Gloomhaven Journals: First Scenarios

My group has finally gotten a chance to get ourselves a Gloomhaven campaign going, and I'd like to keep a bit of a narrative journal of what is going on and follow along with our characters.  We have the Mindthief, Spellweaver, Tinkerer and Cragheart (the Cragheart being played by myself).  We did a pretty good job with the rules, besides initially accidentally setting some of the monsters to a difficulty that was a bit too high. 

I'll be putting these entries beyond the jump in each post to help avoid spoilers.  Also, this first one is going to be pretty long since we did two scenarios.  Hope you all enjoy!


Spring, Time of the Rain, Year of the Courtesan

I, Dacite, have been expelled from the lands of the Savvas as a Cragheart.  My youth had been spent trying to master the Elements, and I felt a deep connection to the Earth.  But, as the years passed i began to eschew my studies more and more.  I took to wandering the areas around my home for days at a time, seeking to find new knowledge around me.  I began to dream of lands far away, and seeing things no other being had seen.  Time passed and I knew that I couldn't stay amongst the Savvas.  It was all too obvious as well that despite my youthful affinity to the elements, I would not be mastering any of them.  I was exiled in the manner to which my people throw out those of us unworthy, with my chest caved in.  It is a mark of shame, but I was also strangely relieved.  By having the Savvas reject me, I was free to seek the world around me and to find my place in it.  That is how I came to Gloomhaven, a town of many traders and troubles.

I joined a mercenary group known as the Hell Bros, to earn a living.  At the time it felt like a good idea, as they would surely travel the countryside looking for danger and adventure, allowing me to see distant places and peoples.  So far however, this assumption has been proven false.  Despite being a company of exceptional talent, with a spellweaver, a mindthief and a tinkerer in our employ, we have so far resorted only to low level jobs around the town.  We've had to resort to cleaning out pests and hiring ourselves as dock hands to make ends meet.  I can only hope that my continuing contributions to the Church will help turn out fates and bring us a blessing.

Spring, Time of the Flower, Year of the Courtesan
Our fates have turned since the last entry.  While relaxing at a pub nearby our established hall, a Volrath woman in red approached our table.  She stated that a group of bandits had stolen some documents that belonged to her, and that she knew they kept a base of operations in the Black Burrows.  We decided quickly that we should take her up on the offer, and quickly left the bar to prepare.

The following morning we left for the Burrow, a spot that was marked on several maps and was a short distance away.  On our path there we encountered a small puppy, that had somehow managed to find his way into the woods.  The others wanted to leave him behind, but I could not leave such a creature to certain doom of these woods.  He seemed happy enough to come along with us, but his barks do keep distracting me on our path.

Spring, Time of the Flower, Year of the Courtesan
We have reached the Burrow finally and have camped outside it.  We spent the day watching the bandits patterns, and decided upon a direct frontal assault.  The Bandits have a chunk of their force that leaves early in the day for hunting and patrols.  We will catch the skeleton crew then unawares and take the documents.

Spring, Time of the Flower, Year of the Courtesan
We fought our way into the bandit hideout.  The first set of guards we easily overpowered with the Spellweaver killing 3 with one of her magic bolts.  This scuffle however alerted the next set of guards to become prepared.  It was more of a slog through a hail of arrows as we were able to pull two of them into their own traps.  There were some horrors, as the fiends had employeed the dead in their service to help guard whatever secrets they had.  We were exhausted, but knew now that we must press forward to find the Bandit leader.

As we moved deeper into the lair the smell of death and decay fills the air.  A few more guards who were apparently unaware of the fighting above were easily dispatched, but as we began to think we had been had, we found the leader.  He was  a large man, whos eyes glowed an evil shade of red.  He was screaming at us about The Gloom, but it was all unintelligible.  We began crossing the distance in the room, dodging arrows of his last guards when he suddenly blinked himself to a side door.  He swung it open and we could hear the groans of the living dead from inside this room.  The leader laughed manically.  I was able to get close enough to strike a solid blow against him, but as I parried a return shot, the MindThief touched my mind.  The whole world began to slow, and I struck again and again into the leader, eventually crushing his skull in.  The rest of the party finished off the vile undead and bandit guards, and we found the documents we had been tasked to discover.  The documents are in an unfamiliar language, which none of can decipher fully.  The Gloom that the leader had been cackling about appears more than once though in it, and there is a map to two other locations within these documents.  Before we can decide to explore these though, we must head back to collect our payment.

Spring, Time of the Flower, Year of the Courtesan
On our return to Gloomhaven, we hear an odd sound upon the air.  We saw in the sky some sort of craft as it began to descend and finally crash into the woods a bit off the trail.  We come to find another Tinkerer, who is frantic about getting his machine back into flying condition.  We are able to restrain him though, and make sure he doesn't do anything rash that would endanger himself or others.  After the incidents of the day, this small task was easily accomplished, and helped to bring our spirits back up.

As we return to town we find our contact, and give her the documents  She offers us some work helping to clear some Inox that have been troubling her caravans for awhile.  It finally seems as if our company of heroes is getting a bit of a solid reputation for good work.