The Intrepid Heroes

Amari; Elven Wiz1
Amari is a quiet, studious wizard who hails from the Woods of Horn. Committed to the path of the Sun Mage, Amari has proven herself to be a shrewd negotiator and wily tactician.

Imrich; 1/2 Elven Brd1/Clr1
Loquacious and well traveled, Imrich is a devotee of the god Fharlanghn. He takes great offense to those who would impose their will upon others.

Nalu; Human Ftr 1
Hailing from the town of Bourne, Nalu is a lightly equipped fighter. Nalu was trained by a notable ranger named Micah and helped his mentor to gain control of Bourne when it suffered under inept rulership.

Pete; Halfling Rog2
Hailing from the quaint village of Combe, Pete the Halfling exhibits the stealth and subtlety of his race. Armed with a sling and throwing daggers, Pete is a threat not to be taken lightly.

Retired or Slain Characters...

Arete; Human Ftr1
Arete's ancestors distinguished themselves in battle long ago and now he wants to prove his own worth on the battlefield. Armed with an heirloom masterwork greatsword, Arete hopes to maintain the honor of his family name.

Freelands of Mirrym
a campaign for d&d 3.5

Welcome to the online home of our Freelands of Mirrym Campaign. This is my second attempt at running a campaign in the Mirrym homebrew setting.

The Freelands of Mirrym were widely settled by humans fleeing their war ravaged homeland. When they arrived up the shores of Mirrym, they were met by envoys from the elven, dwarven and halfling races, who desperately needed the newcomers' help against legions of marauding humanoids. Together, the human and demi-human alliance stemmed the humanoid tide.

Centuries have since passed and once again a surging tide of orcs, goblins and other fell creatures threaten to envelop the peaceful races. It's up to a new generation to summon the courage of their forefathers to meet this dire threat. However, they must first overcome petty jealousies and deep-seeded rivalries. Only then can they meet and defeat the dark power that drives the humanoids forth.

Sessions

Session 4; January 4, 2007
As Imrich and Amari fled Bourne, they encountered Pete and a road warden named Micah, as well as his charge, Nalu. Micah implored the party to not abandon the citizens of Bourne.

"I apologize for the rash actions of Captain Glanton. Trust me, he will be dealt with. The citizens of Bourne are good people, but they need a leader. Before a leader can arise, however, a major obstacle in the form of Lazarus Ewell must be removed. Please, help me to rid our town of this threat. I propose that tonight we kill Lazarus as he sleeps by burning down the house in which he rests. Only fire can purge Bourne of his wicked influence."

Moved by Micah's speech, the party helped assassinate Ewell. Before setting the home on fire, Pete snuck into the building and stole Ewell's powerful sword, nicknamed the Bone Saw. A successful Tumbling check allowed the halfling to leap out of a second story window with the blade and run off into the night. After watching the house burn to the ground with Lazarus within, the party repaired to the Woods of Horn.

The party traveled for two days under the boughs before arriving at Tangryne Spire, an elven tower ruled by a formidable wizardess named Elyswen. The party gave the Bone Saw to Elyswen for safe keeping and talked with her about the state of Bourne. From Elyswen the party learned of a sword once wielded by Footman Holsinger, a hero of common lineage who was able to inspire his fellow soldiers to great deeds. Holsinger was most famous for the sword he carried into battle. It looked for all the world like a child's toy, the "blade" being carved from wood and the crossbar lashed to it with twine. Perhaps if the humans of Bourne (Micah in particular) were given this historic blade, it would help them to find the courage they need to face the goblins. (Although it appears as a crude wooden replica, the Sword of Holsinger is a +2 lonsgword that confers upon its user the Leadership feat.)

Inspired, the party set out to reclaim the blade. A journey of several days found them at the doorstep of Footman Holsinger's tomb. Sadly, the tomb was occupied by a small group of goblin soldiers, who were using it as a observation post. Pete managed to sneak in disguised as a goblin in order to recon the cave. In short order, the battle was engaged and won. The party recovered the crude, wooden blade that had been carelessly discarded by the goblins. Afterwards, the party delivered the sword to Micah, who was busy trying to organize a fighting force in Bourne.

"On behalf of the citizens of Bourne, I proudly accept this blade. I pledge to honor its history and to use it to inspire our citizens to victory. We are fortunate to count the elves of the Woods of Horn as our allies and we thank them for reuniting us with an important part of our past."

Session 3; December 21, 2006
Imrich and Arete continued to clean up the cave while Pete and Arete scouted the area for further goblins that might be lurking about. In the midst of their cleaning, they were met by three goblin warriors and 6 goblin porters. The goblins did not seem interested in a fight and simply asked to stay the night. Outnumbered and with no other options, Amari and Imrich agreed. During the goblins' stay, the characters realized that the porter goblins were very different from the warriors. For example, they spoke common and were not violent in the least. Encouraged by this, Amari cast Sleep upon the goblin warriors, then killed them as they slept.

The party spoke with the goblin porters and learned that Mirrym was inhabited by large numbers of peaceful goblins who worked as rat catchers, garbage haulers and so on. Sadly, their peaceful exchange of information was shattered by the intrusion of vicious human mercenaries.

Led by the foul Lazarus Ewell, who wielded an evil blade called the Bone Saw, the peaceful goblins were cut down. The characters protested the slaughter, but it was clear to them that the mercenaries were indiscriminate in their killing, so they let the matter drop. As Amari and Imrich left the forest, they discovered that one goblin, a rat catcher named Poe, had survived. Together the trio went to Bourne to warn the citizens of the mercenary force.

In Bourne the party discovered that the the hills outside the town were teaming with goblins. Earthworks had been dug by the humanoids, yet the humans in Bourne seemed ill-prepared for an attack. After talking with the citizens, the party learned that the humans fully expected the elves within the Woods of Horn to drive the goblins off. In fact, the humans demanded it. According to their worldview, the elves owed the humans for the humans' assistance in the last war. These sentiments were expressed with a hint of racism that the elven Amari and the half-elven Imrich found disturbing. The party learned more about Lazarus Ewell. Apparently, he led a group of mercenaries called the Kings of the Iron Crown. Since no was willing to oppose the mercenaries, they rode freely and acted without consequence.

During their stay in Bourne, the characters were the subject of a plot by the leader of the militia, a certain Captain Glanton. Glanton tried to assassinate the party, then blame their deaths on the goblins. It was his hope that the elves within the Woods of Horn would then rid the area of goblins in vengeance. The party managed to escape, however, then fled toward the forest.

Session 2; December 14, 2006
As Pete and Arete kept vigil over the cave entrance, they were joined by Imrich the Bard and Amari, an elven wizardess. Amari, fluent in goblin, engaged the goblins in parley. She learned that the remaining humanoids were headed toward the human settlement of Turil's Grove, where they wished to build an observation post. They were also desperate to retrieve a totem stolen from them by one of their number. It appears that the "cup" the goblins gibbered about in the previous session was a goblet fashioned from a skull. It was inscribed with runes to their god Maglubiyet and its loss caused them great agitation.

The party managed to locate the cursed goblet hidden in the corner of the farmer's shed. Amari bargained with the goblins, telling them that they could have it back if they agreed to leave without wreaking further havoc on the area. As the goblins exited the cave, however, the heroes destroyed them.

Inside the cave, the party discovered the goblins' wounded leader, as well as a potion of healing. As play closed, the party set about cleaning up the cave, which they learned was used in the past as a rest stop for devotees of Fharlanghn.

Session 1; December 7, 2006
While traveling from Bourne toward Pitchfield, Arete and Pete happened upon a farmer brandishing a pitchfork and screaming for help. Curious, the group investigated and learned that the farmer had a goblin trapped in his shed and wanted him out. "He ran in there a day ago. An arrow was sticking out of his shoulder and ever since he's been eating my chickens and threatening me with his sword every time I approach!" Arete managed to scare the filthy creature away and it ran deeper into the Woods of Horn.

Grateful, the farmer and his wife invited Arete and Pete for dinner. After a hearty meal of one of the chickens the goblin beheaded, everyone settled down for bed. Within a few hours, however, there was a hammering on both the front and back doors. Several goblins were outside, one of whom was screaming, "Where cup?! Give it! Where he hide it?! Give it or we kill!" Irritated, Arete and Pete sprang into action. Literally. With the door barred, Arete dove out the front window rather than take the time to remove the table that had been erected as a barricade. Meanwhile, Pete had slipped outside and began hurling daggers at the goblins. He even threw a pewter mug at them in the hopes that would satisfy the goblins' demand for a "cup." It didn't. The battle started to go poorly for Arete when the goblins, fueled with fury, inflicted 10 points of damage upon him.

Just then, arrows began thumping into the goblins, steadily dropping them. Upon closer inspection, Arete and Pete realized that the fletching of the arrows matched the one left in the shed by the wounded goblin. As Pete searched the goblins (finding rat jerky and stale bread), two elves emerged from the darkness. Introducing themselves as Lenwe and Saeros, they addressed the duo.

"We picked up the trail of a large group of goblins crossing the Perganon Road into the Woods of Horn. We began peppering them with arrows and managed to kill several before they sought refuge within a cave. We posted ourselves outside and shafted any goblins that attempted to escape. This group (gestures at bodies on the ground) managed to get away, so we tracked them here. We believe others are nearby and we must track them down before they venture too deeply into our homeland. In the meanwhile, we would consider it a great favor if you could monitor the cave entrance to ensure that no others escape."

Battered and fatigued, Arete and Pete agreed to watch the cave to ensure that no other goblins escaped. Hopefully, the duo will soon find allies to aid them...

DM Note: 1) I need to keep concealment rules in mind the next time there's a fight at night. I sort of, um, forgot about them. 2) I looked it up and Will was right. You can use Cleave during an AOO provided no other Cleave attempt has been made that round. 3) There are no rules in 3.5 for firing a ranged weapon into melee, missing your target, then accidentally hitting a friend. The -4 ranged attack penalty represents the difficulty.

Body Count

Killed
21 goblins
1 human warrior
1 human fighter

Otherwise Defeated
5 goblins

Experience

01.04.07 Session
600xp to Nalu, Pete and Imrich.

12.21.06 Session
200xp to Amari and Imrich.

12.14.06 Session
250xp to Pete, Arete, Amari and Imrich.

12.07.06 Session
150xp to Pete and Arete