The Harvest Moon Consortium

[Winterhawk99]

Haakons Keep introduction

Precious Hope

Heidi stood on the wall and looked out twoard the distant plains. In the distance a small camp was settled. Distant figures milled about doing this and that. She sighed. She thought to herself there is no rest for us in this hell plane where evil has won for many a year.

She then looked down into the bailey. Her remaining companions. They started as 12 people that found eachother. All had a different story but all had one thing similar.......the portal. A Palidan gathered and lead them to the fort 4 falling along the way by trolls and orcs. They found this abandoned fort, a human fort.

It was dedicated to some God or man named Haakon. It was built strong but ravaged by time. they set about fixing up defenses and putting bandages on damaged equipment. Within 3 months the orcs came they held the walls. Then savage humans came. tribal by the looks of them and deadly a companion was captured, and in full view roasted alive then devoured by the barbarians.

and thats only the begining. She looked down at her companions each in turn.


She looked to their leader and smiled. A man shes come to trust. He was Agularous a young palidan from the Prelacy of Almor. She knew that nation for she also was from Oerth. A Nation of palidans and Clerics the state religon was to Heironeous much like her goddess Avoreen.

He was young to take up such a band and lead them here. He was brave and listened well. A very good sign of a leader. She noticed the lines on his face. Agularous didnt sleep well but put up appearances for the others. The doom was creeping in his face. How many more attacks could they manage now that their mage was gone.

The last attack was by orcs that now camp just outside their lone ballistas range. And the strange creature that Desora called a Draghkar.


Heidi's occupation with her companions floated to the dark human female from a strange world. Desora, she called herself a Far Dareis Mai. She was stone cold, reluctant to show any emotion at all, and fights like a demon possessed with short spear and even with her bare hands. It was she who named the creature that fought with the orcs this time. Agularous had to hold her from dieing at its hands knocking her unconsious after the mage died.

She never liked or was afraid of the mage a boy really but it seemed unatural to her that a boy could do such things.

Desora part monk part desert warrior was indeed the strangest and most distant of her companions. The one thing that heidi knew was that desora would defend her companions and the fort with her dieing breath if need be.


Nestarmari waved to her from the other side of the wall. it was a greeting and all is well sign. Nestarmari was a wood elf from a place he called ansolon. A world not unlike her own but so different where dragonkin like beings formed armys and conquered the land. He called himself a Kagonesti elf it must be what his world calls wood elves. It was he and the strange dirty gnome that got them the supplies they needed outside the fort when there was a break from attack. those times got fewer and fewer. Nestarmari is much more dependable than Morag who seems a bit touched.

He was a masterful bowman and a good hunter for the group.


Ah she looked down at Morag. Nestermari always turned his nose up at the poor gnome but the others seemed to tolerated him well as long as they were upwind. Nestermari called him a gully dwarf but Morag was a gnome or looked very much like one. Morag was always dirty and talked quite insanely at times. He wasnt smart but was as tough as nails. Not once had he gotten sick even with some of the things he ate. He was masterful at hiding and disappearing and could turn almost anything into something else. hes unique talents made things alot better for the group even if he was alittle slow.


She spots Wolfgang in the corner meditating a monk from the land of Tethyr. Heidi had never heard of the place but it was much like her own lands with simalar races. halflings, gnomes, elves and others. His talent with his hands and feet were unmatched in her eyes. He worshipped a god called Tyr. Desora and he practiced on eachother daily. One warm and comforting the other Cold and strange yet they get along well together.

she then looks back out to the plain at the mound of ash. and down at the items morag found.


The Orcs had been attacking intermitantly for days almost guided by a hand. yesterday that hand appeared. The orcs stopped and retreated out of Nestarmari's range. Then a figure on a war horse approached without fear, a woman. the war horse had plate barding. on the woman chain. She had wings like a red dragon. a disiple I surmised. The mage Andrew from a land called evermeet rushed to challenge her. He went out of the gate and started throwing spells. Desora gasps and started to the mans aid yelling, "DRAGHKAR! DRAGHKAR!" it was one of the few times i've seen her show emotion. Agalarous stopped her and yelled for andrew to come back the woman was too strong and too evil he shuttered.

The mage turned when his magic didnt work on her and ran back twoard the gate but it was too late. The woman pulled out a shining sword and dispatched his head from his body. She manuvered the horse around and back about 50 yards from the gate and got off. Then the strangest thing happened.

She pulled off her helm and bowed to us. Nestarmari unleashed a few arrows of the 5 one hit her. she simply looked at it and snapped the shaft off. She then walked up to the body pulled it to her horse and made a hasty funeral prye burning his body.

The demon bowed again and left the field of battle. since then the orcs and the demon made camp and wait. Desora was confused by it but still insists its a Draghkar a creature from her home. So thats what we call it.

Then there was Morag.


morag came back from foraging in the forest he brought back some things that people recognize. He showed as a swath of cloth that made Wolfgang gasp. The cloth has tiny symbols in the trim. Woldgang said Lathander. He then began to explain that it was part of a torn robe of a priest or priestess of a god among his people a good of light and morning sun.

Then morag brought out an arrow shaft that made Angalarous frown. We asked if he recognized it. He noded for even I didnt know what it was. Angalarous said that deep within the vesve forest that borders the country of Iuz are a secret sect of Maiden Paladins that pledge themselves to protect the forest by any means nessessary. Its said that none are better with a bow than these maidens but that one thing is known they hate humans. Nestarmari asks what it meant? Angalarous said it could be a boon to have a bow as such but it could also be a problem they are fanatics.

then morag produced other things many things from other lands. Each one someone recognized it gave us hope to hold out. perhaps others will find us perhaps not. We have hope that they will eventually come but will we be here or like andrew ash on a funeral prye. We have hope now I see it in each of our eyes let us hope and hold this spot as best we can


Agularous watched as Wolfgangs body was burned. The creature was honorable evil and vile but honorable....it gave him pause a moment. A Demon wouldn't act like this but certain devils would. This may be a trifling of the like hes never seen before.

Morag was missing and presumed dead. The Orcs or other creatures may have dug him up from some hiding place. He had never been gone for more than a few days.. its been three weeks. He may have wandered off but Agularous knew the dangers surrounding them. He wouldn't say it but this stand they have made could not last much longer. Morags traps were almost all gone. the balista have but a dozen bolts. They were almost completely out of food with no way to forage now the orcs had completely surrounded the fort and wait.

Agularous had ordered the doors to the keep and all the keep doors blocked with anything they could find.

The four of them hid behind the walls and watched the orcs while the orcs watched them. Deep in the bowels of the keep there was a discovery a strange portal much like the one they found themselves on when they were swept to this place. it was different but all could tell the vast energy unseen surrounding it almost magnetic in nature and his sword glowed sharply near the portal itself.

In desperation he would try to open the portal; but with no mage to understand how it worked....it was hopeless.


Morag waited for his new found friends to come back. he especially liked the one they called ellidy. she was a nice girl. He sat on the stump where they had left him to get the supplies the fort needed.

Night fell and morning came then night came again. he started to get hungry but his new friends said they might return and that could be at any minute.

The next day he foraged the area for some grubs and earthworms but stayed close to the stump they left him at. Night came again and he saw a touch coming close. He waved to the figure. it must be one of his new friends.

It was not a Large dragonkin strolled up into view. Morag got excited and was about to exclaim Draconian! but then he remembered what his new friends said Not Draconian.

Morag said," Not dragconian" out loud. The Dragonkin smiled a toothy smile. "thats right not draconian my gnomish friend. Im a friend in fact Im a scientist by the name of Klaxsar i study people like you. My brothers Darny and Klydaram also study people like you. I study intellegence", he laghs, " you could say from the inside out." my brother Klydaram likes teeth has a whole collection of them. I bet you he can even fix yours for you. And then there is Darny he can give you a salve to make your skin nearly impervious to anything. would you like to come visit my friend gnome?"

Morags milky eyes couldn't really follow the Dragkins words but the dragonkin seemed really nice. Morag nodded and got up off the stump. then said, "What about new friends?" Klaxsar smiles, " Don't worry friend gnome they will come eventually all your people find the village......eventually."


Ren found Morag. She picked him up and carried him to the vales. there was a steel plate with many wire on his head. The plate had a number it said Klaxspar model 658. His hands had been Chopped off and replaced with Steel claws. and his skin dripped with some unknown poison.

The adventurers in the vales were aghast......well most of them Ellidy,Arrak, Kristine, Marie and Caland were insensesed that someone would do this evil thing. Droor and Murin were quite interested in how it was accomplished.

The poor gully Drawf tried to explain what happened with his dull mind but nothing would come out. He had a seizer then came to again. The adventurers gave him a potion of clerity whiched helped. He told of how draconians had torchered and done these things to him. He also was worried about his starving friends at the keep. The Potion must have mixed with something bad in his system for before he could tell them more he expired falling over. A line of yellow liquid foaming and settleing in his throat.

In his hand was a crude map to the keep which he had come from.


Caland and the others tore off in hopes to find the keep and possibly the ones that did what was done to Morag. They went though the topaz mine and down into the ravine, One of the entrances to the southern pine forest. As they were making their way though the treturous forest 4 of their members simply disappeared. Ellidy, Droor, Krystine, and Arryk found themelves in a room. In the center of the room was a giant Cube with many colors. Nine colors on each side. Surrounding the Cube were crystal balls. As they touched the crystal balls one of the rows of squares on the cube turned clockwise or counter clockwise. They assumed that they were suppose to get the colores of each all on one side of the cube.

They tried and tried to no avail. Then they started hearing voices. Voices that hecked them almost constantly on their intellegence. Finally it seemed after a long while the Voices got tied They fell asleep and found themselves with Caland, Murin and Marie. They did remember that The voices said that they were unworthy and would be experimented on when the time came.


Now gathered back together the Adventurers found a large encampment full of orcs. They engaged the orcs in a long and winding battle the battle itself drew the attention of the individual in the center tent. The elder feyri walked out of the tent wonder what was going on. She called to the adventurers to cease and rang the alarm but the adventurers had already gone by her and past the west gate of the encampment. She flew away seeing her orcs defeated there was little she could do to defend her position.

Adventurers then fought the orcs surrounding Haakon's Keep. they quickly dispatched them and went to the keep finding the starving band of four defenders.

Agularous palidan of Heironious
Desora Maiden of the spear
Heidi priestess of Avaroon
and Nesterami a Kalosti elf from the realms of Krynn

an odd band that had defended the fort for months on end from the savages and Orcs and the Draghkar as Desora had claimed. They asked for food and supplies. Caland had brought many many things that the four needed to resist the orcs and other things that lurk near the fort.

They asked about morag and if a path could be cut for easy access to civilization.

Droor and Murin said they could clear cut or burn the forest to make a path but Argularous was indesive about that and felt that a path should be cut. He brought forth an arrow of a Forest maiden of Oerth saying that he and his friends would not want to be hunted down for harming the forest. The others felt a path could be cut without harming the surrounding forest.

The adventurers promised to come back in one week to see how the 4 fared and to bring more supplies if need be.

They set off on the journey back to the vales.


going back to the Vales 3 of the adventurers fell in the dragonlands. they were sent to the land of the dead for their gods to pick them up. The first to see her god was Ellidy. Bast told Ellidy she would get a secound chance if she agreed to a task. The task involved The knight agularous. Ellidy readily agreed to it and was sent back to the vales.

Droor wandered aimlessly for a bit then incountered a Tall red haired man with wild blue eyes. The eyes hinted at an insanity within the beings soul. They spoke and made a deal of some kind though no one truely knows what was spoken. In the end Droor became a follower of the God Kane. God of hidden secrets.

Krystine fell in battle to the dragons and was the last to see anyone on the plane of Hades the plane of the dead. A Woman warrior appeared to her and told her that she followed the wrong person and that she could give her power that she had never even dreamt off. Krystine realizing that the woman was the goddess of conquest backed up a bit and made a sign. Then there was a shuttering and Ammothrowen messenger of bahamut appeared. Tiamat and Ammothrowen traded words and Tiamat dissappeared quite agree. Ammothrowen explained that if Krystine did a quest in the future she could be sent back for a secound chance. Krystine agreed not knowing the task and was sent back to sierra na to be with the living once again.


Story by Winterhawk