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.

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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

The Rescue

As I mentioned previously, I had been sucked into a maelstrom and pulled into another world, along with a kraken!

I now stood upon a makeshift raft in the middle of a wide lake. The beast had surfaced near me and was approaching. At first, I crouched down and used my scout skills to hide from the monster. It was no use; it spotted me and lashed out its tentacles, trying to grab me and pull me into its maw. I readied my shield and the Flame of Justice, prepared to fight to the end. Tentacles lashed at me but I blocked and parried them away. There were too many! Soon I would be overcome.

Then over the roar of the creature I heard the steady voice of command. "Row, row, row!" I chanced a look behind me and saw two ships, laden with well-armed warriors, approaching me. Hope! If only I could hold out a little longer. Then a tentacles lashed out. Smash! My shield dissolved into splinters. I held the Flame before me.

"Hurry! Jump to our ship!" I turned and leaped, just as another tentacles came smashing into my raft, pulverizing it. With one hand I gripped the gunwales. I felt myself sliding down into the lake. A strong hand grasped me and yanked me into the ship. I tumbled to the deck then scrambled to my feet, expressing my thanks as I did so. My rescuers had no opportunity to reply for a slew of tentacles lashed at the ship. I took my place in the battle line and struck at the beast. We would wound it but more tentacles would appear.

The second ship pulled alongside us. Together, we began battling the kraken. Some valiant heroes perished, yanked overboard and pulled into the snapping beak. Yet we began to take out some of the tentacles. Perhaps we could prevail!

Then from behind me a tentacle lashed out, smacking me in the back of the head. I tumbled over the side and landed into the lake, unconscious.

The next thing I remember was waking up on shore, dripping wet.

"Where am I?" was the first thing I said.

The warrior responded, "The answer to your question is a hell of a story."

POSTSCRIPT
I would learn later that I was rescued by a band of heroes from many companies. As the chronicle of Caligo records:

Those within the Sentinels of Gothix aided the paladin [this is how they refer to me, Rufus], while warriors from the Guardians of the Bay, Keepers of the Obsidian Stag, Uncharted Waters, and Triune Shores distracted the monstrous creature. After much effort, the battle had been won. The Kraken drifted beneath the waves with wounds that could rid any creature into silence, and uproar of glee escaped all survivors.

OOC Notes

• Designed as a way to explain how I got to Caligo, we played this out as a scenario at last Sunday's practice. We actually ran it multiple times. I was rescued the first time but then "killed" when we decided to return to the lake to kill the kraken. I actually had to leave before I was officially rescued so I don't know exactly how the scenario proceeded. I explain this by writing that I got knocked unconscious.

The Kraken

My trip to Neverwinter failed to reap the benefit I sought. The kingdom's officials were loath to take on the Faedwyr, especially if it meant that the pirates of Ember Shoals would once again have a safe haven from the Royal Navy. Yet I now had the Horn of the Hurricane. It was with mixed feelings that I boarded a smuggler's ship en route to Ember Shoals.

We were cruising peacefully along when suddenly an unusual wake began to pursue us. Then a giant tentacle surged from the sea and smashed into our ship. Several more followed, grabbing the masts and rocking the ship.

"KRAKEN!"

The crew grabbed any weapons at hand and began battling the beast. Its rubbery hide was as tough as armor and its strength was unbelievable. it yanked the masts down. Falling spars struck down sailors while the tentacles would occasionally grab an unfortunate soul, pulling him down into the briny deep.

I struck at the tentacles with my sword but could nary make a dent. Frustrated, I charged one of the tentacles with my sword point leveled. It penetrated, then got stuck. The tentacle lashed away, taking my sword with it!

I rushed below decks to my sea chest. I grabbed the Horn of Hurricane and my magical mace known as the Flame of Justice. I then returned to the fight. I blasted a note from the Horn and called upon the power of the Flame. It erupted in holy fire. I was ready for battle!

At that moment, a storm brewed up and quickly overtook us. The swirling clouds were colored purple and black and rotated like a maelstrom in the sky.

Heavy winds began to pummel the ship. Between that and the kraken, our little ship was splintered. The crew was tossed into the sea. Somehow I managed to scramble upon a piece of flotsam. The kraken surfaced, its giant beak clicking in anticipation. It rushed towards me. I stood, readied my shield and the Flame of Justice, and called defiance to the beast.

By now, the maelstrom was circling overhead. The seas themselves began to spin. Suddenly a massive undertow gripped my makeshift vessel, pulling it under. As my head plunged below the surface, I could see that the kraken was also caught in the whirpool.

Down and down I went. I held my breath until my lungs felt like they were on fire. Then I passed out. I'm not sure how long I was out but it only seemed like seconds later I broke the surface of the water. At first I thought that the planking that I gripped and brought me back up. Then I noticed that I was no longer in my world. The sky, sun, and sea pulsated in indescribable colors.

"The Other World," I thought. "Have the Faedwyr kidnapped me again?"

I did not have much time to ponder this question. With a mighty splash, the kraken surfaced!

(To be continued)

OOC Notes

• I am undertaking a new phase in my foam-fighting career. I'm fighting with Caligo, a new cross-gaming realm being formed by Kage (a unit in the Way of the Sword organization). This story explains my presence in their setting.
• According to their lore (IIRC) Caligo is a land on the continent of Mu. Mysterious forces have pulled it out of the material world into a strange void. Thus, another portal seems to be the best explanation. I worked out the details with Amaru of the Sentinels (one of the units of Caligo)
• Have no worries - the quest for the druid's artifacts shall continue!

The Horn of Hurricane

The Horn of the Hurricane! A magical artifact from the time of the druids. Who knew that it held so much power? As I, Rufus, gazed at it, my mind wandered back to the day when the Bilgewater Brigade had recovered it.

It was in the early days of the Wardens. A horde of goblins had been plaguing the settlements of Ember Shoals with a series of raids. The people of Lander's Edge formed the Bilgewater Brigade, a militia force, to stem the raiders. Their efforts had largely been successful and the raids diminished.

Then one day I received an urgent message from the Brigade. A vast army of goblins, let by a vicious troll known as Kragcrush were making their way through the hills heading for the capital. I mustered the Wardens and rode to join the Brigade. The forces of Ember Shoals found a defensible position at a bridge which crossed a lava vent. The narrow crossing prevented the monster horde from outflanking and destroying the Brigade.

Kragcrush yelled the command and his horde rushed forward. The Bilgewater Brigade met the goblins on the bridge. Like a scythe, the whirling brigades of the heroes cut down the goblins like wheat. The brigade stood firm and the wave of goblins broke upon the solid defenses. They began streaming back across the bridge.

Then Kragcrush entered the fray.

He was a massive, monstrous beast with a foul temper. As the goblins tried to retreat past him, he swung his massive hammer, smashing the cowardly creatures. The rest got the message; they turned back to the attack, with Kragcrush in the lead.

He slammed into the wall of defenders, smashing a hole in their defenses. Arrows, spears, and swords pierced his leathery skin but Kragcrush shrugged off his wounds and continued to fight. Despite their desperate fight, the Bilgewater Brigade was slowly pushed back. If the monsters could cross the bridge, they would outflank the defenders and win the day.

But the leaders of the Brigade refused to concede defeat. Huntario, Kristophe, Scaeatha, Shroudstar and the Wardens steeled their resolved and redoubled their efforts. They sliced through the horde of goblins and pressed in against Kragcrush. Even the troll could not withstand their whirlwind of steel. Finally, a fatal blow was struck. Kragcrush teetered and then fell of the bridge, into the lava below.

With Kragcrush's death, the monster army routed from the field. The Brigade pressed the pursuit, scattering the evil horde. As the heroes searched the monster army's camp, they discovered chests filled with plunder from Ember Shoals. But the greatest treasure was a simple, battered horn. Lost for years, this relic was the Horn of Hurricane. The brigade decided that the horn should go to the most heroic of the defenders, but many claimed that honor. After some squabbling, the horn was rewarded to Huntario the monk, or so we thought. Apparently, Commodore Kettlebaun had other ideas.

I smiled at the thought of my unlikely friend. If it weren't for his, shall we say, collector's mentality, then the Horn likely would have been lost forever. Now it, the only hope for Ember Shoals, was in my hands.