Date At Start Of Game: 06/26/206

[Author’s Note: This is the log for the 7th session. Note that the order of the events in this record may not be in the exact order that they occurred during play.]

The Village Of Longwinter

As the savage White Owl Kin press their attack on the besieged fort the few defenders prepare to fire their bows. Po heals the defenders while the rest of the PC decide to wait and watch. As the ghoulish attackers start scaling the walls Po starts cursing them and Kanga opens fire from long range. The attackers fall quickly after landing only a couple of hits on the fort defenders.

After the combat the fort commander, Will Fraiser, describes the situation. For the last 2 weeks the fort and Wolf Kin clan has been attacked by the White Owl Kin. It started around a month ago when the White Owl Kin claimed that the Wolf Kin stole their fertility idol which is causing several of their clan to fall ill. The Wolf Kin tried to explain that they had not taken the idol and went to the fort for protection and to try and enlist some aid. Soon White Owl Kin, Wolf Kin, and some of the fort defenders all started to become sick. The sickness starts with a terrible thirst. After about 7 to 10 days severe fatigue set it. Finally blood appears around the eyes then blindness follows. After death the victim rise as an animated corpse! The young male Wolf Kin in the fort, Silvermaw, beg Po to help his clan. Po first uses the stick. It points well past Longwinter towards the mountains and not towards either clan. Weighing their options the PC and remaining fort soldiers decide to head to the Wolf Kin clan.

What Remains Of The Wolf Kin Clan

After a trek through the woods the PC enter the Wolf Clan village and meet with their shaman, Silverback. Luckily she is able to speak Ape Man and addresses the party. While healing some of the clan Po senses a spirit in the eyes of one of the blind Wolf Kin warriors. He decides to try putting the black rocks the party found earlier on the eyes of the warrior. This tends to stabilize the man so he leaves them with the clan.

The Glacial Lair

The next morning the PC follow the stick to an area that Silverback described as “holy”. At the site they find three streams, an idol made of stacked stones, and the start of a large iceberg. When Cillian looks at the stacked stone idol he senses very stong earth spirits. In his vision the inside of the idol seems to almost glow with an inner light. When the PC investigate the iceberg they find a pool at the start of the one of the streams. Under the water in the pool is a tunnel that leads into the iceberg. Cillian goes to investigate as he is the only PC present who can actually swim. When he gets to the end of the roughly 20 foot long tunnel he finds a pool with two small beings. Using wind Cillian knocks down a stone from the wall and peaks up. He sees two small figures who appear to be flies (i.e. Blackfly Kin). They have wings and multifaceted eyes.

As the pool entrance looks tricky for the PC they decide to look for other entrances. After lots of ariel recon Po and Bilby find an opening in the rocks that leads into a massive cavity in the iceberg. The portal into the cavity is on the roof of the chamber. While watching Bilby spies several Blackfly Kin and two fish creatures (aka Whitefish Kin) with crude looking spears. This entrance is even worse than the underwater tunnel.

Now what?!?

Date At End Of Game: 06/27/206

The Spirit Storm Campaign Document has been updated to version 1.5. There are over 10 pages of new material since the last release (i.e. version 1.1). Here is a summary of the changes:

1.2 – 4/10/09
+ Fixed calculation problem in HKA for Rat Kin.
+ Clarified Characteristic Maximums and racial packages.
+ Many other smaller cleanups and clarifications.
1.3 – 5/15/09
+ Changed the minimum real point spell expenditure limit from 20 pts to 15 pts.
+ Added the EP Load concept to the character creation section.
+ Added section on Reincarnation. This has several meta-game mechanics associated with it as well.
1.4 – 11/8/09
+ Updated section on spirit magic to include information about the effect of the four elements and spirit magic tracing.
+ Added section to the Campaign Rules on Healing.
1.5 – 12/7/09
+ Updated the intro to add the rules system that will be used for the campaign.
+ Changed references from Epic Words to the Checkered Demon Yahoo Group.
+ Added Armadillo Kin (Jim Schaff), Bat Kin (Jeff Brickman), Dolphin Kin (Brian Fernandez), Kangaroo Kin (Geoff Barrall), Raven Kin (Steve Brickman), and Sheep Kin (Brian Fernandez). I want to thank the players for coming up with these wonderful races.

Date At Start Of Game: 06/01/206

[Author’s Note: This is the log for the 6th session. Note that the order of the events in this record may not be in the exact order that they occurred during play.]

Exploring The Bellies Cave Complex

As the adventure opens the PC watch as the deadly shadow worm mauls the last of the summoned shadow praying mantis’ and heads for Narduhl. Right as the worm attacks Narduhl essentially vanishes in his cloak. Apparently he has shrunk down to a tiny size. The shadow worm continues to maul the cloak as the PC and remaining Bellies stare on in disbelief. Carefully Oren pulls the cloak out from the worm and finds the acorn from Great Oak. He notices that one side of the acorn is scraped. He does not find the remaining bit on Narduhl’s cloak.

Eventually Po orders the shadow worm to stop. It then ceases trying to attack the cloak. The PC then wake the shaman who they know speaks Ape Man and begin to converse with him. Even though the Belly shaman appears to consider Narduhl a powerful figure the PC convince him that it is in the interest of his clan to make peace with Rock Ridge. If they do not the scouts at the wilderness settlement will literally eradicate them entirely. Before leaving the cave complex the PC take the helmet from the chief and a journal that Narduhl left behind. Bishop determines that the helmet grants the user strength and accuracy at the penalty of potentially becoming enranged. The journal will take more study. The PC take the shaman to speak with Iocane then the rest of the camp. The PC leave the camp with at least some hope that hostilities will be ended.

Po uses the stick and finds a wash of chaos to the north. Even though the stick is pointing north the PC decide it best to deliver the acorn to Gray Pine for safe keeping. During the trip Po examine Narduhl’s journey. It describes the last 6 months. Some of the data is related to bugs. This information includes data on how to produce large bugs, how the Bellies can fit the large bug carapaces into armor, and concepts on the beetle gland weapons. Personal writings reveal that Narduhl is driven to destroy Rock Ridge for what they did to him. It also reveals advice from someone known as the Dark Lord or Dark Prophet that has instructed him to plan his revenge carefully by first building power. Journal entries are also present regarding the acorn. Early entries show his progress on tracking the acorn after reading about it in General Buck’s journal. Next entries describe experiments with a potion that he hopes will help prolong his life. Finally there are entries where Narduhl writes about delivering the rest of the acorn to one of the Dark Lord’s associates in Ambrosia Trades, a trading settlement to the north.

Epic Tale #4 – Blackfly Kin In My Chardonnay

Delivering The Acorn To Gray Pine

After the short journey to the Azure Expanse the PC again enter the sacred grove of pine trees that is the home of Gray Pine. The PC explain that they have retrieved the acorn from Great Oak. To their surprise Gray Pine takes the information with a slight feeling of sadness. He explains that if planted the acorn will almost assuredly grow into the next Great Tree. When that happens his time in the sun will be over. Gray Pine also explains that as the liberator and saviors of the acorn the location where the acorn should be planted is up to the PC. He stresses that the location of the next Great Tree must be done carefully with though of protection in mind.

Next the PC ask about about the Dark Lord. Gray Pine explains that the Dark Lord is something he has not heard uttered in a very long time. The Dark Lord is not as much as a person as an “idea”. He explains that in the past when kin were evolving their knowledge of spirits was primative. They often grouped spirits into things that they observed then worshipped them as pagan gods. The Dark lord was the embodiment of fire, decay, carrion, suffering, and vengeance.

With that Po flies into the branches of Gray Pine to conceal the acorn. When he does so he notices an open cut on a large branch. From the branch a black wet sap is leaking. When Po asks Gray Pine about the wound he says that long ago he was tainted by minions of the Dark Lord. The wound is deep and will not heal by normal means. Gray Pine feels he will live at most another 20 to 30 years. Po takes some of the sap and tells Gray Pine that he will search for a cure.

Ambrosia Trades And Travelling To Points North

After several days of travelling north Po detects two currents from the stick. One light stream leads to the west while a stronger current still comes from the north. The PC decide to continue north to Ambrosia Trades. Outside of the city they see a merchant caravan lead by Byron Billingson, the merchant who owns the Great Tree necklace that Cillian stole. He mentions that pelt traffic is low due to a slow winter but the PC guess there might be more at work.

Ambrosia Trade is a small company settlement run by a man know as Darston. It has a nice inn and a main sunken Great Hall that is used by traders to conduct business. After staying at the inn for a night the PC poke around and discover that the latest caravan from Longwinter, a tiny settlement and native village to the north, is over 3 weeks late. Darston has supposedly sent a party to investigate but they have also not returned. The PC stock up on cold weather gear then head north towards Longwinter.

The Village Of Longwinter

The storm ebbs and flows as the PC advance north but they are able to avoid most effects of the cold by using their survival skills. When they reach Longwinter they find a battle going on! Members of a tribe of White Owl kin seem to be attacking a tiny wilderness fort manned by Ape Men and Wolf Kin. As the PC approach they notice that the White Owl kin appear to be enraged and sick as feathers are falling off when they move. Po approaches the fort from the air and is accosted by one of the Ape Men. The man tells Po not to land if he has been travelling in the area for they do not want to become sick. As the While Owls near the PC decide that they better get involved…

Date At End Of Game: 06/26/206