DM Sir Carnifex's Events

[Sir_Carnifex]

Grushk the Outcast

An enormous hobgoblin, Grushk, approached a warrior at the campfire south of Wyrm's Crossing and spoke in Orcish that he only sought rest. The warrior, a man by the name Beorn, fortunately understood the language and was able to converse. Beorn and the hobgoblin sat themselves on the nearby benches, joining an elf around a fire. The elf left feeling a little sick after watching the large hobgoblin gnaw upon a raw wolf's leg (player crash).

Beorn agreed to hunt bandits with hobgoblin, and, joined by Rowina Millows and a couple of dwarfs, Foinus Ironfaar and Bjorl Barro, they set off to the caves. Inside, the group found Grushk's clan which wanted to force him to return. Diplomacy was futile and the little band, with Grushk on their side, plowed their way through the enemy, eventually bursting out into the open outside the cave.

Grushk sought to live a peaceful life, so the group and Arkaine, who had just arrived, gave a good word to the nearby farmer and then let him return to the wild. The Dwarves were not too happy about this, but agreed to the decision rather than cause dissent in the party.

* * *

Long event here. 1350 XP and a few gems to those who were there from the beginning, 1350 XP for those that came a little later and 1000 XP for the one who came in halfway.

Thanks to DM Eldur for helping with the spawns.

[Sir_Carnifex]

Assassination #1

A hooded figure approached a shady character and offered the person gold in payment for assassinating a rich person and stealing some papers. The person agreed to do the job and proceeded to the Palace district to find the target's home. Once there the person stealthily gained entrance, but set off a trap which alarmed the guards. The hired assassin chose to kill all the guards, plus the target, grabbed a stack of papers and made a hasty exit out a window just as the Flaming Fist arrived.

The person received payment afterwards.

* * *

1000 XP and 1500 gold for the person involved in this.

[Sir_Carnifex]

The Sludge Master - Prologue

Two men standing in the farmlands were suddenly surrounded with a slippery black ooze. The puddle continued to expand even as magical black jellies formed from them. The men desperately tried to fight off the aggressive substance but were overwhelmed. Fortunately for them, a cleric came upon them as they were being engulfed by the magical beings. She managed to defeat the bubbling black mass and aid the two in their need.

* * *

300 XP for the originals and 50 XP for the one who came late.

[Sir_Carnifex]

The Sludge Master - Part I

While conversing near Jorn's farm, A Flaming Fist officer, Justin Crownsilver, and a traveler were suddenly engulfed in a mass of bubbling black ooze. The sticky substance grabbed at their feet, causing them to stumble and fall. Large amounts of magical jellies, oozes, and puddings emerged from the mass of black liquid and proceeded to converge on the two men. The two defeated these quite easily.

Still pondering the strange phenomena, the two found themselves approached by a woman surrounded by a large black puddle. She told them they had met her creations and that soon, black slime would cover the entire Sword Coast.

She left them, and soon they found themselves once again battling against the jellies. This time the sheer mass of liquid completely engulfed the two, rendering them unconscious. Then awoke shortly later to find that the ooze had lost its life and dried most of the way.

The traveler, a man by the name of John, found himself stuck to the fence he had been leaning against. With great effort he managed to pull himself away. At this time a third man approached to find the curious scene.

As soon as the new arrival came, more sticky black ooze materialized, once again dragging the hapless men to the ground. Three Fist members arrived to help, and the group decided it was best to retreat. With great difficulty, they struggled their way through the black mass and through the city gates. John had managed to grab a sample of the substance on the way.

Lt. Crownsilver ordered the guards to lock the gates and then, along with the traveler and Sgt. McBride, whom he had summoned, proceeded to report to Duke Eltan.

* * *

700 XP for those who went through the entire episode. 400/300 XP for those that were in a partial time.

[Sir_Carnifex]

Gold Rush

When there is a great deal of wealth involved in something, word travels fast. And so it did when a wagon train carrying treasure was attacked by giants south of Nashkel in the Cloudpeak foothills. Tongues in Beregost, Candlekeep, and even Baldur's Gate were soon spreading the news of the vast wealth that could be obtained from the wagons. A few even mentioned there might be survivors that needed rescuing, but most just shouted about the gold.

A fair number of adventurers, whether driven by the thought of instant riches or a kind heart, soon turned up near the ruins of Nashkel to seek the caravan and any of the members that had survived.

They soon found a crushed wagon just up the mountain road. It was the only one around, so the rest must have escaped or been caught. However, before any of them thought of looking elsewhere, their attention was caught by the muffled groans of a man buried in the remnants of the wagon. A few minutes of labor was enough to clear away enough of the broken wood and allow the badly bruised man to stand. He mentioned the attack, but they did not press him with questions as their first priority was to get him safely back to Beregost where his injuries could be attended.

Two of the adventurers, unwilling to wait to search for the reported treasure went ahead and scouted the Cloud Peaks. Nobody in that group saw them again.

The wagon man safely back in Beregost, the party set out to find the treasure. Some wished to return it to the rightful owners, others wished to keep it for themselves, but for the time being they stuck together.

As fortune would have it, the treasure came to them by means of a lone man carrying a sack who was treading upon the road the opposite direction. Curious as to what was inside the sack, one of the party sneaked behind the man and slit the underside of it. A large supply of gold coins fell down and scattered upon the ground. The entire party was sure where this man had come by his fortune, but were divided in how to deal with him. Some wanted to kill him and take the gold, others, turn the man in, and still others, question him. In the end, the adventurer talked his way out of the situation by giving the most unintelligent of the party, an orc named Gorker, a map to the remaining treasure and some gold from his own supply. He then trudged on up the road leaving the party to themselves.

Gorker, unable to read the map properly, led them south but had no clue where he was going. His companions found that he was reading the backside of the map and corrected this error. Soon they were where the map led: right back at the destroyed cart. A single word on the other side of the map told them they had been duped: "Idiots," it read.

By this time, it was too late to chase after the deceptive man who had given them the map so they determined to search for tracks to see where the rest of the wagon train went, or where the giants were. Their tracking abilites led them to a group of giants standing around an assortment of opened crates - the spoils of their raid. For the most part all that was inside was salted pork, but one did contain a small portion of gold. Shurk, the leader of the giants explained that the rest of the gold was taken by a smooth-talking adventurer or eaten by another giant. He agreed to a deal. The party would leave the pork alone and take the gold (bad food!) and there would be no fight.

The six companions left it at that and returned, dividing the gold among themselves except for one who donated it to the temple of Lathander.

* * *

1500 XP for the length of it.
1000 for those in part of it.

500 some gold for each.

Several alignment shifts.

Players involved:
Mot De
Gorker
Mars
Keagan Wyndsoul
Azrael the Summoner
Foinus Ironfaar (left early)
Mithari

[Sir_Carnifex]

The Mad Cleric - Part VI

Late at night, Nahum stood speaking with a visitor in the newly finished Istari Tower when the two were interrupted by a knocking on the door. Naturally assuming the sound to be coming from the entrance, Nahum strode over to open the door, only to realize the sound was coming from the stairwell door. A strange armored figure opened the door and walked in, much to the astonishment of the the Weavemaster exarch.

The man chatted on about unlocked doors at broken wards before the two were alarmed by a ruckus occurring upstairs. They rushed up to find the guardian golems melted into a a couple of iron ingots and a pit fiend standing over the remains. The exarch immediately used a flurry of spells to subdue the creature before any further damage could be done.

Concerned about the invasion, and also wondering what part the armored man had in this, the two rushed back to the stairs only to find the man had exited and to hear another battle raging downstairs. Hurrying down, the two found another pit fiend and two more melted golems. Once again they were forced to engage in battle against the creature, this time drawing to a stalemate before the fiend was unsummoned.

The armored figure reappeared at this point and began to explain himself, often showing himself to be utterly mad, too. He capered about in a funny dance, spun in circles, laughed in shrill voice, and raved. The name he gave was Baladar...

* * *

What happened next is a secret only to Nahum and Phantom. Thanks to the two for putting up with a sleep-deprived DM who was using a crazy idea. 750 XP for each of the two for the relatively brief session.

Oh...and the Weavemasters need to hire better contractors to do their wards!

[Sir_Carnifex]

The Sludge Master - Part II

Two adventurers were assaulted by a black ooze near the Temple of Bhaal along the Tradeway. A brief battle was all it took to eliminate the single enemy and the two were soon on their way along the road south once more. The peace and tranquility did not last long, however, for as the walked on the road, two ogres nearly ran over them in their haste to get away from something.

Curious as to what could cause the ogres such fright, the two investigated the area where the large beasts had been. There blocking the entire road (and much, much more, too) was a huge black mass of bubbling liquid that immediately began chasing the two across the terrain. Elf, halfling, and ogres all fled towards the safety of Candlekeep, though only the elf and the halfling survived to make it behind the massive double doors. Two elite Candlekeep guards rushed outside and defeated the giant mass, though they were covered in the sticky substance when they returned.

* * *

PCs involved
Rina Littlefoot
Nemi Imytholin

400 XP each.

[Sir_Carnifex]

Anchors Aweigh!

Captain Deudermont stood on the pier in front of his vessel as he waited for the line of passengers to pay their passage. The ship was heading to Amn eventually, but these passengers were stopping off at some docks near Candlekeep. As they passed by him, pausing to pay for the voyage, he shouted out orders to the crew to prepare to set sail. Soon the ship was loaded and she set out into the Sea of Swords.

Choppy waves beat upon the vessel for some time, causing several passengers to feel quite sick. The winds gusted even more and the seas became rougher. Soon waves were crashing against the side of the ship and on deck. To the consternation of all, a little halfling was washed overboard along with one sailor. The captain shouted that there was nothing they could do to save her in those conditions.

As if the voyage couldn't get worse, soon sails loomed on the horizon, and they were coming closer and closer. The crew and passengers all readied their weapons when they realized the approaching vessel was sailed by pirates. The raiders swiftly caught Captain Deudermont's ship and pulled alongside, tossing grappling hooks to connect the two ships. Immediately, a stream of pirates swarmed over, more and more coming from below deck where they had been hidden. Out on the lonely seas, a desperate battle was being fought...

After what seemed like ages, the numbers of the attackers began to dwindle and they retreated, cutting the grappling lines. The two ships drifted apart and soon the pirates were gone from sight. The crew and passengers let out a huge cheer for their victory. They were not without their own casualties, however. Many of the brave sailors had died, and a number of the adventurers on board were grievously wounded. The ship's leech tended these as best he could while the rest of the crew set about heading for their destination without further delay.

As they neared the docks near Candlekeep, one ornery passenger insisted on casting summon spells, causing zombies to appear. The captain warned him about his behavior, however he continued to practice his casting. Out of patience, Captain Deudermont ordered his crew to cast the person overboard near the shore, which they did to the enjoyment of the rest of the passengers.

After some time, the ship arrived at its destination and moored at the dock. The exhausted passengers disembarked and found themselves just a stone's throw away from Candlekeep.

* * *

1000 XP for the event. Thanks to the participants:

Aion
The Imp
Belados Noqu'afin
Manel (?)
Ursula Fey
Nebbie Silverwits
Durak Stonesmasher
Glaran
Chloe Kiwie
Kahai Bloodpaw

[Sir_Carnifex]

The Soul Splitter

Walking down the road away from Candlekeep, a dwarf was stunned to see a likeness of himself walking past him. Enraged at the imposter, he ran after his look-alike and demanded to know what was going on. To his surprise, the other displayed the same shock at seeing one who resembled himself so closely. The two dwarves came to blows after a brief argument resulting in one being sent to Myrkul.

Shortly thereafter, the same dwarf came across yet another who looked exactly alike. He was not so fortunate in the outcome this time and soon found himself standing in the midst of the the Fugue Plane. Alone he was not, as a quick glance revealed that the one he had previously slain was standing there also. A few minutes later, the second "twin" appeared as well, claiming to have be waylaid by yet another look-alike. This fourth copy soon joined them after getting into a dispute with the Flaming Fist.

The four of them, amidst their word wars, suddenly realized that if Myrkul would let any of them return to their world of existence, it would probably be only one. A footrace to Myrkul's stronghold began and the four dwarves huffed and puffed in an effort to beat the others there. There endurance was much the same, however, and they all reached Myrkul's throne at the same time.

They discovered that they were the same creature, only split into four parts - each one with a different aspect of the original dwarves personality. They had been the victims of a "soul splitter". Much as the four disliked each other, they realized that they must remain together, or at least in the general area, to keep from weakening considerably. Myrkul offered all of them a trip back to Faerun to search out this soul-splitter who makes his job four times more difficult.

Once out of the Fugue, the four of them split apart as far as possible, two going one way, the other two heading back to Candlekeep to seek answers to their dilemma. The answers they received there were not satisfactory - a book on the topic was available, but the monks do not allow outsiders to read them. Apparently Thay and Calimshan are two places known to be more familiar with the soul-splitters. The friendly, but not-so-helpful monk suggested that the dwarves seek the Weavemasters since the group has been known to study much of the arcane.

Two very disgruntled dwarves left Candlekeep, looking for one Nahum of the Weavemasters.

* * *

1000 XP for the main participant.
500/250 XP for the people who happened along and did some great RP.

[Sir_Carnifex]

The Hobgoblin Plague

Foinus Ironfaar and Aiden McBride were suddenly assaulted by a swarm of hobgoblins coming from east of the Lion's Way. Though the two easily dispatched the force of blood-thirsty creatures, they knew that there were more out there. The sound of drums and battlecries off to the east and moving north was evidence that a much larger force was moving towards Baldur's Gate - and at a rapid pace.

The two rushed northwards and also sent a messenger to warn the city of the oncoming horde. They reached the farmlands in time to encounter a teeming mass of hobgoblins pillaging and burning the outlying lands. With the aid of a few brave souls, the Flaming Fist sallied forth from the city and soundly defeated their unorganized enemies.

The success, however, is thought to be only temporary and the city watch is ever wary of another attack.

* * *

This is the beginning of some Flaming Fist events. It is not likely that too many others will be involved in them. Hurry up and enlist!

Thanks to DM Cephas for helping out with this one.

[Sir_Carnifex]

The High Mage's Pet

In the depths of the many tunnels that wind through the Underdark, four drow warriors and priestess of Llolth scuffled their way out of Sshamath. Every now and again, they'd encounter the odd agressive giant beetle or two. To a party such as they, the massive insects were little more than a nuisance. Soon, however, a figure approached, drawing to an end the seemingly unending tedium of bug-squishing.

The figure was none other than Sil'Massar, personal guard and semi-trusted servant of one of the high mages of Sshamath. He had chosen this particular group to do his master's bidding: find and destroy an orc slave that had escaped with his master's pet.

And so, after much argument and threats from the priestess, the group began their search. Two left halfway through, evidently rather taking their chances of living after disobedience than suffer the humiliation of being ordered around. [Server crash. These two didn't come back.]

The three that remained diligently investigated the floor of the tunnels trying to determining the wayward orc's point of direction. Heavy tracks led the three past an ominous patch of glowing spores and into a cave just off the main tunnel. There they found the orc slave, who quickly made flight. His feet would not carry him fast enough, and he soon felt the flat side of an axe on the back of his head.

The three triumphant drow tied up their quarry and carried him back to Sil'Massar expecting some sort of reward. Alas! After they had arrived, they came to realize that they had misunderstood orders. The master's favorite pet still remained lost and the orc was still alive. A quick and deceitful tongue saved the three from imminent torture for their failure, and they were instead sent back out from the city with the orc (now dead) and a secret mission.

* * *

PCs Involved:

Xan'Thir
Amin Di'mar
Celith Morcane

500 XP each.

Alignment shifts for two.

[Sir_Carnifex]

Too Many Kobolds in the Kitchen

In Faerun, even the calmest of places hides much danger. In this case, three dwarves and one member of the Flaming Fist found that even standing amidst a well-traveled road by the farms that surround the city of Baldur's Gate, death can come quickly.

From behind the rows of corn stalks in Jorn's fields came a few small spells cast at the crowd. Angered by the seemingly weak attack, Foinus Ironfaar rushed headlong into the sea of stalks to chop down the kobold that had dared challenge him. His rash attack soon proved very unfortunate as a dozen more kobolds hidden farther back unleashed a fatal storm of magic. Even the hardiest of fighters will fall from such an onslaught, and that is what happened to the dwarf. His cousin, one Furin Ironfaar, attempting to aid in the situation also fell prey to the fury of the little lizard-like creatures. Only the persistence and tenacity of the Flaming Fist, Aiden McBride, turned the tide of the skirmish. A few minutes later, he stood there alone in the field, surrounded by the corpses of kobolds and the two dwarves. The third dwarf had fled from the battle.

Aiden knelt by the bodies and uttered prayers to Helm over them. Life slowly came back to their bodies as his prayers were granted.

The day's work had only begun, however, for Aiden and the three dwarves. They traveled south, intending to investigate the nearby ruins where kobolds abound. As they reached the southern end of Wyrm's Crossing, an irritated and tired Jorn ran up to them. He was yet again plagued by problems. This time, a cow and some chickens were missing. Cow droppings on the bridge gave evidence that the thief had headed south.

So onward they trudged to come upon one of the strangest things imaginable. A single kobold stood by a fire selling roasted meat - beef and chicken, to be sure - and a customer stood off a pace eating his dinner. Surely, then, this must be the animal thief.

Aiden immediately began to question the kobold concerning the food. Foinus surmised that surely one little creature could not have killed and cooked a cow in the little time that had elasped since the theft, but the others paid little heed to him. Instead they grilled the kobold until he agreed to take them to his meat source, a "man" he referred to as the Butcher. The kobold led them to the source, then returned to his roadside stand.

Upon entering, the four were greeted by the odd sight of an orc busily cutting and de-boning a cow and some chickens. To their surprise, the orc was quite intelligent and cooperative. Before long, they realized that the kobold had pulled a trick on them with his sly tongue, for he had stolen the animals, sold them, and then bought the meat back from the butcher. The orc they let go free, for he was innocent, but as for the kobold...

They never did find him, but if anyone comes across a competent chef with an extraordinarily long nose and of small stature, then one has come across Keetin the Kobold Cook.

* * *

PCs involved
Aiden McBride
Bogey Hammerguard
Furin Ironfaar
Foinus Ironfaar
Noril Arniman

400 XP for those in it from the start.
100 XP for the rest.

[Sir_Carnifex]

Stinger

A man may not fear the sharp edges of the orcs' swords, or the menacing jaws of a ravenous wolf, but the smallest of creatures can cause a panic. Such is the way of the world.

Two men passing by on the road stopped to exchange a few words with each other. Had not a chance occurrence come about at that time, the meeting would probably have been nothing more than a short greeting. However, as the two stood there, a rather large hornet-like insect landed on the first man's neck and gave him a vicious sting. The reaction of the man was to slap at the aggressor and the man scored a kill, but not before receiving enough of the poison to cause a good deal of swelling and a nagging pain.

William was initially inclined to think no more of the matter than that of a typical bug bite, but the one standing across from him thought otherwise. A creature like that could have been the work of the infamous Shadow Druids and they could be out for revenge against William for something. With this idea implanted in his head, William began to think that this could be the case. Three more men arriving at the scene did nothing to alleviate his concerns as they, too, began to discuss the nature of the sting, the poison, and about Shadow Druids. One of them, to the victim's dismay, went so far as to explain how some individuals would use an ordinary insect and lace it's stinger with a new poison for assassination purposes.

Soon two of the bystanders grew tired of speaking of William's woes and departed the area. Those who remained decided to see what else could be done to help. Fortunately for the afflicted one, one of them had the sense to cast a spell to neutralize the poison.

Everything well again, the three split to go their own ways.

* * *

Thanks to the players for turning a one-minute RP thing into a mini-event. They were, in order of arrival:

William Fredrickson
Flail
Waylan Dantes
Lahash
Karson Maioth

300/200/100 XP was given as a reward.

One alignment shift.

[Sir_Carnifex]

The Butler Did It!

Gnolls, gnolls, and more gnolls.

On the tradeway, they are a familiar sight, especially near the massive Temple of Bhaal that looms over the road. Ordinarily one or two will be found to harass the unwary traveler, but on this occasion an organized attack from the cliffs above the road began as gnolls with crossbows rained bolts down upon the group gathered below. Even as a swordsman rushed to cut down the gnolls, he stumbled upon an even larger group of the dog-headed beasts wielding halberds. He had fallen for the trap and in short order he was left lying dead upon the road. The gnolls trampled over his body to press their advantage upon the remaining four defenders. Shortly after, the cut down one more and seemed to be on the verge of victory....

"CHARGE!"

A yell from behind revealed the presence of a Flaming Fist force coming to the aid of the beleaguered adventurers, and with their assistance the group pushed back their adversaries, killing them or forcing a retreat.

The immediate threat disposed of, the Fist and the adventurers had time to see to their own wounds and also the dead. Luck was with them as the patrol happened to have a powerful cleric with them and he exercised his powers to bring life back to the two fallen.

* * *

Some time had passed and the group split. A couple went on their way while the others decided to investigate these gnoll attacks further. Seeing how most of the gnolls seemed to come from the keep along the road, they searched about inside the walls for a time. They determined that the best method to prevent any more ambushes would be to seal the gates, which one wizard attempted to do by arcane means. His initial attempt appeared to work... And then the doors blew open and spewed fire, narrowly missing several of the party.

Intrigued as to what had happened, the once more ventured inside. Curiosity got the better of one and she rang a gong to see what would happen. One skeleton came rushing out of the keep. She rang it again... and again... and more skeletons came forth. Finally they decided to search inside the keep itself, perhaps to even attempt to cleans the foul place.

What they found was not what they had expected. A skeleton is long robes greeted them and informed them that he was the butler. Not humored by their unannounced entrance, he warned them to leave or be destroyed. The sane members of the party obliged and retreated out the door. The other two remained and did not find their way out.

Outside the keep, the living members of the group found Aiden McBride who immediately rushed in to retrieve the recently deceased. Helm heard his prayers and the two were brought back to the world of Faerun once more.

None of them really knew what was going on inside the keep, except that the name of Baladar was mentioned...

* * *

PCs Involved
Spelman
Rich Meyer
Soveiria Stormblade
Karson Maioth
Wyle Galdry
Dia Gwendalen
Sarithol Niavikova
Aiden McBride

500/250 XP
Two alignment shifts

[Sir_Carnifex]

Bats!

Four people heading into Candlekeep were disturbed by the fluttering of bats overhead. The bats must have been misdirected because they flew right into the group. Several bats died in the "combat".

Wondering what could possibly bring out a large amount of bats at night, the group investigated a nearby cave. They searched diligently, but only found an broken wine cask with the contents spilled out, several spiders, and (you guessed it!) a swarm of bats.

The group fought its way out of the cave through leathery wings and emerged outside to return their trip to Candlekeep.