D+D: Dranerof with Tsai

[Zeus Kabob]

This is the adventure of Dalia Foali.

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Name: Dalia Foali
Level: 1
Class: Ranger
Race: Human
Size: Medium
Age: 22
Gender: F
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 119
Deity: Pelor

Attributes:
STR: 8
CON: 13
DEX: 18
INT: 12
WIS: 14
CHA: 13

Speed: 6
Initiative: +8
Insight: 12
Perception: 17

Defenses:
Armor Class: 16
Fortitude: 13
Reflex: 16
Will: 13

Hit points: 25/25
Healing surges per day: 7

Skills: Acrobatics, Nature, Heal, Perception, Stealth, Endurance
Powers: (A) means at will, (E) means once per encounter (battle), and (D) means once per day.
Twin strike (A)
Careful attack (A)
Nimble strike (A)
Evasive strike (E)
Split the tree (D)

Feats:
Agile Hunter
Improved Initiative

Features:
Hunter's Quarry
Prime Shot


Inventory
Longbow (12x3)
Leather Armor
Standard Adventurer's Kit
Knife
Tallow Candles (10)
Torch (2)
Gold (46)

A sailing ship arrives to the island of Dranerof in the middle of the Summer. The port is lively, but even from a few furlongs away it looks crowded, dirty, and disorganized. You and the five other passengers clamber off the ship as soon as the crew has furled the sails and set up the gangplank. The town is big, dirty, crowded, disorganized, and looks sketchy. Where do you want to go first?

[Tsai]

It's probably best to head to the tavern and check with the bar keep about any jobs

[Zeus Kabob]

You wander the port area, looking for a tavern. After a few minutes of fruitless searching, you ask someone where the nearest tavern is. Now finding yourself in a more reasonable area of the port, you walk into a decent tavern and ask the barkeep whether he knows about any jobs you could do.

"Adventuring type, eh? Well I don't have any jobs for ya, but the king's giving a 10,000 gold reward to anyone who can figure out why three towns have disappeared off the map in the past three months. Seems dangerous though, a bunch of people have gone missing on the search."

[Tsai]

"10,000 gold you say? Any more info on these disappearances? Or do you have any idea where i can find the lord and speak to him about the problem?" I wait for his response then work upon any info given

[Zeus Kabob]

"Yeah, 10,000. I could retire if I got my hands on that, but I don't want to die either. All I've heard is hearsay and speculation; rifts, undead, vampires, dragons, primordials, and elementals are mentioned every day in my tavern. The King might have more info, and he'd be at Castle Thunderhold down south next to the river. I doubt you could get a personal meeting with him, but it couldn't hurt to try. Want anything to drink before you go?"

After you decline the drink, he turns to his next customer and takes their order. Returning to his work, you leave the tavern to plan your trip. Looking through your pack, you find that you'll need some food and a warm blanket for your trip. It's deep in the fall now, and a hard frost would cause you problems on your trip without proper warmth. Taking a stop at the general store you saw on the way in you buy the things you need, but while you're there you catch sight of a wonderful skinning knife. It would make it less time consuming to skin and prepare the meat you hunt, and at 6 gold pieces it's a good value. You contemplate whether to buy it for your trip or save the money. You've already got a small folding knife which works well enough (though it's bent and won't close properly anymore), but the new knife looks so nice...

[Tsai]

Biting my lip as I take a look at the knife I shake my as I approach the shop owner. "Do you think I can get that knife over there for anything lower? Maybe 4 gold? I'm a little short on money right now." I look over the owner and back to the knife a little nervous being the first time in a city or place this large.

[Zeus Kabob]

"I could go as low as 5 gold and 3 silver, but any lower and I'll be paying more for the materials than I'm selling it for.

[Tsai]

"Alright I'll take it. " She says with a smile. Happy with her purchases she looks around for town guardsman to point her in the right direction of the castle.

[Zeus Kabob]

You leave the shop with a lightened wallet and a lightened heart. You find one of the town guard, and upon asking him for directions he responds

"It's down south, next to the river. If you head due east, you'll come up upon a large river. Follow that down and you'll see the castle a few furlongs to your right. I would suggest you stay away from there, though. I wouldn't want a pretty girl like you getting killed like all the rest."

[Tsai]

"Dont worry about me, you see im a ranger and a damn good one at that, do you have any idea as to what i might encounter on my way to the castle?" She looks at the guard giving a light smile and batting her eyes cutely

[Zeus Kabob]

"The river is a popular spot for crooks and bandits, so keep an eye out for any shady individuals while on your way to the castle."

[Tsai]

"Good to know." She says to the guard giving him a nod as she makes her way to the town edge, then checking her supplies before finally heading towards the castle. If anything she would probably want to avoid combat, but isnt afraid to defend herself.

[Zeus Kabob]

You leave the port with a new adventure at hand. The gray painted buildings of the port make way to pine and cedar trees when you get near the river. It's a nice river, flowing under trees and over rocks, rapids making way for slow sections of deep, clear water. You spend the next five hours walking, keeping your ears open for bandits. As the skies grow dark, you set up a quick campsite next to the river. You eat cold rations and sleep in the dark, knowing that lighting a fire would make you a nice target for any potential trackers.

Your dreams are troubled, you think from the stress and the cold. You're on a dark battlefield surrounded by tall crags, and all around are patches of deep red flowers in the shape of bodies, complete with rusted and wrecked armor and weaponry. As you search this desolation, a dark shade approaches from the direction of the sharpest crag.

"Knowing your fate, will you continue? Can you face a danger unknown, or a power overwhelming?"

Waking up with a start, you see the skies lighting up with the first strains of day. The castle is only a few hours away by the guard's estimate.

[Tsai]

Awaking in a cold sweat, she shakes her head to clear the dream she had startling her enough to make her shiver slightly in discomfort. She looks around thinking to herself about how everything will be alright and she's out here risking her life for a reason. After enjoying a quick meal she stops by the river to wash up a bit quickly before heading to the castle.

[Zeus Kabob]

Around mid-day you see the castle in the distance. It's impressively large, but with disintegrating walls and shoddy construction you expect it won't last through the years. Around the castle stands a large moat, too close to the wall by your estimates. Vines grow up the summer side of the castle, while moss coats the other side. A drawbridge is raised on the summer side, and as you approach you can see a few guardsmen in the watch tower, as well as some arrows poking out of the arrowslits on that side. The guard in the tower shouts to you while you're still fifty yards away

"State your business here."

[Tsai]

"My name is Dalia Foali and I've come seeking adventure and riches! I heard the king wishes to investigate the recent disappearances. I wish to seek an audience with m'lord." Dalia pipes at the guard hoping they'll at least lower their weapons and let her pass. The grandeur of the class was rather awe inspiring despite it's half-assed nature. She's never been so close to a castle before in her life.

[Zeus Kabob]

The guard gives the sign to drop the drawbridge, the chain clanking and clattering as the heavy wooden structure descends. Two guards in full plate armor and wielding halberds walk out to you.

"Excuse our caution, but we've got to protect our king, despite our other wishes..."

"Don't listen to him. Our king is no knave, and he won't withhold the reward if you indeed solve our problem."

They lead you through the castle, and you see that the inside is much more impressive than the outside. Everburning torches line the walls and heat the room, while iron chandeliers adorned with pieces of quartz hang from the high ceilings. The floor is covered in a thick rug, and the pine furniture is decorated with gold and silver. Despite the bad outward appearance and structural instability, the king's obviously put a lot of his valuables inside this castle.

As you enter the main chamber, you see the king on his throne. You think he's a few inches shorter than six feet tall, and he's got brown hair and brown eyes. He's got stubble on his chin, and he looks out of shape and flabby. As you enter, he smirks and shifts in his seat.

[Tsai]

Dalia looks at the king kinda sideways, she wasn't expecting someone like him to be ruling or in nobility, but given how nobility tend to eat it's not completely surprising. She does a little curtsie and begins asking the king about his recent problems and if there's any way for her to assist for a price of course.

[Zeus Kabob]

The king addresses you with a bored expression and lackluster manner born of tedium.

"Villages have gone missing in the south and east. If you figure out what's happening to them, I will personally knight you, and you'll receive 10,000 gold in compensation. All the information we've collected on these disappearances is in the room to my left, and when there John will give you more information."

Going into the designated room, you see a proud and well equipped knight, presumably John. He gives you all the information available. (The information below are the things you're guaranteed to remember. More subtle details will crop up later in the campaign, but for the information to appear in a later post your character will have to succeed on a reflexive intelligence check for each piece of information)

More than 6 villages have disappeared, and there have been fewer than 10 total survivors.

No villages north of Mount Dranerof have been taken, neither have any villages to the west of Mount Dranerof. Mount Dranerof is to the south and east of the castle, and about 60% of the landmass of Dranerof is south and east of the mountain.

The survivors claimed that a gigantic army overran their village, but none of them were inside the village at the time of its invasion, and the closest view one got was a few miles away.

The villages were burned to the ground, but the people who searched them afterwards said that it looked rather sparse for a raid. There have only been a few bodies found under rubble, and otherwise no bodies have been discovered.

[Tsai]

Dalia looks over the information a few times to make sure she captures the information as necessary. She felt a bit fearful to what she may encounter, if the reports are right and it was a great army there is no way she can face this alone, let alone scout it and make it back to the king safely. But if it wasn't an army then it could be much worse. She turns to the knight present in the room. "Sir john I presume? How long have you been a knight of this kingdom? Do you know of any known enemies or any thing else that might burn whole villages while leaving no trace?"