Blackmoor Campaign pt. 7.

[William]

Before I cover the second session of B2 The Keep on the Borderlands it should be noted that the PCs are adventuring during the early Summer of the year 1021 NC, only a few weeks since the end of their last adventure. I forgot to mention the weather and season at the beginning of the adventure report (Blackmoor Campaign pt. 6).
Most of Blackmoor is of a temperate climate due to the freezing current of air which makes its way down the Firefrost Channel in the west of the land (technically out of the Kingdom of Blackmoor and into the western barbarian lands of the Afridhi). If not for this current of air the land would be almost subtropical. Only the southernmost regions are of a truly hot temperature as they manage to escape the current (the steppe areas of The Eastern Hak and The High Hak, plus the desert area The Valley of the Ancients).

At the end of the last session the PCs arrived at the titular Keep, which in the adventure is titled Stormkiller Keep due to its location within The Stormkiller Mountains. The area surrounding the Keep I have placed in a large valley (roughly 3 miles in length and 2 and a 1/2 miles in width) within the mountains, and it is this valley that the PCs are to explore "apparently" searching for signs of hostile wildlife, which may want to attack any roads around the edges the kingdom (in reality the PCs are trying to find a fledgling force of chaos which may be hiding in caves within the area, and which may be preparing to attack).

Upon being asked why they have arrived at the Keep the PCs replied that they are in the area on the King's business, trying to discover any dangerous wildlife that may be in the area wanting to prey upon travellers on the roads, and also declaring that they have a letter from the King. At this reply the guards at the gate of the Keep lowered the drawbridge and raised the portcullis, thus allowing the PCs to enter the Keep for refuge from the elements and wildlife of the mountains. The PCs entered the Keep through the gatehouse and flanking towers into the entry yard, and there they were greeted by the Corporal of the Watch, his Scribe, and two Men-at-Arms who recorded their names and date of arrival at the Keep. They also read the letter from King Uther. Once dismounted the PCs horses were placed in the stables by lackeys, and any additional equipment not to be carried by the adventurers was stored in the common warehouse. Afterwards a lackey showed the PCs to "The Traveller's Inn" where the PCs booked themselves rooms to stay in, and afterwards they ate and drank at the adjoining "The Traveller's Tavern". From there the PCs picked up on five rumours:

1) A merchant who is imprisoned in one of the caves will reward his rescuers.
2) There is a mad hermit in the woodland to the north of the Keep. Beware of him.
3) All the entrances to the caves are trapped.
4) There is a beautiful Maiden imprisoned in one of the caves.
5) There is a magic wand in one of the caves, and it was lost by a Magic User who went exploring.

We did some good role-playing through this, and afterwards the PCs got some rest, but on the day after they did some exploring of the Keep whilst making a map of the place. Whilst they explored they met the following:

1) The jewel Merchant. The PCs have no jewels upon them (yet), so they could make nothing of this encounter, though they were polite and courteous.
2) The visiting Priest. As friendly as he was the PCs just didn't trust him either him or his Acolytes, and I think that the lack of trust was caused by the fact that he is from out of the area.
3) The Smithy and Armourer. The PC's polite and courteous behaviour continues, and they were directed to the Trader for a good supply of weapons and armour that can be used. For the first time they have considered buying and using firearms, and may do so after scouting the surrounding area some more.
4) The Provisioner. The PCs will stock up on rations here before scouting the surrounding area. There is also other equipment can be used over the course of an adventure (such as rope, iron spikes, etc).
5) The Trader. A good source of weapons and armour, plus a buyer of furs and skins. This is where the PCs will get their first firearms from if they decide to go down that route.

The PCs stayed away from the loan bank, the standard residential properties, and the guild house (some of their secondary skills dictate that they could have spent some time here [Abbie: equestrian/farrier; Ari: trapper/furrier; Kay: fisher with nets; Percival: metalworker/blacksmith; Stefan: courier plus cook/baker], but they are now dedicated to becoming adventurers of renown rather than crafts people). However, they visited The Chapel of the Facts of Life (Percival is a member of this very widespread religious order, Blackmoor's most common religion by far) and conversed with the Curate there, finding out nothing about the local area but receiving an invite to the chapel for worship. The PCs accepted the offer but postponed their visit until another time. They also discovered that the Curate distrusts the visiting Priest too, but the Curate's Acolytes apparently think highly of him, much to the Curate's disappointment. In addition to this the PCs spent a good amount of time in "The Traveller's Tavern" speaking at first with the Barkeep and then with the patrons. They have discovered that the tavern hosts a regular supple of mercenaries looking for work, something that they may make use of after scouting the surrounding area. All of these encounters provided us with some more role-playing opportunities, and also gave the players a chance to start thinking of the Keep as a second home after the town of Blackmoor.

The following day the PCs visited the Provisioner and stocked up on rations before going out to scout the valley. Upon leaving the Keep they initially made their way back down the path to the valley basin, and from there scouted along the road eastward somewhat, checking out the general features of the place (woodlands to the north; a rise in the road up into the mountains further to the east; rivers, fens, swamps, and more woodlands to the south; back out of the valley to the west), as the Keep lies more on the western side of the valley.
They eventually decided to check out the southern side of the valley, heeding the advice from one of the occupants of the Keep that there is a mad hermit within the northern woodlands, and all the while making a rough map matching my description of what lies around them. They checked out much of the rivers, streams, and fens, and eventually made their way towards a mound within the swamp. They wisely moved cautiously, and I allowed all of the party a Find Traps roll. Everyone except Ari (the Halfling Thief) failed their roll, but Ari's successful roll allowed him to spot an opening upon the mound. They wisely moved away, deciding it would be best to come back later better prepared with either some mercenaries, some firearms, or both. From their position they could spot a very large copse of fir trees about 600 yards away, the copse in question measuring around 1,200 yards across.
As they made the decision to check the copse we reached the end of our days session.

They have a suspicion that things are about to become more dangerous, and that the valley is best kept out of at night, especially the areas off the road. We shall have to see how they manage next week, as their suspicions are undoubtedly true.

Bill