A halfling commander named Corlie Halvachar sent word for the party about a job. She’s a representative of the Lord’s Alliance with an offer of easy guard work at the remote fortress where she’s stationed. Corlie asks the party to come to the stronghold and serve on behalf of the five great Sword Coast cities that are jointly restoring the fortress.
A wagon was sent to pick you and bring you out to the fortress. As you roll along in the wagon, the driver tells you a little about Ironspine Keep.
Ironspine Keep has stood abandoned for many years. Representatives of the Lord’s Alliance, an organization of the strongest cities on the Sword Coast, recently funded an expedition to reclaim the fortress. The fortress would allow the Lord’s Alliance to keep a closer watch over dangers in the region. They tell the party, helping to guard Ironspine Keep is a pretty easy task.
As you all arrive at Ironspine Keep arrive for routine guard duty, you see several unarmored workers, including stonemasons and smiths, frantically work at repairs with evident fear and determination.
A stout halfling wearing plate armor meets you at the fortress entrance.
“Such lucky timing!” she says. “I’m Corlie Halvachar, representing the Lord’s Alliance. The situation here has gotten much, much worse. I’ll fill you in, but first, please tell me a bit about yourselves.”
There’s a whole world out there for you, Wae. You just have to find it.
That’s what Aslen said two months before, just a breath before Waeslen turned her nose to the horizon, strapped moma’s staff to her back and nabbed Kel’s axes and set off into the human-town nearest their grove. Two months ago, she was a wild girl living off the forests and woods. Two months ago she was the youngest of three- redundant. Excess. Uneccesary. The only thing in this world, then, for her was her birthright as sage for her family and the staff (now stolen, though she doubted mother dear would notice) held on her back by rudamentary leather straps. She’d have to summon Evarsyn, her fae familiar, again since he took a stray arrow from a hunter while scouting earlier that day. If the road ahead was as rocky as she hoped then she’d have good need of both the staff and him. Speaking of rocky roads, a bump in the wagon had almost sent her biting her own tongue off.
Hopping over the rim and trotting up to the fortress gates once the wagon was still, the elf finds herself intercepted by the halfling. Worse? A pointed ear flicks with curiosity, and, sparing a glance over her shoulder to the party she had yet to properly get aquainted with, she flashes her best impression of a smile. It’s mostly teeth. “Waeslen Quarry. A woodswoman by birth and adventurer hopeful. I’ve got keen senses, and I’m here to help.” She isn’t sure what else to say, really. What more is there to say about herself, really? That she has a stick that turns people into monsters on command? That she likes swinging an axe at things? The elf offers her hand for a shake.
“Situation’s got worse?” She raised a brow.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
aim with the eye, shoot with the mind, kill with the heart. he/him/his ——— rosenrot
Kronk scratched his head and adjusted his armor. His trip to this point had been filled with small victories and little else. His boots had seen mud, sand, and rock. He had stories of the campfires he had graced. Yet he still had not found the challenges he had sought when he had chosen to take up adventuring. Something was out there calling to him if he could get close enough to find out what it was. It was an itch that could not be scratched.
Looking down upon the halfling there was an air of expectation. The statement that guarding Ironspike Keep was to be an easy task did not reflect in the halfling's demeanor. Something more mysterious was afoot.
As you stand by the gate, swooping out of the sky comes a cheerful black man riding a flying carpet. He seems to be dancing a little jig as he flies, playing a cheerful tune on a lyre. As he lands, he greets you, "Hello my good sirs! I am but an honest jongleur, come to do my part in aiding those brave souls who will be guarding this castle." He breaks into song, "Many beasts and monsters will be your foes, but I will be your friend!" He jumps off the carpet and lands on one leg before you, going into a deep bow with his second leg stuck out behind him.
"Umm... Hello. I'm Misty." she says as she slowly lowers her hood revealing her flowing crimson red hair and shy demeaner. "I umm... heard that there might be some tomes to look over in this keep, but umm... I was told the only way to umm... be allowed to umm... read them was to join the fight." While Mistyspeaks her hands quickly fiddle under her cloak, almost if involuntary. She definitely seems to be weary of everyone here and tends to keep her guard up.
Corlie says "Please follow me. I can explain better by showing you what we have and what you will be defending."
Corlie leads you north through the fortress. Workers repair walls, stack spears, and sharpen swords.
“Five great cities of the Sword Coast have combined forces to restore this fortress,” she explains. “We expected it would give us better visibility into trouble on the frontier. But it seems that the Red Wizards of Thay don’t want us here.
“Earlier today, an image of the vile necromancer Szass Tam, leader of the Red Wizards, appeared in the sky above the fortress. He commanded that everyone in the fortress flee or face his army.”
Corlie gestures at the workers with pride.
“We won’t be bullied, and we won’t abandon a stronghold that the Red Wizards might use as a foothold in the region. We’re staying.
“But we don’t have many soldiers; I don’t even have any squires to help. We need you.
“Scouts have identified an army of skeletons, zombies, and other undead headed this way. They’ll arrive within the hour, probably in multiple waves. We need brave souls like you on the wall.
“But which wall? Each city has reinforced a part of this fortress, and you’ll be stationed in a defense zone on behalf of one of the five cities. You can decide which.”
Phorus follows the halfling, still humming a slight tune and dancing a little. You hear him mutter, almost under his breath, "The great Red Wizards want us gone - but we'll be here, at least 'till dawn!" He then asks the halfling, in a rather bright voice, considering the circumstances, "Well, which five cities have we got to choose from?"
Kronk ties back his flowing hair, sets his fingerless gloves upon his hand, and shakes his armor into place. "It looks like things are about to get interesting."
Sakura had been itching for a fight lately, "this is going to be great!" Sakura was a apprentice for a great knight, and although he wasnt the greatest his father was a rich merchant who essentially landed him this job. Sakura had a reckless nature and had yet to talk big game to the rest of the group, which was a shock of his own character. He would take notice of the bard wondering if they where better then the one his father usually hires for parties. He would hold his prized shortsword in his right hand ready for the job.
Waeslen follows along on light feet, head tilted to admire the keep. It’s grand as she imagines, perhaps more so. The young elf’s ears twitch as she surveys her campainions; a human bard, a human cleric, a human fighter, and a fellow elf- a fighter. She affixed her attention back on the tiefling. An hour? That was… inconvinent. She needed to summon Lawless, and that took an hour or so easily. He would have made for a very good scout and lookout. The elf hisses under her breath, lugging her pack over her shoulder from where it had begun to slip.
”That’s rather a time crunch, isn’t it?” Waeslen comments idly, amber gaze shifting over the party as if skimming a herd for fresh meat. “I mean, I’m here looking for trouble so I’m more than ready to fight these necro-things.”
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
aim with the eye, shoot with the mind, kill with the heart. he/him/his ——— rosenrot
Corlie asks you to serve on behalf of Baldur’s Gate, Mithral Hall, Neverwinter, Silverymoon, or Waterdeep. She explains that she has already arranged for the characters to receive hazard pay of 1,000 GP each from the city they choose.
"But," she adds "I need to keep you bunch together so as a group I need you to pick one. Here are the cities and their defense zones:"
Baldur’s Gate is a rough-and-tumble port city replete with decadent nobles, gangs, and priests like those who follow Gond, a god of invention. Its defense zone is the critical northern tip of the fortress. Inventors have installed a Clockwork Trebuchet there to aid in defense.
Mithral Hall is an ancestral dwarven city reclaimed from evil occupiers in recent years. Its mines and forges make it a growing economic powerhouse. This city’s defense zone is the northwest part of the fortress. Engineers installed a Forge Launcher that hurls canisters of superheated metal at attackers.
Neverwinter is a mercantile city recovering from cataclysmic events. It has grown in influence as its citizens reclaim their shattered city and rebuild trade networks. Its defense zone on the fortification’s west side has an Automatic Ballista.
Silverymoon is a peaceful city with soaring towers, living trees, and beautiful architecture. It echoes the great cities of ancient days. Silverymoon’s contributions to the defense zone on the fortress’s east side include an Enchanted Ballista.
Waterdeep, City of Splendors, is a wealthy metropolis where merchants vie for prestige with trade in marvels of all sorts. Waterdeep’s defense zone is the northeastern section of the fortress, where its wealthy merchants contributed an expensive magical Storm Cannon.
"The shortest route from Thay would be by sea, which puts the ports of Baldur's Gate, Waterdeep, and Neverwinter as likely ports of entry. I would suggest Baldur's Gate as it is the southernmost and they could gain entrance through Amn to raise their undead army," suggested Kronk.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Out of my mind, be back shortly.
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Welcome to the quest
A halfling commander named Corlie Halvachar sent word for the party about a job. She’s a representative of the Lord’s Alliance with an offer of easy guard work at the remote fortress where she’s stationed. Corlie asks the party to come to the stronghold and serve on behalf of the five great Sword Coast cities that are jointly restoring the fortress.
A wagon was sent to pick you and bring you out to the fortress. As you roll along in the wagon, the driver tells you a little about Ironspine Keep.
As you all arrive at Ironspine Keep arrive for routine guard duty, you see several unarmored workers, including stonemasons and smiths, frantically work at repairs with evident fear and determination.
Corlie Halvachar meets you as soon as you arrive.
D&D since 1984
A stout halfling wearing plate armor meets you at the fortress entrance.
“Such lucky timing!” she says. “I’m Corlie Halvachar, representing the Lord’s Alliance. The situation here has gotten much, much worse. I’ll fill you in, but first, please tell me a bit about yourselves.”
D&D since 1984
Out of my mind, be back shortly.
There’s a whole world out there for you, Wae. You just have to find it.
That’s what Aslen said two months before, just a breath before Waeslen turned her nose to the horizon, strapped moma’s staff to her back and nabbed Kel’s axes and set off into the human-town nearest their grove. Two months ago, she was a wild girl living off the forests and woods. Two months ago she was the youngest of three- redundant. Excess. Uneccesary. The only thing in this world, then, for her was her birthright as sage for her family and the staff (now stolen, though she doubted mother dear would notice) held on her back by rudamentary leather straps. She’d have to summon Evarsyn, her fae familiar, again since he took a stray arrow from a hunter while scouting earlier that day. If the road ahead was as rocky as she hoped then she’d have good need of both the staff and him. Speaking of rocky roads, a bump in the wagon had almost sent her biting her own tongue off.
Hopping over the rim and trotting up to the fortress gates once the wagon was still, the elf finds herself intercepted by the halfling. Worse? A pointed ear flicks with curiosity, and, sparing a glance over her shoulder to the party she had yet to properly get aquainted with, she flashes her best impression of a smile. It’s mostly teeth. “Waeslen Quarry. A woodswoman by birth and adventurer hopeful. I’ve got keen senses, and I’m here to help.” She isn’t sure what else to say, really. What more is there to say about herself, really? That she has a stick that turns people into monsters on command? That she likes swinging an axe at things? The elf offers her hand for a shake.
“Situation’s got worse?” She raised a brow.
he/him/his ——— rosenrot
Kronk scratched his head and adjusted his armor. His trip to this point had been filled with small victories and little else. His boots had seen mud, sand, and rock. He had stories of the campfires he had graced. Yet he still had not found the challenges he had sought when he had chosen to take up adventuring. Something was out there calling to him if he could get close enough to find out what it was. It was an itch that could not be scratched.
Looking down upon the halfling there was an air of expectation. The statement that guarding Ironspike Keep was to be an easy task did not reflect in the halfling's demeanor. Something more mysterious was afoot.
Out of my mind, be back shortly.
As you stand by the gate, swooping out of the sky comes a cheerful black man riding a flying carpet. He seems to be dancing a little jig as he flies, playing a cheerful tune on a lyre. As he lands, he greets you, "Hello my good sirs! I am but an honest jongleur, come to do my part in aiding those brave souls who will be guarding this castle." He breaks into song, "Many beasts and monsters will be your foes, but I will be your friend!" He jumps off the carpet and lands on one leg before you, going into a deep bow with his second leg stuck out behind him.
[A paper drops out of a flash of light and drifts to the ground at your feet] -(extended sig)-
"Umm... Hello. I'm Misty." she says as she slowly lowers her hood revealing her flowing crimson red hair and shy demeaner. "I umm... heard that there might be some tomes to look over in this keep, but umm... I was told the only way to umm... be allowed to umm... read them was to join the fight." While Misty speaks her hands quickly fiddle under her cloak, almost if involuntary. She definitely seems to be weary of everyone here and tends to keep her guard up.
Corlie says "Please follow me. I can explain better by showing you what we have and what you will be defending."
Corlie leads you north through the fortress. Workers repair walls, stack spears, and sharpen swords.
“Five great cities of the Sword Coast have combined forces to restore this fortress,” she explains. “We expected it would give us better visibility into trouble on the frontier. But it seems that the Red Wizards of Thay don’t want us here.
“Earlier today, an image of the vile necromancer Szass Tam, leader of the Red Wizards, appeared in the sky above the fortress. He commanded that everyone in the fortress flee or face his army.”
Corlie gestures at the workers with pride.
“We won’t be bullied, and we won’t abandon a stronghold that the Red Wizards might use as a foothold in the region. We’re staying.
“But we don’t have many soldiers; I don’t even have any squires to help. We need you.
“Scouts have identified an army of skeletons, zombies, and other undead headed this way. They’ll arrive within the hour, probably in multiple waves. We need brave souls like you on the wall.
“But which wall? Each city has reinforced a part of this fortress, and you’ll be stationed in a defense zone on behalf of one of the five cities. You can decide which.”
D&D since 1984
Phorus follows the halfling, still humming a slight tune and dancing a little. You hear him mutter, almost under his breath, "The great Red Wizards want us gone - but we'll be here, at least 'till dawn!" He then asks the halfling, in a rather bright voice, considering the circumstances, "Well, which five cities have we got to choose from?"
[A paper drops out of a flash of light and drifts to the ground at your feet] -(extended sig)-
Kronk ties back his flowing hair, sets his fingerless gloves upon his hand, and shakes his armor into place. "It looks like things are about to get interesting."
Out of my mind, be back shortly.
Sakura had been itching for a fight lately, "this is going to be great!" Sakura was a apprentice for a great knight, and although he wasnt the greatest his father was a rich merchant who essentially landed him this job. Sakura had a reckless nature and had yet to talk big game to the rest of the group, which was a shock of his own character. He would take notice of the bard wondering if they where better then the one his father usually hires for parties. He would hold his prized shortsword in his right hand ready for the job.
(Just for general knowledge, here is his character sheet: https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/141423457 for those who cant access his campaign Info)
Waeslen follows along on light feet, head tilted to admire the keep. It’s grand as she imagines, perhaps more so. The young elf’s ears twitch as she surveys her campainions; a human bard, a human cleric, a human fighter, and a fellow elf- a fighter. She affixed her attention back on the tiefling. An hour? That was… inconvinent. She needed to summon Lawless, and that took an hour or so easily. He would have made for a very good scout and lookout. The elf hisses under her breath, lugging her pack over her shoulder from where it had begun to slip.
”That’s rather a time crunch, isn’t it?” Waeslen comments idly, amber gaze shifting over the party as if skimming a herd for fresh meat. “I mean, I’m here looking for trouble so I’m more than ready to fight these necro-things.”
he/him/his ——— rosenrot
Corlie asks you to serve on behalf of Baldur’s Gate, Mithral Hall, Neverwinter, Silverymoon, or Waterdeep. She explains that she has already arranged for the characters to receive hazard pay of 1,000 GP each from the city they choose.
"But," she adds "I need to keep you bunch together so as a group I need you to pick one. Here are the cities and their defense zones:"
Baldur’s Gate is a rough-and-tumble port city replete with decadent nobles, gangs, and priests like those who follow Gond, a god of invention. Its defense zone is the critical northern tip of the fortress. Inventors have installed a Clockwork Trebuchet there to aid in defense.
Mithral Hall is an ancestral dwarven city reclaimed from evil occupiers in recent years. Its mines and forges make it a growing economic powerhouse. This city’s defense zone is the northwest part of the fortress. Engineers installed a Forge Launcher that hurls canisters of superheated metal at attackers.
Neverwinter is a mercantile city recovering from cataclysmic events. It has grown in influence as its citizens reclaim their shattered city and rebuild trade networks. Its defense zone on the fortification’s west side has an Automatic Ballista.
Silverymoon is a peaceful city with soaring towers, living trees, and beautiful architecture. It echoes the great cities of ancient days. Silverymoon’s contributions to the defense zone on the fortress’s east side include an Enchanted Ballista.
Waterdeep, City of Splendors, is a wealthy metropolis where merchants vie for prestige with trade in marvels of all sorts. Waterdeep’s defense zone is the northeastern section of the fortress, where its wealthy merchants contributed an expensive magical Storm Cannon.
D&D since 1984
"The shortest route from Thay would be by sea, which puts the ports of Baldur's Gate, Waterdeep, and Neverwinter as likely ports of entry. I would suggest Baldur's Gate as it is the southernmost and they could gain entrance through Amn to raise their undead army," suggested Kronk.
Out of my mind, be back shortly.