Evil events have overtaken my Northlands Kingdom. To escape the mercenary and royal guard, my loyal body servant Ogab smuggled me into a merchant caravan to the southern border, while poor Ogab faces the wrath of the royal guards back home.
At dawn I roll out of the merchant wagons into a ditch, dust off my clothes, loosen my swordbelt, and find myself at the border town of Weshor, on the Tragoth River.
I don't have enough money to buy food or lodging here. Nor do I have time to stop and dally with the royal guard so close on my heels. I will head straight on.
I'm about to cross the Tragoth, but before I can get to the bridge I spot one of the royal guard riding toward me! The same vile royal guard who killed my father! Trusty Bonebiter strikes him down in one blow. I search him and find four gold. Lucky me. At least now I can afford some food and a room.
I will rest here and leave in the morning.
I cross the river into the swampland but lose my way crossing into the marsh. I hear horses approaching and spot 5 more mounted royal guards! What cursed luck!
I blindly plunge deeper into the swamp and escape them.
Caught some fish and ate my fill. Found a hollowed out log for shelter.
In the morning, I will head into the mountains and try to find the Northern Pass to Zhor.
I feel safer already with a river between me and the North. I think I won't see any more of the royal guard from here on out.
I wander aimlessly, lost in the swamp.
Finally make my way out of the bog into the open countryside. The mountains are before me and just on the other side should be the northern pass
Deep into the mountains now. No game to be found anywhere. Good think I stocked up so well.
Lose my way in a steep pass coming down the mountain and encounter a wizard and his man mounted on horses!
I cautiously approach, thinking to ask them to join me, but the villainous wizard suddenly hurls a fireball at me! I leap to the side, and then deflect an attack from the henchman. The wizard fires again but I duck under and strike him down. Then the henchman and I for some time are unable to land a blow on each other, but finally I knock him down too.
I search the bodies and find 49 gold pieces and a healing potion. My situation is much improved!
I take the wizard's horse with me and feed us both from my pack.
I lead the horse out of the winding mountain passages and onto the North Pass. Finally! Between the road and the horse, going should be much easier. Or at least faster. Hopefully we will reach the Temple of Zhor soon.
We ride most of the day when amid the howling winds on a craggy cliff we find caves, and within the caves the tombs of an ancient race.
I wish to explore and pay my respects to the ones who came before me.
Deep in the caves I find a massive stone altar. I don't understand the runes or glyphs, so I pay my respects and then leave.
Back just off the road, I find some grass for my horse to graze on, and forage some food for me, and we camp for the night.
We strike out in the morning and meet a band of dwarfs on the road. Turns out their loyalty is for sale for 6 gold each. I pay. This is the beginning of the army with which I will take back the north.
My dwarfs are not mounted, so we make camp and will head to the temple in the morning on foot.
We make it to Zhor's Temple in the evening after a days hike. Pay for dinner and rooms for all of us.
I decide to make an offering at the temple. I spend a gold piece preparing the appropriate herbs, and spend most of the day waiting in line to get in.
Once I get to the altar, I make my offering and burn the herbs and then scatter some ashes. The altar priestess interprets the smudges and must see something promising in my future, because she announces that I and my party will have free food and lodging tonight
Spend the day seeking news and information. Feel at home, learn nothing, but make some solid contacts.
We'll spend one more day here and then we'll have to move on. Almost out of food and money.
Spend the day in taverns, streets and the market talking and learning about goings on.
Discover local thieves' guild, I am "invited" to join. Not that I have much choice.
We eat dinner from our cache because we're low on money, and then I leave the dwarfs and go do the job for the thieves.
I end up stealing 200 gold from the temple. Guess the priestess read the smudges wrong.
We burn our bridges and escape escape in the night. I will never return to the temple of Zhor. We flee into the very same mountains where I escaped the wizard's fireballs.
I think from here we should head straight south past Zhor, skirting the Kabir Desert, to the Ruins of Pelgar. Rumors are there are treasures to be found there.