The Tale of Alferith Langborne

Some of the oldest halflings of the Silver Hills remember a time when their prospecting travels could include the spur of hills at the far northeastern end of the range. That is no longer the case, and hasn't been for a long time.

About forty years ago, a trio of halflings seeking to explore the area were met on the fringe of the hills by a band of armed men and informed that this particular area of the hills was now part of the domain of Alferith Langborne, and that the lands around Castle Langborne were off limits to travelers.

A diplomatic party from the combined communities of the region was dispatched to parley with this Alferith Langborne. The group made it as far as a secluded valley dotted with very old ruins and a castle on a cliff before being met by an armed party led by a scarlet and gold cloaked wizard claiming to be the man they were seeking. They were calmly but firmly turned away with the words "I mean you and your people no harm, but you must leave now, and if you return you will most likely die. These hills will no longer be safe for you."

The local consternation and outrage over the audacity of someone claiming ownership of potentially rich gem lands and threatening their envoys turned to fear when they learned more about Alferith Langborne.

From what information was able to be pieced together, Langborne was originally from distant Larenthy, where he was apprenticed to the legendary conjurer Sassilan of Idria. For reasons that are not entirely clear, Alferith left Sassilan's tutelage suddenly when still a teenager (c. NR 634), but it is said that Sassilan would not speak of his former apprentice, and would become angry at the mere mention of his name.

Alferith dropped out of sight for the better part of a decade before reappearing during the Second Kalem Border War (NR 642-643), fighting on the side of the Kalembar Federation against the Burgarans. At this point he had become a necromancer of considerable power, and it is said that he was equally feared by friend and foe alike. At the end of the brief war, he again vanished for several years.

He next appeared in Darlish (c. NR 648), where he was known as Alferith Nightshade, and was engaged in the internal politics of the Council of Seven for a few years. He was allied with the dark mages of House Farazin, and was believed to be responsible for the especially gruesome death of a member of the Council of Seven from a competing noble house.

It was around this time that Sassilan, on his deathbed, was reputed to have said "I should have killed that boy when I had the chance."

Word is that Alferith, having worn out his welcome in Darlish, left with a few of his most devoted apprentices and disappeared into the far northern wastes in about NR 652.

There is no other record of Alferith until NR 665, when the three halflings encountered a band of his retainers in the northeastern Silver Hills.

Castle Langborne's forbidden hills (Maps in Hexographer)

Over the next 27 years, the distant ominous presence that was Castle Langborne posed no openly aggressive threat to the region despite the ongoing fears of the locals. Once or twice a year, servants of Langborne, wearing scarlet and gold livery, would appear in one of the region's villages looking to buy certain items, pay generously, and leave without causing any disturbance or harm. As the Shearingvale became more settled by humans moving into the area, these visits became less and less frequent. Langborne himself was never seen.

For their part, the people of the region avoided the lands for miles around Castle Langborne.

The last known appearance of Langborne's servants was in NR 692 (15 years ago), so the locals speculate that Langborne has either died or moved on. However, the area around his stronghold is still avoided, as the tales of nighttime howlings and monstrous creatures prowling the hills persist to this day.

Campaign Journal - Session 5 - Seeking a New Challenge

...or Pub Crawling for Information

April 7, NR Year 707, Continued...
We left our heroes on the evening of April 7, having arrived safely back at Fulcher's Hold after their adventures in their first dungeon.

After some discussion regarding what to do next, it was agreed that the larger treasure items would be stored at Fulcher's Hold for the time being and be dealt with later. During the evening, Duncan used Comprehend Languages on the books to determine what they were. Four were on subjects of little interest to the party (but which would have value to sages or collectors) including mathematics, geometry, astronomy, and the astral plane. The fifth book was a brief one detailing some Onorian families and their heraldry including crests, symbols and badges. The book included what seemed to be a sketch map of Onoria with various unnamed locations marked. This map, even without names to go with the locations, provided at least an overview of lands that the party knew nothing about. It was agreed that the book would be kept. The night passed uneventfully in a borrowed workers' cabin.

April 8
The party woke in the morning and set out for Olmsby, 6 miles distant. Before trying to find Shimmermere and talk to the halfling Mungo Padfoot (from the dungeon letter they had found), the characters needed to purchase some supplies and have minor repairs made on some of their equipment.

A couple miles short of Olmsby, the group came upon a farmer named Ned Greenbrier and his young son Tad. They claimed to be on the way to Tardesk (a nearby village) when the boy's horse slipped crossing a stream, throwing the boy. The horse had come up lame, and the boy might have broken an arm or wrist. Badric, the dwarven cleric healed the boy, while Melior the elven druid healed the horse. Ned was very grateful, offering a simple meal or place to rest in his barn should the party ever have the need. Ned was also able to sketch out a map of the Shearingvale for the group, adding to their knowledge of the area.

In Olmsby, the characters made their purchases (including a mule), but were unable to find more specialized items such as acid and holy water. They would need a larger town than Olmsby to find those things. A local blacksmith (Kallin) made some minor armor repairs, and was paid to make 25 small caltrops for Malachy the Barbarian. These would be ready in the morning.

The evening was spent in the Half Pint Tavern, chatting up the locals in search of information. They found that the Shimmermere that they were looking for was a halfling and gnome village in the Silver Hills a dozen or so miles to the northwest.

April 9
The caltrops were retrieved from the Kallin the blacksmith at mid morning and the party set out for Shimmermere. After an uneventful days' travel (12-13 miles), they arrived in the village, which was a collection of human and gnome sized buildings nestled between a few rolling hills which were dotted with halfling and gnome burrows. The town got its name from the Shimmermere pond around which the village was built.

Approaching the Silver Hills from Olmsby

Wandering the town didn't take long, and the party soon settled into the Gold Rush Tavern for dinner and (hopefully) information.

Badric and Niam (the Rogue) ended up playing dice with a female halfling gambler named Bridda, who the locals referred to as "the Sneak." She won a small amount of money from them, and they saw no signs of cheating.

Duncan and Melior talked to the proprietors, halflings Jurgen Broadbelt and Timon the Lame. Upon asking about Mungo Padfoot, they were directed to a trio of older halflings at a corner table. Tamic, one of the elders, told Duncan that Mungo Padfoot had been killed 8 years before in an ogre attack on the village, but that his son Hugo could be found in Shadyvale (a half dozen or so miles to the north).

The party learned that ogres in large numbers lived in the far western end of the Hills, and that it was not uncommon for one or two to stray into the area a few times a year.

While this was going on, Malachy and Mordecai tried striking up a conversation with a rough looking warrior type and a prosperous looking halfling who were seated at another table. The warrior was introduced as Rolan. They didn't catch the halfling's name. Rolan was wearing the badge of the Sentinels as a cloak clasp, but he seemed reluctant to talk with strangers.

The party decided they would go to see Hugo Padfoot in Shadyvale in the morning.

April 10
Leaving in the morning and following Tamic's directions, they went three miles and then turned onto a well-traveled road heading north. Shortly after taking the north fork, they encountered an ogre in the trail coming at them. Malachy and Mordecai engaged the ogre, which dealt some significant damage with its' huge club. While they were engaged a second ogre came crashing out of the brush beside the trail, and Melior was knocked unconscious with one blow. The second ogre was held off by rapier attacks from Niam and a Witch Bolt spell from Duncan while the three melee guys finished off the first ogre. The second fell to the combined efforts of the whole party, but not before they had taken a pretty good battering.

The last few miles to Shadyvale were uneventful. Shadyvale itself proved to be a sheltered hillside valley accessed by a narrow canyon path. It only had 15-20 buildings, but there were many halfling burrows in the hills ringing the valley.

The party asked about Hugo Padfoot in the White Feather, the town's small tavern, and a serving boy was sent to fetch him. The party asked Hugo about his father and his travels, and were invited back to Hugo's burrow, where he brought out some of his father's journals. He read the scrap of the letter that the party had found, and speculated that the "fortress at the far eastern end of the hills" must be referring to Castle Langborne. Hugo then proceeded to tell them the tale of the necromancer Alferith Langborne and Castle Langborne.

It seems that a powerful necromancer rebuilt an old Onorian site into a stronghold about 45 years ago, and while the necromancer was not openly hostile, his presence made the lands for miles around very dangerous. Servants of Alferith would sometimes appear at towns in the Silver Hills or the Shearingvale to buy various things, but nothing has been heard of the necromancer in the last 15 years. It is assumed that he is either dead or has moved on, but the area of hills around Castle Langborne is still avoided. The tales of monstrous undead and other creatures haunting the area have not stopped.

April 11
The party gets a reasonably early start, and leaves Shadyvale to get back to the road north. After only a mile or so the hills end and the grasslands begin, with an easy to follow trail continuing straight north.

Heading north from Shadyvale into the grasslands

A few miles into the flatlands, a group of bandits tries unsuccessfully to ambush the party. The eight bandits are easily dispatched after a brief fight. Continuing north, the hills they have been told to make for are apparent a few miles off to the northeast. Having been told that the easiest path to follow is to loop around the north end of the hills to find the path of an old road, the party continues north. After covering about 10 miles, they camp near where the grasslands rise back into hills. The night under the stars is uneventful except for the distant howling of wolves.

April 12
In the morning, the party skirts the north edge of the hills, find the remains of an old road. They follow the track southeast looking for a way into the heart of the hills. They find an overgrown road and follow it for a few miles. The road brings them to a sheltered valley with the remains of some sort of castle or fortress visible on a hillside across from them. They have traveled 6 miles through flatlands and hills, and stop to determine what to do next.

Next...Exploring the valley.

The Sage's Commentary - This was a good transitional session between the first dungeon and whatever comes next. The characters did a good deed for an Olmsby resident, learned a decent bit more about the area, met some more people, visited a couple new villages, and found the information that puts them (literally) on the doorstep of a new adventure.

While doing so, they even managed to get a good amount of experience in the form of 2 ogres (mostly) and 8 bandits (a little). The ogres were fun, and I am glad that they infest the Silver Hills. Ogres may be easy to hit, but they pack a real punch and can take a pounding before going down. Two ogres was a nice challenge.

There is one dilemma that I will need to figure out how to deal with sooner rather than later. The party ended the first adventure series with 450 XP, a good bit past the 300 needed for level 2 and on the way to 900 for level 3. They now have 660, and are not far from level 3. They will reach that soon; perhaps very soon after arriving at these new ruins (likely in the next session). I do want to have some aspect of training required for new levels and skills, but I am not yet sure how I want to handle that. I am not a fan of the "you wake up in the morning and find that you grew a level overnight and now know new spells and all sorts of other new abilities." I have some thinking to do.

Campaign Journal - Session 4 - Boss Fight and Leveling Up

April 6, Northern Reckoning Year 707, Continued...
When we left our heroes last, they were in "room 27" of the goblin caves, having fought and killed over a dozen goblins, using up most of their daily allotment of magic, and taking some damage...

The party moved north through the narrow passage, which began to descend and widen. Because three of the six party members are human and do not have darkvision, torches were required, which would announce their presence to any monsters waiting up ahead.

Niam the rogue and Malachy the barbarian were in the first rank as the party advanced. The presence of the enemy was announced by an arrow whizzing by the rogue and clattering off the rock wall behind him. Quickly spotting the goblin archer, Niam returned fire with his short bow, and missed, but Malachy was more successful, skewering the goblin with a well-placed javelin, and tumbling the assailant off his ledge.

As the party advanced to reconnoiter, a general melee ensued. Additional goblin archers were shooting from the right and left flanks, and a trio of larger creatures were rushing at our heroes from across the cavern. As hand to hand combat ensued with the barbarian, it was believed (correctly) that the assailants were a pair of hobgoblins and a very large goblin. The melee in the center of the chamber was close fought, with Malachy and Badric (the dwarven cleric) going toe to toe with the three bad guys.

Tower Dungeon and Eastern Caves

Badric, in his haste to rush up and support his hard-pressed friend, failed to notice the goblin shaman lurking off to the side, and was blasted with the lightning of a Witch Bolt spell. Badric was staggered by the attack, which was countered by a Magic Missile cast at the three main melee opponents (from Duncan the wizard). Melior (the Druid) rushed to support Malachy, while Niam and Mordechai (the fighter) rushed to deal with the shaman, whose Witch Bolt was still toasting Badric...

The shaman was hit, breaking his concentration and ending his spell, but Badric was hit with a melee attack shortly after and fell to the ground unconscious (gaining the honor of becoming the first "man down" of our campaign). Mordechai would also be incapacitated before the melee was over, but our heroes prevailed after a tense fight. Malachy performed admirably, but had taken some damage, as had the Druid from prior fights. Mordechai had served his "meat shield" role admirably, and the quickness of Niam and the firepower of Duncan all contributed to the success in this, the party's first "boss battle."

When the fight was over, the party agreed that it was best to find a safe place to hunker down for the night and rest, healing up as best they could.

During the night, the members of the party were all independently haunted by similar dreams of fighting undead creatures in a temple graveyard at night, utilizing abilities and powers that they didn't know that they had. This proved to be the way in which their respective higher powers bestowed on them the benefits of advancing to 2nd level.

The morning of April 7 was spent investigating the few known corners of the dungeon that had not been dealt with before. The only incidents of note, in the large natural caverns in the southwest corner of the dungeon, were a brief battle with 7 stirges (large blood-sucking birds), and the discovery of a rune and glyph covered door in the deepest depths of the far western cavern. Approaching the door, an apparition appeared in the pool of water nearby, saying "I Zaratha of Kel-Vandiir have sealed this portal. Open it at your own risk." Having neither the means nor necessarily the desire to open the portal, the party went about gathering their treasure and heading back to Fulcher's Hold. [Note that despite the map nobody knows what is behind the door - that chapter remains the be written - it may be a room and stairs, it may be something else entirely...]

Temple Dungeon and Western Caves

The party decided that they would be careful about what information they divulged to Fulcher and his friends. Fulcher was glad to see them, and healed what wounds they had left. The party shared general information about dungeon and about the goblin tribe, but kept the discovery of the rune-sealed doorway and certain other details to themselves. Fulcher indicated that the news of goblins roaming the area was consistent with what Valtan, a Ranger in his group, had noticed. Fulcher then invited the party to stay as long as they needed, giving them the use of a cabin in the worker's village area.

The party has a number of potential leads to follow up on, and it remains to be seen where they will go next. Back to town seemed like an option that was getting some discussion.

Next...Where to?...

The Sage's Commentary - We have now played four sessions of approximately 2.5 hours each on average. This "boss battle" session to finish the dungeon was the first time that all 5 of us have all been together, which was very nice. Two of our four players have staggered their appearances, missing each other the first three times.

We seem to have settled into a good groove from a play perspective (and you would expect as much since we are practically all family), and I am becoming more and more comfortable running things. I am re-learning some old lessons and learning some new ones, but in general I think the flow is pretty good. This session taught me a few things I will do differently going forward, but there haven't been any major "oopses."

With all of the characters now at level 2, there is more flexibility in what the characters can do, and therefore a lot more options for what I can throw at them. Everybody's hit points are nearly doubled (you get max to start, but not after that, although I made sure they all got a good roll), and they have a 50% increase in daily spellcasting ability (3 slots instead of 2 each). Advancement to levels 2 or 3 are the first big step in choosing a "career path" specialization for most character classes, and the Druid and the Wizard both got theirs at 2nd. Melior, the Druid, is now of the Circle of the Land (Forest), and can shape shift with the Wild Shape ability. Very cool. Barbarians, Fighters and Rogues get their big choice at 3rd level, which won't be too far away. Everybody got some nice new abilities to play with.

I can't wait to get to work on what comes next, and I hope we can get together again soon.

The Standing Stones of Andreth

On the grasslands near the northwestern border of the Kingdom of Alsberg is one of the most famous known sites of the Ancients; the Standing Stones of Andreth. They are located on a low hill on the plain east of Redstone Lake, north of the Traverna Hills and south of the Iron Heath.

The Standing Stones of Andreth (Map in Hexographer)

The central part of the feature consists of a ring of standing rectangular stones, each approximately ten feet wide, 5 feet thick and 15 feet tall. Twelve of these stones are arranged in a ring surrounding one central black stone pillar that is five feet in diameter and over 20 feet tall. The pillar is carved with an ascending  spiral of runes that nobody has been able to decipher. Radiating out from this central feature are six lines of smaller stones, each spoke consisting of 6 stones approximately 8 feet tall, spaced 20 feet or so apart, and trailing down the low hill. Most of the stones at Andreth are still standing, although some are leaning and a few have broken or toppled completely.

The Stones get their name from the explorer that first re-discovered them a few hundred years ago.

Nobody knows what the purpose of this monument is, or who built it, but like some of the other sites of the Ancients, it is said to radiate a faint primal magic. Local tales tell of a circle of Druids and Rangers to whom this place is sacred, and who protect it and keep it safe.

The Monastery at Darnisol

Beyond the western borders of the Kingdom of Mercia, in the rugged foothills of the Tellarn Mountains above Pelican Lake sits the fabled Monastery of Darnisol. Darnisol is home to a secretive group of warrior monks of strange and wondrous abilities.

Darnisol Monastery (Hexographer, 6 mile scale)

The Monastery itself is carved high into a series of nearly inaccessible granite cliffs, and towers over the  hills and valleys below. It is said that the visible cliff-hugging walls and fortifications hide a vast complex of tunnels and chambers carved into the living rock behind. The Monastery is home to an order of monks who are famed for practicing the art of unarmed combat and whose amazing agility and body control is legendary. Many of the monks of Darnisol train from a very early age, and the blue and gold robed monks of the order can sometimes be seen in Mercia and the surrounding lands where it is said they are selecting those gifted few children who they believe can learn the discipline of their order.

Darnisol

Some of the Darnisol monks never leave the monastery, but there are those who venture out into the outside world and follow many different career paths. Some become great warriors fighting for the cause of good, protecting the defenseless and the weak. Others become the very terrors that others of their order serve to protect against. While many great warriors have come out of Darnisol, it is also said that some of the most dangerous assassins in the Northlands have also trained there. Disciples of Darnisol practice their art to good or evil as each sees fit.

Darnisol was founded in the year 499, when the North was still a very wild place. It served as one of the original bastions against the hordes of evil creatures then inhabiting the area. This may not necessarily have been purely in the interests of good, but may just have been because, as Master Kermon has been quoted by the sages as saying, "monstrous hordes are good practice."

Commentary - 5th Edition D&D

So, a few months into a renewed interest in D&D, with all three new rulebooks in hand, and with three playing sessions under our belt, where do I (and we) stand with D&D?

First and foremost, D&D is about story. That hasn't changed. The creative part is the same in terms of the imagination. The tools are light-years better, with computers, the internet, software, color printers, and all the other trappings of the modern age (things which either didn't exist at all or were in their infancy when we were kids). How I think about approaching creating a world and an adventure is pretty much the same as it was all those years ago, but the ability to execute on those thoughts and imaginings is so much better with the tools at my disposal now. And a few decades of life experience, education, reading, and all that do help to provide a better foundation to build from as well.

As for playing, I think we have had a lot of fun, and the feedback from the players on their experience to date has been gratifying. It seems like we will be continuing, sporadically, as time allows. I hope so.

Regarding the new 5th edition of the game (product-wise), overall I would have to say I am very pleased. Physically, the three books are of absolute top-notch quality and production values, with fantastic artwork and a wealth of good material. One complaint I have read in several places in reviews elsewhere is that the rules are written in such a way that it assumes you already have a fairly good idea of how to play. I can see this point of view, as there have been a few things I have tried to figure out, been unable to find in the rules with any clarity, and have been left wondering whether I am missing something or whether I am being bogged down by pre-conceived notions carried over from the 1980's and 1990's with several editions in between that I never played. On the bright side, there is a very active  and helpful forum community on the company website.

By way of example of the above, after/during our next session, all of the characters in the party will be leveling up from level 1 to level 2. The Player's Handbook (PH) has the requisite wealth of detail on experience points needed to advance levels and the multitude of skills and abilities to be gained on reaching new levels, spell slots, "career path" choices etc. Nowhere in the book does it say how you actually advance from level to level in the PH. The preconceived notion (or burden of past knowledge) is that back in the day (1st ed.) once you gained enough experience to advance a level, you needed to find someone to train you on the necessary skills and abilities to actually gain the benefits. I assumed there would be something similar, or at least some guidance on how the process occurred (i.e. do you just wake up one morning with more hit points, more spells, and just feel "better" than when you went to sleep?). I figured since there was no mention of any of this in the PH, it would be in the Dungeon Master's Guide (DMG) when that was released last week. It wasn't. No guidance at all. In a single paragraph in a section on "Downtime Activities", it mentions as an optional rule that the DM can require characters to undergo some sort of training as a part of level advancement. So I guess that means that the default is that you just gain benefits of new levels automatically. This was confirmed by asking the question on the forum and getting a few people to respond that "yes, you just get them, although if you want to do it differently, go ahead." OK.

I could also interject here that the books could be indexed a little better.

As for the rules mechanics themselves, and how the game plays, it will take a little getting used to. I don't mean that in a bad way, but it is different. The best simple summarization would be to say that everybody is better at everything. Players have more and better abilities right from day one, magic is much more powerful (and widespread), and the proliferation of more and more skills and abilities even in the lower-middle levels seems...imposing. There are big die roll bonuses and special abilities everywhere, even for all the monsters. The biggest thing with this for me will be to get a better feel for what will be a challenge to the party, as there is a balancing act to be performed there that I don't think I have really achieved in our first few sessions. But I am learning.

Overall, it has been a very enjoyable experience that I hope will continue.

Campaign Journal - Session 3 - Goblins Aplenty

April 6, Northern Reckoning Year 707, continued.
When we left our heroes at the end of session 2, they were in room "8" of the map below, having fought and killed a total of 6 goblins.

Having dispatched 5 goblins in room 8, the party moved south into chambers 9 and 10. These were found to be used as living areas, and there were a half dozen other goblins to be dealt with here. A little damage was taken, but the characters cleared out the area quickly and efficiently.

The party then moved back through the fungus room (area 7) and headed north. Climbing up the passage, they came into room 6, an oblong chamber with a very uneven rock floor. Picking their way carefully across the room, they were forced to shimmy single file through a narrow passage heading further north. Coming out into a wider hallway, the party decided to go northwest. As the first few party members headed in that direction, an arrow whizzed out of the darkness to the east and skewered Melior Ardenshade (the wood elf Druid), taking him down to a single hit point. Ardenshade collapsed back into the passage while the Cleric and the two Fighters charged into a large chamber to the east. Five goblins were crouching among the rocks, shooting at the characters. A couple of hits were made, and two of the goblins ran away, exiting down a narrow passage further east. As the combat types were fighting the remaining goblins, two more burst into the room from the north. Soon, all had been taken care of, with some damage taken by the party.

Session 3 dungeon crawling (up is north)

The group did some healing (especially on the Druid), and then followed the passage that the fleeing goblins had taken. This narrow passage climbed steeply upwards, and opened into a medium sized low ceilinged chamber with exits in four directions. Sunlight was coming in from the south passage. A short climb up in that direction brought the party past an empty watch post and out into the sunlight via a cave entrance on the far side of one of the hills they had explored before going underground. From the sun's position in the sky, it was seen to be late in the afternoon.

Going back into chamber 2, the characters decided to go down a steeply winding passage leading east. This brought them to a long narrow chamber sloping down into the darkness to the north. As they moved cautiously in that direction, they noticed a few small side passages, and what seemed to be signs of recent excavation near these tunnels. Investigating what were apparently a few more small living areas that had been dug out fairly recently, it was becoming obvious that the goblins had not been here for more than a month or two, and had been digging out some of these areas since they arrived. At the far northern (lowest) end of the chamber was a pool of water.

After investigating the two small chambers on the east side of the long chamber, one unexplored passage remained on the west wall. This passage appeared partly natural and partly dug out, and was very small. For the characters to fit through, they would have to crawl on hands and knees, single file. With the rogue going first, a small widened area was found where the party regrouped. The rogue continued on, went right at a spot where the passage forked, and found a medium sized chamber to the northeast. The remainder of the party shimmied and crawled through to the chamber, where they could all stand up again. There was another pool of water in the lower southeast side of the chamber, and a narrow (but tall) opening in the north wall.

Not a sound or sign of goblins had been heard or seen since back in chamber 5...

To be Continued...

The Sage's Commentary - Our third session, a brief two hours due to schedules (and played back in mid-November), covered a lot of fighting, but not much map space. I am beginning to get a feel for how much "ground" we can cover in a session, be it literal in the sense of how much can be explored, or figurative in the sense of how much time needs to be allocated to role playing certain facets of the adventure. Combat, even relatively straightforward combat, eats up a lot of time. In two hours (including some socializing of course) we covered a mere 10-12 areas and the passages in between, and three combat sequences. It was an eventful two hours.