Barrier March, Session 149 and PbP (Larksbridge Tourney)

The Larksbridge Tourney, newly created and elevated to the penultimate position in the season due to the Prince’s seat there, is held Year 852 of the kings of Asterneth, October 15th through 17th, following a week after the Endsdell Tourney which was also moved later in the season for convenience of it’s nearness to Larksbridge. Members of both the Ravens and the Dragons join many others, including much of the local nobility.

To the events: Barrier March, Session 149 and PbP (Larksbridge Tourney)

The Bow

The Archery event is cheap to buy into and every yeoman within a day of the city seems to have signed up. Each day of the tournament, each archer shoots three arrows for points.

On the first day, Hary, a halfling adventurer operating in the south near Broadford, leads the field by a strong margin, followed by Meddle, Markus, and two of the Prince’s rangers. Another large gap before the rest of the pack, with Wig having choked on his shots to find himself near the very back of the pack.

On the second day, Wig redeems himself a little, but Meddle chokes and by the end of the day one of the rangers has overtaken Hary, narrowly, with Markus and the other ranger competing for third and Meddle having fallen back to the be near the front of the other pack, still in striking distance of third, if not the two leaders.

On the third day, Markus and the ranger in fourth, and to a lesser extent, Hary, choke relative to their previous performances, allowing the other ranger to catapult himself into a solid first place with Hary holding onto second and Markus third.

The Sword

In the great sword, Zaum and Markus advance from the qualification rounds to the elimination bracket with Zaum in the first seed and Markus the sixth. Other notables qualifying for the bracket include (2) Robert Lapper (second son of Marquis Endsdell and an adventurer), (3) Bunrum the Dwarf who adventures with Hary, (4) Prince Percival, (5) Hartren Andrill (the highest ranking Paladin of the Order of the Gilded Wings in attendance), (9) Elend Venture (adventurer liaison and aide to the Prince), and other noblemen and their sons.

At opposite ends of the bracket, Zaum and Markus hope to meet in the finals and Zaum easily goes through Lord Abram Belview (heir apparent of Baron Broadford) and Elend before meeting Hartren (who defeated the Prince himself) in the semi-final and muscling his way through him to the final. Markus has a harder path, meeting Lord Berund Lapper (heir apparent of Marquis Endsdell) and defeating him. His next hurdle is Bunrum, but he again triumphs, going to the semi-finals against Robert Lapper. He is not so successful against the seasoned adventurer and goes to the third place match against Hartren.

In the third place match, Markus manages to defeat Hartren for third place. Then, in the final, Zaum takes an early lead and soundly outfights Robert, who went into the tournament as a strong favorite. With that, two of the Green Dragon Manor warriors come out first and third in the sword.

The Joust

Markus and Pathos enter the joust as elvish noblemen and Halen under the thin guise of traditional anonymity with a black rose in his insignia. The field is huge at the first Larksbridge Tourney, containing all the local notables and several Gilded Wings Paladins, but merely a single elf from the Interior Elves.

Pathos and Abram Belview are among those unhorsed and eliminated on the first day of jousts, slowly narrowing the field. Halen rides against Hartren, making a good showing for himself with a nearly even set. Markus, meanwhile, comes up tied with Baron Broadford as they simultaneously unhorse each other.

On the second day, Halen unhorses his first opponent of the day, continuing to have a strong showing. Markus, however, is unhorsed by Baron Darkcastle, but with strong points from the first day avoid elimination. In their second set of rides, Halen is unhorsed by the lone elf in the field and eliminated along with nearly half of the field. Markus is spared elimination, unhorsing Baron Larksbridge to earn his spot.

Going into the third day, only 10 riders remain, including the Prince, Paladin Commander Hartren, Robert Lapper, Elend Venture, and Markus. Markus rides against Elend, who has had a surprisingly good showing. Markus dismounts Elend, eliminating him and saving himself to go on to the final four riders.

Markus rides against Robert Lapper, scoring a point before being unhorsed. Hartren once again defeats the Prince, unhorsing him and hurting his knee. Hartren and Lapper take the final rise and Hartren unhorses Lapper cleanly, winning the tourney for the Gilded Wings, as the Knight Commander often did.

During the award ceremony, a messenger arrives warning of attackers at Heathenstone. Exoskeletal creatures that stormed the village, dropping people with beams shot from wands. The Prince immediately begins to organize a response, starting with Baron Darkcastle and his men joined by the volunteering Green Dragons and Ravens.

And we’ll see what comes of that in the next session.

Barrier March, Session 148 (Sulferina)

On October 8th, 852nd Year of Asterneth, having made contact with a secret independent Kelrian movement with its own stronghold in the Fold, the party calling themselves the Ravens return to the Fold to investigate a pool the Kelrians of Changda Castle call Bone Spring and stay far away from:

• Kilterson (MaC): Level 7 Human Druid
  • Meddle, Level 5 Halfling Scoundrel
  • Hengen, Level 3 Dwarf Fighter
  • Percival Penniworth, Level 3 Human Thief
• Ingrid Corvinsdatter (MaD): Level 6 Human Barbarian
  • Berderan Huffderner, Level 3 Gnome Cleric of Sargrim
• Silbern (TrS): Level 6 Human Cleric of Roil
  • Saori, Level 3 Elf Assassin
• Wig (SaC): Level 2 Halfling Scout

Knowing the pool is on the southeast edge of the hilly grassland south of their keep, they decide to follow the hills around the east side rather than cut across them in search of it. Their trip along the hills unperturbed and before noon they reach the southeastern bounds of them and start climb every hill on the boundary to look down for the pool, soon finding what they’re looking for.

Haven: Strange Magics and Animated Alembics

On December 18th, with Gobblebob otherwise occupied, the party returning to the dwarven ruins is no longer inclined to return to the many doors in the halls behind the throne room, but instead they decide to search some unknown doors nearby where they had previously noted them, but not explored.

• Elfleen (SaE): Level 8 Elf Thief
• Pluta (ClE): Level 6 Elf Magic-user
• Foxtrot (DaB): Level 5 Kobold Squire
• Al (Bes): Level 4 Elf Magic-user

They are untroubled as they make their way to the guard chamber the doors are in. Once there, they decide to wait to go through the shattered door and instead find a way to breach the jammed door.

Barrier March, Sessions 145 and 146 (Kelrians in the Fold)

On September 28th, 852nd Year of Asterneth, with Wig having trained and the rest of the party having been busy with other business (including obtaining a grant of the use of the fortification where they slew the harpy for the next year), they gather at their new and repaired fortification to plan their next moves:

• Kilterson (MaC): Level 7 Human Druid
  • Meddle, Level 5 Halfling Scoundrel
  • Hengen, Level 3 Dwarf Fighter
  • Percival Penniworth, Level 3 Human Thief
• Ingrid Corvinsdatter (MaD): Level 6 Human Barbarian
  • Berderan Huffderner, Level 3 Gnome Cleric of Sargrim
• Leonard (JoF): Level 5/4 Elf Cleric (of Sky Light)/Mage
  • Helen Pagris, Level 3 Half-elf Fighter
• Silbern (TrS): Level 6 Human Cleric of Roil
  • Saori, Level 3 Elf Assassin
• Wig (SaC): Level 2 Halfling Scout

Their next goal is to investigate a mysterious map that came to Ingrid via her father, an influential Kelrian merchant, during her time in Endsdell. The note with it implies that her activity in the Fold clearing the singer’s keep had not gone unnoticed and that her continued activity there was of interest to the Kelrian traditionalists that have recently been pressuring her father to be more involved in their rituals.

Haven: Behind the Palace

On December 14th, having found great treasure in the throne room vault the week before, the party decides to return to search the rooms beyond the palace:

• Elfleen (SaE): Level 8 Elf Thief
• Pluta (ClE): Level 6 Elf Magic-user
• Gobblebob (JaS): Level 5 Goblin Magic-user
• Foxtrot (DaB): Level 4 Kobold Squire

They make their way uninterrupted to the target area but find nearly a score of giant rats in the halls which rush them. They kill them quickly with just a few nips and, that inconvenience dealt with, start by exploring the last room off the initial guard room, finding it to be a training room with mundane dummies and rusted weapons. They move on through the chapel to get to more unexplored rooms.

Barrier March, Sessions 143 and 144 (Clearing the Caves)

With the slaves extracted and safe, and the Marshall on the same page as the party, they prepare to go back into the mines and finish clearing out the goblins so that when the Marshall allows the slavers to withdraw into the caves in exchange for the release of the slaves in the guardhouse they will be able to ambush them in the caves.

• Luke Leaf (TrS): Level 3 Human Scholar
  • Miles, Level 2 Human Hedge Mage
  • Hector Razorleaf (MiM): Level 1/2 Half-Elf Ranger/Cleric
• Shifty (MaC): Level 2/2 Soldier/Scout
• Ruptig “Tig” Underhill (JoF): Level 3 Gnome Thief
  • Grift, Level 2 Gnome Scoundrel
• The Nameless Dwarf (SaC): Level 1 Dwarf Thief

On their way down, Ruptig and the Dwarf sneak over to the guard post on the quarry level and backstab the mercenaries there. They continue down into the lower levels not sure what goblin resistance they will find arrayed against them.

Eight(ish) Years of Haven

In January 2024, I said it would make sense to start making my yearly summaries at the top of the year. But toward the end of 2024 one of the driving players (CoB) went on a mission and I got busy with finishing my basement and sessions really slowed down. January 2025 came and went without me even thinking about summaries and only now, with the play report backlog caught up, I’m ready to summarize the end of the 2024 era of play and the new era that picked up in 2025 with a bunch of young players (mostly my children and younger siblings of prior players) who seem to be in it for the long haul once again.

Previous Years of Haven
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4
Year 5
Year 6

Haven: The Dwarven Palace

On December 7th, a group of adventurers familiar with the dwarven ruins makes another delve. This time, they intend to return to where they battled an aggressive plant and see what else lies behind the fortified entrance they went through to get there:

• Elfleen (SaE): Level 7 Elf Thief
• Pluta (ClE): Level 5 Elf Magic-user
• Gobblebob (JaS): Level 5 Goblin Magic-user
• Al (BeS): Level 3 Elf Magic-user

To reach it from the unassuming mine entrance, they go through the massive throne room to the secret door that lets them slip down the hall to fortified door. The outer door they left closed behind them, but the door past the arrow loops still lies in pieces where Pluta sundered it.

Haven: The Crystalline Oracle

On November 29th, adventurers again determine to delve the dwarven ruins in the Aethreachas mines:

• Elfleen (SaE): Level 7 Elf Thief
• Pluta (ClE): Level 5 Elf Magic-user
• Al (BeS): Level 2 Elf Magic-user
• Amaranthe (MJF): Level 1 Human Druid

They once again go in through the mine entrance and make their way toward unmapped territory. They go through a mess hall and to a kitchen they know bypasses the intersection with the flying bricks.

Barrier March, Sessions 140 and 142 (The Singer’s Redoubt)

On September 7th, 852nd Year of Asterneth, having rested but a single day after their ordeal in the rainbow world, the party makes way to High Tower. While the others had been researching the crystal rabbits, Kilterson heard rumors on the road that Marvin Stale, a blueberry magnate near Avenway, had been found to be missing:

• Kilterson (MaC): Level 7 Human Druid
  • Meddle, Level 5 Halfling Scoundrel
  • Hengen, Level 3 Dwarf Fighter
  • Percival Penniworth, Level 3 Human Thief
• Ingrid Corvinsdatter (MaD): Level 6 Human Barbarian
  • Berderan Huffderner, Level 3 Gnome Cleric of Sargrim
• Leonard (JoF): Level 5/4 Elf Cleric (of Sky Light)/Mage
  • Helen Pagris, Level 3 Half-elf Fighter
• Silbern (TrS): Level 6 Human Cleric of Roil
  • Saori, Level 3 Elf Assassin
• Wig (SaC): Level 1 Halfling Scout

On the 8th, they continue on to Avenway, picking up a new Halfling companion seeking adventure on the area. In Avenway, they learn that it was nine days earlier that villagers had made their way to his cottage seeking day wages to pick his berries for him and he was nowhere to be found. People have long worried about him, living in the region south of the road known as the Fold. He had often talked about the music that had drawn so many others away never to be seen again.