Clear Across the Barrens

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Revision as of 23:44, 29 June 2008 by Phichta (Talk | contribs) (Campaigne events as of 062908)

At branches of the Red Dragon Inn all across Ardrana, flyers were distributed calling for volunteers to take part in a grand adventure. Those who responded met Marquire, a representative of the government of Imor. Through a crystal ball, he showed them the grandeur of the city, and then passed around a tablet to sign.

Those bold few who signed the tablet were brought through the RDI's transportation network to Imor, where they met Clive, the proprietor of the local establishment. He showed the individuals to the meeting room, where Marquire met with them, giving them each a device to wear on their wrist. A representative of the Imorian Bureau of Attunement, Dorella, explained to the group that the bands served both a translation device and a tracking device. They told the group a bit about the city, and some of the party -- especially Thorodin and Tripper Leebow -- expressed concern about what they saw as a rigid caste system. Things were not off to a good start.

Marquire then introduced the group to Sergeant Greenedge, the mission commander. Together, they told the assembled party that they would be cleaning out an abandoned underground passage that led from Imor to the city of Drev. At that point, Gregory Kelso, a military specialist, came into the room wheeling a cart with a covered cage on it. Inside the cage were two unusual-appearing creatures, and the party was asked to drive out or kill any normal pests, but to bring back any other unusual creatures such as these.

Again, the party became concerned, and believed that their questions were being evaded. Li-Jorus found himself asking some questions multiple times to get answers. The party wondered why the passage was only now being reopened, a question that was seemingly not answered to their satisfaction. Meanwhile, the aggressive sergeant grated on the nerves of several in attendance, and tensions rose. Tripper wanted more information about the creatures, and wanted to perform some kind of experiment on them, but he was denied permission to do so, which seemed to rankle the druid.

Eventually, Marquire called Greenedge out into the corridor, leaving the party alone with Kelso. He took this opportunity to explain that he had been with the group who discovered the creatures. As they were talking with him, Tripper began casting a spell, only to have his wrists grabbed by Kelso, preventing the action. Marquire returned shortly, and asked for a volunteer to serve as spokesperson for the party. SniffWind, having served as a herald previously, quickly put himself forward, and nobody else seemed to object.

Marquire returned after a lengthy absence and noted the tension among the group. He suggested that they all adjourn to the common room until Dorella’s return. When everyone had stowed their belongings in their rooms and gathered around the tables that had been pushed together, Marquire informed them that Sergeant Greenedge had been removed from the mission command role at his insistence. Marquire had requested that Sergeant Keeler be put in charge of the mission as he had a more laid back approach that would work better with the varied peoples in the group.

This seemed to ease tensions somewhat, but it was obvious the group wanted to get out and about. Marquire explained that they’d have to wait until Dorella came with the maps as she was the more experienced guide to the city. The group chatted among themselves for a little while longer and partook of the trays of fruit and pastries that had been provided.

Dorella returned, accompanied by a young lad carrying a large stack of parchment. The boy put the stack on the table and departed. Dorella explained the color-coding of the maps, and described the Tenser Transit System, which seemed to spark some interest among the group. Finally, she explained the tracking feature of the maps and the group was then allowed to explore Imor’s marketplace and its surroundings.

Several of the party got to experience the TTS first hand while others chose to casually stroll about. Kessa found her visit to the Imorian Commerce Center very stimulating, as she encountered Hermes Fountain as she entered the building. Dorella and SniffWind chatted as they glided down to A&E Scribes. SniffWind has his eye on one of the item sold there - the EverInk pen. Tripper Leebow had an engaging chat with Granny Rose when he visited her herb and spice booth. WildFire caught the tail end of a bow demonstration and made it a point to visit Archer's Corner to express his interest in the BowMate. Thorodin's day was full of frustration as he wanted a tour of Imor University and was told he'd have to make an appointment.

The group returned to the RDI after 5:30 and discussed their varying exploits over dinner. Afterwards, several party members decided to check out the gaming area and witness the BaffleBall game in action with the assistance of one of the other patrons, an off-duty military officer. Later, Tripper and one of the other military types, Tom, played a cordial game of darts. SniffWind created a poster for his talk the following evening and "sold" his upcoming performance around the common room. Thorodin and SniffWind both chatted with a dark-haired, elven-looking woman named Kendra WillowSight from Flohrilynn Forest seated at another table. The highlight of the evening came when a message was delivered from Sergeant Keeler that postponed the mission briefing until the day after tomorrow, and eventually everyone went off to their rooms.

The following morning, Thorodin was invited by Kendra to take the university tour on which he'd missed out the previous day, while WildFire was given a private demonstration of the BowMate. SniffWind made final preparations for his performance that evening and the rest of the group took advantage of the opportunity to relax and enjoy some good libations.

SniffWind's performance was well-received that evening, concluding with a rousing rendition of The Beer Song. He was complimented for his efforts by Dorella afterwards. She also asked him to pass on the word to the rest of the group that the briefing would be at nine o'clock the following morning. She would pick the group up at the RDI. The rest of the evening was spent getting to know one another.

The next morning, Dorella and Kelso arrived at the RDI and the group went to see the Arcane Research Center and the doorway into the tunnels. The group met with Sergeant Keeler and got their final opportunity to ask questions about their mission. It was also revealed that Tom, whom they'd met earlier, would also be joining the mission.

During the briefing, they learned from an Insects Specialist that the insects found in the tunnels seem to be attracted to sources of magic, and she requested that the group take traps down into the tunnels in an attempt to gather a greater number of the unusual creatures. It was also revealed that the group would have to contend with a group of vagrants that had taken up residence in the tunnel. This didn't sit too well with the group, but they were assured that the ruffians would be a minor distraction at worst.

The group spent the afternoon procuring last-minute supplies, and they departed at dusk. Prior to entering the tunnel, Kelso imprinted an additional device onto each group member's armband to give them access to the tunnel and the communications devices therein. The group headed into the tunnel, and their journey was smooth until a loud noise was heard in the distance that sounded like a creak and a crash.

The party proceeded cautiously down the tunnel in an effort to discover the source of the noise. The dust grew noticeably thicker as they went and it was suspected that someone or something had moved through the area very recently and at a fast pace. Eventually, they came upon a beam leaning against the left wall of the tunnel with a small pile of rubble around it. Bloody footprints were discovered by WildFire and Thorodin leading to and from the spot. Ralnar noted the furry lump at the top of the severed beam with its front half missing and Li took a closer look. He informed the group that it was a giant rat, the front half of which had been sliced off. Tom and the two elves scouted further down the tunnel until they could no longer discern the footprints and then returned to the group who had set up camp for a midday meal. During this respite, Kessa was visited by a horned worm that was eventually put into one of the magical storage boxes for safe-keeping. The group then continued down the tunnel towards the first rest area.

The group met up with some fast-moving many-legged large critters that WildFire identified as centipedes. Kelso commented, however, that they seemed to be larger than typical specimens he's seen. Thorodin stunned the lot with a well-aimed color spray spell, but alas, folks awakened them again when Kelso tried to grab one of them and got bit for his troubles. All but one were killed during the initial battle and Tripper accidentally killed the last in his zeal to capture and save it.

The group moved on down the tunnel and stopped just shy of the rest area. Li scouted ahead and found nobody, but discovered an unmade bed. He and WildFire returned to the area and took a more thorough look around. The rest of the group followed cautiously behind and Kessa was knocked to the floor by an unknown female assailant from above. Several attempts were made to communicate with the woman with no success as she pinned Kessa down and held a dagger to her neck. Li eventually knocked her out with a dart coated in sleep-inducing poison and the woman was then restrained and brought to a bed in the rest area by Kelso and Tom.

While the group waited for the prisoner to wake, Kelso contacted headquarters and let them know the situation and that he'd follow up with them in the morning. Ralnar and WildFire continued to explore the rest area, but found nothing of import.

Once awake, SniffWind headed up the interrogation with contributions from Kelso and others in the group. They learned that the prisoner's name was Evadne and she was from the island of Lemnos. She had fallen down a vent shaft while hunting in The Barrens. It was no easy task getting through the questioning, but eventually, she agreed to cease hostilities and to even help the group with their mission in exchange for the healing of her broken right arm. She was given some water and Tom was left to guard her as the rest of the group went into another room to discuss the situation. They discovered the vent in the upper wall of the office where Evadne says she fell, but Li could not get a good enough look into it to make any further discoveries. The group reluctantly agreed to allow Evadne to join them as Kelso felt she might have valuable information about The Barrens, but more importantly, Spike and his gang. Watches were set and the group settled in for the night...

This adventure, being run by Shelley Proulx, is currently in progress. It has, at various times, involved the following characters:

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