Wednesday, August 20, 2014

(Hackmaster) Burning Trogs Rule! #9: Fort Vakhund!

24 Tridec, 1133 - Frandor's Keep, Marakeikos
The Burning Trogs weathered the winter in relative comfort.  The only excitement was the birth of Nina and Mutumbo's child, Takem.  But even the joys of motherhood could not hold down Nina and soon the whole group was preparing a journey back up to Frandor's Keep to find caravan work at the first sign of thawing.

They hired a wet nurse for Takem to stay in Celsior, and set out to the Keep.  The Trogs set up shop at the Tilted Keg and quickly found work, travelling up to Fort Vakhund, a cesspool of humanity outside the borders of Marakeikos on the Milosic frontier, to escort a merchant, his daughter, and staff back to civilization.

When the group neared the makeshift fort town, they were ambushed by goblins!  The attack was surprsingly coordinated, slaying Marek within seconds,  almost defeating the Trogs before retreating, some carrying the unconscious body of Nina!

The Trogs persued, found theess outpost fort of Vakhund nearly burned completely to the ground.    They continued out the other end of the ruins and only found a bleak semi-frozen wastleland, with the random pike alongside the road with a head on it.

They did encounter a group of orcs and a lone human While a bit stand-offish, they did let the party know of a nearby village on the Orcish steppe.  The village was much larger than Vakhund ever was, and after a few drinks and "getting to know the locals," they discover a group possibly matching the people they were initially hired to escort were outside of town in a slavers pen. A grizzled dwarf named Tobias offered to aid them to free the slaves and the Trogs agreed

The slavers ran away at the first sight of the Burning Trogs, and the they stormed the slave pens, freeing Nina, as well as their escorts.  With news of the goblin attack on Vakhund, the merchant decided to head back into the safety of the Southern Orc League.  Between pints and shots, Milfer the Merchant tells of a local legend on a secret treasury of Dzeebagd.  Tobias informs them that the goblins have build a fort over the ruins, but with Marakeikos paying 5sp an ear for goblins, it might make up for the loss in escort income.

That night, Janus Redrock and Tobias made sweet passionate gnome titan/dwarf love.  Janus tried to use a potion and a spell to get information from him, but it backfire beautfiully and both became smitten with each other for eight hours.

36th of Tridec, Nearing Fort Dzeebagd, Milosic, Southern Orc League.
They encountered a lone Troll with surprsing ease.  Tobias performed admirably, but only Cecelia appears to trust him.  The following day the encounter a fresh carcass of a giant elk.  Whitey made sure it was still good and prepared it for more rations.

2nd of Quadec,Nearing Fort Dzeebagd, Milosic, Southern Orc League
The Trogs wandered into some sulfur fields and encountered a herd of Woolly Mammoths.

"Mutumbo decides he wants to talk to them for some reason.  The mammoths go  nuts and a bull goes after the dwarf and Mutumbo. The dwarf gets mauled. "  - Cecelia Darkspruce

Cecelia cast light at the mammoth to save Mutumbo from certain death.  After a long battle the Trogs finally found a way to escape the herd, but everyone was badly hurt.  Even with all the prepped healing, the group was not well off as they neared Dzeebagd.

GM Notes:  And with that we started the Treklant trilogy from Troll Lord Games.  Although it was originally written for 1st-2nd level characters, placing the modules in the humanoid lands of Milosic immediately tripled the forces.  The ongoing encroachment of humans into the territory has angered the goblins, but no other races.  Overall, the modules were thin, cheap, and used different types of monsters just of sake of variety.

NEXT:  Fort Dzeebagd, goblins, and lizard power!

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