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Post edited 12:39 pm – December 17, 2010 by Blink
Post edited 1:04 pm – December 17, 2010 by Blink
Post edited 1:08 pm – December 17, 2010 by Blink

This is an excerpt from the campaign that a friend and I have been running online. All of the players vary in gaming experience from having played quite frequently to this being the first time they have ever played. Most of the players are college students from all over the country. The adventures have been very slow moving as most Play by Posts are. We started in October and will be finishing up our second, third, and fourth adventure over break. This world that we are playing in has been created by Steve and myself. We created this as a setting in which we could play all of our games be it SciFi, Action, or Fantasy. First I shall begin with a little history…

          This realm consists of many planets, which are connected to each other by a series of jaunt portals. In order to get from one planet to another you need just walk onto the portal, say your destination, and you will be teleported there.

            This world, although it used to be controlled by the Imperial Senate, was contested by both the Imperial Senate and the Democratic Ascendancy Security or DAS for short. After years of conflict the DAS has all but won, however, there  are still a few Imperial holdouts.

            Our story begins with a string of assassinations. DAS members of all ranks have been dropping dead. No one is safe, not even the chairman. The chairman had been negotiating a treaty in a nearby planet when the building he was in exploded, bursting into flames.  When searching the wreckage, they found a slightly singed letter clutched in his blackened hands. The letter read, “Die, government scum!” in several different languages. Enraged the DAS placed a 100,000 electrum bounty on whoever was responsible for this sudden string of assassinations.

            Scores of bounty hunters  and mercenaries departed through jaunt platforms to investigate the chairman’s death in some hope to claim this large bounty. This bounty also gained the attention of a dwarven freelance organization, the Stromwreaver Elite Guard. Seeking a minor profit, as well as aiding a long time client, the DAS, the SEG dispatch a small squad of relatively new, but promising members. However, the assassinations also got noticed by a third group. The emperor, deep within his hideout, dispatched some of his most trusted followers. He is intrigued and fearful of this new powerful enemy. However the enemy of his enemy is his friend, perhaps these Imperial commandos could negotiate an alliance with this new force.

[An excerpt from the journal of Balruc Stormwreaver]

Razing the Bar

            It was a long day of uneventful ‘interrogation’ and Krug, Valgrim, Bloodbeard and mehself were faced with the decision to either make the long trip back to HQ on Altenor or stay at a local inn. Well, seeing as Valgrim and Krug aren’t the sharpest axes of the bunch,  the decision came down to Bloodbeard and me. Of course we stayed, meh legs be aching and I could use some good ale.

            After a quick walk around the town, we found the Drunken Boar. Although it was a rather seedy establishment, I was confident that I could handle any trouble that brewed. If not, then I would simply point Valgrim in its drection and command, “Smash!”

            The bar was fairly average. There was both a set of swinging doors leading to a kitchen and a door that must be hiding a storage room behind it. A single file staircase leads up stairs to a series of bedrooms. I motioned to the others and we sat down, taking a table in the corner. The others got up and ordered some ale before coming back, however, I would have none of that foul brew! Only dwarves know how to make good beer and Altenorian mead is the best of them all. I swear ‘pon me mother’s beard that I once went eight days straight while living on nothing but Altenorian mead. This is why I always stock up ‘fore I travel. I reach over unstrapping one of the eight hand kegs of Altenorian mead from Valgrim’s back for, after all, every good party has their pack mule. I begin to drink as I survey the surroundings.

            There was an elf, what a girlie little creature, sipping wine with his dainty little fingers. Wine, of all things! A taste of disgust fills my mouth, but then, I guess, it isn’t his fault. I mean, after all, he can’t help being an elf. The elf was running a conversation with two humans. Both were rather well groomed, however, one carried a lute while the other I recognized as a disciple of the True Art. There was a trulk, regal but stupid, sitting at a table with a red furred wigget and a fuarie nestled on his shoulders. Now I can respect trulks, but anyone who socializes with fuaries and wiggets get downgraded to their caste.

            I had just begun to run my fingers through my hair when I saw a man stand up, running towards us. As he got up both sets of doors opened and through them came a string of thugs came pouring out. This man swung at me, however, his aim was off. Oh, how I wish he had hit me instead. His arm slammed into the mug I was holding, which shattered upon impact and the fine mead sprayed all over the place.

            Anger raged inside me. Fuming, I clapped my hands. I felt power surge within me as blue bands flew from under my sleeves and wrapped around this man. Seamlessly I flowed into my next chant and with the added speed I reached out touching the vile filth’s chest. My arms shook as bright blue light flew out of them leaving a sizzling hole in the man’s chest.

            The red wigget nimbly slid off of the trulk’s shoulder in a charge. His padded feet were noiseless as he slashed out at a thug. The unexpecting man smiled seeing such a small creature attempting to attack him, but the smile turned to confusion as he crumpled to the floor, the wigget’s sword in his chest. 

            Bloodbeard leapt up, knocking his chair back and shouting towards his brothers, “Battle formations!” Valgrim and Krug moved infront of me and Bloodbeard, Valgrim beginning to swing his Grim Flail over his head and Krug lowering his shield and giving me slight cover. The thugs advanced, charging in and circling not only us but the elf, humans, and trulk as well. It was one massive onslaught. Swords clashed against each other. The one who was hit the hardest however was the wigget. Two thugs singled him out in their charge. The first brought his sword in a slash across the wiggets chest. The wigget was too quick for the thug and dropped to the ground, ducking just under the blade. He whirled coming up again, just in time to be spitted on the end of the second thugs spear.

            Across the room, the elf and his human companions mounted a feeble resistance. I saw the elf say something before he disappeared behind an aura of gruesome and horrific faces. The minstrel began to string up a song but the tune was cut short when the pommel of a sword knocked him unconscious.  Weapons slashed out at the warlock leaving him with only a few cuts.  The trulk was encircled by a group and not even his own strength could save him from them. He dropped to the ground and slowly drifted off into unconsciousness.

Valgrim's face lit up in a smile as he whirled swinging his grim flail with deadly accuracy. The ball smashed into the head of the first enemy, crushing his scull. Valgrim sped up his pace and the flail smashed into the chest of a second. The spiked head carried the thug into another knocking them both to the ground. On it went, with Valgrim blazing a path and leaving naught but death in his wake. As the bloody onslaught went on Valgrim’s smile widened. He tasted the blood of his enemies.

Most having been killed by the dwarven tank, there were only a few thugs left. Two turned and ran while the last remaining thug attempted to make a stand. As my anger began to quell I became sensible enough to understand our need for prisoners. Once again blue bands shot and encircled the body of the two thugs. They tripped and fell to the ground, their bodies rigid.

The remaining thug was different from the others. He was better equipped and his muscles bulged. He screamed as he charged Valgrim. His warhammer cracked Valgrim in the head. The dwarf laughed, shrugging off the attack. His smile faltered and he fell over unconscious. Seeing this new threat the elf fired a bolt at the thug. When the bolt hit him, the boss seemed bewildered. He stumbled a little bit and walked around oblivious to his surroundings before Krug hit him in the head with his shield.

While the others were still trying to figure out what had just happened the dwarves moved with coordination as they each went about their tasks. Valgrim, having been quickly revived by Bloodbeard. Went about with Krug, tying up the captives. I quickly enchanted my eyes searching around for magical auras. I gathered the items into a pile. Bloodbeard, however, went about blessing the dead thugs before laying them in a pile. He skipped by the wigget without a blessing, even aiming a little kick at him.

While this was going on the others finally gathered their bearings. The annoying elf walked over over and muttered something. I tried to block it out but it sounded like he was ordering us around. After hogtying the leader Valgrim and Krug slit the throats of the rest.

“I’m sorry did you say something, ELF?” my tone was thick with dislike.

"ELF? Dwarf, you dare address me as such? Of course now you have security in numbers which you hide behind like all of your race, but once you are alone you are as weak as the helpless prisoners you just executed."

I glower down at the insolent creature. This was the problem with all elves. They were to dainty, too refined, to high and mighty always looking down upon my race. “Why don't you go back to sipping your girlie wine and let the men do the work?”

"So tell me master dwarf. Which came first for your race? The skills of interaction that you possess or that your people hide under rocks?"

I turn, snapping my fingers and immediately blue bands begin to wrap around the elf. The elf realizing that his attempt to hide in the shadows failed flicks his wrist casting a bolt at me.  Bothe the dwarf and the elf hit the ground, helpless.

My head turned away, all I could hear were voices yelling. I heard screams for a little while and then silence. I knew that would hold out longer then the other elf but did not wish to wait that long o I released my spell. At almost the exact same time, I began to control my body again. I struggled to my feet using my quarterstaff to prop myself up. I silently mouth to the elf, “I’ll be watching you,” and turned back towards the party.

I noticed the others turn back towards me and the fuarie appear slashing the boss’s throat with a dagger. I nod towards the fuarie, “glad to see your kind has some use other than trap springing and monster baiting.” We search through divvying up the loot. Now the SEG will probably have to confiscate all the magic items since most likely they were illegally obtained. That is where I must leave off for today…