The Scarred Lands Campaign

Our campaign takes place in the north central regions of the torn continent of Ghelspad.  Most of the characters have experienced personal loss at the hands of titanspawn or the growing Hegemony to the south in their pre-adventurer lives.

• Characters
• Campaign Journal

Characters

Chaeltuch, male grugach (wild elf).

Chaeltuch is a barbarian by the standards of most.  Indeed, his most infamous deed is leading a band of wild elves to his home tribe, which had abandoned him as an infant and thereafter been afflicted by the Taint...  Now he is the sole survivor of his people.

Chaeltuch is particularly skilled in wilderness lore and tracking, especially when hunting down aberrations.

Malathai, female human, psychic warrior.

Malathai lived in a small village near the border of Blood Basin, a village overrun by unspeakable abominations when she was a young adult.  She now dons the garb of a Veshian warrior, though her real powers lie mostly unseen.

Malathai has capitalized on her mental prowess, exercising self-hypnotic powers in the face of adversity.  She can also channel her psionic powers into an amazing strike with her weapon, usually a greatsword she wields with ferocity.

Hrotyr, female human, priestess of life and death (cleric/sorceress).

Hrotyr is an enigma, a priestess dedicated not to any divine being but to the very powers of life and death.  Her reasoning is that in order for the world to be restored, we must first know thanatosis (death) and then genesis (life).  Though "accepted" by most clergy, she does not maintain regular membership.  Lately, her musings have become more tangible in effect -- dead spiders recover in her hand, grass wilts beneath her bare step.

Hrotyr specializes in the channeling of positive and negative energy.  Even allies know not which will aid them until she does the deed.

Therab, male gnome, "kind deceptor" (rogue/illusionist).

Therab was chased from a southern forest given as a gift to a queen -- a most suspicious queen who forbade all who dwelt within to leave or die.  Wandering north, his clan dwindled until finally he was left with his granddad, who shortly after their resettlement, also passed from this world.  Therab now desires "the old times," a nostalgic feeling accentuated by his loss.

Therab is quick, clever, and robust -- and he's needed all of it to survive.  Perhaps the most alert member of the party, Therab is skilled in all good things most of those on the "bad side" would be skilled in -- yet he uses his talents for the sake of good.

Esvele, female aasimar, "crusader for reformation" (cleric).

Esvele is said to have immortal blood within her, a fact corroborated by her shining eyes and solid faith.  Her mission is to thwart the takeover of Vesh by either the encroaching empire to the south or titanspawn.

Esvele's greatest enemy is most likely the undead, and she's put her emphasis on turning back the hoards of them used against civilized lands.

Campaign Journal

Hramuk, 5th day - The party find itself assembled before Alexi Traven, the mayor of the town of Poisson on the shores of small lake north of the forest Ganjus.  Chaeltuch, the wild elf, had wandered into town a few days back to purchase some equipment.  Malathai the warrior, Hrotyr the priestess, and Therab the "deceptor", had actually been residing in Poisson since late fall and anticipated renewing their travels come spring.  And Esvele had come to Poisson in expectation of thwarting the undead that occasionally drifted over from the Scrub Woods.

But this was not why they were really here -- rather, Poisson had a serious shortage of food, and despite several anticipated food wagons, none had reached the village as of yet.  A call had gone out early in the morning for any willing to ascertain the delivery of the caravans.  The party responded, some for a promised reward, and some for the duty of the thing.

Receiving their charge, the characters wandered southeast for about five miles in the light snow.  Cresting a ridge, they espy several orcs leading off a horse... from the remains of the wagon around which were strewn bloodied bodies.  But as the party saw the orcs, so were they seen -- the orcs charged, brandishing fierce axes.  Therab espied a robed man stepping behind the wagon.  Melee ensued, and after Chaeltuch was dropped not once but twice (and saved each time by a timely healing touch by both of the priestesses), the orcs were slain and Malathai was charging the man hiding by the wagon who himself had not been inactive... indeed, not a few crossbow bolts had flown from that direction, every one of them hitting their mark.

As Malathai raised her greatsword, Esvele actually overpasses of her and fended off the blow from yet another orc who had leaped in front of the robed man.  Though her mace hit naught but frigid air, Malathai's blade found the opening she had created and came down, nearly splitting the beast in two.  The man in robes jumped crazily and stepped back; Therab came out from under the wagon behind the man.  Despite their best efforts and the fact that the man seemed to stand there as of a practice dummy, none of their blows seemed to come close to the man who was nevertheless extremely alarmed.

Beginning an incantation, the man stepped back yet again, but Esvele caught his side with her mace, and he bent from the blow.  Nearly all the air knocked from him, the man sued for mercy.

The battle wound up, the party searched the bodies of the orcs and their prisoner.  Chaeltuch and Malathai, wounded, decided to return to the village, relate the news, and come back with someone who could drive the cart... as well as barter some healing out of the situation if they could.  The rest stayed put, guarding the food wagon and their prisoner.

Soon, the two returned escorting a group of armed villagers who could drive the cart back to the town.  Therab had in the meantime followed for a few hundred yards tracks of their opponents in the snow.  Chaeltuch scouting ahead, the party went down the path...

Coming to the mouth of a cave, Chaeltuch managed to catch a glimpse of something moving inside.  He motioned Therab to join him, and as the other characters slowly approached, they snuck up to the lip of the cave.

Suddenly, Esvele gave a shout, "Orcs!" and rushed into the cave, her mace readied.  The others burst in behind her.  A few blows, and it was over so quickly they had barely time to sum up the condition in which they found themselves -- when Esvele's voice came from around the dark corner.  Malathai plunged through the tunnel to find her attempting to halt one of the guards from escaping past a door.  She swung, the orc fell.

And into the breach... Esvele charged yet again, this time through the door the fallen orc had barely opened.  At the time, Malathai recalled thinking she was an idiot, but in retrospect they caught four more guards unprepared.  Slash, whack, thud.  They seemed to have be in a storage room.

Holding back Esvele long enough to reorganize the party, Malathai led them to a closed chamber in which the surprise of an undead creature nearly set them running.  Hrotyr set a fine example and demonstrated her sway over her chosen power by turning back the ghoul, and in a few gingerly slashes, the party had set its captive spirit free.

It was despite the presence of several more orcs -- undoubtedly coming to relieve their slain comrades -- that the adventurers came to a clever dwarven elevator which could take them to the lower levels of the dungeon, albeit only one at a time.

Esvele, of course, went first.

Orcs, again.  Many orcs for just a lone aasimar.  This time, they charged.

Esvele held her shield high and deflected the blows as well she could while Malathai lowered herself on the lift.  Just as the warrior set her foot on the floor, Esvele came down under the axe of a particularly husky foe, and Malathai was left alone.  The elevator raised, and Malathai summoned all her energies to remove the enemy as fast as possible, hoping that the next person to come could at least administer to the fallen Esvele.

One orc, and then two fell.  Two more left.

And from around the corner came running a man in chain, wielding a black mace and a holy symbol only one of the titanspawn would worship.

By this time, most of the party had descended, but Malathai had caught an unavoidable greataxe with her shoulder, and fell beside Esvele.  Chaeltuch, brandishing both blades, came forward.

One orc left, one priest of unholy might, and a severely bruised party.  Chaeltuch leapt, swinging with both blades, though they seemed somewhat hesitant in their own right to come near the dark priest.  And just when the odds were tipping -- Therab dropped the remaining orc with a well-placed stab in the back of the shins -- the priest bent over and made one of the fallen rise, as if it had never been hit.

Hrotyr had finally made her way down the ancient contraption.  Perhaps because she had not seen the melee to this point she was not as despondent as the others, for her spear nearly leapt from her hands and plunged into the newly healed orc who once again reeled to the floor.

It was only a matter of pooling their resources, and the remaining members of the party backed the titanspawn cleric into a corner while Hrotyr attended to the fallen.  The priest fell.

It was an exhausting undertaking, especially after what they had just experienced, but the party managed to revive Malathai and Esvele enough to walk again, at least with help.  And Therab, watchful and thinking as he always was, managed to decode the symbols carved upon the floor of the dungeon -- revealing, as walls slid aside -- an abandoned shrine to a dark power of the titans.  With a trepidation, he procured Malathai's holy water and spread it upon the altar; with satisfaction, he stepped aside to watch dark and light smoke twirl about the now blessed altar as it broke and crumbled into useless ruins; and it is with an honest bit of pride that he now tells you this story.

- Therab, "kind deceptor"

Hramuk, days 5 through 20 - The party enjoys a light celebration and thanks given by the townsfolk.  Malathai and Esvele recover from their grievous wounds.  Hrotyr discovers that the religious power she can channel has also allowed her the ability to cast incantations that draw energy from living beings.  Scared of her newfound abilities, Hrotyr seeks counsel with someone who can explain the ways of magic to her...

The Wu Jen