Age of Worms Synopsis

Age of Worms Synopsis

    Basically the story line is that you are a diverse bunch of adventurers. Operating out of the crappy mining town of Diamond Lake, each of you has a different background in the community. Your group ‘owned’ a house out in the countryside which belonged to ‘Mouse’. You adventured in a cairn, since Diamond Lake is in the ‘Cairn Hills’ within the lands surrounding the Free City State of Greyhawk. Finding the ‘Whispering Cairn’ to hold danger and wealth.

  Next you travelled to the south, into the Mist Marsh. A wizard named Melraque, a friend of Feldnar's mentor - Allustan, hired you to find a magical cloak in a forgotten keep near the edge of the Mist Marsh.  

  You were coerced by Sheriff Cubbin and Mine owner Balabar Smenk into fighting a secret cult within the town, hidden in the Dourstone Mines.  The Cult was dedicated to three evil deities - the Ebon Triad (Hextor, Eruthynul and Vecna).

    Your next job was for the Greyhawk Militia, escorting a shipment of goods to a place called ‘Black Wall Keep’. Finding a great melee against Lizard Men you fought a legion or so of them and eventually went into the Marsh to confront their leaders. In the aftermath of melee at Blackwall Keep you fought horrible undead called 'Spawn of Kyuss', which had been trapped below the Keep.  You helped occupy the keep until re-enforcements could arrive. When they did so did followers of Saint Cuthbert, bent on killing Lizard Men.

    Next you heard of some missing children to the east, and adventured in an old dwarven monastery. Finding 'the Emerald Lady' an elemental seemingly made of gemstone, who was a prophet. On her advice you followed a mysterious band of dwarves - the Coalbrow Clan from Karkast.  You found a ruined tomb to six great Flan Lords and an open gate where the elemental evil Lord Ogremoch's minions were issuing. The Emerald Lady sent you though a standing gate to find a legendary trident 'Wave' at White Plume Mountain. In return she gave you the means to seal the gate and fought on your side, perishing in a fight with Ogremoch's lieutenant.  During the adventure through White Plume Mountain, the arch-wizard Keraptis' face formed from rough hewn rock and pronounced "The Age of Worms is upon us."

    During this last adventure, Feldnar's girlfriend, a druid named Terra Aphodel, was turned into a vampire, along with her master and fellow apprentice druid. She was a strange type of vampire, called a 'Wild One'. A vampire which changes as the moon reaches full state. During the week of the Full Moon she becomes more animalistic and filled with blood lust. She was bound with silvered manacles to keep her from turning gaseous or into an animal, and bound beneath the Old Observatory on a hill overlooking Diamond Lake. Consultation with the Priestess of Wee Jas, and Allustan the sage of Diamond Lake yielded only the name of another sage in Greyhawk who might be more knowledgeable, Eligos. Allustan told Feldnar that Eligos had also been an apprentice to Tenser many years ago. 

  Azrael, with the backing of Sheriff Melinde and Mine Owner Chaum Gansworth, was persuaded to run for Mayor. He felt that after race and the first few months of transition, the position would be part time, and would still allow him to adventure. 

 

Chris P: Shaft, was selling bows and masterwork bows at Janelle’s weapon shop. Did their relationship turn into anything more? If he stayed in the area he likely became more and more dealings with the Bronzewood Lodge, a group of Obad Hai worshippers, trappers and druids outside Diamond Lake.

Chris G.: Ardgal, was likely pressured into becoming the Temple Guard Captain for the burgeoning temple of Wee Jas. He was also in a romantic relationship with Isolde, a cleric of Wee Jas. What became of that?

Dave: Feldnar, Terra the vampire is normal much of the time, and can be unchained. She still cannot go outside during daylight, and becomes a frequent visitor of the Emporium, a place where the there is a lot of nightlife. She also likely has some dealings with the Bronzewood Lodge, and the worshippers of Wee Jas watch her keenly. Feldnar likely becomes a member of the Greyhawk Guild of Wizardry. A 100 gp investment gives you a status as a Guild Wizard, and likely source of income.

Kevin: Bornir, you have a legacy Axe of Large size, called Bloodcrier’s Axe, which weeps blood and are unsure how to unlock it’s powers. You are a staunch member of the clergy of Clangeddin, and to advance in the organization you were forced to buy a co-ownership stake in the Dourstone Iron Mine, to the tune of 5,000 gp. Your partner is a young turk of a dwarf who has more money than sense.

Mark: Azrael, is elected Mayor of Diamond Lake. With that position is a new set of adversaries, the Tilgast family. Patriarch and mine owner Gelch Tilgast ran his dissolute son, Edgar, as Mayor and lost.

Paul: Krech, continued bloodshed between farmers and Lizard Men could easily draw him into the Greyhawk Militia again. With the accursed gauntlet ‘Droskar’s Grasp’ he is a formidable warrior though can’t really take care of himself or work. This need to remove the Gauntlet from time to time would make him more reliant on Jieran Wegerius of St. Cuthbert and other clerics capable of casting remove curse.

Rob: Lath, Wielder of ‘Nenharna, the Pact Keeper, Leaf Friend of Celene’. Mine Owner Ellival Moonmeadow eventually will reveal to Shaft, Lath’s cousin and a few other confidants, that he is your father and you his heir, though you likely will want to keep this a secret at home in C elene. A member of ‘the Church of Corellon’, his Father Ellival is a member of ‘the Eyes of Celene’ an intelligence gathering arm of the nation of Celene, while also an outcast and rogue.

Tim: Moregrim, A senior member of the clergy of Moradin and now an upstanding member of the Greysmere Covenant after gifting an adamantine war hammer to the organization. Your duties include guarding caravans, and acting as Bitris’ lieutenant in Diamond Lake. Still tasked with protecting Bornir, you keep an eye out for agents of the Kingdom of Karkast and the wicked Coalbrow Clan. Wielder of the legacy weapon Whelm, which you have unlocked, you have yet to perform rituals and sacrifices to increase it’s powers.

  'The Grave Diggers' as the group sometimes referred to themselves, minus Azrael, travelled to Greyhawk with a variety of questions and the mystery of how to return Terra to humanity.  Eligos and his elven 'man' servant Pollard met Feldnar and the group politely in his beautiful estate. Eligos spoke of receiving messages from Allustan, along with a crate inside was the remains of a dragon egg, which was severely compromised by green worms. This was found by the PCs inside the Twisted Branch Lizard Man Lair.  He had some initial thoughts that it was obviously related to creatures known as 'Spawn of Kyuss' but beyond that he had to research. When asked about Terra's condition, he took down copious notes in a red leather bound journal, and promised to look into the matter.

  The Grave Diggers spent a lot of time in town buying and selling magical items. Eligos seemed to be puzzled by what could cure Terra, and seemed absorbed with something else. He eventually drew Feldnar aside and told him that the whole Kyuss, and the seeming inability of clerics to perform raise dead spells had generated a lot of interest, and that an old mentor, Bucknard, had taken it on himself to look into the matter personally.  After a few weeks Elgios left town suddenly, and the PCs decided to go back to Diamond Lake to check in on Azrael and Terra. Months turned into over a year.

  You all would become familiar with ‘Maladin and Elenderi’s Magic Shop’ A one stop emporium for magic items. It is an ominous two story black basalt building situated near the city’s Low Market. Edgrin tells you ‘Local legend holds that both middle aged powerful wizards and are rarely seen in public. The pair has no dealings with the Powerful Guild of Wizardry. Their chief henchman and shop manager is an aged old maguc named Elbrak.’ Note to PCs: Anything can be bought here with enough time, and is 20% over book price. Also as a house rule no one can buy over a certain cap: 9,500 gp for 7th level characters and 13,500 gp for 8th level characters.