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Mike (DM Mykkal)

Horselords II

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June 21, 2009 The Lady Sidonia approaches the Horselords realizing Vedka's sword is still in their midst. Sidonia has made arrangements for Shorembo, Krago, and Zamboni to view the sword. The Horselords are to travel to each of the mages for them to inspect the corrupted weapon and determine how to destroy it before the taint claims another rider. Safia is carrying the sword and she struggles against its power.

 

The Horselords travel to Elomen. A strange rider has been seen in the vincinity and the city's guards are on alert. It seems all who sees the sickly woman on her horse fall ill themselves- a group awaits help from Shorembo.

 

An old friend of the Horselords, Lucious the Merchant, is seeking refuge in Elomen and shares rumors with the riders of mishaps and terrible situation around the world.

June 28, 2009 The Horselords are summoned to Shorembo. Upon entering the temple they find the floor filled with the ill. Shorembo is very busy attempting to heal the sick of their strange disease- he asks for their help in finding this mysterious rider that each claims to have seen before illness besets them.

 

Making their way carefully to the Elomen woods, dead trees and sick animals surround them. The soon come upon a strange ill-looking woman upon an even sicker looking horse. An evil cackle and a hostile look from her sunken eyes put the Horselords on the defensive. A battle begins... and another and another... as the riders realize she comes back after each battle. Unexplained, the mysterious rider disappears and the Horselords return to Shorembo.

 

With the sick now Healed, Shorembo turns his attention to the sword. Persuading Safia to leave it for him to study, Shorembo instructs the Horselords to get some fresh air until he summons them again.

 

July 5, 2009. Old friend Lucious joins the waiting Horselords in the inn. At his prompting, Safia tells a tale of their adventures guarding the gates to hell.

 

At the conclusion of her story, a representative from Shorembo summons them back to the temple.

 

July 12, 2009 Shorembo reveals the sword is not truly a Horselord artifact but the maker is unknown. He tasks the riders to travel to Krago in Durin to learn more.

 

Traveling by ship, the Horselords cross the great lake to Durin. Dead water creatures float by on their journey. Does death follow the Horselords?

 

Upon arrival in Durin, packs of hungry wolves prowl the fields before the cave. Militant dwarves guard the entrance and refuse entry to the Horselords- at least until the wolf issue is dealt with.

 

Battling the starving wolves, the Horselords come across a second rider.

 

Thuvia recalls an old tale told by her Granny about dark riders... this was primarily used to scare the kids and coax them to be good. But can there be truth to the words?

 

Famine is the Desert

Pestilence the Town

War is the Lord's wish

Death brings them down.

 

The Horselords are granted entrance to Durin. With trepidation, they await Krago in an inn (let's hope the food isn't as bad as the ale!).

 

July 19, 2009 Krago's joy of seeing the Horselords is obvious inspite of his lean look from the famine. Greetings and small talk are quickly set aside as the issue of the sword is brought up. In typical Dwarven style, anything requiring clear thought must be mixed with ale- a round of Krago's homebrew is toasted and the Horselords mentally are whisked back into time to witness the summoning of the Harras to the aid of Sidonia and the mages during the initial Hell-war. An uncorrupted Vedka rides besides Harkstra as they make their way to this unknown land of Annakol. During their travels, a fist of beast-like warriors ambush the Horselords. Harkstra, Vedka, and Jargon take on the group's leader- a large muscular being on horseback weilding what is now the sword in question. Together, they defeat the rider and Vedka claims the sword as his own.

 

Suddenly, the dream transitions to a nightmare as Famine and Pestilence appear. A deadly battle ensues before the potion wears off and the Horselords are back in the inn with Krago.

 

Krago gives words of wisdom regarding understanding the past as seen through ancestors eyes. But the future is unknown to him thus the Horselords' mission continues as they venture further to see Zamboni, the fourth of the great mages.

 

July 26, 2009 Aboard a ship to the mage's island, the Horselords' dreams are troubled- hunger, sickness, infighting, death plague their slumber. The stress of the journey is taking its toll on the riders.

 

The Horselords came ashore Zamboni's island at night; undead stalked the shores; rot and decay was everywhere. Something sinister happened here. Nearing Zamboni's keep, the Horselords encounter a third rider- Death- and manage to escape its grasp.

 

Fire smoke fill the keep as the Horselords seek Zamboni. They make their way into the infamous cellar to find more death, rot and decay in the many rooms. Zamboni has cloistered himself in a chamber deep in the catacombs. His companion, the friendly old woman, lays motionless at his feet. Zamboni is in a state of mania upon losing his companion and narrowly escaping Death.

 

Zamboni screams at the Horselords... "You cannot stop death! You cannot conquer hunger or disease! War is present everywhere!" He goes on to explain that Pestilence, Famine, Death, and War are plagueing the land as they seek out War's lost sword (revealed to have been claimed by Vedka).

 

Realizing that Sidonia was being visited by one of the 4 horseman, War, the Horselords beging to rush back to Annakol to aid their Lady.

 

August 2, 2009 The riders debate Zamboni's words as they make their way back to the ship at the beach. Any thoughts of a quiet and quick ride back to the mainland are dashed as a giant beast rolls from the waves and destroys their ship! The beast- the cause of death from the water creatures seen before- is killed by the Horselords. Its body washing from the beach into the great lake.

 

Seemingly trapped on the Island, the Horselords begin to lament their situation. But from the woods a mysterious rider, Harkstra from Krago's dream, leads the Horselords down a mysterious wooded path. Harkstra claims their way of life is about to change. Their duty is before them. The path they are on will take them to where they need to be.

 

Emerging from the thicket, the Horselords find themselves in a snow covered land. A pack of sick wolves is found and the Horselords begin to heal their ills. The wolves growl a warning of a nearby threat and dash off into the trees. Pestilence emerges and the Horselords defeat the dark rider.

 

Continuing onward, the Horselords encounter another clearing and find themselves emerging in the green foothills of the Eastland Mountains. A band of half-orc refugees seek solice from the North. Hungry and sick, the half-orcs receive aid from the Horselords. With a shout, the Horselords spot Famine and Pestilence- the refugees dash off into the woods- and the Horselords again overcome two of the four riders of the apocolypse.

 

Near exhausted, the Horselords find another clearing and slowly make their way through the woods.

 

August 9, 2009 Emerging in a clearing, the Horselords find Northern Annakolian Soldiers near death as the result of a lost battle. Healing their wounds, the soldiers run off trying to leave a war they did not want to fight. The Horselords continue to follow their path....

 

... and emerge on a beach; saving the pygmy inhabitants and providing much needed food and healing, the Horselords path becomes clear again and they travel...

 

... find themselves in a dark ally in Port City. A small boy cries over the loss of his cat. Dead animals are all around! A scream from a dying woman from a side street draws the Horselords-- death is everywhere in Port City and the Horselords make battle. The Horselords continue their path...

 

... and find their way Home to Lady Sidonia. Seeking console with her immediatly the Horselords learn they must try to make peace with War by returning the sword.

 

August 16, 2009 Returning to the camp with no apparent direction before them, the Horselords discover a strange banner inside their chest. Upon raising it to examine the red cross stitched onto the white background, a clearing opens before them leading the riders to the next destination. Following the path, the Horselords again encounter Harkstra. The warrior of the past explains that their end for this journey is very near and under this new banner they will redefine themselves. But first their ties to the Gate of Hell must be broken and to do so they must return the corrupted sword to the four horsemen. Disappearing, the Horselords continue their travels and emerge on the front line of the war of the North and the South- Annakolian soldiers huddle sick and wounded in the camp. Supplies are short- food, medicine are in much need. The Horselords assist the only cleric by healing those in camp and providing the necessary supplies. Turning their attention northward, the Horselords find a heated battle ongoing between the two factions. Lording over it all is the fourth of the Horsemen- War. Turning their attention away from the men and focusing on the dark rider, the Harras cry for Parlay and War eventually accepts- the nearby battle goes silent. Safia- finding some internal strength to allow her to face War face to face- bartars the sword for a moment of peace in these lands. War concedes, accepting his long lost sword and hisses "you may have this battle but our war continues" before disappearing. In the distance, the remaining riders of the apocolypse are seen turning and riding off inot nothingness.

 

Having now broken their ties with the corrupted sword that has plagued the harras for ages, the Horselords make their way back to Sidonia under this new banner.

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