Lonesome Wanderings, Session 69

In which Badger...

• Explores the wilderness around Kebi village.
• Arrives at one thorp Chut, near a large lake, and discovers the villagers are being used as shock troops by one bandit troupe at threat to their loved ones.
• Learns that a bandit troupe turf war is ongoing, with one troupe having tunneled their way into the village, and the other coming anyday now with scouts.
• Learning of their troubles, he helps redirect bandit scouts of one troop elsewhere, then poses as a scout himself.
• Arms the villagers with slings, and comes to challenge the troop hidden out in the village underground.
• Puts up a set dressing of villager clothes, scarecrows (face down), and berry juice to seem as if he had slain all the villagers.
• Fights the bandits who emerge with villagers hidden pelleting them with slings and slays all the bandits.
• When the other troupe arrives to the village after delay due to poor scouting directions from earlier, proceeds to do the same.
• Is thanked by the villagers given the end of the turf war, and moves on.
• Travels further west to a cave, and is hunted down by multiple rust monsters.
• Runs to a lava chasm at the entrance of the dungeon and uses the Rope of Climb to rise up as the monsters plunge to their deaths - but not before one snags his magic sword Knutsvar!
• Manages to climb down the rope and escape the dungeon - only to be grabbed and whisked into a portal by the Greek god Hermes!
• Arrives onto the city of Coristea, where Hermes reveals that one King Belepharon, the favored of Zeus, needs a hero to go and find the great Minotaur - and in return, Hermes promises one boon to aid Badger in the quest.
• Wishes for a magic sword, and is gifted on Deathwish, a blade of magic wishes that consumes the wielder's soul for each wish granted.
• Meets on Queen Pasiphae who tells him to travel to the town of Tomis and meet with her brother Parmenion, giving him a red jewel to prove his connection to her, and to have him as a guide to the Minotaur's tomb.
• Travels to Tomis, and on his way sees one priestess Melissa hiding from a corrupted Magical Bull.
• Uses his broom to whisk Melissa away, who thanks him for saving her, but requests him to kill the bull as he desecrates the shrine to Artemis.
• Flies over to try and fight the bull, but starts getting mauled as his cursed blades turns out to be quite useless.
• Requests Hermes to remove the blade from him, which Hermes does with noted mischief, noting some lesson on hubris and wishing beyond his means.
• Requests Hermes to restore his former lost blade Knutsvar, which Hermes is able to do - but Knutsvar is deformed and in the state of disrepair, with one bad hit potentially ruining it forever.
• Manages to still use Knutsvar to kill the Magical Bull, and is greeted by Artemis herself, who offers him some magic items.
• Refuses the magic items, and requests her to help him fix the blade  - which she does by taking it to the forge of Hephaestus himself and having him reforge Knutsvar for Badger.
• While waiting learns Melissa is a priestess of Artemis, and is willing to join him on the quest to the tomb.
• Receives a now fixed Knutsvar, thanking Artemis, and travels with Melissa to Tomis.
• Meets Parmenion, and gives him the jewel - and he agrees to travel with Badger and Melissa to the tomb as well.
• With retainers Melissa, Parmenion, Pylos and Melanos, Parmenion's friends, the contingent sets out from Tomis to travel to the Tomb of the Bull King.

Current Level: Badger 13

Lonesome Wanderings, Session 68

 In which Badger...

• Continues to explore wreckage and finds lair of the rust monsters, filled with gems and jewels.
• Discovers a group of rust monsters and group of werewolves deeper in the wreckage.
• Recovers Eyesore, a magic sword with a detachable pommel that works as Wizard's Eye spell, and a Broom of Flying that allows him to soar in the air.
• Flies over the rust monsters and uses a two handed sword he bought as bait to lure them deeper into the dungeon to face off against a set of werewolves, as they attack each other while he loots the wreckage and flees.
• Receives word from Ameiko Kaijitsu that she has found Xin Shalast, and directions there.
• Flies off on his new broom, only to see a flood wipe out the town of Turtleback's Ferry from the sky.
• Follows the water upriver to discover a dam destroyed by some stone giants, and then follows the giants via an aerial route to their home in Fort Rannick.
• Travels to the north of the Fort to find the lost city of Xin Shalast - and discovers a group of skulks waiting to ambush him there.
• Avoids the skulks thanks to a purple worm that bursts from the ground scattering all.
• Manages to flee into the skies as the worm follows Badger.
• Uses himself as bait for the worm to lead it to Fort Rannick, where a fierce battle in which the lamias Lucretia and Xanesha, and leader of the stone giants Mokmurian fall to the purple worm before it is slain by some ogres.
• Lets the ogres flee back to Xin Shalast, and watches as they enter the city through a secret underground entrance.
• Plants his wizard's eye pommel on one of the ogres, and completes reconnaissance of the city remotely, discovering:
• Skulks are subservient to one Hated Pretender, a demon like creature, but also seem to hate him.
• One warrior Vitoria stands guard of Khalib, an archmage who seeks to open a demon portal; the warrior is mind controlled by her blade, the Blade of Greed.
• Behind both of these obstacles lies the entrance to the Eye of Avarice, a chamber even the wizard's eye cannot breach. 
• Breeches the stronghold which is guarded and overrun by skulks, and first flies down to their lair.
• Is immediately captured by some and taken before the Hated Pretender for judgement.
• Manages to convince some of the skulks to rebel, and in the chaos beheads the Hated Pretender - causing the leaderless skulks to flee into the dark depths, leaving the remainder of the city unguarded.
• Waits until nightfall, and heads to Khalib's portal, where Vitoria is keeping watch.
• Manages to sneak above her and use his rope to take the sword out of her possession - as she succeeds in a save and is broken free from her mind control.
• Slits the ogres throats with Vitoria's help - but unfortunately awakens the archmage, who vanishes.
• Fights alongside Vitoria against the archmage, barely defeating him, but not before he casts a permanent Feeblemind spell on her, virtually lobotomizing the warrior.
• Is forced to put Vitoria out of her misery, given her helpless state.
• Finally heads to the Eye of Avarice - only to discover one high lamia priestess sacrificing Ameiko's heart in a ritual to raise Karzoug the runelord!
• Fails to stop the ritual, as Ameiko dies and the priestess's form turns into the growing host of the wraithlike Karzoug, who continuously gains power slowly arriving at immortal form.
• Manages to fight head to head with wraithlike Karzoug, stopping the spell from continuing and slaying the wraith of the runelord before it gains full power - while having the wraith take much lifeforce, the equivalent of 3 levels, from him in the process.
• Much weakened, flies back to Magnimar, where he pays tens of thousands of gold to restore his vitality (and levels) back to him, having stopped the rise of the runelord!
• Returns back to Kebi village to rest before his next adventure.

Current Level: Badger 13

Lonesome Wanderings, Session 67

 In which Badger...

• Travels to the city of Magnimar at the request of one Sheriff Hemlock in Sandpoint.
• Discovers 2 doppelgangers posing as the now deceased Aldern Foxglove and wife.
• Slays the doppelgangers and finds documents of a conspiracy to raise an ancient demigod known as a Runelord, this one being the Runelord of Greed Karzoug.
• Tracks down one set of cultists meeting in a sawmill = the Skinsaw Cult - led by one Xanesha, a naga, and by one Justice Ironbriar, with their bodyguard being one large clay golem called the Scarecrow.
• Uses a nearby damn to release a flood killing all but Xanesha of the cult, who escapes...only to realize the flood has significantly damaged much of the city itself.
• Leaves Magnimar and heads back to Sandpoint, only to be accosted by some bandits he easily dispatches.
• Gets accosted by Shayliss Vinder, who has positioned herself as the Abbess of Sandpoint and sends her own cult to attack her ex lover Badger.
• Flees by using the bracers of Spite-the-Drowning-Waters to circumvent to the home of one Brodert Quink to get information on where the lost Runelord might be...only to learn of the name of a lost city Xin Shalast, but nothing more.
• Sneaks out of Sandpoint to avoid Shayliss's cult in the middle of the night and heads to Thistletop to make a deal with the trapped demon, Malfeshnekor. 
• Forces the demon to make a blood pact to slay the Runelord and avoid attacking Badger ever at the cost of being sent back to the Underworld...the demon reluctantly accepts.
• Frees Malfeshnekor who is released to cause chaos, with notice that he will be called back by the pact once he is needed.
• Travels to one Turtleback Ferry, a town, to explore a the wreckage of a recently sunken barge.
• Is ambushed on the way by Xanesha, who is easily turned away but who unfortunately makes a run for it and is successful again.
• Arrives and explores the wreckage of the barge after noting the small town is eerily empty.
• Is ambushed in the first room of the barge by some rust monsters!
• Barely fends off the rust monsters as he loses many metal items - including magic ones, such as his legendary sword Knutsvar, the Spite-of-Drowning-Waters bracers, his magic shield, his ring of animal control, false tooth of poison resist, and finally, a regular shovel.
• Manages to slay one of the rust monsters before the rest flee with their metal gains.
• Gathers the remainder of his supplies and returns back to town to buy a sword and rest up before returning back to the wreckage to continue exploring.

Current Level: Badger 13

Lonesome Wanderings, Session 66

 In which Badger...

• Explores an old ruined keep in the wilds, which is largely infested by zombies.
• Flees from zombies, avoiding them while searching for treasures.
• Rescues one Rheddrian, a man trapped in a strange mirror shield in the keep, by exchanging places with him in the shield. 
• Get's jostled around in the shield realm before being released once more after Rheddrian cracks the magic of the shield.
• Gains a favor from Rheddrian, who thanks him for freeing him before leaving to study the "modern world."
• Decides to trek up the sides of one cliff face to a long lost dungeon.
• Finds a tower at the base of the cliff face, and explores.
• Runs into a ghost in the tower, which attacks him and results in him losing constitution and aging by 11 years, going from 36 to 47 within an instant.
• Returns back to town, and learns the only way to restore his health and youth are through finding a cleric who can cast a restoration spell - which he learns that there are one of which in the town he is in.
• Returns back to the cliff face, trying to climb a set of stairs carved into its side up to the dungeon.
• Runs into a mountain lion, which gives him a serious scare as he nearly plummets to his death, but he manages to slay the creature.
• Decides the dungeon isn't worth it for the moment, his bones aching more than usual, and returns back to town to rest.

Current level: Badger 13

Lonesome Wanderings, Session 65

 In which Badger...

• Helps a clan of mountain dwarves return to their ancestral home from giants and gargoyles, and gains another ally in them.
• Attends to pre-wedding events of King Ericall and Princess Christina Marie Alanira.
• Escorts Christina one night for a walk at the King's command, when kidnappers arrive to take her - agents of Thyatis, Alphatia's rival empire.
• Manages to escape with the princess by using his Spare the Dying Waters bracers and grabbing her and running, much to the king's relief.
• Is faced in the dining hall one night - along with King Ericall and the rest of the Lords of his court, by the Black Avengers, a group of knights there to test the king's resolve by challenging 4 of his lords.
• Avoids being one of the 4 lords chosen for the challenge, and watches as the Bear Tribe Shaman, Orik the lazy warrior, Longtooth the Thief, and Max the 1st - all of his rivals - are slain at the cost of only 2 Black Avengers, humiliating the king.
• Offers to give it a shot, only for King Ericall - unable to stand more humiliation - forbid him from challenging the avengers, accepting defeat and retreating to his throne room to wallow.
• Badger, risking the king's wrath, goads the remaining two avengers, much to the shock of the guests, and starts fighting them strategically.
• Guides them to where the ale and wine are stored in the side of the dining hall, and secretly snakes the Rope of Climb upwards to wrap around a bar above.
• Has the rope pull him up quickly and then lights a molotov he had on him, dropping it onto the pile of alcohol below causing a massive explosion as guests flee in terror, and the black avengers are consumed in flame - only to both remain standing, if much weakened, such was their strength.
• Drops down and with some difficulty finally drops the two avengers - officially beating them, but by doing so disobeying the king and causing massive damage to his hall.
• Is stripped of his rank of lord and exiled by the King, and sent from his wedding once the events of the night are determined.
• Is called to the king's chambers secretly, and told that, despite disobeying the king, for putting down the Black Avengers, he will be granted one favor from the King.
• As the wedding goes on, dreams of an oncoming war between Alphatia and Thyatis taking place in Norwald, and hears that some "crones" appeared in a vision in the wedding warning the king of the same.
• Travels north to the reputed lair of the crones, and manages to sneak into their mountain cave.
• Is attacked by the 3 crones, ancient mystic seers, as they each take a magic item - his Broach of Freedom, his Bag of Holding, and his Ring of Spell Turning.
• Surrenders to the crones, who offer him a deal - 5 years as their servant and the magic items they stole, and they will protect him from the oncoming war and give protection to his Keep...he accepts. 
• Serves the crones for 5 years as he sees his Keep and Ericall's lands and armies, tens of thousands strong, plunged into war, a pyrrhic victory for Alphatia over Thyatis, but with Ericall's armies crippled.
• Is released from service in 5 years, returning to his Keep and Kebi, only to discover it has become the defacto palace and capital of King Ericall and his new vassal - Lord Tino, who over the last few years has grown the only army of any note in the land and serves as the real ruler with Ericall as his puppet keeping Alphatia proper off his back.
• Manages to sneak into his Keep with the Rope of Climb and enter into Ericall and Christina's bedchambers, where the now hollowed out king is shocked to find his former vassal still alive.
• Offers to let the King rule as a proper ruler and deal with Tino as well...if on the other side, he holds up his offer of a favor as he formerly note - the desperate king accepts.
• Recruits the dwarven forces to attack Kebi and the Keep, attacking weak points and other known fallacies of the Keep and forcing Tino himself out into the open.
• Reveals himself to Tino, and slays him in one on one combat, as the dwarves take control of the Keep. 
• Gathering information from the locals discreetly, discovers that Tino was a beloved leader who had stabilized the keep and grown Kebi, and that the fact that the former errant and irresponsible lord Badger was back could foment a revolution in the population.
• Decides that, since he lacked interest in ruling anyways, he would hand over the keep as promised to Ericall for him to deal with the mess, taking his favor - to meet the Empress of Alphatia herself, which Ericall gladly arranges, alongside re-ordaining him as a noble Lord.
• Travels by ship to homeland Alphatia, across the seas to the East, where he witnesses the heart of an Empire run on magic.
• Is escorted to the throne room of Empress Eriadna the Wise, and is given an audience, arranged by her son Ericall.
• Requests the Empress to give him access to the Empire's archives and resources for future endeavors - which she rebukes, saying the offer of an audience was gift enough - why should she offer him more, few have even had the opportunity to meet the Empress herself.
• Reveals to her of the dwarven "allies" supporting the king at the moment, and Barbarian "savages" surrounding the king's lands lead by Barkal the Red, and even an old red dragon lairing nearby that, while not guaranteed to win, could be a real thorn in Alphatia's side.
• Is surprised that Eriadna is not angered but amused with a positive reaction by the gall of the man to come into her throne room and directly threaten her, as well as not wanting to deal with the headache that is her son's kingdom any longer after a long and costly war, let's Badger access the archives and do his research in the great archives of Alphatia.
• Badger researches and learns the information he was searching for - about how to start down the paths to immortality!

Current Level: Badger 13

Lonesome Wanderings, Session 64

 In which Badger...

• Travels to the court of King Ericall with levied forces to fight a troupe of levied frost giants (along with other members of the court), only to find out that one independent King Yarrick of Oceansend had negotiated a peace deal with the giants...and made an ally with them in the process.
• Heads to the Ruins of Alinor with the bugbear death squad of 50 bugbears, an ancient dungeon with hidden treasures.
• Hides from some freeing frost giants, and discovers the corpses of others.
• Avoids some giant scorpions munching on a frost giant corpse.
• Finds a bronze golem guarding the entrance to the palace and manages to, using his Rope of Climb and the bugbears, destroy the golem.
• Discovers a large golden dragon guarding the palace, and collapses the palace roof onto the creature burying it. 
• Loots the ruins for 2 large, expensive golden doors and a hefty pile of gold.
• Explores the Dungeon of Kyell, another old dungeon with hidden loot.
• Teams up with the red dragon Old Smokeynose to take out a beholder guarding the loot, and splits the take with the wily red dragon, gaining an ally.
• Flees from various frost giants and trolls in the rest of the dungeon.
• Is chased out of the dungeon itself by the wight of one Kyell, the namesake of the dungeon, fleeing and hiding in the wood.
• Meets up with his bugbear squad in the woods, when he happens upon one barbarian chief Barkal singlehandedly holding his own against a massive earth elemental.
• Directs his troops to help the barbarian, and they manage to bring down the earth elemental.
• Discovers the elemental was conjured by a magic user, tracking them down to discover one Madeira, vizier in the court of King Ericall.
• Learns from her that she was trying to eliminate the barbarians to gain favor in the king's eyes without him knowing.
• Blackmails her to silence and gains a secret ally in the barbarian horde of the woods.
• Returns to his Keep with instructions to start developing the small village of Kebi into a larger town, which will take many seasons.
• Receives invitation of King Ericall to one Christina Marie Alanira from Alphatia, with the wedding to be held over the summer.

Current Level: Badger 12

The Kingmaker's Cairn, Session 5

 In which the party...

• Travels west from Oleg's to stumble into the bandit camp of the bandits who had been harassing Oleg.
• Try to bargain with them, only to completely put their foot in their mouths as they accidentally say too much and reveal they were the ones who'd killed the bandits at Olegs.
• Try to flee only to be corralled in by bandits who pile onto them.
• Sybil the thief, Yslin the ranger, Cannora the elf, and Amiri the barbarian are slain by the cuts of many bandit blades.
• The remaining party attempt to flee again - but run into a dead end of a sheer stony cliff leering down over some rapids.
• Linzi the halfling and Jaethal the elf both fall in combat with the bandits as well, and Ethex takes the Ooze form to try and escape the bandits, which he barely manages falling into the waters below.
• Ethex wakes up on the banks of a river miles from the bandit camp - only to come face to face with a raging wild boar.
• Attempts to flee once more fail, and the boar gores Ethex, who - now out of spells having not rested - falls.
• Thus the party is TPKed.

This session turned south quickly with multiple failed escape attempts and lost initiatives, along with stumbling into an encounter with a large group of bandits (and the lone survivor rolling a particularly brutal encounter with a wild boar). 

After consideration of whether I wanted to reset the session or events, I figured I'd rather be true to the dice and the party be laid to rest here. With my interest being pulled with other new settings and supplements, I'll consider this experiment complete for the moment with the possibility of returning to it in the future.