The Mystic Glen

Part 3 of the Quest for the Gardener's Rod

After making her decision, Shroudstar led her party down the third path. As the mists parted, they could see that the path made its way through some light woods. In the distance, they could see a glen with a statue holding a staff. The Gardener's Rod!

"Hurry!" one of the members shouted as he ran down the path. Before Shroudstar could stop him, one of the trees stepped out onto the path and clubbed him with one of its branches. The warrior crumpled to the ground.

"Oakens - the walking trees." someone commented.

"Prepare yourself." It looks like we'll need to fight our way through.

The heroes marched resolutely into the fray. The trees converged on the party and battle commenced. Swords slashed and spears stabbed, but the blows seemed to stick into the bark. Then the trees struck back. Heavy limbs crushed shields and bruised the heroes. They were forced back.

As the party retreated, the trees ponderously advanced. Realizing that they moved slowly, the party tried to use its speed to avoid the trees. But as they neared the statue, a man with hair and beard like the foliage appeared. He was a Green Man. He began casting spells and striking with his own weapons. Once again the party was forced back.

Shroudstar used her stealth abilities to approach near the statue. She remembered Rufus's letter: "I have managed to send you the Horn of Hurricane. You will need it to reclaim the Rod." She reasoned that she needed to sound the Horn to claim the Rod. As she neared the statue, she blew upon the Horn and the statue's grip eased, However, the sound of the Horn drew the Rod's defenders on her, and she was forced back before she could grab it.

The battle continued for some time. The heroes fought well but could not overcome the strength of the oakens. Seriously wounded heroes, including Shroudstar herself, retreated back down the path. Finally, only one hero remained. He made a mad dash for the Rod. He drew near, reached out and nearly grasped it, but then numerous branches bludgeoned him to the ground.

By now a heavy downpour deluged our heroes as they dejectedly trudged back to the Brine Slough. Shroudstar wondered, "Did I pick a wrong path?"

OOC Notes

• Indeed, she picked the wrong path. If she had chosen the second (two's company) then her party would have fought fairies instead of oakens.
• Hollywood from Crest Haven was the brave hero who nearly reached the Horn at the end. Alas, he was swarmed by opponents before he could reach the Rod.
• And yes, it poured on us, which prevented us from finishing the quest. I was going to allow the heroes to choose another path and try again. Perhaps they would have been successful the second time around. As it is, I have an idea to wrap up this quest.

The Brine Slough

Part 2 of the Quest for the Gardener's Rod

As per the instructions delivered by the mysterious stranger, Shroudstar led her party to the Brine Slough, deep in the heartland of Ember Shoals. Once there, they began slogging through the marshland, looking for clues. What could they be?

Then, in the distance, they noticed a stone marker rising from the mud. It appeared to be broken off at the top. The party to approach when one of the members tripped. He cursed, reached down into the mire, and pulled up a broken piece of the stone slab. He was about to throw it back, when Shroudstar stopped him.

"Look at that!" she said. For on the back of the stone a word had been carved out. Then it struck her.

"It's a clue! Everybody scatter around and search the muck for more stones."

The heroes started searching, but then one member called out a warning. Out of the mists loomed a horde of smallish figures carrying weapons. "Goblins!"

With a rush, the goblins attacked the party. The heroes were driven back from the stone slab with no more clues in their possession. Yet they refused to give up the quest. They hacked and slashed, slowly beating the goblins back.

Then they were rewarded by a cry of victory. "Here's one!" cried one of the party, as he stumbled upon a stone. He pulled it out of the muck and returned it to the back lines. Shroudstar used his stealth abilities and was able to sneak behind the goblins, retrieving more of the clues. Finally, the party had pulled 8 stone pieces from the muck; it appeared that they had them all.

"Regroup!" called Shroudstar, and the heroes formed an impenetrable phalanx. Frustrated by their losses, the goblins melted away into the mists.

But what was the clue? Shroudstar joined the 8 pieces like a jigsaw puzzle. This was the writing that was revealed to her:

'Tis not the loneliest, 

Nor is't magic. 

Choose company and ye'll be safe.

As she read the lines, the mists parted slightly. In the distance, Shroudstar could see 3 paths leading out of the Slough. Clearly, the clue referenced the path she needed to take.

"One is the loneliest number," she reasoned. She was unsure of the second line. But company, she thought - isn't it three's company? With that thought, she made her decision.

"We'll take the 3rd path!"

OOC Notes

• This was the first scenario of the quest for the Gardener's Rod. 
• The questers had to retrieve 8 clues (written on a styrofoam sheet that I painted to look like rock) scattered throughout the battle area. 
• Portions of the battlefield were designated as water; players had to wade through them on their knees or at slow speed.
• The heroes had 4 lives but the goblins were unlimited. This was to simulate a horde of goblins descending on the party. Once the party was shattered it had to solve the riddle with the clues it recovered. 
• At first, the questers struggled but we gave them some help (armor points) and they ultimately found all the clues.

Quest for the Gardener's Rod

Introduction

After studying the book I received from Kettlebaun, I was able to determine the path to the Gardener's Rod, the second of the three Druidic artifacts that would allow us to defeat the Faedwyr. But how could I find it, trapped as I was in the land of Caligo?

I conferred with my new allies, the Sentinels. They referred me to a mysterious figure known as the Magus of Dissonance. With some reservation, I approached its home. Would I be unwittingly be dabbling in dark magic; the mistake of the League of Purity? Yet I determined to press on. It revealed that it could transport a package to my world. I knew exactly what to do.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shroudstar stepped off the boat at Lander's Edge, the former capital of Ember Shoals. It was now just a ruin. The Faedwyr, haters of daytime, were not present. As Shroudstar surveyed the desolation, a mysterious robed figure approached. Silently, it handed her a package. In it was a horn - The Horn of Hurricane! With it was a letter. Here was what was written:

Shroudstar, 

I have been able to send this to you through magical means. I need you to go on a quest to retrieve the Gardener’s Rod, a powerful artifact that will help free Ember Shoals from the Faedwyr. I am imprisoned on another plane of existence and cannot take on this quest. You are our only hope! 

To begin, you must make your way to the Brine Slough in the center of the island. Hidden in there is a mystical glen where the Rod is located. To find the correct path to the glen, you will need to find clues in the Slough. 

Best wishes on your quest,
Brother Rufus 

P.S. I have managed to send you the Horn of Hurricane. You will need it to reclaim the Rod.

With her consort, Rhadamanthys, Shroudstar found some remnants of the Bilgewater Brigade. She formed a band of heroes to proceed on the quest for the Gardener's Rod.

OOC Notes

• Yesterday, at the Caligo practice, I ran a quest (using Amtgard rules) to retrieve the Gardener's Rod. This post is an introduction to that quest.
• The quest consisted of 2 linked battlegames. In both, a party of heroes is trying to achieve its objective while opposed by various monsters.
• Over the next week, I'll post separate reports for each battlegame.
• For the quest, I gave Shroudstar a handwritten copy of the letter reproduced above. The letter was on parchment paper. I also gave her a toy horn that served as the Horn of Hurricane.

Cracked

Another week has passed and I am still unable to go out on patrol. Frustrating.

I suppose that I should explain all that has been happening. After my rescue from the kraken, I returned with my rescuers to their castle. They are a fighting company known as the Sentinels. They are fighting an ongoing war against beings of darkness known as the voidlings. Their success in battle has cleared the voidlings from a sizable territory. Unfortunately, they were running out of supplies. I helped them establish farmsteads around the area to grow the food they need to survive. Our construction, however, drew the attention of the voidlings.

One day I was on patrol with some of the members of the Sentinels when we spotted smoke on the horizon. One of the farmsteads was burning!

We rode to the scene and found a party of voidlings sacking the place. We rushed into battle, trying to rescue the settlers from the burning buildings. As I ran toward one of the doors, a voidling leapt out of the darkness. He thrust his spear into my side. My armor prevented the point from penetrating, but the force of the blow knocked me to the ground. I felt a sharp pain in my ribs. Cracked, I thought. One of my comrades came to my rescue, drove off the voidling, and assisted me back onto my mount. Then a wave of voidlings came out of nowhere. We had no option to retreat.

We swiftly rode back to the Sentinel's stronghold, Landfall Castle, with the voidling horde on our heels. Because of the pain of my injury, I knew I could not effectively fight in the front line. I grabbed a bow and rushed to one of the towers. The voidlings used dark magic to blast apart our front gate and then rushed in. The Sentinels put up a spirited defense, their line did not waver. A few voidlings managed to break through but were quickly dispatched. I did what I could to assist, and many a feathered shaft sent a voidling to perdition. Eventually, the voidlings could not keep up the assault. Their attack wavered and the broke. They fled back into the void.

However, I am still nursing the injury. I hate to be stuck on garrison duty while my friends, the Sentinels, are risking their all to preserve the settlements. I just need to give it time.

OOC Notes:

• This post describes a practice from 2 weeks ago. I was injured after running into a spear. I think I just bruised my ribs, but cracked ribs makes a better story.
• The skirmish at the farmstead was actually a game of Ring the Bell. I decided that the bell represented the farm we were trying to save. Unfortunately, my side lost so I described it as the voidlings overrunning the farmstead.
• We then followed with a castle battle, which I describe as a defense of Landfall Castle. I had to leave before the scenario was over but the defenders seemed to be doing well. Thus, I described it as a victory for the Sentinels