Date At Start Of Game: 05/24/206

[Author’s Note: This session log is for the 3rd session. Note that the order of the events in this record may not be in the exact order that they occurred.]

Investigating The Forest Keep (Continued)

After some discussion the PC decide that their primary goal is to rescue Perry. To this end they decide to wait until dark then have Oren tunnel under the keep wall directly into the cellar where Perry was deposited. At the clearing tree line Kanga and Bishop are waiting. The other PC are following Oren into the mouth of the tunnel. When Oren breaks into the room he hears the sound of rushing water which is essentially muffling the sound of his digging. He quickly grabs Perry and returns to Po. Po saves the young Raccoon Kin from bleeding to death with a couple of quick healing spells.

Once Perry wakes up he is questioned by the party. After a stern lecture from Oren he admits to being hired by the bandits to steal the map from Kai, the Squirrel Kin mapmaker. According to Perry he was promised 75 sp for the job. When he delivered the map he saw a strange man with the bandits. This man was wearing a black hooded cloak, had pale white skin, and black eyes without pupils. Perry does not know what type of kin he was but he sure looked strange. The pale stranger and Frazz, the Vulture Kin bandit leader, went into the stone cellar. Several minutes later they emerged. The stranger looked happy and paid Frazz with a bag full of silver! The stranger then left?and the bandits promptly decided not to pay Perry. They then tied him up and dropped him into the cellar.

This prompts the PC to return to the cellar to give it a better look. This time Oren leads the way for Bilby, Cillian, and Po. Kanga and Bishop decide to stay at the tree line with Perry. When he breaks into the room this time Oren puts a blanket over the well portal while Cillian lights a torch. The PC find the room wet and decayed. Po spies tracks in one area so Cillian searches the area carefully. After a thorough search he does not find anything. Guessing there is something in the area Oren digs through the floor which is only packed earth and finds a gap on the other side. He widens the hole enough that Bilby can squeeze into the chamber. That allows Cillian to see a latch for the door. It opens a low portal into a natural cavern.

The PC enter this secret area and close the door. In the small chamber they see a vein of black rock that looks unusual and a loud rushing underground creek. Several of the PC take some samples of the rock. On the other side of the creek Po finds a small open chest. Inside the box is greased and two oak leaves, which are bright green, are protruding. He takes the box to Oren to carry it out. On the way out the PC hear people in the secret room. Someone has discovered their tunnel. Kanga, Bishop, and Perry see the bandits around the tunnel mouth and decide to run as they are vastly outnumbered.

After waiting a while in the secret room Cillian ?hears? Frazz and his Bear Kin aide approaching the secret door. Quickly the PC fan out to jump them. They let the two bandits enter the room then Bilby closes the secret door and Oren clubs Frazz. Frazz drops with one good slam to the stomach! Po casts his curse on the Bear Kin rolling the max effect. At the same time Cillian jumps out behind him, holds his sword to his back, and tell him to give up or he will kill him. The weary Bear Kin drops his mace and the PC tie them up.

With that the PC leave the forest keep with Frazz in tow. In the wood later that night they question the bandit leader. After some initial hesitation Oren cows the Vulture Kin into telling them about the stranger. Frazz says that the stranger, whose name is Narduhl, approached the keep to speak with them. They tried to attack him but gave up when he used a spell to call forth a giant worm that killed three of his men. Narduhl examined the keep carefully but found nothing. Earlier that week one of Frazz’s men found a map to the keep under a floorboard. He told this to Narduhl. Narduhl asked Frazz to acquire the map for him. Frazz hired Perry to steal the map. When Perry returned with the map Narduhl was excited. He found the secret door and the chest. He pocketed something then left with Frazz. He paid them handsomely for their troubles. Frazz does not know where the man was headed.

On Frazz the PC find 75 sp plus a burnt wooden tiki idol of a strange worm. Bishop detects that the idol is a summoning spell that call a shadow worm. During the process he also detects the Cillian radiates with spiritual energy! When Bishop mentions that Cillian is a mage he denies it. Finally Bishop checks the black rock found in the cave. The rock absorbs his detection entirely. Bishop runs a quick experiment with the idol and discovers that it blocks spiritual magic. Cillian then decided to check the chest more carefully. Inside he finds a hidden compartment with a journal. The journal has a burned mark in the shape of deer antlers over a crescent moon. Oren knows this as the mark of General Cornelius Buck. Buck was a very famous Spirit War leader. The journal is filled mostly with military figures but during the end if the following entry:

Year Of The Horned Owl, New Moon

My current spymaster has brought me a package from the druids. The package is an acorn from the once great tree, Great Oak. As Great Oak is now deceased its safety is critical. It is of such importance that I must handle its protection myself. I have received a report that the Azure Woods keep commander has found a strange natural cave that absorbs spiritual energy. It should be able to shield the acorn from magical detection until the war is over. After the war I will recover the acorn personally.

At this point the PC deliver Frazz and Perry to Lomas in Shatter’s Peak. Oren confronts Perry about his father. He tells the young Raccoon Kin that he must buck up and work off his debts with Lomas. Perry would not have to return home if he works it out with Lomas. With that Po uses the branch and detects a strong current from the northeast. It is moving quickly towards the mountains?The Mountains Of Lament?

Date At End Of Game: 05/25/206

Date At Start Of Game: 05/20/206

[Author’s Note: This session log is for the 2nd session. Note that the order of the events in this record may not be in the exact order that they occurred.]

The Journey To The Great Tree

After the encounter with the strange shadow praying mantis the party heads into the Azure Expanse towards their destination. Po seems to be the best outdoorsman and is leading the way. Bishop guides the group using his vision of the path. After a day of travel night falls and the group sets up camp under a rock outcropping. They setup three watches. The middle watch is Kanga and Bilby. During their watch Bilby and Kanga hear something moving in the brush. Bilby turns on his sonar and scans the area. He detects a dog like form in the brush and a small humanoid figure sneaking up to the side of the outcropping. Bilby silently swoops down and wakes up Oren. Kanga plays possum and waits for the creature in the brush to close then he draws his box and tells it to come out in a loud voice. All of the PC except Cillian wake up. Out of the brush comes an old wolf who is limping on one front leg. While this is happening the humanoid figure tries to sneak up. Bilby wakes Cillian and the two of them sneak towards the approaching humanoid. Oren tells the person to appear of the wolf gets it. Bilby traps the humanoid as he goes for a pack. He is very sneaky! The humanoid is a young Raccoon Kin named Perry. He says that the wolf is his friend Long Tooth. Perry claims that they are very hungry so they followed the PC in an attempt to steal some food. With that the PC feed Perry and his companion. Po befriends the wolf and heals him. Perry tells the PC that they are heading towards an area of the wood known as Knotty Pines. Knotty Pines is supposed to be haunted according to the locals. Several local woodsman have entered the area never to be seen again. Supposedly the tree are very old and do not like to be waken?even the slightest noise can anger them.

Meeting Gray Pine

The next morning the PC head into the area known as Knotty Pine. Perry says he will not enter the area and stays behind. The area is a small box canyon that is densely populated with bristlecone pine trees. These trees have twisted branches with tufts of needles at the end of the branches. The trees are so entwined that in many places one tree is growing into the next. Po says that the growth of the trees is not natural. The entire canyon is also densely shrouded in fog giving the area a mysterious and eerie feeling.

After traversing through the thick trees and dense fog the PC reach a small clearing with a rocky mound. On the top of the mound is a doe with her hoof caught in the rocks. Circling the doe are three wolves who are salivating with the thought of an easy kill. After a moment of hesitation one of the wolves nips at the hind quarters of the doe. With that Oren balls up the doe. Po shoots his arrow at one of the wolves. Kanga then pins another to the ground by shooting an arrow through his tail. Bishop casts his detect and learns that the wolves are under a subtle control enchantment. He then tells the PC that this was obviously a test and asks why they helped the doe.
After the encounter the PC find a large clearing with a huge bristlecone pine tree in the center. Several of the PC saw this tree in their visions and know this is the target of the calling. As the PC approach they hear a voice on the wind, ?My name is Gray Pine?I am glad you have heard my lament laden cries and come.? He then asks the PC to introduce themselves. After each introduction he thanks the PC for coming. He also asks the ?spirit walker? to appear and Nessa shows up. He greets Nessa as well.

At this point Gray Pine speaks in length with the PC. He tells them that land is in a tenuous state. The Spirit War has lead to many beings being killed. Many of these beings had spirits of great power. Normally these spirits would be reborn in the form of new life?a blade of grass, a new baby, etc but forces of evil have capitalized on the situation and have trapped these spirits before they can be reborn. Sometimes the spirits are simply stuck, like Nessa, but for many other these spirits have been captured for their power. This is having a far reaching effect on the land. Gray Pine explains that the very fabric that make up the Pangaea is tearing and unless it stops it could mean the destruction of the land.

To prevent further damage powerful spirits of the land have called for avatars to aid them. The PC are his avatars. Gray Pine then tells the PC that there are other groups and possible other being that may answer his call at a later time. Bishop then asks how they can tell others are from him. With that Gray Pine tells the PC to take one of his highest branches. He explains that it will show them sources of spiritual disruption to the land that must be addressed. Gray Pine explains that he will tell any new recruits to ask about the branch.

As the party departs he tells them to always act noble. Wanton death and destruction could aid those that they are trying to stop. Po uses the ?stick? and it directs the group back to Shatter’s Peak, a nearby lumber town village?

Epic Tale #2 – Nights Pawns – Chapter #1

After two days trekking through the Azure Expanse the PC reach Shatter’s Peak. It is a small town fueled by a lumber trade. The PC are wet and tired so they head towards a local tavern known as the Lucky Strike. The sign is a rock painted yellow. When they enter they meet the proprietors, the hearty Ape Kin Lomas Bathgate and his lovely Ape Kin wife Macy Bathgate. They are given warm mead and venison. Oren tells stories of his time in the war which seem to get the attention of many locals. As the local start to head home Lomas comes over and speaks of the war with Oren. Lomas was a sergeant in a different mercenary regiment. During that conversation the door opens and a dripping wet Squirrel Kin dressed in a green vest and spectacles enters the tavern. He hurriedly walks over to Macy, ?Someone has broken into my house?please come?please!? With that Lomas grabs an axe handle and heads with several of the PC to the Squirrel Kin, Kai’s, small house. The door to the house is open and the place appears to have been searched. The PC find a silver inkwell sitting in the open. This makes them believe that money was not the target. Eventually the PC find that a particular map is missing. According to Kai two strangers brought in the map. He paid them for the map. It depicted a local keep that was used in the Spirit War. The locals call it simply the Forest Keep. It was destroyed early in the Sprit War and is no longer in use. Bilby finds tracks nearby that appear to be from Perry and Long Tooth. After searching the roof of Kai’s house he finds disturbed pine needles. It appears that Perry took to the roof to avoid being detected by tracks.

With that the PC ask about Perry’s house. Lomas brings them to the small shack but before opening the door he sighs. He then bangs on the door asking for someone named Sal. The door opens to an adult Raccoon Kin who reeks of whiskey. Lomas asks for Perry and Sal says that his good for nothing son is not at home then slams the door. Lomas then apologizes as Sal is not one of their more ?pleasant residents?.

Investigating The Forest Keep

The PC track Perry to the wood towards the Forest Keep. The keep is a stone walled structure with one stone building and a wooden catwalk around the inside. The gates are partially open. In the center of the keep courtyard are several ruffians. There leader appears to be a Vulture Kin. Bilby and Cillian sneak closer. When they get closer they see Perry tied up behind one of the logs the men have setup around the campfire. They also hear the men talking about some money they have recently come into. Eventually the Vulture Kin asks the men what they should do with the Raccoon boy. They grumble so the bandit leader tells one of his men to throw him into the cellar. The man moves to a grate in the floor, opens it, and drops down Perry. Cillian looks into the cellar and can see Perry over some type of well. Long Tooth is bleeding nearby?he is likely dead. With that the PC decide what course of action should be taken?

Date At End Of Game: 05/24/206

I just finished posting the character sheets from my latest campaign on the Spirit Storm site. Here is a link to updated page. Enjoy!