Gardmore

Summary:

Establishing a new village.

Gardmore

candlepaladin 06 Apr 2012 16:54

During their first safe night after the town is safe, the party members gather in the watchtower before resting. Udoros and his comrades have a silent mental discussion.

"Crixus, Jeddin, Kun, Heskan, friends, I've known you for years and I know that we have each others' backs in the battlefield. Zef, you have risked your life for us and we've come to know you as an honest and trustworthy fellow and friend. However, recent events with our former mentor Andromeda have left me troubled. She too was a 'friend' who risked her life alongside us in battle and whose life we saved from captivity and cultists, but in the end she has meddled in Crixus' life so much by hiding the existence of his son for all these decades that she has revealed herself as untrustworthy. That is not to say she is our enemy necessarily, but she has made clear that the trust we have for each other here is a rare and fragile thing. Other than my clanmates, you here are the only people I trust.

"That fool Erban of Pelor, and the mercenaries with Kurik Steelpeak of Tiamat, is showing us that our efforts here in Gardmore are drawing the attention of others who would like to benefit from our hard work. I know that we don't want religious zealots, good OR evil, having any place here in Gardmore. We've fought too hard to allow that. You all know that Erban and Padraig's actions in Winterhaven is the very reason I personally have been fighting here in Gardmore. To establish a village for my people. Allowing people like Erban or Kurik to get a foothold here would directly defeat that purpose. I know that each of you has interests here too, and as we've worked together to free Gardmore, we should work together to keep it safe for us and our folk.

"To that end, now that Gardmore is free of the orcs, I propose that we here proclaim ourselves the Lords of Gardmore, creating a ruling council of this place wherein we'll work together in making decisions for the security and betterment of the community. We also represent the population (shifters, dwarves, and eladrin), and we will represent their interests well as we are their leaders, they are our brethren. What say you all?"

Udoros waits pensively for his friends to share their thoughts and accept or refuse his proposal.

Re: Gardmore

Ron B 06 Apr 2012 17:31

Kun nods in agreement as Udoros speaks. Each sentence riling up his dislike for what is happening at the cost of our sacrifices.

"My work will not be done in vain, or undermined by this self-proclaimed Arch-priest of Paelor. Too many hands are already involved, it is time to sever the hands of those that try to steal what we have earned. I lost my name from a clan who did that already, I will not risk that again. If we all decide to agree, I shall make the proclamation so that all within the abbey will have heard. "

Kun stands next to Udoros showing his support.

Last edited on 06 Apr 2012 20:49 by saghaulor Show more

Re: Gardmore

saghaulor 06 Apr 2012 22:08

The aging Eladrin is stoned faced. Uduros's words resound heavy and hard on his heart. His thoughts quickly become unintentionally public as his emotions cause him to lose control of the arcane mechanism.

"My son was alive this whole time. Right under my nose. I scoured the sands of this world for years, searching for a miracle that might not even exist. And my sweet, sweet beautiful wife. The witch did not save her, as if her life was worthless. So many years off pain hardening my heart as I hardened the steel of Deliverance. And my dear friend Hesphestus, holding that secret from me for so long. It must have weighed on him terribly, to see my pain, and to send me on my way in pursuit of a futile quest. Here I am, lost in my own thoughts, I should reassure my friend that I am beside him, always, as he has been for me."

His face changes, obviously acknowledging the outside world.

"If that fool of a preist is not careful, he will meet his end. To stand next to him, sharing a risk in death, and he speaks out against us, as if we were criminals when we've only tried to help those in need, that is inexcusable. That damned mayor is an impressionable fool. I think without the worm whispering in his ear, he will do the right thing. I've reasoned with him once before, I think he can be reasoned with again.

The witch is troubling. She is clearly a diplomat, doing whatever must be done to serve whatever purpose she is tied to. I warned you that she was not to be trusted. What kind of person rescues a victim on the demands of a sworn favor in return? We must be very careful in our dealings with her.

Gardmore is more important than a simple fortress to watch over Winterhaven. It is a cradle of many civilizations. It should be a refuge for those who are abandoned and forgotten. It should be a beacon of light in this world of darkness. We have sworn to protect his vale. We have not sworn allegiance to any particular faction. To that end, I will stand by Udoros as a Lord of Gardmore. Gardmore will not be conquered again, not by might, and not by political or delusional religious machinations. It will be the beacon of hope in this vale."

He pauses, revealing in his face a deep pain.

"Let us remember the known threats to the vale lest we forget. There is still the Necromancer, the Ice Witch, the looming horde, and now wandering about is that beast from the far realm with all of those eyes. Many of these threats we have unwittingly unleashed upon the vale. I fear that we will only cause more suffering in our attempts to relieve it. My nightmare is that we may be the monsters that the vale must be saved from."

Re: Gardmore

eggysok 08 Apr 2012 16:00

"After all this, I certainly hope we're planning on being the Lords of Gardemore!"

"As to Erban, he may have left here in a hurry, filling his pants the whole way, but I doubt he'll take the pass we've given him wisely. I expect we'll need to deal with him and his fanaticism again. The question is; are we proactive or reactive to his lunacies"

"Now Kun, come teach me how to perform rituals. I have a feeling I will be needing the knowledge…"

Re: Gardmore

SamHeskan 17 Apr 2012 02:08

Heskan stands, and begins to speak.

"Though I have not been with you in your most recent of adventures, a common home is what we have all wanted for our people. In fact, I have recently sent word back to Hammerfast, that the Runecarver clan will no longer be homeless and that our people should come join our forces here at Gardmore."

Turning to the party now, and giving Kun a sly wink, "I also have some good news, with our clan comes my betrothed Varda Goldspinner. Before I left I asked her mother High Master Marinda Goldspinner for permission. She informed me that when I finally have made a home for myself and my clan that she would consent. My friends…we have succeeded in that!"

Heskan's face then turns serious as he continues, "this village and fortress right now are low hanging fruit. It was long held by the orcs, who outnumbered us 10 to 1. We are now only a few holding this diamond in the rough. We must organize the village quickly, to fortify it, to govern it, and to truly lay claim to it. I have tasked the dwarven warriors who came with me with rebuilding and holding the wall, but that may not be enough. And for that reason, I have prepared some additional help in the form of dwarven innovation and old Arkhosian technology."

Pulling a scroll from his belt, he lays it on the ground in front of the party. "What you see on this paper are designs for a Warforged protector. When Kendred arrives with our clan, he can explain more, but let me give you the short version. Kun and I long ago found a warforged man in the foothills of the Dawnforge mountains during our people's exodus. Well, while I was in Hammerfast these last few months we got it working again. And not only that, we've begun making dwarven version of this…thing. These Warforged will help us hold Gardmore. They will be our legacy long after we are dead. When our clan arrives, they are bringing the original and the prototypes with them. You will see then what they can do."

And with that, Heskan sits.

Re: Gardmore

candlepaladin 17 Apr 2012 02:46

"Wonderful Heskan! Congratulations! And we are all excited to hear more regarding this warforge instrument. You have been productive in your absence!

All right, a ruling Council of Gardmore it is. Thank you for sharing your hearts and minds and uniting with me on this endeavor to keep my people safe. My friends, words cannot express my gratitude. Let us establish a safe and protected place for any noble outcasts in the Vale." Udoros and his friends clasped hands and nod solemnly at each other. In the wake of their battle to defeat the orcs, the Council of Gardmore was born.

Over the next few days, the party continued to liberate the village. They found mercenaries led by Kurik Steelpeak picking over the ruins, and Kun's hammer led the way in laying them low and sending them scattering. They found the former orc chief Bakrosh and were forced to slay him as well. The insult he gave Udoros prompted the ranger to take and keep Bakrosh's head as a reminder to foes. Each day the party would slay foes, and each night they'd discuss ideas and goals. When they climbed to the top of the hill and began clearing the buildings around the Abbey itself, the party found the ghost of Havarr. Udoros remembered Havarr as the former leader of Gardmore during the siege hundreds of years before. Apparently Havarr had used the chaos artifact card deck in the middle of the siege hoping for it to save Gardmore and instead the cards betrayed him and Gardmore. This ghost of Havarr seemed mad, and Udoros taunted him (was briefly dominated) and finally permanently slayed him. That night, Udoros wrote down a rough outline for the Council of Gardmore on paper and presented his plans to the party for their thoughts.

"The Council of Gardmore is the ruling body and convenes in the Abbey. The Lords of Gardmore (Jeddin, Udoros, Crixus, Heskan, Kun, Zef) all have seats on the council. A seat on the council is considered a great honor as well as a position of power. The Lords respect each other greatly as close friends and so make all major decisions together. Some others sit on the council with the Lords, but the judgment of the Lords of Gardmore collectively is final in all matters. Often multiple Lords are absent from Gardmore, and the remaining Lords hold authority during those times. Council seats are typically reserved for the Protector (who functions as prime council administrator (internal dispute resolver) and ambassador to other governments), the Duke (the lead general of any armies while in the field and men patrolling the borders), the Commander (leader of all city watch, guardsmen and sheriffs), the High Deacon (healing figure, moral guide, and a leader amongst religious folk), the Grand Magister (sage master of lore and wisdom), Master of Coin (chief financial adviser and manager, paymaster and collector), the Justiciar (master of laws, holds court and resolves disputes with reasonable judgment), and Master of Whisperers (spymaster)."

While some are pretty self-evident, Grand Magister Jeddin, High Deacon Kun, Protector Udoros, maybe Commander Heskan(?), the titles and actual positions and all of this is up in the air and open for discussion. My character is focused on leading and keeping our people safe, but I would like to really keep decisions for the entire party collectively together, so I thought this would be a good way to accomplish both at once. Also, each of us could designate a proxy to serve while absent (let's say Crixus wants to become Justiciar and hold court and be the judge for example, but he's out of Gardmore adventuring for a month, he just designates a number two to act in his stead, another reasonable guy like his son Sir Evan for example). We don't have to go into a ton of detail to create a super realistic functioning government in my opinion, just the right amount of level to give our characters more depth and responsibility at a higher level, just enough to make it way more fun, not get too bogged down in minutia and details.

Last edited on 17 Apr 2012 03:05 by candlepaladin Show more