Rumors of Amn

[ohboy007]

Rumors spread of a growing insurrection against the new order being implemented in Beregost. Many of the thieves and cut throats that ran the local streets had become all too comfortable with the Amnian forces spread out so thinly. Now that the thieves nests are being disturbed, many locals believe it will likely to provoke even more violence and retribution as the various cartels hold on tightly to their levers of power.

[Hidennka]

Rumors are circulating of an attack on a young paladin of Tyr on the roads between Beregost and Nashkel. It is said that the young woman was found by a member of The Silver Shield on the road who helped her back to her feet only to then be confronted by a man dressed entirely in black robes with a hood and mask that covered his face. He was said to have smelled of rotting flesh and death.

Upon recognizing the Lady wore a cloak of the Tyrian symbol, he inquired as to her faith and learnt her to be a Paladin of The Maimed God. He proceeded to offer her a 'blessing' from his master which she declined, drawing her blade as the man raised his hands and became hostile. It is said the hooded assailant claimed she would make a good death or sacrifice for 'The Blood God' as he attacked the already badly wounded Paladin.

A woman's body matching the same description was spotted soon after in Beregost over the shoulder of a man with a black cloak with white cross. She was delivered to the Lathandrite temple where she was quickly restored. She is said to still be recovering from her injuries within the temple, having no recollection of the attack save for the details of others.

The Lady Paladin is apparently well known and news of her attack has caused an uproar within certain groups who now seek her attacker whom of which is still at large.

[ohboy007]

A few citizens of Beregost have complained about faint and muted sounds in the middle of the night. A fewer selection of these individuals say the faint disturbances sound like dozens of picks slamming into solid bedrock.

Meanwhile, fifty feet down below the streets of Beregost...

The dark sooty tunnel is filled with the stench of scores of sweaty unwashed humanoid bodies, discarded food, and a hint of death. Most of the workforce seems to be comprised of goblin slaves captured from the mines near Beregost where they lair. Some bugbears, orcs, hobgoblins, and even humans make up the rest of the slave labor force. All who hold a pick instead of a whip toil away leaving all hope behind them as day by day they inch further and further into the tunnel. Most of the disheveled slaves know they will never see their families again once the project is completed. The only thing that drives their picks hard into the bedrock are the sharp ends of whips and spears driving into their own backsides.

A group of goblins pick away at a large granite boulder that is holding up progress. One of the goblins falls over onto the ground exhausted, the backbreaking work plus the lack of nutrition had finally caught up to him. A hin with a whip immediately ran over to the downed goblin screaming at him and started wildly whipping the poor devil. Lacking the energy to even scream out in pain, the goblin merely groaned as the skin on it's back was flayed open due to the relentless beating. A pool of blood soon enveloped the dead goblin as the others in his group huddled away in the shadows terrified.

The death of the goblin only seemed to anger the hin more as he began kicking the carcass over and over again. After the hin's rage had run it's course, he called out to another human, "we have some more dead weight!" The mysterious hooded monk walked over calmly to the corpse and began the ritual. Several moments later, the once dead goblin began to stir. The goblin finally stood up and looked at the human priest with a blank stare. None of the goblins wounds healed and it still held the lifeless greenish color it had when it died. The priest commanded his zombie to follow him to where another group of zombies toiled away carrying various equipment and materials around as if they were nothing more than pack mules.

A woman wearing red silk robes walked down the corridor to examine the progress being made as she spoke to several of the overseers. The Sorceress's hood hung low upon her features while only exposing her lips and lower jaw as usual. The red robed woman placed a hand upon her hip while looking all around as the slave crews steadily swung their picks, none of them daring to make eye contact with their overlord. A smile spread across her fair features as she gave her blessings to the mad hin overseeing the tunnels excavation. Satisfied with her inspection, the Red Sorceress made her way back out of the tunnel and into the vast underground fortress hidden deep and far away from civilization and the rule of law.

[The_Gruff_Stout]

A man wearing the cloak bearing the silver cross of the Silver Shield has been seen entering the House of the Guardian in Nashkel. The man enters quietly, walks to the front of the church and kneels into a bow. Those close enough can hear his prayer...

"Helm grant me the wisdom to watch over those blind to the evils of the land. Grant me the strength to protect those that cannot protect themselves. Grant me the resolve to guard over the common man that he might share the security of being in your ever watchful gaze."

The man slowly rises and makes his way to the brazier burning in the middle of the church. He takes his finger and wipes some of the ash from the rim onto his symbol of Helm that hangs from his neck. Before leaving he drops a sack of coin in the offering bowl, turns and bows his head toward the statue of Helm once more before leaving...

[Calodan]

A man walks into the local tavern and produces an odd looking helm. He asks the barkeep if any in the area are looking for a helm of much wonder by adventurers I the area and tells the man that he should direct any to a Koryeneer Sentinel. He gives the barkeep a small bag of gold coins for his time and leaves the tavern.

///OOC This is the DM Vilethings Plot Helm I am looking for any information. PM me or contact me in game.

[TheKai]

Whispers circulate of a group of elves bearing goods will be heading south to coastal cities for trade in the near future.

The merchants bustle every which way, cleaning up their shops and counting every coin to the last copper so they know how much they have to spend.

Nobles gossip giddily at the whispers and news as the legends of elven craftsmanship and finery reach their ears.

Children can be seen running excitedly around the city, makeshift longswords and longbows in their hands playing happily.

Tavern whispers circulate on the potential mighty artifacts and relics being escorted to each city for sale. Drunken disbelievers scoff and turn to consume another tankard, increasing their belly size.

With all the hushed whispers and excited talks circulating, one sliver of truth manages to stay the same in each: The Elves in the north are opening up their vaults.

[Solaris]

In the dark hours of the night it is said by a local ranger that, a red haired woman ran out of the lizard caves near the waterfall. he said she might have been carrying a sack on her back... or was it a body, or perhaps the loot she took from the lizards.

he also claims to have seen what looked like a moving shadow, turning back into the caves... or was it just a mere trick of his already tired eyes...

[DM Asgorath]

A large crowd gathered in Beregost as the notorious criminal known as Sabel Faeria, aka the Red Sorceress, was dragged towards the stockades by the captain of the Amnian garrison.

Apparently captured by a couple of mercenaries of the Silver Shield, the Sorceress was found guilty of the charges of: Theft, Treason against Amn, Murder, Assault, Smuggling, Blasphemy against the House of the Guardian in Nashkel, and Attempted Murder of an Amnian Army Officer.

The Sorceress was executed by having the contents of a cauldron full of molten gold poured into her mouth, according to Amnian customs when dealing with notorious criminals. The leftover molten gold was then minted in Amnian currency by Thunderhammer and evenly distributed amongst the populace.

As for the Red Sorceress' disfigured, seared body, it was brought to the Temple of Lathander wherein it received a burial in holy ground.

A few splatters of solidified gold on the ground are all that is left to bear witness of the execution that took place in Beregost, alongside a small sign with 4 words written on it.

"Crime Does Not Pay"

[=Thunderbolt=]

One fine evening a armor clad man aprroaches and heads in the House of Guardian in Nashkel. His face bears fatigue of troubles and perhaps lack of sleep. He talks to the guard paladin for a moment and heads in. Those visiting the temple would see him conversing privately with one of the priest in lenght. Finally on brink of night the man leaves a coin purse as donation and heads out. His fatigued face perhaps showing a bit of clarity. A black cloak with a silver cross flaps behind him as he makes his way North.

[DM Asgorath]

Beregost

Some people are reporting sightings of the now-deceased Red Sorceress to the amnish patrols. Whilst details of said sightings are sketchy at best, and completely gibberish at worst, people are starting to wonder whether the dreaded sorceress is truly dead or not...

[calvinus]

A rumor (or truth) spreads around the town of Beregost... A Helmite member of the Everwatch Knights of Helm and two other adventurers recently reported to local Amnish authorities that a stable horse had fallen victim to murder in the middle of town. It is unknown who committed such a heinous crime of murdering livestock, but local speculation pointed to anything from a return of the Dead Crows to other usual criminal suspects. The adventurers reporting the crime seemed to speculate that the dead horse had no bruises or signs of puncture or slashing wounds, but rather bared a dark black mark, perhaps magical in origin...

[Solaris]

One of the local Nashkel rangers walks tiredly into the Belching Dragon Tavern and orders some wine. To those who would want to hear he speaks of something haunting he had seen last night. He avidly brings a goblet of wine to his lips, and eagerly lets it be re-filled as soon as it is empty...

High up in the mountains, in the late of night, a faint pale blue flickering light broke the otherwise pitch black darkness of a moonless sky. As he came closer, the light grew brighter and a low, resonating sound could be heard. In fact... it has been more a feeling in his chest than a sound, he says. The temperature had dropped rapidly and continued to drop as he got closer, despite the already piercing cold of the hoarse white waste the Cloudpeaks tops are.

Just before he could make out any shapes, the blue light suddenly brightened up in a flash, to quickly leave nothing but darkness. No sound, no movement... nothing.

As he gets to the centre of where the light had been, he finds what looks to be two circles... circles made of sharp jagged ice shards pointing towards the middle, covered with a layer of fresh snow. Yet, there had been no snow this cold starry night...

The man picked up his goblet of wine and drank it out. His hand wipes his eyes and he mutters something about his need to sleep before slowly staggering towards his room....

[calvinus]

Speartop Watchtower Part 1
((Player Run Quest To Be Continued))

Word spreads along the Sword Coast and in the Amnian areas of Nashkel and Beregost in particular that a Helmite Paladin and member of the Everwatch Knights of Helm, Wai Li, formed an expedition of fellow-paladins and other allied adventurers including Durn, Terri, Mercury, Sani, Valiant, Cecilia, Bandit, Oxthain, and Leo to survey a site for a watch tower on the 3 mile high peak of Speartop in the Cloud Peak Mountains. Rumors say that while the surveying of a site for the new watch tower to aid the security of Amnian trade routes, of travelers, of regional centers of civilization, and of merchants passing through the area was successful, an offshoot of the expedition that intended to cull the threat of a nearby dragon cult and its master wyrm to secure the site of the watch tower for eventual construction was a dismal failure. Denizens of the Sword Coast blabber that the expedition returned in a gloomy state with many a blood stained armors and outfits as well as bite, burn, and scratch marks visible. People say that it has yet to be decided whether a stronger and more robustly supported -- with better arms, manpower, and financial backing -- return expedition will be organized to cull the dragon threat for the construction of the watch tower or whether the dragon cult and its banner wyrm, an extremely powerful white dragon, will respond with escalation in kind. It is known, however, that the Helmite Wai Li has put out public postings in Amnish lands looking for financial backing and/or noble patronage for a future expedition, if any.

((If anyone wants to participate in this plot going forward, assuming it does continue, please contact Wai Li via PM or in game in an RP appropriate manner.))

[DM Asgorath]

Word quickly spreads, that the fabled Red Sorceress was seen running away from the guards of Beregost under broad daylight, much to everyone's chagrin. The woman exchanged a few pleasanties with the local captain of the Amnian garrison, before attacking an adventurer who tried to apprehend her.

As the guards lunged against the sorceress, she conjured forth a dense globe of darkness. What happened inside the darkness is open to debate, but when the cloud dissolved, Sabel Faeria had vanished and there was only a dying guard left at her place.

Under the shock and annoyance of the population, the Captain allowed three scholars of Candlekeep to examine the alleged resting place of the equally allegedly deceased sorceress.

What did the three scholars do to the body is currently unknown.

[Relliknam]

(Siege Against Beregosh)

After a long patrol to the north, in the fields of the dead. The Helmites of Nashkel , Durek and Drahano. Accompanied by Bobetta black teleported back to the House of the Guardian in Nashkel. Durek went off to report to the head Priest and discuss about the Vault of the dead. while Drahano and Bobetta walk over to Beregosh to unload spoils they found in their adventure. Heading north from nashkel in the middle of the road, They notice a hand made blockade. Approaching it they notice dozens of Xzart, Rats , and Wererats behind it. Due to a breeze of the wind.....


....One of Wererats platoon leaders sniffed them out and instantly engaged. Xart Witch doctors Transforming into giant earth elemental's, Rats and Wererats sprint towards them and attack from all sides. Bobetta and Drahano find them selves surrounded. The battle last for almost 30 minutes. Standing their ground and slowly pushing forward , Driving the army back. The two meet up in the middle of the road with other adventurers coming from Beregosh. They gather their strengths and decide to pursue this Battalion of creatures back to the Xzart village.

There up the hill was the leader, An Intelligent Wererat yelling attack formations at the rest of his company. Wave after wave of creatues keep coming but the couragous group still stands. When only a few linger... . The leader gave up and tried to run away. A few in the group including Drahano ran after him and held him down. One of the members of the group used some rope scavenged from an old trap to tie the WereRat up. while discussing what the next course of action was, the WereRat spoke a lot of thieves and curses, and that the Xzarts worship them and accepted them. Appose to those in Baldurs gate. What ever the hell that means...

Drahano suggest that they turn the thing in to the governss. Being a Helmite of Nashkel, his job is to protect the southern region and turn in any culprits. Some time after the group noticed their were still some hostiles left within the Xzart Village and that their leader was not captured yet. Thinking they had the wrong Wererat or one of no importance. They decides to let it go. And Go after the remaining creatures. Once all was finished they return to Beregosh and get confronted by a Buck tooth wide eyed man pal skinned man. His only question was " Are they all dead" ?


Most of the group answer's at the same time " yes" but this mans appearance raised suspicions. Random questions get thrown at him but he gives simple answers. giving up no information. Drahano knowing what he heard from the Wererat and what he saw. Assumed that this man could be a pure blood. After this encounter Drahano and Bobetta follow the man north to high hedge. But very quickly loosing him in the shadows. Obviously this wasn't the common merchant he claimed to be. But before they knew it.. he spoke from the shadows.. and a very interesting conversation was held...

** A pure blood is a Wererat that can take the shape of a human**