Thea: Zmey

[Part of the Darklands of Arkania Story.]

While en route to the cosmic seed, the Wolf Pack has a run in with some wild boars and due to carelessness, Braxwolf Storm follows in the footsteps of Robert Baratheon and meets his end. Hoping to leverage strength of numbers, Cooper Team combines forces with the Wolf Pack and reach the location the compass points to, the stump of the old cosmic tree, around which is a great serpent named Zmey. As a creature of chaos, he simply doesn't want balance of any sort to be restored.

Even comes with a Save First warning.

They try convincing Zmey to simply leave, but this fails and the snake becomes bigger and starts shooting ghosts out of its mouth(?), killing Schulz Wenzel, Darth Targetter and Heather Bee. In a rage the rest of the squad charges into combat but they are soundly defeated, with Zmey devouring Wolfy Eyes, Atheren and Ald Firstshot and laughing at the remaining survivors who made a hasty retreat back to Hermit's Lake.

Thea: Leshy Leshy

[Part of the Darklands of Arkania Story.]

To save time in exploring, a new expedition named "Cooper Team" is sent out to the second location. This group, composed of Schulz Wenzel, Atheren, Ald Firstshot and led by Cooper Mantly find themselves confronting a Leshy: a type of tree demon, one that wants them to slay his brother in exchange for an elf he is keeping hostage. An elf who might know how to cure the Cosmic Tree.

At least the owl doesn't seem bothered by it.

While Cooper Team handles the sudden rampant undead in the region, It's the Wolf Pack that locates the Leshy's happier brother whose grove is teeming with life, unlike the wastes the first one was living in. They agree to try fool Leshy #1 but this attempt fails and they are forced into combat and are soundly beaten by the living tree. Fortunately a plot device demon in the shape of a pinecone secretly traveled with them and sacrificing itself, slays the evil Leshy before any of the team perish.

With it gone, Alysir the elf captive is rescued. The weakened elf tasks tells them that a seed of the Cosmic Tree yet lives and tasks them with retrieving cosmic shards that will help point to its location. Of course, Alysir himself isn't coming with them - he's going someplace to recover. Clever elf, he forgot to mention the shards were guarded by a dragon...

Thea: News of the World

[Part of the Darklands of Arkania Story.]

While the expedition is out looting stashes and fighting "Spor" (large talking snakes), the village gets a lot of visitors during the Festival of the Goat. Some old guys called the Dziody come to the party and teach Cooper some folklore, and a trio of knights Ald Firstshot, Atheren, and Schulz Wenzel arrive - confirming the eclipse was more far reaching than initially thought.

A familiar dwarf also comes later on: Thorgrim, having escaped Riva himself after the judge Bosper Jarnug decided to execute anyone that helped or had connections to the team during their time there. Not only did he hang Stipen and Yann, he made an alliance with the pirates and slaughtered all members of the Guild. "Do you have any good news?" quipped Talarian, to which Thorgrim nodded. He had come across an abandoned gold mine on the way over. That lifts spirits somewhat.

Lastly, the village is visited by the demon Theodore. He is impressed with what they've managed to achieve and tasks the people to cure the land from the shadowy darkness that has befallen it. He provides a location to start the quest and once more vanishes, leaving Hermit's Lake to do the heavy lifting. That's just typical.

Obviously I can't do it: who else will sit on all these tree stumps!?

Darklands: Jewel of Leipzig

This is part of The Darklands story.

After another run in with giant spiders (tough bastards), the team managed to catch a caravan to Frankfurt which saved some travel time, but their destination to find the Tarnhelm was still a fair bit away. After slaying some mercenary bandits, they once again heard the trumpets of the wild hunt but to their surprise they weren't the prey this night. Instead it was a strange Holzfrau woman. Unable to let this stand Stubborn (and by proxy everyone else) leapt out from hiding to confront her pursuers, a pack of four hellhounds who were laid low.

No in-game pic so I guess she looked like this?

They then came across the castle of robber knight Adolphus Schedel and tried to use the same robber-knight murdering tacting they used in the past. Unfortunately Adolphus had heard of this and when the team burst into his room he was waiting with a bunch of armored guardsmen. The team still saw victory through the difficult combat with Belghast slaying the robber knight, but Astalnar got axed to death in the melee.

After taking out some anger on random thieves and another pack of wild hunt hell hounds, as well as running away from more Schrats trying to get into Ravanel's pants (maybe the same persistent Schrats as before) they team finally reaches Leipzig where Schulz Wenzel bids them farewell to return to his duties elsewhere. While in town they recruit "Jewel the Healer" a 25 year old nurse and crafter as well as pick up another bounty hunting mission for the local robber knight Wenzel Linck. Boy there sure are a lot of these clowns.

Darklands: Oh, look at the time

This is part of The Darklands story.

By the time the team reaches the site West of Aachen where they were trying to catch the witches high sabbat it is Febuary 3, two months too late (I only learned how to look at the calendar then) and were only welcomed by a pair of giant spiders instead. After dispatching them, an annoyed Ravanel decided to search for local work instead and got a task to kill the robber knight Wichmann Baldung in the North, joined by Schulz Wenzel (I didn't realize they had names). It is an easy job, Ravanel even manages to scare off Wichmann's lackeys with sinister threats since her speech ranking is getting pretty high.

Only when it works.

Back at Koln they got another job from a foreign trader to look for the magical helm of Siegried called the Tarnhelm last seen South of Leipzig, so without wasting a beat the party marched back East through the dragon's territory stopping only at a local tower they hadn't been to before. The peasants here wore faces of hardship and abuse and knowing that her old bishop friend wouldn't have stood for this Ravanel marched to the gate to demand an audience.

Surprisingly they were allowed in, and it became clear that the dread lord here was a bad guy. He even has the word "dread" in his title. Unlike the robber knights he doesn't let the team stay overnight though, instead kicking them out to the nearby forest for the evening. Undeterred the team scales the walls at midnight using Astalnar's dexterity and with Belghast and Stubborn's combined strength they manage to overpower the dread lord and his posse, ending his reign of terror. Violently.

Darklands: The Hunt is On

This is part of The Darklands story.

Uh oh.

Not long after the encounter with the witch does the party realize that "the Wild Hunt" (a supernatural witch allied group) is after them. Fortunately Astalnar finds an empty cave for them to hide from whatever that is and continue their journey West to Aachen in the morning. They come across a small hamlet called Burleburg where Belghast voices his concern that the inhabitants are actually satan worshippers. Ravanel confirms this by confronting the Schulz and he and a few cronies attack after admitting to it.

They are easily dispatched and as one was fleeing he yelled out that they would have their revenge South East of Goslar on April 13. That's a pretty long thing to just blurt out on the fly, and Stubborn openly questioned why in the world would they -want- to be there to experience whatever revenge was planned? Shrugging it off the team then set the hamlet on fire and then proceeded up a nearby hill where an evil altar had been setup by the satanists. Unfortunately nothing they do can destroy the taint so they decide to continue on their journey.

Soon they come across a blasted landscape with dug up cemeteries, poisonous rivers and acidic rain that damages their gear. Even the local robbers seem "friendly", easily disuaded from combat as if there's something else to be worrying about in these parts. Their fears are confirmed when they meet Sir Diepold Rumer and his knightly entourage. His group are hunting "the beast of Luveh". A dragon.

Darklands: Flamed

This is part of The Darklands story.

The second floor of the mines were even more claustrophobic than the last, and this one was inhabited solely by hell hounds. The fast firey canines tried to make use of the narrow passages but the team was always one step ahead, leading them back into open areas to put them down.

There were numerous treasure chests here too, but after failing to disarm the trap on the first one twice Ravanel decided to leave them alone. Despite this, Lyle managed to get his hands on a dwarven battle axe and before long Lothiriel found the stairs to the next floor. Here they were confronted by three doors, and behind the first one they opened was what they can only guess was Vulcar.

It looked like nothing at first, just fire on the ground - until it threw a glob of flame at Lyle, exploding him into little bits. The rest of the party charged, but even with all their skill the creature was too powerful - knocking Ravanel out and immolating Schulz and Lothiriel with its fiery magics.

Sorry all, I got curb-stomped.

The dwarves and miners must have dragged Ravanel out of there, because when she opened her eyes she was back at the miner's camp. They had packed up all their stuff and were beginning to head back to the city, abandoning the mine to the dwarves. One even tried to cheer her up saying not even the Queen's Guard could have cleared the threat. A sudden alarm then scattered the miners into the wind as wandering bandits attacked the camp. Weakened and alone Ravanel had no choice but to run and hide until they passed before making her own way back to town.

Darklands: A Cold Winter

This is part of The Darklands story.

Winter is setting in when the party leaves Berlin, continuing on the road to Goslar. The usual thieves on the road are easily dispatched but for the first time the group is caught in an ambush by bandit-soldiers. These heavily armored troops have the team flanked, forcing them to fight on multiple fronts against superior numbers.

Something like this!

It is a difficult fight, the end of which sees all hostiles and Jeromai laying dead in the snow. Saddened by the loss the team pushed on to Braunschweig to recuperate, spending a week or so there without being able to find a replacement party member. They are left even more short handed when they leave the town as the first Schulz decides to head back to Kolberg. There's nothing anyone can do to stop him.

The remaining Schulz, Lyle and Ravanel then push on and finally reach the town of Goslar where Ravanel prepares by buying rope and torches while Lyle manages to recruit the 20 year old courtier and skilled fencer, "Lothiriel Wanderer" who hopes to earn some fame in helping to solve the problem in the nearby mines. Once all their preparations are done the team of four leave the city gates and proceed South to their nearby destination.

It wasn't long before they reached the mines of Goslar.

Darklands: Folkwin of Kyrburg

This is part of The Darklands story.

Back at Kolberg the replacement Schulz (since the original one is in the party) tells us they were still raided by bandits recently, this time those of Folkwin of Kyrburg based East of Berlin. That's a surprising distance to be raiding, but the replacement Schulz offers to come with the team to help slay him and since it is on the way to Goslar there is no reason to not accept.

The team, now composed of Jeromai, Lyle, Ravanel and the Schulz twins begin the long journey South West, scaring a wolf pack with fire, defeating many bandits in the woods, resting at a friendly lord's tower and learning some stuff from Aerbo the hermit before finally reaching the ominous castle of Folkwin the robber knight.

Because Hermits always know stuff!

The same plan as before works yet again because it seems these robber knights are stupid. It isn't long before Folkwin is caught alone in his room almost literally with his pants down, and this time the robber knight is slain without any friendly casualties. The team rejoices... and sets his castle on fire, because that seems to be tradition now. After watching it burn, they decide to head to the nearby city of Berlin to celebrate.

Darklands: Providence

This is part of The Darklands story.

Bhagpuss insisted on travelling North East as that's where he felt the town of Goslar was. It was surprisingly difficult to find a map or reliable directions Ravanel realised and now more than ever she missed Syl, her gypsy friend. Fortunately the bishop had taught her well in talking her way out of tolls so entering other towns and random road tax enforcers (other than those employed by the church) were easily convinced to let them by.

There were much fewer bandits while following the road, and those that did show up were easily dispatched of by the soldiers Lyle, Jeromai and Bhagpuss. There was even a wandering merchant caravan they managed to sell some loot to. Eventually they reached the northern sea, and entered a friendly little hamlet called Kolberg.

The Schulz of the town, who acts as their leader, informed them they were headed the wrong way. Pointing out where Goslar was on the map (I seriously only found it then). However since they had already come this far he asked if he could use their help in solving a problem they were having. A problem by the name of Lothar of Bar, the robber knight. In addition he offered to come along to assist the team in putting an end to this evil sinner.

Sounds like a bad guy.

They agreed without hesitation.