Friday, January 27, 2012

Ivarken Campaign - Episode 2 - You mean you just wear your hair long and no one notices you are an elf?

Four Months later!

Indra - A half-elf fighter
Baretta - A swashbuckler
Chet - A Clerical Cleric
Moscato - A Half-Elf Oracle

(halflings weren't halfings they were goblins)

The party has become local legends because of having faced the Imperial Orcs and survived.

Party gets 150 (Chet extra 200, Moscato exta 100)

Inception has grown and is building a wall. Construction is beginning and clear cutting is occurring. Various skilled laborers and shopowners have arrived. Rangers and settlers for other areas.

Morning baretta heads down for breakfast. She gets a couple steaks and sits down with Niah and Galen. Talking about training the Rangers and City Guard and who is going to do it.

Chet is having his morning meeting with the Jarl and others who is showing a map of the area layout and how expansion is occurring. Lydia is there too (she is the main smith of the city). Planning to establish city guard.

Galen wants more information on the Orcs. Chet says that he thinks the orcs weren't being aggressive, more defensive. HOWEVER, they do have very large ships and have the ability to deploy orcs on our side of the river.

For Moscato, things have been "annoying". He has decided to research Orcs. He discovers the Orc empire dates back to the collapse to the old empire when humans discovered orcs. Five thousand years earlier was the last contact. They beat the human empire rather hard. That was after the human emporer died and hiswife took over then his son. They encountered Elves who were much more bloodthirsty and vicious than the orcs that contributed tot hecollapse of the human empire. He finds also about the enigma of the half0rcs and halflelves. Half Elves dont come from inside the human empire. The first was discovered among the elves. The theory is that there may be another human civilization since the Elves knew human language upon contact. similar to the half orcs.

Indra takes some of the students on a run for conditioning. They head out toward the forest making a big loop. Trainees are coming along well, others need help. She breaks the group down and picks two as "squad leaders" to help build up those falling behind.

First layer - sleep and mess
second layer - ranged practice and apprentice
third - practice
fourth - meeting.

Galen informs Indra and Baretta that his sister will be coming with a group a rangers and talens "She is a Silver Talen". (Silver Talon are a legendary order of female mercenary scouts - in the old empire they were an important ally to many).

Galen asks about the Gnolls, they were bandits and the broke easily.

At the end of his meeting, Chet gathers his notes and takes them back to his office, and grabs a bite to eat. then heads off to see the trainers.

Finishing up breakfast finishing and head into kata class.Baretta is teaching bodyguards in training and Indra is teaching about armor.

That evening, Indra, Baretta and a couple other teachers head to the "Queens Unicorn". Chet arrives and the group chats.

Indra notices an individual sitting off to the side with a beautiful masterwork sword. He is just sitting there looking around. His armor is dark silver with intricate designs. He stands and leaves. Indra points him out to Baretta. Baretta notes that he meets a woman with dark skin and robes. They walk out.
Chet observes that the guy was a half-elf.

Moscato gets up from his reserarch and starts walking home. While he is walking back, something catches his eye - a pin leaps off the lapel of a man part of a couple which he grabs. Moscato follows them and tries to catch up. He asks the couple for assistance in researching the elves and orcs since he'd heard them speaking elven. The female grabs Moscato by the throat. They realize he is a half-elf. They are suprized that no one has realized Moscato is a half elf. They let him go.

Evening winds down. (Baretta gets action).

There is a crowd outside the school the next morning.

Galen is talking to his sister.He introduces Kara to Baretta and Indra.

They see a person standing around looking confused. He tells Baretta and Indra that he is looking for rangers. Indra suggests that he speak to Galen and to the Jarl.

Indra takes her trainees on another run.

That afternoon the Talons demonstrates combat prowess.

Later that day, they witness a number of the students gathered around the Ranger with a wolf. He is discussing animal training and interaction. He relates this to interacting with environment.

Moscato goes to meets up with Chet.

Chet cannot find any information about the people from the previous evening.

Moscato finds Chet. Moscato asks about where the "Elven Ambassadors" are staying. Chet is unaware of any Elves in town.Chet takes Moscato to his office for a chat. He explains that there aren't ANY elves in town because they are bad news.Chet sends Moscato back to his place and will contact him this evening.

Chet seeks out Baretta and Indra to tell them about this. They discover Indra is a half elf too. Chet wants to hire them to figure out why the Elf and Orc are here.

Moscato is looking at the docs that Chet handed him (random docs from his desk) the "elf" appears and tells him that he is leaving him.

Chet flags the city guard and tells him to collect Moscato so they can all meet at the mayor's office.Moscato brings them up to date that the elf was leaving after doing recon in the city and were going on. There was a warning about an expedition which is bringing something "bad" back.

They go to visit the Jarl. They update the Jarl.

They decide to head out to check on the expedition. They follow the trails out.

A week later the trail is getting weaker but continue to head up to the mountaiin. They see a column of black smoke and head towards it. It leads to the smoking ruins of a small town. Looking through a spyglass, she sees knocked down tents, and burned buildings.

Baretta sneaks down there. She finds a dead body with a speak in the back. She takes the spear and keeps looking. She is attacked by a miner but easily blocks the attack. The miner is in shock. The miner reports that there were Gnolls who attacked at night. Eight ofthe miners hid in the mines.

Baretta signals the rest of the group to come up.He informs them where the Gnolls are.

The party finds a group of Gnolls with human slaves. Baretta sneaks up to see what's going on and discovers a Gnoll village. While trying to leave, the Gnolls hear her and a fight ensues. The party rushes in to help.

After a desparate battle with the Gnolls and an Ogre, the party manages to defeat the bad guys and free the captured humans. They find various precious metals, uncut diamonds, a bull strength scroll, a masterwork  spear, 300 gold coins.

The party dings 4th level.

They take the prisoners back to the village. The Foreman of the village is shocked that the party killed the ogre and defeated the gnolls. He announces they found not only silver but gold as well along with something else.

He takes the party back to the mountain, to the mine. He tells them the Gnolls wouldn't go past a certain point. He shows them a door in the mine, in the mountain. There is a room with a mural of an individual wearing black and gold trimmed plate armor with a black cloak. The eyes are brightly glowing sapphires. Below that, is written in Elven, "The Emporer made in man but not man".

Moscato thinks on the history, but doesn't know anything.

The party stays overnight but then heals and heads back.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Ivarken Campaign - Part 1

Disclaimer: As always, these notes are taken from notes taken in game and so they are poorly edited.

The story opens in the region of Ivarken.

Baretta is an ex-soldier who came here under the leadership General Denazec Clashhammer, retired. The city of Inception  She teaches one of the classes on swordsmanship at the Dawning Academic Hall.  Denazec is a co-headmaster there. Inception is the newest frontier city against the wilds forests area. Inception is run by 3 major factions : jarl (yarl) Jayleh Whitecloud "coinlord" (she controls the banks) . Her twin brother Jarl Jaygen white cloud tradelord (he controls commerce and major landowner) - Timarna arcanocon the OTHER headmaster - legendary tagteam - veteran heroes of Ivarken expansion. The Dawning academic hall is the onlybuilding the whiteclouds don't own.


Chet Mansavage (yes really), junior advisor under jarl jaygen whiteccloud . intermediary between workers and jaygen.

We are all expecting a caravan to arrive with the first years goods.


Indra works on this caravan and is working as a guard and decided to head on in hopes of joining the academy.

Moscato keeps hearing "Visit me on the way back".


Baretta has heard  that the caravan is going to be bringing people to teach at the academy.. Getting revenue for the first years work. She is waiting by the city gates.

Caravan arrives. Baretta and Chet head out to meet them. Chet arranges for items on the caravan to go where needed.

Indra heads to the inn called "Howlers" to get a room and rest.

Baretta heads back to the academy and greets the initiates and routes them appropriately.

Chet reports to Jarl who sends him to the Academy to meet.

Chet tells Baretta that the caravans have arrived. She notes that the special one has arrived  Indra and Baretta meet.

Lord jjarl asks if Chet has seen the "Special carriage" (he has).

The senior instructors return and they have 3 individuals with them, who they force to the ground. Baretta and Indra walk up. Niah orders them to check out the warehouse where the individuals worked


Warehouse worker said that 4 halfings came in, sent by Chet, to check out  the caravan. They left with it.

Until Moscato found them dead.

The party crashed the door down and moscato was arrested. At this point, the party got caught up in trying to figure out the murder mystery.

At that point, Chet found out that the shipment is missing. The party headed east looking for the caravan. As they moved east it was pretty much a single route to follow but Moscato kept looking off into the distance and suggesting that they head off into the path. The party was unaware that he was seeing a "light" because he was specifically told not to mention any "crazy sh!t".

The party was attacked by Gnoll, which they quickly dealt with while Moscato ran off chasing a gem off into the woods.

When they caught up with him, he'd found a shrine of some type run by a boy. Moscato and Chet helped him with some rituals. In return, the boy gave them a place to stay at the time and some extra equipment.

They caught to the Imperial orcs who took the carriage at the side of the river and fought them and took the carriage back and return to Ivarken.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Another SWTOR Chat

Rachael: Oh, I figured out why the team limit is 4 people
Zyreos: ?
Rachael: Luke, Leia, Han, Lando (Chewie was Han's companion, the Droids were luke's) Then Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Anakin, Padme (yeah, not quite, but still)
Zyreos: that one doesn't REALLY count
Rachael: And the reason we only see Jar Jar in the first movie, he was Qui-Gon's companion
Zyreos: because by the time Padem/Anakin counted for anything, Qui-Gon was dead
Rachael: I'm still sticking to it
Zyreos: BUT.... Luke had R2/C3-PO... and Han had Chewie. so... Luke + R2 + 3PO + Han + Chewie + Lando + Leia = 7
Rachael: I told you R2, 3PO where Luke's companions Chewie was Han's
Zyreos: but.. Luke and Han didn't make Chewie/R2/3PO wait in the Millennium Falcon while they went off to fight the Empire
Rachael: That's why Chewbacca didn't get a medal didn't need to - Luke sent R2 and 3PO on slicing missions so Han took Chewie out to help complete the team
Zyreos: I can't argue with that logic actually I reject the Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan/Anakin/Padme' but... I agree with Luke + Han + Leia + Chewie (+ R2 and 3PO doing side-quests)
Rachael: I'm posting this on my blog
Zyreos: I think Lando is extraneous for the purpose of this argument honestly... he really only becomes important and a "part of the team" in EP6 because in 5... he is self-serving, and causes Han to be suspended in carbonite... but in 6, he becomes part of the team... helps to free Han/Luke and then helps with the assault on the second death star if you base it purely on Episodes 4 and 5 though... i buy it