. The starting characters are:

Steven, Warforged(gnome) Warlock. Str 13, Con 18, Dex 13, Int 9, Wis 12, Cha 4. Begins the adventure with 135 gold, 300 XP, a new language, and +1 misc. bonus to any two untrained skills. Origin: A gnome captured by illithids and subjected to horrible experimentation. Sometime between being captured and escaping his consciousness(brain) was transferred into a power suit and he made a pact with a demon or devil. He ended up in a strange land and lived a life of luxury. All things came to an end but he learned from the experience.

Augie, Longtooth Shifter Ranger. Str 17, Con 14, Dex 11, Int 10, Wis 16, and Cha 6. Begins the adventure with 30 gold and 1015 XP. Origin: Got lost in the underdark and lived there for many years, ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time and met steven while in the gutters.

Battingu. Tiefling Bard. Str 8, Con 8, Dex 12, Int 16, Wis 9, Cha 16. Begins the adventure with 415 gold, 430 XP, +1 misc. bonus to any one class skill, a new language, and +1 misc. bonus to any two untrained skills. Origin: Sings tales of kicking ass and tricking dragons. Claims to have bested a dragon and has the gold as proof.

Shalai, Shadar-Kai Swordmage. Str 10, Con 14, Dex 5, Int 14, Wis 8, and Cha 9. Begins the adventure with 190 gold and 220 XP. Origin: Came from a small nomadic camp and started off young and on a dare by hunting a vampire that was causing her people trouble. She tried to kill the vampire and failed and got lost trying to escape. She became injured but survived and learned a hard lesson.

The session starts off at the entrance of a ruined monastery.

A group of goblin bandits have been harassing the local townspeople and there is now a sizable bounty upon their heads. 10 gold for each goblin captured dead or alive. They must be brought back into town in order to collect the bounty.

The party pics up on a few rumors while gearing up for the hunt and decided this was the most likely spot for the bandits to hideout.

XP & Treasure

As a whole the part earned 46 XP each and found two antique candle holders in decent condition and a wooden carved statue of St. Gaxyg weighing as much as two bags of rice (20 lbs.)

They ended the session beneath the ruins of the old monastery.

-kaeosdad

In this week’s episode our brave adventurers return to town to recover and do some serious haggling over the value of their loot.

Dear Diary,

I, Akmenos Surrelion IX, have fallen in with a rather scraggly band of adventurers. We met in a dungeon through which Ingo, Blotter, Jenna and your’s truly were crawling. We (and by “we” I mean everybody but me) were being chased by goblins (I just happened to want the treasure that was in the direction OTHER than the goblins). We came upon another group of adventurers who were running from skeletons, the vile creatures.

You should have seen me, diary! I flung fire like it was going out of style… even though it’s not. Sword blazing, I fought on even though Blotter was skewered by the goblins and Ingo, in his grief, left our group of Antioch. He never was much of an adventurer.

Jenna and I, however, were pleased to find that the other group of adventurers were hiring. We returned to Antioch, got rid of the odd rust man, and sold off some dead goblin bodies. 50 gold was our take, split evenly amongst the five of us. As the pay is good, we plan on returning to the goblin stronghold tomorrow to, ahem, collect.

This new group, and this new gold, will serve me well in the weeks to come, as I learn and prepare for the re-emergence of Bael Turath!

Until then, diary… Akmenos Surrelion IX

The real 4th session:

The adventuring party headed out for some exploration. The Hermit Cave was… occupied. And the “Thick, Dark Forest” is guarded… stupid crossbows. At least we took some of them out, so the trip wasn’t entirely unprofitable.

—Sable.

So, what did I miss? - Sable

Nothing hahaha! We postponed til next week. - DM Mike

Excellent, I was having trouble coming up with an adequate excuse for Jenna and I not going on the adventure other than spending the time in the hay loft together…—Sable

Heh, that was actually going to be the excuse that I was going to use. - DM Mike

So yea, we might not have all actually died, but the ones who didn’t now WISH they had. I’ll let each of you describe all that. All the characters are getting retired one way or another, that’s what’s important.

The other thing that is important is that I’ll be game mastering starting next week. I think it would be best if everyone transfered ownership of their old characters to Mike and posted their new characters to the new OP campaign, as found at the link at the bottom, using the same rules as before but you can use point buy as we discussed at the end of session 5. Mike, I think, has posted what your base starting XP should be. What you get on the origin dice will be in addition to that. I’d like the characters to know each other as part of an adventuring company that has recently moved into town after having met up in Urthos. I’ll let you all figure out what your backgrounds are and how you met. I’ll be assigning homework after each session. (this week’s is just to make a new character) I award bonuses for extra credit. I know some of you will be busy with school and such and I’ll take that into account when assigning a “grade” :)-

I think it would be cool if I was given assignments and rewards as well, such that when I jump back in as a player and create a new character as you are doing now, that character will be given XP to keep up with your characters.

And so it begins: No Heroes – Chapter Two

Too many damn toads. Then the goblins came. I escaped and tried to go back to save Battingou. Damn, it just didn’t feel right. Promised I’d come back later. Running back to town. More f*ing toads. Too many. Unconscious. Face of the frog man. Raven Queen’s hand reaches to me and I take it. Sorry Battingou.

A year ago I ran a campaign called No Heroes using the Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition rules set. It was a lot of fun but real life happens and the campaign dissolved. The previous adventure logs are from that campaign and the upcoming Ancient Irthos campaign is based on the same setting. There are a few changes but much of the original material that went unplayed is remaining the same. In spirit Ancient Irthos is a continuation of No Heroes.

For this campaign I’m switching to the Pathfinder RPG rules set which is based on D&D 3rd edition. The rules are available for free online over at D20pfsrd .

Games are scheduled for every other Friday and in game the player characters must begin and end in the safety of civilization during the game session. The reason being so that whoever shows up can play without having to figure out continuity and logistical problems, and also so that players can move the story forward online at their own pace as well.

The adventure log can be used by anyone as long as posts are all In Character and Non Combat related. Gear up, seek adventure, and explore the world online and in between games. Some ideas:

• Interact with npcs to gather information, make contacts, or just to learn more about the world.

• Keep a journal of your player character’s exploits.

• Buy/Sell equipment or craft items.

• Go on a personal quest. Collaborate with the DM to further your characters story.

Use the comments section in this adventure log to record the results for your character’s ability scores, starting wealth, and origin dice rolls.

For ability scores you can either roll 3d6, or just pick a set from the list of ability scores found in the character creation entry. Your character’s starting wealth is randomly generated based on your class. Character backgrounds are generated by rolling six sided dice on either one or two of the tables which can be found here . You may end up with extra starting gold, experience, skill bonuses, and maybe even some equipment.

Lastly you can include whatever details you want to about your character below. We’re going on an honor system here so feel free to roll the dice at home!

You arrive as part of the first wave of guilders, adventurers, nobles, and soldiers to a fledgling colony built up from the remnants of a fallen city under siege by the undead.

The tiered structures of the abandoned city of Entioch were still mostly intact, but have been reclaimed by the wild, and beaten by the near constant downpour that this region is known for. Densely packed trees as tall as the ruined buildings and complexes, along with the thick over growth made the humid shores of Terruizeng feel like nothing compared to the murky streams and steaming swamp like conditions present in these ruins.

Behind the temporary safety of the fortified colony, the new arrivals begin to make their plans. The original colonists of House Asendo were none too happy about requiring aid from their rival houses and the division and tension between is tolerated. For now action is required, the undead threat is rumored to have been unleashed while exploring the ruins and is said to have been growing quickly as time passes. The source of these unholy creatures must be found and destroyed.

We are meeting up on Friday March 26 4pm over the wailua hale. The game begins @5pm.

We have a full party of 5 adventurers signed up! Kase, Logan, Skyler, Jon, and Amy. If anyone else is interested I think I could handle one more player, just send me a message.

If everyone shows up we have 7 players(open to more players as long as I’m given advanced notice, curious as to how much exactly is too much) which could be hectic, especially since this is my first run with the Pathfinder rules set.

Plan for a 4 hour game(with short breaks here and there) ending at 10:30pm and bring some food/drinks to share if possible.

Since it’s a new rules set we’ll try to make snap judgments on the fly and focus on keeping the game rolling. Mistakes are inevitable but I’m sure we’ll be able to make the best of it.

Please have your character ready before the game begins. Feel free to bring your laptop/netbook, notebooks, and pencils, basically whatever you use to keep track of your character sheet or access the rules. If you have any questions about your character the best way to contact me is on this site(I lost my phone again).

See you guys on Friday!

Kionda Asendo was the favored son of House Asendo. Ten years ago he led the initial expedition to the ruins of Entioc and gained much wealth and prestige amongst his halfling kin when he recovered evidence of the lost tomes of Telio, rumored to contain the secrets of transversing the realms, in the form of a single well preserved volume.

From the tome, the mystics of the great house gained enough insights into the multiverse and it’s fundamental and transitive planes to develop powerful rituals that pierced the planar veils. The shadow portals used by the rulers of Terruizeng to quickly mobilize their armed forces are a result of this achievement.

It was Kionda who also led the colonization of Entioch. In less than a year with the aid of his followers and companions they had crossed the Onesu mountain range and established an outpost on the northeastern edge of the fallen city. In less than a year Kionda disappeared.

Thanks to everyone that made it to the first game session of the Ancient Irthos campaign. As promised the xp rewards can be found here

The next game session is tentatively scheduled for Friday, April 30th 5:30 pm the wailua hale.

I’m also interested in running some online game sessions, possibly a bi-weekly thing. I will be posting any dates/times that I am available tomorrow night.

OOC: So when are we getting together next? This should be the deadline for figuring out what we want to do for an adventure. Edit this page when new information is available. Also, everyone edit this page for your character’s portion of the IC description.

IC: Jebwick and crew are recovering from their trip into the wilds of Entioc. Gathered in their guild quarters common room, they relax and exchange stories of what happened from each of their perspectives. Jebwick smokes his pipe and talks about how he hardly even realized anything was happening except that everyone ran off leaving him to deal with the wagons in the rain. “Probably better that way actually. If I had come face to face with one of those monsters I’d have needed to change my pants.” he says while looking at the oracle playing with his hollowed out cave fisher claw, snapping it at Eric, taunting him. “Heck, without Eric with us, we very well might have not made it back here at all!” He raises his mug of mead in salute.

“So when are we going back out there and what do we hope to accomplish this time? I’ve gotten a couple of supplies I was lacking for doing a proper map of things this time. Although, with that mist, it’ll be tough doing the surveying properly.”

After much pointless deliberation I finally convinced the group of guilders that were interested in heading out today to come with me to the southgate and continue exploring the building where we’d cleared out some cave fishers. I really wanted to get that all measured and mapped out properly. I modified one of the wheels on my carriage to measure the distance we traveled. I think that is a great invention that will eventually be put on all carriages. Just imagine being able to easily look and see such information as how long you’ve been riding for the day or how many miles you’ve been using the same set of wheels and do they need to be replaced yet? Great potential. But I digress.

Sevearn felt too exhausted after yesterday’s activities to drive my carriage today. She felt since I was only heading out to take measurements and Erik was coming that I’d do fine on my own. Getting wet from the rain and mist didn’t seem to bother me as much as it did yesterday. I guess I was just too excited from having my first taste of battle and adventure yesterday slaying the cave fishers to notice such inconsequential things as the weather. I think I am really going to enjoy this.

So, it was left to Erik, Lyreth and companion, Jan, Phae, Calro and I returning to the southgate. Oh, and “Zip” finished getting his initial work done with his alchemy lab back at the guild hall so he decided to join us. I’m glad he did. His explosives were quite impressive.

When we got to the Temple (as I’d discovered it must be from some research I did in Gilgrol the Wizard’s mobile library) we discovered we were a bit hasty in our conclusion that the cave fishers were the primary occupant. A very upset gargoyle accosted us and claimed we’d killed its pets. We may live in very liberal times, what with the dwarves living on the surface and orc halfbreeds living in harmony with the other races, but I don’t think fearsome monsters like gargoyles really have the kind of right to lay claim to such historical monuments as these. Between Zip’s bombs and Erik doing a flying leap right off the side of the bridgeway, the gargoyle didn’t stand a chance.

We quickly moved on to exploring the interior of the temple. We didn’t get very far before we came across a nest of giant centipedes. Disgusting creatures. Again, Zip and Eric dispatched them. The rest of us did our part as well. I even got one of them with a dart… I don’t think it did much more than distract it so Erik could cleave it in half.

Through the centipede nest we went down some stairs and into another room where we discovered some long forgotten automatons still futilely trying to follow their instructions of manufacturing extra parts for their repair. Zip and I managed to shut them down, a mercy really, we loaded them up on the wagons to take back to Gartanu. I think we might be able to repair one or two of them. They really are just fascinating constructs.

We had just finished with loading when Zohrell sensed an aproching storm and we felt it would be best to get back to the safety of Gartanu for the rest of the day. After checking in on my sister to see if she was feeling better, I spent the evening visiting with Gilgrol and reading through a few books. I hope the storm passes soon and we can make another trip out in the next few days.

DM: The sun sets as the party returns to the safety of the colony’s fortified walls. In the central plaza the lanes and streets between the makeshift shelters and tents are choked with other returnees that also ventured out for the day. Soon night will come and with it the restless dead.

As routine the Terruizengan abjurers set about the task of warding the outer grounds during the twilight and eventually sealing all gateways with arcane glyphs and runes of protection. The gates never open once the sun goes down.

Upon arriving at the guildhall Xyoen orders the henchmen to unload and secure the carts and draft beasts. “Ah friends, a timely arrival! The others are already inside and supper has been prepared. Come in, come in. We have some important matters to discuss tonight.” Xyoen assigns three henchmen with the task of bringing fresh clothes and maintaining your party’s equipment before excusing himself and heading off towards the central plaza.

A short time later and the henchmen leads you all into the common area where smells of roasted boar and vegepygmy stew fills the air. The other guilders are already eating and regaling tales of the day:

One party consisting of the dwarven noble Oquet; the halfling warrior Sach; a human mystic Boern; and the shifter druid Hearb ventured over the bridge to the west in search of the shadow malignancy, they did not get very far before coming upon the ruins of a small ramshackle settlement.

• ”...haunts spooked Majehluhn, the crazy bastard ran off into the woods. We tried to catch him but he disappeared!”
• ”...strangest thing, the whole tower was empty, but it was obvious there must’ve been four, maybe five dozen folk living there for years. They couldn’t have left more than a few days past…”
• ”...the shadows kept shifting, nobody else would believe me then that short fella started speaking gibberish before sprinting off…”

A second party, this one led by the renowned ranger Falsias and his followers of battered looking warriors and scouts headed north acting upon rumors of the mad wizard’s ancient hoard. Only half their numbers returned.

• “nothing but draconic spawn and little blue demon born out there. shifty little runts barely half my height.”
• “it’s not those infernal fecks that vexed us, some sort of twisted magic warps the forest. the trees moved…”
• ”...don’t know what happened to the rest of the party, they may still be alive. was the work of Avandra that we made it out of those woods.”

Some other would be adventurers were stuck for the day with the unfortunate tasks of gathering food and guarding caravans and had much less spectacular stories to share.

[OOC: feel free to interact with the NPCs, or tell your own story In Character below. I’ll keep up as best as I can with the replies. No set date for the next game session, but here’s a good place as any to gather information, make some cash, and possibly go on a sidequest for some extra xps.]

Tahnith (Barkeep): “Hey! It’s Lyreth. Haven’t seen you in a couple o’ days.”

Lyreth: “We’ve been busy.”

T “Runnin’ in to trouble have ya?”

L “Not too much.”

T “Sariah told me about those cave-crab-spider things you guys took out.”

L “Yeah, well we went back today. This time we got ready before we got too close. A gargoyle flew overhead, and landed above the doorway. Started speaking abyssal at us. Luckily, Phae understood him, more or less. Apparently those cave fishers were his pets. He said something about leave now, but Erik charged the door. So of course the cave fishers shot at him. Luckily they missed, because the gargoyle came back, oh right, an alchemist named Zip or something like that came with us today. At any rate, the gargoyle came down and hit Zip pretty hard. Erik came running back, and I had Zohrell move around to fight the gargoyle. I used a spell to enlarge him putting a barrier between Zip and the gargoyle. Phae was trying to talk to him, saying something about negotiations, when Erik cut off the majority of one of its wings. It tried to get away and fell into the river. So the oracle tied a rope to Erik, and he jumped after it. We hoisted him up gargoyle in tow, and headed inside. Not much excitement after that. Zohrell, Erik, and Zip took out some rather large centipedes, and we found some broken down constructs. Zohrell sensed something coming with the night, and we headed back. Anything exciting around here today?” .....

-Player character guilders Lyreth, Zorel, Phae, Deed, and Frederick returns from their ventures to the north.

-The rest of the player characters are spending the day doing either mundane tasks for Xyoen, or taking care of personal business in town.

DM: It is early, barely second breakfast when the guilders return from their expedition to the north. Gartanu appears mostly deserted, most of the residents being gone for the day gathering food, fortifying the settlement, general tasks and what not, not to mention the other guilders and rivals venturing into the unknown.

(OOC: The next two game sessions will take place on day 4. Use the comments area below to explore, gather info, etc. Alternatively click here to start a new thread.)

DM: As usual the gates of Gartanu are sealed and the outer grounds warded for protection throughout the night. The already dimmed light that fights to penetrate the plasteel dome above the central plaza begins to fade. It is night, and much like it has been over the past week, the central plaza is bustling with activity.

Several of you might be in the Guild Hall, recovering, boasting stories, training, or possibly planning for your next expedition.

Others may be wandering the makeshift streets of the central plaza, it’s ever changing bazaar of goods foraged, pillaged, and reclaimed from the surrounding ruins. You’ve heard that Berrotuttle Brew’s near the south gate has been a reliable source for rumors. The Dark Market Square square auction starts in a few hours and the booths and stalls that surrounds the dark wooden stage always has interesting things for sale.

It is early still, plenty of time to explore the colony. What do you do?

The player characters have fourteen hours until the gates open back up. It takes eight to rest without having to make a Con check vs. exhaustion. Not sure what to do? Here’s a list of possibilities to get started. Either leave a comment below or start a new aventure log describing what your character is doing and I will update your character’s status in the wiki.

After the last adventure Calro has found a new hatred for goblins. Their attack on his dog in an attempt to steal the adventurers wagons has angered Calro to the point of making a vow to destroy all goblins. He now seeks a way to gain more power in the magic arts of the flame.

4 hours pass as Calro searches for his brother. He finds Gayle sitting at a table in the tavern.

Calro: “I need more power. I can no longer stand behind and watch while everyone fights. If only I were stronger those goblins would not have gotten away.”

Gayle: “Ha ha. I see so the goblins have managed to get to you. Listen brother you fight well, don’t be so hard on yourself. One man can only do so much.. Sigh I will help you but only this once.. If you get to overpowered the fire will burn you to ash. I heard someone in the market speaking of a rod of flames. I believe his name was Mihael . You should find him in the North Gate District.”

Calro: “Thank you brother. How about a drink for the help?”

Gayle: “Ha Ha I’ll take two.”

Calro: “Fine, but only because you’re family”

---

Diplomacy check results

Hours spent gathering information

Arcana check results

I’ll update it when I get more info.

Phae @ Quolp: “Hey Quolp, I feel as though I have much more to learn about being a witch. I once had a friend who taught me a lot, before we were forced out of town. I mean, I only just learned how to feather fall!! What have you learned so far?? Perhaps Franky could make friends with your lizard so we can share spells? I hope they get along!”

She decides to search for a coven in the area, for her only witch friend at home (Shakra) told her about the safety and acceptance which she felt as a part of one. Unfortunately she was driven away from Shakra when her community found out that Shakra was practicing witchcraft. One day she hopes to find her, as she still thinks of her as an older sister. Phae hopes to find a coven that is home to good witches, she would rather remain clueless than to consort with evil doers!

Back in town Phae begins to search for a coven so she can continue her training. She thinks to herself, “Where should I begin?” and hopes for a sign from Desna. She also wonders what magical device they helped save. If she searches for an hour or two with no luck, she plans on trying to craft something with the magical stones they uncovered last adventure.

After his loss of his two mules and his dog Calro becomes furious with the goblins. He wants more power now then ever. He unpacks everything and thinks of how to acquire this power. He cannot go back to searching for Mihael because of the incident two days ago. He then realizes he has Kobalds that he can train to become allies on the battlefield. He decides to begin the training and tries to befriend them.

(Let me know if this can be done. I was thinking of having them fight with me and such.)

It is early still but the pub is packed. Just outside the bar and a short raggedly clothed person rudely grabs Phae’s shoulder and pulls her towards him. “You, you are from House Sargon? I have something to give you.” His voice is hoarse, his words spoken brokenly and through a heavy breath.

A glint of steel catches Phae’s eye she screams and just then Franky leaps onto the short mans face. Obscenities fly as the short man stabs wildly at the toad who immediately jumps away to safety. Phae quickly backs away, but a crowd has already gathered.

Phae: “What is it that you have for me? Please leave Franky alone, sir. He is simply trying to protect me.” Phae calls on Desna for help and summons her riding dog just in case

Calro quickly pulls up his hood so he cannot be identified and hastily walks over to Phae and whispers to her.

Calro: “Let’s not start a fight, It could cause us problems.”

---

DM: Upon arrival Phae’s riding dog barks menacingly at the surrounding crowd. A quick glance around, the ragged figure is nowhere to be seen. Phae’s dog growls, her gaze no fixed upon any target. Several drunkards shout jeers and obscenities, shouting for someone to put the dog down. No one is making a move just yet, but a lewd guilder yells at the dog to shut up.