Twiddledale: Lost to the shadows
The town of Twiddledale was isolated, edging on the moors, and close to the great desert, it was known for exactly two things; its clay pottery and as a water supply stop for caravans heading into the desert. Otherwise it was entirely unremarkable.
Yet that didn't save it. As it didn't save a handful of other smaller villages along the black road. Empty, abandoned, as if the all the inhabitants simply teleported out one day. The only sign of sinister action was the bloodless murders of the towns leaders. These villages were a lesson to others, submit or face an eternal fate worse than death, the enslavement of one's very essence, their shadow selves.
Other towns, larger and more prosperous, did not suffer the unknown strange fate. Instead they were visited by a trio of powerful priests of a dark and unheard of god. These priests ordered the town to give up its “heathen” ways of worship to the gods of Faerun and worship only their own god. Through magic, trickery, and fear they “converted” entire towns, leaving behind faithful followers and soulless warriors to protect them and ensure the town's cooperation and worship. For worship fueled a god's power, and the more worshipers, the stronger they grew. These towns were withdrawn and filled with fear, but for most life simply continued. The only difference now was that life continued permeated with an aura of fear and distrust.
This was all very mysterious and vague to our adventurers however. Children from the various villages, some from villages that had been completely vanished, others from towns that had been converted. AS they combined clues to learn what happened they grew more determined to stop it; either as revenge for the death of those they cared about or in an effort to save others from the same fate. Skill, and no small amount of luck, has kept them alive so far. Luck and the aid of those who wish to see them succeed. But even as they grow in confidence and skill, away from all the have known up to this point, so to does the enemy grow in power for every village conquered strengthens them.
Chapter 1...
Loudwater: A town of a dark god
Aiden, Brisa, and Arugrios were the last known survivors of the town of Twiddledale. By fate and luck they have reunited again far from their home, after surviving long miles of walking, living off the land, gnoll and bandit attacks, lost friends along the way, and general harsh weather. Joining them is a young monk-in-training from one of towns that had been converted. His whole monastery, teachers and the only family he knew, had been slaughtered by fanatical townsfolk and he was left to fend for himself and learn what he may in a town where the slightest wrong move would result in death. In a desperate bid the four children bolted from the darkly doomed town; through luck and the sacrifice of friends, they managed to get into a skiff and escape down the river, away from the fanatics and despair.
Chapter 2...The Adventure Continues
River Delimbiyr
The travel on the river was safe and calm but as the night came so too did the rain. Now landed due to a deluge they face more unusual assailants as the group ventures further and further from all they know. A group of frog-men attacked the children, during which one of the party vanished and the other were badly hurt. They were saved by a boar-man, but that escape came with a price. Unfortunately it was the boar-man who paid it as his niece was grievously injured by friendly fire. With the stranger's niece, Laodike, wounded and Argurios badly injured as well the children were in for a rough couple of days if the frog-men attacked again. The boar man, Jaim's, helped and they set up defenses and braced themselves. The attack never came. Instead a bout of bad weather and a swollen river kept them safe through the night. In the morning a barge traveling downriver passed them and the little group of children and boar-people were welcomed aboard. On board they found a mage who explained what happened to the frog-men and a shaman who helped heal the injured. For 10 relaxing days they shared and learned and rested before being put ashore further downriver; picking up a major trade route to the sea once more.
Intermission 1: Making it to the great port city of Baulder's Gate
Once they left the boat the children quickly found their rythym, the trade roads here were wide and though rutted from hundreds of carts and wagons they were easy to travel on foot. It might have been hard once, but for these three they built up their endurance, learned how to quickly make camp, how to find food on the road, life settled into a simple effective routine. They managed to reach the huge metropolis (to their eyes) of Baulder's gate ahead of the winter storms. All that remained was to settle into city life and find a way to support themselves through the winter. It would be a new challenge...
Intermission 2: Baulder's Gate
It was a long fall and winter that the children had to spend here in this great port city. The time did not go idily by however...they took jobs, learned new skills, developed new crafts, made money, made friends, and planned. When the southern bound ships started sailing again they had accumulated enough money to outfit themselves properly and book passage. They were not continuing on into the strange new land completely unprepared now.
Chapter 2: Sailing South
Laden with supplies, and the skills and knowledge learned over the past few months, the children booked passage on the first ship headed south for the spring. Life on the ship was challenging, space was limited, food was repetitive, and work was hard.
