The Captain's Log: Early Tales
Contents
The Captain’s Log - The Early Tales
GM's Notes:
The following adventures are part of each of the player characters backstory with the exception of the Prelude tale. This was done to build camaraderie between characters prior to the beginning of the game. Due to the travel times between the Isles, there would be quite a bit of player downtime. These 'pre' adventures are not full detailed in order to encourage the group to fill in the blanks as their characters interact with one another. They get to tell the story and give the details as they create them, providing tension or even humor, ad lib.
Prelude:
On Glasswater 3rd of 1006 LD, Johan “Jon” Parish funded a research expedition that ventured along the Northern coast of Na-Ahn He in search of an old dwarven ruin. Their knowledge of the place had been secured in a barter with a Splittooth Tongue Captain and was believed to be sound. Great House Diemeda had never no record of any such ruins on or near Na-Ahn He and thus they opted not to place their hard earned coin on hearsay from a pirate. The pirates information turned out to be correct, leading the Joikun Expedition to locate a Keig Lac on a mountain island called Espitide. The outpost was being used as a smugglers den, and after clearing out the den, they discovered an map carved into the floor of the structure. It indicated that the Outpost was used as a lookout, and lighthouse during the days of old. After relighting the lighthouse, one of the expedition members (an elf named Kaleniash) spotted an object inset into the mountains of the Na-Ahn He, glinting in the sunlight. Sailing back to Na-Ahn He Black Coast, they set up camp and began searching. After months of effort and suffering from the theft of goods and protecting their camp from pirates the expedition chanced upon the entrance of another ruin. They did not get far as the access was trapped. Crude but ingenious dart traps tipped with poison had been fashioned by a Kobold clutch inhabiting the old ruins. The expedition did their best to bypass most of the traps, finally gaining a foothold in the antechamber hall of the ruin. Inside the chamber was an aged copper golem graffitied with Kobold curses. The expedition reported this back to Parish, and on Nightset 21st of 1006 LD he dispatched a group of his trusted employees and friends to bring the golem home. Once it was back to Foriedy, Parish began research on the golem to learn its secrets. Back at the ruins, the kobolds entrenched themselves for what would be a long fought, but ultimately devastating battle with the Joikun Expedition.
Pre-Game Adventure #1: The Golden Fist Talisman (Whiteflower 19th, 1008 LD)
The Joikun Expedition sent word that the Kobolds they thought they had driven out in Glasswater of 1007 LD had in fact activated several of the Dwarven Keig’s emergency defenses, locking down the West Wing. The East and South wings of the Keig remained sealed by magic and unknown mechanisms. The structure of the antechamber was still being stabilized from the years of damage the kobolds had placed upon it, making further use of magic upon the structure unwise. The expedition succeeded in disabling a viewing port into a huge dwarven dining hall. At the far end stood a crude statue constructed by the kobolds. Its eyes had been inset with fist sized rubies, and around the statue’s neck was a golden amulet. Several small fires were lit to keep the statue lit, as though the kobolds were worshipping it. Moreover, fresh wood was being brought into the chamber, suggesting a second entrance. The kobolds quickly filled the viewing port with spears, one of which caught expedition member Izzy Higgs in the eye. Higgs had returned to Foriedy to recover and delivered the report to Jon Parish. Parish once more called upon his friends (along with a few others that he had introduced to one another in social drinking events months earlier) to clear out the kobolds and secure the amulet. He was certain that it was one of the keys to understanding the golem (now named Gangus by Parish’s companions as it brought less attention to tavern conversations). The companions set out and were successful in securing the amulet, returning it to Parish 4 weeks later where research was able to continue on Gangus.
Pre-Game Adventure #2: The Guardian of Keig-Lac (Red Breeze 1st, 1008 LD)
“I’ve had a breakthrough!” Jon exclaimed during a cold evening at the Waterseek, a tavern he and his companions had been frequenting for the last month after their former bar (Kaledon’s Sushi and Drink) had burned to the ground. “Gangus is talking again!” Gangus was the codename given to a Copper Golem that had been found in a Dwarven ruin that the Joikun Expedition was now calling Keig-Lac. Most of the people in the bar could have cared less what they were talking about, but Parish’s companions turned their attention to their friend. These first excited words were fresh news after months of toiling and dealing with odd jobs. Anything dealing with Gangus would mean good pay at the very least. Parish had been able to discover the command words to active the golem while using the amulet. “Automa Activr, Kieg Granduus”. These words he made everyone memorize, as the group would be taking Gangus back to its original home to observe its actions once activated. Inside Parish’s tower, the golem seemed to act as a protector for anyone wearing the amulet, responding to commands, and appearing to be searching for something. Parish had surmised that the golem may be able to open some of the sealed doors within the Keig. Some of the enchantments that were inscribed onto its surface suggested that it may be possible. Parish also had some worries, as the full command they were using could be broken down into separate pieces. “Automa Activr” should and did, wake the golem. “Kieg Granduus” was a command for the golem to guard home. He had initially figured that home was wherever the amulet was at, but the fact that the golem kept going into ‘Search Mode’ indicated that he was probably wrong. The only way to be sure however, would be to get Gangus back to Keig-Lac and issue the command. The companions agreed and sailed to Keig-Lac, protecting the golem from whatever hazards lay upon the waters between Foriedy and their destination. Once at the Keig, the expedition was cleared out of the antechamber and Gangus was activated. True to Jon’s prediction, the golem went berserk, activating into “Guardian Mode” to defend the Keig. Using the Shield Guardian’s control amulet, the group was able to disrupt the golems attack mode long enough to disable it. The Joikun Expedition’s artificer Moira Tandy decided that it would be best to repair the golem onsite rather than send it back to Parish. The group was advised to return with the amulet to see if there were alternate commands to active the golem that would avoid it’s Guardian Mode. The group sailed home to report their observations leaving Gangus in Moira’s capable hands.