Alternative group miniatures

With the help of SP Studios and the Historical Tale Construction Kit, I've made some alternative group miniatures for those of us who don't have a specific minitature (Øivind has a particular miniature he uses for his characters).

Current group composition

This is the current composition of our group, following Narg's departure.



From left to right (back before front):

Hunolt the Brave (human fighter)

Xzath the Extraordinary (kobold fighter)

Brik the Considerate (half-gnoll monk)

Patience Constantina Tangleleaf the Vigilant (halfling ranger)

Flint the Stout (human cleric of Moradin)

Archduke Neo III the Quick-witted (halfling rogue / wizard)

Peter the Devoted (human paladin)

Our two companions

In our party, we have two companions that are...out of the ordinary (more so than the rest of our group).

Xzath - kobold warrior who expresses loyalty toward Hunolt.












Narg - gnoll fighter who has been "recruited" following our victory over his band and chief

Coldshore on the horizon

We spent the next few days evading gnolls and other potentially aggressive encounters on the Gilded Plains.

"Knowledge (the Plains)!"

- Øivind in response to our lack of knowledge on the region

Narg, our gnoll captive, woke up one night and tried to escape his bonds. I...uh, remained asleep for the whole incident, including his submission to Archduke's intimidation. While it's nice to get my sleep, I fear not being ready when there is a need for me.

As long as he isn't trying to mount me,
I've got no problem.

- the Archduke Neo on bringing Narg along

The day after, I, through Brik's translation, began talking with Narg to learn about him and the region. It saddens me that so many are raised as he was, learning not to honor love, but to worship strength, even at the cost of others. That the Duke of Coldshore, a man I would otherwise expect to be a civilized man, is a part of this arrangement further darkens this land. Slavery is an abomination before Love's Essence; it is, perhaps, the worst perversion of Love, one where men obey not out of consent, but from fear and force.

While the Essence may be too distant from the ideas Narg grew up with and believes in, Brik's Kord may offer an alternative he can accept and learn to embrace. Yet, I must be wary of engaging in the same kind of force I've just decried; any conversion must come with his own free will.

Good thing you speak Gnoll, or I'd have to correct you.

- Robert's slightly veiled "reminder" on Flint's Gnoll-language conversation

***
Before we arrived at the gates of Coldshore, Susannah left our group as she was to meet with her fellow druids outside the city. Should we require her assistance in the future, we are to seek her out at King's Hill outside the city. We bid her farewell and continued onward.

***
We entered into Coldshore at midday. The guards at the gate questioned us on our two extraordinary companions, Xzath and Narg, but accepted our insurances for their behavior.

That's going to be a problem.

- Flint on the guards wanting to inspect our wagon

What? You got narcotics in there?

- the Archduke's interjection to Flint's comment

The Cathedral to Moradin was our first target. Our walk there included a processional of sorts for the Archduke, as befits his stature. While he may not have been known in Coldshore previously, he has undoubtedly raised a few eyebrows now.
After introducing ourselves to the acolytes, they escorted us into the cathedral, where we waited for an audience with the Bishop Iverson.

The altars of Moradin are forges.

- Øivind, Robert, & Ellen in unison

We waited for only a short while, as the Bishop was apparently anxious for our report.

***
Flint and I delivered our report, with details provided by the Archduke, Hunolt, and Patience. While distressed by Magda's demise, his Eminence provided us with little information. The Bishop thanked us for securing the relics from Grymnon and dismissed all except Flint and myself.

She was one of our partymates.

- the Archduke on Magda

The Holy Mace of What's-his-name.

- Flint on the major relic secured from the Grymnon monastery

Thoon! They tend to shout this out and explode.

- from the Archduke's description the Ardheim threat to Grymnon and beyond (including the now-deceased Abbot of Grymnon)


During our private audience, his Eminence questioned us further on the events we had witnessed with regard to Grymnon and the threat of Thoon. The Bishop invited us to a private conference, on which I can divulge no more, out of respect for the Church and his Eminence.

***
From I've gathered, the rest of our group split up as follows:

Patience and the Archduke sought and gained an audience with the Duke of Coldshore.

Patience sought out available inns, intent on finding the one best suited for us as a group and for our finances (the Archduke has repeatedly stressed the party's lack of funds).

Brik, Hunolt, Narg, and Xzath attended the Cathedral of Kord, where Hunolt received the beginning instructions for joining Kord's fellowship of clerics.

The Archduke shopped for the components needed for his arcane magics, followed up with initial instruction in how to harness his self-reliance for combat.

***
NPCs introduced

[group] - two guards at the Coldshore gates, whom Peter tipped

The Bishop Iverson - head of the Coldshore Cathedral of Moradin; expresses tension with Duke

The Duke of Coldshore - ruler of Coldshore; expresses tension with the Bishop Iverson

The beholder of eyes

After tending to Susannah, the widow, and Nailo, I released the former two. We proceded with a slight bloodletting to ensure ourselves of who was and who was not infected; Nailo remained the sole infected one. Susannah recommened that we kept Nailo sedated until we could find a cure for her condition (which we agreed to).

Having exited the monastery, we split up briefly so that Susannah could gather whatever was left in her hideout and the Hutchinsons could gather their possessions. The Archduke escorted the druid, while Flint and myself escorted the villagers.

"Does she have a bathroom?"

- Archduke Neo, trying to secure a discrete means of sneaking about the druidic hideout

"You can't quietly Detect Magic!"

- Deus ex Machina (DM) on Neo's attempts at discrete item retrieval

We assembled a basic cart with what tools we could find and were southward bound, not knowing if we would ever return to Grymnon.

***
After a couple of days on the trail, Hugin (the Archduke's pet raven) spotted gnoll encampments. We tried to steer clear of them as we were transporting innocents and the last possessions of Grymnon, some of which rightly belong to the Church of Moradin. We succeded in this for two days, but in the end met with a contingent from a human-gnoll settlement (the contingent was all-gnoll).

Deschant, a large gnoll (probably of a more barbarous sort, given his obvious temper), led the contingent and questioned our intents. After a short explanation on our part, including our desire for no violence, Deschant challenged Flint to a duel. Flabbergasted, Flint accepted Deschant's challenge, though without naming his own conditions for it.

The duel began with Flint and Deschant in the middle and the two parties on opposite sides of the informal arena. Suspecting that the battle would not go well for Flint, I enlisted Brik to help me convey our desire for a non-lethal end to the other gnolls.

What happened next was a tragedy of errors: while I was gaining ground with the other gnolls, Flint yielded before Deschant. Unfortunately for Flint, Deschant's monicker is the Eye-Eater and he now wished to dine on Flint's. Initially, Flint and the rest of heroes sought a less incapacitating compromise, resulting in further fury from Deschant. The Archduke then cast a spell that caused Flint to vanish and all the Nine Hells broke loose.

"Does he take credit?"

- Archduke Neo, trying to barter with Deschant for Flint's eyes

Where the rest of the heroes faced the gnoll chief, Brik and I faced two gnolls each. The four of them ambushed Brik, severely wounding him (but not fatally, as I hastily entreated the Essence to protect us). We were on the defensive and my main concern was ensuring that Brik could get out, as I was the one who had made the mistake of going over to this group and therefore was responsible for his well-being.

"Mmm, I can't just have him disembowel me"

- Hunolt on engaging the gnoll chief

Eventually, Brik fell to their blows, wounded but not dead. The four fell upon me, one with a great blow that knocked me over; in the corner of my eye, I could see that chief was down and that the others were coming to our rescue.

From what I am told, Flint summoned a heavenly canine that felled the wounded chief in one forceful bite. I also heard that the Archduke had just been on the verge of killing the chief, though the circumstances didn't permit him to do so.

The Essence awoke me seconds after I was down in the dirt. As standing up only to be cut down by gnolls seemed...inadvisable, I bid my time and let them run over me as they charged the rest of the group. Once we were in the clear, I crawled over to Brik and fed him one of the curative potions he had on him.

We lay there, witnessing Xath, Hunolt, the Archduke, Patience, and Flint bore down on the four dog-men. In the end, the last one alive yielded. While Hunolt accepted his yield, the Archduke tore into him with a dreadful spell; the dog-man remained alive, but unconscious.

We got our bearings, tied up the surviving gnoll, and searched the bodies of the others for useable equipment and buried them.

***
I know not what ails the Archduke or of his past, but surely there are wounds there that still bear influence.

***
NPCs introduced:

Deschant the Eye-Eater - gnoll contingent chief [dead]

[group] - gnoll warriors led by Deschant [three dead, one captive]

A righteous (?) bargain

Hunolt had killed Belinda's killer, here-on known as the Handbag from Space, and posted its on a pike as warning to its kin. After giving tribute to and burying the fallen halfling, the group set forth toward the cave to confront the dwarves (prior to this, Hunolt reclaimed the creature's head, recognizing where it really belonged).

The confrontation went nowhere, as the dwarves steadfastly lied, even after Hunolt revealed that he knew they were lying, presented the Handbag, and accused the dwarves of being responsible for Belinda's death (though in more colorful wording).

The heroes returned to Grymnon, where they found a new companion, Peter the Paladin.



***
I had just come into the village and started recovering supplies when I heard the Archduke's band. Thankfully, Flint was among them and could vouch for me (even so, the Archduke was quite insistent with his interrogation; surely, he's faced many hardships to be so suspicious). The group informed me of recent events and that Magda of Moradin had been part of their party.

I am saddened to learn of Magda's passing, but must now only re-double my efforts to secure this region so that it and its residents may enjoy love of life and love of one another.

After gathering what supplies we could find, we camped out in the now-abandoned inn. While I am loathe to relieve others of their possessions, I could not argue against searching for abandoned resources, whether food or gold (Grymnon will revive one day, but for now remains a ghost town).

"I think they...hey, maybe they died."

- Hunolt while we were in the inn

That next morning, we went to the local monastery to secure its relics and find some lost friends of the heroes. These friends were indeed lost, apparently kidnapped by kobolds, according to Patience's tracking sensibilities.

On our way to find and save or recover these friends, we took a detour trying to pick open the basement vaults (with no success).

"Your bird cannot pick locks!"

- Deus ex Machina (DM); the raven was still permitted to aid his open lock

Eventually, with the help of Xath, the kobold companion of the fighter Hunolt, we gained access to the kobold tunnels and reached the border of the kobold realm.

"We will learn of the hospitality of the kobolds"

- Hunolt

After entreaties of varying success (it is my shame that I do not understand and speak more languages), we were finally able to meet with the kobold sorcerer, Casvatech. After much negotiation (including the revelation that the heroes had killed his master a while back), we secured the three women in exchange for a wand (which had belonged to Casvatech's now-deceased master) and some food.

"I don't want to give up two magic wands for three maltreated women"

- Hunolt during the initial negotiation discussion within the party

"F*ck, this is a f*cking magical item"

- Hunolt on giving a wand to the kobold sorcerer in exchange for "three maltreated women"

The women were in rough shape, but unharmed (with the exception of the widow Hutchinson's daughter, Nailo, who is under some depraved influence that had prompted the kobolds to treat her all that much worse).

***
NPCs introduced / re-introduced:

[group] - the guard contingent from Ardheim

Casvatech - kobold sorcerer, and current leader of the Grymnon kobolds

Susannah - druid who assisted in the battle for Grymnon and guarded the widow Hutchinson and her daughter

the widow Hutchinson - Grymnon villager whose horse was stolen by the sheriff Tyrion and whose daughter has been infected with *something*

Nailo Hutchinson - Grymnon villager and daughter to the widow Hutchinson, enchanted by Tyrion when he stole their horse and infected with *something*, prompting her blood to turn purple

The final last stand

As Belinda was unconscious for the rest of the fight, she did not witness the heroes' final last stand. However, it ended with the group fleeing the monastery along with the surviving villagers. During their escape, they encountered the Abbott, who promptly exploded (literally, as he was cursed with Thoon's blessing).

Upon recovering, the heroes set out to hunt down the fiend Ardric; the villagers were escorted to the nearest city by a witch who had assisted in the battle for Grymnon. Patience tracked the miscreant to the village, where a contingent of Ardheim soldiers had arrived. They were led by one of the Daughters of Ardheim, who charged the party with hunting down Ardric.

Ardric's trail led northward. As the trail brought them closer to Ardheim, they just as well went to Ardheim with Hunolt's writ and retrieved his half-plate armor.

The trail brought them up one of the mountains to a cave. There, they encounter a dwarven ghost that implored them to leave (wailing "About!"). In the end, it compelled the whole group to leave unwillingly.

Outside the cave, the group met a wandering dwarfish-looking human by the name Flint Steelhammer and added him to the group after an initial hiding among the bushes (when a halfling...). He helped them communicate with the ghost, though it still refrained from straightforward conversation (even chasing after a then-just-about-naked Archduke when he mentioned the name "Thoon").

The group headed further into the cave, past an underground river (Belinda and the Archduke entertained the idea of poisoning what could be Ardheim's water supply). There it encountered Ardheim guards. Belinda informed the guards of the danger of Bjarne Max (who the guards claimed to have arrested) and drafted a letter on behalf of the party to the Daughter of Ardheim they met at the ruins of Grymnon.

The group left the cave and camped out for the night. During the first watch, a humanoid with tentacles approached the not-so-watchful Belinda and grabbed. Belinda awoke the other heroes by stomping her feet, even as the creature fastened its grasp on her halfling head. Coming to terms with her fate, Belinda made her final request of the group, "Kill the bastard!"

Brik and Hunolt fulfilled her request, the latter decapitating the foul creature.

***

The new group following Flint's recruitment and Belinda's demise.