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10/05/03 02:37:58 PM D&D, Dungeons and Dragons, Greyhawk, and the D&D and Greyhawk logos are full copyrighted property of Wizards Of The Coast, Inc. ©2000. The information on the Greyhawk pages is also copyrighted ©2000-3 property of Wizards Of The Coast, Inc. This website is in no way a challenge to those property rights. All information on this site that is not property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc., is copyrighted property of Dale R. Thurber., ©2000-3. You are adventurer # |
Session 1 (9/27) | Session 2 (10/11) | Session 3 (10/25) | Session 4 (11/8) | Session 5 (11/22) | Session 6 (12/6) | Session 7 (12/20) | Session 8 (1/3) | Session 9 (1/17) | Session 10 (1/31) | Session 11 (1/31) | Session 12 (2/14) | Session 13 (2/28) | Session 14 (3/14) The following archives contain Hildae's recollections of adventures past... "Border Watch"
, "A Race Against Time" , "The Sunless Citadel"
The party is currently undertaking a caravan guard mission from Greatwall to Willip in the province of Furyondy. So far, orcs of Iuzian garb have been seen, and one was slain by Magnor. Kanok keeps his bowstring taught, and Seraphina stalks the shadows. Darley and Aliyah watch the merchants, wagons and terrain closely. They are travelling near the border of the Shield Lands (near the Veng river) and Furyondy, and discover that Iuz's orc minions have waylaid and slain many merchants. They are attempting to make the trade lanes safe again. Reward for their service :$1000 gold each when they return to Greatwall. They are currently in the besieged town of Fort
Belvor, named after the king
of Furyondy, and heading toward the large city of Willip. Fireballs,
launched from catapults pelt the city wall, and it is 24 hours of orc-watch
every day.
As the players make their way to Fort Disaster (their next, appropriately-named fort), they are ambushed by orcs and orogs, one group in front, one group behind, and one group in the middle. During the fight, Kanok's arrows fly true, and Magnor's axe bathes itself in orc blood. Darley's spells confuse the opponents, and Basil and his wolf match their foes' intensity, and slay them. Seraphina is surprised by a trio of snickering orcs who couldn't seem to connect a blow on the elusive halfling. The halfling rides her dog away and fires bolts from her crossbow at the battling orcs. Aliyah charges her mount forward, making orc-kebabs with her lance and demoralizing the opponents. With some wounds, the player's successfully defend the caravan in the attack. A teamster almost doesn't make it, but Basil's healing skills come through... A night in Fort Disaster is true to its namesake as orcs and bandits attack the weakened fort. The players leave early next morning, eager to put the place behind them, and to get to Barduk, otherwise known as Border Post Four. On the way, the PCs get a welcome surprise - 12 orcs drawing two wagons across a ford. In what will forever be remembered as "The Crystal River Massacre" - Basil's entangle spell and the PC's excellent missile fire reduce the orcs to flotsam and corpses. Inside the wagons, the party discovers supplies headed into Furyondy, including a huge pile of gold ingots... At their arrival in Barduk, Jasmalus the merchant calls the party aside and reveals his true identity as Jetero, a spy working for Count Jakartai. Much to the player's surprise, their caravan's cargo was not common furs, food and simple weapons, but 50,000 gp of gold bars!, half of Greatwall's wealth!!! Jetero's studies show that Iuz has a secret base located within the borders of Furyondy itself, and that Iuz plans to destroy Furyondy from the inside by dividing and conquering. The party is supposed to take a war diary to another of Jakartai's agents. In a tense moment, the party delivers the book to an unusual secret agent, a lizard man ranger named Jeremiah. This Jeremiah is a strangely peaceful lizard man, and apparently loyal to the Furyondian cause. During a stay at the Leaf Lady's house, the party meets Shield Land Orphans and sees the Leaf Lady cast a waterproofing spell on the book that Jeremiah will carry. It is in the druid's grove that the party begins to suspect that Seargeant Krayquer is a traitor, and that a "dark-skinned boy" is involved. As the party makes its way back to Barduk, Jeremiah slips into the water to begin the swim up the Veng river to Greatwall. In Barduk, Jetero commissions the PCs to find the secret base, and destroy the enemy troops within... Magnor and Kanok discuss strategy (let's burn them out!!!) while
Seraphina,
Basil and Darley confer about the quest so far...
After a hurried meeting with Jetero, and an unusual encounter with a drumming dwarf (heh, heh! - me!), the party sets out to clear out the mines. ( SIDE NOTE: I'm still kicking myself for bothering to let the party know I would be accompanying them. Chukku's Bones! I now must hold the wretched halfling to her offer of a beer until after the orc slaughter. The beer will be stouter than her, I wager, although she does appear to have some tricks up her very short sleeves...) The attacks on the orc buildings are successful! Magnor, Aliyah & Kanok raze orcs, whilst Seraphina uses her nimble fingers to push, pull, turn, twist, and otherwise attempt to trigger traps and pick locks. Basil and Aliyah's healing skills are once again useful, especially when one of Darley's crossbow bolts flies errant, striking the elven paladin in the midsection. Whoops! Darley's familiar Kaw provides an excellent raven's-eye view of the mining camp, which Darley relays to the party. A plank of wood was enough to frighten the halfling (hey! it was a *big* plank, and kinda splintery OK?), and well most of the party as well, but it turned out to just be a sign saying "Mess Hall". I guess you never can be too careful, to which the crossbow trap injuring Kanok can attest. After some rather fruitless searches of old buildings, the party finds the mineshaft! Ah dilemma after dilemma. Do we investigate the rest of the old buildings hoping to find tools to aid our cause, or directly descend below? And what to do with that large barrel of oil that foul, stinking barbarian is schlepping around... (9 Orcs down, and how many more to go? Only the mines below will tell. I hope to come away from this with a great tale, some Furyondian coin, and mayhap a mystical token or somesuch?)
Session 4 Following the mostly thorough investigation of the above-ground buildings, the party searches the remaining four. Two are empty, and one contains a sleeping ogre which Magnor dispatches in a gory coup de grace. Magnor Guillotine. 'Nuff said. The last three-story building appears to contain more junk, that is until Aliyah's keen elven senses detect a secret door. In the trash-filled attic the paladin discovers an iron strongbox. After Seraphina fiddles with it, the party is able to finally feel a visceral sense of reward. Inside contains numerous interesting items, some of them magical as divined by Kanok. Of particular note is the intriguing, multi-colored wand that became Darley's possession... As suspected, Magnor, Bit for Brains, took extreme interest in a large pile of lumpy rocks. (Side note: He does have a knack for things - those are undoubtedly uncut gems, but I could not neglect the opportunity to demean the smelly oaf.) The halfling and barbarian descended the mineshaft together, with Magnor taking a shinsplint fall and Seraphina offsetting her jump down with skillful tumbling. As two orcs swung their swords, slashing Magnor once, Seraphina snuck attacked one, driving her blade through the orc corpse. Eventually, after some unusual ropeplay, everyone made it down safely. An exploration of the southern tunnels revealed some orcs, some more orcs, and a strange gray slime creature guarding a treasure hoard contained in stone and clay. While the orcs are filthy and despicable in their habits, their cunning must be respected. A great hoard of silver, probably to finance mercenary incursions into Furyondy, was protected by a clever guardian - a slimy gray jelly which dissolves metal and wood on contact. While the gray blob occupied the attentions of Kanok, the others retreated and defended against the onslaught of orc hordes. Basil's courageous venture into the unknown cavern proved almost lethal, but he will survive to inspire new tales with his daring nature. Apparently Darley has discovered new powers she didn't know existed - the ability to unleash a magical "missile" of colorful energy and lethal damage potency. Our fighting heroes measured up well. I hope the same skill prevails for Aliyah, True of Heart, and Magnor, Scatterer of Orc-Parts, in our future confrontations with the heretical pig-faces. I fear that Iuz's elite troops still remain to be eliminated...
Session 5 (Note to self: Don't offer what you can't deliver - Shades of the Seraphim, where did I put that orc combat scroll?...) In the final confrontation with Iuz's minions, will all the heroes survive? Will at least one survive? I suppose that will require the most mindful use of our abilities, acting in true concert with one another. How much longer are these tunnels dug?... Our encounter with the two creepy crawlers was *very* disturbing indeed. About half the heroes became paralyzed by the sticky mouth tentacles, and the other half still took tentacle attacks, and managed to fight on. I had spell and bow ready, and to be honest, that is the closest we've come to being beaten. Seraphina Shortstuff had to be forcibly removed from the maw of one worm, having been partially digested, or at the very least, macked upon. You could only tell it was her by her size. A quick heal spell from Basil put her petite nose and ears back in place, and just in time. In what was a surprisingly easy battle, the party took care of the last of the orcs, even those three exotic types. The tethered wolves were no threat. One orc however, I think got away. He was some enemy priest, and I fear we may see it again in the future. Alyah's greatsword continued to cleave pig heads, taking down that nasty double-axe wielding freak. I had to support her valiant efforts by administering some healing. Darts of magic soared from Darley's fingertips, and Basil's staff danced into orc faces and legs, glowing with enchantment magic. Seraphina's skillful use of sneak attacks and sharp crossbow aims bettered the party's chances. The chain swinging orc disarmed Magnor, which is probably a bad idea in the long run. Magnor without his axe (yes, hard to believe I know) resorted to his fists, and Chukku's bones! they were effective, dropping the orc warrior. Meanwhile, Kanok's arrows flew true, striking the summoning shaman twice, and apparenty disrupting the spell to open a strange portal. I dread imagining what would've been transported through that doorway, and I thank Fharlanghn that this particular door did not lead to an endless horizon of orcs or much worse... A perusal of the chamber's contents and orcs' possessions produced some more gold, armor, weapons, and a strange thorny piece of wood, a staff? Perhaps even "Forestthorn" the staff mentioned in the scroll. The gray ooze was dispatched with a good old fashioned stoning, and I had to physically restrain Magnor from his desire to head butt the blob into servitude. In this chamber, we removed the lid of a stone sacrophagus, apparently some resting place for a warrior of some sort. We found a humanoid body inside, possibly human, elven or half of both. We found a curious scroll - apparently from a Knight of Luna. I heard tales of the Knights passing through the Kron Hills, but didn't know that they would venture into Furyondy. The clay jars of plentiful mixed coins we left for later retrieval. A report back to Jetero lit his face - "To be honest, I didn't think you would be returning." (Wryly) *That* was good to hear. At least he was "honest" with us, the jerk! (That's a joke, Seraphina.) I forgave this insult, and the large bag of coin help to ameliorate any remaining hostility. Now if I could just get the damn halfling to hold her word about the drink... As we finished escorting our caravan to Willip, we talked of the adventure, and recollected our experiences. I'm beginning to fashion them into a tale suitable for chanting. Perhaps by the time we reach Greatwall again, it will be complete. The heroes are taking advantage of Willip (as are the crafty merchants, who hawk the rest of their wares rather skillfully). This large town provides the heroes with plenty of opportunity to spend their reward - 1,000 gp straight from the 50,000 we've been escorting. Darley mentioned she wished to see a sage who could tell her more about the wand she uncovered - I myself have no lore on it. There are other magical trinkets, and I'm sure we will soon come to an equitable distribution of our take. The party defied Magnor's unscrupulous desire for the captured coin - the party voted to return it to the rightful owners, which should be an interesting task in and of itself. I'm contemplating slapping the halfling with a metal gauntlet until I get the ale promised me. It better be black, bitter and brazen, or I'll drench her hairy head and feet with it. After the party resupplies, we head to escort one wagon with the three merchants back to Greatwall. Word is given to the small city before we arrive, and Captain Gillmore meets us personally, claiming our trip a success and offering us a feast in the heroes' honor. A generous touch was the doubling of our reward (apparently for the extra mine-clearing assignment undertaken). Now it will be a race to see who can squander the wealth we've earned the quickest. My bet is on Magnor, Kanok to place, and Seraphine to show.
Well, a fun time was had by all in Willip. As predicted, money was invested or squandered, however you look at it. The magic items were identified, and we've got some good stuff. Kanok and I had a fruitless argument. He is now convinced he has achieved full elf status after our little sojourn. He's heading back to Highfolk and the Vesve forest to report to his father. He shows little patience, which would be characteristic of a young human, but for an elf? I hope he gets what he's looking for, but in time of course. He also set off alone, a decision I find overconfident and brash. Only time will tell. He brings back a trophy bow, though. Meanwhile, Magnor's rampant drunkeness and willingness to participate in any doofus dare has attracted the attentions of a halfling street urchin by the name of Peeler. As in, "I am the Peeler, here to peel you away from your hefty gold sacks." I guard my coin cautiously. That's all we need is another tag-along halfling (winks and smiles at Seraphina...) Magnor got a knife in his shoulder for the trouble, in a bet he'll never live down. The gnome bartender was lively! I hope he finds an outlet for his rage soon, as my uncontrollable taunts can only make his eyes redder and his smirks sharper... Aliyah continues to be a tower of strength and inspiration. She made a hefty donation to the temple of Heironeous, her deity, and carries herself about with poise and confidence. I admire her, even despite her bloodline. A diamond in the proverbial rough. A future knight. Darley continues her magic item-hoarding ways. A half-dragon is more like it. ; ) She had made mention of returning to her stealthy ways of the forest, but was in no hurry to follow Kanok. I wonder what she means. I must brush on my Elvish. Basil, the other half-elf, carries the thorny staff, gripping it meaningfully. The message relayed to us by the sage said that this "Foressthorn" had the power to entangle opponents in roots and grasses. My own divinations tell of it tell more power than that minor ensorcellement. Seraphina has expressed an interest in the arcane. Hmm...I don't doubt the little one's attention to detail. Perhaps we have a spellflinging halfling in the near future, no? After much ribbing, she bought me the best drink available. About time... (Note to self: Avoid future flying snakes. They could only be a bad omen) Heading out to the market, the party's attention is caught by a curiousity - a small flying snake with a scroll tube attached. Darley's curiosity gets the best of her, and now we find ourselves the target of a terrorist attack on Greatwall. Numerous fireball explosions could happen all over the city, and only we can prevent it, supplied with vague clues... The fiery gem explodes six feet from Magnor's fist, releasing a wave of heat and flame that destroys our surroundings. Darley's burns are almost irreparable. I manage to get to Darley quickly and heal her, but the damage in the city center is devastating. Captain Gillmore is desperate for our help. If all goes well, I'll have a great ballad...If it doesn't, I may have to get on Fharlanghn's road again. After the destructive blast of the fire crystal, Captain Gillmore comes to your side. "We have a first count - 18 dead, 22 injured, and lots of property damage" he urgently relays to you. "We can't afford another blast. Unfortunately, Count Jakartai has travelled to the City of Chendl on a diplomatic mission. His councilor, the court sage Nemodus, is overseeing construction of a new border post near the Iuzian border. You appear to have more experience with these types of crises, so I ask of you to help us." Gillmore looks flustered and desperate. "I will assist you to the best of my ability. I have a 100 men at my disposal." All about you, flickering flames are being put out by hurried guardsmen and charred merchants. The cries of the injured beckon Basil and Aliyah to tend them. Darley reads the scroll aloud: "Would you like to play a little game? There are seven crystals like it throughout Greatwall, set to explode in 3 hours. I assure you that if even one of them is allowed to detonate, the lives lost will be staggering. "On the back side of this letter are seven clues to the locations of the crystals. If you are clever, you might be able to find them. If you aren't, I win this game. As Darley turns the curious, winged-snake-delivered scroll over she can make out the following words: " #1 Man forges ever forward, testing his mettle against the fire..." The city of Greatwall is in peril!...(Click on the link for a map and key)
Once again, in remarkable confident form, the adventurers saved the City of Greatwall from most certain destruction. I am confounded by their brilliance. The riddles were solved one by one, and the frozen fireballs recovered and dropped into the bay by Darley's familiar, the raven Kaw. Only two escaped our senses, one of which was never foretold of by a riddle. The dock's taverns, most notably the Moxy Maiden, were set afire, costing a few lives, and of course property damage. The other crystal blew apart the prison wall, and Sergeant Krayquer escaped. Clues at the scene of escape included glimpses of a dark-skinned, pointy-eared boy, and a symbol on a dropped dagger that bears the mark of the Scarlet Brotherhood.
The party spent some time in Greatwall, with Magnor taking an interest in the firbolg teacher, Wundyl Heapsreamer and the others going over their magic items. Pilaar and Magnor both wish to hunt down the escaped convict Sergeant Krayquer, gathering information that he and a drow elf escaped across Lake Whyestil on a boat. The other members of the party contemplated their options. It was suggested that they could return the staff and shield to the Knights of Luna in Celene. Word of Windy's tavern and the new adventurer's guild starting up stirred the interest of the party and they made a trip to see Asknar, Guildmaster. They took two commissions: 1) Try to find a party of adventurers, two of whom were brother and sister, or at least bring back those signet rings. The reward? 150 gp per ring, and more if the bodies are in good shape. 2) Win an auction for an apple, apparently a magical apple that has health and restorative properties. They head off to the northwest, passing through Crockport to find Oakhurst. In Oakhurst, they spend some time chatting with the locals, discovering that the brother and sister passed through the town a couple of weeks ago. Also, legend has it that a Sir Braford accompanied them, a paladin with a magic sword called Shatterspike. The heroes move north across the Ashen plain and make their way to a series of strange monoliths near a wide and very deep chasm. After some investigation and tactic discussion (plenty of time for me to compose my work), the players decided to head down into the chasm, apparently into the ruins of the Sunless Citadel. Seraphina is the first to descend upon a rope, and is almost made rat-food. She unleashes a crossbow bolt before being hauled up, and a rat nips at her leg, just missing. In minutes, the heroes are down on a ledge about 50 under the surface, lighting torches and blasting ROUSes (Rodents Of Unusual Size) with oil, handaxes, and magic missiles from Darley. A five foot wide stairwell leads down to lower landings, and the total descent is near 250-300 feet under the Oerth. The heroes make their way to a courtyard filled with rubble.
Session 9 (1/17) Here it is very dark, but Hildae mentions that she notes the top of some sort of sunken castle beyond. At the foot of the staircase the floor of the enormous cavern is littered with large, chunky rubble, with irregular gaping holes waiting to snag your feet. Someone (?) lights a torch, and the heroes make out a small courtyard, leading to a door about 20' from you in a straight line. The curved wall containing the door appears to be the out-facing side of a tower, 40' in diameter, and 30' in height, albeit crumbled. The wall curves away 30' to a corner, where a broken wall of rubble is piled. The smell of the cavern is musty, and you wonder what lives down here. There have been traces of campfires, and animal bones. A chill wind blows from the direction of the crumbled tower... A look of concern passes over Aliyah's face, and she says, "I wonder if Basil's OK? Perhaps I should go check on him?"... Hildae gruffly inquires,"Why are we here again? If we're going in there, we should decide who's going first (marching order) and if you silly surface dwellers want a light source, who's going to carry it."
Session 10 (1/31) While Basil and Aliyah watch the mounts above the Sunless Citadel, the other heroes descend into its depths, approaching the crumbled tower. The shifting courtyard gives way to a few errant footsteps and all the characters find themselves temporarily trapped, waist-deep in the rubble. More ROUS (dire rats) attack. The party finishes them off with no sweat though. Seraphina's lightning reflexes allows her to dodge a pit trap at the entrance to the tower. The heroes cross and examine the inside. Written in Draconian, a message behind a speared goblin is understood by Seraphina to mean "Ashardalon". We can only guess that those words are somehow connected to this site being an ancient dragon cult hideaway. Pilaar tosses some dragon-covered book over his shoulder carelessly. The other halfling runs to pick it up. I gauge that it is some arcane work. Pilaar goes to work stoning a helpless rat in the pit. Meanwhile, Darley's elvish blood notices a secret door in the south wall, revealing the presence of 3 skeletons who animate at first step into the room. Darley's is clawed mercilessly, and Magnor manages to send one skull flying. Darley blasts the skeletons with magic, sending ribs and claws hither and yonder. An investigation of the western passage ends at a stone door, carved in the likeness of a dragon, and to Seraphina's dismay, unlockable by her hand. Investigation of the more northern passage also produces another curious stone door. At this time, a young dirty man appears in the hallway, and is almost axed to death by Magnor's quick hand. Inquisition reveals that he was a prisoner of goblins, captured on a journey from Ket to Greatwall. He is hungry, tired, and worse for the axe-wear. His name is Sha'Oul and he speaks little. He was manacled and dying but I spared his life from Magnor's quick hand axe. (I'm curious to see if he will be a liability - for he claims to know how to fight, but the evidence as of yet has been lacking.) Seraphina sneaks into a room full of strange runes written in green, glowing ink. She translates the glyphs as "Here There Be Dragons", once again from Draconic. We discover from a Magnor-intimidated kobold, Meepo, that there USED to be a pet dragon here, but that it has escaped, or been taken captive by ? maybe the goblins, or something else. Meepo is very much afraid of Magnor, who is obviously enjoying himself picking on someone so much smaller than himself. As if the puny, yappity dog could even scratch the barbarian. Darley and Sha'Oul examine the benches and cage, and discover tiny jade statues of dragons. Meepo offers a reward if the heroes rescue Calcryx, the lost pet dragon. Pilaar asks for a description. Seraphina pokes her nose out of the book, and her ears perk up...
Session 11 (1/31) The heroes take Meepo up on his offer, and meet Yusdrayl, their leader. The heroes walk cautiously (almost paranoid, some of them) to where she sits on her throne, surrounded by a score or two of kobolds. As negotiations tense up, Darley tries to speak confidently, calmy, and clearly. The leader of the yapping dog-men has information about the apple as well. She rents them a dragon key for 100gp, which they use to open a magnificent carved dragon door. Dust swirls their way and stale air is breathed. Sha'Oul and I got in a discussion - apparently he is comfortable without armor or weapons. He said it so placidly that it paused me to consider - never before have I seen one forsake such defenses. I will suspend my disbelief until I see him in action, although I still feel the poor soul could've used some armor to soften the arrow wounds from the traps. His use of the sling is impressive. Only time will tell. His way is alien to me. The heroes trigger a blue globe music trap - one that uses threatening, impending tones of doom, and the players flee uncontrollably to the courtyard. Their second attempt, to have Hildae counter the effects, is unsuccessful, although supported by the halfling through magic (Yeah, that's what she claimed). The room beyond contain a red-veined white marble statue of a dragon. As the players approach, the jaws move and speak forth a riddle which is quickly answered by Pilaar (hey that's no fun for the rest of us, man!), plus all his talk of killing and assaulting things head on. I'm surprised he isn't dead yet with that philosophy... A secret door opens, and the next room contains more alcoves and a spiked pit on the far end, which appears climbable on both walls. The players fan out - Darley and Seraphina on the south wall, investigating the alcoves which are inhabited by marble statues of tall elves in heroic positions. Darley finds a secret passageway leading to a small room with writing about a dragonpriest's tomb, and then subsequently finds a small crawl tunnel. Pilaar and Magnor climb into the pit and then begin to climb up the other side, but Pilaar is knocked back into the pit, slipping past Magnor's desperate grab attempt, and is impaled upon one of the spikes. He bleeds profusely. A impish tiny gargoyle like thing skitters across the ceiling and giggles "You have broken my watch over the dragonpriest!" Magnor's thrown axe misses, Darley's magical missile hits it, but then it disappears.
Session 12 (2/17) Hesistantly, the party opened the sarcophagus, found a strange, tall (9') gray humanoid, looking elflike or trollish - apparently the "Dragonpriest" - it was shriveled, lanky, with arms about 5 feet long, ending in sharp claws. It's eerie smile revealed sharp fangs. The party valiantly fought it, with Magnor taking serious wounds - the party had to flee across the pit (or back down the 3'tunnel) and in the process, Hildae made it across, and the half-elf and Seraphina made it to the other room. Magnor tried to jump across the pit, landing onto spikes, Sha'Oul nimbly fled into the pit and took a defensive posture. Darley fired a few magic missiles at it. The dragonpriest, Magnor, and the monk exchanged blows. Sha'Oul got a powerful kick into the midsection, stunning the troll and allowing Magnor and others to take defensive positions on the other side of the pit. While Magnor and Sha'Oul engaged in melee, Hildae and Seraphina cast spells. Seraphina's hands shot flame into the dragonpriest. Hildae whipped the leg of the monster, and tried to trip it, making it off balance. As the troll grabbed the chunky tiles with one arm to steady itself, Magnor and Sha'Oul combined to knock it into the pit, where it fell onto spikes. The party then hailed a flurry of missile weapons, including a torch, and then searched the sarcophagus. Inside were a plethora of goodies - an exquisite longbow, some arrows in a dragon bone quiver, a scroll case, a handaxe, and coins - all sheaves and sheridans. After the mayhem and search of the dragonpriest's body (revealing a ring, amulet, and a pair of thick silver dragon-shaped bracelets), the party is confronted by Meepo and the kobolds who demand the key or that the party come with them to see Yusdrayl the queen leader. A very difficult encounter ensues, as the wounded and depleted party feels deep suspicion that the kobolds are plotting something dark and sinister for them. "Should we give them the key? We are too wounded and must rest." The players attempt lying ruse after lying ruse, only to anger the kobolds further. Diplomacy fails, and the kobolds finally get the key, but only after frustration almost leads to the party's death. The kobolds growl, and reluctantly allow the party to leave unmolested. The relieved heroes return to the surface finding a piece of parchment that Aliyah and Basil have gone to Celene to return a shield of Luna and Forestthorn, the powerful staff artifact to the rulers there...
Session 13 (2/28) Now what?
(1/20/02) Wow - it has been quite awhile since I last put pen to ink and scroll. Hmm...after being whacked on the head a few times by orc blows, I'm having difficulty remembering how things turned out in the Sunless Citadel. Of the original group who ventured from Greatwall, there are now four - Magnor, Darley, Seraphina and myself. We have found two prisoners, Sha'Oul, the quiet priest, and Pilaar whom I do not trust. This makes our total six, plus the animal companions Kaw and the halfling's dog. Upon reentry and capture by kobold forces, Darley saves the party, making an uneasy peace with the kobold queen and her minions. At this point, Pilaar seems to resist capture, and disappears. We find him later, dead, and impaled with kobold arrows. The party pledges to find Calcryx the white dragon, and does, later on, killing it. While wandering the mazes of the Citadel, our group discovers a rat hive, fighting those monstrosities with savage ability. My fire, Sha'Oul's crippling blows, Magnor's axe, and Darley's missiles reduce the rat swarm to squeaking, burning lumps of fur, even the huge bloated mother. Here we find the first of the fallen adventurers who preceded us, a ranger by the name of ?. We push on. Magnor hauls the dragon corpse to the surface, out of the prying eyes of the kobolds. After guerrilla tactics in the lower levels of the dungeon, fighting handfuls of goblins who work for an unseen force, our group reaches the lowest level, which is filled with briars and wooden barbs, making travel difficult. I know this much - that we encountered the source of the mysterious apples - a tree grown from the chest of a vampire. A green stake which never died, intermixed with vampire blood created an underground horror. Guarding this blasphemy was an evil druid, his pet tree frog, and two of the sorry adventurers we'd come to look for. The druid explains the origin of the Evil Tree, which produced the apples the goblins sold. A vampire was staked with wood still living, and the tree arose from its chest. The druid then defends the tree, and the supplicants attack. In an epic battle where much of the party is entangled in roots, the heroes slay the villain and henchmen, taking the glory and treasure.
(1/20/02) Wow - it has been quite awhile since I last put pen to ink and scroll. Hmm...after being whacked on the head a few times by orc and goblin blows, I'm having difficulty remembering how things turned out in the Sunless Citadel. Of the original group who ventured from Greatwall, there are now four - Magnor, Darley, Seraphina and myself. We have found two prisoners, Sha'Oul, the quiet priest, and Pilaar whom I do not trust. This makes our total six, plus the animal companions Kaw and the halfling's dog. Upon reentry and capture by kobold forces, Darley saves the party, making an uneasy peace with the kobold queen and her minions. At this point, Pilaar seems to resist capture, and disappears. We find him later, dead, and impaled with kobold arrows. The party pledges to find Calcryx the white dragon, and does, later on, killing it. While wandering the mazes of the Citadel, our group discovers a rat hive, fighting those monstrosities with savage ability. My fire, Sha'Oul's crippling blows, Magnor's axe, and Darley's missiles reduce the rat swarm to squeaking, burning lumps of fur, even the huge bloated mother. Here we find the first of the fallen adventurers who preceded us, a ranger by the name of ?. We push on. Magnor hauls the dragon corpse to the surface, out of the prying eyes of the kobolds. After guerrilla tactics in the lower levels of the dungeon, fighting handfuls of goblins who work for an unseen force, our group reaches the lowest level, which is filled with briars and wooden barbs, making travel difficult. I know this much - that we encountered the source of the mysterious apples - a tree grown from the chest of a vampire. A green stake which never died, intermixed with vampire blood created an underground horror. Guarding this blasphemy was an evil druid, his pet tree frog, and two of the sorry adventurers we'd come to look for. The druid explains the origin of the Evil Tree, which produced the apples the goblins sold. A vampire was staked with wood still living, and the tree arose from its chest. The druid then defends the tree, and the supplicants attack. In an epic battle where much of the party is entangled in roots, the heroes slay the villain and henchmen, taking the glory and treasure. The heroes emerge from the underground citadel to stand near the old road, amidst the dangerous wargrounds of Iuz and Furyondy & the Vesve.
Hildae's musings... "The years I spent with the noselings I remember fondly. Butteltuck Tarryfeather was by far the funnest gnome around - that is - if you could handle the occasional painful ribbing and insulting practical joke. In fact, I owe much of my wit to those gnomes of the Kron Hills - they taught me to see irony. But by Moradin's hammer, tying one's braids to everything in sight gets old after the first tenscore times!" - Hildae "Why does the warrior seek battle? Why does the wizard study musty tomes? THAT is why I chronicle the exploits of the brave and daring seekers who call themselves adventurers..."
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