A Quiet Time

From the pen of Brother Rufus of Freehaven.

For the most part, it has been a quiet time for the Shrouded Isles. We have heard of fighting between the Maakan and Me'owtzlan in the jungle of Tloth, but we have seen no sign of either the Undying or the Faedwyr. I suspect that may change someday, but for now we are enjoying the respite. I have returned to Freehaven where the Wardens are busy building up our settlement. We are building a new Heron Hall as well as a new fleet. We have abandoned the original Heron Hall, although we restored the chapel, which a small contingent of priests maintain. We have rebuilt and man Wyvernwatch Tower as well as Castle Kessog. For now, there is peace in the realm.

OOC Notes

• It has been a while since my last post. We're still playing but we haven't been advancing any lore. This is primarily because the Kingdom of Neverwinter is doing a Game of Thrones theme so I have run a few GoT scenarios. I didn't bother writing lore for them.
• We tried out Amtpocalypse a couple of months ago. Ember Shoals's current monarch is not particularly fond of post-apocalypse so we haven't tried again. I must admit that I'm OK with that. While it was an enjoyable change of pace, the presence of firearms greatly changes the dynamic. I'm more of a sword guy so I prefer the more melee-heavy dynamic of the medieval setting.
• A couple of Sundays ago I ran an archery booth at my church's Family Fun Day carnival. It was well received. I hope this will open the door to a LARP group at my church.

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 

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.

The Fight for the Flagon

As Kettlebaun wrote about the Fibber's Flagon, " You never know just where the blasted thing may turn up!" Somehow it arrived in the Great Hall of Landfall Castle. I, Rufus, found it sitting upon the table. I picked it up and asked, "Who does this belong to?" Then, the flagon exerted an insidious influence on those feasting within the hall. No one could truly say who owned it but all desired it. Soon, the assembled members began to put forth their claims to the mug. Tempers frayed; the sound of weapons being drawn filled the air. Then, without warning, blows were struck!

The clang of weapons resounded through the Great Hall as former comrades were at each other's throats. The melee was so confused that I could not make out exactly what was going on. Various factions formed and squared off against one another. One by one, however, the combatants succumbed to their wounds. Eventually, only three remained - Lord Lancelot, Beast, and Vibe.

The three combatants agreed to honor duels to decide the fate of the flagon. First, Beast and Vibe squared off. After a dazzling display of swordsmanship, Beast prevailed. Then he took on Lancelot. Again, we were witnesses to some sword mastery. This time, however, Beast was bested. Flush with victory, Lancelot seized the flagon from my hands. I was too flabbergasted by the whole affair to refuse him. Fortunately, no one was killed in the scuffle (perhaps the flagon's magic prevented any killing blows).

OOC Notes

• This tale is based on a tournament I held at Caligo last Sunday. It was a free-for-all for the ownership of the Fibber's Flagon, a new artifact that we introduced to the realm. Click the link above for a description.
• I was the reeve for the tourney so I did not participate in the fighting.

The Second Node

The Sentinels were on edge as they awaited word from their scouts. They lost the first node to the voidlings; losing another one would severely threaten their very existence.

Then the day came. A messenger came riding hard. Panting, he rushed to the Great Hall and reported to Lord Lancelot. The node had been found in the Haiiro Ransu (translates as the Ashen Lances). Lancelot organized his troops and rode out.

The Haiiro Ransu is an area rocky badlands. Large boulders and high cliffs arise from the dusty plain. Anyone traveling there would need to wind their way through narrow passages between the cliffs. As they approached the region, the Sentinels could spy numerous creatures flying over the cliffs.

"Something must have died recently. Vultures." one trooper stated.

Lancelot looked closer. No, those weren't vultures. Too big. Suddenly, one swooped down upon the war band. Although it had the body, wings, and talons of a vulture, its head was that of a woman.

"Harpies!" someone yelled.

The creature slashed it talons, slicing into the flesh of one of the horses. It reared it fright and pain, sending its rider flying. Then it bolted for safety.

"Our mounts cannot survive against these monsters," stated Lancelot, "we must advance on foot. Swiftly now!"

The Sentinels dismounted, unslung their shields, and advanced into the Haiiro Ransu. Several harpies swooped down and engaged. Talons clashed against shields, but the Sentinels held firm and slashed away at the enemy. Wounded harpies flew away, only to be replaced by more of the beasts. Suddenly, a rock fell from the sky, hitting a Sentinel in the head and knocking him senseless. Lancelot looked up; some of the harpies hovered overhead, dropping rocks on the dense formation.

"Archers! Take out those rock-throwers!"

Artemis took aim. Her accurate shots scattered the harpies, but others made rapid passes to bomb the Sentinels.

Slowly but surely the Sentinels pressed deeper into the Haiiro Ransu, although some warriors fell to the talons and rocks of the enemy. Then, the rocks and cliffs seemed to part, revealing a wide canyon. In the middle of the canyon was the Node. It sat upon a small boulder, pulsing with energy.

"Look!"

Across the canyon, coming from the other side, the Sentinels could see a band of voidlings. It was now a race to the Node! The Sentinels tried to surge forward but the harpies redoubled their attacks. Fortunately, the voidlings were similarly beset.

"I'm going to make a break for it!" yelled Lancelot. He girded himself and rushed forward. The harpies swarmed him, but he hacked and slashed, clearing a path. He reached the Node and smiled in triumph. But a voidling also charged forward, reaching the Node.

"I'm coming to help!" shouted Vibe. He burst through the swarm of harpies and rushed to Lancelot's side. Together, they were able to hold off the voidling and grab the Node. They retreated back to the rest of the Sentinels. For some reason, the harpies shied away from the Node. Once Lancelot and Vibe rejoined the warband, the harpies flew away, attacking the voidlings instead. This allowed the Sentinels to retreat in safety. Once they reached their horses, they rode like the wind back to Landfall Castle.

Afterwards, Lancelot sat in the Great Hall, pondering the recent events. Many Sentinels had been wounded and some had made the ultimate sacrifice. Was it worth it? He thought so; if the voidlings captured most of the Nodes then Lndafall Castle, even Caligo itself, would be in deadly peril.

OOC Notes

• My apologies to Kage if it seems that I'm not giving them enough credit in these narratives. I choose to write from the Sentinels' perspective in order to maintain narrative consistency. After all, my character has taken refuge with the Sentinels.
• I named a few individuals whom I recall playing a role in the battle. There are others who fought valiantly. Please forgive any oversights. Feel free to share n the comments your remembrances of valiant deeds done by others.
• The scenario was essentially a gauntlet. One side played the questers (either Sentinels or voidlings) while the other played the harpies.
• The goal was to get as many players to the Node as possible.
• I used rope and the tree line to represent cliffs, which were impassible to the questers (although the harpies could fly over them). This created easily defensible narrows.
• As it turned out, this was a difficult scenario for the questers. Kage only managed to get one person through. The Sentinels ran through it second. Lancelot dashed through, followed by Vibe a little later. There were more Sentinels still alive but I called the game because the Sentinels won 2-1.
• The part where Lancelot and Vibe fend of a voidling and retreat with the Node was not part of the scenario. It is just a little artistic license.

The First Node

Once he learned of the first Node of Mana, Lancelot gathered his troops and rode out of Landfall Castle. (Due to my illness I was unable to ride with them; I stayed on defense at Landfall). After much hard riding, the Sentinels arrived in a valley that gradually narrowed to a point. At the very end of the valley was a cave. Lancelot stopped and consulted the map provided by the sorcerer. It looked like the place but he was not sure.

Then one of his troopers spoke: "This must be the place, Lord Lancelot."

"Why do you think that?" Lancelot asked.

"Look," the trooper replied as he pointed across the valley. A band of voidlings had appeared and were racing toward the cave. Lancelot was about the give the order to ride for the cave when a loud roar split the air. Then, from the cave appeared a reptilian head. It was followed by another and then another until several were writhing from the cave.

"A hydra!" one of the Sentinels said.

The Sentinels dismounted from their now skittish horses and began to rush to the cave. They and the voidlings arrived at the cave mouth at the same time. As if by mutual agreement, the bitter enemies ignored each other and instead attacked the hydra.

With a roar, the hydra began lashing out at the invaders, striking with its jaws and spewing gouts of flame. Many a warrior was burnt or bitten, leaving bodies strewn upon the battlefield. The Sentinels unleashed a storm of archery upon the beast while the voidlings hacked and stabbed with fury. One by one, the heads were severed, until the creature shuddered and died.

But the battle was just beginning for the Node was inside the cave. Now the Sentinels and voidlings turned on one another. Lancelot cut his way through the enemy and reached the Node. He grabbed it and began saying the incantation to claim the Node. Then a voidling crept up behind him and knocked him senseless. This time a voidling grabbed the Node. The Sentinels rushed it and sliced it to bits. The Node was knocked aside and rolled around the cave floor. Hands tried to grasp it but it kept rolling about. Finally, a voidling seized it and raced out of the cave. The Sentinels gave chase but could not catch it. The Node was gone.

The remaining Sentinels tended to their wounded. They revived Lancelot and told him the bad news. He shook his head in dismay as he pondered the fate of his home. Would this defeat usher in the beginning of the end? But then he steeled himself.

"They may have won this battle." he firmly stated, "but we will prevail in the end."

His troops nodded in agreement as each vowed to fight that much harder next time.

OOC Notes

• Rufus does not appear in this account because I am the reeve for the scenarios. I guess Rufus will be stay at home defending the castle, although I did have an illness (a cold) this week.
• I don't recall all the details of the battle although I remember Vibe's and Artimis's archery with Lancelot and Beast on the front line. Many others contributed but I was closest to the Sentinels and was most aware of their fighting (sorry Kage).
• Lancelot first reached the Node, Rage was the voidling who grabbed it next, and XIII was the one who raced off with it. Congrats to Kage for their victory.
• Thanks to Barnabis, Holly, Ryan, et. al. who served as the hydra. And thanks to Mercy for being a second reeve.
• Finally, I made a slight oversight and forgot to tell the teams that the rope represented the cave walls. A couple of members of Kage rushed around the hydra and ran through the walls. Oops.

The Nodes of Mana - Introduction

I (Rufus) am getting to old for this. This time I had come down with some form of plague. I was resting at Landfall Castle when the sorcerer arrived.

He was a short, wizened figure wrapped in a dark cloak. We could not see his face because his hood was pulled low. He approached Lord Lancelot, who beckoned him to speak.

"I come to offer my regrets, Lord Lancelot."

Puzzled, Lancelot responded "Whatsoever for?"

"The destruction of Landfall Castle." the figure replied.

Well, that got everyone's attention.

The sorcerer then took a crystal ball from beneath his cloak and placed it on the table in front of Lancelot. We all gazed into it, and it seemed as if we were drawn into the scene that the ball displayed. We could see Landfall Castle in ruins, the Sentinels, dead, scattered throughout the stronghold.

"What does this mean?" I asked. "Does this ball show what will be?

"Not what will be but what may be. 'Tis shall happen if ye take no action."

"What kind of action?" asked Lancelot.

"To seek the Nodes of Mana."

We looked at each other, puzzled expressions on our faces. The sorcerer then explained the situation. Somehow, nine Nodes of Mana had been pulled into Caligo. In the wrong hands, they had the potential, the power, to wipe out Landfall Castle. But they were currently hidden throughout Caligo. Lancelot seized on this point.

"If they are hidden, how can they threaten us?"

The sorcerer replied: "Because the voidlings know how to find them."

My eyes grew wide with the tension. If the voidlings found those first, well words cannot describe the horror. Lancelot asked how to find the Nodes. The sorcerer showed him a map.

"Here," he said, "is the first Node. Find it and it shall lead thee to the others. But beware, for it is guarded."

"Guarded by what?"

"Ye shall see." stated with sorcerer, with a chuckle as he turned and strode from the hall.

Lancelot wasted no time. He called for the Sentinels to gather their gear and prepare for an expedition to retrieve the first Node.

OOC Notes

• This is an introduction to a new campaign I have introduced to Caligo. Every month during our Amtgard Day we will have a battle to claim one of the 9 Nodes. Once the Nodes are claimed? I have some ideas that I wish to keep secret for now.

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!