The Shadow Rift of Umbraforge - Night 1

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Active members of the "Deathbringers" adventuring party:

Lucas - Goliath Barbarian
Untiln Ow - Kalashtar Cleric
Zah'rie - Human Warlock
Zephel - Shadar-kai Swordmage


Guest members:

Harann - Dragonborn Fighter

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Active Quests:

None at the moment.

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The Deathbringers enjoyed no more than a week's rest before returning to adventuring. It was the presence of a dark creeper in The Nexus complex that was most troubling. Left behind when the dark creeper was killed was a magical brass key, disguised to appear mundane, it's purpose unknown. Found nearby clenched tightly in the hand of Jen, the Farstriders' warlock, was a sending stone; it appeared to be magically restricted from functioning normally.

The party first tried the priests of Moradin who suggested it be destroyed. A few mages in Overlook expressed disinterest in bothering with a simple sending stone. After asking around a little, the adventurers were directed to one Rufus Crumley, who lived in a small tower of grey and black stone located in the Shantytown district. It was commonly believed that Rufus dabbled in magics that few others in Overlook would dare to; it was even believed by some that he was a powerful necromancer and that his tower was guarded by undead horrors.

Though only tall by comparison to the other buildings in Shantytown, Rufus Crumley's Grey Redoubt had an eerie air about it. One knock, two moments, and the sound of some shuffling feet later, the door opened revealing a disheveled, middle-aged man.

"What do you want?" said the man. Zephel replied, "We're looking for Rufus Crumley; we have a peculiar enchantment we were told would he would be interested to inspect." The man's brows furrowed as he opened his mouth to reply, "I'm Rufus - what do you have for me th...?". Zah'rie interjected, "A sending stone that appears to have been rendered inoperable by a magic that none of the priests can identify". Rufus held out his hand into which the party deposited the sending stone; Rufus' gruff expression immediately softened. "Interesting", said Rufus, "it'll take me a few hours; can you return in the morning?"

The party hesitated a moment but agreed to check back with Rufus about the sending stone. Both Zah'rie and Zephel (2 Z names? seriously, guys...) expressed interest in waiting and attending to the investigation. Rufus allowed Zah'rie to join him inside due to their "compatible moral flexibilities"; Zephel chose to wait outside in case anything were to arise. The rest of the party went off to where every party should go when it's getting dark: the tavern.

The next morning, Untiln, Harann, and Lucas made their way back toward Shantytown and the Grey Redoubt. About halfway through Shantytown, a mage and some thugs ambushed them. Confident they could not fail, these thugs immediately identified themselves as having come to avenge their fallen comrades of the Lost Ones gang. Blood was spilled, but again it was mostly that of the Lost Ones; the mage, who identified himself two times in the third person as Szagyn, fled the scene shouting promises to have his revenge on the Deathbringers.

Having successfully thwarted the Lost Ones once again, the party was reunited at Rufus' tower. Thoroughly satisfied at his investigation of the hexed sending stone, Rufus did not charge for his services in restoring it to full functionality. Zephel took the stone in his hand and willed it to activate; the stone began to hum in his hand. "Hello, is there anyone there?", he spoke to the stone. After a moment of silence, the voice of a woman replied saying "Yes, there is; who is this?". The sending stone had been restored and the adventure could now continue.

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Can we do it in two or three more nights?
Officially sanctioned private D&D games, I hope you guys are ready!

Skill Challenge for Mass Combat - Bordrin's Watch

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The Siege of Bordrin's Watch had a massive combat that the campaign file left as just a mentioned event during the wrap-up of the campaign. It seemed silly that the campaign would leave its namesake mass combat that way, so I turned it into a skill challenge that would hopefully make the end of the campaign a little more epic.

Ultimately, it was an exercise in creativity to see how the players could adapt their skills to help the siege go better for the defenders. Which skills were applicable were directly related to what was happening during the given siege phase. I tried to think up as many different contingencies for the different phases, knowing that the players would probably come up with some good ones themselves (and they did). I tried to follow the general rule of "don't say no"; if a skill that a player was trying to use just couldn't work, I would help make suggestions or come up with a way for them to be involved.

Purposely, I made Perception and Insight juxtaposed across the halfway point in the skill challenge; conceivably you could use those skills during all the phases, but it made for a little more concise skill challenge, at least when I was setting it up. Similarly juxtaposed, are Intimidate and Bluff. During the first half of the skill challenge they inspire allies; during the second half they demoralize the enemy. Stealth and Dungeoneering only found contingencies in phase 4, and I could not find any reasonable way to include Streetwise or Thievery in the challenge.

I read a PDF file called "Obsidian Skill Challenge System v. 1.2", which gave some interesting ideas about how to run skill challenges and appropriate DCs for various levels. In addition to that, I read about another mass combat skill challenge here(requires DDI subscription), and took some direction from it as well. Pulling from both sources, I came up with a skill challenge that highlighted the culmination of the campaign well, and was (I hope) a lot of fun for our players.

The base DC for all skill checks was set to 20; a number I figured would be appropriate for a party at level 4. From this base DC, certain checks become easier depending on the current state of the keep. Example: using a heal check in phase 2 would be easier than in phase 4; phase 2 had a flexible DC where a 17 or 16 would be sufficient where in phase 4 that skill check would require the full 20 to pass. The decreasing flexibility of the DC as you move phase to phase is kept in check by the decreasing complexity of the skill challenges.

Our group failed the first challenge, passed the second, then achieved victory on the third phase. Probably the hardest part of all this for our group, and I suppose this would vary by group, was applying creativity to the situation and coming up with personal ways to interact during the skill challenge. Phase 1 was particularly rough as, despite an explanation, no one was very sure what to do. By phase 2, however, everything was flowing well; phase 3 was a breeze. I think if we ever do a skill challenge like this again that it will go much better. Having the contingencies written out was a big help in making it through phase 1.

Try to be very clear about the conditions of the keep during each phase. Not only are each of these moments a great moment for some brief narrative, this is how your players know what is appropriate during that phase. I had Durkik assign each adventurer as one of his lieutenants, and to each of them was assigned a small squad of individuals with similar skills. When the goliath barbarian rolled athletics to move supplies into position, it represented his whole squad rolling on his skill, and doing it as a group. When the shadar-kai swordmage rolled arcana to recharge the wards, it represented his whole squad rolling on his skill, and doing it as a group. I liked this a lot as it gave a sense of plurality to the mass combat.

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Phase 1: "All Along The Watchtowers" - Enemy troops are on the move, but still out of artillery range

Complexity 4 (10 successes before 3 failures)
Success: +1 to all rolls in following phases; move onto phase 2
Failure: Move onto phase 2

Primary Skills:
Arcana - Recharge/bolster wards
Athletics - Move supplies/weapons into key positions
Bluff - Inspire troops
Diplomacy - Inspire troops
History - Inspire troops
Intimidate - Inspire troops
Nature - Predict strong/weak spots in the land, predict enemy movement
Perception - check supplies/weapons for defects
Religion - Inspire troops

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Phase 2: "The enemy cometh!" - Friendly artillery is firing and both sides are exchanging arrow fire

Complexity 3 (8 successes before 3 failures)
Success: +1 to all rolls in following phases(this is cumulative with phase 1's bonus); move onto phase 3
Failure: Move onto phase 3

Primary Skills:
Acrobatics - Dogde incoming arrow
Arcana - Enchant projectile
Athletics - Artillery crew duty
Endurance - Artillery crew duty
Heal - Heal arrow wounds
Perception - spot and communicate enemy troop movement

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Phase 3: "Buttress The Door!" - Orcish forces have a battering ram at the main gate and all manner of fire, magic and mundane, is being exchanged at the walls

Complexity 2 (6 successes before 3 failures)
Success: Orcish forces are routed; dwarfs are victorious
Failure: Main door/gate is broken open; fighting moves into the watch; move onto phase 4

Primary Skills:
Acrobatics - Dodge arrow/bolt/spell
Arcana - Amplify spell
Athletics - Buttress door
Bluff - Demoralize enemies
Endurance - Buttress door
Heal - Heal crossbow/magic wounds
Insight - Spot enemy leadership and relay that info to snipers
Intimidate - Demoralize enemies

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Phase 4: "Fighting In The Watch!" - Open fighting inside the watch

Complexity 1 (4 successes before 3 failures)
Success: Orcish forces are routed; dwarfs are victorious
Failure: This is up to the DM, really. I personally would have just narrated that the watch was lost, many allies were killed, and that a surge of reinforcement from Overlook eventually beat most of them back. Of course, no XP for a failure here, a sad ending to the campaign, and no watch in future campaigns should be consequence enough.

Primary Skills:
Acrobatics - Dodge a melee blow
Athletics - Escape a grab
Bluff - Demoralize enemies
Dungeoneering - Navigate the passageways of the watch to lose your pursuers
Heal - Heal melee wounds
Insight - Spot enemy leadership and relay that info to snipers
Intimidate - Demoralize enemies
Stealth - Find a place to hide in order to lose your pursuers

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Feel free to leave comments or questions. If you try out this skill challenge, please let me know how it goes for your group.

Siege of Bordrin's Watch - Night 4

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Active members of the "Deathbringers" adventuring party:

Lucas - Goliath Barbarian
Untiln Ow - Kalashtar Cleric
Zah'rie - Human Warlock
Zephel - Shadar-kai Swordmage


Guest members:

Harann - Dragonborn Fighter

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Active Quests:

(*Success*) Main Quest: Siege! Do your part to prepare for the impending siege by completing assignments. Upon assignment completion or changed situations, report back for new assignments.

(*Failed*) Minor Quest: Evacuation! Travel to the Monestary of the Sundered Chain; warn of the impending siege and evacuate the monks and paladins.

(*Success*) Minor Quest: Invasion! Follow the trail of the Farstriders and determine their fate. Locate The Nexus and secure it by any means.

(*Success*) Minor Quest: The Enemy Cometh! Assist the militias in defending Bordrin's Watch; use talents to turn the tide of battle to your favor.

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After a short rest, the party decided to cautiously reopen the secret hatch to The Nexus. A quick billow of hot steam shot out with a hiss; spilling down into the hatch, the sunlight reflected off the water revealing that the entire room was still full of boiling hot water. Just to be safe, the party resealed the hatch and set out for Bordrin's Watch.

Ascertaining their general position was easy; visible were The Vents to the east and Overlook to the northeast. The Nexus was located almost directly underneath the headwaters of the Elsir River, at the eastern base of The Hammer, one of the three major peaks in the region. Heading north by northwest the party soon caught The Dwarfroad, which they took the rest of the way west to Bordrin's Watch.

Arriving to once again see Bordrin's Watch was a relief; it still stood. The party was greeted immediately at the rear gate by Durkik Forgeheart. The party recounted all that had happened: The Farstriders had found The Nexus complex, but had been slain by Tusk's troops. The Nexus had been found and secured by way of a mechanism built for that exact purpose; Kalad had been slain but not before slowing the enemy enough to buy the party time to successfully secure The Nexus and escape; A massive orog, an accompanying shadar-kai warlock, and many orcs and orogs had all either been slain by the sword or succumbed to the boiling geothermal waters.

Durkik lamented the loss of Kalad, but praised his name as his sacrifice may have tipped the tides of war to the favor of peoples of the Elsir Vale. By description only, scouts confirmed that it was Tusk and his shadar-kai mistress, Myrissa that were slain in The Nexus chamber. Durkik revealed that Tusk's horde had recently mobilized and would soon be within sight of Bordrin's Watch. Word of what had transpired in The Nexus had likely also reached the enemy and they were on their way to make their attack.

Durkik delegated command of his troops to the adventurers; they were to serve during the siege as his lieutenants. A horn bellowed and bells began to ring around the keep; the standing watch doubled and the mercenaries and sell swords were marshaled into their positions. Last minute preparations were made while the enemy horde funneled up into the pass. Bullroarer, having scouted the terrain but a day earlier, reported to Durkik and the adventurers the possible and most likely paths that the enemy forces would attempt to exploit. Party members and those troops delegated to them spoke to groups of troops to uplift their spirits; some of the ancient wards on the walls and gate doors were temporarily bolstered; supplies were checked for defects and moved into siege position.

The enemy entered artillery and arrow range, and the forces of Bordrin's Watch made good of the high ground and opened fire first. Almost immediately a volley or arrows returned and rained down atop the battlements of the keep. Blake and few clerics from Brindol saw to the wounds of those caught by arrow fire. The adventurers and their crews helped sight in the artillery for maximum effect, assisted artillery crews to more rapidly fire, and to apply temporary magic enchants to the artillery's ammunition to better sway the battle to their favor.

The horde's casualties were nearly impossible to quantify, but they kept coming. Eventually they made it up to the massive gate of the keep; all manner of magic and weapon fire were exchanged at the walls of the keep. Artillery continued firing at the ranks further to the back while orog siege weaponry returned fire with massive boulders. Beena and a group of sharpshooters sniped through arrow slits at the enemies below. The horde managed to get a crude battering ram to the gate and began attempt to breach it.

The adventurers and their crews made busy tending to the wounds of those caught by the massive firefight, shouting powerful and demoralizing words from the the top of the battlements down to the enemy below, and channeling power to amplify the potency of spells cast by the battlemages. Rock and some other stout dwarfs set to buttressing the gate doors. Multiple cauldrons of boiling oil were poured upon the enemy horde, particularly those that were attempting to break open the gate doors.

By this time a particularly perceptive orc shouted "We is all gonna die!!", then he turned and ran. An orog commanding officer intercepted him and ordered him back to the front line, to which the orc replied "But boss, we is gettin all shot up!". The orog officer replied by decapitating the orc right on the spot. While such an act isn't unheard of and normally would discourage cowardice, it instead of inspired mutiny. A couple nearby orcs leapt upon the orog and killed him instantly.

Soon the entire force was fleeing; attempts to have the troops stand their ground was met with the same violence the orog commanding officer received. All this while the forces of Bordrin's Watch continued to rain death, both magical and mundane, upon the horde. As they ran, the dwarfs and their allies let out victorious shouts; horns sounded and resounded through the pass. Once again, the orcish hordes were reminded of why they stay clear of Bordrin's Watch and the Elsir Vale that it guards.

The day had been won and there was much rejoicing. Durkik released all the mercenary companies to return to Overlook for payment, while Bordrin's Watch remained at 150% normal garrison. It was pointed out by someone that of the original "Skillz dat Killz" party, only one member remained. In light of this and all they had been through together the party unanimously decided to rename the adventuring party; they were now to be known as the "Deathbringers".

The party returned to Overlook; the city celebrated all those that were present at the siege of Bordrin's Watch, particularly the Deathbringers. The party was more than satisfactorily compensated for their services, and was once again offered a moment of rest from the perils they had faced. The city as a whole rejoiced the victory and its populace rested content with the belief that they were now safe. But what was a dark creeper doing with orc forces? What could be discovered about the key he was carrying? There also was the sending stone recovered from the body of Jen. There was more happening here than just a centuries old blood feud between dwarfs and orcs.

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Loot Drops:

Bastard Sword w/Arcane Bonds +1 -


















Leather Armor w/Irrefutable Armor +2 -


















Greataxe w/Staggering Weapon +2 -


















Couters of Second Chances (Heroic Tier) -


















Warded Vambraces (Heroic Tier) -


















Ironskin Belt (Heroic Tier) -




















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Great job everyone; another campaign completed!

Siege of Bordrin's Watch - Night 3

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Active members of the "Skills dat Killz" adventuring party:

Beena - Elf Ranger (*retiring from adventuring*)
Gigantor - Goliath Rogue (*missing*)
Lucas - Goliath Barbarian (*bedridden at Bordrin's Watch*)
Untiln Ow - Kalashtar Cleric
Zah'rie - Human Warlock
Zephel - Shadar-kai Swordmage


Guest members of the "Skills dat Killz" adventuring party:

Harann - Dragonborn Fighter

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Active Quests:

Main Quest: Siege! Do your part to prepare for the impending siege by completing assignments. Upon assignment completion or changed situations, report back for new assignments.

(*Failed*) Minor Quest: Evacuation! Travel to the Monestary of the Sundered Chain; warn of the impending siege and evacuate the monks and paladins.

(*Success*) Minor Quest: Invasion! Follow the trail of the Farstriders and determine their fate. Locate The Nexus and secure it by any means.

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The party made it to Bordrin's Watch mid afternoon. The dwarf and Zah'rie were immediately taken on stretchers to the infirmary. After relinquishing the dwarf's body, Gigantor was not seen again. The leader of the militias at Bordrin's Watch, Durkik Forgeheart, sought out the adventurers almost immediately eager to know the status of the monastery. The party communicated all they had been witness to: orcs had likely invaded through the tunnel under the monastery, all the dwarfs save one had been brutally cut down by the invaders, the explosions under the monastery had shaken the earth and the tunnel leading further into the mountain had been collapsed.

Durkik thought about this a moment, thanked the party for their service, and told them to rest and restock awaiting further word from him. Beena expressed her fondness for the other members of the party and the memory of their triumph at Rivenroar, but that the gruesome scene at the monastery was too much for her to bear. She expressed her need for time back among her kind and away from such violence. Lucas said he was feeling a little light headed and wandered off towards the infirmary; he was later admitted and treated for bronchitis.

Later that night, Durkik returned to the party. He explained that the dwarf rescued from the lower chamber under the monastery was named Kalad and that it was he who had lit off the powder keg chain which collapsed the tunnel and set the ground shaking. He had been meditating in a side chamber when the orcs rushed in; they didn't notice him and that allowed him an opportunity to seal off the tunnel. Durkik added that had they arrived a moment later that Kalad would not have been able to be successfully healed.

Zah'rie rejoined the party, having been given substantial healing and time to rest. Durkik explained how the Farstriders had encounted orcs in the tunnels beneath Bordrin's Watch, and that an orc grenadier had collapsed a portion of the tunnel, preventing them from being able to secure the tunnels. Durkik divulged that the tunnels are actually connected in a central point called the Nexus, the securing of which was the actual objective of the Farstriders.

The Nexus, and the tunnels were all of dwarfish construction and had at some point been regularly patrolled. These patrols ceased long ago and the population at large had long ago forgotten about the Nexus. Durkik explained that it was decided that the existance of the Nexus was to be kept secret during the impending siege so as to not spook the populace of Overlook and the surrounding areas. Having been denied direct access to the Nexus, the Farstriders set off to The Vents, a group of geothermal fissures south of Overlook which allegedly contained another way into the Nexus. Based on how long ago the Farstriders left for The Vents, word should have arrived back by now. Durkik requested that the party follow up on the Farstriders and ensure that the Nexus had in fact been secured.

Realizing that their size had shrunk some, the party asked if they could be granted a few able-bodied adventurers to assist them in their mission. Durkik motioned for an assistant to whom he spoke to for but a moment. The assistant left and returned shortly with a kalashtar cleric who was introduced as Untiln Ow. Durkik said that this cleric would help the party have success, and that the party would help Untiln find what he was looking for as "surely it cannot be found within the walls of this fortress".

On the other side of the room, a dragonborn fighter who had been eavesdropping on the conversation addressed the group; his name was Harann. He explained that he grew tired of waiting for the enemy to come to Bordrin's Watch and that he could ascertain that wherever it was that the party was going was going to be seeing its share of action. Harann wanted a piece of that action and requested that he be allowed to join. The party and Durkik agreed. Before the sun rose the next day, the party departed heading southeast.

The hot geothermal gases escaping into the open air made The Vents easy to locate; travel was not difficult and the party made excellent time. Near one of the larger openings the party found five horses with empty feedbags. It was presumed that these were the horses of the Farstriders but no other signs of them were found nearby. The party ventured forth into the large fissure; the air stank of sulfur. After about an hour of travel westward in the underground tunnels, fresh tracks were located, again presumed to be that of the Farstriders. Another 20 minutes of travel and the tunnel opened up into a larger chamber. The chamber was obviously of dwarf make and from the far west side, a smaller hallway continued.

At the far side of this hallway lay a destroyed arbalester and two iron defenders. Had the Farstriders been here? Entering cautiously, but not cautiously enough (lolperceptionfail), the party tripped a pressure plate causing a single magic crossbow to descend from the ceiling further down the hallway. The crossbow immediately acquired targets and opened fire. Confident that it would more prudent to search for a possible "off switch" for the trap instead of engaging it directly, the party rushed through the hallway. A little bit of searching did in fact turn up a control panel on the far wall.

Contemplating the operation of the control panel, the party hesitated for a moment. The crossbow continued to track the party but did not fire; perhaps they had left its range. With even less subtlety the party a lone dwarf came running into the hall from the entrance. Curiously the crossbow tracked the dwarf but did not fire.

It was Kalad, the paladin from the monastery. He explained how despite recommendations of the clerics and medics at Bordrin's Watch, he decided that too much was at stake and that he should assist the party at The Vents. Having made no attempt to hide their tracks, Kalad had no trouble navigating their path into the Nexus complex. After a moment of study of the control panel, and Kalad managed to operate it and successfully reset the magic crossbow. He explained that even having never traveled here, his ancestors built the defenses to not attack dwarfs and the operation of the facilities machinery to be very natural and intuitive for dwarfs.

Peering into the next room the party saw a large room, with a few orcs milling about. Deciding to move forward quickly, the party moved in. The doorway opened onto a large platform with two staircases leading to a lower area of the room. On the other side of the large platform was another doorway. On the north and south sides of the lower room, ran identical pipes each about 10 feet in diameter. On the north side of the lower room were the carcasses of a few fire beetles. Just a few paces from the east doors was the decapitated body of a humanoid.

The orcs quickly moved to engage the party, while a few orcs armed with bows hung back and fired from afar. Both groups were clashing in the middle when a third party entered from one of the two staircases: fire beetles! From the other side, a lone dark creeper emerged from the darkness and engaged the party. The first to fall were the fire beetles, followed by the dark creeper. The orcs scouts retreated to the far west side of the chamber before being cut down.

Further investigation of the room showed that the decapitated humanoid was female and dressed in the garb of a warlock. It was clearly the warlock Jen, a member of the Farstriders. Clenched tightly in her fist was what appeared to be a sending stone; while it was whole, it appeared to be nonoperational. The body of the dark creeper had dissolved into shadow, but a curious key was discovered in the left over garments. The key, while appearing to be a mundane brass key, was obviously magical. Its purpose or reason for being disguised could not be determined.

The eastern section of each pipe was obviously hot to the touch, presumably due to either some sort of hot gas or liquid inside it. About midway down each pipe was a single large valve which the party decided should be turned; immediately after doing so, the sound of flowing liquid was heard and the western section of the pipes also began to noticeably increase in temperature.

Heading through the next set of doors and further west into the complex, the party came to a crossroads. The main hallway continued west while two smaller halls led north and south. The party decided to head north first. After a short way, the hall opened into a room dedicated to Moradin. At one end was an altar, at the other a large tapestry, and on the sides were stone pews to hold those gathered to worship. A troll lay asleep near the altar, snooring(unusual for a troll to snore that quietly). The party knew immediately what they needed to do.

Laying helpless in a happy dream about delicious adventurers, the troll did not know that he would soon be victim to a three-way coup de grace. Having been critically reduced below zero hit points, the fourth party member doused the troll in oil and lit him off. The troll slowly smoldered and melted away into nothing more than a pile of green bile. The smell was terrible.

From the troll, off toward a corner lay four more bodies, each fitting the description of the other four members of the Farstriders. These bodies had been horribly gnawed and chewed on; it was most likely that the troll was overcome with sleepiness from the size of his meal.

Inspection of the tapestry, revealed an account of the construction of the Nexus complex and specifically the Nexus itself. The water in the pipe room had to be let through via the valves, as the party had done. It was clear that this powered a mechanism in the room farther west, but it wasn't clear what exactly that was beyond it being some sort of defensive measure. Upon inspecting the altar, Kalad noted how brilliantly it shimmered; he felt that he must cleanse the chamber and asked the party to help him by arranging the remains of the dead. This surprised the party but they assisted him in the task and left the Farstriders in dignified poses not unlike that which appear commonly on sarcophagi.

Satisfied with the altar room, the party headed to the southern hallway; it led to a small common room, with doors to smaller satellite rooms. Two had beds and footlockers, while one had a dinning hall and the last had a sizable kitchen. These were likely the barracks for dwarfs who had at one time been stationed here. A search of the barracks turned up nothing; it was presumed that such items were removed when the dwarfs cleared out, or possibly looted by the orcs.

Having explored the smaller hallways, the party pushed westward along the main hallway. The hallway ended at a massive door. The door itself appeared to be one large machination with many gears and sliding bars. The door opened with a surprising degree of ease considering how heavy it must have weighed. Passing through the door, it softly closed and quietly stopped again as they had found it.

This was the Nexus; the chamber ceiling was about 50 feet up; in the center of the room was a massive stone and metal pillar which was easily 15 feet across. Coming from the corners of the eastern wall were two large pipes, about the same size and make as the pipes in the room where Jen's body lay. Starting in the southeast corner of the room and wrapping nearly all the way up and along the wall ten foot wide catwalk. From this catwalk leading out were six dark tunnels that each led off in separate directions; leading to the center of the room were platforms which then encircled the large pillar at various levels.

Decided to ascend the catwalk to the top and investigate the room further, the party began their ascent. Almost immediately after they began to climb, shouts were heard from a few of the tunnels. Orcs and orogs werespilling into the chamber from the various tunnels! Two fierce orogs emerged from a tunnel behind the party; Kalad commanded that the party get to the top and find some sort of way to activate the mechanism while he held back the two orogs.

While Kalad and the orogs exchanged blows, Untiln kept the paladin healed and on feet. It was just moments later that the largest orog they had ever seen (yes, larger than the one from the monastery) emerged from a tunnel higher up and on the opposite side of the room. At his side were two orcs armed with bellybows and a shadar-kai woman dressed in the garb of a warlock. The orcs moved for the higher level, the shadar-kai caster moved onto one of the rings around the large pillar, and the massive orog moved down to engage the party directly. It would later be determined that the orog was actually Tusk, the current leader of the horde that threatened Bordrin's Watch; the shadar-kai warlock was Myrissa, his mistress.

Meeting about midway up, the party met Tusk. Confident that he would suffer no difficulty in exterminating the meddling adventurers, Tusk positioned himself on the edge of the catwalk instead of in the safer position adjacent to the wall. This opening was exploited by Harann, who succeeded in bull-rushing Tusk off the catwalk and onto the floor 20 feet below. The orc crossbowmen opened fire on the party from the top floor while Myrissa cast her curses and spells from the ring directly underneath. Kalad succeeded in slaying the orogs and then moved to catch back up with the party.

Tusk picked himself up after the fall, and rushed back towards the bottom of the stairs. The only way back to stairs was to climb and cross one of the two pipes filled with hot geothermal water. This Tusk successfully did, but not without having been burned by the intense heat. Kalad had hewn down and slain more than ten times his weight in orc and orog, but it was the bolt from one of the bellybows that finally dropped him. Tusk, conscious of the battle he was losing, took a moment on his ascent back up to decapitate Kalad and push his body and severed head off the catwalk. The adventurers were not amused.

Ultimately, Myrissa fell to superior magics of Zah'rie. Each level of the catwalk ascended meant more orcs spilling into the room; finally the party arrived at the top. The top platform had a small waist-high box atop which was a panel with various levers, buttons, and lights. Opposite it was a ladder leading upward into the ceiling. Taking just a moment to finish off the orc crossbowmen, Zephel then took a stab at figuring out the control console. Regreting not having taken some thieving classes, he attempted and amazingly succeeded at working the controls and activating the main mechanism.

The large doors the party had passed through whirred into motion, the bars sliding and locking the door into place. The pillar began to rotate and then to life upward; this allowed the boiling hot water inside the pipes to burst outward and into the room. At the top of the ladder was heard a click. Within only a moment, the first tunnel was completely submerged; steam rose just faster than the water itself was rising.

Eager to kill their quarry but now doubly eager to not come in contact with the boiling hot water, the orcs and Tusk surged to the top. The party members scurried up the ladder one by one with the orcs and Tusk close behind them. Zephel discovered that the top of the ladder was covered with a hatch that gently hinged open with a push. He was momentarily blinding by the light of the sun; they were back at the surface! Immediately adjacent to the hatch was another small console, this one with a single button.

As the last member of the party, Zah'rie made it out the surface hatch, the button on the adjoining console was pushed; the hatch shut securely and the steam rising out of the opening stopped entirely. Just a moment later, the hatch was hot to the touch. A faint tapping was heard for a minute or two, but by the third minute, it had gone silent. Tusk the orog chieftain and his orcs which were pursuing the party are presumed dead, having likely perished in the boiling hot geothermal water. Kalad's lifeless body was somewhere in the flooded chamber; his sacrifice would secure his place among his ancestors. The party surveyed the landscape to figure out their relative location, and took a short rest.

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Dark Ones: Native to the Shadowfell, dark ones are sly, murderous creatures clad in black garments. They come to the world with sinister schemes, take and learn what they can, and slink back into the gloom. Dark ones live among shadar-kai, much the way as halflings find their place among populations of humans, dwarves, and elves. Dark ones prefer to dwell in homes that are at least partially underground.

Orogs: Hulking warriors with uncommon discipline and fighting expertise, orogs are the filthy offspring of orcs and ogres. Like half-elves, orogs breed true and are a separate race from orcs. Sometimes called greater orcs or ogrillons, orogs are a vastly superior breed, rising far above their lesser kin in terms of their mastery over weaponry and also their mastery of warfare. Where common orcs rely on superior numbers to overcome their enemies, orogs use clever tactics and teamwork, ranking up in orderly lines of heavily armored soldiers.
Rumors tell of orog cities in the far-flung places in the world, though no one is certain where they are or what they might look like. Instead, orogs crop up wherever ogres and orcs congregate in large numbers. Orogs swiftly rise to the top and take over tribes, crushing their rivals until the rest of the horde surrenders to the orog’s will.

Sending Stones: Most commonly a pair of identical fist-sized stones each bearing a Dwarven rune that translates as "Speak". Any stone in a set can be activated and spoken to and doing so causes the spoken words to be heard from the other stones in the set as if they were present. When speaking ceases the stones are momentarily exhausted but can be recharged by simply willing it. While a pair of fist-sized sending stones is the most common by far, sending stones can be crafted into larger sets and sizes.

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What is the deal with that brass key?
Can the sending stone be repaired?
What is with all the exotic race choices?
There will be no mindflayer player characters.

Siege of Bordrin's Watch - Night 2

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Active members of the "Skills dat Killz" adventuring party:

Beena - Elf Ranger
Gigantor - Goliath Rogue
Lucas - Goliath Barbarian
Zah'rie - Human Warlock
Zephel - Shadar-kai Swordmage

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Active Quests:

Main Quest: Siege! Do your part to prepare for the impending siege by completing assignments. Upon assignment completion or changed situations, report back for new assignments.

(*Failed*) Minor Quest: Evacuation! Travel to the Monestary of the Sundered Chain; warn of the impending siege and evacuate the monks and paladins.

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Approaching the monastery's outer gate, the adventurers began to open it. At the precise moment they did so, however, a great explosion sounded from inside the monastery; it seemed to be coming from underneath the surface of the ground itself. Now on alert and moving forward cautiously, they peered through the gate in time to see two orc sentries running back into the monastery's lone domed building. Our adventurers made cautious haste across the courtyard and through the doors.

Through the doors, the room was spacious. Sunlight from the morning spilled through windows high up in the dome. The simple and dwarfish beauty of the shrine to Moradin was despoiled and desecrated by the entrails of dwarfs strewn about the altar in the center of the room; the bodies of dead dwarfs lay in their own blood, presumably where they fell; the air was heavy with the smell of death; the party was too late.

But what of the dwarfs' murderers, the orcs? Closer examination of the altar revealed a trap door hiding a spiral staircase heading downward. Once at the bottom, the adventurers saw at least a dozen orcs being dispatched north, further into the depths of the monestary. One of those dispatchers turned seconds later and noticed the party. Both sides clashed and mid-fight another large explosion sounded, this time one that shook the ground so profoundly that many of the combatants struggled to keep their footing; some were shaken and moved from the very spaces in which they stood.

For the most part, our adventurers managed to keep their balance while the orcs and orogs (half orc/half ogre) did not fair so well. Using the seismic events to their advantage, the party decisively defeated the orcs. Pausing momentarily for a short rest and to take in their surroundings, the party realized that this basement floor was actually a dormitory for the monks and paladins of the monastery. While the bodies here had not been so desecrated, some were still in their sleeping robes; at least two were dead in their own beds. The party pushed onward.

The party pushed onward to a point when the tunnel opened up into a large cavern. The path narrowed and descended along a series of landings and switchback staircases. As they neared the bottom of what was about a 200 ft. descent, they noticed the bodies of numerous orcs. It was infered that the large explosion and quake had shaken them right off the switchbacks and onto the jagged rock floor of the unfinished portion of the cavern. Historians would note that Moradin himself exacted some deserving revenge that day upon those orcs.

A path led from the bottom of the cavern into a new chamber, this one much better lit than the previous. This cavern was obviously used as a room for crafting the tools and weapons that were used by the the monastery. A modest number of orcs had their backs to the party, their attention focused toward the back of the cavern where a large orog was beating a defenseless dwarf. He was demanding that the dwarf open the tunnel, which could barely be seen on the other side of a large fire burning in the northeast corner of the room.

Having made no attempt at subtlety, the party was almost immediately noticed. The orog commander dropped the dwarf and the entire enemy group threw themselves at our adventurers. The orcs fought with surprising ferocity; their orog commander struck down one of his subordinates who was obstructing the path to the adventurers. Zah'rie, was incapacitated during the fight and nearly all the party members were bloodied. As the fight progressed and as his allies were slain, the orog commander became more and more reckless. He broke away from the party to finish off the dwarf. Eventually though, he too was defeated and the party was allowed a moment to gather themselves.

Zah'rie's health was stabilized and Lucas packed him out. The dwarf's lifeless body was packed out by Gigantor and everyone made their way quickly back up to the surface. It was decided that it would be fastest to travel to Bordrin's Watch to resupply, rest, and seek medical assistance for the fallen. Carrying the wounded, reflecting on the fate of the monks and paladins of the Sundered Chain, and the new knowledge that the orcs had a foothold in the tunnels under the mountains made travel to Bordrin's Watch sober and joyless.

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Maybe we should try this out? Ok, maybe not.

Siege of Bordrin's Watch - Night 1

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Active members of the "Skills dat Killz" adventuring party:

Beena - Elf Ranger
Gigantor - Goliath Rogue (*taking care of "personal business" in Brindol*)
Lucas - Goliath Barbarian
Zah'rie - Human Warlock
Zephel - Shadar-kai Swordmage

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Active Quests:

Main Quest: Siege! Do your part to prepare for the impending siege by completing assignments. Upon assignment completion or changed situations, report back for new assignments.

Minor Quest: Evacuation! Travel to the Monestary of the Sundered Chain; warn of the impending siege and evacuate the monks and paladins.

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After an extended extended rest in Brindol, the party underwent some changes. Rock decided to settle down in Brindol and perhaps open a brothel. Bullroarer decided to go do whatever it is that wardens do. Blake decided to take the position of head physician at the local clinic, but not before introducing an acquaintance, Zephel the Shadar-kai Swordmage, to the party.

After days at the tavern, the party was also introduced to a Warlock named Zah'rie. The conversation went something like this:

"Hey you look like adventurers."
"Yeah, we could use another for our party; you down?"
"Absolutely I am."

Warlocks don't take much convincing and are pretty easy going, I guess.

The heroes also had an opportunity to meet another band of adventurers, the Freeriders. They were mostly laid back and made for pleasant company. On the third day of the week, the dull mellow of Brindol was interrupted when a messenger arrived at the tavern looking for the Freeriders. The message he delivered was a call to arms; the orc hordes of the far west were assembling once again; reputable able-bodies were being summoned from all over the vale.

Almost immediately after recieving the message, the Freeriders quickly gathered their things and made for the town gates. Eager for the prospect of adventure, and likely anxious to do their part in contributing to the security of the Elsir Vale, Skillz dat Killz also made preparations to leave. Being a little new to this whole "adventuring" thing, it took our party a few more hours to be ready to go.

The trek west was uneventful until the 7th day, just over a day out from Overlook, the party stumbled upon a caravan that was in the process of being looted by an orc scout party. Successful with their caravan raid and confident that they could take the party, the orcs rushed towards our players. Contrary to the orcs' belief, the party had no difficulty beating them into the ground.

It was noted that all the weapons employed by the orc warband bore an unusual black arrow insignia. Even stranger still was that so many orcs were found so close to Overlook. While the caravan masters were unfortunately already slain before the party stumbled across them, the orcs had not yet managed to break open the strongbox that the caravan was transporting. After inspecting the strongbox it was determined that it belonged to the Elsir Consortium, in Overlook. The cart animal had been scared off as its body was nowhere nearby; the cart was pulled by hand the rest of the way west into Overlook.

The city was busy, but now even more so; the call to arms had not only attracted men of war, but those able to profit from times of war. The city gates were manned with an additional watch and travelers in and out of the city were all being inspected. The party was held up just long enough to recount their encounter with the orcs to the head gate-captain, Captain Aerun. Orcs in the surrounding countryside was one thing, but well-armed orcs striking well traveled paths midday was ill news. Worse still is that this was not the only report of orcs in close proximity to Overlook.

With some directions, the party was able to find the offices of the Elsir Consortium. Receiving the party personally on behlaf of the consortium was a dwarf named Bram Ironfell, a senior partner. The party was thanked and questioned about how fate had placed them in a position to recover such important property; the party replied by explaining how they had come to answer the call to arms. To assist the adventurers, Bram gave them his recommendation that way they would be allowed into High Hall to meet with those responsible for defending Bordrin's Watch, Overlook, and the whole of the Elsir Vale.

High Hall was also easy enough to find; adventurers were already assembling inside its main building. Moving to enter, the party was intercepted by another adventuring band that was blocking the entrance. It was the Farstriders. Having completed many difficult and amazing adventures, their reputation preceded them. Unfortunately, it seemed to have begun to go to their head. Some clever words, a little luck, and one recommendation from Bram later saw the Farstriders backing down and allowing our adventurers admission into High Hall.

Moments after entering the lobby area of High Hall, the many in attendance were permitted to enter further into a large meeting chamber. All manner of able-bodies were represented: mercenaries, adventurers, tacticians, each in groups of all sizes. Skillz dat Killz was beckoned over by their friends from Brindol, the Freeriders. Also in attendance were other famous adventuring and mercenary parties including the Farstriders, the Green Hand, the Slayers, and the Company of Wolves. Of additional mention was a solo mercenary named Gilgathorn aka Thorn. This elf was more obviously armed than some of the larger parties in the room. His features were striking and distinct; he had a patch over one eye and more than a few intimidating scars.

The meeting was quickly called to order, and the youngest of the five dwarf elders spoke up to address the group. It was said that Durkik Forgeheart (High Priest of Moradin) would lead the majority of those present to Bordrin's Watch to prepare for the siege. The Farstriders would secure the tunnels below the mountain which were believed to have possibly been compromised already. The only task remaining was that of evacuating the monks and paladins from the Monastery of the Sundered Chain before they were set upon by orcs; volunteers were petitioned for; Skillz dat Killz were the first to put their hands up. Shortly after that the meeting was concluded and all present set out to make preparations to leave.

Decided to leave for the monastery immediately, the adventurers made their way for the city's west gate. On the way, the party stumbled upon five men circled around another man, the five speaking in obviously harsh tones. Interested in finding out more, the party approached them; it was almost immediately clear that the man was being extorted by the men. Aware that the party was approaching them, the thugs' leader, a mage, suggested the party "mind your own business and move along". One of the adventurers spoke in response, to which the thugs responded with violence.

What started as a routine shakedown ended as a defeat for the thugs. The mage was slain as were all but one of the others. Despite having seen four of his allies killed, the fifth thug remained defiant. After a short interrogation, this member of the Lost Ones (a local thieving guild) was cut loose and warned there would be consequences if he was ever seen thieving again. The party continued their way out towards the west gate.

Having left Overlook, the party made efforts to navigate to the Monastery of the Sundered Chain. Traveling up the mountain and off the beaten path was difficult at night. Exhausted and a little demoralized, the party did finally arrive about the moment the sun began to rise.

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Other adventuring bands of note:

Freeriders:

• Megan Swiftblade - human fighter, Ragnum Dourstone - dwarf cleric, Sylen Leafrunner - elf ranger, Ghena Tenson - human wizard, Madrick - gnome rogue.
• Formed about 6 months ago in Elsir's Crossing.
• Have one decisive victory versus a cabal of cultists in the town of Beacon.

Farstriders:

• Edgar Sommerfield - human warlord, Uulath and Reiner - twin elf rangers, Jen - half-elf warlock, Corben - human fighter.
• Most renowned adventuring party in the Elsir Vale. Have overcome many significant challenges including having wiped out tribes of savage humanoids, recovered fabled relics, and even slain a black dragon.
• Are proud of their successes and see themselves as the best adventuring party.

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Coming next week: information about various religions and deities you've heard mention of, more information on Overlook, some history about the region, and maybe some other useful stuff.

Rescue at Rivenroar - Retrospective

Ok guys...lets review the Rescue at Rivenroar campaign. The overarching themes of most of these are moderation, roleplaying, and streamlining.

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Combat vs. Story vs. Fun:

We cut our teeth pretty hard on Rivenroar. Two characters changed classes mid-campaign and it sounds like two players will be changing characters entirely between Rivenroar and the next campaign. What was supposed to have taken four nights instead took seven, and that was after I cut out a large amount of the monsters in Rivenroar. Speaking of Rivenroar, have you seen the file for it? Now that we are done, I'd like anyone interested to see it, so they understand a little better how our campaign resulted like it did.

So we learned a lot and made changes on the fly. Having read ahead into the next couple of months' worth of campaigns, I would say that the campaign designers did, too. So far, none of the other campaigns have so much consecutive combat like there was in the Rivenroar castle section. Seriously, 15 combat encounters and only 1 social challenge? I wonder if you think the way I do, but it seemed like too much fighting with not enough story elements. There was some backstory to be extracted from the captives, but it wasn't that much.

Think back to the first 2 nights - think of them as 1 night. If we had them to do again, I bet we could have done them all in 1 night. Bar combat challenge, Ogre Cart combat challenge, Town Mayor social challenge, Interrogation social challenge, and the Travel challenge. That's 40% fighting, 40% talking, and 20% rolling to not get lost and die. A lot of the content for the coming months is close to this format and honestly I think that will be a good thing. Keeping the role-players happy is just as important as giving the combat-happy warmongers something to smash.

I initially wanted to stick to the letter as far as the written campaign went; I think I want to still follow the campaign pretty closely but to make some changes. Besides the above about keeping combat and story in balance, I'd like to compress the campaign so that it runs 3 or 4 nights tops. I'd like to get to the paragon tier before people start moving away again. This will accelerate the xp gain and loot gain, which I'm sure most of you would agree cannot be a bad thing. I think I will empty monsters from a few rooms, or maybe even remove rooms entirely (most likely the former, that way you can still explore the locales). Some of this can be done without seeming too cheese-balled, so stay tuned for how we pull this off.

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Party Balance:

Some of you are of the "We need each role/class represented in our party" mindset; others are of the "Role/class representation would be nice but it's more important to play what I want to play" mindset. I need you to know that I, personally, support both mindsets and really don't care which you go with. As I figure it, you can die horribly in a balanced party, and you can have surprising success with an unbalanced party. Either way, I'm still eventually going to kill you guys so it's really just a matter of when, where, and how exactly the body is affected by a high velocity impact with the bottom of a chasm. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Seriously though, I recommend that everyone just respect the mindset of everyone else. Feel free to civilly explain your position and maybe you'll sway them to your point of view, but if that doesn't work, please don't hold that against anyone. This sort of leads into the next point.

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Skill Challenges vs. Skilled Players:

We learned pretty early how effective having a character who isn't a bluffer (+0 Charisma modifier and +0 skill in bluff) is when attempting to bluff in a skill challenge where the DC is 20 - not effective at all! But, should that player be disallowed to make that attempt? This is something I've thought about a bit.

If that player believes that his character would make that attempt anyway, saying he can't do that denies him of a genuine opportunity to role-play. On the other hand, saying that he can make the attempt will almost always be progress towards failure of the challenge.

What I would like to do, and you saw the beginning of this with the travel challenge and the social challenge with Mirtala, is make very clear the following:

1. A social challenge has started
2. It has a definite goal that should be worked for
   
3. Party will be told what the primary skills for the challenge are
   
4. Party will be told that there are secondary skills, but not told which skills those are
   
5. Open up the initial interaction in the challenge to only people who are skilled in the skill which they are attempting (not trained in bluff? then you can't start the challenge bluffing).
6. Once the challenge is 50%-75% complete, then I'll open it up to others to everyone to participate, skilled or not skilled.

This can, of course, be tweaked further with how this actually works and your feedback. It just needs to be clear what the goal is and everyone needs to work towards it. It's important to me that no single person carry any whole challenge. Like the Mirtala challenge, Blake did 3 of the 4 successes, he could have easily done the final one, but I put that on the party to finish. Equally important to me is that party members do not torpedo the skill challenges by insisting they attempt skills they have little to no chance to succeed in.

I hope you all see what I mean and can agree with at least a few points here.

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Roleplayed vs. Tableplayed:

Table is table-talk, out of game talk, out of character talk, and just being the people that we all are normally. Role is role-played talk, in-game talk, in character talk, and sometimes being someone that we aren't normally in real life.

Sometimes choices made both at the table and in the role can frustrate others. We've seen this enough times that this needs to be addressed here. It's not uncommon that the role-played choices of one player can encourage the others to react negatively at the table. While I am sure this will be an occassional struggle, we all need to make an active effort, dungeon master included, to make sure that our characters' reactions are our characters' reactions; do not let your table reaction become your character's role-played reaction.

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Railroaded vs. No Momentum:

Worded another way: too fast vs. too slow. Everyone, I'm sure, agrees that both extremes should be avoided but not everyone has the same definition of those extremes. One person's "just right" is another person's "too fast"; that person's "just right" is the first person's "too slow". Some compromise somewhere in the middle needs to be reached and everyone needs to settle for it.

I think I lean a little towards the fast side, and for the most part, I think 4e does, too. While I will restrain myself from pushing the party through the content, I will try to keep the objectives at all times clear so those same objectives are what the party is constantly working towards.

If party members push so fast that the rest of the party is dragging behind, it's too fast. If the whole party wants to move on but cannot because one or two people are dawdling, it's too slow.
Everyone please be sensitive to this as it will take giving from both sides to arrive at a "party speed" that is mostly comfortable for all.

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Wish Lists and Assigned Loot:

Yes, there will be wish lists; no, the loot will not be assigned to you. Basically, you will contribute to what could potentially show up on the loot tables. If something you picked gets selected to go on the loot table, it still has to be decided who will use it; "because I wished for it" will not be reason sufficient. If two or more player both want it, you need to resolve that conflict with role-playing.

One could initially lay claim on the item, then choose to withdraw to avoid conflict. The players could roll a d20 as a sort of "short straw" to see who wins the loot. The players could actually battle each other dealing subduing damage to bloodied, or to zero. Bottom line is that your character should really just do what your character would do anyway.

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Continued Blogging:

I hope you enjoyed the blogs as much as I did making them. They have been a great outlet for some repressed creative energy that I haven't tapped as much as I used to. Like the campaigns themselves, I will likely be consolidating the blog posts so that they are shorter, and this so that I make sure that I get them done within 2 days of each D&D session.

If someone wants to make dramatized posts about your exploits, even something like a field journal of your adventures from the 1st person perspective, I can give author permissions to the blog and you all can be my guest. I guess that is more of a roleplaying thing, but if that rings your bell, please talk to me about it. Even multiple people doing that would be really cool.

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What else did I miss? Oh well, I guess it's time to end the post. :D