Arkania: Cult of the Nameless God

[Part of the Darklands of Arkania Story.]

The third map piece wasn't going to be as easy to get. It's owner, Elaine Widenbek agreed to hand over the piece only after eliminating the Cult to the Nameless God on a nearby small island. Finding a boat to take them there was harder than finding the pretty obvious "hidden" base, but unlike the brigands before - these cultists attacked in large groups and had pretty severe traps lying around the place.

At one point, Sister C had to use an Evil Eye spell to convert an enemy temporarily to swing a combat to the team's favor. While it succeeded, her target snapped out of the trance just a few minutes later and fatally stabbed her in the gut. Things were looking worse on the second floor down as the team were all injured and had begun to run out of arrows, torches and water.

Finding a strange lever, Shintar also had to be separated from the team to hold it down while the rest of the party entered the secret, final chamber that it opened - containing not just two priests but an unholy altar in the center as well. Out of arrows, Augratin is forced into melee and has a critical miss where she hits herself (somehow), resulting in her own death!

I guess the Nameless God sleeps?

Despite that, the battle was won and while fiddling with the altar to try collect loot, Iron Dagger is shot in the eye with a poisoned dart - killing him instantly. Zubon and Vayshen ultimately just destroy the foul thing, taking a fragment as proof to show Elaine. No one challenged their escape from the temple or the sail back, and soon they had their very hard won third map piece in hand.

Three down, lots more to go!

Arkania: Easy Going

[Part of the Darklands of Arkania Story.]

Satisfied with their performance in the keep, the team decided it was time to find that magic sword - traveling North for a few days outside the city where Augratin's hunting skills kept the party well supplied with food and water. Sister C also took any spare camp time to collect rare flora. Eventually they reached Felsteyn where they met Isleif Olgardson.

Takes around a week on foot.

Isleif was a descendant of the great chief, Hyggelik - the last person known to wield Grimring. He was more than happy to talk about it, and handed over a piece of a treasure map which supposedly led to Hyggelik's final resting place. Apparently more descendants were scattered across the land, and most of them also had map pieces... one of whom was in a town they had passed on the way here!

Back tracking, they found that fellow too - and with a few choice words, managed to collect his map piece as well before returning to Thorwal to rest up and then book passage on a small fishing ship to Varnhome where they hoped to find the third map piece. All up this was pretty easy going!

Arkania: Code of Thieves

[Part of the Darklands of Arkania Story.]

Iron Dagger voiced his concern that his new found allies were out of practice, having been out at sea for the past few months, and Shintar agreed - suggesting the team test their skill at a more local problem first - the supposedly haunted keep. The custodian, Master Dramosch, was more than happy to have someone looking into his problems of disappearing supplies from the very dark lower levels.

Sister C noted this was odd behavior for ghosts or ghouls and she was right. What they found instead were ... brigands!

Eat your heart out X-Com. :P

Fortunately only encountered in pairs they didn't pose much of a threat and their locked doors were child's play compared to Iron Dagger's burglary skills. They also find a makeshift altar to the thief god Phex here and of course Iron Dagger robbed all the 20 ducats from it. In no time at all the floor was cleared and they were back in town selling the spoils of battle, assuring Master Dramosch his "ghost" problem had been dealt with.

It was slightly annoying after all that hard work when Augratin's purse got snatched by a random cut purse. The one eyed lady was far too nimble for the party to give chase and escaped with ease.

Arkania: A New Quest

[Part of the Darklands of Arkania Story.]

On the last episode: The team was deciding if they should attack or flee from the King of Denmark.

Sister C's argument won out in the end, as she - Vayshen Panda, Zubon Ratkiller and Augratin Nerdly (site no longer active) managed to find passage onto a ship to take them to the distant land of Arkania and hopefully finally out of reach of the King of Denmark. Eventually they found themselves at the port city of Thorwal where, while relaxing at a local tavern, they met the local warrioress Shintar Winter and Iron Dagger the scraggly rogue.

Tales of a ghost ship and a haunted keep in town rekindled their adventuring spirit, but what truly called to all of them into action was a crier sent by the local Hetman (the lord of these lands) on a most dangerous quest.

Ah, ye olde tavern quest hook.

Scouts report that the orcs from the wild lands were amassing their largest force in history and all signs pointed to invasion. It was up to the adventurers to find a lost magical sword, Grimring, which would somehow eliminate this threat. With only a breadcrumb worth of information in their possession, the party decided to come up with a plan - back the same tavern where their minds could be refreshed with ale.