The Clashing Blades Campaign
Episode Two
Castles and Crusades Rules
Kingdoms of Kalamar Setting

Real Date = 12 NOVEMBER 2017, Sunday

Game Date = Arid 7, 744 Y.N.D. ( Year of New Discovery )

Cast of Characters

Player Characters ( all first level )

Kevin Male Human Knight Sir Erwynn Erodarr
Marvin Male Human Wizard Baylan Dandyfellow
Shanna Female ½ Elf Ranger Lyanna of the Shadows Not Present

NPCs that are joining the party for an unspecified length of time ( all first level )

Female Halfling Rogue Raina Knows the Erodarr family, a trusted friend to the House
Male ½ Orc Barbarian Danga just some more muscle
Female High Elf Druid Leattra magical support
Male ½ Elf Elf Bard Valyndor comic relief

Other notable NPCs
Male Kalamaran Human Baron Erasdol Ruler of the city of Balelido, super patriot

So we start bright and early at about 8 AM in the morning, and the party ( Sir Erwynn Erodarr, Baylan and his hawk familiar, Raina, Danga, Leattra, and Valyndor ) leaves the city of Balelido through the south gate. Their destination is the small town of Tiwidu, located some 16 miles south on the Imperial Highway.

The party travels on the road for a good many hours, mostly keeping to their marching order, with the knight at the head of the party, and the barbarian Danga bringing up the rear. About 2PM or so, they encounter a Kalamaran military carriage that has two broken wheels. The carriage is on the side of the road. It bears the Kalamaran military colors of mostly white with red iconography.

The cleric Balas and an acolyte to the Church of the Strategist are the passengers. There is a driver and a man-at-arms riding crossbow, but they stay with the carriage while the party escorts Balas and his acolyte south toward Tiwidu. They press on.

Around 5PM the party is about five miles south of Tiwidu, because of the fact that Sir Erwynn wants to deliver Balas the Cleric to another party that is moving up to meet him. Balas hails the other party of people who are to be his new escorts, and tell them of the broken carriage and the slight change of plans. Balas pays the party for their help and joins his new group, and they head south.

The party of Sir Erwynn turns to the north, to trek the five miles up the Imperial Highway back to Tiwidu, which Sir Erwynn intends to make his base of operations for a while. They go north for a few minutes, but then Baylan’s hawk informs him of some creatures hiding in some bushes up the road.

Sir Erwynn springs the trap, and the party is jumped by four kobolds, each wielding a short sword.

COMBAT!
Initiative
Sir Erwynn 2 Baylan 6 Raina 7 Valyndor 9
Danga 4 Leattra 10

Kobolds 9

The four kobolds attack the party, rushing them with drawn short swords. One hits Leattra, and staggers her. The others fail to do any major hits. Meanwhile, Raina and Valyndor all spar with the humanoids, while Baylan swings his staff, and critically wounds a kobold, smashing its jaw and killing it instantly. Danga smashes the skull of another with his broad sword, and there are two left.

Sir Erwynn decides to get in on the action, and completely cuts one in half with his bastard sword, killing it. One left.

Raina slices it open and kills it with a stroke from her short sword. The party recovers four short swords of meh quality, and 4 silver pieces.

Leattra forages at the side of the highway for a few minutes and recovers some berries. She casts Goodberry upon them, and then eats them. She is healed for some of the damage that was done to her. The party continues north.

6:00 PM or so: Out of the bushes come two wounded humans, a male and a noblewoman female. They are bruised and battered, and the lady of the pair has a large nasty open wound on her right leg. They offer to pay the party to escort them to Tiwidu. Sir Erwynn declines, and says he will escort them for free. The party and the two nobles head north on the Imperial Highway to Tiwidu. Sir Erwynn puts the Lady on his horse.

7:30PM : The party arrives at the southern gates of Tiwidu. They are surprised to see only two gate guards. The guards explain that the captain of the city watch took all but a few guards with him because the ruler of the city, a Kalamaran nobleman named Earl Esemar, ordered them out into the wilderness to find and terminate a mountain lion that has been killing livestock around the town.

A few minutes later, the party escorts the Lady Fenire Rumele and Birel Rilas, her manservant, to the Church of the Blue Sky. They take the wounded pair and treat them. They also treat Leattra, who is wounded a bit still, and needs her wounds bound professionally.

The party, minus Leattra who stays at the Church for a good nights’ sleep, then leaves to go find an Inn for the night. Before Sir Erwynn and company leave the Church of the Blue Sky, Birel Rilas tells him their sad tale of how they came to be waylaid south of this small town. He then asks that if they are desirous of coin and adventure, they should meet him tomorrow night at the Shaky Salamander Inn and Tavern. Sir Erwynn says he’ll be there with bells on.

The party is famished, as they’ve not stopped to eat all day. They get about a block from the church when six drunken farm hands approach them.

The farm hands are all very angry as well as drunk. The leader thinks he’s as tough as a Kalamaran Knight in armor. He was wrong.
INITIATIVE!!
Erwynn 10 Baylan 6 Raina 7 Danga 6
Valyndor 5 Farm Hands X 6 = 7

It’s on! It’s dark, but there are a few lights on the surrounding buildings, so people can see for the most part. Sir Erwynn pulls his big bastard sword, and swings to subdue, using the flat of the heavy blade. A two-handed swing later, and the mouthiest farm hand goes down for hours. Five left.

Raina pulls a short sword, and tries to tap a farm hand, but he is swaying so bad she misses. One farm hand punched Baylan, another one manages to tap Valyndor the Bard on the chin.

Baylan swings his staff, and staggers one of the farm hands. Danga hits one with his sword, not bothering to subdue, as he is a half-orc barbarian, and does not believe in that sort of thing. He slices his assailant open, and the farm hand drops. Danga stabs another one, and the farm hand runs off crying. Val groin-stomps a passed-out farm hand, and Baylan bonks another one into sleepytown with his staff. It’s over.

The party finds an Inn called the Shaky Salamander. They stable their horse, and then they head in to the Inn’s tavern area.

When they walk in, there is a lovely Kalamaran ( read: red-haired ) woman singing. Her voice is fantastic. They also see some farm hands in a corner, but they don’t seem to be threatening at all. As a matter of fact, they don’t even look at the party. They find out later that the hands in the Tavern work for a woman named Bemolo, a Kalamaran soldier, who is now retired. They learn that the drunken sots they beat up work for a Fhokki barbarian woman named Kynthla. There is a sort of quiet war going on between the two rancher women and their hired hands. Valyndor likes these new farm hands, and pens a song about them, called ‘I Like to do Farm Hand Jobs’. He plans to sing it at dinner tomorrow night.

The beautiful singer is also one of the waitresses at the Shaky Salamander. Her name is Aga Senara. They learn that many of the young men of means in the town would like to have her as their bride, but she rebuffs everyone. Her dream is to be a traveling troubadour, prancing up and down the land, stopping at taverns and singing for her room and board. After checking her tips this night, she realizes she won’t be going anywhere soon.

Some of the other farm hands that work for Kynthla come in the Shaky Salamander, but the big veteran human bouncer, as well as the veteran Sil-Karg ( Hobgoblin ) bouncer make sure that there is no trouble.

After a meal, some signing by Valyndor ( performing on his lute ), and a lot of mead, the team gets up to head to the motel part, to rent some rooms. As they are leaving, Valyndor the bard apologizes to the crowd that he does not have his humanoid-produced Skin Flute on him to pipe a song or two.

On the room-rental side, the party learns that there is a big common room to sleep in, four private ( two bed ) rooms, and one large suite. Sir Erwynn wants the suite, but is told that a noble ladies’ manservant rented it not one hour hence. He decides to rent the three remaining private rooms, as one is taken.

They bunk up, Sir Erwynn bunking with Valyndor, and Baylan bunking with Danga. Raina takes the third room, and she’ll share with Leattra when the latter gets out of the church healing hospice.
They crash out hard, as they’re all beat.

Arid 8, 744 YND
A new day!! It’s sunny and dry as the party wake up around 9 AM or so. They head downstairs to get a good breakfast on.

Valyndor sits at a table in the Shaky Salamander tavern. Sir Erwynn, Raina, Baylan, and Danga sit at the bar. They all order food, and begin to eat as the food comes.

A bit later, Birel Rilas comes in the tavern, looking like a new man. He is dressed in silken finery and very cleaned up from the previous day.

Rilas sits at the table with Valyndor, and Sir Erwynn gets up from the bar and sits at the table too. Riana excuses herself so she can go to the Church of the Blue Sky and gather up Leattra.

Rilas begins to explain his tale as to why him and his Lady have come to be in Tiwidu.

The ambush into which we did’st stumble was
guided by hands more vile than fate’s fickle paws.
M’lady is scion to a minor noble family of Balelido
blessed of late with bourgeoning wealth that doth
stem from mercantile interest in both textiles and
spices. As fortune’s beneficence is oft o’reseen by
jealousy’s emerald eye so have former boon associates
been transmogrified into erstwhile enemies. A
dwarf, Forgrum Ferdal by name, did’st work as mason
for my lady’s family. This wretch, whilst he labored to
expand the family’s trophy room, did’st attempt
valued artifacts to pilfer. At this base connivance was
he discovered and his arse ejected forthwith from the
demesne.
We had’st believed this filthy business in toto concluded
but verily such assurance false has proven.
M’lady doth fancy the study of artifacts rare
acquired in trade or barter from explorers keen to
plumb nether depths. Her fascination most recent
was a necklace of iron upon which etched were runes
in the dwarven script. Translate these the clever girl
did and, in so doing, did’st learn of a hitherto
unknown and abandoned settlement mere leagues
distant from this village. Eager was she to discover
this hideaway and prestige to gain in the eyes of the
hoary old gentlemen whose interest in history most
ancient she relished.
It was not with foolhardy bravado this expedition
undertook for trusted guardsmen did’st accompany
us lest we encounter’d denizens foul.
 His chestnut eyes betray a haunted countenance,
from what you cannot say, but he forces a
smile when he spots you. He stands up and makes a
gesture to the other chairs at his table.
“I thou wouldst pardon mine air of presumption,
thou doth the manner of sellswords most competent
exude. If thou wouldst not think me untoward, I
shouldst endeavor to ply thee with libations, if thou
wouldst but hear me out.”
 Amidst the barely controlled chaos of The Shaky
Salamander Shack, there is one man who appears as
if he truly does not belong. Freshly bathed, smartly
dressed, and with his brown hair properly brushed,
the man appears to be the perfect archetype of a
servant for noble’s manservant.

Alas, unprepared were we for ambush by brigands
that did’st number likely a score. The guardsmen,
brave and true of heart, did’st fend off these
wicked ruffians such that M’lady could’st flee the
noose for unversed in combat mortal are she and I. I
fear these men be slain but their courage vast did
avail us of opportunity to make haste our departure
though not a’fore the knave Forgrum did’st appear
most unexpect’d and strike Lady Rumele from afar
with francisca hurled.
Gravely injured though she be, betwixt the boughs
of bushes thorny did’st we clumsily depart and
ensconce our frail bodies in heather grasses most tall.
Surely fortune did us favor in that our presence did’st
remain undiscover’d.
Fate, ever a fickle harlot, hath us a parting blow
delivered. M’lady had’st the dwarven necklace affixed
about her nape. Only once she time had’st the befuddlement
to clear did she make note of its loss. Surely
its ancient clasp did’st give way as through the briar
dense we dart’d.
The miscreant dwarf’s incongruous presence at
yon ambush and his craven assailment of M’lady
doth render this a matter elevated to heights of personal
affront. I hath of the constabulary inquir’d but
they doth claim paucity of resources. Stymied so, I
must seek assistance funded by my own coinpurse.
Would’st thou consider fiscal engagement so as
these matters to resolve?

Sir Erwynn considers for but a moment, and then agrees to the sum of 50 silver pieces each.

The Lady Fenire then comes in, limping a little bit, but looking like a goddess. Her beauty temporarily transfixes everyone in the room. She sits at the table, and is immediately served hot tea and cakes.

As conversation continues, the Earl Esemar arrives, and goos and gaws over the Lady Fenire while he sits at the table and drinks fruit juice. The Knight, Earl, and Lady make small talk for a while.
During the conversation between highborns, a young female gnome named Rhiaggha comes in. She sits at the bar where Raina was. She is engaged in conversation by Baylan. Baylan noticed that the young gnome was very pretty, especially as she is dressed in a black leather outfit.

Rhiaggha leaves after she finishes a small breakfast of bread, dates, and fruit juice. She leaves after saying goodbye Val and Baylan.

END OF EPISODE