The Ashbury Times
September /
October 612
“All
The News That Fits, We Print”
KING BROOMIS SLAIN
Ulthoc Named Baron; Garathon
Knighted
A few weeks ago, Regent Nevin
Kendrick gathered everyone together during the planned defense of Fairdale.
Amidst the preparations for battle, Regent Nevin called Squire Garathon forward, and bid him to take a knee. Stating that
this was a “long time in coming,” he formally Knighted Garathon Von Storm, and assigned him to the Court of Blythedale as such. The crowd cheered, and turned to
redouble preparations, when Regent Nvein declared “I’m
not finished yet,” and bid Sir Ulthoc to take a knee. Remarking on their camaraderie,
Regent Nevin appointed Sir Ulthoc Crownsmith as Baron of Nordenn, with all
rights and privileges of that rank. The collected Heroes of Ashbury cheered the
pair of new appointees, then strode out to take the field in Fairdale’s
defense.
The celebrations were short
lived, however, as on the following day, His Majesty King Broomis Bruchard was
killed in action. His Majesty died his final death while in single combat with
General Matros Lochaber -- a combat which saw the final death of both parties.
By his final act, the Archmage King used both the might of the Penumbra Blade
and his Landbond to strike low the vampiric leader of Galanthia, while with his
dying words Lochaber used his own Landbond to do the same to His Majesty.
Adventures Protect Storm’s End
The following are my
experiences as we fled from Storm’s End following the attempted siege by
the Galanthians and the repulsion by the King’s forces.
Being a war correspondent, I
am at many times in the crux of the action. I’m there intentionally. This
however was a conflict I didn’t expect or foresee.
In the small Estate of
Brandywine there’s a little village, at most a dozen ramshackle homes of
human make and tight streets against a hillside. After escaping from the siege
at Storm’s End this seemed as good a place as any to rest and recover and
collect myself. I arrived at dusk and found the town deserted. I took roost in
a common bunk in the village’s tiny inn. The quiet seemed foreboding, but
despite that I was able to settle in and get some sleep.
I was roused just before dawn
by a hand shaking me. My eyes parted slowly, opening to the glow of a liquid
light illuminating two dwarves. They brought their fingers to their lips and
helped me to my feet. The first one introduced himself as Tinder and explained
I was very much in the wrong place at the wrong time. He and the other dwarf, a fellow named Dorravin
were double checking homes to make sure there were no civilians as they set a
trap for some troll they had been tracking. I was told if I wanted to live, and
even if I didn’t, that I had to do just as they said.
Already hearing the feral
snarls, I gathered my belongings quickly and followed them into a back alley
where I finally caught a glimpse of their tabards. It was the black and red of
the Vanguard that I had seen so much over the year. They were here in
We hurried through the alley
to a ladder. They ushered me up it and I was told to stay low. Without question
I moved up the ladder and hunkered down. Two new individuals, an elf and a
dwarf, hunkered down next to me. After taking a swig of some type of
intoxicant, the dwarf introduced himself as Monty and introduced the elf
wearing the markings of Nordenn as Ketemycos. I was informed in no uncertain
terms by this Monty fellow that I was in for a show and that they had a plan
for this “Ginger Bitch” Stoneborn troll.
My heart leapt into my
throat. I had heard about the Stoneborn and how they had killed so many
recently, including experienced adventurers.
These people were here and they were going to fight a Stoneborn! The vantage point here was actually very
good. We were on a stone building with a small parapet, the only solid building
in the village. Both Monty and Ketemycos had quivers next to them,
Monty’s full of bolts and Ket’s full of arrows. I also noticed a
wand in Ket’s vest and gas globes hanging from Monty’s belt. These
two weren’t messing around.
On the horizon, the sun
peaked over the edges of the trees and I could see the creatures that matched
the sounds. Almost a dozen feral trolls were being led by a red haired troll
with black skin and odd markings. They didn’t seem to know we were here
and she spat out foul orders filled with vile epithets. The creatures seemed
interested in foodstuffs and other supplies, opening any boxes and crates they
could find. As they approached closer to a cart with some barrels in it Monty
nudged me.
“Check this out,”
he whispered.
Just after he spoke one of the feral trolls
slashed open a barrel. An explosion erupted from the barrel, knocking the
creature back and staggering two of its pack mates. A red headed dwarven woman
wearing Vanguard colors burst out of the door of a nearby building and began
raining flames on the three trolls in the alley. Her spells seemed unending.
Behind her a mystic wood elf with the semi infamous symbol of the Flaming Balls
mercenary team on his head wrap began casting binding magic at the beleaguered
trolls. Then Sgt. Flint Boulderback stepped out of the shadows to finish them
off. His blade made quick work of the two bound trolls and his skill with his
blade laid waste to the remaining troll with a series of lightning fast slashes. The mystic wood elf, who could only be the
legendary Balls, moved forward and healed the sergeant, while he tended to the
dents in his armor and the flame bearded celestialist ensured the bodies were
burned to ashes.
As the remaining trolls moved
toward the adventurer’s ground position, Ketemycos and Monty opened fire.
Arrows, bolts, spells and gas globes rained down on the cluster of approaching
trolls. The red headed Stoneborn
commanded them to split. She moved with a group of three and sent the other
three down a separate alley. I did my best to keep my eyes on the action from
that point.
The smaller group was the
first to directly engage the Vanguard forces. As the three feral trolls moved
along the well worn dirt and clay road, they paused while passing some windows
to sniff the air. Apparently they smelled out the ambush, for they were not
surprised when the high orc Noot, the dwarf Fera Ironbeard, and one other
emerged from the loose thatch on the roof of a nearby home. The third adventurer was none other than
biata councilmember Gwendara, surprisingly dressed in Vanguard colors rather
than Stormblade colors. All three leapt
down from the roof wielding pole arms and spears. Gwendara swung her blade with
almost unparalleled skill, while Noot’s pole arm served primarily as a
distraction to allow Fera’s spear to strike home again and again.
The trolls were vicious,
fighting with blade and spells. Additionally, they exhibited unusual
powers. As I watched, one breathed fire,
another performed some sort of direct mental attack and the third turned
entirely intangible to avoid a devastating blow from Gwendara. For a moment it
seemed the three Vanguard warriors were overmatched. That was until the Romani healer Larien
stepped around the corner and began ferociously casting powerful confinements
on the trolls. Despite the mish mash of colors, sparkles, and jingles she wore,
neither the trolls nor I saw or heard her coming. The spells of binding gripped
the trolls, making them easy prey for the other Vanguard members to end their
lives. Fera immediately summoned elemental fire on to her spirit to burn the
bodies of the dead. I found myself wondering whether all red headed dwarven
women used celestial magic.
One of trolls, though,
managed to tear free of the bindings on it.
This troll displayed uncharacteristic abilities, even more powerful than
it had exhibited earlier in the battle.
Small talons emerged from its hands and its face darkened and
cracked. Whatever loyalty it once had to
its leader disappeared and the creature made a tactical retreat. It was clear that Gwendara wished to follow
the troll, but the Stoneborn took precedence.
As the first battle was
winding down, the Stoneborn and her retinue caught up with
All was not lost though. Balls rushed into the town center, and
ducking past the blade of the Stoneborn, revived the fallen sergeant and
sheathed the fighters in multiple auras of protective magic. Rionna, the female
dwarven celestial caster I had seen previously, also appeared on the periphery
and released a cascade of flame from her wand in order to give her allies a
chance to pull back. The trolls continued to press and my heart beat rapidly
from fear. The adventurers were now cornered and it looked as if their trap was
about to trap them instead.
Suddenly the wall burst out
from a building behind the trolls. At first I saw three figures in the dust, but
as they emerged, I realized there were actually five. Two dwarves, an ogre, a
wylderkin, and a sarr stepped forward to battle. I was later to discover they were Grim,
Traver, Ronka, Huleen Shadowscale,
and Chulainn Stoneclaw,
respectively. The dwarf in front quickly
enchanted all of their weapons with flame while the dwarf in the back with the
steel colored beard cast a spell to destroy the blade of the troll channeling
the power of death. The adventurers laughed and cheered as they pinched the
trolls in from both sides.
The Stoneborn whom I had
finally heard Monty refer to as Varishik was furious,
but not without resources. She pressed
her blade into the hands of her unarmed subordinate and unleashed sharp,
gryphon-like claws. Despite an extraordinary effort by the heroes to isolate
her from her followers with spells and trickery, Varishik
was able to remain at the side of one. The other two members of her retinue
were quickly dispatched by the combined forces, but Varishik
and the last troll withstood the onslaught.
For some reason the warriors seemed very intent on killing the remaining
troll, without slaying the Stoneborn.
Eventually realizes that such a goal simply wasn’t possible, the
Vanguard forces overwhelmed Varishik.
A biata woman named Kida, who
had yet to join the fray, burst out of a nearby building in apparent
dismay. She desperately tried to reach
the body of the fallen Stoneborn, but the remaining troll held his ground,
despite the unbelievable odds against him.
By the time he finally fell it was too late. Kida and Gwendara screamed in pain as the
Stoneborn stood up, seemingly uninjured and brimming with recovered power. The
combined forces of the adventurers swarmed the fiery haired vixen, but it was
actually the unassuming looking Kida that proved to be the key to victory. Shaking off the pain that assailed her, Kida
stood and approached the Stoneborn. Fear
flashed across her face and she seemed to lose some of her skills as the biata
approached. She broke to run, but it was
too late and the Vanguard quickly subdued her a second time.
Kida approached and knelt by
the downed Stoneborn. I am unsure exactly what she did, but Varishik
screamed and Kida stepped away looking satisfied. Whatever she did, it did not
kill the Stoneborn and it was clear that the “Ginger Bitch” was to
be captured and interrogated rather than killed. This didn’t sit well
with anyone, especially the dwarves but it seemed important to do so. Ket and Monty escorted me to the ground where I finally
formally met each member of this team and thanked them for keeping me safe.
I wish to recognize these
brave people fighting for us when we could not. These members of the
adventuring community make the difference on the front lines. Reporting from
the trenches this is Dillon Vankirk.
Adventures Team With Supek
to Kill Gulak Permanently
Editor’s
Note: Due to the machinations of a time elemental, the Ashbury Times did not
have any staff reporters present during many of the activities that occurred
this past month. In seeking a legitimate
news source for this incidence, not a single adventurer volunteered
information. Instead, an irate gryphon
provided the information by implanting a memory in the head of the reporter and
insisted the story be reported precisely.
It is never wise to anger a gryphon.
On the morning of September
23rd, Gulak suddenly signaled the gryphon
she rode to land. It and the other two gryphons that flew with it were all enslaved to her will
and landed immediately at her orders.
Upon landing, she seemed to listen to a voice only she could hear. Finally she spoke to the gryphons.
“My brother Supek
has requested a meeting. I can’t
entirely tell what he is up to, but I can tell he seeks treachery towards
me. This is not like him and I intend to
discover what has made him change his ways.
It is possible he seeks to kill me, but I can’t imagine he would
be so foolish. He knows that if he tried
to slay me, I would revive and our brother Acedik
would gain more power. It is possible he
intends to sacrifice himself… No,
he would never do that.”
Having made up her mind, Gulak boarded her gryphon steed and traveled to the
outskirts of the town of
There was light banter
between the two Stoneborn, but Supek
quickly made it clear he intended the death of Gulak. Gulak, supremely
confidence in her own power and the power of her enslaved gryphons,
met her foes on the field of battle.
What followed was a violent
battle between two powerful forces. Two
of the gryphons were powerful warriors that could
strip the armor from a foe in nearly a single blow. The last gryphon was an earth caster nearly
as strong as Zatarina. Gulak had uncounted
abilities. She opened the battle with
gasses and then unleashed a string of powerful spells.
Her most frightening ability,
though, was her ability to enslave the minds of the adventurers with just a
fragment of mystic power. Time and again
she would be surrounded only to have her enemies turn into allies and turn
their blows against their former friends.
In one such case, Sheriff Izer was healed and
fully protected by one of the gryphons before being
turned back on the adventurers.
As powerful as the gryphons and Gulak were, the
adventurers were up to the challenge.
They separated the gryphons, so that only one
fought at the side of Gulak at any one time and
slowly wore down their foes. The
assistance of Supek’s powerful blows and strong
magic was helpful in this endeavor. At
one point they managed to topple Gulak and Supek desperately sought to deliver a final blow to her,
but a nearby gryphon interfered with his attempt. Before he could make a second attempt, Gulak rose from the ground, having recovered vitality and
strength. Zatarina
and the gryphons winced slightly in pain as she rose.
Luckily for the adventurers, Gulak did not recover fully and it wasn’t long before
she had fallen a second time. It was Supek who delivered the final blow as the adventurers were
focusing their attention on the remaining gryphon. With no nearby gryphon to stop him, Supek delivered a final blow to Gulak
that tore the spirit from her body permanently.
The act of delivering that blow also destroyed his own spirit and he
fell to the ground permanently dead.
It is not entirely clear what
happened during the next five minutes, but it is known that the adventurers
never provided any form of enslavement antidote to the gryphons. The adventurers should have been aware that Gulak had the power to enslave, both due to this fight,
previous encounters with her, and the article previous published in this
newsletter. Yet they didn’t
act. Five minutes later one of the gryphons recovered from death due to a rebirth. He immediately escaped and is the source of
this story.
Interview with Azer
Doon
Editor’s
Note: On occasion this newspaper has had an opportunity to interview some odd
individuals. This might be one of the
most unusual interviews ever.
On the eve of September 26th, a black humanoid
creature with a rune glowing on its head arrived at the office of Eric Wolcott
(research has determined the rune was the symbol of an individual named Azer Doon). The creature never provided a name, but
simply indicated that it was the living embodiment of the curse of Azer Doon. It agreed to be interviewed.
Eric: Before I ask anything else, let me ask, as
best you can describe, what exactly are you?
Curse: I am an ancient curse that has turned sentient.
Eric: That sounds concerning. Are you a threat to Ashbury?
Curse: I was in the past, but I am not anymore.
Eric: Can you expound upon that?
Curse: I was created due to the uncontrolled greed
of the late Azer Doon. Both in life and in death he was greedy and
evil. When he died, he bade all of his
worldly belongings to be stored in a crypt he had built for eternity. His final act of greed deprived his family
and followers of their well-being and created me. At first I simply existed, non-sentient, as a
latent curse.
Eric: What changed this?
Curse: Ironically, another act of greed. An archeologist discovered the tomb and
removed the treasures. This act was not
one of greed. But, shortly after, the
archeologist was attacked and murdered by bandits and the treasure stolen. This act of greed was the catalyst that set
me free.
Eric: That made you sentient?
Curse: No, but it started the process. Many of the items in the tomb had specific
evils associated with them and each formed a lesser sentience, based on the
evil associated with it. But all of
these items were part of a greater curse.
As the items were sold around the land, the curse spread and the lesser
evils threatened the people of the land.
Eric: Does that threat still exist?
Curse: No, it has been abated. Two groups sought the artifacts of the crypt,
though for different reasons and only one knew of the other. The heroes of this land sought to cure the
curse by resolving the evil. Each time
they did this, they unknowingly brought me closer to sentience. The other group was a necromancer named Irabelle and her undead minions. Irabelle sought the
artifacts in order to take my dark power and add it to her own. Somehow the heroes learned of her deeds and
challenged her at the height of her power.
Eric: Challenged her? In what way and is that how the threat was
abated?
Curse: Yes, the threat was abated by that
challenge. Irabelle
had created a permanent circle of power in the crypt and created her own
rituals in order to tap my power. The
first of these rituals turned the spirit of Azer Doon into a Death Knight and allowed him to control the
lesser manifestations of my power. I
know not what the second ritual would have done, for she never finished it.
Eric: The adventurers stopped her?
Curse: Yes, the adventurers brought a scarf that had
once belonged to Azer Doon
into the tomb and put it in its proper place.
That scarf was the final bit of energy needed for me to turn
sentient. The adventurers negotiated
with me and I agreed to infuse them with a portion of my power so that they
could strike down Azer Doon
and Irabelle.
The infusion of power allowed them to step through the circle of power
and attack the Death Knight, necromancer, and cursed creatures inside.
Eric: I assume they won the battle, but I still
don’t understand why you are no longer a threat.
Curse: You are correct. They did win the battle. The reason I am no longer a threat is because
my purpose is served. My reason for
being was to punish Azer Doon. I hated him and sought only his destruction
or torture. He is no more and I have no
more enmity. Now I only seek to discover
this world that I am newly a part of.
Eric: Do the adventurers still possess your power?
Curse: No, I removed it after they had left the
circle of power. They were equally
concerned about the danger of my power in the world, but they agreed to allow
me to go free, after I gave an oath not to mate with any human beings. It was a strange request, but I agreed.
Eric: Thank you for your candor. Where do you intend to go now?
Curse: I honestly don’t know.
Healing on the Run: A Field Healer’s Guide (Part Five)
Not all Healing is Your Job
By Natalia Gallonovitch
This issue, dear reader, allows me to make
observations about different types of situations requiring healing. People who
need healing are in, essentially, one of six physical situations, and, quite
frankly, not all of them are your job to fix.
-They are injured, but not in a
fight at the moment.
-They are in a battle, but are
not incapacitated, nor are they currently engaged in any melee.
-They are in a battle and are
in a melee but, at the moment, are not incapacitated.
-They are incapacitated but are
nowhere near the thick of the battle.
-They are incapacitated and are
in an area where there is currently combat occurring.
-They are incapacitated and are
behind enemy lines.
In regards to the first
situation, I submit that, although it should be someone’s job to heal
people who are injured and not in combat, the combat medic’s column would
be better saved for true emergencies that require their unique skills. There
are many gifted healers in the world who can wield tremendous amounts of earth
magic, but who are not as mobile, agile, or field savvy as the field medic.
When possible, the field medic should leave these situations to those other
healers. Use your own judgment, however. If you know you have more healing in a
day than you tend to go through on the battlefield, or if you have some other
reason for wishing to see someone uninjured, by all means, heal whomever you
wish. Just realize that there are some healers who cannot (or do not wish to)
go out there on the field where you can go, and spells should always go where
they are most needed.
Starting with the second
situation, we start to see more need for the use of good judgment. In many
cases, if a combatant is not currently engaged, they have time to go seek out
one of the less mobile healers (which also serves to let the fighter catch his
breath). However, there are times when a warrior can pull away from a fight for
a few seconds, but needs to return as quickly as possible. In those cases, it
may be necessary for the combat healer to heal these individuals. Also in this
category are people who are refitting their armor. Someone who is in a refit
may call for a healer, or, if you have time and enough healing, you may wish to
stop by a refit station and check on people there.
The third situation requires a
very special healer indeed. To heal someone who is engaged or nearly so
requires a healer who can maneuver closely in a melee. Most healers who opt for
this responsibility use a method referred to as “backpacking,”
where they stand immediately behind a fighter, often in physical contact, and
move with them as though they are dancing, so they are always in range to
touch-cast healing. Another method is to stand one rank behind the combat and
lunge forward to touch-cast your healing. This requires great speed and leg
strength, but has the advantage of allowing you to watch more targets and
leaves you slightly further out of attack range. Either way, though, healing in
this situation is inherently more dangerous, as it puts you very close to
aggressors.
The fourth situation is
relevant to the field medic, and is especially good training for newer
battlefield healers. A target who is incapacitated far from the main battle can
usually be approached with enough time to assess the situation and heal them
safely, but one should always keep an eye out for flankers, who, when you are
this far from the main battle, will see this as an easy opportunity to take out
an easy but important target. If you are going to help an incapacitated target
separated from then fighting, take your time and assess the situation, and take
appropriate action.
Incapacitated targets in the
middle of combat are the responsibility of skilled field medics, and it is here
that an accomplished battlefield healer can often do the most good. For here,
where battle is occurring, anyone who can fight usually needs to fight. In
contrast, the field medic is skilled at being in the middle of the fight but
avoiding engagement, maneuvering to the fallen and restoring them to combat
readiness with mere seconds to complete their task and return to a position of
relative safety. The skills needed for this task are the ones the aspiring
field medic should seek to perfect.
The last of these situations
is, honestly, not the job of the field medic. Certainly, sometimes it is both
possible and necessary to save someone who has fallen behind enemy lines, but
it is a highly dangerous thing to attempt, and should only be done by the
combat medic as a measure of last resort. The field medic is usually unarmed,
or, at best, minimally skilled with a weapon, and plunging through enemy lines
with little combat skills is more likely to result in an additional body on the
field. This situation is the job of those wonderful individuals who are
moderately skilled both at combat and with earth magic, or of a strong fighter
with potions or magic items, either of whom are more likely to be able to
defend themselves getting to and from their target, while having enough healing
to bring the target back through the line, at which point more healing can be
found in a safer location.
Healers’
Guild Report
As we are heading to Brittington, please pack accordingly. The guild resources
will not be available since we won’t be in Fairdale. I will only be there for a short time. If you
are a guild member, please check in with Balls so he can assign protection for
you. If you can not find Balls, seek out the Stormblades.
Should anyone need me over the winter, please send a message via the Healers’
Guild in Bloodstone.
Upon the last gathering we
acquired the cure to the stoneborn mental harm. If
you know of anyone in need, please send them to the Bloodstone capital Healers’
Guild.
Come the beginning of
November, I will be on a mission to find the Duke. This will be a skulking
mission. I will be going to unsavory places to collect information. If you wish
to assist, please send a request to Bloodstone Healers’ Guild. I will not necessarily accept the help from
everyone. I am looking for a certain attitude and not just those who are powerful
or possess great resources to travel with me.
Come spring, we will be
working closely with the Mages’ Guild to make information more accessible.
This next year the two guilds will have a lot they will be doing together. So,
please think over the winter if you wish to join the guilds. We will need your
help in numbers next year.
Head
Guild Mistress Zaterina N. Norik
Letters and
Missives
Attention
Adventurers:
As
you know the kingdom is beset on all sides by enemies, the King is dead, and
the future of our lands is uncertain. The kingdom is in need of heroes and
leaders. The barony of Blythedale is now without
squires and we are looking for the next generation of Knights to serve the
people. I will be looking for the person who will be my squire and considering
candidates for Baron Ivan Drake. If you have interest in the arduous path of
nobility or just have questions about what it means to join the peerage I will
be at your disposal. At our next meeting I will be closely watching all
adventurers to see the strength of your character and the mettle of your
actions.
All
of the baroniess of Ashbury need those who wish to
serve. Please approach any member of the peerage if you have questions.
Yours
in service,
Sir Garathon
Von Storm
High Guard of Blythedale
Public Notices
BIATA
ADVENTURERS: Please seek me out at your earliest
convenience. We have something important
to discuss. Zatarina
THE
MERCHANT’S GUILD would like to offer a new discount program. Should you
desire to purchase items in bulk, we will be providing a free, complimentary
item in addition to your purchase. For every gold you spend in a specific item
type (potion, scroll, etc...), we will give you a most basic item from that
type for free. Aside from that, if you are willing to provide certain material
components for the construction of your items, we will offer a discount on that
item as well. The discount varies based on the type of item. Thank you all for your continued support of
the Guild. Every purchase you make allows us to grow and supply you with more
of the tools you need to protect your lands and the people you love. - Vox