Adventure Summary 2 - Deeper and deeper

Torb Madjeer

The goblin kings army, they did darken the land,
The conquered krypts fury, death fell from his hand.
Men ran and they cowered, and they fought and they died.
They burned and they bled, as they issued their cries.

‘Horvutah, Horvutah, rel goran los, unahzaal.

 Trapped trapped she ------- is unending/ceasless/eternal

Wah dein vokul mahfaeraak ahst vaal         

To keep/guard evil forever at bay

Ahrk fin norok pall graan fod     

And the fiercest foe rout when

Nust hon rel zul zondro zaan

They hear her voice called

Stin ek kogaan ofan mu draal’

Free her  ghost blessings we pray                   

We need saviors to free us, from goblin kings rage.
Heroes on the field of this new war to wage.
If the goblin king wins, man is gone from his home.
Lost to the magic of the dragon queens tomb.

But then came our Heroes on that terrible day.
Steadfast as winter, they entered the fray.
And all saw the fires, of the goblin hoards doom.
The sweet song of victory ,pierced through the gloom.

The heroes they freed us, from the goblin kings rage.
Gave the gift of deliverance, ushered in a new Age.
If the crypt is eternal, then eternity's done.
For his story is over and the goblin king... gone.

DAY 5
The adventurers having been trapped at the top of a great underground chasm were witness to the dread retribution of a dragon spirit of great power. They watched helpless as a priest of Helm was rendered into three by this lifeless creature, a three headed dragon, and as it split and shattered rock with its deadly breath.
Legends of this beast were known to the party but their stories of what they know were different.
Though he came face to face with it Pavitra the priest of Tempus  was of little interest to the dragon which swiftly left plunging down into the darkness of the chasm.

The party were able to move on through the great doors of this ancient dwarven mine of Korem, now that their path was clear, their goal to find a way out back to the surface, before this crumbling ruin became their tomb. They witnessed the the remnant spirits of long dead dwarves floating ethereal in the close, silent halls of the ancient Modrisgwerg dwarves.

As they trudged accros the broken rubble strewn floors of the caverns which were heading slowly down into the earth, they had to traverse crumbling floors, falling ceilings, collapsed tunnels and giant spiders. It was when they found themselves faced with these spiders that they came across and inadvertently rescued a young Tinker Gnome wizard , named Barry. Karl ignited the spiders nest , while Osmund sliced the leg off one wolf spider which quickly retreated back into its web-nest, and Pavitra squashed another dead. The gnome had been captured in the battle with the goblins above ground, knocked unconscious, and when they had fled had taken him with them underground. He had come round in darkness being dragged along by the goblins only to be dropped and then something had bitten him and that was the last he remembered.

So three trapped adventurers became four as they continued to follow the ruins down.
It was not long before they came across a sign that something more than bats, bugs and gricks lived down here. A trap set across a stairway of pots, pans, crockery, and brick-a-brack, clearly set as an early warning system.
The crafty adventurers concocted a plan and heading back the way they came collected the body of the dead spider and pushed it down the stairs to set off the trap and try to bring out whatever was below and so draw it into their own trap.

Goblins! They came sneaking up the stairs ready for trouble but did not expect to face such heroes. The goblins were ready and the two archers let fly with their arrows striking Osmund in the chest with an arrow. Pavitra squared up to the biggest Goblin who was carrying a magical glowing warhammer, and knocked his head clean off and took the holy weapon for his own! The other three party members fought back killing another goblin and wounding another, but two escaped running down the stairs into the darkness. Osmund saw just in time as the two goblins fled through a door.

The door was held fast with a puzzle lock. Osmund could not figure it out but Pavitra and their new gnome companion worked out the combination to unlock the door.

Beyond Osmund spotted through the dust tracks which way the goblins had likely gone and so they charged through another door to chase them down. The large room beyond was lit with torches on the walls and the goblins were waiting hunkered down behind a table and chair. Pavitra took an arrow from one while the others shot bounced off his armor, and the goblins ducked down to take cover.
The adventurers without a pause rushed in to take down their opponents, swiftly killing one. The other hiding behind the table escaped a crossbow bolt from Karl. Out numbered the last goblin (named Krub) surrendered, and was tied up and questioned.

Barry found an old journal, from about 50 years ago, telling about a party of artifact hunters who had come to Korem in search of the fabled red steel. The last pages told of the death of his companions at the hands of 'The Beast' and how he had become lost in the ruined halls and caverns of Korem as the monster hunted him down, only for him to end up dying trapped in the mines.

‘Hroki and Baern are dead, killed by that beast, that monstrosity. It was relentless I barely escaped, it has hunted me down for days through the ruins and caverns. I have lost it but I am lost myself.’

‘I seem to have doubled back on myself somehow, this place is a warren, I fear to go forward in case I run into that monster again, yet I cannot go back as there is no escape that way.’

‘No food for days, I will die without food, yet I may die if I eat this fungus. What choice do I have but to try and survive.’

‘If you are reading this then I hope you have a way out, or this place will be your tomb, and you are already dead..’

(As we didn't get to cover more of the journal in the game I will cover it below at the bottom)

The party force Krub to show them the way out, he insists that the caverns have been collapsed by Vargax, but the party ask him to take them to the rockfall. Instead the deceptive Goblin takes them deeper down into the mine to where the Goblins live in the well preserved lower halls of Korem. It is clear that they have suffered recently, a massive scorched area of stonework and the burned bodies of goblin females and elders shows that something has recently happened to them. Even though they easily outnumber the adventurers the goblin archers standing watch do not hesitate to surrender. The party are reluctantly but fearfully lead into the goblin throne room and meet with the old shaman who tells them what has a happened.

The goblins have lived here peacefully under the watch of the old shaman but recently were taken over by a hobgoblin who was being aided by Vargax. Vargax wanted into Korem, only the goblins knew they way past the magics sealing the mines, but the hobgoblin double crossed him and lead a goblin army to the surface. It did not succeed (as the adventurers witnessed) and most of the goblin warriors have been slain. Vargax found another way into Korem but by doing so awakened the spirit of The Child of IO - the three headed dragon spirit they saw earlier. The shaman reveals that way out of Korem was now sealed by the Child's spirit due to Vargax's actions and no-one could escape.

Vargax was angry and sought revenge on the remaining goblins,  and was after the Talisman to allow him safe passage into the Dragon Queens' Tomb where the artifact of power is meant to reside. The shaman would not reveal that he had the talisman and Vargax left to search the Great Hall for it and also for the key to the Tomb which is guarded by The Beast.

The shaman also told the adventurers that the only way to get out of Korem was to free the Child of IO who still slept in the tomb, and the word to free her was kept by the ghost of a dwarf a guardian of Korem. The shaman tells the adventurers that the dwarf guardian resides beyond the Great Hall in a throne room.

Vargax is after the artifact of power within the Dragon Queen's Tomb, the shaman is clearly afraid that if he gets hold of it he could destroy everything.

The party now rest as Krub digs out the secret goblin passage (the mine seems to be slowly decaying) towards the Great Hall........



HARODS JOURNAL
As you rest you get the chance to look further at older pages of the journal to pass the time.
The journal belonged to a northman a native human of this land named Harod. The journal covers about 5 years of his life and is clearly one of many he had written. It seems that he and his companions searched for ancient Modrigswerg magical items lost in the ruins centuries after that great dwarven civilization had ceased to be. Most of this journal talks about an extremely rare red rock called Kinnabar, and how the Modrigswerg were the only race to be able to mine and refine it due to it being poisonous to most other races. He tracked it down to the ancient fortress mine of Korem and they found a way in.

'They say that 150 years ago the great war hero Cuthalion and his companions including the lady Mellyanna and her sister the High Prestess Melony Jaxom sealed this place with powerful magics to ensure that none could enter. Well I have found a way. The stories are vague of what is down here, they talk of a powerful artefact with the ability to alter reality but that is the talk of mad fools determined to keep the brave away from these ancient halls. Cuthalion is well known for his bravery and service to our country and to the dwarves of this land, he is of Modrigswerg decent like Baern. I tried to talk to him, persuade him to share his knowledge, but even for an old man he is feisty and stubborn and I got a black eye and bruised ribs for my prying. But he has red steel armor in his possession and I know he has the knowledge of its forging. 
Baern is skilled with the forge and his knowledge is indispensable but still limited. But still if we can find a fresh vein of Kinnabar within the deep mines of Korem we will be rich.......

.......Kinnabar can be forged with the fires of the earth into Red Steel, oh glorious red steel! Harder than dwarven Adamantine yet as light as Elven Mithril, resistant to magic, it can also harm creatures only normally injured by magical weapons, and nearly indestructible that even red dragon fire cannot harm it. Yet the raw rock is poisonous to the touch - those exposed go mad and then die. Only the Modrigsawerg dwarves learnt to forge it., yet clearly it lead to that great races demise. Red steel red steel, how I long for you!......

.......The stories of The Beast are well known, told form Cuthalion, Melony and Mellyanna's adventures when they first ventured into this place, after the five staves. Such wondrous weapons, their magics are beyond the skill of most mortal wizards, if only I was born 200 years earlier maybe they could have been mine. But I digress. The Beast was created by the Modrigswerg in madness to guard Korem from intruders. Their skill with magic and alchemy was only surpassed by their madness and greed for Kinnabar. 
They say it was a minotaur, but they corrupted its body with pure Kinnabar rock and embalmed its corpse with Kinnabar poison, and so created an undying monstrosity, enlarged, mutated and evil. It could not die, Cuthalion killed it and it rose again. Finally the great mage Merl obliterated it to dust and ended its terror. The halls of Korem are now silent.

Justice for DnD 5e

As the setting for DnD is more fraught with danger and monsters and magic than medieval history then justice needs to be modified a bit. Here are some ideas.

The Wait's or Night Watchmen are responsible for keeping watch at the city gates. A village will normally have one who may do the rounds to keep an eye on the village (often with a faithful hound) but larger communities may have more and if there is conscription (which depends on the Lords Law) there may be soldiers or men at arms (like home guard) in billets or guard houses to keep watch.

Guards and Soldiers: Typically standing armies are small and peasants were conscripted as required in times of war but it was often a case that a type of national service was required and so men and women often had to do a months service to act as guards. Their job was to protect the settlement from monsters,humanoids, and foreign invaders. They did not typically get involves in day to day crime unless conscripted by the Sheriff.

Sheriff or Man-at -Arms: A man -at -arms may be a noble, a knight or a professional soldier of recognized rank (like a captain) but he/she was a paid professional. Similarly a Sheriff was someone who was paid by the local populace to hold law and order. Rank, and status is dependent on the importance of the town/village and other factors of rulership and organisation.


Tithing: In smaller settlements it is possible that Tithing occurs.The lord splits the village onto groups of ten, and these Tithes are a system of mutual responsibility. If one of the men in a tithe was wanted for a crime, the other nine men in his tithe were punished if he wasn't apprehended.

Hue and Cry: Anyone witnessing a crime was required to cry out that a crime was or had been committed, thereby summoning help with apprehending the miscreant. If the perpetrator had already escaped it was the responsibility of the person discovering the crime to notify the local lord who would then notify local settlements so the Hue and Cry would continue to grow until the suspect was caught. Ignoring the Hue and Cry or starting a false one was also a crime.

Posse: The local sherrif, man at arms, lord etc has the right to call upon local men and women to bear arms and help track down a criminal.

Bounty Hunters/Adventurers and Swords for Hire: The obvious


Trial: As accusation (See Hue and Cry) was a crime itself then those accused were considered guilty until they proved their innocence.

Innocence by Oath: A noble, knight or clergymen could call upon their Oath as Bond of their Innocence - but if it became known that they lied then their word would count for nothing from then on.

Innocence by Oath of Others; basically other members of the community or family would swear their oath that the individual was innocent. If it turns out that they were guilty then all would be punished.


Example of Crimes and punishment:
Sleeping with a noblemans serving maid :12gp fine.

Murder: Execution by strangulation /hanging and then burning.

Poaching: Removal of the ears.

Major theft : Removal of the hand.

Minor theft: Fine equal to value of goods stolen and stocks

Fighting: 1gp Fine and stocks.

Adventure Summary 1 - The Game's afoot!

Day 1 The adventurers arrive at the village of Korme in time for the new lords coronation celebration and games.
The monk (Osmond) and the acolyte priest (Pavitra) deliver their sacred texts to the (now retired) paladin Cuthalion Uifareth, a Modrigswerg Dwarf. They meet up with the sailor/mercenary (Karl) and the party is born. Cuthalion asks them to stay around as he feels there may be something amis about to happen.

The party find out that the powerful Vargax Thay the Dragonborn Necromancer is in the village with some other famous heroes and they hear about his nefarious history at the inn - yet nothing was ever proved.

Day 2. The new lord is crowned and there are celebrations. Osmund makes a new friend in Violet a native half orc fighter and discovers that there are places in the kindgom where half orcs are welcome.

Day 3. At the games as seems to be going well until a large goblin army (lead by a hobgoblin) attack.
The players get embroiled in the battle, helping to rescue the new lords younger sister and helping Cuthalion battle the hobgoblin.

They get to see the power of Vargax as he summons a dragon skeleton to join the battle. But something goes wrong and he loses control. His companion is killed by the dragon which causes his magical staff to explode which in turn creates an earthquake.

The ground below the players feet and others nearby collapses. Try as they might they cannot escape and drop into the depths.

The players are saved by Vargax but they along with the necromancer and his remaining companions find themselves underground in a giant cavern with a deep chasm next to an ancient dwarven ruin. The players new friend Violet is trapped here too with them.

The players follow Vargax alone into an ancient ruined library, and attack him, but he escapes, traps them in a web and collapses the tunnel trapping them further. They discover he has taken some metal plates from a red steel book in the library. What remains of the book is all in ancient dwarf text which they cannot read.
Stuck as they are, they try to rest but are attacked by a juvenile Grick, this is not a safe place to stay and so they dig their way out and get back to the chasm.

When the players dig themselves out they find the others gone and a note left by Violet. They have gone to find a way out and will be back. There is no sign of which way they went.


We leave the players close to the end of the third day trapped underground, their water bottles are now empty yet they still have food. Having only managed a short rest they are drained and suffering some minor injuries, but now a giant swarm of bats, numbering in the hundreds, flies up out the the chasm to attack the party....

'The Way'

In the center of the Northlands is as small mountain chain like an island in the cold tundra. And in the center of those mountains, is a high plateau isolated from the rest of the kingdom. This is the home of the Followers of The Way. They could be mistaken as humble northmen priests from a holy order but they are not. These Monks live as hermits away from society, they follow no god but have their own faith called The Way. Even amongst their closed ordered sect knowledge of The Way is a guarded secret, only the high masters know of its true meanings and origins.

It is said that it came about around 200 years ago after the God wars, from the realization that the gods could not be trusted and were cruel and unjust. But more importantly that they were not the only divine power in the universe and that mortal man did not have to fear their wrath.

Numbering less than 150 disciples, with a strict order of hierarchy, they train their bodies and minds to strive for celestial enlightenment, always aware that their way , The Way, is a discipline most could never achieve. As for the gods, well they can watch.

Lord Drago is dead! - Adventure Introduction

And so our story starts...

Not from battle, not from pestilence, not from a curse. He died from old age, peacefully. A noble warrior, lord and leader of men, he had ruled his small fiefdom for decades, and was admired by his people. His openness to the civilized races was well known and his holding a bastion of security out in the forest wilds of this part of the kingdom.

His fiefdom which was known by those in the great capitol and those far off in power as Drago, is in fact known by its inhabitants and those more familiar to the kingdom as Korme.

Lord Drago II has lain dead these many weeks and has lied in state and buried as befits a much loved ruler and hero of war. And now his eldest son, Lord Drago III has returned home from his life of adventure to claim his Lordship over Korme, and with any coronation there must be ceremony and celebration.

Messengers have been sent out across the kingdom to invite persons of renown and guests of importance and friends of the family and Drago. But most interestingly messengers and posters have been sent forth welcoming adventurous types and thrill seekers to participate in the celebratory games!

It is quite an unusual event and obviously this new young lord has decided to pull out all the stops and open his coin purse wide to host and fund this.

But how do you fit in?

Are you a a wide eyed traveler, who has come from the nearby farmsteads or even further to enjoy the spectacle of the coronation?

Are you a member of a caravan come to trade wares at the games?

A fresh new adventurer perhaps looking for that first foray and farm and fortune by participating in the games.

Or maybe you are local, raised in Korme,  roped in to help with the festivities, or hoping for yourself to win at the games?

The North Lands

'The Summers are cold, winter is freezing. If only those northern lights gave off some warmth it would be more bearable' 

The north is cold too cold, or so the southerners say. Yet in truth it is not as harsh as it may first seem. Even so, many a foolhardy traveler has frozen to death in the deadly wind swept passes of the southern mountains, or the ice covered shores of the northern coasts.

Its a cruel harsh land and despite the millenia of civilization staking a foothold here, nature has always maintained the upper hand.  A young boy or girl (human, dwarf or other) is quickly educated to respect the wilds and that death can come easy to those who are unlucky in life. 

This uncertainty of a long life has shaped the  culture here, life is to be lived to the full while you can, sing and be merry  and work hard every day for it could be your last. While death is a sad time it is not such the somber mournful affair as in the south, for those who have passed have surely gone to an easier place in the next life. 

Although modern history of the North lands belongs to the human and humanoid races, the giantish, goblinoid and dragon cultures have been established in the hill and mountain regions for twenty-seven centuries.

While the lands has known peace before the God wars the last two centuries have seen an increasing threat from troll and giant raiders. Kobolds and hill gnoll clans still prey on frontier homesteaders and threaten the all important trade routes.

*Dwarves:*

Relatively little is known of the Modrigswerg dwarven culture of the North lands. In ancient times they were known for trafficking with spellcasters and alchemists but no longer. The lands have numerous forgotten mines and underground halls and their once great culture is said to have collapsed centuries ago in madness and evil. They now live in small family units, or as hermits,  and are known for the quality of their stonework, jewelry, and weaponsmithing. There is some organised trade with the humans but it is few and far between though the dwarves are fairly tolerant with the men of the north. 

Their superb physical craftmanship combines with the secret arts of dwarven craftmagic to produce marvelous artifacts. As is typical dwarven cultures, northland dwarves are extremely conservative in traditions and customs. Further the Modrigswerg are not inclined to be chatty about their past. Consequently little is known about them, and tracing the origin and fate of legendary artifacts is a formidable task.

Modrigswerg are said to be particularly long lived, even for dwarves, although the madness associated with the clan leads many of them to thier own destruction. Clans and families generally remain in the same dwellings for centuries. There are no acknowledged kings or clan leaders, and there is little communication between underground homesteads. Families and small clans may live within five miles and not speak to one another for hundreds of years.

Other more common dwarves from the Dwarf Kingdom have over the centuries moved into the land and often live among the humans or trade with them, keeping ties back to the homeland.

*Humans*

The humans started here a millennia ago as warring pirate clans vying for power along the coast. Eventually they settled under one great chief, Cnute, who was succeeded by his three sons Brand, Sven and Hrafn, who expanded the kingdom inland to the great crescent mountains. The human kindgoms have been won and lost and won again over the centuries, and today are united again as a collection of smaller kindgoms. The last overking was 30 years ago at the times of the Goblin Wars,and since then there has been relative peace.

*Elves* 

Not native to these lands, they are mostly settled families or refugees from the God Wars 200 years ago. While this may seem an age to the shortlived races to the elves barely a generation has passed, and the cruelty of the gods and the folly of the humans are still within living memory.

*Gnomes*

Rock Gnomes have lived among the dwarves for as long as there have been dwarves in the hills. Living amongst them they share most of thier culture and it is said that they know just as mush about the ancient Modrigswerg magics than any dwarf is willing to talk about. Less dour and glum they have been seen as a welcome go between and have become successful traders and merchants to be found all over the northern lands, in homesteads and city alike.

*Half Orcs*

The Orc Wars 30 years ago brought other humanoids in larger numbers, Half Orcs have become a more common race living amongst men and dwarves where they can gain a foothold or living in the wilds.

*Other races*

Travel, trade and wander lust has meant that other races have found their way across the land.