Well, at least we made it...

What a night!

The adventurers began the session picking up where they left off, that being to get the boy and his father to... to... I really need to get some names to these towns. Let's call it... Port Johnson. So the companions escorted the boy and his father to Port Johnson, nursing a few minor wounds from the Brigand ambush.

Once there, they met up with "the mayor" and Aegon Cleftbringer. After thanking them for their service, the mayor provided the group what they desperately needed: Magical weaponry! The weapons had been held in store from ages past. The onslaught of the undead from the Godswar spilled into their town, and these weapons were used to fight back. After the strike from Shofum's mighty hammer, and therefore the cessation of hostilities, they town fathers stored away the weaponry for safe keeping. The mayor is a little (ok, a lot) worried about letting the companions borrow the weaponry, but Aegon encouraged him to let the group borrow the items. Aegon had always been a good friend, and he trusted the dwarf's sage advice many times over the years.

So, with new weaponry in hand (literally for the Monk), and with a promise to return the items in 30 days, the adventurers once again headed west. But, not before a mysterious message was handed to Albrecht, delivered by a messenger from the Pontiff himself! The note was an ominous one. Paraphrased, the Pontiff mentioned being concerned that someone in the party may be traitorous. In an attempt to get to the bottom of the issue, Albrecht prayed to know the true natures of each companion's heart (in layman terms, he cast "know alignment"). It was then he discovered a secret that the Monk was holding... the troubled heart, scarred from a violent past had shadowed his nature. This made the monk a likely suspect, and was good enough reason for Albrecht. While traveling on the road, sure enough the undead were there, a gaggle of skeletons. Matthias ran to meet them, attacking with full force. Albrecht was right behind him, ready to attack... and attack he did!

Surprisingly, however, he attacked Matthias!

After the shock of what just happened wore off, attempts were made to draw Albrecht off of the monk. All attempts failed, and it seemed as if a full-scale war within the group was imminent... and then, a voice from behind: "THAT... IS... ENOUGH!"

Aegon stepped in, casting an incredible spell that disintegrated the skeletons, and knocked all of the companions onto the ground, unable to move. The old dwarf had some skills! Aegon then scolded the bunch for their petty squabbling and inability to find trust in one another. After his diatribe, he stalked off to the west a ways, before pausing to catch his breath. It seems the spell took something out of him, making him more haggard, older looking. The group was freed from the paralyzation spell, after which they gathered themselves and began again marching west, each deep within their own thoughts. More questions, fewer answers...

They made it to the tower finally to find it literally crawling with undead -- Ghouls, zombies, skeletons... undead of all types were present. And yet, none were attacking them! The crew decided to take advantage of this development and find the Orb as quickly as possible, while the Druidic Princess Serena stood watch outside.

Thus ended the evening. A brief hiatus is coming, due to a couple of the players heading off for vacation. I think it can be assumed that the next session will be looked forward to with anticipation, and perhaps not just a little trepidation.

At long last, the tower awaits!

The tower? The tower! Rapunzel!

So tonight may indeed be the night. The crew kicked major butt in an effort to escort a child from one town to another. The brigands attacked yet again! What's with all the brigands? From where are they coming? More importantly, why? Is Roland still mad about that whole "chased out of town" thing? Just how prevalent are the brigands in this area?

No matter. They have been dealt yet another blow by the companions, who will hopefully now have the needed magical weapons that will help destroy the undead that seem to be popping up everywhere around the ruins of the mage tower. Will the Orb be there? If so, could it have been destroyed in the blast that decimated the entire countryside? More importantly, will Matthias FINALLY gain a level??

And what's with this dwarf that popped up seemingly out of nowhere? Seems odd that he'd show up now... could he be the cause of the brigands knowledge of where we were?

And, what in the world happened to Garkor's ring?

So many questions... questions that need answering. The tower awaits. Death beckons them all, as does glory and riches. Who will answer which call?

Le Roi est Mort. Vive le Roi!

Well, the kickoff of the Godzwar campaign 2010 was last Wednesday... and what a great time! In addition to our usual crew of 7 (Including myself) we had three visitors, two of which will be joining us with their own characters next week. Sooo, this week and up to Wednesday of next week will be spent in preparation of that. Interestingly enough, the two newbies are both female, which brings our total feminine count to 3 (four if you count my love for Enya and romance movies)... worthy of note only because this is the first campaign I've run (and I've run quite a few!) that had ANY females in them. And now, we'll have three! If Baelle is any indication of what is possible, this is going to be a very, very fun campaign!

"What do you mean, no damage??"

Well, the intrepid heroes managed to get out of Goodhaven safely, albeit without Roland's head. However, they *did* manage to get an entire group of people mad at them. Mattias decided to confront one of them in the local tavern... It didn't end well! Tanundur discovered that charming an NPC doesn't always guarantee a positive turnout, as the one he charmed happily did what he asked him to do (meet him in 2 hours in front of the library), but he came with ALL his buddies! Ouch. Poison blades, anyone?

Once escaping, the crew decided to forego Roland for the time being, and made their way instead towards the fabled mage tower. The travel there was mostly uneventful, until they got close to the "blast zone." Garkor did the usual trick of placing an invisibility field around them as they slept... but this time, they were attacked... by skeletons! Undead? Here?? It was then they discovered that non-magic weaponry (including Mattias' "fists of death and great pain") don't cause damage to the undead. Even still, they were able to vanquish the skellies, and as a bit of desperation the melee folk grabbed a femur from the skellies to use as a magical bludgeoning weapon. It worked, but it only did a small amount of damage, and the spellcasters were running out of spells fast! Something would have to be done, but what? We'll find out next session, I suppose...

It's Nearly Time...

Well, the long holiday times are finally over. We've eaten our Turkey, indulged in Egg Nog, opened presents and, most importantly, spent quality time with family and friends. Over the holidays, GodzWar sessions were suspended... in effect, we skipped a night. Playing bi-weekly, that means it's been a month! Ouch. But no matter, it is time for our brave adventurers and world-savers to dust off their dice, sharpen their pencils and turn on the imagination brain box... for tomorrow night, we dive again into the world of Aardeus!

When last we left our intrepid adventurers, they had chased the leader of the brigands all the back to Goodhaven. A cursory search has availed nothing however, as the citizens of Goodhaven seem reticent to speak of the leader, nor for that matter any aspect of the brigand presence! What's up with that?

While we're on the subject, let's delve a bit into the history of Goodhaven.

Before Godzwar, Goodhaven was little more than a moderate sized fishing town. Located on the Eastern coast, as well as being close to the Cascadian Mountains to the west of the town, Goodhaven was a good place to find all sorts of foods, crafts, armor and weaponry. The marketplace was alive daily with all sorts of people selling their wares, buying rare and precious metals and magic items, and generally taking in the atmosphere of good times and easy living. The Elundrian King, King Faustren the Just, lived many leagues to the south west in the city of Elund. Elund was a major city, yet still it was not uncommon to find the good king visiting Goodhaven to take in the sights (and of course to bring more than a few trinkets home to Queen Vannesia). Still, the main focus of population and growth was Elund, with which the denizens of Goodhaven were perfectly content. The Magistrate of the town controlled the town easily, and with the constant influx of new people visiting, including occasional visits from the Elven lands of Teth'Allun and even dwarves from the MightHammer mountains, everyone was prosperous and and content.

Godzwar affected all things, big and small. Elund was utterly destroyed by Shofum's strike. Surrounding townpeople ran for their lives to the only other larger city of refuge, Goodhaven. The influx of people, coupled with the distrust of people that war often breeds, caused Goodhaven to become a city of sadness and despair. With the King dead, the Magistrate had no real authority and was unprepared to handle the changes effectively.

More on this in my next installment: Rise of New Leadership!