Chapter 1 - The Arrival
It was Yurthgreen 15th, springtime, in the year 375 AC as the party walked (save Targin, who rode his pony, Ash) toward the High Clerist's Tower. Sir Delson, a good friend of Erastin's father, has promised to sponsor him during his petition to become a squire. The others were along for support.
As they traveled, Targin continued to warn them to keep their behavior in check, for Targin's sake. Most of this was directed at Galeneye, whom he viewed as a troubling influence on his pupil. Galeneye teased the dwarf, suggesting all sorts of scandalous things she could do, like streaking across the courtyard. Targin took all of this quite seriously, though. This only pushed the others to tease him more. None of them needed the lecture. They all knew what was at stake, and none would be willing to risk Erastin's chances.
They continued talking, and Targin mentioned the Blue Lady's War, which happened about twenty years ago. Karathos, a foreigner, was unfamiliar with it. So the dwarf took the time to tell the story, about how dragons and flying citadels attacked Palanthas, the jewel of Solamnia. Only the High Clerist's Tower, their destination, stood between the city and the armies of darkness. One brave knight, Sturm Brightblade, valiantly fought the Dragon Highlord known as the Blue Lady. Although he perished, he bought the forces of good enough time to turn the tides of the battle.
After another hour, they reached the tower where they were greeted by a Knight of the Crown named Rateliff. He suggested the party head straight to the Knight's Council, which was about to begin. The party obeyed, making no hesitations, and began climbing the tower.
After announcing himself to the guards, Erastin was given a white set of robes to place over his armor. They entered the council room, with Erastin sitting near the front with the other candidates, while the others sat in the back, along with the other family and friends of the candidates, including a slender blonde woman that sat next to Karathos.
The four leaders of the Knighthood then entered and sat at a table in the front of the room. They were Grandmaster Gunthar Uth Wistan, Quintayne Fogorner the High Warrior, Meredith Turningdale the High Clerist, and Liam Ehrling the High Justice.
After some ceremony, including reciting the Oath ("My Honor is my Life") and singing a hymn, the council started. They talked of many things, including a rumor that there was supposedly a traitor in their midst.
Things proceeded rather dully from there, with the Grandmaster calling out the names of each candidate, and then their sponsor. Then the two would come up, be introduced to the audience, and then sit back down. After awhile, he called a name and the student next to Erastin stood up. He had been fidgeting nervously the entire time. However, the sponsor claimed to not recognize the boy. In a flash, the boy whipped out a knife and leaped at the Grandmaster.
Erastin chased the assassin, punching him in the kidney. The assassin whirled on Erastin, stabbing him. It wasn't a fatal wound, but suddenly Erastin began to go into convulsions and collapsed on the floor.
Galeneye and Jinali both attempted to wrestle with the assassin, but only served to distract him long enough for another knight, one named Charles, to come up behind him and kill him. The clerics are called for, and they manage to save Erastin's life before it's too late.
Once he's back on his feet, the Grandmaster thanks him for his aid. The assassin's body was removed, and things proceeded normally. But when the Grandmaster called Erastin's name, he listed his own name, as well as Sir Delson's, as sponsors.
Once the ceremony was over, a knight called Kellin Solanius told them they would be given temporary quarters. Delson showed them to these rooms, to allow them to get settled in. Each of the companions were given their own room, which was simple but comfortable enough.
While the others rested, Targin, Erastin and Galeneye headed down to the Knight's Spur, which housed the Chamber of Paladine, the tomb where knights of high honor were buried. This was also where Sturm Brightblade was buried. After visiting his coffin, they then headed up as high up in the tower as they could, for the view. Although they were denied the very top of the tower, they got close enough to see all the way to Palanthas.
Afterwards, they reunited with the others and headed to the mess hall. There they had some dinner, as well as a strange, blue gelatin for desert. Supposedly it was made by the gnomes, and the Grandmaster liked it so much, he brought some over from Sancrist. Except for Galeneye, though, the party was pretty suspicious of it, especially when they later learned it was made from ground up animal bones.
When the meal was finished, Erastin retired early to his room to meditate and prepare. Targin and Karathos decided to head to Palanthas and find a nice alehouse. The girls, however, remained at the tower for a quiet night.
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Chapter Summaries
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Re: Chapter Summaries
Chapter 2 - Trials and Diversions
Erastin was woken up at dawn to eat a quick breakfast and perform calisthenics in full plate mail for four hours. The others were free to do what they wished, but all of them (save Selowen, who remained in her room to sleep), insisted on watching the trials.
The candidates met up in the courtyard and encountered their drill sergeant, Sir McKennen. He was a no-nonsense hard-ass who often referred to the candidates as 'ladies' and 'maggots' and generally would mock and deride them. Thanks to Erastin's high CON score and Endurance proficiency, he managed to make it through the four hours without any problem. A redheaded lad, though, Erik, collapsed toward the end. McKennen mocked him for it, so Erik foolishly challenged the older man to a duel. McKennen promptly knocked him on his ass, and reminded them all that sometimes a foe will not fight honorably or fairly.
McKennen then set up the candidates with wooden swords to whack at dummies for a couple of hours, before pairing them up to spar each other. Erastin was pitted against a lad with slicked back dark hair and a wispy mustache. Erastin managed to get in a light hit once, but other than that, neither could hit the other within ten rounds. It later turned out the lad, Geffin, was actually the nephew of the Grandmaster.
McKennen called it a draw, and let the candidates have a quick lunch. During this time, Erastin introduced Geffin to Galeneye, but the uncouth rogue's informal way of speaking seemed to put off the nobleman. He quickly excused himself and went to eat. Erastin met two other candidates, the proud redheaded boy from earlier, named Erik, and a taciturn, big fellow with brown hair named Farkas.
After lunch, they were brought heavy warhorses and perform exercises on them with lances for three hours, before McKennen again paired them off to joust each other. Erastin found his first opponent was Farkas, and he managed to knock him out in the very first pass.
Erastin was then pitted against Erik, who managed to last a single round longer than Farkas before getting knocked out, as well. Erastin was on a roll.
Finally, there was only one opponent remaining--Geffin. Again, they missed the first round. But in the second, Erastin scored a critical hit, not only knocking Geffin unconscious but also unsaddling him from his horse, as well. Luckily, he was okay.
Once those unconscious had been roused, the candidates again gathered together. McKennen gave a speech that he was proud they had made it this far, but explained that tomorrow's trials would be even tougher than today's!
The party headed to the mess hall for dinner. While there, Karathos saw the pretty blonde woman again--the one he sat next to during the assassination attempt. He greeted her, but then went to eat with his friends. While they ate, Selowen joined them. She apologized for being late, but she had bad dreams that kept her up the night before (something about a two-headed snake eating a golden bison), so she overslept. Then she spent the rest of the day in the library.
Erastin became flustered by a remark Galeneye made (she teasingly suggested he model shirtless for her later), and ran off to his room to get some rest. The others stayed a bit longer, before retiring themselves.
Erastin was woken up at dawn to eat a quick breakfast and perform calisthenics in full plate mail for four hours. The others were free to do what they wished, but all of them (save Selowen, who remained in her room to sleep), insisted on watching the trials.
The candidates met up in the courtyard and encountered their drill sergeant, Sir McKennen. He was a no-nonsense hard-ass who often referred to the candidates as 'ladies' and 'maggots' and generally would mock and deride them. Thanks to Erastin's high CON score and Endurance proficiency, he managed to make it through the four hours without any problem. A redheaded lad, though, Erik, collapsed toward the end. McKennen mocked him for it, so Erik foolishly challenged the older man to a duel. McKennen promptly knocked him on his ass, and reminded them all that sometimes a foe will not fight honorably or fairly.
McKennen then set up the candidates with wooden swords to whack at dummies for a couple of hours, before pairing them up to spar each other. Erastin was pitted against a lad with slicked back dark hair and a wispy mustache. Erastin managed to get in a light hit once, but other than that, neither could hit the other within ten rounds. It later turned out the lad, Geffin, was actually the nephew of the Grandmaster.
McKennen called it a draw, and let the candidates have a quick lunch. During this time, Erastin introduced Geffin to Galeneye, but the uncouth rogue's informal way of speaking seemed to put off the nobleman. He quickly excused himself and went to eat. Erastin met two other candidates, the proud redheaded boy from earlier, named Erik, and a taciturn, big fellow with brown hair named Farkas.
After lunch, they were brought heavy warhorses and perform exercises on them with lances for three hours, before McKennen again paired them off to joust each other. Erastin found his first opponent was Farkas, and he managed to knock him out in the very first pass.
Erastin was then pitted against Erik, who managed to last a single round longer than Farkas before getting knocked out, as well. Erastin was on a roll.
Finally, there was only one opponent remaining--Geffin. Again, they missed the first round. But in the second, Erastin scored a critical hit, not only knocking Geffin unconscious but also unsaddling him from his horse, as well. Luckily, he was okay.
Once those unconscious had been roused, the candidates again gathered together. McKennen gave a speech that he was proud they had made it this far, but explained that tomorrow's trials would be even tougher than today's!
The party headed to the mess hall for dinner. While there, Karathos saw the pretty blonde woman again--the one he sat next to during the assassination attempt. He greeted her, but then went to eat with his friends. While they ate, Selowen joined them. She apologized for being late, but she had bad dreams that kept her up the night before (something about a two-headed snake eating a golden bison), so she overslept. Then she spent the rest of the day in the library.
Erastin became flustered by a remark Galeneye made (she teasingly suggested he model shirtless for her later), and ran off to his room to get some rest. The others stayed a bit longer, before retiring themselves.
Re: Chapter Summaries
Chapter 3 - Trouble Arises
The following morning, Erastin and the other knight candidates were awoken at dawn and quickly ushered into the meeting hall. Meanwhile, the rest of the party were also woken up and brought to the mess hall for breakfast, told they would receive an explanation soon enough. The knights all seemed troubled for some reason.
Grandmaster uth Wistan explained to Erastin and the other candidates that someone had sneaked into the tomb of Sturm Brightblade last night and stolen his eponymous sword. Any candidate who captured the thief and returned the blade would be ordained a full knight, skipping the rest of the trials and squire-hood altogether.
After the meeting, Erastin met up with the others and briefed them on the situation. They all agreed to assist him in this quest. Immediately suspecting the blonde woman for no apparent reason, he asked Karathos to interrogate her while he and the others went to the tomb itself to search for clues.
Karathos met with the woman, a half-elf named Coryn, and offered to escort her to her room. When Karathos pointed out her heritage, she seemed ashamed and embarassed by it. She explained her mother was Qualinesti, but let it drop at that. Karathos asked her if she was related to Sir Charles, the knight who had slain the assassin. He had seen them arguing earlier. She said no, Charles had just taken it upon himself to be her 'protector,' something that both amused and annoyed her. As to why they were arguing, she explained that Charles was just frustrated at the sword being stolen and was taking it out on her. She claimed that the man who was guarding the tomb was knocked out by a fellow knight, or so he said and he was in the infirmary now.
After escorting her to her room, Karathos bid her farewell and hurried to catch up with the others. As luck would have it, he arrived just as they were descending into the tomb (as they stopped to get their gear first).
At the tomb, the group immediately noticed muddy footprints leading into it, belonging to both a person and a dog. The party followed them to Sturm's coffin, which was now open. The Hero of the Lance himself was perfectly preserved, despite dying 25 years ago. His sword was missing.
Suddenly, the door to the tomb swung shut and all of the torches simultaneously went out. Before they could do anything about it, a golden glow filled the room. It was coming from a small gemstone left on the ground by the coffin. It went out shortly, and on Targin's advice, Erastin picked it up. Those with infravision then led those without back outside, so they could see again.
Upon examining the gem, they realized it was a Solanthian light-gem from the city of Solanthus shaped like an eagle. These rare gems could 'store' sunlight, and then glow brightly like a torch as a result. Supposedly, each light-gem is custom made. The party theorized if they headed to Solanthus, found the person who carved this gem, they would have a suspect.
Karathos told them about the guard in the infirmary. So they sent the girls to talk to him, while the men went to speak with the Grandmaster.
The man the girls questioned, Sir Robert, told them what he knew. Unfortunately, the blow to the head he took caused some memory loss. He said he remembered a knight approaching him, and he let him in, because he knew him. But he can't remember who it was. All he could tell them beyond that was the man had a big hunting mastiff with him.
The men had less luck. The Grandmaster was in a meeting with the other High Knights, and wouldn't see anyone--despite Erastin dropping names and bringing up how he saved the Grandmaster from an assassin. So instead, they went to speak to Erastin's sponsor, Sir Delson.
Sir Delson knew of four knights off-hand who were from Solanthus: Warren Strongbow, Arius Steelhelm, Kellin Solanius, and Keris Virtainus. However, none were still at the tower. Indeed, Delson himself was preparing to leave, too, now that the spring festival had ended early.
The two groups reunited and shared what they had learned. With only a single clue to follow, they agreed to head to Solanthus, although the city was three days away on foot.
On the first day, they spotted a stag and Erastin retold the tale of the white stag that Huma and Sturm supposedly saw. Sadly, this was a regular brown stag, and it quickly ran off when it saw the party.
That afternoon, a group of eight goblins suddenly attacked! However, they were over forty yards away when they began their charge, giving the party plenty of time to pick them off with ranged weaponry. However, Karathos and Targin charged, as well, negating that advantage and getting in the line of fire of Galenye's bow. The goblins were incapable of hitting either the minotaur or the dwarf, though, and they went down without anyone in the party taking any damage whatsoever.
After the battle, Erastin chastised them (along with Selowen and Galenye) for ruining his strategy, but Targin was quick to claim that Erastin was not in charge, and had no right telling anyone how to fight.
The party moved on, and as night was falling, they came across a small group of kender. Although Targin and Selowen were annoyed, and Galenye slightly wary, the others were rather welcoming of the kender, especially Karathos. The kender insisted on camping with the group that night, sharing some mead they had 'borrowed' from Solanthus.
The next day, the kender departed toward the tower, walking off with one of Targin's daggers and Karathos' grappling hook (but leaving behind a bottle of mead and a little gem in their places).
At around noon, the party smelled meat cooking. They decided to investigate, figuring whoever was cooking might share. As a result, they unwittingly walked right into the camp of bandits. The bandits attacked at once, taking cover and firing their bows.
The bandit's leader and Galenye's bowstrings snapped early in the fight. Selowen dropped a Sleep spell, knocking out four of the bandits. This just left two left (the leader being one of them). Everyone except the two mages charged, and quickly found themselves getting stuck in concealed bear traps (except Targin, who got lucky). Poor Galenye got trapped, escaped, then got trapped in a second one. Erastin was forced to dismount and engage the bandit leader in a duel.
Targin and Karathos engaged the other bandit, a young woman. Karathos convinced her to surrender, and then Targin struck, killing her. The bandit leader cried out, saying she was his daughter. Erastin persuaded him to surrender, so he dropped his weapon. Erastin quickly grabbed it, a nice two-handed bastard sword.
The bandit leader, Erek Malham, claimed he was innocent. He saw a group of heavily armed strangers with a minotaur (a race known for their marauding) approaching, so he reacted. Believing he had been complicit in killing an innocent, Erastin was devastated. Targin, however, insisted they were bandits and he was completely justified.
Karathos left to check on the mages, while Erastin went to free his horse. Galenye helped Targin tie up the sleeping bandits. As a result, nobody was watching Erek. So he made a break for it. Karathos went after him, but lost him in the woods.
After tying up the other bandits, Targin searched the camp and found a chest. He believed inside would be 'proof' that these were outlaws. Galenye tried to open the chest, but failed and triggered a trap that sliced open her hand. Frustrated, Targin took his axe to the chest, chopping it open. Inside were some coins and gems.
Not sure what to do, the party left the bandits tied up and just left them. Erastin kept the sword, however.
Moving on, they found a nice little roadside inn called "The Knight's Helm." They stabled Erastin's horse and Targin's pony (the stableboy was rather surprised at the sight of the hulking minotaur), and got rooms for the night, as well as meals and baths. Karathos opted to sleep in the barn, recogizing the beds would probably be too small for him anyway. Targin and Erastin shared a room, while Jinali and Selowen shared another. Galenye got her own room.
They noticed a wanted poster and the innkeeper explained that Erek Malham was a notorious bandit known as 'the Solanthian Scourge.' There was a 1000 steel piece reward for his capture. Targin immediately felt vindicated, but it turned out there was more. Erek had a daughter with a woman in the city, and didn't find out about it until much later. He kidnapped her, and nobody knows what happened to her. Realizing they had killed the daughter, Erastin was even further upset. Targin still felt that, in the heat of battle, anything goes.
He and Erastin spoke briefly about the woman's unfortunate death, and also about teamwork and cooperation in battle. Erastin felt they needed structure, but Targin felt that in battle, there's no time to plan or think ahead. One must simply act or die. They then retired for the night.
The following morning, Erastin and the other knight candidates were awoken at dawn and quickly ushered into the meeting hall. Meanwhile, the rest of the party were also woken up and brought to the mess hall for breakfast, told they would receive an explanation soon enough. The knights all seemed troubled for some reason.
Grandmaster uth Wistan explained to Erastin and the other candidates that someone had sneaked into the tomb of Sturm Brightblade last night and stolen his eponymous sword. Any candidate who captured the thief and returned the blade would be ordained a full knight, skipping the rest of the trials and squire-hood altogether.
After the meeting, Erastin met up with the others and briefed them on the situation. They all agreed to assist him in this quest. Immediately suspecting the blonde woman for no apparent reason, he asked Karathos to interrogate her while he and the others went to the tomb itself to search for clues.
Karathos met with the woman, a half-elf named Coryn, and offered to escort her to her room. When Karathos pointed out her heritage, she seemed ashamed and embarassed by it. She explained her mother was Qualinesti, but let it drop at that. Karathos asked her if she was related to Sir Charles, the knight who had slain the assassin. He had seen them arguing earlier. She said no, Charles had just taken it upon himself to be her 'protector,' something that both amused and annoyed her. As to why they were arguing, she explained that Charles was just frustrated at the sword being stolen and was taking it out on her. She claimed that the man who was guarding the tomb was knocked out by a fellow knight, or so he said and he was in the infirmary now.
After escorting her to her room, Karathos bid her farewell and hurried to catch up with the others. As luck would have it, he arrived just as they were descending into the tomb (as they stopped to get their gear first).
At the tomb, the group immediately noticed muddy footprints leading into it, belonging to both a person and a dog. The party followed them to Sturm's coffin, which was now open. The Hero of the Lance himself was perfectly preserved, despite dying 25 years ago. His sword was missing.
Suddenly, the door to the tomb swung shut and all of the torches simultaneously went out. Before they could do anything about it, a golden glow filled the room. It was coming from a small gemstone left on the ground by the coffin. It went out shortly, and on Targin's advice, Erastin picked it up. Those with infravision then led those without back outside, so they could see again.
Upon examining the gem, they realized it was a Solanthian light-gem from the city of Solanthus shaped like an eagle. These rare gems could 'store' sunlight, and then glow brightly like a torch as a result. Supposedly, each light-gem is custom made. The party theorized if they headed to Solanthus, found the person who carved this gem, they would have a suspect.
Karathos told them about the guard in the infirmary. So they sent the girls to talk to him, while the men went to speak with the Grandmaster.
The man the girls questioned, Sir Robert, told them what he knew. Unfortunately, the blow to the head he took caused some memory loss. He said he remembered a knight approaching him, and he let him in, because he knew him. But he can't remember who it was. All he could tell them beyond that was the man had a big hunting mastiff with him.
The men had less luck. The Grandmaster was in a meeting with the other High Knights, and wouldn't see anyone--despite Erastin dropping names and bringing up how he saved the Grandmaster from an assassin. So instead, they went to speak to Erastin's sponsor, Sir Delson.
Sir Delson knew of four knights off-hand who were from Solanthus: Warren Strongbow, Arius Steelhelm, Kellin Solanius, and Keris Virtainus. However, none were still at the tower. Indeed, Delson himself was preparing to leave, too, now that the spring festival had ended early.
The two groups reunited and shared what they had learned. With only a single clue to follow, they agreed to head to Solanthus, although the city was three days away on foot.
On the first day, they spotted a stag and Erastin retold the tale of the white stag that Huma and Sturm supposedly saw. Sadly, this was a regular brown stag, and it quickly ran off when it saw the party.
That afternoon, a group of eight goblins suddenly attacked! However, they were over forty yards away when they began their charge, giving the party plenty of time to pick them off with ranged weaponry. However, Karathos and Targin charged, as well, negating that advantage and getting in the line of fire of Galenye's bow. The goblins were incapable of hitting either the minotaur or the dwarf, though, and they went down without anyone in the party taking any damage whatsoever.
After the battle, Erastin chastised them (along with Selowen and Galenye) for ruining his strategy, but Targin was quick to claim that Erastin was not in charge, and had no right telling anyone how to fight.
The party moved on, and as night was falling, they came across a small group of kender. Although Targin and Selowen were annoyed, and Galenye slightly wary, the others were rather welcoming of the kender, especially Karathos. The kender insisted on camping with the group that night, sharing some mead they had 'borrowed' from Solanthus.
The next day, the kender departed toward the tower, walking off with one of Targin's daggers and Karathos' grappling hook (but leaving behind a bottle of mead and a little gem in their places).
At around noon, the party smelled meat cooking. They decided to investigate, figuring whoever was cooking might share. As a result, they unwittingly walked right into the camp of bandits. The bandits attacked at once, taking cover and firing their bows.
The bandit's leader and Galenye's bowstrings snapped early in the fight. Selowen dropped a Sleep spell, knocking out four of the bandits. This just left two left (the leader being one of them). Everyone except the two mages charged, and quickly found themselves getting stuck in concealed bear traps (except Targin, who got lucky). Poor Galenye got trapped, escaped, then got trapped in a second one. Erastin was forced to dismount and engage the bandit leader in a duel.
Targin and Karathos engaged the other bandit, a young woman. Karathos convinced her to surrender, and then Targin struck, killing her. The bandit leader cried out, saying she was his daughter. Erastin persuaded him to surrender, so he dropped his weapon. Erastin quickly grabbed it, a nice two-handed bastard sword.
The bandit leader, Erek Malham, claimed he was innocent. He saw a group of heavily armed strangers with a minotaur (a race known for their marauding) approaching, so he reacted. Believing he had been complicit in killing an innocent, Erastin was devastated. Targin, however, insisted they were bandits and he was completely justified.
Karathos left to check on the mages, while Erastin went to free his horse. Galenye helped Targin tie up the sleeping bandits. As a result, nobody was watching Erek. So he made a break for it. Karathos went after him, but lost him in the woods.
After tying up the other bandits, Targin searched the camp and found a chest. He believed inside would be 'proof' that these were outlaws. Galenye tried to open the chest, but failed and triggered a trap that sliced open her hand. Frustrated, Targin took his axe to the chest, chopping it open. Inside were some coins and gems.
Not sure what to do, the party left the bandits tied up and just left them. Erastin kept the sword, however.
Moving on, they found a nice little roadside inn called "The Knight's Helm." They stabled Erastin's horse and Targin's pony (the stableboy was rather surprised at the sight of the hulking minotaur), and got rooms for the night, as well as meals and baths. Karathos opted to sleep in the barn, recogizing the beds would probably be too small for him anyway. Targin and Erastin shared a room, while Jinali and Selowen shared another. Galenye got her own room.
They noticed a wanted poster and the innkeeper explained that Erek Malham was a notorious bandit known as 'the Solanthian Scourge.' There was a 1000 steel piece reward for his capture. Targin immediately felt vindicated, but it turned out there was more. Erek had a daughter with a woman in the city, and didn't find out about it until much later. He kidnapped her, and nobody knows what happened to her. Realizing they had killed the daughter, Erastin was even further upset. Targin still felt that, in the heat of battle, anything goes.
He and Erastin spoke briefly about the woman's unfortunate death, and also about teamwork and cooperation in battle. Erastin felt they needed structure, but Targin felt that in battle, there's no time to plan or think ahead. One must simply act or die. They then retired for the night.
Re: Chapter Summaries
Chapter 4 - Solanthus
The party awoke the next day, most of them having not slept well due to various reasons. After a quick breakfast, the party set off again. Around noontime, they encountered a group of gnomes working on some kind of strange, mechanical device; a steam-powered vehicle that seemed designed for war.
Upon seeing the party, the gnomes hopped into their machine, stoked the fires, and started driving it right toward them. However, something went wrong, the machine veered out of control, and crashed into a tree.
Despite the fact that the gnomes just attempted to attack them, Erastin insisted on trying to give them a hand. The gnomes instantly took cover and threatened to attack, but Erastin would not back down, claiming he was a knight aspirant. This seemed to trigger something in the gnomes, as they immediately started attacking at that point.
Karathos and Erastin attempted to take the gnomes alive, but Targin went right for the kill. Galenye and Jinali stood out in the open without cover, while Selowen hid behind Erastin's horse.
The loud blasts of the gnome's guns alerted a mated pair of ogres nearby, who came to join in on the fun. The gnomes started retreating at this point, leaving the party to face the ogres. Selowen managed to put the female asleep, and then Targin, Erastin and Karathos teamed up to take down the male.
The party tied up the female ogre before she awoke. Erastin questioned her, thinking she was working with the gnomes. But it turned out they weren't, so he allowed Targin to execute her. Selowen and Karathos objected to this, but Erastin lashed out in anger at the others, upset that the gnomes had attacked.
A somber and quiet party continued to Solanthus, finally reaching the city's gates. The guards insisted on doing a search of anyone entering.
Galenye forgot to hide her thieves' picks, though; and consequently, they were found in the search. Erastin immediately lied for her, claiming they had taken the picks off the bandits they fought. The guard believed the story, but confiscated the picks anyway. Galenye was angry at Erastin for not giving her the chance to deal with the situation on her own, growing frustrated with the way he kept acting like she was helpless. Erastin claimed he was just afraid that she would get arrested and he 'couldn't bare to lose her.'
It was sunset by this point, so the party headed straight to one of the two inns the guard recommended, the Gleaming Gem. The party ordered rooms and dinner. They then split up the coins they found on the ogres and Karathos, Erastin and Galenye headed to the nearby Temple of Paladine for healing. Karathos and Erastin paid for 4 HP each, but Galenye only paid for 1 HP, wanting to save her money for new picks and a bow.
The party returned to the inn and shared mead with Targin. When Selowen got a bit tipsy, Erastin escorted her and Jinali to their room. Galenye left on her own to 'run some errands.' Both Erastin and Karathos tried to come with her, but she insisted on going alone.
Once on the city streets at night, she made contact with a member of the local black market easily enough. She was brought to their secret base in the sewers and shared drinks with them. They sold her a new set of picks, and she told them of Erek and his bandits. They knew of him, but didn't like him. Upon hearing the party had his sword, the leader of the thieves offered his Long Bow +1 in exchange for it. Galenye agreed.
The next morning, Galenye easily sweet-talked Erastin into giving over the sword. She then quickly went to make the trade. Once the group was reunited, they decided to start looking for the creator of the lightgem they found. Galenye had heard from the thieves about Myrtha Stoneshaper, supposedly the best of the best.
The party got directions to her shop and headed there. Myrtha was a rude dwarf woman, but she cooperated enough that they learned that she had made that particular stone; and it belonged to none other than Kellin Solanius.
With this knowledge in hand, the party decided to head immediately to Solanius' castle, just outside of town.
The party awoke the next day, most of them having not slept well due to various reasons. After a quick breakfast, the party set off again. Around noontime, they encountered a group of gnomes working on some kind of strange, mechanical device; a steam-powered vehicle that seemed designed for war.
Upon seeing the party, the gnomes hopped into their machine, stoked the fires, and started driving it right toward them. However, something went wrong, the machine veered out of control, and crashed into a tree.
Despite the fact that the gnomes just attempted to attack them, Erastin insisted on trying to give them a hand. The gnomes instantly took cover and threatened to attack, but Erastin would not back down, claiming he was a knight aspirant. This seemed to trigger something in the gnomes, as they immediately started attacking at that point.
Karathos and Erastin attempted to take the gnomes alive, but Targin went right for the kill. Galenye and Jinali stood out in the open without cover, while Selowen hid behind Erastin's horse.
The loud blasts of the gnome's guns alerted a mated pair of ogres nearby, who came to join in on the fun. The gnomes started retreating at this point, leaving the party to face the ogres. Selowen managed to put the female asleep, and then Targin, Erastin and Karathos teamed up to take down the male.
The party tied up the female ogre before she awoke. Erastin questioned her, thinking she was working with the gnomes. But it turned out they weren't, so he allowed Targin to execute her. Selowen and Karathos objected to this, but Erastin lashed out in anger at the others, upset that the gnomes had attacked.
A somber and quiet party continued to Solanthus, finally reaching the city's gates. The guards insisted on doing a search of anyone entering.
Galenye forgot to hide her thieves' picks, though; and consequently, they were found in the search. Erastin immediately lied for her, claiming they had taken the picks off the bandits they fought. The guard believed the story, but confiscated the picks anyway. Galenye was angry at Erastin for not giving her the chance to deal with the situation on her own, growing frustrated with the way he kept acting like she was helpless. Erastin claimed he was just afraid that she would get arrested and he 'couldn't bare to lose her.'
It was sunset by this point, so the party headed straight to one of the two inns the guard recommended, the Gleaming Gem. The party ordered rooms and dinner. They then split up the coins they found on the ogres and Karathos, Erastin and Galenye headed to the nearby Temple of Paladine for healing. Karathos and Erastin paid for 4 HP each, but Galenye only paid for 1 HP, wanting to save her money for new picks and a bow.
The party returned to the inn and shared mead with Targin. When Selowen got a bit tipsy, Erastin escorted her and Jinali to their room. Galenye left on her own to 'run some errands.' Both Erastin and Karathos tried to come with her, but she insisted on going alone.
Once on the city streets at night, she made contact with a member of the local black market easily enough. She was brought to their secret base in the sewers and shared drinks with them. They sold her a new set of picks, and she told them of Erek and his bandits. They knew of him, but didn't like him. Upon hearing the party had his sword, the leader of the thieves offered his Long Bow +1 in exchange for it. Galenye agreed.
The next morning, Galenye easily sweet-talked Erastin into giving over the sword. She then quickly went to make the trade. Once the group was reunited, they decided to start looking for the creator of the lightgem they found. Galenye had heard from the thieves about Myrtha Stoneshaper, supposedly the best of the best.
The party got directions to her shop and headed there. Myrtha was a rude dwarf woman, but she cooperated enough that they learned that she had made that particular stone; and it belonged to none other than Kellin Solanius.
With this knowledge in hand, the party decided to head immediately to Solanius' castle, just outside of town.
Re: Chapter Summaries
Chapter 5 - The Traitor
The party headed straight for Solanius' keep, which was just outside of town. However, as they approached, they realized it was deathly quiet and nobody seemed to be around. Karathos even smelled blood.
When the party approached the gate, they found it hanging open. Inside, they found Solanius lying in a trail of blood. With his dying breaths, he told them everything. He had stolen the sword, but it had been with the Council's blessing. It was all part of a test of mind and character. Unfortunately, Charles Crownguard and his wench, Corya, attacked him and stole the sword for themselves. His last request was for the party to avenge him and regain the sword. But he warned them that Charles had gone mad and had a poisoned dagger. Karathos carried him to his dogs, who all lay dead or dying themselves.
The party quickly returned to the town, and told the guards what had happened. Selowen decided to go with the guards to tell the lord mayor what had happened and get backup. The other five party members continued to Crownguard's manor on their own.
When the party arrived at Crownguard manor, they found it deserted like Solanius' manor. But, they spotted Charles at the main gate, holding Brightblade and cackling madly. When he noticed the party, he ran inside. The party cautiously went after him.
Stepping into the grand hall, the party spotted Crownguard and Corya (now wearing leathers and carrying a sword) on the far side. Before them was the Knight Squisher, the strange gnomish vehicle they encountered before. The gnomes set it to charge, but once again it veered to the side and crashed into the wall. The gnomes quickly hopped out and took cover, while Charles challenged Erastin to a one-on-one duel.
From there, things spiraled downward in a matter of rounds. In the very first round, Targin and Karathos each killed a gnome. However, one scored a critical hit on the minotaur, dropping him into negatives. Jinali, who made no effort to take cover, was dropped into negatives by a bullet from a gnome's gun. And Galenye, who took every effort to take cover, still was one-shot by a critical hit, killing her instantly.
In the second round, Selowen caught up to the group and cast Sleep, taking out four gnomes (one of which Targin killed immediately). In the third round, Targin slew another gnome, then another in the fourth. It seemed like the party might pull through. The Brightblade did not handle well in Charles' hands, and he used it sloppily. Erastin insisted it was because Charles was unworthy. Realizing he was right, Charles discarded the blade and pulled out his own long sword and an obviously poisonous dagger.
In the fifth round, Targin and Selowen stabilized Karathos and Jinali, but Charles got a critical on Erastin, killing him. In the sixth round, Corya (who had been hiding in the shadows since Round 1), backstabbed Selowen with a critical, killing her, as well.
Finally, in the seventh and last round, Targin charged Charles...but Charles cut the dwarf down with another critical.
The party headed straight for Solanius' keep, which was just outside of town. However, as they approached, they realized it was deathly quiet and nobody seemed to be around. Karathos even smelled blood.
When the party approached the gate, they found it hanging open. Inside, they found Solanius lying in a trail of blood. With his dying breaths, he told them everything. He had stolen the sword, but it had been with the Council's blessing. It was all part of a test of mind and character. Unfortunately, Charles Crownguard and his wench, Corya, attacked him and stole the sword for themselves. His last request was for the party to avenge him and regain the sword. But he warned them that Charles had gone mad and had a poisoned dagger. Karathos carried him to his dogs, who all lay dead or dying themselves.
The party quickly returned to the town, and told the guards what had happened. Selowen decided to go with the guards to tell the lord mayor what had happened and get backup. The other five party members continued to Crownguard's manor on their own.
When the party arrived at Crownguard manor, they found it deserted like Solanius' manor. But, they spotted Charles at the main gate, holding Brightblade and cackling madly. When he noticed the party, he ran inside. The party cautiously went after him.
Stepping into the grand hall, the party spotted Crownguard and Corya (now wearing leathers and carrying a sword) on the far side. Before them was the Knight Squisher, the strange gnomish vehicle they encountered before. The gnomes set it to charge, but once again it veered to the side and crashed into the wall. The gnomes quickly hopped out and took cover, while Charles challenged Erastin to a one-on-one duel.
From there, things spiraled downward in a matter of rounds. In the very first round, Targin and Karathos each killed a gnome. However, one scored a critical hit on the minotaur, dropping him into negatives. Jinali, who made no effort to take cover, was dropped into negatives by a bullet from a gnome's gun. And Galenye, who took every effort to take cover, still was one-shot by a critical hit, killing her instantly.
In the second round, Selowen caught up to the group and cast Sleep, taking out four gnomes (one of which Targin killed immediately). In the third round, Targin slew another gnome, then another in the fourth. It seemed like the party might pull through. The Brightblade did not handle well in Charles' hands, and he used it sloppily. Erastin insisted it was because Charles was unworthy. Realizing he was right, Charles discarded the blade and pulled out his own long sword and an obviously poisonous dagger.
In the fifth round, Targin and Selowen stabilized Karathos and Jinali, but Charles got a critical on Erastin, killing him. In the sixth round, Corya (who had been hiding in the shadows since Round 1), backstabbed Selowen with a critical, killing her, as well.
Finally, in the seventh and last round, Targin charged Charles...but Charles cut the dwarf down with another critical.
