Thursday, February 15, 2018

How It Happened

Not long after the party left Captain Hagen near Store Stokka (remember him?), a combined entourage of 950 men, from the Prince of Sweden and the Ordforer (mayor) of Stavanger.  This group had very little time to settle in and fortify, when they were hit by hundreds of froglings, the same wave that the party hid from, as they rushed past.

That battle went on for about an hour.  It occurred while the party was fighting the froglings in the forest, and ended as the party reached the edge of the burnt out area.

The Swedes and Norwegians were unable to move as fast as the froglings; and though they knew about where they were going, there was no certainty about how many more froglings there might be or what fortifications there were.  So the forces held back and began to gather information.

Captain Hagen informed the war council about your party scouting ahead towards the enemy.  He could not remember your names, but he did remember that Engelhart was a cleric.  After some communication with other clerics from Stavanger, Engelhart's description was recognized and your name known.

At that point the Prince produced a stone figurine from his pouch; this was a bloodhound that could track any person who was known by name and by face.  The figurine was passed to Captain Hagen, who then led a company along your trail.

They encountered the slaughter at the pathway; your names were passed from person to person and news was sent back that you had lived through this battle and gone on, straight towards the burnt out area.  No one knew how you had survived the wave of the froglings.

They reached the clearing and had a short skirmish there with several froglings who had survived from the battle.  Then your trail led to the storeroom, above the water room.  By that time, you had killed the dog-headed beast and had gotten aboard the boat.

However, the whole army was called to the clearing and within an hour the Swedes and Norwegians poured into the lair, following your trail.  This was a backdoor into the frogling lair.  They found the kitchenware, they found the dead giant frog.  They dispelled the wizard lock on the kitchen door, then began to slaughter the surprised froglings.

Meanwhile, they found the dog-headed beast you killed.  They assumed you had done the whole job, and that it was you that had killed all the froglings in the kitchen.  But your trail led down to the water, where the bloodhound could not follow.

A cleric was summoned for augury.  Did they swim?  Was there a boat?  Yes there was.  Were you safe?  The answer came back that you were not.  A mage was summoned, who sent a crow familiar down the passage.  The crow did not find you.

Much discussion followed.  The frogling lair, being cleared out, took the attention of the Ordforer, but the Prince was intrigued.  It was guessed that you would drift out to sea; immediately a runner was sent to where horses were waiting.  Horses rushed with orders to Stavanger.  A boat in Stavanger, at midnight, put to sea with a mage, a cleric who knew Engelhart (His name is Magnus Hafnson) and an officer.  The boat made 7 to 8 knots in the dark, but the pilot knew the waters excellently; they guessed where you might be if you were under sail and did not find you.  They guessed where you might be if you had oars and did not find you. By then, Magnus had no means left to find you.  The pilot reached where you would drift if you had no means of managing a boat.  The mage cast pyrotechnics ~ which you saw.  And that is how you were rescued.

You're the reason the froglings were found and destroyed.

You're heroes.

31 comments:

Lothar Svensson said...

Hooray! Medals all around! *faint*

[Understood about the point in space. I just needed that explained to me apparently]

Embla Strand said...

Huzzah! We survived!

Pandred said...

Frogaland is conquered!

HROAGH!

Lothar Svensson said...

[Seriously, though: I'm so happy right now. I thought for sure we were in for a long, difficult slog rowing with the last vestiges of our strength to reach the shore all the day, landing on an isolated beach and then having to trek back overland to Stavenger, clinging on to life with our fingernails (which I would have enjoyed as well). Something in me enjoys a long, hard struggle that almost ends in disaster just as much as smashing a dangerous enemy and grinding it to powder under my heel.

[But also being rescued from an almost certainly watery grave, living to see another dawn and knowing, even if for just a little while, that we're safe and can rest and heal is a fantastic feeling. Thank you, Alexis. Fantastic game.]

Engelhart Askjellson said...

Turning out we were nearly killed in a futile vanguard action, spearpointing an army endowed with such magical heavy artillery that finding the lair was a matter of days at worst?

Biding good-bye to the chances for plunder and plumbing the misteries that might await deep within?

Yeah, I can't help but feeling a bit crestfallen.

Let's go find some other place to glory hog.

Alexis Smolensk said...

There, I've been waiting to hear from Engelhart.

At present, you're still aboard ship. Having found you, the pilot would like to wait for more light before heading back; it was dangerous to pass through the fjord out of Stavanger in this small light, and he'd rather not repeat it.

There is not much you can learn about the last battle for the frogling lair. Only the messenger, Gunther, who ran from the lair to Stavanger is aboard the boat, and he did not even enter the lair itself.

He can tell you there were better than 700 froglings altogether ... and apart from the dog beast you killed, Gunther heard that there were two other great beasts: a huge bear with a ram's head, and a half-dragon half-snake, that nearly killed the Ordforer. It was, Gunther says, truly a terrifying prospect.

Embla Strand said...

Well then, I'm glad the army was able to take care of all that - we would not have been!

Lothar Svensson said...

That means there's one big beastie left! There were four stone figures in the cave! The Ice Toad, according to Engelhart's hunch! There still may be some opportunity for action yet, and another share of treasure.

That said, I am in no rush to be dashed to pieces on the rocks, so I am okay with waiting for dawn to return to Stavenger. Still they might want to get a message out about the Ice Toad if there is a mage aboard with that capability.

Engelhart Askjellson said...

And we got to miss out on that entire menagerie. Fie.

I wonder if our whole "we're not actually responsible for the whole infestation" angle gained any traction, either.

Engelhart Askjellson said...

Yes, the Ice Toad doesn't seem accounted for. But it might just have slipped in the cracks of the narrative.

We'll have to try and subtly make sure.

Alexis Smolensk said...

Willa will ask quietly, so that no one else can hear but the party. "Are you saying, Father, that we should save it for ourselves?"

Lothar Svensson said...

We didn't miss out on the whole menagerie. We killed the dog-beast. After it had been wounded by the other frogs. But at this point I'm convinced it's gonna be above our ability, and if we don't share this info as soon as we can we will forfeit our ability to play the "good faith" card. Holding back information about what's out there, especially info that might get men killed is not an option.

Engelhart Askjellson said...

No need to "save it", as it were. Just to make sure were counted as part of a cleanup effort.

[Alexis: what is an Ice Toad, exactly? Are we talking a major beastie or what?]

Embla Strand said...

Perhaps we killed it in the cave? Either way, I agree with Lothar.

Alexis Smolensk said...

Fair question, regarding Engelhart's beast knowledge.

An ice toad is a toad of unusual size (people shouldn't count on it being the same size as the original monster manual indicates) which breathes a cone of ice and cold as a breath weapon.

Alexis Smolensk said...

[Guys.

[I've just created a pay-for-blog that features deconstructions of campaigns, such as the one I do for this blog. I want to make sure you four are listed on the privacy server, as you're all contributors! I have everyone here, I think. Let me know if you can't get access. The blog link is here:

https://tao-masterclass.blogspot.ca/

Pandred said...

(I cannot get access just now.)

I'm all for plumbing the depths for this Ice Frog. For one, I want to see the inside of the complex in earnest. Even if these guys were packed in there terra-cotta style, that's still a pretty massive amount of square footage underground, some of it possibly submerged!

Honestly good catch Lothar, because it's been long enough that I'd forgotten. Did we ever show them the first entrance to Mimmarudla? We never did make it through that one door with the awful sounding awfulness.

Pandred said...

(Oh, fixed it. Sweet!)

Alexis, I know we're still on the boat, but I'm stupid levels of excited to level.

Can I roll my HPs? What are my new sage knowledges?

I paid in blood for 18 THAC0!

Alexis Smolensk said...

Yes, please roll your hit points.

We'll get Pandred and Lothar's sage numbers together tomorrow. I'm going to be way behind for giving ability descriptions to go with them.

Then we'll deal with your return to Stavanger. Magnus is going to dump a cure serious wounds on the party; I'll roll that tomorrow, as well.

Pandred said...

Roll of 4+1 from CON, leaving me with a new maximum of 26.

For my 3rd level proficiency I went for Longsword, for the synergy with Lothar, and because so many good magic items are swords, am I right?

Looking forward to cracking open the barrow again.

Embla Strand said...

It doesn't look like I have access.

Alexis Smolensk said...

[I sent the invite to the email you use for Patreon, Embla. I've now added another for you. Remember you have to log into blogger to see the blog]

Alexis Smolensk said...

Pandred, you don't get another proficiency until 4th level.

Calculating new sage abilities now.

Alexis Smolensk said...

Pandred, do not forget to add the 5 hit points to your total.

The sage abilities have been posted on the Drive. Pandred got no new abilities, I'm sorry to say, but she got some strong adds to Balance, Puissance and Unarmed Combat, pushing her closer in all three to Authority status. Animal training is looking good too; there should be a jump there with 4th level.

Lothar adds Amateur skills in Beachcomber and Forester. Along with now being an authority in Scouting, that's a bunch of work for me.

The Cure Serious Wounds spell gives 37 hit points to the party. Distribute as you like.

Alexis Smolensk said...

Apart from the sage abilities needing details, are we good with moving the party forward to Stavanger? Is there any last information anyone wants?

Embla Strand said...

I'm good.

Pandred said...

Let's ride.

Lothar Svensson said...

I'm good as well. I won't be able to post today, my father in law passed away early this morning, so we're spending today "off"

Embla Strand said...

I'm sorry to hear that, Lothar.

Alexis Smolensk said...

[Oh. I, too, am sorry for your loss, Sir. Please give your full attention to your situation; nothing is going to happen here that cannot wait]

Alexis Smolensk said...

The next post is up.