Monday, January 30, 2017

SOTDL CAMPAIGN DIARY – HARVESTER OF SORROWS - STARTING LEVEL 0 - 1.24.17

Game System: Shadow of the Demon Lord
The Characters:
- Mathias: Jotun / Jotun Novice path
- Kane: Human / Warrior Novice path
- Gruntbelly: Dwarf / Magician Novice path
- Ecna Lubma: Dwdarf / Priest Novice path


Our story begins with a celebration.  The jotun named Mathias, who had spent the last year serving as a Brown Cloak in honor of the humans who had fallen during his war party’s hunt for stolen artifiacts, was being honored by Commander Jon Crawley.  During the celebration, Sgt Alyse, secretly handed Mathias a note asking him to meet her at the Fallen Soldier tavern at midnight.  Mathias met the sergeant and was informed that a priest of the Church of the New God was missing, and though she had attempted to investigate, she was told to stand down.  The priest, Father Gregory, was well known in Grievings for his work with the poor and needy and his disappearance has been felt by many in that district.  As she investigatied, she learned that others have gone missing as well, and that a strange cloaked figure has been seen stalking the alleyways of Grievings, particularly around this tavern.  Sgt Alyse asked Mathias to look into his disappearance for her since she was forbidden to do so. 

Reluctantly, Mathias agreed and proceeded to gather information within the Fallen Soldier tavern and learned that well-dressed strangers had been inquiring about hiring members of the Rude Boyz gang to watch the nearby Moore House, which has been abandoned for decades.  Mathias decided to look into this to see if there may be a connection to the disappearances, but when he approached the house he saw that the Rude Boyz gang were gathered out in the street in front of the old manor.  

The following day, Mathias went to the dwarf neighborhood of Grievings where the Honored Dead Shrine and Brewery was located to have his regular drink with his friends, Ecna the dwarf priest and Gruntbelly the dwarf magician.  He told the others about his night and they seemed interested in checking into the disappearance of Father Gregory, as he was friendly with the dwarves despite their ideological differences.  The three waited until nightfall and then proceeded to the Moore House, where they saw the Rude Boyz still gathered.  Mathias and friends decided to move through the neighboring abandoned buildings to see if they could perhaps sneak into the Moore House without being seen, but they encountered two junior and high Rude Boyz, who foolishly decided to stand up to the joten and dwarves.  The youths were put down and the three moved on towards the Moore House, moving as silently as possible.  Unfortunately, Ecna was not very graceful and made a little too much noise, attracting the attention of the Rude Boyz.  The gang proceeded to challenge the three and a fight broke out.  Two of the Rude Boyz were ordered to circle around the house, but as they left the group and disappeared around the side of the house, the two screamed out never came around the house.   The heroes fought off the Rude Boyz, then went around the side where the other two went, but they found only blood stains leading towards the back of the house.  They followed the stains to the back door, which was ajar, and they entered the dark house. 

Inside the house, the blood stains led to one of the Rude Boyz bodies, draped over a table dead.  The blood stains also led to a wall that was a secret entrance to the cellar.  They find the lever to open the hidden door leading down and a horrific smell emanating from the cellar causes them to pause.  They gather their stomachs and enter the cellar to find a pile of corpses, half eaten and rotting.  They are shaken by the horrific sight and then they spot an eerie creature with inhumanly long fingers ending in talons and a distended jaw containing needle-like teeth hiding around the corner, peering out at them from the shadows. 

End of session.