Jarkin's Request
Contents
[hide]About the Saga
Timeframe
- Greyhawk Date: Harvester 12, CY 585
- Real World Date: October 12, 1996
- Read other Blackrazor Guild Sagas
Cast of Characters
- Trezan Esquire, human druid
- Sir Eric McCay, human paladin
- Trevor van Helsing, human paladin and hunter of the undead
- Malphas von Malaclypse, wily elven rogue/mage
What Has Come Before
There is no "before" -- this adventure marks the beginning of the campaign. It is set in the World of Greyhawk, in the Northern Province of the former Great Kingdom. The year is 585. The month is Harvester. The day is the 12th.
The Saga
Harvester 12
The Summoning
Answering a herald's call, four adventurers arrived a the manor house of the Lord Jarkin, a powerful merchant living in the independent city of Randell who bought his title from the Northern Aerdy herzog. Sitting in the lord's library, the four got their first glimpse of each other:
Trezan Esquire Race: Half-elf Class: Druid Level:3 God; Beory Align: Neutral A.C. 4
Trezan is, at best, confused. His father was a Ket lord; his mother was an elven princess. After his mother gave birth to him his father was ordered to storm his mother's fortification by the Ket king. His father reluctantly agreed, and his mother, betrayed, fled into the Bramblewood Forest and abandoned him. He was found by the forest's druids, who raised him to adulthood.
Sir Eric McCay Race: Human Class: Paladin Level: 3 God: Heironeous Align: Lawful Good A.C.: 0
Sir Eric was sworn into duty as a knight serving Lord Geffin, holder of the city of Meridin in Meegia.
Trevor van Helsing Race: Human Class: Paladin (Ghosthunter kit) Level: 2 God (on Greyhawk): St. Cuthbert Align: Lawful Good A.C.: 5
Trevour is a native of the demiplane of Shadows, named Ravenloft. He is from the country of Darkon, and the town of Rivilis. He magically appeared out of the mists of Ravenloft in Randell.
Malphas Race: Elf Class: Magic-user/Thief Level: 2/2 God: Ralishaz Align: Chaotic Neutral
The adventurers were introduced to Lord Jarkin, who presented his request: recover his daughter from a band of slavers.
His daughter was returning from the university in Eastfair when she and her bodyguards were waylaid by a group of slavers. Naturally Jarkin sent out a band of his guards to recover his daughter; only one made it back alive. He offered them a "sizable reward" for his return of his daughter, and as a downpayment he gave them 100 gold pieces each, horses, and provisions for the trip.
The group quicky accepted, and Jarkin, smiling, had his manservant show them to the stables.
One problem: The party never asked Jarkin who his daughter was. What she looked like Who the slavers were. Or how to find them.
That night the party explored the city. Trevor was ambushed and nearly killed by a group of ruffins in one of Randell's back alleys. The others eventually drifted into The Blackened Stump, one of Randell's better bars, where they ran into Geffen, the establishment's owner. Geffen's a character, raising the price of his ale based on what his opinion of who he's serving. The more respect, the better the price. Sir Eric and Malphas, and eventually Trevor managed to get relatively good deals.
Trezan wasn't so lucky. For an outrageous sum, combined with a night's worth of manual labor, Geffen gave the cleric the right to sleep on his bar room floor for three hours.
Geffen was impressed with Trezan's ability to mop up the vomit-covered stahls, dump a body behind the bar, roll out kegs, and, most particualarly, his wyvren watch protective spell. Geffen offered him a full time job at 5 gold a week plus room and board; Trezan's passed it up. but the offer still stands.
Harvester 28, CY 585
On the Road
As the clouds moved in, carrying rain with them, the party road out of Randell.
A handful of miles outside of town they were ambushed by a band of thieves. The party defeated them easily, piling their bodies on the road way and plunging swords into them as a sign to others. They took one survivor, who had broken his leg, with them. This unnamed man confessed he and the others were members of the Canter Guild, but gave no further explanations before he was killed by Malphas. They continued riding through the slow-rolling plains to the southwest, toward Eastfair.
Patchwall 1, CY 585
Wolves!
The next day, with rain falling heavily, the party moved on until they arrived at the village of Emer. After talking their way past the village's stone walls, Joseph Emer took the party to his father, old man Emer, in the town's dining hall. Emer talked in a slow drawl about the town, comprised of his extended family, and the general decline of civilization. He saved his greatest disdane for the slavers, running from Eastfair to Bellport and for the wolves terrorizing the town.
At the mention of the wolves, the party's ears perked up. Emer offered to give them each a month's provisions if they agreed to defeat the wolves. He also agreed to split the wolves hides and meat.
That night the party took one of the town's cows and tied it down to the ground. Six wolves attacked. The party killed all but two of the wolves, losing one of their own, Trezan, in the process. Old man Emer quickly turned the situation to his advantage, demanding 350 gold from the party in return for the village's much-coveted potion of extra-healing and a life-giving bay leaf. The leaf brought the druid back, but it cost him a portion of his life force. Battered and nearly broken, the party ended the night in the village.
Trezan wasn't the party's only causality -- although they didn't realize it. The wolves were a variant of the greater werewolves, specifically they were marauding members of the Danteous clan. They were out hunting for food, taking a break for their on-going search for the magical sword of Kane. After the attack the cursed virus in their salivia took hold in Sir Eric, poisoning him with their version of lycanthropy.
