A very special thanks to everyone who helped make last night’s toy drive such an amazing success!!!

I’ve got to admit that I’m actually still a little bit in awe of the results – in one night, by my estimate we were able to collect over $350 worth of toys and money for Toys for Tots of Tampa Bay, and I think that I speak for just about everyone involved that we all had a pretty fun time doing it, too.  We ran two overflowing tables of games, gave away dozens of raffle prizes, and amidst it all a group brought together by their love of gaming was able to give back to help make the holidays merry and bright for the next generation of adventurers…

Not too shabby, indeed, and I don’t know about you but my mind is already spinning on what we can do to make next year’s event even better… 😉

For those who weren’t able to make it, here are a few pictures of everything that we raffled off as well as the final mountain of toys that we left behind for the Marines to come pick up and distribute later on in the month!

Thanks so much again for everything, you guys – it truly was a great evening and one that I’m very proud to have been a part of.

Only three days away!!!

Remember – you don’t necessarily even need to be playing to stop by and participate – grab some pizza, throw your name in for some great prizes that we’ll be raffling off, and of course, help us collect as many toys as we possibly can for children all around the Tampa Bay Area.

Hope to see you there!

Those who enjoy the LFR Adventure Logs that I post from time to time may be pleased to find a new enhancement to the site that I just completed this evening that should make all of the photos that accompany each post a bit easier to browse and enjoy…

Previously I had been hosting all of the images over on Flickr because it was a quick and easy solution at the time when I first began writing these last spring, however it didn’t take long to exceed the 200-photo limit on my free account and eventually it made sense to just migrate everything over to be hosted here on the same server as the main website.  For those curious from the tech side, the new solution uses a customized version of the NextGEN Gallery plugin for WordPress that not only does a cleaner job of organizing the photos while still keeping them accessible however I want to use them, but also offers some neat, new features like automatic image resizing (which I previously had to do separately prior to uploading) and lightboxing that allows people to see high-res versions of the photos without having to leave the site!

The new galleries can be found here – LFR Adventure Log Galleries – and currently contain over 300 photos from 24 LFR games over the last year and a half … and with any luck, I hope to be posting more new adventures again soon as I start to get back into LFR myself after an extended hiatus.

Hope everyone enjoys the new feature, and as always, please feel free to drop us a line with any questions, comments, or suggestions.

Happy browsing!
– Scott

[nggtags gallery=intro_post_20110723]

When adventurers have the opportunity to set right an ancient curse, and help a tortured nymph find true love, nothing can stand in their way. Or can it? A Living Forgotten Realms adventure for character levels 7-10.

DM: Brett (khyron)

Players:

• Mikal Rains – Human Cleric, Level 9 (Mike – DnDTeacher)
• Aelar – Elven Ranger, Level 9 (Scott – ssevener)
• Kuddles – Dragonborn Slayer, Level 7 (Jon)
• Dimitri – Vryloka Cavalier, Level 8 (David)
• Sora Serr – Halfling Sorceror, Level 8 (Betty)
• Armenius Seiger – Human Warlord, Level 10 (Preston)

Finding themselves on a most peculiar quest to free a young nymph who had been cursed to live her life as the wooden figurehead aboard a pirate ship, six adventurers stood on the docks in Westgate attempting to convince an uneasy crew why their brief, three-hour tour of the Feywild was a perfectly safe and reasonable request.  After much cajoling, the sailors reluctantly agreed and soon the good ship Wild Maiden was cruising out into the sea towards its uncertain future…

Though shocked to pass through what seemed to be the deadliest of storms unscathed, the ship and its crew eventually found clear skies once again as the town of Banaris Bay, Westgate’s parallel in the Feywild and the party’s only lead for finding, Shugraa, the mysterious firbolg slaver who originally owned the Wild Maiden and would hopefully have clues as to how the curse could be reversed.  Splitting the party in a most risky manner, the team scoured the city and quickly learned not only that their mark could be found holed up in his lair to the north of town, but also that the main entrance accessible by road would be their easiest point of entry.

[singlepic id=5 w=500 h=375 float=none]

And so armed with a gift of his favorite ale that Mikal was clever enough to procure, our heroes marched right up to Shugraa’s stronghold in Crab Cove and unceremoniously let themselves right in the front door.  Quick to avoid confrontation with the slaver’s guards, the group put their best feet forward and greeted their adversaries with much camaraderie, and with a little luck even Shugraa himself eventually came out to partake in some drink.  After a healthy amount of Brain Cell Be Gone™, the slaver admitted his own love for the cursed nymph and told of the miserable, old pact hag who had originally cursed her long ago.  Citing that only her death could set her free, Shugraa the party a map and pointed them in the direction where they would be sure to find his vile foe.

[singlepic id=8 w=500 h=375 float=none]

Of course, the Feywild being the treacherous landscape that it is, it was no surprise when they came across a band of roving guards set to defend the hag’s camp.  Though they were able to surround the party both near and far, strategy remained on the adventurers’ side and one by one they were able to pick off their assailants until the remaining few scattered off into the vast wilderness.  Knowing that they were close, the party pressed on until they saw a horde of wood nymphs circling the pact hag protectively in the distance…

[singlepic id=9 w=500 h=375 float=none]

Struggling her damnedest to thwart off our heroes by cursing and dominating and even enveloping them within the very trees around her, the evil pact hag Lerianne and her horde fought viciously but in the end succumbed to justice from beyond the Feywild just the same.  As she fell, not only were the nymphs serving around her immediately released from her spell, too was the cursed nymph atop the Wild Maiden, much to her surprise.  And although the maiden Cymerae ultimately chose to return to her home in the forest, leaving behind the men who loved her but also gaining the life of a free woman that she had never known before, she also retained an eternal gratitude towards the party for saving her – one that would shine down upon them for many new adventures to come!

(Additional Photos Available Here)
_________________________________________________________________________
Living Forgotten Realms is a 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons shared-world campaign played Wednesday nights at Anthem Games, among hundreds of other locations around the world.

New players are always welcome! For more information or to sign-up for a future game, come check out our current schedule on Warhorn or visit our website at tampadnd.org.

Trinkets and gold pieces are not the only rewards involved in clearing out a dungeon. Sometimes the dungeon itself is worth a hefty sum. A Living Forgotten Realms adventure set in Akanûl for characters levels 7-10.

DM: Chris (Kristoph)

Players:

• Mikal Rains – Human Cleric, Level 8 (Mike – DnDTeacher)
• Lorix Paumer – Human Rogue, Level 9 (Brett – khyron)
• Forrester – Human Ardent, Level 8 (Brian – Stylo)
• Grimjaw Skullcrusher – Dwarven Fighter, Level 9 (Craig – EvilRubberDucky)
• Aelar – Elven Ranger, Level 8 (Scott – ssevener)

The life of an adventurer can often times be quite random and unpredictable – one minute you’re rescuing a princess from an evil dragonlord, and the next you’re retrieving a lost artifact of unspeakable value from beyond the grave.  In this particular journey, our heroes found themselves in the employ of one Lander Thible, a real estate agent with a pest problem of sorts, although it wouldn’t be until they were deep into the belly of the beast that the party would know exactly his reason for seeking out a second adventuring party for this particular task…

The property in question seemed to actually be a great find – an ancient temple located in a prime waterfront location hidden behind a waterfall, ensuring both luxurious views and also privacy for one lucky buyer.  Unfortunately, its seclusion offered some challenges as far as the party even reaching the front door, between scaling the cliffs themselves to reach its entrance and then subsequently getting ambushed by a party of Drow shortly after reaching the summit.

[singlepic id=71 w=500 h=375 float=none]

After vanquishing the dark warriors that tried their best to hold back the group, they then proceeded in the same direction that their adversaries had just traveled – down a large drain pipe that Lander explained was actually a secret passage that lead towards the main entrance into the temple.  They fought a few more cave dwellers at the other end of the hole before finally reaching the massive, stone doors that prevented trespassers from gaining access to the temple’s interior.

Well, unless those trespassers happened to be expert puzzle solvers, that is…

[singlepic id=75 w=500 h=375 float=none]

Once inside, the party almost immediately walked out of one trap and into another, this time in the form of an inescapable room quickly filling with water in hopes of drowning any such intruders, however luckily the nimble ones within the group were able to work together to disable the trap before their fate came to that.  As they dried themselves off and proceeded to explore, they eventually found themselves in the main chamber faced with the temple’s true threat – its current occupants were trying to create a teleportation circle within its guarded walls to allow a protected point of entry for raiding parties bent on death and destruction to pour forth from the Underdark.

Upon interrupting the Drow priest and his beholder companion, they were quickly descended upon by two large spiders that would do whatever they could to protect their masters!

[singlepic id=78 w=500 h=375 float=none]

In the end, however, despite an initial bit of regret for opening the antechamber door in the first place, the adventurers were slowly but surely able to defeat the evil-doers one by one until they were left eye to eye with the beholder itself, with Lorix delivering the final devastating blow to bring an end to its devious plot.  Needless to say, after they were done their employer certainly had some explaining to do, as the group couldn’t help but notice the bodies of Lander’s previous employees amongst the rubble during the fray, however despite any omission of facts along the way, ultimately everyone got what they had wanted – Lander was finally able to flip the waterfall temple for a healthy profit, and our adventurers obtained a bit of coin for their efforts along the way.

Whether Lander recommended a homeowner’s policy that included Drow and beholder coverage to the new owners will continue to remain a mystery…

(Additional Photos Available Here)
_________________________________________________________________________
Living Forgotten Realms is a 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons shared-world campaign played Wednesday nights at Anthem Games, among hundreds of other locations around the world.

New players are always welcome! For more information or to sign-up for a future game, come check out our current schedule on Warhorn or visit our website at tampadnd.org.

Heads up – our latest schedule for upcoming games in the months of February & March have now been posted to Warhorn – space is tight, so sign up while you can!

Also, please take note that our group is growing all of the time and thus as such, we’re always looking for new DMs to make sure that everyone gets a chance to play each week, so if you’re interested or would like to talk to someone about what it’s like, feel free to drop us a line via the Contact Us page here, over in the Anthem Forums, or even just flag one of the other DMs down on Wednesday night.  More DMs means more chances for everyone to play, so don’t be afraid to give rolling a different set of dice a try…

A century ago, the Spellplague changed the very face of Faerûn. Now, whispered rumors emerging from the wilderness around Sundabar tell of a hitherto unknown and yet active plague land surrounding the forsaken village of Deadsnows. A Living Forgotten Realms adventure set in Luruar for characters levels 7-10.

DM: Brett (khyron)

Players:

• Callidus – Human Rogue, Level 8 (Chris – Nuke)
• Aelar – Elven Ranger, Level 8 (Scott – ssevener)
• Forrester – Human Ardent, Level 7 (Brian – Stylo)
• Armenius – Human Warlord, Level 8 (Preston)
• Sumo – Human Monk, Level 8 (Jon)
• Dralia – Eladrin Ranger, Level 8 (Rhiannon)

Venturing out onto the open trail after being hired by the Order of the Blue Fire to investigate rumors of a stray pocket of Spellplague near the ruined village of Deadsnows, it wasn’t long before our heroes found themselves creeping up upon a small camp of refugees who had fled a nearby village.  Lulled into a false sense of security by the seemingly innocent villagers, the group awoke in the middle of the night to find that one of them wasn’t an innocent villager at all, and along with several panthers who had been stalking the party from afar, had decided that an ambush was in order…

[singlepic id=87 w=500 h=375 float=none]

Fortunately, between a combination of brute force and a healthy knowledge of tree climbing, the group managed to beat back their assailants before any of the actual refugees were harmed.  And although it would take them entirely out of their way, the refugees were quite grateful that the party opted to interrupt their journey to escort them back to safety in Sundabar. By the time they were on their way once again, time was of the essence, however upon closer inspection it became more likely that the Spellplague threat was nothing more than a rumor perpetrated by a band of orcs intent on looting the area.

[singlepic id=88 w=500 h=375 float=none]

The orcs fought fiercely to the death, but ultimately were unable to hold the adventurers back from completing their task. As the last of their numbers fell, the attention of our heroes turned to the ruins of an old manor that appeared to have been the focus of the orcs’ attention. Digging deeper into the rubble, the party eventually found themselves wandering into a large room with a menacing spire jutting up from the floor. The room was believed to be a treasure vault for the manor’s previous occupants, however before the group would be able to reap its spoils, there were other matters that would need to be dealt with…

[singlepic id=93 w=500 h=375 float=none]

Arguably the most difficult battle of the adventure, as noted most prominently by Cal and Aelar after getting possessed by ghosts during the fray, the team took quite a beating, but ultimately was able to silence the guardians and retrieve the lost treasure for their own. After returning back to report their findings and collect payment, the sage who had hired them was oddly disappointed by the lack of rogue magic lingering in the area,  but was nonetheless also appreciative and expressed the due thanks of the Order of the Blue Fire for their efforts.

(Additional Photos Available Here)
_________________________________________________________________________
Living Forgotten Realms is a 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons shared-world campaign played Wednesday nights at Anthem Games, among hundreds of other locations around the world.

New players are always welcome! For more information or to sign-up for a future game, come check out our current schedule on Warhorn or visit our website at tampadnd.org.

The new schedule for upcoming games in December & January has now been posted to Warhorn – what better way to spend the holidays than adventuring with friends?!  We’ve been happy to welcome several new players recently, so now could be the perfect time to get out and meet some new friends who share an affinity for gold pieces and experience points…

This year’s Harvest Festival is anything but festive. Thuggis cultists extort and murder good people, and the only lead points to somene who should be dead! The PCs face ghosts, zombies, paperwork and witchaloks in this light hearted Halloween adventure. A Living Forgotten Realms Adventure for characters level 1-4.

DM: Erinn (Dayity)

Players:

• Splash – Genasi Swordmage, Level 3 (Russell – Russell the Muscle)
• Roose – Human Wizard, Level 1 (Brendon)
• Amarath – Deva Invoker, Level 3 (Chris – Nuke)
• Shadow – Human Assassin, Level 4 (Scott – ssevener)
• Jas – Changling Rogue, Level 1 (Brett – khyron)
• Hap Hazard – Human Artificer, Level 3 (David)

It was a dark and proverbially stormy night in the town of Sleepy Hollow when a young group of adventurers not unlike our heroes was approached by a representative of the local government in dire need of their burly expertice. She explained that a mysterious band of cultist thugs had been threatening certain well-off townsfolk, showing up at their houses in demand of payment in the middle of the night. Those who refused to pay their “tribute” were a short while later found headless and otherwise unavoidably deceased…

A quick bit of persuasive investigation by means of shape-changing at the old Archives pointed bizarrely in the direction of the criminally executed DeThedd family, known throughout the land for vile acts which few dared to even speak of.  After a brief and uncomfortable history lesson of the evil and arcane, the party made its way to a rickety, old warehouse nearby that appeared to hide many secrets within its walls.

A fine variety of tables, and also an impressive army in the making of canine-warforged hybrid “Wolfoids,” were just two of the secrets that immediately came to light when our heroes came barging something less than elegantly through the front door…

[singlepic id=12 w=500 h=375 float=none]

Luckily, much like a certain esteemed Tin Man, these automatons were also constructed without specific centralized intelligence units, and thus when comfronted by a seasoned group of adventuring professionals, proceeded to fold like a metallic deck of cards with little resistance.  Their leader, however, an aged Sorcelator named Neville, proved to be a worthy find of both intelligence and clothing size, as the Changling would soon exploit to an incredible extent as the group then continued on with their detective work to the home of Neville’s employer, one Clarice Tremaine, who appeared right off the bat to have a bit of a ghost problem.

The party approached just in time to witness a key clue in their mystery – that the beautiful Clarice was actually being possessed by the frightening, albeit not so much perceptive Elvira DeThedd, also known as the deceased daughter of the Marquis himself.  Completely clueless that the posing Neville and his Witchalok minions were actually our heroes in clever disguise, Elvira proceeded to lead the entire party away from Tremaine manor and to a nearby ritual circle where it was quite clear that nothing good could possibly come at such a late hour in the pale moonlight…

[singlepic id=19 w=500 h=375 float=none]

Waiting until the last possible moment to show their faces, the group got the ultimate surprise on Elvira and her ghostly cohorts when it finally became known that the group wasn’t exactly in attendance to participate in the ritual itself, per se.  Instead, they laid waste to the horrible haunts and were able to rescue the possessed Clarice in the process, and more importantly, upon that final blow they were also able to discern exactly where they could find the mastermind behind this whole headhunting mystery as well.  Off at the old Van Pelt farm, conspicuously lit with glowing pumpkins for ambience, no doubt, stood the Lord DeThedd himself waiting … along with 6 – 8 of his closest undead friends…

[singlepic id=26 w=500 h=375 float=none]

The battle was long and arduous, riddled with zombies and holes and skeletons that had absolutely no desire at all to just stay dead, and at the far end of the field, the equally ghastly Marquis DeThedd taunted our fearless warriors mockingly until the very end.  Of course, because this is a Happy Tale, that end came with the Marquis’ own rightful demise … again … and with his fall, our heroes were quite proud to be the ones able to finally put an end to the headless reputation of the otherwise quiet and reserved village known as Sleepy Hollow.

(Additional Photos Available Here)
_________________________________________________________________________
Living Forgotten Realms is a 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons shared-world campaign played Wednesday nights at Anthem Games, among hundreds of other locations around the world.

New players are always welcome! For more information or to sign-up for a future game, come check out our current schedule on Warhorn or visit our website at tampadnd.org.