The second campaign: Welcome to innistrad
"Innistrad is a dangerous plane filled with powerful magic. If you can overcome—or overpower—the evil here, you'll reap the rewards, unleashing those horrors on any who stand before you. How will your decks embrace this chilling new world?
Horrifying creatures have always existed on Innistrad. The humans of this world have always relied on their faith to shield them from vampires and werewolves, spirits and ghouls. But of late, the holy wards and runes have begun to fail. The protection of travelers' shrines and rustic prayers grows weak. The spells of vampire slayers and wolfhunters are no longer proof against the creatures that prowl the shadows. The Lunarch, head of the revered Church of Avacyn, knows what the village priests whisper: that the archangel Avacyn has abandoned Innistrad." From: The World of Innistrad |
November 6, 2015
Previously on Dungeons and Dragons...
Basically they tried to attack a werewolf. Kevin faceplanted. The werewolf bit him. Paco missed a bunch of firebolts except once he hit Zecharyah. Paco got pointed to a haunted house where the mystical tuning fork lay. Kevin isn't a werewolf. The owners of Kevin's shop wanted to kill everyone and sacrifice them to a cult. Ben and Zach are investigating the haunted house. Kevin, Sabo, Zecharyah, and Eddie are investigating the shop.
Now begins our story...
In the shop, a strange dagger is found with writing in a strange language on it. The group's rogue ends up holding onto the other dagger. A number of scrolls are also found and divided. After some investigation, the company uncovers that the couple may have been possessed by demons.
Hungry and thirsty after the intense battle, our heroes head to The Tempered Bull for sustenance, where they run into a druid on a quest to restore the Tree of Redemption, which has been tainted by the restless spirits of those hanged on the tree.
After a well-deserved rest at the Silver Rose Inn and Tavern, our friendly local rogue kindly purchases everyone in the tavern a round of ale and a meal, which is met with raucous applause. A thankful stranger presents him with a small trinket for his charity. The trinket has a strange crest emblazoned upon it. He realizes that the man is lying about the trinket being a family heirloom and questions the man. The stranger reveals he pickpocketed a rich man for this trinket and apologizes.
The vigilante barbarian, hearing that the man is a thief, engages in fisticuffs. The rest of the tavern chants, “Fight! Fight!” as he and the thief square off. The thief draws a dagger, while the barbarian draws his broadsword. Noticing he is outmatched, the man throws his dagger away and calls for a better weapon. A mace is given to him and the two prepare to fight. After exchanging a series of blows, the brute finally cuts the thief's head clean off, and it flies across the room. Our rogue knocks the barbarian out with the hilt of his blade and the group goes to sleep after a long day.
After waking up and being kicked out of the inn, the group makes their way towards the haunted manor. Along the way, they encounter a closed down alchemy shop. After searching the main floor, our wizard discovers a lever in the fireplace and ashy footprints leading away from it. The group discovers a long winding staircase descending into an underground laboratory. In the center of the lab, rising up through the shop, grows an enormous tree, it's roots winding out across the floor.
They soon discover that the lab's owner, Siegfried, was performing experiments with necroalchemy, as can be evidenced by the body of a skaab that was never brought to life by incantation. They also find Siegfried's notes detailing necroalchemy and Katerina Brun and her magical tuning fork. The wizard reads through the notes and deciphers a coded letter from Siegfried's cousin. It pleads for him to join him in the lab stitching together scabs so that they can gain revenge on the vampires that killed Katerina.
As they decode the letter, suddenly, monsters formed of wood and vines begin to emerge from the tree, and it is obvious they are not happy someone is sharing their space. The group briefly argues about setting them on fire, but the wizard getting hit fairly quickly sets them into action. The rogue slashes forward, and Isabel casts Witch's Bolt, sending one of the larger creatures reeling. The druid takes it out, however, as it starts to advance on her, with an Ice Knife. The wizard retreats while casting Magic Missile, taking out three of the smaller wispy monsters. The ranger sends forth a Hail of Thorns, ironically taking out two more of the twig blights and hitting the other large vine blight. the rogue comes forth again, hitting the remaining monster with the newly discovered dagger, and it speaks, saying “That filthy blade; I've seen it before!” Isabel, slightly freaked out by the talking plant, Magic Missiles it, killing it. Fire is starting to spread, set alight by the Witch's Bolt, so the group makes haste to leave. It is morning by the time they emerge.
The group heads to the haunted mansion to investigate Katerina, the daughter of the mayor. This mansion, the mayor's house, is suspected to house an evil presence, and the heroes do indeed feel slightly uneasy as the approach. The house is in a sad state, and magical darkness reigns within. The party discusses whether there might be vampires inside, but they believe that when the vampires stormed in and to take Katerina, leaving with her to use in the Rite of the Blood Queen, that they did not return.
Isabel casts Light, and it helps a bit, giving them about 15' of dim light. Bloody handprints trail the walls. As usual, the group argues about how to proceed. In the kitchen, they find the mangled, decaying corpse of the mayor, apparently never put to rest. The ranger ends up taking his mithril chain shirt to protect him from whatever they might find in the rest of the house-not that it helped the mayor.
In Katerina's bedroom, where they hoped to find some clues, they find precious little, other than the clothes of a regular person, unusual for her station, and a set of studded leather, which the ranger scoops up. In Ralph's room, they find some vestments for priests of Avocyn, which they put away for the cleric, upon his return. They also find a small chest of gold and a few gems, which they divy up.
On the way to the music room, the rogue senses a strange presence coming up behind them. He turns around and something smacks him in the face, striking him to the ground. The wizard tries to communicate with the invisibile force, but the presence seems to dissipate.
The music room is bordered by a tall cracked mirrors. Strewn about, they see a bloody flute, musical papers, a harp, a violin, and three paintings. The paintings included a canary locked in an old cage, a painting of angels fighting back a horde of demons, and one of a regal man with a handlebar mustache.
The wizard examines the sheet music using his scroll of comprehend languages, and finds a message therein. The notes spell out the words “the aged cage.”
Previously on Dungeons and Dragons...
Basically they tried to attack a werewolf. Kevin faceplanted. The werewolf bit him. Paco missed a bunch of firebolts except once he hit Zecharyah. Paco got pointed to a haunted house where the mystical tuning fork lay. Kevin isn't a werewolf. The owners of Kevin's shop wanted to kill everyone and sacrifice them to a cult. Ben and Zach are investigating the haunted house. Kevin, Sabo, Zecharyah, and Eddie are investigating the shop.
Now begins our story...
In the shop, a strange dagger is found with writing in a strange language on it. The group's rogue ends up holding onto the other dagger. A number of scrolls are also found and divided. After some investigation, the company uncovers that the couple may have been possessed by demons.
Hungry and thirsty after the intense battle, our heroes head to The Tempered Bull for sustenance, where they run into a druid on a quest to restore the Tree of Redemption, which has been tainted by the restless spirits of those hanged on the tree.
After a well-deserved rest at the Silver Rose Inn and Tavern, our friendly local rogue kindly purchases everyone in the tavern a round of ale and a meal, which is met with raucous applause. A thankful stranger presents him with a small trinket for his charity. The trinket has a strange crest emblazoned upon it. He realizes that the man is lying about the trinket being a family heirloom and questions the man. The stranger reveals he pickpocketed a rich man for this trinket and apologizes.
The vigilante barbarian, hearing that the man is a thief, engages in fisticuffs. The rest of the tavern chants, “Fight! Fight!” as he and the thief square off. The thief draws a dagger, while the barbarian draws his broadsword. Noticing he is outmatched, the man throws his dagger away and calls for a better weapon. A mace is given to him and the two prepare to fight. After exchanging a series of blows, the brute finally cuts the thief's head clean off, and it flies across the room. Our rogue knocks the barbarian out with the hilt of his blade and the group goes to sleep after a long day.
After waking up and being kicked out of the inn, the group makes their way towards the haunted manor. Along the way, they encounter a closed down alchemy shop. After searching the main floor, our wizard discovers a lever in the fireplace and ashy footprints leading away from it. The group discovers a long winding staircase descending into an underground laboratory. In the center of the lab, rising up through the shop, grows an enormous tree, it's roots winding out across the floor.
They soon discover that the lab's owner, Siegfried, was performing experiments with necroalchemy, as can be evidenced by the body of a skaab that was never brought to life by incantation. They also find Siegfried's notes detailing necroalchemy and Katerina Brun and her magical tuning fork. The wizard reads through the notes and deciphers a coded letter from Siegfried's cousin. It pleads for him to join him in the lab stitching together scabs so that they can gain revenge on the vampires that killed Katerina.
As they decode the letter, suddenly, monsters formed of wood and vines begin to emerge from the tree, and it is obvious they are not happy someone is sharing their space. The group briefly argues about setting them on fire, but the wizard getting hit fairly quickly sets them into action. The rogue slashes forward, and Isabel casts Witch's Bolt, sending one of the larger creatures reeling. The druid takes it out, however, as it starts to advance on her, with an Ice Knife. The wizard retreats while casting Magic Missile, taking out three of the smaller wispy monsters. The ranger sends forth a Hail of Thorns, ironically taking out two more of the twig blights and hitting the other large vine blight. the rogue comes forth again, hitting the remaining monster with the newly discovered dagger, and it speaks, saying “That filthy blade; I've seen it before!” Isabel, slightly freaked out by the talking plant, Magic Missiles it, killing it. Fire is starting to spread, set alight by the Witch's Bolt, so the group makes haste to leave. It is morning by the time they emerge.
The group heads to the haunted mansion to investigate Katerina, the daughter of the mayor. This mansion, the mayor's house, is suspected to house an evil presence, and the heroes do indeed feel slightly uneasy as the approach. The house is in a sad state, and magical darkness reigns within. The party discusses whether there might be vampires inside, but they believe that when the vampires stormed in and to take Katerina, leaving with her to use in the Rite of the Blood Queen, that they did not return.
Isabel casts Light, and it helps a bit, giving them about 15' of dim light. Bloody handprints trail the walls. As usual, the group argues about how to proceed. In the kitchen, they find the mangled, decaying corpse of the mayor, apparently never put to rest. The ranger ends up taking his mithril chain shirt to protect him from whatever they might find in the rest of the house-not that it helped the mayor.
In Katerina's bedroom, where they hoped to find some clues, they find precious little, other than the clothes of a regular person, unusual for her station, and a set of studded leather, which the ranger scoops up. In Ralph's room, they find some vestments for priests of Avocyn, which they put away for the cleric, upon his return. They also find a small chest of gold and a few gems, which they divy up.
On the way to the music room, the rogue senses a strange presence coming up behind them. He turns around and something smacks him in the face, striking him to the ground. The wizard tries to communicate with the invisibile force, but the presence seems to dissipate.
The music room is bordered by a tall cracked mirrors. Strewn about, they see a bloody flute, musical papers, a harp, a violin, and three paintings. The paintings included a canary locked in an old cage, a painting of angels fighting back a horde of demons, and one of a regal man with a handlebar mustache.
The wizard examines the sheet music using his scroll of comprehend languages, and finds a message therein. The notes spell out the words “the aged cage.”
October 30, 2015
The full moon hung over Shadowgrange as the adventurers approached the hill upon which it stood. As they neared the town, a scream resounded through the night. For the most part, innately curious, the group decided to move towards the sound to investigate.
One member of the party, stealthier than the others, snuck ahead, coming upon a werewolf figure lurking about a barn. He managed to sneak up behind it, but when he raised his axe to attack, he fell in the dark, and the werewolf (soon discovered to be the very peasant the group had let live earlier) turned on him with a vicious bite, leaving him unconscious. Two more party members fell before a wandering cleric of Avocyn ran forth from the darkness, also drawn by the screams, practically saving the party from near extinction. Once stable and the werewolf slain, the heroes found the body of a poor farm maid in the stables, torn apart. A letter on her person spoke of saving money to rent a horse and carriage to visit her family, who would never end up seeing her again.
After being tested for lycanthropy and vampirism at the gate by two arguing guards, the group found their way to the Silver Rose Inn. From there, the party parted ways. The cleric went forth to the chapel of Avocyn, where he came upon a relic said to house the spirit of a great demon that, with enough souls, could bring the demon back to Innistrad. The other party members headed to the general store, for a variety of reasons.
However, unexpected events occurred at the shop. A group member quickly discerned that the old store keeps were in fact Skirsdag cultists in disguise, and the cultists were quick to jump on the offensive. The battle was fierce, but our brave heroes managed to survive and take out the two evil doers.
The full moon hung over Shadowgrange as the adventurers approached the hill upon which it stood. As they neared the town, a scream resounded through the night. For the most part, innately curious, the group decided to move towards the sound to investigate.
One member of the party, stealthier than the others, snuck ahead, coming upon a werewolf figure lurking about a barn. He managed to sneak up behind it, but when he raised his axe to attack, he fell in the dark, and the werewolf (soon discovered to be the very peasant the group had let live earlier) turned on him with a vicious bite, leaving him unconscious. Two more party members fell before a wandering cleric of Avocyn ran forth from the darkness, also drawn by the screams, practically saving the party from near extinction. Once stable and the werewolf slain, the heroes found the body of a poor farm maid in the stables, torn apart. A letter on her person spoke of saving money to rent a horse and carriage to visit her family, who would never end up seeing her again.
After being tested for lycanthropy and vampirism at the gate by two arguing guards, the group found their way to the Silver Rose Inn. From there, the party parted ways. The cleric went forth to the chapel of Avocyn, where he came upon a relic said to house the spirit of a great demon that, with enough souls, could bring the demon back to Innistrad. The other party members headed to the general store, for a variety of reasons.
However, unexpected events occurred at the shop. A group member quickly discerned that the old store keeps were in fact Skirsdag cultists in disguise, and the cultists were quick to jump on the offensive. The battle was fierce, but our brave heroes managed to survive and take out the two evil doers.
October 23, 2015
Our adventurers come together for the purposes of traveling to Shadowgrange. Everyone knows how dangerous traveling alone can be, so it is always best venture forth with company. Most cities in Innistrad offer services to bring together individuals so they can go forth in groups. Our particular heroes each have their own reasons for hitting the road for Shadowgrange, but they are slow to share those reasons with each other.
Not long after they begin their journey, they come to a decrepit bridge. One in their party notices webs, and quickly spies two giant spiders beneath the bridge. Venturing forth bravely, he immediately becomes stuck, and his attempts to free himself only make his sticky situation worse, bringing the spiders' attention directly to him. Soon, he is close to death. Luckily, traveling with a group pays off, and his companions kill the spiders and carry on.
Along the road, they also are beset upon by a swarm of skeletal bats, which they manage to defeat fairly painlessly.
Perhaps the most trying decision for the party comes at an old shrine to Avocyn they come across along the way, where they find a scraggly peasant. It does not take the group long to discover that the man, Anton, is a werewolf, and the party must decide whether to kill him or let him go. In the end, they let Anton live, despite the pleas of one of the group members.
Eventually, the group spies Shadowgrange on the horizon.
Our adventurers come together for the purposes of traveling to Shadowgrange. Everyone knows how dangerous traveling alone can be, so it is always best venture forth with company. Most cities in Innistrad offer services to bring together individuals so they can go forth in groups. Our particular heroes each have their own reasons for hitting the road for Shadowgrange, but they are slow to share those reasons with each other.
Not long after they begin their journey, they come to a decrepit bridge. One in their party notices webs, and quickly spies two giant spiders beneath the bridge. Venturing forth bravely, he immediately becomes stuck, and his attempts to free himself only make his sticky situation worse, bringing the spiders' attention directly to him. Soon, he is close to death. Luckily, traveling with a group pays off, and his companions kill the spiders and carry on.
Along the road, they also are beset upon by a swarm of skeletal bats, which they manage to defeat fairly painlessly.
Perhaps the most trying decision for the party comes at an old shrine to Avocyn they come across along the way, where they find a scraggly peasant. It does not take the group long to discover that the man, Anton, is a werewolf, and the party must decide whether to kill him or let him go. In the end, they let Anton live, despite the pleas of one of the group members.
Eventually, the group spies Shadowgrange on the horizon.
Click on the map above to learn more about Akanûl.
Below, follow the adventures of the player characters as they unfold! |
Welcome, everyone, to the world of Feyrûn, where magic and machine meld together and the shadows hold dark secrets. You all have found yourselves in the region of Akanûl. The mountains cut the forests off from the coast. Above the large bay, the capital of Airspur rests on flying chunks of stone. It is the pinnacle of magic and machine. The streets fill with travelers, and stands line the street in celebration of the upcoming event. You have each found yourself here on the king's birthday, each with your own goals and reasons, but fate has something else in mind for you!
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July 31, 2015
The king's birthday week was ruined by a goblin raid. As he stood upon his dais in the center of town and raised his hands to signal the lighting of the celebratory fireworks, a huge explosion sent shrapnel reigning down on the attending crowd. The earth below the dais gave way and collapsed into a huge hole. While most partygoers fled for their lives, our heroes successfully fended off the advancing goblin horde before they could invade the city.
After killing the goblins that rampaged from the pit, some of the adventurers descended to investigate the scene. There they met the king, exuberant in his festive demeanor, alive and well, surrounded by protective knights, a giant of a goliath, and a plethora of dead goblin bodies. The king retired with his soldiers, and the explorers soon discovered a series of bombs that had not detonated. One adventurer, desiring to use the bombs to destroy crops and homes, met his end at the hands of another. When the adventurers attempted to disarm the explosives, they accidentally set them off, taking enough damage to make them decide it was time to retire for the evening. Meanwhile, exploring caverns under the castle accessed through the sewers, another adventurer came across a horde of one goblins or more, all worshipers of Lolth.
In the morning, the adventurers awake to messengers bearing invitations from the king. They travel forth to the castle to learn about a rash of kidnappings. The king hires the heroes to travel to Earthspur, the mining city beyond the mountains, to investigate the kidnappings, promising rewards for last night's deeds, as well as gold for supplies and transportation. Rumor tells of living shadows in Earthspur, a land of dwarves and goliaths, home to 90% of the kingdom's wealth.
The king's birthday week was ruined by a goblin raid. As he stood upon his dais in the center of town and raised his hands to signal the lighting of the celebratory fireworks, a huge explosion sent shrapnel reigning down on the attending crowd. The earth below the dais gave way and collapsed into a huge hole. While most partygoers fled for their lives, our heroes successfully fended off the advancing goblin horde before they could invade the city.
After killing the goblins that rampaged from the pit, some of the adventurers descended to investigate the scene. There they met the king, exuberant in his festive demeanor, alive and well, surrounded by protective knights, a giant of a goliath, and a plethora of dead goblin bodies. The king retired with his soldiers, and the explorers soon discovered a series of bombs that had not detonated. One adventurer, desiring to use the bombs to destroy crops and homes, met his end at the hands of another. When the adventurers attempted to disarm the explosives, they accidentally set them off, taking enough damage to make them decide it was time to retire for the evening. Meanwhile, exploring caverns under the castle accessed through the sewers, another adventurer came across a horde of one goblins or more, all worshipers of Lolth.
In the morning, the adventurers awake to messengers bearing invitations from the king. They travel forth to the castle to learn about a rash of kidnappings. The king hires the heroes to travel to Earthspur, the mining city beyond the mountains, to investigate the kidnappings, promising rewards for last night's deeds, as well as gold for supplies and transportation. Rumor tells of living shadows in Earthspur, a land of dwarves and goliaths, home to 90% of the kingdom's wealth.
August 7, 2015
Before we let you know what happened to our bold adventurers this week, our DM wants everyone to be perfectly clear that there are no sentient penguins in Akanul. None. Stop asking.
After a nice long rest in the castle, the king asked the group down to breakfast and requested each adventurer to introduce themselves. Enter new party member, Brunhilde Casemere, bringer of destruction. Our heroes made their way by magic air bus (not magic school bus) down to the port city of Waterspur. From there, the group planned to meet a well-known wagoneer who would caravan them to Earthspur.
The party discovers that the well-known wagoneer is actually the king's brother, Ferrralll. Ferrrall welcomes the adventurers and tells them he is not currently granting passage to Earthspur, as they have had some problems on the road recently. A ship was supposed to come into port carrying goods from a neighboring country, but it sank. Many horses were killed on the road near the bay, and human casualties occurred. There were no surviving witnesses. They believe there were some unknown pests. There was a copy of the ship's manifest, but nothing strange was on it. Trails of blood lead from crushed wagons and corpses into the forest. No one has gotten close enough to investigate.
The party agreed to investigate so they can receive passage to Earthspur. Ferrralll took the group to the docks to get us a small ship so they could get to the location quickly (an hour opposed to a day).
The group is dropped near the boat. From a distance, with his well-trained eyes, Ghetrin could tell the wood on the boat had been roughly cut, not broken. The group plans to send the pixie in ahead, as whatever might be lurking in the boat may not be able to see him.
To sum up the brave battle that ensued, the party is attacked by bullywugs from the water and the forest. In the confusion of battle, Jett lets loose a Flame Cyclone that kills the party's healer. In the end, the rest of the team comes out of the battle victorious. Bodies of victims and treasure are found. The body of the cleric is left on the beach, and the group comes together to decide what to do next.
Before we let you know what happened to our bold adventurers this week, our DM wants everyone to be perfectly clear that there are no sentient penguins in Akanul. None. Stop asking.
After a nice long rest in the castle, the king asked the group down to breakfast and requested each adventurer to introduce themselves. Enter new party member, Brunhilde Casemere, bringer of destruction. Our heroes made their way by magic air bus (not magic school bus) down to the port city of Waterspur. From there, the group planned to meet a well-known wagoneer who would caravan them to Earthspur.
The party discovers that the well-known wagoneer is actually the king's brother, Ferrralll. Ferrrall welcomes the adventurers and tells them he is not currently granting passage to Earthspur, as they have had some problems on the road recently. A ship was supposed to come into port carrying goods from a neighboring country, but it sank. Many horses were killed on the road near the bay, and human casualties occurred. There were no surviving witnesses. They believe there were some unknown pests. There was a copy of the ship's manifest, but nothing strange was on it. Trails of blood lead from crushed wagons and corpses into the forest. No one has gotten close enough to investigate.
The party agreed to investigate so they can receive passage to Earthspur. Ferrralll took the group to the docks to get us a small ship so they could get to the location quickly (an hour opposed to a day).
The group is dropped near the boat. From a distance, with his well-trained eyes, Ghetrin could tell the wood on the boat had been roughly cut, not broken. The group plans to send the pixie in ahead, as whatever might be lurking in the boat may not be able to see him.
To sum up the brave battle that ensued, the party is attacked by bullywugs from the water and the forest. In the confusion of battle, Jett lets loose a Flame Cyclone that kills the party's healer. In the end, the rest of the team comes out of the battle victorious. Bodies of victims and treasure are found. The body of the cleric is left on the beach, and the group comes together to decide what to do next.