Beyond the Breakers -- A Nicholas Campaign

Session 4 -- Saving the King -- 17 Andorus, 753 YA

2008-05-21T10:06:00.000-07:00

Our heroes come together once more and start to piece together parts of the puzzle. They decide that the Stickl are after King Agus' blood. And they determine that the Stickl will attack through the underground sewers and escape tunnels below the nobles' quarters where our heroes have found plenty of evidence from them. So they set out and go into the tunnels below the nobles' quarters.

With Gacokia in the lead and Clorissa sounding more sane they come to a fork in the tunnel. They hear noise ahead of them and proceed. But as Khylsen, the last in line, enters the fork, they are ambushed by five stickle. At first, the stickle press the group hard, but eventually, the superior power of Khylsen helps the party win through.

They move down the tunnel, aware that they are under the king's very own castle. They find a ladder they climb up to a new level but still below the king's castle. They fight more stickl and discover a captive who wants to fight with them. There is some distrust of the captive, but he says he knows how to get to the king, so they let him come along.

The captive leads them up another ladder that exits behind the king's throne. They hear battle and emerge to defend the king. The king's men fight well, but they are soon knocked back. Khylsen, Gacokia, Dernon and Clorissa join them while Airk and the captive hold back. The king's guards try to escort the king away, leaving the company on their own.

As the company fight on against the stickl and giant stickl, they hear screams from the king's escorts. Airk is able to decipher that the captive was indeed a traitor, and he sets out to save the king. Battle wages both in the throne room and in the escape area behind the throne.

The company is hard pressed, till at last the stickl fall to the awesome might of our heroes, and the king is saved.

Session 3 -- Recovering Clorissa's Sword

2008-03-10T20:29:00.000-07:00

The heroes gather at the Lower Snakehead and realize that they are covered in the filth of the sewers. They request baths, and the inn keep insists that the Elf takes the last bath. Clorissa receives her own bath and fresh clothes. Only Dernon the halfling takes advantage of the female "bathers" offered, and requests 4, but, unfortunately, he is tired from a long day's adventure and can only entertain for 30 minutes or so.

They spend the night at the Lower Snakehead, except for Sir Khylsan, who is called away by his superiors. In the middle of the night, the maid they hire to guard Clorissa in her own room knocks on the door and says Clorissa has sneaked away. First Gacokia, then Dernon and Airk, find CLorissa, clothed only in a blanket, singing to the crowds below. A fight erupts when a young fellow tries to "escort" Clorissa home, but through ingenious use of his medical knowledge, Airk is able to help Gacokia and Airk diffuse the situation and return Clorissa to her room.

In the morning, mysteriously, Sir Khylsan has not returned -- only a note insisting that the troupe not seek out the stickl. But Clorissa insists on finding her sword which, she says, speaks to her. They decide to discover where Clorissa was captured, which she says was at the beech. Through careful questioning, Gacokia, over the protests of Airk, determine that Clorissa was on the public beech. The heroes make their way there, buying Clorissa a dagger in the market place. At the beech, Gacokia says "show us where you were captured." Clorissa walks out into the sea until she is almost most covered -- because it is high tide. Dernon swims out and captures a giant cockroach, which he smashes between his fingers. Digging in the dirt, they uncover another one. A boy sees them and approaches to see the cute little bug. They are able to squash it and drive the boy away.

Airk and Dernon decide to earn money by putting on a show. Dernon makes a phenomenal performance gathering but the crowd is stingy and only gives him 1 gold, whereas Clorissa makes a less spectacular performance but has a richer crowd and wins almost three gold.

Meanwhile, Gacokia travels to the library where he spends most of the day looking up references to "mok-stickl." (FOr Gacokia's knowledge only: He comes upon one reference from a famous theological history which states that mok-stickl was just a word to scare the commoners. The famous Cleric denies mok-stickl are any different from stickl.)

Gathering together in the evening at the beech, they ask Clorissa to show them where the stickl took her. She walks towards the Venia Beech -- in the noble's quarters. She stops at the wall that separates Venia beech from the Public beech. They discover a part of the wall pushed away there, and Clorissa disappears. Dernon realizes that the sand is a sand sink and he jumps in, deftly avoiding any damage. Airk follows quickly. Gacokia decides to tie a rope around a stake in the ground before following them in. In the process, the boy from before comes along and asks to go along. Gacokia scares the boy by stating that elves eat human children. The boy runs away and Gacokia makes his escape.

Below ground, the heroes find themselves in a stickl made tunnel that goes along for several hundred feet until it smooths out into smoother more secure human tunnels. They follow these past several shoot offs. Down one shoot off, they hear stickl, but the move on without encounter. Eventually, a mile later, Clorissa leads them down one of the turnoffs. This one had other turnoffs from it, and she chooses one which ends in a wall. The heroes look up and find a shaft leading up into darkness. Seeing no ladder, Dernon begins a climb until he is thirty feet up. Realizing the impossibility of making this climb, Airk and Gacokia search and find a little indention in the wall. They push on this, and rungs pop out from the wall. They climb up the ladder to where Dernon waits for them.

Dernon searches the door for traps and finds none, but he can't figure out how to open the door either. Eventually, he realizes that there is a small circle in the door and he opens a panel to find a turning knob. He turns it and poisoned bolts shoot out injuring Clorissa. Then Dernon opens the door and discovers two stickl waiting. He jumps up, soon followed by Clorissa, Airk and Gacokia. THe stickl attack, managing to injure Clorissa. But the heroes easily defeat the stickls. They find a secret door out of the room. Once more Dernon searches for traps and finds none, but Airk also searches and discovers one which he easily disables. They open the door to find themselves in another room. this one has a door that opens onto stairs leading up. They walk up the stairs and hear noise on the other side of one more door. They break through, creating a loud bang that scares the cooks and cause the cooks to call for guards.

Hurrying now, Clorissa runs through the kitchen, into the outer feast hall and up some stairs. The heroes follow close behind. They see a man in scale mail who runs and locks himself in a room. The heroes come to the doors of this room but find it almost impossible to break the door. While they try, they here chanting from the other side.

At last, the heroes break down the door to discover the scale mail knight and a full plate armored cleric. CLorissa runs to her stuff and is hacked at by the knight. The heroes attack. When the cleric gets a chance he declares that Clorissa is his sick daughter and they should stand down. But the heroes, fearless and reckless, fight on. The cleric casts a spell which causes a heavy flail to appear next to Gacokia and attack him ruthlessly over and over. Eventually, Gacokia falls, and, to all of their wonders, Clorissa sacrifices herself -- earning an attack from the knight -- to heal Gacokia -- which she does by whispering "Believe in Telusia." The city guard show up, and the cleric proclaims his innocence and that CLorissa is his daughter, but the heroes fight on, Gacokia falling twice more.

They finally defeat the cleric and knight. But then, desperately, crazily, Airk throws a dagger at one of the city guards and poisons him. Clorissa heals the city guard and tells the heroes not to hurt them because they are innocent. Still, Dernon and the others attack giving non-lethal blows until the guards fall. They make sure to kill the cleric beyond healing and run off into the streets of the noble quarters.

They make their way to the Druid's Grove in the King's Quad where Clorissa prays for our heroes.

All over the cleric's house are one symbol: two crescent moons crossing each other.

When Airk goes through Clorissa's belongings, he discovers a note:
Let these prophecies be fair warning
to those who've forgotten morning
A company must be found anew
To stop Keran's growing brood

They also go through the cleric's belongings and find the following note:
"The blood of Andorus runs true in Agus, It will bring K back."

Session 2 -- Rescuing Clorissa

2008-03-03T20:24:00.000-08:00

16 Andorus Month, 753 YA

Around Noon
Our adventurers have travelled through the sewers and come upon a dug out tunnel in the dirt and rock beneath Andoria. They begin to follow the tunnel when they hear someone singing an ole Andorian tune. They follow along till they come to a small room about 35 feet in diameter. There, they see a beautiful woman with red hair, naked and hanging from a stake in the ceiling. She is surrounded by Stickl.

The Stickl have the jump on our characters, because of their tremor sense. Three swamr toward Khylsan who is at the end of the tunnel as it opens into the room and attack, making one hit. THe other drops its weapons and climbs onto the "ceiling" where it prepares to engage anyone coming into the room.

Our heroes fight back, Khylsan killing one of the Stickl, and Dernon, our fleet of foot halfling monk, tumbling through the line of Stickl to punch one through the back. His hand is so solid it actually pushes through the Stickl and out the other side, killing the Stickl. Khylsan moves into the room and cuts through the ropes bingding the beautiful woman who collapses at his feet. Airk and the others hear behind them a swarm of giant roaches. Quickly Khylsan disembowels the Stickl that jumped on him from the ceiling while Dernon finishes off the last of the others with Khylsan's help. They prepare to run when they realize another swarm of giant cockroaches heads toward them down the only other tunnel.

In a desperate move, the woman says "which way?" The Company says "that way" and she raises her hand sending a sphere of flame down the path to destroy the bugs. She collapses unconscious after doing so. Khylsan grabs her and runs, followed by the rest of the company. In a short break, Airk bandages the bleeding lashes made by the vile whip of the Stickl, while Dernon pours a potion down her throat.

When the woman awakes she demands that they take her back to get her sword and her bag, but they say they saw nothing. They continue on for over a 1000 feet. Up ahead is a lit opening.

Our sneaky monk and ranger move forward only to be surprised by six Stickl, one of them larger than the others and wielding two swords. The Stickl engage swarming against the opening again. Gacokia calls for help, and Airk runs forward. Khylsan prepares to follow when the woman cries out "don't leave me." Torn, Khylsan feels he must help his allies. He runs forward. Deftly, the Company destroy the Stickl, though Sir Khylsan is wounded badly in the fight.

they retrieve our heroine who finally reveals her name as Clorissa. But something seems wrong with her. She hums the old Andorian tune constantly, and says she knows about the lost prophecies. But what are the lost prophecies? Our heroes do not know. Nor do they see a way out, until at long last searching and searing the room, the discover a shaft leading up and out.

Dernon shimmies up the shaft and finds himself in the middle of the barracks. he waits patiently until he can move out and tie off a rope. Gacokia follows with more rope so the others can heave themselves up. As Khylsan reveals himself soldiers notice him and come after him. He is able to send them for medical help, hoping to get away before anyone discovers a young naked and severly beaten Clorissa with them. Alas, Cleric Polik emerges to tend to Khylsan when he spies Clorissa. He orders Khylsan's arrest. Dernon and Airk are spotted, but through magic they are able to flee and leap over the high wall that separates the barracks from East Westle, Dernon's temporary monastery.

Back with Cleric Polik, Khylsan insists that he will not abandon his weapons though he will accompany the clric peacefully. The clric moves into a central building where he tends to Clorissa and asks her questions. Unable to find any evidence against Khylsan, he demands a report. As per his right, Khylsan refers Cleric Polik to his superior. Polik heals Khylsan and moves off. While Khylsan has made his escape, he has had to reveal his position as an official to the army to the rest of the Company.

The Company are separated and spend the rest of the afternoon trying to discover where each has hidden. Through luck, Dernon casts an animal messenger spell and sends a little bird to hide out at Airk's room at te Silver Star. There, it finds Gacokia and leads them to the correct place in the Lower Docks where the Company join up again.

But Clorissa is restless and insists she must find her sword and her documents which have maps.

Adventure 1 -- Coming Together

2008-02-26T20:57:00.000-08:00

15, Andorus Month, 753 YA (Year of Andorus)

1
Airk hears rumors that giant cockroaches have been seen down at the docks. He sets off to investigate. Airk remembers the cockroaches. They inhabited graves from where he came. Their bite could cause tremors – convulsions – in someone because of the pain. So he has a “professional” interest in these pests.
He makes his way to the Silver Star, a tavern on the eastern end of the docks. There he finds a relax clean atmosphere servicing mostly captains just in from their recent voyages. Realizing that he is not going to find any information here, he makes his way down to the Silver Rat.
The Silver Rat seems a nice enough place with a rowdier atmosphere. The bartender says he knows nothing of giant cockroaches, but encourages Airk to take part in the patron singing – only a copper piece. Airk observes the cleaning methods of the bartender and is repulsed. Before he can move, though, Clelie, a young bossomy mistress, makes her way over and asks if he’ll sing with her. He does. She sings ok, but he doesn’t, and then he rebuffs her advances, so she leaves him. Finally, Airk makes it back to the bartender who says that he heard that Jeb, at the Solver Head, was attacked by these critters. One bit Jeb and hand swelled up to twice its size.
As they are discussing this, a fighter looking character introduces himself and wants to know about the bugs.

2
Khylsen is just returned from a mission investigating Stickl in the north-eastern empire, where he, in fact, witnesses one of the vile creatures. It is six feet tall – a human cockroach that wields swords in two of its hands. Khylsen is called aside by the Captain of the King’s guard – a very unusual circumstance. The captain sends him to check out these giant cockroaches.
Khyslen finds a man talking about them at the Silver Rat. He introduces himself and they agree to work on the problem together.

3
Dernon, a Halfling monk from Westle Abbey, is new to the city. He finds out about these cockroaches and wants to investigate. He finds himself at the Silver Head where a patron asks about Jeb’s hand. Curious, Dernon walks over to the patron and asks about the issue. The patron, a lanky man with a srawl, tells him that Jeb was bitten by a large cockroach, and his hand swelled up to the size of his head – well Jeb’s head not a Halfling head. Dernon talks to Jeb and asks to go down in the cellar to see. While down there, he sees one of the cockroaches and attacks it. The cockroach escapes through a hole but several more pour out.
Dernon escapes and tells a guard about the cockroaches. The next day, Dernon is arrested and taken to prison.

4
Gacokia is recently in the city from Ligot. He is sleeping on the beach when something wakes him. Next to him is one of the vile fat cockroaches that accompanied the Stickl that killed his mistress. He kills it.
The next morning, at the druids grove in The Company Garden, he hears someone scream. He runs to help and sees another giant cockroach. He kills it. Then he is arrested and led off.

16 Andorus Month, 753 YA

5
Khylsen is told of the prisoners. He decides to work with them and secures their release. The Captain of the King’s Guard wins him that any misstep is on his and his family’s head.
The group head to the Silver Head and secure passage to the cellar. There they encounter five giant cockroaches. They attack and kill several but within a minute, the cockroaches swarm. In a desperate attack, Airk throws a flask of alchemist fire at the cockroaches. They catch fire and the Silver Head catches fire. Someone yells fire and panic ensues. The group escapes, though they are almost arrested.
Later they regroup and decide to explore the sewers where the cockroaches seem to live. They select the Eastern sewars and follow them almost to their end. Gacokia sees along the way sign of Stickl. Then they hear a voice singing an old child’s tune
Ole Andorus was a bright soul
A Bright ole soul was he
He called for his flute
He called for his sword
And he called for the world to come down

They realize that the last line has been changed. They follow the voice to a tunnel dug out away from the sewers. There they come upon a beautiful human looking woman, naked and chained, back bleeding from being whipped. And four Stickl.