DM Rumors of the Northern Sword Coast

[DM Novus]

From the farmlands of Baldur's Gate, a rumor is heard regarding the Illmatari Orphanage: two children—thought to be those found in Triel shortly after it was liberated from the clutches of the Black Orc and Gajutar Spearback, seem to have run away from their care under Sister Juna.

Farmer Thorn is seen talking to Flaming Fist guards near the road to the northern territories, about how he discovered a bed made of hay, a few clothes and small doll in the loft of his barn a day earlier, thinking at first it was his own children's doing...but now...

It is only a matter of time before tthe rumor of their disappearance and loss—or the children themselves—reach Triel. Already, a precarious balance between trust and allegiance sways in Triel, and the first-hand understanding of who truly liberated Triel is thought to be within the children's knowing.

How this knowledge will effect Triel is left to future gossip.

[DMogorgon]

Several of the Order of the Radiant Heart were seen heading west to Triel escorting a wagon of supplies in a relief effort. The supplies were begrudgingly accepted, with forced pleasantries behind inauthentic smiles on behalf of the representatives of Triel. There was no discussion on previous points of contention between the Town and the Order, as apparently the citizens of the recovering village Had no wish to refuse aid.

Later that evening, the members of the Order were seen leaving the town and heading North East. They were not seen upon the trade roads returning to their Chapterhouse just outside Baldurs Gate.

[DMogorgon]

The Fate of Triel:The Trial of Kaltyra and the Black Orc Prisoners

Summary: what had started as a trial, devolved into a huge fighting and battle royale. The setting started with the Zhentarims bringing Kaltyra to the town of Triel under the close scrutiny of the village elders and of a particularly bloodthirsty mob...

The mob's cries for vengeance quickly drowned out the elders and the cries for justice demanded by a visiting representative of the Radiant Heart. The ire against the orcs quickly manifest into a mob burning, as a pyre was prepared and the orcs dragged to it.

The situation was extremely tense, but slowly return(ed to) normal, while suddenly the lich Bazu appeared and asked for Kaltyra's returning. The Zhentarims relented... As they started to do so, though, the lich ignited the haystack upon which the orcish women and cubs had been bound, starting a huge fire. The situation escalated quickly, with zhentarims and their opposition exchanging blows... (Someone) set fire to a building inside the village's moat as a diversion.


As the fighting... raged on inside the town, with the Zhentarim (being pushed back), a column of zhentish reinforcements arrived from the north. The vanguards clashed with the heroes...

The banite priest then proceeded to heal the fallen zhent players and heal those others still alive, while the column of zhentarim soldiers quickly put out the flames and re-established order.

The Zhentarim basked in the adoration they had earned from the town that day, hiding their true intent behind hardened eyes and maniacal smiles. They had shown their solidarity with the towns past sufferings with the orcish sacrifice offered. They had shown their ability to enforce order in stamping out the chaos that ensued during the 'trial.'





As for the town's assailants and orcish sympathizers...

- The decry's of the orc Kaltyra in appeal to Tyr and the support of the Radiant Heart were dismissed by the villagers as Orchish lies.

- There is some rumor of foreign agents taking advantage of the chaos of the trial to assault the village.
-Some claim they were orc sympathizers trying to free the boisterous Grey orc female...
-Others say they were agents of the distant Nation of Amn...
-Some say they were agents of Baldur's Gate...
-Yet others claim they were servants of the Lich Bazu...
-Some more conspiratorial villagers among the town claim they were Zhentarim agents organizing a feint to ingratiate themselves to the town elders...
- None in the village are quick to blame the events upon the chaos of the vengeance-seeking mob.


Regardless of the clouded rumors continuously circulating within the beleaguered village, the displays of solidarity from the Zhentarim forces and their imposition to restore order from the chaos which descended upon the village that day were clear.

[Vukodlak]

A fresh scandal just on the heels of the recent debacle has erupted in the northern town of Triel, heralded by the scream of a woman that shatters the peaceful calm of the early dawn upon the discovery of a body hastily dumped in one of the abandoned buildings situated along the town's outskirts. The corpse reportedly belongs to one of Triel's residents, an older man by the name of Virgil Sendrik, who was known as being one of the town's more outspoken supporters of Darkhold's defense of Triel and of being unabashedly pro-Zhentarim, often arguing over politics with pro-Balduran residents over drinks at the local watering hole. He was found with a particularly brutal stab wound, having apparently been run through with a sword, and all of the evidence right now seems to indicate whoever was responsible for his murder was interrupted as they were dragging the body out of town and had to dump it in the house before presumably fleeing the scene.

Outrage flares as whispered rumors travel like a plague through the town's residents that once again the Gate is attempting to impose its will upon the town, that the Fist will be marching into Triel as they did before the orc attack and that the Dukes are murdering anyone who dares to stand up and speak against them, the claims growing more fevered and wild than the last which each telling. By the day's end an angry mob gathered around Virgil's funeral pyre with carts laden with parcels of aid sent to the town from Baldur's Gate in tow, hurling the goods into the pyre and burning them in protest of the murder. Some of the small handful of residents who were known to speak in favor of the Gate's forces were dragged from their homes and viciously beaten before the town's council of Elders were able to quell the mob's fury with pleas of solidarity and disperse them.

[DM Asgorath]

The tranquility of Triel was broken again this eve, as a sick looking farmer was seen screaming in agony and coughing maggots in the middle of the night. Some townsfolk quickly gathered to try to assist their friend, but the man quickly died under everyone's eyes, vomiting maggots as more of the filthy critters exited his body and then burst into a cloud of noxious green gas. At least a dozen of citizens had been engulfed by the thick cloud, before it slowly dissipated.

Nobody knows exactly how this unnatural scene started, but a few witnesses claim to have seen the farmer speaking to a dark robed man wearing a cowl before starting to show such nefarious symptoms.

The farmers, however, seem extremely reluctant to speak about this incident to outsiders, especially now that the wounds left by the last incident in Triel are still fresh and open.

(this basically means that, before acting upon this information, you should first pm me to see if people would speak to your character about it.)

[DM Asgorath]

Rumors of Triel

A handful of Triel's townsfolk have died in what is now becoming a horrendously familiar way, as many white maggots started pouring from their mouths, devouring them from the inside before exploding in a cloud of noxious gas. Many more people are starting to look sick, to the point that the elders can do little to prevent the rumors of an epidemic spreading to the surrounding lands.

Many farmers and villagers have started to worship Myrkul with greater intensity, perhaps hoping to be spared from this disease that, according to some black robed individuals, has been unleashed on the Village by the Lord of Bones for the villagers' lack of faith.

Other villagers are instead removing any icon of worship even remotely pertaining Myrkul, turning with fervor to Chauntea so as to be saved from the epidemic.

Rumors of Soubar

A good 2/5ths of the town are starting to show the symptoms of a strange disease. They look pale, frail, and are quite hungry, albeit for now this does not prevent them from working or performing their usual activities. The most paranoid individuals (who may also be right) link this strange malaise to the epidemic currently creeping throughout the streets of Triel.

[DM Asgorath]

Triel

More and more people are dying every day due to the strange plague of maggots afflicting their town. Bouts of fanaticism and anger are starting to manifest, with occasional clashes between Myrkulites and Chaunteans happening from time to time. At least five uninfected villagers have been killed in this way, and Elderman Trabo is amongst the infected. It is now evident that things are starting to get out of hand rather badly.

Soubar

One score of villagers has died after having been eaten from the inside by maggots, in the same way as the townsfolk of Triel. More than half of the inhabitants of Soubar are now infected with this seemingly unstoppable magical plague.

[DM Novus]

To those with keen senses of the forest traveling beyond Boareskyr Bridge, and those in contact with any Elves that reside in the Northern Regions, rumor trickles through the Sword Coast over the coming weeks that a noticeable shift in population of Elven peoples has occurred.

What effect this shift will have upon such regions as the Misty Forest, is yet to be written....

[DM Asgorath]

Triel

The Plague of Maggots has devastated the town. More than a hundred and a half villagers have been killed by this seemingly incurable morbus by now, while many more are infected. Elderman Trabo himself seems to be in the terminal phase of the illness. Tensions between Chaunteans and Myrkulites are starting to become a serious issue and hostilities between the two groups could start at any moment now.

Soubar

The Plague has taken its toll on the town as well. One hundred villagers have died, devoured by maggots from the inside. The situation looks grim, albeit the town has quarantined most of the infected individuals.

Between Triel and Soubar

Strange tracks have been reported in the trait of road linking Triel to Soubar. While the tracks seem to be heading towards Soubar, they look definitely "unnatural", that is, belonging to no known creature. The soil bearing these tracks itself seems to have inexplicably withered and "died" on its own.

[DM Asgorath]

The Northern Sword Coast has been plunged in chaos and destruction today, as two events altered the Northern landscape considerably....

A small host of black orcs attacked Soubar and, despite its meager size, started slaughtering everyone nearby with the aid of strange maggot like creatures. Those who died of the plague also rose from their graves and turned on their past brethren, starting a massacre that was stopped only by the quick and timely intervention of the Order of the Silver Rose and their allies, who ultimately fought against a giant and disgusting white maggot emerged from the ground. A good share of Soubar's population has still been mercilessly butchered, but many more have been saved. The town is now in dire need of aid and rebuilding...

As for the Town of Triel, though, things have been far darker and grimmer. Whilst the Zhentarims were busy contending access to the city with the forces of good, a lone orc arrived inside the town and started raising its dead into plague zombies. Earthquakes and firestorms cast by the Plaguebringer leveled the town and set fire to many of its buildings, while three lonely zhentarim soldiers desperately fought for their lives as well as the lives of those inhabitants who rushed to them for salvation. The sudden intervention of a zhentilar platoon strengthened the defenders enough to allow them to hold the town center enough for the paladins and the adventurers of the south, strangely aided by the zhentarims, to teleport inside the town.

A fierce struggle then erupted, as the defenders clashed against the dozens and dozens of plague zombies. The plaguebearer itself then arrived and engaged the group with the aid of another gigantic maggot, its burrowing creating even more earthquakes who contributed to Triel's eventual demise. After a long and arduous struggle, both the plaguebearer and the worm had finally been killed...

But this has been for naught, though, as most of Triel's inhabitants had been devoured by their now raised brethren or killed by the plaguebearer's foul magics. A hundred of survivors emerged from a miracolously standing granary, pronouncing their allegiance to the Zhentarims after the battle had been concluded.

The town, though, now lies in shambles, its buildings either collapsed or burned to the ground, its fields rotten and blighted by the foulest magics around. The temple of Chauntea has similarly been overran by zombies, it's priestess devoured by the reanimated corpses of those she tried to save.

With one whole town basically erased from the maps, the balance of powers in the North is bound to be shifted once more...but towards which side, remains to be seen.

[DM Asgorath]

Hill's Edge

"A small but elite cadre of drow raiders launched a surprise attack against the northern town. Despite the strenuous resistance of the defenders, a high-ranking priestess of Lolth led the drows through a breakthrough in the defensive walls by using an earthquake to shatter them and pass through.

The drows then poured in the streets, maiming, killing, looting, burning, pillaging and slaughtering each and every inhabitant of the town, regardless of civilian or fighter. A few shocked survivors tell tales of a drow female cannibalizing her opponents whilst still alive and killing mighty ironclad warriors bare-handedly, others still claim in shock to have seen the priestess of Lolth summoning demons through the streets, invoking firestorms and earthquakes.

Those who managed to flee had their escape covered by a small band of defenders who heroically - yet pointlessly - decided to hold the line as the drows advanced to cover the civilians' retreat. None of them survived.

The drows then proceeded to partially destroy Hill's Edge's citadel through an earthquake which partially collapsed the rooftop and a magical rain of acid which grievously injured the citadel's inhabitants.

The town's main square was then desecrated, all the nearby deads reanimated into undead abominations who slowly proceeded to haunt the town for further victims. Chained to a statue overlooking the town square are the four undead forms of young adults, now twisted into ghasts, each one of them bearing a name carved upon its chest...."

Valiant
Azmodeth
Koryeneer
Lexa

A single phrase was instead painted in blood upon the statue to which the four undead abominations were chained, its alphabet in elven espruar, grotesquely completing the scene like some kind of morbid, unholy painting:

"We did This"

The town of Hill's Edge has suffered extensive damage as a result. Many buildings have been either razed to the ground, burned, or collapsed. Hundreds Dozens ((*edit DMogorgon:*)) of innocent citizens have been slaughtered. Undeads haunt the streets, preying on their past friends and countrymen.

Noteworthily, many children have been reported missing, kidnapped by the drows, most likely never to return.

The warhost of drows then left the town as quickly as it came, leaving seemingly no traces of its passage behind, save for a trail of destruction and death."

[DM Asgorath]

The Slaughter Continues

Although the drows have left the town, Hill's Edge's inhabitants are still suffering and far from being out of danger. Massive numbers of undeads still wander the streets, preying on everyone they encounter. Most villagers have been forced to either abandon the town or entrench themselves into their own homes. The situation gets more and more desperate with each hour's passage.

[DM VileThings]

In lighter news...

Some inhabitants along the coast have found some of the inhuman and human denizens of the coast to be moving about from their usual haunts. Normally not newsworthy, they were said to be behaving erratically, flailing wildly and, if possible for some, more aggressively than is normal.

Some reports include sightings of some kind of "Demon Frogs" being somehow involved.

A drink addled adventurer's mind playing tricks on them? Another wizardly experiment gone horribly wrong? Or something in the air?

[DMogorgon]

((OOC: edited down the casualties number for Hills Edge drow raids - a veteran DM once noted that for Forgotten realms smaller numbers work better than big))


As Hill Edge rebuilds from the devastation, word from the north indicates that initial reports of damage - while devastating - were slightly exaggerated. Drow paranoia spreads across the sword coast, foreigners are routinely harassed and vigilant guards are doubled at all major forts and settlements - eager to fill the gallows with a symbol to calm the masses.

[DM Nephilim]

A priestess of Myrkul has been seen around Triel, raising the undead, putting them to work reburying others and cleaning away debris from around the town. It is unknown whether she works alone or with a group. The impact on the taint of the land, and the town itself is yet unknown.