The Blood of Kings
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| Current Campaign: The Knights of Eaton | |
| Episode 1: "The Blood of Kings" | |
| Year: 1753 Spring | |
| Location: Kandorr, Kel Kozadd | |
PCs:
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| NPCs: | |
| Previous Episode: "Thuzuul at Orasi" | |
| Next Episode: "Orasi In Darkness" | |
| Previous Campaign: The Thuzuulan Heresy | |
Prince Borric's father sends him on a quest to find heirlooms and assigns a team of knights to him, the group is confronted by creatures of sinister magic in their travels northward and they are ambushed on a mountain pass.
Story
Act One: The Blood of Kings
Prince Borric, son of King Croyde, was third in line to the throne and immensely popular among his people. He had recently turned 20, and it was his father's wish that he lead a mission to collect precious family heirlooms lost to prior generations during the strife of old. Borric was provided funds, provisions for travel, and his choice of the crown's soldiery. He took his personal guards, Margaret Kelleck and her cousin Grespin, along with his childhood friend Alaric Windsor. They met to discuss their plans at their favorite tavern, The Grey Fox.
While he was gathering drinks and hobnobbing with the locals, Borric bumped into a group of horsemen. They failed to recognize the young prince—who often dressed down in order to mingle easily with the townsfolk—and they threatened and insulted him. The insults escalated into a heated argument, and Borric was assaulted. Tasselhof (cousin to Margaret and Grespin), Simon (cousin to Alaric), and a local mercenary named Drake rushed to his aid; after the fight ended, Borric asked them to accompany him.
Borric elected to first investigate the stories involving his grandfather's sword, which was lost in the north during a campaign against one of the lords of Greymour. His father approved of his choice and pointed out that the item was either stolen by trolls or by thieves from Talonshire. To fill out the mission, Croyde assigned five more soldiers led by his old friend Jacob. They were: Genry, Elwin, Danerode, Victor, and Flynn.
The River Wight
During the first few weeks of the journey, the group warmly greeted passersby in the day and enjoyed camping on the river at night. They set up camp and were entertained by Simon, a talented bard and musician. The nights ended in revelry, and in the mornings, they broke camp and continued north. On the evening of the first full moon of the month, Margaret took her customary bath and was spied by a river wight, who was jealous of her beauty. The wight spiraled up from the river and fell upon Margaret, carrying her underwater. Her squire, Millio, dived into the river and hacked at the wight but was dragged under too. The wight rose high above the river, intent on smashing Margaret against the rocks on the embankment, but it was wounded by a jet of fire from Simon. It recoiled in pain, and Margaret fell back into the water, where she was fished out by Tasselhof. The wight screamed in agony and sank back into the river. The group gathered Margaret's belongings and fished Millio out of the river—the young servant had drowned.
Act Two: Ambush at the Kel Hamin Gap
Since there was still hostility between Dellforth and Eatonshire, the group steered away from the main road through Kel Kozadd and instead took back pathways. They left their wagons near the foothills and rode into the snowy mountainside in heavy winter gear. On their third morning in Kel Kozadd, shortly after clearing camp and orienting themselves for another day's journey, they arrived at the Kel Hamin Gap. Genry, who rode point, sensed something was wrong and as he waved at the group to halt, he was killed in a hail of crossbow bolts.
Dozens of crag trolls emerged from beneath the snow and from between the cracks in the sheer cliff walls. The group was surrounded and utterly surprised as their assailants launched volley after volley of bolts at them. Their horses fell in the first two waves, and they used them as shelter while they shouted confused orders to each other above the din of troll screams. Borric and Flynn ran to gather Genry and drag him back to the group, but he was already dead from his wounds. As a third volley arced their way, Flynn embraced the young prince and shielded him from the deadly bolts; he was killed instantly.
During the lull, Jacob and Drake rose and charged at the trolls blocking the path back down the mountainside; they cleared a small breach, which the others charged into. A small skirmish ensued, and Margaret pulled Borric through the other side of it, where they climbed on their shields and sled away from the conflict. The others quickly followed suit, while Jacob and Drake held off the trolls. In the fourth barrage of crossbow bolts, Drake was mortally wounded, and Jacob was badly injured. Drake dragged Jacob's prone body onto his shield and shoved it down the hill, then turned to face the trolls. He ran at them, screaming his war cry, and hacked at them until a final barrage of bolts finished him. He fell into the bloody snow, cursed his attackers, and died.
The survivors took the rest of the day to regroup and bind their wounded. After a day's rest, they skirted the mountain pass and made their way west to Talonshire.
Meta
Game notes
- played Fall semester, 1991
Points Awarded
- 4 points for all
Season Pool
- 4 points