Welcome!

Welcome to the site for our play-by-post D&D game. While the campaign itself is run through Gmail, this blog is here to host resources such as maps, calendars, and character journals. For anyone wishing to read the actual in-game content, please contact me for access. Plot summaries of the campaign threads are posted to this blog and can be found easily by clicking the "plotsummaries" label on the right. The game is written as a narrative collectively by all players; below is a sample post from the DM (me).

28 Flamerule, Middark
Cormanthor


After Penrith had been helped to his feet, able to walk with some measure of strength (but little else), the elf woman disappeared into the forest, and the members of Soltrius's contingent followed closely behind. She led the companions down dense paths and—to her credit—out of sight of the bodies of the fallen—though, gods, there must have been many! Was Penrith the lone Plume soldier who'd been spared?

As they walked, Penrith caught in step with Markel, and said to him, "I must thank ye, Good-sir-whose-name-I-know-not. It was foolish of me to leave the cover of your friends. Despite my emotions... I may have endangered you all."

Down through a grove, Selûne's light guided them—and was even sufficient for the humans among the troupe to see, once their eyes had adjusted to the fireless dark. Before long, man, elf, and gnome alike could hear the chuckle of a gentle stream flowing softly nearby. Soon, they came upon it, and at its shore, they saw glimpses of a wiry, barely-clothed male elf, tan and painted like the others that the contingent knew tarried about them, albeit unseen. The wild elf had one leg half-immersed in the rippling water, and appeared to be cleansing a long, bleeding gash.

Around the companions, more longbow-brandishing painted elves came into view, and the cloaked female stemmed her gliding march. "We shall rest here, for awhile," she said, in a tone loud enough for only the contingent to hear. "Take care with your words, for the Sy'Tel'Quessir may not have stayed their bows from your hearts had they ventured to your camp alone."

Feel free to contact me with any questions about this site.

Enjoy!

Matt

Part III: Journey Untold

Seven of the contingent's eight members passed through the gates of Hillsfar on Midsummer's Eve with minimal questions from the guards. Once inside, the friends found their way to The Tangled Vine Tavern, where they drank heartily, conversed with numerous patrons, and met a young, flaunting woman named Cahylie, who openly propositioned herself to Mercurius.

Brother Bevue entered the city separately, distantly behind his companions, and found his way to a modest temple known as the Monastery of the Hallowed Pale. Leras, its caretaker, bid the humbled priest to stay for the evening, and he did, attempting to learn what he may of Hillsfar and its recent dealings with the wild elves of Cormanthor. Meanwhile, the remaining members of the contingent stowed the horses and caravan at a local stable, and sought rest at a low-key inn and alehouse called Ye Olde Trip to Cormyr.

The next morning, Achran reconvened with his companions, then set off again on his own to tarry about the city and gather more information. Markel and Hadrian visited a local shrine to Mielikki, where they met a traveling forester, Fiernoth Freemantle, hailed from Elventree. Luna, Vennel, Lefwain, and Mercurius ventured about the city and located Penrith's brother, a masonry worker named Heseail, while Soltrius peddled his trade-goods in at Hillsfar's market square.

As latefeast neared, Luna and Lefwain headed out to a dinner meeting with Heseail, where they informed the mason of his brother's whereabouts, and of the Sy'Tel'Quessir's attack on the Red Plume camp. Achran, still wandering alone, found himself approached by a pair of soldiers, then escorted into a nearby barrack. To his surprise and utmost horror, Nemmish, the Red Plume wizard thought dead in the forest, was there waiting for him. The evil mage infiltrated the priest's mind with his spells, ere he cast him back out onto the streets. Panicked, Achran fled back to the inn, only to see that his friends were nowhere to be found.

Finally, the priest spotted his companions in the market, and ushered them into a nearby pub where he offered up his tale. The friends headed back to the wagon, but when they arrived, they found that Soltrius, too, was missing. As they scoured the bustling square, Cahylie revealed herself from the shadows, informing the contingent that she had watched Soltrius leave with a man disguised as Mercurius. The friends took to the streets, now fearing too for the safety of Heseail. They hadn't gone far when they were ambushed in a dark alley by a band of crossbow-brandishing sellswords who displayed no outward signs of allegiance to Hillsfar or the Red Plumes. The hoods were defeated, though when questioned, they revealed only that their hirer was a dark-robed mage, previously unknown to them.

Still having no lead, the companions returned to the market, where Cahylie came to them again, this time bidding them to meet her outside a little-frequented taproom on Pale Moon Lane. They convened there, and Cahylie, obviously more than a common barfly, ushered them through the entrance to her secret hideout. Inside, she offered the friends a place to rest, and promised to help find Soltrius. She also introduced them to a half-elven boy named Seminser, quiet and apprehensive, who seemingly had lost his way.

At dawn's first light, the companions were awakened by a gnome called Throttle, who claimed himself an associate of Cahylie and confided that Soltrius was being held in Hillsfar's dungeon, located in the basement level of a nearby gatehouse. The friends ventured there and milled about the building's exterior. Before long, a pair of city watchmen asked Luna and Lefwain inside for questioning, inquiring as to the whereabouts of "a laborer named Heseail." Shocked, Luna offered up her story in truth; when the guards called for their captain, the duo was arrested and imprisoned in the dungeon where Soltrius was being held.

With the help of Lefwain's lock picks and a raucous dwarf jailed in a neighboring cell, the friends managed to escape, just as the others located them by way of the city sewers. Together, they all made their getaway, emerging hours later in Hillsfar's dock ward, far removed from the gatehouse dungeon.

After cleaning themselves meagerly and purchasing a change of clothes, the friends returned to Cahylie's hideout, where they plotted to leave the city. With the help of Cahylie and Throttle, they departed through Hillsfar's east gates that very eve, riding for Elventree on a promise to seek out the high herald called Moonsilver, hoping that she might be convinced to parley with the Sy'Tel'Quessir. Seminser and Spitbeard, the rough-and-tumble dwarf from the dungeon, rode with them, the former hoping to find a new home among the villagers of Elventree, and the latter for reasons known only to the gods.

Locales & Establishments

Essembra

The Green Eagle
A tavern honoring Aklesar the Wind Rider, a ranger of local adventuring fame

Cormanthor

Rauthauvyr's Road
The road through Cormanthor, forged by Rauthauvyr of Sembia some five centuries ago

The Eshen Glade
A small, secluded village-camp of human and half-elven refugees of the Retreat

Falidhara's Grove
A small forest grove east of the Eshen Glade, formerly protected by the elf maiden Falidhara

The Gnolls' Cave
A gaping hole in a jutting rock formation near the Duathamper riverbed

The Standing Stone
A monument to the Dales Compact, standing in sight of Rauthauvyr's Road to remind travelers to always honor the great treaty

The Vale of Lost Voices
A ghostly vale along Rauthauvyr's Road said to be haunted by elven spirits

The Red Plume Camp
A small forest-camp two days out from Hillsfar where the Red Plume contingent was assailed by wild elves

Elua's Ride
The trail leading east from Hillsfar, a day's ride and more to Elventree

Hillsfar

The Tangled Vine Tavern
An ivy-covered limestone tavern near the south gates

The Market Square
Hillsfar's trade square, occupied by numerous merchant-posts, shopfronts, inns, and restaurants

The Monastery of the Hallowed Pale
A narrow, angled structure adorned with old, arching windows west of the city's main market

Ye Olde Trip to Cormyr
A small, lowcoin inn and tavern near the city's market square whose decor is an homage to the feudal country of Cormyr

The Red Plume Gatehouse
A small barrack near the city's south gates outfitted by the Red Plumes

The Temple of Mielikki
A small, isolated structure situated east of the Red Plume gatehouse, overgrown from the inside by towering trees

Tairnor's Fine Brick and Stone Company
A stone and masonry company where Heseail works as a laborer, located near the northern docks

The Hornweather Smithy
An upscale white-limestonehewn smithy, south of the market square

The City Barracks
Hillsfar's main barracks, located in the center of the city

The Goat's Haunches
A small, modest tavern and restaurant known for its mutton stew, located north of the market

Feton's Prowl
A shady tavern of questionable patronage east of Hillsfar's market square

The Silver Stag
An alehouse made up to look like a ramshackle hunting lodge, located on Pale Moon Lane

Cahylie's Hideout
A secret basement complex below and across the street from the Silver Stag

The Main Gatehouse
A two-story building that serves as the city's jail, located near Hillsfar's westernmost wall

The Smiling Scimitar
A weathered, single-story taphouse, located along the docks

The Tired Hobgoblin
A quiet inn with a shingled awning, located a short ways away from the docks

Elventree

The Free Spirits Tavern
A quaint, airy cottage-served-tavern, manned and frequented by halflings

The Swaying Bough Inn
An inn set up within a large oak tree, located deep within the village

Lady Elassidil's Cottage
Residence of the High Herald, located in seclusion beyond the Swaying Bough Inn

Zhentil Keep

Burgem's Battlery and Armor Fittings
An armory whose basement houses a Zhent-manned portal to Cormanthor

Wagonwright's Square
A specific run of shops, inns, and taverns several blocks from Burgem's

The Choice of Arms
A lowcoin tavern said to cater to mercenaries and their ilk

Balorfire Jovials
A rowdy alehouse overwrought with vicious men and half-orcs

The Come Right Inn
A reputed brothel, tended by a heavy-set bouncer

Tethyr Thy Blade and Temper
A dimly-lit tavern proclaimed to be a "Naug-adar mustering hole"

The Lucid Pearl
An out-of-the-way taproom tended by a lithe woman with infrequently flashing yellow eyes

The Inner Quarter
Zhentil Keeps innermost ward, houses governing offices, towers, and minor strongholds

The Steadfast's Citadel
A towering inn grandly decorated inside with historical paintings and sculptures

The Hall of Records
A grandiose library adorned with sconces and stained glass windows, holds records of happenings both significant and mundane

Part II-b: Horizons

"Horizons" tracks Markel, Hadrian, and Brother Bevue as they plot their return to the Eshen Glade.

While the rest of the contingent was on its way north through Cormanthor, Markel, Hadrian, and Brother Bevue set their sights east, to return to the Eshen Glade. When they arrived, they were greeted most amicably, though they found that they were not the first to have recently graced the gladesfolk with their presence; Adraiya and her small circle of druids had already come thither, bearing a warning and a request for aid to the people of the Eshen village-camp.

Adraiya explained that one of the circle's kin was found slain deeper into the forest, several miles away. Coupled with the unexplained murder of Falidhara, the druids' concern for the region and its inhabitants was growing. Adraiya believed the killings to be linked to the spirit of a nefarious wizard, who traveled to Cormanthor over a century ago with a mind to "cleanse" the Duathamper riverbed of the ancient elven treasures the area was said to behold. The wizard was subsequently captured and put to the blade by the wild elves of the Tangled Trees. When the mage's spirit returned after death to lay claim to the treasures once again, it was imprisoned inside a magic pendant, one that until recently had been worn and guarded by the keeper of Falidhara's Grove. With Falidhara's passing, the evil spirit was believed to have been released.

The companions, along with Rillen and Pruatris of the Eshen Glade, accompanied the druids through Cormanthor, where they discovered an old, abandoned tower while investigating the area marking the circle druid's murder. Inside, the friends were attacked by a darkmantle, and during the course of the ensuing battle, the tower began to shake violently. Within moments, the companions heard Adraiya shouting outside before they were instantly transported away by some sort of spellwork, presumably woven by the druids for their collective safety.

Markel, Hadrian, and Brother Bevue arrived among friends, coming to in the midst of the Red Plume camp, mere hours before it would be assailed by wild elves, and its soldiers slain.

In the wake of the attack, possessed of many more questions than answers, the three continued north with the rest of Soltrius's contingent, to arrive at Hillsfar's gates.

Part II-a: Trenches

"Trenches" follows Mercurius, Vennel, Luna, and Lefwain as they accompany Soltrius's wagons along Rauthauvyr's Road.

Back in Essembra, the contingent mutually decided to split ranks, with three members—Markel, Hadrian, and Brother Bevue—pledging their return to the Eshen Glade in its days of turmoil following the great elven Retreat from Cormanthor. The remaining companions, led by Soltrius and his half-brother Anintko, a veteran warrior from Ordulin, continued their journey along Rauthauvyr's Road, driving three coaches stocked full with supplies and spices be to traded north of the Moonsea.

The contingent's venture to Hillsfar and the southern shores of the Moonsea was anything but easy. After arriving at the great Standing Stone, a monument to the centuries-old treaty between the humans and elves of the Dalelands known as the Dales Compact, the party found itself passing through the Vale of Lost Voices, a region of Cormanthor said to be haunted by ancient elven ghosts. Such tales proved their warrant, and within the Vale, the contingent battled fierce goblins and found itself at the whims of spirits of those long removed.

The companions rode throughout the night to clear the haunted Vale, and the ensuing ride saw one of their caravans damaged by a thick, dead vine laid out across the road. The incident recalled warnings from Essembra that dangerous "creeper vines" had been waylaying travelers on the road through Cormanthor, and the party continued on with the utmost caution. Soon after, the contingent found itself battling living vines along the road that caused further breakage to its wagons before the companions finally prevailed.

Two days out from Essembra, weary from their journey and their encounters along the road, the travelers were met one eve by a trio of riders who named themselves soldiers of the Red Plumes of Hillsfar. The Plumes declared the road to be closed due to perils such as the deadly creepers, and led the contingent back to their camp, a short ways into the woods, to await an official escort back to the city. The Red Plume camp housed over two dozen strongswords, along with their captain, Wrenegal Larson, and his wizard-adviser, Nemmish.

The contingent remained among the Plumes until the following night, when the camp was inexplicably assailed by an unyielding tribe of wild elves. Despite its efforts to retaliate with spells and blades, the camp was defeated, and nearly all the Red Plumes were slain. One soldier, a young, blond-haired man named Penrith, was spared, incidentally, by the fact that he'd been keeping watch with Soltrius's contingent at the hour of the attack. The wild elves, who named themselves the Sy'Tel'Quessir, led Penrith and the companions further into the forest, where they explained that the Plumes had knowingly breached the Dales Compact, and sought to overtake elven lands protected by the ancient treaty. Among the Sy'Tel'Quessir was a young elf maiden named Ellisendria, Markel's godmother from the days of his youth in the Tangled Trees.

Thanks to Ellisendria, the otherwise inimical wild elves allowed the contignent to continue its journey north, and accompanied the companions back to the road. Before they reached it, however, the friends found that one of their three caravans had been stolen during the night while it lay unguarded in the grounds of the defeated camp. Ultimately, the friends decided that Antinko, Penrith, and two others would return to Essembra, both for Penrith's safety in the wake of an impending conflict between Hillsfar and Cormanthor, and to warn Essembra of what the party had learned.

Shortly thereafter, the remaining members of the contingent arrived at Hillsfar's south gates, bearing a single one of its original three trade caravans.

Part I: Cormanthor (Book I)

"Scars of Battledale" began in the forestside town of Essembra on 21 Flamerule in the Year of the Arch (1353 DR), as a three-caravan contingent headed by a charming young merchant with an adventurous streak named Soltrius Belflaggon charted a course through ancient Cormanthor and across the Moonsea to peddle his spice trade. Soltrius had hired an array of unconventional guards for his journey in the Sembian capital of Ordulin, and when word came to Essembra that an unknown treasure seeker had gone missing somewhere deep in the old elven wood, the merchant elected to divert his band into Cormanthor to see what they may find.

In the vast reaches of the great, lush forest, the contingent stumbled upon a half-elven village-camp known as the Eshen Glade. While present at the glade, an inexplicable attack by a lone gnoll left a gladeswoman seriously injured. Though the gnoll was quickly defeated, the companions witnessed an ethereal, shadowy form escape from the creature's body upon its slaying. In the wake of the attack, two half-elven warriors from the glade pledged themselves to accompany Soltrius's band further into the forest.

Things only got stranger as the party continued its journey. Not far outside the Eshen Glade, the contingent discovered the body of a renowned elven caretaker of the wood named Falidhara who, apparently, had been slain by the blades of unknown assailants, signs of which were naught to be found. Disheartened, the companions continued on toward the Duathamper riverbed where the lost treasure seeker was said to have disappeared. As they neared it, they encountered a jutting rock formation surrounded by nearly a dozen more dog-faced gnolls.

The gnolls' leader proved to be a strongclad human warrior who seemed notably out of place in the middle of the ancient forest. When he was felled, a shapeless, shadowy form escaped his dying body, much as the party had witnessed back at the Eshen Glade. The battle with the gnolls was enervating, and although the contingent proved victorious, suffering nary a loss, injuries took their toll, and the companions were forced to take shelter in the cave; there, they encountered a strange hermit named Brother Bevue, who claimed himself a traveling priest of Silvanus that was taken captive by the gnolls while wandering the forest.

As they rested, the contingent was approached by a small circle of druids; its leader, Adraiya, proffered her aid to the wounded and remained with Soltrius's band throughout the night. The following day, the companions began their trek back to the Eshen Glade, not wholly certain as to what they had learned.

When they arrived, the contingent bid the gladesfolk farewell and set back off for Essembra, where they would seek to continue their journey northward through Cormanthor, and on toward the Moonsea.