Kingmaker: Ep. 20

Last session, the Owlbear Adventurers accepted a delicate mission from Lady Krumenko: to secure peace with the reclusive centaurs of the western grasslands. Their journey began with a trek through the Narlwood, where they stumbled upon four massive trolls brawling over a deer carcass. Displaying quick thinking, the party cleverly diverted the trolls’ attention, causing them to fight amongst themselves. Before departing, they noticed a strange, knotted black brand over each troll’s heart, a sigil that the centaurs would later reveal made the creatures immune to fire.

Upon reaching the centaur lands, Yohei’s claim of friendship with Little Branch was met with suspicion. After a bizarre race where Izzy took to the skies on dragonfly wings to keep pace with a centaur scout, the party was brought before the matriarch, Silver Fire. She was unimpressed by their gifts of longbows and talk of alliances. To prove their worth and settle the debt owed for aiding Little Branch, she tasked them with retrieving her stolen ancestral bow from a nearby fort, now occupied by vile goblin-like creatures and their troll allies.

The approach to the fort was cut short by an ambush. Gray, gnomish creatures with the ability to ‘hulk out’ into ogre-sized brutes sprung from behind boulders. A brutal fight ensued where Zytar was immediately knocked unconscious, but the party rallied. Through coordinated strikes, clever use of terrain by Eternal Warrior, and powerful prayers from Izzy and Brother Carl, they defeated the ambushers.

The session culminated in a daring assault on the fort. Under a hail of crossbow fire, Izzy flew to the roof of the main building, allowing the others to climb up. From this vantage point, they planned a smash-and-grab heist. Eternal Warrior rappelled through a window, secured a rope to the treasure chest containing the bow, and the party hoisted it to the roof. In his haste to open it, Yohei triggered a poison needle trap and fell unconscious. Thinking fast, the group dropped the chest to the ground, shattering it and scattering its contents. They grabbed the bow, scooped up handfuls of treasure, and made a hasty retreat as giant wolverines were released into the courtyard, successfully completing their perilous mission.

OUTLINE:

A Diplomatic Mission and a Troll Dispute

• The party accepted Lady Krumenko’s quest to make peace with the centaurs.
• While traveling through the Narlwood, they encountered four trolls fighting over a deer.
• The party distracted the trolls, causing them to brawl amongst themselves, and noticed strange black sigils on their chests.
• They learned from the centaurs later that these sigils grant trolls immunity to fire.

Negotiations with the Centaurs

• The party arrived in the centaur lands and was confronted by a scout.
• Izzy used a cloak to fly and keep pace with the scout in a race back to the village.
• They met the matriarch, Silver Fire, who was suspicious of their motives.
• To prove their worth, Silver Fire tasked them with retrieving her stolen ancestral bow from a nearby fort.
• The party had a brief, supportive reunion with a pregnant Little Branch.

Ambush in the Hills

• While approaching the fort, the party was ambushed by four gray, gnomish creatures.
• Zytar was immediately downed by crossbow fire.
• The creatures revealed their ability to ‘hulk out’ and grow to the size of ogres.
• The party rallied and defeated the ambushers in a fierce battle.

The Heist at the Hill Fort

• The party assaulted the fort, which was defended by crossbowmen and giant wolverines.
• Izzy flew to the roof of the main building, allowing the others to climb a rope to safety.
• Eternal Warrior rappelled through a window and tied a rope to a chest containing the bow.
• The party hoisted the chest to the roof, but Yohei was felled by a poison needle trap on the lock.

A Desperate Escape

• With Yohei dying, the party dropped the chest off the roof, smashing it open.
• They descended the rope, grabbed the ancestral bow, and scooped up spilled coins and gems.
• The party successfully fled the fort just as three giant wolverines were released.
• They returned the bow, caroused with the centaurs, and learned the name ‘Vordekai’.

NPCs:

• Gray Gnomish Creatures: Hostile, gray-skinned, hairless creatures resembling gnomes. They can ‘hulk out’ to become ogre-sized brutes and are the primary occupants of the hill fort.
• Lady Krumenko: The noblewoman who gave the party the quest to make peace with the centaurs. She is the political authority in Fort Albert.
• Little Branch: A centaur and friend to Yohei. The party finds her heavily pregnant. Her friendship provides the party their only initial standing with the otherwise hostile centaur tribe.
• Silver Fire: The stern, skeptical, and proud matriarch of the Gnomon Centaurs. She is wary of outsiders but respects strength and action, offering the party a dangerous quest to prove their worth.

ITEMS:

• Cloak of Dragonfly Wings: A magical cloak worn by Izzy that allows him to fly for a short period of time.
• Kelsinger: A +2 sword wielded by Izzy. It proved effective against the hulked-out gnomish creatures.
• Silver Fire’s Ancestral Bow: A priceless longbow, passed down through generations of centaur matriarchs. Its retrieval was the main objective of the session’s quest.

LOCATIONS:

• Centaur Grasslands: The vast, open plains that the Gnomon Centaurs claim as their dominion. It is where their village is located.
• Fort Albert: The party’s starting location and base of operations, where they received their quest from Lady Krumenko.
• The Hill Fort: A triangular wooden palisade fort in the hills, occupied by gnomish creatures and their troll allies. The party assaulted it to retrieve the ancestral bow.
• The Narlwood: A large, dense forest the party traveled through where they encountered the brawling trolls.

FACTIONS:

• Gnomon Centaurs: A reclusive and matriarchal tribe of centaurs led by Silver Fire. They are distrustful of ‘two-leggeds’ but honor their debts and respect those who prove their strength.

QUESTS:

• Retrieve the Ancestral Bow: Tasked by the centaur matriarch Silver Fire, the party had to infiltrate a monster-infested fort to recover her stolen ancestral bow to prove their worth and earn an alliance.

PLAYER CHARACTERS

• Brother Carl: A devout Human Priest of Orgrey, ready to charge into battle with his warhammer blazing with silver flame. He is a pillar of support for the party, casting blessings, holding the line in melee, and helping to hoist his allies to safety. He’s also practical, willing to toss caltrops to slow down his enemies.
• Eternal Warrior: A pragmatic and brave Tengu fighter. He is quick to action, whether it’s attempting to de-escalate a conflict with giant trolls or rolling a boulder onto his enemies. In the final assault, he showed immense courage by rappelling alone into a room of monsters to secure the party’s objective.
• Izzy: An Oriad Priest who wields both divine power and surprising utility items like a cloak of flight. He is a steadfast ally, racing a centaur to prove the party’s mettle and providing crucial healing and support spells in combat. He’s also not afraid to get his hands dirty, shoving a priceless chest off a roof to save his friends.
• Yohei: A cool-headed Kitsune Gunslinger who acts as the party’s primary ranged damage dealer. He often initiates contact with NPCs, using his connection to Little Branch to open dialogue with the centaurs. Though his luck with his firearm can be fickle, his shots are often critical, and he bravely faces danger, even if it means getting poisoned by a trapped chest.
• Zytar: A Human Enchanter and apprentice to the court wizard, whose spells don’t always go as planned. Despite being knocked out early in one fight, he is resourceful, using Detect Magic to pinpoint the quest objective and contributing to the party’s efforts to retrieve it. He is more of a strategist than a front-line combatant.