A Surprising Discovery

I, Rufus, have made it a practice lately to ride out from Landfall Castle and patrol throughout the great forest. Last time I rode eastward. Where I would normally turn back after a day or so, something urged me to continue this time. I rode through the forest and reached a coastline. I gazed eastward through the fog, and saw an unsuspected sight.

There in the distance was an island. That's not the surprising part though. I recognized the island's coast How could that be? I hadn't patrolled here before. Then it struck me - it looked like the coast of Ember Shoals!

My curiosity was piqued. I rode along the coast until I found a small, abandoned boat. I clambered aboard and set out. Landing upon this strange yet familiar shore, I strode inland. The landmarks were familiar. I kept going until I crossed some farmlands, apparently ravaged by war. Then in the distance I saw it. Standing upon a dominating hill lay the ruins of once-proud Heron Hall, home to the Wardens! I don't know how it managed to end up off the coast of Caligo, but it was truly there. This was no dream!

I rushed back to Landfall Castle and reported the news. Now that I can reach Ember Shoals I intend to return, and find out what happened to my home.

Rescuing the Season

With most of the children safe (recounted earlier), Lord Vibe shut the gates to Landfall Castle and posted sentries alert for a return of the Krampus. He and his officers convened a council of war to discuss the Krampus.

"How will we track the Krampus and find the children?"

"We have a bigger problem than that," a sage spoke as he entered the council room. The officers stared quizzically at him as he spread some old papers across the table.

"According to all the accounts, the Krampus is only supposed to prey upon naughty children. From what we've learned from the villagers, the kidnapped children were nice. That should not happen! I then found another account. The Krampus's power and malice will grow, if Greatfather Wyntor is gone. It is very clear what has happened . . ."

"The Krampus has kidnapped Greatfather Wyntor!"

At that moment one of the Sentinels' scouts rushed in, holding a tiny shoe. It was from one of the children.

"With this we can track the Krampus to his lair!"

The scouts unleashed the bloodhounds and followed the Krampus's trail to a cave in the mountains. Lord Vibe and the Sentinels followed. As they approached the case, a horde of shaggy, white ape-like creatures emerged and charged.

The Sentinels raised their shields and received the charge. They hacked and slashed, but the beasts kept fighting. Then, the Krampus appeared and launched himself into the battle. The Sentinels' line was pushed back.

But a squad detached itself and snuck into the case. Deep in its bowels, they found Greatfather Wyntor tied to a stalagmite. A particularly nasty-looking yeti stood guard over him. The Sentinels were not deterred; they rushed forward and struck down the beast while one of the squad cut Greatfather Wyntor's bindings. They began to lead him from the cave, but more yetis appeared. The creatures scattered the rescuers, grabbed Greatfather Wyntor, and retied him to the rock.

More Sentinels arrived, defeated the yetis, and again rescued the captive. This time they escorted him out of the cave. More yetis attacked. One raised its arm, a huge rock in its fist, and slammed down on Greatfather Wyntor's head. He collapsed; his skull shattered.

Greatfather Wyntor was dead!

But Ferrum, the Sentinels' healer, would not admit defeat. He was able to use his powers to summon Greatfather Wyntor's corpse to him. Then, he laid hands on the victim and spoke an incantation. The power of magic surrounded Greatfather Wyntor. He groaned and opened his eyes! He was resurrected. The Sentinels were then able to lead the groggy Greatfather back to Landafall Castle.

Krampus and his army pursued. But now Greatfather Wyntor had recovered. He rushed to the battlements, looked up to the heavens, and raised his arms. A howling, frigid wind swept over the castle and struck the evil army. The Krampus was caught up in the icy grip and blown over the mountains. Without their leader, the yetis panicked and fled.

Once the storm had abated, Lord Vibe sent some warriors back to the cave. There they found the missing children, who were reunited with their families. There was much rejoicing, and all had a wonderful Winternacht!

OOC Notes:

• This was the second of our holiday scenarios. Greatfather Wyntor was "tied" to a tree behind the bad guys' spawn point. The good guys had to reach him, say "untying" twice, and then get him back to their spawn.
• Greatfather Wyntor was an elf, with 2nd level druid spells. He also had access to a shield and sword (left around the cave, no doubt). I played the Greatfather and must admit that I only used one power (shadow step). I never had time to prepare anything else.
• Kudos to Robb who played a mean Krampus and to Ferrum who won the day by summoning and resurrecting Greatfather Wyntor,
• Skale was the " particularly nasty-looking yeti" I mentioned.
• The scenario ended when Greatfather Wyntor made it to safety. I invented the part about the icy wind sweeping away the evil army in order to have a nice, happy, Winternacht ending.
• The yeti picture came from https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/32/e3/84/32e384d4facc4bfec4d0a563b3c38668.jpg 

Terror in the Night

'Twas the night before Winter Festival and all through the castle.

Not a soul was stirring, not even the vassals.

When out in the villages there arose such a clatter,

the Sentinels sprang from their beds to see what was the matter.

What to their horrified eyes did appear

but a demonic figure that filled all with fear.

Yes, it was indeed a horrid sight on that terrifying night. First, the Sentinels spotted a horde of diminutive, scaly creatures scurrying through the neighboring villages.

These gremlins were breaking windows and opening doors. Lord Vibe noticed a pattern; the creatures were attacking homes where children lived. Vibe commanded the Sentinels to race to the villages and rescue the youngsters.

There were three threatened villages. To the west was Twotownes, which used to be a pair of villages on opposite sides of a river that dried up. In the center was the crossroads village of Kaltor's Crossing. Eastward was Foxglove, so named for the abundance of said flower growing near it. Vibe and a strong force rushed to Kaltor's Crossing, where they witnessed a demonic figure crawling out of a window, a child in its clutches.

It was the legendary Krampus!

The Sentinels attacked, driving off the beast without its prize. Vibe scooped up the child and brought it back to the castle.

Meanwhile, the gremlins launched attacks on the Sentinels. Vibe ordered them to push forward and create a defensive perimeter. The sounds of vicious battle pierced the still winter night. Meanwhile, Vibe escorted children to the safety of the Sentinels' keep.

The Krampus tried to make another attack on Kaltor's Crossing but it could not make it through the perimeter. Instead, it moved west to Twotownes, where Silk was maintaining a wary vigil. When she saw the Krampus and its minions approaching, she raised the alarm and prepared to defend the village. The evil creatures approached cautiously toward the stalwart scout, which gave reinforcements a chance to arrive. Together, they repulsed the attack.

As this was occurring, Vibe managed to evacuate Foxglove. With this village empty and the other two heavily defended, the Krampus adopted a new strategy. As its minions harassed the defenders, it snuck past the villages and descended upon an unprepared Landfall Castle. The Krampus had the chance to kidnap some of the children that Vibe thought were safe. Fortunately, eagle-eyed Artemis spotted the beast. She cried out a warning - "Back! Back!" as she rushed to the castle. More defenders rushed back. They tracked down the Krampus and forced him into retreat.

At this point, the Krampus had enough. He and his minions slipped away in the night. Most of the children had been rescued. Alas, two were missing and presumed to be kidnapped. But where did the Krampus take them?

OOC Notes

• This is the story of the first of a two-part scenario we played at our Amtgard park the Sunday before Christmas.
• There were 3 villages (cones) placed in the middle of the field. I used paper dolls for the children. Only the captains (Vibe and the Krampus - ably played by Robb) could carry the children.

Wyntornocht in Caligo

Wyntornacht is the popular mid-winter festival in Ember Shoals, and apparently it has made its way to Caligo as well. As the celebration draws nearer, I am reminded of the traditions of the season. Here is a short excerpt from The Wayfarer's Guide to the Ember Shoals-Customs & Rituals by Phremynn.

"There are two figures central to the Wyntornacht mythology, Greatfather Wyntor & his antagonist, Dur Krommpys [also known as the Krampus]. The pair seemed to be locked in a never ending cycle of battle; with Greatfather Wyntor seemingly coming out on top at the conclusion in the folklore.
Below, I've included my best attempts at depicting these beings."

Greatfather Wyntor

The Krampus

And another excerpt from The Wayfarer's Guide:

"The origins of this holiday boogeyman are mostly unknown. What little information, my brethren & I, have been able to gather is at best...fragmented & anecdotal. Dissconcerting to say the least but, we work diligently with what we have to compile this tome.

Rumor states the this creature is the bastard child of a Faedwyr noble & Dyvaalkin called a Succubi(we're still uncertain about the Dyvaalkin; more on that in a later chapter).

Depised by both it's Fey cousin's & the Dyvaalkin, Dër Krahmpuz, took to wandering the mortal plane. Gaining followers amongst the nascent Fomorach(orc) tribes that once inhabited the archipelago. Revered as a nature diety by the Formorach for millenia, it had found a place that it could belong & cheerfully ruled over it's chosen people.

This changed however. With the coming of the first Krewes, everything changed...forever.
As the orcs numbers dwindled from the diseases & slaughter wrought by the humans, Dër Krahmpuz, found it's strength fading.

Over time, it came to know emotions that it had never known. Sorrow, hate, anguish, envy...the sudden rush of these feelings twisted & warped the creature; slowly driving it mad. In its madness, Dër Krahmpuz, began demanding sacrifices from it's followers. At first animals but, that soon wasn't enough. Dër Krahmpuz hungered for the most precious of souls....children."

OOC Notes:

• I copied these bits of lore from Facebook. They were written by Robb Rodgers, aka Kettlebaun aka Xhorja.
• Greatfather Wyntor and the Krampus shall have starring roles in this Sunday's Amtgard scenarios.

A Horrifying Harvest

With voidling attacks petering off, the lands of the Sentinels were able to reap a bountiful harvest. There was, however, something missing - turkey! The Sentinels decided to take up their bows and go hunting. Two parties were formed - one led by Vibe and the other by Beast. Boasting began, and soon the two teams had arranged a contest. Which team could come back with the most turkeys?

The two teams set off into the forest, one to the east and another to the west. I, Rufus, was with Vibe's team. As we wandered through the wilderness we were amazed by the stillness. No birds sang and no animals scurried underfoot. What sorcery could do this?

After a while, we heard a scream in the distance. Shortly thereafter, we spotted a figure rushing towards us. It was a man, fleeing in terror. Behind him came this towering, feathered creature.

Before we could do anything, it caught the man and pecked him to death.

"A dire turkey!" I exclaimed.

"What?" asked my companions.

Briefly I explained. Back in Ember Shoals, the Faedwyr had performed arcane sorcery upon the native wild turkeys. They grew to monstrous size and began attacking the populace. After a bloody battle, we defeated all but one, which fled deep into the wilderness. But that was in Ember Shoals; how did one get to Caligo?

After dispatching its prey, the dire turkey looked up at us, then unleashed a gobble that sounded more like a lion's roar. Our knees quaked in fear. Suddenly, a swarm of the beasts converged on us. We steeled our nerves and prepared to defend ourselves. Then one of them did this:

We covered ourselves with our shields and joined the battle. We hacked and slashed, slaying many of the beasts. More attacked, flying over us and then diving upon us. Still, we put up a brave resistance. After a heated battle, the remaining dire turkeys fled. We gathered up the carcasses of the slain turkeys and brought them back to Landfall Castle. We had 37 of the creatures, enough to feed the settlement for many months. Upon our return, we met Beast's team. They had a similar experience but only netted 36 turkeys. Vibe had won the bet!

Beast would gain a measure of revenge. After our feast, a friendly battle broke out over the pumpkin pie. Beast's team won the lion's share of the dessert.

OOC Notes:

• For our Thanksgiving weekend battlegame, I pulled out a scenario we ran at Ember Shoals a few years prior - a twisted turkey hunt.
• Dire turkeys had flight, terror, and 1 fireball spell.
• I actually was reeving the turkey battle but joined Vibe for the pumpkin pie fight. So he won without me and lost with me. Hmmm.
• The pumpkin pie fight was a game of Heavy Object, using a shield as the object (a pumpkin pie, naturally). Of course, players had to hold the "pie" horizontally so as not to spill it.

Ghouls in the Graveyard

It had been a quiet two months, but then the tranquility of Landfall Castle was broken when a scout burst into the Great Hall.

"We've found another Node!" he exclaimed to the startled populace. Lord Lancelot was away from the keep, but his second-in-command, Vibe, wasted no time. Soon after, the Sentinels were saddled and riding hard to the location of the third Node.

The scout led them to a graveyard. As the Sentinels made their way onto the grounds, they could see things scurrying among the tombstones. Hellish figures were rooting through the graves, digging up fresh corpses.

"Ghouls!"

"Where is the Node?" Vibe asked.

The scout replied, "In one of the graves. We'll have to dig it out."

"Look!" cried one of the Sentinels. On the other side of the cemetery, they could see the figures of voidlings hastening toward the graves.

"Hurry!" Vibe commanded, "before the voidlings get it!"

The Sentinels rushed forward, hacking and slashing their way through the ghouls that patrolled the graveyard. They got about halfway in when a wave of stench, drifting up from the unearthed corpses, struck their nostrils. They were left gagging and gasping for breath and had to withdraw. Logan, a recent arrival at Landfall, cast a spell, negating the effects for some of the Sentinels. Vibe flanked to the left while Amaru and Mark went right. They reached the graves and began digging, but to no avail.

Meanwhile, the voidlings had cut a path through the ghouls and likewise began to dig. The ghouls converged, but one of the voidlings went on a berserk rampage. Its powerful blows cleaved the ghouls while it seemingly ignored all strikes against it. It finally fell, but it had cleared a space. More voidlings rushed in and ransacked the graves.

The Sentinels were nearing the voidlings when suddenly there was a bright light and a clap like thunder. One of the voidlings held up the Node! Light flashed again and then the voidlings, and the Node, were gone.

Deflated, the Sentinels trudged back to Landfall Castle. The voidlings now had a second Node.

OOC Notes

• This is the report of the latest Caligo lore battle.
• In this scenario, one side played the ghouls while the other were the questers trying to find the Node (a wooden disk) which was placed under a "gravestone" (actually a rectangle of heavy, gray cardstock). I timed how long it took for the questers to find the Node. Then the teams switched roles. The team that found the Node quickest won the scenario. In this case, the team representing the voidlings won.
• To make it more challenging, the ghouls' half of the field was deemed to be an area of Eternal Stench. Unless immune to death, questers had to cover their nose and mouth while immersed in the stench.
• Kudos to Lord Gr'Rakt (Josh), a visitor from Crest Haven. He played a crucial role for the voidling team when his barbarian character went into Fight After Death mode and mowed down the opposition. This cleared space for his teammates to come up and find the Node.

The Shot

A minor incident in the everyday life of the realm

I was riding on patrol the other day when I came upon a curious sight. A man was throwing a rope up into a tree while a young boy looked on expectantly. I stopped and asked if they needed help. The man explained that he was trying to get his son's toy down from the tree. I did not ask how it got there in the first place, but when I looked I could see the toy lodged in the crook between 2 branches.

"I'll see what I can do," I said.

I dismounted from my steed and gathered up my bow and some arrows. I strung my bow, placed an arrow on the string, a drew it back. My archery was not the best so I wondered if I could make the shot. I momentarily worried that I would get my arrow stuck in the tree while leaving the toy untouched. What if my shot skewered the toy, destroying it? All these thoughts filtered through my mind. I had to dismiss them and concentrate on the shot.

Focusing my concentration, I aimed and loosed. The shot was true; the arrow grazed the toy without puncturing it. It swayed on the branch, then came tumbling down. The man and boy applauded.

I was very happy to be able to help. And I am particularly pleased with the shot!

OOC Notes

• This was an actual incident at last week's practice. There was a Cub Scout pack having a party at the park's pavilion. One of the lads got a bean bag stuck in a tree (I didn't ask how). One of the fathers was trying to get it down with a rope. I came over with my bow and arrows and offered to help. I got it out of the tree in one shot. There was applause.
• Note that I used Amtgard arrowheads. I didn't have to worry about piercing the bean bag.
• Nevertheless, I am so pleased with the shot that I had to write down the story.