Post by Richard Loh on May 17, 2013 16:14:22 GMT 8
In Absalom, the Venture-Captains claimed it would be a nice walk in the woods, a pleasant change of pace from the bustle of the city. Obviously they forgot about the brambles, boulders, and biting insects of the Verduran Forest, which turned the jouney into an arduous three-day scramble of detours, torn clothes, and near falls. Fortunately, Venture-Captain Dennel Hamshanks made a firm impression before the expedition left Absalom.
The air grew still as Hamshanks rolled into a meeting room deep inside the Pathfinder Lodge in Absalom, his jowls flowing and his enormous axe clanking against his thigh. The man’s black eyes scanned the room. “You lot?” Hamshanks spat. “Well, maybe you’ll surprise me.
“Your boat leaves in an hour, so I’ll be brief. One of the Society’s contacts in Andoran sent us an interesting little nugget this morning. A druid named Hemzel swept into Augustana’s Civic Library last week, demanding his right of research. Our contact learned that Hemzel acquired a lorestone from somewhere in the Verduran Forest. Heard of such a thing?” Hamshanks paused expectantly and spat again. “Of course not. Heard of druids, at least? And their crazy stone circles? Well thank Gorum for that. Lorestones are somehow connected to them—supposedly they can bestow you with all of the knowledge of the druids. We’d like to know how, so we want that stone and you’re going to get it for us.
“Unfortunately, the Society is not a friend to Hemzel. He’s the self-declared protector of the Verduran Forest inside Andoran’s borders and some of our more eager explorers have angered him and his little band of gnomes. He’s sworn a blood feud with the Pathfinders.
“Break out your skills of persuasion and get me that lorestone. Do what you need to—sweep the floors or plant some trees for the old man. Something nice—let him know we’re there to study and not to slash and burn.”
As the sun sets on the third day of travel in the Verduran Forest, the welcome sight of a puffing chimney—Hemzel’s home, according to the map—reveals itself atop a hill.
GM: Richard Loh
The air grew still as Hamshanks rolled into a meeting room deep inside the Pathfinder Lodge in Absalom, his jowls flowing and his enormous axe clanking against his thigh. The man’s black eyes scanned the room. “You lot?” Hamshanks spat. “Well, maybe you’ll surprise me.
“Your boat leaves in an hour, so I’ll be brief. One of the Society’s contacts in Andoran sent us an interesting little nugget this morning. A druid named Hemzel swept into Augustana’s Civic Library last week, demanding his right of research. Our contact learned that Hemzel acquired a lorestone from somewhere in the Verduran Forest. Heard of such a thing?” Hamshanks paused expectantly and spat again. “Of course not. Heard of druids, at least? And their crazy stone circles? Well thank Gorum for that. Lorestones are somehow connected to them—supposedly they can bestow you with all of the knowledge of the druids. We’d like to know how, so we want that stone and you’re going to get it for us.
“Unfortunately, the Society is not a friend to Hemzel. He’s the self-declared protector of the Verduran Forest inside Andoran’s borders and some of our more eager explorers have angered him and his little band of gnomes. He’s sworn a blood feud with the Pathfinders.
“Break out your skills of persuasion and get me that lorestone. Do what you need to—sweep the floors or plant some trees for the old man. Something nice—let him know we’re there to study and not to slash and burn.”
As the sun sets on the third day of travel in the Verduran Forest, the welcome sight of a puffing chimney—Hemzel’s home, according to the map—reveals itself atop a hill.
GM: Richard Loh