02-Tuesday – Who/What

Tuesdays we will be focusing on the who, NPCs, bad guys, people or things that drive the adventure and story.

Just Twig

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The forest treetop town of Bramblewall is home to many races but most common is the forest gnomes and elves, and tonight we meet Twig, just Twig. Twig is a bit of an odd name for a forest gnome, let alone a person but she was anything but ordinary when she was found in Bramblewall.

Twig has big dreams to change the rules of the village, the rules that keep the little folk down and those of renown and prestige on top. But can the little gnome change how things are done in the village? Only time can tell.

Just Twig

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Twig – Created in Nightcafe.

As Alkerion rounded the bend again Twig took down the lap time and calculated how many laps he, and his bird Jesper, would be able to complete with a full day’s flight. The only issue is that Twig knew that Jesper would need to rest after each flight due to the bird’s lower stamina. Landing and drinking deeply from a bucket of nectar Jesper panted as it recovered. Luckily Twig had something to show Alkerion.

“Alkerion! I think you should have a look at something.” she called out as she ran over with the data on her parchment.

“Did I get faster? How many laps per day do you think we can make?” Alkerion asked as she brushed bugs out of Jespers feathers and from his coat.

“Well yes. Overall faster but Jesper needs to rest for longer to get his energy from the nectar.” she began.

“Good, I will get Jesper ready to go at once to see if I can improve the time. How many laps per day was it?” Alkerion asked as he checked the saddle and harness again.

“26, but Jesper needs to rest more to feed for longer. So 24 or 25 at most is the safe number.” Twig said. “I have a solution though, a lightweight pack that enables Jesper to feed as he flies” she hurriedly spoke as she ran over with the contraption made from insect chitin.

“No, we’ve been over this poor Twig. Jesper will be fine. We just need to work on his stamina and all will be well. He feeds plenty when we stop. Any more and I will lose too much time.” Alkerion began waving off Twig and the contraption. “Stick to what you are paid to do, record my times, keep an eye on the competition. That is all you are good for so stick to it now little Twiggy.” Alkerion said as he mounted the giant bird. Jesper looked longingly at the bucket of nectar that lay half eaten as he still continued to pant.

“It’s Twig, just Twig.” she said back to Alkerion who flew off without registering her reply. Twig hated how he called her Twiggy. She was made for more than just this and she was going to prove it. She reset the device as the elf racer took off and watched as the numbers increased with the passing seconds and minutes. “Jesper deserves better.” she muttered as she walked off holding her invention.

The party knocked on the door at the cabin at the base of one of the trees. Looking up above the building ladders and stairs were built into the side of the tree and wound its way up into the treetop village above. A few moments of movement in the building passed before a man with a walking cane appeared. “I’ve been expecting you, come in please.” the kind old elf smiled and hobbled towards some seating made from smoothed out roots of the tree.

“Now I can’t thank you enough. As you can assume I am Julaor, not a very traditional elven name I am afraid but it is what it is.” he said with a smile as he offered some steaming cups towards them. “Fern-leaf Tea any one?”

After the party had sat down in the old elves hut he procured a large book from the table and opened it to a page. “I am the custodian of the races, a tradition that used to be a rite of passage for the young elves of this village. But over time it has evolved and changed and much like the great redwoods we live on we must adapt and grow over time. Each year I find the similar names on the roster and I ensure that they abide by the code with the mounts that they enter.” he said as he flicked deeper into the book.

“And the past few years, with the coming of the hubbub outside,” he gestured to the tent city of the Treetop Races market that was forming, “I find more people profiteering out of something that was a traditional ceremony. Now there are no laws against it but when it endangers the life of the riders that is something that I can’t abide by. This year though there is something unusual. We have new racers, not all too unusual admittedly, but new breeds of mounts have been added. We have a creature that I have been informed is herbivorous that meets the criterion and we also have our first mammal. Now I suspect that this will create chaos and a new market in which people can exploit. What I have requested aid in is protecting the riders, all of them, from outside influence and where you deem it necessary to step in further then I can give you the authority as Roost Wardens to manage the safety of the mounts and racers in this race.” he finished as he produced a wooden box.

“I can pay you this now, and then double again when the job is done if you are found to be up to the task. If you find the source of corruption I want it removed. But quietly. It can’t be found out that the village is orchestrating this, it needs to look like it was done by another’s hand. ” Julaor said as he looked at each of the adventurers before him.

A shorter one tonight, and that’s not a height joke due to the gnome at the centre of our adventure. This week the focus won’t be so much on the NPCs involved but the interactions on the players and the story. There are a few paths and ways out of this where we will investigate what is going on and how to overcome the obstacles. But for that to really take place you’ll have to find out what lies in wait for the party. So don’t forget to come back each day this week for the expanding content of the adventure and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Boris’s Guard

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The men and women that Boris hire to be part of his crew when working for him are known simple as Boris’s Guard. They are far from elite warriors but under the firm guidance of Boris’s keen mind they have faced off worse foes than many. Despite all of them coming from a diverse background they each blended well and complimented their fellow guards skills well.

But not everything is always peachy perfect, there are rough spots to any team and Boris’s Guard is no exception. So grab a coffee, sit back and let’s explore what the guard has in store for us this week.

Boris’s Guard

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Boris Izenhowlser – Created in Artbreeder.

The fog that had come in from the trees at night was expected. Boris had planned for this and had set up mounted torches at the edge of their camp that ensured that there were no significant shadows between the trees and where they had stopped for the night. Cookie, Luke, had organised enough food for the guard, the party and even the prisoners and was busy ensuring everyone got fed. When he returned from the wagons though he had a concerned look on his face.

“The prisoners won’t eat. They keep looking out beyond the torchlight like a Tarrasque is about to step out of it and eat them. Maybe the adventurers are right, when we saw those tracks the prisoners mentioned that something was after them.” he continued as he handed a bowl of stew to the party – it was good stew.

Boris was the last to eat and as usual as per the last few nights, he was the one who insisted that he walk to each torch mounted on a post and ensure that they were lit and placed correctly. As the guards watched Boris walking about, a large broad headed axe was held ready in his hand but swung by his side. “What do you think they did?” one of the guards, Ron asked. “If they are spooked by something following them, maybe they betrayed a cartel?”

“Nah I reckon they were found to be spies from the fey. You know that they inhabit these woods?” Kat said looking around the woods with a twinkle in her eye.

“You’re all wrong. They are just normal prisoners. Probably thieves.” Dorn said as he chewed on his stew.

“But why are we being paid this much to guard them to Pensevtil. You know that a wizard runs that place? He is only interested in the truly messed up and arcane.” Raff said boldly as he leaned forward.

Em Wannapeek – Created in Artbreeder.

“Now let’s not go looking into ghost stories now. We have reason to suspect that there may be people that want this group free but the chance of that is low.” Em, Boris’s second in command announced as she watched some of the other guards start talking. “Besides, we’re scarier than whatever is out there.” she added which brought upon a small cheer.

“Enough of that.” Boris said, appearing as if a ghost himself behind the guards. “I want three guards on watch at any time tonight. This fog may be natural but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. Tomorrow we will ensure we set up above the fog so we have better visibility.” he said as he grabbed a bowl of stew from Cookie, thanking him as he sat down. 

“Now I spent some time thinking about the bandits that we encountered on the way here – I think they were just being opportunistic. Thinking to make some coin from the prisoners after they disposed of us.” he mused as he ate. “Any other theories?”

“From the ones we dispatched there was nothing to indicate otherwise.” Dorn replied, normally the silent one of the group.

“One did flee, but I got him with my bow” Kat said as she mimed firing an arrow.

“Yeah he won’t last more than a day with that wound” Raff added, the others and Boris nodding.

“But I don’t think he was that wounded. Something was a bit off about that one bandit fleeing. Normally Kat’s shots lay a man flat in the ground. But this one kept running. Something unnatural about that unless,” Em paused for a moment, “Unless Kat – were you off your game?”

Kat mocked looking shocked and insulted “Why I never. I am never off my game.” she replied, shooting a mock-glare at Em.

“Exactly, mark my words. That one that escaped wasn’t natural.” Em added. Boris nodded before adding “Ensure that we keep an eye out until we drop off the prisoners. If you see something odd, shoot first, ask questions later.” he said as he brought out a peculiar medallion and looked knowingly at everyone – the party inclusive.

The Guard

Luke Arden ‘cookie’ – created in Artbreeder.
Ron Kesper – Created in Artbreeder.
Kat Farmgate – created in Artbreeder.
Dorn Brumble – Created in Artbreeder.
Raff Blitzword – Created in Artbreeder.

It’s shaping up to be a big one this week and we have quite a few NPCs this week. I don’t go through all the Prisoners but having names will help at least, but that can be for another night. With tomorrow night changing what we know about this weeks adventure don’t forget to come back then. And, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Morrowdeep’s Miners and Minors

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The village of Morrowdeep is filled with people. Tourists and the workers of the village far outnumber Morrowdeep’s miners and minors – the people who risk their life in the mines and those to young to know any better. This week we meet a few people in those categories, young and the old who call this city home – both are prey to the evil that now stalks this land once again.

Will history repeat itself or will the people of Morrowdeep learn from their past mistakes – only time can tell now. But without dawdling any more let’s look at Morrowdeep’s Miners and minors – the NPCs of this weeks adventure.

Morrowdeep’s Miners and Minors

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Hiljor Ironbrow – Created in Artbreeder.

The young dwarven lass pushed through the large oaken doors to the Wispy Willow, one of the few drinking establishments that still let her in. She pulled up a stool at the bar and sighed heavily, she had just left this seat not even an hour ago and she was already sitting back down at the table. After a moment she felt the familiar presence of the bartender looming over her.

“What will it be now Hiljor? I wasn’t expecting you at least for another hour or so for lunch.” the older man asked without a hint of malice in his voice.

“That Gregory just riled me up, that’s all Pastor. I’ll just have some bread and cheese – will skip the ale until I can pay you back for the last one you poured me.” she murmured behind her heavyset arms. The man shook his head and disappeared behind the doors behind him. A few moments later a plate of bread, some cheese and some roasted meat was placed in front of her – with a mug of ale.

“If you can look at the lanterns and work out why they aint working that would count us square.” Pastor, the old innkeep, said with a smile as Hiljor looked up. Pastor was one of the last businesses in Morrowdeep that used the old lanterns instead of the Lanternstone. Hiljor appreciated this and was grateful that she could still use her natural affinity for this technical work to good use.

“I’ll have them working by the end of the day. Don’t worry about that, but I will still get the coin to you to pay for your hospitality” she mumbled, she didn’t feel like she could suffer too many blows to her ego today.

“Your dad was a good worker, a credit to the village. I just want to make sure that you have a better life here than he did. You should avoid Gregor, you can’t get in trouble with the guard again.” Pastor said as she tapped her twice on the shoulder and went to serve another customer.

Gwen Thistlewick – created in Artbreeder.

The forest was bright and noisy in the mid-morning sun and Gwen strolled more carefree than normally. Her older brothers stood nearby and stood watch while her and the other girls gathered mushrooms and other herbs. She knew what to look for most of the time and the order was rather large this time and some of it was harder to find. She thought she knew where to find the riverwort but her brothers refused to let her go into the woods.

But the order required it and if they didn’t bring it back they wouldn’t get paid well. As she watched her brothers keep a watchful eye for danger she slunk off. Being slight and smaller than the other older children it was easy to move about unnoticed and soon she was passing the thick bark of the trees that grew close to the river. As she pushed through the last bushes she spied what she was looking for – a fallen log sitting near a small stream.

She was always a studious student and could memorise the herbs, plants and mushrooms that grew in the woods, hills and caves near Morrowdeep. This made her a credit to her family’s name and she prided herself in her ability to source the rarest ingredients. Carefully looking around the trunk of a large tree she paused and looked about the river for signs of danger. Seeing none she moved forward quickly and drew the small knife that she would need to remove the fungi from the log.

She spotted it, there deep in the log the riverwort. Pushing herself deeper into the log she extended her arm and cut off many of the flat, liver looking fungus before crawling backwards. “Riverwort, useful to stop bleeding and can relieve pain and fevers. But you already knew that didn’t you lass?” a voice said from above her.

Startled, she fell backwards and let out a small shout – her brothers called her name in the distance. “I didn’t see you there. I swear I checked. How… Who…?” she stammered.

A young woman sat there in layers of green and brown cloth. She smiled broadly and produced a flower from a basket she had next to her. “Just a friend, I also was looking for riverwort and other ingredients. Do you know where I can find pink tongue? It’s been a long time since I’ve been in these woods and I can’t remember where they are.”

“You can find them closer to the mountains, they grow attached to the underside of the grew stones.” Gwen said as she took the flower the woman offered her. “Thanks, I haven’t seen a starburst lily outside of books.” she replied, looking at the flower.

“Must be the first of the season. Thanks for your help, miss…?” the woman smiled and waited.

“Gwen. Gwen Thistlewick.” Gwen said as her brothers called again, angrier.

“It sounds like you are in a hurry.” the woman said with a wrinkle in her nose. Gwen smiled, stood and as she dusted herself off she skipped off towards her brothers. She looked back towards the woman but saw that she was already moving off towards the mountains. She ran through the short distance of the forest to her brothers and, upon finding them she saw the worry and anger in their faces.

“Where have you been! I thought we told you not to leave the group?” her older brother, Caden asked.

“I found the riverwort – we needed it for the order and I knew where it would be.” she replied. “Oh and I got this!” she exclaimed as she showed the starburst lily.

“Where did you find that?” her other brother, Tom, asked. He was always more interested in the herbalism business than Caden.

“A woman gave it to me. She was looking for riverwort and pink tongue and I told her where to find it.” she replied with a broader smile. Tom looked to Caden, his face wrought with worry. “Starburst lily hasn’t grown here for years. Riverwort and pink tongue you said?” Tom questioned again, his hand going to an arrow and knocking it in the bow. “A curious mix. I think we best return back. I need to talk to the alchemist.”

Thanks for joining me again for another lengthy write-up. Don’t forget that this is just the second day of the week of content. So don’t forget to come back for the other days this week and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Shepherds of the Dead

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The Shepherds of the Dead, the priests of Kelemvor go by many names across the lands but the most elite of their clergy go by Doomguides. These elite warrior-priests sought out undead, the perverse corruption of the natural cycle of life and corrected these perversions.

The High Priest Richard Spirtbane was one such warrior, devout as he was strong and he had single handed brought peace to these lands before the clergy sunk roots and offered protection to all those who sought it. But now that he had passed the Shepherds of the dead were without a resolute guide and some of their order suspected foul play.

Assistance was required in order to put their fears aside and the party of adventurers who had arrived at their steps on-time but too late were now tasked with finding the truth so that their late leader could rest in peace.

Shepherds of the Dead

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First of his kind

High Priest Richard Spiritbane – Created in Artbreeder.

The late Richard Spiritbane was born three centuries ago, nearly to the date of his death. As the first priest of Kelemvor in Oakspire he was responsible for rooting out the undead in the Mystwood forest. His name was granted to him from Kelemvor after the source of undead was discovered to be a conclave of Banshees which himself, and a handful of his brethren dispatched and silenced.

The undead have risen a few times over the centuries as the growing city required more materials which they sources locally, as all good cities do. However the more sources of undead that Richard disposed of the more of his brethren he lost and the more unholy relics they uncovered. Soon the Chamber of Remembrance, a crypt beneath the church of Kelemvor, was built to not only store those who had passed but also encase the unholy relics that the priests had died to rid the world of. The sanctified lands and ever watchful gaze of not only Richard but the other Shepherds of the dead kept the unholy energies from corrupting the bodies encased in stone beneath the hallowed halls.

However this now flowing treasure trove of unholy relics attracted all kinds of foul and tainted beings and as the risk increased something must be done. That is when Kelemvor first extended the life of one of his priests, Richard Spiritbane. Appearing on the birthday of the high priest the deity of death proclaimed that he would grant a measure of temporary immortality to Richard, extending his natural life by another year upon which the god would again determine whether he would extend his blessing. This reoccurred for another two hundred and twenty years and during this time Richard trained a venerable army of the warrior priests to defend the halls beneath and the lands above and beyond the walls of the city of Oakspire.

Guardian of the Chamber of Remembrance

Brother Tobias Weatherborn – created in Artbreeder.

Brother Tobias Weatherborn was a curiosity in the city where death was revered. As a child he was found with a necromancer and used as a living energy buffer. The High priest himself disposed of the necromancer and when he turned his great-blade to the child he simply saw an innocent being used. Taking the boy in he sought to try and give him the life he deserved.

However it wasn’t long until the boy showed promise in hunting out the undead and evil. Being used as a conduit of power for quite some time left him sensitive to dark magics and he thwarted many attempts at stealing the unholy artefacts that were buried in the Chamber of Remembrance. As he came of age his power blossomed and he was indoctrinated into the priesthood of Kelemvor.

Appointed as a brother to the priesthood Brother Tobias guards the crypts to ensure that the faithful and devout to Kelemvor, his greatest warriors lie undisturbed. His secondary duty is to seek truth as evil uses lies as a weapon against the faithful. He was instituted as the Cryptguard and since then not a single emissary of the unholy arts has made it past his watchful gaze, or his blade.

Thanks for joining me tonight to meet some of members of the priesthood of Kelemvor. There are more to come later this week as we expand upon this adventure but that will be for another time. So don’t forget to come back daily to make sure you are up to date with the content here. And finally, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

The Faces of Mischief

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Welcome to the Nineteenth night of Dice-ember and tonight we gaze upon the face of mischief. Well the Faces of mischief to be exact. But semantics aside, tonight we get a rare glimpse of the causes of this dreaded season on this, the 19th night of the December adventure. But, are these the real faces of mischief and trickery in Rimeglenn or is this just another trick that is yet to fully unfold. I guess in six more nights all will be revealed.

So sit back, grab a seasonal beverage and let’s roll into the holiday season!

The Faces of Mischief

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The two children were called Daryn and Beth. Their story had been checked out as the guards who were posted at the gates remembered seeing the children enter the city with the merchants and had seen them playing around the gates later that morning. In fact several people had seen the children in the city during the day as Captain Sungrave chased up their story

The only thing that she couldn’t verify is what had happened to the merchants who had come in. People remember seeing them with the children but she could not find the actual merchants. It was a puzzle that she didn’t think she had time enough to work out. The two children were currently staying at the Rusty Duck inn as there was nearly no place safer in Rimeglenn as the nobles and lord of the city slowly started to find out about the missing reward.

She had also made enquiries on behalf of the testimony for the adventurers that had helped her guard earlier today, but the Bloody knuckles had, unknowingly, confirmed that the adventurers side of the events were true also. So unless the Adventurers were in the employ of Rick, who was yet to talk, or there was something else at play here, a rogue agent that she hadn’t factored into yet then the children were lying – which seemed improbably with the accuracy of their statement and half the merchants district able to testify that they were seen that day.

Daryn – Created in Artbreeder.
Beth – Created in Artbreeder.

The party had spent most of the afternoon collaborating their story with the guard captain as well as each other and a few merchants who could remember them from the early morning. The only person they couldn’t find to testify on their behalf was their innkeep who could not be found anywhere.  They had just come from the armoury where they had to store their weapons and were being led out the building with an overly enthusiastic record keeper. 

As they passed the holding cells before being shown to the main hall out of the guards hall they spotted a familiar figure sitting, isolated from the others, Alice Ironglove. As they walked nearby they gestured to the party to come closer. 

“I’ve said my piece to the guard but you, you bunch sure as hell put up a good fight. The likes I’ve not had in years. Do yourself a favour and stay clear of those two yeah? Those kids, they’re something else. Something is not right. I scouted that building for the whole day preparing for our little rendezvous and I didn’t see them at all. They claim they saw you break in. I was there the whole time. But its my word, the disgraced daughter of the Ironglove clan against innocent children.” she practically spat out the word innocent as guards came towards her to make sure she was under control. “I can’t be in prison, I’ve got an oath to fulfil and my honour to regain. If you can guarantee my pardon without Exile… I’ll tell the captain what I saw – ya hear me?”

Alice Ironglove – Created in Artbreeder.

Now it’s not often I make a social encounter that relies nearly solely on soft skills such as persuasion or deception… but this week is a bit of a mixed bag of nuts. But to see where this goes you best make sure you don’t forget to come back each day of this remaining week as we wrap up this adventure! So don’t miss out on the last few days of Dice-ember and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

The Three Knuckles of Rimeglenn

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Welcome to the Twelfth night of Dice-ember where the Three Knuckles of Rimeglenn each have a motivation for the success in not only retrieving the map but ensuring that its content remains a secret. Some have more honourable reasons, another is fuelled by pure greed and one hungers for something more.

So sit back, grab a seasonal beverage and let’s roll into the holiday season!

The Three Knuckles of Rimeglenn

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The Three knuckles of Rimeglenn are consist of three leaders of the gang. Rick, Wal and Pete. Each one of these thugs are capable in their own right but when fighting as a group, with their gang they are a force that the guard don’t even dare contest with.

Rick Hardy – Created in Artbreeder.

Rick’s ambition to get a better life for himself and his sister have pushed him further away from his family’s origins. The map cost a small fortune to get but with it memorised, it going missing isn’t the problem. The issue is that if those with the map work out what is being planned they may either take it for themselves or give it to the guard and ruin the plan.

Wal Gleeton – Created in Artcafe.

Wal’s reasons are pretty easy to follow along with. He is greedy. He always wants more and in his search for the next big thing he will devoutly follow the biggest bad of the city. However if another threat, or power was to overshadow this then the one that would grant Wal the biggest payout would be his new boss. That is until it’s time for him to stab his boss in the back and take the reins for himself.

Peter Lungorn – Created in Artcafe.

Pete has ulterior motives. He has worked his way up to near the top of the Bloody Knuckles gang with a single driving motive. Despite his driver being something different to the gang he still needs their plan to succeed, mostly. In order for this to happen he will do whatever is required to ensure that Rick’s plan comes to life.

The last pieces of the puzzle around Rick and his crew are coming together. Thanks for dropping by for another night here but don’t forget that the next few days will seal this deal. So don’t forget to come back each day as we continue to evolve this adventure and as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

Captain of the Rimeguard

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Welcome to the Fifth night of Dice-ember where tonight we meed the captain of the Rimeguard – Lady Penelope Sungrave. Don’t take her age for granted as this half-elf is looks deceptively young when she already has many years on aspiring captains. So sit back, grab a seasonal beverage and let’s roll into the holiday season!

Captain of the Rimeguard

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Captain Lady Penelope Sungrave – Created in Nightcafe.

The half-elf captain of the Rimeguard, Lady Penelope Sungrave is a strong, educated and imposing figurehead of the city guard. After being the second in command to Patrik Goloze for nearly a decade when he hung up his sword and shield to take a more peaceful life she was named as his successor which was supported by the city. She has seen many battles and led many offensive and defensive campaigns in Rimeglenn for the betterment of the city and its people.

Despite her generally helpful nature she is stuck between having to prove herself to the lord of the city and her peers due to her appearance. Her father was an elven dignitary and her mother was the daughter of a noble – their love was a secret. When she was born her mother had a decision to cast her out or be cast out herself, and so she decided to leave her life of luxury to raise her daughter.

But since she was born from nobility, her grandparents attempted to accept her and her mother back (to which they both refused) she was treated with favour despite her achievements. By joining the guard she found a place where she was treated as anyone else and by focusing on her training with the blade and her natural talents for tactics she quickly rose through the ranks. However now she has to prove to the lord and other well of nobility that she has their best interest at heart. Due to this she has had to make some quick judgments around the disappearance of property from the nobles homes which she did not believe herself.

However, to give her credit she did work tirelessly to prove the innocence of those who were framed by the mysterious mischief makers that plague the city yearly. She has invested much of her family’s fortune into the bounty to capture those who are responsible which earnt a lot of respect from her peers, soldiers and the nobility – but it never seems to be enough. So long as the mischief makers are around and people find their property stolen and replaced by others belongings she will never be truly accepted as the excellent captain that she is.

Penelope will have a centre role for this adventure so expect her to be fleshed out more in the coming weeks. Thanks for dropping by for another night of Dice-ember updates. Don’t forget that we will keep to expand every day so be sure to visit again tomorrow and as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

The Price of Power

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Tonight’s update reveals the harsh truth of the price of power and the hunger of knowledge. But before we dive into this there isn’t always a darkness in motivation of individuals. Sometimes it’s just fate and sometimes its coincidence. But before I go on another tangent let’s get back to the adventure!

The Price of Power

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Lucile Bendercuff – created in Artbreeder.

Stepping through the portal as the connection and presence left her mind Lucile stumbled towards the figures waiting on the calcified webs. She recognised Alex instantly and had seen Viktira once or twice before but she didn’t know the drow. That was until one of them, Qistra, walked at her with a blade drawn. A coin dropped in her mind and she could see the resemblance to the head of the Melarn family – wealthy silk merchants who did business with the surface world occasionally.

But the young drow quickly changed her pace as she saw Lucile. A look of worry appeared and then hesitation as she stopped completely. “What happened to you? You look horrible.” Qistra said.

“I don’t remember much,” Lucile began before a wave of tiredness took over her. “I remember following a voice that called me to the deep dark and then finding myself in a trance in another space. The chanting I was doing was in a language that I didn’t know but it left a foulness in my mouth that it must have been infernal or abyssal. But I feel fine now, just a bit tired. I think the presence lost interest in me. Where are the adventurers that were with you? I must warn them…” she began before being cut off.

“They went in to stop you releasing whatever was trapped in there. Last we saw them the portal closed and they were hurrying across the fields in the other dimension. But you don’t look fine, were you attacked or touched by the fiend or a creature in there?” Viktira said as she approached Alex.

“Lucile, you better look at yourself.” Alex said as he fished out a mirror from a bag. Lucile looked down at her reflection and couldn’t believe her eyes. She had aged significantly. It was like she had had her youth, drained by a ghost or spectre. Her youthful face was wrinkled and sunken, her eyes were cloudy and the colour from her hair was receding. The hair she could fix easily enough but the rest she just simply couldn’t believe.

“I guess, this is the price of power. I got too close to real power and it took all that it could and now I have to live with the consequences.” she said as she touched the image in the mirror. Somewhere behind her the portal shimmered as a battle raged on in the dimension and the visage of a fiend flickered and wavered as the heroes that Andrasa found fought for their lives, and the future of all.

Thanks for joining me tonight. Tonight I toyed around a bit with the “slicer” that you can do in Artbreeder by taking an existing image you have created and modifying it slightly. This gave me the ability and freedom to tweak the age of Lucile and make it look like she had aged. If you haven’t given it a try already I can’t recommend Artbreeder enough for personal use. Now don’t forget that we have another day left before we completely wrap up this year so don’t forget to come back tomorrow and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

The Mages Sacrifice

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Tonight’s post is something that has been a long time coming where tonight we look at the mages sacrifice. All great feats of magic or demonstrations of power come at a cost, this week we find out about what sealing away the creature cost the mage that spun he spell. So without giving away anything more, or less about this weeks encounter that was centuries in the making – let’s get back to the adventure!

The Mages Sacrifice

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Determining, with the aid of the priestesses, that the dimension was likely to collapse and spew forth its contents within the next day regardless of their involvement or not the party watched as the fiend continued to gain power, long wings now appearing on its otherwise large humanoid form. The portal would be one way and sealed after to ensure that they would not let the creature out, but regardless if they were successful or not they would probably find themselves back in the material plane shortly if the dimension was collapsing… probably.

Andrasa – created in Artbreeder.

Stepping through the portal wasn’t the weirdest thing, even the change in gravity where movement felt odd as they floated and bounced across the ground. Nor was it the creatures that dwelled here, strange oddities that appeared to have no reason for being other than to confuse who witnessed them. No, the strangest thing was the sense of being watched and the scattered images of battles that were fought once upon a time.

Every few minutes another set of mirages, broken images of people would appear. A man wielding a great hammer, a dwarf throwing bolts of light, an elf firing arrows from the flank and a human casting spell after spell after spell. Each attack was flung towards a winged creature that parried, dodged or endured the strike before lashing back. The images were scattered as if the battle was captured by magic and it was failing, fragments of the images were present at times and the fight was brief and sporadic.

The winged creature appeared most broken as if the magic wouldn’t dare to capture its form except for the vague human appearance and the great set of wings that sprouted from its shoulders. Other creatures appeared in the fight occasionally, mostly lesser fiends, as they rushed at the man, dwarf, elf and human before being obliterated by hammer, axe, arrow or magic.

Continuing further into the dimension the images began to tell a more frantic tale. The Elf was no longer appearing in the replaying battles and the dwarf appeared to be gravely injured. The man fought with a ferocity that seemed to tell of its wounds not slowing it down but the hammer was cracked, the armour was shredded and they witnessed as claw, blade and beak tore into him. The mage continued to occasionally blast creatures with spells but was otherwise standing still and channelling a spell.

Following the fragmented images they came to a stone shrine which was bathed in a calming warm glow. A broken Hammer, a holy symbol to the god Tyr and a jagged dagger lay on the altar along with their names “Bjorne, Grumbar, Carasedrieth” under each item. The fallen combatants that they had seen in the images had been laid to rest here and a shrine erected to commemorate their sacrifice.

“Hello. I was certain this day would come but I was hoping it wouldn’t have occurred for centuries more,” a voice said from nearby, distorted as if talking through a door or pane of glass. “But it appears that my seals have eroded away and the final stages of the fiends release are here. I believe that there was another from the material plane that has assisted the fiend, consciously or otherwise I am not sure but that matters not now. I am Andrasa, well a shade of what I was. In order to keep the creature here I poured my magic, my knowledge, latent power and connection to the weave into a ritual that was self-sustaining for a while. But it appears that the Giant Oskarg and the tribe that guarded the well of souls have fallen and so the seals were broken. A Pity”

The speaker of the voice was another mirage, but this one clearer, stronger and more defined. The magic that saturated this image was clear and still strong, yet fragments of the image floated away from the main body – as if the source of its power was failing. “The creature, a fiend of considerable power, will be free soon and it will raise its legions once again. I have kept it bound here, well my arcane essence – my astral form has powered the seal here for as long as I can. But the creature has overpowered my wards. I have a failsafe that when the ritual would completely fail that I would collapse this dimension and all that it contains. But it would only work if the magic within the ritual was stronger than the creature. Currently the creature is more powerful, a byproduct of consuming souls from the material plane I would imagine.” a thoughtful look appeared on the image of Andrasa’s face.

“If we could weaken the creature, defeat it so it’s on death’s door I could collapse the dimension and take it with me. But we would need luck on our side. I can complete the final components of the ritual if you can deal a killing blow to the creature.” Andrasa’s form stopped and looked towards a crater not far from where she and the shrine was. “We don’t have much time as it calls the shades of its legions to its side as we speak. What say you, do you want to save the world?”

What a big night for this yearlong trek. The final showdown between good and evil and the final push after months of adventuring to get to this point. Thanks for stopping by tonight but we are not quite done yet. Tomorrow will reveal the other half of this story and then we have two more nights of content before the end. So don’t forget to come back each day this week and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe

The Creature Once Imprisoned

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Today we once again look beyond the veil to see what is occurring beyond the scene of the players and with the creature once imprisoned. Despite what they have been through the past few days (weeks worth of adventure) the evil rest for no man, or woman and so we see them carrying onwards. So let’s get back to the adventure!

The Creature Once Imprisoned

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Larituron had been defeated and the flow of energy had ceased. What’s worse is that the fiend had borrowed some energy from the creature to corrupt and use the ritual the witch Andrasa had used to bind it in the pocket dimension. Upon the fiends death that energy was lost forever and as the ritual to siphon souls to it was ceased, permanently now, the creature was nowhere near strong enough to emerge itself, yet. 

However the adventurers who had defeated Larituron still stayed close to the Deep Dark. They had proven themselves capable enough and their essence, if consumed, would be enough to break out of the pocket it was contained within. But, the creature hesitated on that thought, that would mean confronting these adventurers and that was something it didn’t like the odds of. Well, perhaps a fair fight would be one sided in their favour but it was rare when there was a fair fight.

The creature had one or two more agents at play and eventually it would find a way out, but it needed these adventurers dead. Calling in a deal the creature expended some of its precious energy to reach out to the mind of one that had been foolish enough to barter with it. Soon the mortal would find out what it truly means to sign a deal with a devil.

As the party watched the slow exodus of the cavern they noticed a few stayed back and watched the party nervously. The Melarn sisters, Morali and Viktira had survived through it all and were walking over to the party.

Their faces were rife with nerves but that was probably due to the battle with the giant fiend, the capture and then life-draining that they had just witnessed and gone through. “So, you never mentioned that you were this powerful before. Do you mind if we stick near you for a bit? I figure it’s probably safer by your side for the time being.” Morali asked, with the Melarn sisters nodding in agreement, somewhat reluctantly.

Thanks for stopping by tonight. Now the guessing games can begin as we have a bit of a social encounter for this week and maybe a brief pause in combat. I feel like the last few weeks haven’t had any downtime which may cause issues for the party. Regardless, don’t forget to come back each day this week to follow along and try and see if we can identify a pawn and, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe