TREASURE HUNTERS:
DM’s Note: This a campaign that I run over at Rondak’s Portal. Feel free to lurk it and check out this great FREE site for Role-Players.
SYNOPSIS
The story began in the great city of Arlan. A group of adventurers, staying in different parts of the city awoke from the same nightmare. A letter was slid under each of their doors asking them to come to the Academy. Aoleon, Aria, Jax, Lyden, Quivera, Tabok, and Valentin all answered the call and met each other for the first time.
Kept in a small chamber while waiting for their “host,” the party members got to know each other. Tempers started to flare between Quivera and Lyden. The equally proud Themulian Noble and Sheridian Clansman were interrupted in their argument by the arrival of a Magi.
The Magi introduced himself as Langdurin Wyvrrnspear, Magi of the 3rd Order and Headmaster of the Academy of Arlan. He told them that the Dark King had escaped his prison and that the Order needed their help. The Order was not prepared for the Dark King’s early escape and a few of the items called for in The Oracle had not been recovered. He asked the party to retrieve the Orb of GAI from the lost city of Ta’Garan. The party agreed and spent the rest of day preparing for their departure. That evening everyone, minus Lyden, adjourned to a local tavern to get better aquainted. When they retired to their rooms, they each found a magical gift from the Magi to help them in the upcoming journey.
The next morning the party prepared to leave. Lyden was conspicuous with a black eye but did not tell the party where he was the night before or how he was injured. On the way out of Arlan the party noticed a group of caravan guards eyeing the Clansman darkly but again Lyden kept silent.
On the second night of their journey, the party made camp in the wilderness. That night they were attacked by a band of Bugbears. The party easily defeated them, but the attack greatly worried Lyden. He told the party that he had gotten into a fight with some caravan guards in Arlan who were attacked on the road by a similar band of Goblinoids. Since Lyden was a Sharidian, they blamed him for the creatures being so far south. Lyden became very concerned about his homland. For some reason his people had failed in their charge to protect the Known World. He slipped away into the night to discover what had gone wrong in Sharidar, making the group one less.
The party traveled to Casemont where Victor, a former Calarian, met them. Victor was in the service of the Baron of Casemont, a fat weak man typical of the Nobility of Themul. The real power of Casemont appeared to rest in the Baron’s Magi advisor. It was he who asked Victor to join the group and guide them through his homeland. There was a tense moment when Victor and Aoleon recognized each other from an encounter they had when Victor was an archer in the Calarian army. Victor had almost killed the Elf when she had fallen from a tree in front of him. For reasons known only to him, he spared her and left Calaran soon after. The reunion was akward at best.
The next morning, the party rode through the city to the docks. On the way, they were exposed to the real situation of the Empire. Poverty and filth filled the streets. A number of the group, Quivera included, gave what they could to the poor but some recognized Quivera as a Noble and refused her help. It almost broke the Lady’s heart.
At the docks, they bid farewell to Themul and boarded the “Tearflyer” a combination sailing vessel and barge that were commonly used on the Strait of Tears. The plan was to sail to a secluded bay and under the cover of night, disembark by rowboat and swim the horses to shore. That way they could enter Calaran undetected. Once they set sail the Captain of the “Tearflyer” left the ship in the hand of Sebastian the first mate. Sebastian and the crew appeared to resent the party for some reason. Despite some offers to help out, the crew kept their distance from the group, a fact that made the party uneasy.
Once Calaran was in sight, the Captain used a magical spyglass to navigate at night. He brought the “Tearflyer” up to the coral reefs that surrounded the bay and told the party to go below and get their things. They were to disembark immediately. When the party came back above decks they found the ship in the midst of a mutiny. Sebastian and most of the crew had taken over the ship and hung the Captain from the mask. He told the party that his Master knew of their journey and he wouldn’t let them complete it. He sent his men to attack.
The party fought bravely and managed to kill most of Sebastian’s men. The first mate went mad and purposely steered the “Tearflyer” into the coral reefs, crippling the ship. The party killed Sebastion and the rest of the crew but they were too late, the “Tearflyer” was sinking. They tried desperately to free their horses from the makeshift stable in the forecastle but before the could succeed, the ship capsized, throwing them all into the Strait of Tears.
They awoke the next morning and in a short ceremony, said goodby to their fallen friends. Most of their provisions were on the horses or lost when the “Tearflyer” sank so they decided to go to the small village of Santos to re-provision themselves. After two days journey, the prepared to enter Santos…
CHARACTERS
Aoleon Forestfox
3rd Level Elvish Ranger
Aoleon is one of the many Elves who disagrees with Queen Ellerisa’s “defeatist attitude.” Instead of waiting around for the inevitable she decided to go out into the Human world and do what she could to stop the decline of the Elves. She can be a bit naïve when it comes to dealing with Humans, but her wilderness skills have come in handy more than once for the party and she is deadly with her matching Elvish Longdaggers.
Aria Vesten
3rd Level Human Cleric of AREK
Aria hails from the village of Pinewood. She was a willful child who ran away from the village after an itinerant Priest of AREK stayed in the village and fired her imagination. What she lacks in physical strength, she makes up for with her wisdom and indespensible healing abilities. She has mellowed a bit over the years since running away, and is often the sole voice of reason in the party.
Jax Jorundal
2nd/1st Level Half-Elf Rogue/Sorcerer
Born of mixed heritage, Jax’s Elvish father was killed in battle and his Human mother died of a broken heart. Forced to live on the streets, Jax picked up thieving skills to stay alive. He also, thanks to his father, has started developing magical abilities. Jax is always ready to make a joke and enjoys taunting his enemies in battle.
Quivera D’Trael
3rd Level Human Wizard
Quivera is the only daughter of Duke Rochagnon of Arlan and the hier to the Duchy of Arlan. She is unlike many Themulian nobles in that she shares her father’s concern for the common people of Themul. She has an insatiable curiosity when it comes to magical artifacts and often goes on expeditions for the Academy. Despite her concern for commoners, Quivera is still a noble and often has a hard time dealing with them. She is often vain and haughty, but her time with the party is slowly changing her views about non-nobles.
Victor Johnson
3rd Level Human Fighter
A Calarian by birth, Victor does not share the strict ideals of his people. After a stint in the Calarian army, Victor gave up an opportunity to become a Redman and left his home to become a mercenary. Victor is very professional, almost to a fault. He sometimes has trouble accepting that there are other ways of thinking and doing things besides “his way”; this has already cause party friction. His is a master with his bow and a deadly opponent.
OTHER CHARACTERS
Lyden Kendrick
3rd Level Human Fighter
A Sheridian Clansman who left the party to return to his homeland.
Tabok
3rd Level Human Monk
A member of the Brotherhood of “The Way.” Currently believed to be dead.
Valentine
3rd Level Human Bard
A traveling entertainer with a dark past. Currently believed to be dead.
Main
