New Game Incoming

Well, I've been planning a new game, with a new set of people. I'll bring info later, but I wanted to set up the transition.

This will be a "demonstration" game of 4th Edition, to see if the players enjoy it, and enjoy having me as a DM. These are people who really like 3.5 and Pathfinder style D&D and hate the MMO-ness of 4th Edition.

My goals are to A) Show that RP is still good in 4th Edition, B) Make combat fun and exciting and force them to use their abilities and not just spam At-Will abilities, C) Develop an interesting storyline with their characters that makes them want to finish the story and therefore play again, and finally D) Have fun!

The team is 3 players this time around. The players are two Tieflings, one is a Sorcerer, the other is a Sword Mage. The third player is a Dwarf Warlord.

Current set up is that the Teiflings are attempting to regain glory to the nobility that they were once a part of. The Dwarf, who belongs to the new kingdom, is there to help them, not achieve this personal goal, but because their current actions are leading them to also help the current empire.

Due to the goals of the Sorcerer's father, and the dealings associated with those goals, the Sorcerer has a debt he must pay off.

With the barest of plot, we'll see how this goes.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it disappear

Five days travel south, with cold nights, and heavy snow, the four men approached Kelthalon Cathedral. Only to find it missing... in the mountains a mysterious cave led them to a simple conclusion, investigation! And though Rayne audibly suggested another route to be taken, the quartet progressed into the dark cavern. Chromwyn lights a torch and hands it to Andez to carry. They keep going as the round a bend in the wide cavern.

They soon came to an open chamber where the cave ceiling was lit like a bonfire. Soon they realized, that they had stumbled upon burning firey bats, and the sudden intrusion, was NOT welcome. Shrieking and screaming they were attacked by the horrible burning flying vermin. Launching lightning, and radiant light they fought off their attackers.

During all this Rayne noticed something amiss, and after pointing out that they were being attacked by a large bear, he let fly his arrows. Chromwyn charged in at the bear, and as his companions shot the bats out of the sky, he wrestled the bear down, toe to toe.

Losing his composure, Rayne's loosed arrows had difficulty finding purchase, and it took him awhile to calm down after the creatures were laid to rest. The party, settled down to catch their breath, and they had barely gotten ready to proceed downt he cave, before they heard shuffling approaching them. "I told you, someone had triggered the alarm!", "Well then perhaps we've caught them?", "Our master won't be pleased, they must die, or we'll be exposed!". Before them came three loathesome frogfaced men, their eyes bulging, wide mouths with rows of sharp teeth.

With a blessing and a Gift

Rayne, sitting at the local Pub in Sylvancity (original, I know), was almost startled by the excitement coming from Thei'la'del. Where once was a studious cleric now stood someone brimming with passion, and a lust for adventure. The words poured out from the Eladrin scholar, and it's musical singsong notes resonated with Rayne's soul. Aggreeing to accompany Thei'la'del and his companions, Rayne went to say farewell to his family.

His father, long retired war vetran and ranger, was out back, practicing his archery. Rayne approached him, cautiously, confidently. Seeing the resolve in his son, the father granted him leave, and a gift, money for a horse to carry him on his way. After packing to go, and saying goodbye to his mother, Rayne leaves to meet with his companions, outside of the city walls.

There he sees Chromwyn Rageborn, Redscaled Dragonborn Fighter, he sees Thei'la'del, the Eladrin Cleric, and he sees someone new, a Teifling, with a deeply tanned skin, and black horns sweeping up and back, with a little bit of a kink at the end. "Finally, it seems like our last member as arrived," the Tiefling comments, "I'm Storm Bringer, pleasure to meet, you, now lets get out of this blighted woods, and down somewhere warmer." Andez, the Storm Bringer, wore his torn clothes, ravaged and ragged, yet stood in the snows that surround the elven land as if he were in some tropical paradise.

Bewildered, Rayne simply mounts up, seeing the others do the same, except..... suddenly there was someone behind him! Rayne quickly dismounts, and on his steed, was Andez. "Sorry, they won't let me ride on theirs, and I have no mount," the Storm Bringer gives Rayne an impish grin. Sighing with resignation, Rayne mounts up again, and the four companions make their way south, to the ruins of Kelthalon Cathedral.

Some sort of sucess...

Facing down the stitched together man, Chromwyn Rageborn, (Dragonborn Fighter), uses a series of blows to allow Rayne the Ranger to fall back and get a couple of shots off from his arrows. The stitched together man continued to chase after Rayne, who nimbly dodged out of the way, and let loose two powerful arrows, whose impact sent the large creature up against the wall. Theiladel (Eladrin Cleric), marked the creature in radiant light, allowing Chromwyn to finish it off.

They take the body of Lord Mourgon back to Mourgon's Manor. As they head down the main grand stairs to the entrance they are stopped by two stone-like monkeys with wings, and the insidious Butler. Rayne takes a step back and fires two arrows at the same time at the stoned monkeys, hitting both solidly. Chromwyn jumps down and smashes one to dust, while Theiladel handles the other.

Finally with two shots, Rayne finishes the Butlers life. In the jacket pocket they find a note from Lord Mourgon to keep them busy while he escapes. After taking the body to local authorities they find out that Mourgon and Malvein were twins, and the body the found was Malvein's.

With the mystery solved, and Mourgon having escaped, they go back to their capitol city to report.

Masquerading Life

After Thei'lad'el (level 3 Eladrin Cleric), finished investigating the body of Lord Mathicus, using some tools given by the court alchemists, he was able to determine that Mathicus had been dead for longer than the two weeks it took them to reach Storm Garden.

Reuniting with Rayne (level 4 Elven Ranger), and Chromwyn (level 5 Dragonborn Fighter), they dress up for the Storm Garden Masquerade (except for Chromwyn who keeps their gear and waits nearby). Using the masks and their cleverness they overhear a few conversations in the somber, erotic, and intoxicating Masquerade. Between elven women and debauchery Rayne discovers that Lord Malvein, brother to their host Lord Mourgon, disappeared 4 weeks prior to the murder, and was only recently and scarcely seen.

Thei'lad'el, taking a more shadowed approach, discovered that Malvein and Mathicus have been seen having several arguments recently, and that Mathicus had actually disappeared 4 weeks ago.

Leaving the party, and changing in an alley, the three team mates share their knowledge and come to a decision, they must find out where Malvein is, and confront him about Mathicus's murder. They had back alone to Mourgon's Manor, and head over to the East Wing, on the 2nd floor, where Lord Malvein, is supposedly grieving for his lost friend.

After trying some doors, Rayne spots a secret passage which leads to a set of iron-wrought wall-mounted ladder leading down, into the bowels of the city. Following the tunnel they come upon, they soon find themselves in waist deep sewers, with a light at the end of the tunnel.

The three approach the light source, which is a set of open double doors that leads to a sort of alchemical laboratory. Spotting preserved body parts, including brains, eyes, hands and feet, they also see the dead body of Lord Mourgon laying on a metal slab.

Distracted by the atrocoties of the room, they almost aren't ready when a fifteen foot tall stictched together "man" starts attacking them.

Summary of the Beginning of the Adventure......

Murder in Storm Garden!
Three members of the Sylvan Guard are brought together to solve a mystery murder in the mid-ocean city of Storm Garden (an elven ruled trade city).

Lord Mathicus was murdered in Elethiel Cathedral of Avandra in the center of the city. The main contact in the city, a friend of Lord Mathicus is Lord Mourgon, who is letting the party stay in his manor, while they investigate the murder.

It's been two weeks before the party gets there, so most evidence has been cleaned up already.

Investigating where the body of Lord Mathicus was found, the blood stains that remained shows that the symbol of the Raven Queen was drawn in his blood on the floor, which indicated that whoever killed Mathicus cared enough about him to want him to make it to his proper afterlife.

Thei'lad'el (the Eladrin Cleric) goes to inspect the body, so that he may be released for his funeral at sea, during this time, Chromwyn Rageborn (the red-scaled Dragonborn fighter), and Rayne Soshanee (the Elven Ranger), head over to Mourgon manor where they discover that Lord Mourgon's brother (Malvein) is staying over for awhile there as well while mourning the death of his friend Mathicus.

They also discover that Mathicus and Malvein were working on a proposal that would add more guards and draw up renovations for the slums (the grotto) of Storm Garden.