Journal Entry 18

Adventure Journal - Session 18

The party decided to rest in the foul smelling troll cave and then attempt to scale the mountain in the morning. The troll king's crown, now identified by Luke and Jaearan as the Crown of Lost Souls, is an evil relic from the distant past. They conclude that they will keep it while looking for a way to destroy it. The next morning the heroes wake and begin preparations for the long and difficult climb to the summit. Syxia wakes to discover that she has a runny nose and fears that she is catching a deathly cold. She's very worried about it becoming more serious and makes life miserable for the party all morning. She informs the party that tieflings, in general, aren't made for the cold, and she doesn't like how bulky clothing makes her look fat. As such, she refuses to participate and instead just wants to wait in the warmth of the cave, no matter how gross and disgusting. Having had enough, Barrack tells her to stay and the party leaves the cave in search of the Palace of Burning Ice.

The climb up the mountain is difficult. Jaeran nearly kills himself by falling a couple times, surviving only due to the ropes fastened around his waist and anchored by Barrack. As they reach an area near the top of the mountain they find that there is a small trail that leads to a small, flat plateau. The party notices five dwarf-like creatures that are blue and appear to be made out of ice and frost. Luke identifies them as the bjurn. Luke explains that they are similar to the Azer, only from the elemental plane of water. The party decides to attempt to talk to them as their odds of sneaking by them were dismal. Luke advances and tries to converse with the bjurn guards, with disastrous results. Combat ensues and the party learns the engaging two bjurn can be difficult because the extreme cold emanating from them slows them down. Despite this, the party wins out and they continue toward a major clearing. As they advance through the snow, the can eventually see a an entrance carved in to the stone wall of the mountain. The walls are shear and the top of the mountain is not far overhead.

Standing guard at the entrance are two bjurn warriors and a large winter wolf. As the party engages them, one of the guards bolts back inside while the other two defend the entrance. The winter wolf's frozen breath is biting, but the party quickly deals with them and enters the ruins of the Palace. The corridor leads to a large, circular room with a large hole in the middle. There are several corridors leading in with two bjurn and another winter wolf guarding a door to the northeast. As the party moves forward to engage the guards their trap is sprung and four more guards enter from the corridor. It is clear that they hope to overwhelm the party and disrupt their normal battle plans by engaging them from many angles. The party, Barrack in particular, make good use of the chasm in the middle of the room. The winter wolf, the most dangerous of the enemies, is forced into the rift and it plummets to its death. The bjurn put up a good fight, but the heroes win out in time.

The party finds a passage that leads up, and one that leads down. The one leading up ends in a door. The party listens at the door and hears a great amount of commotion. As they bust in the door they see a large room containing four bjurn, a winter wolf and a large frost giant sitting on an icy throne. The frost giant, named Brokke, is arrogant and tells the party that he is going to break them to pieces and encase them in ice. Combat ensues with the winter wolf and bjurn forming a defensive screen in front of the frost giant. The giant calls launches icy arrows with his giant bow, rains down chillshards and attacks with his giant spear. In the end, he attempts to barter for his life but no quarter is given. The party finds a frostwolf pelt +2, a great spear +2 and many coins.

Journal Entry 17

Adventure Journal – Session 17

Having infiltrated Balthazar’s Tower in search of the second piece of the legendary staff of Angronomir, heroic wizard of the ancient world– Barrack, a defensive minded dwarven Fighter, protector of the party; Marik, a dragonborn Warlock, inescapably bound to a pact made with the fey that grants him praeternatural powers; Jaeran, an elven Cleric upon whom Pelor has granted a modicum of divine power; Luke, a cloaked half-elf Wizard of arcane might; Syxia, a tiefling Rogue, dark daughter of a cursed bloodline, her ancestors given to the infernal worship of fiends; and Ur-Kadar, dragonborn Paladin of Bahamut, a holy warrior dedicated to upholding the tenets of his faith and dispensing justice with his powerful axe – began by searching for the remaining rooms in the third level of tower.

The party is surprised to hear the sound of the levitation tube activating and braces for combat. To their surprise, and relief, it is their dragonborn warlock, Marik ascending into the main room. Although he looks like he has recovered from a grave illness, he assures the party he is fit to help them with this challenge. His arrival is timely as Syxia has become ill and is incapable of continuing. Whether it is due to a broken fingernail, wardrobe malfunction, lack of sleep, pouting due to lack of treasure or gender related illness is unclear. Preferring not to question her about it, the party moves on and inspects the rest of this level. They find a workshop with a variety of tools that look to be used for the assembly of constructs, a library of sorts that contained material on the research conducted in the tower that dealt with the mysteries of the human soul and the creation of golems and such, and a bedroom adorned with the sun and stars.

After inspecting this level, Syxia crosses the bridge through the cracking wall of energy, locates and then pulls the lever initiating the levitation tube to the next level. The party ascends to the next level to find themselves in a dark room that is filled with cobwebs. They recoil as they hear the mechanized sounds of gears turning and the chink of small steel tips reverberating off stone. Luke lets a scorching burst fly in an attempt to create light and burn down the cobwebs. These webs, however, are more resilient than normal they all don’t burn away immediately. Suddenly, a small, metal spider construct leaps from behind the webs and attacks Barrack. Barrack raises his shield in time and knocks it to the ground. From the doorway to the right another spider emerges and leaps into combat. The heroes engage the spiders and are largely able to fend off their leaping attacks all while avoiding the burning webs and choking smoke. Their efforts, however, have attracted a new foe. Lumbering into the room is a vaguely humanoid-shaped creature is composed entirely of webs, except for its eight spider-like eyes and sharp mandibles. Luke recognizes the creature as a web golem.

The area around the golem is a swirling storm of sticky threads that slows anyone near it and makes attacks against it more difficult. The golem also has exceptional reach and its sticky tendrils are capable of grabbing anything it touches. The party recognizes that the construct is vulnerable to attacks by fire and they attack it with every fire based assault they have. Barrack pounds the golem with his hammer but ends up being stuck to the beast, unable to move. Jaeran blinds the beast with a searing ray of light, but the golem retaliates by grabbing him and slamming him into the floor. In the end, the party endures and golem and the mechanical spiders are destroyed. The party scours the level and discovers several bedrooms that must have been used by the artificers working in the tower. They have not been used for a long time. Syxia again traverses the iron bridge, flips a switch and the party ascends to the top level of the tower.
This levitation portal opens to an expansive room the full size of the inner tower. They survey the room to see two large robotic beasts before them, five unfinished sets of infernal armor, a small metallic drake and a shield guardian adjacent to a robed, humanoid construct yielding a magician’s staff. It takes a few seconds, but the constructs spring to life and the robed figure, who we’ll call Balthazar’s Assistant, vocalizes with a strange, humming sound. Dialogue ensues with the Assistant asking repeatedly where the creator was and when he would return. Marik begins inching toward the door that the Assistant infers leads to the Staff segment. Ur-Kadar creates a clever ruse where he tries to convince the Assistant that they are his latest creations and that they were sent by him to recover the staff. Unfortunately, this does not compute with the Assistant’s linear logic and the situation devolves to combat.

Ur-Kadar and Barrack surge forward to engage the two large mechanical defenders allowing the other members of the party to focus on the smaller targets. Luke conjures a massive stinking cloud that destroys two of the incomplete minions and damages the shield guardian and the Assistant. The Assistant stays near the shield guardian, who soaks up much of the damage. The Assistant then does something unexpected and unseen so far by the party. He raises his staff and dispels the poisonous cloud. The spark lasher flies to the left and an arc of lighting shoots from his mouth and strikes Marik. The defenders, try as they might, are unable to make any headway as they either miss their targets are their weapons clang off their tough armor. In retaliation, one of the mechanical beasts opens his mouth and a deafening wave of force erupts, throwing several party members back and dazing them. The Assistant continues firing disrupting bolts that teleport their target 5’ if they hit.

The fight continues for some time. Luke has managed to destroy all of the guardian minions. Marik’s Hunger of Hadar inflicted damage initially, but the Assistant teleported to safety while the shield guardian moved out of range. The spark lasher continues to spray the party with bolts of electricity while the large robotic beasts continue to trade blows with Ur-Kadar and Barrack. The group realizes that they must change up the battle and focus on the Assistant. Barrack uses his shield and gauntlets to open some space and separate the two constructs. Jaeran then charges forward to engage the guardian and Assistant and calls upon Pelor to create an area of consecrated ground. Barrack then follows Jaeran as they plan to focus their attacks on the Assistant. Meanwhile, Ur-Kadar is finally heating up and manages to destroy one of the massive constructs. The Assistant raises his wand again and with a blast of arcane energy destroys Jaeran’s divine zone of healing. Luke and Marik, who have been concentrating on the spark lasher, take one more blast of electrical energy before they combine to destroy the pest.
The remaining large defender seizes the opportunity to move and engage the elven cleric. Its large metal jaws strike twice viciously, knocking him unconscious and near death. The Assistant then turns in the direction of Marik and Luke and unleashes a shriek of deafening thunder. Marik absorbs the full effect of the blast and he crumples to the floor, while Luke manages to ward off most of the damage. The party is now down to three combatants. While Barrack is exchanging blows with the shield guardian, which is tantamount to two stones smashing into each other, Ur-Kadar bears down and raises his mighty axe. He lands a critical blow on the beast and sends metal parts scattering. His next assault both finishes the automaton but also heals Jaeran, who was very near death, as well. Barrack finally reduces the shield guarding to a small mound of rubble, leaving the Assistant all alone. The remainder of the fight doesn’t last long and the Assistant is powered down for good.

A quick search of the room reveals a handy haversack in a desk. Inside the sack are a +2 Pavise Charm, +2 Baffling Cape, potion of clarity, Boots of Unchecked Passage, and two stones that are laced with arcane power. In the desk is also a notebook of some age. Thumbing through the back of the notebook it appears that the writer discovered the location of the Temple of Elemental Chaos, where he believes more pieces of the Staff of Angronomir reside. Remembering the reason they came in then first place, they open the door to reveal yet another iron bridge. Only this time, the bridge has two small arms that extend out the side and the staff segment appears to be powering the wall of crackling energy. Luke uses his mage hand to recover the Staff piece and the strange black lightning suddenly ceases.

Barrack, always curious, follows the bridge over the small room on the other side and attempts to smash out a window. While it is magically sealed, the stubborn dwarf turns his attention to the stones holding the window in place. Although it takes almost an hour, the party wisely chooses not to interfere with a determined dwarf who is perturbed about his recent battle. They conceded that it is better for the stone to feel his wrath than any one of them. Eventually, the stone is dislodged and he peers into the land beyond. For what must be miles around the tower, the land is charred and desolate, with little vegetation and no signs of life. Satisfied, they return to the main room and Jaeran prepares the portal back to Nelatharian’s.

The party arrives in Neltharian’s cellar. Neltharian greets them and asks of their recent happenings. They briefly explain what they found in the tower and their recovery of the staff. Luke had joined the two pieces of the staff, thereby proving to Neltharian that they were successful. After a few minutes, the party asks about the third piece of the staff and Neltharian tells him that his research leads him to a location in the Glimmering Peaks. The wizard believes the fragment could be in an ancient temple located high in the snow-packed mountains. The party decides to take their leave and head over to the Crested Cock to consider their options.
They arrive at their favorite tavern and are greeted by Meldrick and his wife. While the crowd is relatively light, Pendingle is strumming his mandolin and singing in the back. He gives the party a wink as they enter and joins them upon completing his ballad. The bard and Luke share a quick pint and Luke agrees to provide another magical light show to go along with his playing. Syxia heads straight for the baths in an attempt to rejuvenate. The remainder of the party reviews their options. Concerned that the party seems to always be a step behind the cultists, Barrack floats the concept of sacking a Tiefling House. It appears the tieflings are in league with the cultists and this tactic may provide more useful information. Additionally, if they chose to target Syxia’s House, it would also remove the existing threat of retaliation for her escape. While the plan has merit, they decide to pursue the third piece of the staff. They decide that they will head to the Glimmering Peaks by way of Inequity and Draig Durrock.

Barrack then makes a quick trip up to the Keep to visit with Greven. Barrack updates Greven on their progress, reviews their next course of action and asks him to have someone discreetly keep an eye on Neltharian. Greven scoffs at watching the “crazy old coot” but eventually agrees. Greven informs Barrack that there have been no undead sightings and that Folkestone continues to grow. Satisfied, Barrack returns to the Crested Cock and finds that Jaeran has left to talk with Father Corus. Father Corus has found no information regarding the shield, but has asked his colleagues in Dunwin for assistance. Barrack and Ur-Kadar then travel to the Shrine of Bahamut and fledgling Temple to Kord. Both of these temples continue to grow and so each warrior leaves a handful of gold coins to continue the work.

The party returns to the inn and retires for the evening. They rise in the morning and prepare for the weeklong journey to Inequity. Upon leaving Folkestone, Barrack receives another message from Tolinyr. The eladrin wizard says “Friend, I have grave doubts that the ancient artifact you seek can be used for good. What is broken should not be remade.” Barrack then replies that they would like to learn more and that they should meet so they can discuss this matter in detail. Tolinyr quickly replies that he would like to meet, but he cannot at this time. He will send word when it is time, but he expects it to be soon.

The trip is otherwise uneventful and, upon arriving, they seek an audience with Lord Braccus. They are told it would be the customary 15-20 minutes and they are surprised when Braccus comes down to meet them personally in less than 5 minutes. They exchange pleasantries while they all walk to Braccus’s primary chambers. Braccus appears to be in much better spirits and he confirms that Inequity’s affairs are getting along quite nicely. The port is busy with traffic and the dwarves have even sent their first caravan of trade goods to town. Barrack informs Braccus that they intend on having a discussion with Isenicus from the Moondust Temple. Much to their surprise, Braccus indicates that Isenicus is already in his dungeon. Braccus says that he received the party’s warnings and decided not to take any chances. So far, Isenicus has been unwilling to provide any information. Braccus says that the party is free to question the prisoner, but adds that it must be done discreetly. To wit, Ur-Kadar says “We don’t do discreetly.” Barrack counters by telling Braccus that they won’t leave any visible signs of interrogation.

The party begins by attempting to intimidate the false cleric of Sehanine, but his warped mind does not yield. He refuses to acknowledge any connection to the cultists and professes his innocence. Barrack and Jaeran then remember the man they saved from the clutches of the cultists and they leave to fetch Delyd from the Sun Temple. They are pleased to find that Delyd has become an acolyte of Pelor and he continues to make progress back to a normal life. He agrees to accompany the dwarf and elf back to the Keep, but says that he remembers very little of that black time and will probably be of no assistance. However, as his eyes meet with those of the man in the cell, he freezes. Delyd’s mouth is agape and his eyes are wide with terror and the room fills with the pungent smell of urine. It’s clear to everyone, including Isenicus, that the man in the cell is associated with the demon cult. Feeling for Delyd, Jaeran escorts him back to the Sun Temple and he leaves him in the care of Brother Kleros.

Back in the dungeon, Isenicus’s mood changes and he turns violent and evil. He tells the party that his brothers will succeed in freeing Orcus and that he and his demon hordes will wash Soltara clean leaving on his brothers to rule over the land. He also says that Helvanicus, or Brother H, has already opened three of the portals and they will soon find and open the fourth. He repeats that there is nothing the party can do to stop his brothers. The party is able to find out that Helvanicus is east of Ithacar, somewhere in the wilds of Wysteria, searching for the remaining portals of power. Knowing they have learned all they can, they leave the prisoner and inform Braccus of what they have learned. Braccus then sentences Isenicus to die and he will be hanged as a traitor at first light tomorrow. Finally, Braccus asks Barrack to serve as an emissary of Inequity and seek a stronger bond with the dwarves of Draig Durrock. He agrees and the party retires to the Black Gull. They set off for Draig Durrock the next morning after watching Isenicus hang.

The party arrives in Draig Durrock after an uneventful week long journey. They are greeted warmly and given the best of accommodations. Thurr explains that they are doing well and that the inhabitants of Draig Drammen decided to join them, in addition to several smaller clans that were hiding in the hills. While they would like to retake Draig Kharrak, they will wait patiently, a skill in which dwarves are proficient, until they are ready. Barrack then asks Thurr if they could leave one of the portal stones with them so that the party could return here quickly. He explains the possible dangers in allowing the portal to remain here, but Thurr agrees to have a special room constructed to hold the relic safely. Finally, Barrack conveys that the leadership of Inequity would like stronger ties with the dwarves and Thurr agrees. The party leaves the next morning for the Glimmering Peaks.

The journey though the mountains is long and difficult. There are several times when the group was close to losing its way when Luke or Jaeran were able to recover. As the group nears the base of the white capped mountains, they stumble upon a large cave emitting a foul odor. With Syxia refusing to investigate, the group decides to investigate the underground lair. The party enters into a rather large cavern with a small, noxious pool on the opposite. The inhabitants, three large trolls are surprised and the party gets the jump on them. Barrack and Ur-Kadar move to the front in an effort to form a defensive wall using the cave’s natural entrance to shield the rest of the party. Two of the trolls lumber forward while the third retreats deeper into the cave. Barrack recognizes the larger one as a cave troll mangler while the other one is a more common fang troll.

The mangler makes its way forward with more speed than one would think given its size. The beast uses its grotesquely large hands to grab and hold on to its victim. It is powerful enough to use a held victim as an improvised club or simply launch them a good distance. Having fought trolls before, the group wisely uses its fire and acid attacks each round. These consist of Ur-Kadar and Marik’s breath weapon, Luke’s scorching burst, and Marik’s gloves of eldritch admixture, which allow him to add fire or acid damage to his cursed targets. Jaeran conjures a blade barrier and Barrack makes good use of his gauntlets of the ram to continue pushing his victims into the blade barrier. Despite Ur-Kadar getting flung like a projectile, and a few more bumps and bruises for the party, they finish off the two trolls and move into the cave. Syxia blatantly refuses to enter such a smelly place despite Barrack’s threats to bind and gag her. Instead, she agrees to stand watch outside the cave.

The party advances to the rear of the large cave where they encounter a fang troll, a bladerager troll and an immense troll standing before a crude throne covered with uncured hides and captured banners. A crown of black iron wrought in an ancient design is hammered—literally, complete with twisted iron nails—onto his head, although his green skin has grown over the crown’s black iron band in places. The fang and bladerager trolls advance to engage the party while the troll king is content to stay back. The party is surprised when the troll king fires a necrotic bolt from his hand. While melee continues, he waves his hand and summons four shades into the combat. The shades take up the forms of fallen heroes: fighter, wizard, ranger and rogue. The fighter shade closes for combat while the other shades move and attack from range. The pitched battle with the forward trolls continues and the party makes progress. The party again combines its elemental attacks of fire and acid and they combine to destroy the fang troll.

A ranged blast from the party dissipates one of the shades but the troll king summons it again on the next turn. As Marik nears unconsciousness from damage sustained in battle, he can feel his soul being gently tugged in the direction of the iron crown. There is no doubt that this artifact is an evil relic. But before they can decide what to do with it, they’re going to need to carve it from its current resting place. As one of the shades flanks the party, the party recoils as they see the troll touch the crown and instantly trade places with the shade. Marik uses the thief of five fates power to steal an action from the troll and buy the party some time. As the bladerager troll is finally put down the party is now free to concentrate all of their attacks on the troll king. While it is a difficult fight, the party holds nothing back and they eventually slay the troll king. While Luke, Jaeran and Marik investigate the crown, the rest of the party picks through the cave and discovers a variety of items, gems and gold worth approximately 2,500 gold pieces. The party’s next move is to decide what to do with the crown and then begin climbing the mountain to find the Palace of Burning Ice.

Journal Entry 16

Journal Session 16

Having defeated a fearsome naga and claiming the first piece of the legendary staff of Angronomir, heroic wizard of the ancient world– Barrack, a plain-spoken dwarven Fighter, powerful wielder of the hammers favored by that strong and dour race; Marik, a reptilian dragonborn Warlock, heir to an ancient and proud lineage, but inescapably bound to a pact granting him supernatural powers; Jaeran, an elven Cleric upon whom the gods have granted a measure of divine power as a reward for his faith; Luke, a cloaked half-elf Wizard of mysterious origins and arcane might; Syxia, a tiefling Rogue, dark daughter of a cursed bloodline, her ancestors given to the infernal worship of fiends; and Ur-Kadar, dragonborn Paladin of Bahamut, the Platinum Dragon, a holy warrior dedicated to upholding the tenets of his faith and protecting the weak with his battle axe – began by considering the man they had seen on the other side of the magical portal near where the piece of the staff had been affixed.

Luke and Marik relied on their learning and experience in matters arcane, and bent their minds to a thorough examination of the portal. They believed that the staff had served as a focus item that kept the portal open, and they felt that if they were to replace the fragment of the staff where it had been affixed, the portal would reopen. The party discussed their options, and ultimately decided to replace the staff and question the man on the other side. With nerves of steel, Luke replaced the staff, and the portal reopened. The man on the other side seemed genuinely surprised to see the gateway open again, and he began pleading for the party to help them. Before deciding on such a course of action, the party had many questions for him. He revealed that his name was Erisend and that he had been imprisoned beyond the portal for longer than could remember. He related that it had been a mighty struggle for him just to maintain his sanity. Based on his clothing, mannerisms and patterns of speech (as well as the content of his answers to the heroes’ questions), the party estimated that Erisend had been held prisoner for nearly 500 years. Erisend stated that he was an agent of House Talnivarr and came to his present location from the Keldarian League – his mission had been to investigate claims of necromancy in the College of Magic south of Dunwin. He claimed to have confronted a young wizard named Marzoth and his betrothed, Lucritica, with a fellow House member, a female eladrin named Gwrach (or, more properly Gwrachallinora). He could not recall the name of his former companion until he saw the ring the party had recovered from the naga, and he was unsure of what might have happened to her. He again begged for the party to help release him. He explained that someone would need to reach through the portal and pull him through. Without hesitation, the party members agreed to this course of action, and freed Erisend, who was very grateful. He was greatly weakened by the ordeal of his long imprisonment, but had barely aged during his confinement. He said that he wanted to get out of the trackless marshes, and needed to return to House Talnivarr and render his report (despite how long he had been gone). The party said that they would escort him out of the Fens and then take him to the wizard Neltharian in the town of Folkestone. From there he would be able to travel by portal to the Great House.

The party trekked through the swamp, and after three days of difficult travel in the boggy murk, returned to the hut of Gwrach the hag. Forcibly taking the ring from a resisting – and pouting – Syxia (after an argument that ended with Barrack silencing her like only he can), her companions returned the ring to the swamp hag. As she slipped it on, she transformed back to her old self – an eladrin wizard. She recognized Erisend, and they spoke privately for a brief period. She explained that she was cursed by Marzoth and turned into a hag. Furthermore, the curse forbade her to state his name and bound her to the confines of the swamp. She said that she missed the Feywild, and instead of returning to the House with Erisend, she decided to return to her homeland. She thanked the party and told them that she would be willing to help them in the future, if possible. She then departed for the Feywild, while Luke performed the linked portal ritual.

The party appeared in the cellar of Neltharian, who let them up into his shop after hearing them arrive. The party introduced Erisend to the wizard, and after several minutes, Neltharian was convinced that his story was true; he then sent Erisend off via a portal to the Great House. Neltharian then turned his attention back to the party; he had news for them. He reported that one of his “associates” in Carrowheel, one Polliver Dourstone, had investigated the house of Danelious Zharam, and was surprised to find the place deserted. In fact, it looked as though it had been empty for a long time (but, curiously, the taxes had continued to be paid). Also, he had discovered a teleportation portal that he believed led to Balthazar’s Tower. Neltharian noted that he was also working on determining the location of the third piece of Angronomir’s staff, believed by some to be hidden somewhere in the Glimmering Peaks. Finally, he confirmed that the piece of Angronomir’s staff that the party had recovered was indeed authentic. He offered to keep it for “safe-keeping,” but the party insisted that they would like to hold on to it. Neltharian seemed content with that decision, and made no counter-argument. After some discussion, the party decided to use the portal in order to investigate where it led, in the hope of finding the second piece of the staff. After a long and demanding wilderness quest, the unanimous decision was to rest for the night in Folkestone, and proceed with the quest for Angronomir’s staff the following day. As the party prepared to depart Neltharian’s shop, the hulking reptilian warlock nearly collapsed from exhaustion, as his chest heaved in great wheezing spasms. Helping him to a chair, the wizard immediately saw that Marik was still suffering terribly from a serious disease he fell victim to in the Fens, and informed the party that they must proceed without him. Marik would rejoin the party as soon as he was well; in the meantime, Neltharian agreed to look after the dragonborn warlock and nurse him back to health given his grave condition.

The party then headed directly to The Crested Cock, where they presented their old friend, Meldrick the innkeeper, with one of the hydra’s heads. They noted with some pride that Folkestone was continuing to grow and prosper. The heroes could see that Meldrick was pleased with the large crowd gathered in the tavern that night listening to Pendingle the bard, who was entertaining the crowd with a bawdy limerick about nymphs.

When summoning nymphs be prepared
For they might have their naughty bits bared
But, listen up smarty!
If its brought to the party
You can bet it is meant to be shared!

Luke was thoroughly amused, and ordered several rounds of strong ale. He offered to add a light show to Pendingle’s act using his powers of prestidigitation. He did just that, and the assembled tavern patrons hooted and hollered with delight. Pendingle then broke into another song about a Goliath who practiced ballet. Luke remained in the tavern all evening, continuing to drink heavily. After retiring to her room to change, Syxia looked for Belandor, corporal of the guard, only to find out that the handsome warrior was on duty in the keep, and could not be reached. Disappointed, she sat at the bar nursing watered wine, and turned away any number of suitors (since none were rich, handsome princes. Or rich. Or handsome. Or princes.) and their offers of ale, companionship or certain amorous activities. Dejected, she instead went shopping to replenish her stocks of clothing, opting for very inexpensive and functional (as well as cute, short, head-turning and tight) items, as well as splurging on lingerie and stockings (hard to come by among dwarves or in swamps, and which would fill half of her backpack). She then returned to her room, and took a long, hot bubble bath and washed her lustrous blue hair before going to sleep in a nice, comfy bed.

After a pint or two of dwarven stout, Barrack went to the keep to see Greven the magistrate. He told Greven everything that he and his companions had learned, and Greven was very impressed with the heroes’ activities and victories. Barrack also inquired about The Animator. With no recent undead sightings, however, Greven assumed (and hoped) that the foul villain was no longer an issue or threat. For his part, Jaeran paid a visit to Father Corus, in order to see if that worthy could relate anything about the magical shield he now carried; he promised to find out as much information as possible. Barrack returned to the inn, and he and Ur-Kadar stopped by the temples of Bahamut and Kord. They found the progress suitable and donated more gold to these divine shrines. They then returned to The Crested Cock, where Ur-Kadar threw a very inebriated Luke over his shoulder, and retired for the evening.

The party awoke in the morning and prepared to head off to Neltharian’s shop. Barrack was getting very impatient with Syxia, as she made the party wait for nearly an hour before she was “ready to go.” He was about to rebuke and reprimand the devil-girl when he received a mental message from their old friend, the eladrin wizard Tolinyr. The eladrin’s voice rang in the dwarf’s mind: “It has been a long time, friend. I have learned a great deal since I departed, and I fear you are being misled. Be wary.” The dwarf tried in vain to send a return message, but the magical connection was gone. Barrack also realized, too late, that they should have sent a message with Erisend to House Talnivarr to make sure that Neltharian was in good standing with the House. Setting off, they arrived at Neltharian’s shop, and the wizard prepared the portal. Feeling that they must trust Neltharian (until they found a valid reason not to), the party stepped through the portal.

They found themselves in a 20’ by 30’ room that contained the outline of a door in the stone wall, and were suddenly aware of an incredibly cold presence surrounding them. Luke and Jaeran realized that they were surrounded by negative energy and would be unable to recover as usual from extended rests. The realization sunk in that the party would have to complete this stage of their quest with only the resources they brought into the accursed place. Resigned to the situation, and their fate, they examined the room for a way out.

On the face of the door was a 4 x 4 grid with a series of numbers (see the picture attached). It had a series of numbers that appeared, at first, to have no connection. Luke used his mage hand to push on the numbers, but it had no effect. Ur-Kadar reviewed the numbers and found that each row and column added to a common number, 44. However, what that meant continued to elude the heroes. Syxia, tired of the puzzle, planned to touch a series of numbers in a random order, but was blasted back into the air by an electrical shock, and landed on her rear end in the midst of her companions. Embarrassed, and angry over a cracked nail, Syxia went to a corner and drew up her knees, and waited for her companions to think their way out of the situation. The party thought about the obstacle for some time before Barrack reached up and touched a number in the top left of the grid. He too was blasted back as a surge of electrical energy jolted through his body. The party noted that if the grid was broken into quadrants, the 4 squares in the diagonal quadrants added to either 33 or 55. Any possible meaning was lost on them. Barrack sought to eliminate another number, and was again subjected to a violent electric shock. They eliminated some numbers by assuming that doubles of a specific number were not part of any solution. After several more attempts, they found themselves no closer to a solving the puzzle. They returned to their initial observation and decided to examine the number 44. Someone mentioned that if you add 4 + 4 you get 8, which is a number on the grid. But could it really be that simple? Barrack reached up and touched the number, then disappeared in a flash of light. Luke followed his lead, as did Ur-Kadar, Syxia and finally Jaeran.

Barrack found himself in a large round room with eight alcoves and no apparent exit. In the alcoves were 6 animated suits of armor and 2 mechanical canines. He had fought the dog-like iron defenders before, but the armor constructs were new to the dwarven veteran. Now knowing when, or if, his compatriots would arrive, Barrack charged forward, pursuing traditional dwarven tactics. He tried to position himself with his back to a wall to avoid being completely surrounded. Luke then suddenly teleported into the room and he attempted to make his way to an empty alcove. He summoned a flaming sphere, and placed it behind the group assaulting Barrack. Ur-Kadar entered the room as one of the armored constructs was destroyed. Barrack was surprised that the constructs were so easily destroyed, until he saw their golden, glowing eyes go out for a moment, then start to blink rapidly. Within a few seconds, the construct exploded with great force. Luke was caught in the blast and faced the full force of the explosion; he was blasted by shards of white-hot, razor-sharp metal, and succumbed to unconsciousness. As he lay dying on the floor of the chamber in a pool of his own blood, his flaming sphere went out. Syxia then entered the room, surveyed the chaos, smiled and drew her wicked blades.
Ur-Kadar and Barrack together could have easily destroyed the animated suits of armor, but the explosions were something new, unexpected and dangerous to them. Luke somehow regained consciousness, but just as quickly was hit by another blast as Syxia’s daggers found an exploitable gap in one of the suits of armor; blood streaming from a dozen serious wounds, the wizard again slumped to the floor. Jaeran strived to work quickly in dispensing his holy words of healing power, but even diving healing was quickly depleted by the exploding constructs. The party recognized that having their dragonborn warlock – who, while capable of deadly ranged strikes, was hovering between life and death as he heroically fought off a terrible sickness many miles away – would have been very beneficial. However, the heroes were able to methodically dismantle their enemies despite suffering a great deal of damage, and the reserves of their powers. Syxia found a secret door that led to a staircase going up. They followed it to where it surprisingly ended in a blank wall. Syxia again found a secret door, and the companions went through.

The party proceeded through the door, and Barrack was attacked by what looked like a huge, animated bear trap. The scythejaw animate clamped on to his leg with brutal force, and he struggled to shake free. The other party members entered a large semi-circular room with several columns. A large brass golem, in the form of a minotaur bearing a massive axe, stood guard in front of the door on the opposite side. The party engaged the metal beast and tried to avoid its mighty swings. After taking several blows, the golem went on a rampage and rushed forward, knocking several party members prone. It followed up the charge with a arcing swing that targeted anyone near it. It inflicted significant damage, but it, along with the scythejaw, was eventually destroyed.

After surveying the room, the party found a levitation tube in the room that might lead to an upper level if it were activated. The party searched for a lever or other way to activate it without success. They then turned to the door. As Syxia opened the door, she saw a wide open space that separated the outer corridor from an alcove. A flat iron bridge with thin decorative guardrails spanned the gap between the two areas. Dozens of bolts of black lightning flicked from one wall to the other, filling the air with the concussive sounds of popping and crackling; a flesh-numbing chill permeated the very air of the place. Syxia steeled herself, and went quickly and quietly across the bridge. She proceeded to the alcove on the other side and noted that a seemingly non-functioning arcane ballista was there, as was a small lever. She pulled the lever, activating the levitation tube.

The party ascended to the next level of the tower, and found themselves in a large round room with an open door behind them. This huge chamber was dominated by a pattern of deep slots in the ground with tangential slots ending inside rings of archaic engravings (see map). The slots formed half circles, one smaller than the other. Inside the rings on the top semi-circle stood two large automatons, each possessing a massive metal hammer for one of its arms, and two more iron defenders. As the party surveys their surroundings, a blast of energy enters the room and exploded. They turned to see that the open door led to a familiar bridge and an active arcane ballista. Unsure of what power the arcane carvings on the floor might possess, the party steered clear of them. Barrack and Ur-Kadar engaged the hammerhands, while the party scattered to avoid the blasts from the arcane ballista. Ur-Kadar was hit by one of the constructs and was knocked back into one of the magical circles; he instantly disappeared in a flash of blue light. The party was suddenly without one of its defenders and the situation grew more difficult and dangerous. And who knew what soul-shredding horrors Ur-Kadar was facing on his own?

The party struggled with the enemy but began to gain the upper hand despite taking significant damage. After many rounds of combat, they heard something from the teleportation tube. Fearing that it could be more mechanical defenders, they turned to see that Ur-Kadar had made his way back to the fight. The fight in the internal tower was winding down, and Ur-Kadar and Syxia turned their attention to the arcane ballista and rushed the bridge. While the agile and nimble Syxia was fleet of foot, Ur-Kadar’s momentum took him to the front. Just before engaging the giant ballista, he plummeted through the bridge, realizing too late that it was merely a clever illusion. Syxia watched in horror as the valiant dragonborn plunged into the stygian abyss with an impossibly guttural shriek. Filled with fury, she leapt forward, the toned muscles of her lithe body giving their maximum effort. As she landed safely with an acrobatic flourish, she sprang to her feet near the ballista. Luke blasted it with force daggers, while Syxia carved it up from behind, her daggers trailing venom and fire. Suddenly, Ur-Kadar appeared in the middle circle of the inner tower. He raised his axe with a determined look in his reptilian eyes and charged.

Within moments of destroying the ballista, the party realized – with great dismay – that Ur-Kadar was wild with rage, and was no longer in control of his actions. He took a mighty swing and his magical axe slashed into Barrack. Luke hurled a chill strike at the paladin to slow him down while Jaeran hit him with sacred flame, in an effort to give him a chance to break free from his domination. Barrack fought back with his warhammer, and pushed Ur-Kadar back in an effort to hold the bridge and protect the remainder of the party. Several staggering blows that would have killed lesser fighting-men were exchanged before the madness drained from Ur-Kadar and his own mind returned. Exhausted, he slumped to his knees and apologized to Barrack and the others. Barrack, breathing hard and soaked in sweat, reminded him that the attack was not his fault, and postulated that the paladin had fallen under a geas. The party rested for as long as they dared; they recognized that they had used a considerable amount of their powers and resources in claiming this level. With a deep breath, Syxia pulled the switch and activated the levitation portal to the next level.

Upon their arrival, the party saw – much to their dismay – an oddly-shaped room dominated by a massive brute made of steel, wood and stone: a slaughterstone eviscerator, a massive construct with a mass of swirling, razor-sharp blades. As the party moved to attack, two additional foes – animated suits of armor, as they had fought before – appeared. The party was split into two groups, and the animated suits of armor were quickly isolated and destroyed, as the party had learned their lesson about destroying the things from afar, outside the range of their explosive death throes. As the rest of the party made short work of the armored constructs, the slaughterstone eviscerator moved forward to attack as its clicking, whirling blades performed a dance of death around the heroes. Syxia was caught in a storm of blades and was severly wounded; she quickly repositioned herself off to the side of the thing – she had learned that she simply could not close with and trade blows with the thing, as its blades were simply too deadly. Instead, she decided to time her strikes, cutting deeply with her magical daggers while dancing just outside (or just inside) the range of the whirling, spinning blades.
In the meantime, first Barrack, then Ur-Kadar hammered away at the eviscerator as Jaeran and Luke attacked it with magical attacks both divine and arcane. Eventually, the whirling blades stopped spinning, as the heroes reduced their opponent to a pile of twisted metal, stone rubble and splintered wood. Exhausted, the heroes bound their wounds and recovered for a moment before deciding on their next course of action.

Journal Entry 15

Journal Session 15

Having defeated the orc chieftain Gorshak and broken the Siege of Draig Durrok – Barrack, a plain-spoken dwarven Fighter, powerful wielder of the hammers favored by that strong and dour race; Marik, a reptilian dragonborn Warlock, heir to an ancient and proud lineage, but inescapably bound to a pact granting him supernatural powers; Jaeran, an elven Cleric upon whom the gods have granted a measure of divine power as a reward for his faith; Luke, a cloaked half-elf Wizard of mysterious origins and arcane might; Syxia, a tiefling Rogue, dark daughter of a cursed bloodline, her ancestors given to the infernal worship of fiends; and Ur-Kadar, dragonborn Paladin of Bahamut, the Platinum Dragon, a holy warrior dedicated to upholding the tenets of his faith and protecting the weak with his battle axe – set out on a quest, and headed toward the Fen of Forgotten Souls in search of the first piece of the legendary staff of Angronomir the Wizard, an ancient hero from the days of old.

The party heeded the wise advice they had been given by the dwarf Torin as they made their way to the Fens. Traveling through a landscape best described as a desolate wilderness far from civilization or the nearest settlement, they had several encounters with small groups of orcs, a couple of ogres and a pitiful band of goblins – all defeated foes, fleeing the battle of Draig Durrok – and they arrived in the environs of the Fens in a little less than a week. Luke’s proven skill with natural surroundings, aided by his keen perception, revealed a little-used path leading into the dead, bayou-like bog. The sun was setting and the Fens were getting dark when the party spotted a light from a small campfire approximately 200 yards off the path. Her adventurous curiosity piqued, Syxia volunteered to investigate the fire (and who or what made it). Keenly interested in preserving both her expensive stockings and her scandalously short embroidered skirt from any danger or damage, she was much too careful about her clothes, and ended up making a great deal of noise “trying to be careful.” Her companions could only shake their heads in resignation at her girlish foolishness. She ended up stumbling into the area and was startled to see an old hag stirring a cauldron. The hag looked up, but seemed to take no notice of the devil-girl, and went back to her business of stirring the cauldron. Holding her breath, Syxia retraced her steps back to the group and embarrassed, told her friends what had happened and what she saw. She was proud to announce that no harm whatsoever came to her clothes. Exasperated, the party decided to make a formal introduction, as the old swamp-woman knew they were there.

The party carefully advanced to a small clearing in which was situated a humble shack; the old woman and her cauldron were as Syxia had reported. The hag eventually looked up at them, but said nothing. After the party made proper introductions, she croaked that she was Gwrach, Hag of the Mist. She asked why they had entered the Fens, and Barrack stated that they had come in search of a valuable item. The hag pressed the dwarven warrior, and asked him “to be specific, as there are many valuable items in this swamp.” Tiring of the hag’s evasive response, he explained that they had traveled to the Fens in order to retrieve a fragment of a valuable magical staff, a mystical relic of the ancient world. The hag spat that “He must have sent you, as he sent the others.” When asked who “He” was, she maintained that she could not (or would not) speak his name and the withered old crone gave very elusive answers each time the part tried to elicit an answer from her. She did state that she indeed knew where the item was hidden in the trackless mire of the great swamp; she even stated that she would help the party if they proved their mettle. It was at this time that the party noticed that the huge tree near the hag’s hovel began to move and sway, and that a series of vines and brambles behind them began to move as well. She told them that she had a riddle for them, and that there was no need to shed blood. Her riddle was this:

Four siblings are they
Two sets of eternal twins
The directions their lives travel are opposite
Yet they will intersect twice in the cycle
For set one, they older they get
The more they turn into the other
For the other set, as they follow their path
They more they stay the same.
Who are they?

She told them that she needed the answer in short order and that they only had so much time. The party members – other than Syxia, who sank down in front of the fire, knowing that she might be more of a hindrance than a help to the others – began thinking and several ideas came to the fore. There was the possibility of day/night, light/dark, good/evil – however, nothing seemed to fit exactly. Time was running out when Jaeran mentioned that it could be the directions North/South, East/West. While this possible solution was initially passed over, the party returned to it after they ruled out all other possibilities. With time nearly expired, the elven cleric shouted out these as the answer. The hag looked up and says “You have done well.” She then told them that they would also have to agree to return an item to her should they find it in the same place as the piece of the broken staff. The party found these terms agreeable, so the old hag told them that they should find a small ring in the same area as the staff. She then gave the heroes detailed instructions on how to safely navigate the swamp and find the resting place of the items. She also gave them unsolicited advice to “flee the frogmen.” When questioned about the bullywugs, she merely repeated her cryptic warning. The party spent the night in the hag’s clearing, and then set out in the morning.

The heroes’ first day of slogging through the seemingly endless bog proved uneventful (aside from the bursting gas bubbles which spewed noxious vapors into the humid air and the buzzing clouds of stinging insects), but the next morning brought new challenges. Luke, Marik and Jaeran all awoke from fitful slumber to find their bodies uncontrollably twitching and shaking. Calling upon his studies of sickness and healing, Jaeran determined that the three of them had come down with a wasting disease known as the swamp shakes. Should the disease worsen, each of them would find his movement slowed and his effectiveness in combat greatly diminished. The group could only plunge deeper into the trackless wetlands, the bodies of their sicken companions at less than full health, ravaged as they were by great thirst and rising fevers. They continued ever deeper into the swamp, following Gwrach’s directions. Syxia was complaining about anything and everything, including how gross and disgusting the Fens were (and how she must have been tricked into coming, as she never would have agreed to undertake the quest had she known how “dirty and gross” the terrain would be) and made clear her desire to search every square foot of the vast expanse of muck and mire – that seemed to continue to the horizon in every direction – for hidden treasure, since she was stuck in the godforsaken place. Much to the relief of her traveling companions, a menacing stare from Barrack finally silenced her for good (for the time being, anyway).

As the sun rose high above the cypress groves, the party came to an open area that had two pools of water with a small land bridge between them. The right pool was black in color and occasionally bubbles, not unlike most of the reeking, brackish fens through which the companions had already journeyed. The pool to the left side was a sickly green in color and smelled exceptionally foul. Jaeran surveyed the area, but could find nothing out of the ordinary except a patch of dangerous daggerthrorn briars on the opposite side of the pools. As Barrack, Jaeran and Ur-Kadar began to make their way over the land bridge, a large black pudding erupted from the pool on the right and engulfed the three of them. Meanwhile, in the forested area behind them, a new threat emerged. A plant-like creature seemingly made of a tangled mass of vines lashed out at Marik. Syxia and Luke took up positions, and combat was enjoined. Ur-Kadar shook off the black pudding and rushed to engage the greenwise vine. Barrack’s hammer smashed away at the black pudding, but he recoiled as his powerful attacks merely created a black pudding spawn. The party quickly realized that more melee attacks would only serve to create more spawn and so they turned their attention toward magical attacks. Jaeran was unable to free himself from the acidic ooze for some time, during which the acidic secretions of the black pudding inflicted significant damage. Ur-Kadar swung mighty blows with his axe, but ended up getting wrapped up in the vines. Just as the party was gaining the upper hand, a blast of electrical energy exploded, and a new enemy appeared from the north. Ur-Kadar managed to finish off the greenwise vine and freed himself, allowing Marik to teleport nearer to the vine horror spellfiend. Unfortunately, the warlock found himself snared in the briar from which the vine horror spellfiend had emerged. Jaeran finally managed to free himself from the black pudding, and the party finally dealt with the pudding and its spawn, allowing Ur-Kadar to charge forward and attack the vine horror. While the horror’s blasts were potent, it stood no chance in melee combat and quickly succumbed. The fight with the black pudding clearly left Jaeran significantly weaker, so the party took a brief rest before carrying on into the gathering mists.

The group’s travels took them to an area that had much firmer ground than what they had left behind in the misty marshes; the area in which they found themselves also had much more vegetation. While this made for easier going, a new challenge soon emerged. As the party was moving through an area of lush vegetation, Luke suddenly spotted a bullywug hop high over him. Known for their territorial behavior, it was a surprise to the party that the frog-like creature did not attack. Within a few seconds, the party noticed at least a dozen or more of the frogmen jumping and running towards them, only to stream around the heroes and continue on with their terror-stricken flight. With a deafening roar and the felling of several small trees, the reason for their retreat instantly became clear as a huge fang drake thundered from the dense vegetation, bellowing a territorial, earth-shaking challenge.

The massive reptile lunged forward, and used its massive jaws to snatch a bullywug – with the briefest of shakes from the mighty jaws of the drake, the miserable creature was torn in half. The meaning of the hag-witch’s warning suddenly dawned on the party. It was also painfully clear that the party had no hope whatsoever of outrunning either the bullywugs or the fang drake. From a rustling nearby, they also noticed that a swarm of small needlefang drakes seized the opportunity and dragged down a bullywug, which was quickly devoured by the swarming beasts. Having experienced combat against swarms, the heroes recognized that the best plan of attack would be to focus blast attacks on the swarm while allowing the defenders to focus on the fang drake. The fang drake bit and held Ur-Kadar in its massive jaws while Barrack pounded away with his hammer, hitting home with blow after furious blow. Luke and Marik fired away at the needlefang swarm and inflicted significant damage. Syxia rushed forward between the legs of the great beast, and knifed it with a deep slash - but the beast barely noticed. With a quickness belying its massive bulk, the fang drake twisted in a circle and used is tail to send Syxia, Barrack and Ur-Kadar flying several feet; all three ended up lying flat on the ground. At the same time, the needlefang swarm was destroyed without it inflicting too much damage. But the huge fang drake proved to be a much more dangerous adversary. The beast unleashed a frightening roar that stunned all but the elf cleric.

Realizing that they were in a tough spot indeed, the cleric attempted to buy the party some time by commanding the fang drake to run away. His divine-powered attack on the unintelligent beast was successful, and the drake turned and lumbered off into the gloom of the gathering dusk. The party reacted quickly and sought to take cover, should the beast return. Sehanine shined on them as the stupid beast was distracted and elected to pursue other prey that would not fight back so fiercely. They were thankful for their luck and pressed on. As darkness crept across the land and finally set in, they found a nice area, both raised and dry, to camp and settled in for the night.

The first two watches passed uneventfully, and Jaeran and Ur-Kadar took the final watch. Less than an hour before dawn, Ur-Kadar noticed Jaeran suddenly stand up and begin walking away from the camp. He tried to talk with him, but Jaeran just stared blankly ahead as he walked. Ur-Kadar quickly roused Barrack and then headed off after his compatriot. It looked to the paladin as though Jaeran was being pulled directly into a nearby pond. Sensing he must act quickly, Ur-Kadar tackled the cleric as he approached the edge of the water. Ur-Kadar’s shouts for help roused the rest of the group and they readied themselves for action. Without warning, the party came under swift assault from all sides by four dread zombies, a zombie hulk and an undead spirit with telekinetic powers, which they recognized as a poltergeist. The party could not have known that the site they had so carefully chosen for their campsite was a burial mound dating from an older, pre-human settlement. The poltergeist stayed away from the party and attacked from a distance. They also recognized that they were dealing with at least one will-o-wisp. Jaeran, by then recovered, raced back to the camp and called upon the divine light of Pelor to destroy the undead. He was able to inflict significant damage on three zombies and the zombie hulk.

The massive, rotting hulk was able to dish out terrible damage with its fist, so the party elected to concentrate on destroying it. Luke also used color spray to inflict even more radiant damage. A second will-o-wisp appeared, and pulled Luke close to the zombie hulk and it unleashed a flurry of blows, knocking the wind out of the wizard and blasting him to his knees. To add insult to injury, the bloodied wizard then had his life force drained by the will-o-wisp. The divine powers of Jaeran and Ur-Kadar combined with the efforts of the rest of the party to turn the tide, and the zombies and poltergeist were eventually destroyed while the crafty will-o-wisps flittered off in search of other victims as dawn broke over the campsite. The party rested a bit, broke camp and then continued on with their quest. They recognized that they were very close to the end of their journey, as the range of mountains that ringed the great swamp was drawing ever nearer.

The trail the group was following ended in a large fog bank that had settled in along the edge of the swamp and a series of steep cliffs. The party hesitated before proceeding. As they begin to form a plan, a high pitched roar echoed through the mists, and the fog begins to break, granting the party extended vision. They saw a large four-headed swamp hydra emerge from a large cave and advance towards them. They thought that this surely must be the guardian they expected to meet. With incredible quickness, the hydra’s heads let fly several acid streams that hit the party. They had to decide whether to flee or engage the beast, but this party has yet to retreat. The two defenders charged forth across the difficult, swampy terrain and made their way toward the beast. Syxia decided to veer left through the mist in an effort to gain surprise. Unfortunately, her terrified screams told her companions that she had landed in a morass of quicksand – the damsel was in distress and needed rescuing. Jaeran attempted to aid in pulling out the sinking girl only to land himself in the deadly quicksand. Marik was forced to detour and help his fellow party members, and with his assistance, they managed to safely extract themselves from the clinging and deadly obstacle.

As Ur-Kadar and Barrack bravely slashed and hammered at the hydra, the multi-headed beast spat acid in all directions and occasionally landed a bite attack on its adversaries. True to his nature (and his history against reptilian creatures), Ur-Kadar attacked with a superhuman fury, landing two critical hits that managed to sever one of the hydra’s heads. Much to their surprise, two new heads sprang from the bloodied stump and swiftly attacked. To make matters worse, the severed head, now many feet away from the hydra’s main body, continued to spit steaming gouts of acid. With several shouts, Barrack directed Syxia, Marik and Luke to put down the severed heads while he, Ur-Kadar and Jaeran focused on the hydra itself. Ur-Kadar continued to unleash massive strikes in an almost trance-like state while Barrack’s hammer thudded home, resulting in yet another severed head. Now facing a six-headed monster, Jaeran consecrated the ground around them and focused his efforts on keeping the melee combatants alive. The party left little to chance, and threw all of their energy into defeating the aberration. It requires a great expenditure of resources, but the party eventually killed the monster.

A quick inspection of the large cave reveals a locked, steel door in the rear of the place. Syxia examined it, determined that there were no traps and then successfully picked the lock. To their surprise, instead of leading to a treasure vault or temple room, the door simply opened to a metal ladder that led down in stygian darkness. After descending nearly 100 feet, the ladder ended and the party found themselves in a large underground cavern (see map above). They recognized that they were on a ledge, 20’ high above a cavern below, which looked to be divided into three passages. The middle passage was clearly visible and contained a large 20’ pit filled with a mass of hissing, deadly snakes. Guarding the rear of the passage was a medium-sized stone statue. The party also noticed a faint light coming from the back corner of the cavern. As the party made plans to descend from the small ledge, a large snake-like beast with a humanoid face, known to Luke as a naga, appeared in the center passage and hurled a blast that exploded in a clap of thunder. Several party members were dazed and damaged by the electrical impulse.

They quickly rebounded and decided to descend the ledge quickly rather than sit back and be target practice for the naga. Syxia deftly tumbled down to the cavern floor, and the others quickly climbed down – with the exception of Ur-Kadar, who stumbled and fell, landing with a terrific thud. Luke was about to descend when the naga hit him with a ray that immobilized him. Luke, who had previously created a poisonous cloud of cloying, noxious fumes, was content to merely sustain it. Barrack moved forward to engage the statue in a combat, and the foes engaged for an extended period, neither yielding to the other, both as tough as stone. Jaeran rushed toward the left passage, only to find it guarded by a large swarm of tangler snakes. He was quickly engulfed, and his panicked shrieks announced to his companions that he was entangled and unable to get away. Ur-Kadar and Marik came to his rescue while Syxia’s curious nature got the better of her (again), and led her to explore the right passageway. Syxia found that her passage was guarded by a similar swarm of snakes. Not wanting to meet Jaeran’s fate, she slowly back-peddled out of the passageway. Meanwhile, back on the ledge, Luke continued to bear the wrath of the naga, who continued to target him mercilessly with its word of pain. The wizard’s agonized sobs echoed across the cavern as he twisted under the wicked magic of the snake creature.

Ur-Kadar and Marik freed Jaeran from the snakes entangling him and dealt with the first swarm of snakes. Barrack was still engaged with the statue, but was slowly trying to fight his way toward the naga, who continued to torture the agonized Luke. Syxia engaged the second swarm and was making good progress in destroying it as Jaeran slipped by in an attempt to make a run at the naga. However, the naga again targeted and hit Luke with its baleful magical attacks, rendering the wizard unconscious. Ur-Kadar, sensing Luke’s plight, was able to utter healing words as he attacked and so helped the wizard. Luke, prone and recovering consciousness, was able to maintain his spells and heroically struggled on despite his grievous wounds. Jaeran finally turned the corner of the right passage and engaged the naga only to have vile acid sprayed in his face at point-blank range. Meanwhile, Barrack’s hammer finally destroyed the statue and he raced forward to engage the naga, which was then forced to focus on melee combat which was revealed to be its weakness. Ur-Kadar and Marik finished off the snake swarm and also rushed to engage the naga. The reptilian beast slaps Ur-Kadar, toppling him into the snake pit, where he took damage from both the fall and the deadly vipers in the pit. However, by then surrounded and forced to engage in melee combat, the naga had no chance and was finally laid low by the heroes. The party quickly pulled Ur-Kadar out of the pit and inspected the cavern.

They found a very small altar of sorts near a gleaming portal toward the back of the cavern. Piled upon the altar were 300 gleaming golden coins, a ring (presumably belonging to Gwrach), a periapt of recovery +2 and a suit of chainmail +2. Luke also noticed that on top of the gleaming portal, fixed in a metal holder, was an aged piece of wood. As he approached the portal to pull the broken staff fragment from its holder, he peered into the magical passage to another place. Beyond the portal, he saw a small room, perhaps 10’x 20’, that looked very simple. As he loosened the fragment of the staff, he saw a ghastly looking man, with long black hair now partly silvered by time, turn the corner into the room. His eyes went wild with rage as he recognized that Luke was reaching for the staff. The unknown man yelled "No!" as he outstretched his hand just as Luke pulled the staff to his chest and closed the portal.

Journal Entry 14

Journal – Session 14

Having joined the last remaining defenders of Draig Durrok, a besieged dwarven fortress – Barrack, a plain-spoken dwarven Fighter, powerful wielder of the hammers favored by that strong and dour race; Marik, a reptilian dragonborn Warlock, heir to an ancient and proud lineage, but inescapably bound to a pact granting him supernatural powers; Jaeran, an elven Cleric upon whom the gods have granted a measure of divine power as a reward for his faith; Luke, a cloaked half-elf Wizard of mysterious origins and arcane might; Syxia, a tiefling Rogue, dark daughter of a cursed bloodline, her ancestors given to the infernal worship of fiends; and Ur-Kadar, dragonborn Paladin of Bahamut, the Platinum Dragon, a holy warrior dedicated to upholding the tenets of his faith and protecting the weak with his axe – the heroes were determined to break the siege and rout the attacking forces led by the orc chieftain Gorshak.

The morning began with the party keeping a keen eye on Gorshak’s army. Much to their surprise, the orcs did not seem to be preparing for another assault; instead, it seemed as though the orcs were content to remain in their camp and wait for their fearless leader’s orders. Meanwhile, given this respite, the dwarven defenders worked tirelessly to reinforce the main gates and walls of the Watch. Several dwarves had constructed a row of crossbows mounted to a moveable stand. This ingenious device could unleash a flurry of bolts at one time, so it was placed slightly behind the main gates on the chance that those iron-banded portals were compromised. The second day of the siege ended without the feared orcish onslaught.

During the second watch of the night, the party was awakened by a massive fireball that erupted from the midst of the orc encampment to their right. While the party scrambled to the top of the walls to view the carnage, they heard rakish laughter coming from beside them. They turned to see the familiar face of The Fish, laughing so hard he was nearly doubled over. It took the Rogue a few minutes to calm down to the point that he could explain himself. “Stupid goblins,” he sneered. He claimed to have snuck into the orc camp disguised as an orc, and was able to convince a few of the goblins to make a hearty stew using rabbits he provided, as well as “special” ingredients he gave them. He said that the vial he gave to the unwitting goblins had contained two substances provided to him by Neltharian. The Fish stated that the Wizard had told him that if the substances were combined and heated, they would produce a dramatic explosion. As it turned out, Neltharian was absolutely right. The Fish also indicated that Neltharian had heard of the dwarves’ plight; the council had therefore sent him to assist with ending the siege.

He also bore a message from Neltharian for the party: the Wizard believed that he had finally discovered that the third piece of the staff; it was reputed to lie somewhere in the vicinity of the Glimmering Peaks. Neltharian advised them that after the siege of Draig Durrok was broken, the party should go to the Fen of Forgotten Souls, retrieve the first part of the staff and return to Folkestone. The party indicated that such a plan was agreeable, and that they would return to Folkestone following the completion of the quest for the first piece of the staff: the heroes weren’t sure how to find the first piece of the staff, but they vowed to find it if it was there. The Fish told the party that he would stay and assist the dwarves in defending their fortress, but that he could not accompany them to the Fen, as he had “additional business” to attend to. He estimated that his little bit of sabotage probably killed 100 orc drudges – “Not a bad start,” he said. The rest of the night passed uneventfully.

The third day started similar to the last, as the orcs remained in their camps. From the walls, it appeared as though Gorshak had called his most trusted warriors and/or clan chieftains to a meeting that lasted several hours. Waiting and scheming does not usually run in orcish blood, and the seemingly endless pause in the siege made the dwarves a bit nervous. However, hope began to build that the reinforcements from Draig Drammen might actually arrive in time to join the defense. The heroes and their dwarven allies reasoned that if they were to attack the rear of the right camp, there was a chance that launching such an assault could rout the orcs quickly. The sun went down, blood red against the mountains, and the party decided to send Syxia out in an attempt to poison the boars that served as the mounts for a band of orc warriors. Drawing a lethal vial of deadly poison from its hiding place between her breasts and flashing her gleaming white fangs in a smile, the stealthy Rogue disappeared into the gathering dusk. The Fish also went out – by himself – for reconnaissance and various mischief-making feints. The left flank of the orc battle encampment was extremely well-guarded, and Syxia was unable to penetrate their defenses and get to the boars. At least The Fish’s venture appeared more successful, as he claimed to have killed 10 more orcs, and also learned that Gorshak’s reinforcements and the “powerful weapons that would destroy the gates” were to arrive the following afternoon. The Fish has overheard Gorshak declare that after his troops destroyed the walls, they would be bent on pushing the dwarves out of the Watch, before proceeding directly to Draig Durrok, laying waste to everyone and everything in their path. This was most unwelcome news to the heroes and dwarves alike. Fearing he would be discovered, the Fish had fled before he could learn the nature of the weapons Gorshak so eagerly awaited. The rest of the night passed uneventfully, but few of the defenders were able to sleep.

The fourth morning also started uneventfully, but there was much excitement in and around the orc encampments. Shortly after noon, a great guttural cry arose from the black throats of the gathered orc-host, and their war drums began to beat an ominous rhythm. It quickly became clear to the defenders that this day would see blood; their hopes of reinforcement were dashed. While they were trying to get a glimpse of what new horror Gorshak was going to unleash upon them, they saw the encampment to the right begin to withdraw, as the left side of the encampment begin to line up and march to the right. The orcs sent a wave of the lowest level of their drudge minions and some unlucky goblins to make an assault on the walls, but it was evident that this was merely meant to keep the dwarves busy. After the majority of the orcs had shifted to the right, the party was finally able to see what was headed their way. They could make out the shapes of two massive cave trolls being led by 10 orcs using chains to control the great brutes; this grisly entourage was led by an orcish Blood Shaman.

The party quickly realized that the cave trolls, with their massive, powerful fists and near-magical ability to ignore most damage, would be able to easily wrest the gates from the Watch - or merely hammer the walls to rubble. They therefore acted decisively: the Fish was left to guard the Watch while the party snuck out the back exit and put themselves between the trolls and the Watch. They alone had the power to confront this menace, and they were not about to shy away from the confrontation. The situation also presented them with another possibility – if they were to defeat the trolls, they would have a clear path to Gorshak. This was the first time this opportunity had presented itself and they quickly recognized that killing the orc leader would probably mean a quick end to the siege. First, of course, they would have to deal with the trolls.

Barrack knew that the secret to dispatching the trolls would be to continually hit them with fire and acid damage, which would keep them from regenerating. Luke knew that his flaming sphere would come in handy here, much like Syxia’s flaming dagger and the Dragonborn’s breath weapons, whether Marik’s acid or Ur-Kadar’s flame. As combat ensued, the drudges proved no match for the heroes, and they quickly perished beneath the attacks of various party members. The Blood Shaman stayed back, and wisely used the trolls to keep the party away from him. The trolls presented a new challenge, as the party had not faced them before and their tactics were unknown to the adventurers. Of course, it did not take the intelligence of a Wizard to realize that they should stay out of the way of the pounding fists that were the size of boulders. Barrack and Ur-Kadar put themselves in harm’s way, as usual. One of the trolls responded by grabbing Barrack and launched him into the rock wall many feet away. The other monstrosity grabbed Ur-Kadar, who was unable to escape its grasp. The beast then used the dragonborn as an improvised weapon and swung him wildly like a club. The troll managed to connect with Syxia, slamming the hulking Paladin into the slight Rogue, damaging both and dazing Ur-Kadar. However, the party would not yield and began to work as a team. Luke seared the putrid flesh of the trolls with his conjured flaming sphere and scorching bursts; Syxia’s wicked flaming knife flashed, biting deep and sending arcs of black troll-blood high into the air; Marik blasted away with his witchfire and followed up with a rain of eldritch blasts; and Jaeran used divine power to command his enemies around the battlefield. While the defenders soaked up blows that were healed by Pelor’s disciple, the tide turned and the heroes won out with a coordinated effort. They were then presented with two options.

They could retreat to the Watch and draw the siege out, or attempt to rush Gorshak and end the affair then and there. As they looked back to the orc army, they could see that they were enraged and would likely charge the party. To have any chance, they would need the dwarves to sally forth from the Watch and intercept the orcs, in order to give them enough time to deal with the orc leader. Just then, they saw the gates of Draig Durrok lower and Thurr, adorned in his battle armor, charged forth with the remainder of his forces. The Fish then led the dwarves out of The Watch and into a line in an effort to hold back the orcs. The party then realized that they had but one choice: to face Gorshak.

His forces were overwhelming. On the near side, the mighty orc leader had his shaman, an acolyte, two dire boar riders, two savage ogres, two hippogriffs, an orc bloodrager, three of his best and most fierce warriors and a handful of lesser troops. Overconfident, he held an ogre, a boar rider and the bloodrager in reserve while signaling the others to advance and destroy the party. While the first wave hit hard, the party was ready for them. Barrack held the point with his rain of steel even as his attacks missed more than usual. Ur-Kadar advanced, as if to challenge the entire group. Jaeran did what he could to both damage the enemy and heal the party. Luke’s stinking cloud of noxious and poisonous vapors was effectively placed at the front lines, but his attention was suddenly turned when two hippogriffs swooped down upon him. He and Marik were forced to deal with the new threat from the skies as Syxia dashed back and forth from the front to the rear lines. Jaeran’s consecrated ground created a zone of healing for them and punishment for their foes. As with most big battles, Syxia was able to land several critical blows that inflicted significant damage on her opponents. After the party withstood the first wave and gained the upper hand, Gorshak realized his critical mistake and chose to attack.
By that time, he no longer had overwhelming odds. Ur-Kadar finished off the ogre he was fighting and then turned his attention to the acolyte, who died quickly. He was then free to concentrate on the bloodrager. Gorshak moved swiftly and positioned himself between Barrack and Syxia. Luke, despite being grievously wounded, finally finished off the hippogriff and then turned his attention to slaying the shaman. The boar rider attacked Jaeran, but was unable to force him outside his sanctified zone. Slowly, but surely, Gorshak’s forces were laid low, such that only Gorshak and the bloodrager remained. With the party’s last resources, they concentrated on ending the fight and the mighty Gorshak was no more. Ur-Kadar then quickly finished the stunned orc bloodrager. Sensing the urgency, the party quickly separated Gorshak’s head from his bloodied body and held it high for the orc army to see. The party let out a mighty roar and then rushed to the dwarven lines while brandishing the head of their fallen foe. Quickly panic spread through the orc army and it began to quickly fragment. The dwarves pressed the assault and drove the orc hordes back (and sometimes off the cliff). The battle was won as the last of the remaining orcs fled, with in-fighting among what was left of their ranks ensuing. Gorshak’s mighty axe, bloodcut hide armor and elven cloak, were claimed by Ur-Kadar, Marik and Syxia, respectively. Although none could be certain, the elven cloak had most likely belonged to Luthien. The orc shaman’s spiderkissed dagger was taken by Syxia while his stoneskin cloth armor and potion of vitality were awarded to Luke.

The party found the crumpled body of Thurr Gargengrim lying beside many dead orcs; the dwarven lord was bloodied, but still alive. An additionally 42 dwarven soldiers lost their lives on that most grim of days, but the siege was lifted and their enemies fled before them. Thurr needed help to return to Draig Durrok, but he would survive his wounds. He thanked the party for their help and asked that they meet with him on the following day in his throne room for proper acknowledgement. The remainder of the dwarven soldiers sought healing, provided by the clerics of Moradin and/or a large stein of ale, and began the process of burning the orc bodies and burying their fallen. The heroes scoured the battlefield and found a suit of magical leather armor, cleaned and donned by the she-devil, and a magical throwing hammer that was given to Barrack. The party then retreated to the halls of Draig Durrok, where they were able to rest peacefully for an entire night for the first time in many moons.

In the halls of the dwarf thane, the party was introduced as heroes to a host of thankful dwarves. Thurr wanted to personally extend his thanks, and told the heroes that their names would be written into the tomes of dwarven history and would not be forgotten. In addition, they would each be welcome here any time and could seek refuge within these walls whenever, and for as long as, they needed a place to stay. It was with great pride that Thurr hobbled forward. He explained that he and his people were all greatly indebted to the party, and that he considered it as an honor and a privilege to bestow some of his possessions on the party as a show of his deep appreciation. He began by awarding Barrack his Gauntlets of the Ram and his own stout warhammer. He presented his magical plate mail of fire resistance to Ur-Kadar. Finally, he presented the party with one of the prized possessions of the dwarven fortress, a large mithral shield. Thurr explained that this was brought from Draig Kharzak when that fortress fell to darkness. He explained that the dwarves were able to save the shield, but failed to secure a fragment of a magical staff that had abided in their possession for many lifetimes of men. The dwarves believed that this fragment was the reason the grey dwarves known as duergar agreed to help the orcs; the dwarves also believed that the duergar had retreated with the item into the lightless depths of the Underdark. After several questions from the party, Thurr explained that these two items were not necessarily connected: they were merely found by the dwarves in different locations many years apart and the dwarves have held them for over 500 years. With that, Thurr bid the heroes farewell, and they were led out of the great stone hall by Torin. Torin asked where they were headed next. Barrack stated that they would be headed to the Fens, but hinted that they may be interested in exploring Draig Kharzak in the near future. Torin says he would be happy to lead them there whenever they wanted to go. He also offered his advice on the best route into the Fens. With that, the party prepared for their next quest and made their way out of Draig Durrok.

Journal Entry 13

Journal - Session 13

Having annihilated the inhabitants of a temple of Orcus hidden along the banks of a jungle-enshrouded river – Barrack, a plain-spoken dwarven Fighter, powerful wielder of the hammers favored by that strong and dour race; Marik, a reptilian dragonborn Warlock, heir to an ancient and proud lineage, but inescapably bound to a pact granting him supernatural powers; Jaeran, an elven Cleric upon whom the gods have granted a measure of divine power as a reward for his faith; Luke, a cloaked half-elf Wizard of mysterious origins and arcane might; Syxia, a tiefling Rogue, dark daughter of a cursed bloodline, her ancestors given to the infernal worship of fiends; and Ur-Kadar, dragonborn Paladin of Bahamut, the Platinum Dragon, a holy warrior dedicated to upholding the tenets of his faith and protecting the weak with his battle axe – the heroes set off to assist the brave dwarves who were besieged at Draig Durrok.

Their first action was to send a message, via an arcane ritual performed by Luke, to Lord Braccus of Inequity, informing him that they had found and destroyed the Temple of Shar-Ngrond. They also told him to keep an eye on the cleric Isenicus of the Temple of Sehanine. Braccus’ reply was typical: “Great, that’s one more thing to worry about.” The party then left the Temple of Shar-Ngrond, hacking their way north through leagues of impenetrable jungle. Jaeran’s knowledge of healing, along with Luke’s expertise in the natural world prevented any serious disease or affliction from hampering the progress of the heroes. After trekking through the jungle for three days, the hellish wilderness thinned out, and the party reached a small grouping of semi-permanent structures, including a dock. This looked to be the place that the cultists used to float supplies down to the Temple. There was also a well-worn path that led east, no doubt to the Path of Shadows. The party burned everything to the ground and set off toward the Path.

After several days the grasslands turned to gentle rolling hills before finally a steep, rough range rose before the adventurers. Using the information they had obtained from Gimmar Fellhammer, the group turned north in search of the dwarven settlement of Draig Drammen. Luke’s outdoor skills, combined with Barrack’s knowledge of dwarven engineering and Jaeran’s keen eyes, enabled them to find the dwarven enclave: they were greeted by several guards who were standing watch at the entrance to the underground settlement. Barrack explained that he was sent by Gimmar Fellhammer and that the party was stopping in before setting off for Draig Durrok. The party remained outside while one guard disappeared inside to discuss the matter with his superior. After several minutes, the guard returned and told the heroes that they had been granted entrance, but warned them that they would be closely watched.

While the party was escorted through the settlement, they noticed that the dwarven inhabitants of the place appeared to be gathering supplies. They were led to a large chamber and introduced to Ballen Baldknuckles, who served as the leader of these dwarves. Ballen introduced himself and the group noticed that he appeared cautious but calm. Barrack retold the story related to him by Gimmar, and about the smith’s suggestion that the party stop here before heading to Draig Durrok. At that mention of Draig Durrok, Ballen stated that they were too late, as Draig Durrok had fallen. The party was shocked and asked if he was certain – he was. Ballen added that a swarm of 5,000 orcs will soon be upon them, and that he and his followers were preparing to flee to avoid suffering the same fate as Draig Durrok. Ballen said that the roughly 200 dwarves that had long called this place home will flee as soon as they can. Continuing the conversation, he responded to the party’s questioning by adding that Draig Durrok fell almost two weeks ago. Ballen says that he learned this information from a group of travelers who were forced to turn around when they came upon the carnage at the dwarven fortress. He continued to insist with such conviction that it had fallen that Jaeran began to suspect that something wasn’t quite right with Ballen. One of Ballen’s counselors, a stout dwarf by the name of Torin Hammerhand, offered to go with the party as he had family in Draig Durrok and wanted to confirm the tragedy. Barrack wisely changed the subject of the conversation and asked if they could spend the night here before heading off to Draig Durrok. Ballen decided that they would not be allowed to spend the night in Draig Drammen itself, but they were welcome to stay outside near the main entrance; provisions would be provided for them. Syxia was outraged that they would have to again make their beds on rocky terrain under the stars, despite being mere yards from more comfortable accommodations. Given the precariousness of the situation with the dwarves, however, she bit her lip and said nothing.

As Torin escorted the party outside the gates, he expressed his doubts that Draig Durrok had actually fallen. He said that if it had fallen 2 weeks ago, the orcs would have already swept through and destroyed them. He also added that Ballen has been acting very strangely since receiving the news that the stronghold had fallen. The dwarf lord was adamant that it is true and refused to consider any other option. The party began to question Torin concerning the travelers who came by and confirmed the destruction of the dwarven fortress. He said there were only a few of them, but they looked to be monks as they were dressed in robes and were not warriors. The party said that these individuals were likely cultists who were helping the orcs by summoning a large demon to wrest the very gates off of Draig Durrok. Torin said that he would meet with some of his brethren and that the party should should talk to Ballen again in the morning before setting off. Torin indicated that he knew of a back way into Draig Durrok that may be helpful, if he could find it. He explained that he has never used it, but has been told by his kin where it is. He also said that it is rumored to be guarded by four locks of differing type. With that, Torin returned inside. Luke, Marik and Jaeran discussed the issue and concluded that Ballen must be under some sort of charm. Lucan decided to prepare a counterattack to dispel any magical effects affecting Ballen.

The party was allowed to re-enter Draig Drammen in the morning and they were quickly found by Torin and escorted to see Ballen. Barrack began a line of mundane questioning so as to allow Luke to attempt to combat any magics that may be controlling the dwarf lord. Luke struggled with the powerful charm afflicting Ballen, but he was only able to weaken it and not destroy it completely. However, this was enough to create a bit of doubt in Ballen’s clouded mind. Torin stepped forward and asked for permission to take a group of 20 dwarven veterans to Draig Durrok, and Ballen reluctantly agreed. Barrack suggests that he also allow a runner to accompany them, so that the party may provide information on the status of Draig Durrok. Ballen nodded his consent, and they all set off for Draig Durrok.

The Path of Shadows was rugged but after three hard days, they came to a spot where it continued between two peaks. Torin indicated that the mountain to the left was home to Draig Durrok and that they must now break left in order to maneuver to the back side. Off in the distance, the party could occasionally hear the clamor of the orc war drums, although they were unsure as to whether these are drums of siege or celebration. The party considered sending Syxia and Marik ahead to scout the area and take out an orc sentry, but they decided against it. Ur-Kadar also discussed the merits of foregoing the current plan in favor of a direct assault on the evil forces. However, after much discussion, they decided to continue with the current plan.
They awoke the next day and set out to look for the hidden entrance. After several hours, Torin found what he thought was the entryway, but it had been covered with rubble. Barrack and the dwarves began to clear the rocks in order to determine if they would be able to gain access. After two hours, Barrack examined the area and believed that with another hour they should be able to break through. He was correct, and the party eventually gained entrance into the tunnel yawning blackly before them. They collectively decided to spend a few moments replacing the outside wall, so as to make it appear undisturbed. Whether this entrance was concealed by the dwarves, or filled in by the orcs to prevent escape, was unknown.

The party set off and made slow, steady progress. Syxia was watchful for traps, but found none. After a few more minutes, they found that the passageway ended in a large stone wall. There was a dwarven inscription inset on the wall and a large wheel containing dwarven letters. The inscription read:

Constant rain wears away _ _ _ _ _

The group began thinking through the possible answers and quickly determines that Jaeran’s suggestion of STONE was probably the best answer. Barrack stepped forth and turned the wheels to the appropriate letters: upon reaching E there was a small pop followed by a grinding sound. The party saw the inset inscription begin to turn as if it were mounted on a giant wheel behind the stone door. Rather than seeing a secret door open, they watched as a new riddle appears.

This one read:
Where the warg howls the _ _ _ _ _ prowls

This one proved a little more difficult. Syxia ran though several things including goblin, which sounds like the most likely answer – her father employed many goblin servants, and so she leaned the language if the goblins, as well as their habits and ways. She was sure GOBLIN was the answer; however, goblin contains six letters in Common and Goblin and was therefore discarded. The party was hung up for quite some time until Barrack examined the wheel, looked slightly confused, and then conversed with Torin. Like a bolt of lightning, they recognized that the wheel has an additional character on it – an ancient rune from the elder days of Soltara – that is not included in the current dwarven alphabet. The symbol ψ was used by the dwarves of the dim ages long ago; this character was a combination of the Common letters BL. Therefore, they could therefore use GOBLIN as the solution. It worked, and hearty dwarven chuckles rang through the tunnel.

As before, there was the grinding of stone on stone, and a new inscription appeared. It read:
When all else fails, look to the left side of your _ _ _ _ _

This riddle created a significant problem for the party. Several ideas surfaced, but nothing seemed to fit just right. Looking to the left side could mean considering an alternative use for something, but what? After many minutes, Torin re-read the inscription and then patted Barrack on the back, laughed, and told him to think more like a dwarf. Barrack confessed that he was not raised in a dwarven clan, but among humans. “Well, that explains it,” said Torin. “If you look to dwarven weapons like the hammer, pick, awl, axe or mallet, they share something in common,” he said. With that Barrack thought a bit more and then the answer hit him: TOOLS. With that the word was entered, the wheel turned and a new riddle was revealed.

This one read:
Not every stone holds a gem, not every rock has value, but even the smallest stone can contain a _ _ _ _ _

Like the riddle before it, this one also provided a significant challenge. Ur-Kadar offered HEART as an answer. Other possible solutions like value, prize, cache and store just didn’t seem to fit. Even Torin was unable to come up with an answer. The group discussion then turned to the fact that the riddle mentions that not every stone contains monetary value but perhaps it could contain aesthetic value. Running with that theme, they thought about crystals. Finally, the discussion led to where crystals might be found in the smallest of stones and then the answer presented itself – a GEODE.

Barrack entered the letters and the wheel sprang to life revealing one last riddle. It read:
What do these four share in common

The party started trying to piece the four answers to get it when Luke realized that they all shared the letter “O”. Barrack turned the dial, and a large stone door began to slide to the left allowing the party and the dwarf warriors to continue on.

Syxia quietly slipped into the stygian darkness of the passageway that had been revealed, her senses alert for traps. She was quickly followed by the rest of the band. The group travelled about 50’ feet before they ran into another stone door. Upon its surface, there was a hexagon formation made up of smaller hexagons which were made up of three different types of stone. The center hexagram was red granite, while the others were either marble or sandstone (see illustration). The party began by pressing on the different stones. They found that pressing on the stone pieces allowed for additional stones to be placed. Through trial and error, they discover that they must start from the granite center and end with all the marble and sandstone pieces depressed. The remaining red granite piece could then be pushed into place to open the lock. The marble pieces allowed for straight or slightly bent movement, while the sandstone hexes allowed only straight movement or a significant change in direction. After approximately half an hour, the lock puzzle was finally solved by Luke. The stone door opened and the band progressed another 50’ before encountering another door.

The puzzle on this door centered on a series of scales and used 7 different stone blocks each weighing 1 - 7 pounds. The objective was to arrange the weights appropriately, so that the whole system was balanced. Barrack and Marik worked on the project with some help from Luke. Marik’s well-rounded skill set and knack for picking up things comes to bear and he quickly solved the riddle. Upon setting the weights in the right places of the wall, the door slid to the left and they passed through. As with the previous door, they found yet another slab of stone blocking their path.

This door had a 5” x 5” square pattern containing 1” squares of alternating black and white colors. There were also 8 pieces of intricately carved stone in a small stone trough on the door. The small stone figures were 6 towers and 2 horse heads, representing pieces in a traditional game of strategy. The pieces had magnetic rings on the bottom that allow them to attach to the square board on the door. Also on the door was an inscription that instructed those attempting to decipher the puzzle to place the pieces such that each horse attacks three towers and that each tower attacks only one horse. The wizard was familiar with such games, as were Syxia and Ur-Kadar, and Luke quickly arranged the pieces in the appropriate places. The stone door then slid to the left with a heavy grinding sound, and allowed the party to at last enter Draig Durrok.
The armed band marched into the place and made enough noise to ensure that they were heard by any guards that might be posted. After a short distance, the adventurers were greeted by a group of exceptionally surprised dwarven guards. With that, it was clear that Draig Durrok was still in the hands of the dwarves. Torin dispatched the runner to send that message back to Draig Drammen. The party was well-received, and they explained how they came to be here. They explained that they were there to help and that they would like to speak to the dwarven thane, as they had information that would be useful. Within a few minutes, they were ushered into the halls of Thurr Gargengrimm, Thane of Draig Durrok.

The appropriate introductions were made and Thurr thanked them for coming and bringing additional defenders. He explained that the situation was grim. He produced a map and explains that Thargirn’s Watch, the small citadel just off the Path of Shadows that guards the land bridge to Draig Durrok, fell yesterday and the orcs advanced. The dwarves tried to make a stand where the land bridge widens but four or five orcs who rode on hippogriffs appeared and began a furious assault on their flanks. That forced a retreat and the orcs then made an assault on the main gates. The defenders were able to repel the attack thanks to their ballista, bolters and flaming pitch, although the main gates sustained significant damage. Should the orcs break through the main gates, a second set of smaller (much weaker) gates stand right behind them. He explained that if the main gates fell, the second set won’t last long. If the invaders gained access into the city, there’s no way that it could be held. Thurr said that the siege has been on and off again over the course of the last two years, but this is by far the greatest threat the dwarves have yet faced. Thurr indicated that the orc Gorshak arrived with massive reinforcements about two weeks ago. He said that they’ve killed 10 orcs for every fallen dwarf, and yet they rue the exchange. Responding to a question from Barrack, Thurr says that there are probably 1,200 -1,500 orcs plus a number of goblins outside these gates; the dwarves have approximately 100 healthy warriors left, joined by approximately 80 wounded soldiers who are incapable of fighting. Barrack informed Thurr that things were about to get worse, and informed him that Gorshak has made an alliance with a powerful group of cultists and that they have agreed to conjure up a powerful demon from the abyss to destroy the main gates.

Thurr provided a history lesson as he explained that Draig Durrok was the last major dwarven settlement left in the mountainous borderlands. The dwarves and orcs had fought for centuries, but the last fifty years has seen a turn in their fortunes. While past conflicts seemed to be brief and only between the two races, the orcs have recently been able to get additional help. He explained that the Mines of Draig Morthik were lost to an assault by orcs and trolls. The next to fall was the capital city of Draig Kharzak and with it their King, Duergan Blackpick. He said that the orcs would not have been able to take it without the help of the cursed duergar, the evil and twisted grey dwarves of the deep earth. The duergar secretly created a subterranean entrance to Kharzak and then launched an assault in coordination with the orcs. Thurr explained that the orc leader, Gorshak, must have unified the warring orc clans, as he seems to have the entire orc population at his command. Furthermore, he was smart enough to figure out how to get other races to join him. As the party knew, he was able to gain the support of ogres and the hippogriffs caught the dwarves completely by surprise. Thurr believes that if Gorshak were slain, the orcs would fall back to their traditional clan leaders, the vicious in-fighting common among the orcs will ensue and the existential threat to the dwarves would end. That said, Gorshak has rarely been seen at the front.

The party again reassured Thurr that they will do all they can for the dwarves. Barrack went to the front gates to see if he could help in fortifying them; Jaeran and Ur-Kadar tended to the injured warriors; Syxia slipped out under cover of darkness to gather information. She was able to confirm that the orcs are planning a major offensive in the morning and that the “visitor” had arrived and that the invaders expected to take the dwarven hold by the end of the next day. While Syxia was spotted on the way back, she was easily able to make it back to the gates. With that, the party decided to rest and prepare for what would be a long, bloody day.

The party met with Thurr and his advisors early the next morning before the sun rose. Thurr asked them to defend the main gates as the dwarves continued to repair and fortify them. He says that he now has approximately 150 soldiers thanks to the efforts of the party. He had the original 100, plus the 20 that came with them from Draig Drammen and an additional 30 that recovered due to the party’s healing efforts. He offered the party up to 50 soldiers to stand with them. The party chose 20 veterans, 20 soldiers and 10 bolters. The fortress’s murder holes were also protected by ballista and crossbowmen. With the sound of drums and war cries from the orcs, the party readied themselves, filed outside the gates and formed a defensive wall with Barrack and Ur-Kadar positioning the warriors to the front and Luke, Marik, Jaeran and the troop of bolters in the rear. Syxia hid off to the side, setting the stage for an ambush and assault on any orc leader types. It didn’t take long until a host of opponents swarmed out of the Watch, rushed over the bridge and threw themselves upon the defenders. In all, there were approximately 60 goblins and 100 orc drudges.

From inside the fortress streamed a rush of small bolts that cut down the majority of the goblins before they even reached the gate defenders. The fallen goblins performed their role well while the drudges advanced and engaged their enemy. The wall withstood the initial charge. Barrack endured and used his combat skills to not only inflict damage, but also shield his dwarven brethren. Ur-Kadar rallied the forces and looked for opportunities to counterattack. Marik breathed acid and unleashed blasts of arcane energy to both destroy and demoralize the enemy. While Jaeran’s divine attacks seemed to miss their mark, his healing powers and inspirational words were of great benefit. Luke’s arcane prowess proved deadly as he dropped fiery bursts and force daggers throughout the orcs ranks. Syxia dashed out from her hiding place, identified an orc leader as her target and then summarily executed him. She picked her opponents carefully and dealt with them mercilessly. Both Syxia and Luke proved devastating in this combat and the orcs’ ranks were winnowed. A second wave of five ogre came rushing forth, but they were laid low by two incredible shots from the fortress’s ballista. As the orcs’ charge was broken and the outcome secure, the party made out a hulking, ape-like demon rushing forward that Jaeran recognizes as a Bar-lgura - this was Naarash, one of the most powerful of his kind in the abyss. Jaeran’s keen eyes spotted a hippogriff and rider take off from inside the Watch.

The group recognized that they needed to advance to meet the demon and allow the dwarves to finish off the remaining orcs, and then retreat inside. The group was well prepared for the fighting and they were intent on exhausting their arsenal to bring down the massive demon as quickly as they could. They also had a bit of help from the bolters and ballista from within the keep. However, these would not have slowed the demon down, much less stopped him from bashing down the great gates. Barrack and Ur-Kadar prepared to meet the demon’s charge and prevented him from advancing. Luke unleashed a prismatic spray of magic color that dazed the demon and halted his advance. This allowed the party to optimize its assault. Barrack did his best to hold his ground, absorbed and deflected attacks and hammered away. Ur-Kadar landed a thunderous smite that knocked the fiend to the ground. Syxia used the distraction to approach the demon’s flank and inflict significant damage. Luke shot an acid arrow at the beast but it could not penetrate the demon’s resistance. It also narrowly missed hitting Barrack, Ur-Kadar and Syxia. That was a little too close for their comfort, particularly given the wizard’s history of hitting party members.

Marik used his fey powers to confuse the beast and make the party invisible. While Jaeran’s attack powers were muted against the orcs, he unleashed the full fury of Pelor on Naarash and blinded the brute with searing light. Ur-Kadar took the opportunity to take a mighty swing with his axe, and it landed with a tremendous thud as it sank into demonic flesh. Now lacking sight, the great demon charged in the direction of the front gates intent on bringing them down. He was intercepted before reaching them, and Syxia re-directed the demon with a wicked strike compelling it to reverse course for a moment, and then Barrack and Ur-Kadar once again brought their weapons to bear. The demon was by then possessed by fury and hatred and pounded away at anyone or anything near to it. Luke then hit the foul demon with a blast of cold that dazed the monstrosity. The party could hear the sound of horns coming from the Watch and they assumed that the enemy was preparing a third wave to attack after the gates had fallen. The party had other plans and they concentrated their attacks on the Bar-lgura. Jaeran scored another divine attack, and he commanded Naarash down with holy power. The great beast then rose slowly, but before he could recover to throw yet another assault, the final blow landed and the great hulking demon crashes to the ground. The thundering rumble from two hundred charging orc drudges ceased as the orcs halted, paused and then made a full retreat. The gates were secured for the time being.

Barrack took the opportunity to survey the field. In all, the defenders killed approximately 60 goblins, 100 orcs, 5 ogres and one huge demon while losing 10 dwarven soldiers. While these represented good odds, they were still terribly outnumbered. The party then took the opportunity to start dragging the enemy bodies to the edge of the bridge, and stacked them up to make an intimidating wall. Upon seeing this, the dwarves sallied forth and begin assisting with this effort. The dwarven dead were taken back into the keep for proper burial.

As it turned from morning to afternoon, it was clear that the orcs were in complete disarray. It is at this point that the party began to discuss a plan to counterattack. The heroes talked to Thurr and convinced him that now was the time to strike. They had an opportunity to hit Thargirn’s Watch and possibly retake it. They would take a small force and pretend to continue the business of stacking the fallen bodies of the enemy and then start to advance across the bridge. If the orcs rushed out, the dwarves and the party members could always fall back to the wall. Sxyia’s scouting report convinced them that Gorshak was not inside the keep and whatever chain of command was there before was now broken. While there were approximately 200 orc drudges in the Watch, the gates on both sides were wide open. Thurr approved the plan and the strike force assembled.

The attacking force filed out of the gates and began to drag a few more bodies to the now waist-high wall. Spotting no movement from within the Watch, and with the gates down, they slowly advanced while maintaining their ruse. Once they were halfway across the bridge, they realized that the orcs had yet to react and there was hope that the plan might work. As they reached the other side of the bridge, the alarm was sounded and the orcs rushed to raise the gates. It was too late, as the small army charged, intent on keeping the gates from closing. The dwarves were able to break the much weaker chains on the rear gate on one side and the door halted. With a few more blows from dwarven axes in conjunction with the weight of the dwarven soldiers now standing upon it, the left chain broke and the door crashed to the ground. The dwarves quickly reformed their phalanx and began to cleave through their disorganized, demoralized opponents. With Barrack pushing the enemy back with his shield, Ur-Kadar leading the soldiers, Luke raining down scorching bursts, Marik breathing acid and roaring to create confusion and devastation, Syxia assassinating any enemy that looked to be in command and Jaeran healing and providing words of inspiration, the orcs were quickly routed and either killed or forced to flee from the Watch. Barrack quickly led some of the soldiers to the gate and succeeded in raising, barring and securing the main gates. They had recaptured the Watch and spoiled the day for their orcish enemies. Throughout the keep lie the dead bodies of at least 200 orcs and 10 valiant dwarves. As night fell, Syxia led a small raid on the right flank of the orc encampment and was successful in killing approximately 50 more orcs before returning to the keep.

Thurr sends notice to Barrack that he is considering reinforcing the Watch. While almost all of the Watch’s defenses have been destroyed, the walls stand, and he believes it would give them an advantage. Barrack and the party agreed and Thurr sent out an additional 40 dwarven veterans.

Meanwhile, Gorshak believed that this day would see the end of the dwarves and secure his reign. Instead, it has seen his troops repelled from the main gates, his disorganized forces crushed and the Watch retaken, and approximately one quarter of his entire army slaughtered with nothing to show for it. His army still numbers almost 1,000 strong and he has his ogre allies and boar riders to use. Tomorrow he will regroup and prepare a plan for taking the Watch and then marching on the Gates. He has sworn to find those responsible for aiding the dwarves and deal with them himself . . .