FW3 Summary

[Daos]

Arc 1 - Gnomish Lands
Chapter 1 - Maiden Voyage
Session 01 - Dawn's Bride

Sunny awoke from his room in the Sea Breeze Inn in Coralshire, a small halfling community by the sea that was known for its fairly liberal politics. Stepping downstairs, he got breakfast from the bartender and chatted a bit. In order to both finance this voyage and get permission, Sunny had to agree to take along several representatives. Celestos helped build the ship and man it, so they were sending one of their priests. The Trade Guild also help finance it, so they were sending one as well. Finally, the Homesteader party insisted on sending a representative to make sure Sunny didn't repeat history with the humans and raptors.

All of the representatives arrived the night before. The Celestos one was in the common room, but she introduced herself before the barkeep could. She was Mother Sydney Harwood of Syna, a lovely but rather unconventional woman of the cloth.

As the two got to know each other, the Homesteader rep came downstairs in a grumpy mood. He was Darrin Vanguardson, a fairly disagreeable fellow who felt the entire trip was a flight of fancy and waste of taxpayer money.

The captain of the Dawn's Bride (one Taska Whitecairn), the ship they commissioned for this quest, arrived shortly after along with the Trade Guild rep, none other than Sunny's little sister, Gracia Greenhaven.

After introductions and reacquaintances, Taska announced their first stop would be Narin, a city known for its dislike for both hobbits and the clergy. It was necessary, though, as it would be the last civilized town before they hit uncharted waters.

The group headed out to the harbor to see the ship, a dromond class vessel that was perhaps the largest ship ever before constructed in history. After the cargo was loaded and everyone was settled, Sunny gave a speech to the crew about peace and discovery.

Afterward, he tried to use Detect Evil on the 102 people on board, but was unable to sense any evil intent at the time. He tried to write in his journal, but the rocking boat made this difficult. Sydney discovered a pure white cat with blue eyes. Taska had never seen it before, but guessed someone had brought it aboard to catch rats.

A few hours later, Taska noticed what looked like the smashed remains of a ship upon the rocky shoals of the nearby coastline. Sunny suggested they investigate. Gracia, Sydney, and Darrin all agreed to go along as part of the shore party. Taska agreed, and so the five boarded the life boat and paddled over there.

Searching around the debris, they noticed there were no bodies or signs of survivors. Moments later, the bodies made themselves known by crawling out of the sea. They were zombies, at least a score of them. Sunny and Sydney were, together, able to turn away at least half of them. A brutal fight erupted against the other half.

Darrin abandoned the party to hide. Gracia, who was not accustomed to fighting the dead, was knocked unconscious by their hammering punches. Sunny managed to tumble toward her and save her life with his healing touch. Sydney and Taska had both been too overwhelmed to help him.

Eventually, the zombies were cut down. Taska was badly hurt but still standing (1 HP left, in fact) while Sydney was in better shape. She healed Taska and herself a bit, then used her strongest heal spell on Gracia, completely restoring her body's strength (although her spirit was still weak from the near-death experience).

Darrin was dragged out of cover, and Taska took him back to the ship to get more men so they could bury the bodies at sea. Meanwhile, while Gracia rested, Sunny and Sydney searched both the ship remains and the bodies. They learned the ship had been called the "Pride of N--" with the last word partially unreadable.

Aside from a few coins and a small gem, they also found a soggy letter that only had a few legible words on it: any cost, Fell, haven, and Nerull.

After the bodies were disposed of, everyone returned to the ship and set sail again. Taska invited the group (even Darrin) to have dinner in her cabin that night. There they could better discuss what happened.

[Daos]

Arc 1 - Gnomish Lands
Chapter 1 - Maiden Voyage
Session 02 - Arrival at Narin

That evening, the party met in the captain's cabin for dinner. They found Taska going over a map with an olive-skinned man in brown robes, who she introduced as one of the officers, Baster. Baster is apparently the ship's navigator, cartographer, and cook. He expressed interest in how the party was able to defeat so many undead and also told them they should reach Narin within a few days, as he expected the wind to pick up soon.

Excusing himself, he left them to enjoy their dinner of roast fish and potato stew. While eating, Sunny brought up the question of how they could have better prepared for the zombie incident. Taska asked about the letter, and Sunny told her what he could decipher. While Sydney speculated the crew of the doomed ship were refugees searching for a safe haven, Sunny instead believed they were sent to try and destroy the Dawn's Bride and himself at 'any cost.'

Sunny suggested they not dock in Narin, for fear that Bronzemoon would attack the ship. Taska agreed to anchor out at sea and send the crew in on the life boat.

A few days later, the party was fully healed and near Narin. After the life boat was harbored, Taska had Baster lead the men in restocking the supplies. She went to the Paragon Inn to have some drinks. Sunny led the others to the old Bakers' residence, only to find it deserted as Desiree had moved her family to Syna years ago. Undeterred, he then led them to the Redbow residence to speak with Ara Redbow, Ulster's mother.

She was more than happy to have them, as she didn't get many visitors those days. Her son had been transferred to Port Prosperity, and nobody would have much to do with her after she lost the election. She explained that things in Narin have changed since Linton Bronzemoon took over. The rich have prospered, but the poor have suffered. The middle-class has been eliminated. Linton has also used a lot of legal loopholes to ensure he remains in power and often abuses said power.

Sunny said that if the people of Narin rose up against him, he could do nothing. But Ara pointed out that if that happened, there would likely be a great deal of bloodshed before it was over.

Ara invited the group to stay the night at her place, as finding an inn that would accept three hobbits and a cleric would be difficult.

[Daos]

Arc 1 - Gnomish Lands
Chapter 2 - Uncharted Waters
Session 03 - Border Patrol

The following day, the crew began loading back up on the Dawn's Bride. There were ominous storm clouds approaching, but Taska pointed out they didn't have much choice but to brave them unless they were willing to remain in Narin longer.

The storm hit full force, though, forcing the party to take shelter in the captain's cabin while the crew and officers tried to mitigate the damage. When the storm finally ended, Taska and Baster announced they had been blown way off course and were lost. But Baster felt confident he could use the stars to get them back on track once night fell, and have a new course ready by the morning.

When morning did come, the ship set sail for for what the party and crew hoped was the right direction. Baster felt confident it was, and the party seemed to have great confidence in him, as well. However, later that morning a massive whale, at least 100 feet in length, swam under the ship and surfaced before it, forcing the rowers to bring the vessel to a halt.

Surprisingly, the great whale spoke (in Common, no less) telling the crew they must not proceed. The whale would not allow evil to be brought into the peaceful lands ahead. Sunny immediately recognized the creature must be a Guardian, like the one the original Frontiersmen encountered when they tried to enter the Freewind Plains for the first time.

Sunny and Sydney called out to the whale, claiming they were not evil, and in fact, servants of the Arbiter. The whale warned that if any attempted to bring evil to this land, the whale would attack. At this point, Sunny decided, for whatever reason, to row the lifeboat out to the whale and speak with it up close, unarmored and unarmed. Sydney and Gracia joined him.

Once closer to the giant whale, Sunny asked it if he were to be punished by being barred from foreign lands because of his past crimes. The whale responded that it did not believe he was evil, just that the ship carried evil with it. Sydney asked if the captain could speak on the crew's behalf, to assure it there is no evil on the ship. The whale declined. Sunny then proposed he cast Detect Evil on every single crewman, then discard those who radiated evil. The whale told him to do what he wished.

After rowing back to the ship, Sunny told Taska his plan, which unnerved her. She didn't like the idea that he could 'read' souls, so to speak. Sunny said there was no choice, and asked to use her cabin. Then he requested Taska be the first. Offended, she agreed nonetheless.

Once in her cabin, though, Sunny took a very different route. Instead, he started questioning her on her motives and insisted she agree to give up her contract and all payment for this mission. She refused, and stated that if he tried to ask the crew the same thing, they would likely mutiny. Sunny then made a very convincing case for why they should give up and go back home. Just as Taska was about to agree, Sydney intervened. She spoke on Taska's behalf and reminded Sunny of the original plan. Sunny used Detect Evil, and found nothing on Taska, so apologized. This, however, merely served to mitigate some of the damage he had done to their relationship.

Next was Baster, who was quite cooperative and open about it all. Sunny did not detect evil from him, either.

Sunny then went on to interview and scan each and every one of the 7 remaining officers, the 89 crewmen, and Darrin, as well. In the end, he discovered 1 officer and 13 crewmen that radiated a faint aura of evil. He rounded up the party and discussed his findings.

Taska wasn't sure how to feel about this. To lose an officer and 13 crewmen would mean the ship would be undermanned. Sunny and Sydney volunteered their services, but as they have no naval skills, they would likely be more hindrance than help.

After some discussion on what to do with the 14 faintly evil people, Sunny settled on the idea of sailing back to Narin and turning them over to law enforcement.

[Daos]

Arc 1 - Gnomish Lands
Chapter 2 - Uncharted Waters
Session 04 - Starfolk

Taska went to Baster to tell him to try and chart a course back to Narin. However, the lookout suddenly called out, claiming there were three ships heading their way from behind. The flags they bore were black, indicating they were pirates. Taska didn't understand how or why pirates would be way out here, but she knew the Dawn's Bride was no match for three of them. She had the crew get ready to try and outrun them.

Sunny pointed out the great whale was still blocking their way. Sydney pointed out that the 'evil' he feared they might bring with them wasn't the alignment evil, but rather the same evil the original Frontiersmen brought upon the plains. Although their intentions were good, they were the ones who helped the Raptors gain power in the first place. Were Sunny and the others not careful, they could easily make similar mistakes.

Realizing she was right, the pair quickly convinced the whale they understood this and would be cautious. Having passed the test, the whale let them pass, and as a bonus, went to engage the pirates. Once the protective barrier was breached, it went down. From this point on, the new lands ahead were no longer protected from outsiders. Anyone could come or go as they please.

After a couple of day of sailing with some good wind, it appeared the pirates weren't pursuing them. Either they lost them, or the whale destroyed them all. That evening, the lookout spotted land. Not too long after, someone approached them, soaring through the air like a bird. It was a young boy, his head shaven bald and with dark skin. It was clear he was neither hobbit nor human, though.

The boy hovered over the ship, curiously. Both Sunny and Sydney attempted to speak to him, but he didn't seem to understand. He tried speaking to them in two different languages, but they couldn't understand either. Growing bold, he approached Sydney and touched her face. The priestess held out her hand, and the boy kissed it, then flew off red-faced. Taska ordered the crew to try and follow him, certain he could lead them to others.

Once the ship reached land, a landing party was created consisting of Taska, Sydney, Sunny, Gracia, Darrin and...Baster, surprisingly enough. Taska pointed out Baster never goes ashore except at port, but he pointed out these were unusual circumstances.

Excited, Sunny led the way. They found an easy enough trail to follow, and it eventually brought them to a small village. By this point, the boy had told everyone about the strange visitors, so the entire village had turned up to see. One of them, an old wizened man with a wispy white beard and wearing orange robes strode up. The party couldn't communicate with him, so he cast some kind of spell. He could then understand them perfectly, as could they understand him. He introduced himself as Dohru, the head monk of Moksha Village, as well as its town elder.

The party introduced themselves, and Dohru was curious about their light skin. He wanted to know if they were 'touched' but Sunny told him they were all just born that way. After some discussion, Dohru realized the party were the "Others," the other children of the Arbiter, who his own people had believed were extinct.

Once that was cleared up, Dohru welcomed them to the village. Sydney asked about the boy. Dohru, a little embarrassed, told her that the boy was his grandson, Feng, who neglected his studies to practice magic. That was how he could fly. But Baster pointed out that flying require strong magic, far stronger than a mere boy should have been able to master. The party also learned that some of the animals in these lands actually glowed with a soft light for some reason.

Dohru said they would have a banquet that night to honor their new guests. Sunny wanted to invite the entire crew, but Taska was against it. She didn't like leaving the ship unguarded, but she also wanted to make sure they could make an easy getaway if this new race had ill intentions. Sunny brushed off her concerns, assuring her he sensed no evil from them.

Dohru led them to a small, spartan hut. There they could rest and wash up. Darrin pointed out that these people seemed too primitive to aid them against the raptors. Sydney argued they shouldn't be involved at all anyway, which led to Darrin reminding her that was the whole reason her country sent her along--to find allies and technology to help fight the raptors.

At the banquet, they found the food was bland of all taste and smell. Some of it was salty, though. Sunny asked about Dohru's holy symbol, a sun emblem. Dohru explained it represented the sun the Arbiter had set in the sky. Sydney asked him what their race was called, and the monk claimed they were the gnomes or 'starfolk.' Sunny was excited to meet the 'Fourth Race' but Dohru didn't seem to know what he meant.

They also learned that the gnomes were long-lived. Dohru was 197 years old and still kicking. Perhaps the biggest shock was when Sunny asked how long it had been since they had direct contact with the Arbiter. According to Dohru, they still did. In fact, the Arbiter had created all of the food for the banquet. The gnomes themselves don't seem to hunt or grow their own food at all, but rather the Arbiter provides everything...literally!

[Daos]

Arc 1 - Gnomish Lands
Chapter 2 - Uncharted Waters
Session 05 - Holier than Thou

The party continued their conversation with Dohru, although Baster bowed out, citing he was tired. Dohru explained some of the basic beliefs of the gnomes. Apparently, they believe they were once celestial beings that dwelt in the night sky among the stars. But they became too individualistic and fell to earth as a result. The gnomes have dedicated themselves of removing all attachments and obtaining enlightenment so they can once again ascend into the heavens.

As far as the gnomes are concerned, life is suffering. It is a painful, bleak existence. More than that, it's eternal. When they die, they simply reincarnate, again and again, until they finally obtain enlightenment and ascend. That is their final death.

Thus, the gnomes spend all of their time in meditation and prayer, hoping to shed all mortal attachments and one day ascend. Everything they do is with divine magic. They do not farm, mine, build or craft. Everything is provided to them through prayer. The idea of farming or working is a waste of time, a distraction from what's really important.

Dohru also told them of the sunmetal, or gold, that they mine (magically) from the mountains, that they have no weapons or armor whatsoever, and they have little interest in trade as they have everything they need. They seem to have no curiosity about the other races or the outside world, either. He also told them of the Starseeker. Apparently she is a gnome who actually reached enlightenment, but did not ascend. Instead, she remained behind to help others learn to ascend. Sunny was very skeptical of this and asked if he could see her. Dohru said she would be visiting a town to the north in a couple of weeks, if they would like to travel there. The party agreed.

Perhaps the most disturbing part of the conversation was when Dohru explained that the Arbiter speaks to the gnomes regularly, and apparently never abandoned them like the halflings and humans. Dohru even went so far as to imply the Church of Light Solace was wrong and based its teachings on mortal-made forgeries (the tablets and scrolls left behind).

The party retired to the rooms they were given and discussed what they had learned. Darrin was upset that the gnomes had nothing to offer them to trade. Gracia, Sydney, and Sunny were all worried about the political and theological ramifications if the people back home learned of the gnomes and their beliefs. Darrin pointed out that was what the Homesteaders were worried about to begin with--that another Pandora's Box would be opened that could never be closed again.

Two weeks passed. Most of the party and crew found Moksha terribly boring. Gracia spent a lot of time with Dohru, learning more about their strange faith. Sunny and Sydney worked with some gnomish scholars to learn the basics of their language so they could communicate without the need of magic.

The party met up at the shrine, where Dohru explained that his grandson Feng (who the party learned was 'only' a mere 88 1/2 years old) would escort them to Anatta to the north, where they could hold an audience with the Starseeker. So the party set off.

Feng spent most of the time trying to show off. It wasn't long, though, before the party came across a trio of griffons attacking a light-touched pony. Feng explained griffons loved horseflesh, and pointed out that as long as they didn't interfere, the griffons would leave them alone. Sunny would not have that, though. He charged in to save the pony. Gracia used her bow to cover him, and Taska (eager for a fight after two weeks of dullness) joined in, as well. Only Feng and Sydney remained out of it (for the most part--Feng used a spell to knock a griffon out of the air and Sydney healed the pony when it limped away from the battle).

The pony itself had managed to blind the three griffons with its innate light, making things easier on Sunny and his team. There was a bloody fight, and both Sunny and Taska took some nasty hits. But in the end, two griffons lay dead and the third fled to find easier food.