Barrier March, Session 151 (Breaking Bloodgem Siege)

On October 18th, 852nd Year of Asterneth, Heathenstone liberated and all of its citizens either freed from the Whole or found at Darkcastle, the Ravens desire to discover if Bloodgem Hold is similarly threatened:

• Kilterson (MaC): Level 7 Human Druid
  • Meddle, Level 6 Halfling Scoundrel
  • Hengen, Level 4 Dwarf Fighter
  • Percival Penniworth, Level 5 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
• Leonard (JoF): Level 5/4 Elf Cleric/Mage
  • Helen, Level 4 Half-elf Fighter
• Wig (SaC): Level 3 Halfling Scout

With the Prince’s rangers reporting that the Demu came down the Evenflow and some returned that way, Kilterson leaves Silbern, Leonard, and the priest of Sargrim at Dark Castle to their interrogation of the dead and in wolf form runs up river on the western shoulders of Sargrim’s Tower to see if they discovered the dwarven hold.

Barrier March, Session 150 (Liberating Heathenstone)

On October 17th, 852nd Year of Asterneth, with news arriving at the closing ceremonies for the Larksbridge tourney that Heathenstone was under attack from exoskeletal creatures with paralyzing wands, a double party of adventurers rides for Heathenstone to accompany Baron Darkcastle in hopefully freeing the village and if necessary break a siege at Darkcastle itself:

• Gillican (MaC): Level 9 Elf Mage
  • Halen Ricter, Level 7 Human Man-at-arms
  • Altlan, Level 6 Human Cleric of Rusk
  • Sparrow, Level 6 Human Thief
  • Garret Hasstrin, Level 5 Human Ranger
• Omac “Sir Pathos” (MaC): Level 6/6/7 Elf Fighter/Mage/Thief
  • Heath Mistral, Level 5 Human Cleric of Harven
  • Blake Ritter, Level 5 Human Ranger
  • Declan Rand, Level 5 Human Scout
  • Bevin Hargrave, Level 4 Human Soldier
• Zaum (JoF): Level 7 Half-orc Fighter
• Kilterson (MaC): Level 7 Human Druid
  • Meddle, Level 6 Halfling Scoundrel
  • Hengen, Level 4 Dwarf Fighter
  • Percival Penniworth, Level 5 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
• Leonard (JoF): Level 5/4 Elf Cleric/Mage
  • Helen, Level 4 Half-elf Fighter
• Markus (TrS): Level 5 Elf Nobleman
  • Quintus, Level 5 Elf Man-at-arms
• Wig (SaC): Level 3 Halfling Scout

Baron Darkcastle travels with only his valet and a couple of bodyguards, and the Green Dragons have brought none of their mercenaries to the tourney, so whatever threat is there, they hope to conquer with a couple dozen, albeit elite, warriors. They ride as immediately as they can gather their forces and by midnight are dismounting outside Heathenstone, leaving the animals with Simon, Bristol, and Kyra while they creep up on the village.

Haven: New Adventurers in New Rooms

While a seasoned party of adventurers operates in gnomish lands tracking down a village legend, a fledgling party is inspired by the collective map of the dwarven halls hidden under the hills between the Sleepy Bend Inn and Aithreachas:

• Borec (ThL): Level 2 Dwarf Fighter
• Amber (ClE): Level 1 Kobold Thief
• Fennix (BeS): Level 1 Nekolyn Fighter
• Fern (SaE): Level 1 Human Druid
• – (JaS): Level 1 Minotaur Fighter

Though the grand staircase entrance is nearer the Sleepy Bend Inn than the hole punched into the place from the Aithreachas mine, notes warning that the noise of the great door opening seem to alert an incorporeal dragon to intrusion prompt them to spend a day going around to take the mine route in.

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.

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