- Adventure: Elros Initiated (300 xp)
- Tomkins 26: Elros is initiated, and has quarrel with
Rojar Al-Kahal
- Tomkins 27: Elros chases thieves who stole Cormatis'
purse, visits Ilidriel, and
has fight with drunken Rojar and bodyguards
- Adventure: Rats of Thorn Island (300 xp)
- Raq 1: Bell is initiated
- Raq 2: Bell goes with Amanda to see Dorfan and Ilidriel
at Beryl cult nursing home. They have been attacked by
a previously unknown form of undead creature, and are
subject to a wasting sickness that weakens them. The
condition can be treated, but, so far, not cured.
The treatments involve a remedy made with phoenix
berries, grown on Thorn Island; the Beryl cult's
store is running low. As sea travel is always somewhat
dangerous, Fianna asks Bell to go with
her apprentice Mikel
to get phoenix berries on Thorn Island.
- Raq 4: Bell, Jessica, and Gil-alem hire Piettro's fishing
boat and sail to Thorn Island with Mikel.
They find that the island
has been stripped bare of vegetation by ravenous dire
rats, except for the tops of trees.
After fighting some dire rats, they leave to get
appropriate supplies.
- Raq 6: Bell et. al. come back to poison the
Thorn Island rats. They get a few phoenix
berries by dragging down the tree tops. On
returing back to Sophia, Fianna tells them there's
been a prophesy of
danger from the sea, which later turns out to be a tsunami.
- Adventure: Tsunami (500 xp)
- Evening, Raq 6 and Raq 7:
Bell meets Faenor, Zelan and Elros.
Bell, Faenor, Zelan and Elros agree to warn Cormatis's ship
of danger, but discover that it was smuggling Forget Flowers.
They warn the ship (and some unicorns) but capture the
smugglers and report Cormatis to the cult of Ellander.
- Adventure: The Guardian of Goat Island (500 xp)
- Raq 8: Bell, Elros, Zelan and Faenor (with Mikel and Piettro)
go to Goat Island to transplant Phoenix Berries to Thorn
Island. They fight a small sea serpent, which retreats
when badly wounded by Zelan. Zelan notices a small boat
anchored off shore, and finds signs that a beach landing has been
covered up by a group of poachers anxious to hide their tracks.
They sail the poachers' ship out of sight of land.
Meanwhile, a dolphin signals Faenor to ride on her back.
She brings Faenor to
rescue the guardian of the island, Rhionne (Enkidu druid), who
was climbing a cliff when the tsunami hit the island,
and fell into the sea below (where she was kept alive
by her animal companions, Kia the dolphin and Maya the
monkey). After bringing Rhionne back to the ship, and
healing her, they go as a group to a satyr village, where
the satyr's are preparing to make war on the goat-stealing
poachers.
Rhionne explains that humans are only allowed on the
island due to a pact between the Enkidu cult and the
satyrs, and the
poachers are violating the pact.
She promises the satyr's that the group will restore
the stolen goats and punish the poachers.
The satyrs agree that this would restore the pact.
The adventurers return to the beach where the poachers
landed. Elros's familiar Tula spies out the poachers,
returning with the captured goats.
Bell positions the party to stage an ambush.
As the poachers near, Faenor makes the nearby
vegetation entangle them. Bell talks the suprised
poachers into surrendering. The only problem is
that the goats are now starting to run in panic--
which isn't a problem after all, since Faenor has a calm animals
spell! They return the docile goats to the satyrs, and
leave the captured poachers to Rhionne. "The cult of
Enkidu will pick them up eventually-- in the meantime,
they can stay in this goat pen."
The group impound
the poachers' ship, and rechristen it ``Goodberry''.
They sail back to Sophia in triumph, after stopping
by Thorn Island to reseed it with phoneix berries.
- Adventure: The Voyage of the Goodberry (Two sessions: 800 + 1600 xp)
- Raq 9-18: Bell, Elros , Zelan aand Faenor have their second
initiations. Bell accepts a position as Amanda's adjutant, and
leaves for the Forest of Caerfallin. The others
report the poachers ship as impounded
contraband to cult of Hikitami; it will revert to them unless
claimed within a month. They discuss a mission to Isthar
with Ilidriel, but Faenor is not interested and disuades
the
others.
They meet Lesiam and Sir Rippick, who
are interested in purchasing the Goodberry for a geographic
expedition to the Nomad Islands (to look at effects of the
volcano which caused the tsunami). Instead, the group negotiates
a joint venture to the Nomad Islands.
- Raq 18-Ellander 8: Group wait for Goodberry to
clear claim period. Supply and repair ship.
- Ellander 9:
Expedition sets sail: Bell, Elros,
Zelan, Faenor, Rippick with crew: Lesiam, Piettro and two others.
- Ellander 12-14 Expedition encounters Lizardmen,
refugees from Nomad Islands due to food shortage and lost
from main group. They manage to defuse an initially tense
situation, befriend the lizardmen, give them supplies,
and tow them to a place to restock and set off towards
their destination, the Barren Wastes. In return, the
lizardmen give them news of the Nomad Islands, and several
pearl necklaces.
- Ellander 17: Party is attacked by a small
Sea Dragon, which (after much effort) they slay and eat for dinner.
It's a bit tough, but tasty.
- Ellander 19: They reach the Smoky Sea.
Expedition pass a huge sea monster in the dense
fog. Its wake nearly swamps the ship, but it doesn't seem
to notice them.
- Ellander 22: They reach the outskirts of the Nomad
Islands.
- Ellander 24: They visit an island inhabited
by lizardmen that seem used to and eager for
trading with humans. Three humans are on the
island: Calyps (PC, Eli), a priest of Tempe and Haran
(water goddess and fire god); Braphos, a Candidate
at Molosh University; and Dardonel, a sailor.
The three came with Prof. Tangieri, and left
on a side mission for Braphos to examine some
prehistoric petroglyphs. Tangieri is two weeks
late for their rendezvous. Since the Goodberry
is headed in the direction Tangieri left in,
they accept an offer of a ride.
- Ellander 25: The party encounters a small
island with a single lizardman hut. They find
that a tojanida, a turtle-like creature originally
from the Elemental Plane of Water but summoned to
this plane by Yaga a thousand years ago, has eaten one of the
lizardmen inhabitants, and is holding the other
captive for a later meal. Calyps speaks Aquan,
and negotiates with the tojanida (Swimmer in Circles)
to trade the lizardman for some ship's rations.
Faenor trades it a goodberry for information on
local undersea geography, which Rippick eagerly
records.
It finds the goodberry fascinating, and becomes eager to trade
for more food. It goes to find a stone head that it
had seen in a newly cracked-open underwater trench.
The head begins to babble and hum. Calyps uses a
comprehend languages spell to translate: ``I seem
to have reached a new level of madness. But from what
memory do these dreams spring?
....The light is so bright...Rah Tah La Dah Rah Tah
La Dah...''
Faenor detects necromantic magic on the head,
but Calyps does NOT sense that it is evil.
Braphos says that, while the head itself
was a product of the petroglyph civilization, that
civilization had no knowledge of magic.
They store the head in a locked metal box, and
leave.
- Ellander 26-28: Following Prof.
Tangieri's trail, they visit a succession
of islands of friendly lizardmen eager for trade.
On Ellander 28, they are warned that the next island
over is owned by the Pharku, a different tribe of lizardmen who might
be hostile.
- Ellander 29: While on the small boat looking
for a navigable channel in an area with a recent
landslide, the PC's are attacked by a trio of
darkmantles, flying squid-like creatures that exude
clouds of magical darkness. Due to Wyst's scouting,
they are alerted early and manage to pick off the
creatures in the air, with Zelan's sharpshooting and
Elros's spells. Faenor makes a helmet from
the shell of one of the darkmantles.
- Ellander 30: The party reaches the main island
of the Pharku. The Pharku put on a show of strength,
but warily agree to trade. The Pharku leader, who
wields a human-style sword, warns
the PC's to show respect for lizardmen beliefs. When
asked about Prof. Tangieri, he says, ominously,
that she asked to visit the volcano spirits,
so was taken to them. It is clear that she offended
the lizardmen in some way. Eventually, the PC's are
taken to view the salvage from Prof. Tangieri's ship,
now being used as construction materials, to
emphasize the point.
- Gradulf 1-4: Heading towards the volcano,
they pass several small islands
inhabited by Pherku lizardmen, but pass by without
stopping.
- Gradulf 5: Near the volcano, they find a medium
sized island with a single lizardman hut. It seems
newly formed, and still has some pits of molten lava,
but has a suprising amount of vegetation. They send
Tula to scout. She sees a lone lizardman battling
4 small, humanoid fire creatures. One fire creature
seems dead, and another is wounded as she watches.
The fire creatures transform into small, mobile
lava pools, and begin creeping away. Unable to hurt
the pools, the lizardman returns to his hut.
The party approaches the lizardman, Scarath,
in his hut. He says
that Prof. Tangieri and one other human are alive,
and offers to lead the PCs to her if they help fight
the magma mephits. Scarath is an equivalent to a druid,
and is trying to make the island fertile, but the magma
mephits are destroying his work. The PC's agree,
and Scarath casts spells on Zelan
and Mag to make them fire-resistant. The PCs and Scarath,
rush to catch up to the mephits.
Elros puts two of the mephits to sleep. The last one returns
to humanoid form, and tries to reach the Lava Pit,
but is diverted by Faenor's illusion, and killed
by Zelan and Mag. Killing the sleeping pools is
problematic, and attempts to do so just wake them
up. Elros kills a second one with a magic missile,
but the third gets away, reaches the lava pit,
and begins to heal. In the pit, it heals as quickly
as they can injure it. But Calyps, drawing on Tempe's
divine force, drives it from the pit, where Zelan
and Mag end its life.
Between-games Narration: (Players, feel free to correct
anything out of character...)
Scarath then takes the group to an island near
the volcano, where he left Prof. Tangieri
and Jad the sailor. ``Don't gloat, Rippick.''
Tangieri says, ``I've bailed YOU out of worse
situations before. Besides, I beat you to the volcano
by TWO WEEKS!''.
Her story is similar to that told
by the Pharku leader, but with a few twists:
``How was I to know that `` I'd like to enter the volcano''
translated to ``I'd like to violate the volcano spirit''?
When I protested that I was female, they thought I was
mocking them, because their society is patriarchal and I was
our group's leader (so of course, male.) My crew tried
to break me out of prison, but they were driven back
to the ship. Several died in the attempt. Then the
lizardmen chased the ship in their canoes.''
Jad, who was aboard, says the lizardmen
cleverly lured the ship into a
hidden shallow, where it ran aground and quickly sank.
Most of the people were either trapped underneath the ship or
couldn't get out of their armor. Jad was the only one
who was lucky enough to swim away, where he was
captured by the lizardmen, and brought to Scarath's
Island.
Here, Scarath picks up the story. ``Those Pharku idiots! As
if I had nothing better to do than babysit these humans.
Can't they see they were interrupting my work, making
more habitable islands for them? And as if the spirits
care what fools say!''
- Gradulf 6-9: Faenor helps Scarath tend his
garden. He, Zelan, and Scarath trade Survival tips.
Scarath joins Rippick, Tangieri and the PC's in exploring
the volcano. With his Fire Resistance magic, they
can go right into the volcano, and examine the lava
vents up close. As they leave, Scarath paints a symbol
on the prow of their ship. ``The authority of the beastmasters
(aka druids)
is acknowledged by all the tribes'' he says. ``While the
other lizardfolk will still be cautious, they won't attack
blindly once they see that you are my friends.''
- Gradulf 9-22: The Goodberry and crew head south
through the Nomad Islands. They encounter lizardfolk
tribes for whom humans and elves are a novelty, but
the mark of Scarath means that the group is greeted with
curiousity rather than hostility. They trade until they
run out of goods.
- Gradulf 23: The Goodberry makes port in Alix, and
Rippick and the PC's divide up the trade goods. Each
partner ends up with a bag of pearls worth 900 gp, and
100 gp. in cash, in
addition to any side deals (e.g., scrimshaw walrus tusks).
Rippick and the PC's
agrees to split a 600 gp reward for Calyps, who has proved
invaluable.
Lesiam and Piettro stay with the ship,
to make repairs and resupply, and the sailors hit town
for some R&R. The rest (the PC's, Rippick, Tangieri, and
Braphos), after a brief rest, start upriver to Molosh
City, home of the famous University (and Elros's family).
- Gradulf 27-Enkidu 5: The group reaches Molosh City.
After some sightseeing, shopping, and greeting relatives,
the PC's contact their respective
cults. After describing their adventures, they are each told
that they merit another initiation ceremony. Since all but
Calyps will
gain a feat, for the rest it is a major ceremony costing 300 gp and
taking a week of training and rituals. Calyps just needs
a minor ceremony, overnight, costing 100 gp.
- Adventure: The Founding of the Vermillion Guard (1500 xp)
- Enkidu 6: The group has arranged to meet at Molosh
University to consult faculty there about the Stone Head.
Elros brings Michendon (PC, Dave), a boyhood friend, along
to the rendezvous, and suggests a shortcut passing near the
Faculty of Botany (where his father works.)
There they hear bloodcurdling screams, as a swarm of animated
mandrake roots that were improperly harvested go wild.
Michendon and Zelan rush in; Elros flies to the top of
the wall, and Calyps and Faenor approach more cautiously.
Between them, they cut through the hoard. Zelan rescues
a gardener caught in a flimsy shed, at great risk to himself.
They eventually get the mandrakes in control, and the wizard
supposedly supervising the experiments promises them each
a potion made from the mandrakes..
They continue on to the Faculty of Necromancy. There,
they meet Prof. Rolf, who does some initial tests on
the Stone Head, and seems eager to explore it in greater
depth. But Faenor is suspicious of Nectromancy in general,
and of Prof. Rolf, in particular, and convinces the
party not to let Rolf keep the Head for more experiments.
- Enkidu 7: The next morning, the group meet in
front of the temple of Haran-Tempe. They overhear
Dalith and Yossim, a commoner couple, unsuccessfully
pleading for help from the cult of Raq, nearby. (The
paladin they are arguing with
refuses to help them because their mission
is opposed by their Baroness.) When the party
approaches them, Dalith and Yossim
explain that their Baroness, for strategic reasons,
has refused to defend their village from nearby
goblins. The party says they will consider their
problem and get back to the couple. They find
out where the commoners are staying.
They head to the Bazaar, where they window shop
in the magicians' quarter for a while. They see
preparations for a contest of wonders to be held
in three days, and decide to enter the Stone Head.
They meet Brophas, who is worried that the Stone Head
might be viewed as evidence against his Candidate's
Thesis, where he argues that the magic practiced by
the prehistoric peoples of what is now the Nomad
Islands was merely non-functional superstition.
They convince Brophas to cooperate with them in
putting together a research display accompanying the
Head; in return, they'll give him a forum for
explaining his thesis where he can refute the
skeptics in advance.
- Enkidu 8: They pick up their reward potions from
the Faculty of Botany, and then go to see Yossim
and Dalith. They explain their situation in more
detail. Their town, Vermillion Village, is
close to both the Blighted Wastes and to Goblin Ridge,
the edge of Hellhole Plateau. It is named after a dye
made of leaves whose coloration is due to the
trees growng in the special soil found at this junction.
A long time ago, the Barony that it was part of became
depopulated due to harsh living conditions, and was
disbanded. Vermillion Village became joined to Barony
Sarlanni to the north, but it is a geographically isolated
and can only be reached through a narrow pass.
Goblins from the ridge raid Sarlanni nearly every new
moon, and recently several initiates died defending
Vermillion Village. The Baroness has decided that
defending Vermillion leaves her forces too spread out.
Instead, she'll fortify the pass, and concentrate
her troops in the approach from the east. She has
offered to relocate the villagers within
Sarlanni proper, but they are loath to abandon their
traditional (and profitable) cash crop.
Pooling their resources, the village collected 1000
gps, which they gave Dalith and Yossim to recruit
champions to defend their village.
The party is interested, but think they are too
few to defend the whole village. They recruit
Borcal, a veteran of many wars who was discharged from
Isthar's military for hitting an officer while drunk.
He takes to his new role as Sargeant, and recruits
a dozen others. They spend the rest of the day
haggling over equipment, expenses, and
remuneration.
- Enkidu 9: They continue outfitting and training
their squadron,
and putting together their display for the Stone Head.
They buy horses.
- Enkidu 10: They participate in the contest of wonders, and
win second prize. (First prize goes to a pair of illusionary cats,
that can transfer between reflective surfaces (e.g., from a pool of
water to a mirror), and seem to have a
life of their own. While less spectacular than the Stone Head , the
cats represent a challenge to the traditional theory of illusionary
life, and so are deemed to have more intellectual significance.)
One of the judges is Prof. Arshan, a bronze dragon who is
a professor in the Faculty of Tongues. He and his colleague Prof.
Frege sit at the party's table at the awards banquet, and express
interest in purchasing the Stone Head, but don't offer enought to
tempt the party. Instead, they negotiate a lease, whereby the
Faculty of Tongues can study the Head for an indefinite amount of
time but the PC's retain ownership. They caution against letting
Prof. Rolf examine the Stone Head.
- Enkidu 11-15
The PC's travel by river barge and then horse
to Sarlanni Barony. Yossim, Dalith, and their hirelings
will follow on foot, but will take longer to arrive.
- Enkidu 16-17
The PC's split up and visit the various cult headquarters in the
area. Most take the Baroness' side, especially the Isthar, Sophia,
and Ellander cults. They caution the PCs against too much trust
in the villagers. However, the cultists of Hillesa seems eager to
get in any kind of fight, and the head druidess at the cult of
Caerfallin is very concerned that the rare trees might go extinct
if Vermillion Village is abandonned. She lends her apprentice
Turine to the party to act as their guide.
- Enkidu 18
The party gets an audience with the Baroness Sarlanni. She
is much more flexible and reasonable than the villagers have
described her. When the party outlines a plan to bluff the
goblins into thinking the village is well-defended, she agrees
to help by donating old weapons and uniforms, and by ordering
several guard members to drill in the village. However, the
guard will go back to defend the pass when the new moon
approaches, and she won't order any initiates to guard the
village when the goblins attack.
- Enkidu 19-21
The party take the old weapons, uniforms, and guards to Vermillion
Village, where the assemble the townspeople. They inform them of
the plan, and begin forming them into a militia and drilling.
- Enkidu 22
Sgt. Borcal and the recruits arrive and take over most of the
training duties. The party is approached by a senior villager,
who feels them out with questions; the party begins to interogate
the villager. Eventually, the villagers
confess that they looted and hid the corpses of the initiates
who died defending their village last time. They claim they
only did it because the Baroness hinted that she would leave them
defenseless, so they might need the weapons to defend themselves.
They turn over the dead initiates' goods to the
party: a magic sword, a masterwork shield, and a spellbook are
the most significant.
- Enkidu 23
Turine had told Faenor about a rare native
species, Lord Herod's Stoat. Faenor sees a stoat and follows
it. He eventually discovers that the stoats are not animals,
but intelligent magical beasts that communicate via odors. Using
illusionary images, he manages to negotiate with the stoats to
act as lookouts in exchange for their favorite foods.
- Enkidu 24
A few nights before the new moon, the
stoats come to lead the party to an elite band of goblin scouts.
Zelan and Tula quietly follow the stoats to a grove, where a bugbear
is meeting up with several hobgoblins. The others (Michendon, Faenor, Mag,
Calyps, and Elros) follow
them at a distance, spreading out to surround the grove. When the
ambush is in place, Faenor casts a color spray spell, that blinds
and stuns the hobgoblins, and catches the bugbear off balance.
Zelan shoots the bugbear, and then draws his sword. Elros hovers
out of reach, and then reads his web scroll. While Faenor cringes
at the expense, the web binds the hobgoblins in the grove tightly.
Unfortunately, the bugbear rips free and struggles to the edge, while
the sounds of combat have attracted two more hobgoblins heading back to
rendezvous at the grove. The fresh hobs shoot Elros, who is badly wounded,
before Zelan turns to confront them. Michendon slays one of
the hobgoblins, who had worked his way free of the web. The wounded Elros
summons a ball of flame to light the web on fire, finishing
off the stuck hobgoblins. Michendon, Faenor and
Mag take on the bugbear with sword, shallelagh and fang, while Zelan downs one
of his opponents. Elros drops the wounded bugbear with a flaming zorch,
leaving only a single hobgoblin, who attempts to flea. Helped by
the stoats, Zelan tracks the hobgoblin through the forest, and kills
it with an arrow in its back before it can report back to goblin
headquarters. As far as the goblins are concerned, their
elite scouts were eliminated by forces unseen, perhaps by all
those guards spotted by other scouts at the village.
- Enkidu 27:
The goblins attack Sarlanni, but leave
Vermillion Village alone. A few goblins flea towards the village
after their rout at the pass, but they are easily slain by the
village militia.
- Caerfallin 2:
The Baroness announces the creation of
a permanent militia, the Vermillion Guard, to be funded by
a new tax on vermillion dye. The PC's are declared captains-for-life
in the Vermillion Guard, and reimbursed their expenses and given
gifts (a jeweled cult symbol and a fancy uniform, suitable for
wearing to a noble's court.) Sgt. Borcal and his recruits are
to be NCO's, and all able-bodied villagers are to serve part-time
in the militia.
- Caerfallin 3- Hikitami 26
Michendon and Elros head back to Molosh
City to see Elros's parents and research the Stone Head. The rest
of the party help organize the
Vermillion Guard. While the villagers prepare for attacks the next
two full moons, the goblins are demoralized and for the most part
stay home. (The militia and some Hillesa initiates have a few
skirmishes, but they do this by actively hunting goblins.)
Faenor spends more time with Turine and the stoats.
Calyps has his third initation ceremony, in the Sarlanni Barony
temple of Haran-Tempe. Sarlanni is short of Haran-Tempe priests, and
he is asked to assist with design and
dedication ceremonies for a new system of irrigation channels being
dug. Construction delays make the project take longer than
expected; eventually, Zelan and Faenor decide to head to Molosh City
to check on Elros and the Stone Head, with Calyps to catch up
when he gets free.
- Adventure: The Roc's Nest (xp: 1100). Sophia, 1004
- Sophia 3: Zelan and Faenor arrive in Molosh City, and take a room
in an inn in the initiates' quarter. They rest and bathe the next day.
- Sophia 5: A messenger from Prof. Frege is waiting for them at their
inn, asking them to meet with him for lunch. They send the messenger back to
confirm. They spend the morning at the Bazaar, mostly in the magician's
quarter. On the way to the Faculty of Tongues, they see Prof. Rolf
chatting
with a young commoner woman. Rolf doesn't seem to notice the PC's,
but Prof. Frege waves at the PC's.
Rolf sees Frege and slips away, looking slightly embarrassed.
The woman
enters a nearby, somewhat shabby building.
The PC's have a nice lunch with Frege and Arshan. The
professors tell them about the progress they are making with
the Stone Head, which they now know is named
Pithiax. By storing him in a dark room with discrete
student researchers taking notes, he has calmed down
considerably and is giving them useful information.
In particular, Pithiax is a shaman, and he mentioned several
times a meeting place for shamans called ``the Roc's Nest'',
an unusual rock formation. By his description of his journey
to the Roc's Nest, it seems to be somewhere near the coast
of the Pact Lands. It was once a mountainous region, but
should now be largely submerged by the rising Sea of
Serpents. In the Roc's Nest, there was a magic translation
and recording stone used by the prehistoric shamans
to understand each other and keep records. They
would like the PC's to see if this place still exists,
and if possible recover the stone. They can give
the PC's up to 2000 gp to fund such an expedition.
The expedition will need approval of the head diplomat
to the Pact Lands, Illya, who lives on the Island
of Peace. But since the expedition will have
official university backing, they expect she will give
her blessing.
After some negotiations, the PCs agree.
- Sophia 6-8
The PC's head to the bazaar. They want to invest as much
as they can afford in trade goods that will appeal
to the denizens of the Pact Lands. Since
human contact is limited, this trade should be very
profitable.
In addition to trade goods, they also pick up some interesting
magic. A research faculty member is trying to create a
start-up company from his new invention, ``Shrunken Air''.
They eventually invest in the company, to get
some of the prototype Shrunken Air
canisters. They also put in an order at ``Tea and
Sympathy'',
a shop run by a wizard specializing in sympathetic magic.
For example, they get a pair of compasses that always
point to each other, and a pair of whistles that will
each make a noise if the other is blown into.
They also check in with Rippick at the Faculty of
Lands and Seas, who is very interested in accompanying
them on their trip. Thinking they might need some
extra muscle, they go to the Hillesa cult, where they
``hire'' Regos, a beginning fighter who seems like
he'd pay to go somewhere dangerous for a good battle
(if he had any money).
- Sophia 9-13
Zelan and Faenor go down the river to Alix Port, where
the Goodberry is at dock. Lesiam and Piettro get
the ship ready for the expedition, while the PCs
and Rippick arrange for the trade goods they've ordered
to be loaded on the boat.
- Sophia 14-18
The Goodberry makes its way west along the coast of Molosh,
to Westport, where it veers into open seas for a short
time. Noticing a hole in the side of the boat, Zelan
and Faenor follow a trail of spoiled goods below deck
until a baby sea dragon pops its head out of a bale
of cotton and spits acid at them. It fights hard, but
is overmatched by the two PCs and Mag.
Meanwhile, Calyps arrives belatedly in Molosh City,
where Frege tells him about the Roc's Nest. He hurries
to try to meet the others in Westport, figuring that
by going directly rather than via Alix Port, he can catch up
with them.
- Sophia 19
The Goodberry lands on the Isle of Peace. They are
taken to see Illya, who is in conference with the
Formians, a race of ant-like creatures with a hive
intelligence. The Formians have been cheated by
three human merchants. After hearing that these
traders have ``adaptations'', Illya declares that
they are ``defective units'' and should be eliminated,
shocking the PCs somewhat.
Without admitting responsibility, she
agrees to make restitution for the Formians' losses.
Meanwhile, Calyps has arrived in Westport ,
coming directly from Molosh City. However, he has
just missed Faenor and Zelan.
The PC's then talk to Illya. She explains that the
merchants are Yaga cultists, and hence are automatically
under penalty of death. She agrees to their mission,
but points out that the Formian case illustrates how
sensitive trade in the Pact Lands can be. She agrees
to let them trade as well as explore, but only if
they take Cartan the paladin along with them to be
their political advisor.
Zelan and Faenor talk to the Formian representitives
about whether they are interested in trade goods.
They agree that some of the merchandise would be useful
at Shishan, a Formian coastal village being rebuilt
after a battle with minotaurs.
- Sophia 20
The Goodberry leaves the Island of Peace and follows
the coast of the Pact Lands, heading north.
They reach a village of dopplegangers. Rippick
manages to speak with an elder in Lizardman, and
the village has a banquet to celebrate their
unusual guests. Faenor uses illusions to tell
stories, and the party exchanges gifts of vermillion
dye for colorful feather capes. Mag is a big
hit with the doppleganger children, who compete
at changing to look most like dogs.
- Sophia 21
The Goodberry leaves the doppleganger village and
continues north. At one point, they see formians
and minotaurs fighting on the coast, but decide
not to intervene.
Meanwhile, Calyps has arrived on the Isle
of Peace on a special supply boat requested
to bring in equipment and craftsmen to meet
the requirements of the formians.
Again, he has just missed Zelan and Faenor.
- Sophia 22
The Goodberry reaches Shishank, the formian hive.
It is a big mound, constructed with large pieces
of crystaline rock with more solid connecting pieces.
The formians arrive ready to trade construction
materials and tools for crystal and a small number
of diamonds (as agreed to on the Isle of Peace).
- Sophia 23
Continuing north, the Goodberry gets entangled in a
suspiciously large kelp bed. Another kelp bed starts
moving into place behind it, and others start
closing in on the sides. A group of fishmen,
sahaugin, surface and hail the ship. Again, Rippick
finds that lizardman is a common tongue. They
describe the Roc's Nest, and the sahaugin recognize
the formation they call ``Big Sponge in the Sky''.
They agree to let the boat pass, and tell them where
they can find Big Sponge in the Sky.
Later that night, a persistant rapping on the side of the boat
wakes Zelan, who rounds up the others. A single
sahaugin, Flaqua, is swimming near the boat, pounding the side
with his triton. He has come to warn the group. There
is a manticore that lairs at the top of the Roc's Nest,
and preys on all around, including the sahaugin. The
sahaugin figure that either the manticore will kill
the humans or vice versa, and either way they'll be better
off. But Flaqua's wife was eaten by the manticore, so
he's hoping the humans win, and he wants to increase their
chances by warning them.
- Sophia 24
The Goodberry approaches the Roc's Nest, but stays well
away until Wyst spots the manticore leaving on a hunt.
Zelan uses a levitate potion to rise to the top of
the hourglass shaped rock, and constructs a rope ladder
for the others: Faenor, Mag, Cartan, Regos and Rippick.
Lesiam then sails the Goodberry away, and the others get
into position, lying low in the wide, shallow bowl at the top
of the rock formation. Wyst flies watch.
While they are waiting, they explore the top of the
Roc's Nest, and uncover part of a carved stone trapdoor
in the center of the bowl. It will take time to dig
out. They also find some remnants of a few sahaugin
that were eaten, including some pearl jewelry.
They stay overnight on the top of the Roc's Nest.
- Sophia 25
Towards evening, Wyst spots the manticore returning,
bringing back a walrus carcus in its claws.
The group make magical preparations, and take cover
to spring their ambush. Faenor lures the manticore
into a vulnerable position with an illusionary group
of sahaugin. Then Zelan, Regos and Cartan fire
a volley of arrows, several striking the manticore.
The manticore drops its walrus, and
strikes back with a round of deadly spikes from
its tail, one of which goes right through Faenor,
who drops. Cartan quickly lays his hands on Faenor to heal
him before he dies, and Rippick also casts
a healing spell on him.
Meanwhile, the manticore and
the archers are exchanging missile fire. Faenor
realizes that the monster has the advantage in an
aerial fight, and conjures a magical mist to force
the manticore down. It works; the manticore flies
down below the fog, and attacks on the ground.
But now the whole group can circle it with fangs (Mag),
shillelagh(Faenor),
and swords (Zelan, Cartan, and Regos). The manticore
eventually succombs.
Flaqua returns to warn the party that his companions
are doubling back to attack the party while they
are still weak. After seeing them defeat the manticore,
he feels that this is very foolish, especially since
human goods are almost worthless for the sahaugin.
They present Flaqua with the pearl jewelry they found.
He recognizes one necklace as his wife's, and is very
touched. To reward them, he dives for oysters in
the almost untouched pearl bed surrounding the Roc's
Nest, until he can give them pearls of equal value.
The Goodberry sails for the Isle of Peace before the
other sahaugin return.
- Sophia 28- Isthar 8: Adventure: Flaqua's Rebellion,
(1100 xp, Faenor and Zelan, 1200 xp Calyps)
The Goodberry arrives back on the Isle of Peace,
where they find Calyps waiting for them. Faenor
and Zelan undergo their fourth initiation rituals.
Zelan's involves bonding with an animal companion,
the dolphin Ping.
A formian, Product Control Unit 32, approaches
Calyps and Faenor. The formians have been considering
hiring a band of orks as mercenaries in their on-going
war with the minotaurs and xorns. PCU32 asks if orks
are defective humans, like the dishonest traders,
or humans with special adaptations. Also, are they
good mercenaries? Faenor and Calyps (after figuring
out that the mercenaries were orks) inform the formians
that orks are not in fact human, and that, while possibly
useful as mercenaries, orks should not be trusted and
should be kept as busy with fighting as possible to keep
them out of trouble.
The next night, the PC's and Rippick are informed
that a visitor has come looking for them, in the
neutral ``eye'' of the humanoid territory. It turns out
to be Flaqua, the sahaugin that warned them of the manticore.
Flaqua thinks the current sahaugin leader, Listhos, is
a moron, and is sick of following his stupid decisions.
Listhos's treachery to the PCs was a case in point; there was
little to be gained by tricking the party, and much to
be gained by helping them.
Flaqua has several allies who think like he does.
He has positioned himself to be the leader of an
expedition to claim the fertile waters near the Roc's
Nest as sahaugin turf, now that the manticore is dead.
He wants to split off this expedition as an independent
colony, but knows Listhos will attack with superior forces.
Unless, of course, the humans will tip the balance in his
favor. He points out that it will be more difficult for
the PCs to excavate the Roc's Nest if Listhos controls the
waters than if they had grateful sahaugin allies in the
area.
The party agrees in principle, and begins thinking of
supplies they would need to help Flaqua, including a potion
of Freedom of Movement which they are unsure they can
afford. Flaqua promises to reimburse them for expenses from
the pearl beds near the island.
Flaqua then outlines his plan. He has about ten warrior
followers; he expects Listhos to bring about 20-30 warriors
against them, leaving about half of his troops home to defend against
other threats. They'll probably also face battle-trained
sharks. He can't be a known rebel until his followers'
spawn have been removed from the sahaugin home turf;
otherwise, they'll be used as captives. A rebel sahaugin
caretaker will bring the spawn to the Goodberry at high tide, when
the sahaugin sleep. The Goodberry should bring them to the
Roc's Nest. When Listhos realizes that the expedition's spawn are
gone, he will realize that they are rebelling, and come after
them, so they should be prepared for war before the spawn are
rescued.
The plan can be carried out whenever the PCs are
ready, as long as its within the month.
If they can defeat Listhos quickly, his followers might
surrender.
The humans know their own capabilities best, and
the sahaugin will make any preparations they recommend.
Flaqua trusts in the power of the manticore-slayers.
Flaqua returns to his people. The party makes preparations
for a water battle.
-
Isthar 9: The Goodberry leaves the Isle of Peace.
-
Isthar 10: Early in the morning, the Goodberry makes the
planned rendezvous with the
sahaugin spawn. They reach the Roc's Nest towards nightfall,
and bring the spawn to the top of the Roc's Nest using a
system of rope ladders.
- Isthar 11: The Goodberry crew and Flaqua's warriors prepare
the area around the Roc's Nest for the upcoming battle.
In the afternoon, an excited Ping returns from scouting, having seen
Listhos's troops coming. Flaqua's troops get in postion,
hiding behind reefs and in an underwater trench. The
Goodberry has been moved near the Roc's Nest, and a plank
bridge connects it to a half-submerged
cave in the base of the Roc's Nest,
where Calyps, Faenor, Mag, and Regos await the battle.
Rippick is on the deck of the Goodberry, prepared to inspire
their side with a martial song, while Lesiam is at the helm
in case maneuvers are needed, and Piettro and the Goodberry
crew await his orders. Zelan is catching a ride from
Ping in the water nearby, swimming near Flaqua.
Faenor and Calyps cast protective magic on Zelan,
who also drinks his potion of Freedom of Movement, and begins
using his shrunken air cylinder.
At this point, they catch sight of Listhos's forces.
Two sahaugin scouts have gotten almost to the cave before
they are spotted. Listhos, protected by a small bodyguard,
and the sharkmaster with three sharks, comes straight down
the middle of the battlefield towards Flaqua. He evidently
wants to engage Flaqua in single combat; his bodyguard is
intended to keep distractions at bay. The other sahaugin
fan out to meet Flaqua's forces.
In the wings, Flaqua's troops are out-numbered, but inspired
by Rippick's songs, they hold out. Calyps paralyzes Listhos
with a hold person spell, and Faenor creates a
magically inspired bed of kelp, that ensnares Listhos, his
bodyguard and sharks.
Zelan and Ping take out those in Listhos's
bodyguard that escaped being snared, and then Zelan heads in to
the kelp to face
Listhos himself, since Freedom of Movement allows him
to navigate freely. Mag and Regos go up against the
scouts in the cave, who they slay with some effort.
The sharks are attacking Flaqua, who
is getting severely bitten.
Zelan goes back to heal Flaqua, and Faenor uses a calm
animal spell on the sharks, who head out to sea.
At last, they can take on Listhos, who has recovered from
being held but is still entangled.
A wearied Listhos does not hold up long against Zelan, and with his
defeat, his army bows down in submission to Flaqua.
After the opposition surrenders,
Calyps and Rippick go among the fallen, saving both enemy and
friend with minor healing magic.
- Isthar 12 -20: Adventure: Revenge of the Duped
Leaving Zelan to hold the fort on the Roc's Nest, the Goodberry
returns to the Isle of Peace. There, Regos undergoes his second
initiation, the main reason for the detour.
On the Island, they meet Shadow, a Tomkins initiate who was
on a ship detoured to the island because a skilled artisan
was aboard. Also approaching the island is a small boat,
with Dendrium the doppleganger and the githzerais Kith and Zethis
on board. After Calyps's attempts to turn the strange
looking creatures fail, the githzerai ask to be taken to
Illya. The same Yaga cultists that had duped the Formians
had visited the githzerai, and later the dopplegangers.
After the githzerai refused
to sell them soul-gems, they simply stole them. They had
also engaged in a one-sided exchange of gifts with the
dopplegangers, and convinced a weak-minded
friend of Dendrium's to go with them.
Fearing a never-ending precedent, Illya
does not promise to compensate the githzerai and
dopplegangers,
but offers human assistance in tracking down the Yaga
cultists, and getting Dendrium's friend and the stolen goods
back from them. She assigns this mission to our group
(Faenor, Calyps and Shadow). The PC's consult the
Formians, who have seen the Yaga cultists consorting with
their enemies, the minotaurs, near the front of the Formian-
Minotaur war. Taking the Goodberry to the shore near the area,
the PCs head to the front on foot. Shadow and Kith scout
ahead, finding a battlefield strewn with minotaur and formian
bodies. Then Wyst spots a mysterious raven at the battlefield
(mysteriously not pecking out the eyes of corpses), and follows it
until reaching a trail where one humanoid walked. The group
follows the trail back to a camp, where the Yaga cultists are
waiting in ambush, alerted by their Hound (ranger equivalents) raven
companion. In the subsequent battle, two cultists are
captured and one killed. The two that are captured are
Mechum the Hag, and Rhebus the Hound.
In the cultist's tent, the group finds a crude map of
the Pact Lands, with one place north of the Kuatoa breeding
grounds marked ``Rendezvous with Bloodpaw, Molosh 8-14''.
Dendrium meets his friend coming back from spying on the
Formians and their ork mercenaries,
and talks him into returning to the Doppleganger
village.
Then they hear approaching minotaurs, and decide to retreat
with the captives.
- Isthar 21- Molosh 14: Adventure: Rendezvous with
Bloodpaw
They meet up with the Goodberry at the doppleganger village,
where they leave off Dendrium and his friend. Zethis decides
to head back to the githzerai monestary to report, but Kith
stays with the group. On the way back to the Isle of Peace,
the Goodberry rescues a sailor from the supply ship
Cornucopaeia, which has been destroyed in a battle with
pirates. At the Isle of Peace, a council is convened to
discuss strategies to rescue any other survivors of the
Cornucopaeia. At the council, Mechum is brought in for
interogation. She reveals that the pirate is Captain
Bloodpaw, a Yaga cultist of the Fiend class,
who brought the cultists to the Pact Lands, and
who was providing them trasportation within the Pact Lands.
She also reveals that the cultists' main mission
was to capture and punish a rogue band of orks that had
defected from the Army of Nasthula, and who had become mercenaries
on the Formian side.
The council and PC decide to send large military ships in deep
water, to cordon off the Pact Lands, while the Goodberry
patrols the coast in search of Captain Bloodpaw.
The Goodberry is refitted with a garden and protective
shields on deck, and given a moderately large crew of
sailors with some combat experience. After an unexpected
meeting with a Xorn ambassador, who tries to bribe the humans
into switching sides or remaining neutral in the Formian/
Xorn-Minotaur war, they bump into some Kua-toa who, although
generally hostile, point them to an island where Bloodpaw
made repairs to his ship after the battle with the
Cornucopaeia. They fight a giant wasp on the island, and
find signs that there were Cornucopaie survivors on the
island. They pass the Roc's Nest, and are told that Zelan
and Flaqua are still at the contest to decide rulership
of the sahaugin. However, some sahaugin decide to
accompany the Goodberry, and swim ahead to the rendezvous
point, returning with news that there is a ship already
there.
They head to a spot a few miles to the north
of the rendezvous point on the map they found, but
out of sight.
They send Wyst to scout on the rendezvous spot, and
see the crew of Bloodpaw's ship, the Bloody Hands,
restocking the ship with water and other supplies. Many
of the crew seem to be former Cornucopaieans that are
treated like slaves, but there are also orks, goblins,
and a half-ogre, and a parrot that flies back and forth
between the ship and coast.
They make plans to ambush the Bloody Hands' camp.
However, the parrot (actually, the animal form of a quasit)
is also sent to scout, and spots
their ship before being spotted by Wyst and fleeing.
The hunters become the hunted as they make speed out to
deeper water with the Bloody Hands in pursuit. They
try to lose their pursuers in the darkness, but Bloodpaw
orders his parrot/quasit to scout them out (invisibly). Assisted
by Kith and Shadow, Lesiam gains on Bloodpaw anyway, through
superior seamanship.
Frustrated, Bloodpaw orders his quasit to attack Lesiam, but
when he does, the quasit turns visible, and Kith grabs him and
squeezes him to death.
Without his scout, Bloodpaw loses track of the Goodberry. The
Goodberry makes contact the next morning with a ship of the
cordon, who provide reinforcements (Caparian and Shilala
Dzurri).
That night, the PC's (Calyps, Faenor, Mag, Shadow, and Kith)
with Regos, Caparian and Shilala, row a small boat quietly towards
the Bloody Hands. Using a spell of silence, they eliminate
the sentries without alerting the sleeping crew or those
below deck. Calyps thinks to look for Hikitami cult tatoos,
since many of the Cornucopaeians are Hikitami cultists.
Finding some, these sailors are awoken, and point out other
Cornucopaian survivors. The rest of the crew are silently killed in
their sleep. Then the group proceeds below decks, killing the
officers and guards, and freeing a captive Durin cultist.
Finally, they get to Bloodpaw's cabin. Bloodpaw, who is
awakened by their breaking down the door, arms himself, but
to no avail as he is defeated and captured. They find
the missing Formian crystal in the hold, and the githzerai
soulgems in Bloodpaw's chest.
Triumpantly, they return to the Isle of Peace, and drop
off their new captive.
- Molosh 15 - Molosh 28: The Convocation's Last Meeting
With the Yaga cultists captured, the party
can finally get back to its original goal: investigating
the Roc's Nest. Calyps and Faenor meet Zelan
and Flaqua at the Roc's Nest. Zelan tells them of
the contest that led to Flaqua's being selected as leader
of the sahaugin. Now they have an ally in the area, and
can conduct their exploration in relative safety. They
dig out the area around the circle of stone that they found.
It has some pictographs, which when deciphered convey something
like, ``If you are wise and powerful, you may enter.''
After much discussion, they try a knock spell, (from a scroll,
despite Faenor's objections about the expense) which opens
the trapdoor, leading to a shaft down.
using a Comprehend Languages
spell,
-
Durin 1- Raq 5: Interlude.
After the time displacement effect on Zelan is broken
the group meets with
Illya. Taking their advice, she decides to form a coast
guard to patrol the shallow seas off the Pact Lands, so
that future incursions like the Yaga cultists will be
discovered earlier. She purchases the Bloody Hands from
the PCs as the first ship for the guard.
The PCs divide up the loot from the capture with Shilala
and Caparion. Regos has been offered a commission in the
coast guard, and on the PC's advice, accepts.
The Goodberry needs a few repairs, and the cargo
(Formian crystal etc.) needs to be stowed properly, so
they spend a few more weeks on the Isle of Peace.
Faenor spends the time learning the lizardman dialect
of Draconian from Flaqua and Rippick.
They head back to Molosh in no rush, cutting down to
Westerly then going along the
Molosh coast. A few initiates
catch a ride with them, including Shadow and Sal, a
Hillesa initiate.
They stop for a while in Alexis, selling most of their
cargo of Formian crystal, then head by barge up to Molosh
City. They check into their various cult headquarters, some
advancing level. Then they arrange to meet up in an outdoor cafe
in Molosh City Raq 6.
- Raq 6 -Raq 12: The Farm of Dr. Dineol
Sal, Calyps, Kith, Faenor and
Zelan meet in a cafe as planned, when who should pass
by but (some of) their old friend Elros.
They exchange stories. Elros had been teleported by
a book he was reading into a prison in a ruin in Yaga's
Forest, where he was freed by some local adventurers:
Eldor, Rolly Buckleworth, Bronwyn, and Soren.
Talk with some Revivalists. Do some research. Meet
with Syllara and Geris.
Geris's asks them to look at some prototypes back
in his lab, which has been ransacked.
They trace the thieves to a dump, then to a farm, where
they fight with Dineol and his hybrid animals.
Later, they meet paladin Link at the trial, and investigate
Dineol's townhouse, fighting some more brats in a
storage shack for unwanted magical equipment.
...
- Raq 13 - Ellander 13: The Law of the Sea
Zelan urges the group to head to the Wedge, to fight
undead and investigate the cause of Ilidriel and Dorfan's
mysterious weakness.
Knowing he's planning to go to the Wedge, Calyps's superior
asks him to pick up pyreoak from the Barren Wastes to
use in the Solistice bonfire to ward off a hard winter
for the Wedge.
The group (Calyps, Zelan, Faenor, Kith, and Link)
meets the Goodberry
in Alexis, and heads off, stopping at a promising location
in the Barren Wastes.
They meet lizardmen slaves of kobolds, who seem to be
expecting a human ship. Indeed, a human ship, the
Sharp Dealer owned by Capt. Jaram, has been
illegally selling weapons to the kobolds.
They escort the lizardmen, who help in a confrontation
with the Sharp Dealer. After a fight, Capt. Jaram
is captured and the crew surrender to Link.
The lizardmen are left on different islands between the
Barren Wastes and Hikitami, which already have small
lizardmen populations.
- Ellander 14- Ellander 28 : Sailing to Caerfallin
-
Meet Sithar and Mikel.
-
Link must go back to Hikitami.
-
Illidriel's story.
-
Cure Ilidriel and Dorfan.
-
Decide to head to Caerfallin by direct route ,up
Ghost Strait.
-
Meet ooze mephits.
-
Fight hydra.
-
Mermaid warns them off Submerged City with activated
defenses.
Entering underwater tower despite hail of fireballs
and reach council chamber. Accept position and
deactivate defenses.
Explore tower.
-
Head up Ghost Strait
Fight with lacedons.
Meet ghost ship.
Avoid cairn islands.
-
Enter Yarvis port.
- Gradulf 1 - 15 : Interlude.
Group goes to Wedge, check in with cult headquarters.
Get to know area, prepare for next mission.
- Gradulf 16-21 : Claw and Cauldron Laboratories
Some PC's (Faenor, Calyps, Sal) meet at Whistling Pig pub with
Eldor and Rolly. Learn about their adventure in the
Pit of Darkness. Later meet Soren and Bronwyn, at Eastwatch
Garrison. Some fuss about some initiates who had needed to
be rescued. Bronwyn adds more information to Eldor's tale.
Commander Al-Ibam asks them to set up safehouses while they
explore Claw's Mark.
The PC's with Sithar head towards
Claw's Mark. They fight with some assassin vines;
fortunately,
Sithar can heal them as fast as the vine strangles them.
At Claw's Mark, they meet Baron Levonner and Lilamir.
Lilamir helps them get by Trolltown, and
goes with them as far as the Pit.
(She is investigating reports of evil Yaga clerics leading
orks into the Haunted Lands.)
They explore the Pit, and make contact with light elementals
that had been captured by Three Fingered Claw.
At the bottom is a laboratory with a strange mirror in the
floor. Some nearby prison cells had been destroyed by
the previous adventurers. Searching a bookshelf, they
find a secret door, leading to a tunnel. The tunnel
splits, the first way leading to a cave a few hundred
yards into the Haunted Lands. Before the ghouls find them,
they return to the other direction of the tunnel.
It eventually leads to an airlock, the inside of which
is below freezing. Going inside, they find a flesh
golem meat locker. The other exit is guarded by troglodyte
zombies, and as they fight the zombies, several living troglodytes
arrive.
The PCs defeat the trogs, both living and dead, but hear more
footsteps in the distance. They decide to retreat, leaving
the inside door of the airlock open so the outer one is
locked.
They head back to civilization.
- Interlude: Gradulf 22 -Gradulf 28: Group hangs out in
different areas of the Wedge. Sell books to Baron Levennor,
who also agrees to bring light elementals to Silistar's
attention. Calyps's superior Barnabus forecasts a severe fall storm
on Enkidu 8
- Enkidu 1-Enkidu 6: Lords of the Trogs
Kith, Shadow, Calyps, and Faenor meet in the Hermitage
and agree to return to the troglodyte tunnels. At Trollwatch,
they spend the night and gossip about Baron Levennor with Barath,
who is on watch. The next day, after defeating a
pack of demonic Howlers in the forest,
they enter the tunnels, leaving Sithar behind
in the Pit of Darkness.
Opening the airlock, the group encounters more trog zombies, who
they easily defeat. One of the trog zombies has a scroll case,
and Kith takes out and reads the enclosed parchment, which turns out to be
a glyph of sleep. Fortunately, Kith and Calyps resist the spell, and
are able to drag the others back into the airlock before the main trog
forces arrive.
The two eventually maneuver Faenor, Mag and Shadow back to the Pit
of Darkness, where they come out of their coma-like slumber the next
morning. The group heads back to the trog area, where they encounter
a band of trog zombies and warriors led by their High Priest and two of his
assistants. A pitched battle follows, in which Faenor (in illusionary
disguise as a trog) fights on
pretty effectively (mainly summoning temporary allies)
despite being blinded early on by a spell from
the High Priest. Calyps's spiritual weapon, Mag's teeth and Shadow's sword fell
many of the trog warriors, but the group is also taking many blows from the
warriors, zombies, and the spiritual scythes of the priests.
The party is somewhat shocked when the High
Priest reaches down and drains the life energy from one of his fallen
warriors, but they manage to distract him , causing his
attempt to bring the dead trogs back
to life as zombies to fail. Faenor's summoned creatures
attack the priests from
behind, and the fallen trog warriors clear a path for Kith to reach
and trip the High Priest. After the High Priest falls, Kith zaps
him into submission with Jimmie, his electrical quarterstaff.
At this point, one of his assistants offers to surrender, an offer accepted
by Faenor (who speaks their language, a version of Draconic.)
Upon regaining consciousness, the High Priest, whose name is Khatharth,
accepts their surrender terms. He gives them a guided tour of the trog
tunnels, and causes all the trogs to swear fealty to their new rulers.
In return, they appoint him their representative to the trogs of the
tunnels. The trogs live in a barracks-like arrangement, complete
with running water and automatic (if non-appealing) food dispensers.
With disgust, they find that the High Priest's quarters were once a
library,
but most of the books and furniture have been destroyed over the years.
The group chooses
a new symbol (the ``One-fingered claw'') for their trogs, and has the
symbol dyed on their clothes and weapons with vermillion dye.
- Enkidu 7-14 : Interlude
The PC's weather out the storm back in the Wedge, and do some item creation.
- Enkidu 15-18: Trog Wars, Episode 1
Calyps, Faenor, and Zelan, together with Sithar, and
two initiates who they find recuperating at the Pit of
Darkness safehouse, Ambrosis and Rapsel,
lead the Trogs of the Finger to attack the Bowl. However, in
fording the Claw River, they encounter Unagi, a water Naga.
Unagi summons black tentacles to grab and drown the trogs,
but is blinded by Khatarth's spell and attempts to flee.
Zelan tracks her down and she eventually surrenders after a
good pounding. (Meanwhile, Calyps, Faenor, and Sithar are
trying to keep the tentacles from drowning the entire Trog
army.) She gives them her treasure, including a
crystal ball of divination, and agrees to help them cross next
time and to guard the river ford (in exchange for her life and
vision.) The group captures a Bowl Trog hunting
party, but decide to go back to the tunnels to interrogate
them, since the Trog army is too beat up from Unagi's
tentacles to take on the Bowl
trogs without some rest. The PC's camp in the Claw's Lab in
the Pit of Darkness.
- Enkidu 19-21: Trog Wars, Episode 2
The next morning,
Sal, Nala, and Link meet up with Calyps, Faenor, and Zelan
at the Pit of
Darkness. Nala bears a message for Rapsel and Ambrosis,
ordering them to check in back at Eastwatch, which they
relunctantly leave to do.
They get a description of the Bowl's layout and defenses
from their prisoners, who are willing to convert to join the
ranks of the Finger Trogs.
The Trogs of the Finger march back across the river into
Bowl Trog territory, this time without incident as a cowed
Unagi gives them no trouble and promises to protect their
flank. After camping overnight, they continue on. The
humans quietly eliminate two Bowl Trog scouting parties.
As they get closer to the Bowl, Wyst, flying ahead
for aerial reconnaisance, reports that the Bowl Trogs
are undertaking a military drill, probably in response to
the Army of the Finger having been spotted.
The Finger Army
splits into the main contingent of Trogs, together with
Calyps,
Link, Nala, and Sithar, who will charge the main entrance to
the Bowl. The others (Khatarth, Faenor, Mag, Zelan, and Sal)
will circle around from the north and make a stealthy attack
on the leadership in the High Priest's chambers, jumping down
from the roof to come in from the balcony outside.
The main contingent begins to fight the Bowl Trogs, and the outcome is
uncertain. On the one hand, they are outnumbered; but on the other they
have the advantage of Sithar's influence and a prayer spell from Calyps.
On the south flank, Calyps, Link and Nala face a group of Trog ghasts and
ogre-class trogs, together with the normal warriors. Things look bad when
Link is paralyzed by a ghast and Nala is sickened by the appalling odor.
However, Link's well-trained warhorse
takes him to safety in the back lines, and there are trog warriors to
fill the gap. However, the Finger Trogs are taking a beating from the
Bowl ogres, and Calyps and Nala's summoned creatures are hedged in.
Finally, Calyps turns the ghasts. Being free for a moment, but still surrounded,
he decides to
go for the big guns, using a treasured scroll to summon a pillar of divine fire
that decimates the opposing ranks. The battle turns in the Finger Army's favor.
Meanwhile, after dispatching some trog zombies on the balcony, and downing potions
to
make them big, fast, and strong, Zelan and Sal, followed by Mag,
enter the High Priest's room. Mag keeps the High Priest pinned and helpless, but
the others are kept busy by a chain-wielding fiend-class trog and a trog shadow.
While the others are keeping the officers occupied, Faenor instructs Khatharth to
go out on the balcony and declare himself the new high priest, ordering an
immediate surrender.
In the confusion,
it takes a while for Khatharth to be heard, and meanwhile Zelan and Sal have quite
a fight on their hands. Sal goes down under the
fiend's onslaught, and his previously invisible quasit familiar attacks Zelan.
Faenor rushes in to hold the line with his shalalagh, and heals Sal. She gets
up and fights the fiend to a standstill, while Zelan destroys the shadow, grappling
it with his own shadow spirit.
Mag finally kills the high priest as he tries desperately to cast a spell
while pinned prone beneath the huge dog, and the fiend at least pretends to
surrender. It is then that Calyps' pyre causes a lull in the battle outside,
and the Bowl forces hear Khatharth's demands. Not seeing any of their leaders
contradict Khatharth, most of the Bowl army surrenders, and the hold-outs
are easily subdued.
Over the next few days, the PC's set up the new management, seeing which of the
former leaders can maintain their positions in the new Bowl. Khatharth decides
that holding two locations is risky, and asks permission to move the young trogs
from the tunnels to the Bowl, which is granted.
The remaining undead trogs from both sides are moved to the tunnels, which they
are expected to protect without coming into contact with the living trogs.
A few security measures are decided on. Critch, the fiend that pretended to
surrender, is spotted sending his quasit on some kind of mission. He claims that
he was dismissing the quasit to please his new masters, but cannot repeat this
under Link's zone of truth spell. He admits that he was stalling for time, and was
sending a message to Nadolan, an officer in the Army of Nasthula, who has
headquarters in an ancient tower near the Bowl.
The PC's execute the treacherous Critch.
- Enkidu 22- Hillesa 3: Interlude
The PC's weather out the fall storms
back in the Wedge, and do some item creation.
- Hillesa 4-7: A Haunted Lands Holloween
Barnabus, the presiding priest of the temple of Haran-Tempe (at
Harantempe Springs), asks Calyps to investigate a prophesy he made,
concerning a wave of attackers originating from the Barrow Hills
region of the Haunted Lands. It was scheduled to occur on Sammhein,
a night when ghosts are said to be able to return from the lands
of the dead.
Calyps recruits Faenor and Zelan to go with him. They overshoot
to the east, entering the Haunted Lands by the secret tunnel they
found from the Three-fingered Claw's lab. They backtrack
west through the Ghoul Plains, largely avoiding or outpacing
the grisly inhabitants. They find a cave in a barrows to spend the night.
The cave opens up into a passage, but no matter how long they walk
inwards, they remain at the cave mouth. Dispelling magic allows
them to walk sixty feet down the passage, but they decide not
to go any further, and spend the night at the cave entrance.
The next day,
as they approach the entrance to the Barrow Hills, Wyst, scouting
ahead, sees a row of ghouls facing off with a group of orks in a narrow
canyon. Evidently, there is a mystic barrier the ghouls can't cross.
They climb a hill overlooking the canyon, and Faenor uses his raptor
cape as a hangglider, and buzzes the orks, while Zelan climbs around
them using his shadow tentacles. The PC's easily defeat and capture
the orks, and learn that their captives are AWOL from an Army of
Nasthula mining project further in. They head towards the mine,
using illusions to
adopt cover identities: Zoltan the hound, Feindnoir the beastman,
Crabbits the deathlord, and Sissyphus the nightmare, agents of Nadolan
(an Army of Nasthula officer known to the Bowl Trogs.)
They introduce themselves at the Army camp, but Chuamavar, a Fallen
elf wyrmkin officer (drow sorceress) gets suspicious. When she
casts a spell (of darkness, to cover her retreat) the PCs attack
and severely injure her. However, Darius the deathlord hears the
commotion and returns to camp, healing Chuamavar and breaking up the
fight. When the PCs introduce themselves as reinforcements sent
by Nadolan, Darius is amazed and relieved. The Army of Nasthula had
made a pact with the Fir Bolg, who control the Barrow Mounds.
Every year, the ghosts of the Bolg people, slain by Yaga, try to
return from the lands beyond the mound and exact their revenge.
The Fir Bolg's never-ending task is to prevent their escape.
They had made a deal with the Army of Nasthula: a troop of veteran
warrior's help in subduing the ghosts, in exchange for
protection for the Army's tunnel-digging units. The Fir Bolg had
kept their side of the deal, but the Army had assigned the
ghost-busting to a batch of poorly-trained orks.
That night, the PC's fight with the revived Chuamavar
inside a barrow mound to prevent the
ghosts from returning to the lands of the living. The Fir Bolg gave
them ghosttouch weapons (as a reward in advance). They recieve
commendations from Darius, who still thinks them reinforcements sent
by the all-knowing Nadolan.
On the way out of the Haunted lands, they picked up and freed their
ork captives. They headed straight north to the Haunthold line, where
Zelan headed back to civilization to warn them about the Army's tunnel
project. Calyps's and Faenor's adventures continue in Trade Missions
(below).
- Adventure: Trade Missions: Hillesa 7-14
Faenor and Calyps make some alliances on behalf of the Trogs.
Investigating Nadolan's tower, they are surprised to find
Chuamavar and Nadolan waiting for them with a
mission: purchase Formian Crystal from a smuggler in
Yarvisport. The Formian Crystal proves mostly fake, but they
form an uneasy temporary alliance with Nadolan.
- Over the Sekret Raynebow: Hillesa 15-16
Lesiam staggers into town, having survived the robbery where
the market goods he has bought with the PC's investments have
been stolen by the Armory Gang. The group (Calyps, Faenor,
Zelan and Kith) tracks the bandits
down, but finds that one bandit has left with the most
valuable goods via a magical escape
route, dubbed by Kith the Sekret Raynebow. This leads to a
cloud castle built by the Mistress of Storms (or so the sign
says.) They investigate the castle, fighting its magical
protectors. Then they follow another raynebow down to near
an entrance to the Armory. They defuse the traps (one way
or another) to capture the fleeing bandit and recover their
merchandise. They learn that the Armory Gang is considering
an alliance with the Army of Nasthula.
- Interlude: Hillesa 17- Molosh 15
- Exhuming Nasthula: Molosh 16-20
Nadolan asks the party (Calyps, Faenor, Zelan) to investigate
Nasthula's supposed burial place, in his home Demonspyre, a
mini-Abyss created for Nasthula by Yaga as a reward.
Demonspyre is in the Wedge, and guarded by the cult of Raq.
Asking Amanda for permission to explore Demonspyre, the party
is introduced to Eille (Morgan), who recently entered
Demonspyre to (unsuccessfully) save an acquaintance,
and came back addled.
The party, with Kith and Eille, enter Demonspyre. They make a
temporary alliance with a Barlillith demon, (who was
responsible for Eille's condition) and together fight
their way to Nasthula's mummified corpse and take samples.
Then they betray the Barlillith to escape with their relics,
the corpse of Eille's acquaintance,
and the way to seal off Demonspyre permanently.
- Interlude: Molosh 21- Durin 19, 1005
- Officer Candidate Selection:Durin 20- Beryl
6
The PC's (Zelan, Faenor, Kith, and Calyps) still need to
help Sithar the unicorn reach Angwyn's
Preserve, across the Chasm. Also, Nadolan wants them to
observe the Officer Candidate Selection in the Arena, where
``Nasthula'' is scheduled to make an appearance.
She gives them cover identities, bringing a gift of Mourning
Dogs to the Deaf Brothers.
Eille decides to go with them as far as the area in Claw Mark
where her aunt Greta disappeared.
Faenor is asked (secretly) to investigate
Greta's whereabouts. As a spy infiltrating the Army of
Nasthula, Greta has been under cover as Grima the goblin peddler,
since her ``disapperance'', but she's stopped reporting back.
To save time, they cut across Claw Mark.
They befriend a pack of dire wolves, with whom they share
a hunt and feast of dire boar. Kith meets a Shambling Mound,
almost fatally, but the group manages to destroy the creature
without casualties, to the measured applause of a coven of
hags. Impressed by the party's prowess, the hags invite the
group to a caution tea for gossip. Not all creatures of evil
are aligned with the Army of Nasthula, and the hags think
of the army as pretentious upstarts encroaching on their turf.
Reaching the edge of Nasthuloid territory, they display their
Nadolan-issued credentials and commandeer first-class transport
and lodging until they reach Fort Nasthula. There they make
contact with Greta's agents Jopulus and Hawtor. They learn
that ``Grima'' has been betrayed by
Jopulus, who
secretly recommended Grima for Officer Candidate Selection,
i.e., trial by combat in the Arena. At this point, Faenor
reveals Grima's identity to Eille, who goes ballistic.
The next day, Eille returns.
After intimidating Jopulus into revealing all,
and taking advantage of Hawtor's access to
records,
they learn Greta's whereabouts, and the schedule for Officer
Candidate Selection.
They get to the Arena a few days before Grima's appearance.
Eille infiltrates goblin training headquarters and makes
contact
with Greta, after a tearful reunion.
They investigate the Arena, and find a strange secret supply room,
with a huge stone golem as a centerpiece, before needing to
flee as the Arena is cleared for a secret noontime exercise.
Disguising themselves as goblinoids, they view the matches in
the Arena, volunteering for Greta's ``leadership test'', where
she is supposed to lead goblin volunteers against a fire-breathing
Nessian warhound.
With the PCs to inspire them, and Grima's popularity, a moderately
large batch of goblins volunteer.
With the PCs there to hold off the warhound while she whips the
rest into formation, Grima barely manages to come out alive
and with no casualties on her side.
Greta decides to accept her promotion as Grima in order to get
better information, and is soon to lead
an expedition north to the Goblin Hills.
- Adventure: Brothers and Sisters: Beryl 7-14
The PC's go to the area controlled by the Deaf Brothers,
adjacent to the Chasm, disguised as representatives of
the Army of Nasthula. They encounter a village of
Morlocks, and after a series of misunderstandings, make
contact with the Deaf Brothers. Norma, a gnome trading
with the Deaf Brothers from a village controled by their
archenemies, the Blind Sisters, comes pleading for help.
The PCs stop the Blind Sisters from destroying Norma's
village (in retaliation for the banned trade)
and having their basilisk companions turn the
villagers to stone.
- Adventure: Into the Chasm: Beryl 15 - 20
Zelan and Eille return to Fort Nasthula in response
to an urgent message from Greta. The others (Calyps,
Faenor, and Kith) pretend to get lost on a tour of
the area near the Chasm and enter the Chasm.
They fight shadow elementals, and find an extremely
cure puppy, which charms Calyps and Mag. Faenor
tricks them and kills the puppy. They enter a cave
complex, where they meet a tribe of dwarves from the
plane of fire, azers. After negotiating a truce with
the azers enemies, the yetis, they lead the azers
to a gate back to the plane
of fire. They then encounter a band of proto-githzerai
being herded by mind flayers. After defeating the
mind flayers, they assume responsibility for the hapless
gith slaves.
Later, Calyps disappears while exploring a trail near the
camp.
- Adventure: Interlude with the Vampires: Beryl 15 - 24
Eille and Zelan return to Fort Nasthula to meet Greta.
Greta is worried because her expedition north involves
meeting ``dignitaries'' from the Haunted Lands. She wants
the two to investigate these dignataries, who are currently
involved with a long-term construction project in the
Haunted Lands.
The two go investigate, where they find a dam has been
built to allow the Claw River to be diverted to allow
a group of vampires freer access (despite their inability
to cross running water). To demonstrate the not yet
completed dam to the
dignitaries, a deathlord attempts to summon a water elemental to
lower the lake's water level, but instead, gets Calyps.
Calyps escapes, and Eille and Zelan join up with him.
They investigate the dam, but Zelan gets captured by a
female centaur vampire. With help from Eille, he escapes
and swims the lake to get away. But the centaur shoots
him with arrows from a mighty bow, and he falls near death.
Calyps draws on his ice necklace to freeze a bridge
acrosss the lake that he and Eille can use to cross to
Zelan and heal him. They kill the pursuing goblin party,
and return to sabotage the dam. They tell Greta what they
found, who prepares herself to deal with the vampires
who evidently will be accompanying her mission north.
They go back to the Wedge area.
- Adventure: Alternates : Beryl 20 - 27
Faenor and Kith investigate Calyps's disappearance, but once
Faenor's divination predicts an eventual reunion in the Wedge,
they stop worrying. They start leading the gith ex-slaves
on the path towards Angwyn's reserve. They encounter Teille,
an alternate-reality version of Eille. In Teille's world, the
whole party, including Treta (Greta's analog) investigated the
vampires (presumably, a month or so earlier than in the PC's
world). Unbeknownst to the others, Treta was converted and
then converted all of the others except Teille, who caught on
to her aunt's unusual behaviour and managed to get her hands
on some specialized vampire-hunting gear. Teille hunted down
Treta and Zelant, but then Kin and Faenort chased her into the
Chasm. After wounding Faenor with ordinary arrows, Teille
realizes that he and Kith are not vampires. Later,
the three of them
join forces to fight Kin, who tracked her. Kin's githzerai
abilities enhanced by vampirism make him almost impossible to
strike, but Kith in a sacrifice move allows himself to be
grappled (and in fact holds on despire Kin's draining his
blood). This makes Kin vulnerable to attacks from Teille,
Faenor, and Mag. He is soon defeated, and, while he
leaves the group in gaseous form, he fails to find his way
out of the Chasm by morning and is destroyed.
Later, their trail converges with other similar ones.
A conversation with a squirrel reveals that other, similar
humans have passed by recently. Investigating, they
find yet more versions of PCs. Femur, Ellipse, and Zealot
were accompanying Sithra the unicorn to their world's
Angwyn's Reserve, but Sithra was denied access having been
too tainted with violence. Faenor eventually gets Sithra to
tell him his story. The alternate versions had had similar
adventures to the PCs', but had responded with mindless
violence, leaving a trail of carnage in their wake. In
particular, their attack on the Fir Bolg had resulted in
a blowback invasion of the Wedge by hordes of ghosts, and
they were on probation in their cults. They desperately
wanted a certified good deed on their records. Our versions
give the alternates a good talking to, both scolding them and
urging them on to smarter deeds of valor to clean up their
messes. They all meet up with Sithar's new mentor, who
welcomes Sithar to Angwyn's Reserve. He allows Sithra and the
gith ex-slaves to stay just outside the Reserve. He gives
them an important message: a prophesized plague, but one that
can be prevented if confronted immediately.
He gives them magical assistance to return home to the
Wedge with their message quickly.
- Adventure: The Magic Mural : Raq, 1005
Many of the group are about ready to reach avatar level,
which involves a special ceremony on Sophia Island. Nadolan
asks them, while on Sophia, to investigate a wizard named
Doren, the first recorded modern victim of the supposed Nasthula.
Doren lived on an island near Sophia named after him, and was
also an instructor of initiates for Molosh cult on Sophia.
After
taking some time to prepare and relax after their recent
adventures, they set sail on the Goodberry. They are ambushed
by chuuls (crab-men) in the employ of an intelligent tentacled
sea monster. The creatures attempt and fail to take them
prisoner, and negotiate a retreat. But the Goodberry needs
repairs after the fight, and docks near an island. There they
find a magical mural, attended by a humunculus, who gives them
a magical paintbrush that they can use to paint themselves
into the mural. There they find and rescue the mural's
creator, the wizard Reshec. Reshec had been trapped in the
painting by a pirate, who had erased his hands and legs.
They bring Reshec with them to Sophia.
- Adventure: The Secret of Doren Island, Ellander, 1005
After Faenor's and Calyps's avatar initiations, the group begins
investigating Doren as Nadolan requested. They find out that
Doren lived with an daughter Lektrea at the time of his death,
and (through re-acquainting themselves with Prof. Rolf) that
Lektrea was briefly involved with the Revivalists. They go to
Doren Island, and find a secret laboratory inside Doren'
former residence. Inside the laboratory, they find a cat in
suspended animation, similar to that of the heroes.
They hear of a ``demon's cave'' that the
local fishermen avoid. Exploring it, they find and beat into
submission a Naga and a
djinn that confess to creating the illusion of Doren's
supposed last fight with Nasthula, on Lektrea's orders.
- Adventure: Songs of Sirens and Satyrs, Gradulf, 1005
At Zelan's avatar initiation, the group meets some
unicorn relatives of Sithar. They agree to take the
unicorns to Thorn Island (where they planted phoenix
berries years ago) on the Goodberry. There, they meet
some old friends, Mikel the apprentice herbalist, and
Rhianna, the now ex-guardian of Goat Island. Rhianna
relates that the male satyrs of Goat Island began
harrassing her and she finally asked for a transfer.
Unicorns in tow, the party go to investigate. They find
that the mating ritual music of the satyrs have been
interrupted by the singing of a siren (Yaga-cult bard
equivalent) haunting the nearby waters mooning over his
unrequited love. They capture the siren's ship while he
is seranading the satyrs, and capture him when he
returns. His name is Tyrol, and he is a member of the
navy of pirates reporting to Admiral Basilisk, one of the
Army of Nasthula councillors. While the Admiral was
away on a mission, Tyrol took part in a raid on a ship,
where he took Athama prisoner, after killing her brother,
then fell in love with her. Tyrol had a falling out with
Capt. Grissum, the Admiral's second in command, over
Athama's treatment, and absconded with her, but was still
keeping her prisoner although more comfortably and
was attempting (unsuccessfully) to woo her.
The party take Athama back to Sophia Island, where she
hopes to find her father, and there give Tyrol into the
custody of the Cult of Ellander.
- Adventure: Tyrol's Conversion, Gradulf, 1005
Eille missed the last adventure, because of avatar
training. However, during training, she had met Reubens,
a privateer (and soon to be Jake's PC).
His ship, the Lollipop, had been attacked
by a demonic ship and barely escaped, although some crew
members were lost.
Eille has her avatar initiation. During the ceremony,
she asks Tomkins to explain the meaning of the silver
scarabs. She has a vision of journeying with him through
a magically trapped subterranean compound, where they spy
on Yaga herself as she uses metallic insects to direct
her armies. They teleport away through a liquid pool in
a secret room.
At the subsequent
feast, a new priest seeks Calyps out, having had a prophetic
vision during his initiation. ``The priest with cold
lips \\ holds the key to unleash \\ Haran's blessed
curse\\ to balance Tempe's cursed blessing.''
The party interrogate Tyrol, and find him somewhat
sympathetic. He was raised by pirates since he was taken
prisoner as a young boy, and only viewed
himself as having the choice of which cult to join, with
no choice about joining some Yaga cult. He became a
siren because he wanted people to like him, and had no
interest in stalking or becoming an ogre. The raid was
his first real combat, and he didn't like the bloodshed.
They talk it over with the cult of Ellander, and all
agree that he might be pardoned if he gives up his Yaga
affiliation, and gives them information on the pirates.
In particular, his role was to modify sailor's memories
about the changing route to Piratetown, so he has unique
information about the safeguards. Calyps performs the
ceremony of repentance, which leaves Tyrol an ordinary
young man.
Returning Athama to her father, the party learn that he
recently paid a ransom to the pirates for her return
(together with her late brother and his research partner
Felga). The ransom was a set of magic silver scarabs,
and he gave them to ``Felga'' to give to the pirates.
But Athama told them that Felga was still a prisoner
on Piratetown.
The party then use their globe of divination
and obtain a vision of a likely assassination attempt on
Tyrol. One of them poses as Tyrol and acts as bait,
while the party awaits ambush. They defeat and capture
the ambushing group, led by the doppleganger who had posed
as Felga. The assassins were sent by Admiral Basilisk
to get the scarabs, and decided to kill Tyrol after
learning he had betrayed the pirates. They came
on the demonship
Hellspawn, which would be returning to pick them up in a
few days.
The party recovers the silver scarabs and return them to
Athama's father.
- Adventure: Attack on the Hellspawn, Gradulf, 1005
The party, joined by the revenge-seeking Reubens, decide
to pretend to be the returning assassins and launch a
raid on the Hellspawn.
At Eille's initiation, they remet Dorfan, the paladin they
cured of the life-draining wound. They ask him to help
them research demonships, and prepare an equipment list.
Dorfan decides to join their raid.
After a tense period where the group is almost exposed
by the Captain's quasit advisor, and have to bluff
his vrock bodyguard,
they reach the Hellspawn. Creatively using a pod of
killer whales and a control
water spell to sweep their rowboat onto the deck, they
manage to surprise the suspicious captain.
The fight is chaotic,
but they manage to kill the chaplain, and knock out the
Captain, who is flown away by his vrock. However, the
crew still have some fight left, and the Hellspawn
herself decides to join in at this point. She dominates
Faenor, who announces ``I'm the captain now. All parties
cease hostilities.'' Being near exhaustion, and not
wanting to fight their own, the party does as Faenor
commands.
- Adventure: Piratetown, Gradulf-Caerfallin, 1005
The next day, the party carefully negotiate a deal with
the Hellspawn, who is feeling betrayed by the pirates.
The pirates had promised to recover Soul Tokens
for the Hellspawn. Not only has no progress been made,
but the Hellspawn read the thoughts of a hag
accomplice of the pirates who was aboard a few months
back. When told of the Soul Tokens, the hag had realized
that they were in the Armories along the Haunthold line,
but had gone on to think that the Army would never
consent to waste the Armories' contents on a mere
conveyance.
The party agree to search an Armory (at least, the
one in the Wedge) for Soul Tokens.
But first, they will return to Sophia Island for more
initation ceremonies and to gather supplies. Then
the Hellspawn will take them to Piratetown. This is
revenge for Hellspawn, and valuable intelligence for the
cults. A disguised Tyrol will come with them,
to help infiltrate. An altered Faenor poses as the
``new captain''.
Hellspawn lives up to her side of the deal, taking
them past the many pirate barriers on the way.