Nethril Campaign Log

[Zyraen]

Nethril Campaign Log

For the Greater Good

Log Page 1

1.1 Caravan Escort
1.2 Seek and You Shall Find - 120

2.1 Turning the Tables - 35
2.2 Revenge! - 40

3.1 Going Green - 61
3.2 Spiders, Spiders, Everywhere...

4.1 Headcount - 80
4.2 Disentangled - 50
4.3 Making Ends Meet - 325
4.4 Saving Graces - 10

5.1 Sell Your Lives Dearly - 180
5.2 Revenge! Reprisal - 70
5.3 Headhunting - 110
5.4 Onward to Fang - 300

Subtotal: 1381 Gp + 100 Start

6.1 Walk in the Dark - 290
6.2 New Frontiers - 500
6.3 Getting Around - 50
6.4 We are the Champions - 790

7.1 Farewell to Fang - 140
7.2 Harness the Sea - 80 + Water Elemental Cubes
7.3 Underworld Passage - 130, -180 to all (including absent)
7.4 Cell Group Meeting

8.1 Mission Possible - 150
8.2 Casiorn - 80

9.1 Digging Deep - 325
9.2 Off the Beaten Track - 230 + 240 for Bulettes
9.3 Journey Down Under - 170
9.4 At the End of Each Tunnel - 330

10.1 Return to Fang - 330
10.2 Siding with Nethril - 300

===================

The number on the left indicates the Character Level of the Arc.
ie For session 2.1, the party was Lv 2.

Usually in the last Session of an Arc, the characters level up. However, they were still actually 1 Level lower during the session.
ie For session 3.2, the party was Lv 3 during the session. They go up to Lv 4 after the Session, hence "Party Level 4" is in Red.
Note the last session always counts as a "Session XP" for the NEXT level.
Hence Session 3.2 does not count as "1 Session" to increase from Lv 3 to Lv 4, but rather as 1 session to increase from Lv 4 to Lv 5.

For more details on Character Related Rules, such as pertaining to Character Creation, Level Up and Items, please see
unboundgames.proboards.com/thread/282/character-related-rules-deities

03 July : Major Edit. split off all Character Rules/Related Information to separate topic, and renumbered the Arcs so that each Arc is a more complete story/quest on its own, instead of ending on the first session of the next Arc.

[Zyraen]

1.1 Caravan Escort
30-Apr-14 (Wednesday)

The Heroes travelled to the rising empire of Nethril in search of adventure and an opportunity to make their mark in a potentially powerful kingdom. Nethril is ruled by a Council of Mages, affectionately called a Magocracy, and they govern from the capital city of Nethril. It is said that they inhabit a wondrous flying castle of crystalline spires and slender towers and ivory pinnarets. Indeed, Nethril is known even outside its borders for the ability to harness the raw powers of magic and make it reliable, containable even for regular peasants to use, improving the lifestyle of its people, at least those who can afford to have such items.

The Heroes do not head straight away move to the capital city of Nethril, but instead find themselves in a "border" city called Zethran, so named for the Mage that supposedly governs the city. While checking out the inn and keeping a card shark busy, the Heroes befriend an elf druid called Dartanion, who seeks to find the source of deforestation activities initiated by the city-dwellers at a forest in the Northwest.

The Heroes then respond to a call for help from the Engineering department. The Chief Engineer tells them that supply caravans being sent to a project site outside town have been regularly attacked and raided by Goblins. It is interesting that they would loot the supplies even though they might not seem of use to typical goblins, and those who do not die in the raids are not finished off, with a generally high rate of survival. Nonetheless, the Chief Engineer requests the Heroes to escort the next caravan safely to the project site, and after some haggling, agree on a 80 Gp reward per head.

The Heroes accompany the caravan and during the journey, the rogues attempt to lockpick a secure supply box with very unsuccessful results. The caravan was later attacked by goblins in the night, accompanied by wolves and a female elf. Despite the caravan guards being quickly knocked out, the Heroes manage to carry the day and thanks to Magic Missile, to capture the elf before she could escape.

Characters (Players) - Party Level 1
L1 Item - Eladrin Swordmage (Shaun) : 1 / X XP 1
L1 Item - Eladrin Warlock/Shaman (Andy) : 1 / X XP 1
L1 Item - Elf Mage (Melvin) : 1 / X XP 1
L1 Item - Human Thief (Gabriel) : 1 / X XP 1
L1 Item - Tiefling Rogue (Nicholas) : 1 / X XP 1
L1 Item - New Char XP : 0.5 / X XP 1

Loot
Human Thief: +5 Gp (won from card shark)
Tiefling Rogue: +4 Gp (stole from card shark while he was distracted)
Eladrin Warlock/Shaman: -2 Gp (bought a drink for Dartanion)

[Zyraen]

1.2 Seek and You Shall Find
12-May-14 (Monday)

While the guards were unconscious, the Heroes bashed open the sealed supply box they failed to pick earlier, and found special engineering tools along with some cubes that seemed to contain separate fragments of subdued Air Elementals. They then questioned the captured elf, who turned out to be a druid by the name of Laurelin. She says that they had tried to reason with the humans at the project site to halt the deforestation, to no avail. One of the druids has gone to the city to find out who to talk to regarding the matter, and in meantime they used to goblins to waylay supplies so as to stop their efforts in clearing away parts of the forest. While she mentioned effort taken to spare survivors and those who surrendered, she did not seem particularly bothered that occasionally some might die in the course of a raid.

Meantime, their other captive - a bugbear - broke free of his bonds and attempted to attack the Mage watching him. The Mage reacted on time to magic missile him back to oblivion. After debate whether or not to kill him, they elected to free him, and attempted to drive him mad by using some magic to make him think he was wearing something else.

The Heroes took Laurelin and the Caravan to the project site, where the engineering staff quickly claimed the supplies, especially the box. The Heroes found one of the engineering supervisers, who told them to return to Zethran to claim their reward as an attempt to send them away without spending money. However, the Heroes insisted on being paid, and while threatening to burn down the tent along with many plans regarding the project, the Superviser caved in to the higher price demanded and paid each one of those present - including Laurelin - 100 Gp each. The Heroes later claimed the 100 Gp from Laurelin but returned the Gp they had took from her while she was unconscious. She departed observing that indeed, there was little meaningful negotiation at the project site, and the Heroes were more focused on enriching themselves.

On the way back to Zethran, the Heroes stopped by the scene of their encounter with goblins and tried to track them to the hideout. They made good headway, until in the middle they were attacked by a Rage Drake, a large wingless beast that did not seem native to this relatively sparser part of the forest, and which seemed to attack intelligently. Thanks to the Defender and good positioning, the Rage Drake did not pose that much of a threat. Meantime, the Rogue finally spotted a stealthy panther seemingly focused on directing the Rage Drake from a distance, and even as the rest of the party took out the Rage Drake, he managed to knock the panther unconscious, and its form reverted to that of a male Elf Druid.

Characters (Players) - Party Level 2
Level Up! L1 Item - Eladrin Artificer/Swordmage (Shaun) : 1 / X XP 2
Level Up! L1 Item - Eladrin Warlock/Shaman (Andy) : 1 / X XP 2
Level Up! L1 Item - Elf Mage (Melvin) : 1 / X XP 2
Level Up! L1 Item - "L", Human Thief (Gabriel) : 1 / X XP 2
Level Up! L1 Item - Tiefling Rogue (Nicholas) : 1 / X XP 2
Level Up! L1 Item - New Char XP : 0 / X XP 2

Loot
Those Present: +120 Gp Each (reward for Arc 1)

[Zyraen]

2.1 Turning the Tables
04-Jun-14 (Wednesday)

The Heroes interrogated the captured druid and he told them he was part of a circle of druids, which was at least 8-9 strong, possibly more. After Laurelin had informed him of the Heroes, he brought the Rage Drake out from the deeper parts of the forest to act as a defensive patrol. In return for his freedom, he offered to brew some healing potions for them, and though the Ranger detected him considering to add some extra purple herbs, he did not and delivered the potions as promised. They also asked him for the herbs, which they saw had numbing properties to stave off pain, but also affected the use of Encounter powers, and he offered them to the Heroes, before being set free.

The Heroes proceeded further along the tracks and found the goblins had holed up in an abandoned old ruined fort that was 3 storeys high. After almost getting shot at by goblin archers while skirting the open area in front to approach via the back door, the Heroes decided to withdraw and wait for another raiding party to depart and return with loot before ambushing them beyond sight of the goblin fort.

There was some initially hard hits from the bugbear leading the goblins, but they managed to capture them and gained information about the numbers still in the fort. They also opened two of the captured supply boxes, recovering 5 cubes with Air Elemental fragments, and the canny swordmage told them it might be possible to free the Air Elemental inside via a Ritual. If summoned in the fort and left unmolested, it might rise up from lower levels upwards, possibly dislodging or maybe even flushing out most of ther goblins. However, they were also reluctant to forgo the reward that the engineers might offer for the cubes.

They decided to repeat the same trick and laid another ambush for a search party. Eventually came another troop of goblins, led by a spear-wielding Hobgoblin this time, and the Heroes sprung their trap, defeating the goblins with very much greater ease.

It seems there were only 8 goblins along with 1 sneaky bug-bear and 1 "little-boss" remaining in the fort.

Characters (Players) - Party Level 2
L1 Item - Eladrin Artificer/Swordmage (Shaun) : 2 / X XP 2
L1 Item - Eladrin Warlock/Shaman (Andy) : 2 / X XP 2
L1 Item - "L", Human Thief (Gabriel) : 2 / X XP 2
L1 Item - Tiefling Rogue (Nicholas) : 2 / X XP 2
L1 Item - Dwarf Cleric (Aloysius) : 1 / X XP 2
L1 Item - Eladrin Ranger (Raphael) : 1 / X XP 2
L1 Item - New Char XP : 0.5 / X XP 2

Loot
3 Healing Potions (Surge + 1d6) from Druid (4 gained, 1 used by "L".)
Party: 35 Gp (Loot from Goblins)
5 AE Cubes
2 Axes
1 Spiked Mace

[Zyraen]

2.2 Revenge!
11-Jun-14 (Wednesday)

The Heroes interrogated the hobgoblin for information, though being a stoic soldier type, he showed himself a rather tough nut to crack. He mentioned that he had seen druids before, but took no orders from them, only from the "little-boss" that had hired him. After they tortured him, he caved in a little to tell them about some traps in the ceiling of the first floor, and the Tiefling Rogue he had earlier insulted accepted his challenge to a duel. He managed to get one hit off before being caught in by wrathful flames, his last words along the lines of "Cheater!"

The Heroes carried on to the fort, and stealthily got to the back entrance near the forest line. From there they lockpicked open the old lock and charged into the midst of 6 goblins that had been variously eating and playing dice. One of the goblins was immediately felled, while another retreated upstairs, and as the rest took their shots, part of the ceiling collapsed on top of one of the Heroes. From the hole in the ceiling, they could see 3 goblins firing down from the second floor, along with a goblin hexer wielding a tall verdant staff that seemed to be joined to his wrist via a vine to a leafy bracelet, which was used to summon shredding thorns to burst up from the ground under the Heroes' feet. When one of the Heroes sneaked up the stairs to the second floor to get a better shot at the goblins, and was garotted from behind by a Bugbear Strangler. Things were looking grim, but boosted by the protective magics of their Shaman, and pulling out all stops by using their strongest abilities and most of their healing, the Heroes finally to whittle down the number of goblins and claim a hard fought victory. They also prevented the hexer from fleeing, knocking him and the strangler out so they could question them later.

In the aftermath, the cowardly Hexer told them everything they asked so he could live, and they searched the highest level of the ruined fort where he said his treasure was, collecting 240 Gp worth of baubles in this fashion. The Ranger also wisely decided to search a hatch in the basement that the goblins threw their useless loot, and found a lot of engineering tools, as well as 3 more Air Elemental Cubes.

The Heroes sought to claim the Verdant staff that was joined to the Hexer's wrist, only to realize that it was exerting a strong Dominating Effect on the Goblin Hexer. With some care they managed to cut the staff free, and falling to the ground it reverted to a shorter, familiar seeming rod-form, similar to what they saw carried by Dartanion (see 1.1). The Hexer seemed to awaken as if from a dream, seeming to noticing for the first time the sight of the many dead goblins around, and ran over to mourn his comrades. They found out he got the staff from a druid whose description seemed similar to Laurelin, and that his actions in spearheading the raids was likely due to the influence of the staff. Hence the Heroes took pity on him, even releasing him and the Bugbear who was the only other survivor. The Heroes then decided to venture deeper into the forest to locate and destroy the Druids, and asked the goblin hexer if he would like to join them, to which he and the Bugbear agreed.

Characters (Players) - Party Level 3
Level Up! L1 L3 Item - Eladrin Artificer/Swordmage (Shaun) : 1 / X XP 3
Level Up! L1 L3 Item - Eladrin Warlock/Shaman (Andy) : 1 / X XP 3
Level Up! L1 L3 Item - "L", Human Thief (Gabriel) : 1 / X XP 3
Level Up! L1 L3 Item - Tiefling Rogue (Nicholas) : 1 / X XP 3
Level Up! L1 L3 Item - Dwarf Cleric (Aloysius) : 0 / X XP 3
Level Up! L1 L3 Item - Eladrin Ranger (Raphael) : 0 / X XP 3
L1 Item - New Char XP : 1 / 2 XP 2

Note that those who "Level Up" gain a Level 3 Magical Item

Loot
(Below is Carried Forward from previous, except for Gold)
1 Healing Potions (Surge + 1d6) from Cat-Druid (1 used by Tiefling Rogue, 1 used by "L".)
8 AE Cubes
2 Axes
1 Spiked Mace (Dwarf Cleric)
1 Spear (Tiefling Rogue)
1 Garotte ("L")
1 Verdant Rod/Staff, wrapped in cloth
Those Present: +40 Gp Each (Loot from Goblin Tower)

[Zyraen]

3.1 Going Green
25-Jun-14 (Wednesday)

Prior to seeking out the Druid Grove, the Heroes decide to head back to Zethran to restock their supplies, and to get some reward from the Chief Engineer. Since goblins were unlikely to be welcome in the city, Zimvit the Goblin Hexer and Stompa the Bugbear Executioner split off to find one other survivor that they gathered would be present.

As the Heroes drew near to Zethran, they noticed that Daniel the Chief Engineer was travelling alone, riding a horse at a canter along the road, with a raven on his shoulder. He did not seem to recognize them initially, and spoke in short, stunted sentences, seemingly in a daze. The Heroes sensed he was being controlled by an outside force, and one of them spotted a spectral wolf tailing in the underbrush along the side of the wood. The Heroes decided to speak to the raven, who replied in common, explaining that the Chief Engineer was on his way to disband the engineers camped at the project site, and this was unavoidable for the sake of the forest. Despite the stubborness in the raven's tone, the Heroes carried on with reasonable suggestions, including asking the Druids to help the engineers bypass the forest via a tunnel under it, or a wooded platform over it. The raven agreed to the latter suggestion, provided the Heroes could convince the Chief Engineer once released from his control.

Once the Chief Engineer regained himself, he quickly got off the horse, while confused about how he came to this part of the forest. The Heroes returned 4 recovered AE Cubes to him for a decent reward, and also brought up the idea of building the rails over a wooded platform that the Druids could raise for them, holding back the information that the Druids had been partly responsible for the goblin raids. He seemed intrigued by the idea, and asked to meet the Druid in his office for more details, before returning to the city. After he had left, Dartanion (see 1.1) emerged from the undergrowth, thanking the Heroes and volunteering a reward of gold, and also receiving back from them the Verdant Rod that had been used to control the Goblin Hexer. He then left to return back to Zethran, for conclusive discussion with Daniel.

As the Heroes headed back towards the forest area after having made peace with the Druids, they debated whether to kill off their erstwhile goblin allies, but in the end decided to direct them away from this area. Soon enough, the two goblins returned with an extra surviving Bugbear (see 2.1), and the Heroes directed them to a vale in the north reaches of Nethril, not too far from the North-east side of the forest, where there were numerous disjointed goblin tribes. At Stompa's hinting, Zimvit acknowledged that the Heroes would probably not help them without gold as incentive, and stated his intention to return to destroy the Druids in the future.

After getting a message via a dove, the Heroes went deeper into the forest in search of adventure, and were met by the druid they had previously captured from the form of a panther (see 2.1, 2.2). He introduced himself as Valeren, and requested their help in dealing with a Fey Crossing in the forest from which spiders from the Feydark tunnels were passing through, and he did not want them mixing with the natural spider populace and spawn larger, more vicious spiders native to this world. The Fey Crossing was beneath the earth so he needed the Heroes to thin out the spiders on top before they could venture underground, and to protect him while he closed the crossing.

The Heroes agreed, receiving 6 potions as "advance" payment for the favour, and proceeded to beat senseless spiders that emerged from the ground. Due to some initial setbacks, they were almost overwhelmed by the number of spiders, but selfless heroics and fortune especially favouring the Tiefling Rogue saw them snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

Characters (Players) - Party Level 3
L1 L3 Item - Human Artificer/Swordmage (Shaun) : 2 / X XP 3
L1 L3 Item - Eladrin Warlock/Shaman (Andy) : 2 / X XP 3
L1 L3 Item - Tiefling Rogue (Nicholas) : 2 / X XP 3
L1 L3 Item - Dwarf Cleric (Aloysius) : 1 / X XP 3
L1 L3 Item - Eladrin Ranger (Raphael) : 1 / X XP 3
Level Up! L1 L3 Item - Human Wizard (Qabir) : 0 / X XP 3
AFK / L1 L3 Item - "L", Human Thief (Gabriel) : 1.5 / X XP 3
L1 Item - New Char XP : 1.5 / 2 XP 2

Loot
(Below is Carried Forward from previous, except for Gold)
4 Healing Potions (Surge + 1d6) from Valeren (gained 6 prior to Spider battle. used 3)
4 AE Cubes (returned 4 Cubes to for 160 Gp)
Dwarf Cleric: +2 Gp (Spiked Mace sold)
Tiefling Rogue: +2 Gp (Longspear sold)
"L" Human Thief: +31 Gp (Garotte sold for +1, +30 Gp for earlier Quest completion despite AFK)
Those Present: +61 Gp Each (246 Gp. 160 Gp for returning 4 AE Cubes, 80 Gp Reward from Dartanion, 6 Gp from selling 2 Axes)

Special
For negotiating peace with the Druids, each Hero (including those AFK) get a special Boon of their choosing. Link to be updated. unboundgames.proboards.com/thread/280/boon-life

[Zyraen]

3.2 Spiders, Spiders, Everywhere...
01-Jul-14 (Tuesday)

As the Heroes rested from their battle, they received a Boon of Life from a deity known as the Lady, presumably at the conclusion of successful agreement between Dartanion and Daniel. Since the Lady was distinctly different from Melora, the usual goddess of nature and wilderness, the Heroes tried to figure out more information about her. One of the more learned among them recalled that the Lady was the new Goddess that had succeeded Pelor, the previous God of Hope, Life, Sun. While initially secretive about her name, eventually would-be supplicants of her domains found she responded to prayers to "the Lady", hence the moniker stuck. She is regarded as a Good deity, though she responds to prayers even from savage races, and has affinity with the deities Corellon, Erathis, Ioun, Melora, Sehanine. When asked about it, Valeren noted that some of the druids of his grove also worship the Lady, and they say she has a strong love for greenery. He also provided them 2 more Potions if they should need it for the next part.

The Heroes accompanied Valeren beneath the earth, where they came across not 1 but 3 minor Fey Crossings through which the spiders entered. Unfortunately, 3 large Phase Spiders emerged from the portals and struck first from the darkness, blocking the way to the portals. More spiders then a giant Scorpion joined in the fray, and with Valeren and the Heroes still not moving to close the portals, even more spiders joined in the fray. It was a difficult and grueling battle beneath the earth, and the day might have been lost if not for the timely use of a protective warding from the party Shaman that negated almost all of the Poison, and for the continued efforts of the incredibly heroic Defender, who kept the Scorpion and nearby spiders focused on himself, even as he went down again, and again, and again...

Eventually the Heroes and Valeren managed to seal off all the Fey Crossings, and the druid expressed his most heartfelt thanks, offering to reward them in either the form of Potions or Gold, to which they chose the latter.

Characters (Players) - Party Level 4
Level Up! L1 L3 L4 Item - Human Artificer/Swordmage (Shaun Kam) : 1 / X XP 4
Level Up! L1 L3 L4 Item - Eladrin Warlock/Shaman (Andy) : 1 / X XP 4
Level Up! L1 L3 L4 Item - Eladrin Ranger (Raphael) : 0 / X XP 4
L1 L3 Item - Human Warlock (Qabir) : 1 / 2 XP 3
Level Up! L1 L3 Item - Human Wizard (Shaun Ong) : 0.5 / 2 XP 3
AFK / L1 L3 Item - Tiefling Rogue (Nicholas) : 2.5 / 2 XP 3
AFK / L1 L3 Item - "L", Human Thief (Gabriel) : 2.0 / 2 XP 3
AFK / L1 L3 Item - Dwarf Cleric (Aloysius) : 1.5 / 2 XP 3
Level Up! L1 L3 Item - New Char XP : 0 / 2 XP 3

Note that EVERYONE increases their Character to Level 4.

For those new to 4E, when you go from Level 3 to 4, you gain +4-6 HP (depending on Role), +1 to all Defenses, Attacks, Skills, Init, 1 New Feat, and +1 to any 2 separate Stats (Dex, Con, etc). This is a good time to print a new Character Sheet. You may also wish to possible select and print your Lv 5 Daily Power in advance, and your Level 4 and 5 Item in advance. For those who need help, please let me know.

Loot
(Below is Carried Forward from previous, except for Gold)
4 AE Cubes
3 Healing Potions (Surge + 1d6)(gained 2 prior to Spider battle, used 3.)
Those Present: 2 Special Healing Potions per Character (Surge + 1d6 + 5THP. After you drink it, until End of your Next Turn you cannot use Encounter and Daily powers) as reward from Valeren for completing his Quest.
Tiefling Rogue, Dwarf Cleric: 2 Special Healing Potions each (as above) as reward from Valeren for helping with earlier part of his Quest.

[Zyraen]

4.1 Headcount
10-Jul-14 (Thursday)

The Heroes then departed the Druids' area of the forest, and were approached by a band of armed Elves. The leader identified himself as Varanius, a captain of the Elven kingdom's military, and who was concerned that activities of the Druids might be confrontational. The Heroes tactfully refrained from mentioning any damning involvement of the Druids, and that the situation was expected to have been resolved. They also asked if Varanius was willing to pay them to do anything, to which he obliged by sending them to kill off a few trolls at 30 Gp per head.

After they returned, he revealed his real mission for them, explaining that there was a known coven of 4 hags, who were also involved to various degrees with the Druid Circle. They are almost always in their abode, but he suspects that one may be masquerading as a senior Druid in the Circle to control the organization, and tasked the Heroes to go to their abode and find out how many hags were present - noting their appearance as well - then report back to him.

The Heroes approached the swampy area where the hags made their home, and were greeted by an elf lady called Karanin. They feigned needing a place for their injured to recover, and she let them into a small guest room to rest. The heroes' mage, Mystic Tim, flirted with her and managed to stir her interest. He daringly asked her to introduce him to her family, thus she led him alone into the depths of the tree-based abode, introducing him to her two sisters who are present, Saranin and Laranin. Though he came close to having his intentions revealed while alone in an unfavourable environment, his casanova words stood him in good stead, and he even learned from Karanin that one of her sisters, Maranin, was not home. When Karanin later realized Mystic Tim is not sincere, and failed to talk the Heroes into disclosing why they were here, she told them to leave. The Heroes report back to Varanius, who was impressed they did not have to resort to force, and gave them their reward.

Characters (Players) - Party Level 4 (Note that everyone increases to Level 4)
L1 L3 L4 Item - Human Artificer/Swordmage (Shaun Kam) : 2 / X XP 4
L1 L3 L4 Item - Eladrin Warlock/Shaman (Andy) : 2 / X XP 4
L1 L3 L4 Item - Fabio, Eladrin Ranger (Raphael) : 1 / X XP 4
Level Up! L1 L3 L4 Item - "Schaft", Human Warlock (Qabir) : 0 / X XP 4
Level Up! L1 L3 L4 Item - *Mystic Tim, Human Wizard (Shaun Ong) : 0 / X XP 4
L1 L3 Item - Gar'ath, Tiefling Bard (Alphonsus) : 1 / 2 XP 3
L1 L3 Item - Warforged Artificer/Wizard (Jeth) : 1 / 2 XP 3 (ONE OFF)
AFK / L1 L3 Item - Tiefling Rogue (Nicholas) : 3 / 2 XP 3
L1 L3 Item - New Char XP : 0.5 / 2 XP 3

* - Bonus XP and "Glib Tongue" Achievement! Mystic Tim (Shaun Ong) is treated as trained in Bluff.

Loot
(Below is Carried Forward from previous, except for Gold)
4 AE Cubes
3 Healing Potions (Surge + 1d6)
Fabio, Mystic Tim, (Shaun Kam), (Andy), (Qabir), (Nicholas): 2 Special Healing Potions per Character (Surge + 1d6 + 5THP. After you drink it, until End of your Next Turn you cannot use Encounter and Daily powers)
Those Present: +80 Gp each (30 Gp for Trolls, and 50 Gp for info on the Hags)

[Zyraen]

4.2 Disentangled
17-Jul-14 (Thursday)

Now that the heroes had confirmed his fears, Varanius asked them to find a way to deal with Maranin, the Hag that had infiltrated the Inner Circle of the Druids. He was not familiar with the ways of the Druids, but passed them a glass-like Orb that when thrown and shattered, would set up a burst 2 zone revealing the true forms of those in the burst. Varanius stated he would much rather that the Hag be killed after being exposed, though he suspected the Druids would not want to do that. When asked about collateral damage to the druids, he would prefer it to be avoided, but if necessary it was acceptable so long Maranin was exposed.

The Heroes departed and contacted Dartanion (see 1.0, 3.1) via Sending, who soon arrived in good spirits, much better disposed to the Heroes than before. He listened to their account with interest, and also took a look at the Orb Varanius had given, noting with consternation that it was of arcane origin and interfered with shapeshifting as well. After discussion, the Heroes decided that since Dartanion had access to the Inner Circle, they would leave Dartanion to figure out who Maranin was disguised as and assist if needed. For his part, Dartanion agreed to keep the Heroes informed of progress, though he did imply that the Druids would probably not kill Maranin even if they discovered her.

Before the Heroes left, Dartanion observed that the Heroes were being trailed, and the party Ranger managed to pick up signs of vine-like plant creatures disguising themselves behind branches with lush leaves as bushes, plus an out-of-place huge pile of rotting leaves he soon realized was a Shambling Mound. The Heroes realized these could be agents of the Hags, and set up an ambush for them. Despite drawing first blood, the Heroes were taken a little aback by the restraining and blinding attacks of the Vine Horrors, but fortunately the party Healers managed to distract then corner the Shambling Mound with their pets - poor unfortunate wolves - until the situation was under control, then obliterate the semi-trapped swamp monster.

Characters (Players) - Party Level 4
L1 L3 L4 Item - Half-Elf Druid/Shaman (Shaun Kam) : 3 / X XP 4
L1 L3 L4 Item - Eladrin Warlock/Swordmage (Andy) : 3 / X XP 4
L1 L3 L4 Item - Fabio, Eladrin Ranger (Raphael) : 2 / X XP 4
L1 L3 L4 Item - "Schaft", Human Warlock (Qabir) : 1 / X XP 4
AFK / L1 L3 Item - Gar'ath, Tiefling Bard (Alphonsus) : 1.5 / 2 XP 3
AFK / L1 L3 L4 Item - Mystic Tim, Human Wizard (Shaun Ong) : 0.5 / X XP 4
AFK / L1 L3 Item - Tiefling Rogue (Nicholas) : 3.5 / 2 XP 3
L1 L3 Item - New Char XP : 1 / 2 XP 3

Loot
(Below is Carried Forward from previous, except for Gold)
4 AE Cubes
3 Healing Potions (Surge + 1d6)
Fabio, Mystic Tim, (Shaun Kam), (Andy), (Qabir), (Nicholas): 2 Special Healing Potions per Character (Surge + 1d6 + 5THP. After you drink it, until End of your Next Turn you cannot use Encounter and Daily powers)
Those Present: +50 Gp each (Misc Trinkets dug from fallen Shambling Mound)

[Zyraen]

4.3 Making Ends Meet
22-Jul-14 (Tuesday)

The Heroes returned back to Zethran and decided to first head to the Chief Engineer's office to sell off their four remaining AE Cubes, and were invited by Daniel to join in a celebratory bazaar / demonstration nearby during that evening where the department would be showcasing some of their latest devices. After they had left the Engineering Department building, they saw some disapproving ascetics that turned out to be worshippers of Erathis, bemoaning that the Engineers had turned away from honoring Erathis and were even charging them for setting up an offering booth. The Heroes saw a business opportunity and mediated an agreement between the clergy and the Engineers, in the process making their cut of the Offering less the fees paid to Daniel.

While at the event, they noticed an anxious and respectable woman who seemed to be looking for assistance from discreet outsiders. After taking most of them to an important looking room in a cafe for a closed-door briefing, she introduced herself as Lady Schumann and requested their help to find her missing daughter Tulip within the next few days, before her 18th birthday, which was the day of her engagement. She was looking for discretion and swiftness in settling the matter, and they observed that money seemed to be little issue for her, and she was also wreathed with layers of warding magic, but was not a magic-user herself.

It would be nightfall after Engineering Celebration that the Heroes would visit Lady Schumann's home to look for clues, with the druid's wolf picking up Tulip's scent from her wardrobe. They followed the scent first to the Temple of Bahamut, where they heard she had visited with generous offerings, accompanied by a knightly adventurer called Sir Lorthion. They followed the scent further out of the Government District, to the Merchants District, where they came to a tavern and found the person they suspected was Tulip - a lady-like figure that was robed and hooded - sitting with a party of adventurers - an elf lady in chain, a bearded man in black leather and cloak, an armored dwarf drinking ale, a robed eladrin, and a man in platemail with the symbol of Bahamut upon his shield. After the hooded lady prompted the paladin of Bahamut, he sent her to her room, but almost immediately rejoined his companions back drinking at the table.

At this point, the elf that had been paying attention to her surroundings, asked the Heroes what was their intention, and they spoke plain about the situation. The paladin Lorthion seemed aware that Tulip was smitten with him, but defended his actions, stating that this allowed her the opportunity to take charge of her life. However, with the help of the elf girl who was clearly the paladin's current squeeze, the Heroes managed to persuade him that it was a bad idea to leave Tulip with the option of returning to her family dishonored by her conduct, or joining them in adventuring, and doubly more so when she was clearly misleading herself into thinking that Sir Lorthion would reciprocate her feelings. To the elf's delight, the paladin agreed that at the very least she should know the truth of his feelings for her - or lack thereof - and the party sent their bard Gar'ath to accompany Lorthion so he could come clean, while Mystic Tim grabbed a horse to alert Lady Schumann of the situation. After throwing Lorthion out of her room, the party fortunately detected Tulip had in a fit of emotions tried to climb out the back window of her room. The Heroes' paladin "RT Penguin" artfully persuaded her to stay and consider her duties, and the timely arrival of Lady Schumann wrapped things up well for the Heroes, who were rewarded generously by the grateful albeit mysterious lady.

By now it was late night, and while wandering the streets the Heroes were set upon by some would-be bandits armed with crossbows and swords and shields, but they were easily dealt with and relieved of their ill-gotten gains. The Heroes also came across a sign stating for Werewolf Wanted.

Characters (Players) - Party Level 4
L1 L3 L4 Item - Half-Elf Druid/Shaman (Shaun Kam) : 4 / X XP 4
L1 L3 L4 Item - Eladrin Warlock/Swordmage (Andy) : 4 / X XP 4
L1 L3 L4 Item - Fabio, Eladrin Ranger (Raphael) : 3 / X XP 4
L1 L3 L4 Item - "RT Penguin", Human Paladin/Warlock (Qabir) : 2 / X XP 4
L1 L3 L4 Item - Mystic Tim, Human Wizard (Shaun Ong) : 1.5 / X XP 4
Level Up! L1 L3 L4 Item - Gar'ath, Tiefling Bard (Alphonsus) : 0.5 / X XP 4
L1 L3 Item - New Char XP : 1.5 / 2 XP 3

Loot
(Below is Carried Forward from previous, except for Gold)
3 Healing Potions (Surge + 1d6)
Fabio, Mystic Tim, (ShaunKam), (Andy), "RT Penguin": 2 Special Healing Potions per Character (Surge + 1d6 + 5THP. After you drink it, until End of your Next Turn you cannot use Encounter and Daily powers)
"RT Penguin" : -10 Gp (donation to Temple of Bahamut)
Those Present: +325 Gp each (60 Gp from AE Cube, 30 Gp net profit for Erathis' Offering Booth, -5 Gp for midnight horse rental, 200 from Schumann, 40 Gp from Bandits )

[Zyraen]

4.4 Saving Graces
29-Jul-14 (Tuesday)

The Heroes headed to visit Inspector Townsend, who had put up the Werewolf Wanted Sign, but along the way they were side-tracked by a lean man with a prosthetic forearm/hand, who informed them his master would appreciate some help. They agreed to visit his master and were brought to a fine home with a garden a hot and coarse looking garage of sorts, where his master - a dwarf blacksmith called Korgan - worked his forge. Korgan was a dwarf who prided himself on being the finest craftsman in the city, even helping those who no one else would normally help, those who were crippled and penniless. He proceeds to explain that he had sent his slave Elric to seek help regarding two tasks, both relating to Korgan's status as a licensed slaver in Zethran.

The first task involved a man called Dalek who had pledged his daughter into slavery, in return for a prosthetic leg, but he did not return with his daughter, and though Korgan had sent people to his home, it had been vacated. He did not require the leg back, but would want the daughter or the man himself brought back to fulfill his part of the bargain, and as a lead gave them Illic's address. The second task involved his sale of four slaves to the captain of the White Horn who was staying at the Wild Mage in the Slums District, but the captain had refused to pay and he wants the Heroes to bring back the 4 slaves. For both tasks, the reward for each slave returned would be 250 Gp each.

The Heroes contemplated which of the tasks to attempt first while travelling to meet Inspector Townsend at the constables' building near where the Merchants District leads to the Slums. Somewhat mercenary looking constables led them to the waiting room, where they met Townsend, a halfling. He informed them that there were two recent werewolf sightings and related killings in the slums, and he would need to deal with the beast, since who knows where it would strike next? When the Heroes asked more details though, they found from witness' statements that both the werewolf attacks were aimed at aggressors and left the would-be victim alive - in the first case it had killed 3 bandits trying to mug an elf called Thornis, and in the second case it had killed 2 sailors that were picking on a homeless, penniless beggar. The victims were also not killed by being mauled, clawed or bitten, but rather with slashing cuts from weapons. In the second case, the sailors had managed to injure the werewolf before being killed, and the druids' wolf picked up the scent from the weapons, but had no trail to follow just yet.

The Heroes followed up by visiting the elf survivor Thornis, who was shaken by the attack and in the process of packing up to leave town. They established that despite contrary initial impressions, Thornis was grateful for being rescued, claiming that the bandits wanted to kill him even though he had already given them his gold. He also mentioned that the werewolf seemed a little scrawny, which based on the heroes' learned wizard's recollection about werewolves, seemed unlikely. The Heroes then investigated the scene of the werewolf attacks, with both cases noticeably near the Wild Mage, and at the scene of the sailors' demise, the druid's wolf picked up a trail that led them to the sewers near the Docks.

After entering the place, they noticed some bright light ahead and a disembodied growling voice asking them their purpose and threatening them to leave. A head of a werewolf was also flashed around one of the corners in an attempt to scare the Heroes away, but the Ranger easily noticed that it was a preserved head of a decapitated wolf. The Heroes decided that the "werewolf" was a vigilante of some sort and tried to talk him into not making such conspicuous attacks, to which the disembodied person replied that the killings and sightings were necessary to bring about fear, for only with fear there would be order, and that the constables didn't really care about the Slums. The Heroes warned the unseen person that there might be trouble, and to vacate the sewers, a gesture that was well received. When the Heroes asked advice about their other task, the "werewolf" informed them that the sailors had been trying to press the homeless beggar into being a galley slave on board their ship, and that the Heroes would be better off trying to get rid of the captain and his crew. Even with two dead sailors, the Heroes were outnumbered and he suggested waiting until some of them had split off before attacking, and hinted that he would be pleased to join in the attack, if any was forthcoming.

Having established an alliance of sorts, the unseen "werewolf" introduced himself as Beylan, and sent one of his men, Nedrin, to be a liasion and contact point with the Heroes. The Heroes managed to notice that Nedrin was a wererat, and had a slave brand on him, and thought it seemed unlikely that he was a wererat back when he was a slave. While travelling in the sewers, the Ranger also noticed that there were women in the sewers, as well as at least one person with a prosthetic limb, and the party surmised that there were a large number of run-away slaves amongst those seeking shelter in the sewers. The Heroes also asked around after leaving the sewers and corroborated from locals that the constables were indeed primarily tasked with maintaining order in the other districts, and existed mainly to keep unsavoury elements from spreading out from the Slums. Inspector Townsend had a decent enough reputation despite not doing enough, but some of his men were considered as pretty ruthless in their approaches and also forceful about claiming their own reward for "services rendered".

The Heroes considered their options and planned to bait the crew and captain of the White Horn to seek vengeance for their two slain persons in the sewers. They staked out the White Horn - a fine looking sleek white merchant ship with a unicorn prow and white sails - and as evening came, spotted eight sailors leaving the ship for the Wild Mage. The Heroes' wizard used ghost sound to give two of them disembodied whispers about vengeance for the two in the sewers, and both men were troubled as they entered the Wild Mage. There the Heroes saw the sailors join at a table laid out with good food and fine wine, with a well-dressed, cultured and rather young man that tipped bar wenches generously and directed them to serve the sailors. He sat at the head of the table and spoke to the two troubled sailors as well about what bothered them while having a relatively small portion of food. The Heroes took a while to realize that the young man was in fact a half-elf, hence possibly older than the sailors despite appearances, and was most likely the captain of the White Horn. While his men ate and enjoyed the attentions of the bar wenches, the captain half-closed his eyes to play a charming, sweet melody on his flute, a performance that drew the attention of most of the inn. The Heroes' wizard used ghost sound to deliver the same message, only to have the alert captain point in their general direction as the song ended abruptly, and approached the table with five of his men. However, he bade his men stand down and bought a round of drinks for the Heroes, while asking politely if he could join them and if they had anything for him, to which they agreed.

After a bit more of drinking with the captain, who introduced himself as Raelorn, he once more asked the Heroes if there was anything he could help them with, before he would return to his crew. Noticing he was quite a generous man, they decided to ask him about not paying Korgan, to which he replied that he did not received the slaves - they were missing and Korgan's servant found unconscious after Raelorn and his men had to attend to some issue with the White Horn. On checking the description of Korgan's servant, the Heroes noted that the appearance seemed to match that of Nedrin, and Raelorn was surprised that Korgan did not get the message and tipped the Heroes to make sure the dwarf knew. The Heroes contemplated selling out Raelorn to Beylan, or even vice versa, but in the end decided not to bait him, thus Raelorn rejoined his men. As the night deepened and the sailors went upstairs with the more adventurous wenches, and two returned to the ship, the Heroes contemplated attacking but decided to let the likeable, generous captain be. Korgan was not pleased when they delivered the message the next morning, and gave no reward.

In meantime, Nedrin informed the Heroes about news on their question about the influential yet oddly "single" Lady Schumann and her daughter - sources indicate that her husband was a powerful wizard, possibly one that was high ranking in the city, perhaps even the ruling mage Zethran himself, who the city was named after.

Characters (Players) - Party Level 5
Level Up! L1 L3 L4 L5 Item - Eladrin Warlock/Swordmage (Andy) : 1 / X XP 5
Level Up! L1 L3 L4 L5 Item - Half-Elf Druid/Shaman (Shaun Kam) : 1 / X XP 5
Level Up! L1 L3 L4 L5 Item - Fabio, Eladrin Ranger (Raphael) : 0 / X XP 5
Level Up! L1 L3 L4 Item - Gnome Wizard (David Gregson) : 0.5 / 4 XP 4
AFK / L1 L3 L4 Item - "RT Penguin", Human Paladin/Warlock (Qabir) : 2.5 / 4 XP 4
AFK / L1 L3 L4 Item - Mystic Tim, Human Wizard (Shaun Ong) : 2 / 4 XP 4
AFK / L1 L3 L4 Item - Gar'ath, Tiefling Bard (Alphonsus) : 1 / X XP 4
Level Up! L1 L3 L4 Item - New Char XP : 0 / 4 XP 4

Loot
(Below is Carried Forward from previous, except for Gold)
3 Healing Potions (Surge + 1d6)
Fabio, Mystic Tim, (ShaunKam), (Andy), (Qabir): 2 Special Healing Potions per Character (Surge + 1d6 + 5THP. After you drink it, until End of your Next Turn you cannot use Encounter and Daily powers)
Those Present: +10 Gp each (10 Gp Tip from Raelorn)

[Zyraen]

5.1 Sell Your Lives Dearly
05-Aug-14 (Tuesday)

A runner from Lady Schumann's house directed the Heroes to a garrison on the lands of Zethran outside the town, towards the East side of the city that is within the borders of Nethril. There they met Lieutenant Ignis, who offers a reward for driving out bandits that have taken over a few nearby farmsteads. The Heroes noted the garrison seems reasonably staffed with good fighting men, and considered the implications of who the "bandits" could be. They decide to ask around and found out they most probably were farmers whose farmsteads were repossessed by the "noble" of the lands for more magically automated farming technologies.

The Heroes then wisely figured that if they could find alternative employment for some of these people, they could solve the problem and make some money off the side. They met with C/E Daniel to find out if he needed labourers for his construction project, which he capped at 20 men, and also Capt Raelorn, who offered a decent amount for each slave and even more for 2 sailors. The Heroes then returned to Lt Ignis, who seemed very pleased that they returned, and proceeded to negotiate with him for a really good reward. After that, they spoke to the initially semi-hostile "bandits" and managed to win them over to the idea of new occupations, and tied them up with the engineers, as well as two sailors (but no slaves) for Capt Raelorn. Finally, to solve the problem of housing for their family, they persuaded Lt Ignis to escalate the matter to his superiors, to allow the families to remain on a small homestead on the farmlands, and the proposal got through based on a benevolent move for the empire of Nethril. With the problem solved, the Heroes proceeded to collect their reward.

Meantime, news came of some beasts that had made a den in the north that were creating trouble. Itching for action, the Heroes headed straight for the source and flushed out what turned out to be Dire Apes and Rage Drakes. However, remembering they had killed Valeren's Rage Drake (see 1.2), they knocked the creatures and turned them over to the druid in return for potions and goodwill.

Characters (Players) - Party Level 5
L1 L3 L4 L5 Item - Eladrin Warlock/Swordmage (Andy) : 2 / X XP 5
L1 L3 L4 L5 Item - Half-Elf Druid/Shaman (Shaun Kam) : 2 / X XP 5
L1 L3 L4 L5 Item - Fabio, Eladrin Ranger (Raphael) : 1 / X XP 5
L1 L3 L4 Item - Mystic Tim, Human Wizard (Shaun Ong) : 3 / 4 XP 4
L1 L3 L4 Item - Grisby, Gnome Wizard (David Gregson) : 1.5 / 4 XP 4
L1 L3 L4 Item - Vorrash Winterhowl (Weijia) : 1 / 4 XP 4
L1 L3 L4 Item - Warlock (Merlvyn) : 1 / 4 XP 4
AFK / L1 L3 L4 Item - "RT Penguin", Human Paladin/Warlock (Qabir) : 3 / 4 XP 4
AFK / L1 L3 L4 Item - Gar'ath, Tiefling Bard (Alphonsus) : 1.5 / X XP 4
L1 L3 L4 Item - New Char XP : 0.5 / 4 XP 4

Loot
(Below is Carried Forward from previous, except for Gold)
7 Healing Potions (Surge + 1d6) - 3 from previous, 4 more from Valeren for not simply killing off the beasties
Fabio, Mystic Tim, (ShaunKam), (Andy), (Qabir): 2 Special Healing Potions per Character (Surge + 1d6 + 5THP. After you drink it, until End of your Next Turn you cannot use Encounter and Daily powers)
Group Items : 1 Lv 4 item, 2 Lv 3 Items (reward from Lt Ignis)
Those Present: +180 Gp each (60 Gp from Raelorn for 2 Sailors, 30 Gp for rounding up of 20 men x 10 Gp divided by 7, 90 Gp from Beasts' Den)

[Zyraen]

5.2 Revenge! Reprisal
07-Aug-14 (Thursday)

After the Heroes returned to town to resupply, they received word from Dartanion that the Inner Circle member Arewyn was a hag called Maranin in disguise (see 4.2), and the druids had decided to send her to deal with a goblin attack from the northeast of the forest. The Heroes decided to leave Zethran for the forest, and along the way they were invited by Lady Schumann's messenger to meet with some "important people" in the cafe meeting room where she had first requested their help. There they found what looked like a party of adventurers - 2 elves, an eladrin, a dwarf and a seated human in scale. They claimed to represent the "council" that ruled Zethran and asked the Heroes to assist with some diplomacy regarding the Elven kingdom by helping them repel the goblin attack. They also offered a specially attuned Sending Stone that required the user to submit himself to a Geas to keep certain confidential details of tasks they required done, to which Schaft agreed to submit himself.

The Heroes then proceeded to the forest and contacted the Elf military captain Varanius, who welcomed news that they would be eliminating the hag, and assured them that they would be ready if the Heroes were not able to turn the goblins away. The Heroes then managed to detect the movement of Maranin's forces and skirt away from them to a safe location to meet the goblins, which were led by Zimvit (see 2.2, 3.1). Despite initial tensions over the openness of the area to meet and the number of goblins, Zimvit was reasonably friendly if a tad wary of the Heroes' proposal for them to cooperate and try to defeat Maranin's forces together.

They decided to have the goblins draw the druids' attack, and then the Heroes would arrive from a flanking position to take on the druids, or at least Maranin. Zimvit mentioned in advance that if the Heroes did not arrive as agreed, the goblins would simply retreat completely, and the possibility seemed likely as the Heroes could see packs of Wolves, Rage Drakes, Shambling Mounds, Vine Horrors, led by 4 Druids - one of which was noticeably female, likely Maranin disguised as Arewyn. As they gathered up their courage to step out as the wolves were moments away from contacting the retreating goblin line, the druids seemed pleased that Heroes were coming to assist them against foul goblins. Seizing this opportunity, the healer proceeded unimpeded to hurl the glass-like Orb (see 4.2) that Varanius had given them at the false druid, and fortunately managed to strike true, the hag giving a howl of anger as her form was unveiled. While the action might be construed as hostile, the druids were shocked that a hag would be posing as a member of the Inner Circle. This left them undecided as the wolves engaged the goblins and the hag's beasts - namely Vine Horrors - moved to attack the Heroes. Even as the Vine Horrors managed to strike down a few of the Heroes, the druid leading the Shambling Mounds managed to restrain them but they bloodied him in defiance, yet their attack convinced the rest of the druids that Maranin was not to be trusted. The druids soon fled, save for one druid who remained to relieve his bloodied comrades and try to keep the Shambling Mounds in check, while goblin forces reached a few of the Vine Horrors after wiping out the wolves. Maranin had barely chance to escape before a series of incredibly powerful blows from the Heroes' sorcerer and berserker sent her reeling into oblivion.

Characters (Players) - Party Level 5
L1 L3 L4 L5 Item - Eladrin Warlock/Shaman (Andy) : 3 / X XP 5
L1 L3 L4 L5 Item - Eladrin Elementalist (Shaun Kam) : 3 / X XP 5
L1 L3 L4 L5 Item - Fabio, Eladrin Ranger (Raphael) : 2 / X XP 5
Level Up! L1 L3 L4 L5 Item - "Schaft", Human Warlock (Qabir) : 0 / X XP 5
L1 L3 L4 Item - Grisby, Gnome Wizard (David Gregson) : 2.5 / 4 XP 4
L1 L3 L4 Item - "Sylvannas", Cleric (Merlvyn) : 2 / 4 XP 4
L1 L3 L4 Item - Vorrash Winterhowl, Half-Orc Berserker (Weijia) : 2 / 4 XP 4
AFK / L1 L3 L4 Item - Mystic Tim, Human Wizard (Shaun Ong) : 3.5 / 4 XP 4
AFK / L1 L3 L4 Item - Gar'ath, Tiefling Bard (Alphonsus) : 2.0 / X XP 4
L1 L3 L4 Item - New Char XP : 1.0 / 4 XP 4

Loot
(Below is Carried Forward from previous, except for Gold & Group Items)
7 Healing Potions (Surge + 1d6)
Fabio, Mystic Tim, (ShaunKam), (Andy), (Qabir): 2 Special Healing Potions per Character (Surge + 1d6 + 5THP. After you drink it, until End of your Next Turn you cannot use Encounter and Daily powers)
Those Present: +70 Gp each ( Loot from Battle )

[Zyraen]

5.3 Headhunting
21-Aug-14 (Thursday)

The Heroes bade the lone druid left with the Shambling Mounds to retreat from the advancing goblins, then questioned the captured Hag Maranin about her motives. She revealed herself to be an "associate" of Arewyn, an Inner Circle druid who had left two months ago, travelling north of the forest to keep an eye on the "encroachments of civilization", specifically those from the city of Fang, and who had charged Maranin with protecting the sanctity of the forest while she was away. One of the heroes realized she had a sort of warding spell on her that captured her last vision, and so they turned her over to the goblins and watched quietly as they killed Maranin, her head turning a full circle as she died before her form collapsed. The heroes then persuaded the grateful goblins to return back to their vale, and even opened them up to the idea of other races coming to work in their iron mine, provided they paid the goblins some suitable royalties.

Capt Varanius was pleased at the sight of Maranin's head and rewarded them with magical items, and was also glad to convey the message of diplomatic goodwill from Zethran regarding the goblin invasion. If the Heroes wished, he invited them to hunt and gather 20 orc heads on the west side of the forest, where bands of marauding orcs clash with elves on a regular basis, for 1,200 Gp or equivalent value in items. The Heroes also reported success back via Sending Stone to Zethran, and Schaft informed them there was a new mission at Fang, to assist some well-connected merchants close some deals, and through building such connections extend the influence of Zethran/Nethril. The Heroes considered that the orcs to the west mainly occupied a western peninsula, along which there were searoutes (albeit harried by Orc ships) both south-east to the rivermouth leading to the docks of Zethran, and north-east to a small port town of Mildew which acts as the key supplying port near Fang within mountainous areas.

The Heroes decided to go orc hunting, and after an extended deliberation, had their half-orc berserker pose as a lone merchant traveller while the rest planted an ambush from the trees. He was eventually met by an orc patrol cautioning him about the danger of the area, especially against bloodthirsty warmongering elves, and directed him to the orcish village of Nazruck if he wished to trade safely. They were about to leave peaceably when the Heroes sprung their attack, and despite initial hiccups, they managed to kill all of the 6 orcs. Travelling in the general direction of Nazruck, they repeated the trick, only this time they cooked the dead orcs after beheading them and the berserker feigned being a cook. Another orc patrol was happily gorging themselves on the food and asking for seconds before a much more devastating surprise was sprung on them. Due to the orcs' relatively clustered position, and despite the second patrol being larger the Heroes wiped them out with startling speed and efficiency. In the aftermath, the Heroes contemplated an extended rest along the constantly contested border.

Characters (Players) - Party Level 5
L1 L3 L4 L5 Item - Tiefling Elementalist (Shaun Kam) : 4 / X XP 5
L1 L3 L4 L5 Item - Fabio, Eladrin Ranger (Raphael) : 3 / X XP 5
L1 L3 L4 L5 Item - "Schaft", Tiefling Warlock (Qabir) : 1 / X XP 5
L1 L3 L4 Item - Qilue Veladorn, Half-Elf Cleric (Merlvyn) : 3 / 4 XP 4
L1 L3 L4 Item - Vorrash Winterhowl, Half-Orc Berserker (Weijia) : 3 / 4 XP 4
L1 L3 L4 Item - Malezer, Tiefling Paladin / Warlock (Wei Ming) : 2 / 4 XP 4
AFK / L1 L3 L4 L5 Item - Eladrin Warlock/Shaman (Andy) : 3.5 / X XP 5
AFK / L1 L3 L4 Item - Grisby, Gnome Wizard (David Gregson) : 3 / 4 XP 4
AFK / L1 L3 L4 Item - Mystic Tim, Human Wizard (Shaun Ong) : 3.5 / 4 XP 4
L1 L3 L4 Item - New Char XP : 1.5 / 4 XP 4

Loot
(Below is Carried Forward from previous, except for Gold & Group Items)
Quest Items : 13 / 20 Orc Heads
7 Healing Potions (Surge + 1d6)
Fabio, Mystic Tim, (ShaunKam), (Andy), (Qabir): 2 Special Healing Potions per Character (Surge + 1d6 + 5THP. After you drink it, until End of your Next Turn you cannot use Encounter and Daily powers)
Group Items : 2 Lv 2 Items (reward from Capt Varanius, in lieu of 1 Lv5 Item)
Those Present: +110 Gp each ( Loot from 2 Battles )

[Zyraen]

5.4 Onward to Fang
27-Aug-14 (Wednesday)
Due to being wearied by the earlier combat, the Heroes decided it was too risky to go for the Orc village and opted to wait for another patrol and pull a similar cooking stunt on them. This time however, the Orc patrol leader was wary, though he couldn't put his finger on what was wrong, he had his men keep watch while they took turn to eat the meat. Fortunately, the cooking was good enough that he remained non hostile until the Heroes decided to spring the trap and eventually put all of them down.

The Heroes returned triumphant to Captain Varanius for their reward, and one of them figured out the crossbows that the Orcs had carried were of Drow design. Indeed, Varanius directed the Heroes to travel to the city of Fang in highlands to the North to locate the Drow that the Orcs were getting arms from, then to eliminate them and frame the Orcs for it. He also provided them some antidote potions to counter the effect of Drow poison. Along the way, the Heroes contemplated trying to find the Inner Circle druid called Arewyn, who Maranin (see 5.2, 5.3) claimed to be associated with, and were reminded of their quest for Zethran, to locate a merchant called Eldaris in the Black Den Inn of Fang, presumably a person with good connections.

While travelling to Fang, the Heroes came across patrols of native Fangs - tall humans of barbarian descent, usually accompanied by wolves - and also met a group of orc merchants traveling from the nearby port town of Talon to Fang. They made conversation and found the Orcs, led by one Marog, were interested in purchasing fishing and ship related suppliers from the merchants there, in exchange for their supplies of exotic meats, furs, pearls, and various the sea fares. They also learned that the Orc that sold various weapons - including those of drow design - was called Baedron. The Heroes chose to part ways amicably with them, as they entered into the Light side of the city of Fang for a nominal fee.

They explored the city and found that the trading part of city was divided into 3 main areas based on inhabitants - the Light sector was typically for races such as humans, halflings, dwarves, elves, eladrin, while the Dark sector was typically for races such as orcs, drow, yuan-ti, goblins, etc. In between both sectors was the Neutral sector, a well patrolled area where both races could mix, but for a fee, and only for a limited time. There was also an Arena area towards the North of the Neutral sector where visitors and the citizens of Fang could gather to watch the fights that took place. North of the trading area, there was another tall inner wall that prevented those people not of Fang from proceeding to the area where the people of Fang lived. The Heroes managed to establish that Fang was largely run by clans of humans led by Chiefs, and they were all subject to a Great Chief who was the effective ruler of the city. After some debate, they elected to go to the Arena for a contest to earn some gold first.

Characters (Players) - Party Level 6
Level Up! L3 L4 L5 L6 Item - Tiefling Elementalist (Shaun Kam) : 1.5 / X XP 6
Level Up! L3 L4 L5 L6 Item - Hybrid Warlock (Andy) : 1 / X XP 6
Level Up! L3 L4 L5 L6 Item - Fabio, Eladrin Ranger (Raphael) : 0.5 / X XP 6
L1 L3 L4 L5 Item - "Schaft", Tiefling Warlock (Qabir) : 2.5 / 4 XP 5
Level Up! L1 L3 L4 L5 Item - Qilue Veladorn, Half-Elf Cleric (Merlvyn) : 1.5 / 4 XP 5
Level Up! L1 L3 L4 L5 Item - Vorrash Winterhowl, Half-Orc Berserker (Weijia) : 1.5 / 4 XP 5
Level Up! L1 L3 L4 L5 Item - Malezer, Tiefling Paladin / Warlock (Wei Ming) : 0.5 / 4 XP 5
Level Up! AFK / L1 L3 L4 L5 Item - Grisby, Gnome Wizard (David Gregson) : 1 / 4 XP 5
Level Up! AFK / L1 L3 L4 L5 Item - Mystic Tim, Human Wizard (Shaun Ong) : 1.5 / 4 XP 5
Level Up! L1 L3 L4 L5 Item - New Char XP : 0 / 4 XP 5

Loot
(Below is Carried Forward from previous, except for Gold & Group Items)
7 Healing Potions, worth 70 Gp each
10 Special Healing Potions, worth 80 Gp each
7 Antidote Potions, worth 100 Gp each
Those Present: +300 Gp each ( 60 Gp loot from Orcs, 250 Gp reward from Capt Varanius, -10 for Fang Entry )

NOTES
Healing Potion: you can spend a surge to regain surge + 1d6 HP.
Special Healing Potion: you can spend a surge to regain surge + 1d6 + 5THP. After you drink it, until End of your Next Turn, you cannot use any Encounter and Daily powers.
Antidote Potion: when you drink it, all drow poison effects end and if being poisoned requires you to make an Endurance check against contracting a disease at the end of the encounter, you automatically pass that check. You can also spend a surge to regain surge value HP.

XP Bonuses
New Char gains 0.5 + 2
Lv4 Chars gain 0.5-1 + 1.5
Lv5 Chars gain 0.5-1 + 0.5