Teaser Episode Nine: Smoke and Siege

Season One, Episode 9: Smoke and Siege

Wherein our heroes arrive at the besieged town of Manc and attempt to locate the members of the Everburning Cinder they have come to find. Will they attempt to break the siege, to sneak in? Which of their past (mis)deeds might come back to haunt them?  Only time shall tell...

Opening Credits: Earth "A Plague of Angels" from Hibernaculum

Summary - Episode Eight: “Down the Perimeter / Ringing the Bell…”

Season One, Episode 8: "Down the Perimeter / Ringing the Bell..."

Wherein our heroes found themselves sidetracked, tracking down a cache of goods and treasure that Earl Oswald Locklight provided to the Zwaardgeesten.  They obtained great quantities of Ale and planned to provide said ale to the legion laying siege to Manc in order to sow drunkeness among the besiegers  Upon reaching the forest where the cache was supposed to be, our heroes found it had taken on a sinister quality and soon encountered Ealisaid, daughter of the Elf Bearach, who told Hinrik the following:

Simon Neville intends to have the Wizard Zordan Capodevin scry out the identity of the “Patriot” who is blackmailing him.
Simon’s wealth comes from the Deerhurst Wool, that his father, Albion, obtained the rights to sell.  Albion Neville accomplished this by arranging for the dishonor of the Glendower family who originally held Deerhurst county and then persuading the Bosworths to transfer the rights to the Nevilles.

Tryggvi has been unifying the Mountain tribes in order to raid the Free Valleys when war comes, which he thinks will be soon.

Olaf Stangbern has been in the pay of Oswald Locklight and was promised Oswald’s support when he murders his uncle Trggvi.  Oswald told Olaf that he could take the Mountain tribes south and take the mountains in the Ashen Kingdom.
The Ruby of Elagablus is in the possession of Varius, who leads the Zwardgeesten.  Commander Lucian Skaros also seeks the Ruby, which is why he has come to oversee the Seige of Manc personally.
That she recognized the sword Hinrik bore as the sword given by her father to Gerard, the hero, after he made a deal with Bearach to "live forever".  Gerard took the sword and left the Wyrd Desert instead of taking Ealisaid's hand and living forever in the forest as her husband.

Having completed the first part of her dread father's bargain with Hinrik, Ealisaid disappeared.

The company then came across two strange individuals, one a veritable mountain of a man, the other small, pale and sickly, who were digging and searching in the very creek-bed that our heroes had been told the cache was to have been found.  Their search having been less than fruitful, these two unlikely looking companions were surprised by our heroes and then variously questioned, suspected, bribed, threatened, given hospitality, interrogated and so forth on the subject of the cache and their allegiance  all the while the company gave very little information about their own intents and purposes.  Our heroes learned that the companions found out about the cache from a man talking out of his mouth at a nearby inn, the Roasted Rooster.  Pushing further, our heroes discovered that neither man wished to yield up any more information until they cracked and the smaller man, referred to as "Alby" by his companion, told our heroes that "The fire was coming that would burn and cleanse".  Shortly thereafter Alby and his large companion were permitted to leave, vanishing into the dark night, unafraid, while our heroes made camp and prepared to journey on in the morning, towards their true destination...

Closing Credits: Current 93 "Twilight Twilight Nihil Nihil" from All the Pretty Little Horses (The Inmost Light)

Episode 1.07 - Character Journal - Hardwick

MY FACE WAS GOUGED!!! Now before any of the ladies had a chance to really see it, I was healed by the brotherhood and I'm ok... but man that was a crazy fight

We busted in to some bar/inn thing looking for the mole of the rebellion only to find he was the brother of one of our company. Standing there was a pile of metal armor with apparently some guy who apparently was too stupid to know when he is dead. We fought him and his small band for just a moment. I shot him through his stupid armor with an arrow and then again in the leg only to watch him leap through the air...on his damned dead leg.. and reach out and slash me in the face!!! How does that happen???

Gah... I need to start wearing a mask or something.. just to keep that crap from happening.

Well, we are finally moving on from this town for new adventure...wish me good fortune.

Teaser Episode Episode Eight: “Down the Perimeter / Ringing the Bell…”

Season One, Episode 8: “Down the Perimeter / Ringing the Bell…”

Wherein our Heroes arrive outside the Ashen Kingdom city of Manc, only to find that Commander Lucian Sklaros and his XXIIIrd Legion have laid it to siege, attempting to starve out the fanatical Zwaardgeesten.  How will our heroes enter Manc, will they lift the siege or sneak through enemy lines?  What is the secret of the Ruby of Elagablus, which the priest Varius uses to whip the Zwaardgeesten into religious frenzy?  Surely our heroes will not turn tail and flee, allowing a mere siege to thwart them in their quest to prevent the Witchlord from creating a blood sorcery artifact of unimaginable power and evil?

Opening Credits: "Bellringer Blues" by Grinderman from Grinderman 2
 

Summary - Episode Seven: Swords and Secrets

Season One, Episode 7: Swords and Secrets

Episode 1.07 - Character Journal - Trent

As it turned out, Norah required us to dispatch her greasy little shit of a brother Kaden, as he was attempting to sell out the Everburning Cinder and most likely our own group as well. We arrived at the location, and after a moment’s hesitation in trying to determine what might have been the most time consuming and convoluted battle plan my compatriots could come up with, I, along with my squad decided to go through the front door and kill everything we could see.
I immediately put my sword through Kaden, and while I didn’t specifically mean to, I avoided any major arteries and organs. The rest of the fight was hectic, but it was over quickly, with minimal casualties. The old warrior managed to hit me pretty good, but it was the archer’s hits that took his attention from me and most likely caused the injuries that killed him.
Most of the information we got out of him was inane garbage about Free Valley noble doings that meant nothing to what we were trying to accomplish, but we did manage to get the name of another mole in the Everburning Cinder.
Kaden was only slightly more useful, and whether or not he ends up living is going to be entirely up to the Everburning Cinder. It was… curious… that the Thane fought so hard for us to keep him alive when even his sister was more than willing to slit his throat for what he’d done. But it’s irrelevant now.
We spent the next month preparing for our next mission down south to Manc. I felt that it was time to attempt to create a new sword. I received the needed materials from Master Simon de La Pole, on the condition that I do the honorable thing and marry the Lady de La Pole's daughter, of whom I had spent time with previously. I did not consider this much of a chore, as I have said before she was quite pleasant to behold.
Then again, I would have to wonder what she may think about it. I suppose it’s something I’ll have to worry about another day.
My attempt to make the sword though was met with failure. The sword itself was impeccable, as thirty years of crafting experience would show through, but it has been too long since I attempted to imbue, and that part of the process failed.
I decided to give the sword to Mercutio, as it is too fine a blade to gift to someone whom I do not trust, and it was through him that I was able to escape from prison and begin this new life. He does not have to know that it was meant for a much higher purpose, and he never needs to know it. I hope that my mistakes this time will allow me to learn and remember better what I was taught and make the next attempt successful.
But now we are off to Manc.

Episode 1.06 - Character Journal - Hardwick

So, about a week ago, I had this dream.  I was completely nude and riding a gigantic wolf through a forest when we came to this clearing. In the middle of the clearing there was a curved sword stuck deep in the trunk of a great oak tree.  The moon shone brightly through the opening of forest before me.  The wolf then spoke, "Go take the sword."  I got down, strode up and pulled the sword from the tree.  At that moment... I woke up with a splitting headache.  I felt a new power running through my my body...it felt almost, furry.

The next night, it was like I suddenly knew what all that new power meant.  I understood new spells in my head... and unfortunately, I understood that they could only be cast at night.  Such a weird power.