Rescuing the Fairy Princess

Thorin Anvilstorm, the shaman, Mary the Paladin, and The Nameless Arcanist head off toward Harkenwold. They agree to meet the other three adventurers in the party in the town of Arbordale.

On the path they encounter a giant owl and defend themselves from it when it strikes. As they head by the woods, they find the lair of a Quickling who repels them after a tense standoff. Aelor the Avenger joins the party and heads into town with them.

Along the road to Arbordale they meet up with some belligerent guards bearing the crest of Nazin Redthorn, which is a wyvern. The guards demand a bride and then tell the party to leave. The party refuses and attacks the three town guards and their two drakes. The ranger and rogue-priest come upon the party as they finish off the guards.

After disposing of the town guard's bodies they head into Arbordale. They find the town blacksmith, an unfriendly dwarf, and he agrees to buy a few items they wish to sell that they picked up in the Quickling's lair. After doing business the dwarf concedes to allow them to rest by his forge overnight, as there is nowhere else safe nearby. He warns them that orcs have been attacking the villages that cannot afford to pay Nazin's guards to protect them.

The next day two cavaliers ride into town looking for the watch. They ride north to see if they can find them. The party leaves town and heads west. The first village they come to has had members on its outskirts attacked by a giant orc. The next village they find by the woods has been heavily raided.

They head into the woods after reviewing the scene of the last raid. They track the giant orc and the smaller band accompanying him to their campsite and attack. The orcs are very savage and kill the paladin almost immediately. The rest of party manages to kill half of the orc band before they are subdued.

When they awake, instead of being dead or captured, they find themselves in a grove of giant trees, which they presume is the feywild. They find a large tree palace encrusted with jewels and fine metals. Inside there are several bloody elves who appear to have been whipped and lashed severly and several giant rats that guard the tree. Later they find that the king of the palace is a huge dragon-looking humanoid covered in blue warpaint.

The stupid, but powerful king sends them off to hunt wolves in the forest. The first wolf they come across is huge, so they are hesitant to attack. Then a treant finds them and pursues them, calling them food. They see four cloaked figures head off toward a dark part of the woods and they follow.

They come to a cave entrance and walk inside just as the wolf finds them and begins trying to dig the cave entrance large enough to squeeze through. Inside the cave they find two batwinged creatues holding court for several large animals and insects. There's woman tied up in the corner.

Aelar frees the woman and she unfurls her wings, revealing she is a fairy. She restores Aelor to his original size and he intimidates the evil fairies in the cave and their servants. The party retreats out of the cave and the wolf runs away when it sees them in their true size. It turns out they were not in the feywild they were just very small themselves.

They return to the fairy princesses tree fortress and confront the blue kobold that they thought was a dragon man, and twig blight they though was a treant. The two are quickly defeated and the rats disperse, fleeing into the woods. The fairy princess restores the wings that were pulled off the bloody backs by their kobold captor. She says that she prayed to the Four Free Gods (Melora, Sehanine, Avandra, and Correlon) and they must have answered her prayers by sending the party to help her.

The fairy princess enchants some items for the party and asks for their help. She says that their protector, a human sized woman was captured along with her steed by the band of kobolds and taken to a mountain fortress. The party agrees to help and sets off.

Several days journey later they come upon the mountain lair overlooking a great lake in the Dwarforge Mountains. The ranger has some trouble and falls, but survives. When they reach the top of the mountain a Cave Ogre guarding the entrance to the lair attacks. After a fierce battle they overcome the foe and catch their breath.

Our Story Begins at Fiveleague House...

The characters have all become acquainted seeking employment as money and unemployment has run scarce in Nentir Vale. They had hoped to find work as guards and staff at the Fiveleague, as Barton, the bear-like patron who runs the place is known for being one of the best to work for in the area. Sadly, Barton tells the lines of travelers assembled on the hot summer day that he has no work for them, but recommends they seek work in nearby Hammerfast to the east, or if they are more daring, in the border city of Fallcrest to the west.

At the Fiveleague that night huddled around the fire in the main hall, you listen to news from the surrounding kingdoms. You assemble a party of other willing souls and discuss the best prospect for treasure and adventure.

1. Hammerfast (3 hours march east): Rumor has it that the tenuous peace between the Orcs and Dwarves in the city may be coming to an end, as a number of recent street fights have broken out. Traders have returned from Mithralfast further east and said that the dwarf hold has mysteriously sealed it's gates and is no longer admitting traders or outsiders.

2. Fallcrest (two days march west): Merchants traveling to Fallcrest often spend the night near Thunderspire peak. Recently a gang of robbers has plagued lightly defended caravans. Many merchants have been hiring muscle to help them get to Fallcrest. A few such traders peddling textiles and metal goods from the east are looking for guards. They will pay each guard one gold per day (which is enough for a few meals and a room at an Inn for a night).

3. Harkenwold (one days march south): The people of Harkenwold have reported more frequent raids by the humanoids in the forest. Though they have little money due to the raids and high local taxes by a new oppressive ruler, their expert craftsmanship is known throughout the vale and have offered wares to any who would help them.

4. Nenlast (half a day's march north): The fishermen have reported that a creature is capsizing their boats in Lake Nen. None have seen the beast and lived to tell the tale, though a reward is offered for the capture of the beast, dead or alive. The amount of the reward varies significantly depending on who you ask, so none trust the numbers.

5. Ruins of Fastormel (half a day's march northwest): The mysterious Mistborn Tower sits along the shore of Lake Nen. The bloodspear orcs tore the town apart years ago, but never were able to pierce the tower's defenses. Some say the Scepter of the last Lord Mage, a valuable magic item, lies somewhere within it's walls, guarded by magical guardians and traps.

6. Vor Rukoth (several day's journey southeast): Rumors from beyond the vale say that war is spoken of by traders visiting from across the sea. Some say all the nobles to the south and east are hiring soldiers for defense and campaigns in distant lands. Vor Rukoth itself is a sparsely settled village on the edge of a vast ruined city full of monsters and ancient treasures.