The Battle of Darkkeep

AK510-39 Cool Summer End Week 3
[Charon Guiding, Shale Resting, Cycles Watching]

Moonday

After valiant struggling of will, prayer and spell, Ethan looses his battle against the power of shadow and starts to succumb. As his body begins to be consumed by negative energy and drifts towards undeath, Stanten Turbett floods his body with the radiant power of Croi. The negative energy in his body reacts explosively to that and the shock has the desired effect. It kills him. Ethan's body, purged of the nefarious shadow energy, ceases to drift into the shadow realms and remains in the mortal world. Staten blesses the body and then starts up the stairs to join the battle raging above.

Appleby and Stuffitt are lashing out at the army with lightning and crossbow bolts respectively, when Vedic Tanner arrives on the roof. The two headed bloodscale lizardfolk leading the army has been wounded several times but is still standing defiantly on the battlefield, directing the assault.
Several defenders have been downed by poisoned arrows.

Ivellios sees a battering ram being brought up the main doors of the keep and casts a confusion spell on the lizardfolk carrying it. Addled by the spell, some of them run away and some of them attack each other. Those fleeing are slain by poison dusk archers under orders from their leader. The ram is dropped as the remaining lizardfolk battle each other.

Bob Charmer calls upon the power of Seilig and of nature to entangle many of the attackers with long strands of marsh grasses. Scores of the attackers are restrained by the twining plants. Tim Tanner bestows the protection of the Chosen on the defenders and calls forth a ring of maces to protect himself. Arkthuus, Ivellios, Charmer, Appleby, Stuffitt and the other defenders continue to focus their attacks on the leader but the power of the Fallen is strong in him and he resists their efforts.

A score of siege ladders, made from the bones of swamp creatures lashed together with swamp vines, are raised and the lizardfolk begin to clamber up. Stronger blackscales move to hold the ladders while the elite bloodscale warriors pick up the ram and start attacking the main doors. The knights behind the door can do little to prevent the onslaught.

All efforts focus the lizardfolk scaling the ladders. The defenders manage to knock away a couple of ladders, but without siege poles their efforts are severely hampered by the blackscales holding them steady. Appleby blocks a ladder to the right of the main doors with a flaming sphere. Ivellios attacks the battering ram crew with a pair of scorching rays but their thick red scaled hides allow them to survive his magic flames. Arkthuus presses the attack with several crossbow bolts but while his shots strike his targets, they do little damage to the monstrous bloodscales.

Then Vedic Tim Tanner leads the defenders in prayer, calling them away from the melee at this most crucial point of the battle. His faith in the gods verging on madness to some eyes. But they have come to trust in his wisdom. They all call upon the power of The Chosen in unison. The Chosen respond and Tim Tanner is covered in a radiant shimmering aura, his mithral plate shining like a living legend from The Book of Creation. The ring of maces whirling around him glows like a swarm of suns as he rises above the roof of the Darkkeep. All eyes turn to see the power of The Chosen manifest upon the field of battle. The clamour of battle is silenced by shock and awe. His confident voice, now magnified to the power of a thousand preachers booms out across the countryside, loud enough the shake shield and skull.

As Ivellios prays in counter point in the background, Tanner exposes the leader of the army as a fallen worshipper and denounces the battle as a Fallen attack on a Chosen temple. Fallen symbols that were secretly cut into the leader's flesh are outlined by Croi's radiance. Stanten then unfurls a huge church banner from the battlements and it too glows brightly in the dim afternoon. Tim's words strike into the very hearts of the army and the lizardfolk's resolve begins to fade.

Charmer prays to Seilig to guide his shot and he looses an arrow at the leader which pierces one of his necks. The left head slumps forward. The creature bellow in rage and starts forward towards the keep. Then Appleby strikes him with yet another bolt of lightning from the stormy sky and the Fallen symbols on his chest crackle with power. Ivellios calls upon Draiocht through the gem brought to him by Khranen and channels his arcane power into a brilliant silver falcon. The falcon shoots towards the bloodscale's remaining head with blinding speed and ploughs into it's target. They skull explodes bloodily and after a moments hestiation the massive bulk slowly collapses, splashing into the dark cold waters of the swamp.

Tanner' continues to speak and the lizardfolk tribes are convinced, through word and action, that they should not be following this heretic or be attacking the keep. The army begins to disintegrate. Many begin to withdraw from battle and the archers refuse to shoot them for desertion.
The bloodscales are not so easily swayed. Their fanatical dedication to the wild marsh druid drives them to press the attack, despite the betrayal of their kin. They smash the ram into the doors of the keep which fly inward, throwing the defending knights across the room.

Then Todd uses the Cape of the Troubadour to disappear from the roof and reappear with a fanfare in the entrance hall, right in front of the startled bloodscales. He brings Ivellios, Appleby and Arkthuus with him. Tanner decides to show the horde the martial might of the Chosen. He charges from the sky and crushes the skull of a bloodscale before it can flee into the keep.
The other bloodscales barge past the heroes, heedlessly exposing themselves to attack, and manage to force their way into the hall. Charmer is in the thick of the battle desperately trying to dodge the blows of the bloodscales but they surround him and he is bitten and clawed to the brink of death. He falls and all fear he has been slain. Then in his hour of need, he prays desperately to Seilig for the strength to continue the battle. His prayers are answered. He opens his eyes and gathers his will to stand once again against his enemy.

Arkthuus and Tanner press the attack against the massive bulk of the bloodscale warriors. Appleby assists by absorbing claw after claw and bite after bite, without succumbing to his many wounds. Ivellios spots that the bloodscales who are flanking the druid have been badly injured and that their guard is down. He speaks the arcane syllables and spreads his arms, pointing at them both. Magic Missiles shoot from his fingertips. Two each. Two beautifully executed shots. Two bloodscales drop dead to the floor. Ivellios and Tin Tan smile. Nice shot thinks Tin Tan. We're easily the best character in the keep. The last bloodscale, to his credit, faces Tim Tanner unafraid. Tim and his allies attack him en masse and soon he falls to the floor. The Battle of The Darkkeep has ended.

Arkthuus and Tanner look at each other with mutual respect. Both fought bravely and well. But now the harder task lies before them. The mediation between the men of The Darkkeep and the lizardfolk of The Dark Swamp.

Map of Talamh

Note: Click on the image to see an enlarged version. You can then save it by right clicking and selecting 'Save As'.

Shadows of The Darkkeep Past

AK510-39 Cool Summer End Week 3
[Charon Guiding, Shale Resting, Cycles Watching]

Moonday

The following morning Bob Charmer acts as ambassador to the Abeil Queen.
She thanks the party through him and offers whatever equipment they need as well as promising her military aid in the future.
The Queen tells them that there are no major forces active in the area but that nearby settlements have been taken and held by small lizardfolk bands.
The party searches among the bodies of the slain to find items of value. There is a considerable amount of gold and jewellery.
Tanner finds a tapestry, worn as a cloak by a blackscale he killed, depicting Arkthuus Poten being conferred with the title of Count Darkkeep.
Ethan finds a platinum and gold pendant worth over 3,000gp which he identifies as having been worn at a ball in Stormwatch my Arkthuus Poten's mistress Kita Andropov. Todd notes that it was worn by her when the Count's retinue passed through Woodhaven a few months earlier.
These items lead the party to deduce that Darkkeep may have fallen to the lizardfolk army.

They travel back towards Woodhaven. Tanner contacts Orin who is happily running the military affairs in the village. All is well.
A group of poison dusk rangers are intent on waylaying them until Tanner identifies himself as a Vedic.
They stop and parlay with the party and Tanner uses his diplomatic skills to convince the poisons dusks to help them.
They tell them that all towns and villages are being attacked and that the Wild March Druid is in command.
They state that the Bloodscales were bred for this war by the Druid.
They are Blackscales whose eggs were covered in a strange red substance including various dying agents and who were trained from birth to be fanatically loyal to the Druid.

Using his sending magic Tanner is able to assess the military situation across the continent. He sends to Arch Vedic Serena of Darkbridge who tells him that both Darkbridge and Stormwatch are under assault by lizardfolk but that the defences are holding.
They Charon lizardfolk priestess is fighting with the Churches forces to help the Earl.
The King of Bigany has formally requested the Church's assistance.
Tanner's knowledge of Church procedures tells him that because the conflict is between two nations of Church worshippers and in not on the Bigany Continent the church will probably not commit to sending additional support. Unless there is compelling evidence given to the inquisition that the rulership of the lizardfolk nation is under fallen influence, they are unlikely to become directly involved.
The local clerical hierarchy are expected to handle the situation as they see and with the resources they have to hand.

They return to Woodhaven, swiftly moving along the tracks trail blazed by the Ambassador a few weeks earlier.
They stop briefly in Woodhaven on the way to investigate the Darkkeep. Tanner uses a sending to contact Arkthuus Poten.
He tells him that they are under attack and pleads with them to make all haste to the keep to assist in the defence. His superior arrogant attitude has been replaced with a humble pragmatism.

They decide to make haste to Darkkeep. Tanner prays and the gods grant them all swift speed. They make the 3 day journey in a few hours.

They find an army camped around the Darkkeep. Dozens of Redscales and Bloodscales leading several tribes of lizardfolk: poison dusk, steel clan, wild marsh, etc. Appleby transforms into an eagle and takes to the sky. He spies on the lizardfolk host and spots several siege weapons in the distance. They are being floated up the river to the keep. They will arrive in less than a day.

They dimension door from the tree line into the keep. There are only about 40 people left alive inside and all are wounded and malnourished.
The Count, 9 knights, 10 infantry and 20 camp followers are the survivors. Tim creates food and heals the sick. They are told how poison dusk assassins infiltrated the keep and garrotted a large number of key figures including their clerics and knights. The count barely survived but being a strong man and a skilled fighter he managed to defeat his assailant. A nasty red scar is cut deep into his neck and he wears a bladed gorget now.
He wants to hold Darkkeep to protect the rest of Stormwatch and delay the tribes here to prevent them attacking the towns. Tanner exacts a monthly payment of 1,000gp from Arkthuus to Woodhaven Church in return for saving the Darkkeep. The Count agree to pay it once the County is secured and prosperous again. Tanner informs him that the village is now a protectorate of the church and Arkthuus agrees to that as well. Todd draws up a proclamation and the Count signs it.

Todd searches the keep for a secret door to escape but he search is fruitless.

The head into the basement looking for a secret door or a library or merely out of curiosity. The find the sealed door to the lower levels and start to examine it. It appears to be solid. Suddenly from out of the darkness shadowy figures attack them. Their insubstantial hands reach through their armor and drain the strength from their bodies. John Appleby calls lightning down upon them but it has only a minor effect as the strikes pass through the shadows incorporeal forms. The shadows drain strength from all the party and they are almost overcome before Tim channels the divine power of Croi through the Church Symbol. The Power of Croi destroys two of them as the last one dives away from the light. It then attacks Ethan hoping to drain the last of his strength and pull him into the realm of shadows. Tim manages to drive it off with the power of Croi. After a frantic series of spell castings, potion drinking and scroll reading Ethan is brought back from the brink of death. Then Tim starts to pray for another spell to return all of his strength from the shadow realm.

While this healing and praying is continuing, the druid John Appleby get bored and decides to call down lightning down upon the army outside. He ascends to the roof and strikes a distant bloodscale leader with a bolt from the sky. In retaliation for this the bloodscale calls out and the army surrounding the keep surges forward. Scaling ladder and bowmen to the fore. The siege weapons have not arrived but the Redscale want to teach the insolent humans a lesson. Stuffitt deals a vicious wound the Redscale with his new heavy crossbow and Ivellios incinerates scores of wild marsh lizardfolk warriors with a fireball. Over a hundred poison dusk archers appear from trenches near the keep and unleash a hail of arrows at the keep. Charmer, Tharanaian, Appleby and Stuffitt are all hit. Tharanaian is poisoned. The counts men return fire from behind crenulations and arrow slits with a modest success rate. On the roof the count is firing crossbow bolts with impressive accuracy at the approaching army. Two servant and reloading for him trying desperately to keep up with his demand for bolts.

The army advances and the ladders are raised...

Wyverns, Red Ragers and Bees

AK510-37 Cool Summer End Week 1
[Charon Guiding, Shale Resting, Cycles Watching]

Cogaday

A Wyvern attacks the village and is slain by Ethan, Tim, Bob and John. Ivellios arrives with Tin Tan and Khranen once it is all over.

In the heat of this battle Todd Stuffitt is collecting taxes and is attacked. He is paralysed by a single shot from a hidden assailant. He is taken away and meets an assassin who agrees to train him in return for Todd's assistance against The Dark. The Dark sent the assassin to kill Stuffitt fearing him for a reason unknown to the assassin.
An initial training session ensues. He gets 'floured' a couple of times when the assassin hits him with specially prepared targeting crossbow bolts.
But he is a quick study and he learns his assassin skills quickly.
Over the next few days the assassin visits him out of sight of the party and teaches him the art of the Bigany Assassin.
Todd is tight lipped about all this upon his return.
Todd opens the Wyverns stomach.
Then takes the carcass back to his home for stuffing.

Draiday

After using healing magic and Ivellios learning more spells they set out for Honeyglen to assist the Queen of Zzziiivvv against the Lizardfolk.
They are attacked on the first night by poison dusk lizardfolk whom they easily defeat.
They change the watch roster after realising that the least capable watchmen were all on the same watch.

Charday

They continue past Stein and north towards Honeyglen.
The queen sends a plea to Bob to make haste as they are currently under siege.
They press on through the night rather than making camp.

Sunday

They arrive at the Zzziiivvv valley in the early hours of the morning.
There are hundreds of lizardfolk surrounding the rocky outcrop that holds the fledgling city.
Most are common lizardfolk but there are many blackscales, poison dusk and even bloodscales there.
A massive Bloodscale Barbarian leads the war band.
Soldier Abeil make devastating storm wing attacks that kill many lizardfolk and injure many more but they are outnumbered.
Many soldiers are killed by vollies of poison dusk arrows but they remain out of the larger lizardfolk's reach.
There are several crude siege machines being used by the lizardfolk.
These stone throwers are beginning to smash the city walls.

The queen and Bob agree on a simultaneous assault.
The PCs cast preparatory spells and as the enter the battle they hum with power.
Ivellios launches a fireball into the middle of the enemy and many of them are incinerated. Then he starts picking off the survivors with magic missiles.
Ethan charges the massive Redscale Rager and is almost cut in half by a stroke of his enormous shining axe.
Ethan misses.
Appleby summons hippogriffs and then charges into the fray.
Bob pumps out a hail of arrows and severely wounds the Redscale.
Tim Tanner charges and demolishes several blackscales. They flee his ring of maces.
Then Todd who has been studying the Barbarian's moves, anticipates his movements well enough to put a crossbow bolt through the side of his head. The massive creature falls to the ground. Dead.
The battle continues but with their leader dead and the Abeil on the offensive, they quickly break and are routed.
Thanks to the fierceness of his companions attacks Ethan somehow manages to avoid a fatal blow and staggers away from the battle to heal.
It's all over before he can return.
The queen thanks Bob for honouring the alliance and he judges that the Abeil city his be a strong ally of Woodhaven from now on.

Church of The Moons Symbol

I Tin Tan

AK510-37 Cool Summer End Week 1 [Charon Guiding, Shale Resting, Cycles Watching]

Cogaday

Tin Tan lounged happily in the fireplace watching his master. The Mountain Elf, Ivellios Tharanaian, Heir to the Griffon House, Wizard of Draiocht, Follower of Tine and Protector of Woodhaven, was impatiently explaining the finer points of evocation magic under battle conditions to his new apprentice Khranen. Again. Khranen seemed to be quite talented, his master had grudgingly admitted but he could be quite obtuse on occasion.

Over the past few days they had all been cooped up in the library or busily conducting magical experiments in Joe's lab. Tin Tan loved the alchemy lab, things were always blowing up or burning down and it was always filled with smoke. Great! His master and the apprentice had both managed to discover several new spells with Tin Tan's help. He knew that they needed him for research, because he was the best character in the village, so he agreed not to burn anything in the library. Pity that, books burned so well. Tin Tan had been urging his master to learn more fire magic. Tin Tan loved fire magic. He couldn't have the druid knowing more about spells than his master. That wouldn't do. After all, he was the best character in the village!

They all heard the commotion of a battle outside. A roaring, like the bellow of a bull alligator pierced the quiet of the village. Mage Armor. Shield. The two spells were cast before his master considered doing anything. Tin Tan made sure to scurry to his side to be included in the magic. The apprentice tried to follow suit but the Mage Armor spell fizzled as he miscast it. They all moved into the street to see who was attacking the village this time.

It was quiet. A wyvern has been slain by the others and there were no other threats to be seen. The distant sounds of bickering over tactics and the oily sounds of a wyvern's stomach being opened drifted over to his keen elven ears. He could sense his master's disgust at the waste of two good spells as they all returned to the library. Tin Tan busied himself by experimenting with the effects of mage armor and shield spells on an ash rat familiar in a fireplace, while Ivellios took Khranen to task for miscasting under pressure. Tin Tan decided that he would one day write an arcane discussion on force and fire effects on magical beasts. It would be a great work. After all, he was the best character in the village.

I Wyvern

AK510-37 Cool Summer End Week 1
[Charon Guiding, Shale Resting, Cycles Watching]

Cogaday

The wind felt cold and wet against his skin. Not that it mattered. Far below the countryside swept past. The forest was teaming with lizardfolk. Yeuch! He couldn't understand how the dragon could eat them. He shuddered, then unconsciously adjusted a wing tip to correct his flight. The lizardfolk were clumsily driving all decent prey to ground. While he slipped through the clouds like a hulking ghost, they clambered noisily through the trees. The sooner they went home to their reeking swamps the better.
With all other prey being particularly timid today, humans would be worth a visit. Sweep in out of the clouds from behind the trees and then up and away. The thrill of the ground speeding past, their puny voices screeching in panic, the bleat of a panicked sheep, warm and bleeding, in his powerful talons. The pleasure of plunging his stinger into the soft helpless flesh. Mmmm. A few drops of dark green poison fell towards the earth. Even thinking about the kill made the venom rush. Shouldn't be dripping like that he thought, momentarily disquieted. Then he turned his mind back to the kill. A new human settlement had formed and humans meant prey. If they ran, he took their animals. If not, he took them instead. Both died just as easily.
After a while the settlement came into view far below. There were no humans in the outlying fields and no animals either. Damn. They must have been scared off too. These lizardfolk were a nuisance. He was hungry. He was always hungry. Even when he had eaten so much meat he could barely fly, there was always room for just a little more. But now, hunger gnawed insistently at him. When he was hungry he liked to kill. Attacking a human settlement could be risky though. They were feeble but occasionally cunning. He would have to be careful. To avoid detection he put some distance between the settlement, then exited the clouds and swept down to cruise in just above the trees. He beat towards to village out of sight and quiet as breath.
The he spotted them. A small group of humans outside the protection of the village. Easy prey. And they had horses too. Horses were so hard to find out here and delicious, not too mention the way they panicked when snatched up from the ground. This would be fun.

As he broke cover he was spotted. But that was of little consequence: humans tasted better than they fought. He beat his powerful wings and accelerated. The humans were all praying to The Gods, which was normal. One offered up a prayer to Naduir, a good idea but it wouldn't help. They were also shouting loudly at one another, again perfectly normal. He wasn't sure if he could read human expressions correctly, they all looked the same to him, but they did appear to be quite enthusiastic about his appearance. That was not normal. That was very worrying. But he was hungry. Then a ring of metal weapons sprang into existence around one of the humans who was covered from head to toe in shining metal hide. Metal-hide then jumped off it's horse and stood ready for his attack. He immediately struck metal-hide off his list of potential prey. Magic and a metal hide made prey harder to kill and worse even harder to eat. And the metal hide ruined the taste. Last time he attacked a metal-hide he almost broke his stinger. He felt a twinge in the stinger at that memory. Focus on the kill, he reminded himself. Another one of the human's finished praying and aimed his bow at him. He changed his course slightly to confuse the prey but was confident that a clumsy human bowman would have to be very lucky indeed to penetrate his thick dragon-hard scales. The first arrow almost took him out of the sky! It flew from the bow like a viper straight into his chest. It lodged between two of his scales just above his heart. It hurt like hell. He would rip that human's legs off!

Then a particularly muscular human stepped forward away from the safety of his herd to challenge him. What an idiot! That weapon would be useless against his bulk. He flexed his talons. A ferocious but surprisingly musical bellowing issued forth from the human's small body. Not bad. He roared back, almost deafening the human and drowning out his scream. The hair on the human's head was pushed back by the passage of his roaring breath and the beating of his powerful wings. The human lashed his flail at his chest with all his might. Inevitably, it was just a glancing blow. Then it was all over. He snatched the fool from the ground and was beating away into the air before it's herd could help him. The meal struggled weakly as he stabbed it with his stinger. Oh that felt good. It survived the initial effects of the venom. Not to worry, there was plenty more where that came from. All too easy.
He watched the air for a swift breeze to take him home and shifted his course to ease the pressure in his chest. He was already looking forward to returning for that archer once he'd recovered his strength.

Then it all started to go wrong. Metal-hide was praying again. A mace of solid air appeared in his path, it swung, it connected with his jaw and pain seared through his skull. Then the archer fired again. This was familiar ground though and despite the pain he could deal with that. He nimbly moved the meal to protect himself and heard a satisfying combination of thud and scream, as the arrows plunged into the meal. He could barely follow the screamed exchange between the meal and the archer due to the ringing in his head but the meal was obviously very unhappy. Then a hippogriff appeared in mid air right in front of him! What the hell was going on? This was not good. Another arrow hit him and his wing faltered. The pain in his chest grew worse as he tried to stay aloft, his vision was beginning to blur from the painful blow to his head and his wing was flailing around uselessly. He began to panic and decided to drop the meal and flee. Then the mace swung back into view and all went black. He never felt the hippogriff snatch the meal from his talons or even the bone shattering impact with the ground far below. His spirit was already on it's way to Seilig, to hunt without hunger in the heart of Croi.

The Church in Daily Life

While many of the church's clerics and assistant members are devout worshippers and care little for the mortal world the majority are heavily involved in the day to day affairs of Talamh. Some argue that this involvement is not only essential to the survival of the church but through guidance of the flock it is an instrument of the Gods and therefore the will of the Gods. Whatever their reasons, the Church's influence is strong wherever it chooses to exert itself.

This is most apparent in matters of trade, magic and warfare. The more subtle influences of the church, philosophical, spiritual and intellectual are usually overlooked by peasants and princes, commoners and kings. The great clerical work 'Sleight of Mind' by Arch Vedic Leraci Domos Pentunii of Stiuradh outlines how the church should control it's flock without resort to direct action through either military, magical or economic means. The content of this book would shock many kings, emperors and merchant prices to see how they are manipulated. In typical Stiuradh fashion the book is hidden in plain sight, The church insist that all educated people read it at an early age and take a very dim view of those who avoid reading it in favour of more interesting pastimes such as the observation of drying paint. The Book is extraordinarily convoluted in it's language and the structure of it logic. It takes an extremely dedicated reader with a sharp intellect and iron discipline to understand what is being explained by the book. The result is exactly what Vedic Pentunii predicts in the closing chapter. None of the books thousands of readers outside the church have any idea what the book is about. The church of Stiuradh's Sleight of Mind policy continues uncontested.

Meanwhile while peace reigns and magic is controlled by Shale academies The church enjoys favourable trade advantages throughout Talamh. The hub of The Church's trade activities is The Great Temple of Bigany. Thanks to the large number of magical Gates constructed there over the past centuries, trade items from all over the world and beyond are moved into and out of Bigany city.

Trouble in the capital

A foolhardy young Torc noble took too much offense at a comment made by King Edgar at a feast several months ago. The noble, Hezaciah Torc IV, would heed no sane counsel and pursued a course of petty sleights against the King. Edgar ignored these until Hezaciah verbally attacked him in public. The King silenced him with the power of The Skill and forced him to make a humiliating public apology. Then Edgar let the matter rest. Hezaciah spent several months preparing a surprise for the King. He gathered information on the Kings movements and hired assassins of the black brotherhood in the Torlandish Empire. Only the great price offered and the detail of the Kings schedule made the assassins even consider the contract.

While the King was alone the assassins made their move. To their credit they managed to get within ten paces of King Edgar. Then the King unleashed his trap. The Black Guard Captain, the Ogre Champion Garroll, appeared from out of thin air and slew two with a swing of his enormous great sword. The King killed the rest moments later without disturbing his meditation or even opening his eyes.

A day later Ezechial Torc strolled happily into a feast hastily organized to celebrate a great royal announcement. He chatted to some friends and made little attempt to disguise his contempt for his liege.
The King stared at him with obvious distaste as he entered with his entourage. He proclaimed that Ezechial had a special announcement to make. Shocked Ezechial began to stutter. Then he stood up proudly and exclaimed that he had hired assassins to kill the King, that he was guilty of treason and should be executed. Flaring into uncharacteristic anger the King unleashed a bolt of pure green fire from his palm and incinerated the young treacherous noble where he stood. To add to the shocked horror of the nobles present the failing corpse screamed long live the king before it disintegrated into smoldering ash on the floor.
The King said simply 'You have been warned.' and once again under his usual regal calm he strode from the room.
News of the event spread throughout the Kingdom within hours.

Map of Woodhaven

Northern Stormwatch Introduction

WESTLAND AREA

Westland Tower
This is a Torlandish stone tower used as a military base by the troops that patrol the area. The tower has room enough for twenty soldiers. It is not built to handle noble knights or important visitors. There is no permanent settlement here as the tower is only occupied at irregular intervals. The tower is comprised of a short squat square stone tower 30'x30'x30' and atop this sits a watchtower, also of stone but thinner and taller 10'x10'x30'. The tower is surrounded by several smaller buildings and a wooden palisade. There are new stables, barracks, a forge, storehouses and other buildings within the palisade that were added by the kings men. A caretaker and his family maintain the tower when the troops are absent. The tower stands on a low hill which overlooks the misty swamps. On a clear night, it is said that a bonfire in Honeyglen could be seen from the watchtower. The tower is currently occupied by the King's forces under the Earl's control. Originally one of the Earl's knights was to occupy this tower and make it his demesne. However the knight demurred. The tower is very remote and at the time there were no settlers or known resources in the area, not to mention the threat of lizardfolk and Torlandish troops.

Towerstop
This small farming settlement with a dock, an inn a trade post and little else is primarily used to supply the tower from the river when it's occupied. The rest of the time the farmers, loggers and trappers of the area keep to themselves and get on with simple but tough lives.

Ziggystowe
This village has a small inn and trading post surrounded by several farms is situated on the north side of the honey river. It is the favored trading post of the local furriers and loggers, who have little time for the upstart villages of Honeyglen and Towerstop. This village was founded during the Torlandish occupation by Flavius Sigustioni. It's name was changed by the locals once lizardfolk troubles forced Torland to withdraw. There are several families of Torlandish descent living here along with some Steel Clan lizardfolk families exiled from Torland. Orcs, gnolls, elves and other races also live here with the newer settlers from Bigany. The latest mayor is the great-grandson of Flavius, a half-elf bard called Ziggy. The locals claim that Ziggy knows all and sees all. He certainly has an astonishing ability to spot trouble before it happens. He is the primary force behind the stability and integration of Ziggystowe. The locals have a great respect for him.

HONEYGLEN AREA

Zzziiivvv
The Abeil larval city. This hive is currently engaged in hostilities with the lizardfolk.

Farmfast
Small settlement with a small inn and trading post. This is the focus of all the farms in the area. The name comes from the speed at which the crops grow in the fertile flood valley.

Stein
This small settlement is primarily dwarven. There are a few gnomes and other subterranean races accepted. Stein focuses on mining iron and tin and the forging of steel. They also have a strong brewing tradition. Robust pewter drinking containers from the forges are in great demand in Tor and Bigany.

Stilton
These ruins are all that is left of the one human lizardfolk shared settlement. Only ghosts, thieves and assassins live there now.
It was set up to allow trade between the Torlandish settlers and the lizardfolk 'citizens' of The Dark Swamp.
Stilton or Sugath'Zith was comprised of a series of large wooden buildings set on massive wooden pillars driven into the swamp and river beds. The houses were connected by wooden walkways. Human houses were usually two stories high and lizardfolk dwellings were primarily one story with a 'basement', consisting of an underground air locked chamber under the water.
Stilton grew as trade increased and it's citizens prospered.
One night however a rebel lizardfolk faction attacked the settlement targeting both races. They infiltrated beyond the walls and using druidic magic they loosed the pilings and the buildings plunged into the water. Many of the buildings were cleverly designed to float, much to the surprise of the attackers, so the majority of the settlers escaped.
When the Torlandish army arrived, there was little left to salvage. The growing unrest of the lizardfolk meant that Stilton was never re-established.
The Steel Clan grew in power and skill while working with the humans of Stilton and are to this day, great crafters of metal. They are more inclined to work with humans than most other lizardfolk clans. Rumour has it the Poison Dusk Clan masterminded the attack on Stilton to break the Steel Clans power.

WOODHAVEN AREA

Woodhaven
The newly proclaimed religious capital of the north of Stormwatch. Famous for the party of adventurers the live there.

Lasher
This is an inn and a few other fortified buildings, surrounded by numerous herding pens. This is one of the few places that the river can be forded by a Baphen herd. Baphen herds naturally cross here and the area is very dangerous at those times. Some the wranglers brave enough to herd Baphen cross their herds here. The inn's taproom is frequented by the roughest wranglers or lashers. Human, Orc, Gnoll and other lashers all meet here with relatively minor trouble. The Innkeeper is an ex-knight who claims he was betrayed by Suluuk Poten after the foundation. No one in Lasher would cross him.

Foresthome
This settlement is little more than a trading post for several races in the area. Elves and halflings are the primary races here. The thorns of Feywood forest are frequently found trading here. If the fey of any forest in the region need to be contacted then this is the place.

Argon's Spinney
This three year old settlement was founded using Poten money. The town council are very loyal to the Poten family and are also quite arrogant. This arrogance has caused them to mismanage several attempts to improve the village. Rather than admit defeat or recognise their own shortcomings, the town council has convinced themselves and the rest of the villagers that the failures are due to spies and thieves from other villages. While Ozkellthorpe is the main focus of their attacks, the troublemakers of Woodhaven and the elves of Foresthome are also occasionally vilified.

OZKELLTHORPE AREA

Freehold
One of the few farming settlements that managed to buy it's freedom. One of the villagers fell in love with the son of the Poten noble who financed the foundation. The noble allowed the villagers to buy back the deed at cost as a dowry. The nobles son is the mayor of the village.

Steepswitch
The inhabitants of this village are extremely paranoid. They were attacked several times over their first few months and almost didn't survive. In response the site of the village was moved to a part of the river where the water created a series of gorges. The villagers dug their stores and homes into the cliff side. The farms in the surrounding area are protected by a series of alarms. When an attack occurs the alarm is raise and a militia races to the source of trouble. If the militia can handle the situation they will do so. Otherwise they will rescue what they can and retreat to the cliffs.

Ozkellthorpe
This thriving village, rumored to be a den of thieves and cutthroats, is one of the largest in the area and is well on it's way to gaining a town charter from the Earl. Charters need to be ratified a Vedic however and Ozkellthorpe's religious devotion is sadly lacking. There is no temple worth speaking of and not even a Var-Jen. This may be because the mayor of Ozkellthorpe and the majority of it's residents care little for charters and the like and subscribe to just enough religious practice to keep them out of trouble with The Church. Many believe that bandit raids around the region are supported or even launched by local thief gangs. When a settlement fails in the area, it is not uncommon for the refugees to seek shelter here. Unfortunately desperate arrivals are likely to be taken advantage of by the locals.

Crashmine
Also known as Obersmine. There is a quarry here that produces high quality, well formed stone. This stone is carted downriver to Ozkellthorpe and then sent by barge to Darkbridge and Stormwatch. The threat of dealing with Steepswitch instead of Ozkellthorpe is often used to keep the prices fair. Rumor has it that Steepswitch was attacked by Ozkellthorpe several times for this reason.

Sellham
There are thousands of wild boar being held in pens and herded around the countryside around this village. The village buys large quantities of wood for curing the boar meat and sells the cured meat as a speciality. Boar piglets can be purchased here at a low price.

Tarbuck Ferry
This is not so much a settlement as a single boathouse come shanty. The ferry is small but sturdy. This is the fastest and most reliable place to cross the river for hundred of miles because there are no other distractions in the area. The ferryman has a famously bad memory and so those who wish their passage to be unremarked, tend to cross here.

Severin's Crossing
The land around Severin's crossing is very fertile and crops grown there are very fruitful. There are also several Baphen migration routes through the area. The orcs have a good relationship with the villagers and trade between them is brisk and fair. Occasionally a Baphen herd will attempt a crossing here. This attracts many predators and scavengers. The villagers often retrieve the drowned Baphen from the water and butcher them. Severin's crossing has developed several unique curing techniques to preserve the Baphen meat for long periods. This cured meat is sold at a high markup in Stormwatch and Bigany.

Setanta's Tomb
The resting place of on of history's most famous bards has been uncovered recently.

COUNTY OF DARKKEEP

Torchold
This highly fortified mansion was completed in AK509 by Ezechial Torc of Darkbridge. The large manor, robust tower and massive walls protect a large plantation of storm grapes. There is a large number of people working on this plantation and they are well treated and loyal. Each worker is also trained as a warrior to protect the manor in time of need. There are several hedge knights living on the estate as well to bolster the defenses. These knights are trained in smithing and in charge of training the militia.

Tradeford
Tradeford is several years old and a firmly established town. The Inn at Tradeford is surrounded by many large warehouses and each is usually full to the brim with good from either up or down river. The Inn is a hive of activity at all times. Trading and haggling takes place during the day and music, carousing and debauchery dominate the night. How the founder of Tradeford managed to get merchants and river captains to stop here for trade and negotiations instead of at Darkbridge remains a mystery.

Port Arkthuus
This is little more than a few small buildings that were built by the counts men. The dock, jail, inn and warehouses are crude but well made. The inhabitants do not have the same adventurous spirit found in other villages. Many expect the port to fail if the dark keep is abandoned.

STILLWATER AREA

Roycetown
Founded by Royce Mome of Darkbridge, this settlement has many advantages. Like Tradeford a large number of river captains stop and trade here. The buildings of the main square are elegant, strong and well built. It is obvious that quite a lot of gold was put into the foundation of Roycetown. The founder intends that this town will reflect favorably upon him. Unsurprisingly, Royce Mome is the mayor. There are lush green fields will fertile soil all around the village. There are strong walls and a well trained and equipped militia to protect the town and surrounds. Roycetown even boasts a Church of The Moons temple and a Vedic to run it, thanks to Royce's generous donations.

Baphenthorp
Instead of tilling the fertile land around them the settlers of this village decided that it would be better to attempt to breed Baphen in captivity. This idea originally brought derision from the local orc tribes, especially when the domesticated Baphen broke free on several occasions and destroyed the town. The 'baphers' persisted though and now with the skilled lashers and handlers can use the smaller pens, calming techniques and large moats to control the beasts. The stink from the dung, abattoirs and tanneries of Baphenthorp carries for miles around. Orc tribes and druids are not very impressed with the success of Baphenthorp and would rather see it disappear from the beautiful countryside. They believe that Baphen should not be penned.

Bellfarm
Sir Bellander Alexevich "The Rusty Pick" started this farm when he retired from adventuring with Suluuk Poten. Bell as he is known holds the title of count due to his exploits with Suluuk but he chooses to live more as a simple farmer than as a lord. The farm is a sprawling affair which was well funded from Bell's adventuring career. There are over two hundred people working on the farm. Any who are of weapon bearing age are trained in the warrior arts, the children are all educated as well as noble children after their work on the farm is done. Many commoners would dearly love to be invited to join the community on Bellfarm.

Silvermine
A small dirty, rough, lawless village has smell all of it's own. There is little or no sanitation and no one takes responsibility for any public functions. There are no sloppers, no sewers, no town guard and no authority figures. The forges and smelters run day and night, the clamor and din reaching into every hovel and far out into the countryside. There are several taverns and an inn. Each manages to stay in business by employing thugs tougher than the disorganised rabble of miners and cutthroats that use them. The owner of the mine puts none of the profits of the silver mine back into the village. As long as there are miners to work the loads, all is well. No one knows who the owner is and no one cares enough to ask. The miners get paid, the earl and the church get their cut and the village continues to grow in spite of the neglect.

Clearwater
The water that flows down from Stillwater lake is clear and sweet. The village of Clearwater is a thriving community of pleasant farmer and craftsmen. While they will never be able to buy back the village deed, they have accepted that fact and are grateful that they are still freeholders. Many river captains moor at the Clearwater dock to take on supplies of Clearwater. Drinks made with Clearwater have a crisp refreshing taste and take a lot longer to spoil than normal drinks. It is rumored that that Stillwater lake is cursed by the Gods and that at it's center is a pillar made of gold.

The Dark Tide Rises

AK510-37 Cool Summer End Week 1
[Charon Guiding, Shale Resting, Cycles Watching]

Shaleday

Tim, Ethan, John and Bob are all sitting in Joe's Tavern supping some cider and swapping stories with the villagers about recent events in Stormwatch. The eviction of the lizardfolk from the village and the possible retaliation is foremost on their minds.The Druid Appleby feels a storm rolling in from the coast but something more sinister is abroad in the wilds of Woodhaven. Bob and the bees sense it too another presence, malevolent, evil and hungry. Tim senses the hunger of Craos, Fallen God of Gluttony in the divine harmony of the balance. Ethan patiently tries to explain to the Ibixians how he is not a heretic for converting from Neart to Fileadh. The Ibixian clearly thinks he's mad.A scream pierces the air and Joe reflexively wraps his hands around the Tavern's only glass drinking vessel, to shield it from harm.

The heroes are out of their seats and into the lashing rain of the Cool Summer storm before the villagers can react.Little can be seen through the driving rain and the ground is treacherous underfoot. They head for the source of the scream, the riverbank, near the makeshift jetty. Jasmine Farmer is standing at the end of the Jetty, frozen with dread. A dark tide has risen from out of the swamp and is rushing towards the village on thousands of tiny legs, with fangs dripping with blood.The onrushing cloak of horror is a sea of swarming swamp striders. Vicious black beetles, half a foot long with arrow-sharp bloodsucking mandibles. The clicking and splashing of their millions of feet is like the crash of waves on a thunderstruck beach.

Before they can react the horror of the insect plague is upon them. The entire village is engulfed. Houses are covered. The muddy streets are alive and writhing and boiling with insect bodies. The insects' ravenous appetites draw them towards the warm living blood beating in the heroes bodies. The greatest mass of the swarm attacks the closest targets so the villagers huddling indoors near their smoky fires are temporarily safe. The bravest of them can fend off the handful of beetles falling in on top of them. The brave, slow or foolish trapped outside in the heart swarm are not so lucky. The heroes are almost instantly covered from head to foot in a thick black shroud of beetles. Thousands of teeth biting into soft flesh between armour joints and under clothing. No inch of skin is safe. Each deep slice into their flesh starts to pour forth blood and the beetles, in a lethal frenzy, suckle on it like demon children. The pain is intense. Jasmine Farmer cries out is terror and agony. Panic seizes her as she falls into the mud, being devoured alive.

The Heroes of Woodhaven are made of sterner stuff and although they are filled with revulsion, they are quite used to horror and pain. Over the chittering clamour, they calmly discuss they best approach to dealing with the dark menace, attempting to strip their flesh. Their reasonably effective attempts to frantically brush off the insects, helps them to survive where a lesser man would be consumed. Arch Vedic Tim Baphenslayer Tanner, Protector of Woodhaven, selflessly puts his own life in danger to rescue Jasmine from the insects. He heals her bloody wounds and placing himself between the insects and the terrified woman. Jasmine flees. The swarm closes around Tim. The Druid momentarily shakes off the swamp strider swarm and calls on the power of Naduir. A creature of fire is summoned from another realm and Appleby sets it on the swarm. The creature burns fiercely, but the rain is heavy on the ground muddy. A hiss of steam and the scorching of the earth follows the creature as it burns it's way through the swarm. Appleby is pleased. Ethan Fochlachan Namer, Cei-Liur of Fileadh and Namer of Woodhaven, spies Deputy Chief Constable Orin Smith bravely defending the village under a mountain of beetles and mud. Orin's pain is intense and his gushing wounds are about to overcome him. Ethan charges the mountain of beetles and scatters them. He pushes Orin away from danger and sends him staggering to the relative safety of the Tavern. The swarm closes around Ethan. Bob Charmer, the Abeil Ambassador is no stranger to swarms. He calls on the power of his own swarm to attack this new menace. Bees sting the beetles and the beetles carve up the bees. The carnage is impressive but the bee swarm will not last long against the dark tide.

The sea of beetles inevitably submerges the heroes once again under a wave of muddy black bodies. All goes dark under the swarming bodies. Pain is everywhere. Teeth and claws rip flesh. Hollow suckers pierce veins. Blood flows freely. The insects drink. The Heroes are already beginning to feel the weakness of blood loss. The Druid debates the merits of wind over fire and casually frees himself of his painful insect coat. He creates a ball of fire and hurls it at the nearest mound of beetles. Hundreds of them are superheated and explode as the flaming sphere rolls over them, hissing and scorching the earth. The fire creature continues his attack scattering beetles before him as he tries to protect his master. The beetles flees before him as his touch is searing death. Ethan having attracted Orin's attackers is covered in painful bleeding wounds as he shakes off the swarm and sings to Fileadh and Tine, the Song of The Burning Ring of Fire. He uses The Song to describe the flames and the village and the changes music subtly to add a note of fire to each harmonic. All flame in the village burns hotter and more fiercely than before and the fire creature glows brightly. Tim and Bob throw vials of alchemists fire at the swarm. The vials explode with considerable heat and kill many insects but the swarm is everywhere and the rain is so heavy that they have only a minor effect. Meanwhile Ivellios is at the other side of the main square giving a master class to his apprentice Khranen in the best application of fire magic. Tin-Tan the Ashrat hates the rain with a passion but is assisting. An opportunity to lash out with his flames is too good to miss. Joe of Kell emerges from the Tavern with a mass of strange looking vials in a pair of makeshift bandoleers. One of his eyebrows is missing and the side of his head is smoking. His experiments have been going well. The Ibixians have emerged from the arena to support them. Their weapons however have little impact on the hundreds of thousands of beetles and they are soon engulfed in black bodies and covered in blood. The goat-like roar-bleating can be heard all around the battlefield.

Again the beetles flood through the village and cover all. Ethan, John, Bob and Tim are all engulfed in pain once again. Blood covers everything and spatters the ground from many wounds. Still they do not falter. Tim shakes off the swarm but stays nearby, offering himself as bait to the swarm to protect the weak. He trusts in his companions to destroy the swarm with fire. He calls upon Croi to heal him and she closes his wounds. Appleby, forces down his pain and fear and momentarily escapes the insects. He creates another flaming sphere and it burns as fiercely as the others thanks to Ethan's song. Appleby's fire is beginning to take it's toll as thousands of beetles are incinerated. But the dark tide rolls on. Bob throws a tanglefoot bag at the closet beetle-mound and they are covered in a mass of sticky strands. Most are trapped but they set to work trying to free each other. Ethan barely manages to escape from under another wave and again calls on the Song. This time he describes his own body and alters the music to describe it as healthy. His wounds close and the flow of blood stops. Jo starts throwing vials. He shouts 'Fire!' an instant before the vial hits the ground. It explodes with an ear splitting bang and a blinding flash. Beetles, mud and blood are flung across the village in the explosion. Thousands of them are killed. The wizards and the Ibixians look impressed in spite of themselves. Jo grins like a madman and prepares another vial.

The Battle rages on. A cycle forms. Waves of bloodsucking beetles rally and wash into the village attacking all and are then driven off by flame and the power of the Gods before they wash in again. Only the power of the Gods keep the heroes alive. Appleby attacks with fire and blows the insect away with powerful gusts of wind. But he is eventually overcome he takes the form of a tree to evade them. Bob uses his nature magic to entangle the swarm. Most of the village is choked with writhing plants that press up through the mud and trap the insects. Then he binds the Woodhaven and Honeyglen hives together with the power of his will and the swarm increases in power. It swells with new arrivals who ignore their hatred of rain and attack the invading swarm that has entered their territory. Jo throws vials all around the village and explosions cause serious damage to both the sea of insects and the village itself. He doesn't seem to notice. His wives keep an eye on him to ensure that he doesn't get out of hand. Ivellios is protected from the swarm by a shield of Ibixians and he decimates them with sheets of intense flames from his outstretched hands. His apprentice attempts to master the magic from a scroll eventually creates a modest sheet of flame. Ivellios tells him that he has a long way to go before he can attempt to match the 'best character in the village'. The Ibixians are forced to heal themselves use magic to combat the swarm, much to their disgust. Ethan shapes his music to form another creature of flame to bolster the failing fires that are hissing and smoking in the rain. Then Tim calls upon Tine for aid and composes an new verse for The Book Of Creation. Tine is impressed by his effort and rewards him by destroying the heart of the swarm with a massive pillar of flame. Inspired by this they all chant a song of praise to Tine, lead by Tim. Their prayer is rewarded and the fires in the village burn with an even greater intensity. The fire creatures that were fading burn with a primal incandescence and they grow in size and strength and heat. Now patches of clear ground and beginning to show as the flames burn through the entangling plants and the trapped beetles.

The fires continue. Explosions from Joe. Great fireballs and fans from Ivellios. Flaming spheres and fire creatures from Appleby and Ethan. All empowered by Tim's prayers. The insects, trapped by Bob's plants are doomed and soon they are all engulfed in flame. Only a handful of the beetles survive to float back into the river.
Dripping with blood and covered in smoking fragments burnt beetle flesh, they all hobble to the temple to give thanks and receive healing. The Ibixians seek to atone for their use of healing and magic during a battle.

Then the question arises. Who sent them? Is the Wild Marsh Druid really that powerful?'
Maybe we should build that wall,' suggests Martin Farmer.
They all agree.
Ethan raises an intact eyebrow, 'About bloody time', he thinks.